whatsoeuer of these do not come it is to be counted for aduasitage for no smal cōfort against that euill that chaunceth so that thou art here compelled to say with Ieremie it is through the mercies of the Lorde that we are not destroyed For whatsoeuer of them doth not chaunce it chaunceth not the right hand of the Highest letting or prohibiting it which mightely preserueth vs on euery side as it is declared in Iob so that Satan and euils doe euen grudge and beare it vnpatiently that they are letted and prohibited Wherfore we see how sweetely the Lord is to be loued as often as any thing chaunceth vnto vs forasmuch as by this one euil our most louing father admonisheth vs to consider howe many euils are ready to assaile vs if he did not stay and let them as if he sayd Satan and a huge heape of euills desire to sifte thee but I haue set boundes to the sea and haue sayd vnto it hitherto shall thy swelling waues come and here shall they stay as he sayth in Iob chap. 28. But none of them shall come perhaps the will of God being so howbeit that which of all terrible things is sayd to be the greatest namely death shall most certainely come and nothing is more vncertaine then the hower thereof Which euil is so great that we see that many men had rather liue euen with all the foresayd euils then they being ended to dye once And to this one the Scripture also wheras it contemneth the rest referreth feare saying Remember the end and thou shalt neuer do amisse Consider how many meditations howe many bookes how many meanes and remedies are ordained hereunto so that with the remembrance of this onely euill it is vsual to fray men from sinnes and make the world contemptible to lighten sufferings and euills and to comfort the afflicted by comparing their euills with so horrible great an euill which shall at one time or other of necessitie come There is no man who would not wish to suffer all euills if thereby he might auoide the euill of death This the Sainctes also haue feared this Christ suffered with feare and sweat like dropps of blood So that the diuine mercy hath bene careful to strengthen comfort the weake faint harted in nothing more then in this euill as we shall see hereafter As for Christians they haue a speciall and proper cause to feare the euill to come which exceedeth all the other euils this is that which the Apostle setteth forth I. Cor. 10. saying Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fal So slipperie is the way so mighty is the enemy being armed with our owne proper strength that is with the aydes of the flesh of all euill affections accompanied with infinite hands companies of the world with delights pleasures on the right hand with troubles the euil wils of men on the left beside that art a thousand wayes to hurt seduce destroy whereof he is most kilfull We liue so that we are not sure of our good purpose so much as a moment Cyprian speaking of many such things in his epistle of mortalitie teacheth that death is to be wished as a speedy helper to auoyde these euils And for the most part where men haue a good hart duely reuolue in their minde these infinite perils we see them despising life and death that is all the aforesaide euills wish to be losed that they may be also losed from this euill of sinnes wherein they are as we haue sayd in the first chapter and into which they may fall whereof we speake nowe And surely these are two most weighty reasons to moue vs not onely to wish for death but also to contemne all euills not to beare one euil onely lightly if the Lorde shall giue to any to be moued with them for it is the gift of God to be moued with them For what true Christian will not wish euen to dye and not only to be sicke who seeth and feeleth that he while he liueth in healthe is not onely in sinnes and continually may and daily doth fall into moe and so without intermission doth contrary to the moste louing will of his most louing Father With this vehemencie of indignation Paule beinge moued as it is declared Rom. 7. when he had complayned that he did not the good which he woulde but the euill which he would not cryed out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death The grace of God sayth he by Iesus Christ c. He litle loueth God his Father who doth not choose rather the euill of death then this euill of sinning seing that he hath ordayned death hereunto that this euil may at the last haue an ende and death may be the minister of life and righteousnes whereof shal be spoken hereafter The third chapter of the third consideration which is of the euill past or behind vs. HErein more then in the rest notably shineth the sweete mercye of God the father which is able to comfort vs in all our distresse For euery man neuer feeleth the hand of God more present vpon him then when he calleth to minde the yeares of his life past Sainct Augustine