is nothing more necessary to suppresse and subdue his haughty affections then continuall remembraunce what he is from whence he came Eccle. 7. and whether hee shall That in calling to minde his base mettle his wretched condition and mortall generation he may the rather bee moued more humbly and lowly to conceiue and esteeme of himselfe What is Man Telluris invtile pondus an vnprofitable Man what lump of earth like as one might say to a peece of yee thou wast water thou art water and to water shalt thou bee turned againe So Man was earth hee is earth and to earth hee shall bee turned againe Thou hast fashioned mee of mould and earth sayth Iob and I am become like dust ashes O homo saith Chrisostome Iob. Chrisost si consider as quid per os quid per nares quid per ceteros meatus egrediatur numquam vilius sterquilium inuenisti What is Man his matter is base slime clay his nature weake feeble his birth paine sorrow his life vayne and miserable his state slippery vncertaine his time short tedious his sins horrible filthy his end grieuous lothsome What is Man A mirrour of misery a play of fortune and a pray of death he is borne wee ping and wayling to shew his wretchednesse hee liueth laughing and toying to beewray his folly and dyeth sighing and sobbing to declare his weake infirmitie What is Man Apuleius a Philosopher and scholler to Plato describeth him in this wise Men Apulcius sayth hee are liuing creatures dwelling vpon the earth hauing soules immortall brutish seruile bodies subiect to death light carefull mindes apt to errour vaine in labours diuers in conditions long ere they be wise their time but short and during life neuer content What is the state of Man Saint Barnard describeth Barnard it in this manner There commeth before thine eyes faith he a man poore naked miserable mourning that hee is a man blushing that he is naked weeping for that he is a wretch replenished with misery and fearefull for that his time is but short A great part of his life passeth away in doing that is euill a greater part in doing nothing and the greatest part in doing thinges to small purpose And as the life of man is vaine transitory and miserable euen so is the world with all things else wherein humaine nature taketh pleasure and delight as health wealth honour wisedome strength beautie or whatsoeuer What is the World A vale of misery a sincke of sinne a mould of mischiefe a denne of theeues a World Court of Sathan a purgatory of payne a mother to the wicked and a stepdame to the good where the proude and vitious are daily aduanced without desert and the humble and vertuous oppressed without cause the way ward and seditious befriended and the quiet and obedient molested the ignorant and foolish permitted to speake and the wise and discreet put to silence crafty dissemblers extolled and simple innocents despised What is the world hir mirth is but sorrow hir pleasure but payne hir wisedome but folishnesse and hir wealth but misery where nothing is to bee looked for but euen a rancke of troubles one following in anothers necke A great trauaile is created for all men sayth Iesus the sonne of Sirach Eccle. and a heauie yoke vpon all mens children some so pinched with pouertie and oppressed with miserie some tossed and tormented with strife and contention some tormented with sicknesse sores and contagious diseases that if an old man would set downe the tragedie of his life from the day of his brith till his departure to his graue a man would wonder that the body could suffer and the heatt could beare so painefull and dolorous a pilgrimage All the godly from the beeginning haue tasted the troubles of their time Adam when his children did one kill another Abraham when he wandred into a strāge coūtry Iob when he saw the spoile and hauocke of his goods the destruction of his children and his owne body tormented with botches and sores Ioseph felt his part of miserie beeing sould by his brethren and imprisoned without cause Noah felt his part of miserie beeing persecuted by the wicked Lazarus was both sicke sore hungry thirsty Father Iacob complayned that his daies were few and euill Dauid said hee was a worme and no man Solomon was weary of his life beecause all hee saw vnder the Sunne was nothing but vanitie miserie and vexation of minde Father Ierome complayned that Sathan sought to ouer throw him and that his weake flesh was ready to consent The prophet Ieremy cursed the day of his birth Ionas said it was better for him to dye then to liue Chrisostome called the daies of his life the daies of his sorrow Nazianzen wept that his mother had brought him forth to see such miserable daies Such trauayle hath God giuen vnto men vnder the Sunne to be exercised therein Cap. IIII. Of the race of mans life And certenty of death AND as the daies of this our painefull pilgrimage are vaine and miserable so are they short and tedious The one foote no sooner on the ground but the other is ready to step into the graue