to encourage vs for not yealding our selfes as thrall to all the pleasures of the body O how terrible a saying will it be to a soule in Hell to heare those words spoken by Abraham to the rich Glutton then lying in Hell Thou b didst receaue good things in thy lyfe tyme but now thou art tormented Now then if one be of such nycenes and delicacy as not to endure any corporall affliction or mortification how then shall he endure the eternity of torments and paynes which are prepared for all loose delicate and sensuall Christians Let that soule then which wholy giueth way to all corporall pleasures solaces Indulgency of the body remember those most dreadfull words in the Gospell c Bynd him hands and feete and cast him into vtter darknes where there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth Therefore to conclude this point euery one who hath holy Inspirations from God for the imbracing of a Votary and religious lyfe ought to cast their Eyes vpon all those who are gone afore vs and haue in far greater measure of mortification traced that course of lyfe of which we heere speake I meane they are to call to mind the religious lifes of S. Hilarion S. Ierome S. Benedict S. Bernard S. Francis and many hundred more all whose bodies were made of the same flesh and bloud of which our bodies are made and yet most valiantly they subdued their bodies to the spirit They in so doing did expect the same reward which other religious persons at this day do expect They now enioy Heauen and so may we hereafter by following though in a far lower proportion their austerities of body arriue to the same Heauen But to presse this point more particularly as concerning our owne Sex let vs remember those blessed Women Caecilia Agnes Agatha Barbara Dorothea Catharina and many more of former tymes who not only resisted through their intemerate and vowed virginity all the temptations and allurements of the flesh but also with most wounderfull constancy and fortitude endured glorious Martyrdomes for the loue Christ and sauing of their owne soules Therefore briefly let ech of vs in the middest of our Austerities take courage and say with the Apostle I d can do all things through Christ who strengthneth me Cosmophila Good sister this your spirituall Resolution in ouercomming your mortifications is far greater then I euer expected to haue found in you at which I much ioy But to turne my selfe to you good Father Confessarius I cannot deny but that you haue greatly discouered the weaknes and insufficiency of all my former obiected reasons against the imbracing of a retired and religious life Yet seeing it is the honour and priuiledge of Truth not only to be able to with stand and breake through the forces raysed against it but withall to fortify and strengthen it selfe with vnanswerable Arguments and Reasons for the patronizing and warranting of it selfe And further seeing diuers things there are which as they cannot be greatly impugned by Arguments so they haue few or no Arguments for their supporting though I presume the warrantablenes of a Religious lyfe is not of this Nature therefore I am to make bould both with you and with the Reuerend Abbesse here present for I am persuaded that her long gouerment experience in matters of this subiect do much enable her that both of you would insist in your future discourses in laying open the Dignity Antiquity prooffes priuiledges Benefits and other such preuayling Circumstances of a Votary life which may most forcibly conduce to the securing of the Resolution of such as may hereafter vndergoe that spirituall Course The Hart of euery one is in the hands of God and who knoweth how he will dispose of it Confessarius Both I and no doubt the Lady Abbesse will condescend to this your pious request since Charity bindeth as thereto And for my selfe I thinke it most expedient somewhat to enlarge my speach vpon those three mayne points which are Essentiall to a Religious lyfe I meane Chastity Pouerty and Obedience to the which all Religious persons are by solemne Vow obliged Now the more fully to know the dignity of these three points it will be fitting here to set downe the admonition of the Apostle Saint Iohn giuen to all Christians and then after to shew what particular reuerence these seuerall distinct Vowes do beare to his said Admonition Thus then that Apostle counselleth Loue e not the world neither the things that are in the world Yf any loue the world the Charity of the Father is not in him Because all that is in the world is Concupiscence of the flesh and Concupiscence of the eyes and pryde of lyfe Thus is the kingdome of this world deuided into these three parts as it were into three distinct Prouinces Now for the better vnfoulding and explaining the true meaning of this passage of Scripture we are to vnderstand that by the Concupiscence of the flesh the Apostle comprehendeth all sensuall pleasures of the body and other delights vsed in cherishing and pampering the flesh wherby the flesh may burst out into any vnlawfull and sinfull Actions By the Concupiscence of the Eyes he meaneth all beauty and brauery of Riches By pride of lyfe he signifieth the Vanity of Ambition consisting in worldly honour Estimation These three then are the most generall Vanities of this life I meane Carnall pleasures Couetousnes and Ambition By which three as by his strongest Nets the Deuill doth daily ensnare man ye poore Christians to his subiection to their Soules eternall perdition But now obserue how the malice and Venome of these three most pestilent diseases are cured by the vowes performed in a Religious life First then the Vow of perpetuall Chastity of body with the performance of the prescriptions adioyned thereto cureth the malady of the Concupiscence of the flesh The Vow of Pouerty destroyeth the disease of Concupiscence of the Eyes to wit desire of enioying riches the vnquenchable thirst of Auarice Lastly the Vow of Obedience cutteth away from the soule all pryde of life since he or she who willingly subiect themselues in all lawfull things to the direction of another is fat from offending in vayne Glory which the Apostle aboue calleth Pryde of lyfe By this then we may see how a Votary and religious lyfe being truly performed and led doth meete with all the mayne temptations of the Deuill ouer comming them and bearing them downe through the assistance of Gods Grace which is neuer wanting to such as by due appointed meanes do implore it at his hands And here it will be much conducing if besides what is allready touched thereof we insist longer in the displaying the Worth dignity of the obiects of the three former Vowes And to begin with Chastity Chastity then teacheth vs as the Apostle affirmeth how f to â—ossesse our Vessell in sanctification that is our body which is a Vessell or
same is being performed in a Lay person and this by vertue of a Religious state That those who are truly Religious people do euer the Will of God That a Religious life as aboue is partly shewed cutteth off and preuenteth all occasion of sinne That by a Religious state we she the world and all the dangers thereof All these particular points I say I will pretermit to enlarge my selfe vpon and I will close this longe Passage touching the Fruits and benefits of a Religious life by heere shewing That one maine or chief Fruite thereof is that it promiseth a safe quiet and happy death The greatnes of which benefit what tongue can expresse or vnderstanding conceaue since Gods sacred writ assureth vs q Blessed are they that dye in our Lord Now for the better more full apprehension of this so inexplicable a benefit we are to call to mind that at the hower of our death three things are accustomed to afflict vs The 〈◊〉 Death it selfe the remembrance where of in regard that thereby we are to leaue the world and all its temporall pleasures begetteth euen a horrour in Mans Nature and therfore it is most truly said by the Wiseman that the remembrance * of Death is bitter The second reason making death so vnpleasing is that that is the tyme when the Deuill is most accustomed to tempt a Soule with his wicked suggestions The third and most dreadfull is the astonishing feare of the last Sentence oâ— doome of a Soule which instantly followeth after death Now the discontents and terrour of all these three things are much more mitigated sweetned and lessned in Religion then they are or commonly can be in the death of Lay persons To begin with the first This griefe in the Laity proceedeth that by death we are tâ— leaue all worldly Riches states honours yeâ— wife and children Finally that the soule 〈◊〉 leaue the body they two hauing liued so lonâ— as most deare friends Now most of this griefâ— is taken away in one dying in the state of Religious life And the reason hereof is tâ— cause when a Religious man or Woman by their professed state haue once forsaken the world they haue giuen then aforehand their last farewell to all Riches Honours neereneâ— of kindred and the like and then seeing theâ— haue parted with all these allurements afore aâ— their first entering into Religion it cannot 〈◊〉 any great griefe the second tyme to part with them to wit at the tyme of their death Now touching the second point which the Assaults and temptations with which 〈◊〉 Enemy of Mans Soule is accustomed to trouble ech one at his death we dare say That if there be any kind of men that are not troubled at that tyme or but very little with his wicked suggestions the Religious Man is that man And this is thus proued First in that the goodnes of God will not suffer himselfe to â—eaue and forsake that person in that last point of a most dangerous state vpon which person God hath in his lyfe tyme heaped so many spirituall graces and fauours as are necessarily concurring for ones entring into a Religious state Secondly I maintayne that it is most sorâ—ing and agreeable euen to the Iustice of God to protect and defend in that dangerous hower that person who with all sincerity and simplicity of hart hath vowed himselfe I meane both his Body Soule and all the powers thereof to a most strict seuere and Religious Course of seruing his diuine Maiesty Wherefore no good Religious person hath iust Reason to feare but that God at the hower of his death will couer him vnder the wings of his protection and will strengthen his Soule with internall comfort To the lessening or breaking of the forces of the former temptations of the Deuill at the tyme of a Religious Mans death we may add the comfort and consolation which euery Religious man at that hower receaueth of his Brethren euery Religious Woman of her Sisters This I meane by the assistance of their Brethren and Sisters which assistance consisteth in their exhortations Counsell and continuall prayers which allwayes but especially at the instant of death are very powerfull to animate vs in hope and to repell the fierce attempts of the Enemy Concerning the third last point which maketh death most terrible which is the learâ— of the dreadfull doome which immediatly followeth the separation of the body from the soule The feare of which doome is much diminished by the hope of Saluation which iâ— Religious man may more securely promise to himselfe then any Lay person for the moâ—â— part can And this Hope is grounded principally vpon two points First that it is presumed that a Religious Man is not guilty to himselfe of any mortall and grieuous sinne Secondly his Hope is confirmed with the remembrance of the aboundance of his good works during his lyfe tyme neither of which can be wanting in a Religious Course And hereupon we read S. Ierome exhorting Iuliaâ— to a Religious life thus to write to him r Happy is that man and worthy of all blessednes whom old age ouertaketh seruing Christ whom the last day shall fynd fighting vnder our Sauiour or to whom iâ— shall be said Thou hast receaued ill things in thy life but now shalt reioyce Hitherto worthy Cosmophila I haue laboured both for your owne and your Sister Caelia her spirituall good in discoursing of a Religious state And briefly to recall to our memory what hath passed in our former words thereof euen from the beginning of our speach First you may remember that I did discoueâ—â— the weakenes and insufficiency of all those Reasons and Obiections insisted vpon by â—ou with which your Father so much laboâ—ed to impugne at least to disesteeme and disâ—alew a Votary and Monasticall lyfe After that shewed the worth of that kind of life by seting downe the three Essentiall Vowes I meane of Chastity Pouerty and Obedience wherupon a Religious life is grounded or seated That done I did spend diuers passages of â—each in laying open the Excellency Antiquity â—onour Splendour and Dignity of the same kind â— life And now in this last place I haue ranâ—ed togeather diuers of the chiefest and most â—rincipall Fruits and benefits euer necessarily â—â—tending vpon a Religious state So as now I how not what more can needfully be said â—uching this subiect That your Sister Caelia hath by these my words strengthened and fortifyed her pious resolution for imbracing this course of lyfe I â—â—st fully assured Now what operation my â—eaches haue found in you Cosmophila will â—est appeare by your owne relation Only I â—ould be glad as through some words by â—ou aboue vttered I partly hope if so by force these my speaches your Iudgment might fully induced only to haue a true and worâ—â—y conceite of a Religious life Cosmophila Only to haue a true and worthy conceite of a Religious life O God if so I
