to giue eare to God and of the admirable Language which our first Parents spake in the state of Innocency Which being lost by Sinne many ill ones did succeed in place therof Heâ—â—â—en O Daughter and behold Psal 4 4. and incline thine eare and forget thy people and the house of thy Father and the King shall with delight desire thy beauty THESE words O thou deuout Spouse (a) This Booke was writteÌ„ chiesly for the Lady DonÌ„a Sancha daughter to the Lord of Guadalcaçar who liued not in a Monastery but in her Fathers house though she consecrated her self to God by a vow of virginity of Iesus Christ doth the Prophet Dauid speake or rather God by him to the Christian Church aduising her of that which she ought to do that so the great King may be drawne to loue her by meanes whereof she may be endewed with all happines And because thy soule is by the great mercy of God a member of this Church I haue thought fit to declare these words to thee Imploring first the ayde of the Holy Ghost to the end that it may direct my pen and prepare thy hart that so neither I may speake vnfitly nor thou heare vnfruitfully but that both the one and the other may redound to the eternall honour of God the performing of his holy will The first thing that we are wished to in these wordes is that we hearken not without cause Because as the first beginning of our spiritual life is fayth this as (b) Rom. 10. S. Paul affirmes doth enter into the soule by meanes of hearing it is but reason that first we be admonished of that which we are first to put in practise For it will profit vs very litle that the voyce of diuine truth do sound exteriourly in our hearing (c) We must hear first practise after if withall we haue not eares which may hearken to the saâ—â— within It will not serue our turne that when we were baptized the Priest did (d) According to the ancient custome of the holy Catholike Church put his finger into our eares requiring them to be open if afterwardes we shall shut them vp against the word of God fullfilling so in our selues that which the Prophet Dauid sayth of the Idols (e) Psal 11â— Eyes they haue and they see not eares they haue and they d ee not heare But because some speake so ill that to heare them is no better then to heare the Syrens who kill their auditours it wil be fit for vs to see both whom we are and whom we are not to heare For this purpose it is to be noted that Adaw and Eue when they were created spake one only Language and that continued in the world till the (f) The confusion of tongues grew in punishment of the pride of man pryde of men who had a mind to build vp the Tower of confusion was punished Wherevpon insteed of one Language whereby all men vnderstood one another there grew to be a multitude of Languages which they could not mutually vnderstand By this we also come to know that our first Parents before they rebelled from their creatour transgressinge his Commaundement with presumptuous pride did speake also in their soules but one spiritual Language making a (g) A sweete happy Language perfect kind of concord which one mainteyned with another and each one with himselfe and so also with God liuinge in the quiet estate of Innocency the sensitiue part obeying the rationall and the rationall obeying God and so they were in peace with him in peace within themselues and in peace with one another But now when they rebelled with so bold disobedience against the Lord of heauen both they were punished and we in them In (h) The case is altered such sort that insteed of one good Language by meanes whereof they vnderstood one another so wel there haue succeeded innumerable other ill ones all full of such confusion and darkenes that neyther do men agree with others nor the same man with himselfe and least of all with God And although these Languages do keep no order in themselues since indeed they are but moore disorder yet to the end that we may speake of them we will reduce them to a kind of method and to the number of three which are the Language of the World of the Flesh and of the Diuell whose office as S. Bernard sayth is Of the first to speake vayne thinges Of the second delightfull things And of the third afflictiue bitter things CHAP. II. That we must not hearken to the Language of the World and Vayne-glory And how absolute dominion it exerciseth ouer the hartes of such as follow it and of the punishment that they shall incurre VVE must not hearkeÌ„ to the language of the VVorld for it is al but lyes and they most preiudiciall to such as credit them For they make vs forsake that truth which is indeed and to imbrace a lye which hath no being but only in appearance and custome Heereby man being deceaued presumes to cast Almighty God and his holy will behind his backe and he disposeth of his life according to that blind guide of pleasing the world and so he groweth to haue a hart all desirous of honour and to be esteemed amongst men He proues like those ancient proud Romans of whome S. Augustine sayth That (a) A strange and yet true state of mind for the loue of worldly honour they desired to liue and yet for loue of is they did not feare to dye So much do they prize it as not by any meanes to endure the least word that may be in preiudice thereof nor any thing which may tast or eueÌ„ sauour of neglect though neuer so far of Nay heerin there are such nyceties and puntillios that it is hard for a man to scape stumbling vpon some of them so the offending of this sensitiue worldly man yea (b) A miserable seruitude which pryd hath put vs in and often you shall fal out to offend him much against your wil. These men who are so facile to find theÌ„selues despised are no lesse vntoward and vntractable in passing ouer and pardoning the same And if one should yet of himselfe be disposed to do so what troupes of (c) Indeed they are truly sayd to be false freinds who perswade a man to the perdition of his soule false friendes and kinred will rise vp against him and alleadge such lawes and customes graunted by priuiledge of the world as whereby this proposition may be concluded That it is better to loose a mans fortune his health his house his wife and his children yea all this seemeth little to them since they do as good as say that he must euen loose the life both of body and soule and all the care that he hath both of earth and heauen yea that euen God himselfe and his law are to be contemned and troden
