caused him to yeeld and put off not only his cloke but also his cote Wherby is ment saith this father that the allurements of pleasure are more strong harder to be resisted than the violence of persecution The like is shewed by the example of David who resisted easilie many assaults of adversitie but yet fel dangerouslie in time of prosperitie Wherby appeereth that vertuous men have no lesse war in time of peace than in time of persecution and that never there wanteth occasion of bearing the crosse and suffering affliction to him that wil accept of the same And this may suffice for this first point to proove that every man must enter into heaven by tribulation as Saint Paul saith 7 Touching the second why God would have this matter so it were sufficient to answer that it pleased him best so without seeking any further reason of his meaning heerin even as it pleased him without al reason in our sight to abase his Son so much as to send him hither into this world to suffer and die for us Or if we wil needs have a reason heerof this one might be sufficient for al that seeing we look for so great a glory as we do we should labor a little first for the same and so be made somwhat woorthy of Gods favor exaltation But yet for that it hath pleased his divine majestie not only to open unto us his wil and determination for our suffering in this life but also divers reasons of his most holie purpose and pleasure therin for our further encouragement and consolation which do suffer I wil in this place repeat some of the same for declaration of his exceeding great love and fatherly care towards us 8 The first cause then and the most principal is to increase therby our glorie in the life to come For having appointed by his eternal wisdome and justice that none shal be crowned there but such as endure in some good measure a fight in this world the more and greater combats that he giveth togither with sufficient grace to overcome therin the greater crown of glorie prepareth he for us at our resurrection This cause toucheth the apostle in the words alledged of the saints of the old testament to wit that they received no deliverance from their miseries in this world to the end they might find a better resurrection in the world to come This also ment Christ expresly when he said Happie are they which suffer persecution for theirs is the kingdome of heaven happie are you when men speak evil and persecute you c. Reioice and be glad I say for that your reward is great in heaven Hither also do appertain al those promises Of gaining life by leesing life of receiving a hundred for one and the like Heerhence do proceed al those large promises to mortification and newnes of life In both which are great conflicts against the flesh world and our own sensualitie and cannot be performed but by sufferings and affliction Finally Saint Paul declareth this matter fully when he saith That a little and short tribulation in this life worketh a weight of glorie above al measure in the hight of heaven 9 The second cause why God appointed this is to draw us therby from the love of the world his professed enimie as in the next chapter shal be shewed at large This cause Saint Paul uttereth in these words We are punished of God to the end we should not be damned with this world Even then as a nurse that to wean hir child from the liking of hir milk doth annoint hir teat with alloes or some other such bitter thing so our merciful father that would retire us from the love of worldly delites wherby infinite men do perish daily useth to send tribulation which of al other things hath most force to work that effect as we see in the example of the prodigal son who could by no means be staied from his pleasures but only by affliction 10 Thirdly God useth tribulation as a most present and sovereign medicin to heal us of many diseases otherwise almost incurable As first of a certain blindnes and carelesse negligence in our estate contracted by wealth and prosperitie In which sense the scripture saith that Affliction giveth understanding And the wise man affirmeth that The rod bringeth wisdom as also the sight of Toby was restored by the bitter gall of a fish And we have cleer examples in Nabuchodonosor Saul Antiochus and Manasses al which came to see their own faults by tribulation which they would never have done in time of prosperitie The like we read of the brethren of Ioseph who falling into som affliction in Egypt presently entered into their own conscience and said We suffer those things woorthily for that we sinned against our brother And as tribulation bringeth this light wherby we see our own defects so helpeth it greatly to remoove and cure the same wherin it may be wel likened unto the rod of Moises For as that rod striking the hard rocks brought foorth water as the scripture saith so this rod of affliction falling upon stonie harted sinners mollifieth them to contrition and oftentimes bringeth foorth the fluds of tears to repentance In respect wherof holie Toby saith to God In time of tribulation thou forgivest sin And for like effect it is compared also to a file of iron which taketh away the rust of the soul also to a purgation that driveth out corrupt humors and finally to a goldsmiths fire which consumeth away the reffuse metals and fineth the gold to his perfection I wil try thee by fire to the quik saith God to a sinner by Esay the prophet and I wil take away al thy tin and reffuse metal And again by Ieremie I wil melt them and try them by fire This he ment of the fire of tribulation whose propertie is according as the scripture saith to purge and fine the soul as fire purgeth and fineth gold in the fornace For besides the purging and remooving of greater sins by consideration and contrition which tribulation worketh as hath ben shewed it purgeth also the rust of infinit evil passions appetites and humors in man as the humor of pride of vain glorie of sloth of choler of delicate nisenes and a thousand mo which prosperitie ingendereth in us This God declareth by the prophet Ezechiel saieng of a rustie soul Put hir naked upon the hot coles and let hir heat there until hir brasse be melted from hir and until hir corruption be burned out and hir rust consumed There hath been much labor and sweat taken about hir and yet hir over-much rust is not gone out of hir This also signifieth holy Iob when having said that God instructeth a man by discipline or correction to the end he may turn him from the things that he hath done and deliver him from pride which
and were not readie jump at the very hour to go in with him and would not know them when they came after and finally he promiseth to damn al those without exception which shal work iniquitie as S. Mathew testifieth 7 Moreover being asked by a certain ruler on a time how he might be saved he would geeve him no other hope so long as he sought salvation by his works though he were a prince but only this If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements of God And talking with his disciples at another time of the same matter he geeveth them no other rule of their life but this If ye love me keepe my commandements As who should say if you were never so much my disciples if ye break my commandements there is no more love nor frindship betwixt us And S. Iohn which best of al others knew his meaning herein expoundeth it in this sense when he saith If a man saith he knoweth God and yet keepeth not his commandements he is a liar and the truth is not in him And more yet to take away al hope or expectation from his disciples of any other way pleasing him than by keeping his commandements he saith in another place that He came not to take away the law but to fulfill it and streight way he inferreth upon the same Whosoever therfore shal break one of the least of these commandements shal be called the least in the kingdom of heaven For which cause at his departure out of the world the verie last words that he spake to his Apostles were these that They should teach men to observe al his commandements whatsoever 8 By which appeereth the severe meaning that Christ had touching our account for the keeping of his commandements in this life The which also may be gathered by that being asked whether the number were smal of them that should be saved he counseleth men to strive to go into the strait gate for that many should be shut out yea even of them which had eaten and drunken with him and had enjoied the corporal presence of his blessed bodie but had not regarded to live as he commanded them In which case he signifieth that no respect or frindship must take place with him at the last day for which cause he said to the man whom he had healed at the fish pools side in Ierusalem Behold now thou art hole see thou sin no more least worse come to thee than before And generally he warneth vs in Saint Mathews gospel that we agree with our adversaries and make our accounts streight in this life otherwise we shal pay the uttermost farthing in the life to come And yet more severely he saith in another place That we shal render account at the day of iudgment for every idle word which we have spoken 9 Which day of judgement he warneth us of before and foretelleth the rigor and danger in sundrie places of holie scripture to the end we should prevent the same and so direct our lives while we have time in this world as we may present our selves at that day without fear and danger or rather with great joy and comfort when so manie thousands of wicked people shal appeer there to their eternal confusion 10 And bicause there is nothing which so fitly sheweth the severitie of Christ in taking our account at the last day as the order and maner of this judgement described most diligently by the holy scripture it selfe it shal make much for our purpose to consider the same And first of al it is to be noted that there be two judgements appointed after death wherof the one is called particular wherby ech man presently upon his departure from this world receaveth particular sentence either of punishment or of glorie according to his deeds in this life as Christs own words are wherof we have examples in Lazarus and the rich glutton who were presently caried the one to pain the other to rest as Saint Luke testifieth And to dowt of this were obstinacie as Saint Austen affirmeth The other judgment is called general for that it shal be of al men togither in the end of the world where shal a final sentence be pronounced either of reward or punishment upon al men that ever lived according to the works which they have done good or bad in this life and afterward never more question be made of altering their estate that is of easing the pain of the one or ending the glorie of the other 11 Now as touching the first of these two judgements albeit the holy ancient fathers especiallie Saint Austen do gather and consider divers particulars of great severitie and feare as the passage of our soul from the body to the tribunal seat of God under the custody both of good and evil angels the fear she hath of them the sodain strangenes of the place where she is the terror of Gods presence the strait examination she must abide and the like yet for that the most of these things are to be considered also in the second judgement which is general I wil passe over to the same noting only certain reasons yeelded by the holy fathers why God after the first judgement wherin he had assigned to ech man according to his deserts in particular would appoint moreover this second general judgment Wherof the first is for that the body of man rising from his sepulchre might be partaker of the eternal punishment or glorie of the soul even as it hath beene partaker with the same either in vertue or vice in this life The second is that as Christ was dishonored and put to confusion here in the world publikly so much more he might shew his majestie and power at that day in the sight of al creatures and especially of his enimies The third is that both the wicked and good might receave their reward openly to more confusion hart greefe of the one and to the greater joy and triumph of the other who commonly in this world have been overborn by the wicked The fourth is for that evil men when they die do not commonly carie with them al their demerit and evil for that they leave behind them either their evil example or their children and familiars corrupted by them or els books and means which may in time corrupt others Al which being not yet done but comming to passe after their death they cannot so conveniently receave their judgement for the same presently but as the evil falleth out so their pains are to be increased The like may be said of the good So that for examples sake Saint Pauls glorie is increased daily and shal be unto the worlds end by reason of them that daily profit by his writings and example and the pains of the wicked are for the like reason daily augmented But at the last day of judgment shal be an end
prophet And why so Bicause we draw therin with a sweet companion we draw with Christ that is his grace at one end and our endevor at the other And bicause when a great ox and a little do draw togither the waight lieth al upon the greater ox his nek for that he beareth up quite the yoke from the other therof it commeth that we drawing in this yoke with Christ which is greater than we are he lighteneth us of the whole burden and only requireth that we should go on with him comfortably and not refuse to enter under the yoke with him for that the pain shal be his and the pleasure ours This he signifieth expreslie when he saith Come you to me al that labor and are heavie loden and I wil refresh you Heer you see that he mooveth us to this yoke only therby to refresh and disburden us to disburden us I say and to refresh us and not any way to load or agreeve us to disburden us of the heavy lodings and yokes of this world as from the burden of care the burden of melancholy the burden of envie hatred and malice the burden of pride the burden of ambition the burden of covetousnes the burden of wickednes and hel fire it selfe From al these burdens and miserable yokes Christ would deliver us by covering our neks only with his yoke and burden so lightened and sweetned by his holy grace as the bearing therof is not travelsome but most easie pleasant and comfortable as hath been shewed 10 Another cause why this yoke is so sweet this burden so light and this way of Gods commandements so pleasant to good men is love love I mean towards God whose commandements they are For every man can tel and hath experienced in himselfe what a strong passion the passion of love is and how it maketh easie the verie greatest pains that are in this world What maketh the mother to take such pains in the bringing up of hir child but only love What causeth the wife to sit so attentive at the bedside of hir sik husband but only love What mooveth the beasts and birds of the air to spare from their own food and to indanger their own lives for the feeding and defending of their little ones but only the force of love Saint Austen doth prosecute this point at large by many other examples as of merchants that refuse no adventure of sea for love of gain of hunters that refuse no season of evil weather for love of game of soldiers that refuse no danger of death for love of the spoil And he addeth in the end that if the love of man can be so great towards creatures heer as to make labor easie and indeed to seem no labor but rather pleasure how much more shal the love of good men towards God make al their labor comfortable which they take in his service 11 This extreme love was the cause why al the pains and afflictions which Christ suffered for us seemed nothing unto him And this love also was the cause why al the travels and torments which many Christians have suffered for Christ seemed nothing unto them Imprisonments torments losse of honor goods life seemed trifles to divers servants of God in respect of this burning love This love drove many virgins and tender children to offer themselves in time of persecution for the love of him which in the cause was persecuted This love caused holie Apollonia of Alexandria being brought to the fire to be burned for Christ to slip out of the hands of such as led hir and joifully to run into the fire of hir selfe This love mooved Ignatius the ancient martyr to say being condemned to beasts and fearing least they would refuse his bodie as they had done of divers martyrs before that he would not permit them so to do but would provoke and stir them to come upon him and to take his life from him by tearing his body in peeces 12 These are the effects then of fervent love which maketh even the things that are most difficult and dreadful of themselves to appeer sweet and pleasant and much more the laws and commandements of God which in themselves are most just reasonable holie and easie Da amantem saith Saint Austen speaking of this matter et sentit quod dico Si autem frigido loquor nescit quid loquar Give me a man that is in love with God he feeleth this to be tru which I say but if I talk to a cold Christian he understandeth not what I say And this is the cause why Christ talking of the keeping of his commandements repeateth so often this word love as the surest cause of keeping the same for want wherof in the world the world keepeth them not as there he sheweth If you love me keep my commandements saith he And again He that hath my commandements and keepeth them he is he that loveth me Again He which loveth me wil keep my commandements In which last words is to be noted that to the lover he saith His commandement in the singular number for that to such an one al his commandements are but one commandement according to the saieng of Saint Paul That love is the fulnes of the law for that it comprehendeth al. But to him that loveth not Christ saith his commandements in the plural number signifieng therby that they are both many and heavie to him for that he wanteth love which should make them easie Which Saint Iohn also expresseth when he saith This is the love of God when we keep his commandements and his commandements are not heavie That is they are not heavy to him which hath the love of God otherwise no marvel though they be most heavie For that every thing seemeth heavie which we do against our liking And so by this also gentle reader thou maist gesse whether the love of God be in thee or no. 13 And these are two means now wherby the vertuous life of good men is made easie in this world There follow divers others to the end that these negligent excusers may see how unjust and untru this excuse of theirs is concerning the pretended hardnes of vertuous living which in very deed is indued with infinite privileges of comfort above the life of wicked men even in this world And the next after the former is a certain special and peculiar light of understanding pertaining to the just and called in scripture Prudentia sanctorum the wisdome of saints which is nothing els but a certain sparkle of heavenly wisdome bestowed by singular privilege upon the vertuous in this life wherby they receive most comfortable light and understanding in spiritual matters especially touching their own salvation and things necessarie therunto Of which the prophet David ment when he said Notas mihi fecisti vias vitae Thou hast made the wais of