that thou hast offended him for iust nothing Contrary-wise at that houre all deuotion piety and other good-workes will seeme vnto thee the greatest and sweetest Treasures in the world O wherfore did I not follow this faire and pleasant path wilt thou then say At that sorrowfull tyme thy sinnes which before seemed vnto thee but little Molehills will appeare bigger then huge Mountaines and thy deuotion so little that thou wilt be scarce able to perceaue it 3. Consider the long and languishing Fare-wells and Adieu's that thy distressed soule will then giue to this world how sorrowfully she will bid adieu to Riches to Honours to Vanities to vaine Company to Pleasures to Pastimes to Friends to Neighbours to Parents to Kinsfolks to Husband to Wyfe to Children and in a word to all creatures And finally to her owne body which she must likewise leaue all pale wrinckled hideous loathsome and most detestably smelling 4. Consider the impressions that one shalâ— haue to lift vp or lay hand on this thy body The great hast that euen thy best friends will make to carry thy carcasse out of doores and to hide the same full deepe vnder the ground farre inough from their sight and this done how seldome afterwards the world will thinke vpon thee Surely no more then thou thy selfe hast thought vpon other men who haue deceased before thee God haue mercy on his Soule will they say and there is all O death how art thou to be pondered How art thou terrible pittiles and without compassion 5. That at this departure from the body the Soule taketh his way on the righthand oâ— the left Alas alas whither then shal thine goe what way shall it take Surely no other theâ— that which it hath heretofore begun in this world Affections and Resolutions 1. Pray earnestly to God and cast thy selfe with trembling loue betwixt his armes and say Alas O my Lord receaue me into thy protection at that dreadfull day Make that last houre happy and fauourable vnto me and let rather all the rest of my life be nothing else but dayes of sorrow affliction and calamity 2. Despise the world thus saying Seeing know not the houre wherein I must leaue thee O wretched world I will no more set my loue vpon thee O my deare Friends Kinsfolkes and Allies suffer me â— beare you only that affection which is compatible â—ith an holy amity and may therefore last eternally For why should I vnite my selfe to you in such sort as that afterwards we should be forced to break the knot â—f amity betwixt vs 3. I will therefore from this very instant prepare my selfe for that perilous houre and take that care which is requisite to end this iourney happily I will seâ—ure the state of my conscience to the vttermost of my ability and take present order for the reformation and amendment of such and such my defaults c. Conclusion Giue thankes vnto God for these Resolutions which he hath infused and giuen vnto â—hee and offer them againe thankefully loâ—ingly and lowly vnto his Maiesty Intreat him a new to giue thee a Happy death for the death of his dearely beloued Sonnes sake our Lord and Sauiour Implore the assistance oâ— the Blessed Virgin Mary thy Angell Gardian and all the holy Saints in Heauen The second Meditation of Iudgment The Preparation 1. Place thy selfe in the presence of God 2. Pray him to assist thee with his grace Considerations 1. After the time that God hath ordained for the continuance of the world and after a number of dreadfull signes and boâ—r blâ—presages the terrour thereof shall make a man wither for feare and anguish A consuming floud of fire shall burne and reduce to ashes euery thing that is vpon the face of the earth â— nothing we see excepted to be priuiledged from this fyery deluge 2. After this fearfull floud of flames and lightnings all men shall rise from their graues excepting such as already be risen and at the summoning of the Archangels voyce they shall appeare before the iudgment Throne in the valley of Iosaphat But alas with what difference For the one sort shall arise with glorified bodies casting forth rayes of exceeding light and the other in bodies or rather in Carkasses most hideous and Ioathsome to behold 3. Consider the Maiesty wherewith the Soueraigne iudge will appeare enuironed with all the armies of his Angells and Saints Before him shall be borne triumphantly his â—acred Crosse shining much brighter then the â—unne A standart of Grace to the Good and of â—igour and terrour to the Wicked 4. This Soueraigne Iudge by his redoubâ—ed commandement which shall suddainâ—y and in a moment be put in execution shall separate the good from the bad placing the one at his right hand and the other at his left O euerlasting separation after which these two bands shall neuer more meete againe together 5. This separation being made and the bookes of Consciences being layed open all men shall see clearely the malice of the wicked the contempt which they haue borne to the Maiesty of God And on the other side the â—ennance of the good and the effects of the grace of God which they haue receaued and nothing at all shall be hidden or kept secret â—n that great Consistorie O good God! What a shamefull confusion will this be for the one and what a glorious consolation for the other 6. Consider the last sentence pronounced against the wicked Goe you * cursed into euerlasting fyre prepared for the Diuel and his Angels Waigh well these words which are so waighty Goe sayth he a word of eternall reiection and abandoning of those vnfortunate wretches banishing them eternally from his glorious face Next he termeth them accursed O my Soule how dreadfull a Curse a Curse comprising in iâ— all manner of mischiefe and misery An irreuocablâ— curse comprehending all tymes and eternity He addeth into euerlasting fire Behold O my hart the grieuous horrour of this eternity O eternall eternity and boundlesse infinity of paines how dreadfull art thou 7. Consider the contrary Sentence giuen and pronounced in fauour of the good Come sayth * the Iudge O sweet word beginning of saluation by which God draweth vs vp vnto himselfe and receaueth vs into the bosome of the rest and glory the Blessed of my Father O deare blessing treasure of blisse Possesse the kingdome which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world O good God what excesse of fauour for this kingdome hath no end Affections and Resolutions 1. Tremble O my soule at the remembrance heerof O my God who can secure me at that dismall day in which the pillars of heauen shall tremble for feare 2. Detest and abhorre thy sinnes for only they can cast thee away at that dreadfull houre 3. Ah wretched hart of mine resolue to amende all O Lord I will iudge my selfe now with all care stricktnes least I be then iudged far more rigorously
had one Father and Mother deare Sister â—ow do you How do our parents Are they health Cosmophyla Most louing Sister how glad am I to see â—ou Our parents are in good health of body But our only good Brother Monadelphus for you know we had but one and therefore we were vsually for many yeares accustomed so to call him since your departure out of England is dead to the inconsolable griefe of my Father and Mother though I trust he liue with Christ Iesus in Heauen And his death is the only occasion why my Father hath sent me vnto you With the cause wherof seeing this Religious Lady is in the end to be acquainted I thinke it conuenient to declare it in her presence though from others I would haue the matter concealed But must in the meane tyme this vnkind or rather enuious Irongrate through which I only yet but see you must it I say barre vs from mutually imbracing one another now after my wearisome iourney of so many miles both by sea and land Abbesse Mistresse it shall not you shall haue free accesse to come in to speake conuerse with your Sister Our house is not of that seuere disposition as to forbid that familiar consolation of Sisters which euen Nature and all morall Ciuility warranteth Neuerthelesse you do prudently to acquaint me with any priuate busines which may passe betweene you and your Sister for it is the custome of our house as also of other Monasteryes that no particular discourse of moment shall passe betweene any of our Sisters and Strangers how neere soeuer they be in kindred without the priuity of the Abbesse or of some other appointed by her order Therefore come with me I wil take you into a retyred place where not any shall be present but this our Reuerend Father Confessarius to whome is ordinarily made knowne the greatest busines of our house my selfe you and your Sister Caelia Well Now heere you are You may freely impart the occasion of your comming to your Sister and so to vs both Cosmophila Well then Good Sister let me first salute imbrace you Now touching the busines this it is Take notice that as I haue abous tould you our only Brother is dead In regard hereof my Father hearing that as yet you haue not made any Vow of a Religious lyfe nor yet in conscience stand obliged to any such spirituall course you being only in your Nouiceship He is desirous therefore that you returne presently into England with me for his meaning is through want of heyres-Male to deuyde his liuing betweene vs which to speake sparingly is two thousand pounds yearely himselfe as you know well being a knight if so I may deliuer it with modesty of good place and ranke He wrote to you some moneths since about this busines but it seemes his letters did miscarry and therefore he was the more willing to send me vnto you to persuade you to satisfy herein his iust desire Therefore seeing we are Sisters in Nature I hope you will beare to my speaches a Sisterly and listing eare And since you are the elder Sister my Father commanded me to tell you that vpon your mariage he will bequeath to you at his death the better part or moity of his state and liuing This is the Tenour of my message and it is warranted with such strong Reasons and Motiues as that I cannot be persuaded but that you will conforme your selfe to our Father herein with all promptitude and readines of Resolution and that you will within few dayes prepare your selfe for your returne with me into England Caelia O deare Sister you could not haue brought me a more distastfull and vnpleasing message then this I am most sorry that our Brother is dead and yet we all must once dye but that his death should be the occasion of my forsaking my intended and now entred into course of life I infinitly loath Therefore O most mercifull Redeemer Iesus Christ to whom I am allready deuoted in soule neuer to espouse any but thy selfe heere vpon my knees I most humbly beseech thee euen by the force of thy bitter passion so to strengthen fortify the weakenes of my Sex with thy alouercomming grace as that neither the ghostly Enemy of mans Soule nor any temporary or vayne Allectiues or Motiues may be of strength to worke so vpon my iudgment as euer to beare me from the station of my present Resolution to imbrace a Monasticall votary lyfe O Good God of whom it is said That thou a choosest the weake to confound the strong arme my imbecillity with thy succurrency and help to subdue all assaults which either the Enemy or the World shall be able to plant against me Abbesse Ryse vp deare Sister Caelia you haue spoken well and I assure my selfe God will not be wanting with his grace towards you For he neuer forsaketh that party who putteth his trust in him for we read b God is a tower of strength from the face of the Enemy Cosmophila What Sister Must this be the message the which I must returne from you to your Father Where then is your obedience to your parents It seemes it is wanting yet I haue heard learned Clarks say that * Obedience is better then Sacrifice Can it be an effect of a Religious lyfe to cast of that duty to our pareÌ„ts which the Religion of God commandeth vs euer to beare Is it not one of the precepts imposed vpon vs by God himselfe Honour * thy Father and Mother that thy dayes may be long vpon earth Therefore good Sister recall your selfe and cast an eye of introuersion vpon your owne actions And let both you and me euen meditate according to our Fathers desire of Husbands of Husbands I say the very sound of which word is so gratefull to our sex And let vs both remember that since we are borne to liue in this world we are for the tyme to be louers of the world and to be partakers of the Honours therof as to haue our Coaches our Attendance braue and rich Apparell to liue at London and the lyke Caelia O how do your words wound my poore hart with griefe And why do you cast an aspertion of disobedience vpon me I honour my Father and Mother yet I honour my Sweet Iesus more My Father gaue a being to my body in this world God is the supreme Agent giuing a creation both of my soule and body My Father intreats but God out of his irresistable power commands My Father promiseth temporall lands and preferments God promiseth me an eternall heauenly Kingdome Briefly my Father hath maintained me being once borne with necessaries to my lyfe God being borne hath redeemed me being borne with the effusion of his most pretious bloud and euer since hath fed and nourished my soule with the celestiall iuyce of his Grace-bringing Sacraments Why then should my Soule be so trayterous to his diuine Maiesty and
so hurtfull to it selfe as to preferte a temporall Father before a diuine Father Not For in this sense my carnall Father ceaseth to be my Father and heere are iustifyed those words of our Sauiour Call c no man Father vpon earth for one is your Father which is in Heauen Now as for your sensuall allurements of a Husband of Coaches rich apparell and such like vaine toyes for the loue I be are to my deare Redeemer I contemne them all Cosmophila Well Sister I grieue to find you so strongly enthralled to your owne IudgmeÌ„t Therfore the more easely to reclayme you from your setled Obstinacy pardon me for vsing towards you so vnkind a word I will be content you shall continue in this your Resolution if so I cannot giue you sufficient Reasons for your alteration thereof Only I expect that force of Reason once being discerned may take place in your Soule and that it may be of strength to voyd it of all partiaâ—ity of Iudgment Therefore Sister you must call to mynd that it was first your extraordinary and impatient desire of taking this your intended course which extorted and as it were wrunge out a consent from my Father and Mother for your comming into these parts For I haue often heard my Father talk of the dangerous state of a Religious life and how it is beset with many difficulties though the state of Religion as it is meerely considered in it selfe and abstracted from those difficulties he euer as being a Catholike did much approue and reuerence Therfore I will make bold with the good licence of your Lady Abbesse and Confessarius heere to relate to you so far as my weake memory will serue diuers of my Fathers speaches an he discoursed often with my Mother touching this subiect Abbesse We giue you free liberty therein hoping that our Father Confessarius will lay open and display the weaknes of all your Reasons ane Motiue impugning a Religious life which point being once performed will much fortify your Sisters allready imbraced Resolution and truly I partly feare by your ouerâ—ures and secret dislike of a retired course of lyfe that those words vsed by our Sauiour in the Gospell to the two Sisters it so a woman may without ouermuch boldnes alledge passages of Scripture may in part be verifyed of you and your Sister Martha * Martha sollicita â—â—erg a plurima Maria optimam partem elegit quae non auferetur ab ea Cosmophila Cosmophila you labour much about these worldly aduancements but your sister Calia hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken from her Cosmophila Well then My Father who you know iâ— a Schollar and was an Vniuersity man for many yeares did much insist in the difficulties and austerities necessarily accompanying a Religious lyfe as much fasting much praying rysing in the night Obedience to the Superiour Pouerty perpetuall Chastity and the like Things most aduerse to mans nature and such as they beget an horrour in the mynds both of men and women from vndertaking so rigid a course of lyfe To the vndergoing then of these vnsupportable burdens you tye your elfe good Sister if so you prosecute your lately begun state Therefore I hould it more secure both for your soule and body rather to withdraw back your foote in tyme then to goe on forward and in the middest of your dangerous iourney to faint and to say secretly to your soule O that I had not entred into this â—horny way of Religion but had liued a good Catholike in England Confessarius Women out of their want of reading and specially young Nouices such as our Sister Caelia is are perhaps not able to solue all the obiected Arguments made by sensuall men against a votary lyfe Therefore I being the Confessarius to this vertuous Monastery hould â—t my duty and function to refute all such vrâ—ed Reasons To this then your first obiection I say I yield that the votary lyfe hath â—s difficulties but these difficulties proceed â—ot from the nature of the lyfe it selfe but â—ur owne corrupt flesh not subiecting it selfe â—o Reason is the cause of them For certaine it is since a strict seruice of God is sortable tâ—Reason that therefore this seruice is pleasing to a Man of Reason I further answere thaâ— there are two things which much sweete the paynes of a Religious lyfe First principally the Merit therof the subiect of which Merit is the enioying the eternall felicity oâ— Heauen So true is that saying in Scripture d The Passions of this tyme are not worthy of the glory to come which shal be reuealed vnto vs And vpon this ground we read that S. Ignatius the Martyr had iust reason thus ioyfully to cry out in these fiery words e Let fire the Cross deuouring Beasts the cutting of my body asunder iâ— breaking of my bones the dissipation of all my members the distraction of all my body Yea let all the scourges and torments of the Deuill come vpon me that I obtaine Iesus Christ But what are all the afflictions incident to a Religious lyfe to be compared for the enioying of Christ to the Torments so earnestly thirsted after by thiâ— Blessed Martyr Since these afflictions can bâ— but short whereas the enioying of Christ for euer and certaine it is that nothing iâ— compare of Eternity is long which is measured with the yard of tyme The second thing which much less neiâ— the apprehension and feeling of Monastica austerities is the internall comfort and consolation with which God doth oftentymes viâ— his seruants to make them more couragiousâ— hould out in their begun conflict And the in the sweetnes of this spirituall Wyne taste by the seruants of God all the sowry accâ—dents belonging to a Monasticall Lyfe are wholy absorpt and drowned Hence it is that our Sauiour sayth f My yoake is sweet and my burthen light And God the Father thus â—ollaceth a man for Iustice sake g I am with him in his tribulation Finally the Apostle out of his experience in tasting of Gods most comfortable hand in the throng of his troubles spent in the seruice of God thus bursteth forth h I am replenished with Consolation do exceedingly abound in ioy in all our tribulations What say you now Cosmophila Are the asperities of a religious Lyfe such as they are not much sugred by God for the better supporting and bearing of them These passages and testimonies alledged by me are the Written Ward of God Either they are true or God in his holy Scripture which God forbid that any ChristiaÌ„ should so dreame is false But if it please you you may passe to your next imaginary bug-beare seruing only to affright Children against a votary and virginall life Cosmophila Indeed Good Syr I cannot deny but that these two spirituall Medicines so to call them are able much to aswage the paynes endured in Religion But seeing it is your pleasure I should proceed
