for the sighte onelie of immortall eies And if we see that by the handieworke of men certaine workes are made here so sightlie and so bewtifull that they astonishe the eies of them that doe beholde them what a worke must that be which is wrought by the hande of almightie God himselfe in that royall howse in that sacred pallace in that howse of ioye and solace which he hath built for the glorie of his electe Psal 83.1 O how amiable are thy tabernacles saiethe the Prophet ô Lorde God of vertues My sowle desireth and feinteth in beholdinge the pallaces of our Lorde The state and condition of the citizens of heauen The thinge that most principallie commendeth a cittie is the state and condition of the cittizens to witt if they be noble if they be manie if they liue in peace and concorde emonge them selues Now who is able to declare the excellencie of this cittie in this behalfe All the inhabitantes therein be noble personages there is no one emonge them of base linage forsomuch as they be all the sonnes and children of God They be so frendly and louinge one towardes an other that they be all as it were one sowle and one harte And they liue in so great peace and concorde that the verie cittie it selfe is called Ieruzalem that is to saie the vision of peace If thow desire to vnderstande the nomber of the inhabitantes in this cittie vnto this desire S. Iohn maketh answere in his reuelations Apoc. 7.9 The nomber of the blessed inhabitantes in heauen where he saieth that he sawe in spirite such a great companie of blessed Sainctes that no man was able to recken them gathered together of all kindes of nations people and tonges which stode before the throne of almightie God and of his lambe appareiled in white garmentes and with triumphante palmes in their handes singinge vnto almightie God songes of praise And vnto this sayeinge of S. Iohn doth that agrie verie well which is signified by the Prophet Daniell concerninge this holie nomber where he saieth Dan. 7.10 Thowsande thowsandes serue the Lorde of maiestie and tenne hundered thowsande thowsandes stande before him And thinke not because the nomber is so great that they be therefore disordered For there the multitude is no cause of confusion but of greater order ād harmonie For almightie God that hath with such a wonderfull consonance and agrement disposed the mouinges of the heauens and the courses of the starres Euerie one of the Sainctes hath his place and glorie in heauen accordinge to the degrie of euerie one of their merites in this lyfe callinge them euerie one by his proper name hath also ordeined all that innumerable armie of blessed Sainctes with a most wonderfull goodlie ordre and disposition appointinge to euerie one his place and glorie accordinge to his merite And so there is one place for the virgins an other for the Confessors an other for the holie Martirs an other for the Partiarkes and Prophets an other for the Apostles and Euangelistes and so forthe in all the rest And in like sorte as men are there diuided There be nine orders of Angels in heauen and placed euen so after their maner are the Angels also which be diuided into three Hierarchies and those three Hierarchies into nine orders And aboue all the Sainctes and Angels is placed the throne of that most excellent Quene of Angels The blessed virgin Marie is placed in heauen aboue all the Angels and Sainctes the mother of almightie God who alone is an order by her selfe forsomuch as she hath no peere nor anie one that is like vnto her And aboue thē all the holie humanitie of our Sauiour Christ hath the cheife place and preeminēce who sitteth at the right hande of the maiestie of almightie God in the highest Now thou Christian sowle take a vewe of all these orders walke through these streates and waies consider the order of these cittizens the bewtie of this cittie and the noblenes and worthines of these inhabitantes Salute them euerie one by their names and desire them to helpe and succour thee with their praiers Salute also this sweite and pleasaunt countrey and as a pilgrime beholdinge it as yet a farre of directe thine eies and withal thy harte vnto it and saie Alhaile sweite countrey the lande of promise the hauen of securitie the place of refuge the howse of blessinge the kingdome of all worldes the paradise of delightes the garden of eternall flowers the market place of all treasure the crowne of all iust persons and the ende of all our desires Alhaile our mother and our hope After thee haue we sighed a longe time For thee haue we mourned and doe mourne euen at this presente For the loue of thee haue we foughte and doe still fighte a longe battell in this our transitorie lyfe For we knowe assuredlie 2. Tim. 2.5 that none shal be rewarded and crowned in thee but onely such as haue here fowghten faithfullie Of the seconde Ioye that the sowle shall haue in the kingedome of heauen which is the enioyinge of the companie of the Sainctes § II. VHO is able after this great ioye to declare what a further ioye the sowle shall haue by beinge in this most happie and blessed companie For there the vertue of charitie is in her full perfection the propertie of which vertue is to cause all thinges to be common There shall that petition be perfectlie fulfilled which our sauiour made sayeinge I beseech thee ô father Ioan. 17.11 All the electe in heauen shal be more streitlie vnited together in one than the members of one bodie because all shall participate of the spirite of God that they maie be one by loue as we are one by nature For there shall the electe be more streitlie vnited together in one than the members of one same bodie because all shall participate of one same spirite which geueth vnto all one same beinge and withall one blessed lyfe If thou imagin it to be otherwise tell me what is the cause why the members of one bodie haue so great a vnitie and loue one towardes an other The reason is because they all are partakers of one same forme that is of one sowle which geueth one same beinge and one lyfe to them all Now if the spirite of a man liaue power to cause so great a vnitie betwene members that are so different in offices and natures is it anie wonder if the spirite of almightie God by whom all the electe doe liue which spirite is as it were the cōmon sowle to them all shoulde cause a farre greater and more perfecte vnitie emonge them espetially consideringe that the spirite of God is a more noble cause and of a more excellent vertue and power yea and geueth also a more noble beinge Well now if this maner of vnitie and loue doe cause all thinges to be cōmō as well good as euil as we see in the
the materiall wordes or as the seconde attention that marketh the sence and meaninge of the wordes but moche more that attention that marketh and is attent to the end of prayer which is almightie God and vnto the thinge for which we praye The readinge of holie bookes The readinge of holie bookes conteininge fruitfull and profitable matters not onelie lighteneth our ignorance but it also dischargeth our dutie in well spendinge our tyme therein it correcteth our faultes teacheth good and holie maners discouereth vices exhorteth vnto vertues stirreth vp feruour causeth a feare of God recollecteth the mynde recreateth and comforteth the heauie sorowfull and discomforted soule Vndowbtedlie it procureth great profite and fruite to reade bookes of holie matters of such matters I meane as doe recollecte the soule that is distracted and wanderinge abroade emonge so manie diuers and sondrie thinges Readinge teacheth and sheweth vs the waye how to leade a good life Examples doe induce and prouoke vs to imitate and followe the same And prayer obteyneth vs grace to accomplish it fullie and perfect lie Readinge saie the holie fathers is good Praier vnto God is better but the doeinge of good woorkes for Gods sake is aboue all Out of holie readinge the good deuowt persons doe gather how to meditate vpon God And out of godlie meditation procedeth an earnest affection and a verie prompte and readie eleuation of the spirit vnto God out of which issueth that inwarde prayer that pearceth the heauens passeth aboue the highest places and hath a desire to vnite it selfe vnto almightie God in whom are all good thinges that may be desired Besides readinge and prayer it is necessarie to doe some good and profitable woorke But because our weaknesse is not able to continewe and perseuere alwayes in prayer and readinge it is therefore verie profitable yea and necessarie to worke also and to doe some thinge that is good and profitable which cannot chuse but so it wil be in case praier goe before the worke and yet it shal be moche better if praier doe accompanie it but best of all if the worke doe also end in prayer and then is the worke most perfecte To woorke with our owne handes is profitable bothe for our sowle and bodie To doe some kinde of worke with our owne handes besides that it is verie profitable and holsome for the bodie it helpeth our spirite also our neighbour is thereby edified and our sences are comforted and refreshed And in case thou finde thy selfe slouthfull heauie and vnwillinge to worke and labour with thy handes yet perseuere therein and thou shalt ouercome it O that we might once come to haue such a perseuerance and constancie as the Sainctes had Note howe the Saintes cōtinewed in prayer readinge and woorkinge with their handes who praied without intermission And yet notwithstandinge their continuance in prayer good Lorde it is merueilous to consider howe studious and continuall they were in readinge howe feruente and laborious in bodelie exercices and in doeinge of good workes in somuch as no kinde of labours paynes nor trauayles coulde euer ouercome them Now what other thinge is the life of the Sainctes vnto vs but onely a holie readinge which we ought to imitate without ceasinge Vvho so enforcethe himselfe to labour for gods sake shall obteine greater grace of God That man that shall enforce himselfe to take paynes and labours for Godes sake shall obteine the greater grace of his diuine good nesse and shall out of hande feele the profite and commoditie of his traueile An euill custome is ouercome by a good the which good custome if it be conuerted as it were into nature it waxeth so stronge that it tourneth the thinges that were harde and difficulte and causeth them to become easie and lighte And all this as Saint Paule saieth commeth to the iust man by meanes of continuall prayer And therefore he saieth sine intermissione orate 1. Thess 5. praye ye without intermissiō Saint Paule knewe right well that whilest we walke here in this life we are compassed all aboute with enemyes temptations tribulations and with infinite deceitfull ginnes with warres without and feares within 2. Cor. 7. and therefore he aduiseth vs to praye without intermission For whereas almightie God permitteth so manie vexations and troubles to come for the sinnes of the worlde his intent thereby is to stirre vp his electe and to awake them that they shoulde lifte vp their spirite vnto heauenly thinges 2. Tim. 2. For he that praieth not fighteth not and he that fighteth not manfully and maketh resistance is forthwith ouercome and leeseth his crowne and rewarde Who maie be able to praye and fighte cōtinewallie And if thou demaunde of me who is able to praye and fighte cōtinually I saie that euerie one can doe it that in trueth and humilitie of harte calleth vpon almightie God for succoure and putteth his full trust in him in verie deede Psal 144. For as the prophet Dauid saithe Our Lorde is mightie vnto them that calle vpon him if so be they calle vpon him in trueth We maie praie all waies with our spirite and with a godlye intention And if thou canst not praye continuallie with thy mouthe yet praye with thy spirite and with a godly intention For it is a very continuall sacrifice vnto almightie God in the soule of our hart to haue a desire to doe good workes and to serue him with all our harte And trulie that man doth alwayes praie that doth alwayes good workes And whosoeuer is hartelie sorie for his offences he hath committed and sigheth mourneth and longeth for the good thinges that are to come praieth alwayes and saieth with the prophet Dauid Psal 37. O Lorde before thee is all my desier and my mourninge is not hid from thee These three pointes nowe good Christian Reader which serue as we haue declared to preserue the righteous man in his righteousnes are so well taught and so wonderfullie set forth in these notable bookes of the Reuerēd religious Learned Father F. LEWIS de GRANADA that he must needes be verie harde harted who readinge them with attention deuotion and with a Christian desire to take profite by them doth not merueilouslie inriche him selfe with these three treasures to witte with prayer readinge and doeinge of good workes Wherefore whosoeuer is desirous to profite in these three thinges hath here verie Catholike sounde and profitable doctrine and in all pointes agreable with the vniuersall doctrine of the holie auncient Fathers and of the diuine Scriptures In these singular deuout holie bookes he shall not finde any thinge that may either offend him or bringe him into any errour or scruple Here shall he finde manie thinges that may edifie delighte teache and prouoke him to the loue of God and withall to the abhorringe of sinne and contempte of the worlde From receauinge which fruites no man is here excluded for so much as the Awthor
of his owne frailties infirmities falles and miseries S. Bernarde For if humilitie be as S. Barnard saith the contempt of our selues which procedeth of the knowledge of our selues it is manifest that the deeper a man shall wade by meanes of consideration into this knowledge of him selfe and the more he shall digge into this donghill the better and more trewlie shall he vnderstand what he is of him selfe and the more shall he contemne and humble him selfe Now to speake of thankes geuinge vnto almightie God for his manifolde inestimable benefites out of which do proceede those songes and praises of God which is a principalle parte of true religion from whence I saie doth this rendering of thankes procede but from the profound consideration of the same benefites For the more a man shall by meanes of consideration penetrate and vnderstand the greatnes and excellencie of Gods benefites the more is he prouoked to praise and geue thankes vnto almightie God with all his hart for the same I doe here also passe ouer the contempt of the world and the hatred of sinne with other the like vertuouse affections which next after grace doe proceade of this exercise of consideration which is the spurre and prouoker of them all and the oyle wherewith the lampes of all these vertues and good affections and of other the like graces are still nourished and meinteined HOW PRAYER IOYNED with consideration helpeth all the vertuous affections § V. PRAIER likewise when it is ioyned with consideration as ordinarily it is wont to be helpeth no lesse then consideration it selfe yea sometimes it helpeth much more For consideration commonly is not occupied anie further but onely about enkendelinge of some one of these vertuouse affections but praier when it is attent and deuout and is withall accompanied with spirite and feruencie of minde is wonte to stirre vp all theise vertues aforesaid For when the soule presenteth her selfe before almightie God with an earnest greate desiere to appease his wrath and to desiere him of mercie then there is no stone so hard but that it is moued hereunto I meane hereby that there is no holie affection but that it is then wholie exercised and emploied to this purpose And it fareth in this case as it doth with a mother that is desirous to still her childe or as it doth with a good and louinge wife that hath a desire to pacefie her husband when she perceaueth him to be angrie In which cases they are wont to omitt no meanes they can deuise that maye aniewise further the matter Forsomuch as in praier the religious soule accuseth her selfe before almightie God The offices aÌ„d effectes of praier Math. 18. there with the publican she is confounded and ashamed for her sinnes and offences there she purposeth an amendment of life there she humbleth her selfe and trembleth before the supreme diuine maiestie There she beleueth there she hopeth there she loueth there she adoreth there she praiseth there she geueth thankes for all benefites and there she offereth sacrifice vnto almightie God The habites of vertues doe increase withe the exercise of their actes both for her selfe and for all her neighbours All these thinges be performed in a deuout praier And because the habites of vertues do increase with the exercise of their actes hereof it procedethe that the soule by meanes of this exercise of prayer remaynethe very much bewtified and perfited in these vertues As S. Laurentius Iustinianus affirmeth in these wordes In the exercise of praier the soule is clensed from sinne charitie is nourished Faith is illuminated Hope is streingthened the spirite is conforted the bowels are mollified the hart is quieted truthe is discoueuered temptation is ouercome heauines is put to flighte the senses are reuiued the strengthe that was weakened is repaired lukewarmenes is abandoned the rustines of vices is consumed and in this exercise the liuelie sparcles of heauenly desires do rise vp and shew them selues emonge which burnethe the flame of the loue of God By this we vnderstand that praier is a most conuenient exercise for that man that mindeth to reforme his maners and life and to change himselfe into an other man As our Sauiour hath plainly signified vnto vs in the misterie of his glorious transfiguration whereof S. Luke writeth thus that as he waâ— prainge in the mount he sodeinlie transfigured him selfe in such wise that his face shined verie brighte like the sonne and his garmentes became white like snowe why our sauiour woul de transsigure himselfe rather at the time of praier theÌ„ at anie other time Our Sauyour could right well haue transfigured himselfe at other times then at praier if it had pleased him But he would of verie purpose be traÌ„sfigured whiles he was at praier to signifie vnto vs in the transfiguration of his bodie what vertue praier hath to transfigure our soules that is to make them to lose the customes of the old man and to clothe them with the new man which is created after the image of God Prayer ha the greate vertue to transfigure our soules There it is where the vnderstanding is illuminated with the beames of the true sonne of iustice and where the garmentes and ornamentes of the soule are renued and becomme whyter then snowe This is the verie thinge that almightie God signified to holie Iob when he said What Is it by thy wisedome Iob 39. that the hauke prunethe and changethe her fethers when she beateth her winges agâ—â—nst the sowthe Certeinly it is a thinge greatly to be wondered at that this birde knoweth how to cast of her old fethers and how to fether her selfe with newe And that for this purpose she seeketh the whot aire of the sowthe that with the heate thereof her poores maie be opened and with her mouing the olde fethers fall of and so geue place to the newe that beginne to springe out But how much more wonderfull is it to see a soule vnclothe her selfe of Adam and to put on Christ to change the conditions of the olde man and to adorne her selfe with the conditions of the new man Now this change that is so wonderfull is then wrought when the deuoute soule turneth her selfe to the sowthe and there beateth her winges in the aire And what is it to turne her selfe to the sowthe but to lift vp her spirite to the consideration of the eternal light and to the beames of the true sonne of iustice And what is it to beat her winges in the aire but to be there sighinge and pantinge with heauenly affections and desires calling vpon almightie God with great anguishe of minde and desiringe most humblie his fauore and grace For then bloweth the aler of the sowthe that is the heauenly refreshinge of the holie Ghost who with his temperate heate and sweete mouinge strengtheneth and helpeth vs to cast of all the olde fethers of the olde Adam that they maie geue place to the newe fethers of
ponnished with whippes and scourges Certainlie I doe beleue that all the orders of angells were wholie amased and astonished when they behelde this so strange and wonderfull sight and that they adored and acknowledged the vnspekeable goodnes of almightie God which was verie manifestlie discouered vnto them in this acte Luc. 2. Wherefore if they filled the aier with highe lawdes and praises vpon the daie of his natiuitie when as yet they had seene nothinge els but onelie the swadlinge clowtes and the manger where he was layde What did they now trow ye when they behelde him so villainouslie ād most cruellie whipped and scourged at the pillar Consider thou therefore o my sowle vnto whom this busines apperteyneth much more than to the angelles Consider I saye how much more oughtest thou to be inwardly moued in thy verie hart with this so wonderfull and most pietifull dolefull sight of thy sweite sauiour and to acknowledge vnto him much more humble thanckes and prayses for his so passinge great loue shewed hereby vnto thee Goe now therefore and enter with thy spirite into Pilates concistorie and carrie with thee great store of teares in a readines which in that place shal be verie nedefull to bewaile such thinges as there thou shalt both heare and see Consider on the one side with what rudenes those cruell and blouddie tormentors doe strippe our Sauiour of his garmentes and see on th' other syde with what humilitie he suffereth himselfe to be stripped by them neuer so much as once openinge his mowthe or answeringe one worde to so manie despitefull scoffes and blasphemous speaches as they vttered there against him Consider also what hast they make to bynde that holie bodie to a pillar that beinge fast bounde they might fetche theire full strookes more at pleasure and stryke him where and how they list Consider how the Lorde of angelles standeth there post alone emonge so manie cruell tormentors hauinge on his parte neither frynde nor acquaintance to entreate or defende him from iniurie no not so muche as eies to take compassion vpon him Marcke now with what furious crueltie they beginne to discharge theire whippes and scourges vpon his most tender fleshe and how they laie on lasshes vpon lasshes strookes vpon strookes and woundes vpon woundes There mightest thou see that sacred bodie swollen with wheales all blacke and blewe the skinne rented and torne the blowde gusshinge out and streaminge downe on euerie side throwghout all partes of his bodie But aboue all this what a pittiefull sight was it to beholde that so greate and deepe open wounde that was geuen him vpon the shoulders where chieflie all theire lashes and strookes did light Verelie I am perswaded that that wounde was so large and deepe that if they had laid on a little longer they had discouered the white bones betwene the blouddie fleshe and made an ende of his holie life at the pillar before he had come to the Crosse To be short they so strooke and rente that most amyable and bewtifull bodie they so boude him and laid on such loode of strypes and lasshes vpon him they so tormented and filled his blessed bodie with most cruell strookes and woundes that he had now cleane lost the forme ād shape he had before yea and to saie further they so fowlie disfigured him that he scarselye seemed to haue the shape of a man Consider now o my soule in what a dolefull plight that goodlie and bashefull yonge man stoode there beinge as he was in that pittiefull case so euill intreated so reprochefullie vsed and set out so nakedlie to the vtter shame of the worlde Beholde how that most tender and bewtifull fleshe yea euen the flower of all fleshe is there most cruellie rente and torne in all partes of it The lawe of Moyses cōmaunded that malefactors shoulde be beaten with whippes Deut. 25 and that accordinge to the qualitie of theire offences so shoulde the nomber of the lasshes be Howbeit with this condition that they shoulde neuer passe fowertie lasshes to the ende saieth the lawe that thy brother fall not downe before thee fowlie torne and mangled seeminge to the lawe maker that to exceede this nōber was a kinde of punishement so cruell that it coulde not stande with the lawes of brotherlie loue But against thee o good Iesus that diddest neuer breake the lawe of iustice were broken all the lawes of mercie yea and that in such sorte that in steede of fowertie lasshes they gaue thee fiue thowsande and aboue as manie holie fathers do testifie If then a bodie woulde seeme so fowlie beraied beinge scourged not passinge with fowertie strypes in what plight was thy bodie my sweete Lorde and sauiour beinge scourged with aboue fiue thowsande strypes O ioye of the angelles and glorie of the sainctes who hath thus disfigured thee Who hath thus defiled thee with so manie spottes beinge the verie glasse of innocencie The loue and mercie of our Sauiour towardes vs moued him to suffer suche cruell paynes Certaine it is o Lorde that they were not thy sinnes but myne not thy robberies but myne that haue thus euill intreated thee It was euen loue and mercie that compassed thee abowte and caused thee to take vpon thee this so heauie a burden Loue was the cause why thou diddest bestowe vpon me all thy benefittes and mercie moued thee to take vpon thee all my miseries Wherefore if loue and mercie haue caused thee to enter into these so cruell and terrible conflictes Who can now stande in dowte of thy loue If the greatest testimonie of loue be to suffer paines for the beloued what els are each one of thy paines but a seuerall testimonie of thy loue What ' els are all these woundes of thyne but as it were certeine heauenlie voyces Eche one of our sauiours paynes be a seuerall testimonie of his loue towardes vs. that doe all preache and proclaime vnto me thy loue all require me to loue thee againe And if the testimonies be so manie as the strypes and blowes were that thou sufferedst for my sake who can then put anie dowte in the proofe beinge as it is so playnelie auowched ād proued by so manie witnesses What meaneth then this incredulitie of myne that is not yet conuinced with so manifolde and so great argumentes S. Iohn the Euangelist wondered at the incredulitie of the Iewes Ioan. 12. for that our Lorde wrowght so manye miracles emonge them for confirmation of his doctrine and they neuerthelesse woulde not beleue in him O holie Euangeliste wonder no more at the incredulitie of the Iewes but rather at myne Forsomuch as to suffer paines is no lesse argument to cause me to beleue the loue of Christe than is the worckinge of miracles to cause me to beleue in Christe If then it be a greate wonder that after so manie miracles wrowghte by our sauiour Christe his wordes are not yet beleued how muche more wonderfull is it that hauinge suffered for our
of God knowe yee likewise 4. Reg 4. that this is that pretious vessell of the widowe of Elizeus full of oyle wherewith we must all paie our dettes And albeit the vessell seeme verie little to serue so manie yet looke not to the quantitie but to the vertue thereof which is certeinlie so great that so longe as there be vessels to fille so longe will the vayne of this sacred licour alwaies ronne and neuer ceasse A CONTEMPLATION VPON the misterie of the Crosse § I. AWAKE I praie thee now o my soule and beginne to contemplate vpon the misterie of this holie Crosse by the fruite whereof the hurte of that poisoned fruite is repared which the forbidden tree caused vnto vs throwgh the offence of the first man Adam As the bridegrome hath signified to his spouse in the canticles When he saied cantic 8. I haue raised thee vp my spouse from vnder the tree because vnder an other tree thy mother was corrupted when she was deceaued by the auncient serpente Consider then how when our Sauiour came to this place his cruell ennemies to make his deathe the more reprochefull stripped him of all his apparell euen to his innermost garment which was wholie wouen throwghout without anie seame Beholde now here with what meekenes this most innocent lambe suffereth himselfe to be thus stripped of all his garmentes without openinge his mowthe or speakinge so much as one worde against them that handeled him with such villanie But shewed himselfe rather verie willinge and readie to be spoiled of his garmentes and to remaine naked to the shame of the worlde to the intent that the nakednes of such as had throwgh sinne lost the garmente of innocencie and grace receaued might be be couered after a better sorte Genes 3. than with the leaues of the figtree Some holie fathers reporte that the tormentors in pluckinge of our Sauiours garmentes toke of his crowne of thorne which then stucke fast on his head and that afterwardes when they had stripped him starcke naked they set it on agayne and fastened the sharpe thornes to the brayne panne afreshe and so made newe holes and woūdes therein which was an exciedinge great griefe and payne vnto him And vndowtedlie it is to be thought that they woulde vse this kinde of crueltie against him forsomuch as we are well assured that they vsed manie others and those verie strange in all the proces of his passion especially consideringe that the holie Euangelist sayeth Lucae 23. that they did vnto him whatsoeuer they woulde Agayne by reason of his garment that stucke fast to the woundes of his scourginges and bloude which was now congealed vnto the same at what tyme they pluckt it of from his bodie as those caitiffes were farre from all pietie and mercie they haled it of with such furious haste and force that they loosed and renewed all the soores of his whippinges in such ruefull wise that his blessed bodie was in all partes open and as it were flaine and became all one greate wounde out of which distilled bloude on all partes Consider now here o my soule The nakednes of our Sauiour vpon the crosse the excellencie of the goodnes and mercie of almightie God which sheweth it selfe so euidentlye in this misterie Consider how he that clotheth the heauens with cloudes and adorneth the feildes with flowers and bewtie is here spoiled of all his garmentes Consider how the bewtie of the Angells is here defiled how the height of the heauēs is here browght lowe how the maiestie and omnipotencie of almightie God is here abased and put euen to open shame and reproche Beholde how that roiall bloude distillinge out from his brayne trickeleth downe all alonge by the heare of his head and by his sacred bearde insomoche as it watereth and dyeth the verie grownde vnder him Consider what extreme colde that holie tender bodie of his suffered standinge as he stode all rente and spoyled not onelie of his garmentes but also euen of his verie skynne hauinge withall so manie gappes and wyde holes of open soores and deepe woundes throughout all his blessed bodie For if S. Peter Ioan. 18. notwithstandinge he was both clothed and shodde felt colde the night before how farre greater smarte and colde did that most tender bodie of our sauiour abyde beinge so naked and full of soore bruses and woundes as it was Whereby it appeareth that albeit our Sauiour in all the whole cowerce of his life gaue vnto vs so wounderfull examples of nakednes Our Sauiour Christ was a most perfit patterne of pouertie vnto vs vpon the crosse and pouertie yet at his deathe he gaue himselfe vnto vs as a most perfit patterne and spectacle of this vertue Forsomuch as at that tyme he was in such a poore case that he had no place wherevpon to rest his head And to geue vs to vnderstand that he had taken nothinge of the worlde he died naked vpon the crosse and had nothinge of the worlde to cleaue vnto him Accordinge to this example S. Francis was a perfit folower of the pouertie of our Sauiour Christ we reade of the blessed holie father S. Francis who was such a perfit and trewe folower of this pouertie of our Sauiour Christe that at what time he shoulde geue vp the ghost he stripped him selfe starcke naked of all he had vpō him and threwe himselfe from his bed vpon the bare grounde and beinge thus naked he embraced the earthe to imitate herein as a faithfull seruante the nakednes and pouertie of his Lorde and Sauiour Awake therefore o my soule awake now I praye thee and learne thou also hereby to imitate our Sauiour Christ poore and naked Learne to despise all such thinges as this transitorie worlde maye geue vnto thee that thou maist be worthie to embrace our Lorde naked with naked armes and be vnited vnto him by loue which ought also to be naked without mixture of anie other strange loue HOW OVR SAVIOVR WAS NAILED VPON THE CROSSE § II. CONSIDER after this how our Sauiour was nailed vpō the Crosse and how passinge great griefe and tormente he suffered at that time when those great and square nailes were driuen in and pearced through the most sensible and tender partes of his most blessed bodie which was of all bodies most tēder and delicate And consider also what an extreme grieffe it was to the blessed virgin when she sawe with her eies and hearde with her eares the mightie and cruell harde strokes which were so often and so thicke laied on and iterated one after an other vpon his diuine members For certainlie those hammers and nailes as they passed throwghe the handes of the sonne so did they also pearce the verie harte of his most tender and louinge mother Consider moreouer how they lifted vp the Crosse on highe and how when they went about to ramme it in the hole which they had made for that purpose such was the crueltie
