a man What honor was that he did to Esay in the sight of king Ezechias when he made the sun to go bak ten degrees in the heavens What honor was that he did to Helias in the sight of wicked Achab when he yeelded the heavens into his hands and permitted him to say that neither rain nor dew should fal upon the ground for certein yeres but by the words of his mouth onlie What honor was that he did to Elizeus in the sight of Naaman the noble Syrian whom he cured onlie by his word from the leprosie and his bones after his death raised by onlie touching the dead to life Finallie not to alledge mo examples herein what singular honor was that he gave to al the Apostles of his Son that as many as ever they laid hands on were healed from al infirmities as Saint Luke saith Nay which is yet more the verie girdles and napkins of Saint Paul did the same effect and yet more than that also as many as came within the onlie shadow of Saint Peter were healed from their diseases Is not this marveilous honor even in this life Was there ever monarch prince or potentate of the world which could vaunt of such points of honor And if Christ did this even in this world to his servants wherof notwithstanding he saith his kingdome was not what honor shal we think he hath reserved for the world to come where his kingdome shal be and where al his servants shal be crowned as kings with him 10 Another declaration yet of this matter is laid down by Divines for opening of the greatnes of this beatitude in heaven and that is the consideration of three places wherto man by his creation is appointed The first is his mothers womb the second this present world the third is Coelum Empireum which is the place of blisse in the life to come Now in these three places we must hold the proportion by al reason which we see sensiblie to be observed between the first two So that look in what proportion the second doth differ from the first in like measure must the third differ from the second or rather much more seeing that the whole earth put togither is by al Philosophie but as a prik or smal point in respect of the marveilous greatnes of the heavens By this proportion then we must say that as far as the whole world doth passe the womb of one private woman so much in al beautie delites and majestie doth the place of blisse passe al this whole world And as much as a man living in the world doth passe a child in his mothers bellie in strength of bodie beautie wit understanding learning and knowledge so much and far more doth a Saint in heaven passe men of this world in al these things and manie mo besides And as much horror as a man would have to turn into his mothers womb again so much would a glorified soul have to return into this world again The nine months also of life in the mothers womb are not so little in respect of mans life in the world as is the longest life upon earth in respect of the eternal in heaven Nor the blindnes ignorance other miseries of the child in his mothers womb are any way comparable to the blindnes ignorance and other miseries of this life in respect of the light cleer knowledge and other felicities of the life to come So that by this also some conjecture may be made of the matter which we have in hand 11 But yet to consider the thing more in particular it is to be noted that this glorie of heaven shal have two parts the one belonging to the soul the other belonging to the bodie That which belongeth to the soul consisteth in the vision of God as shal be shewed after that which belongeth to the bodie consisteth in the change and glorification of our flesh after the general resurrection that is wherby this corruptible bodie of ours shal put on incorruption as Saint Paul saith and of mortal become immortal Al this flesh I say of ours that now is so combersom and greeveth the mind that now is so infested with so many inconveniences subject to so many mutations vexed with so many diseases defiled with so many corruptions replenished with so infinite miseries and calamities shal then be made glorious and most perfect to endure for ever without mutation and to raign with the soul world without end For it shal be delivered from this lumpish hevines wherewith it is pestered in this life from al diseases likewise and pains of this life and from al trobles and incombrances belonging to the same as sin eating drinking sleeping and such like And it shal be set in a most florishing estate of health never deceaveable again So florishing that our Savior Christ saith that At that daie shal the iust shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father A marvelous saieng of Christ and in humane sense almost incredible that our putrified bodies should shine and become as cleer as the sun Wheras in the contrarie part the bodies of the damned shal be as blak and uglie as filth it selfe So likewise al the senses togither finding then their proper objects in much more excellencie than ever they could in this world as shal be shewed after even everie part sense member joint shal be replenished with singular comfort as the same shal be tormented in the damned I wil here alledge Anselmus his words for that they expresse lively this matter Al the glorified bodie saith he shal be filled with abundance of al kind of pleasure the eies the eares the nose the mouth the hands the throte the lungs the hart the stomak the bak the bones the marrow the entrals themselves and everie part therof shal be replenished with such unspeakable sweetnes and pleasure that truly it may be said that The whole man is made to drink of the river of Gods divine pleasures and made dronken with the abundance of Gods house Besides al which it hath perpetuitie wherby it is made sure now never to die or alter from his felicitie according to the saieng of scripture that The iust shal live for ever Which is one of the cheefest prerogatives of a glorified bodie for that by this al care and fear is taken away al danger of hurt and noiance remooved from us 12 But now to come to that point of this felicitie which pertaineth to the soul as the principal part it is to be understood that albeit there be many things that do concur in this felicitie for the accomplishment and perfection of happines yet the fountain of al is but one only thing called by divines Visio Dei beatifica The sight of God that maketh us happie Haec sola est summum bonum nostrum saith Saint Augustine This only sight of God is
and to leave al vanities of the world if he did consider as he should do the waightie reasons he hath to moove him thereunto the reward he shal receive for it and his infinite danger if he do it not But bicause as I have said scarce one among a thousand doth enter into these considerations or if he do it is with lesse attention or continuance than so great a matter requireth herof it commeth that so many men perish daily and so few are saved for that by lack of consideration they neuer resolve themselves to live as they should do and as the vocation of a Christian man requireth So that we may also complain with holie Ieremie alledged in the beginning that our earth also of Christianitie is brought to desolation for that men do not deeply consider in their harts 10 Consideration is the key which openeth the dore to the closet of our hart where al our bookes of account do lie It is the looking glasse or rather the very eie of our soule wherby she seeth hir selfe and looketh into al hir whole estate hir riches hir good gifts hir defects hir safetie hir danger hir waie she walketh in hir pase she holdeth and finally the place and end which she draweth unto And without this consideration shee runneth on blindly into a thousand brakes and briers stumbling at every step into some one inconvenience or other and continually in peril of some great deadlie mischief And it is a wonderful matter to think that in other busines of this life men both see and confesse that nothing can be either begun prosecuted or wel ended without consideration and yet in this great busines of the kingdome of heaven no man almost vseth or thinketh the same necessarie 11 If a man had to make a journey but from England to Constantinople albeit he had made the same once or twise before yet would he not passe it over without great and often consideration especially whether he were right and in the way or no what pase he held how neere he was to his wais end and the like And thinkest thou my deer brother to passe from earth to heaven and that by so manie hils and dales and dangerous places never passed by thee before and this without any consideration at al Thou art deceived if thou thinkest so for this journey hath far more need of consideration than that being much more subject to bypaths and dangers every pleasure of this world every lust every dissolute thought every alluring sight and tempting sound every divel vpon the earth or instrument of his which are infinite being a theefe and lieng in wait to spoil thee and to destroy thee vpon this way towards heaven 12 Wherfore I would give counsel to every wise passenger to looke wel about him and at least wise once a day to enter into consideration of his estate and of the estate of his treasure which he carieth with him in a brickle vessel as Saint Paul affirmeth I mean his soule which may as soone be lost by inconsideration as the smallest and nicest jewell in this world as partly shall appeer by that which heerafter I have written for the help of this consideration wherof both I my self and al other Christians do stand in so great need in respect of our acceptable service to God For surely if my soul or any other did consider attentievly but a few things of many which she knoweth to be trew she could not but speedily reform hir self with infinite mislike and detestation of hir former course As for example if she considered thoroughly that hir only comming into this life was to attend to the service of God and that she notwithstanding attendeth only or the most part to the vanities of this world that she must give account at the last day of every idle word and yet that she maketh none account not only of words but also not of evil deeds that no fornicator no adulterer no vsurer no couetous or vnclean person shal ever enjoy the kingdome of heaven as the scripture saith and yet she thinketh to go thither living in the same vices that one only sin hath ben sufficient to damn many thousands togither and yet she being loden with many thinketh to escape that the way to heaven is hard strait and painful by the affirmation of God himself and yet she thinketh to go in living in pleasures and delites of the world that al holie saints that ever were as the Apostles mother of Christ hir self with al good men since chose to them selves to live an austere life in painful labour profitable to others fasting praieng punishing their bodies and the like and for al this lived in feare and trembling of the judgements of God she attending to none of these things but folowing hir pastimes maketh no doubt of hir own estate If I saie my soule or anie other did in deede and in earnest consider these things or the least part of a thousand more that might be considered and which our Christian faith doth teach vs to be tru she would not wander as the most part of Christian souls do in such desperate peril thorough want of consideration 13 What maketh theeves to seeme mad vnto wise men that seing so manie hanged dailie for theft before their eies wil yet notwithstanding steal again but lak of consideration And the verie same cause maketh the wisest men of the world to seeme verie fooles and worse than frantiks vnto God and good men that knowing the vanities of the world and the danger of sinful life do folow so much the one and feare so litle the other If a law were made by the authoritie of man that whosoever shuld adventure to drink wine should without delaie hold his hand but half an hour in the fire or in boiling lead for a punishment I thinke manie would forbear wine albeit naturallie they loued the same and yet a law being made by the eternal maiestie of God that whosoever committeth sin shal boile everlastinglie in the fire of hel without ease or end manie one for lack of consideration do commit sin with as litle fear as they do eat or drink 14 To conclude therfore consideration is a most necessarie thing to be taken in hand especiallie in these our daies wherin vanitie hath so much prevailed with the most as it semeth to be tru wisdome and the contrarie therof to be meere follie and contemptible simplicitie But I doubt not by the assistance of God and help of consideration to discover in that which foloweth the error of this matter unto the discreet Reader which is not wilfullie blinded or obstinatelie given over unto the captivitie of his ghostlie enimie for some such men there be of whom God saith as it were pitieng and lamenting their case They haue made a leag with death and a couenant with hel it self that is they
and were not readie jump at the very hour to go in with him and would not know them when they came after and finally he promiseth to damn al those without exception which shal work iniquitie as S. Mathew testifieth 7 Moreover being asked by a certain ruler on a time how he might be saved he would geeve him no other hope so long as he sought salvation by his works though he were a prince but only this If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements of God And talking with his disciples at another time of the same matter he geeveth them no other rule of their life but this If ye love me keepe my commandements As who should say if you were never so much my disciples if ye break my commandements there is no more love nor frindship betwixt us And S. Iohn which best of al others knew his meaning herein expoundeth it in this sense when he saith If a man saith he knoweth God and yet keepeth not his commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him And more yet to take away al hope or expectation from his disciples of any other way pleasing him than by keeping his commandements he saith in another place that He came not to take away the law but to fulfill it and streight way he inferreth upon the same Whosoever therfore shal break one of the least of these commandements shal be called the least in the kingdom of heaven For which cause at his departure out of the world the verie last words that he spake to his Apostles were these that They should teach men to observe al his commandements whatsoever 8 By which appeereth the severe meaning that Christ had touching our account for the keeping of his commandements in this life The which also may be gathered by that being asked whether the number were smal of them that should be saved he counseleth men to strive to go into the strait gate for that many should be shut out yea even of them which had eaten and drunken with him and had enjoied the corporal presence of his blessed bodie but had not regarded to live as he commanded them In which case he signifieth that no respect or frindship must take place with him at the last day for which cause he said to the man whom he had healed at the fish pools side in Ierusalem Behold now thou art hole see thou sin no more least worse come to thee than before And generally he warneth vs in Saint Mathews gospel that we agree with our adversaries and make our accounts streight in this life otherwise we shal pay the uttermost farthing in the life to come And yet more severely he saith in another place That we shal render account at the day of iudgment for every idle word which we have spoken 9 Which day of judgement he warneth us of before and foretelleth the rigor and danger in sundrie places of holie scripture to the end we should prevent the same and so direct our lives while we have time in this world as we may present our selves at that day without fear and danger or rather with great joy and comfort when so manie thousands of wicked people shal appeer there to their eternal confusion 10 And bicause there is nothing which so fitly sheweth the severitie of Christ in taking our account at the last day as the order and maner of this judgement described most diligently by the holy scripture it selfe it shal make much for our purpose to consider the same And first of al it is to be noted that there be two judgements appointed after death wherof the one is called particular wherby ech man presently upon his departure from this world receaveth particular sentence either of punishment or of glorie according to his deeds in this life as Christs own words are wherof we have examples in Lazarus and the rich glutton who were presently caried the one to pain the other to rest as Saint Luke testifieth And to dowt of this were obstinacie as Saint Austen affirmeth The other judgment is called general for that it shal be of al men togither in the end of the world where shal a final sentence be pronounced either of reward or punishment upon al men that ever lived according to the works which they have done good or bad in this life and afterward never more question be made of altering their estate that is of easing the pain of the one or ending the glorie of the other 11 Now as touching the first of these two judgements albeit the holy ancient fathers especiallie Saint Austen do gather and consider divers particulars of great severitie and feare as the passage of our soul from the body to the tribunal seat of God under the custody both of good and evil angels the fear she hath of them the sodain strangenes of the place where she is the terror of Gods presence the strait examination she must abide and the like yet for that the most of these things are to be considered also in the second judgement which is general I wil passe over to the same noting only certain reasons yeelded by the holy fathers why God after the first judgement wherin he had assigned to ech man according to his deserts in particular would appoint moreover this second general judgment Wherof the first is for that the body of man rising from his sepulchre might be partaker of the eternal punishment or glorie of the soul even as it hath beene partaker with the same either in vertue or vice in this life The second is that as Christ was dishonored and put to confusion here in the world publikly so much more he might shew his majestie and power at that day in the sight of al creatures and especially of his enimies The third is that both the wicked and good might receave their reward openly to more confusion hart greefe of the one and to the greater joy and triumph of the other who commonly in this world have been overborn by the wicked The fourth is for that evil men when they die do not commonly carie with them al their demerit and evil for that they leave behind them either their evil example or their children and familiars corrupted by them or els books and means which may in time corrupt others Al which being not yet done but comming to passe after their death they cannot so conveniently receave their judgement for the same presently but as the evil falleth out so their pains are to be increased The like may be said of the good So that for examples sake Saint Pauls glorie is increased daily and shal be unto the worlds end by reason of them that daily profit by his writings and example and the pains of the wicked are for the like reason daily augmented But at the last day of judgment shal be an end