Man that is borne of a woman saith Iob hath but a short time to liue and is full of miserie hee springeth as a flower vadeth like a shadow and neuer continueth in one state The life of man is aptly compared to a vapour to the trace of a cloude to a ship passing ouer the waues of the Sea tossed beaten with tempest to a bird that flieth in the Aire or a shaft that is shot at a marke and neuer staieth till it light on the ground Euen so man as soone as hee is borne doth begin immediatly to draw to his end The godly Patriarks who liued in the first age Certainety of death of the world saw many yeeres yet at last they dyed Death was alwaies the end of their song Adam liued 930. yeeres Seth 912. Enoch 905. Kenan 910. Mahelael 895. Iarard 962. Methuselah 969. Lameth 777. Noah 950. and they dyed saith the text Abraham the Father of the faithfull Dauid a man according to Gods owne heart Iohn Baptist of whom our Sauiour Christ saith there hath not risen a greater among the children of women yet they dyed All the Prophets Apostles godly Martirs wer greatly in Gods fauour yet they dyed Rich and poore wise men fooles learned and vnlearned godly and vngodly all must follow the daunce of death Many are gone before the rest must follow after Wyse Solomon Rich Iob Strong Sampson faire Absolon haue trode the path of al flesh Great Alexander cōquered the whole world yet could finde no weapon to conquere death The stiffest steele yeldeth to the hammer the strongest Oke to the Axe and the stoutest hart vnto nature And as death is a thing of all other most certaine and sure so is the
his pursse the Glotton more to eate The Apish Ipocrite for praise a good man for his Soule health alwaies Cap. IX A briefe exhortation to Christian Religion AS the wise men of the East did offer vnto Christ their Math. 2. costly presents of Gold Frankencense and Mirh so the most precious thing that wee can present vnto him is the Gold of Faith sure Hope the Frankencence of Zeale and true Deuotion and the Mirh of Vertue and Charitable liuing To honour him with due obedience and depend wholy vpon his prouidence ioyning alwayes practise with knowledge deedes with words keeping with hearing walking with talking and expressing with professing knowing that not the hearers of the word but the doers therof shal be saued Not euery one that cryeth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of Heauen but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in Heauen If yee vnderstand these things saith our Sauiour Ioh. 13 17. happy are ye if ye doe them blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it Hee that heareth the word willingly vnderstandeth it rightly beleeueth it faithfully applieth it profitably and keepeth it diligently shall ioy with Christ assuredly And thus is Religion or godlynesse the ground of conscience and true deuotion Iohn heard a voyce from Heauen saying Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord euen so saith the spirit that they rest from theyr labours and their works follow them And hee that will dye in the Lord must first bee carefull to liue in the Lord It is an infallible rule Qualis vita Finis ita to him that liueth vertuously God doth alwaies giue grace to die faithfully A ioyfull death followeth a charitable life and a happy life insueth such a death So he that liueth to die well shal assuredly die to liue better such as liue like Wolues doe often dye like Swine And commonly after a dissolute life without feare of death followeth a desperate death without hope of life And it agreeth with all equitie right and reason that such as in lewde behauiour haue passed their time shall by rigour of iustice receaue their end Cap. X. An Exhortation to continue patient in Aduersitie IT is required in a true Christian to bee strongly armed Aduersitie with Patience and to abide firme and stable in time of temptation and tryall so that neither prosperitie nor aduersitie weale nor woe life nor death can once moue quaile or discourage him Worldly Riches are subiect to many mishaps bodely health is taken away with sicknesse and by age that daily creepeth on Beautie is soone consumed But a true constant minde comforted by Gods holy spirit no chance or misfortune can alter or quaile Elias in the wildernesse Iohn Baptist in the desart and Peter in prison with the rest of the Apostles whose commendacions by Christ himselfe are very great not onely for leauing their parents friends country to follow him neither for their godly kinde of liuing but by continuing constant vnto the end You haue bidden with mee sayth our Sauiour Christ in my temptation and I will giue you a kingdome Be faithfull saith our Sauiour to the end I will giue you a crowne of life He that ouer-commeth shall possesse all things and I will bee his God and hee shall be my Sonne and shall eate of the tree of life but he that taketh the plough in hand and looketh backe is vnmeet for the kingdome of Heauen Not euery one that