and to leave al vanities of the world if he did consider as he should do the waightie reasons he hath to moove him thereunto the reward he shal receive for it and his infinite danger if he do it not But bicause as I have said scarce one among a thousand doth enter into these considerations or if he do it is with lesse attention or continuance than so great a matter requireth herof it commeth that so many men perish daily and so few are saved for that by lack of consideration they neuer resolve themselves to live as they should do and as the vocation of a Christian man requireth So that we may also complain with holie Ieremie alledged in the beginning that our earth also of Christianitie is brought to desolation for that men do not deeply consider in their harts 10 Consideration is the key which openeth the dore to the closet of our hart where al our bookes of account do lie It is the looking glasse or rather the very eie of our soule wherby she seeth hir selfe and looketh into al hir whole estate hir riches hir good gifts hir defects hir safetie hir danger hir waie she walketh in hir pase she holdeth and finally the place and end which she draweth unto And without this consideration shee runneth on blindly into a thousand brakes and briers stumbling at every step into some one inconvenience or other and continually in peril of some great deadlie mischief And it is a wonderful matter to think that in other busines of this life men both see and confesse that nothing can be either begun prosecuted or wel ended without consideration and yet in this great busines of the kingdome of heaven no man almost vseth or thinketh the same necessarie 11 If a man had to make a journey but from England to Constantinople albeit he had made the same once or twise before yet would he not passe it over without great and often consideration especially whether he were right and in the way or no what pase he held how neere he was to his wais end and the like And thinkest thou my deer brother to passe from earth to heaven and that by so manie hils and dales and dangerous places never passed by thee before and this without any consideration at al Thou art deceived if thou thinkest so for this journey hath far more need of consideration than that being much more subject to bypaths and dangers every pleasure of this world every lust every dissolute thought every alluring sight and tempting sound every divel vpon the earth or instrument of his which are infinite being a theefe and lieng in wait to spoil thee and to destroy thee vpon this way towards heaven 12 Wherfore I would give counsel to every wise passenger to looke wel about him and at least wise once a day to enter into consideration of his estate and of the estate of his treasure which he carieth with him in a brickle vessel as Saint Paul affirmeth I mean his soule which may as soone be lost by inconsideration as the smallest and nicest jewell in this world as partly shall appeer by that which heerafter I have written for the help of this consideration wherof both I my self and al other Christians do stand in so great need in respect of our acceptable service to God For surely if my soul or any other did consider attentievly but a few things of many which she knoweth to be trew she could not but speedily reform hir self with infinite mislike and detestation of hir former course As for example if she considered thoroughly that hir only comming into this life was to attend to the service of God and that she notwithstanding attendeth only or the most part to the vanities of this world that she must give account at the last day of every idle word and yet that she maketh none account not only of words but also not of evil deeds that no fornicator no adulterer no vsurer no couetous or vnclean person shal ever enjoy the kingdome of heaven as the scripture saith and yet she thinketh to go thither living in the same vices that one only sin hath ben sufficient to damn many thousands togither and yet she being loden with many thinketh to escape that the way to heaven is hard strait and painful by the affirmation of God himself and yet she thinketh to go in living in pleasures and delites of the world that al holie saints that ever were as the Apostles mother of Christ hir self with al good men since chose to them selves to live an austere life in painful labour profitable to others fasting praieng punishing their bodies and the like and for al this lived in feare and trembling of the judgements of God she attending to none of these things but folowing hir pastimes maketh no doubt of hir own estate If I saie my soule or anie other did in deede and in earnest consider these things or the least part of a thousand more that might be considered and which our Christian faith doth teach vs to be tru she would not wander as the most part of Christian souls do in such desperate peril thorough want of consideration 13 What maketh theeves to seeme mad vnto wise men that seing so manie hanged dailie for theft before their eies wil yet notwithstanding steal again but lak of consideration And the verie same cause maketh the wisest men of the world to seeme verie fooles and worse than frantiks vnto God and good men that knowing the vanities of the world and the danger of sinful life do folow so much the one and feare so litle the other If a law were made by the authoritie of man that whosoever shuld adventure to drink wine should without delaie hold his hand but half an hour in the fire or in boiling lead for a punishment I thinke manie would forbear wine albeit naturallie they loued the same and yet a law being made by the eternal maiestie of God that whosoever committeth sin shal boile everlastinglie in the fire of hel without ease or end manie one for lack of consideration do commit sin with as litle fear as they do eat or drink 14 To conclude therfore consideration is a most necessarie thing to be taken in hand especiallie in these our daies wherin vanitie hath so much prevailed with the most as it semeth to be tru wisdome and the contrarie therof to be meere follie and contemptible simplicitie But I doubt not by the assistance of God and help of consideration to discover in that which foloweth the error of this matter unto the discreet Reader which is not wilfullie blinded or obstinatelie given over unto the captivitie of his ghostlie enimie for some such men there be of whom God saith as it were pitieng and lamenting their case They haue made a leag with death and a couenant with hel it self that is they
wil not come out of the danger wherin they be but wil headlong cast themselves into everlasting perdition rather than by consideration of their estate recover to themselves eternal life and glorie from which deadlie obstinacie the Lord of his mercie deliver us all that belong unto him CHAP. III. Of the end for which man was created and placed in this world NOw then in the name of almightie God and with the assistance of his holie spirit let the Christian man or woman desirous of salvation first of al consider attentivelie as a good marchant-factour is wont to do when he is arrived in a strange countrie or as a captain sent by his prince to some great exploit is accustomed when he commeth to the place appointed that is to think for what cause he came thither why he was sent to what end what to attempt what to prosecute what to perform what shal be expected and required at his hands vpon his return by him that sent him thither For these cogitations no doubt shal stir him vp to attend to that which he came for and not to emploie himself in impertinent affaires The like I saie would I have a Christian to consider and to aske of himself why and to what end was he created of God and sent hither into this world what to do wherein to bestow his daies he shal finde for no other cause or end but onlie to serve God in this life This was the condition of our creation and this was the onlie consideration of our redemption prophesied by Zacharie before That we being delivered from the hands of our enimies might serve him in holines and righteousnes al the daies of our life 2 Of this it followeth first that seing the end and final cause of our being in this world is to serve God in this life that whatsoever we do or endevour or bestow our time in either contrarie or impertinent to this end which is only to the service of God though it were to gain al the kingdoms of the earth yet is it meere vanitie follie and lost labour and wil turn vs one day to greefe repentance and confusion for that it is not the matter for which we came into this life or of which we shal be asked account at the last day except it be to receave judgement for the same 3 Secondlie it foloweth of the premisses that seing our only end and busines in this world is to serve God and that al other earthly creatures are put here to serve vs to that end we should for our parts be indifferent to al these creatures as to riches or povertie to health or sicknes to honour or contempt and we should desire only so much or litle of the same as were best for vs to our said end that we intend that is to the service of God for whosoever desireth or seeketh the creatures more than this runneth from his end for the which he came hither 4 By this now may a careful Christian take some scantling of his own estate with God make a conjecture whether he be in the right way or no. For if he attend only or principally to this end for which he was sent hither that is so serve God if his cares cogitations studies endevours labours talk and other his actions run upon this matter and that he careth no more for other creatures as honor riches learning and the like then they are necessarie vnto him for this end which he pretendeth if his daies and life I say be spent in this studie of the service of God then is he dowtles a most happy and blessed man and shal at length attain to the kingdom of God 5 But if he find himself in a contrarie case that is not to attend to this matter for which only he was sent hither nor to haue in his hart and studie this service of God but rather some other vanitie of the world as promotion wealth pleasure sumptuous apparel gorgious buildings bewtie or any other thing els that pertaineth not to this end if he spend his time I say about these trifles having his cares and cogitations his talk and delight more in them than about the other great busines for which he was sent then is he in a perilous course â—eading directly to perdition except he alter â—nd change the same For most certain it is that whosoever shal not attend vnto the service he came for shal never attain to thereward promised to that service 6 And bicause the most part of the world not only of infidels but also of Christians do amisse in this point and do not attend to this thing for which they were only created and sent hither thence it is that Christ and his holy saints have alwais spoken so hardly of the smal number that are in state of salvation even among Christians and have uttered some speeches which seeme very rigorous to flesh and blood and scarce trew albeit they must be fulfilled as that It is easier for a camel to go thorough a nedels eie than for a rich man to enter into heaven The reason of which saieng and many mo standeth in this that a rich man or worldling attending to heap riches can not attend to do that which he came for into this world and consequently never attain heaven except God work a miracle and so cause him to contemn his riches and to vse them only to the service of God as som times he doth and we haue a rare example in the Gospel of Zacheus who being a very rich man presently vpon the entering of Christ into his house and much more into his hart by faith gave half his goods vnto the poore and offered withal that whom soever he had injuried to him he would make four-times so much restitution 7 But hereby now may be seene the lamentable state of manie thousand Christians in the world which are so far of from bestowing their whole time and travel in the service of God as they never almost think of the same or if they do it is with very little care or attention Good Lord how many men and women be there in the world which bearing the name of Christians scarce spend one hour of fower and twentie in the service of God! How many do beat their brains about worldlie matters and how few are troubled with this care How manie find time to eate drink sleepe disport deck and paint themselues out to the world and yet have no time to bestow in this greatest busines of all other How many spend over whole daies weeks months and yeers in hauking hunting other pastimes without making account of this matter What shall be come of these people What wil they say at the day of judgement What excuse wil they have 8 If the marchant factor which I spake of before after many yeers spent beyond the seas returning home to geeve accounts to his maister
wherof he maketh mention in his writings As also al godly men by his example have used the like helps since for the better resisting of sinful temptations when need required and the like Wherof I could here recite great store of examples out of the holy fathers which would make a man to woonder and afeard also if he were not past fear to see what extream pain and diligence those first Christians tooke in watching every little sleight of the devil and in resisting every little temptation or cogitation of sin wheras we never think of the matter nor make account either of cogitation consent of hart word or work but do yeeld to al whatsoever our concupiscence moveth us unto do swalow down every hook laid vs by the devil and most greedily do devour every poisoned pleasant bait which is offered by the enimy for the destruction of our souls and thus much about resisting of sin 9 But now touching the second point which is continual exercising our selves in good works it is evident in itselfe that we utterly fail for the most part of us in the same I have shewed before how we are in scripture cōmanded to do them without ceasing and most diligently whiles we have time of day to do them in for as Christ saith The night wil come when no man can work any more I might also shew how certein of our forefathers the saints of God were most diligent and careful in doing good works in their dais even as the husbandman is careful to cast seed into the ground whiles fair weather lasteth and the merchant to lay out his mony whiles the good market endureth They knew the time would not last long which they had to work in and therfore they bestirred themselves whiles opportunitie served they never ceased but came from one good work to another wel knowing what they did and how good and acceptable service it was unto God 10 If there were nothing els to proove their wonderful care and diligence herein yet the infinite monuments of their almes-deeds yet extant to the world are sufficient testimonies of the same to wit the infinite churches builded and indued with great abundant maintenance for the ministers of the same so manie schooles colledges vniversities so many bridges highwais and publik commodities Which charitable deeds and a thousand mo both private and publik secret and open which I cannot report came out of the purses of our good ancesters who oftentimes not only gave of their abundance but also saved from their own mouths and bestowed it upon deeds of charitie to the glorie of God and benefit of others Wheras we are so far of from giving awaie our necessaries as we wil not bestow our very superfluities but wil imploy them rather upon hawks and dogs and other brute beasts and somtimes also upon much viler uses than to the releefe of our poore brethren 11 Alas deer brother to what a carelesse and senseles estate are we come touching our own salvation and damnation S. Paul crieth out unto us Work your own salvation with fear and trembling and yet no man for that maketh account therof S. Peter warneth us gravely and earnestly Brethren take you great care to make your vocation and election sure by good works and yet who almost wil think upon them Christ himselfe thundereth in these words I tel you make your selves frinds in this world of uniust mammon that when you faint they may receive you into eternal tabernacles And yet for al that we are not moved herewithal so dead we are and lumpish to al goodnes 12 If God did exhort us to good deeds for his own commoditie or for any gain that he is to take therby yet in reason we ought to pleasure him therin seing we have receaved al from his only liberalitie before But seing he asketh it at our hands for no need of his own but only for our gain to pay us home again with advantage it is more reason we should harken unto him If a common honest man upon earth should invite us to do a thing promising us of his honestie a sufficient reward we would beleve him but God making infinit promises unto us in scripture of eternal reward to our wel doing as that we shal eat with him drink with him raigne with him possesse heaven with him and the like can not move us notwithstanding to works of charitie But bicause those forefathers of ours were moved herewithal as having harts of softer metal than ours are of therfore they brought foorth such abundant fruit as I have shewed 13 Of al this then that I have said the godly Christian may gather first the lamentable estate of the world at this day when amongst the smal number of those which bear the name of Christians so many are like to perish for not performing of these two principal points of their uocation Secondly he may gather the cause of the infinit difference of reward for good and evil in the life to come which some men wil seeme to marvel at but in deed is most just and reasonable considering the great diversitie of life in good and evil men whiles they are in this world For the good man doth not only endevor to avoid sin but also by resisting the same daily and hourly encreaseth in the fauor of God The loose man by yeelding consent to his concupiscence doth not only lose the favor of God but also doubleth sin upon sin without number The good man besides avoiding sin doth infinit good works at the least wise in desire and hart wher greter abilitie serveth not But the wicked man neither in hart nor deed doth any good at al but rather seeketh in place therof to do hurt The good man imploieth al his mind hart words and hands to the service of God and of his servants for his sake But the wicked man bendeth al his force and powers both of body and mind to the service of vanities the world his flesh Insomuch that as the good man increaseth hourly in the favor of God to which is du increase of grace and glory in heaven so the evil from time to time in thought word or deed or in al at once heapeth up sin and damnation upon himself to which is du vengeance and increase of torments in hel and in this contrarie course they passe over their lives for twentie thirtie or fortie yeeres and so come to die And is it not reason now that seeing there is so great diversitie in their estates there should be as great or more diversitie also in their reward Especially seeing God is a great God and rewardeth smal things with great wages either of everlasting glorie or everlasting pain Thirdly and lastly the diligent and careful Christian may gather of this what great cause he hath to put in practise the godly counsel of Saint Paul which is That every man should prove
and examine his own works And so be able to judge of himselfe in what case he standeth and if upon this examination he find himselfe awry to thank God of so great a benefit as is the revealing of his danger whiles yet there is time and place to amend No dowt many perish daily by Gods justice in their own grosse ignorance who if they had receaved this special favor as to see the pit before they fel in it may be they would have escaped the same Vse Gods mercie to thy gain then gentle brother and not to thy further damnation If thou see by this examination that hitherto thou hast not led a tru Christian life resolve thy self to begin now and cast not away wilfully that pretious soul of thine which Christ hath bought so deerly and which he is most readie to save and to indu with grace and eternal glorie if thou wouldest yeeld the same into his hands and be content to direct thy life according to his most holy easie and sweet commandements CHAP. V. Of the severe account that we must yeeld to God of the matters aforesaid AMongst other points of a prudent servant this is to be esteemed on principal to consider in everie thing committed to his charge what account shal be demanded touching the same also what maner of man his maister is whether gentle or rigorous milde or stern carelesse or exquisite in his accounts also whether he be of abilitie to punish him at his pleasure finding him faultie and finally how he hath dealt with others before in like matters for according to these circumstances if he be wise he wil govern himselfe and use more or lesse diligence in the charge committed 2 The like wisdome would I counsel a Christian to use in the matters before recited to wit touching our end for which God sent us hither the two principal points therof enjoined for our exercise in this life to consider I say what account we shal be demanded for the same in what maner by whom with what severitie with what danger of punishment if we be found negligent and rechlesse therin 3 For better understanding wherof it is to be noted first with what order and with what ceremonies and circumstances God gave us this charge or rather made and proclaimed this law of our behaviour and service towards him For albeit he gave the same commandement to Adam in his first creation and imprinted it afterwards by nature into the harts of ech man before it was written as Saint Paul testifieth yet for more plain declarations sake and to convince us the more of our wickednes as the same Apostle noteth he published the same law in writing tables upon the mount Synay but with such terror and other circumstances of majestie as also the Apostle noteth to the Hebrues as may greatly astonish the breakers therof Let any man read the nineteene chapter of Exodus there he shal see what a preparation there was for the publishing of this law First God calleth Moises up to the hil and there reckoneth up many of the benefits which he had bestowed upon the people of Israel and promiseth them many mo if they would keepe the law which he was then to give them Moises went to the people and returned answer again that they would keepe it Then caused God the people to be sanctified against the third day to wash al their garments and that no man should companie with his wife also to be charged that none upon pain of death should presume to mount up to the hil but Moises alone and that whosoever should dare but to touch the hil should presently be stoned to death When the third day was come the Angels as Saint Steeven interpreteth it were readie to promulgate the law The trumpets sounded mightilie in the aire great thunder brake out from the sky with fearce lightenings horrible clouds thick mists and terrible smoke rising from the mountain And in the midst of al this majestie and dreadful terror God spake in the hearing of al I am thy Lord God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt me only shalt thou serve and the rest which foloweth conteining a perfect description of our dutie in this life cōmonly called the ten commandements of God 4 Al which terror and majestie the apostle himselfe as I have said applieth to this meaning that we should greatly tremble to break this law delivered us with such circumstances of dread and fear signifieng also hereby that the exaction of this law must needs be with greater terror at the day of iudgment seeing that the publication therof was with such astonishment and dread For so we see alwais great princes laws to be executed upon the offenders with much more terror than they were proclaimed And this may be a forcible reason to move a Christian to looke unto his dutie 5 Secondly if we consider the sharp execution used by God upon offenders of this law both before it was written and since we shal find great cause of fear also as the wonderful punishment upon Adam so many millions of people besides for his one fault the drowning of al the world togither the burning of Sodom and Gomorra with brimstone the reprobation of Saul the extreame chastisement of David and the like Which al being done by God with such rigor for lesse and fewer sins than ours are and also upon them whom he had more cause to spare than he hath to tollerate us may be admonishments what we must looke for at Gods hands for breach of this law of serving him in this life 6 Thirdly if we consider the speeches and behaviour of our Lord and maister Christ in this matter we shal have yet more occasion to dowt our owne case who albeit he came now to redeeme us and to pardon al in al mildnes humilitie clemencie and mercie yet in this point of taking accounts he is not woont to shew but austeritie and great rigor not onlie in words and familiar speeches with his Apostles but also in examples and parables to this purpose For so in one parable he damneth that poore servant to hel where should be weping and gnashing of teeth only for that he had not augmented his talent delivered him And Christ confesseth there of himselfe that he is a hard man reaping where he sowed not and gathering where he cast not abroad expecting also advantage at our hands for the talents lent us and not accepting onlie his own again And consequently threatning much more rigor to them which shal mispend his talents as the most of us do Again he damneth the servant whom he found asleepe he damned the poore man which was compelled to come into the wedding onlie for that he came without a wedding garment he damned the five foolish virgins for that they had not their oile with them
