yet thinke as many doe that there is no God Psal 13.1 and as Dauids foole affirmes in his heart then truely this man of al men is most ridiculous who will sweare by that which hee supposeth not to be this is the fashion of all scoffing Atheists then tel the world O my soule what such men as these what such blasphemers vse to doe when one shall but speake vnto them kindely at euerie word that they shall answere Eccho Sweare SECT 86. What God is IT is not for a Christian to make a iest of swearing Psal 33.5 if hee sweare he must sweare in truth in iudgement and in righteousnesse for otherwise though a mā swear often yet by my cōsent he should seldome bee beleeued And a guiltie conscience cleared by an oath is like vnto foule hands scowred with sope through which although they be made cleane yet they smell verie rancke thereof a long time afterward and a periured soule though it be cleared and blamelesse in the sight of the world by forswearing yet that same oath adioyned to the former fact terrifies the soule the more that false kisse betraies it inwardlie though it cannot be deciphered by a long space outwardly then in conclusion tell me and tell all men my soule what God that great thundering Iehouah most detests and most detestfully Loathes Ecch. Oathes SECT 87. A Meditation on the betraying of Christ O Sweet Christ O sweet Sauiour how wast thou tormented for these sinnes of ours and the like Lament 1. come then my friends let vs weepe together mourne let teares runne down our checkes and among all our louers let there be none to comfort vs Mat. 26.14.15 let our streets lament let no man feast let all our gates be desolate let our Priests sigh let virgins be discomfited and let vs all bee in heauinesse for we haue sinned our sinnes are great and for them is the sonne of GOD crucified Iudas solde him kist him and betraid him he sold him for thirty pence O thou naughty Traitor at what price dost thou set the Lord of all creatures at thirty pēce what my Lord sold for thirtie pence O what a vile and slender price is this for a Lord of such maiestie certainely a very beast in the shambles is commonly sold for more And dost thou oh Traitour sell for so smal a price almighty God himselfe hee setteth not thee at so small a price for so much as hee buieth thee with his owne most pretious blood Oh what a great price and estimation was that of man and how base an estimation and price was this of God God was solde for thirty pence and man was bought with the dearest bloud of God himselfe And when this Iudas had betrayed him and was deliuered into the hands of the Iewes see how each one giueth him buffets and and stroakes Mat. 27.29 Mat. 14.65 Mark 8.22 23. see how they spit vpon that diuine face with their diuelish mouthes see how they hoodwinke his eyes and strike him on the face scoffing and iesting at him saying Aread who hath smitten thee O my soule great were the mockes and taūts hee suffered for thee how patiently did he beare the spitting of those infernal mouthes that had himselfe not long before with the spittle of his owne mouth restored a blind man to his perfect sight how suffered he their whippings whose seruants were wont in his name with mightie power to whip the very diuels how was hee crowned with thornes that crowned his martyrs with euerlasting Garlands how was he smitten on the face with palmes of mens hands that giueth the palme of victorie vnto such as be cōquerors how was he robbed of his erthly garmēts which cloatheth his saints with garments of immortallitie how was heproffered most bitter gaule that giueth vs the bread of life how was hee offered Vinegar to drink that giueth the cup of saluation Haec omnia sunt cypriani Consider moreouer at what time the Sauiour of the world was nailed to the Crosse how both the heauens and the earth were troubled the Starres were obscured the elements disturbed how the earth quaked how the light was darkened when the sunne turned away his eyes and would not suffer his beames to shine vppon the earth least happilie it might see such a great crueltie SECT 88. Our sinnes the cause of Christs death IF thou be not mooued to take compassion on our sweet Sauiour seeing him in this doleful case for thy sake if now when he sheds drops of blood through out all his body thou canst not shed any teares from thine eyes thinke verily with thy selfe that thou hast a very hard and stonie heart and if thou canst not weep for loue towards him yet at the least weepe for the multitude of thy sinnes for so much as they were the verie cause of this his agonie and greefe Now the tormenters doe not whip him neyther doe the Souldiers crowne him with thornes that do cause bloud to gush out of his body but it is thy very sinnes offences those are the thornes that do prick him they are the speare that do thrust him into the side they are tormētors that do afflict him they are the