of those tormentinge raginge ministers that at the verie time of rearinge it vp and placinge it therein they let it falle furiouslie from them with a iumpe into the hoole with all the weight thereof and so all his blessed bodie was sore shaken and iogged vp and downe in the aier and thereby his woundes were wydened and enlarged and his paines and grieffes more encreased Now therefore o my sweete Sauiour and redeemer what harte is so stonie harde that will not ryue in sunder for verie sorrowe and griefe sith the verie stones them selues were ryuen the same daie consideringe the extreme paine that thou sufferedest on the Crosse The sorrowes of deathe ô Lorde Psalm 17. Psalm 68. haue compassed thee about and the waues of the Sea haue ouer whelmed thee Thou art myred in the depthe of the bothomles goulfes and fyndest nothinge wherevpon to staie thy selfe Thy father ô Lorde hath forsaken thee what hope maist thou haue of men Thy ennemies make outcries against thee thy fryendes breake thy harte thy soule is afflicted and for the loue thou bearest to me thou wilt not admit any maner of comforte Vndowtedlie ô Lorde my sinnes were verie greate and haynous and that doth thy penance well declare I see thee ô my kinge fastened to a tree and there is nothinge to susteine thy bodie but onelie three iron nailes wherevpon thy sacred fleas he hangeth without anie other staie or comforte When the weight and swaie of thy bodie staieth vpon thy feete then are the woundes of thy feete the more torne and enlarged with the nailes wherewith they are pearced Againe when the weight of thy bodie staieth vpon thy handes then are the woundes of thy handes the more rente and enlarged also with the poyce of thy bodie One of thy members cannot succour an other but with equall preiudice either of the one or of the other Now as touchinge thy holie head beinge thus tormented and weakened with the sharpe crowne of thornes what pillowe hath it to rest vpon O how well might thy armes ô most excellent virgin be here employed to supplie this office But alas thine armes maye not serue at this present but onely the armes of the Crosse Vpon them must our Sauiour staie his sacred head when he will rest and yet so that the ease he taketh thereof is nothinge els but a further driuinge in of the thornes and fasteninge of the same deeper into the braine Besides all this I see those foure principall woundes as it were foure fountaines alwaies distillinge out bloude I see the grownde all besprinckled and bedewed rounde about with bloude I see that most pretious licour all betrampled and shed vpon the earthe which crieth much better then did the bloude of Abell Genesis 4. Heb. 12. For his bloude cryed for vengeance ageinst the murderer but this most pretious bloude of thine O sweete Iesus craueth pardon for synners OF THE COMPASSION THE SONNEHAD VPON HIS mother and the mother vpon her sonne hanginge vpon the Crosse § III. THE sorowes of the sonne were much increased by reason of the presence of his most blessed mother wherewith his dolefull harte was no lesse crucified within than his holie bodie without Two crosses be here prepared for thee ô good Iesus this daie The one for thy bodie and the other for thy soule The one is of passion and the other of compassion The one pearcethe thy most blessed bodie with nailes of iron th' other pearceth thy most holie soule with nailes of sorowe Who is able to declare ô sweete Iesus what an vnspekeable greife it was vnto thee when thou diddest cōsider the greate anguishes of the blessed soule of thy holie mother which thou knewest so certeinlie was crucified with thee on the crosse Luc. 2. When thou sawest her pittiefull harte pearced and thrust throughe with the knife of heauines and sorrowe When thou diddest open thy blouddie eies and beheldest her diuine face whollie ouercast with palenes and wannes of death When thou sawest those most grieuous paynes and anguishes of her minde which was not resolued with deathe and yet abode greater paines then the verie paines of deathe it selfe When thou beheldest those riuers of teares which gusshed out from her most pure eies and hardest those so lamentable deepe sighes and sobbes which burst out of her sacred brest beinge enforced with the vehemencie of her most grieuous heauines and sorowe Certeinlie ô Lorde it can not be expressed with wordes how muche this inuisible crosse tormented thy most pittiefull harte And who is able to declare also o most blessed mother the greatnes of the sorrowes and anguishes of thy dolefull harte When thou sawest him dye with such grieuous tormentes whom thou sawest borne with so great ioye When thou sawest him scorned and blasphemed of men whom there thou sawest praised of the angells When thou sawest that holie bodie which thou haddest handeled with so great reuerence and browght vp with such motherlie tendernes and cheres hinges so cuill entreated and tormented by most wicked persons When thou beheldest that diuine mouthe of his which thou haddest nourished with the milke of heauen distempered with the bitter tast of gaulle and vynegar When thou diddest also beholde that diuine head which thou haddest so often times laied and rested on thy virgines brest all to begored now with bloude and crowned with thornes O how often diddest thou lift vp thyne eies on highe to beholde that diuine shape that had so often times reioysed thy soule in beholdinge the same And how often agayne did thyne eyes turne aside from him because the tendernes of thy harte coulde not abide to see that dolefull sighte What tonge is able to expresse the greatnes of this sorrowe If the soules that loue our Sauiour Christe truelie and vnfaynedly when they meditate vpon these sorowes beinge now past haue such a tender compassion vpon him what diddest thou then o most blessed virgin beinge his mother yea and more than a mother when thou sawest presentlie with thine eies such a sonne suffer such a most cruell and painfull passion If those women that accompanied our sauiour when he went with his Crosse towardes his death beinge neither of kinne nor of acquaintance vnto him did weape and lamente to see him goe after such a pittiefull sorte How great then was the abondance of teares that fell from thine eies O blessed mother when thou sawest him who was so deerelie beloued vnto thee not onelie carryenge the Crosse on his shoulders but nailed also fast vnto it and hoysed vp alofte vpon the same And albeit these thy griefes and sorrowes were so great yet diddest not thou ô blessed virgin refuse the companie of the Crosse neither wouldest thou turne thy backe but stoodest there euen harde and fast by the same and not fallinge downe in sowndes nor yet ouerthrowen to the grounde but like a stronge pillar standinge vpright vpon thy feete Genes 3. beholdinge with inestimable sorrowe and
now first how vncertain that houre is Of the vncertaintie of the houer of our deathe in which death will assault thee For thou knowest not neither what daie nor in what place nor how thou shalt be disposed when death shall come vnto thee Onely this thou knowest for most certain that die thou shalt all the rest is vncertain sauinge that ordinarily this houre is wonte to steale vpon vs at such a time as a man is most careles and thinketh least of it Secondlye consider what a separation shall then be made Of the separation from all worldlie thinges and of the partinge of the sowle from the bodye at the hower of our deathe not onely betwene vs and all the thinges we loue in this worlde but also euen betwene the sowle and the bodie which haue bene such auncient and louinge companions If it be thought so grieuous a matter to be banished out of our natiue countrie and from the naturall aier in which a mā hath bene bredde and brought vp although the banished man myghte carie awaye with him what soeuer he loueth how much more grieuous then shall that vniuersall bannishement be from all thinges that we haue from our landes from our goodes from our howse from wife father mother children kinsfolke friendes and acquaintance from this light and common aier yea to be short from all thinges of this worlde If an oxe make so great a bellowinge at what time he is seperated from an other oxe with whom he hath bene vsed to be yoked and to drawe in the ploughe what a bellowinge will thy hart then make when death shall seperate thee from all those thinges wherewith thou hast bene yoked and carried the burthens of this lyfe Consider also what a grieuous paine it shal then be to a man Of the payne that is at the houre of our deathe to consider what shall then become of our bodie and sowle when a certayne representation shal be made vnto his mynde foreshewinge in what case his bodie and sowle shal be after his death For as towchinge the bodie he knoweth for certaine alreadie that though it hath bene heretofore neuersomuch cherished and honored yet there shall no better prouision be made for it but onelie a hoole seuen foote longe where it shall remayne in companie of other dead bodies But as concerninge the sowle he knoweth not certainlie what shall becomme of it what considerations maye moue vs at the houer of death both to hope and feare nor what lotte shall fall vnto it For although the hope which he hath in the mercie of almightie God maie strengthen and comforte him yet the consideration of his owne sinnes maie dismaie him and make him afraied especiallie if he consider withall the greate iustice of almightie God and the profoundnes of his iudgementes who vseth oftentimes to crosse his handes and to alter the lottes of men Luc. 23. The theiffe went vp from the crosse to paradise Math. 27. and Iudas fell downe from the honorable dignitie of Apostelshippe into hell fier Manasses also after his so manie abhominations 2. Paral. 33. and wickednes obteined grace to become repentant And as yet we knowe not whether Salomon obteined the like for all his vertues This is one of the greatest grieffes and angwishes that men are commonlie trowbled withall at the houre of death to vnderstande that there is to ensue glorie euerlastinge and paine euerlastinge and that then a man is so neare both vnto the one and to the other and yet knoweth not whether of these two lottes beinge so farre different as they are shall fall vnto his share Of the particular accounte we must make to almightie God at the houer of our deathe of all our whole lyfe Arsenius After this angwishe there followeth an other no lesse then this to witt the particular accompte of all our whole lyfe which at the verie hower of euerie mans deathe must be made vnto almightie God This accompt is so dreadfull that it causeth euen the most stowtest men that are to tremble and qwake for verie feare It is written of the famous holie father Arsenius that beinge at the point of death he beganne to be afraied whereat his schollers meruayled and saied vnto him What father are you now afraid of your accompt Vnto whom he answered yea yea my sonnes this feare is no newe thinge in me for I haue alwaies liued with the same At that time all the synnes of a mans former lyfe are represented vnto him lyke a squadrone of enemies readie sette in battayle arrye to assaulte him Then are the greatest sinnes and those wherein he hath taken greatest delight represented most liuely vnto him and are the cause of greater feare Then commeth the yonge virgine to his minde which he hath dishonored Then come the maides and howsholde seruantes whom he hath solicited and prouoked to lewdnes Then come the poore folkes whom he hath iniuried and euill entreated Then come his neighboures whom he hath offended Then shall there crie out against him not the bloode of Abell Genes 4. but the pretious blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ which he shedde when he gaue scandale and offence to his neighbour And if his cause must be adiudged accordinge to the lawe that saieth Eie for eie Exod. 21. tooth for tooth and wounde for wounde what shall he looke for that by his euill counsell or lewde example hath bene the occasion of the losse of a Christian sowle if he be iudged by that lawe O how bitter shall the remembrance of the delightes and pleasures past be at that time vnto him which at other times seemed so sweete Vndowtedly the Wiseman had verie good cause to saie Prouerb 23. Looke not vpon the wine when it is redde and when it shewethe his coullour in the glasse for although at the time of drinkinge it seeme delectable yet at the ende it will byte like a serpent and poison like a cockatrice O that men woulde vnderstande how true a sayinge this is that we haue here rehearsed What serpentes stinge is there that doth so prycke and and vexe a man as the dreadfull remembrance of his pleasures past shall doe at the howre of his death These are the dregges of that poisoned cuppe of the enemye Ierem. 51. These be the leauinges of the cuppe of Babilon Apoc. 14. that seemeth so gaylie gilted in outwarde apparance After this there followeth the Sacrament of Confession the blessed Sacrament of the Aultar and last of all the Sacrament of extreme Vnction How the Catholicke Churche cōforteth ād helpeth the sycke person with Sacramētes and prayers at his departure our of this worlde which is the last succour and releefe that our mother the Catholike Churche maie helpe vs withall in that troublesome time And as well herein as in the other thinges thou hast to consider what great greiffe and anguishe of mynde the sycke person shall then abide in
callinge to minde his wicked and synfull lyfe and how gladly he wishethe at that time that he had taken a better waie and what an awstere kinde of lyfe he woulde then determine to leade if he might haue time to doe the same and how fayne he woulde then enforce himselfe to call vpon almightie God and to desier him of helpe and succour Howbeit the verie paine greife and continuall increasinge of his syckenes and death will scarcely permitte him so to doe Consider then also those last accidentes and panges of the sicknes Of the pāges of deathe which be as it were the messingers of death how fearfull and terrible they be How at that time the sicke mans breast panteth his voyce waxeth hoarce his feete begynne to die his knees waxe colde and stiffe his nostrels ronne out his eies sincke into his head his countenāce looketh pale and wanne his tonge faultereth and is not able to doe his office finally by reason of the hast of the departure awaye of the sowle out of the bodie all his senses are sore vexed and troubled and they doe vtterlie leese their force and vertue But aboue all the sowle is then in most payne Of the greate payne ād agonie the sowle abideth at her departure out of the bodie and suffereth greatest greifes and troubles For at that time she is in a verie great conflicte and agonie partely for her departure from the bodie and partely for feare of her dreadfull accompte which is then to be made Because she is naturally lothe to departe from the bodie and she liketh well her lodginge and is in verie great dread to come to her accompt before almightie God Now when the sowle is thus departed out of the fleashe yet there remayne two voiages for thee to make with him the one to accompanie the bodie vntill it be layed in his graue the other to followe the sowle vntill her cause be determined And thou hast to consider diligentlie what shall become of eache one of these two partes Of the funeralles ād buryenge of the bodie Consider now in what plight the bodie is after the sowle hath forsaken it and what a worthie garment they prouide to winde it in and what haste his friendes and executors doe make to get him quickly rydde awaye out of the howse Consider also the funerals with all the other circumstances that are wonte to happen therein The often ringinge of the belles the goinge aboute of the belman cryinge vnto the people to praye for his sowle the questionynge in the streates one of an other who is dead the diriges and dolefull seruice of the Churche the accompanyinge of his corps to the Churche and mourninge of his wife children kynsfolke seruātes and friendes for him and finally all th' other particulars that are then wont to happen vntill the bodie be laide and lefte in the graue where it shall lye buried vntill it be raysed agayne by the terrible sownde of the trompet at the generall daie of iudgement And such is the great chaunge and alteration in worldlie affaires that it maie so come to passe as a time maie happen when some buildinge maie be made neare vnto thy graue be it neuer so gaie and sumptuous and that they maie digge for some earthe out of the same to make morter for a walle and so shall thy seelie bodie beinge now changed into earth become afterwardes an earthen walle although it be at this present the most noble bodie and most delicately cherished of all bodies in the worlde And how manie bodies of Kinges and Emperors trowest thou haue come already to this promotion Now when thou hast left the bodie in the graue what becōmethe of the sowle after it is departed out of the bodie goe from thence forthwith and followe after the sowle and cōsider what waie it taketh through that newe region whither it goeth what shall euerlastinglie become of it for euer and euer and what iudgement it shall haue Imagin that thou arte now present at this iudgemēt and that thou seest all the whole cowert of heauen to expecte the ende of this sentence Eccles 12. vers 14. Iob. 14.13 Iob. 31.14.23 where the sowle shal giue a particular accōpte and be chardged and dischardged of all that he hath receaued euen to the valewe of a pinnes poynte yea Math. 12.36 Math. 19.17 Rom. 2.6 1. Co. 4.4 1. Cor. 9.27 2. Cor. 5.10 Ephes 6.8 Philip. 2.12 Haeb. 9.27 1. Peter 4.18 2. Pet. 1.10 Apoc. 2.23 Apoc. 14.7.13 and as our Sauiour himselfe affirmeth of euerie idell worde There an accompt shal be required of his life of his lādes ād riches of his howseholde ād familie of the inspiratiōs of almightie God of the meanes and opportunitie he hath had to leade a vertuous and godlie lyfe and aboue all he shal be streitelie examined what estimation he hath made of the most pretious bloude of our sauiour Christe and of the vse of his Sacramentes And there shall euerie man be iudged accordinge to the accompt he shall make of the giftes and graces he hath receaued of almightie God THE THIRDE TREATISE WHEREIN IS TREATED OF THE consideration of death Where the former meditation is declared more at lardge THE consideration of death is verie profitable for manie purposes and espetially for three First for the obteyninge of true wisedome that is to knowe how a man ought to gouerne and frame his lyfe For as the Philosophers doe saie in thinges that are ordeined to anie ende The consideration of death causeth a man to gouerne and frame his life the rule and measure whereby to directe them is to be taken of the same ende and therefore when men doe either builde or Saile or doe anie thinge they haue alwaies their eie fixed vpon the ende which they pretende and accordinge to the same doe frame and direct all the rest of their doinges Now consideringe that emonge the endes and tearmes of our lyfe death is one of them whither we goe all to take our rest he that will endeuour to direct his lyfe in good order let him fixe his eies vpon this marke and accordinge to the same let him dispose and directe all his affaires Let him consider how poore and naked he must depart out of this worlde and what a strait iudgement he must passe at the hower of his death and how he shall lie in his graue all betroden and quyte forgotten of all men and accordinge to this ende let him consider how to frame and direct the whole order and course of his lyfe By this rule a certaine Philosopher gouerned and directed his lyfe that saied Naked came I out of my mothers wombe Iob. 2. and naked must I retourne againe to my graue To what purpose then shoulde I lose my time in purchasinge and heapinge together landes and riches seing nakednes shal be my ende For want of consideration of this our ende doe growe all our errours and
them all and make an euerlastinge diuision The deeper rootes the toothe hath in the iawe the greater greife it causeth at what tyme it is plucked out Now the harte of a wicked man beinge so fast rooted in the loue of the thinges of this lyfe The more we be in loue with worldelie thinges the more griefe it wil be vnto vs to departe from them at the hower of our deathe S. Augustine it cannot be but that it must needes be a very great greife vnto him when he seeth the howre is now come wherein he must depart from thē all At that time those thinges whereunto he beareth most affection shall wounde his hart most greiuously and that thinge which was wont to be a comfort vnto him in his trouble shal be then a most cruell torment in vexinge him S. Augustine declareth that at what time he determined to seperat him selfe from the worlde and from all the pleasures and delightes thereof it seemed vnto him that they all represented themselues liuely vnto him and saied What wilt thou leaue vs for euer and wilt thou neuer haue any more to doe with vs Consider now then with thy selfe what a greife it wil be to a carnall harte when those thinges that he hath most loued doe represent themselues at that hower vnto him ād when he seeth that he shal be spoyled of them all in such wise that he shal be enforced to saie Now shall this worlde haue no more to doe with me neither this aier nor this sonne nor this element Now shall I haue no longer conuersation and comfort of my children my wife my howse my landes my goodes my pleasures and delightes Of all thinges I am now left naked and bare Now will death spoile me of them all Now is my olde age at an ende now is the nomber of my daies fulfilled now shall I die vnto all maner of thinges and they all vnto me Wherefore ô thou worlde I bid thee farrewell yee my landes my goodes and riches I bid you farewell my friendes my acquintance my kinsfolke my deare wife and my louinge children I bid you all farewell For now shall we neuer see one an other anie more in this mortall fleash There is yet an other separation after this more terrible and dreadfull then this is to witt betwene the sowle and the bodie which haue kept cōpanie so longe time together and haue bene such hartie friendes The deuill had spoyled the holie man Iob of all maner of thinges sauinge onely of his lyfe and it seemed vnto him that in comparison of the spoile thereof all the rest were of none accompt and therefore he saied Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath he will geue for his lyfe This is the thinge that naturally is most loued Iob. 2.4 and the separation whereof causeth most greife If the seperation of one waifaringe man from an other when they haue trauayled in iourney together anie time doe cause such greife and solitarines what a griefe shall it be when two such entier friendes and companions as the sowle and the bodie haue bene are seperated the one from the other which haue traueyled together from their mothers wombe vntill that verie houre and haue had so manie knottes and bondes of friendshippe betwene them What a greife will it be when the spirite shall saie vnto the fleash I must now remaine all alone without thee And the fleash shall likewise make answere vnto the spirite sayeinge and in what case then shall I be without thee seinge all the beinge I haue I haue receiued of thee Of the horror and lothsomenes of our Graue § II. AFTER this it commeth naturally to a mans minde to thinke what shall become of his bodie when his sowle is departed out of it And in thinkinge hereupon he seeth that the best happe his bodie maie haue can be no better than to be laide in a little graue of earthe The basenes of which conditiō maketh him to be as it were astonnied For cōsideringe on the one side what great estimation he hath made of his bodie in tymes past and seinge on the other side what a base and vyle place that is wherein it must now be laide he cannot but wonder excedinglie at it He considereth and waygheth with himselfe that the lodginge which they will prepare for him in the earth shal be strait and narrowe that it shal be also obscure stinkinge full of wormes maggottes bones and dead mens skulles and withall so horrible that it shal be verie ircksome to thē that be aliue onely to looke vpon it And when he seeth that his bodie which he was wont to make so much of his bellie which he esteimed for his God his mowth for whose delightes the lande and sea coulde scarselie serue and his fleash for which golde and silke was wont to be wouen with great curiositie and a soft bed prepared to laie it in must now be laide in such a filthie and miserable donghill where it shal be troden vpon and eaten with fowle wormes and maggottes and within fewe daies be of as owglie a forme as a dead Carrion that lyeth in the feildes insomuch that the waiefaringe man will stoppe his nose and ronne awaie in great hast to auoid the stinkinge sauour of it when I saie he considereth all this and seeth that in steede of his soft bed he must lie there vpon the harde grownde ād in steede of his pretious and gorgious apparell he must haue there but onely a seely poore windinge sheite and in steede of his sweete odoriferous parfumes and muskes filthie rottonnes and horrible stenches and in steede of his multitude of delicate dishes and waitinge seruinge men he must haue there such an infinite nomber of crawling wormes and fylthie maggottes feedinge vpon him he cannot chuse if he haue anie sense or Iudgment remaininge in him but merueill to see vnto how base a condition such a noble creature is now come and to consider with whom he must now keepe companie there euē fellowe and fellowe like who in his life tyme had no fellowe nor equal It is not the part of wise men to wonder at thinges and the customable seinge of thinges euerie daie taketh awaye from them be they neuer so greate all admiration and wounder And yet all this notwithstandinge the great Wiseman wondered at this miserie though it be a matter whereof we haue dailie experience when he saide If man and beast doe die both after one sort Eccles 2.3 what auaileth me that I haue trauailed so much in seekinge for wisedome If it were so that the bodie in this separation shoulde ende in some thinge that were of anie price or proffit it woulde be some kinde of comfort vnto vs. But this is a thinge to be wondered at that so excellent a creature shall ende in the most dishonorable and lothsome thinge in the worlde This is that great miserie whereat the holie man Iob wondered and
