Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	world_n	write_v	46	3	5.0120	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06447	The sinners guyde A vvorke contayning the whole regiment of a Christian life, deuided into two bookes: vvherein sinners are reclaimed from the by-path of vice and destruction, and brought vnto the high-way of euerlasting happinesse. Compiled in the Spanish tongue, by the learned and reuerend diuine, F. Lewes of Granada. Since translated into Latine, Italian, and French. And nowe perused, and digested into English, by Francis Meres, Maister of Artes, and student in diuinitie.; Guía de pecadores. English	Luis, de Granada, 1504-1588.; Meres, Francis, 1565-1647.	1598 (1598)	STC 16918; ESTC S108893	472,071	572

It with-draweth man from all honest studies and exercises and drowneth him in the sea of carnal pleasures so that miserable man dare not presume nor offer to speake o f +any other thing then of dishonest and carnall delights It maketh young men foolish and reprochful and exposeth old men to the scorne of men Neither is this vice content thus to haue plunged men vnlesse also it ouerthrow and squander abrode his riches and substance There are no riches so aboundant no treasures so infinite which luxury will not exhaust consume in a short time For the belly and the instruments of lust are neere neighbours and very well agree betweene themselues and are faythfull complices confederates in this work Hence it is that men giuen to luxurie are for the most part prodigall and lauishers and delight in banquets and drunkennesse and riches are chiefely consumed through gluttony and sumptuosnesse of apparell Thys also is common to all luxurious persons vnhonest women are neuer satisfied neyther euer cry they hoe albeit very many ouches tablets iewels precious stones rings and such like be giuen them and they take more delight to be honoured with such things then with theyr wretched louers who giue these vnto them All these are proued to be true by the example of the prodigall chyld who spent all his substance by liuing riotously and luxuriously Remember that the oftner thou gyuest thy thoughts thy body for a pray to carnall lust thou shalt finde the lesser satietie in them For the delight doth not bring satietie vnto them but doth procure and increase a further thirst for the loue between a man and a woman is neuer altogether extinguished yea the flame when it is supposed extinct on a suddaine reuiueth and burneth more fiercely Consider moreouer diligently that the pleasure which is reaped of thys vice is short and momentany but the punishment which followeth is eternall Surely this change is too vnequall that for so filthy a pleasure of so short continuance thou shouldest lose in this lyfe the ioy of a good conscience and in that to come euerlasting glory besides to suffer paines vvhich neuer shall haue end Therefore very well said Saint Gregory It is momentany and short sayth he that delighteth but eternal that tormenteth Looke vpon the price of virginity and the dignity of that purity which perisheth and is violated by this filthy vice and thou shalt see that virgins in thys life doe begin to leade an Angels life and by the singuler priuiledge of this purity to be like vnto celestiall spirits For to liue in the flesh without sensual carnality this is to liue rather an Angels life then an humane lyfe Thys is that which Bernard sayth It is onely chastity that in this place and tyme of mortality representeth a certaine state of immortall glory For amongst the solemnities of marriage it onely chalengeth the custome of that blessed Country wherein they doe neyther marry nor are marryed shewing on the earth after a certaine manner an experience of that heauenly conuersation For this cause that singuler priuiledge is giuen to virgins in heauen of which S. Iohn writeth in his Reuelation These are they sayth he which are not defiled with women for they are virgins these follow the Lambe whether soeuer he goeth And because they haue performed better things in the world then others following the Lord Iesus Christ in pure virginity therefore in the world to come they shal come more neere vnto him and shall more familiarly conuerse with him and shall singulerly be delighted with the purity of theyr bodyes Thys vertue maketh men not onely like vnto Christ but also temples of the holy Ghost For the holy Spirit being a louer of purity as hee detesteth the pollution of luxurie more then other vices albeit all vices displease him so in nothing more willingly or with greater ioy he resteth then in a soule pure and cleane from all carnall pleasure Wherefore the sonne of GOD conceaued by the holy Ghost so loued and priced virginity that for the loue of it he did this stupendious miracle that is he would be borne of a Mother being a Virgine But if thou hast lost thy virginitie at least after shipwracke feare the dangers which now thou hast tried and thou who wouldest not keepe the benefit of nature vncorrupted now it is corrupted stryue to repaire it by conuerting