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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08047	Of the eternall felicity of the saints fiue bookes. Writen in Latin by the most illustrious Cardinall Bellarmine, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by A.B. Permissu superiorum.; De æterna felicitate sanctorum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621. De gemitu columbae English. Selections. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 1841; ESTC S113735	165,177	472

preserued no tongue is able to expresse with what radiant splendour light those most holy impressions shall shyne seing all the glory of Saints compared to the Glory of Christ is lesse then the Beauty of the starrs with reference to the Beauty of the sunne But now what shall I speake of the Pleasures which the Eyes of the Blessed shall take in behoulding that most spacious and large City which Tobias and S. Iohn as aboue we haue proued as not hauing Words worthy inough to set out and proclaime its beauty said That it was all made of gould and garnished with rich Iewels Margarites and other precious stones Tob. 13. Apoc. 21. What lastly may I say of the New Heauen and the New Earth the which the Holy Scriptures do promise to vs after the day of Iudgment and of the renouation of all things into a better state For these things as they are vnknowne to vs so they shall delight the Eyes of the Blessed with a new and admirable ioy when their Beauty shall begin to be seene Of the Ioy of the Eares CHAP. VI. THat the sense of Hearing and the Instruments of speach shal be in the Kingdome of Heauen no man may doubt For the Bodies of the Blessed shal be true and liuing Bodies and in euery part perfect And such was the Body of Christ after his Resurrection as all the Apostles many disciples and others haue testified For they did heare him speake and he did answere to their demaunds And S. Paul himself did heare Christ speaking to him from Heauen he answered to Christ hearing him That there shal be Canticles and songs and chiefly of that Word Alleluia the aforesaid Toby and S. Iohn do witnes From hence then we may gather that in that Heauenly City there shall not be wanting many most sweet Sonnets with the which God may be praysed and the Blessed eares of Holy men may be wonderfully delighted And if these things ought to be performed in proportion and measure thē doubtlesly those songs ought to be the more sweet harmonious by how much the singers shal be more skilfull and he that is praysed more noble and sublime the place where the Musicke is made more high and the Company or presence of the Auditours more intelligent and in greater number What consolation therefore will it be in that most high peace and in the concord of soules and in that ardour and heate of Charity towards their supreme Benefactour to heare the most cleare voyces of those which shall sing Alleluia If S. Francis as S. Bonauenture hath left written was so rapt and moued at the sound of a Citherne played vpon but a very short tyme by an Angell as that he thought himselfe to haue beene in a new World what delights then shall our Eares enioy when millions of musitians with most concordant and sweet voyces shall with full accord and consent prayse God and other Millions with like melody and feruour shall many tymes repeate the said Prayses And perhaps in that Heauenly Citty not only the prayses of God shal be celebrated with Musicall voyces but also the Triumphs of Martyrs the Honour of Confessours the Glory of Virgins and the victories of all the Saints against the Deuill shal be extolled with Celestiall Musicke For we thus read Eccl. 31. Who is proued therein and perfect shall haue eternall Glory He that could transgresse and hath not transgressed and do Euill and hath not done it therfore are his good things established in our Lord and all the Church of Saints shal declare his Almes Although this may be vnderstood of the prayses of mortall men in the militāt Church here vpon Earth yet withall it may be meant of the immortall Citizens and of the triumphant Church in Heauen Since there the Saints shall haue truly eternall glory and that is truly and properly the Church of Saints And whereas our Lord in the Gospell sayth that the faythfull and prudent seruants shal be praysed of God in the Heauenly Kingdome Matth. 28. Well farre thee good and faythfull seruant because thou hast beene faythfull ouer a few things I will place thee ouer many things Enter into the ioy of thy Lord Why may we not thinke that those words of our Lord shal be celebrated with the singing of the whole Celestiall Court shall againe and againe be most sweetly repeated Certainly the Catholike Church doubted not thus to speake of S. Martin Martinus hic pauper modicus diues Caelum ingreditur hymnis caelestibus honoratur Martin being but poore and temperate did enter into Heauen rich and is honored with Celestiall Hymnes To conclude S. Austin affirmeth the same point in expresse Words l. 22. de Ciu. c. 30. saying There shal be true glory where no man shal be praysed through the errour or adulation of the Prayser True Honour which shall not be conferred vpon any not worthy Neither shall any vnworthy seeke after that Honour where none but he that is worthy shall be permitted to be O therefore thrice Happy Soules who in that place where all flattery is banished and exiled and no lye is found