heauy burthen that doe cause him to sweat this so strange wonderfull a bloudie sweat Oh my sweet Sauiour and Redeemer Oh thou lambe of God that takest away the sins of the world how dearely hast thou bought my saluation SECT 89. They that are in authoritie must shew good examples GOuernours eyther spirituall or temporall sinne more grieuously by example then by act their act destroieth but one their example may destroy many and therfore surely the greater account they are to render and the more circumspectly to behaue themselues least that in their owne precepts they bee found faultie the greater power then that one man hath aboue others must teach him to excell in vertue aboue them for what doth it profit an Emperor to be Lord and king ouer many kingdoms if on the other part he become bondslaue to many vices titles of honour bee nothing worth if the life of the party bee bad surely true nobilitie consisteth not in dignitie linage large possessions and the like but in wisdom knowledge and vertue and this nobility bringeth a man to dignitie in the kingdome of heauen and as for this life it is not the place as foolish men suppose that makes the person renowned but it is the person that maketh the place alwaies honorable SECT 90. The praise of silence OF all vertues the chiefest is silence for by it thou hearest the imperfections of others and concealest thine owne for commonly emptie vessels make the lowdest sound and men of the weakest wit and least capacitie are the greatest bablers the heart of the foole saith Syracke is in his mouth Eccl. 21.26 but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart then thinke this with thy selfe before thou makest any mā of thy
good to be mingled with what is naught for a bad word will sooner disgrace a good man then a good man can grace what wee know to be bad what is good may be stained with what is naught before that which is naught may be made good SECT 22. A Meditation on the losse of Christ when hee was but twelue yeares old COmfort my soule oh Lord stretch foorth thine hands of compassion and reach vnto me euer lasting life Cant. 5. whose hands are as rings of Gold set with the crysolite whose bellie like white Iuorie couered with Saphirs whom Mary and Ioseph sought sorrowing but could not finde him vntill the third day Luke â—â— they sought my Lord in the Citie and in the Countrie within the wals and without the wals in Ierusalem and abroad among his kinsfolkes but could not finde him and they sorrowed the more for that they lost their Sonne when as he was but twelue yeares old O sweet childe where wa st where didst hide thy selfe who gaue thee house-roome who gaue thee meate and drink who pluckt off thy hozen and shun De omnibus inquit Bernard Coniicere vel opinari aliquid libet affirma re autem temere non licet Mark 10 who made cleane thy coates what coÌ„pany diddest thou vse whether in heauen or earth or in any house in the meane time didst thou remaine surely thou wast in some secret place with some of thy yong and tender yeares teaching them the secrets of the kingdome of heauen according to thine owne words in the Gospell suffer little Children to come vnto mee and forbid them not but what was the cause my sweet Lord that thou haddest no compassion on thy poore mother seeking thee grieuing for thee sighing and sobbing and powring out whole streams of teares for losse of thee And why Mary diddest thou seeke the child so earnestly whom thou knewest to be God directly diddest thou feare least that he was starued with hunger or vexed with cold or least that he should be wronged by some Children playing in the streetes what is not this hee who defendeth all men who feedeth all things who nourisheth all creatures liuing who doth array and cloath the grasse of the fielde which groweth now and a non is cast into the ouen and makes them more glorious then Solomon in all his royalties SECT 23. On the same WEe see here with what sighing and sobbing with what lamenting with how great sorrowing grieuing and groaning they sought the babe and specially Mary his mother and how great this was who is able to expresse euery word she spoake was shut vp with a teare teares made full stops yet were her wordes neuer fully ended euerie line she vttered had a parenthesis with wringing and wrefling of the handes and crying as Ruben did wheÌ„ he sought his brother Ioseph Gen. 37.30 and could not finde him The Childe is not heere and I whether shall I go and Mary when she sought her sonne and could not finde him cried likewise the childe is not heere and I whither shall I goe the childe is not heere oh the childe is not here and I whither shall I goe and wee therefore who haue lost this childe Ioseph this babe Christ through sinne must seeke him againe by repentance with much grieuing and sorrowing as Mary did if we cannot finde him in one prayer we must goe vnto another and