for so the holy scripture describing divers causes of wickednes among men putteth these two for principal First the flatterie of the world Quoniam laudatur peccator in desiderijs animae suae For that the sinner is praised in his lusts And secondly Quia auferuntur indicia tua a facie eius For that thy iudgements ô Lord are not before his face And on the contrarie side speaking of himselfe he saith I have kept the wais of the Lord and have not behaved my selfe impiously towards God And he geeveth the reason therof immediatly For that al his iudgements are in my sight And again I have feared thy iudgements ô Lord. And again I have beene mindful of thy iudgements And how profitable this fear is he sheweth in the same place demanding this fear most instantly at Gods hands for so he praieth Strike my flesh thorough with thy fear ô Lord. And S. Paul after he had shewed to the Corinthians that We must al be presented before the iudgement seat of Christ maketh this conclusion We knowing therfore these things do persuade the fear of the Lord unto men And Saint Peter after a long declaration of the majestie of God and Christ now raigning in heaven concludeth thus If then you cal him father which doth iudge everie man according to his works without exception of persons do you live in fear during the time of this your habitation upon earth A necessarie lesson no dowt for al men but specially for those which by reason of their sins and wicked life do remain in displeasure and hatred of God and hourly subject as I have shewed to the furie of his judgements which if they once fal into they are both irrevocable and intollerable and they may be fallen into as easily and by as manie wais as a man may come to death which are infinite especially to them who by their wickednes have lost the peculiar protection of God and so consequently of his angels too as I have shewed have subjected themselves to the feends of darknes who do nothing else but seeke their destruction both of bodie and soul with as great diligence as they can What wise man then would but fear in such a case Who could eat or drink or sleepe quietly in his bed until by tru and hartie repentance he had discharged his conscience of sin A little stone falling from the how 's upon his head or his horse stumbling under him as he rideth or his enimie meeting him on the high way or an agew comming with eating or drinking a little too much or ten thousand means besides wherof he standeth daily and hourly in danger may rid him of this life and put him in that case as no creature of this world nor any continuance of time shal be able to deliver him thence again And who then would not fear Who would not tremble 16 The Lord of his mercie geeve us his holy grace to fear him as we should do and to make such account of his justice as he by threatning the same would have us to do And then shal not we delay the time but resolve our selves to serve him whiles he is content to accept of our service and to pardon us al our offences if we would once make this resolution from our hart CHAP. VII Another consideration for the further iustifieng of Gods iudgements and declaration of our demerit taken from the maiestie of God and his benefits towards us ALbeit the most part of Christians throgh their wicked life arrive not to that estate wherin holie David was when he said to God Thy iudgements ô Lord are pleasant unto me as indeed they are to al those that live vertuously and have the testimonie of a good conscience yet at leastwise that we may say with the same prophet The iudgements of the Lord are tru and iustified in themselves And again Thou art iust ô Lord and thy iudgement is right I have thought good to ad a reason or two mo in this chapter wherby it may appeer how great our offence is towards God by sinning as we do how righteous his judgments and justice are against us for the same 2 And first of al is to be considered the majestie of him against whom we sin for most certain it is as I have noted before that every offence is so much the greater and more greevous by how much greater and more noble the person is against whom it is done and the partie offending more base and vile And in this respect God to terrifie us from offending him nameth himselfe often with certain titles of majestie as to Abraham I am the almightie Lord And again Heaven is my seat and the earth is my footstoole And again he commanded Moises to say to the people in his name this ambassage Harden not your necks any longer for that your Lord and God is a God of gods and a Lord of lords a great God both mightie and terrible which accepteth neither person nor bribes 3 First then I say consider gentle Christian of what an infinite majestie he is whom thou a poore woorm of the earth hast so often and so contemptuously offended in this life We see in this world that no man dareth to offend openly or say a word against the majestie of a prince within his own dominions and what is the majestie of al the princes upon earth compared to the thousandth part of the majestie of God who with a word made both heaven and earth and al the creatures therin and with halfe a word can destroie the same again whom al the creatures which he made as the Angels the heavens and al the elements besides do serve at a bek and dare not offend Only a sinner is he which imboldeneth himselfe against this majestie and feareth not to offend the same whom the Angels do praise the dominations do adore the powers do tremble and the highest heavens togither with Cherubins and Seraphins do daily honor and celebrate 4 Remember then deer brother that everie time thou dost commit a sin thou givest as it were a blow in the face to this God of great majestie who as Saint Paul saith Dwelleth in an unaccessible light which no man in this world can abide to look upon As also it appeereth by the example of Saint Iohn evangelist who fel down dead for very fear at the appearance of Christ unto him as himself testifieth And when Moises desired to see God once in his life made humble petition for the same God answered that no man could see him and live but yet to satisfie his request and to shew him in part what a terrible and glorious God he was he told Moises that he should see some peece of his glorie but he added that it was needful he should hide himselfe in the hole of a rock and be covered with Gods own hands for his defence while
in another place Audite coeli auribus percipe terra Harken ye heavens and thou earth bend hither thine eares Filios enutrivi exaltavi ipsi autem spreuerunt me I have norished up children and have exalted them and now they contemn me What a pitiful complaint is this of God against most vile and base worms of the earth But yet God amplifieth this iniquitie more by certain examples and comparisons The oxe saith he knoweth his owner and the asse knoweth the manger of his Lord and maister but yet my people know not me wo be to the sinful nation to the people loden with iniquitie to this naughtie seed to wicked children What complaint can be more vehement than this What threatning can be more dreadful than this wo comming from the mouth of him which may punish us at his pleasure 19 Wherfore deer brother if thou have grace cease to be ungrateful to God any longer cease to offend him which hath by so manie wais prevented thee with benefits cease to render evil for good hatred for love contempt for his fatherly affection towards thee He hath done for thee al that he can he hath given thee al that thou art yea and in a certain maner al that he is woorth himselfe and meaneth besides to make thee partaker of al his glorie in the world to come and requireth no more for al this at thy hands but love and gratitude O deer brother why wilt thou not yeeld him this Why wilt thou not do as much to him as thou wouldest haue another man to do to thee for lesse than the ten thousand part of these benefits which thou hast receaved For I dare wel say that if thou hadst given a man but an almes at thy dore thou wouldest think him bound to love thee for it albeit thou hadst nothing in thee woorth love besides But now thy Lord besides these his gifts hath infinite causes to make thee love him that is al the causes which any thing in the world hath to purchase love and infinite more besides for if al the perfections of al things created in heaven and in earth which do procure love were put togither in one as al their beautie al their vertu al their nobilitie al their goodnes and the like yet thy Lord and Savior whom thou contemnest doth passe al this and that by many and infinite degrees for that he is not only al these things togither but also he is very beautie it selfe vertu it selfe wisdom it selfe sweetnes it selfe nobilitie it selfe goodnes it selfe and the very fountain and welspring where hence al these things are derived by litle peeces and parcels unto his creatures 20 Be ashamed then good Christian of this thy ingratitude to so great so good bountiful a Lord and resolve thy selfe for the time to come to amend thy course of life and behavior towards him Say with the prophet which had lesse cause to say so than thou Domine propitiare peccatomeo multum est enim O Lord pardon me mine offences for it is great in thy sight I know there is nothing O Lord which doth so much displease thee or dry up the fountain of thy mercy and so bindeth thy hands from dooing good as ingratitude in the receavers of thy benefits wherin hitherto I have exceeded al other but I have done it O Lord in mine ignorance not considering thy gifts unto me nor what account thou wouldest demaund again of the same But now seeing thou hast vouchsafed to make me woorthy of this grace also wherby to see and know mine own state and default I hope hereafter by direction of the same grace of thine to shew my selfe a better child towards thee O Lord I am overcome at the lenth with consideration of thy love and how can I have the hart to offend thee hereafter seeing thou hast prevented me so many wais with benefits even when I demanded not the same Can I have hands ever more to sin against thee which hast given up thine own most tender hands to be nailed on the crosse for my sins heretofore No no it is too great an injurie against thee O Lord and wo woorth me that have done it so often heretofore But by thy holy assistance I trust not to return to such iniquitie for the time to come to which O Lord I beseech thee for thy mercy sake from thy holie throne of heaven to say Amen CHAP. VIII Of what opinion and feeling we shal be touching these matters at the time of our death THe holie scriptures do teach us and experience maketh it plain that during the time of this life the commodities preferments and pleasures of the world do possesse so strongly the harts of manie men and do hold them chained with so forcible inchauntments being forsaken also upon their just deserts of the grace of God say and threaten what a man can bring against them al the whole scripture even from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalips as indeed it is al against sin and sinners yet wil it prevail nothing with them being in that lamentable case as either they beleeve not or esteem not whatsoever is said to that purpose against their setled life and resolution to the contrary Of this we have infinite examples in scripture as of Sodom and Gomorra with the cities about which could not heare the warnings that good Lot gave unto them Also of Pharao whom al that ever Moises could do either by signes or saiengs mooved nothing Also of Iudas who by no faire means or threatnings used to him by his maister would change his wicked resolution But especially the prophets sent from God from time to time to dissuade the people from their naughtie life and consequently from the plaegs hanging over them do give abundant testimonie of this complaining everie where of the hardnes of sinners harts that would not be mooved with al the exhortations preachings promises and thunderings that they could use The prophet Zacharie shal testifie for al in this matter who saith of the people of Israel a litle before their destruction Hoc ait Dominus exercituum c. This saith the Lord of hosts iudge iustly And so foorth And presentlie he addeth And they would not attend but turning their baks went away stopped their ears to the end they might not heare and they did put their harts as an adamant stone to the end they might not heare the law and the words which God did send in his spirit by the hands of the former prophets wherby Gods great indignation was stirred up 2 This then is and alwais hath been the fashion of worldlings reprobate persons to harden their harts as an adamant stone against any thing that shal be told them for the amendement of their lives and for the saving of their souls Whiles they are in helth prosperitie they wil not know God As in
the tormentors togither with the most lothsom filthines of the place which is otherwise described in the scriptures by the names of adders snakes cocatrices scorpions and other venemous creatures as shal be afterwards declared 10 Having declared the names of this place and therby also in som part the nature it remaineth now that we consider what maner of pains men suffer there For declaration wherof we must note that as heaven and hel are contrarie assigned to contrarie persons for contrarie causes so have they in al respects contrarie properties conditions and effects in such sort as whatsoever is spoken of the felicitie of the one may serve to infer the contrarie of the other As when Saint Paul saith that No eie hath seene nor eare heard nor hart conceived the ioies that God hath prepared for them that shal be saved We may infer that the pains of the damned must be as great Again when the scripture saith that the felicitie of them in heaven is a perfect felicitie containing Omne bonum Al goodnes So that no one kind of pleasure can be imagined which they have not we must think on the contrarie part that the miserie of the damned must be also a perfect miserie containing al afflictions that may be without wanting any So that as the happines of the good is infinite and universal so also is the calamitie of the wicked infinite and universal Now in this life al the miseries pains which fal upon man are but particular and not universal As for example we see one man pained in his eies another in his bak which particular pains notwithstanding somtimes are so extreme as life is not able to resist them and a man would not suffer them long for the gaining of many worlds togither But suppose now a man were tormented in al the parts of his bodie at once as in his head his eies his toong his teeth his throte his stomak his bellie his back his hart his sides his thighs and in al the joints of his bodie besides suppose I say he were most cruelly tormented with extreme pains in al these parts togither without ease or intermission what thing could be more miserable than this What sight more lamentable If thou shuldest see a dogly in the street so afflicted I know thou couldest not but take compassion upon him Wel then consider what difference there is between abiding these pains for a week or for al eternities in suffering them upon a soft bed or upon a burning grediron and boiling fornace among a mans frinds comforting him or among the furies of hel whipping and tormenting him Consider this I say gentle reader and if thou wouldest take a great deal of labour rather than abide the one in this life be content to sustain a little pain rather than to incur the other in the life to come 11 But to consider these things yet further not onlie al these parts of the body which have been instruments to sin shal be tormented togither but also every sense both external internal for the same cause shal be afflicted with his particular torment contrarie to the object wherin it delited most took pleasure in this world As if for example the lascivious eies were afflicted with the uglie fearful sight of devils the delicate eares with the horrible noise of damned spirits the nise smel with poisoned stench of brimstone other unsupportable filth the daintie taste with most ravenous hunger and thirst al the sensible parts of the bodie with burning fire Again the imagination shal be tormented with the apprehension of pains present and to come the memorie with the remembrance of pleasures past the understanding with consideration of the felicitie lost and the miserie now come on O poore Christian what wilt thou do amidst the multitude of so greevous calamities 12 It is a woonderful matter and able as one father saith to make a reasonable man go out of his wits to consider what God hath revealed unto us in the scriptures of the dredful circumstances of this punishment and yet to see how little the rechlesse men of the world do fear it For first touching the universalitie varietie and greatnes of the pain not only the reasons before alleaged but also divers other considerations in the scriptures do declare As where it is said of the damned Cruciabuntur die nocte They shal be tormented day and night And again Date illi tormentum Give hir torment speaking of Babylon in hel by which is signified that the pains in hel are exercised not for chastisement but for torment of the parties And torments commonly we see in this world to be as great and as extreme as the wit of a man can reach to devise Imagin then when God shal lay his head to devise torments as he hath done in hel what maner of torments wil they be 13 If creating an element here for our comfort I mean the fire he could create the same so terrible as it is in such sort as a man would not hold his onlie hand in it one day for to gain a kingdom what a fire think you hath he provided for hel which is not created for comfort but onlie for torment of the parties Our fire hath many differences from that therfore is truly said of the holie fathers to be but a painted and fained fire in respect of that For our fire was made to comfort as I have said and that to torment Our fire hath need to be fed continuallie with wood or else it goeth out that burneth continuallie without feeding Ours giveth light that giveth none Ours is out of his natural place and therfore shifteth to ascend and to get from us as we see but that is in the natural place where it was created therfore it abideth there perpetually Ours consumeth the matter laid in it and so quiklie dispatcheth the pain that tormenteth but consumeth not to the end the pain may be everlasting Our fire is extinguished with water and greatlie abated by the coldnes of the aire about it that hath no such abatement or qualification Finallie what a strange and incredible kind of fire that is appeereth by these words of our savior so often repeated There shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth Weeping is to be referred to the effect of extreme burning in that fire for that the torment of scalding and burning inforceth teares sooner than any other torment as appeereth in them which upon the sudden do put an hot thing into their mouth or scald any other part of their bodie And gnashing of teeth or chattering at least as everie man knoweth proceedeth of great and extreme cold Imagin then what a fire this is which hath such extreme effects both of heat and cold O mightie Lord what a strange God art thou How woonderful and terrible in al thy works and inventions How bountiful art thou to those
