enter in with Iesus Christ and enioy all the blessings of his glory Chastice novve thy body vvith repentance that thou mayst then finde most firme assurance O howe happy prudent is that man who laboureth nowe to be such an one as hee will desire to be in that doubtfull and dreadful houre of death Therfore now contend with all thy might to bee such an one for thou knowest not when thou shalt die neither what wil happen vnto thee after death Doe not relie eyther vppon thy friendes or thy children for they will forgette thee sooner then thou thinkest and vnlesse now thou disposest of all thinges who can or will heereafter dispose of them for thee Be carefull and prouident for it is better to foresee and preuent that day with good preparation then to looke for helpe and ayde of another Therfore gather now immortall goods giue almes in thys life make those holy and blessed ones thy friends that when thou departest hence they may receaue thee into their euerlasting habitations For that glorious Doctour of the Church Saint Gregory saith that those things are with great diligence to be considered of and those works with many teares to bee meditated vppon which the Iudge of the world shall exact of vs when that houre of death shall come And Saint Bernard sayth O my soule what feare shal there be when all are sent away whose presence was pleasant vnto thee whose sight acceptable and whose neighbourhood so familiar and thou altogether alone enterest into that vnknowne region shalt see those vgly horible monsters flocking to meete thee Who wil succour thee in a day of so great necessitie Who shall defende thee from those roaring Lyons greedy of theyr pray who shal comfort thee who shal helpe thee who shal conduct thee But happie is that soule which confidentlie and boldly shall speake to her enemies in the gate vvhy standest thou heere thou cruel and bloody beast Thou shalt find nothing deadly in me which shal be entertayned of Angels defended from the rage violence of deuils and shal bee carried into the bosome of Abraham Of death and the way of sinners in an other place also thus speaketh S. Bernard The death of sinners is exceeding euil And heare why it is exceeding euil It is euil in the losse of the worlde vvorse in the seperation of the flesh but worst of al in the double torment of the vvorme and of fire But of al it is exceeding euil because the soule shal bee seperated from the Diuine aspect and with great confusion shal bee for euer depriued of the sight of God Consider my deare brother and marke that no man can eschew death neyther know the houre nor change the time appoynted of God But the death of the righteous is good for they rest from their labours better for the nouelty of the life but best of all for the assurance and security of eternity The seauenth Meditation for Sonday of the ioyes of the blessed in heauen and of the paynes of the damned in hell O Sinfull soule if these earthly thinges seeme vile vnto thee and of no price lift vp thine eyes and beholde heauenlie things consider with great diligence what thinges they be and how great which GOD hath prepared for the Elect. For they be such and so great that as Saint Paul sayth neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neyther hath entred into the hart of man Therefore wee must knowe that the delightes of a blessed lyfe are so many and so great that no Arithmetitian can number them no Geomater can measure thē neyther can any Grammarian Logitian or Rhetoritian expresse them eyther by wordes or reasons Seeing neither eye hath seene theyr greatnes nor eare hath heard of them neyther at any time haue they entered into mans heart There the Saints shall ioy beeing circled and compassed with glorie beholding the Diuine essence aboue them seeing the beauty of the heauens and of all creatures beneath them viewing in thēselues the dignity of their soules and glory of their bodies and to bee briefe hauing about them the societie and fellowshippe of all the Angells and blessed Spyrites Hence it is that Anselmus sayth that there are fourteene partes of that felicity vvhich all the Elect shall perfectlie haue vvhen that generall session is ended seauen of the body and as many of the soule the first of vvhich is beautie for in that lyfe the beautie of the righteous shall bee equall to the beautie of the Sunne vvhich shall bee seauen folde brighter then it novve is VVhere-vppon it is written That the iust shall shyne as the Sunne in the Kingdome of God The second shall bee theyr agilitie which shall bee like vnto that of Angells for they shall bee mooued from heauen to the earth and from the earth to heauen sooner then we can mooue one of our fingers vp and downe VVe may beholde an example of this velocitie in the beames of the Sunne vvhich at the Sunne rysing in the East are in a moment carryed to the VVest that thereby we may consider that it is not impossible which wee speake of this our future swiftnesse and celerity especially seeing that greater velocitie is wont to bee in all thinges liuing thē in those things that are liuelesse The third part of their beatitude is fortitude for whosoeuer shall be accounted woorthy to be numbred vvith the celestiall Cittizens shal excell in strength so that no man shal be able to resist them For theyr fortitude shall be as great as that of Angells with whom they liue in ioy for as theyr glory shall be a like so theyr other gyfts shall bee a like The fourth shall bee free and secure liberty for as nothing can hinder Angels so nothing shall hinder the Saints neyther shal any element whatsoeuer bee able to resist them The fift part of theyr beatitude is health which shall bee vvithout infirmitie Of thys health of the righteous vvhat can bee sayd better then that which the sweete Singer of Israel speaketh saying The health of the righteous is of the Lord. And to whom this sound and true health is giuen of the Lorde what infirmitie can any way touch them or come neere them The sixt gift of beatitude is an ineffable delight which shal make drunke the righteous shal fill them full and wholy replenish them with an vnspeakeable aboundance of inestimable ioy What said I shal fil them ful and wholy repleanish them yea theyr eyes nostrils ears mouth hands throat lunges marrow and theyr very entrailes and all and euey part and member of them shal be filled with such wonderfull sence and feeling of such exceeding incomparable pleasure delight that the whole man shal quaffe of the riuer of Gods pleasure and shall bee made drunke with the plentie of his house so that hee shall stande amazed and bee altogether astonished and those