sowle in a merueilous great conflict and agonie not so much for her departure as for feare of the howere of her dreadfull accompt approchinge so neare vnto her Then is the time of tremblinge and quakinge yea euen of such as be most stowte and couragious The blessed holie father Hilarion S. HilarioÌ„ as he was passinge out of this worlde beganne to tremble and feare and was lothe to die howbeit the holie man encouraged himselfe sayienge Goe forth my sowle goe foorth out of this bodie whereof shouldest thou be afraid It is threescore and tenne yeares that thou hast serued Christ and art thou yet afraide of death Now if this holie man were afraid of his passing out of this worlde who serued Christ so manie yeares what shall he doe who peraduenture hath offended him so manie yeares Whither shall he goe Whom shall he call vpon What counsell shall he take O that men vnderstode how great this perplexitie and anguishe is at this dreadfull howre Imagin now I beseach thee in what a dolefull case the harte of the Patriarke Isacke was Genes 22. when his father held him bounde handes and feete and had laide him vpon the woode to sacrifice him when he sawe his fathers glisteringe sworde ouer his heade and vnderneth him the flames of fiere burninge and the seruantes that might haue succoured him stayinge at the foote of the hill and he himselfe bownde handes and feete in such sort that he cowlde neither flie nor defende himselfe in what plight trowe yee was the harte of this blessed younge man when he sawe himselfe in so narrowe a strayte In what greate perplexitie the sowle of the wicked man is at the hower of deathe And surelie in farre greater perplexitie is the sowle of the wicked man at this dreadfull hower because he can tourne his eies on no syde where he shall not see occasions of great terrour and feare If he looke vpwarde he seeth the terrible sworde of the iustice of almightie God threateninge him If he looke downwarde he seeth the graue opeÌ„ euer gapinge and tarienge for him If he looke within himselfe he seeth his owne conscience gnawinge and bytinge him If he looke about him there be Angels and deuils on both sides of him watchinge and expectinge the ende of the sentence whether of them shall haue the praie If he looke backwarde he seeth his dolefull wyfe his littell younge children his poore seruantes his kinsfolke his freindes his companions his acquaintance his howse his landes and the goodes of this lyfe to remaine all behinde and are not able to succoure him in this his great distresse forsomuch as he must depart all alone out of this lyfe and they all must remaine still here To conclude if after all this he take a vewe of him selfe and consider what he is inwardelie he shal be wonderfully amased and afraide to see himselfe in such a daungerous and terrible state insomuch as if it were possible he woulde flie awaie euen from himselfe Nowe alas to depart from the bodie is a thinge intollerable To continewe still therein is a thinge impossible And to differre his departure anie longer will not be graunted All the time past seemeth vnto him but as a blast of wynde and that which is to come appeareth as it is in deede infinite Now what shall the miserable sowle doe beinge thus compassed and enuironed about with so manie straites O how fonde and blynde are the sonnes of Adam that wil not prouide in time for this terrible passage HOW FILTHIE AND LOTH-some the bodie is after it is dead And of the burâ—inge of it in the graue Eccle. 3â— 23 Eccle. â—â— â—◠§ VII LAST of all when this great conflict is ended the sowle is violently taken awaie from the bodie and departeth from her auncient habitation the bodie remayninge vtterly spoyled of all the beawtie and qualities it had Now let vs consider what lotte each one of theise two partes must haue First consider in what case the bodie is In what case the bodie is after the sowle is departed out of it after the sowle is departed out of it What thinge is more esteimed than the bodie of a prince whiles he is a liue And what thinge is more contemptible and more vyle than the verie same bodie when it is dead Where is then that former pryncely maiestie become Where is that royall behauiour and glorious magnificence Where is that highe authoritie and soueraintie Where is that terrour and feare at the beholdinge of his presence Where is that cappinge and kneelinge and speakinge vnto him with such reuerence and subiection How quicklie is all this gaye pompe vtterly ouerthrowen and come to nothinge as if it had bene but a mere dreame or a plaie on a stage that is dispatched in an howre Then out of hande the wyndinge sheet â—s prouided and brought forth The richest man in this worlde shall haue no more with him of all his gooddes at the hower of his deathe but onelie a wyndinge sheete Psal 48.17.18 which is the â—ichest iewell he maie take with him out of this lyfe And this is the greatest recompence that the richest man in this worlde shall haue of all his goodes at that hower I wâ—she this pointe were well considered by eâ—erie couetous man and by those that make their money their God whose blindnes and follie the Prophet reprehendeth in theise wordes Be not afraide when a man waxeth riche and when thou seest the glorie of his howse verie much multiplied and increased for when he dieth he shall not carie his goodes awaye with him neither shall his glorie goe downe with him Of the buriall of the bodye Then doe they make a hole in the earthe of seuen or eight foote longe and no longer though it be for Alexander the great whom the whole worlde coulde not holde and with that smalle rowme onelie must his bodie be contence There they appoint him his howse for euer There he taketh vp his perpetuall lodginge vntill the last daye of generall Iudgment in companie with other dead bodies There the wormes crawle out to geue him his interteinment To be short there they let him downe in a poore white sheete his face beinge couered with a napkin and his handes and feete fast bownde which trewlie needeth not for he is then suer enough for breakinge out of prison neither shall he be able to defende himselfe against anie man There the earthe reâ—eyueth him into her lappe There the bones of dead men kisse and welcome him There the dust of his auncesters embraceth him and inuiâ—e him to that table and howse which is appointed for all men liuinge And the last honour that the worlde can doe vnto him at that time is to cast a litle earth vpon him and to couer him well therewith that the people maie not feele his stinckinge sauour aÌ„d beholde his dishonour And the greatest pleasure that his verie deare and
goodnes they liue and reigne in glorie O heauenly cittie O secure dwellinge place O blissefull countrey where all delightfull thinges are to be fownde O happie people without anie grudginge O quiet neighbours where no one is subiecte to anye wante or necessitie O that the striffe and contention of this present state were at an ende O that the daies of my bannishement might be finished O how longe is the time of my peregrination prolonged When shall this daie come When shall I come and appeare before the face of my sweite Lorde and Sauiour THE SIXTE TREATISE OF THE CONSIDERATION OF the glorie of Paradise Wherein the former meditation is declared more at large ONE of the thinges wherevpon it behoueth vs most to haue our eies alwaies fixed in this vale of teares is the blessed state of glorie in the kingdome of heauen For this consideration alone were able to encourage vs to susteine willingelye all labours and paines that are to be suffered for the atteyninge of it When almightie God promised to giue to the Patriarke Abraham the lande of promise he commaunded him to walke and vewe it all rounde abowte sayeinge Arise Genes 13.17 and walke all ouer this lande both in lengthe and breadthe and consider it one euerie side For I will geue it vnto thee Arise vp therefore ô my sowle aduaunce thy selfe on highe leaue all earthlye cares and affaires here benethe and flee vp with the winges of thy spirite vnto that most excellēte noble lande of promise and cōsider with good attention the lengthe of the eternitie the lardgenes of the felicitie and the greatnes of the riches with all the rest that is therein It is writtē of the Quene of Saba 3. Reg. 10. that when she hearde of the great fame of Salomon she went to Ieruzalem to see the great and wonderfull thinges that were reported of him Consideringe therefore that the fame of that heauenly Ieruzalem and of that supreme kinge that gouerneth it is no lesse than the renowme of Salomon was ascende thou now vp on highe with thy spirite vnto this noble cittie to contemplate the wisedome of this supreme kinge the bewtie of this temple the seruice of this table the orders of them that attende vpon it the liueries that the whole familie weare and withall the policie and glorie of this noble cittie For if thou be able to consider euerie one of these thinges it maie be that thy spiritie shal be lifted vp aboue it selfe and thou shalt perceiue that there hath not bene declared vnto thee so muche as the verie least parte of this glorie But for this purpose it shal be requisite to haue a spetiall lighte of almightie God as the Apostle signifieth sayeinge I beseache the God of glorie and the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ to geue you the spirite of wisedome Ephes 1.17.18 and to lighten the eies of your hartes that you maie vnderstande how great the hope of your vocation is and the riches of that enheritance and glorie which he hath prepared for the Sainctes And althoughe in this glorie there be manie thinges to contemplate vpon yet mayst thou now espetiallie consider these fiue principall thinges that we towched before to witt Fiue principall thinges to be considered in this meditation The excellencie and greatnes of the place The fruition of the companie of those blessed inhabitantes The vision of almightie God The glorie of the Sainctes bodies And the euerlastinge continuance and eternitie of all these so great and wonderfull benefites Of the goodlines and excellencie of the place § I. FIRST of all consider the goodlie bewtie of the place which S. Iohn describeth vnto vs in a figure in his Apocalips in these wordes Apoc. 12. One of the seuen Angels spake vnto me sayeing Come and I will shewe thee the spouse of the lambe and he caried me awaie in spirite to a highe and great mountaine and shewed me the holie cittie of Ieruzalem which descended from heauen and shyned with the clearenes of almightie God and the light thereof was like to the glisteringe brightnes of pretious stones This cittie had one great and highe walle in which were twelue gates and in the gates twelue Angels accordinge to the nomber of the gates The foundatiōs of the walles of this cittie were wholye wroughte with pretious stones and the twelue gates thereof were twelue pearles euerie gate made of one pearle and the streat of this cittie was of pure golde like vnto a verie cleare glasse and I sawe no temple therein because our Lorde God almightie and the lambe were the temple and the cittie had no neede of Sonne or Moone to geue light vnto it forsomuche as the clearnes of almightie God doth lighten it and the lampe that burneth there is the lambe Moreouer the Angell shewed me a floud of the water of lyfe as clear as the christal which issued out of the seat of almightie God and of the lambe Apoc. 22. In the middest of the streat and both on the one side of the floude and on the other was planted the tree of lyfe which brought forthe twelue fruites in the yeare euerie monethe his fruite and the leaues of this tree serued for the healthe of nations No maner of malediction shall euer be seene there but there shal be the seat of almightie God and of the ābe And his seruātes shall serue him and they shall see his face and haue the name of him written in their foreheaddes and they shal reigne for euer and euer worlde without ende Beholde here dear brother the bewtie of this cittie described vnto thee not that thou maist thinke that these thinges are there in such a materiall sort as the wordes doe sounde but that by meanes of these thou maist conceiue other more spirituall and more excellent thinges which are figured vnto vs by these materiall thinges The situation and greatnes of the heauenlie cittie The situation of this cittie is aboue all the heauens and the greatnes and largenes thereof exceideth all measure For if euerie one of the starres of heauen be so great as we haue before declared how great then must that heauen be that conteineth in it all the starres and all the heauens Suerlie there is no greatnes in the worlde that maie be compared vnto this For as a holie father saiethe from the west parte of Spayne vnto the vttermost borders of the Indiens a shippe maie saile if it haue a prosperous wynde in fewe daies but that region of heauen is so great that the starres which are more swifte than the sonne beames can not finishe their course in it in manie yeares The goodlie workemanshippe of the buildinge Now if thou demaunde of the workmanshippe of that buildinge there is no tonge able to expresse it For if that worke that appeareth outwardly to our mortall eies be so goodly and bewtifull what is to be supposed of all the rest that is there reserued
fiue kindes to witt to the benefites of creation conseruation redemption vocation and to the secrete benefites that euerie one hath receyued particulerly in him selfe As concerninge the first benefite which is of creation The benefite of creation Consider first with great attention what thou wast before thou were created and what almightie God hath done for thee and bestowed vpon thee before thou diddest merite or deserue anie thinge at all to witt he gaue thee thy bodie with all thy members and senses and thy sowle which is of so great excellencie created after his owne image and likenes for so highe and excellent an ende as to haue the fruition of almightie God And withall he gaue thee those three noble powers also of thy sowle which be Vnderstandinge Memorie and Will And cōsider well with thy selfe that to geue thee this sowle was to geue thee all thinges For it is cleare that there is no perfection nor habilitie in any of all the inferior creatures but that man hath the same in him in a farre more highe and greater perfection and by meanes of the vertue and habilitie of his sowle he is able to attaine vnto it Whereby it appeareth that by geuinge vnto vs this thinge alone to witt our sowle he gaue vs therewith at once all thinges together As concerninge the benefite of conseruation The benefite of conseruation consider how all thy whole beinge dependethe of the prouidence of almightie God How thou art not able to liue one momente nor to steppe so much as one steppe were it not by meanes of him Consider also how he hath created all thinges in this worlde for thy vse ād seruice insomuche as he hath appointed euen the verie Angels of heauen for thy garde and defence Consider moreouer how he hath geuen thee healthe strengthe lyfe sustenaunce with all other temporall helpes and succours And aboue all this consider well the manifolde great miseries and calamities into which thou seest other men falle euerie daye and how thou thy selfe mightest also haue fallen into the same had it not bene that almightie God of his greate mercie preserued thee As concerninge the benefite of redemption thou mayst consider therein two thinges The benefite of redemption First how manie and how great benefites almightie God hath geuen vs by meanes of the benefite of redemption And secondlie how manie and how great miseries he hath suffered in his most holie bodie and sowle to purchase these benefites vnto vs. As concerninge the benefite of vocation consider first of all The benefite of vocation what a great benefite it was of almightie God to make thee a Christian to calle thee to the Catholike faith by meanes of the holie Sacramente of Baptisme and to make thee also partaker of the other sacramētes And then if after this callinge of thee thou hast fallen into deadlie synne and thereby loste thyne innocencie in case now our Lorde haue raised thee vp from synne and receyued thee againe into his grace and fauour and set thee in the state of saluation how canste thou be able to geue him sufficient praises and thāckes for this so inestimable a benefite What a great mercie was it to expecte thee so longe time to suffer thee to committe so manie synnes and in the meane time to sende thee so manie diuine inspirations and not to shorten the daies of thy lyfe as he hath done to diuerse and sundrie others that were in the verie same state and laste of all to calle thee with so mightie a grace that thou mightest ryse vp againe from death to lyfe and open thyne eies to beholde the eternall lighte What a great mercie was it also after that thou wast conuerted to geue thee grace not to returne vnto deadlie synne againe but to stande and vanquishe thyne enemie and to perseuere in good lyfe This is that morninge and eueninge dewe that almightie God promised by the Prophet Ioel sayeinge And yee sonnes of Sion reioyce Ioell 2.23 and be glad in our Lorde God for he hath geuen you a teacher of iustice and he shall cause the morninge and eueninge dewe to rayne and poure downe vpon you Meaninge hereby that almightie God geueth vs firste his preuentinge grace 1. Grace preuentinge wherewith we beginne to sowe the seede of vertues and afterwardes he geueth vs his grace subsequent 2. Grace subsequente and finall and final which bringeth this seede to his full rypenes and happie ende These are the publike and knowen benefites Of secrete benefites But besides these there be other secrete benefites which no man knoweth but he onely that hathe receiued them Agayne there be other benefites also so secrete that euen he himselfe that hathe receiued them knoweth not of them and he onely knoweth them that is the geuer of them How manie times hast thou deserued in this worlde either throughe thy pride negligence or vnthankfulnes that almightie God shoulde haue withdrawen his grace from thee we falle frō God eyther throughe our pride negligēce or vnthankefulnes and vtterlie forsaken thee as he hath done to manie others for some one of these causes for whosoeuer they be that doe falle from God they falle by some of these meanes and yet hath not almightie God dealte thus with thee How manie euilles and occasions of euilles hath our Lorde prevented and turned awaye by his prouidence in ouerthrowinge the snares of the deuill thine enemye and stoppinge him of his passage and not permittinge him to execute his wylie practises and deceites vpon thee How oftentimes hath he done for euerie one of vs as he saiede he did for S. Peter Luc. 22. Beholde saiede our Sauiour how Satan goeth busilie aboute to sift you as corne in the barne but I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not Now who knoweth these secretes Benefites positiue but onely almightie God The positiue benefites be such as a man maie sometimes vnderstāde and knowe them but those benefites that are called priuatiue Benefites priuatiue which consiste not in doinge benefites vnto vs but in deliueringe vs from hidden and secrete euilles that were comminge towarde vs who is able to vnderstande Wherefore as well for these benefites as for the others it is reason we shoulde alwaies shewe our selues thankefull to our Lorde and vnderstande how farre in arrerages we be in our reckeninge with him and how much more we be indetted vnto him than we are able to paie consideringe we are not able so much as to vnderstande what they are THE SEVENTHE TREATISE OF THE CONSIDERATION OF the benefites of almightie God Wherein the former meditation is declared more at large ONE of the greatest complaintes that almightie God maketh against men and wherewith he will most charge them at the daie of their accompte Almightie God will charge vs at the daye of our accompte with our vnthankefulnes and ingratitude for his manifolde benefites Esa 1. is their vnthankfulnes and
which is the thinge that is of chiefest force to susteine the burthen of the lawe of God Ecclesiast 35. And therefore Ecclesiasticus saith He that keapeth the lawe multiplieth praier For whereas he seeth by experience that none can kepe the lawe of God by the obseruation whereof euerlasting glorie is obteined without the grace of God he helpeth him selfe by praier to obtein grace by meanes wheeof he maie be able to kepe the lawe of God The lawe commaundeth vs to be chast But besides this the holie Ghost addeth and saith by the wise man Vnderstanding that none could be chast Sap. 8. vnles thou o Lord diddest geue him grace for the same and it was a great grace to knowe of whose gifte this was I went vnto oure Lord and I demaunded of him this grace with all my hart Whereby thow maist see accordinge as we declared in the beginninge that the walle hath neede of a forewalle or bulwarke and the vessell hath neide of a cubbord to kepe it in and some vertues haue neede of other vertues to defend and garde one an other Now if this be true that thou arte bounde to kepe the lawe of God and not to commit anie deadlie sinne it is good reason that thou do seeke out all such meanes as maie helpe thee to kepe the same lawe and to preserue thee without deadlie sinne The which meanes although generally they be but of counsell yet sometimes they maie be of precept when the necessitie of exercisinge them as we haue said is so great that without the vse of those meanes the verie commaundementes them selues cannot be kepte and fulfilled as all the learned diuines do affirme Howbeit euerie christian that hath an earnest desier of his saluation owght not to expecte and delaie the seekinge for these remedies vntil the verie last and extreme danger when the knyfe is alreadie at his throte but he owght to make good prouision and to furnishe him selfe before hand by meanes of these for sayd spirituall exercises that he maie liue the more safe and secure from the perill of breakinge Gods commaundementes Againe I confesse that these meanes as we haue said do apperteine to the religious and to the laie people after a diuers sort and that praier and consideration it selfe which is one of these meanes must be vsed of them in diuers degrees For the religious person must exercise the same as a thinge appertening to his office and dewtie of his professiō because he walketh towardes perfection but the laie person must exercise it as a meane whereby he maie the better fulfill his bounden duetie of keping the commaundementes of almightie God And therefore the laye person must take so much of this medecine to witt of praier meditation c. as maie suffice to cure his disease and so much muste he take of these meanes as maie suffise to obtein his ende It is sufficient for the laye person to withdrawe him selfe sometimes for to enter and take an inwarde vewe within him selfe and then by meanes of these or anie other spirituall exercises and praiers to attende vnto the reparinge of his conscience and to the reformation of his life for considering that this is the greatest of all our busines it is requisite that this be not the last of our cares OF THE MATTER OF CONSIDERATION § XII HAVING now spoken both of the profit and necessitie of consideration and our hartes being nowe well affected herewith towardes this vertue lett vs beginne to treate of the matter of consideration which consisteth of certein godlie and deuout considerations which are of greatest force to induce vs to the loue and feare of God to the abhorring of sinne and contempt of the world For which purpose there be no considerations better nor of greater force and efficacie then those that are taken out of the principalle articles and misteries of our faith as the bitter passion and death of our Sauiour the remembrance of the terrible daie of iudgement of the horrible tormentes of hell of the glorie of heauen of the benefites of almightie God of our synnes and of our life and death For euerie one of these pointes beinge well weied and considered be able to prouoke our hartes verie much to all the effectes aboue mentioned These verie pointes S. Bonauenture hath treated in a boke that he intituled FASCICVLARIVS and hath diuided them into the seuen daies of the weke And thus he did that a man might haue euerie daie newe foode for his sowle and newe prouocations vnto vertue and so auoide the tediousnes that he should otherwise haue in thinking alwaies vpon one same matter And for this cause it seemed good vnto me to followe the same diuision which this renowmed and blessed holie father hath made who of all others hath treated most largelie of these matters And if there be anie that shall not well like of this diuision but will followe some other he is at free libertie so to doe and hath also examples to followe therein For it importeth not much what order and diuision he folow in the same And suerlie that is the best order The worde of god and the consideration of heauenlie matters be the foode of our soule to be vsed in these matters that each man fyndeth to be best for him selfe and wherein he taketh most profit and commoditie Moreouer I thowghte it expediente considering that the foode and sustenance of our sowle is the worde of God and the consideration of heauenly matters for therewith is our sowle susteined in the spirituall life which consisteth in the loue and feare of God that like as we geue ordinarily to our bodie his refection twise euerie daie to preserue it from feintinge in this life euen so we should also geue to our sowle her ordinarie refection twise euerie daie that she faile not in her life howbeit this is not a thinge of bounden dewtie nor of precept but onely of holesome councell espetially cōsideringe that the Sainctes haue vsed this exercise more often tymes For we reade Daniel 6. that the prophet Daniell with drew him selfe to this exercise three tymes in the daie Psalm 118. and the prophet Dauid also vsed to praise God seuen tymes in the daie After whose vertuous example our holie mother the Catholike Church hath instituted the seuen Canonicall howers of dailie seruice Here be two kindes of meditations assigned the one for the morninge and the other for the eueninge And for this cause haue we here assigned two kindes of meditations The one for the morninge which treateth of the most bitter passion of our redeemer and the other for the euening or night which treateth of the other pointes and matters here before mentioned But if anie man shall haue such want of tyme or of deuotion that he can not withdrawe him selfe vnto this exercise twise in the daie let him yet finde the meanes to withdrawe him selfe thereunto at the least once in the daie
vpon thee For the one I will reioyce and be glad and for the other I will sorrowe and lament And so with ioye and lamentation together I will singe and bewaile the misterie of thy most dolorous passion and I will studie continuallie in that booke of Ezechiell the contentes whereof arâ— songes Ezechiel 2. and lamentations When our sauiour had spoken these wordes he departed from his disciples a stones cast where lyenge prostrat vpon the grounde he begane his praier with verie great reuerence sayinge O father if it be possible Matth 26. let this cuppe passe from me howbeit not as I will but as thou wilt Lucae 22. and after he had made this praier three times at the third time he was in such a great agonie that he beganne to sweat euen droppes of bloud which ranne downe all a longe his sacred bodie and trickeled downe to the grownd The causes of our Sauiours greâ— te agonie and sweâ—tinge droppes of bloud while he was prayinge in the garden Consider now attentiuelie in what a dolorous case our sauiour was and how there were then represented vnto him all the cruell paynes and tormentes he had to suffer euen as thowgh they had bene then presentlie in doinge before his eies all which he apprehended after a most perfet maner in his most excellent imagination eache one in such sort as they were prepared for his bodie which was certeinlie more tender and delicate then euer anie other bodie was in the whole worlde He set also at that time before his eies all the synnes of the worlde or which he should suffer and withall the greate vnthankfulnes and ingratitude of so manie soules as he knewe would neuer acknowledge this his singuler benefit nor further aid helpe themselues with this most pretious aid so costlie remedie These thinges being profoundelie wayed and considered by our sauiour at this time his soule was vexed in such sort and his senses and most tender fleshe were so wounderfullie troubled that all the forces and elementes of his bodie were distempered and his blessed fleshe opened on euerie side and gaue place to the bloude that it might passe and distille throwgh all partes of his bodie in verie great aboundance and streame downe to the grownde Now if the fleshe suffered suche greuous paynes with the onelie remembrance and imagination of that which as then was to come in what a dolefull case then trow ye was his soule that suffered those paynes euen directlie in it selfe In other men we see when they are disquieted with anie suddaine and great anguishe the bloude vseth commonlie to haue recourse vnto the hart leauinge the other members of the bodie colde and destitute of theire streÌ„gthe to comfort the most principall member Our Sauiour suffred his greauous paynes without anie maner of comforte But our sweete Sauiour Christ contrariewise because he would suffer without anie maner of comfort thereby to make our redemption more aboundant such was his passing loue towardes vs that he would not admit so much as that little releefe and comfort of nature Beholde our sweete sauiour now in this dolorous agonie and consider not onelie the paynefull anguishes and greifes of his soule but also the forme of his sacred and reuerent countenance The sweare is wont to haue his most cheefe and principall recourse to the forehead and to the face If then the bloud issued out through all the bodie of our Sauiour in such sorte that it trickeled downe to the verie earthe in what plight then was that goodlie cleare forehead thinke you that geueth light to the verie light it selfe And how was that face beraied which is so reuerenced of the heauens beinge as it was all in droppes and couered ouer with a blouddie sweat If such as be kinde and louinge are wont when they come to visit theire frendes being sicke and in danger of death to beholde theire countenance aduisedlie and to marke the colour and other accidentes that proceed of the disease tell me o my soule that beholdest the face of our sweete sauiour what thinkest thou when thou beholdest in the same such wonderfull strange and deadlie signes What painfull fittes and dolorous greifes are those like to be hereafter if in the verie beginninge of the disease he suffer such a great agonie In what dolorous panges is he like to be when he shall feele those most greuous paynes and cruell tormentes themselues if in the onelie thinkinge of them he sweateth euen droppes of bloude If thou be not moued to take compassion of our sweete sauiour seinge him in this dolefull case for thy sake If now when he sweateth droppes of bloud throughout all his bodie thou canst not sheede anie teares from thyne eies thinke verelie with thy selfe that thou hast a verie harde and stonie hart and if thou canst not weepe for want of loue towardes him yet at the least weepe for the multitude of thy sinnes forsomuch as they were the verie cause of this his agonie Our synnes were the verie cause of our Sauiours blouddye sweare and greife Now the tormentors doe not whippe him neither doe the souldiars crowne him with thornes It is not now the nailes nor the thornes that do cause the bloud to gushe out of his bodie at this time but it is thy verie synnes and offences those are the tormentors that doe torment him those are the heauie burden that cause him to sweat this so straÌ„ge and wonderfull blouddye sweat O my sweete sauiour and redeemer how redemption O my true Adam that art comme our of paradice for my synnes and labourest here in earth with thy blouddie sweat Of our Sauiours agonie and watchinge aboute our saluation whilest his disciples be in a heauie sleepe to get the bread that I must feede vpon Consider also in this place on the one side the great agonie and watchinge of our Sauiour Christ and on the other the sownde and deepe sleepinge of his disciples and thou shalt see here represented a great misterie For trulie there is nothinge more to be lamented in the worlde then to see how careles and negligent men be in there liues and how little accompt they make of a matter of so great importance as is theire owne saluation What thinge is more to be bewayled then to see men so careles in such waightie afaires Now if thou wilt vnderstand both the one and the other consider in this matter the doinges of our sauiour and withall the doinges of his disciples See how our sauiour applieng his minde earnestlie to this busines of our redemption is in such a great care and agonie therewith that it maketh him to sweate euen droppes of bloude and see on the other side how his disciples do lie a longe on the grownd and are so heauie a sleepe that neither theire maisters rebukynge of them nor theire ill fauoured aÌ„d harde lodginge on the bare grouÌ„de nor yet the obscure and darcke dewie night are able to