seeke myne owne honour and doe thou after the same manner And (e) Note if thou wilt rayse vp the eares of thy soule to heare that lamentable Edict with attention which was made against innocency it selfe proclayming Iesus Christ our Lord throughout those streets of Hierusalem for a malefactour thou (f) Sure I am that we ought to be so wilt be confounded when thou seest that thou art honoured or when thou shalt desire so to be And thou wilt say with a deep cordial sigh O Lord. art thou proclaymed for wicked and I praysed for good What is there that can giue vs greater griefe And not only wilt thou loose the hungar of wordly honour but thou wilt couet greedily to be despysed in conformity of our Lord whome to follow as the Scripture (g) Eccles â—â— sayth is great honour And then wilt thou say with S Paul God forbid that (h) Galat. â— I should receaue honour but in the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord yea thou wilt desire to fullfill that which the same Apostle sayth els (i) Heb. 13. where Let vs go out and seeke Christ in the campe and let vs imitate him in his dishonour Now if this passion of vayne glory be a powerfull kind of thing much more powerfull is the remedy of the example and grace of Christ Which (k) The bloud of our Lord worketh wonders vpon the proud hart of man doth in such sort ouercome roote it out of the hart as to make it find that it is a thing to be abhorred for a Christian to see the Lord of Maiesty abase himselfe to such contempt whilest he vile worme swelleth vp with the loue of honour Therefore is it that our Lord inuiteth encourageth vs by his example saying Haue confidence for I haue ouercome the world As if he had sayd Before I came hither a hard point it was to wrastle with the deceitpfull world casting away that which flourisheth therein and imbracing that which it contemnes but after that it imployed all the forces it had against me inuenting new kinds of torments and dishonour all which I endured without once turning my face aside it is now not only growne weake for hauing encountred with one who was able to suffer more then that but it is euen ouercome outright to your benefit since by my example which I gaue you and by the strength which I haue gayned for you you may at case subdue and trample it vnder your feet Let the Christian man consider that since the world dishonoured the Blessed Sonne of God who is Eternall Truth and our Soueraigne Good there is no cause why any man should esteeme or belieue it in any thing Nay seeing (l) A demonstration why we ought to beleeue the world no more that it was deceaued in not discerning such a light of extreme clarity and in not honouring him who is most true and perfect honour let the Christian man reiect that which the world allowes let him prize loue that which the world doth despise hate Flying with much care from being esteemed by that (m) The World which did despise his Lord and holding it for a great signe of being beloued by Christ to be despised by the world with him and for his sake Out of which this resultes That as they who are of this world haue no eares wherewith to hearken to the truth and doctrine of God nay rather they despise the same so (n) The seruant of our Lord ought at least to be as careful to please him as the seruants of the world are to please it he who taketh the part of Christ is to haue none wherewith to hearken to or to belieue the lies of the world For in fine whether it flatter or persecute whether it promise or threaten whether it speake frightfully or fayre it doth euery where deceaue and hath a mind to doe so and with such eyes we are to looke vpon it And (o) Note this for a most certaine truth it is certayne that for so many lies and false promises wherein we haue taken it tripping if any man should haue told vs but the one halfe we would trust him now in nothing yea hardly should we credit him althogh he might chaunce in other things to say true That (p) If the world do either promise or threaten it lyes which the world can do is indeed neither good nor bad since it cannot eyther giue or take away the grace of God Nay euen in that ouer which it seemeth to haue power it is yet not able to do any thing since it cannot reach to the least hayre of our head without the will of our Lord. And if it tell vs any other tale of it selfe we must not belieue it And who then will not dare to encounter an enemy who hath no power at all CHAP. IV. In what degree and to what end it is lawfull for a man to desire Honour in the world and of the extreme danger which there is in holding places of Authority and Commaund THAT thou mayst the better vnderstand what hath byn sayd thou art to know that it is one thing to loue honour and humane estimation for it selfe as resting therin this is euil as hath byn shewed But another thing