saith If a man should choose either to dye or to leade againe his life past he would choose rather to die considering so great perills euils which he hath scarce and hardely auoided Which saying is most true if it be well duely weyed For here a man may see how often he hath without his owne studye without his owne care yea without and contrary to his desire done and suffered many thinges whereof he did not so much as thinke before they were done or in doing that the worke being ended he is then first compelled to say Howe hath it come to passe that I haue done these thinges which I did not thinke on or thought of other thinges so that the prouerbe is true Man purposeth but God disposeth that is altereth and bringeth to passe an other thinge then man purposeth that euen in this one thinge we can not denie that our life and actions are gouerned directed not by our owne wisedom but by the maruelous power counsel goodnes of god Hereby we perceiue howe often God hath bene with vs when we neither saw nor felt it and how truely Peter sayd Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Wherfore if there were no bookes nor sermons yet our life it selfe led through so many euills and perills if it be well considered doth abundātly commend the goodnes of God to be present with vs most sweete vnto vs who hath farre otherwise then we either thought or felt borne vs as it were in his bosome and as Moses sayth Deut. 32 The Lord hath kept him as the apple of his eye he hath led him about and caried him on his shoulders And hereunon came those
sayinges in the Psalter I remember the time past I meditate in all thy works yea I do meditate in the works of thy handes I will remember the wonders of olde And againe I remembred thy iudgements of old and haue bene comforted All these and such like tende to this ende that we should knowe that if we see that God was then present with vs when we did not thinke thereof neither he did seeme to be present we shoulde not doubt that he is nowe also present when he seemeth vnto vs to be absent For he that protected and preserued vs in many necessities without our owne care or thinkinge thereof he I saye will not forsake vs in a small matter although he seeme to forsake vs according as he sayth in Esai A litle while haue I forsaken thee but with great mercifulnes shall I take thee vnto me Hereunto thou mayst adde Who hath had care of vs so many nightes when we flept who was carefull for vs as often as we labored plaied and did infinite other things wherein we were nothing carefull for our selues So we see how al our care whether we will or no must be referred to God alone we being very seldom left to our owne coūsell or care which notwithstanding the Lord sometime doth that he may teach vs to acknowledge his goodnes that we may perceiue howe muche difference there is betweene his care and ours Wherefore he sometime suffereth some light sicknes or other euil to come vnto vs making semblance that he hath no care of vs for in deede there is no time whē he careth not for vs notwithstanding he doth in the meane season prohibit let that so many euils as are ready to assaile vs do not together on euery side come violētly vpon vs that he may try vs as most deare children whether we will commit our selues to his care being knowne of vs through all the rest of our life marke how vnprofitable impotent our owne care is For what doe we profit our selues or what cā we profit our selues in al our life who in a litle while can not cure remedie one onely payne of the legge Why then are we so careful in the point of one perill or euill and doe not leaue the care to him when as our life it selfe being witnes we are kept and preserued in so many euills without our owne labour or trauel To know duely to consider these things is to know the works of God to meditate in his workes by the remembrance of them to be comforted in aduersitie and troubles But they that are ignorant hereof shall fall into that which is mentioned Psal. 29. Because they haue not vnderstood the workes of the Lord nor the operation of his handes thou shalt breake them downe and not build them vp For they are vnthankful for all the care which God hath taken for them in all their life who do not commit the care of them selues to him for a litle while The fourth chapter of the fourth consideration which is of the euill beneath vs. AS yet we haue seene no other in all the euills which we suffer but that the goodnes of God is so great and so present with vs that among innumerable euills wherewith we are compassed in this life wherin we are euen imprisoned scarce a very few and those not at all times are suffered to assaile vs so that euery present euill wherewith we are troubled is but an aduertizement of certaine great aduauntage which we haue through the goodnes of God whiles that he suffereth vs not to be