come and such in truth as our thoughts cannot apprehend For it is very true which Esdras sayth That man that liueth here in this world can comprehend nothing but earthly things And it is sayd in Ecclesiast That wee must not search into things aboue our reach but thinke vpon that which God hath commaunded vs for it is not fit for vs to looke vnto that which God keepeth secret vnto himselfe from vs. Now the blesseddest and chiefest pleasure of our soule consisteth in conforming addressing all her doings to that end wherunto she is created which is done by action prayer and meditation For God hauing caused vs to be borne to be members here of this vile world euery part of vs obseruing the duty motion whereunto he hath ordeined the same serue for his glory testimony of his power It standeth vs therfore vpon so long as we liue here to keepe well our part and beware that in our particular discording we breake not the vniuersall right note and harmony wherein the beauty of his workemanship subsisteth for he hath called euery of vs vnto a certaine ministery and office whereof he hath made some Kings some Princes some Magistrates some priuate men or to say as the Apostle sayth he hath ordeyned Some to be Prophets some Euangelists some Preachers and some Doctors And therefore let vs take heed that we fulfill the ministerie which is layd vpon vs. For if so be we deale lamely and haltingly in the charge which is geuen vnto vs we fayle not onely in our owne duties but we also bring a generall confusion vpon the whole people and so become culpable of the sinnes of all the multitude Where contrariwise if so be we deale iustly and truly in our office we shall be like vnto good and skilfull musitians who ouer and besides the great pleasure of the excelleÌ„t and sweet sounding of their voices they feele a maruelous and incredible delight by the euen meeting of one anothers voice which falleth into theirs with an agreemeÌ„t accord full of sweet melodie And therefore it is surely a great pleasure to do well neyther is there any pleasure so great as the contentmeÌ„t which we feele in our consciences when we performe any godly commendable action Neither is there any thing that more gladly tickleth the spirit then the glory which it offreth promiseth vnto that man or woman who vertuously behaue theÌ„ selues in their liues conuersations I meane not such glory as is fed either with winde or smoke which pleaseth men only but such glory as maketh vs see a far off the crowne which is prepared for vs. Neither must we stand vpon the outcries and clapping of the hands of the people which fauour the course that we take in hand no more then a valiant Champion readie prepared in the lists to fight the combat doth but let it rather hasten vs to run the swiftlier vnto the goale garland of prize which attendeth our victorie and lift vp our soules with such a cogitation as that all our actions being referred to this end may be full of that ioy contentmeÌ„t wherein consisteth our whole blessednes Neither may we ne yet can we coÌ„tinually tie our selues vnto the affaires and busâ—nesse of this world for after labor ensueth rest which is in very deed the true operatioÌ„ of the soule and that is Meditation And in very truth most blessed are they whose vocation is wonderfully farthest off from the care of these worldly affaires and whom God hath withdrawn from the tempests and stormes of the world and placed them as it were in a calme peaceable hauen to behold a farre off the shipwrack of others And this meditation consisteth only of the knowledge of the truth and glory of God which we must seeke after as wel by the contemplation and exact consideratioÌ„ of his works out of which shineth forth euerywhere his power incomparable goodnes as by the ordinary reading of his word by which he openeth vnto vs the treasure of his wisedome and draweth the curtaines of heauen to make vs see his maiestie face to face as much as our infirmitie is able to beare And the works of God vndoubtedly are as scaling ladders set vp for vs euery where to climb vp vnto him For let vs turne our selues which way soeuer we will and we shall finde here in the world wonderfull things for if we looke downe into the depth of the bowels of the earth we shall see there such a number of veines of gold and siluer such a sort of pretious minerals and such spring heads of liuely waters as is wonderfull Again if we looke vpon the face of the earth we shal find such varietie of hearbs floures fruits trees beasts of the fields and in them such vertues and secret properties as that it would make vs altogether astonished And are the seas lesse admirable by reason of their ebbing flowing the multitude of fishes and the diuersitie of monsters which they feed bring sorth And will not the ayres replenished with foules clouds raines snowes hayles lightnings thunders make vs wonder And when as we lift vp our eyes far higher and behold the curtaines of heauen spread vpon the face of the earth behold the brightnesse of the Sunne the clearenesse of the Moone and the ruling of their course obserue marke the goodly beautifull order of the Starres their course effects influeÌ„ces must it not needs altogether amaze vs And yet al this geare together coÌ„sidered in grosse