it is when these things are beloued for some good end and this is not euill It is a cleare case that a person who hath coÌ„mand holdeth place may for doing good to others desire that honour and estimation which is fit for the discharge of his employment therby the more to do good (a) Men of authority may desire to be well reputed so that it be to a good end For if men haue him who commaundeth in meane account they will not much esteeme of his commaundement though it be iust And not only this kind of persons but all Christians ought to practise that which is writreÌ„ Take (b) Eccles 41. care of thy good name Not as if he were to rest in that but because a Christian ought to be such a kind of man as that whosoeuer should vnderstand or behould his life (c) Note might giue the glory to God as we vse to do when we see a rose or a tree full of shade fruite This is that which the holy Ghospell requires That our light may so shine before men that they seing our good workes may giue glory to the celestiall Father from whome all good things proceed This ayme at the honour of God and the profit of men did mooue (d) 1. Cor. 4. S. Paul to recount those great and secret fauours which our Lord had done him without holding himselfe for a transgressour of that other (e) Prou. â—7 Scripture which sayth Let the mouth of another prayse thee and not thine owne For (f) He might safely do so but other men must take heed he recounted his own prayies so much without the sticking of
But (g) Tremble and take heed if we receiue him ill or do not serue our selues wel of this benefit iust the contrary effect doth follow and such an one shall find himselfe more enthralled by dishonesty then he was before he communicated If with all these considerations and remedies this bestiall flesh grow not quiet thou art to vse it like a beast laying good sound loads vpon it since it will not hearken to so iust reason Some find helpe by pinching themselues very hard in memory of the excessiue paine which those nayles did cause to Christ Iesus our Lord Others by whipping themselues seuerely calling so to mind how our Lord was scourged others with spreading their armes into the forme of a Crosse others with fixing their eyes on heauen others with beating their face and such other thinges as these which put the flesh to paine for at that tyme she vnderstands no other language This (h) The example of Saints is the manner which by reading we find that the Saintes did hold wherof one did strip himselfe starck naked and did all tumble in thorny bushes and so by meanes of his bloudy and afflicted body the warre which was made against his soule did end Another did cast himselfe in the depth of winter into a poole of water which was extreamly cold wherein he stayed till the body came forth halfe dead but the soule was freed from all danger Another thrust his fingers into the fyre and with burning them that other fyre which tormented his soule was quenched And a martyr there was who being bound hand and foote then tempted to vnlawful pleasure by cutting of his owne tongue with his owne teeth became victorious in that combate And although some of these things are not to be imitated because they were inspired by particuler instinct of the holy Ghost and not by the ordinary law vnder which we liue yet hereby we may learne That in the tyme of spirituall warre when there is question or hazard of the soule we are not to be lazy or to expect till our enemyes do giue vs thrustes but we must leape backe from sinne as from the face of a serpent as sayth the Scripture and euery one must apply that remedy to himselfe wherein he findes most profit according to the addresse which shall be giuen him by his prudent Ghostly Father CHAP. XI Of other meanes besides the former whereby some grow to loose their Chastity that we may fly from them if we aâ—so will not loose ours and by what meanes we may strengthen our selues NO care or labour though neuer so great which is employed towards the proseruatioÌ„ of Chastity will be esteemed too much by any if he know how to put the true price vpon the merit and reward thereof Now since our Lord hath made thee vnderstand the valew of this treasure hath giuen thee grace both to choose it and to make (a) This Ladv had vowed Chastity promise therof againe to him I shall not be put into so much necessity to declare the excellency thereof as to giue thee good directions how thou mayst be sure not to loose it and to tell thee of some errours besides the former through which it is lost by others that so thou knowing them mayst auoyde them least thou also come to loose it and thy selfe with it Some (b) Of the diuers wayes whereby chastity groweth to be lost loose it in respect that hauing fierce violent inclinations against it and they on the other side being not earnest in making such a continuall and sharp warre against themselues do with a miserable resolution deliuer themselues ouer bound hand and foot to the will of their enemyes Not considering that the purpose of a (c) A noble word for a Christian to write in his hart â—ither to couqâ—er sinne or to dye in the battaiâ—s Christian is to be either to dye or els to ouercome by meanes of his grace who helpeth such as fight for his honour Others there are who although they be not greatly tempted haue yet naturally a certaine basenes straitnes of hart which is inclined to vile poore things And for as much as this pleasur is one of the most vile poore most at hand they quickly find meanes to meet with it to bestow themselues vpon it as a thing that is proportionable to the basenes poornesse of their owne