this time such are the heroycall Actes of the Loue of God of the feruent zeale of his glorye and of the saluation of Soules a vehement dolour for the offenses donne against God and for the Soules that perish and continuall Praier that they may not perish Heerein he was so gratious and pleasing to God that as hee himselfe saieth by the Prophet Isaias his Spirit reioiced in him Isa 42.1 Besides this he edified men with rare examples of Modestye Humillitye Patience Meekenesse and Subjection for the which he was pleasing to those Persons with whome he conuersed For as the same Prophet Isaias sayeth his conuersation was neither sad Isa 42.1 Matt. 12.19 nor harshe nor turbulent nor offensiue nor distastefull to others O most sweete IESVS Colloquie seeing thou art full of VVisdome and Grace and that from thy fullnesse the Iust receiue augmentation both in the one and in the other replenish me abundantly with both and ayde me daily to encrease in them Lastly to animate myselfe I will ponder how the most holy VIRGIN made her proffit of these two examples of her Sonne for contemplating them she also in imitation of him encreased in wisdome and grace before God and before men our Sauiour Christ reioicing to beholde the holy emulation that his mother had of him O most blessed mother Colloquie ayde me with thy intercession that I may encrease as thou encreasedst imitating him whome thou didst imitate The third Pointe THirdly I will consider how in all this time our Sauiour Christ as the same Euangelist sayeth was subject to his mother Luc. 2.52 and S. Ioseph obeying them in all that they commaunded him Heere I am to ponder who it is that obeyeth and subjecteth himselfe and to whome in what thinges and in what manner He that obeyeth is God Infinite the Creatour and supreame Gouernour of the Worlde vnto whome all are obliged to obey and to be subject And albeit it was not much that as man he should obey his eternall Father yet it is admirable that he should subiect himselfe to obey his mother and a poore Artificer the Creator subiecting himselfe to the Creatures the Lord to his Seruauntes and the king to his Vassalls wherewith I may confounde my owne Pride and Rebellion O vile VVorme Iosue 10.12.13 why doest not thou subiect thyselfe to man for God seeing God subiecteth himselfe to man for thee If God obeyeth the voice of a man why doest not thou wretched man obey the voice of God O Sun of Iustice that mouedst thyselfe and stayedst at the voice of these two men to whome for my Loue thou diddest subiect thyselfe graunt me that I may subiect myselfe to those whome thou hast left me in thy place delighting to denye my owne will to accomplish theirs Then will I ponder the things wherein he obeyed that is to say in such base things as are vsed to be donne in the house of a poore Carpenter and in that manner that Children vse to serue in the house of their Parents when they are poore And this did our Sauiour Christ with greate Humillitye and Punctuallitye with meruailous promptnesse and alacritye and with all that perfection that perfect Obedience requireth the which equally embraceth greate and litle easy and difficult honorable and contemptible For seeing that God himselfe humbled himselfe to be obedient in things that were so base all things in is estimation are very high and esteemeth nothing base in the house of God if he commaundeth it for if God commaundeth it is sufficient to make honorable the execution thereof as S. Raphael helde it for an high honour to serue Tobias in things very base Tob. 5.15 20. because God commaunded it From whence I will collect that the excellencye of spirituall Life consisteth not so much in doing workes of themselues very glorious such as are to preache to gouerne to teache as in doing those workes that God commaundeth though of themselues they be base but yet after an excellent manner that is with much Loue of God with a pure Intention of his glorye with greate promptnesse and alacritye of Hearte and with a feruent desier in all these things to please him And in this sence it is that the VViseman sayeth Eccl. 33.23 that we should endeuour to excell in all our workes doing them in such sorte that in the eyes of God they may be very excellent And so Christ our Lord as touching the manner of working with a spirit of Sanctitye was no lesse excellent in the worke of sawing then in the worke of