Image of the glorie of the father What moued thee to vse this dispitefull kinde of most villeynous reproche vnto him Psal 44.3 who is the most bewtifull emonge all the sonnes of men How our Sauiour was led to the howse of bishoppe Caiphas But this was not the last iniurie our Sauiour suffered that night For from the howse of Annas they leade him to the howse of the Bisshoppe Caiphas whither reason woulde that thou shouldest goe with him to kepe him companie and there shalt thou see the sonne of iustice darkened with an Eclipse and that diuine countenance defiled most vnreuerentlie with spittell 1. Pet. 1.12 which the Angells desire to beholde For when our Sauiour was coniured in the name of the father to tell them what he was he answered treulie vnto their demaunde as it was meete he shoulde but those wicked men that were so vtterlie vnworthie to heare such a highe and excellēt answere beinge blinded with the brightnes of so great light assaulted him like mad dogges and disgorged vpon him all their malice and furie There each one to the vttermost of his power geuethe him buffettes and strokes There they spitte vpon that diuine face with theire diuelishe mowthes There they hoodwinke his eies and strike him on the face scoffinge and Iestinge at him sayeinge Areede A woūderfull example of humilitie and patience in our Sauiour who hath smitten thee O meruailous humilitie and patience of the sonne of almightie God O beawtie of the angells Was that a face to spit vpon Men vse commōlie when they are prouoked to spit to tourne awaie theire face towardes the fowlest corner of the howse and is there not to be fownde in all that pallace a fowler place to spit in than thy face O sweete Lorde O earthe and asshes why doest thou not humble thy selfe at this so wounderfull example How is it that there shoulde yet remayne in the worlde anie token of pryde after this so great and meruailous example of humilitie Almightie God holdeth his peace whilest he is spitted vpon and buffetted the angelles and all creatures holde theire handes and reuenge not the iniuries done vnto theire creator beholdinge him thus contemned and reuyled with most dispitefull reproche and villanie and yet thou beinge a poore seelie miserable worme turmoilest the worlde vp side downe with malicious chydinge brawlinge and fightinge in case thou be but touched in anie smalle poynte apperteyninge tō thy estimatiō Why wonderest thou ô man to see Almightie God thus beaten and euill entreated in the worlde sith the verie cause of his comminge was to cure the pryde of the worlde If the sharpenes of the medecine doe cause thee to wonder consider the greatnes of the wounde and thou shalt see that such a wounde required so sharpe a medecine as this was espetiallie consideringe that all this notwithstandinge the wounde is not yet whole Thou wonderest to see how almightie God hath humbled himselfe And I wonder to see thee for all this example so prowde and insolent in all thy talke dealinges and behauiour seinge almightie God hath so humbled himselfe to teache thee to be hūble Thou wonderest to see almightie God thus to abase himselfe vnder the dust of the earthe and I wonder to see that dust and earthe for all this aduaunceth it selfe aboue the heauens and woulde be honoured aboue almightie God himselfe How is it then that this so wonderfull example sufficeth not to subdue the pryde of the worlde The humilitie of Christ was sufficient to ouercome the harte of God to procure his fauour and to make him become gentle and mylde towardes vs. And shall it not suffice to ouercome thy harte and to make it humble and meike The angell saied to the Patriarcke Iacob Gen. 32.28 Thou shalt no more be called Iacob but Israell shal be thy name For seinge thou hast bene mightie against God how much more shalt thou be mightie against men If then the humilitie and meikenes of our Sauiour Christ preuailed against the furie and wrathe of almightie God why doth it not preuaile against our pride If it were able to pacifie and appease so mightie a hart as the hart of almightie God beinge then angrie with vs why doth it not alter and mollifie our stubborne hartes Suerly I am at my wittes ende and verie much astonished yea it passeth my reason to consider how this so great patience ouercommeth not thy anger how this passinge great abasinge aswageth not thy pride how these violent buffettes beate not downe thy presumption and how this deepe sylence emonge so manie iniuries is not of force to make thee leaue of thy quarrelinges and troublesome sewtes in lawe wherewith thou vexest and turmoylest thy neighboures about the vile mucke and transitorie pelfe of this worlde It is a meruailous great wonder to see how almightie God would by meanes of these so terrible iniuries ouerthrowe the kingdome of our pride and it is also greatlie to be meruailed at that notwithstandinge all this there remaineth yet a freshe liuelie memorie of Amelec vnder the heauens 4 Reg. 15. and that to this daie the relikes of this wicked generation doe for all that remayne and continewe Now therefore ô sweete Iesus I beseech thee to cure in me with the example of thy great humilitie the follie of my vaine arrogancie and pryde And forsomuch as the greatnes of thy woundes doe geue me playnlie to vnderstand that I haue great neede of a helper let it euidently appeare by the operation of thy grace and remedie in me that I doe now presentlie enioye the benefit of the same OF THE VEXATIONS AND TROVBLES OVR SAVIOVR SVFfered the night before his Passion and of the denyall of S. Peter § II. CONSIDER after this what troubles our sauiour suffered in that dolefull night when the souldiars that had him in custodie mocked and lawghed him to scorne as S. Luke saieth Luc. 22.63 and vsed as a mean to passe awaie the sleepines of the night to scoffe and ieste at the Lorde of maiestie Consider now ô my sowle how thy sweete spowse is set here as a marcke to receiue all the strokes and buffettes they could geue him O cruell night O vnquiet night in which thou O good Iesus tookest no rest at all neither did the souldiars repose them selues but accompted it euen a pastyme and recreation to vexe and torment thee The night was ordeined for this ende that all creatures shoulde therein take theire rest and that the senses and members that are wearied with the toyles and labours of the daie might be refresshed and relieued but these wicked men vse it now as a fit tyme to tormente all thy members and senses strykinge thy bodie afflictinge thy sowle bindinge thy handes buffettinge thy cheekes spittinge in thy face and lugginge thee by the eares that at such time as all members are wonte to take theire rest all thy members might be in great paine and
and weightie burthen his knees tremblinge vnder him his bodie crowchinge vnder the crosse his modest eies and face all blouddye with that dolorous garlande of thorne vpon his heade and besides all this annoyed with those most shamefull opprobrious exclamations and outcries which they gaue out in the waye against him But now in the meane tyme o my soule withdrawe thyne eies a little while from this cruell sight The sorowfull tydinges hereof to the blessed virgin Marie and hye thee with quicke speede with heauines of harte and greate store of teares trickelinge downe by thy checkes towardes the howse of the blessed virgine Marie And when thou art come thither cast thy selfe downe at her feete and speake these wordes in most dolefull and lamentable wise vnto her O Ladye of angells and Quene of heauen O gate of paradice and aduocate of the worlde O refuge of sinners and health of the iust O ioye of the Sainctes and teacher of vertues O mirrour of cleannes O patterne of patience and example of all perfection Woe is me O blessed ladie woe is me why am I preserued aliue to see this present howre How can I liue hauinge now seene with myne eies that dolefull sight which I haue seene What neede more wordes Alas deere virgine and most blessed mother I haue left thy onely begotten sonne my sweete Lorde and Sauiour in the cruell handes of his malitious ennemies with a crosse vpon his shoulders where vpon he shal be crucified Now what vnderstandinge is able to comprehende how deepely these sorowfull newes pearced the most tender harte of that most blessed virgin Here her sowle beganne to waxe fainte Her face and all the partes of her vnspotted maydenlie bodie were couered all ouer with a deadlie sweate which might haue sufficed to ende her life sauinge that by diuine dispensation she was reserued for greater angwishes and so consequentlie for a greater crowne and rewarde in the kingdome of heauen Now the holie virgin walkethe towardes her sweete sonne and the great desire she hath to see him restoreth vnto her againe the force and strengthe which sorrowe and greife had taken awaie She hearethe a farre of the classhinge of armour the trowpes of the people and those most shamefull exclamations and outcries which in most dispitefull wise were thundered by his outragious cruell enemies against him And incontinentlie she seethe the glisteringe speares and halbardes which were holden vp a loft She fyndethe in the waye the droppes and traces of bloude whereby she might easelie tracke him which waie he had gone and she needeth none other gwide to conducte her vnto him She approcheth nearer and nearer vnto her deerlie beloued sonne she openeth her eies which were verie sore dymmed with sorowfull weapinge to proue whether she might see him whom her soule so exceadinglie loued O what a strange combatte was there now of feare and loue in the dolorous harte of the most blessed virgin Marie In one respecte she had a desiere to see him and in an other she was vnwillinge to see him thus miserablie and most cruelly disfigured At the lengthe when she was come where she might see him indeede then those two lightes of heauen doe beholde one an other and theire hartes embrace sweetly together by meanes of theire eies How beit the sight of one an other in this dolefull wise was a verie great corsie to bothe theire afflicted soules Theire tongues were dōme so that neither of them both for a while spake one worde but the naturall affection of that most sweete sonne spake priuely to the heauie hart of the most blessed virgin and saied vnto her Why commest thou hither my doue my beloued and my deere mother Thy sorowe increaseth myne and thy tormentes do augment my paines and be a great torment vnto me Departe my deere mother departe I beseach thee and retourn home againe to thy howse For it is not seemelie for thy virginall shamefastnes and puretie to be here in the companie of murderers and theeues And if it woulde please thee so to doe it woulde certeinly asswage both thy sorrowe and myne And I will remaine here to be sacrificed for the worlde For this office apperteineth not to thee but vnto me and thy innocencie deserueth not this torment Genes 8. Retourne therefore my doue to the arcke vntill such time as the waters of the floude doe cease forsomuch as here thou shalt finde no place where thou mayst rest thy feete There mayst thou attende to thy accustomed diuout praier and contemplation And there by liftinge vp thy soule in godlie meditations aboue thy selfe thou shalt passe ouer more easely this thy dolefull sorowe and greiffe Now this beinge saide the sorowfull heauie harte of the holie mother made answere to her sonne and saied vnto him Why doest thou commaunde me to doe thus my deere sonne Why wouldest thou haue me to depart awaie from this place Thou knowest o my Lord God that in thy presence each thinge is lawfull vnto me and that there is non other Oratorie but where thou arte How can I then departe awaie from thee vnles I shoulde departe from my selfe This griefe and sorrowe so possesseth my harte that trewlie I can not thinke vpon anie other thinge I can goe no whither without thee neither can I seeke or receaue comfort of any other but of thee Vpon thee is fixed all my whole harte Within thee haue I made my habitation And my life whollie dependeth of thee Seinge therefore thou hast vowchesaffed for the space of nine monethes to inhabite within my bowels and to take my bodie for thy dwellinge place why maye not I for these three daies take thy bowels for my habitation If thou wilt thus receaue me within thee when thou art crucified then shall I be crucified with thee and when thou arte buried then shall I be buried also together with thee With thee woulde I drinke of the gaule and vineger With thee woulde I suffer vpon the crosse And with thee woulde I yeelde vp my ghost Such wordes as these spake the blessed virgin in her dolefull harte as she went And after this sort she passed ouer that painfull and ircksome waie vntill she came to the place of the Sacrifice I H S FRIDAIE MORNINGE THIS daie when thou hast made the signe of the crosse and prepared thy selfe hereunto thou hast to meditate vpon the misterie of the crosse And vpon these seuen wordes which our Sauiour spake beinge crucified on the same Vere filius dei erat iste Math. 27.54 Peccata nostra ipse pertulit in corpore suo super lignum ut peccatis mortui iustitiae viveremus pet 2.24 The text of the holie Euangelistes THEY came saieth the holie Euangelist to the place called Golgotha Math. 27. that is to saie the place of dead mens skulles And they gaue him vinegar to drinke mingled with gaule And when he had tasted thereof he woulde not drincke It was then three a clocke And
from vs all maner of fyne deyntienes curiositie and superfluities knowinge that our Lorde and maister vtterlie abandoned from him not onelie all maner of deyntienes and superfluities but also euen such thinges as were of necessitie I desire now O Lorde to see also what maner of thinge thy bedde is Tell me ô sweete Sauiour where doest thou lodge Where sleepest thou at noone daie Here I sette my selfe at thy feete Cant. 1. Teache me I most humblie beseeche thee what I ought to doe For this my sensualitie will not suffer me to vnderstande well this language of thy crosse I desire a softe bedde and if I awake early in the mornynge at the hower of praier and diuine seruice I suffer my selfe to be ouercome with slouthe and drowsienes we desire to lye on softe fether beddes and our sauiour Christe laye on the harde bedde of the crosse and I expect duelie for the morninge sleepe that my head maie take an other nappe and so haue his full ease and rest Tell me ô my most gratious and louinge Lorde what rest haddest thou on that harde bedde of the crosse When thou wast wearie in lienge on the one side how diddest thou turne thee on the other to take the better rest What harte is not ouercome and broken in sonder herewith What Is not this enoughe to kill all sensualitie in vs O what a comfort is this to the poore What a confusion to the riche What an encouragement to the penitentes And what a condemnation to nice delicate and sensuall persons Certeinly the bedde of our Sauiour Christe is not for such fyne delicate wantons neither is his glorie in heauen prepared for them Geue me grace ô Lorde that I maye by thy example mortifie this my sensualitie And if it be not thy blessed will to graunte me this request I beseache thee then euen now out of hande to ende my life For it is not meete nor seemelie that thou ô my omnipotent Lorde and redeemer beinge vpon the crosse and hauinge none other comforte nor refress hinge but onely bitter gaulle and sower vinegar I shoude seike for sweete sauoures delicate fare sugered sawces with other curious deynties pleasures and ease in this miserable life It is not meete that thou beinge thus poore and naked I shoulde goe wanderinge and leesinge my selfe after the transitorye goodes and riches of this worlde It is not reason that thou hauinge none other bedde but onely the harde and painfull crosse I shoulde seeke to haue a softe bedde and other delicacie and ease for my wretched bodie Be thou therefore greatelie ashamed How our Sauiour Christe rebukethe from the crosse our pompe delicacie curiositie and superfluitie ô my soule beholdinge our Lorde and Sauiour on the harde paynefull tree of the crosse and make accompte that from the same crosse he preacheth vnto thee and rebuketh thee sayenge O man I haue for thy sake worne a crowne of thornes and doest thou in contempte of me weare a garlande of flowers with golden chaynes aglettes bruches and gaye oystreche fethers I for thy sake haue stretched forthe my armes to be nayled and tormented vpon the crosse and doest thou stretche forthe thyne to pleasante games and pastimes I beinge a thirst at my verie death had not so much as a litle colde water and seekest thou after pretious wynes delicate meates and deyntie sugered sawces I was on the crosse and in all my whole life tyme full of dishonors reproches and grieuous labours and paines and doest thou spende all the daies of thy life seekinge after dignities offices promotions estimations pleasures and delites I was verie willinglie contented that my syde shoulde be opened to geue thee my verie harte and hast thou thyne open to vaine and dangerous loues of the worlde WHAT PATIENCE WE OVGHT TO HAVE IN ALL TROVBLES and aduersities followinge the example of our Sauiour Christ § V. THOV hast taught me now ô Lorde from the chaire of the Crosse the lawes of temperance teache me also at this present the lawes of patience whereof I haue suerlie verie great neide Thou hast cured that parte of my soule which is called concupiscible Cure also I beseeche thee that parte which is called irascible Forsomuch as thy crosse is a medicine for all the whole man and the leaues of that holie tree are the healthe of all nations Sometimes I haue sayd and purposed with in my selfe I will neuer from henceforthe falle out or be angrie agayne with anie man I will surelie keepe peace with all persones and therefore I thinke it good for me to auoyde all companie and thereby to eschewe all occasions of trouble contention and anger But now ô Lorde I vnderstande my weakenes in this poynte For to flee from companie is not a meane to subdue anger but rather to couer and hide myne owne imperfection And therefore I will from henceforthe carie euer with me a mynde readie prepared to liue not onelie with the good but euen with the wicked also and to keepe peace with such colericke waywarde and frowarde contentious persons as doe abhorre peace Thus I purpose from henceforthe to doe grawnt me thy grace therefore ô almightie God that I maie dewlie accomplishe this my good intent If others shall take my landes or goodes awaye from me graunte me thy grace ô Lorde that I be not angrie nor grieued therewith seinge I see thee thus spoyled and naked vpon the Crosse If they shall take my credite honor and estimation frō me let not that cause me to breake peace with them seinge I see thee here ô Lorde so despised dishonored and contemned If my fryendes and acquaintāce shall forsake me let me not therefore be confounded seinge I see thee thus left alone and forsaken not onely of thy disciples and fryendes but also of thyne owne heauenly father And if it shall seeme to me at anie tyme that I am forsaken of thee yet let me not for all that lose my confidence and trust in thee seinge thow diddest not loose thine but after thou haddest made an ende of saienge those wordes Math. 27. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Diddest forthewith recommende thy spirite into the handes of him who had forsaken thee sayenge O father into thy handes I commend my spirite Marc. 15. Psalm 21. And therefore euen now at this instant I request that from henceforthe all troubles and persecutions maie come and falle vpon me and not to spare me forsomuch as all such thinges con doe nothinge els vnto me but geue me occasion to be a folower of thee my sweete Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ But now ô my Lorde what if the troubles and persecutions shal be verie great and longe wherewithall shall I then comforte my selfe For thy passions althoughe they were verie greate yet it seemed that they continued not anie longe tyme forsomuch as all the martirdome of thy passion did not continewe altogether twentie howers Now he that hath
bene tenne yeares bedridden or lyen in fetters in harde prison or in continuall necessitie trouble and dissension within his owne howse and famylie what comfort shall he finde in thee for so longe a combatte and tribulation Answer ô Lorde I beseache thee vnto this demande forsomuch as thou arte the worde and the wisedome of the father Tell me whether thou be the vniuersall comforter in all miseries be they neuer so longe Or els whether we neede to seeke anie other comforter for them Verelie ô Lorde we haue no neede of anie other comfortor but onely thee For vndowtedlie the crosse whereon thou diddest suffer was not a martirdome of one daie onely but it continued all thy whole life Our sauiour had his crosse and passion verie liuelie represented daylye before his eyes from the verie first hower of his conception vntill his deathe For euen from the verie first hower and instant of thy most holie conception there was represented vnto thee both the crosse and withall all the cruell bitter paines and tormentes that thou shouldest suffer vpon the same and so thou haddest them all continuallie verie liuelie set before thyne eyes all the daies thou diddest liue here on earth For like as all thinges both past and to come were present before the eies of thy diuine vnderstandinge euen so also were all the martirdomes and instrumentes of thy passion There were the crosse the nailles the scourges the thornes the cruell speare with all other thy most bitter paines and tormentes at all tymes as liuely present before thy sight as when thou sawest them with thy eies the verie same frydaie that thou wast crucified on the Crosse We though we suffer neuer so greate and extreme paines yet we haue alwaies some tyme of ease either by meanes of phisicke or other comforte but thy paine was alwaies in a maner continuall or at the least it did verie often times torment thee in thy sowle duringe the tyme thou diddest liue here in this worlde And albeit this consideration of thy bitter tormentes and passion had not tormented thee yet was the verie zeale of thy fathers honor and desire of the saluation of our soules a continual torment vnto thee which vndowtedlie did eate and rente thy pittiefull louinge harte and was a more cruell martirdome vnto thee than the verie death it selfe Wherevnto was also added the obstinate malice which thou sawest in that rebellious people the Iewes and with all the stubbornnes and ingratitude of all other sinners for whose remedie and redemption thou wast sent which woulde not helpe themselues with the benefite thereof nor yet acknowledge the tyme of theire visitation This was the cause of those pittiefull teares Lâ—c. 19. thou diddest sheide vpon Ierusalem and hereof rose the complainte thou madest by thy Prophet Esaie sayenge In vaine haue I traueyled Esa 49. and in vaine haue I consumed my strengthe Wherefore O my soule thou hast here with whom thou maist keepe coÌ„panie and take comforte in thy longe paines and troubles For althoughe the last paines and tormentes of the holie bodie of our Sauiour were shorte yet were the greifes and paines of his pittiefull harte and soule verie longe and continuall SATTVRDAIE MORNINGE THIS daie after thou hast made the signe of the Crosse and prepared thy selfe herevnto thou hast to meditate vpon the pearcinge of our Sauiours syde with a speare Of his takinge downe from the Crosse And withall of the pittiefull bewaylinge and lamentation of our blessed Ladie And of our Sauiours buriall I H S Factus est omnibus obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae Hebr. 5.9 The text of the holie Euangelistes THEN the Iewes because it was the feaste of Easter that the bodies shoulde not remaine vpon the Crosse on the Sabboth daie Ioan. 19. for that daye of the Sabboth was verie sollemme emonge them besoughte Pilate that there legges might be broken and that they might be taken downe from the Crosse Then came the souldiars and brake the legges of the first and of the other that was crucified with Iesus But when they came to Iesus and sawe that he was alredie dead they brake not his legges But one of the souldiars with a speare pearced his syde and forthwith there issued out bloude and water And he that sawe it bare witnes and his witnes is true And when the eueninge was come Marc. 15. there came a certeine worshipfull knight Math. 17. called Ioseph of Arimathia Luc. 23. one that loked for the kingedome of God and entered boldlie vnto Pilate and demaunded the bodie of Iesus And Pilate merueiled if he were alreadie dead and called vnto him the Centurion and asked of him whether he had bene anie while dead And when he vnderstoode the truthe of the Centurion he gaue the bodie to Ioseph There came also with him Ioan. 19. one called Nicodemus who was wonte to resorte to Iesus by night and he brought with him of Myrre and Aloes mingeled together about a hundred powndes Marc. 15. And Ioseph bought a lynnen clothe and tooke him downe from the crosse and wrapped him in that lynnen with those sweete sauours accordinge to the custome which the Iewes obserue in the buriall of the dead And in that place where Iesus was crucified Ioan. 19. there was a garden and in the gardeÌ„ a newe sepulchre wherein was neuer man yet layed There they layd Iesus by reason of the Passeouer of the Iewes for the sepulchre was neare And Marie Magdalene Luc 23. and Marie the Mother of Ioseph marked the place where they layd him MEDITATIONS VPON THESE POYNTES OF THE TEXT HETHERTO ô my soule thou hast celebrated the death and grieuous paines of the sonne It is now tyme for thee to beginne to celebrate and bewaile the grieuous sorrowes of the mother Wherefore sit downe a while at the feete of the prophet Ieremie Ierem. 1. and takinge the wordes out of his mowthe and sighinge deeplie with a bitter and sorrowfull harte saie thus vnto her How happeneth it ô most innocent virgin that thou arte now alone How is it ô ladie of the worlde that thou arte become a widowe What haue they set so sore a penaltie vpon thee without hauinge committed anie offence at all O most holie virgin I woulde gladly comfort thee and I knowe not how I woulde gladly ease some parte of thy great greifes and anguishes and I knowe not which waie O Quene of heauen if the cause of thy sorrowes were the sorrowes of thy blessed sonne and not thine owne for that thou diddest loue him more then thy selfe his sorrowes are now ended forsomuch as his bodie suffereth no more and his soule is now altogether glorious Cease therefore I beseach thee the multitude of thy sorrowfull sighes and bewailinges seinge the cause of thy sorowe is alreadie ceased and gonne When he wepte thou diddest weepe also reason it is therefore that thou shouldest reioyce with him now that he
thy promise and hast not forgotten them that did put their trust in thee The difficultie of the waie thou hast ouercome with thy great pittie and mercie and with thy passinge great loue thou hast ouercome also the painfull trauailles and tormentes of the Crosse No tonge is able to expresse the great ioye of these holie fathers But the ioye that our Sauiour had to see such a multitude of soules redeemed by the merites of his passioÌ„ was farre greater without all comparison O sweete Lorde how well wouldest thou then accompt the greate labours and paynes of thy crosse emploied when thou sawest what goodly frute that most blessed and sacred tree beganne to yeilde Genes 42. The Patriarke Ioseph when he had two sonnes borne vnto him in the lande of Egipt made none accompte of all his paines and traueils past and in signification thereof he called the first sonne that was borne in thâ—â— countrie Manasses sayeâ—â—â—e God hath caused me to forget all my â—â—â—â—â—illes and the howse also of â—â—â—â—er 〈◊〉 â—â—seph reioyced so muche at the birthe of â—â—e sonne What might our Sauiour now thinke when he sawe him selfe beâ—et on euerâ—e syde with such a nomber of sonnes after the ende of his tormentes and Martirdome vpon the crosse What might that pretious oâ—â—â—â— thinke when it sawe rownde aboâ—â—e her â—o many and such goodly braunches shootinge out on euerie syde OF THE RESVRRECTION OF THE BODIE OF OVR SAVIOVR CHristus resurrexit a mortâ—â—â— prâ—â—itiae dormientium â— Corinth â—â— 20. § II. BVT O my Sauiour what meanest thou that thou geuest no parte of this thy glorie to thy most holie bodie that lieth waytinge for thee in the sepulchre 1. Reg. 30. Thou knowest well ô Lorde that the lawe that was made concerninge the diuision of spoiles sayth that there shoulde be geuen as great a portion to him that remaineth in the tentes as to him that entereth into the battell Thy holie bodie hath remayned waytinge for thee in the sepulchre whilest thy most holie soule entered into hell to geue the battell Make therefore an equall diuision of thy glorie to thy bodie forsomuch as thou hast now wonne the battell The holie bodie of our Sauiour laie in the sepulchre in such a pittiefull forme as he had left it stretched out alonge vpon that colde stone wounde vp in his wyndinge sheete his face couered ouer with a napkin and all the partes of his bodie whollie rent and torne It was now after midnight and the dawninge of the daie approched neare at hande when the sonne of iustice had determined to preuent the sonne of the morninge and to be before him in this daies iourney In this blessed tyme therefore entered that glorious soule into his sacred bodie And how thinke you did it adorne the same Suerly there is no tonge able to expresse it in wordes Howbeit by an example we maie perceaue somewhat thereof We see sometymes towardes the west a verie obscure and darke clowde and if happlye the sonne doe take it before his goinge downe and beat vpon it and couer it all ouer with his beames it is wonte to cause it to appeare all beautifull all goodly and all glisteringe like golde insomuche as it seemeth to be the verie sonne it selfe Now in like maner did that glorious soule after it was inuestured in that holie bodie and entered into the same For it conuerted all the darkenes of the bodie into lighte and all his filthines into beautie and caused the bodie that was the fowlest of all bodies to become the fairest and most beautifull of all bodies After this sorte our Sauiour riseth againe out of the sepulchre altogether perfectlie glorious as the first begotten of the deade and the figure of our resurrection This is that holie Patriarke Ioseph Genes 41. who is nowe deliuered out of prison the heare of his mortalitie beinge cut of and apparailed with the garmentes of immortalitie and made Lorde of the lande of Egipt Exod. 2. This is that holie Moyses who was taken out of the waters and out of the poore rushe basket and is now come to destroie all the power and chariottes of kinge Pharao Hester 6. This is that holie Mardocheus who after he had put of his sackeclothe and asshes and was apparailed with roiall garmentes ouercame his enemie and crucified him vpon his owne crosse and deliuered all his people from deathe Daniell 14. This is that holie Daniell who is now come forthe out of the lyons denne and hath not receyued anie dammage at all of the furious hongrie and rauenous beastes This is that stroÌ„ge Sampson Iudic. 16. who beinge enuironed abowt with his enemies and enclosed within the citie ryseth vp at midnight and breaketh vp their stronge gates and lockes and so defeyteth the malicious purposes and designementes of his aduersaries Ionas 2. This is that holie Ionas that was allotted to die to deliuer his companions from deathe who entrynge into the belly of that great beast is the thirde daie cast vp againe vpon the coast of Ninyue Who is this that beynge betweene the hongrie Iawes of the deuowringe beast coulde not be eaten of her Who is this that was swallowed downe into the bothom of the waters and enioyed neuerthelesse the aire of lyfe Who is this that beinge sonke downe into the deapth of perdition caused euen death it selfe to serue him This is our glorious Sauiour who was snatched awaye by that cruell beast which is neuer satisfied to wit by death which after she had him in her mouthe and perceaued the worthines of the praie trembled and quaked for feare and coulde not holde it For althoughe the earthe swallowed him after he was dead yet findinge him free from all faulte and synne she was not able to detaine him in her howse For it is not the paine that maketh a man guiltie but the cawse which coulde not be founde in him HOW OVR SAVIOVR CHRIST AFTER HIS RESVRRECTION appeared to the holie virgin his blessed mother § III. NOW hast thou ô lorde glorified and reioyced thy most holie fleashe that suffered with thee vpon the crosse Remember likewise that the fleashe of thy mother is also thy fleashe and that she also suffered with thee when she sawe thee suffer vpon the crosse She was crucified with thee it is reason therefore that she also rise againe with thee Rom. 6.8 It is a sayeinge of thy Apostle 2. Tim. 2. that whosoeuer haue bene thy companions in thy paines shal be thy coÌ„panions likewise in thy glorie Forsomuche therefore as this blessed Ladie hath bene thy faithfull companion in all thy paines euen frome the maunger to the crosse reason it is that she shoulde be now partaker of thy ioyes also Wherefore clarifie that heauen that is now obscured discouer that moone that is now eclipsed dissolue those cloudes of her heauie soule drie vp the teares of her maidenly eies and now after the stormy winter of so manie