maketh a man the child seruant of the deuil hence is that of Iohn He that committeth sin is of the deuill And our Lord saith in the Gospell Yee are of your father the deuill Therfore ô thou sinner howe vnhappy art thou that feelest so great losses and dammages take pitty therefore on thine owne soule and doe not burden and loade it with sinnes These things being thus remember ô man and acknovvledge these three mayne and huge mischiefes which sinne bringeth vnto thee that is the offending of God the reioycing of the deuill and infernall torments Consider furthermore the noblenes of thy soul and hovve daungerous thy wounds be which could not be healed but onely by the blood and woundes of the Sonne of God Vnlesse the wounds of thy soule had been euerlastingly mortall and deadly the Son of God had not died for them Therefore doe not sleightly prize or lightly weigh the concupiscences of thy soule which that same supreame Maiesty of God did so greatly and highly account of Hee aboundantly poured out teares for thee euery night wash thou thy bed with teares water thy couch with continuall contrition He shed his blood for thee shed also thine by the daily affliction of thine hart and continuall tribulation of thy spirit Doe not regard what thy body desireth but respect vvhat thy soule willeth for Saint Gregory sayth where the body liueth a while in delights there the soule is tortured with perpetuall torments And by how much the body is afflicted in this life by so much the spirit reioyceth in the other Therefore Saint Augustine admonisheth vs very well Let vs denie our owne vvills for Iesus Christ for they must once be forsaken neither doth it please God that for temporall things we should loose eternall blessings If thou wast permitted certayne yeares to liue in the delights of this flesh with this cōdition that afterwards thine eyes should be plucked out or that thou being depriued of all delicates shouldest most miserably perrish through hunger and thirst and wretchedly contend with famine affliction misery I perswade my self that thou wouldest neuer wish for such manner of delicats What I pray thee is this life In truth it is not the space of one moneth vvhat doe I say of a moneth Nay it is not the space of one houre not of a minute no not of a moment if it bee compared to that eternall beatitude or to those torments of hell vvhich haue none ende and lyke which none can bee thought of The third Meditation for Wednesday howe dangerous it is to deferre repentance OVR Redeemer inuiting vs all vnto repentance sayth If any man will follow mee let him forsake himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow mee for whosoeuer vvill saue his lyfe shall loose it It is necessary that all sinners doe take vp thys Crosse and carry it with perseuerance if they desire to raigne with Christ Iesus Wherefore Saint Hierome writing to Susanna saith that repentance ought to be equall or greater then the sinnes That repentance is necessary sayth hee which may either equalize the faults or exceede them And Saint Augustine saith Whosoeuer will be saued it is necesary that hee be washed at the least with the teares of the contrition of his hart being cleansed before by baptisme from all those blemishes and pollutions which sinne had spotted and soyled him withall But if thou shalt say that this is a hard saying and that thou canst not forsake the world nor hate thy flesh nor chastice thy body heare what is sayd not of mee but of Saint Hierome It is a difficult thing nay it is impossible that any one should enioy both present and future blessings that hee should fill his belly heere and his soule there that from delicacies he should passe vnto delightes that in both worlds he should be graced carry his head aloft and that hee should appeare glorious both in heauen in earth Which sentence Saint Gregory confirmeth Many saith he doe desire to flye out of the exile of this present life vnto celestiall ioy who in the meane time will not forsake the pleasures of this world The grace of Christ Iesus doth call them but the concupiscence of the world doth detaine thē They desire to dye the death of the righteous but they wil not liue as they doe such shall euerlastingly perrish because theyr works shal follow them The austerity of holy Iohn Baptists life sayth Saint Bernard is a hard sentence of death vnto sinners who when there arose not a greater then hee among those that are born of women did so chastice correct and afflict his most innocent body and yee hast to be clothed with silke fine linnen and purple and to fare deliciously O wicked man this is not the Kings high vvay vnto heauen Remember the rich glutton who vvas the Lorde of such great wealth who was cloathed in purple and fine linnen fared wel delicatly euery day who afterwards could not haue one smal drop of water to coole his tong beeing tormented in the midst of the flames of hel Cōsider this ô my frend repent whilst thou hast time Heare what Saint Gregory saith Although God promiseth pardō vnto the penitent yet he hath not promised to morrow vnto a sinner It is repentance to deplore sins past not to cōmit any hereafter Therfore it is very well sayde of S. Augustine Vaine is that repētance which the future fault doth pollute lamentations do nothing profit if sins be multiplied it nothing auaileth to craue pardon for euils if eftsoons thou renuest reiteratest thy follies We must note for the further manifestation of this matter that true repentance doth cōsist of three parts which are contrition of hart cōfession of mouth satisfaction of deed For we haue offended God three maner of vvayes by delight of thought by lapse of tong and by pride of works and these three are to be cured by three contrarie remedies delight of thought by the sorrow and contrition of hart the lapse of the tongue by the confession of the mouth and the pride of workes by vpright and vncorupted satisfaction Of these three parts therefore wee will speake and first of contrition which is a voluntary greefe taken for sinne committed with a purpose of confession satisfaction and heereafter not to sinne any more Contrition must haue foure degrees according to Bernard Furthermore know saith he that thou hast wholy recouered thy wits and sences if thou feelest thy conscience to be bitten with a fourefold compunction with a double shamfastnes and with a double feare Therfore in thy plangors and lamentations for thy selfe think of God thy maker think of thy father think of him who is bountiful gracious think of thy Lord and knowe that thou art guilty in each respect deplore and lament each offence thy feare doth make aunswer to the first and last thy