hart which doth not rayse it selfe so high as to imbrace a life of such men as are ruled euen by naturall reason Which alone taught one so good a lesson as to make him say That in carnall pleasures there was nothing worthy of a magnanimous hart And another sayd That the life which consists in carnall pleasure is a life of beasts For not only doth the light of heauen but euen that of naturall reason condemne such as employ themselues vpon this basenes as people who liue not in the circle of men whose life must be agreable to reason but of beasts whose very life is sensuall appetite And if iustice might be done there would be a great deale of cause to take away the name of men from these fellowes in regard that although they haue the shape of men they yet lead a life of beasts are the true dishonour and reproach of men Nor would (d) How strang this is and yet after a sort it is dayly seene it be a thing moderatly strange or giue small wonder to them that saw it if a beast should lead a man bridled vp and downe and carry him whither it would directing him who ought to gouerne it And yet there are so many ruled by the bridle of bestiall appetite both of high and low condition that I know not whether it is through the multitude thereof that it cannot be so easily discerned Or els I rather belieue that it is because there are few who haue light to see how miserable a soule in a body is when it is killed by carnall pleasures and the more if that body be fresh and fayre O how many soules of these and others are burning in this infernal fire nor is there any to cast tears of compassion vpon them or to say with their hart To (e) Iod. 1. thee O Lord will I cry out because the fire hath denoured the beautifull thinges of the desert For (f) Note certainly if we had amongst vs of those (g) Luc 7. widdowes of Naim who would bitterly bewayle their dead children Christ would vse mercy for the reuiuing them in soule as he did the body of that widdowes sonne who is mentioned in the Ghospell It is not his part to sleep who hath the office in the Church to pray and intercede for the people with the tendernes of a Mother Least God do chastize both him them saying (h) Ezech. 22. I sought among them for a man who might place himself as a wall (i) See the infinit
his passion and which doth worke in his most pretious (l) The benefit of the Passion of our Lord Iesus is conueyed to our soules by the Sacraments of the Holy Church sacraments is that we may thereby be able to pay all our debts to liue heere in the life of grace and afterwards in that of Glory But it is necessary that like the other Widdow we doe walke on maintayning good dispositions in our selues according to which euery one shall be sure to receaue the effect of his sacred passion which in it selfe is most sufficient yea and superaboundant CHAP. XIX Of the much which God the Father gaue vs in giuing vs Iesus Christ our Lord and how thankefull we ought to be and to help our selues by this fauour and to strengthen our selues thereby for the excluding of all desperation wherwith the Dinell is wont to assault vs. MVCH reason hath God to complaine and his Preachers to reproue men for being so forgetfull of this benefit which is so excellent as that for it we should giue thankes to God day and night For as S. Iohn sayth So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne to the end that euery one who belieueth in him loueth him may not perish but haue eternall life All other blessings are locked vp in this as the lesse in the greater and as the effect in the cause It is a plaine case that he who gaue the sacrifice against sin did giue pardon to those sinnes for as much as concerned him and to whome our Lord gaue that he also gaue command ouer them And in (a) The great reason of our comfort fine he that gaue vs his Sonne and such a Sonne and so giuen and borne for vs will deny vs nothing that is necessary And he that hath not what is fit let him blame himselfe for to complaine of God he hath no reason For the vnderstanding heerof S. Paul sayth thus He that gaue vs his sonne will he not giue vs all things togeather with him Nay he sayd more He hath already giuen vs all thinges with him for in as much as concerneth the part of God all is already giuen pardon grace and heauen O (b) Lay vp these considerations at thy hart you men why do you loose such happinesse and why are you vngratefull to such a louer and for such a benefit And why are you slothfull in the preparation of your selues to receiue it Worthy it were of all reprehension that a man should goe naked vp and downe halfe dead with hungar and full of miseries and if when another had giuen him great legacies by his will whereby he might pay his debtes and depart from his wantes liue at ease he should yet remaine without enioying all this happines rather then trauell two or three leagues for the prouinge of that will Our redemption was made so copiously that although Gods forgiuing the offences which men coÌ„mit against him be a blessing which exceedes all humane conceite yet the payment which is made by the passion and death of Christ our Lord doth exceed the debt of man in valew much more then the highest part of heauen doth the lowest part of the earth as S. Augustine sayth It (c) This coÌ„parison in full of coÌ„sort to vs sinners was due to sinfull man that he should be fettered torne and killed and can you find in your hartes to thinke that these debtes are not well payd by the scourges tormentes and death of a man who was not only a iust man but man and God An inexplicable fauour it is that God doth adopt for his sonnes