thy selfe vnto the Lord and so much the more diligently turne thy good workes vnto God by how much for thy sins thou hast iudged thy selfe woorthy of greater punishment For often-times saith Saint Gregory it commeth to passe that the soule after sinne is more feruent which in the state of greater inn ocencie was luke-warme and altogether negligent And because GOD hath preserued thee albeit thou hast committed so enormous sinnes and offences commit them nowe no more least God chastise thee together both for thy sinnes past and also for those present and so the last errour be worse then the first With these and such like considerations man ought to arme himselfe against this sinne And these be the remedies of the first kinde which we haue gyuen against this sinne of Luxurie ¶ Other kind of remedies against Luxurie BEsides those remedies which commonly are wont to be deliuered against thys vice there are others also more effectuall and more particuler of which wee will also speake in thys place Let thys therefore be the first stay the beginnings kill the Serpent when it is young for if the enemy be not repelled at the first onset he increaseth and becommeth stronger For as Saint Gregory sayth after the desire of pleasure is kindled and encreaseth in the hart it suffereth a man to thinke on nothing els but on filthy pleasures and vncleane lusts Forthwith therefore the motiues of vices must be killed in the mind whilst they are yet but onely in thought for euen as wood preserueth fire so the thought preserueth and nourisheth desires concupiscences and if the thoughts be good they doe kindle the fire of charitie if they be euill they stirre vp the flame of lust It is needfull also that all the outward sences but especially the sight or the eyes be most diligently kept least they see that which may procure danger for oftentimes a man simply seeth that which when it is seene woundeth the soule Therefore vnaduisedly to looke on women eyther peruerteth or weakeneth the constancy of the beholder Therefore Ecclesiasticus doth giue thee very good counsaile Gaze not on a Mayde that thou fall not by that that is precious in her Goe not about gazing in the streetes of the Citty neyther wander thou in the secret places thereof Turne away thine eye from a beautifull woman and looke not vpon others beauty To perswade this that doctrine of holy Iob ought to be sufficient who although he was a most iust man yet neuerthelesse he did keepe his eyes most diligently as he speaketh

twilight be dimme through the darknesse of it let it looke for light but haue none neyther let it see the dawning of the day Because it shut not vp the doores of my Mothers wombe nor hid sorrow from mine eyes Why dyed I not in the birth or why dyed I not when I came out of the wombe Why did the knees preuent me and why did I sucke the breastes Thys will be the musicke thys the song which the vnhappie and miserable shall sing without end O vnhappy tongues which pronounce nothing but blasphemies ô vnluckie eyes that see nothing but calamities and miseries ô miserable eares which heare nothing but complaints and gnashings of teeth ô vnhappie bodies which haue no other refreshing but burning flames What minde shal they haue there who whilst thy lyued heere triflingly bestowed their houres and spent all theyr time vpon pleasures and delights O what a long chayne of miseries haue thy short pleasures wrought made for thee O foolish and sencelesse what shall the allurements of the flesh now profit you which you then so much delighted in sith yee are now cursed to eternall mourning and bewayling vvhat is become of your riches vvhere are your treasuries vvhere are your delights vvhere are your ioyes The seauen yeeres of plentie are past and other seauen yeares of dearth and scarcity are come which haue deuoured vp al their plenty no memory or footstep being left of it Your glory is perished and your felicitie is drowned in the Sea of sorrow you are come to that scarcenes and sterilitie that a small droppe of water is not graunted vnto you by which the fierce flaming heate of your throate may be cooled which so exceedingly doth torment you Not onely your delights haue not profited you which you enioyed in this world but they shall be the causes of greater torments For then shal be fulfilled that which is written in the booke of Iob The pittifull man shall forget him the worme shall feele his sweetnes he shall bee no more remēbred the wicked shal be broken like a tree then the sweetnes of the delight of euill things shal be turned into the wormwood of sorow when the memory of fore-passed pleasures according to the exposition of Saint Gregorie shall be get greater bitternesse of present griefes they remembring what somtimes they haue been and what place they now are in and that for that so soone passed away now they suffer that which shall endure for euer Then at the length too late they shall acknowledge the deceits of the deuill and being in the midst of errours they shall begin in vaine to vtter those words of the Wiseman Wee haue erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousness hath not shined vnto vs wee haue wearied our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction and we haue gone through dangerous wayes but we haue not knowen the way of the Lorde These shall be the complaints these shall be the lamentations this shall be the perpetuall repentance which the damned shall there make world without end when it shall profit them nothing because the time is past and gone in which they should haue brought forth fruites worthy of repentance All these and euery one of them if they be considered are pricks and motiues vnto Vertue Wherfore also Saint Chrisostome dooth vse this argument also in his Homilies that he might stirre vp the people to Vertue That thou maist prepare thy soule saith he as the dwelling and habitation of God remember that horrible and exceeding feareful day in which we all standing before the throne of Christ shall render an account of things done heere our sinnes shall be layde open before the eyes of all people our actions shal be reuealed and showne to all those that know them not where the fierie Riuer and the vnsleeping worme are where all things are naked and open Where the bookes of our harts shall be opened and our secret and hidden deedes done by day or night by ignoraunce or forgetfulnes shall be read manifestly all those things that now lie hid shal be reuealed Thinke therefore that wee must come before a Iudge that cannot be deceaued where not onely our actions but also our words and thoughts shall be iudged where wee shall receaue dreadfull and terrible paynes for those things that seeme but small vnto vs. Alwaies remember these things and neuer forget that vnquenchable flame Haue an eye to him comming to iudge the quick and the dead Thinke vpon the thousands and tenne thousands of Angels wayting vpon the Iudge nowe let thy hearing preuent the sound of the Trump and that feareful sentence of the Iudge condemning Let thine eye fore-see some cast into vtter darknes others excluded and shutte out of the gates after much labour of virginitie Consider some to be gathered as tares and to be cast into a fiery fornace and others deliuered to the vnsleeping worme and to mourning to gnashing of teeth this man to bee iudged for his vnreasonable laughter that man for iniuring his neighbour or because hee hath offended his brother this man to be condemned for faults that he hath forgot another man for an idle word this man to be damned for his ill meaning another for slaunderous rayling one for anger to suffer intollerable punishment another for ignominie some to be depriued of the knowledge of Christ and to heare Verily I say vnto you I know you not because they haue doone those things which Christ hath forbidden These things therefore beeing thus what ones ought we to be or what teares ought we to shedde and to say Oh that mine head were full of water and mine eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe day and night But that we may escape this dreadfull punishment Come yee let vs come before the face of the Lord with confession and with diligence and amendement of life let vs call vpon the name of our Lord God For in the pit who shal praise or confesse thy name God hath giuen all things double vnto vs two eyes two eares two hands two feete If therefore one of these be hurt by the other we comfort and relieue our necessitie But he hath giuen but one soule vnto vs if wee shall loose this with what shall we liue Therefore let vs looke to prouide for this let vs preferre nothing before the safetie of it because this is also iudged with the body and is freed and cleered together with it and together with the body dooth appeare before Christes tribunall If thou then shalt say my money allured me the Iudge will say vnto thee hast thou not heard What shal it profit a man though hee should winne the whole worlde if hee lose his owne soule If thou shalt say the deuill deceaued me he also will say vnto thee that it profited Eue nothing to say The Serpent deceaued me Therfore we remembring these things

voluntary For neyther is the malignity and mischiefe of poyson lesser although it be sweet so that it be poyson in deede There cannot be a greater captiuitie then if thou doost so blind-fold thy selfe that thou canst not beholde God truth honestly nor the lawe of righteousnesse If thou doost suffer thy selfe to be tortured vnder the vnreasonable rule of thys empyre thou art no more Lord of thy selfe then a drunken man is of himselfe ouer whom wine hath the soueraigntie and vpper hand But if it be a torment a torture to be a slaue a seruant what greater torment can there be then that with which couetous men are tormented especially seeing that they cannot many times possesse that which they so greedily desire neither can they choose but couet that neither knowe they meanes or way to obtaine it Therefore at the length they come to this ambiguitie that they say that which a certaine Poet sayd to a melancholie and braine-sicke woman I loue thee I hate thee And if