neuer cease crying with Rubin and I whither shall I goe SECT 24. On death how it is our greatest friend IT is the manner and fashion of men in this age to salute those whome they meet to salute and imbrace all their friends and acquaintance yet is there one whome we dayly meet and our greatest friend too but we take no notice of him death I meane who is our friend yea and our chiefest friend for by him wee passe ouer the seas of misery vnto the blessed land of rest and true felicitie we meet him daily yet we thinke not on him the longer we liue the more inwardly wee are acquainted together and the nearer wee come vnto him Hieronimus quotidie morimur saith one father quotidie commutamur we die dayly and we are daily hourely changed yet are our soules immortall and heereon hangs the Christians ioy death then is such a friend that without the which the godly cannot liue for it is transitus a passage vnto life euerlasting and thereon do the Godly Meditate both night and day Cicero and without the which the wicked must not liue it keepes downe their proude hearts it keepes them in awe seruill feare for if it were otherwise they would euen scorne God to his face and bid him do what he durst doe if the godlie be desirous to liue it is a token that they are bent to doe some good but on the contrarie if the wicked would liue it is to doe some mischiefe yet in the end neither good nor bad can withstand death some die at first some at last so that all die at length death surely to the godly minded man is life whose meditation is on diuine matters and whose hope is the ioyes of heauen none indeed doe feare death saue those that haue committed so much iniquity as after death deserueth damnation for hell is reserued of old for the disobedient but where are the godly Reuel 21. what saith thy soule Dyogines Ecch. In ease SECT 25. On the suddennesse thereof and vncertaintie THe world saith that a merrie heart liues long but I say a ioyfull soule liues for euer it is not the death that destroyeth the soule but a bad life therefore God hath hid the time of our departure froÌ„ our eyes because we should make hast to amend for if wee now knowing how that death comes suddenly are carelesse of Gods seruice what would wee doe if wee did know it to bee delayed for some long time August in libr. de Scrip. Christian Augustine saith Latet vltimus dies vt obseruentur omnes dies our last day is not knowne vnto vs because wee should still be so prepared as if the next day still following were the appointed time of our departure we see if a man loose a thing of any price Luke 15.8 he will seeke for it foote after foote yea and light a candle too as the gospell speaketh whereby he may bee assured not to ouerslip what hee lost So we if we meane to finde heauen must begge of God by earnest prayer to illighten our feete with the lampe of his holy spirit and so make conscience of all our waies and examine euerie step vntill wee haue found what we sought a thing of great praise and prise be sure then to step charily for O man saith Bernard it is cetaine that thou must die but vncertaine where how or when Because then that death doth looke for thee in euerie place and at all times doe thou then also if thou art wise look
by Iesus Christ SECT 77. On drunkennesse and the beastlinesse thereof MAny men thinke that all friendshippe consisteth in quaffing and carousing but surely that is but drunken good fellowship very heathens can perswade vs from it by telling vs that euery man will vnload his secrets in the bosome of a good man but no man will tell them to a drunken man wherefore a drunken man is not a good man Senec. Epi. 84. and who knowes not this that the tongue of such a one is not in his owne power wee see that when new wine is put into any vessell whatsoeuer lieth hid in the bottome worketh soone vp vnto the top and hee whose braines are oppressed therwith doth vtter at his mouth whatsoeuer lyeth secret in the bottome of his heart he can by no means keepe close his stomacke the drunken man saith Solomon is apt and prone vnto all villanie as vnto wrath murders swearing whoring and the like and let all the world know this my soule for whose saiest thou are these monstrous misdeeds Ecch. His deeds SECT 78. The drunkards reward ANd again to whom is woe Prou. 23.29 saith the wiseman to whom is so row to whom are wounds to whom are the rednes of the eyes euen vnto him that sets his delight in drinking and tell me also my sweet Eccho thy opinion what may be the cause of many red pimpled faces and therin of those vnseemely spots Ecch. Pots SECT 79. Gaming their whole delight ANd is this all my soule that they delight in make they not some thing els halfe of their Paradice Ecch. Dice SECT 80. Where they are chiefly entertained and soothed vp in them wickednesse ANd what places for the most part will allow of these wicked meetings and tolerate such