preaching or doing some miracle And our blessed LADYE the VIRGIN shewed no lesse the excellencye of her Sanctitye when she spun then when she serued her Sonne or suffered any thing for his sake And heerein I am to imitate our Sauiour Christ and his blessed mother if by the shortest waye I would attaine to greatest perfection The fourth Pointe FOurthly I will consider how Christ our Lord vntill he was thirtie yeares olde exercized the trade of a Carpenter as may be collected from the speeche of those of his owne Countrey according to the reporte of S. Marke the Euangelist Is not this the Carpenter Mar. 6.3 the Sonne of MARY Heere I will ponder the causes that our Sauiour Christ had to choose this trade of Life and to continue it euen till after the Deathe of S. Ioseph if it be true that he dyed before Christ had attained to thirty yeares of age The first was to auoyde Idlenesse and to giue vs an example of labouring and being euer employed Eccl. 33.29 for Idlenesse as the VViseman sayeth is the Originall of all mischeife The second was of his owne free will to subject himselfe to the malediction that God imposed vpon Adam Gen. 3.19 when he sayed vnto him In the sweate of thy browe thou shalt eate thy breade And therefore all this time he gained his meate with the labour of his handes from whence S. Paul Act. 20.34 and other Sainctes tooke example of labouring to eate of their owne labours The third was to exercize Humillitye employing himselfe in a vile and contemptible Occupation for Christ our Lord in the iugdement of the Worlde and of his owne Countryemen did not vse this occupation of his owne will as some noble and wise Gentlemen vse to learne some mechanicke Trade for their pleasure but of meere necessitye and to get his meate and so he was then treated by Gentlemen and those of the principall sorte as at this day such mechanicke Artificers are treated Out of all this I will collect Affections of Admiration and Imitation pondering aswell the Spirit wherewith our Sauiour Christ exercized this office labouring with the bodye and praying with the Hearte to imitate him when I shall labour in any bodily workes as did those valiaunt Souldiours the Machabees 2 Mach. 15.26.27 of whome the Scripture sayeth that they fought with their handes and prayed with
will consider the extreamest that may bee truely saide of Sinne which is that though the euills of paine onely which are suffered in Hell are so terrible yet it is Incomparably a greater euill then all they In such sort that if one man should suffer the paines of Hell without Sinne and another should haue but one mortall Sinne onely this last should bee more euill and miserable then the other And if all the paines of Hell deuoyde of Sinne were put on one side on the other side one mortall Sinne onely and that I must of necessity choose one of these two I saith S. Lib. de similitudinibus c. 190. Bern. sermo 35. in Cant. Anselme would choose rather to throwe myselfe into Hell then to committe onely one mortall Sinne. And with holy Eleazar I would say Praemitti velle in infernum That I would rather enter into Hell itselfe without Sinne then remaine with Sinne in the VVorlde for the Deathe of Sinne saieth the VViseman is most wicked and the worst that may be Eccle. 28 25. Colloquie Et vtilis potius Inferus quam illa The graue yea Hell itselfe as touching paine is more profitable then it O Infinite God settle this Truthe in my Hearte that I may feare Sinne much more then Hell seeing in truthe there is no vvorse hell then to bee in Sinne. O my Soule bevvaile bitterly thy Sinnes not onely for Hell vvhich thou hast deserued but much more for the greate euill thou hast committed against God Cease presently to Sinne that God may not strike thee vvith a cruell chastizement and vvith the stripe of an Enemye Ier. 30.14 permitting thee to vvaxe obdurate in thy Sinnes to chastise thee vvith neuer ending paines Concerning this last Ponderation it is to bee considered that it is not set downe because it is needefull to make this Comparison For Hell is neuer without Sinne neither can there bee any case wherein Hell may bee chosen not to committe a Sinne but onely that heereby wee may see how greate an euill Sinne is and how worthy it is to bee much more extreemely abhorred then Hell yea allbeeit there were no Hell at all VVhereupon S. Ambrose saithe Lib. 3. de offic c. 4. 