to be shall heare their owne Prayses and Trophees to be celebrated without danger of Pryde but not without increase of ioy and comfort Of the Ioy of the sense of smelling CHAP. VII TOuching the other senses litle is to be said not in that they want their great Pleasures but because what Pleasures those shal be the Holy Scripture hath not declared Neuerthelesse this is euident to vs that many Bodies of Holy Saints haue after their deaths braathed out a most sweet Odour This S. Ierome testifieth of the Body of S. Hilarion For he affirmeth that ten Months after the Body was interred it was found entyre as if it were then liuing and did cast from it such a fragrant smel as if it had beene imbalmed with sweet oyntments The like doth S. Gregory witnes of the body of S. Seruulus the Palsey-man His words are these l. 4. Dial. c. 14. The soule departing such a fragrancy of smell did rise as that all there present were replenished with incredible sweetnes And a litle after Till the Body was buried the sweetnes of that smell did not depart from their Noses Neither are there wanting many other such like Examples both of former later tymes from all which we may gather that if the Bodies of the dead Saints after the Soule is glorifyed do send forth such sweet smells then much more the liuing and glorifyed Bodies of the saints shall breath forth a most delicious and sweet Odour I will adioyne hereto that which the said S. Gregory relateth of the liuing and most glorious Body of our Sauiour Thus he writeth lib. 4. c. 16. hom 38. sup Euang. Tarsilla the Virgin then looking vp sow Iesus comming and suddenly there was as it were sprinkled such a fragrancy of a wounderful Odour as that the sweetnes therof did assure all that

the accomplishing of Signes and miracles Those Powers who haue the commandement and domination of the very powers of the vncleane Spirits Those Principalities who haue a soueraignty ouer the Kings and Princes of this world Those Archangells which are Adiutors and Assistors of the Prelates of the Church Lastly those Angells whose incumbency and charge is of euery particular man whiles he liueth hereupon the Earth Neither are these seuerall Points signified only by the seuerall Names of the Angels but for more proofe therof these very Names are certaine Ensignes or Images of Gods Omnipotency or mirrours wherein we may glasse his Puissance For example The Seraphims as by a certaine marke Image or glasse doe represent the infinit Charity of God who moued only by the force of loue did create the Angels themselues men and all other things and being created doth conserue them The Cherubims by the like Standard Image or glasse doe proclaime and shew the infinite wisdom of God who hath ordained all things in number weight and measure The Thrones doe in like manner demonstrate as it were in a perfect Image that secure Rest which God sitting in his Throne doth enioy Who not being moued moueth and worketh all things and resting in a continuall tranquillity doth dispose and gouerne all things Dominations doe euen preach that it is God who truly and properly hath the full domination and gouerment ouer all Creatures since it is in his power alone eyther to conserue all things or else to annihilate and reduce them to nothing The Vertues also doe signify that it is God alone who worketh mirabilia magna great and stupendious wonders and who hath reserued only to himselfe the power to renew or multiply at his pleasure such prodigious matters The Powers by their name doe figure out how God is absolutely and truly Potent to whom nothing is impossible since in him alone all true Power doth reside The Principalities doe import by their Enseigne that God is the Prince of all Kings of the Earth the King of Kings and the Lord of all those who row at the oare of gouerment The Archangells signify that God is the true and supreme Prelate or President of all Churches Briefely the Angells doe manifest that God is the true Father of Orphanes And that although he hath bequeathed Angells as Guardians to euery particular man yet that himselfe is present to euery man keepeth euery man and protecteth euery Man For that same Prophet who hath savd He that giuen his Angels charge of thee that they keep thee in all thy wayes doth also introduce God thus speaking in the same place VVith him I am in tribulation I will deliuer him I will glorify him Psal 90. And our Lord who sa●d Matt 18. Their Angels in Heauen alwayes do see the face of my Father who is in Heauen sayd also Matt. 10. Are not two sparrows sould for a farthing and not one of them shall fall vpon the ground without your father But the very hayres of your head are all numbred feare not therefore better are you then many sparrowes And thus much of those few things we know touching the Angels If it please the ●eader he may peruse S. Bernard frō whome I haue borrowed these few Points l. 5. de consider To these nyne Orders of Angels doth answere so great a multitude of Holy Men as that no man as we haue proued out of the Apocalyps is able to number them which multitude are also reduced to nyne Orders For some are Patriarchs some Prophets some Apostles Others Pastours and Doctours Others Priests and Leuites Others Monks and Hermites To conclude Others are holy Women Virgins Widowes or those who haue continued till death in coniugall State of Mariage And now ô Christian Soule I heere demaund of thee