shal ever possesse the kingdome of God If you live according to the flesh you shal die and the works of the flesh are manifest as fornication uncleannes wantonnes luxurie poisonings enmities contentions emulations hatred strife dissentions sects envie murder dronkenes gluttonie and the like Wherof I foretel you as I have told you before that they which do these things shal never attein to the kingdome of God We must al be presented before the iudgment seat of Christ every man receive particularly according as he hath done in this life good or evil every man shal receive according to his works God spared not the Angels when they sinned You shal give account of everie idle word at the day of iudgement If the iust shal scarce be saved where shal the wicked man and sinner appeer Few are saved and a rich man shal hardly enter into the kingdome of heaven 10 Al these things I say and a thousand mo touching the severitie of Gods justice and the account which shal be demanded at that day wil come into his mind that lieth a dieng and our ghostly enimie which in this life labored to keep these things from our eies therby the easier to draw us to sin wil now lay al more too before our face amplifieng and urging everie point to the uttermost alledging alwais our conscience for his witnes Which when the poore soul in dieng cannot denie it must needs terrifie hir greatly for so we see that it doth daily even many good vertuous men Saint Ierom reported of holie Saint Hilarion whose soul being greatly afeard upon these considerations to go out of the bodie after long conflict he took courage in the end and said to his soul Go out my soul go out why art thou afeard thou hast served Christ almost threescore and ten yeeres and art thou now afeard of death But if so good a man was so afeard at this passage yea such an one as had served God with al puritie of life and perfect zeale for threescore and ten yeeres togither what shal they be which scarce have served God truly one day in al their lives but rather have spent al their yeeres in sin and vanitie of the world Must not these men be needs in great extremitie at this passage 11 Now then deer Christian these things being so that is this passage of death being so terrible so dangerous and yet so unavoydable as it is seeing so many men perish and are overwhelmed daily in the same as it cannot be denied but there do and both holie scriptures and ancient fathers do testifie it by examples and records unto us what man of discretion would not learn to be wise by other mens dangers Or what reasonable creature would not take heed and look about him being warned so manifestly and apparantly of his own peril If thou be a Christian and dost beleeve indeed the things which Christian faith doth teach thee then dost thou know and most certainly beleeve also that of what state age strength dignitie or condition soever thou be now yet that thou thy selfe I say which now in health and mirth readest this and thinkest that it litle pertaineth to thee must one of these dais and it may be shortlie after the reading hereof come to prove al these things upon thy selfe which I have here written that is thou must with sorrow and greefe be inforced to thy bed and there after al thy struglings with the darts of death thou must yeeld thy bodie which thou lovest so much to the bait of worms and thy soul to the trial of justice for hir dooings in this life 12 Imagin then my frind thou I say which art so fresh and frolik at this day that the ten twentie or two yeeres or it may be two moneths which thou hast yet to live were now ended and that thou were even at this present stretched out upon a bed wearied and worn with dolor and pain thy carnal frinds about thee weeping and howling the phisitions departed with their fees as having given thee over and thou lieng there alone mute and dum in most pitiful agonie expecting from moment to moment the last stroke of death to be given thee Tel me in this instant what would al the pleasures and commodities of this world do thee good What comfort would it be to thee to have beene of honor in this world to have beene rich and purchased much to have born office been in the princes favor To have left thy children or kindred wealthy to have troden down thine enimies to have sturred much and born great sway in this life What ease I say or comfort would it be to thee to have been fair to have been gallant in apparel goodly in personage glittering in gold Would not al these things rather afflict than profit thee at this instant For now shouldest thou see the vanitie of these trifles now would thy hart begin to say within thee O follie and miserable blindnes of mine Lo here is an end now of al my delites prosperities al my joies al my pleasures al my mirth al my pastimes are now finished where are my frinds which were woont to laugh with me My servants woont to attend me my children woont to disport me Where are al my coches and horses wherwith I was woont to make so goodlie a shew the caps and knees of people woont to honor me the troups of suters following me Where are al my daliances and triks of love al my pleasant musik al my gorgeous buildings al my costly feasts and banquetings And above al other where are my deer and sweet frinds who seemed they would never have forsaken me But al are now gone and have left me here alone to answer the rekoning for al and none of them wil do so much as to go with me to judgement or to speak one word in my behalfe 13 Wo worth to me that I had not foreseen this day sooner and so have made better provision for the same it is now too late and I fear me I have purchased eternal damnation for a litle pleasure and lost unspeakable glorie for a floting vanitie Oh how happie and twise happie are they which so live as they may not be afeard of this day I now see the difference betwixt the ends of good evil and marvel not though the scriptures say of the one The death of saincts is precious And of the other The death of sinners is miserable Oh that I had lived so vertuously as some other have done or as I had often inspirations from God to do or that I had done the good deeds I might have done how sweet and comfortable would they be to me now in this my last and extreemest distres 14 To these cogitations and speeches deer brother shal thy hart be inforced of what estate soever thou be at the hour of death if thou do not
dul harted Why do you love vanitie and seek after a lie He calleth the world not a lier but a lie it selfe for the exceeding great fraud and deceit which it useth 38 The third name or propertie that Christ ascribeth unto the pleasures and riches of the world is that they are thorns of which Saint Gregorie writeth thus Who ever would have beleeved me if I had called riches thorns as Christ heer doth seeing thorns do prik and riches are so pleasant And yet surely they are thorns for that with the priks of their careful cogitations they tear and make bloody the minds of worldly men By which words this holie father signifieth that even as a mans naked bodie tossed and tombled among manie thorns cannot be but much rent and torn and made bloodie with the pricks therof so a worldly mans soul beaten with the cares and cogitations of this life cannot but be vexed with restles pricking of the same and wounded also with manie temptations of sin which do occur This doth Salomon in the places before alledged signifie when he doth not only cal the riches and pleasures of this world Vanitie of vanities that is the greatest vanitie of al other vanities but also Affliction of spirit giving us to understand that where these vanities are and the love of them once entered there is no more the peace of God which passeth al understanding there is no longer rest or quiet of mind but war of desires vexation of thoughts tribulation of fears pricking of cares unquietnes of soul which is indeed a most miserable and pittiful affliction of spirit 39 And the reason heerof is that as a clok can never stand stil from running so long as the peazes do hang therat so a worldly man having infinite cares cogitations and anxieties hanging upon his mind as peazes upon the clok can never have rest or repose day or night but is inforced to beat his brains when other men sleep for the compassing of those trifles wherwith he is incombred Oh how manie rich men in the world do feel to be tru that I now say How many ambitious men do proove it daily and yet wil not deliver themselves out of the same 40 Of al the plaegs sent unto Egypt that of the flies was one of the most troublesome and fastidious For they never suffered men to rest but the more they were beaten off the more they came upon them So of al the miseries and vexations that God laieth upon worldlings this is not the lest to be tormented with the cares of that which they esteem their greatest felicitie and cannot beat them off by any means they can devise They rush upon them in the morning as soone as they awake they accompanie them in the day they forsake them not at night they follow them to bed they let them from their sleep they afflict them in their dreams and finally they are like to those importune and unmerciful tyrans which God threateneth to wicked men by Ieremie the prophet Qui nocte ac die non dabunt requiem Which shal give them no rest either by day or night and the cause heerof which God alledgeth in the same chapter is Quia abstuli pacem meam à populo isto dicit Dominus misericordiam miserationes for that I have taken away my peace from this kind of people saith God I have taken away my mercie and commiserations a very heavy sentence to al them that lie under the yoke and bondage of these miserable vanities 41 But yet the prophet Esay hath a much more terrible description of these mens estate They put their trust in things of nothing and do talk vanities they conceive labor and bring foorth iniquitie they break the egs of serpents and weave the webs of spiders he that shal eat their egs shal die and that which is hatched thence shal be a cocatrice their webs shal not make cloth to cover them for that their works are unprofitable and the work of iniquitie is in their hands These are the words of Esay declaring unto us by most significant similitudes how dangerous thorns the riches and pleasures of this world are And first he saith They put their hope in things of nothing and do talk vanities to signifie that he meaneth of the vanities and vain men of this world who commonly do talk of the things which they love best wherin they place their gretest affiance Secondly he saith They conceive labor and bring foorth iniquitie Alluding heerin to the child-birth of women who first do conceive in their womb and after a great deal of travel do bring foorth their infant so worldly men after a great time of travel and labor in vanities do bring foorth no other fruit than sin and iniquitie For that is the effect of those vanities as he speaketh in the same chapter crieng out to such kind of men Wo be unto you which do draw iniquitie in the ropes of vanitie 42 But yet to expresse this matter more forcibly he useth two other similitudes saieng They break the egs of serpents and do weave the webs of spiders Signifieng by the one the vanitie of these worldly cares and by the other the danger therof The spider we see taketh great pains and labor many dais togither to weave hir selfe a web and in the end when al is done commeth a puff of wind or some other little matter and breaketh al in peeces Even as he in the Gospel which had taken great travel and care in heaping riches togither in plucking down his old barns building up of new and when he was come to say to his soul Now be merry That night his soul was taken from him and al his labor lost Therfore Esay saith in this place that The webs of these weavers shal not make them cloth to cover them withal for that their works are unprofitable 43 The other comparison containeth matter of great danger and fear For as the bird that sitteth upon the egs of serpents by breaking and hatching them bringeth foorth a perilous broode to hir own destruction so those that sit abroode upon these vanities of the world saith Esay do hatch at last their own destruction The reason wherof is as he saith For that the work of iniquitie is in their hand Stil harping upon this string that a man cannot love and follow these vanities or intangle himselfe with their ropes as his phrase is but that he must indeed draw on much iniquitie therwith that is he most mingle much sin and offence of God with the same which effect of sin bicause it killeth the soul that consenteth unto it therfore Esay compareth it unto the broode of serpents that killeth the bird which bringeth them foorth to the world And finally Moises useth the like similitudes when he saith of vain and wicked men Their vineyard is the vineyard of Sodomites their grape is the grape of
their minds may be altered and they yeeld themselues unto the humble and sweet service of their Lord and Saviour and that the Angels in heaven may rejoice and triumph of their regaining as of sheepe most dangerously lost before CHAP. II. How necessarie it is to enter into earnest consideration and meditation of our estate THE prophet Ieremie after a long complaint of the miseries of his time fallen upon the Iewes by reason of their sins vttereth the cause thereof in these words Al the earth is fallen into utter desolation for that there is no man which considereth deeply in his hart Signifieng hereby that if the Iewes would haue entered into deepe and earnest consideration of their liues and estate before that great desolation fel vpon them they might haue escaped the same as the Niniuites did by the fore-warning of Ionas albeit the sword was now drawen and the hand of God stretched out within fortie daies to destroy them So important a thing is this consideration In figure wherof al beasts in old time which did not ruminate or chew their cud were accounted vnclean by the law of Moises as no dowt but that soule in the sight of God must needs be which resolveth not in hart nor cheweth in often meditation of minde the things required at hir hands in this life 2 For of want of this consideration and du meditation all the foul errors of the world are committed and many thousand Christians do find themselves within the verie gates of hel before they mistrust any such matter towards them being caried thorough the vale of this life blindfolded with the veile of negligence and inconsideration as beasts to the slawghter how 's and never suffered to see their own danger vntil it be too late to remedie the same 3 For this cause the holy scripture doth recommend vnto us most carefully this exercise of meditation and diligent consideration of our duties to deliver us thereby from the peril which inconsideration leadeth us unto 4 Moises hauing delivered to the people his embassage from God touching al particulars of the law addeth this clause also from God as most necessarie These words must remain in thy hart thou shalt meditate vpon them both at home and abroad when thou goest to bed and when thou risest again in the morning And again in another place Teach your children these things that they may meditate in their harts upon them The like commandement was given by God himselfe to Iosua at his first election to govern the people to wit that he should meditate vpon the law of Moises both day night to the end he might keepe and perform the things written therein And God addeth presently the commoditie he should reap thereof For then saith he shalt thou direct thy way aright and shalt vnderstand the same Signifieng that without this meditation a man goeth both amisse and also blindly not knowing himselfe whither 5 Saint Paul having described vnto his scholler Timothie the perfect dutie of a Prelate addeth this advertisement in the end Haec meditare Meditate ponder and consider vpon this And finally whensoever the holy scripture describeth a wise happie or iust man for all these are one in scripture for that justice is only tru wisdome and felicitie one cheefe point is this He wil meditate upon the law of God both day and night And for examples in the scripture how good men did use to meditate in times past I might here reckon vp great store as that of Isaac who went foorth into the feelds towards night to meditate also that of Ezechias the king who as the scripture saith did meditate like a dove that is in silence with his hart only without noise of words But above al other the example of holie David is singular herein who every where almost maketh mention of his continual exercise in meditation saieng to God I did meditate upon thy cōmandements which I loved And again I wil meditate vpon thee in the mornings And again O Lord how have I loved thy law It is my meditation al the day long And with what fervour and vehemencie he used to make these his meditations he sheweth when he saith of himselfe My hart did wax hot within me and fire did kindle in my meditations 6 This is recorded by the holy Ghost of these ancient good men to confound vs which are Christians who being far more bound to fervour than they by reason of the greater benefits we have received yet do we live so lazily for the most part of us as we never almost enter into the meditation and earnest consideration of Gods laws and commandements of the mysteries of our faith of the life and death of our Saviour or of our dutie towards him and much lesse do we make it our daily studie and cogitation as those holie kings did notwithstanding al their great busines in the cōmonwealth 7 Who is there of vs now adaies which maketh the laws and commandements or justifications of God as the scripture termeth them his daily meditations as king David did Neither only in the day time did he this but also by night in his hart as in another place he testifieth of himselfe How many of vs do passe over whole dais and months without ever entring into these meditations Nay God grant there be not many Christians in the world which know not what these meditations do mean We beleeve in grosse the mysteries of our Christian faith as that there is an hel an heaven a reward for vertu a punishment for vice a judgement to come an accompt to be made and the like but for that we chew them not wel by deepe consideration and do not digest them wel in our harts by the heat of meditation they helpe vs little to good life no more than a preservative put in a mans pocket can helpe his health 8 What man in the world would adventure so easily vpon sin as commonly men do which drink it up as easily as beasts drink water if he did consider in particular the great danger and losse of grace the losse of Gods favour and purchasing his eternal wrath also the death of Gods own son sustained for sin the inaestimable torments of hel for the everlasting punishment of the same Which albeit everie Christian in summe doth beleeve yet bicause the most part do never consider them with du circumstances in their harts therefore they are not moved with the same but do beare the knowledge thereof locked vp in their breasts without any sense or feeling even as a man carieth fire about him in a flint stone without heat or perfumes in a pommander without smel except the one be beaten and the other be chafed 9 And now to come nere our matter which we mean to handle in this booke what man living would not resolve himselfe thorowly to serve God in deed