what severitie But it is not lawful we onlie which are yet alive have that singular benefit if we know it or wold resolve our selves to make the most of it One of these dais we shal be past it also and shal not recover it again no not one hour if we would give a thousand worlds for the same as indeed the damned would do if they might Let us now therfore so use the benefit of our present time as when we are past hence we have not need to wish our selves here again 24 Now is the time we may avoid al now is the time we may put our selves out of danger of these matters now I saie if we resolve our selves out of hand For we know not what shal become of us to morrow it may be to morrow our harts wil be as hard and carelesse of these things as they have been heretofore and as Pharao his hart was after Moises departure from him Oh that he had resolved himselfe thoroughlie while Moises was with him how happie had he been If the rich glutton had taken the time while he was in prosperitie how blessed a man had he been He was foretold of his miserie as we are now by Moises and the prophets as Christ signifieth but he would not hear Afterward he was in such admiration of his own follie that he would have had Lazarus sent from Abrahams bosom unto his brethren to warn them of his successe But Abraham told him it was bootlesse for they would not have beleeved Lazarus but rather have persecuted him as a liar and defamer of their honorable brother dead if he should have come and told them of his torments Indeed so would the wicked of the world do now if one should come tel them that their parents or frinds are damned in hel for such and such things and do beseech them to look better to their lives to the end by their comming thither they do not increase the others pains for being some cause of their damnation for this is onlie the cause of care which the damned have towards the living and not for any love they now bear them if I saie such a message should come from hel to the florishing sinners of this world would they not laugh at it Would they not persecute eagarlie the parties that should bring such news what then can God devise to do for the saving of these men What waie what means may he take when neither warning nor example of others nor threats nor exhortations wil do anie good We know or may know that leading the life which we do we can not be saved We know or ought to know that manie before us have been damned for lesse matters We know and can not choose but know that we must shortlie die and receave our selves as they have receaved living as they did or woorse We see by this laid down before that the pains are intollerable and yet eternal which do expect us for the same We confesse them most miserable that for anie pleasure or commoditie of this world are now fallen into those pains What then shuld let us to resolve to dispatch our selves quiklie of al impediments To break violentlie from al bonds and chains of this wicked world that do let us from this tru and zealous service of God Why should we sleep one night in sin seeing that night may chance to be our last and so the everlasting cutting off of al hope for the time to come 25 Resolve thy selfe therfore my deer brother if thou be wise and cleer thy selfe from this danger while God is willing to receive thee and mooveth thee therunto by these means as he did the rich man by Moises and the prophets while he was yet in his prosperitie Let his example be often before thine eies and consider it throughly and it shal do thee good God is a wonderful God and to shew his patience and infinite goodnes he wooeth us in this life seeketh unto us and laieth himselfe as it were at our feet to moove us to our own good to win us to draw us and to save us from perdition But after this life he altereth his course of dealing he turneth over the leaf and changeth his stile Of a lamb he becometh a lion to the wicked and of a saviour a just and severe punisher What can be said or don more to moove us He that is forewarned and seeth his own danger before his face and yet is not stirred nor made the more warie or fearful therby but notwithstanding wil come or slide into the same may wel be pitied but surely by no means can he be helped making himselfe incapable of al remedies that may be used CHAP. X. Of the most honorable and munificent rewards proposed to al them that truly serve God THE reasons and considerations laid down before in the former chapters might wel suffice to stir up the hart of any reasonable Christian to take in hand this resolution wherof we talk and wherunto I so much covet to persuade thee for thy only good and gain gentle reader But for that al harts are not of one constitution in this respect nor al drawn and stirred with the same means I purpose to adjoin heer a consideration of commoditie wherunto commonly ech man is prone by nature And therfore I am in hope it shal be more forcible to that we go about than any thing else that hitherto hath beene spoken I mean then to treat of the benefits which are reaped by service of God of the gain drawn thence and of the good pay and most liberal reward which God performeth to his servants above al the maisters created that may be served And though the just fear of punishment if we serve him not might be sufficient to drive us to this resolution and the infinite benefits alreadie received induce us to the same in respect of gratitude of both which somwhat hath been said before yet am I content so far to inlarge this libertie to thee good reader that except I shew this resolution which I crave to be more gainful and profitable than any thing else in the world that can be thought of thou shalt not be bound unto it for any thing that hitherto hath beene said in that behalfe For as God in al other things is a God of great majestie ful of bountie liberalitie and princely magnificence so is he in this point above al other in such sort as albeit whatsoever we do or can do is but du det unto him and of it selfe deserveth nothing yet of his munificent majestie he letteth passe no one jot of our service unrewarded no not so much as a cup of cold water 2 God commanded Abraham to sacrifice unto him his only son Isaac which he loved so much but when he was ready to do the same God said Do it not it is inough for me that I see thine obedience And bicause thou hast not refused
preachings of the Apostles the doctrine beleefe and practise of al Saints And finally is not this Verbum abbreviatum The word of God abbreviated wherin do consist al the riches and treasures of Christianitie 6 And this grace is of such efficacie and force in the soul where it entereth that it altereth the whole state therof making those things cleer which were obscure before those things easie which were hard and difficult before And for this cause also it is said in scripture to make a new spirit and a new hart As where Ezechiel talking of this matter saith in the person of God I wil give unto them a new hart and wil put a new spirit in their bowels that they may walk in my precepts and keep my commandements Can any thing in the world be spoken more plainly Now for mortifieng and conquering of our passions which by rebellion do make the way of Gods commandements unpleasant Saint Paul testifieth cleerly that abundant grace is given to us also by the death of Christ to do the same for he saith This we know that our old man is crucified also to the end that the bodie of sin may be destroied and we serve no more unto sin By the old man and the bodie of sin Saint Paul understandeth our rebellious appetite and concupiscence which is so crucified and destroied by the most noble sacrifice of Christ as we may by the grace purchased us in that sacrifice in some good measure resist and conquer this appetite being freed so much as we are from the servitude of sin And this is that noble and entire victorie in this world begun to be finished in the world to come which GOD promised so long ago to every Christian soul by the means of Christ when he said Be not afraid for I am with thee step not aside for I thy God have strengthened thee and have assisted thee and the right hand of my just man hath taken thy defence Behold al that fight against thee shal be confounded and put to shame thou shalt seek thy rebels and shalt not find them they shal be as though they were not for that I am thy Lord and God 7 Lo here a ful victory promised upon our rebels by the help of the right hand of Gods just man that is upon our disordinate passions by the aid of grace from Iesus Christ. And albeit these rebels are not here promised to be taken clean away but only to be conquered and confounded yet is it said That they shal be as though they were not Wherby is signified that they shal not hinder us of our salvation but rather advance and further the same For as wild beasts which of nature are fearce and would rather hurt than profit mankind being maistered and tamed become very commodious and necessarie for our uses so these rebellious passions of ours which of themselves would utterly overthrow us being once subdued and mortified by the grace of God do stand us in singuler stead to the practise and exercise of al kind of vertues as choler or anger to the inkindeling of zeal hatred to the pursuing of sin an hautie mind to the rejecting of the world love to the imbracing of al great and heroical attempts in consideration of the benefits received frō God Beside this the verie conflict and combat it selfe in subduing these passions is left unto us for our great good that is for our patience humility and victorie in this life and for our glory crown in the life to come as Saint Paul affirmed of himselfe and confirmed to al others by his example 8 Now then let the slothful Christian go Put his hands under his girdle as the scripture saith and say There is a lion in the way and a lionesse in the path readie to devour him that he dare not go foorth of the doores Let him say It is cold and therfore he dareth not go to plow Let him say It is uneasie to labor therforè he cannot purge his vineyard of nettles and thistles nor build any wal about the same That is let him say his passions are strong and therfore he can not conquer them his bodie is delicate therfore he dare not put it to travel the way of vertuous life is hard and uneasie and therfore he cannot apply himselfe therunto Let him say al this and much more which idle and slothful Christians do use to bring for their excuse let him alledge it I say as much and as often as he wil it is but an excuse and a false excuse an excuse most dishonorable and detractorie to the force of Christ his grace purchased us by his bitter passion that now his yoke should be unpleasant seeing he hath made it sweet that now his burden should be heavie seeing he hath made it light that now his commandements should be greevous seeing the holie Ghost affirmeth the contrarie that now we should be in servitude of our passions seeing he hath by his grace delivered us and made us truly free If God be with us who wil be against us saith the Apostle God is my helper and defender saith holy David whom shal I fear or at whom shal I tremble If whole armies should rise against me yet wil I alway hope to have the victorie And what is the reason For that thou art with me O Lord thou fightest on my side thou assistest me with thy grace by help wherof I shal have the victorie though al the squadrons of my enimies that is of the flesh the world the devil should rise against me at once and I shal not only have the victorie but also shal have it easily with pleasure and delite For so much signifieth Saint Iohn in that having said that the commandements of Christ are not greevous he inferreth presently as the cause therof Quoniam omne quod natum est ex deo vincit mundum For that al which is born of God conquereth the world That is this grace heavenly assistance sent us from God doth both conquer the world with al difficulties and temptations therof and also maketh the commandements of God easie and vertuous life most pleasant and sweet 9 But it may be you wil say Christ himselfe confesseth it to be a yoke and a burden how then can it be so pleasant easie as you make it I answer that Christ addeth that it is a sweet yoke a light burden Wherby your objection is taken away and also is signified further that there is a burden which greeveth not the bearer but rather helpeth and refresheth the same as the burden of feathers upon a birds bak beareth up the bird and is nothing at al greevous unto hir So also though it be a yoke yet is it a sweet yoke a comfortable yoke a yoke more pleasant than hony or hony comb as saith the
is understood of his sinful acts he addeth a little after the maner of this purgation saieng His flesh being consumed by punishments let him return again to the dais of his youth That is al his fleshly humors and passions being now consumed by punishments and tribulations let him begin to live again in such puritie of soul as he did at the beginning of his youth before he had contracted these evil humors and diseases 11 Neither only is tribulation a strong medicin to heal sin and to purge away the reffuse metals in us of brasse tin iron lead and drosse as God by Ezechiel saith but also a most excellent preservative against sin for the time to come according as good king David said Thy discipline O Lord hath corrected me for evermore That is it hath made me warie and watchful not to commit sin again according as the scripture saith in another place Agreevous infirmitie or affliction maketh the fool sober For which cause the prophet Ieremie calleth tribulation Virgam vigilantem A watchful rod. That is as Saint Ierom expoundeth it a rod that maketh a man watchful The same signified God when he said by Ose the prophet I wil hedge in thy way with thorns That is I wil so close thy life on every side with the remembrance and fear of affliction that thou shalt not dare to tread awry lest thou tread upon a thorn Al which good David expresseth of himselfe in these words Before I was humbled and brought low by affliction I did sin and offend thee O Lord but after that time I have kept thy commandements 12 Of this also appeereth another cause why God afflicteth his elect in this life and that is to prevent his justice upon them in the world to come Touching which Saint Barnard saith thus Oh would to God some man would now beforehand provide for my head abundance of waters and to mine eies a fountain of teares for so happily the burning fire should take no hold where running teares had clensed before And the reason of this is as that holie man himselfe noteth after for that God hath said by Naum the prophet I have afflicted thee once I wil not afflict thee again there shal not come from me a double tribulation 13 Sixtlie God sendeth tribulation upon his servants to proove them therby whether they be faithful and constant or no That is to make themselves and other men see and confesse how faithful or unfaithful they are This after a sort was figured when Isaac would grope touch his son Iacob before he would blesse him And this the scripture expresseth plainly when talking of the tribulations laid upon Abraham It addeth Tentavit Deus Abraham God tempted Abraham By these means to proove him And Moises said to the people of Israel Thou shalt remember how thy God led thee fortie yeers about the desert to afflict thee and tempt thee to the end it might appeer what was in thy hart whether thou wouldest keepe his commandements or no. And again a few chapters after Your God and Lord doth tempt you to the end it may be manifest whether you love him or no with al your hart and with al your soul. In which sense also the scripture saith of Ezechias after many praises given unto him That God left him for a time to be tempted that the thoughts of his hart might therby be made manifest And that this is Gods fashion towards al good men king David sheweth in the person of al when he saith Thou hast prooved us O Lord thou hast examined us by fire thou hast laid tribulation upon our baks and hast brought men upon our heads And yet how wel he liked of this matter he signifieth when he calleth for more therof in another place saieng Try me O Lord and tempt me burn my reins and hart within me That is try me by the way of tribulation and persecution search out the secrets of my hart and reins let the world see whether I wil stick to thee in adversitie or no. Thus said that holie prophet wel knowing that which in another place the holie Ghost uttereth that As the fornace trieth the potters vessels so tribulation trieth men For as the sound vessels only do hold when they come to the fornace and those which are crased do break in peeces so in time of tribulation and persecution the vertuous only stand to it and the counterfet bewray themselves according to the saieng of Christ In tempore tentationis recedunt They depart from me in time of temptation 14 The seventh reason why God laieth tribulation upon the vertuous is therby to make them run unto him for aid and help even as the mother to make hir child more to love hir and to run unto hir procureth the same to be made afraid and terrified by others This God expresseth plainly by the prophet Ose saieng of those that he loved I wil draw them unto me in the ropes of Adam in the chains of love and wil seem unto them as though I raised a yoke upon their iaw bones By the ropes of Adam he meaneth affliction wherby he drew Adam to know himselfe as also appeereth by that he addeth of the heavie yoke of tribulation which he wil lay upon the heads and faces of his servants as chains of love therby to draw them unto him This chain had drawn David unto him when he said O Lord thou art my refuge from the tribulation of sinners As also those wherof Esay saith They sought thee out O Lord in their affliction Also those of whom David said Infirmities were multiplied upon them and after that they made haste to come And God saith generally of al good men They wil rise betimes in the morning and come to me in their tribulation Wherfore holy king David desiring to do certain men good and to win them to God saith in one of his psalms Fil their faces O Lord with shame and confusion and then wil they seek unto thy name And this is tru as I said in the elect and chosen servants of God but in the reprobate this rope draweth not this yoke holdeth not neither doth this chain of love win them unto God Wherof God himselfe complaineth saieng In vain have I stricken your children for they have not received my discipline And again the prophet Ieremie saith of them to God Thou hast crushed them and they have refused to receive thy discipline they have hardened their faces even as a rok and wil not return to thee Behold they have rent the yoke and broken the chains 15 Of this now ensueth an eight reason why God bringeth his servants into affliction to wit therby to shew his power and love in delivering them For as in this world a princely mind desireth nothing more than to have occasion
afflicted by God And Christ himselfe yet more expresly Happie are they which suffer persecution If they are happie and blessed therby then are the worldly greatly awry which so much abhor the sufferance therof then is GOD but unthankfully dealt withal by many of his children who repine at this happines bestowed upon them wheras indeed they should accept it with joy and thanksgiving For proofe and better declaration wherof I wil enter now into the third point of this chapter to examin what reasons causes there be to induce us to this joifulnes and contentation of tribulation 21 And first the reasons laid down alreadie of Gods merciful and fatherly meaning in sending us affliction might be sufficient for this matter that is to comfort and content any Christian man or woman who taketh delite in Gods holie providence towards them For if God do send affliction unto us for the increase of our glorie in the life to come for drawing us from infection of the world for opening our eies and curing our diseases and for preserving our souls from sin heerafter as hath been shewed who can be justly displeased therwith but such as are enimies unto their own good We see that for the obtaining of bodilie health we are content not only to admit many bitter and unpleasant medicins but also if need require to yeeld willingly some part of our blood ro be taken from us And how much more should we do this to the end that we hazard not the eternal health and salvation of our soul But now further if this medicin have so many mo commodities besides as have been declared if it serve heer for the punishment of our sin du otherwise at another place in far greater quantitie and rigor of justice if it make a trial of our estate and do draw us to God if it procure Gods love towards us yeeld matter of joy by our deliverance provoke us to thankfulnes embolden and strengthen us and finally if it furnish us with al vertues and do make us like to Christ himselfe then is there singular great cause why we should take comfort and consolation therin for that to come neer and to be like unto Christ is the greatest dignitie and preeminence in the world Lastlie if Gods eternal wisdome hath so ordained and appointed that this shal be the badge and liverie of his Son the high way to heaven under the standard of his crosse then ought we not to refuse this liverie nor to flie this way but rather with good Peter and Iohn to esteem it a great dignitie to be made woorthy of the most blessed participation therof We see that to wear the colors of the prince is thought a prerogative among courtiers in this world but to wear the robe or crown it selfe were to great a dignitie for any inferior subject to receive Yet Christ our Lord and king is content to impart both of his with us And how then ought we I pray you to accept therof 22 And now as I have said these reasons might be sufficient to comfort and make joiful al those that are called to suffer affliction and tribulation But yet there want not some more particular considerations besides Wherof the first and most principal is that this matter of persecution commeth not by chance or casualitie or by any general direction from higher powers but by the special providence and peculiar disposition of God as Christ sheweth at large in Saint Mathews Gospel that is this heavenly medicin or potion is made unto us by Gods own hand in particular Which Christ signifieth when he saith Shal I not drink the cup which my father hath given me That is seeing my father hath tempered a potion for me shal I not drink it As who would say it were too much ingratitude Secondly is to be noted that the very same hand of God which tempered the cup for Christ his own Son hath done the same also for us according to Christ his saieng You shal drink of my cup. That is of the same cup which my father hath tempered for me Heerof it followeth that with what hart and love God tempered this cup unto his own Son with the same he hath tempered it also to us that is altogither for our good and his glorie Thirdlie is to be noted that this cup is tempered with such special care as Christ saith that what trouble or danger soever it seem to work yet shal not one hair of our head perish by the same Nay further is to be noted that which the prophet saith O Lord thou shalt give us to drink in tears in measure That is the cup of tears and tribulation shal be so tempered in measure by our heavenly physition as no man shal have above his strength The dose of aloes and other bitter ingredients shal be qualified with manna and sufficient sweetnes of heavenlie consolation God is faithful saith Saint Paul and wil not suffer you to be tempted above your abilitie This is a singular point of comfort and ought alwais to be in our remembrance 23 Beside this we must consider that the appointing and tempering of this cup being now in the hands of Christ our Savior by the ful commission granted him from his father and he having learned by his own sufferings as the apostle notifieth what it is to suffer in flesh and blood we may be sure that he wil not lay upon us more than we can bear For as if a man had a father or brother a most skilful physition and should receive a purgation from them tempered with their own hands he might be sure it would never hurt him what rumbling soever it made in his bellie for the time so and much more may we be assured of the potion of tribulation ministred us by the hand of Christ though as the apostle saith it seem unto us unpleasant for a time but above al other comfortable cogitations this is the greatest and most comfortable to consider that he divideth this cup only of love as himselfe protesteth and the apostle prooveth that is he giveth out portions of his crosse the richest jewel that he maketh account of as worldly princes do their treasure unto none but unto chosen and picked frinds and among them also not equally to ech man but to everie one a measure according to the measure of good wil wherwith he loveth him This is evident by the examples before set down of his deerest frinds most of al afflicted in this life that is they received greater portions of this treasure for that his good wil was greater towards them This also may be seen manifestly in the example of Saint Paul of whom after Christ had said to Ananias Vas electionis est mihi He is a chosen vessel unto me He giveth immediatly the reason therof For I wil shew unto him what great things he must suffer for my