easily to despise and contemne the same and all that thou mayste hope to receaue from it After all these manifolde miseries and calamities there succeedeth the last miserie Of deathe that is death which is aswell to the bodie as to the soule of all terrible thinges the verie last and most terrible For the bodie shall in a momente be spoyled of al that it hathe And of the soule there shall then be made a resolute determination what shall become of it for euer and euer THE SECOND TREATISE CONTEYNINGE A CONSIDERAtion of the miseries of mans lyfe wherein the former meditation is declared more at lardge HOW great the miseries are that the nature of mankinde is subiect vnto by reason of synne there is no tongue able to expresse And therefore S. Gregorie said verie well Our two first parentes onelie Adam and Eue vnderstoode perfectelie the miseries wherein mankinde remayneth throughe synne that onely our two first parentes Adam and Eue who knewe by experience the noble condition and state wherein almightie God created mā vnderstode perfectly the miseries of man Because they by callinge to minde the felicitie and prosperous estate of that lyfe which they had once enioyed sawe more clearly the miseries of the bannishement wherein they remained through sinne But the children of these our two miserable parentes as they neuer knewe what thinge prosperitie and good happe was but were alwaies fostered and brought vp in miserie so they knowe not what thinge miserie is because they neuer knewe what prosperitie was Yea manie of them are as it were persones in a mere frensie so farre voide of sense as they woulde if it were possible continewe perpetuallye in this lyfe and make this place of bannissement their countrey and this prison their dwellinge howse because they vnderstand not the miseries thereof Wherefore like as they that are accustomed to dwell in places of vnsauorie ād stinckinge aier doe feele no payne nor trouble of it by reason of the custome and vse they haue thereof euen so these miserable persones vnderstande not the miseries of this lyfe because they are so enured and accustomed to liue in them Now that thou mayst not likewise falle into this foule deceit nor into other greater inconueniences that are wont to followe hereof Consider I praie thee with good attention the multitude of these miseries and before all other consider and weighe the miseries that are in the first beginninge and birth of man and afterwardes the conditions of the lyfe he liueth Of the originall and byrthe of man To beginne this matter therefore at the verie original Consider first of what matter mans bodie is compounded For by the worthines or basenes of the matter oftentimes the condition of the worcke is knowen The holie scripture saieth Genes 2. that almightie God created man of the slyme or dyrte of the earth Now of all the elementes earthe is the most base and inferior and emonge all the partes of the earthe slyme is the most base and vile Whereby it maie appeare that almightie God created man of the most vile and basest thinge of the worlde Insomuch as euen the Kinges the Emperors and the popes be they neuer so highe famous and royal are euē slyme and dyrte of the earthe And this thinge vnderstoode the Egiptians right well of whom it is written that when they celebrated yearly the feast of their natiuitie they caried in their handes certaine hearbes that growe in myrie and slymie diches to signifie thereby the likenes and affinitie that men haue with weedes and slymye dyrte which is the common father both to weedes and to men Wherefore if the matter of which we are made Slymye dyrte is the common father bothe to weedes and to men be so base and vyle whereof art thou so prowde thou dust and asshes Whereof art thou so loftye thou stinckinge weede and dyrtie slyme Now as concerninge the maner and workmanshippe wherewith the worke of this matter is wrought it is not to be committed to writinge neither yet to be considered vpon but to be passed ouer with sylence and closinge vp our eies that we beholde not so filthie a thinge as it is If men knewe how to be ashamed of a thinge which they ought of reason to be ashamed of suerlie they woulde be ashamed of nothinge more than to consider the maner how they were conceaued Concerninge which point I will towche one thinge onely and that is that whereas our mercifull Lorde and Sauiour came into this worlde to take vpon him all our miseries for to dischardge vs of thē onely this was the thinge that he woulde in no wise take vpon him And whereas he disdained not to be buffeted and spitted vpon and to be reputed for the basest of all men onely this he thought was vnsiemely and not meete for his maiestie to witt if he shoulde haue bene conceiued in such maner and order as men are Now as towchinge the substance and foode wherewith mens bodies are nourished before they be borne into this worlde it is not so cleane a thinge as that it ought once to be named No more ought a nomber of other vncleane thinges that are daylie seene at the tyme of our birthe Of the byrthe of a man and of his first entrie into this worlde Let vs now come to the birthe of a man and first entrie into the worlde Tell me I praie thee what thinge is more miserable than to see a woman in her trauell when she bringeth forthe her childe O what sharpe agonies and bitter panges dothe she feele What painfull tossinges and throwes doth she make What daungerous grypes and quames is she in What pittiefull skrykes and growninges dothe she vtter I omitt here to speake of manie monstruous straunge and ouerthwart birthes For if I shoulde make reheresall of them I shoulde neuer make an ende And yet all this notwithstandinge when the seelie creature commeth into the worlde it commeth God wotte weepinge and cryenge poore naked weake and miserable it is vtterlye destitute and in necessitie of all thinges and vnable to doe anie thinge Other liuinge thinges are borne with showes vpon their feete and apparell vpon their backe some with wolle others with scales others with feathers others with leather others with shells insomuche as the verie trees come forthe couered with a rynde or barke yea and sometimes for failinge they be dowble barked onelie man is borne starcke naked without anie other kinde of garment in the worlde but onely a skynne which is all riueled fowle and lothsome to beholde wherein he commeth lapped at the time of his birthe With these ornamentes creepeth he into the worlde who after his comminge groweth vnto such fonde ambition and pryde that a whole worlde is scarselie able to satisfie him Moreouer other liuinge thinges at the verye houre of their comminge into this worlde are able immediatlie to seeke for such thinges as they stand in neede of and haue
particular accompte of all their dissolute and wicked lyfe Wherefore it is verelye to be thought that the diuell labourethe all he can to make vs vtterlie to neglecte and forgette the remēbrance of our accompte The diuell laboureth all he can to make vs neglecte and forgette the accompte we must make of all our whole lyfe at the hower of our deathe that we must make at the verie hower of our deathe because he knoweth full well what great proffit and commoditie woulde arise vnto vs by the continuall remembrance of the same For otherwise how were it possible that men shoulde forget a thinge that is so terrible and fearefull yea such a thinge as they knowe most assuredly will come and steale verie shortelie vpon them at their owne howses If we haue but the least doubte or suspition in the worlde of losynge a litle wordly riches or of some other like thinge it maketh vs oftentimes very carefull and watchfull and causeth vs to lose both our sleepe and our health How happeneth it then that the remembrance of death which aswell to the bodie as to the sowle is the most horrible and dreadfull thinge that maie come vnto vs causeth vs not to be likewise verie carefull and watchfull in makinge prouision beforehande for the cōminge of it Suerlie it seemeth vnto me a thinge verie much to be meruayled at that men shoulde be so carefull as they be in tryfles and matters of smalle importance and liue so negligently and without all care in thinges that are of so greate importance vnto them as is their euerlastinge saluation or damnation The consideration of our deathe prouoketh vs not onelie to liue a good lyfe but also to dye well Thirdly this consideration of our death is a great helpe not onely to prouoke vs to liue a good lyfe as it hath bene saiede but besides that to die well In thinges that be harde and difficult foresighte and preparation beforehande is a very great helpe to bringe them well to passe Now so great a leape as is the leape of death which reacheth from this lyfe to the euerlastinge lyfe to come can not well be leaped vnles we make a great course and fetche a longe race to ronne the same No great thinge can be well and perfitlie done at the first time Seinge therefore it is so great a matter to die and so necessarie to die well it shal be verie expedient for vs to die oftentimes in our life that we maie die well at the verie time of our death The souldiors that be appoynted to fight doe first practice themselues in such feates and exercises as whereby they maie learne in time of peace what they must doe in time of warre The horse also that must ronne at the Tilte trauerseth all the grownde before and trieth all the steppes thereof that at suche time as he cōmeth to make his cowerse he be not founde newe and straunge in doyinge his feate Wherefore sith we all must needes ronne this cowerse forsomuch as there is no man aliue but must die consideringe also that the waie is so obscure and stonie as all men knowe and the daunger so great that whosoeuer falleth shal be tombled downe headlonge into the bottomles pit of hell fyer it shal be requisite that we doe now tread diligentelie before-hand all this waie and consider particularlie all the steppes and places thereof one by one forsomuch as in euerie one of them there is much to be considered And let vs not thinke it enoughe to consider onely what passeth outwardelye aboute the sicke mans bedde but let vs endeuour much more to vnderstande what passeth inwardlie within his harte Of the vncertaintie of the hower of death And what a greife it is at that tyme to departe from all thinges of this lyfe § I. TO beginne now euen from the beginninge of this conflicte Consider how when death shall come vpon thee Deyth stealeth vpon vs at such a tyme as we thincke least of it 1. Thess 5.2 it will come at such a time as when thou thinkest thy selfe in most safetie and suspectest least of the comminge thereof as we see by experience it is wont to happen vnto manie The daie of our Lorde saith the Apostle shall come like a thieffe Which watcheth alwaies to come at such times as men are most careles and thinke themselues in most safetie that it maie take vs vpon a sodeine at vnwares And so we see it happeneth most often that euen at that time when men doe least thinke to dye and when they are least mindfull of their departure out of this lyfe yea when they cast their accomptes before hande to make great purchases and buildinges and to set vpon great enterprises of many daies and yeares then cōmeth death sodenly vpon them and disapointeth them of all their vaine hopes and designementes and vtterly ouerthroweth all their fonde imaginations and buildinges which they made in the aier And so is that sayenge fulfilled of the holie kinge Esa 38. My lyfe saieth he was cutt of like as the weauer cutteth of his thread while I was as yet in the beginning he cut me of from morninge to eueninge thou wilt make an ende of me The first stroke of death is the feare of deathe The first stroke wherewith death is wont to strike is the feare of death Suerlie this is a very great anguishe vnto him that is in loue with his lyfe and this forewarninge is such a great greife vnto a mā that oftētimes his carnall friēdes doe vse to dissemble it and will not haue the sicke man to beleue it least it shoulde vexe and disquiet him and this they will doe sometimes although it be to the preiudice and destruction of his miserable sowle Kinge Saule had a verie stowte and valiant courage but after that the shadowe of Samuell appeared vnto him and had tolde him that he shoulde die in the battell addinge moreouer theise wordes 1 Reg. 28. Tomorrowe both thou and thy sonnes shal be here with me The feare and terror which he conceaued at these tidinges was so great that at that very instant he lost all his force and courage and fell downe to the grounde as a dead man Now what a greife will it be to a man that is in loue with this life when such lyke newes shal be signified vnto him For immediatly vpon this denuntiation there shal be represented vnto him his departure and perpetual bannishement from this worlde and from all thinges that be in the same Then shall he see that his howre is now come and that the dawninge of that dreadfull daye appeareth now at his howse wherein he shall departe from all thinges that he hath loued in this lyfe His bodie shall die but once but his harte shall die as often as he shall remember the losse of all those thinges whereunto it beareth loue and affection Forsomuch as death shall put the knife betwene him and
suerlie not without good cause when he saide Iob. 14. The tree after it is cut hath hope to reuiue and springe againe and if the roote of it doe rott in the grownde and the stocke be dead in the earth yet with the freshenes of water it springeth againe and bringeth forth leaues as if it were newlie planted But man after he is once dead withered and consumed what is become of him Great vndowtedlie was the tribute that was laide vpon the children of Adam for sinne And the euerlastinge Iudge vnderstode verie well what penance he gaue vnto man when he saide Thou art dust Genes 4. and into dust thou shalt retourne againe Of the great feare and dowte the sowle hath at the hower of deathe what shall happen vnto it after it is departed out of the bodie § III. HOWBEIT this is not the greatest cause of feare that a man hath at the hower of his death but there is yet one farre greater and that is when the sowle casteth her eies further and beginneth to thinke vpon the daungers of the life to come and imagineth what shall become of her hereafter For this is now as it were to depart from the hauen mowth and to launche into the mayne Sea where none other thinge is to be seene on what side so euer ye looke but onely heauen and the water the which is woūte to be occasion of greater feare in such as are but newe Seamen For when a man considereth that eternitie of worldes which followeth after death and withall casteth his eie into that newe ād straunge region which was neuer knowen nor traueyled by anie man aliue where he must now beginne to take his iourney when he considereth also the euerlastinge glorie or paine which there must fall to his lotte and seeth that wheresoeuer the tree falleth Eccles 11. there it shall remaine for euermore and knoweth not on which of the two sides he shal falle whē he considereth I saie all these thinges he cannot but be in a verie great feare and trouble of minde We reade that when Benadad kinge of Siria was sicke 4 Reg. 8. he was in so great anguishe and greife of minde for that he knewe not whether he should die of that sicknes or not that he sent the generall of his armie with fowertie Camels loden with treasure vnto the Prophet Elizeus requestinge him with wordes of great humilitie to rid him out of that perplexitie he was in and to put him out of all dowt whether he shoulde recouer of that sicknes or not Now if the loue of so short a lyfe as this is be able to cause a man to be in such a greate care and pensiuenes how great care will a Wiseman take when he perceiueth him selfe to be in such a case as that he maie trulie saie that within two howres he shall haue one of these two lottes to witt either lyfe euerlastinge or death euerlastinge and that he knoweth not certainlie whether of theise two shall come vnto him What martirdome maie be compared to such a painfull angwishe and greife as this is Put the case now that a kinge were taken prisoner emonge the Turckes and when his Embassadours shoulde come to raunsome him the Turckes woulde propounde that the matter shoulde be determined by castinge of lottes and that if he happened to haue a good lotte he shoulde be raunsomed and goe home with his Embassadours to his kingdome but if contrariewise that thē immediatly he should be throwē into a great fyerie furnace which were there prepared burninge and flaminge before him Tell me I praie thee at the time when they shoulde be castinge the lottes and puttinge their hande into the vessell to take them out and all the worlde in great expectation waitinge what shoulde be the ende thereof and the kinge him selfe standinge there present beholdinge the doutfull happe that must be alotted vnto him in what a dolefull case thinkest thou woulde he then be How troubled How fearfull How quakinge and tremblinge And how readie to promise and vowe vnto almightie God all he cowlde possiblye doe to be quite ridde out of that terrible angwishe Now what is all this be it neuer so great but as it were a shadowe if it be compared with this daunger that we speake of How farre greater is the kingdome that we seike How farre greater is the fierye furnace that we doe feare How farre more greiuouse is the perplexitie ād doutefulnes of this matter thā of the other For on the one side the angels shal be there expectinge for vs to carrie vs to the kingedome of heauen and on th' other side the deuills to cast vs into the horrible furnace of hell fier and no man knoweth whether of these two lottes shall happen vnto him which shal be determined eyther the one waye or the other within the space of one houre after his death Consider therefore in what a heauie plight thy harte shal be at this last instant how fearfull how humble how abased before the face of him who onelie cā deliuer thee out of this daunger Suerlie I am of this opinion that there is no tonge in the worlde able to declare this matter as it is indeede How we come to vnderstande hereby the errours and blindnes of our lyfe past § IIII. AFTER this anguishe there followeth yet an other as great as it namelye in such persons as haue liued a wicked and dissolute lyfe which is to come so late to thinke vpō the accōpt they haue then forthwith to make of all the disorders and offences of their former lyfe At the houer of deythe it is a great greife to a sicke man if he haue liued licentiouslie that he thinketh so late vpō his accompte O how wōderfullie shall the wicked be confounded at that time when the griefe of their paine shall cause them to open their eies which heretofore the delight and pleasure of sinne had closed vp insomuch as they shall then clearlie perceiue what false goddes those were which they haue serued and how deceitfull those riches were which they haue so greidelie gaped after and how by followinge that waie whereby they thought to haue fownde rest they finde in conclusion their vtter ruin and destruction The seruantes of the kinge of Siria came to apprehende the Prophet Heliseus and when almightie God had stricken them all blinde by meanes of the praier of the Prophet the Prophet said vnto them Come goe with me and I will shewe you him whom you seeke 4. Reg. 6. And when he had thus said he caried them with him vnto Samaria and brought them into the market place of the cittie in the middes of al their enemies And then made his praier againe and saide O Lorde open the eies of these miserable men that they maie see where they are Now tell me I praie thee when those men opened their eies and sawe whither they were come beleuinge certainlie before that
to kinge Ioram the sonne of Achab. Who when he had spente and emploied all his lyfe in the seruice and worshippinge of Idols and came in the time of his necessitie to the Prophet of God requestinge him of helpe and remedie 4. Reg. 3.13 the holie Prophet answered and saide O kinge Ioram what hast thou to doe with me Get thee hence to the Prophettes of thy father wheÌ„soeuer a synner earnestlie repenteth and coÌ„uerteth trewlie vnto God he will forgeue and receiue him but fewe sicke persons that haue liued dissolutelie doe so but if they recouer there health doe retorn ordinarielie againe to their former wicked lyfe Esa 57.13 At the hower of our deathe we wishe that we had more time to doe penance for our synnes and mother and desier them to helpe thee at this tyme. O how manie of vs doe followe this wicked kinge both in our life and death In our lyfe we serue the worlde and at the point of death we calle vpon almightie God What answere maie we looke to haue at that dreadfull howre but euen the same that he hath alreadie geuen in the like case Which is what hast thou to doe with me sith thou diddest neuer seruice vnto me Get thee hence to thy counsellors whom thou hast folowed and to thy idols whom thou hast loued serued and adored and speake vnto them to geue thee thy wages for thy seruice When yee shall crie saieth almightie God by his Prophet Esaie let them that yee haue gathered together deliuer you but the winde shall take them all awaie At this time the sicke man beginneth to wishe that he might haue some space to doe penance for his former wicked lyfe And he thinketh then with himselfe that if he might obteyne it ô how he woulde fast and praie and doe great worckes of mercie Yea he woulde not contente him selfe with euerie common kinde of penaÌ„ce but woulde liue the most straite and austere kinde of lyfe of all men in the worlde But alas when he perceiueth by the encreasinge of his sicknes that his request will not be grauÌ„ted and calleth to minde what time opportunitie and meanes he hath had to prepare himselfe for this dreadful howre aÌ„d how fondly he hath suffered the same to passe in vaine then is he wonderfullie greiued and vexed for this losse and acknowledgeth him selfe to be well worthie of such punnishement for that he woulde not be mindfull beforehande of his dreadfull accompt but omitted to doe penance for his synnes when he had time and space to doe it O vnto how manie of vs doth it happen to be beguiled after this sorte speÌ„dinge and consuminge the time which almightie God hath geuen vs to doe penance for our sinnes in vanities and pleasures and afterwardes when we stande in most neede of it we wante it A verie apt similitude And so it happeneth vnto vs as it doth commonlie to the pages and seruitours in the Cowert who beinge alowed a candle to light them selues to bedde doe spende their candle in plaie all the night and afterwardes are constrained to goe to bedde darkelinge OF THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME Vnction And of the agonie of death Infirmatur quis in vobis inducut prâ—sbitoros ecclesiae et orent supâ—r 〈◊〉 vâ—gentes cum oleo in domini Jac. cap. 5. vers 14. § VI. The Catholicke Churche helpethe her childreÌ„ at the hower of their deathe with prayers aÌ„d Sacramentes NOw approcheth the sicke person to his last ende and the Catholike Church as a verie louinge and pittiefull mother beginneth then to helpe her Children with praiers and Sacramentes and with all the meanes she maie possiblie doe And because his necessitie is so great for at that instant it shal be determined what shall become of him for euer and euer greate hast is made to calle vpon all the Sainctes in heauen that they all will helpe the sicke maÌ„ in this his great perill and daunger For what other thinge is the Letanye which then by commandement of the Church is to be saied ouer him that is at the poynt of death but that the Catholicke Churche as a pittifull mother beinge verie carefull for the daunger of her sicke childe knocketh at all the gates of heauen and cryeth vnto all the Sainctes desiringe them to be intercessors before the diuine maiestie for the saluation of him that standeth now in so great neede of their helpe at the time of his passinge out of this worlde The Preiste then annoyntethe all the senses and members of the sicke person Then the Preist out of hande annointeth all the senses and members of the sicke person with the holie Oyle accordinge as the holie Scripture commaundeth in the Epistle of S. Iames. cap. 5. vers 14. And desireth almightie God to pardon the sicke person all that he hath offended by any of his senses And then annointinge his eies he saieth Almightie God by this Vnction and of his diuine mercie pardon thee all the sinnes that thou hast committed by meanes of thine eies And in this wise he annointeth all the other partes of the sicke person Now if the miserable sinner haue bene dissolute in his eies or in his toÌ„ge or in anie other of his bodelie senses If all his former dissolute disorders and wanton pleasures be represented vnto him at that time in such sorte that he seeth well what litle fuite he is lyke to finde then by all his former delightes and pleasures If he perceiue withall into what a narrowe strait he is brought by meanes of his wicked and licentious life how can he chose but feele an extreme angwish and griefe therewith What woulde he geue at that time trowe yee that he had neuer lifted vp his eies from the grownde to beholde anie woman with anie wanton looke and that he had neuer opened his mowth to speake anie wordes of lyenge slaunder detraction or anie other wicked worde Of the agonie of deythe After this followe the panges and agonie of death which is suerlie the greatest of all the conflictes we haue in this lyfe Then is the holie Candle lighted and his friendes and executors beginne to prouide his wyndinge sheete and other thinges for his funerals Then they beginne to faie to the sicke man that the hower of his departure out of this worlde is now come and therefore they counsell him to recommende himselfe vnto almightie God and call vpon the holie virgin Marie his blessed Mother who is wonte at that hower to helpe all them that calle vpon her Then the sicke man beginneth to heare the woefull cries and pittiefull lamentations of his poore wife who now presently beginneth to feele the discommodities of her newe widowhode and solitarie lyfe Then the sowle of the sicke man is readie to departe froÌ„ the bodie and at the time of hir goinge euerie one of his members is sore grieued and vexed therewith Then are the cares of the sowle renewed a freshe Then is the