should yeeld a reconing of so much time spent in singing so much in daunsing so much in courting and the like who would not laugh at his accounts But being further asked by his maister what time he bestowed on his marchandise which he sent him for if he should answer none at all nor that he ever thought or studied upon that matter who would not think him woorthie of all shame and punishment And surely with much more shame and confusion shall they stand at the day of judgment who being placed here to so great a busines as is the service of almightie God have notwithstanding neglected the same bestowing their studies labors and cogitations in the vain trifles of this world which is as much from the purpose as if men being placed in a course to run at a golden game of infinit price they should leave their mark and some step aside after flies or fethers in the aire and some other stand still gathering up the dung of the ground And how were these men woorthie trow you to receave so great a reward as was proposed to them 9 Wherfore deer Christian if thou be wise consider thy case while thou hast time follow the Apostles counsel examin thy own works wais deceave not thy self Yet maist thou have grace to reform thy self bicause the day time of life yet remaineth The dreadful night of death wil overtake thee shortly when there wil be no more time of reformation What wil al thy labour and toil in procuring of worldly wealth profit or comfort thee at that hour when it shal be said to thee as Christ said to thy like in the gospel when he was now come to the top of his worldly felicitie Thou foole this night shal they take away thy soul and then who shal have the things which thou hast gotten togither Beleeve me deer brother for I tel thee no untruth one hour bestowed in the service of God wil more comfort thee at that time than an hundred yeeres bestowed in advauncing thy selfe and thy house in the world And if thou mightest feele now the case wherin thy poore hart shal be then for omitting of this thing which it should most have thought upon thou wouldest take from thy sleepe and from thy meat also to recompence thy negligence for the time past The difference betwixt a wise man a foole is this that the one provideth for a mischeef while time serveth but the other when it is too late 10 Resolve thy self therfore good Christian while thou hast time Resolve thy self without delay to take in hand presently and to apply for the time to come the great and weightie busines for which thou wast sent hither which only in deed is weightie and of importance and al others are meere trifles and vanities but only so far forth as they concern this Beleeve not the world which for running awrie in this point is detested by thy saviour and every frend therof pronounced an enimy to him by his Apostle Say at length unto thy saviour I do cōfesse unto thee O Lord I do confesse can not deny that I have not hitherto attended to the thing for which I was created redeemed and placed here by thee I do see my errour I can not dissemble my greevous fault I do thank thee ten thowsand times that thou hast given me the grace to se it while I may yet by thy grace amend it which by thy holy grace I mean to do and without delay to alter my course beseeching thy divine majestie that as thou hast given me this light of understanding to see my danger and this good motion to reform the same so thou wilt continew towards me thy blessed assistance for performance of the same to thy honor and my souls health Amen CHAP. IIII. Of the end of man in particular and of two special things required at his hands in this life HAving spoken of the end of man in general in the former chapter shewed that it is to serve God it seemeth convenient for that the matter is of great and singular importance to treat somwhat more in particular wherin this service of God doth consist that therby a Christian may iudge of himself whether he perform the same or no and consequently whether he do the thing for which he was sent into this world 2 First therfore it is to be understood that the whole service which God requireth at a Christian mans hands in this life consisteth in two things the one to fly evil the other to do good And albeit these two things were required of us also before the coming of Christ as appeareth by Dauid whose cōmandement is general Decline from evil and do good and by Esay the prophet whose words are Leave to do perversly and learn to do wel Yet much more particularly and with far greater reason are they demaunded at the hands of Christian people who by the death and passion of their Redeemer do receave grace and force to be able in some measure to perform these two things which the law did not give albeit it commanded the same 3 But now we being redeemed by Christ receaving from him not only the renewing of the same cōmandement for the performance of these two things but also force and abilitie by his grace wherby we are made somwhat able to do the same we remain more bound therto in reason and dutie than before for that this was the fruit and effect of Christ his holy passion as Saint Peter saith That we being dead to sin should live vnto righteousnes Or as Saint Paul more plainly declareth the same when he saith The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to al men instructing vs to this end that we renouncing al wickednes and worldly desires should live soberly iustly and godly in this world 4 These two things then are the service of God for which we were sent into this world the one to resist sin the other to folow good works In respect of the first we are called soldiers our life a warfare upon the earth for that as soldiers do alwais lie in wait to resist their enimies so ought we to resist sin and the temptations therof And in respect of the second we are called labourers stewards fermers and the like for that as these men attend diligently to their gain and increase of substance in this life so should we to good works to the glorie of God and benefit of others here in this life 5 These therfore are two special points which a Christian man should meditate upon two special exercises wherin he shuld be occupied two special legs wherupon he must walk in the service of God and finally two wings wherby he must flie and mount up unto a Christian life And whosoever wanteth either of these though he had the other yet can he not ascend to any tru
them Whose help wil they crave They shal see al things crie vengeance about them al things yeeld them cause of feare and terror but nothing to yeeld them any hope or comfort Above them shal be their judge offended with them for their wickednes beneath them hel open and the cruel fornace readie boiling to receave them on the right hand shal be their sins accusing them on the left hand the devils ready to execute Gods eternal sentence upon them within them their conscience gnawing without them al damned soules bewailing on everie side the world burning Good Lord what wil the wretched sinner do invironed with al these miseries How wil his hart sustain these anguishes What way wil he take To go back is impossible to go forward is intollerable What then shal he do but as Christ foretelleth he shal drie up for very fear seeke death and death shal fly from him cry to the hils to fal upon him and they refusing to do him so much pleasure he shal stand there as a most desperate forlorne and miserable caitife wretch until he receave that dreadful and irrevocable sentence Go you accursed into everlasting fire 18 Which sentence once pronounced consider what a doleful cry and shout wil streight follow The good rejoising and singing praises in the glorie of their saviour the wicked bewailing blaspheming and cursing the day of their nativitie Consider the intollerable upbraieng of the wicked infernal spirits against these miserable condemned souls now delivered to them in pray for ever With how bitter scofs and taunts wil they hale them on to torments Consider the eternal seperation that then must be made of fathers children mothers daughters frinds and companions the one to glorie the other to confusion with out ever seeing one the other again and that which shal be as great a greefe as any other if it be tru that some conceave that our knowledge one of another here on earth shal so far remain the son going to heaven shal not pitie his own father or mother going to hel but shal rejoice at the same for that it turneth to Gods glorie for the execution of his justice What a separation I say shal this be What a farewel Whose hart would not break at that day to make this separation if a hart could break at that time so end his pains But that wil not be Where are al our delites now Where are al our pleasant pastimes become Our bravery in apparel our glistering in gold our honor done to us with cap and knee al our delicate fare al our musik al our wanton daliances and recreations we were wont to have al our good frinds and merie companions accustomed to laugh and to disport the time with us Where are they become Oh deere brother how sower wil al the pleasures past of this world seeme at that hour How doleful wil their memorie be unto us How vain a thing wil al our dignities our riches our possessions appeere And on the contrarie side how joiful wil that man be that hath attended in this life to live vertuouslie albeit with pain and contempt of the world Happy creature shal he be that ever he was born no toong but Gods can expresse his happines 19 And now to make no other conclusion of al this but even that which Christ himselfe maketh let us consider how easie a matter it is now for us with a little pain to avoid the danger of this day for that cause it is foretold us by our most merciful judge and Saviour to the end we should by our diligence avoid it For thus he concludeth after al his former threatnings Videte vigilate c. Looke about you watch and praie ye for you know not when the time shal be But as I say to you so I say to al be watchful And in another place having reckoned up al the particulars before recited least any man should dowt that al should not be fulfilled he saith Heaven and earth shal passe but my words shal not passe And then he addeth this exhortation Attend therfore unto your selves that your harts be not overcome with banquetting and dronkenes with the cares of this life and so that day come upon you sodenly For he shal come as a snare upon them which inhabite the earth be you therfore watchful and alwais pray that you may be woorthy to escape al these things which are to com to stand confidently before the Son of man at this day What a frindly and fatherly exhortation is this of Christ Who could desire a more kind gentle or effectual forewarning Is there any man that can plead ignorance hereafter The verie like conclusion gathered Saint Peter out of the premises when he saith The day of the Lord shal come as a theefe in which the elements shal be dissolved c. Seeing then al these things must be dissolved what maner of men ought we to be in holy conversation and pietie expecting and going on to meete the comming of that day of the Lord c. This meeting of the day of judgement which Saint Peter speaketh of is an earnest longing after it which never is had until first there go before a du examination of our estate and speedy amendment of our life past Therfore saith most notably the wise man Provide thee of a medicine before the sore come and examine thy selfe before iudgement and so shalt thou find propitiation in the sight of God To which Saint Paul agreeth when he saith If we would iudge our selves we should not be iudged But bicause no man entreth into du judgement of himselfe and of his own life therof it commeth that so few do prevent this latter judgement so few are watchful and so many fal a sleepe in ignorance of their own danger Our Lord give us grace to looke better about us CHAP. VI. A consideration of the nature of sin and of a sinner for the iustifieng of Gods severitie shewed in the Chapter before TO the end that no man may justly complain of the severe account which God is to take of us at the last day or of the severitie of his judgement set down in the chapter before it shal not be amisse to consider in this chapter the cause why God doth shew such severitie against sin and sinners as both by that which hath been said doth appeer and also by the whole course of holie scripture where he in every place almost denounceth his extreme hatred wrath indignatiō against the same as where it is said of him That he hateth al those that work iniquitie And that both the wicked man and his wickednes are in hatred with him And finaly that the whole life of sinners their thoughts words works yea and their good actions also are abhominations in his sight whiles they live in sin And that which yet is more
for so the holy scripture describing divers causes of wickednes among men putteth these two for principal First the flatterie of the world Quoniam laudatur peccator in desiderijs animae suae For that the sinner is praised in his lusts And secondly Quia auferuntur indicia tua a facie eius For that thy iudgements ô Lord are not before his face And on the contrarie side speaking of himselfe he saith I have kept the wais of the Lord and have not behaved my selfe impiously towards God And he geeveth the reason therof immediatly For that al his iudgements are in my sight And again I have feared thy iudgements ô Lord. And again I have beene mindful of thy iudgements And how profitable this fear is he sheweth in the same place demanding this fear most instantly at Gods hands for so he praieth Strike my flesh thorough with thy fear ô Lord. And S. Paul after he had shewed to the Corinthians that We must al be presented before the iudgement seat of Christ maketh this conclusion We knowing therfore these things do persuade the fear of the Lord unto men And Saint Peter after a long declaration of the majestie of God and Christ now raigning in heaven concludeth thus If then you cal him father which doth iudge everie man according to his works without exception of persons do you live in fear during the time of this your habitation upon earth A necessarie lesson no dowt for al men but specially for those which by reason of their sins and wicked life do remain in displeasure and hatred of God and hourly subject as I have shewed to the furie of his judgements which if they once fal into they are both irrevocable and intollerable and they may be fallen into as easily and by as manie wais as a man may come to death which are infinite especially to them who by their wickednes have lost the peculiar protection of God and so consequently of his angels too as I have shewed have subjected themselves to the feends of darknes who do nothing else but seeke their destruction both of bodie and soul with as great diligence as they can What wise man then would but fear in such a case Who could eat or drink or sleepe quietly in his bed until by tru and hartie repentance he had discharged his conscience of sin A little stone falling from the how 's upon his head or his horse stumbling under him as he rideth or his enimie meeting him on the high way or an agew comming with eating or drinking a little too much or ten thousand means besides wherof he standeth daily and hourly in danger may rid him of this life and put him in that case as no creature of this world nor any continuance of time shal be able to deliver him thence again And who then would not fear Who would not tremble 16 The Lord of his mercie geeve us his holy grace to fear him as we should do and to make such account of his justice as he by threatning the same would have us to do And then shal not we delay the time but resolve our selves to serve him whiles he is content to accept of our service and to pardon us al our offences if we would once make this resolution from our hart CHAP. VII Another consideration for the further iustifieng of Gods iudgements and declaration of our demerit taken from the maiestie of God and his benefits towards us ALbeit the most part of Christians throgh their wicked life arrive not to that estate wherin holie David was when he said to God Thy iudgements ô Lord are pleasant unto me as indeed they are to al those that live vertuously and have the testimonie of a good conscience yet at leastwise that we may say with the same prophet The iudgements of the Lord are tru and iustified in themselves And again Thou art iust ô Lord and thy iudgement is right I have thought good to ad a reason or two mo in this chapter wherby it may appeer how great our offence is towards God by sinning as we do how righteous his judgments and justice are against us for the same 2 And first of al is to be considered the majestie of him against whom we sin for most certain it is as I have noted before that every offence is so much the greater and more greevous by how much greater and more noble the person is against whom it is done and the partie offending more base and vile And in this respect God to terrifie us from offending him nameth himselfe often with certain titles of majestie as to Abraham I am the almightie Lord And again Heaven is my seat and the earth is my footstoole And again he commanded Moises to say to the people in his name this ambassage Harden not your necks any longer for that your Lord and God is a God of gods and a Lord of lords a great God both mightie and terrible which accepteth neither person nor bribes 3 First then I say consider gentle Christian of what an infinite majestie he is whom thou a poore woorm of the earth hast so often and so contemptuously offended in this life We see in this world that no man dareth to offend openly or say a word against the majestie of a prince within his own dominions and what is the majestie of al the princes upon earth compared to the thousandth part of the majestie of God who with a word made both heaven and earth and al the creatures therin and with halfe a word can destroie the same again whom al the creatures which he made as the Angels the heavens and al the elements besides do serve at a bek and dare not offend Only a sinner is he which imboldeneth himselfe against this majestie and feareth not to offend the same whom the Angels do praise the dominations do adore the powers do tremble and the highest heavens togither with Cherubins and Seraphins do daily honor and celebrate 4 Remember then deer brother that everie time thou dost commit a sin thou givest as it were a blow in the face to this God of great majestie who as Saint Paul saith Dwelleth in an unaccessible light which no man in this world can abide to look upon As also it appeereth by the example of Saint Iohn evangelist who fel down dead for very fear at the appearance of Christ unto him as himself testifieth And when Moises desired to see God once in his life made humble petition for the same God answered that no man could see him and live but yet to satisfie his request and to shew him in part what a terrible and glorious God he was he told Moises that he should see some peece of his glorie but he added that it was needful he should hide himselfe in the hole of a rock and be covered with Gods own hands for his defence while