things that he shall enioy shal be so great that he cannot desire greater The seauenth parte shall bee length and perpetuitie of lyfe for whosoeuer he be that lyueth well now then hee shal lyue as long as God Wherevpon it is written by the Wiseman The righteous shall liue for euer and theyr rewarde is with the Lord. Moreouer the soule shal also haue seauē beatitudes which are no lesse glorious then those of the bodie The first is Wisedome which in that glory shall be giuen vnto it for there the soule of a simple Artificer or a plaine Country-man shall haue more vvisedome then all the Phylosophers or Wise men of thys world euer enioyed here The righteous shall haue such aboundance of vvisedom in the lyfe to come that they shall be ignorant of nothing vvhich they ought or woulde knowe They shall bee filled with all perfect vvisedome and shall beholde GOD face to face VVhich vvhen hee shall see he shall beholde the nature of euery creature which consisteth better in GOD then in it selfe Then likewise the righteous shal know and vnderstand all thinges which God made to bee knowne as well those thinges that are past as those things that are to come There all shall be knovvne of euery one and euery one of all neyther shall any man bee ignorant of what Countrey of what Nation or of what kindred any man is or what hee hath doone in his lyfe The second beatitude of the soule shall bee the amitie and friendship of one to another as mēbers of one body whose head is Christ Iesus the Lorde For God and all other good men in that blessed society shal so vnfainedly loue euery righteous man that they can neuer hate him As long and as well as a man dooth loue himselfe so long and so well shall hee loue another that resteth in the same fellowship with him But passe ouer these things and contemplate him by whō these blessings come vnto thee and thou shalt perceiue that hee dooth and will loue thee more then thou canst loue thy selfe or any other themselues and thou wilt loue him aboue thy selfe and aboue all others The third shal be concord for the body and the soule of euery Saint which disagreed in thys lyfe shall then very vvell agree and bee at peace and vnitie yea all the righteous shal haue such agreement and concord as our eyes haue in thys present life For as one eye cannot bee turned about with out the other bee also turned but they are alwayes turned together one way euen so the bodie and the soule and the vvhole congregation of the righteous shall will no contrarieties but shall alwayes haue the same vvill For wee shall be one body one Church and the spouse of Christ. The will also of almighty GOD shall not bee contrary to thine but thou shalt wil as he willeth hee shal wil in al things as thou willest for howe is it possible that the heade should disagree with his body The fourth is Honor heere wee are borne of the corruption of the flesh filled with many miseries destitute of comfort subiect to many infirmities and passions and ful of the vlcers of sinne out of vvhich GOD shall take vs and shall heale vs and restore vs to perfect health and shal adorne vs vvith the ornament of absolute righteousnesse and immortalitie shall adopt vs for hys sonnes and children shal make vs inhearitours of his kingdome and coheires with hys onely begotten Sonne our Sauiour and shall make vs to bee called Gods by his own name For hee sayth I haue sayde yee are Gods and yee all are children of the most High The fifte beatitude of the soule is Power for the righteous shall be able to doe vvhat they will because they shall haue the almightie agreeable to theyr wills The sixt beatitude is securitie For the righteous in that blessed estate shall certainlie haue and enioy what soeuer they doe desire neyther shall they haue any feare to loose that they haue because neyther they shall bee willing to loose it neither shal God take it from them being vnwilling The seauenth and last beatitude of a glorified soule is perfect ioy such as no man can comprehend for there shal be thousands of thousands tenne thousand thousands and more then tenne thousand hundred thousands of thousands of the righteous whō none can number and all shall enioy and ioy in the same blessednesse neyther shall there be anie vvhich shall not as much ioy for an others felicitie as for his ovvne And aboue all this they shal reioyce with an admirable ioy seeing almighty GOD whō they entirely loue more then themselues and whom God loueth more then they can loue themselues Therefore theyr ioy shall bee vnmeasurable ioy shal be vnto them both within and without ioy aboue and ioy beneath ioy all about them on euery side and euery where full of ioy But as the righteous shall reioyce by reason of so great ioy and blessednesse so on the contrarie part sinners shall be tormented with vnspeakable tortures For as beautie agilitie fortitude libertie health pleasure and eternitie is matter of reioycing vnto the righteous so on the contrary part the vglines of sinne the burthen of it imbecility seruitude infirmitie anxietie and euerlasting death shall with continuall and most greeuous torments afflict sinners For that securitie of eternitie the life which the righteous shall reioyce in where they alwaies inioy the good blessings of God shal doubtlesse be a very great and a perpetuall punishment vnto the wicked in which they shal alvvayes finde that which they shal more and more hate VVhat shal vvee say of vvisedome which as it shall bee a ioy an honor vnto the righteous so that which the vvicked haue knowne or shall knovve shal be vnto thē griefe and confusion the friendship vvhich is ioyned with myrth and reioycing in the righteous shal bee great discord and affliction vnto sinners for they shal haue great discord especially with those creatures which they heeretofore loued in thys world and the creatures shall haue the lyke with them And in the place of the power that the righteous shal haue the vvicked shal haue such impotencie that they shal be able to doe nothing as they would so that by the honor of the Saints they shal haue eternal cōfusion Furthermore as the friendes of GOD shall be secure that they shal not loose theyr blessings so the enemies of God shal loose all hope to bee deliuered from those torments in which they lyue who beeing created to enioy heauenly glorie are now for euer to lyue in the societie of deuils To bee briefe in stead of the eternall and ineffable ioy of the righteous the wicked shal bee filled with exceeding sorrowe because they shal continually and without end suffer ineuitably all those miseries vvhich they shal feele themselues compassed with Thys sayth Anselmus but
of the corruption of the flesh in the pollution of pleasure in the heat of lust and that vvhich is vvorst of all in the corruption of sinne Ponder also with thy selfe with what meat thou wast nourished being conceaued in thy mothers wombe surely with none other then with impure menstruous and hurtfull blood which stayeth in women from the time of theyr conceauing that by it theyr yong ones may be nourished in their wombes Remember that GOD hath created thee of the slime of the earth which is the basest element Hee created the starres and planets of fire birds of the ayre and fishes of water but men and other creatures of the slime of the earth Therfore compare thy selfe with the fishes and beasts bred of the water and thou shalt find thy self of a more abiect nature vilder condition then they are If thou beholdest the fowles and creatures that liue in the ayre neyther art thou to be compared vnto them if thou considerest the nature of the Planets starres and other things made of fire thou art much more ignoble Thou canst neyther be compared to celestiall things nor be preferred before terrestriall