how an ineffable Felicity shall it be to interleague for all eternity with such holy Angels and Saints S. Ierome in his Epistle to Paulinus writeth that many are accustomed to trauayle into other forrayne Prouinces to discourse with People of other Nations as also to passe the very Seas to the end they might see and conuerse with such as were reputed most famous for learning and erudition It is also recorded 3. Reg 10. how the Queene of Saba came from the furthest parts of the Earth to Salomon for the so great opinion she had conceaued of his Wisdome To one Antony by profession of lyfe a poore despicable Hermite men of all parts euen flocked by reason of the report of his ●anctity yea Emperours themselues were ambitious of his friendship and amity What solace then wil● it be no● only to see so great a confluence of Angels and most holy Men but also dayly to conuerse and consociate with them in most strict loue and participation of their felicity If but one Angell should exhibite himselfe in his full splendour to our sight now in our exile who would not most willingly hasten to see him What then will it be to behould all the Angels togeather at one sight And if any of the Prophets Apostles or Doctours of the Church should now descend from Heauen with what a thirstines of attention would we euen drinke vp his words and speaches But in the Kingdome of heauen it shal be lawfull for vs to see and heare not only one but all the Prophets all the Apostles all the Doctours and to haue dayly intercourse and familiarity with them How much doth one Sunne exhilerate reioyce the whole Earth What then will so many innumerable Sunnes doe being liuing Sunnes vnderstanding Sunnes and such as do make a continuall Iubiley in the Kingdome of God I will euen vnbreast my selfe and speake what I thinke to wit the consideration of this inward amity and familiarity with the Angels and holy Men of which not any is foolish not any wicked but all most good and most wise is so pleasing and preuayling with me as that it alone would seeme a most great happinesse and for the obtaining only thereof I would most willingly abandone and shake hands for euer with all the comforts and delights of this world Of the true Monarchicall forme of the Kingdome of God CHAP. III. THe third reason why that Celestiall habitation is called a Kingdome is because in that Place is found the perfect forme of Gouerment This is the difference betweene a Kingdome a Cōmonwealth whether the Cōmonwealth consist of certaine and eminent men or of the Communalty and more vulgar sort To wit that in a Kingdome all supreme Soueraignty is inuested in onely one whereas in a Commonwealth it is shared and deuided among many In these temporall Kingdoms of men the supreme power doth not reside truly and properly in one man For it may be that a King without either the counsell or consent of others may giue commandement that such or such a thing shal be done but yet his directions cannot be put in execution except his Subiects doe affoard their concurrency aide And

the Romans cap. 13. Be subiect not only for wrath but for conscience therefore giue you Tributs also for they are the Ministers of God c. Render therefore to all men their due to whome tribute tribute to whome custome custome Onely my intention heere is to paint out the miserable state of mortall Kings who of necessity are to abound with great affluence of riches and yet are forced to gather no small part thereof from poore and needy men But now in this place what shal we say of the pleasures and delicacies which Kings enioy Kinges indeed haue their gardens their bowers their Orchards most sumptuous tables of meate their hunting sportes their theaters and other such pleasures for their recreation but these are often attended on with the goute the griefe or paine of the stom●ke or Head and which is more violent with most grieuous solicitude and cares of the mynd which not seldome do depriue them of their nightly rest such are suspicious feares augours c. Thus if their Bedchamber dore doe but open or make the least noyse in the night they instantly suspect treachery and treason If newes be brought them that there is seene a multude of armed men togeather they feare a combination of their Subiects against them Thus is there made a compound of their ioyes and griefs of their repose and disquietnesse which hath beene the Motiue why diuers Kings abandoning all domination and Rule haue finally chosē to liue vnder the hatches of a priuate lyfe But let vs heare S. Chrysostome who discourseth of the Emperours of his tyme in these words hom 66. ad pop Antioch Ne diadema respicias sed curarum tempestacem neque purpuram intuere c. Do not so much cast thy eye vpon the diademe or Crowne of Kings as vpon the storme of their Cares neyther behould the Purple garmēt and Robe but the Soule and mynd more blacke then the Purple The Crowne doth no more incompasse the Head then Care doth the mynd Neyther thinke thou of the great company and traine of Officers and Attendants but of the multitude of troubles For thou shalt ●ot find a priuate house so replenished with cares as Kings Pallaces are For in the day tyme death is feared in the night the very soule seemes to leape out of the body through apprehension of terrours And these thinges happen in tyme of Peace But if the trumpet be once sounded and that VVarres rush on what lyfe is more miserable