thou askest me the cause I will tell thee I abhorre thy familiaritie and yet I cannot liue without thee If any one placed in this seruitude and slauerie shall assay to breake these chaynes and to ouercome conquer thys desire he shall finde the force of this appetite so mighty in striuing wrastling against him that oftentimes hee shall dispayre of the victorie and so he wretched man shall returne againe and put his hands and feete into his former gyues and chaynes Therefore doth not hee say well that calleth this appetite a bondage and a torment But if man were bound with one chaine alone surely it were a lesser euill for that man that onely is shutte vp in one prison hath but one only enemy to buckle with there is some hope that thys man may come free but what shall wee say of the bondes of so many other affections with which miserable man is bound Seeing therefore that mans life is subiect to so many and so diuers necessities all these be chaines and motiues of this insatiable couetousnes for they be snares in which our wretched hart is taken although they take hold sooner more grieuously of one then of another For there are many men by nature so apprehensiue that they cannot be brought from that which once they haue apprehended There be others that bee weake and as it were melancholy who through the nature of this humor doe most easily apprehend any thing whose desires are very vehement Some others are faint-harted and of feeble courage to whom all things seeme great hard and difficult and worthy to be much esteemed and although they are very smal yet they are exceedingly desired For to a base and peasantlie mind all things seeme great albeit they be small as Seneca saith Many also are naturally found very vehement in all things that they doe desire of which number are women of whom a certaine wise-man speaketh very well Either a woman loueth or hateth there is no third thing All these therefore doe suffer a hard and a sharpe seruitude through the violence of the passions which captiuate them But if the misery be so great to be bound with one onely chaine and to be the bond-slaue of one onely Lord what great misery shal it be to be bound with so many chaines and to be a seruant of so many Lords as a sinner is who obeieth so many Lords as he hath affections and vices which hee serueth What misery can be greater then this If all the dignitie of man in that he is man consisteth in two things that is in Reason and Will what can be more contrary to the one and to the other then passion and appetite which blindeth the Reason and hindereth the Will Hence it is manifest how dangerous and deadly all affection is for it throweth man out of the seate of his dignity by obscuring his reason and peruerting his will Without these two man is not man but a beast Thys therefore my brother is that miserable seruitude in which sinners liue as a nation which is neyther gouerned of God nor of reason but is haled and drawne of the appetite and of passion ¶ Of the libertie in which the righteous liue THE sonne of God came to deliuer vs from this vild miserable seruitude of which we haue hetherto spoken and this is that libertie and victory which the Prophet celebrateth when he sayth They shall reioyce before then according to the ioy in haruest as men reioyce when they deuide a spoyle For the yoke of theyr burden and the staffe of theyr shoulder and the rod of theyr oppressour hast thou broken All these names of the yoke of the staffe and of the rodde doe agree vnto the tyrannie and violence of our appetite because the deuill abuseth it as his owne instrument as he who is the Prince of this world and exerciseth his tyrannie in these names to bring men vnder the yoke of sin From this violence and power the sonne of God hath deliuered vs and that by the fulnesse of his grace which hee hath brought vnto vs through the sacrifice of his death For vvhich cause the Apostle sayth Our old man is crucified together vvith Christ. In the which place by the old man our inordinate appetite is vnderstoood which is corrupt and depraued by that first sinne For by this great and mighty sacrifice and merrit of his passion Christ hath obtained that grace and fauour for vs that we might bring vnder vs this Tyrant and that wee might treade him vnder our feete and that we might inflict vpon him due punishment by crucifying him who before crucified vs by bringing him into bondage who first helde vs captiue Wherefore that saying of Esay is fulfilled And they shall take them prisoners whose captiues they were and haue rule ouer theyr oppressours For before grace the sensuall appetite did hold vnder the spirit exercised tyrannie ouer him constraining him to serue euill lusts as before we haue spoken But after grace was giuen to the spirit the spirit was so helped of it that it preuailed and ouerthrew thys tyrant subiected him vnto him and made him to obey reason This is most excellently prefigured in the death of Adonibezech King of Ierusalem who was slaine of the children of the chyldren of Israell first the thumbes of his handes and feete beeing cutte off Who seeing himselfe brought to that misery and beeing mindfull of his owne cruelty and tyrannie which he before had vsed to others hee sayde Seauenty Kings hauing the thumbes of theyr hands and of theyr feete cutte off gathered fragments of meate vnder my table as I haue doone so God hath rewarded me The Scripture addeth that they brought him to Ierusalem and there he died Thys cruell Tyrant is a figure of the Prince of this worlde who before the comming of the sonne of GOD cutte off the hands feete of