further in my Fathers former discourse of this Subiect I will The next point then of which he would often speake is this that if all men and women should become Religious then the world would contrary to Gods preordination therein soone perish and be brought to an vtter dissolution and that ech Gentlemans particular house and family should instantly decay since by this meanes the expectation of all posterity marriage and conuersation betweene maÌ„ woman being wholy taken away would presently fayle Confessarius It seemes by this Obiection that your Father is a Schollar as you said aboue and hath borrowed it out of the writings of S. Austin who relating this very reason to be much vrged by certaine ancient Heretiks in disproofe of a Religious lyfe doth answere the Argument in these particular words i Would to God all men would do so to wit that men and women would liue a single chast and vnmaryed lyfe then the Citty of God would be sooner filled and the end of the world would hasten on Which answere is most warrantable since it were far better that the Kingdome of God should presently come which we daily beg in our Pater noster and haue beene taught to beg the same by our Sauiour himselfe then to produce draw out our dayes in this vncertainty and confusion of dangers Though this answere be very sufficient yet S. Ierome giueth another solution hereto no lesse forcible in this manner Feare not lest all be Virgins k Virginity is a hard thing and therefore rare because it is hard Which answere taketh its strength from that sentence of Christ deliuered of Virginity l Not all receaue this word Now whereas some may boldly reply which perhaps Cosmophila you in modesty and bashfulnes forbeare to doe that the disparity of sex and the faculties of generation would be but fruitles and in vayne in such persons who will not marry and vse the act of generation and that hereupon it might seeme to follow that God and Nature should worke in vayne which were most impious and absurd to maintayne in giuing both the Sexes those different faculties for generation and yet for them to make no vse thereof But to this I answere that what is instituted herin is not instituted idly and in vayne though in some particulars in that kind it hath not its proper effect so that in other particulars it haue For who obserueth not that in all kind of fruits and hearbs commeth a great quantity of seed which is neuer sowne and that but a small part thereof is vsed to that â—nd and yet we cannot accuse Nature as if he had made it in vayne or erred therein Now touching the decay of particular anâ—ient Howses and families whose absolute dissolution and extinguishment the forbeaance of Mariage doth threaten which moâ—ue I presume preuayles ouermuch Cosmophila with your Father Let vs stir the grouÌ„d little about this reason and obserue how weake and vnworthy it is True it is that the â—â—sse of an only heyre is in some moderate â—â—rt to be apprehended and bewayled But here I demand whether the Sanctity of a Soule doth not incomparably exceed the benefit of Posterity Now these men so much prizing posterity need not to feare the want of an heyre For who is he that hath not many of his Kindred though perhaps not many of his name Which point is only a poore priuiledg resting in a sound of few letters And if he hath not any of his name nor of his kindred Yet there are many poore and distressed people in the world among whom to distribute his state is to make in them Christ his heyre and this with most happy conditions For one man that is heyre to another cannot recompence the kindnes of the party being dead But Christ doth at that tyme remunerate or repay a man making him his heyre with an eternall reward Againe it is not certaine as it falleth out in your Fathers Case that the only heyre remayning shall liue and haue issue And if this should so fortune yet shall the lyne and succession at last fayle and cease this which is to be deplored without thanks or reward The truth of which point experience daily assureth vs since how many ancient houses families in our owne Country of England haue within these last forty yeares come to vtter desolation and ruyne the very names of such families being oftentymes wholy extinct and buried in forgetfulnes Vpon this point did S. Ierome much insist when he persuaded Furia from marriage thus speaking m Dost thou feare the lyne of Fuâ—ia should fayle and that thy Father shall not haue a little one â—f thee to creepe into his breast Feare not for all that are maried haue not Children It is a great ouersight 〈◊〉 hope for certaine that which thou seest many haue â—ot and many loose it when they haue it To whom â—en do I counsell thee to leaue all thy riches To Christ who cannot dye What heyre by thus doing shalt â—hou haue Him who is thy Lord and Sauiour Thus â—r S. Ierome of this point But to passe further in â—his Subiect since it not only much swayeth with your Father but with most worldlings though otherwise in fayth and lyfe they be Catholikes Let vs ballance a little the successe to preâ—â—iue a mans family with the happines of a Religious lyfe Well then it is ordayned by God â—hat not only particular men but whole families shall once eye though they continue many yeares for the tyme and thus in the end â—hey are wholy brought to nothing Therefore what stupidity and dulnes of iudgment is it in man so to feed himselfe with hope for euer â—o continue his house and family with new ofspring and so much to couet the same as to â—ppose himselfe to the Counsell and contrary determination of God therein and thereupon â—o labour what in him lyeth to preuent and â—inder Gods ordinance I will close vp our discourse touching your Obiection with this passage following To â—it that this thirsting and insatiable desire of â—ontinuing a descent in bloud is most vnworthy a Christian and rather more sorting a Heathen or Infidell And the reason euen according to n Philosophy is this Beasts aâ—â— men haue a desire ingrafted by nature to peâ—petuate themselues or for euer to prolong their being because all things desire to be aâ— wayes and alwayes to continue But where this so much couered continuance cannot effected by themselues since they are all subiect to death they therefore labour to compasse and obtaine it at least in their own kind in which they seeme after a certain manner and degree to liue so long as aâ— branch descending from them doth liue Noâ— here I demand what force hath this Reason the Philosopher in the light of Christianity sinâ— Christian Religion assureth vs oâ— a most certaine and 〈◊〉 promise of Eternity our owne persons both in body and Soule therefore
we neede not to seeke to obtain that in others which we shall haue in our selues And thus far touching the weaknes of the so common and so much pretended difficulty That a Religious Course is a hindrance to the continuance of the world and the preseruation of whâ— Howses and Descents But good Cosmophila yoâ— may if it please you come to other reason obiected by your Father against a Votary liâ—â— Cosmophila It was vrged by my Father that such â— professe a votary life whether men or women do much lye open to seuerall dreadfuâ— temptations as apprehending â—uer greatly the seuerity of that lyfe or the feare of abandoning their vndertaken Course thus hauing a conflict in themselues in resisting their owne euer molesting passions from which such persons as liue in the world are most exempt free Yea the Religious are so assured to vndergoe these spirituall Conflicts and temptations oftentimes also be ouercome by them as that I well remember that my Father would alledge in proofe thereof these ensuing words of the Scripture o Sonne comming to the seruice of God stand in feare and trembling and prepare thy soule for temptation Now what a dying lyfe is this for one to draw out his dayes in this spirituall warre and combat of Temptations when a man must at euery instant be ready to resist the forcible assaults of his Enemy Or what repose or ioy can any haue thus liuing or rather since lyfe it can hardly be called but thus breathing Confessarius It is a lamentable thing to obserue how ready men are to detort the sacred word of God for patronizing of their owne pusillanimity and weakenes in going forward in Christs seruice True it is that Gods holy writ doth in the former words premonish the pious to expect Temptations But withall we are to obserue that the Scripture doth not counsell vs to auoyde and decline a more holy lyfe by reason of these Temptations but fore warneth vs to be ready and expect in resisting of the said Temptations with the weapons aboue named to wit Feare and Trembling The souldiers of this world do not for any feare forbeare to fight in their Princes behalfe but rather seeke to encounter their Enemy Shall then a Soule thirsting after its owne saluation forbeare the best meanes of obtayning it for feare of the Temptations which the spirituall Enemy the deuill I meane shall suggest against it To proceed further Certaine it is that women liuing in the world are more thrall to Temptations then Religious women For secular persons lye open to euery bayte and temptation which either the deuill or the outward senses present vnto them they euer conuersing and traficking as it were in temporall and worldly affayres Now Religious women are freed from all outward occasions and allurements of Temptations Since there is a continuall watch and ward kept ouer them For their outward Senses as their eares and eyes and the rest are barred and restrayned from all such dangerous obiects as may occasion temptation Againe their Institution Orders of their House Obedience to their Superiours yea the very wals themselues within which they are inclosed do guard them from all such dangerous and spirituall incursions And which is infinitly more then all this God hath obliged himself to minister meanes and principally his grace to his Seruants for ouercomming all Temptations suffered for his sake for these are the Apostles most cheerefull words p God is faythfull who will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that which you are able but will make also with the temptation a way to escape that you may be able to sustayne I grant it cannot be denied but that Religious persons seeme in a vulgar eye to suffer more Temptations then the Laity doth And the reason hereof is this Religious persons when they are once resolued to liue a pious retired lyfe do instantly begin to cast their eye back vpon their former lesse vertuous Courses and thereupon to see so far as liberty is granted them in what state their Soules stand in Gods sight with intention to better their former carelesse proceedings Now our ghostly Enemy not brooking this as loath to loose that hold and interest which he had in them doth by all meanes cast before them temptations concerning a vertuous lyfe therby more easely to withdraw them from prosecuting of the same But to such of the Laity as continue in the thraldome of the deuill by their bad and impious liues the deuill seemes to sleepe I meane so long as they continue vnder his power and command and this with good shew of Reason For he houlds it better policy to let them sleepe in their sinnes without affrighting them with any fearefull Temptations then to disquiet them with such suggestions they being allready in his power I will end this point of Temptations vrged to fall out in a religious lyfe whether these temptations haue reference to austerity in Religion as to Obedience Chastity Pouerty or whether otherwise the temptation concerne immediatly either the Body or the Soule And I will only say that of my owne experience I haue knowne many young English Gentlewomen of very nyce Education of weake constitution of body and most deare to their parents hauing once entred into a Religious and votary lyfe haue most wonderfully ouercome all such temptations euen betrampling vnder their feete all the stratagemes that the Deuill the flesh and the World could cast before them as stumbling blocks to hinder their allready vndertaken Course of vertue But what was the Cause hereof To wit the hope of eternall Felicity and because they disclaymed from their owne forces herein relied vpon Gods goodnes and prouidence for the ouercoming of their temptations and so veryfying in themselues those words of Christ Sufficit q tibi gratia mea my grace and assistance is sufficient to giue thee victory ouer all thy Enemyes And why then may not our Sister Caelia receaue in her Monasticall lyfe the like fauours and indulgence from God which he daily imparteth to others O let not any exclude themselues from receauing the spirituall blessing of God the which he with so large and bountifull a hand communicateth to those who endeauour to serue him in all purity of Soule and Body Cosmophila I grant I cannot deny but that there are diuers Gentlewomen heretofore of my owne familiar acquaintance who haue entred into Religion whose tendernes of body and delicacy of breeding I thought could neuer haue brooked the daily austerities therein vsed And therefore to confesse my priuate iudgment herein I haue beene forced to ascribe this their ioyfull perseuerance to Gods peculiar care goodnes towards them But to goe forward in this our discourse My Father would thus reason The Commandements of God are inuiolable and not dispensable But one of the Ten Commandements giuen to his people is * Thou shalt not kill Well then thus would he dispute Yt we be commanded by