is nothing in respect of the matters which we haue now in hand wheÌ„ as we shall haue examined theÌ„ a part and by peece meale for wheÌ„ as we shall haue seene that the very least things in the world haue in their constitution such a maruelous prudence wisedome we must of necessitie find out the author creator of them in heauen Let man but looke into himself consider with himselfe what maner a thing he is and how so litle a moyst humor could make him grow vnto such a fashion to be framed a body of so many sundry parts with such proportion And let him not content himselfe to see himselfe stand vpright vppon his feete with his face vpward his eyes open and remouing all his members but let him a litle vncouer his skin and ghesse how the flesh and the bones are so workemanlike set together and vnderstand how many sinewes and muskles are drawne downe euen from the neck vnto the most base outermost parts of the body to bind loose and remoue to all the parts vnto all sorts of mouings and let him behold how so many veines are spread throughout the body to carry the bloud and nourishing iuice vnto euery member Let him also see what a number of arteries are guided from the heart and deuided to accompanie all the sinewes and veynes to hold in the vitall spirits in euery part as the messengers of his will to the
end to commaund the sinnewes to moue or not to moue Let him then if he will lay open his stomacke and see how his life is mainteined how the meates sent downe into the stomacke are transformed by a secret and incomprehensible power how by laboring and stirring in the stomack they runne into the paunch how the good iuice floweth through the small vaines into the liuer which is the shop of the bloud how the liuer dischargeth her superfluities into the gall splene and kidneys how it distributeth the bloud into the veynes and how it is sent into the heart to be there made thin and subtilized euen vnto the confection of the vitall spirites If he behold the moouing and breathing of the lights which refresheth and moderateth the heat of the heart if he see the artificiall turnings and wreathings of the guts let him not thinke the same to be fallen out of the clouds neither yet that he seeth any other thing within then he seeth without Howbeit when as he shall come to consider of the head which is the treasure of the sences and seat of reason let him dreame amongst other things what an especiall worke the eye is and with how many filmes and thin skinnes this lightsome spirit is garnished and defended which in very truth is the pleasure of the life he shall remaine as it were astonished and amazed but yet not so much as when he commeth to pierce the braine where he shall perceiue the manner whereon the portracture and images of things are borne by the sences as faithfull messengers and interpreters to be receiued and exercised therein by the common sence and afterward to be ordered and placed within the custodie of the celles of the memorie But the thing that most astonisheth vs is this when as we desire to vnderstand what our soule is which manageth gouerneth all this whole workemanship what a power it is of that thus strangely moueth and worketh which awaketh when we sleepe comprehendeth so easily and things reacheth into the deepest matters and by discourse findeth out the cause and reason of the most secret things And we see and feele these effects in our selues and yet we can neither see nor yet conceiue them Certainly when we in the contemplation of these things are lifted vp by faith we feele our selues forthwith led vnto the author of these workes And to say truly when as we see so many maruelous things dispersed throughout the whole face of the earth for what other purpose serue they but to be as a booke left wide open for vs to read out thereof the greatnesse and almightie power of God who is heereby so gloriously expressed The onely beholding whereof is able to stay our sences and spirits and furnish them with an aboundant and sufficient contentment whereon hangeth our felicitie This is it whereon we should studie day and night and not content our selues with the bare looking of the couer onely but diligently to way the periodes yea euen to pluck out the sillabes and meanest points which containe excellent and holy secrets And this was a very good answer in my opinion which the good Heremite S. Anthonie as Socrates writeth made vnto a Philosopher who asked him how he could possiblie dwell in a solitarie place without hauing of bookes about him Surely quoth he I lacke no bookes for the world is my booke and my studie is the contemplation of nature wherein I reade day and night of the glory of my God howbeit I can neuer attaine to the end thereof O happie life voide of such a number of boiling sorrowes and greefes which vndermine and consume our yeares gladding and reioycing in this gratious rest and hauing good leaue to thrust our hands vp to the elbowes into the treasures of the Deitie which feedest the desires of the soule with the knowledge of immortalitie and swondest and diest within the burning flames of eternall wisdome These are the delights and these are the alluring baites which kept Acepsenas a recluse within his cell in the wildernesse full threescore years These