spetiall friendes can doe then vnto him besides prayinge for his sowle is to honour him with castinge a handfull of earthe vpon him And therefore the faithfull people are wont to vse this ceremonie towardes the dead that almightie God maye dispose others to doe the same vnto them whē they shal be in the like case Now what greater confession and acknowledginge of our miserie can we diuise than to see how men doe preuent before hande that they may not want after their death so smalle a benefite as this is O greidie couetousenes of the lyuinge and great pouertie of the dead Why shoulde a man desire and gape after so manie thinges for this presente lyfe beinge so shorte as it is seinge so litle will content him at the howre of his death Then the graue maker taketh the spade and pykeaxe into his hande and beginneth to tumble downe bones vpon bones and to tread downe the earth verie harde vpon him Insomuch that the fairest face in all the worlde the best trimmed and most charily kepte from wynde and sonne shall lye there and be stamped vpon by the rude graue maker who will not sticke to laie him on the face and rappe him on the sculle yea and to batter downe his eies and nose flatte to his face that they maie lye well and euen with the earth And the fyne dapperde gentleman who whiles he liued might in no wise abide the wynde to blowe vpon him no nor so much as a litle heare or moore to falle vpon his garmentes but in all hast it must be brusshed of with great curiositie here they laie and hurle vpon him a donghill of filthines and dirte And that sweete mynion gentleman also that was wont forsooth to goe perfumed with Amber and other odoriferous smelles must be contented here to lye couered all ouer with earthe and fowle crawlinge wormes and maggottes This is the ende of all the gaie braueries and of all the pompe and glorie of the worlde In this plight doe all his freindes nowe leaue him lyenge in that strait lodginge in that earthe of obliuion and in that darcke prison where he shall remaine accompanied with perpetuall solitarines vntill the generall daye of Iudgment O worlde what is become of thy glorie O yee my howses landes and riches where is your power O my wyfe my children my freindes and kinsfolke where haue ye now left me How happeneth it that yee my olde freindes and companions doe so quickly forsake me and leaue me here in the earthe thus solitarie alone How chaunceth it that the wheele of my so great prosperitie and felicitie is so quickly ouerturned and defaced They that sawe Quene Iezabell when she was by the iust iudgement of God eaten with dogges 4. Reg. 9. when they sawe that there remained nothinge els of her bewtie but onelie her sculle and the extreme partes of her feete and handes those I saie that had knowen her before in so greate flourishinge and royall estate and sawe her at that time in such a miserable plight wonderinge at that so great alteration and chaunge demaunded and saied Haeccine est illa Iezabel Is this that Iezabell 4. Reg. 9.37 And as manie as passed by that waie and behelde her thus eaten with dogges repeted the same exclamation merueylinge at so great a chaunge and saied Is this that Iezabell Is this that great Quene and Ladie of Israëll Is this she that was so mightie that she vsurped and seased the landes and goodes of her subiectes by sheedinge of their bloude Is death able to bringe the mightie and puissaunte Princes to such a base and miserable calamitie Now therefore my deare brother goe downe I praie thee with thy spirit into the graues and Sepulchers of such Princes and great noble personages as thou hast either harde of or knowen in this worlde and consider what a horrible and deformed forme of their bodies is there to be seene And thou shalt see that thou hast good cause to make the like exclamation and to vse the same wordes and saie Is this that Iezabell Is this that amiable face which I knewe so faire and liuelie Are these those eies that were so cleare and brighte to beholde Is this that pleasaunt rowlinge tongue that talked so eloquently and made such goodlie discourses Is this that fyne and neyte bodie that was so trimlie pollished and adorned Is this the ende of the maiestie of Princes scepters and roiall crownes Is this the ende of the glorie of the worlde O how often times saieth a Wise man hath it bene my chaunce to enter into the sepulchres of some dead bodies where wonderinge or rather beinge greatlie astonied at the sight that I sawe I fixed mine eies aduisedlie vpon the shape of the dead corps I sette the bones in order I ioyned the handes together and sette the lippes in their proper places and spake thus secretlie to my selfe Beholde these feete that haue trauayled such crooked pathes and waies These handes also that haue committed so manie wicked actes These eies that haue behelde so manie vanities This mouth that hath eaten and deuoured so manie delicate and superfluous meates Beholde this sculle of his head that hath built so manie vaine castels and towers in the aier This dust and filthie skinne for whose pleasure and delight he hath committed so many sinnes and wickednes and for which cause the sowle of this bodie doth and shall perhappes suffer euerlastinge horrible tormentes in hell fier This done I departed out of that place wholy astonied and amased and meitinge with certain persons both men and women yonge and olde I behelde them likewise and considered that both they and I shoulde shortelie appeare in the like vglie forme and sieme as vyle and lothsome to beholde as those dead bodies are now presentelie Wherefore what a fonde wicked wretche am I to liue in suche wise as I doe To what ende is my purchasinge ād heapinge together of lādes and riches ād my buildinge of such sumptuous howses seinge I shall shortly be here so poore and naked To what ende are my gaie braueries and gorgious ornamentes in my apparell and furniture of howsholde stuffe seinge I shall shortly be here so filthie and lothsome to beholde To what ende are my delicate disshes my sugered sawces and deyntie fare seinge I shall shortly be here meate for the wormes and maggottes of the earthe Of the waie that the sowle taketh after it is departed out of the bodie And of the dreadfull iudgment and sentence that shal be geuen vpon it at that time § VIII Note that there be two iudgemētes one is at the hower of euerie mās deathe which is called the particular iudgemente And the other is at doomesdaye which shal be the vniuersall iudgmente of all mankinde together S. Bernarde LET vs now leaue the bodie lyinge thus buried in the graue and let vs see what waie the sowle taketh throughe that newe worlde which is
before the generall daie of iudgemente Secondly consider what fearefull and terrible signes shall goe before this daie For as our Sauiour saieth Before the comminge of this daie there shal be signes in the Sonne in the Moone and in the Sterres and in all creatures both of heauen and earthe For they shall all haue as it were a certayne feelinge and vnderstandinge of their ende Luc. 21.25 before they come to their ende in deede And shall tremble and quake and beginne to falle before they falle in deede But as for men they shall saieth he goe vp and downe drie and withered Luc. 21.26 in great anguishe and feare of death hearinge the terrible roringes of the Sea and seinge the great outragious stormes and tempestes that shall then be stirringe And by those dreadfull signes they shall coniecture what great calamities and miseries are threatened to the worlde And in this wise shall they goe wholy amased and astonied their faces pale and wāne theyr hartes dead before deathe come and as persons condemned before the sentence be geuen For they shall measure the perilles and daungers to come by the greate feare and terrour they be presentelie in And euerie one shal be so throughlie occupied with his owne affaires that none shall thinke of others no not so much as the father of the sonne or the sonne of the father No man shall haue to doe for anie other man because no man shal be sufficient for himselfe alone The Sibilles doe affirme that at that time the beastes shall goe bellowinge and roringe throughe the feildes and cities and that the trees shall sweate bloude and that the Sea shall cast vp the fisshes on the drie grounde But if this seeme incredible to anie man let him consider that there is much more spoken in the gospell For it is a greater matter for men to be dried vp Luc. 21. than for the sea to be dried vp And it is a greater matter that the vertues of the heauens shoulde be moued than that all creatures in the earthe shoulde be altered Thirdlie consider that vniuersall floude of fier Of the cōminge of the floude of fier before the Iudge and of the dreadfull sownde of the trompette at the generall Iudgment Nahum 1. that shall come before the iudge and that dreadfull sownde of the trompett which the Archangell shall blowe to sommon and calle all the generatiōs of the worlde to assemble together in one place and to be present at their generall and vniuersall iudgemente And aboue all this consider with what a dreadfull maiestie the Iudge shall come Whos 's comminge is described by the Prophet Nahum in these wordes Our Lorde shall come like a tempest and furious whyrlewinde and the clowdes are the dust of his feete He shal take indignation against the Sea and it shall waxe drie and all the riuers of the earthe shal be dried vp The hill Basan and Carmelus shal be withered and the floure of the mounte Libanus shall fade and falle awaye The mountaines shall qwake before him and the hilles shall melte The earth shall tremble at his presence and the worlde and all the inhabitantes thereof Who shall stande before the face of his indignation And who shall abide the fearcenes of his furie His wrathe shal be poured out like a fire and the verie rockes shall become dust before him Of the straite accompte that shall then be required of euerie mā Iob. 4. Iob. 31. After this consider what a strait accompte shal be there required of euerie man Verelie saieth Iob no man can be iustified if he be compared with almightie God and if he contende with him in iudgment of a thousande thinges that he shall charge him withall he shall not be able to answere vnto one Now then what shall euerie wicked person thinke at that tyme when almightie God shall enter with him in this examination How almightie God shall then accuse the wicked within their owne consciences ād shal there within his owne cōsciēce saie thus vnto him Come hither thou wicked and naughtie man What hast thou seene in me that thou shouldest thus despise me and goe to myne enemies syde I haue raised thee from the dust of the earthe and created thee after myne owne image and likenes I haue geuen thee vertue and strengthe wherewith thou mightest haue obteined my glorie But thou despisinge the benefites and commaundementes of lyfe which I haue geuen thee wouldest rather followe the lies of the deceiuer than the holesome counsell of thy Lorde and creator To deliuer thee from this foule falle I went downe from heauen into earth where I suffered the greast paynes tormentes and reproches that euer were suffered in the worlde For thee haue I fasted for thee haue I traueyled from place to place for thee haue I watched laboured and sweate droppes of bloude for thee haue I suffered persecutions scourginges blasphemies reproches buffettinges dishonours tormentes and euen deathe it selfe vpon the crosse To be shorte for thee I was borne in much pouertie for thee I liued in great paine for thee I died with intollerable tormentes and greifes Witnes hereof are this crosse and nailes which thou here now seest Witnes hereof are these woundes both of my handes and feete which are here to be seene in my bodie Witnes hereof are heauen and earthe before whom I suffered Witnes hereof are the sonne and moone which were eclipsed at the same howre Now what hast thou done with this thy sowle which I with the sheedinge of myne owne bloude purchased to be mine In whose seruice hast thou emploied that which I bought so dearly O foolishe wicked and adulterous generation why wouldest thou rather serue thy enemie with paine than me thy creator and redeemer with ioye Be yee astonied ô ye heauens at this straunge case and let your gates falle downe at the straungnes hereof Ierem. 2. For two abhominations hath my people committed They haue forsaken me that am the fountaine of liuely water and refused me for an other Barrabas I called yow verie oftentimes and ye woulde not answere me I knocked at your gates and ye woulde not awake I stretched out my handes on the crosse and ye woulde not beholde them Ye haue despised my counsels with all my promises and threatninges Wherefore speake ye now ô ye Angels be you iudges betwene me and my viniarde what coulde I haue done more for it than I haue done Now what answere can the wicked make hereunto Let the wicked prouide what answere to make here vnto now whiles they haue tyme in this worlde Such as be scoffers at holie and diuine thinges Such as be mockers of vertue Such as be despisers of simplicitie Such as make more accompte of the lawes and statutes of the worlde than of the lawes of almightie God Such as haue bene deaffe to heare the callinges of God vnsensible to vnderstande his inspirations rebellious against his commaundementes obdurate and
dead and come to iudgemente Who shall appeale from this sommons Who shal be able to auoide this iudgment Whose hart shall not tremble and quake for feare at the terrible sownde of this voyce This voyce shall take from death all her spoiles and cause her to restore againe all that she hath taken awaye from the worlde And so S. Iohn saieth that then The Sea shall restore the dead bodies which it hath had Apoc. 20. And likewise both death and hell shall restore all those bodies that they haue Now what a wounderfull sight shall that be to see the Sea and the earthe to bringe forthe in all partes such varietie of bodies and to see so manie huge armies and so manie sortes and diuersities of nations and people assemble together There shall the Alexanders appeare There the Zerxes and Artaxerxes There the Dariies and the Emperours of Rome and the most mightie Kinges and puyssante Princes of the worlde with an other maner of habite and behauiour and with other kinde of thoughtes much differinge from those that they had in this lyfe To be shorte there shall all the children of Adam meete together euerie one to geue vp an accompte of his owne lyfe and to be iudged accordinge to his workes There shal be a greate difference at the daye of resurrection betweene the bodies of the iust ād the bodies of the wicked Howbeit althoughe all persons shall rise agayne at that daye neuer to die anie more yet shall there be a great differēce betwene bodies ād bodies For the bodies of the iust shal rise verie bewtifull and bright like the Sonne But the bodies of the wicked shall rise verie darke and filthie euen like vnto death it selfe Now what a great ioye shall it be then vnto the sowles of the iust to see their desire now fullie accomplished What a ioye shal it be to see thē selues after so longe a banishement to be vnited and ioyned euerlastingly in cēpanie with their most deare and louinge brethern With what ioye maye the sowle saie then vnto the bodie O my bodie Of the ioyefull meeting of the sowles and bodies of the iust at the daye of generall iudgemēte and faithfull companion that hast holpen me to gaine this crowne that hast so oftentimes fasted watched and suffered with me the painfull strookes and lashes of discipline the trauell of pouertie the crosse of penance and the contradictions and reproches of the worlde How often times hast thou spared the meate from thine owne belly to geue it to the poore How often hast thou lacked clothes thy selfe to clothe the naked How often hast thou renounced and lost thine owne right and title for that thou wouldest not breake peace and be at discention with thy neighbour Wherefore it is meete that thou shouldest now be partaker of this heauenly treasure seinge thou hast holpēme to gaine the same And it is meete that thou shouldest be my companion in this my glorie seinge thou hast bene my companion in all my paines and labours Thē shall these two faithfull friendes be ioyned together in one subiecte not as they were in this lyfe with contrarie appetites and desires but with a leage of perpetuall peace and conformitie So as they maie singe and saie for euer Beholde what a good and ioyefull thinge it is Psal 132. Of the sorowful and greeuous meetinge that shal be of the sowles and bodies of the damned persons at the daye of generall iudgemente for brethern to dwell together in one But contrariewise what a heauines and greife shall it then be to the sowle of the damned person when he shall see his bodie in an vglie forme as there it shal be geuen vnto him to wit blacke filthie stinckinge and horrible Then shal he saie O cursed bodie O beginninge and ende of my paines and sorowes O cause of my damnation Now art thou no more my companion but mine enemie Now art thou no more my helper but my persecutor Now art thou no more my habitation but the chaine and snare of my destruction O cursed tast How dearlie doe I paie now for thy delicacies and delightes O stinckinge fleashe that hast thus brought me to these painfull horrible tormentes by yeeldinge to thy lustes and pleasures What Alas is this the bodie for whose sake I cōmitted so manie sinnes Were these the delightes of this bodie that caused me vtterlye to cast awaie my selfe Was it for this stinckinge muckhill that I haue lost for euer the kingdome of heauen Was it for this vyle and filthie carkas that I haue lost for euer the glorie of lyfe euerlastinge O ye infernall furies rise vp now against me and teare and rent me in peeces for I haue well deserued these horrible tormentes Cursed be the daie of my vnfortunat birthe seinge my happe must be so miserable as to suffer euerlastinge tormentes in the most horrible pitt of hell for so short pleasures and delightes These and other more desperate wordes shall the dāned sowle speake vnto that bodie which she loued so exceedinglie in this trāsitorie worlde But tell me ô miserable sowle why doest thou now so much abhorre that thinge which heretofore thou louedst so well Is not this fleashe thy dearlie beloued Is not this the bellie which thou madest thy God Is not this the face which thou diddest kepe so warily frō the sonne and winde Is not this the visage which thou diddest paint with so manie artificiall coloures Are not these the armes and fingers which glistered with ringes of golde and dyamondes Is not this the bodie for whose sake searche was made both by lande and Sea to furnishe a table for it with all delicate and deintie disshes to haue a fyne and softe bedde to procure curious and costly garmentes Who hath now so altered thy affection Who hath made thy bodie to looke now so horrible and vglie which before seemed so faire and amiable Thou seest here now Christian brother what ende the glorie of the worlde hath with all the vayne pleasures and delightes of the bodie Of the comminge of the Iudge Of the matter of the iudgement And of the witnesses and accusors that shal be there against the wicked § IIII. NOW when all mankinde shal be raised againe and assembled together in one place expectinge the comminge of the Iudge Act. 10. then shall he whom almightie God hath appointed to be iudge ouer the quicke and the dead come downe Note here the two cōminges of Christe the firste was with greate humilitie and the secōde shal be with great maiestie and glorie And like as at his first comminge he came with verie great humilitie and meikenes inuitinge men vnto peace and callinge them vnto penance euen so at his seconde comminge he shall come with verie great maiestie and glorie accompanied with all the powers and principalities of heauen threateninge all those with the furie of his anger that refused to vse the meeknes of his mercie At
this this consideration helpeth verie much to make vs to be afraide of synne consideringe what a miserable rewarde is ordeined for it to witt The consideration of the paynes of bel helpethe verie much to make vs afrayde of synne death euerlastinge Wherefore it is much to be meruailed how the Christians that do both beleeue and openlie confesse this to be true dare cōmit anie one deadlie synne against almightie God Two great wonders haue happened in the worlde in these kinde of thinges The one is that whereas our Sauiour hath wrought so manie miracles as he did here emonge men there be yet a nomber of men that doe not beleue in him The other is that of suche as be Christians and doe beleue in him there be yet neuertheles so many of them that dare offende him Certainly it was a wonderfull matter that when our Sauiour emonge other wonders had wrought that great miracle in raisinge vp Lazarus from death when he had bene dead for the space of foure daies Ioan. 11.45.46 yet there were manie of them that were there present at the doinge thereof that woulde not beleue in him And it is also wonderfull that whereas men doe now beleeue by reason of his preachinge that there is paine and glorie euerlastinge all this beleefe and preachinge notwithstādinge there be yet so manie Christians that dare offende him It is a wonderful matter to see after so great miracles so great infidelitie And it is no lesse wonderfull also to see after so great faith such corrupt and wicked lyfe But because this proceedeth rather of the want of consideration than of the want of faith it is therefore a verie profitable exercise to consider and weigh diligentlie those thinges that our faith telleth vs to th' ende that by vnderstandinge the greiuousnes of the paines of hell we maie liue more warily and be the more afrayde to commit any deadlie synne whereby to deserue such great and euerlasting paines Of two kindes of paines that are in hell § I. AND although the paines in hell be innumerable yet they all in conclusiō as we haue saiede are reduced to two Which are Poena sensus and poena damni The payne of sense and the payne of losse the paine of sense and the paine of losse The paine of sense is that which tormenteth the senses and bodies of the damned And the paine of losse is to be depriued for euer of the sight and companie of almightie God These two kindes of paines are answerable to two enormities and disorders that are in sinne whereof one is the inordinate loue of the creature and th' other is the contempte of the creator Now vnto these two enormities doe answere these two kindes of paines in hell To the loue and sensuall delight which is taken in the creature doth answere the paine of sense that like as the sense hath takē delighte against the commaundement of almightie God euen so with the greife of the paine it maye make recompence for the enormitie of his offence And to the contempte of God doth answere the leesinge of God for euermore For seinge that mā doth first forsake God reason it is that he shoulde likewise be forsaken for euer of God And because emonge these two euils the last which is the cōtempte of God is without all comparison greater than the first therefore the paine of losse which is answerable to this iniquitie is without all comparison farre greater than the paine of sense And to beginne now with the paines of the outwarde senses Of the horrible fier in hell The first paine is the horrible fier in hell which is of such a great vehemente heate and strengthe that as S. Augustine saieth S. Augustine This fier here in this worlde in comparison of it is as it were but a painted fier This fier shall tormente not onely the bodies of the damned but euen the sowles also And it shall tormente them in such sort that it shall not consume them Which is so prouided to the intente that the paine maie be euerlastinge and continewe for euer and euer The which euerlastinge cōtinuāce as S. The fier of hell shall burne and tormente and neuer consume Augustine saieth is wrought by a spetial miracle For almightie God who hath geuen to all thinges their naturall properties hath geuen this spetiall propertie vnto the fier of hell that it shall in such wise burne and torment that it shall not consume Consider then what an intollerable paine it shal be to the damned to be alwaies lyinge in such an horrible euerlastinge tormentinge bedde as this is And that thou mayst the better conceiue the same imagin with thy selfe what a greiuous paine it woulde be vnto thee if thou shouldest be cast into a great scaldinge caldron when it boyleth most feruentelie and is in greatest heat or into some hotte glowinge ouen such a one as that was which Nabuchodonosor caused to be set a fier in Babilon Daniel 3. the flames whereof ascended fourtie and nine Cubites in height And hereby shalt thou haue some kinde of coniecture and ghesse of that raginge hoate fier which is in hell For if the fier here in this worlde which as we haue saiede is in comparison of that fier but as it were a painted fier doe so sore burne and torment what shall that fier in hell doe which is a verie liuelie tormentinge fier indede Me thinketh it were not neidfull to passe any further in the consideration of the paines of hell but euen to leaue here if a man woulde staie him selfe a litle while in consideration of this point and make a station here vntill such time as he hath considered this matter as the thinge it selfe requireth Of the extreme colde in hell Vnto this paine is joyned an other directelie contrarie vnto it although no lesse intollerable that is an horrible extreme colde farre exceedinge without comparison all the colde in this worlde which shal be geuen as a miserable refresshinge vnto those that burne in that raginge fier And they shall passe as it is written in Iob from the snowie waters Iob. 24. vnto the fierie heates that there might be no kinde of tormentes whereof they shoulde not taste that woulde be tastinge of euerie kinde of wanton pleasure and delighte And they shall not onely be tormented with extreme fier The diuelles shall tormente the damned persons with appearinge vnto them in most horrible ād vglie shapes of wilde beastes and monsters and colde but also by the very diuells them selues which shall torment them with most horrible shapes of wilde beastes and terrible monsters wherein they shall appeare vnto them And they shall with their most horrible and vglie lookes torment the adulterous and leacherous eies and such as haue painted them selues with artificiall colours to become the bewtifull snares and nettes of Satan This paine of the horrible and vglie sighte of diuells is farre greater than
any man can imagine For if it be euidentelie knowen vnto vs that some persons haue lost their wittes and that some haue bene also stricken starcke dead by meanes of the dreadfull sight or imagination of fearfull thinges yea and that some times the verie suspition thereof alone hath caused manie men to tremble and quake in such sorte that the verie heare of their heades did stare and stand vp an ende what shall the terrour and feare of that darcke lake be which is full of so manie horrible fiendes and dreadfull hellishe monsters as there the damned persons shall beholde with their eies And we maie the better cōsider how vglie and horrible the forme of the diuell is in that almightie God him selfe describethe him vnto vs by such terrible shapes in the holie scriptures As in the boke of Iob he saieth thus Iob. 41. Who shall discouer the face of his garmēte And who shal be so hardie as to looke into his mouthe And who shall open the gates wherewith his face is couered His teethe are terrible rounde aboute His bodie is as it were a sheild of steile couered all ouer with scales and that so close riueted and ioyned together that not so much as a litle aier can pearce throughe them His neisinge is like a lighteninge of fier and his eies are glowinge redde lyke the eyelyddes of the morninge He casteth out of his mouth flakes of fier like burninge torches and out of his noistrels reaketh smoke as it were from a boylinge potte With his breath he is able to sette coles a fier and raginge flames doe issue out of his mouthe Now what a terrible sight will this be to the damned persons in hell to beholde such an horrible and vglie monster as is here figured vnto vs by these similitudes The nose shal be tormented with an intollerable stenche Vnto the torment of the eies is added and other verie terrible paine for torment of the nose to wit an intollerable stenche which shal be there ordeined to punish carnall and worldlie persons that vsed sweete sauours and perfumes superfluouslie here in this lyfe And so doth almightie God threaten by his Prophet Esaie Esa 3. sayeinge Because the daughters of Sion are hautie and walke with stretched out neckes and with wanderinge eies walkinge and minsinge as they goe and makinge a tincklinge with their feete because they make ostentatiō of their pompes and riches emonge the poore and naked therefore our Lorde will plucke of their heyre from their heades with all their other prophane attyres and geue them in stede of their sweit odours horrible stenche and in stede of their gorgious girdle a rope and in stede of their curled heyre a balde scull and in stede of their stomacher a rough heyreclothe This is the paine that is due vnto the odoriferous sauours and gaye ornamentes of worldly men and women That we maie the better conceiue somewhat of this kinde of paine cōsider that terrible kinde of tormēt which a certain cruell Tyrant inuēted to put men to death withall who tooke a dead bodie and caused it to be laid a longe vpon him that was liuinge and bindinge the dead bodie ād the liuinge bodie verie fast together he let them continewe both ioyned thus together vntil such time as the dead bodie had killed the liuinge bodie with the filthie stēche and vermin that issued from it Now if this seeme to thee so horrible a torment what torment shall that be trowest thou that shall proceed from the stenche of all the bodies of the damned and from that abhominable place where the wicked shall remaine in a most horrible continuall stenche for euermore Esa 14.11 There shall those wordes of Esaie be verified in euerie one of the damned Thy pride sincketh downe into hell and there fell thy dead bodie the worme is spread vnder thee and the crawlinge wormes doe couer thee The eares shal be tormented with hearinge perpetuall horrible cryes lamētations and blasphemies And if this paine be appointed for the nose with what paines shall the eares be tormented wherewith greater sinnes are cōmitted The eares shal be tormēted with hearinge of perpetual horrible cries clamours lamentations and blasphemies which shall sounde in that place For like as in heauen there shal be none other sounde harde but onely a continuall Alleluia and praises of almightie God euen so shall there none other sounde be harde in this infernall howse of tormentors but onely blasphemies cursinges and banninges of almightie God and a disordered horrible melodie of infinit iarringe noises roringe cryinge squeakynge and howlynge at the terrible sounde of the hammers and strookes of the hellishe tormentors wherein shal be such confusion and varietie of noyses such great howlinges and lamentations emonge all that miserable pryson that all the noyse that was made at the destruction of Troye or burninge of Rome was nothinge in comparison of that which shal be harde emonge the damned in hell And that thou mayst conceiue somewhat of this horrible paine imagin with thy selfe that thou diddest passe by a verie greate deepe valley that were full of an infinite nomber of prisoners some hurte some wounded and some sicke and that they were all cryenge roringe and howlinge each one in horrible wise after his maner both men and women yonge and olde tell me I praie thee what wouldest thou thinke of this so great roringe and confusion Now what maie we thinke of that most horrible cryenge and roringe in hell of such an infinite nomber of damned persons which shall doe nothinge els but crye and rore blaspheme and renye almightie God and his Sainctes euerlastingly What Galley is there in the worlde so full frayghte with renegates and bonde slaues as that horrible place of hell is These are the mattins which there are songe This is the miserable chappell of the prince of darcknes These be his musitions and singinge men Of whose brotherhoode and fraternitie shall all sclanderers and backebiters be with all such as haue giuen eare to the lies of the enemie The tonge and delicate taste shal be likewise tormented in hell Luc. 16. Neither shall the tongue and delicate tast faile of their tormentes in hell For what a great thirste was that which the riche glutton mentioned in the Gospell suffered emonge the flames of his tormentes What dolefull cries and clamours did he make to the holie patriarke Abraham requestinge of him but one onely droppe of water to coole his tonge that burned so terriblie Of the tormentes of the inwarde senses and powers of the sowle § II. ALL these paines of the outwarde senses of the bodie are certainly verie greiuous But the paines of the inwarde senses of the sowle shal be much more greiuous For those inwarde senses shal be more or lesse tormēted accordinge as the sinners haue bene more or lesse negligent in this lyfe in eschewinge the occasions of synnes The Imagination First of all therefore the