the king being offended highly with you both should notwithstanding pardon thee and put the noble man to death and further also being no other way to save thy life shuld lay the pains of death du to thee upon his onlie son and heir for thy sake how much wouldest thou think that this king loved thee How greatly wouldest thou esteeme thy selfe beholding and bounden to that yong prince which should offer himselfe to his fathers justice to die for thee a poore worm and not for the noble man as he would not die for the Angels and to put his head in the halter for thine onlie offences Couldest thou ever have the hart to become enimie to this man after or willingly and wittingly to offend him And yet such is our case and much more bounden towards Christ and his father whom the most of us notwithstanding do daily offend dishonor and injurie by sin 12 But yet there follow on mo benefits of God unto us as our vocation and justification vocation wherby he hath called us from infidelitie to the state of Christians and therby made us partakers of this our redemption which infidels are not For albeit he paid the ransom for al in general yet he hath not imparted the benefit therof to al but to such only as best it pleased his divine goodnes to bestow it upon After which followed our justification wherby we were not only set free from al our sins committed before and from al pain and punishment du to the same but also our souls beutified and inriched with his holie grace accompanied with the vertues theological as faith hope and charitie and with the gifts of the holie Ghost and by this grace we are made just and righteous in the sight of God and intitled to the most blessed inheritance of the kingdome of heaven 13 After these do insu a great number of benefits togither as to us being now made the children and deer frinds of God and everie one of them of infinite price and valu As the gift of the holie sacraments left for our comfort and preservation being nothing else but conduits to convey Gods grace unto us especially these two which appertain to al to wit the sacrament of Baptism and of his blessed bodie and blood wherof the first is to purge our souls from sin the second to feed and comfort the same after she is purged The first is a bath made of Christ his own blood to wash and bath our wounds therin the second as a most comfortable and rich garment to cover our soul withal after she is washed In the first Christ hath substituted in his place his spouse the church to pronounce in his name remission of sins in the second he hath left himselfe and his own flesh and blood Sacramentally to be a precious food to cherish hir withal 14 Besides al these there is yet another gift named our preservation wherby God hath preserved us from so many dangers into which others have fallen and wherin we had fallen also if Gods holie hand had not staied us as from superstition heresie and infidelitie and many other greevous sins and especially from death and damnation which long ago by our wickednes we deserved to have beene executed upon us Also there are the benefits of godlie inspirations and admonitions wherby God hath often both knocked inwardly at the doore of our conscience and warned us outwardly by so many wais and meanes as are good books good sermons good exhortations good companie good example of others and a hundred means else which he at divers times hath and doth use therby to gain us our souls unto his eternal kingdome by stirring us to abandon vitious life and to betake our selves to his holie and sweet service 15 Al which rare and singular benefits being measured either according to the valu of themselves or according to the love of that hart from which they do proceed ought to move us most vehemently to gratitude towards the giver which gratitude should be to resolve our selves at length to serve him unfainedly and to prefer his favor before al worldly or mortal respects whatsoever Or if we can not obtain so much of our selves yet at leastwise not to offend him any more by our sins and wickednes 16 There is not so fearce or cruel a nature in the world as I noted before but is mollified allured and woon by benefits and stories do make report of strange examples in this kind even among brute beasts as of the gratitude of lions dogs and the like towards their maisters and benefactors Only an obstinate sinner is he among al the savage creatures that are whom neither benefits can move nor curtesies can mollifie nor promises can allure nor gifts can gain to the faithful service of God his Lord and maister 17 The greatest sinner that is in the world if he give his servant but twentie nobles a yeere or his tenant some litle farm to liue upon and if for this they serve him not at a bek he crieth out of their ingratitude and if they should further maliciously seek to offend him and to joine with his professed enimie against him how intollerable a matter would it seem in his sight And yet he himself dealing much more ingratefully and injuriously with God thinketh it a matter of no consideration but easily pardonable I say he dealeth more ingratefully with God for that he hath receaved a thousand for one in respect of al the benefits that a mortal man can give to another for he hath receaved al in al from God the bread which he eateth the ground which he treadeth the light which he beholdeth togither with his eies to see the sun and finally whatsoever is within or without his body as also the mind with the spiritual gifts therof wherof ech one is more woorth than a thousand bodies I say also that he dealeth more injuriously with God for that notwithstanding al these benefits he serveth Gods open enimie the devil and committeth daily sin and wickednes which God hateth more than any hart created can hate a mortal enimie being that in very deed which persecuted his Son our savior with such hostilitie as it tooke his most pretious life from him and nailed him fast to the wood of the crosse 18 Of this extreem ingratitude and injurie God himselfe is inforced to complain in divers places of the scripture as where we saith Retribuebant mihi mala pro bonis They returned me home evil for good And yet much more vehemently in another place he calleth the heavens to witnes of this iniquitie saieng Obstupescite coeli super haec O you heavens be you astonished at this As if he should say by a figurative kind of speech go out of your wits you heavens with marvel at this incredible iniquitie of man towards me For so he expoundeth the whole matter more at large
you is now the state of this afflicted soul It is no marvel if a wise man become a foole or a stout worldling most abject in this instant of extremitie as we often see they do in such sort as they can dispose of nothing wel either towards God or the world at this hour the cause is the extremitie of pains oppressing their minds as Saint Austen also proveth or some other under his name and giveth us therwithal a most excellent forewarning if men were so gracious as to folow it When you shal be in your last siknes deer brother saith he O how hard and painful a thing wil it be for you to repent of your faults committed And why is this but only for that al the intention of your mind wil run thither where al the force of your pain is Manie impediments shal let men at that day as the pain of the bodie the fear of death the sight of children for the which their fathers shal oftentimes think themselves often damned the weeping of the wise the flatterie of the world the temptation of the devil the dissimulation of physitions for lucre sake and the like And beleeve thou O man which readest this that thou shalt quickly proove al this tru upon thy selfe and therfore I beseech thee that thou wilt repent before thou come unto this last day dispose of thy house and make thy testament while thou art thine own man for if thou tary until the last day thou shalt be led whether thou wouldest not Hitherto are the Authors words 6 The second thing which shal make death terrible and greevous to a worldly man is the sudden parting and that for ever and ever from al the things which he loved most deerly in this life as from his riches possessions honours offices faire buildings with their commodities goodlie apparel with rich jewels from wife and children kindred and frinds and the like wherwith he thought himselfe a blessed man in this life and now to be plucked from them upon the sudden without ever hope to see or use them again oh what a greef what a torment wil this be For which cause the holie scripture saith O mors quam amara est memoria tua homini pacem habenti in substantijs suis O death how bitter is thy memorie unto a man that hath peace rest in his substance riches As who would say there is no more bitternes or greefe in the world to such a man than to remēber or think on death only but much more to go to it himselfe that out of hand when it shal be said unto him as Christ reporteth it was to the great wealthy man in the Gospel which had his barns ful and was come now to the highest top of felicitie Stulte hac nocte animam tuam repetent à te quae autem parasti cuius erunt Thou foole even this night they wil take thy soule from thee and then who shal have al that thou hast scraped together 7 It is unpossible I say for any toong to expresse the doleful state of a worldly man in this instant of death when nothing that ever he hath gathered togither with so much labor and toil and wherin he was woont to have so much confidence wil now do him good any longer but rather afflict him with the memorie therof considering that he must leave al to others and go himselfe to give account for the getting and using of the same perhaps to his eternal damnation whiles in the mean time other men in the world do live merilie and pleasantly upon that he hath gotten litle remembring and lesse caring for him which lieth perhaps burning in unquenchable fire for the riches left unto them This is a woful and lamentable point which is to bring manie a man to great sorrow and anguish of hart at the last day when al earthly joies must be left al pleasures and commodities for ever abandoned Oh what a doleful day of parting wil this be What wilt thou say my freend at this day when al thy glorie al thy wealth al thy pomp is come to an end What art thou the better now to have lived in credit with the world In favor of princes Exalted of men Feared reverenced and advanced seeing now al is ended and that thou canst use these things no more 8 But yet there is a third thing which more than al the rest wil make this day of death to be troublesom and miserable unto a worldlie man and that is the consideration what shal become of him both in bodie and soul. And for his bodie it wil be no smal horror to think that it must inherit serpents beasts worms as the scripture saith that is it must be cast out to serve for the food of vermins that bodie I mean which was so delicately handled before with varietie of meats pillows and beds of down so trimly set forth in apparel and other ornaments wherupon the wind might not blow nor the sun shine that bodie I saie of whose beutie there was so much pride taken and wherby so great vanitie and sin was committed that bodie which in this world was accustomed to al pampering and could abide no austeritie or discipline must now come to be abandoned of al men and left onlie to be devoured of worms Which thing albeit it can not but breed much horror in the hart of him that lieth a dieng yet is it nothing in respect of the dreadful cogitations which he shal have touching his soul as what shal become of it Whither it shal go after hir departure out of the bodie And then considering that it must go to the judgment seat of God there to receive sentence either of unspeakable glorie or insupportable pains he falleth to cōsider more in particular the danger therof by comparing Gods justice and threats set down in scripture against sinners with his own life he beginneth to examin the witnes which is his conscience and he findeth it readie to lay infinite accusations against him when he commeth to the place of justice 9 And now deer brother beginneth the miserie of this man For scantly there is not a severe saieng of God in al the scripture which commeth not now to his mind to terrifie him withal at this instant as If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements He that saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his commandements is a liar Manie shal saie unto me at that day Lord Lord c. Not the hearers of the law but the doers of the law shal be iustified Go from me al workers of iniquitie into everlasting fire De not you know that wicked men shal not possesse the kingdome of God Be not deceived for neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor unclean handlers of their own bodies nor Sodomites nor theeves nor covetous men nor dronkards nor bakbiters nor extortioners
But now saith this good man this word Never breaketh his hart when he thinketh on it and that after a hundred thousand millions of worlds there suffered he hath as far to his end as he had at the first day of his entrance to these torments Consider good Christian what a length one hour would seem unto thee if thou hadst but to hold thy hand in fire and brimstone onlie during the space therof We see if a man be greevouslie sik though he be laid upon a verie soft bed yet one night seemeth a long time unto him He turneth and tosseth himselfe from side to side telling the clok and counting everie hour as it passeth which seemeth to him a whole day And if a man should say unto him that he were to abide that pain but seven yeeres togither he would go nigh to dispair for greefe Now if one night seem so long and tedious to him that lieth on a good soft bed afflicted onlie with a litle agu what wil the lieng in fire and brimstone do when he shal know evidentlie that he shal never have end therof Oh deer brother the sacietie of cōtinuance is lothsom even in things that are not evil of themselves If thou shouldest be bound alwais to eat one onlie meat it would be displeasant to thee in the end If thou shouldest be bound to sit stil al thy life in one place without moving it would be greevous unto thee albeit no man did torment thee in that place What then wil it be to lie eternally that is world without end in most exquisite torments Is it any way tollerable What judgement then what wit what discretion is there left in men which make no more account of this matter than they do 20 I might here ad another circumstance which the scripture addeth to wit that al these torments shal be in darknes a thing dreadful of it self unto mans nature For there is not the stoutest man in the world if he found himselfe alone naked in extreme darknes should hear a noise of spirits comming towards him but he would fear albeit he felt never a lash from them on his bodie I might also ad another circumstance that the prophet addeth which is that God good men shal laugh at them that day which wil be no smal affliction For as to be mooved by a mans frind in time of adversitie is some comfort so to be laughed at especiallie by him who onlie may help him is a great and intollerable increase of his miserie 21 And now al this that I have spoken of hitherto is but one part of a damned mans punishment onlie called by Divines Poena sensus The pain of sense or feeling that is the pain or punishment sensibly inflicted upon the soul and bodie But yet besides this there is another part of his punishment called Poena damni The pain of losse or dammage which by al lerned mens opinion is either greater or no lesse than the former And this is the infinite losse which a damned man hath in being excluded for ever and ever from the sight