then the lyfe of Kings How many dangers doe their familiars and subiects threaten to them For the very pauement and stones of Kings Courts doe euen flow with the bloud of their owne friends and kinred This will be fully acknowledged if I doe insist in some examples both of former times and of our dayes This King for example hauing a wife suspected of Adultery did tye her naked leauing her to bee deuoured of beasts in the mountaines though she became mother of many Princes Now what kind of life may wee thinke this man did liue For hee would neuer haue burst out into so great a reuenge had he enioyed the true vse of Iudgment This other Prince did throtle to death his owne Sonne This third being suprised by his enemy became his owne Homicide Another muthered his owne Nephew being Competitour to the Crowne The fifth is reported to haue depriued his owne Brother of life Another ended his life by taking Physicke being impoysoned and the eye of his Sonne was pulled out for the preuenting of future dangers when as yet he had committed no wrong The next Emperour as a Man breathing only misery and infelicity was burned with his horses wagons and other his furniture VVords light short to expresse the calamities which the next Prince to the former was forced to suffer And as for this Emperour that now reigneth is it not most euident that after hee was crowned with the Diademe he spent no short time in labours in dangers in disconsolation and secret endeauours At non talis Caelorum Regia but such is not the Court or Kingdome of Heauen Thus farre S. Chrysostome Who how truly he concluded what wee shall now relate will fully proue For it is certaine that the Kings of the Kingdome of Heauen and such are all the blessed who doe liue with God haue Power without weaknes honour without ignominy riches without Pouerry and pleasure without griefe For of them it is said in the 90. Psalme There shall no euill come to thee and scourge shall not approach to thy Tabernacle And in the Apocalyps cap. 21. And God shall wipe away all teares from cheir eyes and there shall bee no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more paine Therefore the power of those celestiall Kings is most great their imbecillity and weaknes none Wee reade in the 4. of Kings that one Angell without any military forces without any artillery or svvords or launces did kill at one blow a hundred eighty thousand of Assyrians neither did the Angell feare to receaue any wound from them S. Gregory relateth in his third booke of Dialogues cap. 36. how a holy man being assaulted by a bloody and mercilesse fellow with his arme stretched out and a naked sword in his hand instantly cried out O Saint Iohn hould him And presently thereupon his hand did grow stiffe so as hee could not mooue it Therefore Saint Iohn did heare the prayer of his Client from Heauen and with such celerity did punish that wicked Man as that it preuented the blow being already begun to be giuen Such is the power of Celestiall Kings as that neither almost an infinite distance of place nor the solitarines of one poore iust man nor the multitude of armed men could hinder S. Iohn from deliuering his Suppliant from imminent death Infinite other examples l●ke to this might be produced Now concerning the Honour of those Kings of Heauen it is so glorious and great as that not only the godly and vertuous but euen the wicked yea the very Diuells doe reuerence and giue veneration to them Many doe contemne and be trample vpon vertuous and holy men here liuing vpon the earth whome after that they be translated to Heauen their sanctimony celebrated by the publicke suffrage and decree of the Church the former men doe worship and honour And the Diuells themselues doe reuerence and feare the relicks and Images of such holy Saints in Heauen whome whiles they liued in flesh they vexed with their temptations yea often times with stripes blowes through the permission of God What shall I say of the Riches of these Heauenly Kings Their chiefest riches is to want nothing since God to them is All in al 1. Cor. 15. for he is not rich who possesseth many things but he who desireth nothing since he wāteth nothing For it is the mynd which maketh a man to be rich not his stored chests or coffers We may add heerto that Heauen

who by their word shall belieue in me that they all may be one as thou Father in me and I in thee that they also in vs may be one O most blessed Citty which being seated vpon a most high mountaine dost enioy a most pure ayre Which art founded vpon a Rocke as being supported with eternall stability and firmenes Whose gates doe shine like Margarites and euer stand open for Holy Soules to enter into Whose wall is God encompassing thee about with his vigilancy and protection and as a precious Ia●per-stone doth adorne thee Whose street is Charity more bright and glorious then all gould more white then any Crystall Which maketh all the inhabitants to be of one heart of one mind replenishing them with an inutterable ioy and placing them in an interminable and euerlasting tranquillity and peace Concupiscit deficit anima mea my soule coueteth and euen fainteth vnto thy streets Psal 9● What is more gratefull and more wished for by our labouring and lamenting in the midst of a wicked Nation among false brethren and in that world which is wholy placed in malignity wickednes then euen in all hast to flye to that place in