the sonnes of men who are but as so many little wormes of earth But to the end that we might not doubt of this fauour it is seconded according to (d) Ioâ—n 1. S. Iohn with another and a greater For he sayth The word of God is made flesh As if he had thus expressed himselfe you may not fayle to belieue that by spirituall adoption men are borne of God for in proofe of this wonder hearken here to a greater which is That the sonne of God 〈◊〉 made man the sonne of a woman So (c) Note also is it a wonderfull thing that a miserable little thing called man made of earth should arriue to heauen enâ—oying God and accompanying the Angells therein with vnspeakeable glory But yet a farre greater matter was it that God should be placed in the torment and ignominy of a Crosse and that he should dye betweene a couple of murthering theeues Whereby the diuine iustice was so entirely satisfied both by reason of the much that our Lord did suffer and chiefely because he that suffered it was God as that he both pardoned that which was past and doth further powre his benedictions vpon vs for the future But yet so as that our barrennesse must bring forth the fruite of good life worthy of heauen which is figured by the Sonne who was graunted to (f) Gen. 18. Sara when she was old and barren For the calfe which was sodden in the house of Abraham this being Christ Iesus crucified by the people who (g) The â—ace of the lewes descended from Abraham was of so much gust to God that of wrathfull he grew calme thereby and curses were exchanged into blessinges Because he receyued a certayne thing which contented him more theâ—â— all the sinnes of the whole world could displease him Why then O man dost thou despayre hauing for remedy of thy miseries for payment of thy debtes God himselfe humaned who is of infinite merit and who by dying put our sinnes to death much better then the (h) Iud. 16. Philistines were made to dye by the death of Sampson And (i) How infinitely good is God although thou hast committed as many sinnes as the very Diuell himselfe who thus would draw thee into despayre thou must take hart in Christ who is That lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Of whom it was prophesied That be would cast and as it were shoote all our sinnes into the lowest bottome of the sea and that he was to be anointed the holy of holies And that sinne should haue an end and then that Iustice should raigne for euer Yf then our sinnes be remooued be drowned and be dead vvhat cause can there be that such vveake and defeated enemies should ouercome and cast thee vpon despayre CHAP. XX. Of some meanes which the Diuell vseth against the remedy that is spoken of whereby to fright vs and how for this we must not fainte but animate our selues the more considering the infinite mercy of our Lord. BVT I already heare O Man that which thy weakenesse answeareth to what is sayd What (a) A shrewd obiection but mark the answear for it satisfyeth doth it profit thee sayest thou that Christ dyed for thy sinnes if the pardon therof be not applied to thee And though Christ dyed for
not performe that which it aduised but that which their owne peruerse will suggested And because the Truth of God is a most excellent thing he bestoweth it as a great fauour to the end that a man practising it with affection may honour it and obtaine vertue by it and so be saued and if he consider not â—eerof and do entertaine it in such a fashion as that he neither practiseth those things which it teacheth nor doth lodge it in so faire a place as it deserueth he doth thereby great dishonour to God that gaue it and to the Truth it selfe which was giuen by him And if it had a tongue wherewith to speake it would with a loud voyee demaund iustice against such a man For as much as it being so precious a Iewell and which is able so much to enrich men it is detayned without hearing what it sayth and without doing what it requireth and it is quartered out in the stincking company of sinne wher with the will of such a man aboundes And so in such sort as it is able it doth like the bloud of Abell cry out demanding vengeance Because although such an one depriueth not Truth of life because true fayth is compatible with a life that is wicked yet doth he depriue it of that efficacy which it would haue in working if insteed of hindring he did assist it towardes the performance of those thinges which it teacheth These cryes are heard by God for it is he that sayth The seruant who knoweth the will of his maister and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Amongst which the very greatest which he giueth in this world is to permit as we haue â—ayd before that in punishment of his sinnés he fall into errour of beliefe And so were those others punished by being suffered to fall into such blind Idolatry as that they came to worship for God euen birdes and serpents and other beasts And because they robbed God of that honour which was due to him as God and gaue it to such as it belonged not to God redoubled vpon them the punishment of this sinne of Idolatry by suffering them to fall into such other filthy sinnes as breed horrour to thinke of them and shame to name them And although such as are afflicted with this punishment of infidelity without doubt wil fall into other sinnes yet is that fall of theirs into those later sinnes as free as that whereby they fel into the former through their owne will Which yet how many soeuer they be either of one kind or of the other the mercy of God is not shut vp against them if they dispose themselues to retyre into the bowells of his pitty The power of God