but if thou comparest thy selfe to brute creatures in these alone thou shalt find some semblance and likelihood with thy selfe as the Wiseman testifieth who sayth That the condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition vnto them As the one dyeth so dyeth the other for they haue all one breath and there is no excellency of man aboue the beast For man hath not as touching his body any more then a beast hath seeing both of them are framed and created of earth and both of them in like maner are resolued into earth Remember that whē thou wast borne thou wast brought foorth into thys miserable world howling and weeping as it were foreseeing and therfore bewayling the labours dangers dolors which in this worlde are to be sustained and that which is vvorst of all deploring death it selfe Wherefore if perhaps thou beest borne in a noble and honorable place neither remembrest how vile a beginning and howe abiect an originall thou haddest if the beautie of thy countenaunce and comlinesse of thy proportion if the lineaments of thy body if the fauor of the people if the heate of youth aboundance of riches take away the knowledge of thy selfe frō thee yet neuerthelesse if thou desirest to knovve what man is heare vvhat that most glorious Father S. Augustine sayth the star and light of the doctors of the church hear I say what he saith Wretched man saith he what am I but a vessell ful of dung and corruption a stinking and detestable worm poore naked subiect to many necessities who knowes not whence I came nor whether I shall goe Miserable and mortall am I whose dayes vanish fade as a shadow whose life increaseth and decreaseth as the Moone and as a leafe vpon a tree nowe florishing and to morrow withering I am earth misery the child of wrath and a vessell of indignation reprobation I was borne in the corruption of sinne I lyue in miserie and labour and shall ende my dayes in griefe and anguish And Saint Bernard sayth Flesh wyth which thou hast so great societie is none other thing but froth fome made fleshe inuested in a fraile ornament but the time shall come vvhen it shall bee a miserable and putrified carkasse and the foode of vvormes For bee it neuer so gaily garnished and tricked vp it is alwayes flesh If thou diligently considerest vvhat goeth foorth by thy mouth and nostrils and the other passages of thy bodie thou neuer beheldest so vile a dunghill Consider ô man sayth hee vvhat thou wert before thy byrth vvhat thou art from thy byrth till thy death and what thou shalt be after this lyfe of thine is ended Certainelie thou vvast that thou vvert not after that thou haddst thy beeing of vile matter thou wast inwrapped in a most vile filme and nourished in thy mothers vvombe with menstrous blood Thy coate was a skin so attired and adorned camst thou vnto vs. And hath beauty fauour riches and youth So sotted thy sences deuoyd of truth That mindlesse thou art how base was thy birth And that all men are dust ashes and earth Man is none other thing but an vncleane sperme a sacke of dunge and foode for wormes After a man a worme after a worme stinch faetour So from a man to no man is turned this creature Hetherto S. Bernard with whom agreeth Innocentius O indignity saith he vildnes of mans condition Consider the plants trees they bring forth leaues flowers fruites pleasant to the tast delightful for smel but wretched man bringeth forth pestilent noysom sauours as the tree is such also is the fruite for an euill tree cannot bring foorth good fruit But wilt thou more manifestly know what man is after hee is borne heare most patient Iob Man saith he that is borne of a woman is of short continuance and full of trouble Hee shooteth foorth as a flower and is cut downe hee vanisheth also as a shadow continueth not Why do we seek for the testimonies of men let vs aske God himselfe he wil tel vs Remēber man that thou art dust to dust shalt thou returne This knowledge had holy Iob whē he said vnto God Remember I pray thee ô that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt bring me into dust againe O man of clay why art thou proude ô dust why growest thou insolent ô ashes for what woldest thou be commended vvhose conception is sinfull vvhose natiuitie is painefull whose life is labour and death necessitie Why dooest thou nourish thy body so delicately Why dooest thou adorne that vvith so precious garments which after a while shall in the sepulchre be eaten of vvormes VVhy dooest thou not rather beautifie thy soule vvith good workes which shal be carryed into heauen by the handes of good Angels VVhy dooest thou neglect thy soule and so extraordinarilye cocker thy flesh Behold confusion and prepostrous order the soule which ought to rule serueth the flesh and the fleshe ruleth which should obey Why sufferest thou the Ladie to bee the handmaid the hādmaid to vsurpe authoritie ouer the Lady Doost thou not know that thy flesh is a domestical homebred enemie vnto thy soule which vnder colour of friendship is more cruell then the most tirannous enemie When thou cherishest delicately nourishest it thou breedest and bringest vp thine own enemie when thou deckest beautifiest it thou armest thine enemy against thee whē thou arraiest it in precious garments and outlandish skins of wilde beastes thou robbest thy soule of all beautifull and heauenly ornaments Thirdly ô sinner cōsider what thou shalt be whē thou ceasest to liue Certainely thou shalt be none other but a miserable and corrupted carkasse an habitation foode for wormes
thirsteth as it is sayd in the booke of Iob that he drinketh vp the riuer and hasteth not and hee trusteth that hee can draw vp Iorden into his mouth His mouth is hell and the riuer that runneth into his hellish mouth are sinners vvho with great celerity as swift riuers hast into his iawes whom hee swalloweth vp with great thirst and desire It is reported in the life 's of the Fathers that the Prince of deuils did commend and honour one of his traine yea commaunded him to sitte in his chayre of estate crovvned because hee had brought a certayne religious man to the sinne of luxurie vvhom hee had beene enticing fourty yeeres and could not bring him to nibble or byte at his bayte Therefore mourne and lament ô sinfull soule verie bitterlie seeing thou hast so often reioyced thy mortall enemies by sinning so mortallie to thy greate losse and daunger and in steede thereof yeeld repentance and a pure conuersion of heart vnto God that God and his Angells may in like manner reioyce For there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth The third principall reason for which sinne is to be eschewed is the great dammage we reape by it For first by sinne wee are estranged from God and made his enemies This is that which Esay saith Your iniquities haue seperated betweene you and your God and your sinnes haue hid his face from you that he will not heare If all the blessed Cittizens of that heauenly Country could either sinne or would sinne they should fall from heauen into the bottomles