Gods holy Writ which proclayme the world to be an vtter Enemy to mans saluation and therupon do most forcibly dehort men from the loue of the world and from the pleasures thereof Now who is so carelesse or desperate of his Saluation that will contract an inuiolable or straite entercourse of friendship with his fatall designed Enemy And to begin Doe not we find S. Paul thus to pronounce t The wisdome of this world is foolishnes before God In like manner S. Iames assenteth therto in these words u Know you not that the friendship of this world is an Enemy to God Who therefore will be a friend of this world is mide an Enemy of God S. Iohn sayth x Loue not the world if any man loue the world the Charity of the Father is not in him And againe The whole y world is set in wickednes To come to S. Peter who thus teacheth of this point z Flye the corruption of the Concupiscence which is in the world Now if the testimonies of Christ his Apostles should be litle preuayling with you I will close this point with the sacred words of Christ himselfe thus speaking to the Pharisyes and Iewes a You are of this world I am not of this world thus excluding himselfe from the world as a professed Enemy thereof Yea our Blessed Sauiour proceedeth in words further against the world thus speaking in his prayer to his heauenly Father b I pray not for the world but for those which thou hast giuen me O dreadfull exception What shall become of those persons eternally both Soule and Body for whom the Redeemer of the world will not vouchsafe to pray Or what hope of their Saluation can there be Therefore happy are those who during their peregrination exile here are forced for the tyme to be in the world yet are not of the world But I will add to these former authorities this ensuing inference Yf diuers most learned Phisitians should with ioynt consent prescribe to their patients that such such meats they should forbeare as being maine enemyes or poyson to their Health would not those Patients who should contemne their prescriptions heerein and should most earnestly couet and seeke after such prohibited meats be thought to be insensible stupid and carelesse of the weale and good state of their Body How then chanceth it that so many thousands of the world hearing and reading the former sacred authorities in which our B. Saurour and his Apostles do euen anathematize and curse the world protesting themselues to be Enemyes to it and it to them should neuerthelesse put all their confidence loue 〈◊〉 comfort in the World and in the pleasures and delights thereof O madnes Cosmophila Reuerend Syr. you haue I grant fully conuinced me and that from the holy Scriptures in my ouermuch preiudging and esteeming of the imaginary worth of the world And indeed I do see such a mayne opposition betweene our Sauiour and the world as that I much grieue that my Father did and I feare hitherto doth so highly prize and estimate the same And particularly touching my selfe I do acknowledg no small misfortune that at the tyme of my Baptisme the name of Cosmophila which I am told signifyeth a louer of the world was giuen vnto me But that is past Well Good Syr seeing the world and the inuitements thereof are most domagable to a spirituall and retired life as euidently appeareth from the Scriptures aboue alledged I would therfore in treate you to enlarge your discourse of this subiect seeing it is the chiefest snare within which mans spirituall Enemy doth entangle so many thousands of poore Soules And that what you haue allready proued from the written word of God you would fortify with other most forcing proofes either of Example which is much preuayling or elâ—â— of Reason Since not only to my selfe but to any other to whom these your speaches may hereafter come this your whole discourse may be very beneficiall as begetting in them a hatred to that I meane to the world the which our Sauiour and his Apostles did so much hate Confessarius Cosmophila I will satisfy your Request and I am resolued to launch forth into an Ocean of deeper discourse in regard of the importance of the subiect here treated of then in the beginning I did intend Therefore to proue that all this world is Vanity and consequently not of iust force to with hould a Man or Woman from vndergoing a more spirituall life I will not insist as I did before only in speculation of this point but I will rest in the confession of such an one who enioyed all the pleasures in the world in the highest degree and yet in the end was enforced to confesse them all to be Vanities This whom I meane is King c Salomon whome the Scripture auerreth that he enioyed all the pleasures of the world either for riches or for subiection of other Tributary Kings to him for he had all the Kings from the Riuer of the Philistians vnto Egypt as his seruants or for magnificence of his Trayne and retinue or for the wonderfull daily expences in his Court Lastly for his sensuall and corporall pleasure of the flesh for he had seauen hundred Wyues as Queenes and three hundred others as Concubines All which Gods sacred Word relateth of the worldly wealth wisdome riches and prosperity of King Salomon But now after his fruition for a long tyme of all these d seuerall temporall felicities obserue his iudgment of them as his Motte in these few words Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas Vanity of vanities and all is vanity Where more clearely to expresse his meaning of these few words by Vanity of vanities he vnderstandeth according to the iudgment of S. e Ierome the greatnes of this Vanity aboue all other Vanities that may be imagined And againe the same Salomon casting his eye backward vpon all the temporall felicities afore enioyed by him thus closeth this point I saw f in them all vanity and afflict on of mynd Now to fortify more strongly the iudgmeÌ„t of Salomon calling the vanities of the world Affliction of the mind let vs call to mind the words of our Redeemer bearing the same Sense with the former sentence of Salomon For our g Sauiour calleth the pleasures and vanities of the world Thornes insinuating therby that they prick and wound the Soule as Thornes do the Body That this is true is most euident since we find by experience that the Honours pleasures and commodities of the world do neuer afford any true repose rest or quietnes to the Soule For we daily may obserue that the worldly thoughts of these transitory things neuer cease to pricke and gaule the minds of such as prosecute and follow after them They rush vpon them in the morning as soone as they awake they attend vpon them all the day they bring them to their bed and hinder their sheep
say u Blessed are they who suffer persecution for Iustice sake for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen And the Apostle much celebrateth the benefit of the Anxietyes and Crosses of the vertuous in these words The x Passions of this tyme are not worthy of the glory which â—halbe reuealed in vs But now to turne the leafe ouer and to contemplate a little of the miscâ—ies of the wicked euen in the middest of their â—nioying temporall felicities and to obserue how their Tribulations are wholy destitute of those priuiledges granted to the troubles oâ— the Iust. First we find that the afflictions of the wicked are perpetuall and interminable for of them it is said y The worme of the wickeâ— meaning in hell shall not dye and their fiâ—â— shall not be extinguished And therefore the lossâ— and detriment insteed of all gaine which commeth from the Crosses and Tribulation of the Wicked is related by our Sauiour in those words which shal be spoken at the daâ— of the last iudgment z Goe into eternall fyer which is prepared for the Deuill and his Angells O most miserable Relegation Thus far Cosmophila I haue waded in thiâ— subiect for your pleasure and if it may be foâ— the greater satisfaction of the worthy knight your Father who apprehendeth worldly pleasures and delights as free from all griefâ— of mind with so strong a bent both of vnderstanding and will And now for the closure of all I refer to his more retired and impartialâ— iudgment Whether the commodities pleasures of the world being encompassed abouâ— on all sydes with miseries and afflictions oâ— mynd ought to preuayle so far with any man or woman carefull of their eternall felicity as to withdraw and hold them from imbracing a most vertuous and retired Course oâ— lyfe granting that the said Religious life is no for the tyme alltogether depriued of desolations deiections and other languishments commonly incident to the said vertuous life Cosmophyla I cannot deny Syr but that you haue declared all these reasons vrged by my Father not to be of that solidity and weight as I did at the first take them to be I would to God that my Fathers iudgment could be as easely herein conuinced which difficulties in a religious lyfe were the only or at least principall Motiues for his giuing the lesse approbation to this seuere and sequestred Course here in this place practised For you know Good Sister Caelia as I said aboue it was with much soliciting and intreating of him and my Mother that they gaue their consent for your departure out of EnglaÌ„d But seeing my iudgment is greatly altered or rather much quieted touching the force or weaknes in the allowing of the said Reasons of my Father I will proceed to another point in which I am to intreate your furtherance of discourse Reuerend good Syr. Caelia Stay a litle your intended proceeding deare Sister to any other branch of Speach for I meane with the allowance of our much Reuerende Abbesse and Ghostly Father heere present to insist in one impediment touching a Votary lyfe of which I confesse I had seuerall times strong Temptations through the subtilty of the Enemy of mans soule and Weakenes of my owne flesh for the relinquishing of my vndertaken Course But through his Grace which is neuer wanting to those who beg it with all humility and prayer I most easely ouer came it at last I am more willing to discouer the same thereby that others when the like occasion may occurre be not wholy dismayed at such like Temptations It was this which is in part before touched by my Sister Cosmophila and in part answered by Father Confessarius yet here I will repeate it hauing byn for the tyme greatly afflicted therewith and things of moment may warrantably be iterated or related oftner then once Oftentimes I was assaulted by the Enemy in my mind that many things are so hard in Religion that I much doubted whether my body through its former delicacy and softnes in education during my stay in EnglaÌ„d could euer brooke and endure all those corporall mortifications austerities which are found in a Religious Life as rising in the night fasting and sparenes of dyet submission to be vnder another silence at certaine tymes and the like But in the end during the small tyme I haue yet continued in this Monastery I ouercame them all and did find an extraordinary repose quietnes of my soule in the subduing of them fully confessing in that behalfe those words of our Sauiour to be most true In a your Patience you shall possesse your soules And indeed when I came seriously to waigh those suggested austerities in the ballance of Reason I did find most vnanswerable Reasons whereby our body might be most forcibly impelled to a voluntary and willing bearing and practising of them And first I was wont often to call to mind what I had heard learned men to say to wit That though our flesh affecteth liberty and much cherishing yet the Body euen as its first creation was made to be subiect to the soule and not the soule to the Body and therefore we are to chastice our body and to curbe all the inordinate motions thereof And indeed seeing the Soule is to haue a true command Soueraignty ouer the body and this by Gods ordination the maistring of the body in not yealding to the temptations thereof is nothing so difficult a matter as is commonly feared by most that haue a desire to enter into a religious lyfe And the reason hereof is in regard of many forcible Motiues which may much strengthen the soule to curbe the inbred desires of the flesh and bring it into subiection And those Motiues among diuers others here omitted may be drawne First from the Loue which we beare to God which Loue of God doth naturally take comfort in suffering hardnes tribulation or any aduerse fortune for Gods sake Againe the example of Christ himselfe ought to be a great Spur vnto vs in this Conflict betweene the Spirit and the Body who suffered so much for our Redemption Why then is it not reasonable for vs to follow his footesteps in a far lower degree of suffering Thirdly as aboue is intimated the Diuine comforts and Heauenly Consolations with which God vsually visiteth that soule which couragiously wars with the body for the soules owne good greatly animate the soule to this battel since these spirituall comforts as hidden Manna much allay the asperities vndergone for the conquering of the flesh and its pleasurs Againe the Expectation of an eternall Reward and Crowne which is infallibly after this life to be giuen to all such who bring the body into Obedience for the better seruing of God makes all the voluntary labours of the body to seeme nothing Lastly I may vrge that the Feareof eternall damnation both of soule and body which is incurred through the vnlawfull pleasures and cherishments of the body ought infinitly
decay and vanish away The third Branch of Charity as I said aboue extendeth it selfe to all men For excepting certaine Institutes in a Religious lyfe which haue reference wholy to Contemplation all the rest are so wholy bent to the seruice of their Neighbours especially by daily prayers offered vp for them that all their Thoughts and Endeuours seeme to leane that way and the Employment of euery religious family giueth sufficient testimony hereof Thus may a Religious person iustly say as S. Paul said of himselfe o We haue made our selues seruants to all men Hitherto of the three supreme and supernaturall Vertues of Fayth Hope and Charity But to come to other Inferiour and morall vertues And to begin with Prudence defined by S. Austin to be the knowledge of what p we are to desire and what we are to flie But in what state of lyfe doth Prudence more manifest and discouer it selfe then in a Religious lyfe Now from the definition of Prudence giuen aboue by S. Austin it ineuitably followeth that perfect Prudence cannot reside or dwell in a sinners soule The reason hereof is in that perfect Prudence is a Vertue which considereth the true End of Man and doth apply for the purchasing of that End vpright aduise vpright iudgment vpright Command Now heered demand where is the true End of man better considered of and better weighed then in Religion where we direct and deuote our selues wholy to God and put our selues entirely vnder his Dominion and power To come to Iustice Where doth this vertue more resplendently thyne then in a Religious lyfe since the Office of Iustice consisteth in giuing euery one his owne and chiefly to God that which belongeth to God Now the state of a religious life barreth a man from all Occasion of fraud and deâ—cite as with-houlding that from another which belongeth to him And certainly a true Religious soule would not for a thousand worlds do any Iniustice to another but infinitly more willingly would rather brooke to suffer wrong then to do wrong Temperance is also a morall vertue whose office is to bridle and curbe the pleasures of the Body but especially those pleasures which consist in the senses of touching and tasting The first belongs to generation the desires whereof are in themselues most violent and intemperate and yet they are all suppressed or rather extinguished by the vow of perpetuall Chastity and with closing ones selfe within a Monastery The pleasure of tasting appertaines to the sustenance and maintenance of the body by eating and drinking but all exorbitant and superfluous effects hereof are taken away in religion Since a religious life confineth it selfe within the limits of necessity and pouerty contenting it selfe with such poore and necessary sustenance meate and drinke as is able to maintayne the Body in good and perfect Health for the better seruing of God Thus you see how this Vertue of Temperance is practized in a religious Life To come to the last Morall Vertue which is Fortitude This Fortitude of which we discourse in this place resteth not in