is manifested in the first of these his wisedome in the second and his goodnes and mercy in the third Now by the (g) The iust iudgments of God both against Iewes Gentilles same reason whereby the soueraigne Iudge did punish the proud Gentills he did also punish the vngratefull Iewes that vpon great cause Because he gaue more knowlege to them then to the Gentills wherof they serued themselues so il as that with infidelity they denyed the very true life it sâ—lfe which is Christ Iesus and they crucified him by the hands of the Gentills And because they had a mind to extinguish that soueraigne light without which there is no light nor Truth they remayned in obscure darknes and they will remayne in eternall perdition vnles they be conuerted to the seruice of our Lord whome they denyed But now let vs see what the motiue was which drew them on to so great a misery as to vnbelieue that light which stood there before their eyes S. Iohn (h) Ioan. 3. makes the answere thus Men loued darknesse more then light because their works were euill euery one that worketh euill abhorreth the light So that because our Lord his doctrine did addresse them to all vertue truth they loued falsehood and lyes they could not endure to heare or see him nor did they wish that there had by many light of doctrine in the world which might be able to discouer that counterfait sanctity which they professed Or that there should be any example of perfect life in comparison whereof their owne might be condemned for wicked And from this root of a will which was so depraued did grow that bitter fruit of denying and murthering that heauenly Phisitian who came to cure them And they found themselues to be such as the Prophet (i) Psal â—8 vers 24. Dauid had painted out long before when he sayd thus of them Let their eyes be obscured that they may not see and let their back go euer bending downeward for their eyes haue remayned without the light of fayth and their will hath been all imployed vpon thinges of the earth CHAP. XLVIII Wherein the former discourse is more particulerly prosecuted and it is declared what dispositions are requisite for the beginning to read and vnderstand the diuine Scriptures the holy Doctours BVT now if God did take into so zealous care the honour of that knowledge which he gaue the Gentills that which he also gaue the Iewes how much will he haue zeale of that which he giueth Christians since incomparably this is more then that which eyther of the other did enioy And (a) God inflicteth grieuous punishments vpon such as liue not according to the true fayth which they haue receaued since men do serue themselues very ill of the knowledge of this so excellent Fayth it is not to be meruayled at if sometymes God strike such persons by suffering them with a great chastisement to fall vpon heresies as he suffered those of former tymes Can it be sayd perhaps that we see not that accomplished with our owne eyes which S. Paul did prophesy of the latter tymes saying That God would send the operation of errour to certayne men that they might belieue a lye and this lye is against Fayth For no man can be ignorant of the miserable and great efficacy wherewith so much people hath cordially imbraced the Lutheran heresy so that we see plainely how God (b) Do not willfully mistake the Scripture or this authour but marke well that which instantly followeth hath sent this efficacy of errour for the belieuing of a lye as S. Paul sayth Not that God doth send these things by inciting men to belieue a lye or to worke any wickednesse For he is not the tempter of the wicked as S. Iames the Apostle (c) Iac. 1. sayth But he is sayd to send the operation of errour wheÌ„ by his iust iudgment he (d) Note suffereth the vnderstanding of men to be deceaued by false discourses or by false miracles which either some man or the peruerse Diuell may worke and withall they find in themselues such force towards the belieuing of that lye as to thinke themselues mooued to the beliefe of it
purpose by some (a) Certaine bookes which instruct meÌ„ how they may examine their consciences for confessioÌ„ which are euery where to be sold in Catholike couÌ„treys Confessionary And after that he hath lamented them well he must declare them to some spirituall Phisitian who hath the power and knowledge to prescribe fit remedyes for that infirmity and who may lay his conscience as flat and euen as yf the man were that day to dye to be presented before the iudgement seat of God In this businesse he may spend some moneth or two dissoluing with bitter sighes the sinnes which he committed by wicked pleasures And for this purpose he may serue himselfe of the reading of some good booke such as I spake of (b) In the discourse of tâ—e knowledge of ones selfe longe before which may helpe him to thinke of his death and Iudgement and with his thought to descend aliue into that bottomles pitte of eternall fire to the end that he may not descend after he is dead to find the misery which there is felt It will also conduce to this purpose that beholding some Image of the Crucisixe or else remembring it he consider how himselfe by his sinnes was the cause why our Lord did suffer so great tormentes And (c) Woe will be to vs if we do it not let him behold him with attention from head to foot and ponder euery particuler payne of his by it selfe lament euery particuler sinne since the afflictions of our Lord do correspond to our crimes he suffering dishonour for the payment of our pride and of scourges and paynes in payment of our sensuall pleasures and so also in the rest And let him thinke that if a sonne should