depth of hell and should vtterly loose the amity and friendship which they haue with God Heere-vpon Augustine saith If thy faythfull friend offend thee thou thinkest him woorthy to be reprehended howe much more worthy art thou to be blamed if thou sinnest against almighty God thy most gracious and mercifull Father Secondly sinne maketh his Author guilty of infernall torments And because the diuine law doth not much differ from humaine constitutions that which mans lawe doth to the body the same Gods lawe inflicteth vpon the soule Therfore mark how the law of man maketh the transgressor of the Kings commaundement and the contemner of his royall Maiesty guilty of death as it is written in Ezra where it is remembred that King Darius when he had promulgated his decree as concerning the reedifying of the temple at Ierusalem added at the end of his letter Pattens I haue made a decree That who soeuer shall alter this sentence the wood shall be pulled downe from his house and shall be set vp and he shall be hanged thereon and his house shall be made a dunghill for this This vvood is our owne consciences VVee haue the lyke example in Ester where Assuerus commaunded Haman to be hanged This is the sentence of GOD which he will pronounce at the last day agaynst them who shall bee found to haue liued in theyr sinnes let them be hanged vp in hell The third losse is sinne spoileth man in this lyfe of all spirituall graces and in the world to come of euerlasting glory wherefore Salomon saith Sin maketh men miserable Neither is a sinner onely miserable because hee hath not but also because hee hath lost himselfe and his liberty he maketh himselfe the deuills slaue and captiue neyther can he make any spyrituall gayne nor doe any thing in this state acceptable vnto God Neither doth hee liue albeit his body breath a little For a wicked man as sayth Boethius is not aliue but dead for by sinne hee hath seperated him-selfe from the light and is blind The same testifieth Sophonias They shal walke sayth hee as blinde men because they haue sinned agaynst the Lorde And Dauid sayth They haue not knowne nor vnderstoode they walke in darknesse all the foundations of the earth are out of square Esay in the person of sinners dooth more elegantly set them out in their colours We grope for the wall like the blind and we grope as one without eyes wee stumble at the noone day as in the twilight we are in solitary places as dead men Sinne is the same in the soule that rottennes is in an apple for as that doth corrupt the tast smell colour and the whole beauty of the apple so sinne doth rob the soule of the dignity of grace of the report of a good name and of the comlines of all her beauty For this cause Esay doth compare sinners to the mire of the streetes Augustine also affirmeth that a dead dogg doth not stink so filthily in the nosethrils of men as a sinfull soule doth before God and his Angels And the same Father in a certaine Sermon desirous to call a man from the way of sinners saith What doth it profit thee if all thinges be good in thine house and thou thy selfe be not good Tell mee I pray thee why wouldest thou haue any euil or naughtines in thine actions thoughts or desires wouldest not haue naughty graine nor an euill tree but a good one a good horse a good seruant a good friend a good child a good wife But why doe I remēber these great matters when thou wilt not haue a ragged but a whole garmēt to be briefe a good shooe and not one that is torn Or tel me of any thing that thou wishest for which is naught or that thou desirest any thing which is not good I thinke that thou vvouldest not haue a ruinous house but a good house and wilt thou onely haue an euill soule VVherein hast thou offended thy selfe In what hast thou deserued ill of thy selfe Wilt thou not haue anie thing euill among thy good things but only thy selfe Prefer I pray thee thy life before thy shooes All thinges that are obuious vnto thine eies are good beautifull and elegant and thou louest them and art delighted in them and hovve can it be that thou thy selfe wilt be euill vile impure and abiect If all thinges that are in thine house could speak they would crie aloude and say If thou desirest that vvee should bee good vvee also desire a good Maister and they would exclayme against thee vnto God and say O good God thou hast giuen vnto this man so manie good thinges and so much vvealth vvhen as hee himselfe is vvicked and euill vvhat doe those thinges profitte hym vvhich hee hath vvhen as his vnderstanding is blinded and he possesseth not the Lord that bestovved these things vpon him The fourth dammage is that sinne maketh a man a brute beast Therefore Boethius sayth If thou takest goodnesse from a good man hee shall bee a beast And Aristotle sayth in his Ethicks that such a man is vvorse then a beast Neyther dooth the holie Scripture dissent from them vvhen it sayth Man beeing in honour hath no vnderstanding but is compared vn-the beasts that perrish The fift dammage is that sin
shamfastnes to the two in the midst Be it that thy Father doth wink at thee that he that is bountiful gracious doth pardon thee but thy Lord Creatour will not He that spared not his Son wil not spare the workmanship of his hands nor a wicked seruant c. We offend the Lord our God the Creator of all things we more wickedly offend our heauenly father being so gracious bountifull who doth support nourish vs in which thing we are worse then dogs who do loue folow them of whom they are nourished but most vilely we offend God by crucifying againe by sinne our Redeemer as much as lieth in vs who hath redeemed vs by his most precious blood and hath deliuered vs from all the snarés entrappings of sinns from the cruelty of deuils and frō infernall punishments We must bee sorrowfull for three things for sin committed for good omitted for time lost Augustin speaketh of the dignity of cōtrition The cōtrition of the hart auaileth more then to go on pilgrimage throughout the world And Cassianus vpon the Psalme I called vnto the Lord in my trouble sayth the Lord doth not knowe how to put of him whō he knoweth to entreat him with a broken and pierced hart And Chrisostom sayth It is only compunction which maketh a man to abhor purple to desire sackcloath to worke righteousnes to loue teares and to auoid laughter Of Cōfession which is an other part of repentance S. Augustin saith that it is the health of soules an expeller of vices a restorer of vertue an impugner of wicked spirits a feare of hel an impedimēt of the deuill O holy admirable confession thou shuttest the mouth of hel and openest the gate of Paradice And in another place He that accuseth himself of his sins the deuil cannot accuse him at the day of iudgmēt if in cōfessing them he blot those things out by repentance which hee hath done neither doth renue that againe which he hath cōmitted But woe be vnto vs that whē so many so great blessings benefits are foūd in repētance yet there are so few found that do take it vpon thē Heereupon