fighting in the field with one But it being the strength of the Iust is practized in subduing the flesh in contradicting a mans owne will in quenching the delights and pleasures of this life in contemning all that which this world so much admireth for the Hope of an eternall kingdome briefly in sleighting teÌ„porall prosperity and in patient bearing of Aduersity Now what state of men in the world is there who prosecute all these points of spirituall fortitude with greater sedulity diligence and bent of Will then a good Religious man or woman in their priuate Monasteries Thus far of these foure prime and Cardinall Vertues of Fortitude Temperance Iustice and Prudence where you may see Cosmophila how they all are most fully and diligently professed in Religion I could further instance how the Vertues of Patience and Humility how the guifts of the Holy Ghost I meane Wisdome Vnderstanding Counsell Piety and the feare of God are all found in a most high degree in the state of Religion And the reason in generall hereof is because some of these vertues receaue their Operation from a Religious loue towards God the rest are the guifts of God through his loue towards the Religious But what is already said touching the former Vertues both Theologicall and Morall may serue at this present to proue that a Religious life is of that spirituall ampliâ—uâ—e and largenes as that it doth incorporate and combine within it selfe the practise of all Vertues Cosmophila O how pleasing are these your speaches to my eares I grant I now much more honour 〈◊〉 Religious life then before my entrance into this house I did But Good Father since you haue begun this your discourse most charitably in the behalfe of my Sister and me towards her for her confirmation in iudgment towards me for my alteration of iudgment continue I beseech you in your assumed Scene with the like charity Confessarius Well then to proceed further for Charities sake since that the Apostle sayth q Charity doth edify Charity is r benigne and hopeth all things I will in this next place for the greater honour of Religion shew how a Religious lyfe may well be tearmed for its worth a kind of Martyrdome This is proued in that it beareth a great resemblance with Martyrdome Furthermore as Martyrdome surpasseth a religious life in diuers points so in some points a Religious life exceedeth Martyrdome To expresse these things heere we are to know that there are two kinds of Martyrdome The one of the Body the other of the Soule That of the body is when a Man or Woman loose their liues and bloud in protestation and defence of the true fayth The Martyrdome of the Soule or mind is to dye to the world and to all the pleasures thereof and such a person may truly say with the Apostle s The world is crucifyed to me and I to the world And what persons in the world do suffer a greater Martyrdome of the mind then such as are Religious since they are dead euen to the pleasures of the flesh I meane to mariage dead to Riches dead to Dominion or rule Finally dead to all the fading comforts consolations which the world promiseth Now for the iustifying of these two seuerall Martyrdomes I will insist in the authorities of two or three ancient Fathers Heere then we find S Austin thus to admonish all good Christians Let vs t striue against deadly allurements of sinne knowing that Christians cannot want daily Martyrdomes euen in these things For if Christ be Charity Fruth and Iustice he that seeketh to ouerthrow in Man these vertues is a persecutour and he a Martyr that is resolued to maintaine them in himself and defend them in others Thus S. Austin S. Gregory is herein more cleare thus teaching u There be two kinds of Martyrdome the one in mind
the other both in mind and outward worke We may adde hereto what S. Ierome speaketh to wit x Not only the shedding of bloud is to be accounted Martyrdome but the vnspotted behauiour of a deuout mynd is a daily Martyrdome So far S. Ierome Now to compare a Religious life with Martyrdome of the body It is then to be obserued that as in many things Martyrdome surmounteth a Religious life so also a Religious life in some some things euen excelleth Martyrdome To instance this Martyrdome of the body surpasseth a Religious life in that it vndergoeth far greater paines and torments yet the greater the torments are they must therein be the shorter and sooner bring the tormented party to Heauen But in Religion though the paines be not so violent yet they are of greater and longer endurance Againe Martyrdome is to be preferred in that by meanes thereof a man layeth downe his owne life which is the dearest pledge that one can performe for another Religion though wanting this glory yet it hath the continuance of a most holy life and store of merits this for many yeares which doth aduance a man very highly in the fauour of the diuine Maiesty and reward him with many degrees of glory and eternall happines in the Heauenly Ierusalem And according hereto we may safely affirme that many yeares spent in holy conuersation and retirednes of life wil be attended with a greater increase of Reward then the loosing of ones life by only one short Act of Martyrdome shall procure Now this Aduantage Religion hath aboue Martyrdome To wit that a Religious Course is a more safe way to gayne Heauen then the expectation thereof by Martyrdome And the reason hereof is in that many Christians at the tyme when they should suffer Martyrdome for the profession of their Religion haue shamefully falne from their fayth for the auoyding of their torments And this is euident out of the writings of S. Cyprian y who relateth the miserable falles of seuerall hundreds who as he sayth were ouercome before the battaile and ouerthrowne before the encounter Now Religion lyeth not open to this danger since a Religious life more sorreth to a mans disposition then Martyrdome doth and there be many things in it which as aboue is shewed asswage the hardnes of that Course Another priuiledge which a true Religious life hath aboue Martyrdome is that where as Religion is euer at hand and ready to be imbraced at all tymes Martyrdome seldome happeneth since Martyrdome is not in our power for neither ought we to kill our selues nor to prouoke others to kill vs for either of these were an Act of great presumption and most displeasing to God Now I will conclude the resemblance betweene Martyrdome and a Religious life with this ensuing obseruation That as without death there is no Martyrdome of the body so a Religious life may be said to suffer a certaine kind of death For seeing death depriueth vs of our wealth of our friends and of all manner of things in this world we in like manner find that a Religious Cause doth depriue a man of all the same things and this so wholy that a Religious man can no more enioy these things then if he were truly really dead Yet here is a disparity which maketh in behalfe of Religion which is that when by Martyrdome we dye our bodily death it is an easy matter to want all these worldly things because we then going to a better lyfe shall haue no need of them whereas seeing in this life we haue need of them we forbeare the fruition and enioying of them with greater difficulty and resistance of Nature Therefore impasse no further in this subiect I conclude in respect of all that aboue said that by Martyrdō a man dyet to his Body by Religion he dyeth to himselfe Heere now Cosmophila you may behold the splendour and worth of a Religious life which as it is surpassed in some respects by Martyrdome so in others it exceedeth it I say it exceeds Martyrdome the suffering whereof euen our Sauiour himselfe so much celebrateth in these words Greater z love then this no man hath that a man yealdeth his life for his friends Caelia O good Father You much strengthen my resolution with the sweetnes of these your discourses But now it comes to my mind that you one day in discoursing to our Religious Sisters of the dignity of a Religious state did call it a Sacrifice to God your meaning therein I did not I confesse nor yet do perfectly vnderstand I would desire your Reuerence to expresse your selfe more plainly that so my sister Cosmophila and my selfe may be the better instructed therein Confessarius Well then to come to that point I did then say nothing but what I will proue at this present And first in warrant of that my Assertion that Religious persons are a continuall Sacrifice to God in respect of the oblation which they make of themselues to God I do produce S. Austin thus teaching a A man consecrated vowed to the Honour of God is a Sacrifice in regard that he dyeth to the world that he may liue to God When we chastice our body by temperance if we do it for God as we ought to do to the end not to yeald our members weapons of Iniquity but weapons of Iustice to God it is a sacrifice Yf therefore our body which is but as it were a seruant and instrument of our soule be a sacrifice if the good and pious vse thereof he directed to God How much more then shall a soule be a Sacrifice when it deuoteth it selfe to God to the end that being inflamed with the fyre of his loue it may destroy in it selfe the forme and impression of all worldly Concupiscence and be reformed according to his vnchangeable likenes subiect vnto him and this Sacrifice shall be so much the more gratefull by how much it partaketh of his beauty Thus far doth S. Austin discourse of this point With whom agreeth S. Gregory thus speaking b We offer our selfes in Sacrifice to God when we dedicate our lyfe to his diuine Seruice Thus these Fathers to whom I could alledge the like authorities of many other of them And now from hence I may infer That if it be a Sacrifice for vs to offer any thing vp to God then doubtlesly to offer vp our selues to God is truly a Sacrifice the true Nature and essence whereof cōsisteth in the absolute oblation of our selues I meane of our bodies and soules and of all the powers of our Soules and particularly in offering vp the power of our will especially in such an oblation as being once offered vp it is not in our power to recall Now how most acceptable the sacrifizing of our Soule body is to God is proued by this reason following Yf the Sacrifices of the Old Testament consisting in offering vp to God a Heiffer of three yeare old or a
may say without â—â—â—ence I must thinke Deare Syr you doe partly wrong me in restrayning my Iudgment to such niggardly limits of affection towards Religion Therfore most Reuerend Syr and you most Vertuous Lady as also you my dearest Sister Caelia I say vnto you all three that hither to I haue in part concealed what the forcâ— of this our discourse hath stealingly and by degrees wrought in my Soule Now I will freely vnbreast and lay open my most in ward thoughts to you all My Iudgment is wholy vanquished I freely confesle that I am persuaded that no other course of life is more propitious and gratefull in the sight of God theâ— a Religious state But which is the chiefest poinâ—of this my acknowledgment euer hid till thiâ— instant My Will My Will I say burneth with a fiery and vnquencheable desire to implant my selfe with my Sister in this so much celebrated state I speake not this out of a womanish Passion I speake it our of true Iudgment for see no other more short Cut for arriuing tâ— Heauen then by a Religious life Therefore Most Reuerend Confessarius and most worthy Lady Abbesse here vpon my knees I prostratâ— my soule before God my Body before you both humbly most humbly beseeching you that I may be receaued as a Religious Woman into this your Monastery No deare sister you shall not need to take any daily corporapenance for any change of my former iudgment as most kindly you wished in your latwords I am wholy yours without any sucforced necessity O sweet Iesus what a celestiall life is this described by you Good Syr The Common sentence is that there is but one Heauen but I say there be two Heauens The one heere vpon Earth in a Religious Monastery seruing as a Type of the second The other that most happy blessed kingdome aboue wherein God with all his Saints doth raigne for all Eternity which supreme Heauen is the reward of all such as here liue vertuously to their last moment of breathing in this terrene Heauen O how happy then is he or she who betramples vnder their feete all pleasures benefits and other glorious miseries of this life and do willingly imbrace a Religious course making themselues by this meanes with continuing a life sortable to their Course vndoubted heires to the Kingdome of God Know you then any reason Reuerend Lady and you Father Confessarius why I may not range my selfe within the number of these Happy Ones I know you do not And I hope his Diuine Maiesty will be as ready both to inspire good resolutions in me and to giue me grace to assent to his inspiratioÌ„s as he hath already done to my owne Sister heere and to many thousands more Therefore once more I say take full notice all you three That from this present hower I am fully resolued to abandon the World and all the transitory inuitements thereof and to become a Recluse or Religious Woman vnder your licence and consent in this your Monastery Farewell therfore thou Deceitfull World for euer after withall thy flattering blandishmeÌ„ts Farewell Most deare Parents more carefull Feare of my body then of my soule Farewell all expectation of enioying part of your state and Lands I care not for inheriting of temporalities Let me inherit Eternity and Heauen Thither my thoughts shall hereafter bâ— bent Thereupon the Eyes of my vnderstanding as the Eyes s of a handmaid vpon the band of her mistris shal be fixed And in place of all these dangerous illaqueations and Nets seruing only to entangle the soule Come my Sweet Iesus and knock at the dore of my Hart and I will be ready to open vnto thee Come all you blessed Saints in Heauen and especially thou Queene of Heauen Mother of my Sauiour and defend and guard me with your impetrations and prayers in this my pious Resolution To conclude come into my Soul all those celestiall consolations not to bâ— communicated to flesh and bloud and fill vp those Roomes of my soule which heretofore temporall delights were accustomed to possesse God hath at this tyme euen arrested mâ— in this Monastery with the hand of his holy Prouidence and Benignity from hence it is his pleasure I shall neuer stir Here I haue found God so as I may well say with holy writ t I haue found him I haue taken bould tâ— him and I will not let him goe And to turne my words to you deare Sister Calia Pardon my rough and harsh speaches giuen to you in the beginning I was then ouer earnest I confesse in my parents behalf with you and did not rightly ballance together the duty we owe to God and the duty we owe to our Parents What I before spake spake in ignorance Let ignorance then â—xcuse me And as hitherto we haue beene Siâ—â—ers in Nature so hereafter I hope we shall be â—isters in Religion by imbracing the same kind 〈◊〉 a Religious life in this your Monastery No â—ore will I be your Sister Cosmophila but euer 〈◊〉 the tyme hereafter vpon my receauing of â—â—e Sacrament of Confirmation which as yet I â—aue not your sister Christophila Since all my â—â—ue my affection my vassassage of soule and â—ody I most humbly bestow vpon my deare â—edeemer Iesus Christ Confessarius Rise vp good Cosmophila for as yet we will â—â—ayne in you that Name I much ioy at this â—appy change in you and that my former â—ords haue had such an Influence and power â—uer your iudgement as to beget in you such 〈◊〉 vnexpected alteration Abbesse And I as fully congratulate this your determination and shal be ready to further it to my â—ower so far forth as true iudgment shall lead 〈◊〉 to Caelia And thinke you Deare sister that I do not a bound with an excesse of ioy to see you become now what you are and to be so mucâ— different from your former selfe Alas my fear afore was that you would beare an vnalterable disaffection to my course of life Must not then infinitly reioyce to see you thus altered in iudgment But let vs both therefore giue thankes to him who at his pleasure is able to cause that crooked u things shal become straight and rough wayes playne Abbesse Though we all much reioyce at this you happy determination yet what satisfaction can you giue to your Father who perhaps wiâ—thinke himselfe wronged by this our Monastery in detayning two of his daughters contrary to his mind and pleasure Therefore to preuent all vniust and suspitious Aspertions which otherwise may be layd vpon ouâ— House and particularly vpon our Confessariuâ— and my selfe I should hould it partly conuenient that you returne into England for the tyme to get your parents good consent here to And if absolutely they refuse to giue their consent then neuerthelesse you may return backe continuing in this your pious resolution For we read * God must be obeyed rather than man Confessarius I conspire wholy in Iudgment with