the discipline of the Lord and be not wearie when thou art chastened of him For whom God loveth he chasteneth he whippeth every son whom he receiveth Persevere therfore in the correction laid upon you God offereth himselfe to you as to his children For what child is there whom the father correcteth not If you be out of correction wherof al his children are made partakers then are you bastards and not children Al correction for the present time when it is suffered seemeth unpleasant and sorrowful but yet after it bringeth foorth most quiet fruit of justice unto them that are exercised by it Wherfore strengthen up your wearie hands and loosed knees make way to your feet c. That is take courage unto you and go forward valiantly under the crosse laid upon you This was the exhortation of this holie captain unto his countrie men soldiers of Iesus Christ the Iewes 47 Saint Iames the brother of our Lord useth another exhortation to al tru Catholiks not much different from this in that his epistle which he writeth generally to al. Be you therfore patient my brethren saith he until the comming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman expecteth for a time the fruit of the earth so pretious unto him bearing patiently until he may receive the same in his season be you therfore patient and comfort your harts for that the comming of the Lord wil shortly draw neere Be not sad and complain not one of another Behold the judge is even at the gate Take the prophets for an example of labor and patience which spake unto us in the name of God Behold we account them blessed which have suffered You have heard of the sufferance of Iob and you have seen the end of the Lord with him you have seen I say that the Lord is merciful and ful of compassion 48 I might heer alledge many things more out of the scripture to this purpose for that the scripture is most copious heerin and in verie deed if it should al be melted and powred out it would yeeld us nothing else almost but touching the crosse and patient bearing of tribulation in this life But I must end for that this chapter riseth to be long as the other before did and therfore I wil only for my conclusion set down the confession and most excellent exhortation of old Mathathias unto his children in the time of the cruel persecution of Antiochus against the Iews Now saith he is the time that pride is in hir strength now is the time of chastisement towards us of eversion and indignation come Now therfore O children be you zealous in the law of God yeeld up your lives for the testament of your fathers remember the works of your ancestors what they have done in their generations and so shal you receive great glorie and eternal name Was not Abraham found faithful in time of temptation and it was reputed unto him for justice Ioseph in time of his distresse kept Gods commandements and was made Lord over al Egypt Phinees our father for his zeal towards the law of God received the testament of an everlasting preesthood Iosue for that he fulfilled Gods word was made a captain over al Israel Caleb for that he testified in the church received an inheritance David for his mercie obtained the seat of an eternal kingdom Elias for that he was zealous in zeal of the law was taken up to heaven Ananias Azarias and Misael through their beleef were delivered from the flame of the fire Daniel for his simplicitie was delivered from the mouth of lions And so do you run over by cogitation al generations and you shal see that al those that hope in God shal not be vanquished And do you not fear the words of a sinful man for his glorie is nothing els but dung and worms to day he is great and exalted and to morrow he shal not be found for he shal return unto his earth again and al his fond cogitations shal perish Wherfore take courage unto you my children and play the men in the law of God For therin shal be your honor and glorie Hitherto are the words of Mathathias which shal suffice for the end of this chapter CHAP. III. Of the third impediment that letteth men from resolution which is the love of the world AS the two impediments remooved before be indeed great staies to many men from the resolution we talk of so this that now I take in hand is not only of it selfe a strong impediment but also a great cause and common ground as it were to al the other impediments that be For if a man could touch the very pulse of al those who refuse or neglect or defer this resolution he should find the foundation therof to be the love of this world whatsoever other excuse they pretend besides The noble men of Iewrie pretended fear to be the cause why they could not resolve to confesse Christ openly but Saint Iohn that felt their pulse uttereth the tru cause to have been For that they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God Demas that forsook Saint Paul in his bands even a little before his death pretended another cause of his departure to Thessalonica but Saint Paul saith it was Quia diligebat hoc seculum For that he loved this world So that this is a general and universal impediment and more indeed dispersed than outwardly appeereth for that it bringeth foorth divers other excuses therby to cover hir selfe in many men 2 This may be confirmed by that most excellent parable of Christ recorded by three Evangelists of the three sorts of men which are to be damned the three causes of their damnation wherof the third and last and most general including as it were both the rest is the love of this world For the first sort of men are compared to a high way where al seed of life that is sown either withereth presently or else is eaten up by the birds of the aire that is as Christ expoundeth it by the devil in carelesse men that contemn whatsoever is said unto them as infidels and al other obstinate and contemptuous people The second sort are compared to rocky grounds in which for lak of deep roote the seed continueth not wherby are signified light and unconstant men that now chop in and now run out now are fervent and by and by key-cold again and so in time of temptation they are gon The third sort are compared to a field where the seed groweth up but yet there are so many thorns on the same which Christ expoundeth to be the cares troubles miseries deceveable vanities of this life as the good corn is choked up and bringeth foorth no fruit By which last words our savior signifieth that whersoever the doctrine of Christ groweth up yet bringeth not foorth du fruit that is whersoever it is
received and imbraced as it is among al Christians and yet bringeth not foorth good life there the cause is for that it is choked with the vanities of this world 3 This is a parable of marvelous great importance as may appeer both for that Christ after the recital therof cried out with a lowd voice He that hath ears to hear let him hear as also for that he expounded it himselfe in secret only to his disciples and principally for that before the exposition therof he useth such a solemn preface saieng To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven but to others not for that they seeing do not see and hearing do not hear nor understand Wherby Christ signifieth that the understanding of this parable among others is of singular importance for conceiving the tru mysteries of the kingdome of heaven that many are blind which seem to see and many deaf and ignorant that seem to hear and know for that they understand not wel the mysteries of this parable For which cause also Christ maketh this conclusion before he beginneth to expound the parable Happy are your eies that see and blessed are your ears that hear After which words he beginneth his exposition with this admonition Vos ergo audite parabolam Do you therfore hear and understand this parable 4 And for that this parable doth contain and touch so much indeed as may or needeth be said for remooving of this great and dangerous impediment of worldly love I mean to stay my selfe only upon the explication therof in this place and wil declare the force truth of certain words heer uttered by Christ of the world and worldly pleasures and for some order and methods sake I wil draw al to these six points following First how and in what sense al the world and commodities therof are vanities of no valu as Christ heer signifieth and consequently ought not to be an impediment to let us from so great a matter as the kingdome of heaven and the serving of God is Secondly how they are not only vanities and trifles in themselves but also deceptions as Christ saith that is deceits not performing to us indeed those little trifles which they do promise Thirdly how they are Spinae that is pricking thorns as Christ saith though they seem to worldly men to be most sweet and pleasant Fourthly how they are aerumnae that is miseries and afflictions as also Christs words are Fiftly Quomodo suffocant how they strangle or choke us as Christ affirmeth Sixtly how we may use them notwithstanding without these dangers and evils and to our great comfort gain and preferment 5 And touching the first I do not see how it may be better prooved that al the pleasures and goodly shewes of this world are vanities as Christ heer saith than to alledge the testimonie of one which hath prooved them al that is of one which speaketh not of speculation but of his own proofe and practise and this is king Salomon of whom the scripture reporteth woonderful matters touching his peace prosperitie riches and glorie in this world as that al the kings of the earth desired to see his face for his wisdome and renowmed felicitie that al the princes living besides were not like him in wealth that he had six hundred sixtie and six talents of gold which is an infinite sum brought him in yeerly besides al other that he had from the kings of Arabia and other princes that silver was as plentiful with him as heaps of stones and not esteemed for the great store and abundance he had therof that his plate and jewels had no end that his seat of majestie with stooles lions to bear it up and other furniture was of gold passing al other kingly seats in the world that his pretious apparel and armor was infinite that he had al the kings from the river of the Philistians unto Egypt to serve him that he had fortie thousand horses in his stables to ride and twelve thousand chariots with horses and other furniture readie to them for his use that he had two hundred spears of gold born before him and six hundred crowns of gold bestowed in everie spear as also three hundred buklers three hundred crowns of gold bestowed in the gilding of everie bukler that he spent everie day in his house a thousand nine hundred thirtie and seven quarters of meal flower thirtie oxen with an hundred wethers beside al other flesh that he had seaven hundred wives as queenes and three hundred others as concubines Al this and much more doth scripture report of Salomons worldly wealth wisdome riches and prosperitie which he having tasted and used to his fil pronounced yet at the last this sentence of it al Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas Vanitie of vanities and al is vanitie By vanitie of vanities meaning as Saint Ierom interpreteth the greatnes of this vanitie above al other vanities that may be devised 6 Neither only doth Salomon affirm this thing but doth prove it also by examples of himself I have been king of Israel in Ierusalem saith he and I purposed with my selfe to seek out by wisdome al things I have seen that al under the sun are meer vanities affliction of spirit I said in my hart I wil go and abound in delites and in every pleasure that may be had And I saw that this was also vanitie I tooke great works in hand builded houses to my selfe planted vineyards made orchards and gardens and beset them with al kind of trees I made me fish ponds to water my trees I possessed servants and hand-maids and had a great familie great herds of cattel above any that ever were before me in Ierusalem I gathered togither gold and silver the riches of kings and provinces I appointed to my selfe singers both men and women which are the delites of the children of men fine cups also to drink wine withal and whatsoever my eies did desire I denied it not unto them neither did I let my hart from using any pleasure to delite it selfe in these things which I prepared And when I turned my selfe to al that my hands had made and to al the labors wherin I had taken such pains and sweat I saw in them al vanitie and affliction of the mind 7 This is the testimonie of Salomon upon his own proof in these matters and if he had spoken it upon his wisdome only being such as it was we ought to beleeve him but much more seeing he affirmeth it of his own experience But yet if any man be not mooved with this let us bring yet another witnes out of the new testament and such a one as was privie to the opinion of Christ heerin that is Saint Iohn the evangelist whose words are these Do not love the world nor those things that are in the world if any man love the
world the love of God the father is not in him For that al which is in the world is either concupiscence of the flesh or concupiscence of the eies or pride of life In which words S. Iohn beside his threat against such as love and follow the world reduceth al the vanities therof unto three general points or branches that is to concupiscence of the flesh wherin he comprehendeth al carnal pleasures to concupiscence of the eies wherin he containeth al matters of riches and to pride of life wherby he signifieth the humor disease of worldly ambition These then are the three general principal vanities of this life wherin worldly men do wearie out themselves ambition covetousnes and carnal pleasure wherunto al other vanities are addressed as to their superiors And therfore it shal not be amisse to consider of these three in this place 8 And first to ambition or pride of life belongeth vainglorie that is a certain disordinate desire to be wel thought of wel spoken of praised and glorified of men and this is as great a vanitie though it be common to many as if a man should run up and down the streets after a feather flieng in the air tossed hither and thither with the blasts of infinite mens mouths For as this man might wearie out himselfe before he gat the thing which he followed and yet when he had it he had gotten but a feather so a vain glorious man may labor a good while before he attain to the praise which he desireth and when he hath it it is not woorth three chips being but the breath of a few mens mouthes that altereth upon every light occasion and now maketh him great now little now nothing at al. Christ himselfe may be an example of this who was tossed to and fro in the speech of men some said he was a Samaritan and had the divel other said he was a prophet other said he could not be a prophet or of God for that he kept not the sabboth day others asked if he were not of God how he could do so many miracles So that there was a schism or division among them about this matter as Saint Iohn affirmeth Finally they received him into Ierusalem with triumph of Hosanna casting their apparel under his feet But the friday next ensuing they cried Crucifige against him and preferred the life of Barrabas a wicked murderer before him 9 Now my frind if they delt thus with Christ which was a better man than ever thou wilt be and did more glorious miracles than ever thou wilt do to purchase thee name and honor with the people why dost thou so labor and beat thy selfe about this vanitie of vain glorie Why dost thou cast thy travels into the wind of mens mouthes Why dost thou put thy riches in the lips of mutable men where every flatterer may rob thee of them Hast thou no better a chest to lok them up in Saint Paul was of another mind when he said I esteem little to be iudged of you or of the day of man and he had reason surely For what careth he that runneth at tilt if the ignorant people give sentence against him so the judges give it with him If the blind man in the way to Iericho had depended of the liking and approbation of the goers by he had never received the benefit of his sight for that they dissuaded him from running and crieng so vehemently after Christ. It is a miserable thing for a man to be a windmil which maketh no meal but according as the blast endureth If the gale be strong he surgeth about lustily but if the wind slake he relenteth presently So praise the vainglorious man and ye make him run if he feel not the gale blow he is out of hart he is like the Babylonians who with a little sweet musik were made to adore any thing whatsoever 10 The scripture saith most truly As silver is tried in the fire by blowing to it so is a man tried in the mouth of him that praiseth For as silver if it be good taketh no hurt therby but if it be evil it goeth al into fume so a vain man by praise and commendation How many have we seen puffed up with mens praises and almost put beside themselves for joy therof and yet afterward brought down with a contrarie wind and driven ful neer to desperation by contempt How many do we see daily as the prophet did in his dais commended in their sins and blessed in their wickednes How many palpable and intollerable flatteries do we hear both used and accepted daily and no man crieth with good king David Away with this oile and ointment of sinners let it not come upon my head Is not al this vanitie Is it not madnesse as the scripture calleth it The glorious angels in heaven seek no honor unto themselves but al unto God and thou poore worm of the earth desirest to be glorified The four and twentie elders in the Apocalips took off their crowns and cast them at the feet of the lamb and thou wouldest pluk fortie from the lamb to thy self if thou couldest O fond creature How truly saith the prophet Homo vanitati similis factus est A man is made like unto vanitie That is like unto his own vanitie as light as the verie vanities themselves which he followeth And yet the wise man more expresly In vanitate sua appenditur peccator The sinner is weighed in his vanitie That is by the vanitie which he followeth is seen how light and vain a sinner is 11 The second vanitie that belongeth to ambition is desire of worldly honor dignitie and promotion And this is a great matter in the sight of a worldly man this is a jewel of rare price and woorthy to be bought even with any labor travel or peril whatsoever The love of this letted the great men that were Christians in Iewrie from confessing of Christ openly The love of this letted Pilat from delivering Iesus according as in conscience he saw he was bound The love of this letted Agrippa Festus from making themselves Christians albeit they esteemed Pauls doctrine to be tru The love of this letteth infinite men daily from imbracing the means of their salvation But alas these men do not see the vanitie heerof Saint Paul saith not without just cause Nolite esse pueri sensibus Be you not children in understanding It is the fashion of children to esteem more of a painted bable than of a rich jewel And such is the painted dignitie of this world gotten with much labor maintained with great expenses and lost with intollerable greefe and sorrow For better conceiving wherof ponder a little with thy selfe gentle reader any state of dignitie that thou wouldest desire and think how many have had that before thee Remember how they mounted up how they descended
the wise men of this world were the fittest to be chosen to do Christ service in his church Yet Saint Paul saith Non multi sapientes secundum carnem God hath not chosen many wise men according to the flesh Who would not think but that a worldly wise man might easily also make a wise Christian Yet Saint Paul saith no except first he become a fool Stultus fiat vt sit sapiens If any man seem wise among you let him become a fool to the end he may be made wise Vain then and of no account is the wisdom of this world except it be subject to the wisdom of God 18 The first vanitie belonging to pride of life is corporal beautie wherof the wise man saith Vain is beautie and deceivable is the grace of countenance Wherof also king David understood properly when he said Turn away my eies O Lord that they behold not vanitie This is a singular great vanitie dangerous and deceitful but yet greatly esteemed of the children of men whose propertie is To love vanitie as the prophet saith Beautie is compared by holie men to a painted snake which is fair without and ful of deadly poison within If a man did consider what infinite ruins and destructions have come by our light giving credite therunto he would beware of it And if he remembred what foul drosse lieth under a fair skin he would little be in love therwith saith one father God hath imparted certain sparks of beautie unto his creatures therby to draw us to the consideration and love of his own beautie wherof the other is but a shadow even as a man finding a little issu of water may seek out the fountain therby or happening upon a smal vain of gold may therby come to the whole mine it selfe But we like babes delite ourselves only with the fair cover of the book and never do consider what is written therin In al fair creatures that man doth behold he ought to read this saith one father that If GOD could make a peece of earth so fair and lovely with imparting unto it some little spark of his beautie how infinite fair is he himselfe and how woorthy of al love and admiration And how happie shal we be when we shal come to enjoy his beautiful presence wherof now al creatures do take their beautie 19 If we would exercise our selves in these maner of cogitations we might easily keep our harts pure and unspotted before God in beholding the beautie of his creatures But for that we use not this passage from the creature to the creator but rest only in the eternal appeerance of a deceitful face letting go the bridle to foul cogitations and setting wilfully on fire our own cōcupiscences hence it is that infinite men do perish daily by occasion of this fond vanitie I cal it fond for that every child may descrie the deceit and vanitie therof For take the fairest face in the world wherwith infinite foolish men fal in love upon the sight and rase it over but with a little scrach and al the matter of love is gone let there come but an agu and al this goodly beautie is destroied let the soul depart but one halfe hour from the bodie and this loving face is uglie to look on let it lie but two dais in the grave and those which were so hot in love with it before wil scarse abide to behold it or come neer it And if none of those things happen unto it yet quikly commeth on old age which riveleth the skin draweth in the eies setteth out the teeth and so disfigureth the whole visage as it becommeth more contemptible now than it was beautiful and alluring before And what then can be more vanitie than this What more madnes than either to take pride of it if I see it my selfe or to indanger my soul for it if I see it in others 20 The sixt vanitie belonging to pride of life is the glorie of fine apparel against which the wise man saith In vestitu ne glorieris vnquam See thou never take glorie in apparel Of al vanities this is the greatest which we see so common among men of this world If Adam had never fallen we had never used apparel for that apparel was devised to cover our shame of nakednes and other infirmities contracted by that fal Wherfore we that take pride and glorie in apparel do as much as if a begger should glorie and take pride of the old clouts that do cover his sores Saint Paul said unto a bishop If we have wherwithal to cover our selves let us be content And Christ touched deeply the danger of nice apparel when he commended so much S. Iohn Baptist for his austere attire adding for the contradictorie Qui mollibus vestiuntur in domibus regum sunt They which are apparelled in soft and delicate apparel are in kings courts In kings courts of this world but not in the kings court of heaven For which cause in the description of the rich man damned this is not omitted by Christ That he was apparelled in purple and silk 21 It is a woonderful thing to consider the different proceeding of God and the world heerin God was the first that ever made apparel in the world and he made it for the most noble of al our ancestors in paradise and yet he made it but of beasts skins And Saint Paul testifieth of the noblest saints of the old testament that they were covered only with goats skins and with hairs of camels What vanitie is it then for us to be so curious in apparel and to take such pride therin as we do We rob and spoil al creatures almost in the world to cover our baks and to adorn our bodies withal From one we take his wool from another his skin from another his fur and from som other their very excrements as the silk which is nothing els but the excrements of woorms Nor content with this we come to fishes and do beg of them certain pearls to hang about us We go down into the ground for gold and silver and turn up the sands of the sea for pretious stones and having borrowed al this of other creatures we jet up and down provoking men to look upon us as if al this now were our own When the stone shineth upon our finger we wil seem forsooth therby to shine When the silver and silks do glister on our baks we look big as if al that beauty came from us And so as the prophet saith we passe over our dais in vanitie and do not perceive our own extreme folly 22 The second general branch which Saint Iohn appointeth unto the vanitie of this life is concupiscence of the eies wherunto the ancient fathers have referred al vanities of riches and wealth of this world Of this Saint Paul writeth to Timothie Give commandement to the