are the allurements which stayed that Simeon all his life long vpon the top of a piller What a merueilous desire thinke you had those men who being lifted vp aboue the earth did swim in the ayre communicated with the Angels and beautified themselues before they dyed Without doubt our bloud is wonderfully congealed and grosse about our heaâ—t and we very dull and as it were in a swound if we admire not their blessednesse neither haue we compassion of our owne miseries our spirits are mightely mortified if so be we comprehend not that in this life in this contemplation and in the knowledge of this eternal verity our consolation contentation felicitie lâ—eth consisteth and resteth Now God who loueth vs as his children meaneth not to leaue vs vnto the darknesse of this world and to make vs seeke after gropingly as it were amongst his workes for this his truth But hauing left his spirit with vs he hath also left vnto vs his worde as an interpretor of his will wherein we shall be sure to finde sure and faithfull directions to bring vs vnto this veritie and easily vnderstand his maruelous workes This is that voice which is called the burning worde this is that word which is called the light which as Eusebius saith is like vnto fier because it doth not only heate lighten and make ripe but also melteth softeneth and hardeneth And therefore we should follow those good Egiptian fathers whose liues Philo describeth who loosing their eyes to looke farre aboue the workes of God cast them forthwith into the reading of the Prophets and of the holy books as vpon the commentarie and interpretor of their meditations And these are they that haue most profoundly entred into the diuine wisedome and who for that occasion are in the scriptures called Seers for they are they by whom we haue had the mysteries of eternitie reuealed and not by any humaine industrie but by the inspiration of the spirit of God haue communicated vnto vs the miracles of heauen and opened the entrie into wisdome with the which when as our soule is mixed and from thence hath receiued her forme and perfection she must then bring forth her fruite according as the same Philo hath taught vs That that is the propertie of euery perfect thing The fruite of a meditating soule or rather the infant thereof if we will speake as Eusebius doth is praier which being conceiued in the inward part of our thought discloseth it selfe betwixt our lips euen as the child is conceiued in the mothers wombe For the knowledge of God the effectuall feeling of his goodnesse which are imprinted in vs by an holy cogitation engendreth also in vs this motion of courage which Mercurie the great calleth The inward word which being well fashioned within and aided by the spirit the body thrusteth out it selfe and vttereth this outward word which we call praier
eye which seeth it goe out of the fire seeth it also forthwith consumed and in a moment accompanied both with his originall and his end and if any should aske what is become of it there is not one that can so much as tell where the trace only of it is to be found He that hath seene the loppings of wood wither in the sunne and loose their strength and verdure hath also seene my poore bones become both drye and consumed meeâ—e for none other thing but for the graue The graue yea surely the graue which is the happiest thing that can betide me if so be so small a pit may be able to stay the violent course of mine extreame misery 5 Who soeuer he be that hath seene grasse cut downe and tanned with the Sunne in the field and lose the coulor and wither and looke vppon my gâ—stly and deadly face he would thinke that I were able to make death afeard Mine hart is parched within mine entrailes and my bloud drieth vp within my vaines for I remember not to put bread into my mouth and do still forget to eate my meales 6 My mouth serueth me for none other purpose but to cry out lament and the ordinary voice of my griefe is so strong as that it draweth after it all the rest of my strength Now if so be that my body being so extreamely full of heauinesse consume it selfe by little and little and my bones horribly sticke through my skinne what cause haue I to take care for the sustayning of this miserable body of mine which is the matter and substance of all my miseries Wherefore should I be watchfull for the conseruing of this life of mine which wrestleth against so many enemies and is cast downe with so many afflictions Were it not much better for me in ending my life to make also therewith an end of all miseries 7 Is the Pellican more full of greefe then I who liuing in the most solitary deserts of Egipt tormenteth her selfe for the killing of her yong ones and washeth them in her owne bloud to restore them to life which she had taken from them Is her sorrow greater than mine Hath nor my sinne procured the death of the child whome I more dearly loued then my selfe And now that I haue dried vp all my teares the bloud will gush out of mine eyes for feare I should be voide of teares in so lamentable and cursed a case But the Pellican hath redeemed with her own bloud the price of her yong ones and I most miserable wretch that I am shall be depriued for euer of the child which I so tenderly loued And I will also abandon