her Meditations haue wrought very forcibly vpon her Iudgment I my selfe will goe and bring her forth Loe Good Father I haue freed Cosmophila of her voluntary imprisonment and haue brought her forth againe to your Reuerence Now Cosmophila you may freely heere vnfould to Father Confessarius whether you haue reaped any spirituall profit by this your willing restraint and by meditating of the points which were appointed you Cosmophila O Good Madame and you Reuerend Father I should be most vngratefull not only to your selues but chiefly to his diuine Goodnes if I should conceale the benefit which I trust I haue gotten in this Spirituall Exercise such internall consolation in hath pleased his diuine Maiesty to power 〈◊〉 Soule And indeed I here confesse with an inexplicable comforts that whereas before my retyrement I was most willing to imbrace a Religious life my desire thereof is now so infinitly increased as that my words are scarce able to expresse my thirsty greedines thereof And to lay my selfe openly to you both besides the prefixed order of meditating the foresaid points set downe in writing I after laboured to apply according to my weaknes of iudgment the vse of euery particular Meditation to the seconding and furtherance of my intended course of a Religious life I will exemplify this point in all the Meditations 1. In my meditation of Death I thus discoursed with my owne Soule Yf the ryme of our â—eath be most vncertaine vnto vs Yf at that tyme there must be an end of all the world so far forth as concerneth vâ— Yf at that hower all our tyme fruitlesly afore spent in the pleasures of the world will seeme most â—sple using to our Memory in regard what is to follow death haue not I then iust reason to spend my tyme â—reasâ—er is that most strict course of life which will â—nâ—â—melesse vnwilling to entertayne death when soeâ—er it shall come and will afford me greater confidence and hope of my future Saluation 2. The Meditation of Iudgment did most affraight my poore Soule considering the 〈◊〉 and terrible signes which are to be the fore-runners of the day of iudgment But specially considering the last Sentence proâ—â—inced by the Iudge to the wit led and to be Good or vertuous To the wicked in these wordes Goe you cursed into euerlasting fyre To be Good and vertuous Come you blessed of my 〈◊〉 posâ—esse the kingdome which is prepared for you 〈◊〉 beginning of the world I then concluded with my selfe That no paynes or labour in this world could be thought by any man enioying but any spark of reason to be ouermuch for the auoyding of the euerlasting fyre or for the gayning of that promise kingdome 3. In the meditation of Hell I did consider two points with reference to my determined life First the insufferablenesse of the paines of Hell Secondly that they were tâ— continue for all Eternity Alas thought I who is all the rigour and austerities in the most strâ—ct course of Religion that is in the world in respect of the leaâ—â— part of those dreadfull torments Againe What is to leade a life somewhat paynefull to flesh and bloud only for the space of some few yeares in respect suffering insupportable torments for alleternity and without end Then did I conclude in the secrâ—â— of my Soule Happy is that Man or woman whâ— with a Christian Resolution and courage is wholy beâ— to lead a most seuere and austere life for the preuâ—nceâ— the grieuousnes of the paines of Hell which are to continue for euer And then were presented vnto my trembling Hart those words of the Holy Scripture Who a can dwell with deuouring fyre and with euerlasting ardours 4. To end with the Meditation of Heauen O now was my Soule rauished with inexplicable comfort in pondering that it is in on power and will by suffering some laborioâ—â— Acts in this world and through the mercy God to purchase those most happy ioyes Heauen Then I said to my selfe Shall the obseruance of the three Vowes of a Religious life shâ— fasting shall rising in the night to prayse God or shâ— any other Morâ—ifications whatsoeuer practised in Monasteries be thought too great a price for the buying of the most pretious Margarite b of the kingdome of Heauen where all the Saints do now raigne with God and shall raigne for euer and euerlastingly No and hereupon came presently into my mind those words of the Apostle sometymes repeated by my owne Father The sufferings c of this tyme are not worthy of the glory to come that shall be shewed vnto vs In this sort were my thoughts busied after I had performed the Method prescribed in euery Meditation Confessarius I much reioyce Happy Cosmophila at this your more then expected fortunate proceeding Well then Seeing things so prosperously goe on there remayneth nothing but that the Lady Abbesse now at the feast of S. Iohn Baptist my Patron which is within these few dayes do admit you into the Nouiship with your sister Caelia In the meane tyme both of you may make your Letters ready which you meane to send to your PareÌ„ts mine ioyned to theÌ„ by that time shall not be wanting Your Retinue which you brought with you may stay here vntill the tyme aforesaid when you shall publikely receaue the vsuall Habit or cloathing of the Nunnes of this Monastery at the performance whereof your said-seruants may be present that so they may with greater confidence assure your Parents of all things here falling out either coÌ„cerning you or your Sister Caelia And seeing Religious Women in most Monasteries do change their Names at their first entrance into Religion therefore since your owne desire vpon your receauing of the Sacrament of Confirmation aboue expressed is such hereafter inâ—teed of Cosmophila signifying A louer of the world you shall be called Sister Christophila as hauing deuored your selfe wholy to the Loue and seruice of Christ our Redeemer and Sauiour Abbesse I condescend Cosmophila most willingly to all that which Reuer Father Confessarius hath disposed touching your admittance And at the day aboue named I will giue you your Habit and we will by Gods Grace account you hereafter as one of our owne Caelia No more then Cosmophila but sister Christophila O happy houres We are now Sisters in a double manner Before by Nature now by Grace before by Generation of Pâ—rents now by Regeneration of God himselfe briefly before by a certaine constraint and Necessity proceeding from Man now by our voluntary 〈◊〉 of one and the same Religious forme of liâ—e rising from the blessed impâ—â—ations of his Diuine Goodnes But Good sister seeing the tyme of your admittance will be within these so few dayes â—et vs in the meane while haue ready a ioint letter written from 〈◊〉 to our louing Parents to acquaint them with all the passages concerning vs both Cosmophila I shall louing Sister be most willing to put my name and hand to all what
want of knowing one another much lesse of any former streight entercourse betweeene your Worshippe and my selfe yeâ— I hould it expedient to salute you the worthy Lady your Bedfellow with these my letters With the Subiect wherof vpon your opening of them you will be fully acquainted They concerne as you may perceaue the present state of your two daughters Caelia and Cosmophila Gentlewomen of such desert as that you haue reason greatly to reioyce in a spirituall consolation that you are become Parents to two such Children The elder of them to wit Caelia came ouer the last yeare as you know to become Religious this with both your consents though not at the first yet at the last obtained Your second daughter I meane Cosmophila was lately sent by you vpon the death of Monadelphus your only Sonne and Heyre to persuadâ— her Sister not being as yet professed to leauâ— her vocation and to returne back with her in to England for their mutually enioying oâ— your fayre worthy Estate after your death And hereby you may take notice how Goâ— hath far contrary to your expectation disposed in these matters Your daughter Caelia slands immoueablâ— indeed inexorable to all the persuasionâ— which her Sister to the contrary could makâ— to her in her resolution to proceed in her already begun state And Cosmophila her selfe iâ— at the length determined through my speaches and reasons to her alleadged as a poor and subordinate Instrument vnder God here in to imbrace the same Spirituall Course with her Sister and rests firmely resolued as you may further vnderstand by their owne letters here to remayne with vs For she already is entred into the Company of the Religious Sisters and hath begun to make her Nouiship Who can deny but that in this busines there is Digitus Dei Gods Good prouidence preordination Now Worthy Syr whereas your selfe and your vertuous Lady are Catholikes professing one and the same Religion with me I hold it the rather my duty to giue you both what satisfaction I am able for the alleuiating and lessining of both your griefes which perhaps you may conceaue by this strange alteration in your yonger daughter and perseuerance in the Elder And for the better facilitating of this point with the consent of both your Daughters I haue sent with these letters A Goppy of the whole discourse which passed betweene Cosmophila and my selfe By perusing whereof you may conceaue First the weakenes of those Obiections made by you against Religious life so much for the tyme insisted vpon by your daughter Cosmophila Secondly you may here see the seuerall arguments and vnanswearable Reasons fully warranting the Election and choyce of that state of life which both your daughters haue made And these said Reasons are taken from the Worth Dignity Honour and benefits of a Religious and votary life And notwithstanding my sending to you â—eformer whole discourse yet considering how strongly and violently and this perhaps with some offence to God You and your Lady may entertaine at the first these vnexpected occurrences therefore intending to transgresse the bonds of a letter I haue thought it conuenient for both your Spirituall good aâ— also for the good of other parents to whom this my discourse may perhaps hereafter be made knowne if so themselues haue any Children desirous to take a Religions Course to enlarge my selfe in these leaues following by discouering and expressing how dangerous a thing it is in Catholike parents and how domageable both to their owne Soules and to the Soules of such their Children who would gladly imbrace a Religious life to hinder resist and withstand them in this their pious Resolution Touching then this Subiect I will deuide my whole future discourse into three generall branches or Heads First I will shew the grieuousnes of the sinne in Parents diswading their Children from the Election of so blessed a Course Secondly I will alledg diuers examples of Gods iust and seuere punishments inflicted vpon parents and other such persons who haue labored to withdraw and alter the mindes of those who haue made choyce of this Monasticall and retired Course In the third and last place I will proue by force of Reason that parents ought to be coÌ„tent quietly to resigne their Wills to Gods Will herein I meane in ioyfully suffering their Children to be called by God to this his so peculiar seruice To begin with the first And first it is euident that such Parents do fight warre euen against Gods owne will and predetermination a warre most impious and withall most exitious and fatall to them that vndertake it For can it be denied but that to scatter abroad that which God hath gathered together to diswade those Souldiers which his diuine Maiesty hath mustered to serue vnder his owne standard to destroy what God hath built Finally to oppose and withstand the Counsell if God is a most heinous sinne and a great Sacriledge committed against him who is Lord both of Heauen and earth And yet all those Parents and others who seeke to dehort their Children or their friends from a Religious life if so they were resolued to vndergoe that holy Course are interessed in all the former rehearsed Transgressions Let vs produce the iudgments of some ancient Fathers touching the atrocity of the Parents sinne herein We will begin with S. a Chrysostome who reckoning vp diuers degrees of malice which are found in any sinne wherin Charity is chiefly wanting concludeth That the greatest want of Charity is voluntarily to â—ppose against a Mans Saluation And thus in this Fathers iudgment Parents through a prepoâ—erous loue borne towards their Children in diswading them from a strict seruice of God â—o become their Paricides and do commit so much the more cruell and inhumane murther of their Children by how much the life of the Soule is better and more deare then the life of the Body S. Anselme that holy Father and Bishop oâ—Canterbury thus discourseth of the heinousnâ— of this sinne in these words Yf he b that separateth the precious from the base that is a Soule from the World be as the mouth of God He then whoâ— mouth and hand draweth a Soule that adhereth â— God to the world what shall he be Shall not that faâ— vpon him which our Lord sayth c He that gathereth not with me scattereth and He that is not witâ— me is against me Thus S. Anselme I will descend herein to the iudgment of S. Bernard who thus tragically amplifieth himselfe vpon this subiect d O hard-harted Father O cruell Mother O barbarous and impious Parents yea not parents but peremptory man-killers whose sorrowes are the safty of their Children whosâ— comforts their destruction who had rather their Children should perish with them then raïgne without them O strange abuse c. Yf Parents care not for their owne Saluation what auayleth it them to persecute their Children What comfort can be that burneth afford