doest thou promise that thou thy selfe wilt performe it This question is aunswerrd by the words of Augustine who sayth Lord giue that thou commaundest and commaund what thou wilt So that he be the same vvho commaundeth me what I ought to doe and he that giueth me grace to doe it Therfore in one and the selfe same thing both the commaundement and the promise are found and God and man doe one and the selfe same thing he as the principall and chiefest cause but man as a cause lesse principall So that God in this busines carrieth himselfe to man as a Paynter who guideth the pencill in the hand of his Scholler and so maketh a perfect picture two perfit this worke but more honour belongeth to the one then to the other So also God worketh with vs in this busines after an absolute manner man hath not wherein to glory but to glory with the Prophet and say Lord thou workest all our works in vs. Therefore be thou mindfull of these words for by them thou mayst interpret all the commaundements of God For all that he commaundeth thee to doe he promiseth also that he will doe it with thee When as therfore he commaundeth thee to circumcise thine hart he sayth also that he will circumcise it so when he commaundeth thee that thou shouldest loue him aboue all things he bestoweth grace vpon thee that thou mayst be able so to loue him Hence it is that the yoke of the Lord is sayd to be sweete For there be two that draw it God man and so that which seemed and was difficult vnto nature the Diuine grace doth make it light and sweet Wherefore the Prophet after the fore-sayd words doth proceede further and say This commaundement which I commaund thee this day is not hid from thee neyther is it farre of It is not in heauen that thou shouldest say who shall goe vp for vs to heauen and bring it vs and cause vs to heare it that we may doe it Neyther is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldest say Who shall goe ouer the Sea for vs and bring it us and cause vs to heare it that we may doe it But the word is very neere vnto thee euen in thy mouth and in thine hart for to doe it In which words the holy Prophet would altogether take away that difficulty which carnall men imagine to be in the precepts of the Lord for they onely looking to the law of the Lord without the Gospell that is to those things that are commaunded and not to the grace which is giuen to obey and walk in those commaundements they accuse the law of difficulty saying that it is greeuous heauy difficult not considering that they expresly contradict Saint Iohn who sayth For this is the loue of God that we keepe his commaundements his commaundements are not greeuous for all that is borne of God ouercommeth the world That is all they that haue conceaued the spyrit of God in their soules by meanes of whom they are regenerated and made his sonnes whose spirit they haue receaued all these haue God in them who dwelleth in them by grace and they can doe more then all that that is not God and so neyther the world nor the deuill nor all the power of hell can hurt them And here-vpon it followeth that although the yoke of Gods commaundements be heauy and burthenous yet that newe strength and fortitude which is giuen by grace doth make it light and tollerable ¶ How Charity also maketh the way easie and pleasant which leadeth vnto heauen WHat wilt thou think if to all these precedent another help be ioyned which is deriued in vs from Charity For it is certaine that it is one of the most principall conditions of Charity to make the yoke of the Diuine law most sweet Wherfore as Saint Augustine sayth by no manner of meanes the labours of louers are burthenous or combersome but are delightfull and pleasurable as the labours of Hunters Fowlers and Fishers For in that which is loued eyther there is no labour or the labour is loued And in another place He that loueth sayth he laboureth not For all labour is contrary vnto them that doe not loue It is onely loue that blusheth at the name of difficulty What is it that maketh that a mother doth not feele the continuall labours and troubles which she hath in bringing vp her children but onely loue What is it that maketh an honest and a good vvife to attend night and day vpon her weake and sickly husband but onely loue What doth moue beasts also that they are so carefull to bring vp and foster their young ones and to giue them meate from their owne mouthes that theyr yong may haue to eate what doth moue them I say so to trouble and torment themselues that they may liue