of his creator and his glorie Which sight only being sufficient to make happie and blessed al them that are admitted unto it must needs be an infinite miserie to the damned man to lak that eternallie And therfore this is put as one of the first and cheefest plaegs to be laid upon him Tollatur impius ne videat gloriam dei Let the wicked man be taken away to hel to the end he may not see the glorie of God And this losse conteineth al other losses and damages in it as the losse of eternal blisse and joy as I have said of eternal glorie of eternal societie with the Angels and the like which losses when a damned man considereth as he can not but consider them stil he taketh more greef therof as Divines do hold than by al the other sensible torments that he abideth besides 22 Wherunto apperteineth the worm of conscience in scripture so called for that as a worm lieth eating and gnawing the wood wherin she abideth so shal the remorse of our own conscience lie within us griping and tormenting us for ever And this worm or remorse shal principallie consist in bringing to our minds al the means and causes of our present extreme calamities as our negligences wherby we lost the felicitie which other men have gotten And at everie one of these considerations this worm shal give vs a deadly bit even unto the hart As when it shal lay before us al the occasions that we had offered to avoid this miserie wherin now we are fallen to have gotten the glorie which we have lost how easie it had been to have done it how nigh we were oftentimes to resolve our selves to do it and yet how ungratiously we left of that cogitation again how manie times we were foretold of this danger and yet how little care and fear we took of the same how vain the worldlie trifles were wherin we spent our time and for which we lost heaven fel into this intollerable miserie how they are exalted whom we thought fooles in the world and how we are now prooved fooles and laughed at which thought our selves wise These things I saie and a thousand mo being laid before us by our own conscience shal yeeld us infinite greef for that it is now too late to amend thē And this greef is called the worm or remorse of our own conscience which worm shal more inforce men to weep and houl than any torment else considering how negligentlie foolishlie and vainlie they are come into those so insupportable torments and that now there is no more time to redresse their errors 23 Now only is the time of weeping and lamenting for these men but al in vain Now shal they begin to fret and fume and marvel at themselves saieng Where was our wit Where was our understanding Where was our judgement when we followed vanities and contemned these matters This is the talk of sinners in hel saith the scripture What hath our pride or what hath the glorie of our riches profited us They are al now vanished like a shadow we have wearied out our selves in the way of iniquitie and perdition but the way of the Lord we have not known This I say must be the everlasting song of the damned worm-eaten conscience in hel eternal repentance without profit Wherby he shal be brought to such desperation as the scripture noteth as he shal turn into furie against himselfe tear his own flesh rent his own soul if it were possible and invite the feends to torment him seeing he hath so beastlie behaved himselfe in this world as not to provide in time for this principal matter onlie indeed to have been thought upon Oh if he could have but another life to live in the world again how would he passe it over With what diligence With
our happinesse Which Christ also affirmeth when he saith to his father This is life everlasting that men know the tru God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Saint Paul also putteth our felicitie In seeing God face to face And S. Iohn In seeing God as he is And the reason of this is for that al the pleasures and contentations in the world being only sparkles parcels sent out from God they are al contained much more perfectly and excellently in God himselfe than they are in their own natures created as also al the perfections of his creatures are more fully in him than in themselves Wherof it followeth that whosoever is admitted to the vision and presence of God he hath al the goodnes and perfection of creatures in the world united togither and presented unto him at once So that whatsoever deliteth either bodie or soul there he enjoieth it wholy knit up togither as it were in one bundle and with the presence therof is ravished in al parts both of mind and bodie as he cannot imagin think or wish for any joy whatsoever but there he findeth it in his perfection there he findeth al knowledge al wisdom al beautie al riches al nobilitie al goodnes al delite and whatsoever beside either deserveth love and admiration or worketh pleasure or contentation Al the powers of the mind shal be filled with this sight presence fruition of God al the senses of our bodie shal be satisfied God shal be the universal felicitie of al his saints containing in himselfe al particular felicities without end number or measure He shal be a glasse to our eies musik to our ears honie to our mouths most sweet and pleasant balm to our smel he shal be light to our understanding contentation to our wil continuation of eternitie to our memorie In him shal we enjoy al the varietie of times that delite us heer al the beautie of creatures that allure us heer al the plesures and joies that content us heer In this vision of God saith one Doctor we shal know we shal love we shal rejoice we shal praise We shal know the very secrets and judgements of God which are a depth without bottom Also the causes natures beginnings ofsprings and ends of al creatures We shal love incomparablie both God for the infinite causes of love that we see in him and our companions as much as our selves for that we see them as much loved of God as our selves and that also for the same for which we are loved Wherof insueth that our joy shal be without measure both for that we shal have a particular joy for every thing we love in God which are infinite and also for that we shal rejoice at the felicitie of everie one of our companions as much as at our own by that means we shal have so many distinct felicities as we shal have distinct companions in our felicitie which being without number it is no marvel though Christ said Go into the ioy of the Lord. And not let the Lords joy enter into thee for that no one hart created can receive the fulnes and greatnes of this joy Heerof it followeth lastly that we shal praise God without end or wearines with al our hart with al our strength with al our powers with al our parts according as the scripture saith Happie are they that live in thy house O Lord for they shal praise thee eternally without end 13 Of this most blessed vision of God the holie father Saint Austen writeth thus Happie are the clean of hart for they shal see God saith our Savior then is there a vision of God deer brethren which maketh us happie a vision I say which neither eie hath seen in this world nor eare hath heard nor hart conceived A vision that passeth al the beautie of earthly things of gold of silver of woods of fields of sea of air of sun of moon of stars of Angels for that al these things have their beauty from thence We shal see him face to face saith the Apostle And we shal know him as we are known We shal know the power of the Father we shal know the wisdom of the Son we shal know the goodnes of the holie Ghost we shal know the indivisible nature of the most blessed Trinitie And this seeing of the face of God is the joy of angels al saints in heaven This is the reward of life everlasting this is the glorie of blessed spirits their everlasting pleasure their crown of honor their game of felicitie their rich rest their beautiful place their inward and outward joy their divine paradice their heavenly Ierusalem their felicitie of life their fulnes of blisse their eternal joy their peace of God that passeth al understanding This sight of God is the ful beatitude the total glorification of man to see him I say that made both heaven and earth to see him that made thee that redeemed thee that glorified thee For in seeing him thou shal possesse him in possessing him thou shalt love him in loving him thou shalt praise him For he is the inheritance of his people he is the possession of their felicitie he is the reward of their expectation I wil be thy great reward saith he to Abraham O Lord thou art great and therfore no marvel if thou be a great reward The sight and fruition of thee therfore is al our hire al our reward al our joy and felicitie that we expect seeing thou hast said that This is life everlasting to see and know thee our tru God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent 14 Having now declared the two general parts of heavenly felicitie the one appertaining to our soul the other to our bodie it is not hard to esteem what excesse of joy both of them joined togither shal work at that happie day of our glorification O joy above al joies passing al joy and without which there is no joy when shal I enter into thee saith Saint Austen when shal I enjoy thee to see my GOD that dwelleth in thee O everlasting kingdome O kingdome of al eternities O light without end O peace of God that passeth al understanding in which the souls of saints do rest with thee And everlasting ioy is upon their heads they possesse ioy and exultation and al pain and sorrow is fled from them O how glorious a kingdome is thine O Lord wherin al saints do raign with thee Adorned with light as with apparel and having crowns of pretious stones on their heads O kingdome of everlasting blisse where thou O Lord the hope of al saints art and the diadem of their perpetual glorie rejoising them on everie side with thy blessed sight In this kingdome of thine there is infinite joy and mirth without sadnes health without sorrow life without labor light without darknes felicity
repeat a great many more privileges and prerogatives of a vertuous life which make the same easie pleasant and comfortable but that this chapter groweth to be long and therfore I wil only touch as it were in passing by two or three of the other points of the most principal which notwithstanding would require large discourses to declare the same according to their dignities And the first is the inestimable privilege of libertie and freedom which the vertuous do enjoy above the wicked according as Christ promiseth in these words If you abide in my cōmandements you shal be my schollers indeed and you shal know the truth and the truth shal set your free Which words Saint Paul as it were expounding saith Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedome And this freedome is ment from the tyrannie and thraldome of our corrupt sensualitie concupiscence wherunto the wicked are so in thraldome as there was never bondman so in thraldome to a most cruel and mercilesse tyrant This in part may be conceaved by this one example If a man had maried a rich beautiful noble gentlewoman adorned with al gifts and graces which may be devised to be in a woman and yet notwithstanding should be so sotted and intangled with the love of some soul and dishonest begger or servile maid of his house as for hir sake to abandon the company and frindship of the said wife to spend his time in daliance and service of his base woman to run to go to stand at hir appointment to put al his living and revenues into hir hands for hir to consume and spoil at hir pleasure to denie hir nothing but to wait and serve hir at hir bek yea and to compel his said wife to do the same would you not think this mans life miserable and most servile And yet surely the servitude wherof we talk is far greater and more intollerable than this For no woman or other creature in the world is or can be of that beautie or nobilitie as the grace of Gods spirit is to whom man by his creation was espoused which notwithstanding we see abandoned contemned and rejected by him for the love of sensualitie hir enimie and a most deformed creature in respect of reason in whose love notwithstanding or rather servitude we see wicked men so drowned as they serve hir day and night with al pains perils and expenses and do constrain also the good motions of Gods spirit to give place at every bek commandement of this new mistres For wherfore do they labor Wherfore do they watch Wherfore do they heape riches togither but only to serve their sensualitie and hir desires Wherfore do they beat their brains but only to satisfie this cruel tyrant and hir passions 23 And if you wil see indeed how cruel and pittiful this servitude is consider but some particular examples therof Take a man whom she overruleth in any passion as for example in the lust of the flesh and what pains taketh he for hir How doth he labor how doth he sweat in this servitude How mightie strong doth he feele hir tyrannie Remember the strength of Samson the wisdome of Salomon the sanctitie of David overthrown by this tyrannie Iupiter Mars and Hercules who for their valiant acts otherwise were accounted gods of the painims were they not overcome and made slaves by the inchantment of this tyrant And if you wil yet further see of what strength she is and how cruelly she executeth the same upon those that Christ hath not delivered from hir bondage consider for examples sake in this kind the pittiful case of some disloial wife who though she know that by committing adulterie she runneth into a thousand dangers and inconveniences as the losse of Gods favor the hatred of hir husband the danger of punishment the offence of hir frinds the utter dishonor of hir person if it be known and finally the ruin and peril of bodie and soul yet to satisfie this tyrant she wil venture to commit the sin notwithstanding any dangers or perils whatsoever 24 Neither is it only in this one point of carnal lust but in al other wherin a man is in servitude to this tyrant and hir passions Look upon an ambitious or vain glorious man see how he serveth this mistresse with what care and diligence he attendeth hir commandements that is to follow after a little wind of mens mouthes to pursu a little feather flieng before him in the air you shal see that he omitteth no one thing no one time no one circumstance for gaining therof He riseth betime goeth late to bed trotteth by day studieth by night heer he flattereth there he dissembleth heer he stowpeth there he looketh big heer he maketh frinds there he preventeth enimies And to this only end he referreth al his actions and applieth al his other matters as his order of life his cōpany keping his sutes of apparel his house his table his horses his servants his talk his behavior his jests his looks and his very going in the street 25 In like wise he that serveth his ladie in passion of covetousnes what a miserable slaverie doth he abide His hart being so walled in prison with money as he must only think therof talk therof dream therof and imagin only new wais to get the same nothing else If you should see a Christian man in slavery under the gret Turk tied in a galley by the leg with chains there to serve by rowing for ever you could not but take compassion of his case And what then shal we do of the miserie of this man who standeth in captivitie to a more base creature than a Turk or any other reasonable creature that is to a peece of mettal in whose prison he lieth bound not only by the feete in such sort as he may not go any where against the commoditie and commandement of the same but also by the hands by the mouth by the eies by the eares and by the hart so as he may neither do speak see hear or think any thing but the service of the same Was there ever servitude so great as this Doth not Christ say truly now Qui facit peccatum servus est peccati He that doth sin is a slave unto sin Doth not S. Peter say wel A quo quis superatus est huius servus est A man is slaue to that wherof he is cōquered 26 From this slaverie then are the vertuous delivered by the power of Christ and his assistance insomuch as they rule over their passions in sensualitie and are not ruled therby This God promised by the prophet Ezechiel saieng And they shal know that I am their Lord when I shal break the chains of their yoke and shal deliver them from the power of those that over-ruled them before And this benefit holie David acknowledged in himselfe when he used these most effectuous words