them that burne Or what comfort is it to the damned to haue fellowes of their damnation Thus much worthy Syr for a tast of the former three holy Fathers touching the great impiety committed by Parents in seeking to withdraw their Children from the most blessed Course of a Religious and votary life In this next passage I will descend to some few examples omitting many others for greater expedition wherein God hath shewed his reuengfull hand against those who haue impugned a Religious life S. Ierome e recounteth that one Praetextata a noble Marrone by commandement of her husband who was vnâ—le to the Virgin Eustochium who had deuoted herselfe to a Religious life did change the said Virgins apparell for brauer cloaths and cuiously did combe her hayre after the fashion of the world and all this to withdraw Eustoâ—hium from a Religious lyfe But Behould sayth S. Ierome the same night after Praetextata had done â—his she sees in her sheepe an Angell that came to her breathing with a terrible voyce to punish her in these words Wert thou so bould as to prefer the Commandement of thy husband before Christ How durst thou handle the head of the Virgin of God with thy Sacriâ—egious hands Which hands shall euen now wither away that thou thus tormented maist feele what thou hast done and at the end of the fifth moneth thou shalt â—e carried to Hell Thus S. Ierome and he relateth for certaine that her haÌ„ds were presently then withered and dryed and that at the end of the tyme prefixed she died S. Ambrose recordeth of a Noble Yong Gentlewoman who was then liuing when he wrote the relation how that flying to the Altar out of a great desire she had to be Religious diuers of her nearest friends were much against this her pious determination and one of them in a harsh and vnciuill manner thus rebuked her f Yf thy Father were now liuing dost thou thinke he would suffer thee to liue vnmaried To whome the chast Virgin thus mildly answered Perhaps my Father therefore dyed that he might not hinder me The end hereof was that this vnkind friend of hers dyed within a short tyme after he had thus reprehended the Virgin the rest of her friends ascribing the cause of hiâ— vnexpected death to his rough words giueâ— to her And thereupon all they who before were ready to diswade her from entring in tâ—Religion did after most willingly giue their aâ—sents thereto I will conclude this point of Exampleâ— wherein Gods reuenge hath beene manifesteâ— in punishing of those who labour to impugâ—â— and resist his Ordination of such as desired tâ— forsake the world with the Example of oâ—â— called Pontianus who was but a Bond slaueâ— a cruell and barbarous Mayster This maâ— through desire of liuing a Saintly life fled vnto a Monastery But his Maister demanding him with great importunity looke him from thence But what was his punishment therefore He was instantly strooken stone blind and so by loosing his sight he fully acknowledged his former sinne and was most willing that Pontianus his slaue should returne vnto the Monastery Yet notwithstanding hiâ— consent thereto his Maister recouered nor hiâ— sight till Pontianus had touched his eyes with his hands that so it might more euidently appeare that his former transgression and 〈◊〉 was the cause of his blindnes This History iâ— relaied by S. Gregory g of â—ours a Venerable and Worthy Authour To come to the third and last point of the Subiect before mentioned that is to warrant with force of Reason that Parents ought to rest content and satisfyed with their Children â—oâ— their entring into a Religious life I thus affirme that when Parents do freely offer vp some of their Children to the peculiar seruice of God they depart with nothing therein which is truly and soly their owne but only willingly restore to God what was Gods before And thus God by demaunding them challengeth but what is his right and his owne and therfore that Parent who shall retaine and keepe back any of his children from God committeth a horrible Sacriledge against his Diuine Maiesty since it is God not the Parent who was but a secondary instrument vnder him this only for the body who gaue the first fabricke and making to the child and who aâ—one without any concurrency of the Parents herein infuseth the soule into the new begotten Body Thus far Worthy Syr I haue thought good to proceed for the better animating and encouraging of you to rest content or rather greatly to reioyce at Gods good pleasure in taking your two Daughters to his peculiar seruice and patronage But now good Lady Gynecia since you are a Woman I will produce for your greater corroboration herein two Examples of Women shewing most admirable and spirituall fortitude in the losse and death of their Children Much more then ought you to entertayne with all eauenues and quietnes of mind the absence of your two Daughters entring into a Religious Course The first shall be that Noble Woman who was the mother of the most valiant Machabeâ—â— who saw not one or two only but seauen of her Sonnes put to most barbarous death euen in her owne presence because they would noâ— violate and breake the Law giuen to them from God and yet she was so far from being disanimated or grieued here with as that aâ— the Scripture relateth the h exhorted stoutly euery one of her sonnes to be constant in his Religious in her owne Country language filled with wisdome instilling manly Courage to her womanish thoughts And here Madame you are to take notize that this happened in the tyme of the Old Law which tyme serued but as a Type or Figure oâ— the tyme of the Gospell which with reference to the tyme of the Old Testament is as the i Apostle sayth established in better promisses Yf theâ—â— a Woman in that imperfect tyme had such spirituall Fortitude as to reioyce at her Childrens death suffered for the Honour of God and to encourage them to perseuer to the end in enduring their torments shall not a Christian Catholike Lady such as you are now in the tyme of the Gospell which affoardeth far greaâ—ter measure of Grace fully be resolued with aâ— resignation of Will and Iudgment to forbearâ— the corporall presence only of her daughters deuoting themselues to the more peculiar seruice of their Lord and Redeemer The second example which I will present to your Ladiship is of one Melania a most noble Matrone of Rome of whom S. Ierome thus writeth k Sancta Melania nostri temporis c. Saine Melania being the true Honour and Nobility among Christians of our tyme when the dead body of her husband was scarse cold and not huried did loose togeather two Sonnes I am to relate sayth S. Ierome an incredible thing but I call Christ to witnesse a thing most true Who would not thinke that this afflicted Lady would not after
Motiues conducing to the proofe of the said point before by me impugned And first I find that though Parents haue a certaine kind of authority ouer their Children yet this authority is but delegated or by deputation from God as being but part of that authority which God originally hath in himselfe ouer the said Children Now I muâ—â— needs say that therefore if God command one thing and the Parents the contrary the Child is obliged to obey God rather then his Parents That this is most true I grant is proued in that God himselfe is he from whom all Paternity as the p Apostle sayth is deriued I will infist in one only reason more which is in part touched in your large Discourse and indeed very much commandeth me It is this That which we receaue from our Parents iâ— very small in respect of that which we receaue from God The euidency of which Assertion is thus made cleare Whereas Man iâ— compounded of Soule and body The Soule iâ— much more pretious then the Body Now the Parents haue no hand in creating the Soule since it is only God who createth and infuleth it Therefore it is vsually taken as a Principle with the learned That God by creating the Soule doth infuse it into the body and by infusing it doth create it And as touching the making of the Body Man only affordeth a litle seminall matter thereto but how this seminall matter ought to be framed with all its parts and lineaments the Parents know not that being the worke of God ordained in the first creation or making of Man Since then what we receaue from ouâ— Parents touching the being either of the Soule or the Body is infinitly inferiour to that which therein we receaue from God how dishonourable then wereit to his Diuine Maiesty for the Parent to expect his Child in any commandement to obey him and therby to disobey God â—o far you see by my speaches Reuerend Syr is my iudgment altered herein from what before it was Therefore my desire is that though my selfe be changed in Iudgment yet let not my Daughters change theirs O no! Let them in Gods holy Name goe forward with all spirituall alacrity and consolation in their already chosen Vocation But now to reflect vpon my owne state I â—o vnspeakably repent me of my former Errour God grant not sinne in laboring to with â—raw my daughter Caelia from her Monasticall â—ife His Diuine Goodnes interpose his mercy betweene me that vnlawfull Act of mine and let my teares already shed in that behalfe receauing their force and vertue from the eares of our Redeemer spent for the saluation â—f vs all absterge and wype away this my former fault And in very indeed I do apprehend my offence therein to be far the greater from this enâ—ing Consideration We obserue daily that a man who laboreth to learne any Mechanicall Art or Trade much more to get knowledg in my of the seauen Liberall Sciences will not content himselfe with a competency or meâ—iocrity of learning in his Mystery but will endeauour to arriue to all perfection therein Yf then a Christians designed Art or Mystery as I â—ay terme it be to know how to serue his Creatour and Redeemer in the highest degree of Vertue and Piety How great hath my former ouersight beene so mildly to terme it in seeking to persuade my eldest Daughter to rest contented in leading an ordinary and common life of other Lay-Catholikes and by endeauoring to withdraw her froÌ„ aspiring to any higher degree of vertue both by my former letters and by sending my Daughter Cosmophila ouer to recall her into England Here I fully acknowledg my former weakenes of Iudgment But now Good Syr I will more fully euen powre out the secrets of my Soule vnto you I freely grant your Discourse to haue had such working force vpon myne my wyues vnderstanding as that we both acknowledg Gods most mercifull Goodnes in the disposall of our two Daughters Yea we further proceed and wish you to take notice herby that for expiating and redeeming of our former offence touching our said Daughter and of all our other sinnes during our whole life we both are resolued for the tyme hereafter not to liue togeather as man and wyfe but to separate our selues and both to lead a Monastical and votary life I in some Citty of Belgiopolis in some Conuent there of the Capuchins men most Blessed and Religious of whom many as I am informed haue heretofore liued markably in the world My wyfe in your owne Monastery of Nunnes if so she can procure the Lady Abbesse and your Consents thereto And thus my wyfe for her spirituall good iâ— most willing to become herselfe an humble sister euen to her owne Daughters For Alas Syr What in true iudgment should detayne vs from taking this Course With three Children God hath blessed vs One Sonne and two Daughters and they all dead as I may say in our owne life tyme Our only Sonne whome I hoped would haue been the Arch as it were stay of my House dyed naturally Our two daughters are also dead vnto the world Therefore I see hereby my wife being past Childbirth that it is Gods good pleasure that not any of my owne body shall inherit my temporall state His blessed will be done And since God is the sole true Lord of the earth and of all things therein I willingly freely say with the Psalmist Domins q est terra plenitudo eius The earth is our Lords and the fulnes thereof the round world and all that dwell therein Therefore I most humbly submit my selfe to his only pleasure herein And let them inherit my temporall meanes whome it shall best please his Diuine Maiesty to appoint Though I could wish and accordingly I intend to dispose if so it may stand with his Gratious Goodnes that the halfe of my Lands be giuen to him who is nearest to me in kindred of my Owne Name such a strong tye haue humane and naturall respects in vs and the other halfe of my state be to be sould and distributed to spirituall vses for the good of myne owne my wyues my two Daughters Soules This is all that I can say only as aboue I haue fully deliuered my selfe you may certify my two Daughters how ioyfully I conceaue of both their Choyces withall to let them know that I at this present do forbeare particularly to answere their letters in that this to you Syr doth sufficiently satisfy the contents of theirs as also because both I and their Mother God seconding our resolutions hope to enioy their sight and presence within these few weeks Thus in the meane time much acknowledging your former pious care towards them I end euer remayning Reuerend Syr Yours in all respectfull Obseruancy Orthodoxus The CoÌ„clusion to the Reuerend Superiours deuout Sisters of all the English Monasteries of Religious Women beyond the Seas REuerend
sorry yea dissolute liues according to our Sauiours words deliuered without any reference to the liues of the poore Come you blessed of my Father possesse you a Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gaue me to eate I was a thirsty and you haue me to drinke I say if this kind of Almes giuen only promiscuosly to men or women who are poore not withstanding their ill liues be gratefull to God How worthy then how Christian-like how meritorious throgh Gods mercifull acceptance thereof must that Charity and Almes-deed appeare in the sight of the Diuine Maiesty which is bestowed vpon the relieuing only of such blessed women who either without such Charity cannot professe a Religious life or who actually liuing in that most â—lessed state do suffer somewant â—enury No tongue of man or Angell can fully shew Gods acceptablenes of such a Charity Why then Worthy Gentlewomen to whom I direct these my speaches will any of you be so strait-laced or so niggard in forbearing to imploy a part of your substance vpon so fruitfull â— ground at will affoard so great an haruest and gaine to your Soules Certainly you herby become euen enemies to your owne selues Diuers of you as experience she weth arâ— well content to bestow great and vnnecessary charges vpon your apparell and attyre and this sometimes aboue your states and calling in like sort are ready now and then to makâ— needlesse iournies to London to the exhausting from you of some hundred of pounds fruitlessly spent And can you then be so indulgent to your bodies and so rigorous to youâ— Soules the most noble and chiefest part oâ— you as to reserue little or nothing for procuring your eternall Felicity O turne the channell of these your wastfull expences and leâ— euery one of you adopt her owne Soule as foâ— her owne Child My meaning is that yoâ—â— would affâ—ord a Childs part at least of your state and temporalities to be giuen for the good of your Soule A poore and niggardly Inuitation God knowes to prize your owne Soules at so little of worth which Christ did buy and ransome at the high rate of sheeding his most pretious bloud And far short thiâ— your Charity is from the Charity of Zachaeus who as we read in the Ghospell euen vpon his first fight of our Sauiour Gaue halfe of hiâ— Goods to the poore Now if so you resolue to bestow vpon your owne Soules only so much as I herâ— propose where then with greater spiritual Interest or at fury can you place it then vpon these Vertuous women aboue by me expressed who both by day and night will be euer ready to powre out the Vialls of their Prayers before his diuine Goodnes that he would vouchâ—afe to protect you with his Grace that in the End you may raigne with him in his celestiall Kingdome for euer Heere then to speake more particularly to you Great Catholike Laâ—ies or Gentlewomen of Worth who yet remaine â—n state of your Widowhood Now after the death of your husbands and before your second mariage you may if so your Charity be answearable to Gods holy inspirations giuen vnto you euen so to say bring forth become Mothers to many Spirituall Daughters I meane of many Religious Women by distributing part of your temporall state vnto them And so your selues might be said in a restrayned sense to be become Religious persons by your Substitutes O that you would deeply conceyue of the great priuiledge which you enioy at this present Therefore take aduantage of the tyme when tyme is and this before your second Mariage One most forcible Reason for my fuller persuading of you to this spirituall Charity shall be taken from the doctrine of Purgatory which you all as being Catholikes do firmely belieue Now