safely and what doth moue them so strongly to defend them endangering their owne lifes but true loue What is the cause why Saint Paule sayd with so magnanimous a spirit Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sword As it is written For thy sake are we killed all day long we are counted as sheepe for the slaughter Neuertheles in all these things we are more then conquerers through him that loued vs. For I am perswaded that neyther death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor thinges present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. What is the cause why the holy Martyrs of Christ so feruently desired martirdome as the hart desireth the water brookes but true loue What is the cause why Saint Lawrence lying vpon the Gridiron in the midst of his torments sayde cheerefully that the flames did comfort and refresh his limbs but that great desire by which he longed for martirdom which was kindled with the flames of this loue For true loue thinketh nothing hard nothing bitter nothing greeuous nothing deadly as Petrus Rauennas sayth What sword what wounds what paynes what death can preuaile against perfect and true loue Loue is an impenetrable coate offence it resisteth darts it beateth backe the sword it tryumpheth ouer dangers it scorneth death if it be loue it ouercommeth all things Therefore ô man loue God loue him wholy that thou mayst ouercome and subdue all sinnes without labour The warre is pleasant and the combat delicate onely by loue to carry the victory ouer all crimes and vices This sayth he Neyther is true loue content if it conquer all labours and troubles but the very nature of loue desireth to sustaine moe labours and troubles for his sake whom it affecteth Hence ariseth that ardent desire of martyrdome which righteous and truly religious men haue that is to shed and poure forth

tast that which being tasted bringeth death Hence it is that those beasts in Ezechiell which are the figures of holy men were full of eyes round about that thereby might be signified howe necessary these spirituall eyes are for the seruants of GOD that they may defend themselues from vices Therefore of this remedy we will in this tractate especially entreate to which we will also adioyne all others which seeme to bring any profit as shall be more plainly seene in the discourse following Of the remedies against Pryde CHAP. IIII. WE handling in thys former part sinnes the remedies of them will take our beginning from those seauen which are called capitall as it were the heads and fountaines of all other For euen as the rootes of trees beeing cut vp the boughes branches which receiue life from the rootes doe foorth-with wither and perish so those seauen generall vniuersall rootes of all other vices beeing hewen in sunder and vtterly eradicated suddenly also the vices will dye which are deriued from them For this cause Cassianus with great diligence writ eyght bookes against these vices in which kinde of studie many other learned and graue men haue imitated him 〈◊〉 they did see that these enemies being ouerthrowne others could not lift vp their heads The reason of this is because all sinnes doe originally flow from selfe-loue because euery one of them is committed through the loue desire of some particuler good to desire which this selfe-loue pricketh vs forwards From this loue those three branches do spring of which S. Iohn speaketh in his Canonicall Epistle which are The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life Which that I may expresse them by more known names are the loue of carnall delights pleasures and the loue of riches and honours These three loues are deriued from that first For from the loue of pleasure three sins are engendered Luxurie Gluttony Idlenes From the loue of riches Cou●tousnes ariseth and from the loue of honour Pride The other two Wrath and Enuye serue each one of these peruerse corrupt loues For Wrath proceedeth thence that a man cannot obtaine that he desireth and Enuye thence that any one is preferred before vs or that any one hath obtayned that we desired Seeing therefore that these three are as the vniuersall rootes of all euils from which all these seauen sinnes proceede these seauen beeing destroyed the whole Armie of other vices shall be ouerthrowen Therefore all our studie ought to be to thys end that we fight valiantly against these Gyants if we will tryumph ouer all other enemies who possesse the Land of Promise Among these vices Pryde is the most powerfull which is an inordinate appetite of our owne excellencie The Saints doe call this the Mother and Queene of all other vices Wherefore not without cause amongst many other instructions holy Toby said to his sonne Suffer not pride to raigne in thine hart or in thy mouth for in pride destruction tooke her beginning Therefore when as this pestilent beast doth assault thy hart thou maist defend thy selfe with the weapons following Consider first that horrible punishment with which Lucifer and his Angels are punished because they were proude for in a moment in