see his father cruelly scourged and tormented for a fault which not the Father but that sonne had committed and if he should heare this Proclamation made He that committeth such a sinne shall pay for it with such a punishment This Sonne would haue great compassion of his Father and great sorrow for hauing done any such thing as was to cost that Father so dear And if he were a true Sonne it would more afflict him to see his Father so punished then if they should haue punished himself And a straÌ„g thing it would be if he cryed not out through excesse of griefe confessing that himselfe was the guilty person that him they should punish and not the Father who had made no fault From hence let vs take example to conceans therby more griefe for hauing sinned For it is God who was offended and it is God who was punished for euery mischiefe which might haue growne to vs by euery sinne It is (d) Let euery one make this case his owne I O Lord that sinned but it is thou that payest the payne thereof My wickednes O Lord did put thee in prison and it made thee be proclaimed with infamy through those streets and at last it layd thee vpon a Crosse Let this be thy lamentation with desire to suffer all that for God which he shal be pleased to ordayne And when thou shalt haue made this Examen of thy conscience with sorrow satisfaction according to the aduice of thy Ghostly Father thou mayst after thy hauing receaued sacramental absolution haue confident hope of pardoÌ„ receaue comfort into thy soule CHAP. LXXII How the second pace towardes the bringing vs to God is the giuing of thankes which we owe him for his hauing so deliuered vs and of the manner how this is to be done by meanes of diuers Misteryes of the Passion which are to be meditated in diuers dayes VVHEN the soule is thus purged from the humours of sinne which gaue it death it must imploy it selfe vpon giuing of thankes for so great and so vndeserued a fauour Not (a) A greater blessing it is to be made the adopted Sonne of God then to be freed from the paines of hell only in respect that God hath forgiuen him the paynes of hell but because he hath receaued him for his Sonne and hath bestowed his grace vpon him and certaine interiour guifs by the merits of the true God Iesus Christ our Lord who dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification killing our sinnes and our old life by his dying and raysing vs vp to a new life by his resurrection And if Iob sayd That the body of a poore man whome he had cloathed would heap benedictions vpon the man who imparted that benefit with much more reason ought we to blesse Christ Iesus crucifyed when our soule doth find it selfe free froÌ„ misery conforted with fauours belieuing that all our good commeth from him for it is strangely against all reason to be vngrateful to such loue and for such benefits And although euery tyme that thou findest thy selfe well thou art instantly to prayse Christ Iesus with particuler gratitude yet to the end that this may be don the better and with more fruit it will be fit That as to thinke of thy sinnes I aduised thee to seeke some priuate or retyred place there to looke vpon thy selfe so now thou do with much more reason imploy another part of the day in thinking of the Passion of our Lord in giuing him thankes for the benefits which are come to thee by it crying out from thy hart I will neuer forget thy iustifications because in them thou didst giue one life The course then which thou shalt hold if no other better doe occurre may be this On (b) A distribution of the dayes in the Meditation of the PassioÌ„ of our Lord. Munday to thinke on the prayer of our Lord and the taking of him in the Garden and that which passed in the house of Annas and Caiphas On Tewesday the accusations which were presented against him and the processions that he made from Iudge to Iudge and of the cruell scourging which he endured when he was tyed to the piliar On Wednesday how he was crowned with thornes and what scorne they put him to by drawing him out in a red coate and with a Reede in his hand that all the people might see him and how they sayd Ecce Home On Thursday we cannot displace that most excellent mistery how the sonne of God with profound humility washed the feet of his disciples and gaue to them afterwardes his body and bloud for food of life Commanding both them and all (c) It was his Apostles and in their person to all lawfull Priests their successours whomour Lord coÌ„maunded to do the like and not to lay persons as the ProtestaÌ„ts imagine preistes who were to follow that they should doe the same in memory of him Doe thou make thy selfe present at that admirable Lauatory and in that most excellent banquet and then trust in God that thou shalt not depart from thence eyther defyled or dead of hunger Thou shalt thinke on Friday how our Lord was presented before the Iudge and sentenced to death