5. That there is no paine more greiuous then the VVounde of Conscience nor no Iudgement more rigorous then the Domesticall where with euery one iudgeth himselfe guilty And though the Iust man saieth hee had Giges ring with the which hee might doe what hee would Inuisible yet would hee not Sinne for hee departeth not from Sinne for feare of Punishment but for the horrour of VVickednesse and Loue of Vertue That which in this meditation hath beene declared in generall shall more manifestly bee seene by that which shall bee declared particularly in the ensuing of the Last things of man and in the speciall Punishments that corresponde to the seuen deadely Sinnes Meditations of our last things to mooue vs to a Detestation of Sinnes THE meditations of the last things of man which are Deathe and the Graue Iudgement particular and Vniuersall Hell Purgatorie and Glorye are of most efficacye to moue vs to a Detestation of our Sinnes and to an effectuall Resolution neuer more to retourne vnto them Heereupon saide the Ecclesiasticus Eccles 7.40 Deut. 32 29. In all thy vvorkes remember thy last ends and thou shallt not Sinne foreuer And for the same reason saide Moyses to his People O that they vvere vvise and vnderstood and vvould prouide for their Last thinges giuing to vnderstand That our true VVisdome Vnderstanding and Prouidence consisteth in well meditating and ruminating those things which are to happen to vs in the ende of ouâ— Life and to bee prouided therefore And especially the meditation of Deathe as Experience teacheth vs is very proffitable for all those that walke in any of the three wayes Purgatiue Illuminatiue and Vnitiue wherein all men ought often to exercize themselues though with different endes The Principiants to purge themselues of their Sinnes before Deathe assaile them and take them vnprouided The Proficients to make hast to store vp Vertues seeing the Time of meriting is very short and Deathe cuts it of on a sodaine The Perfect to despise all things created with a Desire to vnite themselues by Loue with their Creator And therefore wee will pointe out Considerations that may proffit all but most especially those that aide to the ende of the Purgatine Life whereof at this time wee entreate The seuenth Meditation of the Properties of Deathe IN this meditation wee will consider some Properties of Deathe and what endes our Lorde pretended in them for our Proffit reducing them to three which are the most Principall The first Pointe THe first Propertye of Deathe is to bee most Certaine Ad Heb. 9.27 from the which none can escape in the time that God hath determined 1. VVherein wee are to ponder first That God our Lord from all eternitye hath determined the yeares of our Life Psal 38.6 and assigned the moneth the Day and Hower wherein euery one is to dye so that it is Impossible sayeth Iob to passe one minute thereof Iob. 14.5 neither is there any King nor Monarke that can adde to himselfe nor to any other one moment of Life aboue that which God hath determined So that as I entred into the VVorlde the same Daye that God would and not before so shall I departe out of the VVorlde the same Daye that God will and not afterwardes That by this I may Vnderstand that what daye soeuer I liue I receiue it of Grace and that those I haue liued haue beene of grace for our Lord might haue assigned mee a shorter time of Life as hee assigned to others that died in their Mothers wombe or in their Infancye And seeing my Life so dependeth vpon God there is just cause why I should spend all the time thereof in his Seruice that gaue it mee holding it for a greate Ingratitude to employe one onely moment to offend him 2. Secondly I am to consider that God our Lord in this his Decree shortned or inlarged the dayes that some men according to their naturall Complezion might haue liued for the secret endes of his soueraigne Prouidence For to some either for their owne praiers or for the praiers of other Sainctes hee inlarged the dayes of their Life as to king Ezechias hee added fifteene yeares 4. Reg. 20.6 because with Teares hee required it And the like hath succeeded to the Deade who miraculously haue beene raized to Life To some others hee shortneth the dayes of their life for one of two endes either for their Saluation Sap. 4.11 cutting them off as the VViseman saithe in their youth lest Malice should chaunge their vnderstanding or lest fiction might deceiue their Soule Or contrarily to punish their grieuous Sinnes and to stop their passages that they might not make an addition of greater Psal 54.24 VVhereupon Dauid fayed