oppressed with the multitude of euills wherwith we are compassed For it is a miracle if one be assailed with infinit blowes be touched but with one alone yea it is a grace that he is not stricken with all a miracle that he is not stricken with many Nowe the first of the euills that are beneath vs is death the second hell If we consider the shamefull and vile death of others wherewith sinners are punished we shall easily perceiue with howe great aduauntage we suffer lesse then we haue deserued For how many are hanged drowned or stricken with the sword which perhappes haue done farre lesser sinnes then we so that their death and miserie is sette before vs of Christ as a glasse wherein we maye see what we haue deserued as Luke 13. when certaine shewed him of the Galileans whose bloode Pilace had mingled with their sacrifices he aunswered suppose ye that these Galileans were greater sinners then the other Galileans because they haue suffered suche thinges I tell you nay but except ye amend your liues ye shal all likewise perish Or thinke you that those eighteene vpon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slue them were sinners aboue all men that dwell in Ierusalem I tel you nay but except ye amend your liues ye shal all likewise perish For we may not thinke that lesser euils are due vnto vs who haue committed greater or like sinnes Neither will the iustice and truth of God be vniust false for vs who hath determined to giue to euery man according to his deedes Moreouer in hell eternal damnation howe many thousand are there who haue not committed the thousandth part of our sinnes how many virgins are there children they whom we call innocents how many religious men Priestes c. who in their whole life semed to serue God perhapps through some one fall are punished for euer Here must be no dissembling the iustice of God is the same in euery sinne he hateth condemneth sinne alike in whomsoeuer it be found Doe we not here see the inestimable mercy of God which hath not condemned them who haue so often deserued it Howe muche I praye you is it which we can suffer euen in all our life in respect of the eternall punishment which they suffer hauing deserued it perhaps by one offence we in the meane time being free and saued from many sinnes which God passeth ouer and remitteth Whereas we do not regard these benefits of God or make light accoūt of them it is through vnthankfulnes a certaine senseles hardnes of incredulitie Hereunto moreouer are to be referred so many Infidels Gentiles Iewes vnto whom if those things had ben giuen which are giuen to vs they had bene not in hell but in heauen and had farre lesse sinned Examples hereof Christ setteth before our eyes Matth. II. saying Wo be to thee Corazin Wo be to thee Bethsaida for if the greate workes which were done in you had bene done in Tyrus and Sidon they had repented long agone in sackcloth ashes but I say to you it shal be easier for Tyrus Sidon at the day of iudgement then for you And thou Capernaum which art lifted vp vnto heauen shalt be brought downe to hell for if the greate workes which haue bene done in thee had bene done among them of Sodom they had remained to
death which as pure myrre taketh away at once all the stincke of sinne sweete mild gentle acceptable How shal this come to passe Euen while thou hearest that Iesus Christ the Sonne of God hath by his most holy suffering consecrated made holy all passions euen death it self hath blessed malediction hath glorified ignominie hath enriched pouerty So that death is compelled to be the gate of life malediction the beginning of blessednes ignominie the way to glory Now how canst thou be so hard harted vnthākful that thou wouldest not euen wish for loue all the passions which by the most pure and holy flesh and blood of Christ are sanctified made harmeles wholsom blessed and happy vnto thee For if by the touching of his most pure flesh he hath sanctified all waters to baptisme how much more by the touching of the same his most pure flesh and blood hath he sanctified all death all sufferings all iniuries all sclaunders all ignominie to the baptisme of the spirit or blood as he sayth of the same baptisme of suffering Luke 12 I must be baptised with a baptisme howe am I grieued till it be ended Thou seest how he is disquieted how he is grieued how he thirsteth to sanctifie make amiable passions death For he saw that we were terrified with passions he saw that we did greatly feare dread death Therfore as a most louing shepeheard and faithfull phisition minding to moderate this euil he maketh hast with griefe desireth to die by suffering to commēd the same vnto vs. So that the death of a Christian is to be counted like the brasen serpent that Moses set vp which in euery respect resembled the forme of a serpent but was wholy without life without motion without venim without