God complaineth in Ieremy saying I harkned heard but none spake right no man repented him of his wickednes saying What haue I done Heare what S. Isidore saith It is confession by which the lurking disease of the soule is opened to the prayse of God in hope to obtaine pardon Of which vertue Ambrose sayth When confession proceedeth frō a man then the vengeance of God ceaseth And Cassiodorus saith Iesus Christ is not their Iudge but their Aduocat who accuse thēselues by theyr own cōfession Leo also agreeth with these that is not to be cōdemned saith he in iudgment which was purged by confession Goe too therfore my brother follow the councell of Esay first recount thine iniquities that thou maist be iustified For the confession of sins is the beginning of righteousnes Of satis-faction which is a third part of repentance thus speaketh S. Augustine Satisfaction is to cut of the causes of sin and not to cherrish by suggestions any entrance into thē Gregory sayth thus vvee do not satis-fie although we cease from iniquitie vnlesse on the contrary side we persecute by opposite bewaylings the pleasures which wee loued Chrysostome consenteth vnto thys The reconciliation sayth hee ought to be equal to the precedent offence thou oughtest to be as readie to lament as to offend and as thine intent vvas to offend such also ought thy deuotion to bee in repenting for great sinnes doe require also great greefe and sorrow Wherefore Eusebius sayth A light and slight contrition dooth not effect that those debts may be forgiuē to which euerlasting death is due neyther is a transitory satisfaction sufficient for those euils for which eternall fire is prepared There is neede of much vveeping of much mourning of great griefe of heart to heale the griefes and sorrowes of the hart We must endeuour with the vvhole contrition of the spyrite that those olde euills vvhich as arrowes stick in our consciences may be pulled out It is not sufficient vvith the lips onely to say I haue offended spare me remit my sins But we are presently weary looke behind vs as Lots vvife did wherfore we are diligently to cōsider the words of Bernard He that perfectly knoweth sayth he the burden of sin the plagues greeuāces of his soul he shal litle or nothing at all feele the punishments castigations of his body neyther shall they be troublesome vnto him certainly perswading himselfe that God wil haue respect vnto him that he shall auoyd those things which hee was desposed and prepared to commit Hereupon S. Augustine saith writing vpon the Psalme Haue mercy vpon me ô God Many there be sayth he that are not ashamed to sinne but they are ashamed to repent O incredible madnes art thou not ashamed of thy wound art thou ashamed of the binding vp of thy wound Is it not being naked more vgly Run therfore to the Phision repent say I doe confesse mine iniquity and my sinne is alwayes before mee against thee onely haue I sinned and done this euill before thee Satisfaction consisteth in three things In prayer Almes-deedes Fasting which are as it were certaine antidotes against so many capitall vices by which we offend GOD and these three vices doe arise from three principall enemies of our soules Pride is ingendered of the deuill couetousnes of the world luxury of our own flesh of which thus speaketh Saint Iohn All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life Prayer restraineth pride Almes-deedes banisheth couetousnesse and fasting brideleth lust Furthermore wee alwayes sinne eyther against God and so in like manner prayer is opposed against all that sin by it we are accepted of God as as the Wise-man saith The prayer of him that humbleth him selfe goeth thorowe the clowdes and coaseth not till it come neere and will not depart till the most High haue respect therevnto or we sinne against our selues against such a sinne fasting is effectuall according to that of Augustine Restraine bridle your flesh by fasting abstinence Or we sinne against our neighbour here almes-deedes are of force of which our Sauiour speaketh in Luke Giue almes and all things shall be cleane to you For as water extinguisheth fire so almes-deeds quench sinne Almes-deedes are called the water of GOD and a precept of mercy commaunded vnto vs of the sonne of God Wherefore for three causes we are bound to giue almes to exercise the works of charitie First because by mercy sin is wiped away VVhereupon Salomon sayth By mercie and truth iniquitie shall bee forgiuen The Scripture maketh mention of that poore widdow
the poore and religiously rule ouer them who being drowned in riches and delicats and swollen with costly meates seeing the poore before their Pallace gates naked and perrishing through hunger and cold doe not stretch out their hands vnto them neyther are mooued vvith any pittie but gyuing themselues vvholie to playes sportings gaming 's feastings and banquets vtterly forget the poore the charge of whom is so often committed and commended vnto thē in the Scriptures neither doe they remember God at any time except perhaps lightly and by the way cursorily perfunctorily Let them certainly perswade themselues and remember these things when they shall feele try them that a most strict and exact aceount shal be required of them vvhy they haue not destributed to the poore those things which were superfluous vnto them and if they cannot giue an account nor purge themselues their soules shall suffer intollerable torments in the deepest pit of hel O how easily doe they offend and howe suddainly are they envvrapped in punishment vvho doe not consider hovve they must dye or howe God shall iudge them O how vncircumspect and vnhappy are they that do not remēber these thinges and doe not resist the temptations of the deuil I dare boldly affirme that if they did acknowledge God to be their Iudge think that they shold die that they wold not sinne at the least with so great security all feare set apart But now they come to Church not to heare the diuine word to pray but to see vanity beuty the pride of womē This is their thought this their intent this their sermon There they talk confer how they may heape riches together there they dispute of the sundry fashions of apparel there they inuite one another to feasts banquets to the dishonest delights of gluttony of whom S Bernard sayth O wretches what do yee who before the time do slay your own soules corrupt and putrifie your bodies Tell me whence comes infirmity whence groweth the sodaine death of yong men but of great aboundance of meats immoderate venery Wretched are ye because ye think that ye can delude God but in truth yee deceaue your selues because yee neglect your soules that yee may pamper your bodies so yee destroy them both before the time appoynted Your pleasure and reioycing shall continue but that short time yee liue but after death your bewaylings and torments shall endure with deuils in hell for euer and euer there shal be euerlasting shame and confusion there shal neither be sumptuous banquets nor delicate wines there with