which only Charity reigneth VVhen shall I come and appeare before the face of God Psal 41. What greater consolation and comfort can be to a s●ule louing our Lord then to see his beloued and to be seene of his beloued and through an inward and most sweet connexion reciprocally to dvvell the one in the other It is insufferable bouldnes O Holy Citty that dust and ashes should dare to aspire to thy Pallaces and it is greater bouldnes that a vile and deiected soule should dare to approach to the fruition of his Creatour But he vvill excuse and pleade for this boldnes vvho gaue it vvhen he prayed to his Father that vve all might be one and that as the Father is in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Father so vve may be but one in one another Of the Temple of the Citty of God CHAP. VII VVE are heer further to inlarge our discourse of the Citty of God in shewing the Temple therein to prayse God the meate drinke which there is to be eaten and drunkē for as for cloathing the Inhabitants need not to be sollicitous For if Adam and Eue needed not any cloathing in the terrestriall Paradise much lesse shall the Saints in the celestiall Pararadise need any such who shall be all cloathed with splendour and light as with a vestment Now concerning meate drinke Adam and Eue could not want them neyther doe the Angells themselues want them according to those words of the Angell Raphael I vse an inuisible meate drinke which cannot be seene of men Tob. 12. And first touching the Temple S. Iohn thus speaketh in the Apocalyps 21. And temple I saw none therein for our Lord God omnipotent is the Temple thereof and the Lambe That S. Iohn did not see any Temple in the Citty may not seeme strange since Temples are erected in the Militant Church for foure ends to wit that the Word of God may be preached in them to the faythfull that the Sacraments and Sacrifices may be celebrated in them that Publike Prayer may be in them offered vp to God And finally that due praises with singing ioy may be performed to him Now the preaching of the Word of God shall cease in Heauen seeing there the increated VVord himsefe shall manifestly speake to all And according to the preaching of Ieremy the Prophet cap. 31. Man shall no more teach his neighbour or his brother saying Know our Lord for all shal know me from the least to the greatest Sacraments in lyke manner and Sacrifices shall not be necessary in that Citty since neither Sins shal be there expiated neither shall signes be there required where things signifyed shall manifestly appeare Prayers and Laudes to God are heer vpon earth performed in Churches and Temples dedicated vnto God because himselfe hath promised that in such sacred places his eyes shal be open eares attēt for thus he speaketh to Salomon Paral. 7. Myne eyes shal be open and mine eares erected to his prayer that shall pray in this place But now seeing in the Celestiall Citty God wil be openly seene and heard of all men therefore not any Temple seemeth to be necessary in that place Hence then we may easily gather why S. Iohn said And I saw no Temple in the Citty But h●er it may be demaūded why S. Iohn subioineth these words The God omnipotent is the Temple thereof and the Lambe For if no Temple be required in that Citty why then is God himselfe said to be the Temple thereof and not only the Temple but also the Lambe Or what explication can it haue to say that God and the Lābe shal be called Temples in Heauen Or to what vse shall this Temple be in Heauen In answere heerto we are to recurre to the custome of the holy Scriptures where one text or sentence doth comment and explaine another and the more darke and obscure passage receaues its illustratiō from that which is more perspicuous and cleare Well then we thus reade in the 90. Psalme He that dwelleth in the help of the highest shall ab●d● in the Protectiō of the God of Heaue● 〈…〉 sense and meaning of which Words is this Who by a firme Confidence Hope is ioyned with God he as it were maketh to himselfe a house in God in the which he may securely liue as being exempt and free from all euill The same may be said of Prayses and Prayers to God For he that through an inward reuerence is conioyned with God doth in lyke sort build to himselfe a place of Habitation in God the which he inhabitating in that sort as he ought to doe may therein pray and offer vp his prayses vnto God So heer we say that our Lord the Omniporent God of Heauen is the Temple of the holy Citty because all those holy Cittizens most intensly and with a strong bent of feruour meditating on the omnipotency of God and so by this meanes ioyned to him by an inward reuerence do dwell in him and exhibit to him due prayses and when they pray for vs they are heard with a most willing and ready care In lyke manner when they seriously contemplate the merits of Christ who as an innocent Lambe deliuered himself vp in oblation and Sacrifice to God 〈…〉 odour of sweetnes they being firmely vnited by loue and dwelling in him as in a Temple doe powre out their Prayers and impetrations for vs and doe doubtlesly find the eyes of God open and his eares attentiue that they may obtaine in our behalfe any thing for which they pray But if those blessed Cittizens be accustomed to dwell in God in Christ as in a Temple thereby to offer vp their prayses and prayers for vs what are we poore men to doe who neither see God nor Christ O would to