vanitatis Wo be unto you which do draw wickednes in the ropes of vanitie These ropes are those vanities of vain glorie promotion dignitie nobilitie beautie riches delites and other before touched which alwaies draw with them some iniquitie and sin For which cause David saith unto God Thou hatest O Lord observers of superfluous vanities And lastly for this cause the holie Ghost pronounceth generally of al men Beatus vir qui non respexit in vanitates insanias falsas Blessed is that man which hath not respected vanities and the false madnesse of this world 34 Now come I then to the second part proposed in this chapter to shew how this world with the cōmodities therof are not only vanities but also deceits as Christ termeth them for that indeed they perform not unto their followers those idle vanities which they do promise Wherin the world may be compared to that wretched and ungrateful deceiver Laban who made poor Iacob to serve him seaven yeers for fair Rachel and in the end deceived him with foul Lia. What false promises doth the world make daily To one it promiseth long life and health and cutteth him off in the midst of his daies To another it promiseth great wealth and promotion and after long service performeth no part therof To another it promiseth great honor by large expences but under-hand it casteth him into contempt by beggerie To another it assureth great advancement by marriage but yet never giveth him abilitie to come to his desire Go you over the whole world behold countries view provinces look into cities harken at the doores windows of private houses of princes pallaces of secret chambers and you shal see and hear nothing but lamentable complaints one for that he hath lost another for that he hath not woon a third for that he is not satisfied ten thousand for that they are deceived 35 Can there be a greater deceit for examples sake than to promise renowm and memorie as the world doth to hir followers and yet to forget them assoon as they are dead Who doth remember now one of fortie thousand jollie fellows in this world captains soldiers counsellers dukes earls princes prelats and emperors kings and queenes lords and ladies Who remembreth them I say Who once thinketh or speaketh of them now Hath not their memorie perished with their sound as the prophet saith Did not Iob promise truly that Their remembrance should be as ashes troden under foot And David that They should be as dust blown with the wind Divers men there have been ere this that have been very mean in common account and yet bicause they have labored to be unknow to the world therfore the rather the world both remembreth honoreth now the memorie of them But many a king and emperor have strived and labored al their life to be known in the world and yet are now forgotten So that the world is like in this point as one saith unto a covetous and forgetful host who if he see his old ghest come by in beggerly estate al his money being spent he maketh semblance not to know him And if the ghest marvel therat and say that he hath come often that way and spent much money in the house the other answereth it may be so for there passe this way so many as we use not to keep account therof But what is the way to make this host to remember you saith this Author The way is to use him ill as you passe by beat him wel or do some other notable injurie unto him and he wil remember you as long as he liveth and many times wil talk of you when you are far off from him 36 Infinite are the deceits and dissimulations of the world It seemeth goodly fair and gorgeous in outward shew but when it commeth to handling it is nothing but a fether when it commeth to sight it is nothing but a shadow when it commeth to waight it is nothing but smoke when it commeth to opening it is nothing but an image of plaister work ful of old rags and patches within To know the miseries of the world you must go a little out from it For as they which walk in a mist do no see it so wel as they which stand upon an hil from it so fareth it in discerning the world whose propertie is to blind them that come to it to the end they may not see their own estate even as a raven first of al striketh out the poore sheeps eie and so bringeth to passe that she may not see the way to escape from his tyrannie 37 After the world hath once bereft the worldling of his spiritual sight that he can judge no longer between good and evil vanitie and veritie then it rocketh him asleep at ease and pleasure it bindeth him sweetly it deceiveth him pleasantly it tormenteth him in great peace and rest it hath a prowd spirit straightwais to place him in the pinacle of greedy ambition and therhence to shew him al the dignities and preferments of the world it hath twentie false merchants to shew him in the dark the first and former ends of fair and pretious cloths But he may not look into the whole peeces nor carrie them to the light It hath four hundred false prophets to flatter him as Achab had which must keep him from the hearing of Micheas his counsel that is from the remorse of his own conscience which telleth him truth it hath a thousand cunning fishers to lay before him pleasant baits but al furnished with dangerous hooks within it hath infinite strumpets of Babylon to offer him drink in golden cups but al mingled with most deadly poison it hath in every door an alluring Iahel to intise him into the milk of pleasures and delites but al have their hammers and nails in their hands to murder him in the brain when he falleth asleep It hath in everie corner a flattering Ioab to imbrace with one arm and kil with the other A false Iudas to give a kisse and therwith to betray Finally it hath al the deceits al the dissimulations al the flatteries al the treasons that possibly may be devised It hateth them that love it deceiveth them that trust it afflicteth them that serve it reprocheth them that honor it damneth them that follow it and most of al forgetteth them that labor and travel most of al for it And to be breefe in this matter do you what you can for this world and love it and adore it as much as you wil yet in the end you shal find it a right Nabal who after many benefits received from David yet when David came to have need of him he answered Who is David Or who is the son of Isai that I should know him Vpon great cause then said the prophet David O you children of men how long wil you be so
by to watch the same The prophet David to signifie the very same thing that is the infinite multitude of snares in this world saith God shal raign snares upon sinners That is God shal permit wicked men to fal into snares which are as plentiful in the world as are the drops of rain which fal down from heaven Every thing almost is a deadly snare unto a carnal and loose harted man Every sight that he seeth every word that he heareth every thought that he conceiveth his youth his age his frinds his enimies his honor his disgrace his riches his povertie his companie keeping his prosperitie his adversitie his meat that he eateth his apparel that he weareth al are snares to draw him to destruction that is not watchful 49 Of this then and of the blindnes declared before doth follow the last and greatest miserie of al which can be in this life and that is the facilitie wherby worldly men do run into sin For truly saith the scripture Miseros facit populos peccatum Sin is the thing that maketh people miserable And yet how easily men of the world do commit sin and how little scruple they make of the matter Iob signifieth when talking of such a man he saith Bibit quasi aquam iniquitatem He suppeth up sin as it were water That is with as great facilitie custome and ease passeth he down any kind of sin that is offered him as a mā drinketh water when he is a thirst He that wil not beleeve the saieng of Iob let him prove a little by his own experience whether the matter be so or no let him walk out in to the streets behold the doings of men view their behavior consider what is done in shops in hals in consistories in judgement seats in pallaces and in common meeting places abroad what lieng what slandering what deceiving there is He shal find that of al things wherof men take any account nothing is so little accounted of as to sin He shal see justice sold veritie wrested shame lost and equitie despised He shal see the innocent condemned the giltie delivered the wicked advanced the vertuous opressed He shal see many theves florish many usurers bear great sway many murderers extortioners reverenced honored many fools put in authoritie and divers which have nothing in them but the form of men by reason of money to be placed in great dignities for the government of others He shal hear at every mans mouth almost vanitie pride detraction envie deceit dissimulation wantonnes dissolution lieng swearing perjurie and blaspheming Finally he shal see the most part of men to govern themselves absolutely even as beasts do by the motion of their passions not by law of justice reason religion or vertu 50 Of this doth insu the fift point that Christ toucheth in his parable and which I promised heer to handle to wit that the love of this world choketh up and strangleth every man whom it possesseth from al celestial and spiritual life for that it filleth him with a plain contrarie spirit to the spirit of God The apostle saith Si quis spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius If any man hath not the spirit of Christ this fellow belongeth not unto him Now how contrarie the spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world is may appeer by the fruits of Christs spirit rekoned up by Saint Paul unto the Galathians to wit Charitie which is the root and mother of al good works Ioy in serving God Peace or tranquillitie of mind in the storms of this world Patience in adversitie Longanimitie in expecting our reward Bonitie in hurting no man Benignitie in sweet behavior Gentlenes in occasion given of anger Faithfulnes in performing our promises Modestie without arrogancie Continencie from al kind of wickednes Chastitie in conserving a pure mind in a clean and unspotted bodie Against these men saith Saint Paul there is no law And in the very same chapter he expresseth the spirit of the world by the contrarie effects saieng The works of flesh are manifest which are fornication uncleannes wantonnes lecherie idolatrie poisonings enmities contentions emulations wrath strife dissention sects envie murder droonkennes gluttonie and the like of which I foretel you as I have told you before that those men which do such things shal never obtain the kingdome of heaven 51 Heer now may every man judge of the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ and applieng it to himselfe may conjecture whether he holdeth of the one or of the other Saint Paul giveth two pretie short rules in the very same place to trie the same The first is They which are of Christ have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof That is they have so mortified their own bodies as they strive against al the vices sins repeated before and yeeld not to serve the concupiscences or temptations therof The second rule is If we live in spirit then let us walk in spirit That is our walking and behavior is a sign whether we be alive or dead For if our walking be spiritual such as I have declared before by those fruits therof then do we live have life in spirit but if our works be carnal such as S. Paul now hath described then are we carnal and dead in spirit neither have we any thing to do with Christ or portion in the kingdome of heaven And for that al the world is ful of those carnal works and bringeth foorth no fruits indeed of Christs spirit nor permitteth them to grow up or prosper within hir thence is it that the scripture alwais putteth Christ and the world for opposite and open enimies 52 Christ himselfe saith that The world cannot receive the spirit of truth And again in the same Evangelist he saith that Neither he nor any of his are of the world though they live in the world And yet further in his most vehement praier unto his father Pater iuste mundus te non cognovit Iust father the world hath not known thee For which cause S. Iohn writeth If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him And yet further Saint Iames that Whosoever but desireth to be frind of this world is therby made an enimie to God What wil worldly men say to this Saint Paul affirmeth plainly that this world is to be damned And Christ insinuateth the same in Saint Iohns Gospel but most of al in that wonderful fact of his when praieng to his father for other matters he excepteth the world by name Non pro mundo rogo saith he I do not aske mercie and pardon for the world but for those which thou hast given me out of the world Oh what a dreadful exception is this made by the savior of the world by the lamb that taketh away al sins
by him that asked pardon even for his tormentors and crucifiers to except now the world by name from his mercie Oh that worldly men would consider but this one point only they would not I think live so void of fear as they do 53 Can any man marvel now why Saint Paul crieth so carefully to us Nolite conformari huic saeculo Conform not your selves to this world And again That we should renounce utterly al worldly desires Can any marvel why Saint Iohn which was most privie above al others to Christs holie meaning heerin saith to us in such earnest sort Nolite diligere mundum neque ea quae in mundo sunt Do not love the world nor any thing that is in the world If we may neither love it nor so much as conform our selves unto it under so great pains as are before rehearsed of the enmitie of God and eternal damnation what shal become of those men that do not only conform themselves unto it and the vanities therof but also do follow it seek after it rest in it and do bestow al their labors and travels upon it 54 If you ask me the cause why Christ so hateth and abhorreth this world Saint Iohn telleth you Quia mundus totus in maligno positus est For that al the whole world is set on naughtines for that it hath a spirit contrarie to the spirit of Christ as hath been shewed for that it teacheth pride vain glorie ambition envie revenge malice with pleasures of the flesh and al kind of vanities and Christ on the contrarie side humilitie meeknes pardoning of enimies abstinence chastitie sufferance mortification bearing the crosse with contempt of al earthly pleasures for that it persecuteth the good and advanceth the evil for that it rooteth out vertu and planteth al vice and finally for that it shutteth the doores against Christ when he knocketh and strangleth the hart that once it possesseth 55 Wherfore to conclude this part seeing this world is such a thing as it is so vain so deceitful so troublesom so dangerous seeing it is a professed enimie to Christ excommunicated and damned to the pit of hel seeing it is as one father saith an ark of travel a schoole of vanities a feat of deceit a labirinth of error seeing it is nothing els but a barren wildernes a stonie feeld a dirtie stie a tempestuous sea seeing it is a grove ful of thorns a medow ful of scorpions a florishing garden without fruit a cave ful of poisoned and deadly basilisks seeing it is finally as I have shewed a fountain of miseries a river of tears a feined fable a delectable frensie seeing as Saint Austen saith the joy of this world hath nothing els but false delite tru asperitie certain sorrow uncertain pleasure travelsom labour fearful rest greevous miserie vain hope of felicitie seeing it hath nothing in it as saint Chrysostom saith but tears shame repentance reproch sadnes negligences labors terrors siknes sin and death it selfe seeing the worlds repose is ful of anguish his securitie without foundation his fear without cause his travels without fruit his sorrow without profit his desires without successe his hope without reward his mirth without continuance his miseries without remedies seeing these and a thousand evils more are in it and no one good thing can be had from it who wil be deceived with this visard or allured with this vanitie heerafter Who wil be staied from the noble service of God by the love of so fond a trifle as is the world And this to a reasonable man may be sufficient to declare the insufficiencie of this third impediment 56 But yet for the satisfieng of my promise in the beginning of this chapter I have to ad a word or two in this place how we may avoid the danger of this world and also use it unto our gain and commoditie And for the first to avoid the dangers seeing there are so manie snares and traps as hath been declared there is no other way but only to use the refuge of birds in avoiding the dangerous snares of fowlers that is to mount up into the air and so to fly over them al. Frustra iacitur rete ante oculos pennatorum saith the wise man that is The net is laid in vain before the eies of such as have wings and can flie The spies of Hiericho though manie snares were laid for them by their enimies yet they escaped al for that they walked by hils saith the scripture wherunto Origin alluding saith that There is no way to avoid the dangers of this world but to walk upon hils and to imitate David that said Levavi oculos meos ad montes unde veniet auxiliū mihi I lifted up mine eies unto the hils whence al mine aid and assistance came for avoiding the snares of this world And then shal we say with the same David Anima nostra sicut passer erepta est de laqueo venantium Our soul is delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the fowlers We must say with Saint Paul Our conversation is in heaven And then shal we little fear al these deceits and dangers upon earth For as the fowler hath no hope to catch the bird except he can allure hir to pitch and come down by some means so hath the divel no way to intangle us but to say as he did to Christ Mitte te deorsum Throw thy selfe down that is pitch down upon the baits which I have laid eat and devour them enamor thy selfe with them tie thine appetite unto them and the like 57 Which grosse and open temptation he that wil avoid by contemning the allurement of these baits by flieng over them by placing his love and cogitations in the mountains of heavenly joies and eternitie he shal easily escape al dangers and perils King David was past them al when he said to God What is there for me in heaven or what do I desire besides thee upon earth My flesh and my hart have fainted for desire of thee Thou art the God of my hart and my portion O Lord for ever 58 Saint Paul also was past over these dangers when he said that Now he was crucified to the world the world unto him and that He esteemed al the wealth of this world as meer doong and that albeit he lived in flesh yet lived he not according to the flesh Which glorious example if we would follow in contemning and despising the vanities of this world and fixing our minds in the noble riches of Gods kingdome to come the snares of the divel would prevail nothing at al against us in this life 59 Touching the second point how to use the riches and commodities of this world to our advantage Christ hath laid down plainly the means Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis Make unto you frinds of the riches of iniquitie