stinging so the righteous seeme in the eyes of the vnwise to die but they are in peace We are like to them that die neither doth our death appeare any otherwise then the death of others notwithstanding it is an other thinge for death is deade vnto vs So also all our other sufferinges are like the sufferings of others howbeit in appearance onely but in very deede our sufferings are the beginnings of rest as death is the beginning of life And this is that which Christ sayth Iohn 8 If a man keepe my worde he shall neuer see death Howe commeth it to passe that he shall neuer see it because he dying beginneth to liue so by reason of the life which he seeth he can not see death For here the night shineth as the day for that the light of the life beginning is more cleare then of the death ending These thinges are certaine to all them that beleeue in Christ but to them that doe not beleeue they are otherwise Wherefore if thou wouldest kisse loue and embrace the coate of Christ the vessells waterpots and whatsoeuer thinges Christ hath touched and which he hath vsed for most sweete relicks as consecrated by his touching vsing them why doost thou not much more loue embrace kisse paynes troubles of the world ignominie and death not only consecrated by his touching but also embrued and blessed with his most precious blood moreouer embraced with harty wil and exceeding loue which vehemently moued him thereunto especially seeing that in these thou hast farre greater benefits rewards good things then in those relicks For by these thou obtaynest victory of death and hell and of all thy sinnes and not by them O if a man might haue beheld the hart of Christ when hanging on the crosse he was distressed that he might make death dead contēptible how earnestly sweetely he embraced death paines for the fearfull and them that dread death paynes how willingly he droonke of this cup to the sicke that we also might not be afraide to drinke thereof while we see that no euill but onely good came vnto him by risinge againe without doubt it would be pure myrre distilling from his lippes moste pleasaunt and sweete as the sauour and goodlines of the lillies Hereof speaketh Peter in his first Epistle and 4. chapter Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for vs in the fleshe arme your selues likewise with the same mynde And Paule sayth Hebr. 12 Consider him that endured suche speaking against of sinners least ye should be wearied faint in your mindes Wherefore if in the former considerations which are of things set as yet beneath vs or by vs we haue learned to suffer euill patiently surely by this last which is of that that is now aboue not by vs we lifting vp our harts vnto Christ and being made victors ouer all euills are taught not onely to suffer them but to loue wishe seeke thē And the farther a man is of from this affection of so much lesse force is the crosse of Christ in him as it is in them that vse the signe of the crosse and Christes passion against euills and death that they may not suffer nor die endeuoring to attaine vnto that which is quite contrary to the crosse and death of Christ Wherefore in this seuenth consideration it must needes be swallowed vp and consumed whatsoeuer euill we suffer so that now it doe not onely not grieue but also delight howbeit if this cōsideration perse the hart be fixed in the inward affection of the mind Thus much concerning the former table the latter followeth VVE will deuide the second table into seuen considerations also contrary to the former whereof the first shall be of the inward good The second of that which is to come The thirde of that which is paste The fourth of that which is beneath vs The sift of that which is on the left hande The sixt of that which is on the right hande The seuenth of that which is aboue vs. THE FIRST CHAPTER of the first consideration which is of the inward good WHo is able to number euen those good thinges onely which euery one possesseth in his one person First how many are the giftes of the bodye as beautie strength health quicknes of sense whereunto in the male kinde may be added the moste noble sex whereby he is fit to doe many things both priuate and publike and to atchieue many notable exploytes whereunto a woman is vnapt Nowe what a great matter is it if by the blessing of God thou enioyest these excellent gifts ten twenty thirty yeares with pleasure at the last art troubled in some one of them for the space of ten daies It is a common saying among notorious offenders It is but one ill howres matter and agayne A good howre is worth an ill howre What shal be sayd of vs who enioy many good howres and wil not suffer euil so much as one howre We see therefore in how great plenty we enioy the benefits of God and with how fewe euills we are scarce touched at the least the most of vs Our most gratious God not content