abominable sinnes Ecch. Innes SECT 81. The fruit of drunkennesse SVrely this notorious vice hath deuoured more then the sea hath deuoured Gal. 5.21 the sea swalloweth the bodie onely but this both soule and bodie it inflameth the liuer rotteth the lungs dulleth the memorie and breedeth all diseases whatsoeuer had I a deadly enemie would faine ouer-come him truely I could not wish him more harme then that hee were a drunkard I should not neede to make any warre against him for I should soone perswade my selfe that he wold in short space destroy himselfe God made mans soule of a liuing substance but his body fraile and mortall and for the soule he hath appointed spiritual foode for the body temporall and transitorie the first of these shall indure for euer the latter only for a certain limitted time wherefore man must not desire to liue so that the may eate and drinke but so drinke and eate that he may liue but now methinkes that these Epicures greatly deceiue themselues for they eate and drinke that they may die for as hunger dooth drie vp the marrow Eratost benes Cyrenaeus Poe so doth too-much pampering of the flesh consume and ouerthrow the spirits and vital parts for Vinum igni aequalē vim habet saith one wine and fier are both of one force both inflaming both consuming SECT 82 On filthy lust and how it is smoothed and smothered vp in these daies VNbridled lust is also an effect of drunkennesse Hosea 42. verse 11. the Prophet Hosea in his iiii chapter linkes them both together yet many of our Prophets for feare of incurring displeasure will of incurring displeasure will not once name or take notice of them they touch them indeed a little but how verie coldly they glance at them but they wil be sure not to hit them it is a very rude speech wherein any finne is named in particular they beat the bush though they see the bird surely that Chirurgian who mindeth to recouer his patient searcheth the verie bottom of the wound if GOD then saith thou shalt not commit adulterie Exod. 20.14 and if hee meanes as he saith tell then the world plainely O my soule what are they whome God abhorres Eccho Whores SECT 83. To beware of Strumpets MAny are caught through this sweet poyson Diana liues closely in the woods Minerua liues prinily in her colledge Pro. 7.10 11.12 c and Bellona in her tent but Lais that brasen-face shineth at Corinth euen on the top of the high towers I wonder when Venus will haue finished her course she hath dominered ouer other planets she hath been in her Apogaee and in her exaltation this long time yet desire not thou the beautie of the strange woman in thy heart neither let her take thee with thy eye-lids saith Salomon Pro. 6.25 26 for because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread and a woman will hunt for the pretious life Who then saist thou my soule must beware of these inticing strumpets these whorish women Eccho Yee men SECT 84. The Praise of Chastitie THere is neuer a nauie of men sailing out into the world Mat. 8.24 but hath askul of pleasure attending still vpon the puppe which soone will drowne the whole shippe vnlesse they call and cry vpon that skilful Mariner Christ Iesus whome both windes and Seas obey And amongst all the inticing pleasures of sharpe combats of a Christian soule none is more sore then the wars of a chaste minde in that the fight is continuall and the victorie rare and if the walles of chastitie be once battered down there is naught left praise worthy eyther in man or woman for this is shee which is the zeale of grace the staffe of deuotion the marke of the iust and the onely comfort in death when as in the meane space lust is an enemy to the purse a foe to the person a canker to the mind corrosiue to the conscience a weakener of the wit a deadly bane both vnto soule and body so that he shall finde pleasure and delight the path-way vnto perdition he shal finde a wound and dishonour and his reproach shall neuer be put away Pro. 6.33 SECT 85 Swearers and their foolishnesse THe Dogge bites the stone whose will is to bite him that cast it the traytour in heart defaceth the picture of the king when as he cannot come neare his person and the Swearer the drunkards copesmate too by blasphemous oathes teares the name of God who if hee could would raize his essence but hee may not reach it Of all sinnes swearing hath the least pleasure in it and is moste vnprofitable and most heynous and detestable and againe me thinkes that amongst all sinners the Swearer is most foolish who cannot bee contented to sinne secretly but must needes call both God and man to witnesse his impietie how then can hee thinke to escape such a presumptuous fault as this when as hee runnes willingly into sin surely the Lord hath said that hee wil not holde him guiltlesse if he beleeues that there is a God hee must beleeue this to bee true but if hee will sweare by the name of God and