the rich Glutton who in thys world fared delicatly yee shall craue a drop of cold water and it shall not be giuen vnto you for there no man gathereth or reapeth any thing but that hee hath sown in this world What then ô miserable man doest thou Why doest thou not repent Why doest thou not amend thy life O hart harder then a rocke why doest thou linger Why doest thou deferre repentance for thy sinns Why doest thou prorogue thy cōuersion Behold how death commeth running swiftly to carrie thee avvay the deuill standeth ready to catch thy soule and the wormes greedily expect thy flesh which thou hast fatted vvith so fine cates that they may haue more aboundant and more toothsom foode Doth not that horrible and fearefull day of iudgment come into thy mind in vvhich thou shalt not onely render a most stricte account of thy pride gluttony luxury vayne glory vanity and of thy time vnprofitably spent but also of euery idle word Beware that thou fall not into that dreadful condemnation which the Son of God not now a Lambe but a Lyon shal pronounce against the cursed saying Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angels Beholde sayth Bernard ô thou worldly sinner how farre thou wanderest out of the way if in this world thou seekest for honours pleasures and glory for thou shalt neuer finde that heere which may satisfie thee If thou desirest true ioy and true glory endeuour and labour to goe to heauen by the right way wher the ioyes are truer and better then euer eye hath seene or eare hath heard or hath at any time entred into the heart of man I pray thee for those eternall and euerlasting ioyes neglect and basely account of these transitory and momentary pleasures But what shall wee say of them who can neyther be induced by the feare or loue of GOD nor by the terrour of death nor by the horrour of hellish tormentes to forsake theyr sinnes yea vvhom it repenteth that that they haue not power and abilitie to liue as wickedly as they would that they might satisfie theyr lustes in all thinges O miserable wretches yee laugh in this vvorld but yee shall weepe in the other VVoe bee vnto you who desire momentanie and fading pleasures because yee shall suffer greate and euerlasting torments A lyttle tyme yet remayneth fill vppe the measure of your iniquityes and miseries that the indignation of GOD may bee more plentifullie powred dovvne vppon you Reioyce a lyttle giue ouer your selues to tryflings to toies fables sportings lyes contentions and enmities and let no time passe you in vaine What doe yee Scrape together for your children riches honours and dominions purchase nobility renowne for them that they may doe that which yee left to doe and finish what yee began that yee together vvith them may be tortured vvith greater torments But some man may say God is bountifull gracious mercifull hee receaueth euery sinner that turnes to him with all his hart and he pardoneth all their faults True it is my brother he is more mercifull then thou supposest when he so patiently suffereth sinners and so mercifully granteth thē space to repent in that they may amend themselues and if they returne vnto him he graciously receaueth them But I would haue thee to know that as he is mercifull in suffering expecting and pardoning so he is iust in correcting and punishing If thou shalt say Albeit a man sinne all his life time neither doe any good at all if hee repent at the very point instance of death God will forgiue him all hys sinnes O my brother hovve vaine is this comfort Howe false deceitfull is this cogitation for of an hundred thousand sinners that defer their repētance to the houre of death scarsely one is saued and obtaineth remission of his sinnes A man borne in sinne neuer lyuing according to the lavve of the Lord without the knowledge of him neuer willing to heare the worde of God not knowing what sinne is or what repentance is drowned in the businesses and cares of thys world afflicted with the loue of his children whom hee leaueth with the griefe of his riches which he forsaketh tormented without hope euer to enioy them again what repentance can he make who if any hope of longer life or recouery
much more copiouslie In this blessednes as S. Augustine sayth God shal fil and satisfie al the sences of the elect with inestimable ioy and pleasure for hee himselfe shall bee the obiect of them all he shal bee a glasse vnto their eyes honny vnto theyr mouthes musick vnto theyr eares sweet Balsamum vnto theyr noses a most delicate flower vnto their hands for to this purpose God became man that euery man might receiue by him internal blessednes for his soule in the contemplation of his diuinitie and external for his body in beholding his humanitie Briefely according to the saying both of Saint Augustine and Gregorie there shal be so great beautie of righteousnesse and glory of euerlasting light that if wee should suffer torments euery day if wee shoulde abide for a long tyme the paynes and tortures of hel that wee might bee admitted to see Christ in his glorie if it were but one day and haue felowship with his Saints certainely it were worth the suffering that wee might bee made partakers of so great blessednesse and glory Therefore it is sayde not without reason of the Psalmographer nor with a small desire A day ô Lord in thy Courts is better then a thousand other where And of Saint Bernard Who can cōprehend in thys lyfe hovve great the glory of the Saints of GOD shal be in the life euerlasting who shal see God and shal alwaies be with him who is al in al who is the cheefest good in whom is exceeding blessednesse and vnmeasurable ioy There is truth libertie loue perfect charitie there shal bee eternal societie constant amitie and perpetual securitie Rightly therefore sayth that reuerend Doctor Saint Augustine O ioy aboue all ioy for a man to see the face of God who hath created redeemed and glorified him certainely thys is the ioy of the Angels of the Saints For as Saint Gregory saith GOD is of so admirable beautie that the Angels who sitte vpon the Sun doe stil desire to see him There as Saint Augustine sayth is neyther vvicked men nor any kinde of wickednesse there is no aduersary nor any to resist there is no manner of enticement vnto sinne there is no want no reproching no rayling no nicknaming no accusation no dissembling no feare no disquietnes no payne no doubting no violence no discord but there dwelleth aboundance of peace fulnes of charitie eternall praise and thanks giuen vnto God secure rest without end and alvvayes ioy in the holy Ghost Hast thou heard ô my soule howe surpassing bee the ioyes how infinite the mirth how incomparable and incomprehensible is the light of that heauenlie Cittie O happy ioy ô true reioycing of the Saints who doe continuallie beholde the face and alvvayes possesse the company of God himselfe Therfore ô my soule let vs willingly relinquish the desire of these earthly thinges let vs banish out of our hearts the ioy of euill thoughts and beeing inflamed with the loue of