neuer gaue sucke After this sorte shall the miserable damned wretches curse and banne all creatures and cheiflie them that were the cause of their damnation And so we read in the liues of the holie fathers of a blessed holie man that sawe by reuelation a verie deepe well full of great and horrible flames of fire and in the middest of them were the father and the sonne both of them manicled together and cursinge one an other with great furious rage and despite The father saied vnto his sonne Cursed be thou my sonne For I to leaue thee wealthie and riche became an vsurer and for vsurie am I nowe here in hell damned And the sonne saied likewise vnto his father Cursed be thou my father for that imagininge to enriche me hast bene the cause of my damnation in that thou diddest leaue me euill gotten landes and goodes and I for the wrongefull keepinge of them and not makinge dewe restitution to the righte owners am here now alas damned euerlastinglie The euill disposition of the will of the daÌ„ned againste the glorie of God and of his Sainctes Aboue all this how great shall the paines and tormentes of the malitious and euil disposed will of the damned be There shal be in the will a continuall and outragious malitious enuie against the glorie of almightie God and his electe which shal be euermore bytinge and gnawinge at their entrailes no lesse than the worme of conscience whereof we spake before Psal 111.10 Of this paine saieth the Psalme The sinner shall see and be angrie he shall gnashe with his teeth and consume And the desire of the wicked shall perishe The malice â—nd hatred of the daÌ„ned againste almightie God They shall haue also such a great abhorringe and hatred against almightie God because he deteyneth and punisheth theÌ„ in that place that like as a madde dogge stroken with a speare tourneth againe in great furie to byte and gnawe it euen so woulde the damned persons if they might possibly teare and rente almightie God in peeces because they knowe that it is he that pricketh them with his terrible speare and that it is he that striketh and tormenteth them from aboue with the dreadfull sworde of his iustice The greate obstinacie of the daÌ„ned in their wickednes They haue also a verie great obstinacie in wickednes for they are not sorie either because they are wicked or because they haue bene wicked but rather they wishe that they had bene worse And if they be sorie for their wicked lyfe it is not for anie loue they beare vnto almightie God but for the loue of them selues that so they might haue escaped these horrible tormentes if they had liued otherwise The perpetual desperation of the daÌ„ned Besides this they haue also a perpetuall desperation For they thinke so euill of almightie God and of his mercie that they haue no maner of hope therein that euer he can perdoÌ„ them and also for that they knowe for certayne that their most grieuous paines and tormentes shall neuer haue anie mitigation or ende This is the cause of their so horrible blasphemies and of their dispitefull raylinges against almightie God For as they haue no hope in him so doe they seike to be reuenged of him as much as they can with their outragious and malitious raylinge tonges Of the paine wich is tearmed by the diuins Poena damni that is the paine of losse of almightie God § III. VHO woulde thinke that after all these paines here before rehearsed there were yet more to be suffered And yet neuerthelesse it is certaine that all these paines in comparison of that which we haue now to speake of are as it were nothinge Consider then what a wounderfull payne this is like to be seinge that such horrible tormentes as we haue before mentioned maie be termed nothinge if they be compared with this tormente For all the paines that we haue hitherto spoken of appertaine for the most parte to the paine of the sense But besides all these there is yet an other paine called the paine of losse which we touched before the which without all comparison is farre greater than all the other as it maie wel appeare by this reason For paine is nothinge els but onely a priuation of some good thinge that was either had or in hope to be had Now the greater this good thinge is the greater paine and greife we haue when it is lost To loose almightie God is the greatest losse for that he is an infinite good thinge As it appeareth plainly in the losse of temporall thinges the which the greater they are in vallewe the greater is the greife that they cause Now then consideringe that almightie God is an infinite good thinge and the greatest of all good thinges it followeth necessarily that the wantinge of him shal be an infinite miserie and the greatest of all miseries Almightie God is the centre of the reasonable sowle S. Chrisostome Besides this almightie God is the center of the reasonable sowle and the place where it hath his perfect rest And thereof it commeth that the separation of the sowle from almightie God is the most grieuous and painfull separation of all that maie possibly be deuised And therfore S. Chrisostome saieth That if a thousande fiers of hell were ioyned together in one they shoulde neuer be so great a paine to the sowle as it is to the sowle to be separated in this wise for euer from almightie God It is not possible for anie man to expresse by wordes the exceydinge greatnes of this greife That seperation that is wont to happen in time of warre when the suckinge babes are taken from their mothers breastes is nothinge in comparison of the perpetuall diuision and separation which shal be from the fruition and separation which shal be from the fruition of almightie God And that thou mayst vnderstande somewhat hereof consider what a horrible kinde of death that was which certaine tyrantes caused some of the martirs to be put vnto They caused two toppes or greate boughes of two great trees to be bowed downe violentlie to the grownde and at the two endes of them they commaunded the feete of the holie Martyr that shoulde suffer death to be bounde this done they commaunded that the two bowghes shoulde sodeÌ„ly be losed with all violence that when they shoulde recoyle and mounte vp againe to their naturall places they shoulde hoyse vp the bodie on highe and so rente and teare it a sonder in the aier each one of the bowghes carienge with it that parte of the bodie that was bounde vnto it Now if this crewell separation of the partes of a mans bodie one from an other seeme so great a tormente what a torment thinke ye shall that be when the sowle shal be separated from almightie God which is not a parte but the whole of our sowle espetially seinge the separation and tormente must endure not onely
nor decaye neither shall their bodies euer decaye or waxe olde For he that causeth the heauens to be alwaies freshe and newe after so manie thowsande yeares as haue passed since they were created shall also cause the flower of the glorie of the Sainctes alwaies to be liuelie and florishinge and neuer to wither or decaye in anie one poynte Of the fourthe ioye that the sowle shall haue in the kingdome of heauen which is the enioyinge of the glorie of the bodie § IIII. The bodies of the Sainctes shall also be glorified in heauen THE cleare vision of the diuine maiestie is as hathe bene declared the essential glorie of the blessed sowles in heauen Howbeit our most iust iudge and bountifull father thinkethe it not enoughe to glorifie the sowles onely but for the honour of them extendethe his magnificence and liberalitie yet further euen to glorifie their bodies also geuinge thus a rowme and place vnto beastes in his royall and euerlastinge heauēlie pallace O louer of men O honorer of the good and vertuous What hath this rottē and stinckinge fleashe of ours which like a beast followeth alwaies his appetites to doe with the sanctuarie of heauen What shall this fleashe which shoulde rather be tied vp in a stable emonge beastes be placed emonge the Angels in heauen Let dust ô Lorde continewe with dust for it is not seemely that earthe shoulde be placed aboue the heauens But he that saiede vnto Abraham I will honour and multiplie Ismael Gen. 17.20 notwithstandinge he is the sonne of a bondslaue because he appertaineth vnto thee will also shewe this fauour to the bodies of the Sainctes for the nighe kinred that is betwene the sowles and thē It is our Lordes pleasure also that he that hath holpen to beare the burthen Note here the reason why the Sainctes bodies shall as well be glorified in heauen as their sowles shall likewise be partaker in the diuision of the glorie and that like as the sowle by conformynge it selfe in this lyfe vnto the will of God commeth afterwardes to be made partaker of the glorie of God euen so the bodie which contrarie to his nature was conformable and obedient vnto the will of the sowle shall also be made partaker of the glorie of the same sowle And thus shall the iust be glorious both in bodie and sowle And as the Prophet saieth Esa 61.7 They shall possesse in their countrey dowble riches Whereby is vnderstoode the glorie of the sowles and the glorie of the bodies The glorie of the senses The eies Now what shall I saie of the glorie of the senses Eache one of them shall there haue his owne proper delighte and glorie The eies shal be renewed and made more cleare than the lighte of the sonne They shall see those roiall pallaces those glorious bodies and those bewtifull feildes with other infinit goodlie thinges that are there to be seene The eares The eares shall alwaies heare that wounderfull musicke which is so exceedinge sweite and pleasant that one onely fownde of it were able to bringe all the hartes of this worlde a-sleepe The sense of smellinge shall also be recreated with most sweite and pleasant sauours The smellinge not of such vaporous thinges as we haue here but of such as be proportionable to the glorie that is there The taste In like maner the taste shal be satisfied with incredible sweitenes and delightes not for sustentation of lyfe but for accomplishemente of all glorie Now what an exceedinge ioye shall the blessed sowle conceyue at that time when for the mortification and diligente lookinge vnto the senses which continued so shorte a time she seeth her selfe so wholie drowned in that most deepe fountaine of glorie without findinge anie bothom or ende of so manie and of such passinge great ioyes O labours and paines well employed O seruices well rewarded O treasure not so much to be spoken of as to be wisshed and desired and to be purchased with a thowsande liues if we had so manie to geue for the same Of the fyfte ioye in the kingdome of heauen which is the euerlastinge continuance of the glorie and felicitie of the the Sainctes § V. BVT now let vs see for how longe time this great glorie and felicitie is to be enioyed This is a pointe that were able alone to cause vs euen to crie out and desire that all maner of tribulations afflictions paynes and labours might rayne and powre down vpon vs as thicke as hayle so that we might serue and please almightie God in this transitorie lyfe who is to bestowe so great and inestimable benefites vpon vs in the euerlastinge lyfe to come This rewarde of so great glorie and felicitie in the kingdome of heauen shal endure so manie thowsande yeares as be starres in the firmament yea and a greate deale longer It shall endure so manie hundered thowsande milliōs of yeares as haue fallen droppes of water vpon the earthe yea and a greate deale longer yea to conclude it shal endure so longe as almightie God him selfe shall endure which shal be euerlastingelie worlde without ende Psal 145. For it is written thus Our Lorde shall raigne for euer and euer And in an other place Psal 144. Thy raigne is the raigne of all worldes and thy dominion endurethe from generation to generation Wherefore ô father of mercies and God of all consolation I humbly beseech thee by the bowels of thy mercie that I maie not be depriued of this supreme glorie and felicitie O Lorde my God that hast vowchsaffed to create me after thyne owne image and likenes and to make me capable of thy selfe fill this harte of mine which thow hast created with thy selfe sith thow hast created it for thy selfe Psal 141. Let my portion ô my almightie God be in the lande of the liuinge O Lorde I beseech thee geue me not in this transitorie lyfe either rest or riches but reserue all in store for me for the euerlastinge lyfe to come Num. 32.6 I desire not to enherite with the children of Ruben in the lande of Galaad and to lose my right and title of the lande of promise Psalm 26. One thinge onely ô Lorde haue I demaunded of thee and this will I alwaies require that I maie dwell in the howse of our Lorde all the daies of my lyfe SONDAIE NIGHTE OF THE BENEFITES OF ALMIGHTIE GOD. 〈…〉 THIS DAIE WHEN THOV HAST MADE THE SIGNE OF the Crosse and prepared thy selfe hereunto thou hast to meditate vpon the benefites of almightie God that in so doinge thou mayst geue him thankes for them and enkendle in thy selfe a more feruente loue of him who hath shewed himselfe so bountiefull towardes thee and withall procure thereby more greife and sorowe for the sinnes and offences that thou hast committed against such a louinge benefactor AND albeit the benefites of almightie God towardes vs be innumerable yet they all maie be reduced to
well for the vnderstandinge of the greatnes of this benefite as also for the annihilation as they terme it which is that a man maie hereby clearlie and palpably perceiue how of him selfe he is no more than verie nothinge Consider then how it is not manie yeares sithence not a thowsande nor an hundered yeares but euen as it were yesterdaie that is within a verie smalle time that thou wast nothinge at least wise as concerninge thy sowle and from the beginninge thou wast nothinge and mightest for euer haue bene nothinge that is lesse than a clodde of earthe lesse than a puffe of winde yea lesse than a strawe and to be short euen nothinge Consider then how the same nothing coulde not make it selfe any thinge and as litle coulde it deserue that an other shoulde make it any thinge for that pardy that is not can neither worcke nor deserue Now when thou wast in this darckenes and in this deepe bothomles pitte of the same nothinge it pleased the infinite goodnes and mercie of almightie God before anie deserte of thyne onelie of his mere grace to shewe vpon thee his power and omnipotencie and with his mightie hande to plucke thee out of this darcknes and out of this deipe bothomles pitte of no beinge and to bringe thee to a beinge and to make thee somewhat and as S. Augustine saiethe not euerie somewhat S. Augustine not a stone not a birde not a toode not a serpente but euen a man which is one of the most noble creatures in the worlde He gaue thee this beinge that thou now hast He compacted and framed this thy bodie and bewtified it in all partes both with members and senses and that with such a wonderfull prouidence and arte that euerie one of them if they be well considered is of it selfe a greate wonder and a verie great benefite This is that benefite which the holie mā Iob did most humblie acknowledge when he saiede Iob. 10. Thy handes ô Lorde haue made me they haue geuen me a due proportion in euerie parte Remember ô Lorde that thou hast made me as it were of a lumpe of claye and that thou shalt reduce me againe into dust Thou hast clothed me with skinne and fleashe Thou hast compacted me with bones and sinowes Thou hast geuen me lyfe and mercie and hast preserued my spirite with thy visitation Now what shall I saie of the noblenes of thy sowle The noblenes and excellencie of our sowle and of the excellencie of the ende for which it was created and of the image and capacitie that it hath The image thereof is the image of almightie God him selfe For in verie deede there is nothinge in all the earthe that more resembleth almightie God there is nothinge whereby we maie come to a more euident knowledge of him than by the sowle And therefore the aunciente Philosophers and namely Anaxagoras knewe no meeter name to be geuē vnto God than Mēs the Minde which is as much to saie as a resonable sowle by reason of the greate similitude and likenes that they perceiued to be betweene God and it And this is the cause why the substance of our sowle can not be perfectly vnderstode For beinge as it is verie like vnto the substance of God which can not be knowen in this lyfe it foloweth that the substance of the sowle is also a thinge not able to be knowen here by vs. For what ende the sowle of man was created Now the ende for which this noble creature was created is answerable to this dignitie For it is manifest that the sowle was created to be partaker of that blessed glorie and felicitie of almightie God to dwell in his howse to eate at his table to enioye those thinges that almightie God him selfe enioyeth to be clothed with the same garmente of immortalitie that he him selfe is clothed withall and to reigne euerlastingly with him And hereof it commeth that the sowle hath such a wonderfull capacitie which is so great The wonderfull capacitie of the sowle of man that all the creatures and riches of the worlde put together are no more able to fille her capacitie than a barlie corne is able to fille all the whole worlde Now therefore what recompence shall we make vnto our most gratious and bountiefull Lorde for this so passinge great benefite If we thinke our selues to be so much bounde to our carnall parentes for that they haue bene some parte in the buildinge of this our bodie how much more are we indetted vnto our heauenlie father who by meanes of our parentes hath formed our bodies and without thē hath created our sowles which be without comparison more excellent than the bodie and without which our bodie were no better than a stinckinge donghill What are our parentes but onely an instrument whereby almightie God hath made a smalle portiō of this worke Now if thou be so much bounde to the instrument of the worke how much more art thou bounde to the principalle agent that made the worke And if thou be so much bounde vnto him who was onely a meane in framinge one parte how much more art thou boūde vnto almightie God that made the whole If thou esteeme a sworde so much wherewith a cittie was conquered how much more owghtest thou to esteime the kinge him selfe that conquered it Of the benefite of our Conseruation § II. AND our Lorde hath not onely created thee in such great dignitie and glorie but it is he also that mainteneth and conserueth thee after thy creation in the same As he him selfe witnesseth by the Prophet Esaie Esa 48.17 sayeinge I am thy Lorde thy God that doe teache thee whatsoeuer is meite for thee to knowe and doe gouerne thee in the waie that thou walkest Manie mothers there be that thinke it sufficient to susteine onelye the trauaile of childe bearinge they will not burthen them selues with noursinge their children but will seike out some other nourse that maie discharge them of that trouble But almightie God dealeth not so with vs for he vouchsafeth to take vpon him selfe the whole charge and burthen insomuch as he is both the mother that bare vs and the nourse that nourishethe vs with the milke and cherishinges of his prouidence accordinge as he him selfe witnesseth by one of his Prophetes sayinge I was as it were the nourse of Ephraem and caried them in mine armes Osea 11.3 and they vnderstode not that I had care of them So that our Lorde himselfe is bothe the creator and conseruer of all thinges that be created And like as without him nothinge is made euen so were it not for him all thinges woulde goe to vtter ruine and decaie The Prophet Dauid confesseth plainlie both the one and th' other in these wordes Psal 144. The eies of all thinges doe looke vpon thee ô Lorde and thou geuest thē their foode in dewe season And whilest thou geuest it they receiue it and when thou stretchest
appertaininge vnto almightie God which before seemed verie vnsauerie vnto thee and withall conceiue a certaine lothsomnes and mislikinge of the thinges of the worlde which before seemed verie sauorie and delightfull vnto thee But now besides this what if thou doe consider vnto how manie others almightie God hath denied this benefite which he hath so freely graunted vnto thee And wheras thou beinge a sinner as well as they and as vnworthie of this callynge as they yet it hath pleased almightie God to suffer them to continewe in their wicked state and to calle thee vnto the state of saluation and grace With what thankes and with what seruices art thou able to recompence him for this inestimable speciall fauour and grace What an excerdinge ioye will it be vnto thee when by the vertue of this vocation thou shalt see thy selfe to haue the fruition of almightie God for euer and euer in the kingdome of heauen and shalt see other of thy companions and acquaintance for want of the like grace of God to remaine euerlastinglie tormented in the horrible raginge fier of hell O good Lorde what a nomber of thinges are there included in this grace to be well weighed and earnestlie considered vpon Tell me I praie thee Luc. 23. when the blessed theife who with one worde purchased lyfe euerlastinge seeth him selfe in that so great glorie which he now possesseth in the kingdome of heauen and seeth his companion also in those great horrible tormentes of hell fyer and calleth to minde withall that he him selfe was a theife also as well as the other and suffered for his robberies as the other did and that a litle before he blasphemed our Sauiour Iesus Christ in like maner as his companion did and that yet for all this it pleased almighie God to caste his mercifull eies vpon him and to geue him so great a light leauinge the other theife in his darckenes now in consideringe herevpon what thanckes thinkest thou doth he render to almightie God for this spetiall grace How wounderfullie doth he reioyce at so great a benefite How doth he meruaile at so great a iudgement With what a passinge great loue doth he loue him that woulde vowchsafe to preuent him with such a singular and wonderfull grace Now if this seeme so great a benefite vnto thee Remember thy selfe that our sauiour Christ hath bestowed the like inestimable benefite vpon thee when the same louinge Lorde vowchsaffed to cast his mercifull eies so speciallie vpon thee and did not with the like maner of callinge calle thy neighbour companion or freinde who peraduenture had lesse offended his diuine maiestie than thou Consider then how much thou art bownde to our Lorde for this his great benefite and what a great occasion is here offered vnto thee to desire euen to suffer deathe for the loue of him Besides all this consider how costlie and chargeable this benefite of our redemption was to our Sauiour Christ which was so freely geuen vnto thee Vnto thee it was geuen franckly and of mere grace Summa S. Thomae 3. q. 1. artic 2. 3. quaest 46. artic 1. 2. and it cost him euen his owne most precious bloude and lyfe also for it is manifest that without the same our synnes coulde not be pardoned nor our woūdes cured It is saiede of the Pellican that she bringeth forth her yonge-ones dead and seinge them in that case she stryketh her selfe vpō the breast with her beake vntill she cause bludde to issue out and therewith she batheth her yonge-ones and so they receiue heate and lyfe Now if thou wilt vnderstande how great this benefite is make accompte with thy selfe that when thow wast dead in synne that most louinge and mercifull Pellican our Sauiour Christ moued with most tender pietie and compassion stroke his sacred breast with a speare and wasshed the deadly woundes of thy sowle with the precious bludde of his woūdes and so with his owne death he gaue thee lyfe and with his owne woundes healed thy woundes Be not thou therefore vnthankfull vnto him for this so great and costlie benefite but as our Lorde admonisheth thee be mindefull of the daie in which thou camest out of Egipt This daie was the daie of thy Passeouer Exod. 13. this was the daie of thy Resurrection for so much as vpon this daie thou hast passed throughe the redde sea of the bludde of Christ vnto the lande of promise and vpon this daie thou hast risen againe from death to lyfe Of the particuler benefites that almightie God bestoweth vpon vs. § V. THESE benefites aforesaiede are generall Other benefites there are more particuler that be geuen to particuler persons the which benefites none other knoweth but onely he that hath receyued them In this accompte are reckened manie kindes of benefites either of fortune or of nature or of grace which almightie God hath geuen to each one in particuler and also diuers and sundrie miseries and daungers both of bodie and sowle from which he of his mere mercie hath deliuered vs. For which particuler benefites we are as well bounde to geue him thankes as for the former generall benefittes forsomuch as they are more certaine signes and tokens of the spetiall and particular loue and prouidence that our Lorde beareth towardes vs. Such benefites as these are can not be written in bookes but euerie one ought to write them in his harte and so to ioyne them with the other generall benefites and to geue most humble thankes vnto our Lorde for them Our Lorde preserueth vs manie times from secrete daungers and snares that woulde otherwise falle vpon vs. There be also other benefites yet more secrete and hidden than these which are vnknowen euen to the verie partie himselfe that hath receaued them These are certayne priuie daungers and secrete snares which our Lorde is wont to preuent and disapoynte by his diuine prouidence for that he vnderstandeth what great domage and preiudice they might doe vnto vs in case he shoulde not cutte them of and disapoynte theire cowerse What man is able to tell from how manie temptations almightie God hath preserued him and from how manie occasions of sinnes he hath deliuered him and how often times he hath stopped the passages and remoued awaye the deceytefull snares of the deuill our enemie that we shoulde not falle into them The deuill him selfe saieth of the holie man Iob Iob. 1.10 That almightie God had enuironed him on euerie side that nothinge might doe him hurte And euen so is our Lorde wonte to kepe and preserue such as be his as it were a glasse preserued in his case that nothinge maye hurt them A mā may haue manie secrete giftes and many secrete synnes that he knoweth not Psalm 28. It maie also be that a man hath receiued of almightie God some secrete giftes althoughe he him selfe knoweth not of them as also a man maie and is wont to haue manie secrete synnes which he
such feare and reuerence as is behouefull to be vsed before so great a maiestie and withall desire him that thou mayst in such wise perseuere and spende that litle time in this exercise of prayer that thou mayst in the ende arise frō the same with newe force and strength to doe all such thinges as apperteyne to his seruice It is also a good maner of preparation to saye some vocalle prayers before meditation It is thought also to be a good maner of preparation to saie some vocalle praiers before meditation of which sorte there be manie in diuers bookes of deuotion and namely in the meditations of S. Augustine and in the Psalter of Dauid where there be some verie deuout Psalmes that will helpe very much to enkendle and stirre vp deuotion For it is the propertie of deuoute sentences beinge saiede with an earnest minde and attention to wounde the harte and to lifte it vp vnto almightie God the which deuour sentences are so much the more behouefull and necessarie for vs by how much we finde our spirite to be more colde and distracted The sayinge of And these same prayers doe serue much better for this purpose when they be in mitre as are manie Hymnes of the Sainctes Hymnes proses and versicles doe stirre deuotion and the Proses and Versicles Forsomuche as I knowe not how it is that the wordes of God vsed in this kinde of stile and harmonie doe bringe with them a greater sweetenes and delighte to our sowles And therefore we finde in the workes of S. Bonauenture who was a verie deuout holie man manie of these Hymnes The like we finde in the workes of S. Bernarde and in diuers and sundrie other of the holie fathers Likewise there is great commendation geuen by manie learned men and surely not without good cause to those three diuout himnes that Ieronimo de Vida made to the three persons in Trinitie which beinge learned by harte and saiede deuoutly be as it were a most sweite Manna to sweiten the tast of our sowle at the beginninge of prayer and to dispose it to take a delighte in spirituall and diuine matters Here I thinke it necessarie to declare with what intention a man ought to come vnto prayer With what intention a man oughte to come vnto prayer For he must not goe thereunto cheifly for his owne consolation and delighte as some that be great louers of them selues vse to doe but onely to fulfill herein the will of almightie God and to desire of him his grace and to dispose him selfe for the obteyninge of the same And herewith he must submitte him selfe in such wise into the handes of almightie God that he must be as readie and contente to be without consolations in his prayer as to haue them remittinge himselfe humbly into his handes to dispose of him and of all thinges belonginge vnto him as he shall thinke good acknowledginge on the one side that he deserueth not anie thinge of him and beleeuinge on the other that althoughe it be so in verie deede yet our Lorde of his infinite goodnes and mercie will doe whatsoeuer shall be most conuenient and behouefull for his saluation And therefore a man ought to contente him selfe a-like whether the consolations be great or litle and to take in good parte whatsoeuer vsage our Lorde shall shewe vnto him accountinge him selfe vtterlie vnworthie of all those thinges that he bestoweth vpon him and beinge readie to fulfill all such thinges as he shall commaunde him not in respecte of the benefites that he hopeth to receyue but in respecte of them that he hath alreadie receyued and in consideration of his bounden duetie vnto almightie God But we see that manie persones doe quite contrarie to this rule and be like herein vnto yonge shrewde boies who vnlesse they be dandeled and cooxed will not doe the thinge that they are commaunded I thinke it also requisite here to aduertise that when a man mindeth to vse the exercise of praier in the morninge we must be carefull ouer nighte of the meditatiō we intende to make the nexte morninge So soone as we a wake in the morninge it is good to occupie our harte forthwith with some holie thowghte he doe goe to bedde with this care ouer nighte and like as those that intende to bake the next daie doe vse to laie the leuen ouer nighte euen so must a man with a godly carefulnes preuente and recommende ouer nighte vnto our Lorde that thinge which he intendeth to meditate the nexte daie followinge And in the morninge so soone as he awaketh he ought forthwith to occupie his harte with this holie thought before anie other doe enter therein For at that time the disposition of our harte is such that whatsoeuer thoughte doth first enter into vs it seasethe and taketh possession of our harte in such wise that we shall verie hardly afterwardes put it awaie from vs. And forsomuch as the praier of manie persons is very acceptable vnto our Lorde It is good to thinke when we praye how manie deuoute Christians are at that time prayinge also vnto God with vs. therefore thou shalt doe well to consider in thy prayer both in the morninge and eueninge what a nomber of Gods seruantes both mē and women as well in monasteries as without be at that time watchinge and perseueringe before the presence of almightie God sheedinge many deuoute teares yea and perhappes also disciplininge and whippinge them selues and sheedinge great abundance of bloud for the loue of God with which persones thou oughtest humbly to ioyne thy selfe that the presence and sweete remembrance of them maie be vnto thee a prouocation of deuotion and an example of perseuerance in thy praier and also that whensoeuer thou shalt finde thy selfe colde and negligent in this exercise of prayer and that some thoughtes come into thy minde mouinge thee to ende the same thou mayst be ashamed and reprehende thy selfe by the example of so manie good and vertuouse persons which with so good attention and carefulnes doe perseuere so longe time in this exercise of prayer without ceassinge offeringe there their bodies and sowles vnto almightie God in sacrifice OF READINGE CAP. VI. In what maner we must reade AFTER Preparation followeth Readinge the which ought to be done not lightlie as passed ouer in hast but with verie great deliberation and attention applyinge thereunto not onely thy vnderstandinge to conceiue such thinges as thou readest but much more thy will to taste those thinges that thou vnderstandest And when thou commest to anie deuout place thou shalte doe well to staye and pawse somewhat longer therevpon and to make there as it were a station in thinkinge vpon that matter which thou hast read and in makinge some shorte praier vpon it accordinge as S. Bernarde councelleth vs S. Bernarde sayeinge It is requisite oftentimes to gather and procure a litle spirite and deuotion out of the matters that we