the twinckling of an eye hee with his Angels was cast from the highest heauen downe to the deepest hell See 〈◊〉 darke and blinde this vice made him who was more cle●●●n the starres who not onely was an Angell but the Prince of Angels but now is made not onely a deuill but the wickedst and the filthiest of all deuils If it could doe so much in Angels what can it not doe in thee who art dust and ashes For God is not contrary to himselfe neyther is hee an accepter of persons and as he suffered not pryde in Angels so also in men it dooth displease him in whom he looketh for humilitie Hence it is that Saint Augustine saith Humilitie maketh men like vnto holy Angels pride of Angels maketh deuils And that I may speake plainly Pride is the beginning end cause of all sinnes because it is not onely a sinne but that no sinne is or hath been or shall be without it This saith he And Bernard saith Pride casteth downe from heauen to hell Humilitie rayseth from the lowest place to the highest an Angell falleth frō the loftiest height to the lowest pitte and man ascendeth from out the world to heauen Then with this punishment let vs consider of the inestimable example of the humility of the sonne of God who for vs tooke vpon him the most abiect nature of man and for vs in like manner was obedient to his father euen to the death of the Crosse. Learne therfore ô man to be humble learne ô earth to obey learne ô dust to be despised Learne ô man of thy God for he is meeke and humble in spirit If it seemeth not honorable inough vnto thee to imitate the example of other men imitate the example of the God of Gods who became man not only that he might redeeme vs but also that he might teach vs humility Cast thine eyes also vpon thy selfe for in thy selfe thou shalt finde that may perswade humility Consider what thou wast before thou wast borne what thou art now being borne and what thou shalt be after death Before thou wast borne thou wast filthy and obscene matter not worthy to be named now thou art dung couered ouer with snow and a while after thou shalt be meate for wormes Why then art thou proud ô man seeing that thy natiuity is sinne thy life misery and thine end putrefaction and corruption If the possession of temporall goods doe puffe thee vp stay a while and death will come who maketh the begger equall with the King and the cottage with the crowne For as we are all borne alike and equall as much as pertayneth to the condition of nature so we all dye alike and equall by reason of the common necessity that being excepted that after death they haue the greater count to render who here haue possessed more Wherfore Chrisostome sayth excellently well Looke into the Sepulchers of the dead seeke amongst them for tokens and notices of that magnificence in which they ●●ned seeke and enquire for their riches seeke for the solaces of this world which they enioyed whilst they liued Tell me where are now their ornaments their precious and costly apparell their delights and pleasures they are all past away all gone all their magnificent and riotous banquets laughters sports and all the mirth of this world is faded and vanished away Come neerer to the Sepulcher of whom so euer thou wilt and thou shalt find no other thing here but dust ashes wormes and putrified bones Here then is an end of all bodies yea although fed and nourished with the greatest delicates and dainties of the world And I would to God that here were an end of

shadow of goodnes Oftentimes vnder ho●ey there is gall and vnder flowers thornes are hid Remember ●hat Aristotle sayth Some lyes haue more apparency and sem●ance of truth then truth it selfe It may also be that euill hath ●ore likelihood of goodness then goodnes it selfe And aboue 〈◊〉 things it is to be obserued that as to proceede with grauity is ●igne of wisedome so to goe forward with leuity and careles●s is a token of folly For this cause in these sixe things thou ●ghtest to be very circumspect and prudent that is in beleeuing in yeelding in promising in determining in conuersing with men but especially in anger for often-times it hath been noted that men haue falne into very great dangers who in these haue beene light and carelesse For to beleeue easily springeth from the lenity of the hart to promise easily taketh away the liberty to yeeld easily begetteth occasion of repentance to determine easily is next to the danger of erring as it happened to Dauid in the cause of Mephiboseth to be easie in acquaintance and conuersation bringeth contempt lastly to be easily angry is a manifest token of foolishnes For it is written He that is patient hath much wisedome but he that is soone displeased exalteth foolishnes ¶ Of certaine meanes by which this vertue is gotten TO the attainment of this vertue amongst many other means the experience of errors past and the euent of things both of our owne and of others well brought to p●●se is conducent and auaileable for from these many counsailes and rules of wisedome are for the most part taken and for this cause it is sayd that the memory of