that celestial and euerlasting ioy let vs returne and trauaile towards the heauenly Cittie in which wee are written and appoynted Cittizens as of the houshold of GOD heyres of his kingdome of glorie and fellow heires with his beloued Sonne Christ Iesus If thou demaundest howe this may be or by what means and helpe Heare what I shal say vnto thee The matter is put in the power of the willer and dooer The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence the kingdome of heauen ô man demaundeth none other price but thy selfe for it is worth so much as thou art giue thy selfe and thou shalt haue it VVhy art thou troubled about the price Remember that Christ hath giuen himselfe that hee might purchase of GOD his Father a kingdome for thee so in like manner giue thou thy selfe that thou mayst enioy this kingdome and let not sinne raigne in thy mortall body but the spirite for the obtaining of life O sinful soule ô soule ful of miserie if these thinges doe not yet mooue thee which I haue spoken of the excellencie and immensitie of that heauenly ioy which the elect of God doe for euer enioy that thou maist purchase it for thy selfe both by repentance and by diuine grace Consider I pray thee with great dread feare the most miserable estate the intollerable paynes and the vnspeakeable torments of hel that obscure and diabolical cittie that by the horror and terror of this consideration thou mayst bee conuerted vvyth all thine hart vnto the Lord. Therefore wee must first know that according to the diuersity of sinnes shal be the varietie of punishments For as Saint Gregory sayth VVee must knowe that there is but one fire in Hel but al sinners are not tormented in it after the same manner for euery one shal feele so much punishment there as he hath sinned heere And as in this vvorlde vvee are al vnder one Sunne yet we do not feele the heate al alike because one is more hote and another lesse hote so there in that fire there is not one manner of burning because heere what the diuersitie of bodies dooth for after one manner the fire doth burne chaff after another woode and after another yron that there dooth the diuersity of sinnes they haue the same fire and yet it dooth not burne al the damned that be therein alike That fire shal be kindled with the wrath of the Iudge shal burne euerlastingly neither shal it neede to bee kindled the second time as Iob witnesseth who sayth The fire that is not blowne or as Pagnine translateth it the vnquenchable fire shal deuour him Of the crueltie and torment of thys fire Sebastian sayth That there is as great a difference betweene materiall fire and the fire of hell as there is between painted fire on a wal and naturall fire Thys fire shall some-vvhat shine but it shal be no comfort vnto the damned but rather a greater punishment Wherevppon Saint Isidore sayth In hell there shal be a certaine obscure shyning by which the miserable damned shal be seen not that they may reioyce in it but that they may be more tormented whilst one seeth another For then the vvicked shal see those tormented with thē whom they haue inordinatelie loued in this worlde that they may nowe suffer punishment according to the qualitie of the fault and that that carnall loue which was preferred before the diuine loue may bee punishment with like vengeance in theyr sight Thus also is a doubt resolued by which it was wont to bee demaunded whether the damned do see the glory of the Saints To which question Saint Gregory aunswereth after this maner That sinners may be the more punished and tormented they shall both see their glory whō they haue despised and shal be tormented with theyr paine whō they haue vnprofitably loued For it is to be supposed that till the last iudgement the wicked doe see the righteous in glory and rest that they
thinges to be considered in almes Math 25 Prouerb 21 Augustine in his Epistles Eccles. 11. Ambrose in his offices Hiero. to Nepotianus Leo of the apparition of our lord Eccles 12 Ecclus 20 It is wicked and naught to promise vnto thy selfe a longer life Malach. 1 Gregory Hope of a longer life is worse theÌ„ the former circuÌ„stances in respect of the sinner himself Iohn 8 August in his 4. booke of the cittie of God Apoc 18 The perswasion of a longer life is most vile and vngodly Psalm 38 Wised 8. Gregory in his morals 1 Iohn 2 In his seconde tractate vpon the Epistle of S. Iohn The worlde is as a man excommunicated A speech fact of Saladine Iames 4 Gregory Vpon the 7. chapter of Mich. 1 Iohn 5 Of conuersion vnto the Clergy chap 30 The world is to bee eschewed for 4 causes Tom. 9. Epi. Euseb. ad Damasum de morte Hieron The second cause why the world is to be eschewed Math 26 Gregory in his morrals The thyrd cause Ecclus 9 The worlde is a sea The fourth cause Ecclus 9 August in his medita Bernard In his meditations Ierom vpoÌ„ the 17 of Mathew Gregory Iames 4. August vpon the 56. psalme Seneca in his 59. epistle In his book of consolatioÌ„ to Mat. chap. 22. Baruch 3 Why worldly felicity is to be eschewed 1 Macca 2. A simily In an Epistle to Iulia. chap. 4. The glory of the world is vnconstant Esay 40. Ecclesiasticus 10. 1 Maccha 1 The glory of the world is deceitfull The glory of the world is euill and malicious in retribution Ose 4. Math. 19. Math. 25. An obiection The aunswer How dangerous it is to defer repentance to the houre of death Late repentance sildom true Esay 14. Ecclesi 14. Ecclesiast 7. Bernard Augustine Hierome Petrus Damianus to a Countesse The forerunners of death Who stand by him that is yeelding vp the ghost The soule shall curse the body Psal. 7. Gregor de diuersis cuius initiâ—m dignuÌ„ valde est Bernard in Epist 106. In his book of Similitudes from the 47 chapter to the 74. Seauen beatitudes appertaining to glorified bodies Beauty Math. 13. Agility A simily Fortitude Liberty Health Psalm 36 Delight Perpetuitie Wise 5 The seauen beatitudes which the soules of the righteous enioy in heauen Wisedom Friendship Concord A similie Honour Psalm 82 Power Securitie Perfect ioy Augustine August in his Manuel chap 15 Psalm 84 In the sixt chap. of his Manuell August in the 16. chap. of his Manuell The paines of hell shall be diuers In his 4. booke of dialog cap. 43 and in the 9 book of his morrals cha 27 A Simily chap 20 The fire of hell shall shine to the greater torment of the damned See Gregory in the 9 booke of his morals chap 49. Whether the damned doe see the Saints In his 40. hom vpon the Euang. Whether the damned do see what is doone in this world Whether the damned doe wish that all might bee damned with them For thys cause that rich glutton would not haue hys brethren damned Whether the damned shal remember what they haue done in this life Two punâ—shments in hell Apoc. 16. Apoc. 9. 〈◊〉 reparat lapsi ad Theod. Hom. 47. ad pop Antioch Whether it be iustice to punish a finite sinne with an infinite torment Lib. 4 Moral cap. 12. Arist. 7 Ethicorum Luke 10. Esay 64. 1 Cor. 2. Diuers names of God 2 Cor. 1. Wised 5 Esay 55 Gene 3 Psalm 23 A Simily Psal 69.