both the day and the light and confine and limit my selfe within the most darke places that I can finde out euen as a shritch owle dooth that commeth not out of his hole all the while it is day light 8 I am continually kept waking still dreaming of my miserie and seeking to hide my selfe before such time as the infelicitie which runneth vpon me enforceth me And being altogether mated and out of heart I seeke after some corner to hide my selfe in euen as the wilde sparrow that flieth out of the raine and winde seeketh after some couert or sunne shine place to bathe and drie her selfe in 9 Mine enemies seeing me in this case and with such a countenance stand mocking of me therewith and cast my miserie in my teeth and they which were wont to make a great accompt of me instead of sorrowing with me in mine afflictioÌ„ haue coniured against me What reckoning then should any man make of the wealth of this world and if he were able to get as great richesse and as many friends as were possible and then to haue his friends so traiterous and so double as to make little or no accompt of breaking their faith and promise 10 And surely my strength is decayed the flower beauty of my well coloured and smooth ruddy checkes is quite cleane gone for I haue sowne my bread vpon the ashes and moisted my drinke with my teares And shall I for all this become a laughing stock vnto this infidelous generation 11 It is very true that I haue bene met withall before thy face in the day of thy wrath thou hast laid againe vpon me the arme of thy vengeance and am become therewith frushed in peeces Men haue had me in great estimation and honour and loe how I am now drest and dealt withall O vaine presumption vnto what steepe break-neck hast thou lifted me vp to make me leape such a leape Alas what did I finde in my selfe why I should conceiue in mine heart such an opinion of my selfe 12 As we see the shadow of the body by little and little decrease when as the sunne is risen aboue the same and reduceth it as it were vnto a small point euen so all so soone O Lord as thine anger is vpon me my life my goods and my greatnesse is by little and little dispersed and come to nothing in such sort as that loe I am like vnto the grasse that is tedded abroade without grace and colour which men cock vp to giue vnto the cattle to feed on and like vnto a great many goodly sweete smelling flowers bound vp in a bottle amongst a sort of thistles 13 But do I for all this lose my hope No no my God for thy power is infinite and lasteth for euer and thy mercie immeasurable which will spred it selfe ouer all such as shall trust in thee One age shall passe after another but the remembrance of thy goodnesse shall neuer haue end one generation shall succeed another but it shall be alwaies for the setting forth of thy praise and good dealing 14 Thou wilt one day my God awaken to haue mercie vpon Sion for the time of mercie draweth neare And loe I see it euen at hand The flouds and riuers powre not out so much cleare water into the deepe sea as thy goodnesse will spred abroad thy fauour and grace vpon the face of this earth Open your hearts yee people open your hearts I say for the liberall hand of my God will fill them with an holy zeale which will make thee farre purer and cleaner then the gold in the fining pot 15 Now the house of Sion O Lord is the refuge which all thy seruants looke for it is it which they so greatly loue and which they so earnestly desire it is it where they looke to finde mercy it is the temple O Lord which thou wilt destroy in three daies and raise it vp againe in other three that it may be the house of euerlasting life the seat of saluation the treasure of grace and temple of eternitie 16 Then shall all the nations my God be afraide and all the kings of the earth tremble at the brightnesse of thy glorie What corner of the world shall be so secret where the noise of thy blessed comming shall not sound and be
bitter which way so euer I turne me I see nothing but horror and trembling for without the sword cutteth downe whatsoeuer staÌ„deth before it the iron pardoneth nothing My land is not knowne it is so thicke sowne with dead bodies and within the estate and condition is not much more pleasant for I see there my children afflicted with famine and dye most pitifully I behold them lying gastly and thinly with goggle eyes and wide open gaping mouthes breathing out the last gasps of death Sin O what a fatall horrible spectacle is this and yet men haue no compassion on them They haue seene me in this estate and yet could there not be found one that had a fellow feeling of my misery or that euer gaue me any comfortable word to mitigate my griefe And as for mine enemies the extremitie of my miserie made theÌ„ no more to melt then if they had had stony hearts in their bodies and frosen bloud in their vaines For all their talke was Marke how God hath chastized and drest her and beaten downe her pride But thou knowest not ô thou tygerlike inhumane race how God keepeth thee Thou thy selfe reioycâ—st at my miserie and I wil comfort my selfe by thine For thou wilt shew vnto them ô Lord God that thou art iust all the world ouer and that with thee there is no acceptation of persons that euery man hath his turne through thine