rich men of this world not to be high minded nor to put hope in the uncertaintie of their riches The reason of which speech is uttered by the scripture in another place when it saith Riches shal not profit a man in the day of revenge That is at the day of death and judgement which thing the rich men of this world do confesse themselves though too late when they crie Divitiarum iactantia quid nobis contulit What hath the braverie of our riches profited us Al which evidently declareth the great vanitie of worldly riches which can do the possessor no good at al when he hath most need of their help Rich men have slept their sleep saith the prophet and have found nothing in their hands that is rich men have passed over this life as men do passe over a sleep imagining themselves to have golden mountains and treasures and when they awake at the day of their death they find themselves to have nothing in their hands In respect wherof the prophet Baruch asketh this question Where are they now which heaped togither gold and silver and which made no end of their scraping togither And he answereth himselfe immediately Exterminati sunt ad inferos descenderunt They are now rooted out and are gone down unto hel To like effect saith Saint Iames Now go to you rich men weep and howl in your miseries that come upon you your riches are rotten and your gold and silver is rustie and the rust therof shal be in testimonie against you it shal feed on your flesh as fire you have hoorded up wrath for your selves in the last day 23 If wealth of this world be not onlie so vain but also so perilous as heer is affirmed what vanitie then is it for men to set their minds upon it as they do Saint Paul saith of himselfe that He esteemed it al but as doong And he had great reason surely to say so seeing indeed they are but doong that is the verie excrements of the earth and found only in the most barren places therof as they can tel which have seen their mines What a base matter is this then for a man to tie his love unto God commanded in the old law that whatsoever did go with his breast upon the ground should be unto us in abhomination How much more then a reasonable man that hath glewed his hart soul unto a peece of earth We came in naked unto this world and naked we must go foorth again saith Iob. The mil-wheel stirreth much about and beateth it selfe from day to day and yet at the yeers end it is in the same place as it was in the beginning so rich men let them toil and labor what they can yet at their death must they be as poore as at the first day wherin they were born When the rich man dieth saith Iob he shal take nothing with him but shal close up his eies and find nothing Povertie shal lay hands upon him and a tempest shal oppresse him in the night a burning wind shal take him away and a whirl wind shal snatch him from his place it shal rush upon him and shal not spare him it shal bind his hands upon him and shal hisse over him For that it seeth his place whither he must go 24 The prophet David in like wise forewarneth us of the same in these words Be not afraid when thou seest a man made rich and the glorie of his house multiplied For when he dieth he shal take nothing with him nor shal his glorie descend to the place whither he goeth he shal passe into the progenies of his ancestors that is he shal go to the place where they are who hath lived as he hath don and world without end he shal see no more light 25 Al this and much more is spoken by the holie Ghost to signifie the dangerous vanitie of worldly wealth and the folly of those men who labor so much to procure the same with the eternal peril of their souls as the scripture assureth us If so manie physicians as I have heer alledged scriptures should agree togither that such or such meats were venomous perilsom I think few would give the adventure to eat them though otherwise in tast they appeered sweet and pleasant How then commeth it to passe that so many earnest admonitions of God himselfe cannot stay us from the love of this dangerous vanitie Nolite cor apponere saith God by the prophet that is Lay not your hart unto the love of riches Qui diligit aurum non iustificabitur saith the wise man He that loveth gold shal never be iustified I am angrie greatly upon rich nations saith God by Zacharie Christ saith Amen dico vobis quia dives difficile intrabit in regnum caelorum Truly I say unto you that a rich man shal hardly get into the kingdom of heaven And again Wo be to you rich men for that you have received your consolation in this life Finally Saint Paul saith generally of al and to al They which wil be rich do fal into temptation and into the snare of the divel and into manie unprofitable and hurtful desires which do drown men in destruction and perdition 26 Can any thing in the world be spoken more effectually to dissuade from the love of riches than this Must not heer now the covetous men either denie God or cōdemn themselves in their own consciences Let them go and excuse themselves by the pretence of wife and children as they are woont saieng They mean nothing els but to provide for their sufficiencie Doth Christ or Saint Paul admit this excusation Ought we so much to love wife or children or other kindred as to endanger our souls for the same What comfort may it be to an afflicted father in hel to remember that by his means his wife and children do live wealthily in earth Al this is vanitie deer brother and meer deceit of our spiritual enimie For within one moment after we are dead we shal care no more for wife children father mother or brother in this matter than we shal for a meer stranger and one penie given in alms while we lived for Gods sake shal comfort us more at that day than thousands of pounds bestowed upon our kin for the natural love we bare unto our own flesh and blood the which I would to Christ worldlie men did consider And then no dowt they would never take such care for kindred as they do especially upon their death-beds whence presently they are to depart to that place where flesh and blood holdeth no more privilege nor riches have any power to deliver but only such as were wel bestowed in the service of God or given to the poore for his names sake And this shal be sufficient for this point of riches 27 The third branch of worldly vanities is called by
gall and their clusters of grapes are most bitter their wine is the gall of dragons and the poison of cotatrices uncurable By which dreadful and lothsome comparisons he would give us to understand that the sweet pleasures of this world are indeed deceits and wil proove themselves one day most bitter and dangerous 44 The fourth point that we have to consider is how this word aerumna that is miserie and calamitie may be verified of the world and the felicitie therof Which thing though it may appeer sufficiently by that which hath been said before yet wil I for promise sake discusse it a little further in this place by some particulars And among many miseries which I might heer recount the first and one of the greatest is the brevitie and uncertaintie of al worldly prosperitie Oh how great a miserie is this unto a worldly man that would have his pleasures constant and perpetual O death how bitter is thy remembrance saith the wise man unto a man that hath peace in his riches We have seen many men advanced not endured two moneths in their prosperitie we have heard of divers married in great joy and have not lived six daies in their felicitie we have read of strange matters in this kind and we see with our eies no few examples daily What a greefe was it think you to Alexander the great that having subdued in twelve yeers the most part of al the world should be then inforced to die when he was most desirous to live and when he was to take most joy and comfort of his victories What a sorrow was it to the rich man in the Gospel to hear upon the sudden Hac nocte Even this night thou must die What a miserie wil this be to many worldlings when it commeth Who now build pallaces purchase lands heap up riches procure dignities make marriages join kindreds as though there were never an end of these matters What a doleful day wil this be to them I say when they must forgo al these things which they so much love When they must be turned off as princes mules are woont to be at the journeis end that is their treasure taken from them and their gauld backs only left unto themselves For as we see these mules of princes go al the day long loden with treasure and covered with fair cloths but at night shaken off into a sorrie stable much brused gauled with the carriage of those treasures so rich men that passe through this world loden with gold and silver and do gaul greatly their souls in cariage therof are despoiled of their burden at the day of death and are turned off with their wounded consciences to the lothsome stable of hel and damnation 45 Another miserie joined to the prosperitie of this world is the greevous counterpeaze of discontentments that everie worldly pleasure hath with it Run over everie pleasure in this life and see what sawce it hath adjoined Aske them that have had most proofe therof whether they remain contented or no The possession of riches is accompanied with so many fears and cares as hath been shewed the advancement of honors is subject to al miserable servitude that may be devised the plesure of the flesh though it be lawful and honest yet is it called by Saint Paul Tribulation of the flesh but if it be with sin ten thousand times more is it environed with al kind of miseries 46 Who can reckon up the calamities of our bodie So manie diseases so manie infirmities so many mischances so manie dangers Who can tel the passions of our mind that do afflict us now with anger now with sorow now with envie now with furie Who can recount the adversities and miseries that come by our goods Who can nūber the hurts and discontentations that daily insu upon us from our neighbors One calleth us into law for our goods another pursueth us for our life a third by slander impugneth our good name one afflicteth us by hatred another by envie another by flatterie another by deceit another by revenge another by false witnes another by open arms There are not so manie dais nor hours in our lives as there are miseries and contrarieties in the same And further than this the evil hath this prerogative above the good in our life that one defect only overwhelmeth and drowneth a great number of good things togither as if a man had al the felicities heaped togither which this world could yeeld and yet had but one tooth out of tune al the other pleasures would not make him merrie Heerof you have a cleere example in Aman cheefe counceller of king Assuerus who for that Mardocheus the Iew did not rise to him when he went by nor did honor him as other men did he said to his wife frinds that al his other felicities were nothing in respect of this one affliction 47 Ad now to this miserie of darknes and blindnes wherin worldly men live as in part I have touched before most fitly prefigured by the palpable darknes of Egypt wherin no man could see his neighbor no man could see his work no man could see his way such is the darknes wherin worldly men walk They have eies but they see not saith Christ that is though they have eies to see the matters of this world yet they are blind for that they see not the things they should see indeed The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light But that is only in matters of this world in matters of darknes not in matters of light wherof they are no children For that the carnal man understandeth not the things which are of God Walk over the world and you shal find men as sharp eied as egles in things of the earth but the same men as blind as beetles in matters of heaven Therof ensu those lamentable effects that we see daily of mans laws so carefully respected and Gods commandements so contemptuously rejected of earthly goods sought for and heavenly goods not thought upon of so much travel taken for the bodie and so little care used for the soul. Finally if you wil see in what great blindnes the world doth live remember that Saint Paul comming from a worlding to be a good Christian had scales taken from his eies by Ananias which covered his sight before when he was in his pride and ruff of the world 48 Beside al these miseries there is yet another miserie greater in some respect than the former that is the infinit number of temptations of snares of intisements in the world wherby men are drawn to perdition daily Athanasius writeth of Saint Anthonie the hermite that God revealed unto him one day the state of the world and he saw it al hanged ful of nets in every corner and divels sitting
habentes bonam That is Do you sanctifie the Lord Iesus Christ in your harts having a good conscience with modestie and fear So that the spirit of servile fear which is grounded only upon respect of punishment is forbidden us but the loving fear of children is commanded And yet also about this are there two things to be noted 27 The first that albeit the spirit of servile fear be forbidden us especially when we are now entred into the service of God yet is it most profitable for sinners and such as yet but begin to serve God for that it mooveth them to repentance and to looke about them for which cause it is called by the wise man The beginning of wisdome And therfore both Ionas to the Ninivites and S. Iohn Baptist to the Iews and al the prophets to sinners have used to stir up this fear by threatening the dangers punishments which were imminent to them if they repented not But yet afterward when men are converted to God and do go forward in his service they change every day this servile fear into love until they arrive at last unto that state wherof Saint Iohn saith That perfect love or charitie expelleth fear Wherupon S. Austen saith that Fear is the servant sent before to prepare place in our harts for his mistresse which is charitie who being once entered in and perfectly placed fear goeth out again and giveth place unto the same But where this fear never entereth at al there is it impossible for charitie ever to come and dwel saith this holie father 28 The second thing to be noted is that albeit this fear of punishment be not in very perfect men or at lestwise is lesse in them than in others as Saint Iohn teacheth yet being joined with love and reverence as it ought to be it is most profitable and necessarie for al common Christians whose life is not so perfect nor charitie so great as that perfection wherof Saint Iohn speaketh This appeereth by that that Christ persuaded also this fear even unto his apostles saieng Fear you him which after he hath slain the bodie hath power also to send both bodie and soul unto hel fire this I say unto you fear him The same doth Saint Paul to the Corinthians who were good Christians laieng down first the justice of God and therupon persuading them to fear Al we saith he must be presented before the tribunal seat of Christ to receive ech man his proper deserts according as he hath done good or evil in this life And for that we know this we do persuade the fear of the Lord unto men Nay that which is more Saint Paul testifieth that notwithstanding al his favors received from God he retained yet himselfe this fear of Gods justice as appeereth by those words of his I do chastise my body and do bring it into servitude least it should come to passe that when I have preached to other I become a reprobate my selfe 29 Now my frind if Saint Paul stood in aw of the justice of God notwithstanding his apostleship and that he was guiltie to himselfe of no one sin or offence as in one case he protesteth what oughtest thou to be whose conscience remaineth guiltie of so many misdeeds and wickednes This know you saith Saint Paul that no fornicator unclean person covetous man or the like can have inheritance in the kingdome of Christ. And immediately after as though this had not been sufficient he addeth for preventing the folly of sinners which flatter themselves Let no man deceive you with vain words for the wrath of God commeth for these things upon the children of unbeleefe Be not you therfore partakers of them As if he should say those that flatter you and say Tush God is merciful and wil pardon easily al these and like sins these men deceive you saith Saint Paul for that the wrath and vengeance of God lighteth upon the children of unbeleefe for these matters that is upon those which wil not beleeve Gods justice nor his threats against sin but presuming of his mercie do persevere in the same until upon the sudden Gods wrath do rush upon them and then it is too late to amend Wherfore saith he if you be wise be not partakers of their folly but amend your lives presently while you have time And this admonition of Saint Paul shal be sufficient to end this chapter against al those that refuse or defer their resolution of amendement vpon vain hope of Gods pardon or tolleration CHAP. V. Of the fift impediment which is delay of resolution from time to time upon hope to do it better or with more ease afterward THE reasons hitherto alledged might seeme I think sufficient to a reasonable man for prooving the necessitie of this resolution we talk of for remooving the impediments that let the same But yet for that as the wise man saith he which is minded to break with his frind seeketh occasions how to do it with some colour and shew There be many in the world who having no other excuse of their breaking and holding off from God do seek to cover it with this pretence that they mean by his grace to amend al in time and this time is driven off from day to day until God in whose hands only the moments of time are do shut them out of al time do send them to pains eternal without time for that they abused the singular benefit of time in this world 2 This is one of the greatest and most dangerous deceits and yet the most ordinarie and universal that the enimie of mankind doth use towards the children of Adam and I dare say boldly that mo do perish by this deceit than by al his other guiles and subtilties besides He wel knoweth the force of this snare above al others therfore urgeth it so much unto every man He considereth better than we do the importance of delay in a matter so weightie as is our conversion salvation he is not ignorant how one sin draweth on another how he that is not fit to day wil be lesse fit to morrow how custom groweth into nature how old diseases are hardly cured how God withdraweth his grace how his justice is readie to punish everie sin how by delay we exasperate the same and heap vengeance on our own heads as Saint Paul saith He is privie to the uncertaintie and perils of our life to the dangerous chances we passe through to the impediments that wil come daily more and more to let our conversion Al this he knoweth and wel considereth and for that cause persuadeth so manie to delay as he doth For being not able any longer to blind the understanding of manie Christians but that they must needs see cleerly the necessitie and utilitie of this resolution and that al the impediments in the world are but trifles and meer