worketh in the vineyard but he that coutinueth till night hath the pennie not euery one that fighteth but hee that getteth the victory hath the crowne of triumph not euery one that beginneth well doth good for a time but he that endureth to the end shal be saued Happy and blessed is hee whom the father of mercy indueth with his interior grace so to work runne and perseuer as in the end he may say with the Apostle I haue fought a good fight and got the victory I haue finished my course and woone the price Christ is to mee life and death to mee aduantage Cap. XI A comfortable consolation to the faithfull children of Christ PLuck vp thy hart reioyce little poore dispised flock for the Lorde hath heard the voice of thy weeping whose will and pleasure is to giue thee a kingdome Great are the troubles of the Righteous but the Lord is the defender of the righteous cause wildeliuer them out of all Euen as a Father pittyeth his owne sonne so is our God mercifull vnto them that feare him I haue beene young and now am olde saith Dauid yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken nor his children begge their breade Rather then Elias shall perish for soode God will prepare the Rauens to seede him Rather then Sampson shall decay for drincke God will bring water out of an Asses law to refresh him Rather then Israell shall sterue the Lord will raine Manna from Heauen rather then his people shall faint with thirst the Lord will turne a great Rocke into a mightie fountaine Yea rather then harmeshal come to any one of his chosen he wil set his Angels to preserue thē The mountaines shall moue the hils shall fall downe but my louing kindnesse shall neuer bee remoued not fall away from my elect faith the Lord whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth yet delighteth in him as a Father in his sonne because thou wast beloued of God saith the Angell to Tobias it was necessary that temptation shold try thee Like the heards man when any of his flock is vnruly straieth from his fellowes sendeth forth his dog not of malice to hurt or deuoure him but of loue to saue reforme him euen so our sauiour Christ being our heauenly shepheard when his sheepe goeth astray offend him he sendeth out his dog of tribulation not of enuie to destroy or harme them but of fauour to correct and amend them Euen as Moses by striking the hard stonie rocke with his rod brought forth plentie of water euen so God by striking the hard stony hart of man with affliction bringeth sorth teares of contrition And as in the goldsmithes forge the gold is fined the coales burned so in the forge of temptation trouble the faithfull are tryed whilst the wicked are hardned consumed yea euen as the seede that is cast vpon the land vnlesse it endure the coldnes of raine frost snow can bring forth no fruite no more can a man vnlesse hee beare the crosse of Christ by tribulation and aduersitie bring forth true fruits of the Gospell Cap. XII Of the ioyfull state of Gods children after the last Iudgeent AS the world had a beginning so shal it haue an ending The Heauens shall passe away in maner of a tempest saith the Apostle the element also shall melt with heate the earth shal be consumed with fire but the Lord will create new and the former shall not be
euen hand and cutting downe with the sharp sword of preuencion the children of rebellion at home the enuious intencion of the Enemie abroad For causes in common triall I call heauen to witnes I speake but what I know as he was Iudicial wary circūspect so was he vpright discreet and pittifull not leaning to any side either for fauour or gift but with an impartiall eye iudging all things according to the equitie of the cause Would many brāches like to that tree from whence it sprang might from that stocke spread their vertue in this hir Maiesties garden of happie gouernment In which ranke of true Nobilitie diligent watch-men and graue Councellers I may not omit that Right Honorable and milde condicioned Lord the Earle of Nottingham whose true loyaltie to hir Maiestie neuer spotted with the least mistrust may keepe euen wing with the rest of that Honorable societie whose true shew of a vertuous and noble minde is daily made apparant by his exceeding bountie towards the poore and needie The fruit whereof is Eternall saluacion And that Reuerent and carefull Gentleman Sir Iohn Popham Knight Lord chiefe Iustice of England being another of the body of the Counsell whose Honorable forwardnesse with great discreation hath ben often proued in your Maiesties serious affaires as in calming the Realme with quiet that hath ben hertofore tempestuously troubled with blody murtherers felonious robbers but now God be thanked by his diligent wise gouernment well reformed whose exceeding loue to his Prince country hath ben often made apparant by his laborious indeuours To conclude I beeseech God in his infinite mercy stirre vp in you deere affecting loue to hir Maiestie who for the comfort of his