hands and that the longer thou deferrest thy vengeance the more grieuous and terrible it is when it commeth recompencing the forbearing thereof with rigour and seueritie Tau Enter therefore ô Lord into iudgemeÌ„t with mine enemies lay open a little their doings shew vnto them their liues and after that thou hast caused them to know that their consciences are full of blasphemie pollution and hast taken from them the curtain of hipocrisie which so mightely ouershadowed theyr robberies and thefts be reuenged a little of theyr turnes lay them vpon the rack that they may be hard a little to cry vnder the presse of tribulations to the end they may vnderstand that seeing that I haue suffered for my sinnes that the rigour of my punishment is but as it were a summons and denunciation of theirs and that my teares and grones haue put out thy heauie wrath which I kindled and lighted against my selfe and that they haue lighted againe the same against those which reioyced and laughed at my misery CHAPTER II. Aleph MArke and behold here a strange and lameÌ„table alteration of things For Syon the dearely beloued daughter of God who held vp her head aboue all the Câ—…es of the world as a Cypres tree doth aboue all the bushes in the wood who caried in her forehead an honorable and magnificall maiestie and shining most gloriously is now brought downe to the ground and so disfigured obscuâ—ed besmeared and blemished as that no man will euer know her and this ô Lord is come to passe by reason of thine irefull blowes which thou hast layd vpoÌ„ her who as thou hast with an infinit power created all things in perfection destroyest also with a most infinit power all things in the heat of thy iust anger Thou hast lifted vp euen vnto heauen thy dearely beloued Syon and afterward threwest her downe roundly from heauen to earth because she contemned thy amitie and friendship Her mightinesse serued her for none other purpose but to make her fall the greater and the noyse thereof the more terrible For as thou art extreame in louing so also art thou as extreame in punishing and wheÌ„ through long impenitencie the people enforce thee to put to thy reueÌ„ging hand then is thine anger like thunder and lightning which spareth nothing that it meeteth withall Now it is a strange thing to see how God hath dealt with Syon in his fury to see how he hath bene auenged of his very Temple to see how he hath destroyed shaken to fitters the place of the world which best liked him wherupon a maÌ„ might say he rested his feet making his deitie to be seene and knowne in that place as much as possible might Beth. And what hath he pardoned Hath any thing escaped his hands vntouched Looke vpon all the houses of Iaâ—ob and vpon what so euer exquisite thing that is in Iudah and tell me if there be any whit of any of all these things standing Tell me I beseech thee if there be so much as a corner of any of all those so braue and proud fortresses remayning Is it possible for all Palestine to be noted for one whose feasts are not brought downe also as low as the foundations Hath the Kings Throne bene polluted ouerthrowne Haue the Princes and noble meÌ„ of the countrey bene beaten with cudgels and drest like poore and miserable slaues Surely they were the very Buts of the iniuries Gimel To be short since the time that God began to be aduenged of vs he hath not left either great or mighty in our land whom he hath not shaken shiuered For what so euer was eminent high hath met with the finger of his wrath He hath brought vpoÌ„ our heads great armies of enemies assembled strange nations and brought them home euen vnto our faces and left vs vnto their furious cruelty We haue called and cryed vpon him and coniured him to ayd his people but he hath beheld vs with a threatfull and disdainefull eye and turned his back vpon vs without geuing vs answere And incontineÌ„tly he lightened a fire of dissention in the middest of our prâ—uince which winning from place to place and compassing all the whole countrey hath burnt downe euen to the very least houill or shed and deuoured all the whole nation Daleth It is the Lords hand which hath done this It is he that is our principall enemy and he that hath fought against vs. We haue seene his bowe bent against vs his arme stretched ouer our heads And with this blowe haue all our Citizens bene cast to the ground With this blow haue our most proud palaces fallen to pieces Belieue me it is with his owne hand that he hath spred vpon our land the fire of his indignation which hath thus miserably consumed vs. Vnto him alone must we impute our ruine For all the forces of meÌ„ were neuer able to bring this matter thus about and to passe He. Nay he hath of set purpose put to his hand hath denounced warre vnto Israel and meaneth to proue his forces against him O what an hard and dangerous tryall is this He hath cast downe headlong from the highest vnto the lowest the most pompous and great feast euen vnto the bottomlesse deapths of pouertie miserie the hath shaken with thunder and lightning all her fortresses and dismanteled all her Castles He hath humbled and that with great shame both men and women and changed their pomp magnificence into mourning and groning Vau. But wilt thou know how we haue bene handled