that they may find it sufficiently witnessed by such things as are in credit with them Antiquitie and Vniversalitie Fathers and Councels the harder dealing that it is stil notwithstanding to resist this resurrection of Christ in the Gospel restored unto us so plentifully as it is confirmed the more is it to be wished that our unbeleeving Thomasses also would in some good time take up and at length acknowledge their former unbeleefe glorifie God in this day of his gratious visitation Which if they do not but notwithstanding al the callings of God stil persist in their own stubbornes against the word or but in their light aestimation of it though therin they may so content their own pleasure yet the issu of it being better considered what good things they leese and what il they get both in this world now and after in the world to come it wil be no hard matter to finde that the pleasure they have now therof wil not countervail their losse in the end For if we go no further but onlie to this that therby they hinder themselves of much good knowledge of a very comfortable freedom of spirit to serve the Lord which as yet they never had and now by the Gospel is offered unto them what benefit is there in al the way that they have chosen to recompense their losses only in these When light and grace in so special maner is offered unto us the goodnes of God doth not only therin tender it selfe to serve our turn but giveth us also to understand that we stand in special need therof though our selves do not see it And then what follie is it to remain in darknes when we may have light in the bondage of sin when we are offered to be inlarged and set at libertie What oversight likewise so much to dwel in the opinion of our own sufficiencie for those matters that we espie not our selves to want those needful graces when from the Lord himselfe we are so plainly told that we do To want these things is a greater losse than to want whatsoever is in the world besides but not to take them when they are offered and so to want them in the midst of plentie is not only a bare losse in it selfe but such as calleth for of others a just reproch and nourisheth up in their own harts a gnawing worm that when once hir teeth are grown wil give them no rest but vex them stil with irksom thoughts for that having had so manie and so fair opportunities yet notwithstanding have missed them al. Where these things want how is it possible that GOD should be glorified And then to what purpose is it they live Nay how can it in any wise be avoided but that God must be very much dishonored and very highly offended by such And then how much better had it been for them never to have lived at al Is it so easily granted of al that to be cast into a dungeon and there to be in continual darknes in filthie corners with noisom vermin or to be in greevous thraldom by captivitie or bondage under cruel violent tyrants is indeed a very greevous and miserable estate and yet can it be so hardly beleeved of these that to abide stil in their palpable darknes when now they may have light inough and to remain in the filth and slaverie of sin from which they may in like sort be delivered is not so lothsom and greevous as it Are the senses of the outward man so quik in the one and doth the inward so little perceive the like in the other Whether they perceive it or not it must notwithstanding needs be tru that whersoever such graces of God are so little regarded there are they for the most part withheld from those despisers and where they are withheld or kept bak from them there is nothing clean or sound but altogither polluted and il in the sight of God and man So do they misse of that which would have made them verie good instruments in the church of God to the glorie of God to the aedifieng of others in the way of godlines to their own aeternal comfort and they procure by the judgments of God to be given over to a reprobate sense for so little regarding their visitation and therby to become in the end altogither closed up in their ignorance and indurate in sin or powred foorth to al naughtines and that with greedines and without any feeling In the world to come what immeasurable glorie and joy they misse what confusion and torments they fal into it is not for any toong to expresse nor hart to conceive And the woonted judgements of God do plainly declare that in this life he giveth some tast of his wrath in the world to come The unthankful Iewes that long before had been the people of God were notwithstanding at length cast off and utterly given over as to great loosenes so likewise to the depth of distresse bicause they had so little regard to the word of life that was offered unto them As also the whole world before was by a strange and mightie judgement utterly consumed man woman and child rich and poore bond and free eight persons only excepted for that they harkened not unto Noah that called them to repentance again Of which sort sith many others might be alledged this matter is so abundantly witnessed unto us that no man may dowt but to see it once performed indeed that it shal be easier for Sodom and Gomor in the day of judgement than for those that so plainly refuse the word of life offered unto them And it is no marvel though being so patient in other things yet notwithstanding he cannot but punish this in the children of unbeleefe in most sharp and rigorous maner The greatest kindnes that ever he shewed to the children of men bestowing on them his only son to be so lightly esteemed as it is and to be had in so great contempt as it is with many how can it but boade some marvelous judgement that is to come upon the offenders and such severitie as in proportion may somthing answer so great iniquitie 20 But thou O Lord most merciful father art he alone that is able to help in this distresse As for us we have eies and see not we are chained up in the snares of death and cannot get out and being as we are but flesh blood we are not able to understand those things that do appertain to the kingdome of God We are in much like case as Adam our progenitor was when as yet but his bodie onlie was made and had not yet a living soul breathed into him at which time though he had eies yet was he not able by them to see though he had eares yet was he not able with them to hear though he had an hart yet was he not able by it to understand and though
he had al other parts of his bodie yet had he not the use of one of them al bicause that yet he wanted that living soul that could rightly use them Or in much like case as Lazarus was the fourth day dead laid in his grave chained up fast in the power of death having no abilitie at al to come forth or to help out himselfe until he was called forth by the word of thy power and withal had power given him to come Or as Nicodemus not yet regenerate or born again who though otherwise he were learned and wise yet did he not see any thing at al such things as belong unto thy kingdome neither yet was able until he was born again from above But as we are in truth thus far to acknowledge the want that is in us and to take the confusion therof to our selves as the proper and only portion that is du unto us so do we again to our comfort remember that thou art able to make our blinde eies to see to give us power to come forth unto thee and to make us able to understand whatsoever belongeth to our peace And this do we finde not only in thy holie word but also in thy mightie works finding it plain by long experience that thou often hast wrought and daily dost work such things as these where it pleaseth thee When as therby it cōmeth to passe that ever thou hast had hast at this praesent and ever shalt have a seed of those that glorifie thee and in some measure study to advance thy honor on earth First therfore giving unto thee al possible thanks for al those thy servants whom thou hast lightened with the knowledge of thy truth and brought into the way of life which either have been heertofore and now are past their pilgrimage heer and triumphing with thee in the heavens or else do live at this praesent whersoever they are in al the world desiring also to be with thee and to see the glorie of thy kingdome we most humbly beseech thee to gather togither to that assemblie al those thy servants that yet are to come in and wander as yet in their own natural blindnes until it please thee to visit them with thy grace from above O most gratious and merciful father hold on that course with the children of the new Adam now that thou didst with the first Adam before As thou hast given them eies harts and al other parts of the outward man in that they are born the natural children of men so we beseech thee to breath into them the living spirit that so their eies indeed may see and their harts understand not only the things of this world but also whatsoever is expedient for them to know belonging to the world to come and that al the powers both of their bodies and soules togither may in some good measure serve to such use as is seemly and meete for those that do appertain unto thee whom by adoption thou hast vouchsafed to make thy children And thou aeternal and everlasting son of the father who by the word of thy power quickenest whomsoever thou wilt al those which thy heavenly father hath given thee and never sufferest one of those to miscarrie we beseech thee to loase al those that are thine from the snares of sin and power of sathan that they may effectually hear thy voice be therwithal so quikned by thee that being set at libertie from the snares they were in and lieng bound in the grave no longer they come foorth at thy cal and do the service Thou also most glorious and mightie spirit the fountain of al our regeneration by whom unles we be born again we can never see the kingdome of God and by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption so many as are by aeternal election therunto ordeined we humbly beseech thee that as thou knowest who they are that are thine and in what time they are to be called so it would please thee so to work in them by thy power as that whosoever are yet but the natural children of Adam decaied and yet in the secret purpose of the Godhead do appertain to the kingdome of God may when the time of their refreshing doth come be so renued framed by thee that they also may plainly understand the doctrine thou teachest professe the same and frame their lives in some good measure agreeable to it and therin to their comfort finde that they also are sealed to aeternal life O blessed Trinitie it is not in us to reform our selves For both the enimie is stronger than we and stil detaineth us under his power and we likewise have no desire to be freed from him and besides that have a natural loathing of the way of life But unto thee O Lord it belongeth and to thee alone Thou art able both to deliver us from the bondage that we are in and to make us both to covet and to love to come to the freedome of thy children to spend the rest of our daies therin We pray not in this respect for the world though otherwise we beseech thee stil to continu thy wonted goodnes to it likewise to al the children of men but as thou hast more specially ordeined those whom thou hast chosen out of the world to be a peculiar people to thee to have now the knowledge and fear of thee and after to see thy glorie in heaven so we humbly desire that now thou wilt so effectually cal them in thy good time and sanctifie them heer in this life that after by the course that thou hast ordeined they may likewise come to life everlasting Seeing that the son is to be had in honor of al and it is not wel with the members until they be joined unto their head in both these respects we beseech thee make haste to unite them togither that the son may have to sanctifie him and to speak of his holy name and that his members heer on earth may so far injoy the peace and comfort that in him thou hast provided for them Grant this we beseech thee most merciful father thorough Iesus Christ thy son our Lord to whom with thee and the holie Ghost as of right appertaineth be ascribed al power thanks and glorie for ever and ever Amen FINIS Of the Author By what occasion he wrote His intent and purpose Of the booke it selfe In what maner it came foorth at the first What is don to it since First in the substance which is approoved Then in the form or maner of it which is amended The first part The second part The end of this bóoke Two parts of this booke The necessitie of resolution Acts. 7. Apoc. 3. Rom. 1. An advertisement The divels argument Wilful ignorance increaseth sin Psal. 35. Ose. 4. Iob. 21. See S. Austen of this sin De gra lib. arb chap. 3. S. Chrisostom hom 26. in epist. ad
Psal. 33. Luc. 21. Psal. 4. The force of fear Ioh. 5. Mat. 3. Mar. 1. Luc. 3. 2. Cor. 5. In serm de primordijs Prou. 9. Eccl. 7. Gods maiestie Psal. 71. Deu. 10. Psal. 4. Psal. 93. Iere. 5. Gods mercie Psal. 84. Esai 13. Psal. 7. Gods patience Rom. 2. Esai 27. Iere. 16. Gen. 15. Apoc. 21. Psal. 36. Ezec. 7. Of pains in particular Heb. 10. Of the name of hel in divers toongs Esa. 5. 38. Mala. 4. * * The matter in hand is not by this place substantially prooved Esai 14. Mat. 14. Apo. 14. Apo. 11. Mat. 11. In com supra verba vivelatenter 2. Pet. 4. Iob. 10. Mat. 22. and 25. 2. Pet. 4. Iob. 10. Matt. 5.10.18.23 Mark 9. Luc. 12. The valley Hinnom The pains of hel universal 1. Cor. 2. Exo. 33. Peculiar torments to every part The pains of hel exercised for torment not for chastisement Apo. 20. 14. Apo. 18. Luc. 16. The fearce nature of the fire of hel Mat. 8.13.22.24 Luc. 13. * * Gnashing and chattering of the teeth are not al one and proceed of divers causes Apo. 21. Psal. 35. Particular pains for particular offenders Esai 17. Esai 28. Ierem. 2. Apo. 20. Ps. 27.98 Eze. 24. Osee. 12. Zach. 1. Apo. 18. Li. de veri Pan. ca. 2. Iob. 20. A marvelous description used by the scripture The straitnes of pains in hel Mat. 22. Mat. 25. Luc. 16. The wonderful example of the rich glutton Apo. 16. Eze. 23. Apo. 13. Luc. 3. The eternity of the pains Apo. 21. A wonderful saieng Darknes in hel Mat. 8.22 Derision Psal. 36. Pains of damnage which the damned suffer Esai 26. The worm of conscience Mar. 9. Esai 66. Eccle. 7· Iudit 6. The cogitations of the damned Sap. 5. Luc. 16. God the best pay maister Mat. 10. Mark 9. Gen. 22. 2. Reg. 7. Psal. 88. Mat. 20. Apo. 22. Luc. 14. Mat. 25. 2. Tim. 4. 2. Pet. 1. Luc. 14. 1. Cor. 2. Esai 64. Apoc. 2.20 Apo. 2. 3. Mat. 16. Luc. 10. Ap. 21. 22 The description of paradise Heb. 1. Mat. 13. The creation of Angels * * Great excellency of gifts may be ascribed unto them but not perfection Dan. 1. Psa. 113. The creation of the world to expresse the power of God * * We may not wel restrein the purpose of God only to this besides that it may be dowted likewise by what warrant that opinion doth stand Ester 1. Esai 25. Luc. 12. The pleasures and commodities of this life Apo. 19. In soliloquijs animae ad Deum Apo. 19. Psal 30. How much God honoreth man 1. Reg. 2. Psa. 138. Luc. 12. Mat. 19. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 6. Mat. 10. Gen. 12.14.20 Exod. 5.6.7.8 Iosu. 10. Esai 38. 3. Re. 17. 4. Reg. 5. 4. Re. 13. Acts. 5. Acts. 19. Act. 5. Iohn 18. 2. Tim. 4. Apoc. 4. The three places wherto a man is appointed * * It is rather a conjecture thā grounded upon any sufficient warrant to set down so just a proportion herin Two parts of felicitie in heaven That which concerneth the bodie 1. Cor. 15. Sap. 9. Eph. 4. Mat. 15. Cap. 57. Psal. 35. Sap. 5. That which concerneth the soul. Aug. 1. de Tri. ca. 13. Iohn 17. 1. Cor. 13. Hug. lib. 4. de anima cap. 15. Knowledge Psal. 35. Love The greatnes of ioy in heaven Mat. 25. Psal. 83. Tra. 4. in ep Ioh. Mat. 5. 1. Cor. 3. Aug. c. 36. soliloq 1. Cor. 13. Psal. 4. Gen. 15. Iohn 17. Cae. 35. soli loquiorum Phil. 4. Esai 51. Esai 35. Psa. 103. Psal. 20. A comfortable consideration Luc. 21. Eph. 1. Colos. 1. 1. The. 1. Esai 6. Luc. 15. * * This must needs be warily taken otherwise with the comfort that is sought therby there may be danger of error also The ioy of securitie Ios. 21.22 Gen. 3. Sap. 17. 1. Cor. 9. Ierom ep 22. ad Eust. Apo. 19. Mat. 2. Luc. 1. Serm. 37. de sanctis Meeting with our frinds in heaven * * There be divers of this mind but seeing that the knowledge of father mother such like is earthlie knowlege al earthly knowledge shal then be abolished I see not how it may be warranted that we shal then have remēbrance or knowledge of any such saving only as they are members of one bodie and not as our father kinsman or frind a a Cyp. lib. de mortalitate b b 2. Tim. 4. Apoc. 2.3.4 Lib. de mortalitate A comparison The great account that saints made of heaven Heb. 12. Mat. 13. Phil. 3. Ierom in catalogo Ser. 31. de sanctis 1. Cor. 1. 2. and 3. Psal. 4. Wherto a Christian is born by baptism Gal. 3. 4. Eph. 1. 5. Colos. 3. Titus 3. Rom. 8. Iaco. 2. Heb. 19. 1. Pe. 1.3 2. Pet. 3. Apo. 1. Mat. 19. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 6. Ap. 1. 4. Luc. 12. Apo. 3. Exod. 5. Iere. 2. Apo. 21. The vanitie of worldly men Luc. 6. Luc. 12. Mat. 26. 1. Cor. 2. Ep. Iud. A similitude 1. Cor. 2. 2. Co. 12. 1. Cor. 6. Phil. 3. 2. Ti. 2.1 Titus 6. Heb. 12. Mat. 7.19.25 Rom. 8. Mat. 11. Mat. 7. and 19. Iohn 14. Luc. 14. A saieng to be remembred Ep. Iud. Rom. 1. Pro. 18. and 20. Psa. 140. Tob. 12. Pro. 29. Lib. de compunct cordis Hom. 16. ex So. Rom. 8. 2. Pet. 2. Luc. 16. The way of vertu is not hard Mat. 12. 1. Ioh. 5. The cause of pretended difficultie Ibidem 2. Cor. 12. 4. Reg. 6. The force of grace for the easing of vertuous life Rom. 8. Phil. 4. Psa. 118. Psa. 118. Psal. 18. Ioh. 10. Rom. 5. Heb. 6. Mat. 1. Esai 40. Esai 11. vide Ier. ibid. Amb. lib. 1. de sp 5. c. 20. Mat. 5. Luc. 6. Acts. 4. 2. Cor. 4. Esai 10. Of the force of grace Eze. 11. and 36. Rom. 6. So prooveth S. Aust. li. 2. de pecca merit cap. 6. Esai 41. A similitude The use of passions moderated * * A special point to be considered for the rectifieng of one point of philosophie which is that the soul doth follow the temperature of the bodie And this do they hold for that by experience it is commonly seen that the disposition of men is such as the nature of their complexion doth seem to import For cōmonly those that are sanguine are pleasant those that are flegmatik slow those that are cholerik earnest and those that are melancholie solitarie and such like And yet the truth is that the soul doth not follow but rather doth use such temperature as the bodie hath that very wel and to good use if the soul be good but otherwise abuseth it il For the complexions are indifferent neither good nor il of themselves but as they are used But bicause that most mens souls are il as we are al by original corruption therfore do most men abuse their complexions to il as bloud to wantonnes fleam to slought choler to anger and melancholie