asked it thrise upon his knees with the sweat of blood what reason hast thou to think that he wil let passe so many sins of thine unpunished What cause hast thou to induce thy imagination that he wil deal extraordinarily with thee and break the course of his justice for thy sake Art thou better than those whom I have named Hast thou any privilege from God above them 15 If thou wouldest consider the great and strange effects of Gods justice which we see daily executed in the world thou shouldest have little cause to persuade thy selfe so favorably or rather to flatter thy selfe so dangerously as thou doest We see that notwithstanding Gods mercie yea notwithstanding the death and passion of Christ our savior for saving of the whole world yet so many infinite millions to be damned daily by the justice of God so many infidels heathens Iews and Turks that remain in the darknes of their own ignorance among Christians so many that hold not their profession truly or otherwise are il livers therin as that Christ truly said that few were they that should be saved albeit his death was paid for al if they made not themselves unwoorthy therof And before the comming of our savior much more we see that al the world went a-wry to damnation for many thousand yeers togither excepting a few Iews which were the people of God And yet among them also the greater part it seemeth were not saved as may be conjectured by the speeches of the prophets from time to time and specially by the saiengs of Christ to the Pharisies and other rulers therof Now then if God for the satisfieng of his justice could let so many millions perish through their own sins as he doth also now daily permit without any prejudice or impechment to his mercie why may not he also damn thee for thy sins notwithstanding his mercie seeing thou dost not only commit them without fear but also dost confidently persist in the same 16 But heer som man may say If this be so that God is so severe in punishment of everie sin and that he damneth so manie thousands for one that he saveth how is it tru that The mercies of God are above al his other works as the scripture saith and that it passeth and exalteth it selfe above his iudgements For if the number of the damned do exceed so much the number of those which are saved it seemeth that the work of justice doth passe the work of mercie To which I answer that touching the smal number of those that are saved and infinite quantitie of such as are damned we may in no wise dowt for that beside al other prophets Christ our Savior hath made the matter certain and out of question We have to see therfore how notwithstanding al this the mercie of God doth exceed his other works 17 And first his mercie may be said to exceed for that al our salvation is of his mercie and our damnation from our selves as from the first and principal causes therof according to the saieng of God by the prophet Perditio tua Israel tantum modo in me auxilium tuum Thy only perdition is from thy selfe O Israel and thy assistance to do good is only from me So that as we must acknowlege Gods grace mercy for the author of every good thought and act that we do and consequently ascribe al our salvation unto him so none of our evil acts for which we are damned do proceed from him but only from our selves and so he is no cause at al of our damnation and in this doth his mercie exceed his justice 18 Secondly his mercie doth exceed in that he desireth al men to be saved as Saint Paul teacheth and himselfe protesteth when he saith I wil not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednes and live And again by the prophet Ieremie he complaineth greevously that men wil not accept of his mercie offered Turn from your wicked wais saith he why wil ye die you house of Israel By which appeereth that he offereth his mercie most willingly freely to al but useth his justice only upon necessitie as it were constrained therunto by our obstinate behavior This Christ signifieth more plainly when he saith to Ierusalem O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the prophets and stonest them to death that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children togither as the hen clocketh hir chickins underneath hir wings but thou wouldest not Behold thy house for this cause shal be made desart and left without children Heer you see the mercie of God often offered unto the Iews but for that they refused it he was inforced in a certain maner to pronounce this heavy sentence of destruction and desolation upon them which he fulfilled within fortie or fiftie yeers after by the hands of Vespasian emperor of Rome and Titus his son who utterly discomfited the citie of Ierusalem and whole nation of Iews whom we see dispersed over the world at this day in bondage both of bodie and soul. Which work of Gods justice though it be most terrible yet was his mercie greater to them as appeereth by Christ words if they had not rejected the Son 19 Thirdly his mercie exceedeth his justice even towards the damned themselves in that he used many means to save them in this life by calling upon them and assisting them with his grace to do good by mooving them inwardly with infinite good inspirations by alluring them outwardly with exhortations promisses examples of other as also by siknes adversities and other gentle corrections by giving them space to repent with occasions opportunities and excitations unto the same by threatening them eternal death if they repent not Al which things being effects of mercie and goodnes towards them they must needs confesse amidst their greatest furie and torments that his judgements are tru and justified in themselves and no wais to be compared with the greatnes of his mercies 20 By this then we see that to be tru which the prophet saith Misericordiam veritatem diligit Dominus God loveth mercie and truth And again Mercie and truth have met togither iustice and peace have kissed themselves We see the reason why the same prophet protesteth of himselfe I wil sing unto thee mercie and iudgement O Lord not mercie alone nor judgement alone but mercie and judgement togither that is I wil not so presume of thy mercie as I wil not fear thy judgement nor wil I so fear thy judgement as I wil ever dispair of thy mercie The fear of Gods judgement is alwais to be joined with our confidence in Gods mercie yea in verie saints themselves as David saith But what fear That fear truly which the scripture describeth when it saith The fear of the Lord expelleth sin the fear of God hateth al evil he that
habentes bonam That is Do you sanctifie the Lord Iesus Christ in your harts having a good conscience with modestie and fear So that the spirit of servile fear which is grounded only upon respect of punishment is forbidden us but the loving fear of children is commanded And yet also about this are there two things to be noted 27 The first that albeit the spirit of servile fear be forbidden us especially when we are now entred into the service of God yet is it most profitable for sinners and such as yet but begin to serve God for that it mooveth them to repentance and to looke about them for which cause it is called by the wise man The beginning of wisdome And therfore both Ionas to the Ninivites and S. Iohn Baptist to the Iews and al the prophets to sinners have used to stir up this fear by threatening the dangers punishments which were imminent to them if they repented not But yet afterward when men are converted to God and do go forward in his service they change every day this servile fear into love until they arrive at last unto that state wherof Saint Iohn saith That perfect love or charitie expelleth fear Wherupon S. Austen saith that Fear is the servant sent before to prepare place in our harts for his mistresse which is charitie who being once entered in and perfectly placed fear goeth out again and giveth place unto the same But where this fear never entereth at al there is it impossible for charitie ever to come and dwel saith this holie father 28 The second thing to be noted is that albeit this fear of punishment be not in very perfect men or at lestwise is lesse in them than in others as Saint Iohn teacheth yet being joined with love and reverence as it ought to be it is most profitable and necessarie for al common Christians whose life is not so perfect nor charitie so great as that perfection wherof Saint Iohn speaketh This appeereth by that that Christ persuaded also this fear even unto his apostles saieng Fear you him which after he hath slain the bodie hath power also to send both bodie and soul unto hel fire this I say unto you fear him The same doth Saint Paul to the Corinthians who were good Christians laieng down first the justice of God and therupon persuading them to fear Al we saith he must be presented before the tribunal seat of Christ to receive ech man his proper deserts according as he hath done good or evil in this life And for that we know this we do persuade the fear of the Lord unto men Nay that which is more Saint Paul testifieth that notwithstanding al his favors received from God he retained yet himselfe this fear of Gods justice as appeereth by those words of his I do chastise my body and do bring it into servitude least it should come to passe that when I have preached to other I become a reprobate my selfe 29 Now my frind if Saint Paul stood in aw of the justice of God notwithstanding his apostleship and that he was guiltie to himselfe of no one sin or offence as in one case he protesteth what oughtest thou to be whose conscience remaineth guiltie of so many misdeeds and wickednes This know you saith Saint Paul that no fornicator unclean person covetous man or the like can have inheritance in the kingdome of Christ. And immediately after as though this had not been sufficient he addeth for preventing the folly of sinners which flatter themselves Let no man deceive you with vain words for the wrath of God commeth for these things upon the children of unbeleefe Be not you therfore partakers of them As if he should say those that flatter you and say Tush God is merciful and wil pardon easily al these and like sins these men deceive you saith Saint Paul for that the wrath and vengeance of God lighteth upon the children of unbeleefe for these matters that is upon those which wil not beleeve Gods justice nor his threats against sin but presuming of his mercie do persevere in the same until upon the sudden Gods wrath do rush upon them and then it is too late to amend Wherfore saith he if you be wise be not partakers of their folly but amend your lives presently while you have time And this admonition of Saint Paul shal be sufficient to end this chapter against al those that refuse or defer their resolution of amendement vpon vain hope of Gods pardon or tolleration CHAP. V. Of the fift impediment which is delay of resolution from time to time upon hope to do it better or with more ease afterward THE reasons hitherto alledged might seeme I think sufficient to a reasonable man for prooving the necessitie of this resolution we talk of for remooving the impediments that let the same But yet for that as the wise man saith he which is minded to break with his frind seeketh occasions how to do it with some colour and shew There be many in the world who having no other excuse of their breaking and holding off from God do seek to cover it with this pretence that they mean by his grace to amend al in time and this time is driven off from day to day until God in whose hands only the moments of time are do shut them out of al time do send them to pains eternal without time for that they abused the singular benefit of time in this world 2 This is one of the greatest and most dangerous deceits and yet the most ordinarie and universal that the enimie of mankind doth use towards the children of Adam and I dare say boldly that mo do perish by this deceit than by al his other guiles and subtilties besides He wel knoweth the force of this snare above al others therfore urgeth it so much unto every man He considereth better than we do the importance of delay in a matter so weightie as is our conversion salvation he is not ignorant how one sin draweth on another how he that is not fit to day wil be lesse fit to morrow how custom groweth into nature how old diseases are hardly cured how God withdraweth his grace how his justice is readie to punish everie sin how by delay we exasperate the same and heap vengeance on our own heads as Saint Paul saith He is privie to the uncertaintie and perils of our life to the dangerous chances we passe through to the impediments that wil come daily more and more to let our conversion Al this he knoweth and wel considereth and for that cause persuadeth so manie to delay as he doth For being not able any longer to blind the understanding of manie Christians but that they must needs see cleerly the necessitie and utilitie of this resolution and that al the impediments in the world are but trifles and meer
wil promise it I say upon a condition that he might have life again upon condition that the day might be prolonged unto him though if God should grant him his request as many times he doth he would perform no one point therof but be as careles as he were before When such shal crie with sighs and grones as pearsing as a sword and yet shal not be heard what comfort then wil they hope for to find For whither wil they turn themselves in this distresse Vnto their worldly wealth power or riches Alas they are gone and the scripture saith Riches shal not profit in the day of revenge Wil they turn unto their carnal frinds But what comfort can they give besides onlie weeping and comfortles moorning Wil they ask help of the saints to praie for them in this instant Then must they remember what is written The saints shal reioice in glorie and exultation shal be in their mouthes and two edged swords in their hands to take revenge upon nations and increpations upon people to bind kings in fetters and noble men in manacles of iron to execute upon them the prescript iudgement of God and this is the glorie of al his saints Their onlie refuge then must be unto God who indeed is the only refuge of al but yet in this case the prophet saith heer that He shal not hear them but rather contemn and laugh at their miserie Not that he is contrarie to his promise of receiving a sinner At what time soever he repenteth and turneth from his sin But for that this turning at the last day is not commonly tru repentance and conversion for the causes before rehearsed 28 To conclude then this matter of delay what wise men is there in the world who reading this wil not fear the deferring of his conversion though it were but for one day Who doth know whether this shal be the last day or no that ever God wil cal him in God saith I called and you refused to come I held out my hand and you would not looke towards me and therfore wil I forsake you in your extremitie He doth not say how manie times or how long he did cal and hold out his hand God saith I stand at the doore and knok but he saith not how often he doth that or how manie knoks he giveth Again he said of wicked Iezabel the feined prophetesse in the Apocalyps I have given hir time to repent and she would not and therfore shal she perish but he saith not how long this time of repentance endureth We read of woonderful examples heerin Herod the father had a cal given him and that a lowd one when Iohn Baptist was sent unto him and when his hart was so far touched as he willingly heard him and so followed his counsel in manie things as one Evangelist noteth but yet bicause he deferred the matter and tooke not time when it was offered he was cast off again and his last dooings made woorse than his former Herod Tetrak the son had a cal also when he felt that desire to see Christ and some miracle done by him but for that he answered not unto the cal it did him no good but rather much hurt What a great knok had Pilate given him at his hart if he had been so gratious as to have opened the doore presently when he was made to understand the innocencie of Christ as appeereth by washing his hands in testimonie therof and his wife also sent him an admonition about the same No lesse knok had king Agrippa at his doore when he cried out at the hearing of Saint Paul O Paul thou persuadest me a little to be a Christian. But bicause he deferred the matter this motion passed away again 29 Twise happie had Pharao been if he had resolved himselfe presently upon that motion that he felt when he cried to Moises I have sinned and God is iust But by delay he became woorse than ever he was before Saint Luke reporteth how Felix the governor of Iewrie for the Romanes conferred secretly oftentimes with Saint Paul that was prisoner and heard of him the faith in Christ wherwith hee was greatly mooved especially at on time when Paul disputed of Gods justice and the day of judgement wherat Felix trembled but yet he deferred this resolution willing Paul to depart and to come again another time and so the matter by delation came to no effect How many men do perish daily some cut off by death some left by God and given over to a reprobate sense which might have found grace if they had not deferred their conversion from day to day but had made their resolution presently when they felt God to cal within their harts 30 God is most bountiful to knok and cal but yet he bindeth himselfe to no time or space but commeth and goeth at his pleasure and they which take not their times when they are offered are excuselesse before his justice and do not know whether ever it shal be offered them again or no for that this thing is only in the wil and knowlege of God alone who taketh mercie where it pleaseth him best and is bound to none And when the prefixed time of calling is once past wo be unto that partie for a thousand worlds wil not purchase it again Christ sheweth woonderfully the importance of this matter when entering into Ierusalem amidst al his mirth and glorie of receiving he could not chuse but weep upon that citie crieng out with tears O Ierusalem if thou knewest also these things which appertain to thy peace even in this thy day but now these things are hidden from thee As if he had said if thou knewest Ierusalem as wel as I do what mercie is offered thee even this day thou wouldest not do as thou doest but wouldest presently accept therof but now this secret judgement of my father is hidden from thee and therfore thou makest little account therof until thy destruction shal come suddenly upon thee as soone after it did 31 By this now may be considered the great reason of the wise mans exhortation For-slow not to turn to God nor do not defer it from day to day for his wrath wil come upon thee at the sudden and in time of revenge it wil destroy thee It may be seene also upon what great cause the Apostle exhorteth the Hebrews so vehementlie Dum cognominantur bodie To accept of grace even whiles that very day endured and not to let passe the occasion offered Which every man applieng to himselfe should follow in obeing the motions of Gods spirit within him and accepting of Gods vocation without delay considering what a greevous sin it is to resist the holie Ghost Every man ought I say when he feeleth a good motion in his hart to think with himselfe now God knocketh at my
dore if I open presently he wil enter and dwel within me But if I defer it until to morrow I know not whether he wil knok again or no. Every man ought to remember stil that saieng of the prophet touching Gods spirit Hodie si vocem eius audieritis nolite obdurare corda vestra If you hear his voice calling on you to day do not harden your harts but presently yeeld unto him 32 Alas deer brother what hope of gain hast thou by this perilous dilation which thou makest Thine account is increased therby as I have shewed thy debt of amendement is made more greevous thine enimie more strong thy selfe more feeble thy difficulties of conversion multiplied what hast thou then to withhold thee one day frō resolution the gaining of a litle time in vanitie But I have prooved to thee before how this time is not gained but lost being spent without fruit of godlines which is indeed the only tru gain of time If it seem pleasant to thee for the present yet remember what the prophet saith Iuxta est dies perditionis adesse festinant tempora The day of perdition is at hand and the times of destruction make hast to come on Which day being once come I marvel what hope thou wilt conceive Dost thou think to crie Peccavi It shal be wel truly if thou canst do it but yet thou knowest that Pharao did so and gat nothing by it Dost thou intend to make a good testament and to be liberal in alms deeds at that time This as the case may be is very commendable but yet thou must remember also that the virgins which filled their lamps at the very instant were shut out and utterly rejected by Christ. Dost thou think to weep and moorn and to moove thy judge with tears at that instant First this is not in thy hands to do at thy pleasures and yet thou must consider also that Esau failed though he sought it with tears as the apostle wel noteth Dost thou mean to have many good purposes to make great promises and vowes in that distresse Cal to mind the case of Antiochus in his extremities what promises of good deeds what vowes of vertuous life made he to God upon condition he might escape and yet prevailed he nothing therby Al this is spoken not to put them in despair which are now in those last calamities but to dissuade others from falling into the same assuring thee gentle reader that the prophet said not without a cause Seek unto God while he may be found cal upon him while he is neer at hand Now is the time acceptable now is the day of salvation saith Saint Paul Now is God to be found and neeer at hand to imbrace al them that truly turn unto him and make firm resolution of vertuous life heerafter If we defer this time we have no warrant that he wil either cal us or receive us heerafter but rather many threats to the contrarie as hath been shewed Wherfore I wil end with this one sentence of S. Austen that He is both a careles and a most graceles man which knowing al this wil venture notwithstanding the eternitie of his salvation and damnation upon the dowtful event of his final repentance CHAP. VI. Of three other impediments that hinder men from resolution which are sloth negligence and hardnes of hart BEsides al impediments which hitherto have bin named there are yet divers others to be found if any man could examin the particular consciences of al such as do not resolve But these three heer mentioned and to be handeled in this chapter are so publik and known as I may not passe them over without discovering the same for that manie times men are evil affected and know not their own diseases the only declaration wherof to such as are desirous of their own health is sufficient to avoid the danger of the siknes 2 First then the impediment of sloth is a great and ordinarie let of resolution to manie men but especially in idle and delicate people whose life hath been in al ease and rest and therfore do persuade themselves that they can take no pains nor abide any hardnes though never so fain they would Of which Saint Paul saith that Nise people shal not inherit the kingdome of heaven These men wil confesse to be tru as much more than is said to before and that they would also gladly put the same in execution but that they cannot Their bodies may not bear it they can take no pains in their several callings and in the general they cannot fast they cannot watch they cannot praie They cannot leave their disports recreations and merry companions they should die presently as they say with melancholy if they did it yet in their harts they desire forsooth that they could do the same which seeing they cannot no dowt say they God wil accept our good desires But let them harken a little what the scripture saith heerof Desires do kil the slothful man saith Salomon his hands wil not fal to any work al the day long he coveteth and desireth but he that is iust wil do and wil not cease Take the slothful and unprofitable servant saith Christ and fling him into utter darknes where shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth And when he passed by the way and found a fig tree with leaves without fruit he gave it presently an everlasting curse 3 Of this fountain of sloth do proceed many effects that hinder the slothful from resolution And the first is a certain heavines and sleepie drowsines towards al goodnes according as the scripture saith Pigredo mittit soporem Sloth doth bring drowsines For which cause S. Paul saith Surge qui dormis Arise thou that art asleep And Christ crieth out so often Videte vigilate Looke about you and watch You shal see many men in the world with whom if you talk of a cow or a calfe or a fat ox of a peece of ground or the like they can both hear and talk willingly and freshly but if you reason with them of their salvation and their inheritance in the kingdome of heaven they answer not at al but wil hear as if they were in a dream Of these men then saith the wise man How long wilt thou sleep O slothful fellow When wilt thou rise out of thy dream A little yet wilt thou sleep a little longer wilt thou slumber a little wilt thou close thy hands togither and take rest and so povertie shal hasten upon thee as a running post and beggerie as an armed man shal take and possesse thee 4 The second effect of sloth is fond fear of pains and labor and casting of dowts where none be according as the scripture saith Pigrum deijcit timor Fear discourageth the slothful man And the prophet saith of the like They shake for fear