here you are to take into your memory these three points following First that the paynes of Purgatory though enduring but for certaine yeares are most insupportable of which paines S. Austin thus writeth as is aboue shewed in this Treatise The fyre of Purgatory though it be not euerlasting yet it is passing grieuous for it doth exceed all paynes that man can suffer in this lyfe Secondly you are to call to mynd that considering Gods iustice who punisheth the least sinnes euen the greatest Saints as S. Austin S. Gregory S. Bernard c. haue stood iâ— great feare and horrour of these paynes I wiâ—â— content my selfe heere with repeating the words of S. Bernard a most eminent Saint â— by institution Father of many Religious Monkes aboue related of this point whâ—â— thus meditateth hereof O would to God some maâ— aforehand would prouide for my head abundance water and for myne eyes a fountayne of teares that 〈◊〉 perhaps the burning fyre should take no hold wherâ— running teares had clensed before Lastly you cannot but know that if men oâ— such extraordinary Holines as these formeâ— Saints were did stand in dread of the ormeÌ„nt of Purgatory what is then the case of all you who liue in the world in fulnes of pleasure especially considering that God in his â—usties will aske an account of euery idle word much more or bad Actions How many of you do wast and rauell out seuerall yeares in vnnecessary charges of apparell in spending diuerâ— houres daily in adorning and triming vp your bodies to be gazed vpon by men and in diuerâ— other such vanities As certaine as God is God so certaine it is that you are to make satisfaction either in this world or in the next to endure the fyre of Purgatory for a dessgned tyme for the appeasing of Gods Iustice herein Where then is there any wit or iudgment in such of you who may redeeme your smalleâ— sinnes in this world by your Almes-deeds for thus we read the Prophet Daniel to say â—edeeme thy sinnes with almes and thyne iniquities â—ith the mercy of the poore and yet will not but solue to pay all those debts in that raging and purging Fyre Yf a man were indebted a Thousand pounds and that were to be payed some very few â—eares hence and yet might redeeme the said â—ebt by paying presently but one Hundred â—unds or lesse would he not labour it so he â—ad any braynes to procure the hundred â—ounds though presently for the redeeming so far greater a debt Your case is here the â—â—me It is in your power to free your selues â—om the torments of Purgatory at least to shorâ—n the tyme of your sufferance there by your â—reat Charity and Almes-deeds now shewed â—n your life tyme Yf you haue not the couâ—â—ge to part with some of your goods whyles â—ou liue you must hereafter make infinitly a â—ore grieuous satisfaction for your sinnes in â—urgatory Therefore become nor vassalls and â—ues to your owne Riches but distribute a â—ood part of them to spirituall vses and to the â—enching of those hideous flames which â—therwise you are vnauoydably to endure
â—nd if so you resolue to become friends to our owne Soules by practizing of Charity â—nd of relieuing such as most do need you cannot more fruitfully lay out your Riches as â—boue I said for the good of your Soules â—hen either in furthering of such yong Vertuous â—entlewomen who gladly would leade a Religious life and yet want temporall meanes for their placing them in that Course or els foâ— the greater supply towards those English Monasteries beyond sees who stand in need thereof Thus far worthy Catholike Gentlewomen â— Ladies I haue thought good to proceede iâ— exhorting you to such truly Noble Acts â—Christian Charity And with this my pen taken leaue of you Only I cannot here forbeare â— relate the vnworthy custome of many worldly yet Catholike Parents who will be content most willingly to giue fifteene hundred or two thousand pounds and perhaps 〈◊〉 much more with one of their Daughters tâ— place her in mariage and yet if the said daughter resolue to leade a votary and vnmarie lyfe they will seeke to put her of into a Monastery in bestowing vpon her some three oâ— foure hundred pounds at the most Do noâ— such Worldlings prefer a temporall Husband before Christ What Indignity indeed whaâ— Sacriledge is this to the Sauiour of the world That a daughter must fare far worse at he Parents hands because she had rather espousâ— herselfe to Christ then to a mortall man Buâ— let such Parents assure themselues that the their disualewing of the seruice of God iâ— their Children will hereafter be attended oâ— with due punishments answearable to theiâ— present neglect and small respect they bear to a Religious and Spirituall life Well my pen shall here stay it selfe from further discourse And shall take leaue of yoâ— all to whome this Conclusion is directed Her then for the last Closure of all I most humble beseech you Most vertuous and Religious Votaâ—â—es that in regard of the Reuerend and worâ—y respect I beare to your most Blessed State manifested according to my ability in this â—ecedent Treatise you would vouchsafe me our daily prayers to the Allmighty for the reâ—ission of my Sinnes You practise your contâ—nuall Charity in other your Actions I beâ—â—ech you extend the like Charity to this my â—ost earnest suyte I speake not this by way â—f forme or ceremony as many writers are customed to doe wherewith to close their â—pistles Dedicatory Noe. It is truly a most â—hirsty desire in me to haue such Blessed Soules as you are to be Intercessours to his Diuine Maiesty in my behalfe yet Liuing or hereafter â—ead My feeble old and languishing body â—ttended on with diuers infirmities cannot â—ould out long O pray then You Charitable â—elegious Women that the tyme of my dissoluâ—â—on may be most happy to my Soule that so may presently after enioy the comfortable â—nd ineffable sight of the most Blessed Trinityâ—r euer Thus in confidence of your accomlishing this my Christian desire I cease euer continuing Your humble and deuoted Seruant in Christ IESVS N. N. FINIS a Hebr. 13. b 1. Cor. 11. a Psal. b Psal. 60. * 1. Kings c. 15. * Exod. 20. c Math. 23. * Luc. 10. d Rom. 8. e Ignat in Epist. ad Romanes f Math. 11. g Psal. 90. h 2. Cor. 7. i Austin de bono coniug c. 10. k Ierom lib. 1. contra Iouinianum l Math. 19. m S. Ierome inâ— Epist. 10. n Aristotiles l. 1. Polit. c. 1. o Eccles. c. â— p 1. Cor. 10. q 1. Cor. 12. * Exo. 20. q Ioseph an tiq Iudaic l. 28. c. 2. r Ioseph l 2. de bello Iudaic. c. 7. s Philo de vita Contemplatiua t 1. Cor 3. u Iac. 4. x 1. Iohn 2. y 1. Iohn 2. z 1. Petr. 1. c 1. Pâ—ralyp c. 7. d 3. Reg. 4. 3. Reg. 1â— Eccles. 1. e Ierom in cap. 1. Eccles. f Reg. vbi supra g Mar. 13. h Ierem. 16. i Lue 12. k 1. Cor. 7. l Luc. 14. m 2. Tim. 3. n In Homil. 67. ad pop. Antioch o Mar. â— p August in Psalm 45. q Apoc. 14. r Apoc. 21. s Ioan. 16. t 2. Cor. 7. u Math. 25. x Rom. 8. y Esayâ—â— z Math. 25. a Luc. 21. b Luc. 16. c Math. 22. d Philip 4. e 1 Joan. 2. Chastity f Thess. 4. g Galat. 5. h Math. 25. i E. say 37. k 1. Cor. 7. l 2. Cor. â—â— m Apo al. 14. Pouerty n Prouerb 11. o Sapient 5. p Luc. 6. q 1. Timoth. 6. r Math. 19. s Esay 48. t Luc. 9. u Luc. vbi supra x 1. Ioan. 1. Obedience y Prouerb 27. z Psal. 140. a 1. Cor. 4. b 1. Reg. 15. c S. Greg. Morah 35. c. 10. d Gregor. ibid. c. 19. e Dâ— Septem verb Domin l. 2. c. 26. Antiquity of a Religious Course a Math. 19. b Luc. 11. c Luc. 10. d Luc. 9. e Math. 19. f Ignat Ep. ad Philip g Abraham Schultetus in medula Theologlcae h Centur 4. col 467. vnder the title De Monasterijs Virginum i Cent. 4 col 1â—5 k Cent. 4. col 468. l Cent. 4. col 874. m Centur 4. col 865. col 869 n This is related by Zozomen in hist. l. 6. cap. 3. Fayth Hope Charity o 1. Cor 9. Prudence p Austin l. 83 q 61. Iustice Temperance Fortitude q 1. Cor. 8. r 1. Cor. 13. s Galat. 6. t Austin sermon 150. de Temp. u Gregor. hom. 35. in Euang x Ierom Ep. â—7 y Cyprian serm de Lapsis z Ioan. 15. a Austin l. 10. de Ciuit. Dei c. 6. b Gregor. 9. Moral 3. * Exod. 29. Ecclesiast 35. Remission of sinnes c S. Thom. 2. 2. q. vlt. art 3. d S. Thom. 4. d. 4. q. 3. art 3. e Ierom. Ep. 25. Remission of paines in Purgatory f Austin in Psalm 37. g 1. Cor. 3. h Austin homil. 16. ex 50. homil. i Austin lib. de vera falla poenitentia c. â—â— k In Psalm 3. Poenit. Psalm 17. l Ambros. praecat praeparat ad Missam m Bernard serm. de Sex tribul cap. 16. 55. in Cant. Lowlines of mind or Humility n Bernard serm. 2. do Ascensione o Psal. 112. p 1. Cor. 1. Religion promiseth a safe and quiet death q Apocal. 14. * Ecclefiast 41. r Ierome Epist. 34. s Psal. 222. t Cant. 8. u Lue 3. * Act. â— y Apoc. 3. z Eccles. cap. 7. * Math. 25. * Math. vbi suprà a Esay 33. b M. tb 13. c Rom. 8. i Lue 9. â— Ierom Ep 10. a Chrysost. l. 3. cont. vi cuperatvitae Monasticae b Anselm Ep. ad Godâ—fr c Luc. â—â— d Bernard Ep. 111. e Ierom in his Ep to Lâ—ta f Libde Virginâ—â— g Gregor Taro in vita Pontiaâ—i c. 5. h â— Machab. 7. i Hebr. 8. k Ierome in Epitaph Blessillae l Math. 20. m Math. 7. Luc. 13. n 2. Pet. 3. o Basil praepat in Ascen. p Ephes. 3. q Psal. 23. Psalm 54. Ambros. de fuga saecul c. 4. Prouerb 19. Math. 25. Luc. 19. Austin l. de vera falsa poenitentia câ— 18. 〈◊〉 Serm. de Six tribulat cap. 1â— 55 in Cant. Dan. c. 4.
Receptacle of our Soule Now who doth violate this precept shall not as S. Paul sayth possesse g the kingdome of Heaâ—en Here then we are to obserue that for the preseruation of Chastity many things doe occurre in a Religious life As for example the â—loystering and secret retiring of the party taâ—eth away the sight and speach of such things â—s are dangerous in this kind as dangerous â—ompanye and familiaritie and most of all the occasion and Commodity or Oportunity â—or the giuing the reynes to ones naturall deâ—â—re for the enioying of corporall and vnlawfull pleasures A second help to Chastity besides the spaâ—enes of dyet is the daily practise of all kind of â—ertue which is continually vsed in a Religious lyfe and this is Prayer Meditation and ouer vertues which increase the deuotion of the spirit euen by their owne Nature And his must necessarily be the effect of Prayer â—editation seeing by how much our soule and â—ind is more strengthned by so much the body is more weakened And to conclude this â—int of Chastity with the prayses thereof ascribed thereto in Gods holy word First the â—â—ngkome of Heauen is compared to h Virgins Againe that a Virgin is called Filia i Sion in which place by the word Virgo is vnderstood the Church of God Moreouer we read that The k woman vnmaried and the Virgin do thinke 〈◊〉 the things that pertaine to God And yet more wâ— find it commanded l Virginem castam exhibeâ— Christo to present our selfe a christ Virgin to Christ Finally it is said as a speciall priuiledge allotted to Virgins m That they shall follow the Lambeâ— wheresoeuer be shall goe They are the first fruits tâ— God and to the Lambe I will finally close this point with this onâ— obseruation to wit that Christ himselfe was Virgin Our Blessed Lady Christs Mother was Virgin Christs Precursour I meane S. Iohn Baptist was a Virgin and Christs best beloued Euangelist S. Iohn was a Virgin Is not then that Statâ— most Blessed glorious and most to be desired the which both the Redeemer of the world and those who were most neere to him iâ— loue and affection did wholy and inuiolable professe And thus far of Chastity and the voâ— thereof wherby all vnlawfull and fiery Concupiscence of the flesh is wholy quenched Next I will descend to the Concupiscence the Eyes by which is vnderstood the vaniâ— of Riches and wealth of the world which iâ— like sort is extinguished by voluntary pouerty Now to conceaue in part the worthines Voluntary Pouerty it will be much conducing to obserue the danger of Riches and the perilous state of the soule wherein a rich maâ— standeth and all this proued euen out of the sacred Scriptures Of this point then we theâ—â— thus read n Riches shall not profit a man in the â—ay of Reuenge and hereupon it is said in Gods â—oly word in the person of Rich men lying tormented in Hell o What hath the vaunting of â—ur riches profitted vs But to descend to the New Testament Do we not find our Lord in S. Lukeâ—o be wayle the state of rich men in these words Woe p be to you rich men for that you haue receahed your Consolation in this lyfe And the reason hereof is deliuered by S. Paul thus saying They q which wil be rich do fall into temptations and into the snares of Satan and into many improfitable and hurtfull desires which do drowne them in euerlasting distruction and perdition So iust reason therefore had our Sauiour thus to conclude generally against rich men r Amen I say vnto you because a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdome of Heauen O that rich men would ponder deeply these points Here now we see the vanity and dangers of riches which danger is wholy preueÌ„ted by its contrary that is by voluntary Pouerty through which a Religious person disclaymeth from hauing any wealth or substance in particular to himselfe This then being so is not that religious woman most happy who by her profession of Pouerty hath freed herselfe from all those spirituall dangers set downe in the Scriptures whereunto the rich worldlings do stand thrall and subiect and in lieu thereof doth purchase to her diuers priuiledges and spirituall benefits which rise from her voluntary Pruerty and a free relinquishing of all worldly wealth Of which many priuiledges I will here recount some few First then Religious Pouerty taketh away pryde and haughtines of mind which commonly accompanieth Riches and withall it taketh from vs the power of committing many liones which are wrought by the occasion of wealth so forcing a man by a kind of necessity to liue well Secondly Religious Pouerty not only preuenteth in vs the perpetrating of many sinnes but withall it ingendreth in the enioyers thereof diuers Vertues as Modesty Temperance and Humility which last Vertue hath a kind of affinity or neere enter course with Pouerty A third benefit of Religious Pouerty is that it is of force to cancell blot cut the sinnes of a mans whole former lyfe so satisfying for them And according hereto we find the Prophet Esay thus to speake in the person of God s Behould I haue boyled thee throughly but not as siluer I haue chosen thee in the fornace of Pouerty meaning hereby that he hath so refyned and purged him through Pouerty as that he deserueth to be chosen and loued A fourth benefit of Pouerty to pretermit all others is that it conformeth vs to Our Blessed Sauiour who so loued Pouerty as that he was not only wholy depriued or all riches but had not as much as any place as t Luke recordeth to repose his head And accordingly hereto we find that when Iesus gaue authority to his Apostles to goe abroad into seuerall Countryes to preach the Gospell he commanded them by reason of his loue to Spirituall Pouerty u that they should take nothing for their iourny nor scrip nor bread nor money neither haue two Coates as we read in the same Euangelist Now what Christian of iudgment and carefull of his soule will not highly prize that state of lyfe in which Christ both God Man did choose to himselfe to liue and which he most carefully recommended to his owne beloued Apostles To come to the third and last worldly Vanity set downe which is Pryde of life where by Pryde of lyfe the Euangelist x vnderstandeth vayne glory and desire of worldly honour and dignity This vanity being a spirituall and most dangerous impediment of seruing God is taken away by the vow of a Voluntary Obedience and subiection practized in a religious lyfe For whosoeuer Man or woman doth most willingly vow to obey their Superiour in all lawfull things that person cannot so long as he obserueth his vow fall into the danger of Pryde of life This vanity of Vaine Glory consisting in the words of other mens