chosen and maintenance of his truth hath defended hir highnes this 44 yeers our most merciful gouernes Mercie hath alwaies sitten at hir Maiesties right hand houered about hir like a continual handmaid Mercie is the wedding ring that like an vnspotted Virgin hath married hir to our Sauiour Christ setled hir Highnes the faithful president of his true Church wherin long may hir Maiestie continue many happie peacefull daies to the great glory of God to the exceeding comfort of all vs hir faithfull louing subiects Amen What a faithfull subiect is A Good Subiect next to the Diademe that adornes a Princes head is the chiefest ornamēt that decores his dignity He is as the preciòus Balme that anoints his browes and is neerer to his hart then his Scepter to his right hand as sweet in his nosthrills as the groues of Gylead and more precious in his sight then Solomons Iuorie throne couered with purest gold His hart is clothed with peace like Mount Oliuet and his eyes as harmelesse as the sight of a Doue His tongue sounds like the Harp of Dauid and his lips deliuer the happinesse of loyaltie his eares are the portalls that receiue vnderstanding all perfection from thence is conducted to the hart His hands are readie to fight the battailes of the Lord his feete shunning the steps of blod are bent alwaies to walke in the pathes of innocencie Thus excellent in the sight of his Prince shines a faithfull subiect more gorgeous then the Ephod of Aron and more sumptuous then Solomon in all his Royaltie Who so is this to his Prince countrie the Lord will prosper him and hee shal be blessed in an euerlasting generacion And for one of these benefits hee receiues on earth he shall haue a million in Heauen For one of those perfections he pertakes off in this world nombers aboue nomber shall attend him in the world to come And his Prince shall thus pray for him and blesse him as Solomon did his subiects And the King turned his face and blessed all the Congregacion of Israell and said Blessed bee the Lord God of Israell who spake with his mouth to Dauid my Father and hath with his hand fulfilled it And though my selfe may say with Isaie I am a worme and no man yet I speake it in despite of vaineglorie I would with all my hart as an Isaac in the hands of Abraham serue as a sacrifice to doe my Prince country good For surely hee cannot bee a true seruitour of God that is not a faithfull subiect to his Prince Neither would I iudge any felicitie in this world answerable to that if once my soule might bee imployed to please my Prince and benefit my countrie For all the offices of humanity depend onely vpon those principall performances for I know by that meanes ther comes a blessing from a far a reward full of ioy which none els are worthy to obtaine which reward I hartely pray the great rewarder of all to send to the true loyall and faithfull subiect and so with one voice proceeding from one vnitie of hart let vs all say faithfully God saue the Queene Amen E E EXceedings made the Miracle of Nature L Loue ioin'd with life to frame a blessed creature I Ioie in each part where wisdome hath expressed Z Zeale in the hart to make the spirit blessed A A work of worth well worthie admiration B Beyond the Mount of Mans imagination E Esteem'd more worth then any worldly wonder T That by desert puts all earths praises vnder H Heau'ns blesse the work wherin such wonder dwelleth A As all worlds wonder in such worth excelleth R R RAre is the substance of this worthie sence E Expressing all in onely Excellence G Giu'ne by the heauens vnto the world a blessing I In Fames reporting and in Truthes confessing N Neere are such notes vnto an Angells Nature A As makes a Queene a Goddesse of a creature The Miracle of Nature AMong the wonders of this Age of ours That Eare hath heard or Eie hath euerseene Vpon the toppe of Honours highest towers The glorious notes of our most gracious Queene Through all the world all worthely confessed Shew neuer Kingdome in a Queene so blessed First for hir Birth the daughter of a King And such a King as peerelesse in his praise A blessed sprig from such a stocke to spring As doth increase the honour of his daies And in hir selfe in more then worlds perfection The Art of Nature by the heauens direction For Beautie but behold hir blessed Eie Where faire DIANA puts foule VENVS downe For Wisedome in true sacred Maiestie The worthie head of an Imperiall Crowne For Mercy who so perfectlie diuine For Grace who doth not to hir Grace resigne For bountie note hir Liberalitie To maintaine Right and to relieue the wrong For Vertue what true vertuous Qualitie But may bee sung in hir true praises song For Learning where more in a Princesse seene For Language there was neuer such a QVEENE For Constancy who so immutable Whose loue to God no Diuell can remoue For gracious speach what Prince so affable To winne the hart of euery worthy loue For Zeale the tryall of religious truth For Patience read the troubles of hir