to secret practises of deceit or naughtines Wheras notwithstanding those souls that are good do use them wel as blood to be valiant and cheerful in goodnes fleam to moderate their affections with sobrietie choler to be earnest in the glorie of God and melancholie to studie and contemplation Which point notwithstanding might easily be pardoned to philosophers that hold many things els as wrong as it but that this one point of error with them is the cause of some others besides in weightie matter For out of this have som of our Divines taken their opinion that the fountain of sin is originally in the bodie and from it derived to the soul and were the rather induced to think that the blessed Virgin was hir self also conceived without sin for that otherwise they did not so plainly see how Christ taking flesh of hir should have the same in himselfe without stein of sin And of thēselves there be that have dowted of the immortalitie of the soul for that supposing the soul to hang upon the temperature of the bodie they did not see how it could be immortal when as the temperature and bodie it selfe are known to be mortal 2. Tim. 4. Prou. 26. Prou. 20. Prou. 24. Mat. 11. 1. Ioh. 5. Iohn 8. Rom. 7. Rom. 8. Ps. 26.27 Psal. 22. 1. Ioh. 5. An obiection answered Psal. 118. 1 We draw with Christ. * * The regenerate have an indevor framed in them by grace but otherwise the natural children of Adam have none such of thēselves but only to evil Mat. 11. 2 Love maketh the way pleasant The force of love Ser. 9. de verbis Domini The love of Christ to his saints and of his saints to him Euseb. li. 6. cap. 34. Ierom in catalogo Psa. 6. 18. Matt. 11. 1. Iohn 5. Tract 26. in Iohan. Iohn 14. Mark this observation * * But a little before he useth the plural number in that case also viz. Ioh. 14.15 Rom. 13. 1. Ioh. 5. 3 Peculiar light of understanding Prou. 9. Psal. 16. Psa. 118. Psal. 50. Iohn 1. 1. Ioh. 2. Ier. 31. Esai 54. Psa. 118. 1. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 2. Esai 65. Sap. 5. 4 Internal consolation Apoc. 2. Psal. 30. Psal. 67. Osee. 2. Ps. 35. 64. Mat. 17. Mark 9. Luc. 9. Psal. 35. Esai 29. A similitude Apoc. 3. Psa. 117. 2. Cor. 7. The way to come to spiritual consolation Psal. 67. Cant. 1. Esai 66. 1. Reg. 5. Ioh. 8.14.15.16 1. Ioh. 2. Exo. 16. Exod. 2. Luc. 15. Beginners cheefly cherished with spiritual consolation Exo. 13. Mat. 11. 5 The quiet of conscience 2. Cor. 1. Pro. 15. Gen. 4. 1. Mac. 6. Matt. 27. Acts. 1. Mark 9. Sap. 7. Iob. 15. The trouble of an evil conscience Hom. 8. ad Pop. Antiocheman Prou. 28. Prou. 28. 6 The hope of vertous men Iacob 1. Rom. 5. Heb. 6. Eph. 6. 1. The. 1. Psal. 55. Iob. 13. Psal. 1. Pro. 10. Pro. 11. Iob. 11. Iere. 17. Esai 28. Sap. 5. Isai. 30. and 36. Ier. 17 48. Pro. 10 Iob. 8. Matt. 7. Wicked men cannot hope in God Iaco. 2. Matt. 7. 1. Co. 13. and 15. Rom. 1. Gal. 3. Eph. 2. 1. Ioh. 3. 1. Tim. 1. Saint Austen lib. de doct Chr. cap. 37. Saint Austen in prefat Psa. 31. 7 Libertie of the soul. Iohn 8. 2. Cor. 3. An example to expresse the bondage of wicked men to their sensualitie The miserie of a man ruled by sensualitie 2. Re. 11. Iud. 14. 3. Re. 11. An ambitious man A covetous man Iohn 8. Rom. 6. 2. Pet. 2. Eze. 34. Psal. 90. Rom. 6. Peace of mind Psal. 75. 〈…〉 Esa. 48.57 Psal. 13. Rom. 11. Esai 57. Iaco. 3. Two causes of disquietnes in wicked men Pro. 30. Gen. 11. Psal. 54. Phil. 4. Io. 14.17 Mat. 10. Expectation of reward An example Gen. 40.41.43 Pro. 12. a a Mat. 11. * * The soūdlier that the Gospel is any where received the mo examples of sound conuersion are there to be found and yet on the other side it is not to be denied but that a kind of remorse and sorrowing especially for the external or grosser offences is oft to be found not only amōg counterfet Christians but among the heathē also Psa. 106. Gosr. in vita Bern. Lib. ep 1. Lib. 6. conf cap. 12. Lib. 8. conf Psal. 34. Psa. 115. Resistance at the beginning Cyp. li. 1. ca. 1 Aug. lib. 1. doct c. 23. Greg. l. Mor. 4. c. 24. li. 30. cap. 18. Bar. in ps 90 Cir. li. de ora Or. hom 3. in Ex. Leu. 11. Iosue Hi. in ps 118 Eccl. 2. Mark 9. Gen. 31. * * He was very greevous unto him before but he did not follow after him in hostile maner til he departed from him Exod. 5. The conversion of S. Aust. * * Yet some points of the storie at large are such as that a man may aswel dowt the readines of satan to illude deceive as behold to our cōfort the goodnes of God in his conversion Lib. 8. confes cap. 1. 2. * * This kind of monastical or private life was very ancient such as the time and estate of the church required then but that which after in place therof sprang up among us was of later time and being at the first far unlike to the other the longer it stood did notwithstanding stil degenerate more more til at the length it grew intollerable Cap. 7. Cap. 8. Mark this gentle reader Cap. 10. Lib. 8. c. 12. S. Austens final conversion by a voice from heaven S. Anthonies conversion Athanasius in vita Anthonij Mat. 19. * * In such things as are peculiar or proper to som as this was there can be no general rule drawn unto others that can stand by undowted warrant without some special calling besides and so may it wel be dowted whether S. Anthonie had on that place sufficient ground-work of those his doings unlesse he had som special motion besides It was otherwise with Saint Augustine whose conversion was not but to such things as we are al bounden unto and upon such a place as speaketh to al. Rom. 13. Rom. 14. Hir name was Monica a very holy woman as he sheweth li. 9. ca. 9.10.11.12.13 * * Which was but a more careful endevor in the way of godlines such as was not used of the common sort And so is this example of his no patronage to any of our latter monasteries or rules that were laden with loosenes and superstition which notwithstanding som would gladly defend by this rule of his Lib. 9. c. 1. Annotations upon this conversion Those that are to be best men have greatest conflict in their conversion Acts. 9. Lib. 6. c. 6. 15. Lib. 9. c. 6. * * When the people of God did sing their psalms of thanksgiving and praises to God S. Austens diligence in trieng out his vocation Apoc. 3. Lib. 9. c. 2. Violence to be used at the beginning of our conversion Barn in verba evangelij Ecce
life known to me Also when he said of himselfe Super senes intellexi I have understood more than old men And again in another place Incerta occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi Thou hast opened to me the unknown and hidden secrets of thy wisdome This is that light wherwith Saint Iohn saith that Christ lighteneth his servants as also that unction of the holie Ghost which the same Apostle teacheth to be given to the godlie to instruct them in al things behooveful for their salvation In like wise this is that writing of Gods law in mens harts which he promiseth by the prophet Ieremie as also the instruction of men immediately from God himselfe promised by the prophet Esay And finally this is that sovereign understanding in the law commandements and justifications of God which holy David so much desired so often demanded in that most divine psalm which beginneth Blessed are the unspotted in the way that is in this life 14 By this light of understanding and supernatural knowledge and feeling from the holie Ghost in spiritual things the vertuous are greatly holpen in the way of righteousnes for that they are made able to discern for their own direction in matters that occur according to the saieng of S. Paul Spiritualis omnia iudicat A spiritual man iudgeth of al things Animalis autem homo non percipit quae sunt spiritus Dei But the carnal man conceiveth not the things which appertain to the spirit of God Doth not this greatly discover the privilege of a vertuous life The joy comfort and consolation of the same with the exceeding great miserie of the contrarie part For if two should walk togither the one blind and the other of perfect sight which of them were like to be wearie first Whose journey were like to be more painful Doth not a little ground wearie out a blind man Consider then in how wearisom darknes the wicked do walk Consider whether they be blind or no. Saint Paul saith in the place before alledged that they cannot conceive any spiritual knowledge is not this a great darknes Again the prophet Esay describeth their state further when he saith in the person of the wicked We have groped like blind men after the wals have stumbled at midday even as if it had been in darknes And in another place the scripture describeth the same yet more effectuously with the painfulnes therof even from the mouths of the wicked themselves in these words The light of iustice hath not shined unto us and the sun of understanding hath not appeered unto our eies we are wearied out in the way of iniquitie and perdition c. This is the talk of sinners in hel By which words appeereth not only that wicked men do live in great darknes but also that this darknes is most painful unto them and consequently that the contrarie light is a great easement to the way of the vertuous 15 Another principal matter which maketh the way of vertu easie and pleasant to them that walk therin is a certain hidden and secret consolation which GOD powreth into the harts of them that serve him I cal it secret for that it is known but of such only as have felt it for which cause Christ himselfe calleth it Hidden manna known only to them that receive it And the prophet saith of it Great is the multitude of thy sweetnes O Lord which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee And again in another place Thou shalt lay aside O Lord a special chosen rain or dew for thine inheritance And another prophet saith in the person of God talking of the devout soul that serveth him I wil lead hir aside into a wildernes and there I wil talk unto hir 〈◊〉 By al which words of Wildernes separating choise and hidden is signified that this is a secret privilege bestowed only upon the vertuous and that the carnal harts of wicked men have no part or portion therin But now how great and inestimable the sweetnes of this heavenlie consolation is no tong of man can expresse but we may conjecture by these words of David who talking of this celestial wine attributeth to it such force as to make al those dronken that tast of the same that is to take from them al sense and feeling of terrestrial matters even as Saint Peter having droonk a little of it upon the mount Thabor forgat himselfe presently and talked as a man distracted of building tabernacles there and resting in that place for ever This is that Torrens voluptatis that sweet stream of pleasure as the prophet calleth it which comming from the mountains of heaven watereth by secret wais and passages the harts and spirits of the godlie maketh them droonken with the unspeakable joy which it bringeth with it This is a little tast in this life of the very joies of heaven bestowed upon good men to comfort them withal and to incourage them to go forward For as merchants desirous to sel their wares are content to let you see and handle and somtimes also to tast the same therby to induce you to buy so God almightie willing as it were to sel us the joies of heaven is content to impart a certain tast before hand to such as he seeth are willing to buy therby to make them come off roundly with the price and not to stik in paieng so much and more as he requireth This is that exceeding joy and jubile in the harts of just men which the prophet meaneth when he saith The voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the iust And again Blessed is that people that knoweth iubilation that is that hath experienced this extreme joy pleasure of internal consolation S. Paul had tasted it when he wrote these words amidst al his labors for Christ I am filled with consolation I overflow or exceedingly abound in al ioy amidst our tribulations What can be more effectually said or alledged to proove the service of God pleasant than this Surely good reader if thou haddest tasted once but one drop of this heavenly joy thou wouldest give the whole world to have another of the same or at the leastwise not to leese that one again 16 But thou wilt ask me Why thou being a Christian as wel as other hast yet never tasted of this consolation To which I answer that as it hath been shewed before this is not meat for every mouth but A chosen moisture laid aside for Gods inheritance only This is wine of Gods own seller laid up for his spouse As the Canticle declareth That is for the devout soul dedicated unto Gods service This is a teat of comfort only for the child to suk and fil himselfe withal as the prophet Esay testifieth The soul that is drowned in sin and pleasures of the
world cannot be partaker of this benefit neither the hart replenished with carnal cares and cogitations For as Gods Ark and the idol Dagon could not stand togither upon one altar so cannot Christ and the world stand togither in one hart God sent not the pleasant Manna unto the people of Israel as long as their flower chibals of Egypt lasted so neither wil he send this heavenly consolation unto thee until thou have rid thy selfe of the cogitations of vanitie He is a wise merchant though a liberal he wil not give a tast of his treasure where he knoweth there is no wil to buy Resolve thy selfe once indeed to serve God and thou shalt then feele this joy that I talk of as many thousands before thee have done and never yet any man was herein deceived Moises first ran out of Egypt to the hils of Madian before God appeered unto him and so must thy soul go out of worldly vanitie before she can look for these consolations But thou shalt no sooner offer thy selfe thoroughly to Gods service than thou shalt find intertainment above thy expectation For that his love is more tender indeed upon them that come newly to this service than upon those which have served him of old as he sheweth plainly by the parable of the prodigal son whom he cherished with much more daliance and good cheere than he did the elder brother which had served him of long time And the causes hereof are two the one for the joy of the new gotten servant as is expressed by Saint Luke in the text the other lest he finding no consolation at the beginning should turn bak to Egypt again as God by a figure in the children of Israel declareth manifestly in these words When Pharao had let go the people of Israel out of Egypt God brought them not by the country of the Philistines which was the neerest way thinking with himselfe that it might repent them if they should see wars streightway rise against them and so should return into Egypt again Vpon which two causes thou maist assure thy selfe of singular consolations and comforts in the service of God if thou wouldest resolve thy selfe therunto as al other men have found before thee and by reason therof have prooved the way not hard as worldly men imagin it but most easie pleasant and comfortable as Christ hath promised 17 After this privilege of internal consolation insueth another making the service of God pleasant which is the testimonie of a good conscience wherof Saint Paul made so great account as he called it His glorie And the holy Ghost saith of it further by the mouth of the wise man Secura mens quasi iuge convivium A secure mind or a good conscience is a perpetual feast Of which we may infer that the vertuous man having alwais this secure mind and peace of conscience liveth alwais in festival glory and glorious feasting And how then is this life hard or unpleasant as you imagin In the contrarie side the wicked man having his conscience vexed with the privitie of sin is alwaies tormented within it selfe as we read that Cain was having killed his brother Abel and Antiochus for his wickednes done to Ierusalem and Iudas for his treason against his maister and Christ signifieth it generally of al naughtie men when he saith that They have a worm which gnaweth their conscience within The reason wherof the scripture openeth in another place when it saith Al wickednes is ful of fear giving testimony of damnation against it self therfore a troubled conscience alway suspecteth cruel maters That is suspecteth cruel things to be imminent over it selfe as it maketh account to have deserved But yet further above al other holie Iob most lively setteth foorth this miserable state of wicked men in these words A wicked man is prooved al the dais of his life though the time be uncertain how long he shal play the tyrant the sound of terror is alwais in his eares and although it be in time of peace yet he alway suspecteth some treason against him he beleeveth not that he can rise again from darknes to light expecting on everie side the sword to come upon him When he sitteth down to eat he remembreth that the day of darknes is readie at hand for him tribulation terrifieth him and anguish environeth him even as a king is environed with soldiers when he goeth to war 18 Is not this a marvelous description of a wicked conscience uttered by the holie Ghost himselfe What can be imagined more miserable than this man which hath such a boucherie and slaughter house within his own hart What feares what anguishes are heer touched S. Chrysostom discourseth notably upon this point Such is the custom of sinners saith he that they suspect al things dowt their own shadowes they are afeard at every little noise they think every man that commeth towards them to come against them If men talk togither they think they speak of their sins Such a thing sin is as it bewraieth it self though no man accuse it it condemneth it selfe though no man bear witnes against it it maketh alwais the sinner fearful as justice doth the contrarie Heare how the scripture doth describe the sinners fear the just mans libertie The wicked man flieth though no man pursu him saith the scripture Why doth he flie if no man do pursu him For that he hath within his conscience an accuser pursuing him whom alwais he carrieth about him And as he cannot flie from himself so can he not fly from his accuser within his conscience but whersoever he goeth he is pursued whipped by the same and his wound incurable But the just man is nothing so The iust man saith Salomon is as confident as a lion Hitherto are the words of Saint Chrysostom 19 Wherby as also by the scriptures alledged we take notice yet of another prerogative of vertuous life which is hope or confidence the greatest treasure the richest jewel that Christian men have left thē in this life For by this we passe through al afflictions al tribulations adversities most joifully as S. Iames signifieth By this we say with Saint Paul We do glorie in our tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience proofe and proofe hope which confoundeth us not This is our most strong and mightie comfort this is our sure ankor in al tempestuous times as Saint Paul saith We have a most strong solace saith he which do flie unto the hope proposed to lay hands on the same which hope we hold as a sure and firm armor of our soul. This is that noble Galea salutis the head-peece of salvation as the same apostle calleth it which beareth off al the blowes that this world can lay upon us And finally this is the only rest set up in the hart of a vertuous