omit to labor 11 The second impediment is called by me in the title of this chapter negligence But I do understand therby a further matter than commonly this word importeth For I do comprehend under the name of negligence al careles and dissolute people which take to hart nothing that pertaineth to God or godlines but only attend to worldly affairs making their salvation the least part of their cogitations And under this kind of negligence is contained both Epicurism as Saint Paul noted in some Christians of his dais who began only to attend to eat and drink and to make their bellies their God as many of our Christians now do and also a secret kind of Atheism or denieng of God that is of denieng him in life and behavior as Saint Paul expoundeth it For albeit these men in words do confesse God and professe themselves to be as good Christians as the rest yet secretly indeed they do not beleeve God as their life and doings do declare Which thing Ecclesiasticus discovereth plainly when he saith Vae dissolutis corde qui non credunt Deo Wo be unto the dissolute and careles in hart which do not beleeve God That is though they professe that they beleeve and trust in him yet by their dissolute and careles doings they testifie that in their harts they beleeve him not for that they have neither care nor cogitation of matters pertaining to him 12 These kind of men are those which the scripture noteth and detesteth for plowing with an ox and an asse togither for sowing their ground with mingled seed for wearing apparel of linsie woolsey that is made of flaxe and wool togither These are they of whom Christ saith in the Revelations I would thou were either cold or hot But for that thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot therfore wil I begin to vomit thee out of my mouth These are they which can accord al religions togither and take up al controversies by only saieng that either they are differences of smal importance or else that they appertain only to learned men to think upon and not unto them These are they which can apply themselves to any companie to any time to any princes pleasure for matters of life to come These men forbid al talk of spirit religion or devotion in their presence only they wil have men eat drink and be merry with them tel news of the court and affairs abroad sing dance laugh and play at cards and so passe over this life in lesse consideration of God than the very heathens did And hath not the scripture reason then in saieng that these men in their harts works are Atheists Yes surely And it may be prooved by many rules of Christ. As for example this is one rule set down by himself By their fruits ye shal know them For such as the tree is within such is the fruit which that tree sendeth footh Again The mouth speaketh from the abundance of the hart and consequently seeing their talk is nothing but of worldly vanities it is a sign there is nothing in their hart but that And then it followeth also by a third rule Where the treasure is there is the hart And so seing their harts are only set upon the world the world is their only treasure not God And consequently they prefer that before God as indeed Atheists do 13 This impediment reacheth far and wide at this day and infinite are the men which are intangled therwith and the cause therof esspecally is inordinate love of the world which bringeth men to hate God and to conceive enmitie against him as the apostle saith and therfore no marvel though indeed they neither beleeve nor delite in him And of al other men these are the hardest to be reclaimed and brought to any resolution of amendement for that they are insensible and beside that do also flie al means wherby they be cured For as there were smal hope to be conceived of that patient which being greeuously sik should neither feele his disease nor beleeve that he were distempered nor abide to hear of physik or physitions nor accept of any counsel that should be offered nor admit any talk or consultation about his curing so these men are in more dangerous estate than any other for that they know not their own danger but persuading themselves to be more wise than their neighbors do remoove from their cogitations al things wherby their health might be procured 14 The only way to do these men good if there be any way at al is to make them know that they are sik and in great danger which in our case may be done best as it seemeth to me by giving them to understand how far they are off from any one peece of tru Christianitie consequently from al hope of salvation that may be had therby God requireth at our hands that We should love him and serve him With al our hart with al our soul and with al our strength These are the prescript words of God set down both in the old and new law And how far I pray thee are these men off from this which imploy not the halfe of their hart nor the halfe of their soul nor the halfe of their strength in Gods service nay nor the least part therof God requireth at our hands that we should make his laws and precepts our studie and cogitations that we should think on them continually and meditate upon them both day and night at home and abroad early and late when we go to bed and when we rise in the morning this is his commandement and there is no dispensation therin But how far are those men from this which bestow not the third part of their thoughts upon this matter no not the hundred part nor scarce once in a yeer do talk therof Can these men say they are Christians or that they beleeve in God 15 Christ making the estimate of things in this life pronounced this sentence Vnum est necessarium one onely thing is necessarie Or of necessitie in this world meaning the diligent and careful service of God These men find many things necessarie beside this one thing and this nothing necessarie at al. How far do they differ then in judgement from Christ Christs apostle saith that a Christian Must neither love the world nor any thing in the world These men love nothing else but that which is of the world He saith that Whosoever is a frind to the world is an enimie to Christ. These men are enimies to whosoever is not a frind to the world How then can these men hold of Christ Christ saith We should pray stil. These men pray never Christs apostle saith that Covetousnes uncleannes or securitie should not be so much as once named among Christians These men have no other talk but such Finally the
whole course and canon of scripture runneth that Christians should be Attenti vigilantes solliciti instantes ferventes perseverantes sine intermissione that is Attent vigilant careful instant fervent and perseverant without intermission in the service of God But these men have no one of these points nor any degree of any one of these points but every one the clean contrarie For they are neither attent to those things which appertain unto God nor vigilant nor solicitous nor careful and much lesse instant and fervent and least of al perseverant without intermission for that they never begin But on the contrarie side they are carelesse negligent lumpish remisse key-cold perverse contemning and despising yea loathing and abhorring al matters that appertain to the mortifieng of themselves and tru service of God What part have these men then in the lot and portion of Christians beside only the bare name which profiteth nothing 16 And this is sufficient to shew how great and dangerous an impediment this careles senseles and supine negligence is to the resolution wherof we intreat For if Christ require to the perfection of this resolution that whosoever once espieth out the treasure hidden in the field that is the kingdome of heaven and the right way to come to it he should presently go and sel al that he hath and bie the field that is he should prefer the pursute of this kingdome of heaven before al the commodities of this life whatsoever and rather venture them al than to omit this treasure if Christ I say require this as he doth when wil these men ever be brought to this point which wil not give the least part of their goods to purchase that field nor go forth of doore to treat the bieng therof nor wil so much as think or talk of the same nor allow of him which shal offer the means and wais to compas it 17 Wherfore whosoever findeth himselfe in this disease I would counsel him to read some chapters of the first part of this booke especially the third and fourth treating of the causes for which we were sent into this world as also the fift of the account which we must yeeld to God of our time heer spent and he shal therby understand I dowt not the error and danger he standeth in by this damnable negligence wherin he sleepeth attending only to those things which are meere vanities and for which he came not into this world and passing over other matters without care or cogitation which only are of importance and to have been studied and thought upon by him 18 The third and last impediment that I purpose to handle in this booke is a certain affection or evil disposition in some men called by the scriptures hardnes of hart or in other words obstinacie of mind Wherby a man is setled in resolution never to yeeld from the state of sin wherin he liveth whatsoever shal or may be said against the same And I have reserved this impediment for the last place in this booke for that it is the last and woorst of al other impediments discovered before containing al the evil in it selfe that any of the other before rehearsed have and adding besides a most wilful and malicious resolution of sin quite contrarie to that resolution which we so much indevor to induce men unto 19 This hardnes of hart hath divers degrees in divers men and in some much more greevous than in others For some are arrived to that high and cheefe obduration which I named before in such sort as albeit they wel know that they are amisse yet for some worldly respect or other they wil not yeeld nor change their course Such was the obduration of Pilate though he knew that he condemned Christ wrongfully yet not to leese the favor of the Iews or incur displeasure with his prince he proceeded and gave sentence against him This also was the obduration of Pharao who though he saw the miracles of Moises and Aaron and felt the strong hand of God upon his kingdome yet not to seeme to be overcome by such simple people as they were nor that men should think he would be inforced by any mean to relent he persevered stil in his wilful wickednes until his last and utter destruction came upon him This hardnes of hart was also in king Agrippa and Felix governor of Iewrie who though in their own cōscience they thought that Saint Paule spake truth unto them yet not to hazard their credit in the world they continued stil and perished in their own vanities And commonly this obduration is in al persecutors of vertu and vertuous men and especially of those that professe the truth whom though they see evidently to be innocent and to have the word of God and equitie on their side yet to maintain their estate credit and favor in the world they persist without either mercie or release until God cut them off in the midst of their malice and furious cogitations 20 Others there are who have not this obduration in so high a degree as to persist in wickednes directly against their own knowledge but yet they have it in another sort for that they are setled in firm purpose to follow the trade which alreadie they have begun and wil not understand the dangers therof but do seeke rather means to persuade themselves and quiet their consciences therin and nothing is so offensive unto them as to hear any thing against the same Of these men holy Iob saith Dixerunt Deo recede à nobis scientiam viarum tuarum nolumus They say to God depart from us we wil not have the knowledge of thy wais And the prophet David yet more expressely Their furie is like the furie of serpents like unto cocatrices that stop their ears and wil not hear the voice of the inchanter By this inchanter he meaneth the holie Ghost which seeketh by al means possible to charm thee from the bewitching wherin they stand called by the wise man Fascinatio nugacitatis The bewitching of vanitie But as the prophet saith they wil not hear they turn their baks they stop their ears to the end they may not understand they put their harts as an adamant stone least they should hear Gods law and be converted 21 The nation of Iews is peculiarly noted to have been alwais given to this great sin as Saint Steeven witnesseth when he said unto their own faces You stifnecked Iews you have alwais resisted the holie Ghost Meaning therby as Christ declareth more at large that they resisted the prophets saints of God in whom the holie Ghost spake unto them from time to time for amendement of their life and for that through the light of knowledge which they had by hearing of Gods law they could not in truth or shew condemn the things which were said or avoid the just reprehensions used toward them
dul harted Why do you love vanitie and seek after a lie He calleth the world not a lier but a lie it selfe for the exceeding great fraud and deceit which it useth 38 The third name or propertie that Christ ascribeth unto the pleasures and riches of the world is that they are thorns of which Saint Gregorie writeth thus Who ever would have beleeved me if I had called riches thorns as Christ heer doth seeing thorns do prik and riches are so pleasant And yet surely they are thorns for that with the priks of their careful cogitations they tear and make bloody the minds of worldly men By which words this holie father signifieth that even as a mans naked bodie tossed and tombled among manie thorns cannot be but much rent and torn and made bloodie with the pricks therof so a worldly mans soul beaten with the cares and cogitations of this life cannot but be vexed with restles pricking of the same and wounded also with manie temptations of sin which do occur This doth Salomon in the places before alledged signifie when he doth not only cal the riches and pleasures of this world Vanitie of vanities that is the greatest vanitie of al other vanities but also Affliction of spirit giving us to understand that where these vanities are and the love of them once entered there is no more the peace of God which passeth al understanding there is no longer rest or quiet of mind but war of desires vexation of thoughts tribulation of fears pricking of cares unquietnes of soul which is indeed a most miserable and pittiful affliction of spirit 39 And the reason heerof is that as a clok can never stand stil from running so long as the peazes do hang therat so a worldly man having infinite cares cogitations and anxieties hanging upon his mind as peazes upon the clok can never have rest or repose day or night but is inforced to beat his brains when other men sleep for the compassing of those trifles wherwith he is incombred Oh how manie rich men in the world do feel to be tru that I now say How many ambitious men do proove it daily and yet wil not deliver themselves out of the same 40 Of al the plaegs sent unto Egypt that of the flies was one of the most troublesome and fastidious For they never suffered men to rest but the more they were beaten off the more they came upon them So of al the miseries and vexations that God laieth upon worldlings this is not the lest to be tormented with the cares of that which they esteem their greatest felicitie and cannot beat them off by any means they can devise They rush upon them in the morning as soone as they awake they accompanie them in the day they forsake them not at night they follow them to bed they let them from their sleep they afflict them in their dreams and finally they are like to those importune and unmerciful tyrans which God threateneth to wicked men by Ieremie the prophet Qui nocte ac die non dabunt requiem Which shal give them no rest either by day or night and the cause heerof which God alledgeth in the same chapter is Quia abstuli pacem meam à populo isto dicit Dominus misericordiam miserationes for that I have taken away my peace from this kind of people saith God I have taken away my mercie and commiserations a very heavy sentence to al them that lie under the yoke and bondage of these miserable vanities 41 But yet the prophet Esay hath a much more terrible description of these mens estate They put their trust in things of nothing and do talk vanities they conceive labor and bring foorth iniquitie they break the egs of serpents and weave the webs of spiders he that shal eat their egs shal die and that which is hatched thence shal be a cocatrice their webs shal not make cloth to cover them for that their works are unprofitable and the work of iniquitie is in their hands These are the words of Esay declaring unto us by most significant similitudes how dangerous thorns the riches and pleasures of this world are And first he saith They put their hope in things of nothing and do talk vanities to signifie that he meaneth of the vanities and vain men of this world who commonly do talk of the things which they love best wherin they place their gretest affiance Secondly he saith They conceive labor and bring foorth iniquitie Alluding heerin to the child-birth of women who first do conceive in their womb and after a great deal of travel do bring foorth their infant so worldly men after a great time of travel and labor in vanities do bring foorth no other fruit than sin and iniquitie For that is the effect of those vanities as he speaketh in the same chapter crieng out to such kind of men Wo be unto you which do draw iniquitie in the ropes of vanitie 42 But yet to expresse this matter more forcibly he useth two other similitudes saieng They break the egs of serpents and do weave the webs of spiders Signifieng by the one the vanitie of these worldly cares and by the other the danger therof The spider we see taketh great pains and labor many dais togither to weave hir selfe a web and in the end when al is done commeth a puff of wind or some other little matter and breaketh al in peeces Even as he in the Gospel which had taken great travel and care in heaping riches togither in plucking down his old barns building up of new and when he was come to say to his soul Now be merry That night his soul was taken from him and al his labor lost Therfore Esay saith in this place that The webs of these weavers shal not make them cloth to cover them withal for that their works are unprofitable 43 The other comparison containeth matter of great danger and fear For as the bird that sitteth upon the egs of serpents by breaking and hatching them bringeth foorth a perilous broode to hir own destruction so those that sit abroode upon these vanities of the world saith Esay do hatch at last their own destruction The reason wherof is as he saith For that the work of iniquitie is in their hand Stil harping upon this string that a man cannot love and follow these vanities or intangle himselfe with their ropes as his phrase is but that he must indeed draw on much iniquitie therwith that is he most mingle much sin and offence of God with the same which effect of sin bicause it killeth the soul that consenteth unto it therfore Esay compareth it unto the broode of serpents that killeth the bird which bringeth them foorth to the world And finally Moises useth the like similitudes when he saith of vain and wicked men Their vineyard is the vineyard of Sodomites their grape is the grape of