geuen vnto vs. And besides this sith the principall ende of these meditations is to obtaine some deuotion and feelinge of diuine thinges it were against reason when we haue alreadie obtained the same with some good consideration that we shoulde goe about to seike for it by an other waie Howbeit althoughe this be verie true speakinge ordinarily yet maie not a man therefore take herein so great libertie as vpon euerie occasion that is offered vnto him to be moued forthwith verie lightlie to forgoe that thinge out of his handes which he hath as it were in possession for some other thinge which he is desirous to haue vnlesse it be at such a time as he perceyueth a more certaine proffit in the one than in the other The second aduise that in our Meditation we must eschewe the superfluous speculation of our vnderstandinge and commit this busines to the exercise of the affections of our will § II. THE seconde aduise is that he labour to esche we in this exercise the superfluous speculation of the vnderstandinge and endeuour to vse this matter rather with affections and feelinges of the will than with discources and speculations of the vnderstandinge It is therefore to be noted that the vnderstandinge on the one side helpeth and on the other side it maie hinder the operation of the will to witt the loue and feelinge of diuine thinges For as it is necessarie that the vnderstandinge doe goe before the will to guide it and geue it knowledge what it ought to loue so when the speculation of the vnderstandinge is ouermuch then it hindereth this operation of the will forsomuch as it suffereth it not to haue place and time to worke And therefore like as it is saied of the poison which is put into treacle that if it be litle it is holsome and necessarie but if it be ouermuch it is hurtfull euen so likewise maie we saie after a sorte in this exercise that the seekinge to knowe God with simplicitie helpeth the will the more to loue him but the seekinge to knowe him with ouermuch speculation hindereth the will and causeth the operation thereof for that time to be the more feeble and weake And the reason hereof is for that the vertue ād power of our sowle beinge finite and streyted within certaine boundes and limittes the more it employeth her vertue and force on the one parte the lesse remaineth to be employed on the other euē like the foūtaine that rūneth throughe two pypes the more water that it dischargeth by the one pype the lesse it hath to yeilde throughe the other And after the like sorte doth the sowle principallie by the operation of the vnderstandinge by the which for that it is so noble and so excellent a power the sowle employeth and powreth out all her whole force in such wise that in a maner she worketh nothinge at all by her other powers at such tyme as the vnderstandinge is verie attente and earnestlie occupied in the vehement speculation of anie matter And therefore we finde by experience that a man maie with more facilitie preserue the affection of deuotion in anie exercise of the bodie wherein he labourethe with his handes than when he hath his vnderstandinge busely occupied and attente in the speculation of anie matter For the vnderstandinge and the will be as it were two ballances of our sowle the which are disposed in such sorte that the ascendinge of the one is the descendinge of the other and so contrariewise So that if the speculation doe increase ouermuch then the affection thereby decreaseth and if contrary wise the affection doe increase then the speculation forthwith decreaseth And this is the cause why the Patriarke Iacob was made lame of one of his feete at what time he receyued benediction Gen. 32. for whereas our sowle hath two feete wherewith to goe vnto almightie God The vnderstandinge and the wil be the two feete of our sowle whereby it goeth vnto God which be the vnderstandinge and the will it is requisite that the one foot◠be weakened to witt the vnderstandinge in his speculation if the will which is th' other foote shall enioye almightie God in the rest and quietnes of contemplation And so it is seene by experience that in case at such tyme as the sowle is enioyenge of almightie God it doe but turne a-side to seke to vnderstande or searche some poynte or matter appertayninge vnto God it loseth forthwith at the verie same instante the deuotion which it had and that souereine good thinge vanisheth then awaie frō him which before he enioyed And therefore not without good cause doth the bridegrome aduise the spowse in the Canticles sayeinge Turne awaie thyne eies from me Cant. 6.4 for they haue made me to flye Wherefore I counsaile a man in this exercise of meditation to occupie his vnderstandinge in speculatiō with as litle curiositie as is possible and to contente him selfe with a simple sighte and knowledge of diuine thinges to the intent that the vertue of his sowle recollectinge all her forces together maie employe her selfe by this affectiue parte I meane by the affections of the will in louinge and reuerencinge the cheefest goodnes to witt almightie God we must not meditate vpon diuine misteries in such wife as if we studied to preache them Whereby it appeareth that those men take not the righte trade herein that in prayer doe meditate in such wise vpon diuine misteries as if they shoulde studie to preach them the which disorderlie maner is rather to cause the Spirite to wander more abrode than to recollecte it and rather to goe out of him selfe than to kepe within himselfe And hereof it commeth that when they haue made an ende of theire exercise of praier they remayne as drie and without anie ioyce of deuotion and as easely moued to followe euerie kinde of lightnes and vanitie of the worlde as they were before their exercise For to speake the verie trueth they haue not praied but rather talked and studied which is a thinge farre diferēte from praier Such persons ought to consider that in this exercise of prayer ād meditatiō we rather come to heare than to speake For as the Prophet saieth Such as come to our Lordes feite Deuter. 33.3 shall receyue his doctrine as he receyued it that saiede Psal 84. I will hearken what our Lorde speaketh within me Wherefore I conclude that all this busines of meditation consisteth in speakinge litle In meditation we must chieflie exercise the affections of our will and in louinge much and in geuinge place to the will that it maie ioyne it selfe with all his forces vnto almightie God And we must not spurre forwardes these two powers of the sowle a-like nor walke in this waie with equall pases but a spetiall dexteritie is requisite to be vsed to stirre vp the will and to quiet the vnderstandinge that it hinder not with his curious discourses the operations of loue And
thou must make accompte that in this exercise thou goest in a chariot drawen with two horses whereof the one is verie forwarde and quicke In meditation our vnderstandinge is verie forwarde and quicke and our will is verie slowe and dull and the other verie slowe and dull and that thou must beare the bridles in thy hande with such dexteritie that the one thou must hasten forwarde and holde the other backe that so they maie goe together the one by the other And if thou desire to haue an other more liuely example make accompte that the vnderstandinge must behaue it selfe towardes the will as the nource doth towardes the childe which she nourceth who after that she hath chewed the meate she then putteth it into the childes mouthe that the childe maie taste and feede thereupon For otherwise if the nource shoulde both chewe the meate and also eate it vp her selfe leauinge the childe without anie meate it is certaine that she shoulde doe great iniurie to the childe in sufferinge it to die for honger by eatinge vp that meare which was geuen vnto her for the childe The vnderstandinge is as it were a nource to feede the will in the exercise of prayer Now in this wise must the vnderstandinge behaue it selfe towardes the will in the exercise of prayer for it appertaineth to the vnderstandinge to chewe the spiritual matters as the nource cheweth meate for the childe but the vnderstandinge must not retayne the same spirituall matters for it selfe alone but after that it hath once chewed them it must offer them to the will to the intent that the will maie taste and feede thereupon and be the more enkendeled and confirmed in vertue and goodnes with the tast and feelinge of those spiritual matters The victuals that doe enter in by the gates of a cittie ought to paie onely a tribute and impost but in case the porter shoulde take vp all the victualles for him selfe alone and suffer none to come to the market it is certaine that the inhabitantes of the cittie woulde die for honger Now in like maner if the vnderstandinge which is as it were the first gate of our sowle whereby the spirituall sustenance entereth vnto it doe take vp all that shoulde passe by it for it selfe alone in what case shall the will then be but euen verie hongrie and drie and in great necessitie of all vertue and goodnes The huntinge hounde if he be good will not eate the hare that he hath taken but kepeth it faithfully vntill his masters comminge and in like maner ought our vnderstandinge to doe when it hath founde out anie highe and secrete treuthes forsomuche as it must not retayne all for it selfe alone but reason woulde that it shoulde assigne them ouer to the will that she as the mistres in this behalfe maie serue her selfe with them And for this respecte diuers deuoute and simple persons are truelie verie happie who as they knowe litle so when they come vnto almightie God they are litle hindered with the discourses of their vnderstandinge and therefore in their prayers and meditations they finde their willes more tender and more pliant and better prepared vnto euery godly affection Now if thou desire to knowe how thou shouldest behaue thy selfe herein emonge manie other waies that maie serue in this case thou mayst vse this In euerie good thinge that thou shalt thinke vpon either in praier or out of praier be carefull to goe out of hande therewith vnto almighie God as the yonge childe doth who with euerie thinge that he findeth goeth out of hande to his mother and tattelleth with her of it And so in like maner when in thy prayer or at other times thou findest anie spirituall iuell thou must lifte vp thine harte to almightie God eyther to loue him or to adore him or to reuerence him or to praise him for the same accordinge as the matter requireth and thereby also to take occasion to humble thy selfe before him and to desire of him his grace It shal be a great helpe also hereunto to haue the spirite of true humilitie which causeth a man to appeare before almightie God very poore and naked and to prostrate himselfe before that most highe soueraigne maiestie and to be more carefull to desire him of his mercie for the curinge of the great miseries which he knoweth in him selfe than to searche the profoundnes of his highe misteries to vnderstande them And by so doinge he commeth to be in the presence of almightie God as a malefactour that is condēned to death woulde be when he shoulde enter into the kinges pallace to aske him pardon who woulde goe with such a great and deepe impression of his miserie that he woulde scarcelie haue either eies to see or harte to thinke vpon anie other thinge but onely vpon his owne present daunger The therde aduise which prestribeth also boundes and limittes to the will that it be neither to excessiue nor to vehement in her exercise § III. THE former aduise teacheth vs how we ought to quiet our vnderstandinge and commit all this busines to our will but this present aduise prescribeth also boundes and limittes to the will that it be neither to excessiue nor to vehement in her exercise Wherefore ye must vnderstande that the deuotion which we seeke to obteine is not a thinge that maie be gotten with force of armes as some persones thinke who laye on great lode of enforced sighinges and sobbinges imagininge thereby to procure teares and compassion whē they thinke vpon the passion of our Sauiour For such force dothe commonlye cause the harte to become more drie and more vnable to receyue our Lordes visitation accordinge as the holie father Cassianus affirmeth Moreouer it doethe commonlie preiudice and hurte the healthe of the bodie yea and sometimes leaueth the sowle so astomed and agast by reason of the litle taste she hath there receyued that she is lothe to returne againe to this exercise as to a thinge which she hath tryed by experiēce to haue bene verie painfull and irkesome vnto her And therefore if our Lorde shall send vs teares or other the like feelinges in our prayer we ought humbly to accept them and to geue him thanckes for them But for a man to wringe them out as it were with force of armes it is no wisedome He must content himselfe with doinge sincerelie what lyeth in him that is he must suppose him selfe to be present at such greiuous tormētes as our Sauiour hath suffered beholdinge with a sincere ād quiet eie aswel such paines as he hath suffered as also the loue and charitie that moued him to suffer them And when he hath thus done let him not vexe nor trouble him selfe anie further thoughe our Lorde sende him not teares and compunction of harte And he that can not thus doe but shall perceyue him selfe to be ouermuch troubled in his exercise let him not striue to passe forwardes but let him humble him selfe before almightie God
compassion Howbeit the paines of our Sauiour Christe are not thus ended there be yet others without all cōparison farre greater than these to witt the paines of his blessed sowle For all these paines aboue-named doe for the most parte appertaine to the paines of the crosse wherein his bodie suffered outwardly but besides this visible Crosse The inuisible crosse of our sauiour wherewith his sowle was tormēted there was yet an other inuisible crosse wherein his most holie sowle was crucified within his bodie hauinge also foure armes and foure nailes which were foure dolorous considerations and these were a farre greater tormente vnto him than theverie outwarde crosse For first of all there were represented vnto him al the sinnes of the worlde that were present past and to come for all which he suffered and that so distinctlie as if they had bene the sinnes but of one man alone Now to him that bare such a passinge great loue and zeale vnto the honour of his father what an vnspekeable greife was it to beholde such an infinite nomber of abhominations and offences committed against so highe a maiestie For it is certaine that the sinnes of one man alone were able to tormente him more than al the tormētes of the crosse The which beinge so what a passinge greate greife woulde the sinnes of all men and of all worldes cause vnto him Suerly there is no vnderstandinge able to comprehende the passinge greatnes of this greife Secondly there was also represented vnto him the ingratitude and damnation of many men and espetially of many wicked Christiās which woulde neuer acknowledge this singuler benefite nor endeuour to profite and helpe thē selues with this so great and so costlye a remedie as he there prepared for them This was also a farre greater tormente vnto him than the tormente of the crosse For it is a greater paine vnto a labourer to be denied his daie wages and the fruite of his labour than the very labour it selfe albeit it were verie great And for this cause our Sauiour complained by his Prophete Esaie of this iniurie vnto his father sayeinge I saiede In vaine haue I trauailed In vaine Esa 49.4 and without cause haue I wasted my strengthe And he complained of this ingratitude not onely to his father but also euen vnto men them selues by S. Bernarde sayeinge O man S. Bernarde consider what cruell tormentes I suffer for thy sake There is no paine that tormenteth me so extremelie as thy ingratitude dothe I calle vnto thee that doe suffer deathe for thee Beholde the paines that doe torment me Beholde the nailes that doe pearse throughe my handes and fette Beholde the shamefull reproches and despites where with they dishonour me And although the paine which I suffer out wardly be so passinge great yet is the paine farre greater which I suffer in wardly when I see thee so ingratefull and vnkinde to wardes me for the same In like maner there was represented vnto him the horrible sinne of that miserable people of Iewrie and the terrible punishement that was prepared for them within a shorte time after which vndoutedlie was a greater greife and tormente vnto him than the cuppe of his bitter passion For if the Prophete Ieremie signified that the sinne which the Iewes committed in goinge about to kille him greiued him much more than his owne very deathe what a greife woulde it be to our sauiour who had without all comparison farre greater charitie and grace than the Prophete Ieremie There were moreouer represented vnto him the greifes and dolefull sworde of sorowe which pearsed the harte of his blessed mother Luc. 2.35 when she sawe him suffer betwene two theiues vpon a crosse the which vndoutedlie was so great a greife and paine vnto him as the loue was great which he bare vnto her which loue was inestimable forsomuch as next vnto the loue of God he loued her most of all creatures Now these fowre considerations and greifes were as it were fowre armes of an other inwarde crosse wherewith his blessed sowle was likewise crucified within his holie bodic So that our sauiour suffered that daie the paines and tormentes of two crosses th' one visible and tho'other inuisible Vpon th' one crosse his bodie suffered outwardly and vpon th' other his sowle suffered much more inwardly Now how passinge great the greife was which proceided of these foure considerations there is no vnderstandinge able to comprehende it and yet we maie coniecture somewhat thereof by that outwarde shewe of his blouddie sweate in the garden Whosoeuer then shall attentiuelie consider all these causes shall clearlie see how passinge great the paines and tormentes of our Sauiour were which is the intente of this first maner of meditatinge vpon his most bitter passion Howbeit this must not be the finall ende of this exercise but rather it must be vsed as a meane to come to other endes to witt to vnderstande hereby what a passinge great loue he bare vnto thee that woulde suffer so much for thee and what a great benefite he did vnto thee in byeinge thee with so deare a price and how much thou art bounde to doe for him who hath done and suffered so much for thee and aboue all this how greatlie thou oughtest to abhorre thy sinnes and be greiued with them sith they were the cause of his so lōge and painfull martirdome Nowe for these foure endes whereof we will intreat in the chapters followinge serueth this maner of contemplation Whereby it appeareth that this first maner of meditatinge by waie of takinge compassion of the bitter paines of our Sauiour is as it were a meane or a ladder vnto all the others And for this verie cause S. Bonauenture made great accompte of this maner of meditation vpon the passion because it is sensiblie seene that this maner of meditation openeth the waie vnto all the other maners of meditatinge vpon the same And the same holie father saiethe that for this purpose it shal be a great helpe also for vs to take some discipline which maie cause some smarte and doe no hurte to the bodie that so by the feelinge of that so litle paine of whippinge and scourginge our selues we maie the better lift vp our spirite to consider somewhat of the passinge great paines and tormentes which the most tender bodie of our sweite Sauiour suffered for our sakes How in the Passions of our Sauiour Christe appeareth verie manifestlie what a greyuous thinge sinne is in the sighte of almightie God § II. THE seconde point that we haue to consider in the passion of our Sauiour is the greiousnes of our sinnes whereby to moue our hartes to be sorowfull for them and to abhorre them Wherefore we must vnderstande that as all the holie learned fathers doe affirme our sinnes were the very cause why the sonne of almightie God suffered such greiuous paines tormentes and crewell death as he suffered in this worlde For it is certaine that if there
our Sauiour Christe § III. fol. 61. Wensdaie morninge Of the presentation of our Sauiour before Annas Caiphas Herode and Pilate And of our Sauiours whippinge at the pillar fol. 62. Of the troubles and vexations that our Sauiour suffered the nighte before his Passion And of the denyall of S. Peter § II. fol. 69. How our Sauiour was brought before kinge Herode and mocked and accompted for a foole by him and his cowertiers fol. 72. Of the crewell whippinge of our Sauiour at the pillar folio 74. Thursdaie morninge How our Sauiour was crouned with thornes How Pilate saied of him to the people Ecce Homo And how he bare the Crosse vpon his shoulders fol. 79. Of those wordes of the Gospell Ecce Homo § II. fol. 85. How our Sauiour caried the Crosse vpon his shoulders § III. fol. 89. Fridaie morninge Of the misterie of the crosse And of those seuen wordes which our Sauiour spake vpon the Crosse fol. 93. A contemplation vpon the misterie of the Crosse § 1. fol. 98. How our Sauiour was nayled vpon the Crosse § II. fol. 100. Of the compassion the some had vpon his mother and the mother vpon her some hanginge vpon the crosse § III. fol. 101. Of the doctrine that maye be learned at the foote of the Crosse § IIII. fol. 103. What patience we ought to haue in all troubles and aduerseties followinge the example of our Sauiour christe § v. fol. 107. Satturdaie morninge Of the pearcinge of our Sauiours syde with a speare Of his takinge downe from the crosse Of the pittiefull lamentation of our blessed Ladie and of our Sauiours buriall fol. 109. How our Sauiour was taken downe from the Crosse § II. fol. 114. The pittiefull lamentation of the blessed virgin Marie fol. 116. A declaration why the blessed virgin Marie and all iust persons are afflicted in this present transitorie life with diuers aduersities and tribulations § III. fol. 121. Sondaye morninge Of the descendinge of our Sauiour into Limbus Patrum of the Resurrection of his holie Bodie of his appearinge first to our blessed Ladie and afterwardes to S. Marie Magdalen and to the disciples fol. 124. Of the Resurrection of the bodie of our Sauiour § II. fol. 132. How our Sauiour after his Resurrection appeared to the holie virgin his blessed mother § III. f. 144 The seuen Meditations for the same seuen dayes at nighte fol. 136. Mondaie nighte Of the knowledge of our selues and of our sinnes fol. 137. The first treatise Of the consideratiō of sinnes f. 141. Of the multitude of sinnes that thou hast committed in thy former life § I. fol. 142. Of the sinnes and defectes that a man may falle into after he is come to the knowledge of almightie God § II. fol. 145. Of the accusation of a mans owne conscience and of the abhorrings and contempte of him selfe § IIII. fol. 149. Tewsdaye nighte Of the miseries of this life f. 153. The secōde treatise of the miseries of mans life fo 157. Of the shortnesse of this life § II. fol. 161. Of the vncertaintie of our life § III. fol. 164. Of the frailtie of our life § IIII. fol. 166. Of the mutabilitie of this life § V. fol. 169. Of the deceitfulues of our life § VI. fol. 171. Of the miseries of mans life § VII fol. 173. Of the last miserie of man which is death § VIII fol. 177. What profite may be taken of the foresaide considerations § IX fol. 178. Wensdaie nighte Of the hower of deathe fol. 181. The therde treatise of the consideration of deathe fol. 185. Of the vncertaintie of the hower of deathe and what agreife it is at that tyme to departe from all thinges of this life § I. fol. 189. Of the horrour and lothsomnes of our graue § II. fol. 192. Of the greate feare and dowbte the soule hath at the hower of death what shall happen vnto it after it is departed out of the bodie § III. fol. 193. How we come to vnder stande hereby the errours and blindnes of our life past § IIII. fol. 194. Of the terrour of the dreadfull accompt we must make at the hower of our deathe of all our life past § V. fol. 196. Of the Sacrament of extreme vnction and of the agonie of death § VI. fol. 198. How filthye and loth some the bodie is after it is dead and of the buryenge of it in the graue § VII fol. 201. Of the waye that the soule taketh after it is departed out of the bodie and of the dreadfull iudgement and sentence that shal be geuen vpon it at that time § VIII fol. 205. Thursdaye nighte Of the generall daye of iudgement fol. 207. The fourth treatise of the consideration of the generall day of iudgemente fol. 211. How rigorous the day of iudgemēt shal be § I. f. 213. Of the terrible signes that shall goe before the day of the generall iudgement § II. fol. 215. Of the ende of the worlde And of the Resurrection of the deade § III. fol. 218. Of the comminge of the Iudge of the matter of the iudgement and of the witnesses and accusers that shal be there against the wicked § IIII. fo 221. Fridaye nighte Of the paynes of hell fol. 227. The fifte treatise of the consideration of the paynes of hell fol. 230. Of twoe kindes of paynes that be in hell § I. fol. 231. Of the tormentes of the inwarde senses and powers of the soule § II. fol. 235. Of the payne which is tearmed by the diuines poena damni that is the payne of losse of almightie God § III. fol. 239. Of the particuler paynes of the damned in hell § IIII. fol. 240. of the eternitie of the paynes of hell § V. fol. 241. Saturdaye nighte Of the euerlastinge glorie and felicitie of the kingdome of heauen fol. 244. The sixte treatise Of the consideratiō of the glorie of Paradise fol. 248. Of the goodlie beautie and excellencie of the place § I. fol. 249. Of the seconde ioye that the soule shall haue in the kingdome of heauē which is the enioyenge of the companie of the Sainctes § II. fol. 252. Of the therd ioye that the soule shad haue in the kingdome of heauen which is the enioyenge of the cleare vision of almightie God § III. fol. 255. Of the fowerth ioye that the soule shall haue in the kingdome of heauen which is the enjoyenge of the glorie of the bodie § IIII. fol. 257. Of the fifte ioye in the kingdome of heauen which is the euerlastinge continuance of the glorie and felicitie of the Sainctes § V. fol. 258. Sondaye nighte Of the benefites of almightie God fol. 259. The seuenthe treatise of the consideration of the benefites of almightie God fol. 262. Of the benefite of Creation § I. fol. 264. Of the benefite of Conseruation § II. fol. 266. Of the benefite of Redemption § III. fol. 269. Of the benefite of vocation § IIII. fol. 272. Of the particuler benefites that almightie God bestoweth vpon vs. § V. fol. 275. Of fiue partes that maie be exercised in prayer Cap. 4. fol. 277. Of Preparation vnto prayer Cap. 5. fol. 278. Of Readinge Cap. 6. fol. 283. Of Meditation Cap. 7. fol. 284. Of Thankes geuinge Cap. 8. fol. 285. Of Petition Cap. 9. fol. 286. Of the most necessarie vertues that are to be demaunded in Petition § I. fol. 288. Note the principall foundations of our confidence in prayer fol. 292. Aduises for Meditations Cap. 10. fo 293. The first aduise That in our Meditation we must not for the obseruinge of our ordinarie course put awaie from vs anie other good thoughte or consideration wherein we finde more deuotion § I. fol. 293. The seconde aduise That in our Meditation we must eschewe the superfluous speculation of the vnderstandinge and committe this busines to the oxercise of the affections of our will § II. f. 294. The therde aduise Which prescribeth also bowndes and limites to the Will that it be neither too excessiue nor too vehemēt in her exercise § III. fol. 297. The fowerthe aduise Wherein it is declared what manner of attention we oughte to haue in our exercise of prayer and Meditation § IIII. f. 299. The fyfre aduise That we must not be dismaied nor geue ouer our exercise of prayer and Meditation at suche time as we want deuotion therein § V. fol. 301. The sixte aduise That we must endeuour to haue a longe prayer and greate aboundance of deuetion § VI. fol. 303. The seuēthe aduise That we muste not receiue the visitations of our Lorde in vaine § VII fo 305. Of sixe pointes that are to be meditated in the holie Passion of our Sauiour Cap. vlt. fol. 307. Of the passinge greate paynes and torments which our Sauiour suffered in his most bitter passion § I. fol. 308. Howe in the passion of our Sauiour Christe appeareth verie manifestlie what a grieuous thinge sinne is in the sighte of almightie God § II. fol. 315. Of the passinge greate benefite of our Redemption § III. fol. 316. Of the wonderfull greate goodnes of almightie God which appeareth verie euidentelye in the passion of oun Sauiour Christe § IIII. fol. 319. Of the excellent vertues that doe shine verie brightelye in the holie passion of our Sauiour Christe § V. fol. 320. Of the conueniencie of the mysterie of our Redemption § VI. fol. 322. The ende of the Table