auntient things is a familier helper and a mistres of wisedome and that the present day is a Scholler of the former Wherfore Salomon sayth also The thing that hath beene commeth to passe againe and the thing that hath beene done shall be done againe For by the things past the present are iudged and by the present the things past But aboue all things profound and true humility of hart helpeth very much to the obtayning of this vertue as on the contrary side pride hindereth and destroyeth all Therefore it is written Where there is humility there is wisedome Besides this all the holy Scriptures doe proclaime that God is the teacher of the humble and a maister vnto the little ones who reuealeth his misteries vnto them Neuertheles our humility ought not to be such that it shoul● be subiected and ouer-ruled by euery ones opinion and be caried about with euery wind For this is not humility but insta●bility and debility of hart To this vice the vvise-man bein● willing to vse a remedy sayth Be not too humble in thy wised●● As if he should say A man ought to be constant in the 〈◊〉 things he professeth being founded on a iust and a catholi●● foundation nor ought he to be easily remoued from his purpose as some weakelings are who suffer themselues to be seduced by euery opinion and to be tossed and turned euery way The last thing which is most profitable for the attayning of this vertue is humble and deuout Prayer For seeing that it is an especiall duty of the holy Ghost to illuminate mans vnderstanding with the gift of Science wisedome counsaile and vnderstanding with how much more humility deuotion man commeth to the holy Ghost bringing the hart of a Disciple and a little one so much more perfectly is he instructed and honored with these heauenly gifts Matter is not wanting vnto vs to discourse of this vertue more copiously for seeing that it is the guide conducter of al other vertues it is necessary that being the leader it should not be blind least the whole body of vertues should be darke and without eyes yet seeing that we endeuour to be briefe we will be no more prolixe And because all those things hetherto spoken pertaine to the reformation of ones selfe and to the composition and well ordering of his body and soule which is the first part of the iustice and righteousnes which before we haue set downe it remayneth that now we speake of the second part which teacheth what man oweth to his neighbour Of that which man oweth vnto his neighbour CHAP. XV. THE second part of iustice is that a man render to his neighbour that he oweth him That is that he exercise towards him loue and mercy according to the commaundement of God How necessary this part is and how often commaunded in the holy Scripture which is the rule and line according to which our life is to be squared no man will easily beleeue except he hath beene conuersant in it Reade the Prophets Gospels and Epistles thou shalt haue it so obuious and so many times commended vnto vs that thou canst not but exceedingly meruaile In Esay God teacheth most exc●llently how our neighbour is to be handled when the Iewes complayning said Lord wherefore fast we and thou seest it not wee put our liues t● straightnesse thou regardest it not The Lord answereth Behold when you fast your lust remaineth still for yee doe no lesse violence to your debters loe ye fast to strife and debate and to smite with your fist without mercy nowe yee shall not fast thus that your voyce might be heard aboue Thinke yee this fast pleaseth me that a man should chasten himselfe for a day and to hang downe his head like a Bulrush and to lye vpon the earth in an hairie-cloth Should that be called fasting or a day that pleaseth the Lord Doth not this fasting rather please me That thou lose the wicked bands that thou take of the ouer-heauy burdens that thou let the oppressed goe free and breake all manner of yoke To deale thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poore wandring home into thy house When thou seest the naked that thou couer him and hide not thy selfe from thine own flesh Then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thy health florish right shortly righteousnes shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shall embrace thee He prosecuteth this matter to the end of the chapter Thou seest therefore my brother in what thing God hath placed a great part of true iustice and righteousnes and howe religiously he would haue vs to be charitable and mercifull to our bretheren and neighbours What shall I 〈◊〉 of the Apostle Paule in whose Epistles nothing is so frequent and vsuall as this commaundement With what great praise setteth he foorth Charitie how doth he exemplifie and extoll it how gallantly dooth he depaint the excellencie of it how preferreth he it before all other vertues calling it the most excellent way to come vnto the Lord Not content with thys in one place he calleth it The bond of perfection In another place he sayth That Charitie is the end of all the commaundements of God And againe in another place He that loueth