after it was obteined that they might bring forth workes which (l) Al this originally by the only goodnes and promise of God through the meriâ—s of Christ our Lord carry a condignity to the deseruing of eternall life as a iust reward of such seruices and as an inheritance duly deriued vpon sonnes And if it seeme a thing disproportionable to the basenes and weakenes of mankind to do a thing which carryeth a proportion of merit to the sublimity and eternity of that heauenly kingdome (m) Note and be no longer scandalized at thyn own conceits for the Catholike doctrine being rightly vnderstood will giue thee no cause thou art not heere to looke vpon a man as of himselfe but as being honoured and accompanied with that celestiall grace which is infused to his soule and so made (n) These are great wordes but it was the holy Ghost which spake theÌ„ partaker of the diuine nature as S Peter (o) 2. Pet. 1. saith And do thou consider him as a liuing member of Iesus Christ our Lord which being incorporated to him doth liue and worke by that spirituall inffluxe which commeth from him and whereby he doth partake his merits Now (p) Note these thinges are so high as that they carry an equality with those other thinges which are hoped for and they are sufficient to enable vs to say with truth That such as liue so do fullfill the law of God and do that which S. Paul required of the (q) Col 1. Colossians and the (r) I hâ—sâ— 1. Thessalonians when he aduised them To liue worthy of God Of (s) Note this inference whome he would neuer haue expected the discharge of so that by the meanes aforesayd it might be performed and that it was more the worke of God then of men For instantly the same Apostle giueth thanks to God For making them worthy of the portion of the Saints in light And what kind of portion this is the Prophet Hieremy (t) Threâ—â— declareth saying My portion is our Lord and therefore I will hope for him And Dauid sayth of God Thou art my portion for euer Of this portion he is worthy who doth (n) Et facere pati magn Christianis est accomplish the law of God by those workes aforesayd and who is found faithfull in those trialls that God doth send him as it is written Our Lord did try them and he found them worthy of himselfe And both for these and those it is also written That God will giue them the hire of the labours of his Saints CHAP. XC That the graunting that there is perfect cleanesse from sinne in such as are iust by the merits of Christ Iesus doth not only not diminish his honour but much more declare it LET no (a) A wise confortable and wel grouÌ„ded discourse man feare to attribute the height of spirituall honour and the aboundance of spirituall riches and perfect cleanes from sinne to them whom the heauenly Father doth iustify by the merits of Iesus Christ our Lord. Let no man thinke that the qualifying of such persons so doth put the honour of the same Lord to any preiudice For since all that which they haue descendeth vpon them by his meanes not only doth not their being so full of dignity dishonour him but it doth publish magnify his honour Since it is euident that how much more iust and more beautifull they are of so much more valew do the merits of him plainely appeare to be who purchased so great a blessing for them which of themselues they neither had nor could procure The Scripture sayth That (b) Thâ—en 14. where the manger is full the strength of the Oxe is made apparent the reason is because by his labour he filled the same full of meate And S. Paul (c) 1. Thes 2. sayth to some whome he had holpen forward by his doctrine and by his labours That they were his honour his crowne in the sight of our Lord. And then how much more will they be the crowne of our Lord Iesus himselfe They who by him are drawn to the honour of being his sonnes and to be full of treasures and blessings which honour is so much the more as those blessinges are the greater Our (d) Our aduersarves make him such a one wheÌ„ they conceaue that he alloweth not that the Saints should be honoured by our inuâ—cations whylest yet themselues do giue the same honour to sinnefull men Lord is not like some persons who are in paine or at least not greatly pleased with the honour or vertue of their seruants as conceauing that it doth obscure their owne or like certaine vaine women who fly from being attended by fayre seruants least so the flowre of their owne beauty should be blasted But make thou no doubt but that Iesus Christ our Lord hath a certaine kind of Charity which exceedeth all humane conceit as S. Paul sayth in (e) In infâ—â—itevâ—n chating of God esteeming our good as his owne and to the end that we might be made rich in graces he left his most worthy life vpon the Crosse The naturall sonne he is of God and we are sonnes adopted through him and he being the only sonne did exalt vs to the title of brother hood giuing vs his God for our God and his Father for our Father as himselfe said I (f) Ioan. â—0 ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and to your God And so as (g) Ioan. â— S. Iohn saith speaking of the same Lord we saw the glory of him as the glory of the only begotten sonne And he saith also of him That he is full of grace truth Therfore the honour and spirituall riches of these adopted sonnes must be such as becommeth the sonnes of a Father who is God And if grace and truth were made by Iesus Christ as S. Iohn (h) Ioan. 1. saith it was not made that it might remayne alone in him but that it might be deriued downe vpon vs and that we might take some part of his fulnesse and this in such abundance that S. Paul (i) 2. Cor. 9. calleth it a gift which as now we are cannot be related by vs. And to the end that we may know the riches of that inheritance which in his company we may hope to enioy the same S. Paul (k) Ephes beseecheth God To giue him the spirit of wisdome and of reuelation because that blessing is greater then our reason is able to reach vnto Glory and grace and thankes be to thee O Lord for euer who so hast honoured and enriched vs with present giftes and hast comforted vs with the hope of being the heyres of God togeather with thy selfe and who didst carry so great loue to vs as that it wrought better with thee then it did with (l) Iob. 41. Iob That thou mightst not cate thy bitte of bread alone but that the orphane