That the men of Blood that is men very wicked and cruell shall not liue halfe their dayes And sometimes hee shorteneth them for Sinnes that seeme but light 3. Reg. 13 19. as it happened to the Propher who beeing beguiled by another did eate in the place where God had commaunded him that hee should not eate Out of all this I will extract a firme Resolution so to order the dayes of my Life that God shorten them not for my Sinnes saying with Dauid Psal 101 25. Call mee not backe o Lord in the halfe of my dayes by a sodaine Deathe but remember that thy yeares are eternall and haue compassion of mine that are fewe The second Pointe THE second Propertye of Deathe is that concerning the Day Place Manner it is most secretly hidden from all men manifest onely to God 1. In the which I will ponder first that wee are not able to knowe the Day nor the Hower wherein wee are to dye neither the Place nor the Occasion nor Seas on wherein Deathe may attache vs nor the manner how wee are to dye whither its hal bee with a naturall Deathe by Sickenesse by what kinde of Sicknesse or whither it shal bee with a violent Deathe by Fier or VVater by the handes of men or by Beastes or by some Lightning or by the tile of a houset hat may fall downe vpon vs. This onely wee knowe that Deathe shall come sodainely or Sicknesse and the Occasion thereof and that when a man is most carelesse Luo. 12.39 1. Ad Thes 5.2 Apoc. 16.15 it comes like a Theefe in the night to scale his house and robbe him of his VVealthe So saieth Christ our Lorde shall the Sonne of man come to scale your house which is the bodye and to robbe and sacke the Soule of it and to giue Iudgement thereof 2. Secondly I will consider what endes our Lord had in this plot of his Prouidence that is to say to oblige vs to bee alwayes watchefull Eccles 9.2 fearing this hower prouiding ourselues for it doing penance for our Sinnes before Deathe seaze vpon vs and making haste to merit Ioan. 12.35 and to labour before our light bee ended least the Candle dye sodainely and wee remaine in the Darke This Christe our Lord concluded in his Parables concerning this matter Sometimes hee saide Matt. 25 13. Matt. 24 42. Luc. 12.40 Vigilate qnia nescitis diem noque horam VVatche daily and howerly because you knovve not the daye nor the hovver of your Deathe Other sometimes hee saide VVatche because you knovve not vvhat hovver your Lord vvill come and bee you readye for at vvhat houre you thinke not the Sonne of man vvill come VVith these wordes I will often exhort my selfe saying Girde thy body with the mortification of thy vices and passions and take in thy handes the burning torches of Vertues and good workes and bee allwayes watchefull expecting the comming of Christe for hee shall come when thou leaste thinkest of it and that hower wherein thou are most forgetfull shall bee peraduenture the hower that hee hath assigned and if hee finde thee not well prouided thou wilt bee miserably deceiued 3. Thirdly I will ponder that all sodaine vnexpected Deathes that haue happened and daily doe happen are remembrances of this Veritie giuen mee by our Lord that I may feare and prepare myselfe for Deathe that striketh euery man may likewise strike mee And therefore when I see or heare say That some dye sodainely by the sworde some by the handes of their Enemyes and other some lying downe to sleepe in good healthe slept the last sleepe of Deathe out of all this I am to drawe feare and aduise for that it may possibly happen that such a kinde of Sodaine Deathe shall light vpon mee 4. VVhereupon I am deepely to consider that any mortall Sinne whatsoeuer if I doe not penance for it deserueth that Gods Iustice should chastize mee with this Deathe as Christe our Lord aduertised to the purpose in two like cases that happened in his time the one That Pilate killed sodainely certaine Galileans the other Lue. 13.2 That the Tower of Siloe fell vpon eighteene men thinke you saithe hee that these men were the greatest Sinners of Galiley or Ierusalem Non dico vobu sed nisi poenitentiam habueritis omnes similiter peribitis No I say vnto you for this hath happened that you may vnderstand that vnles you doe Penance you shall all likevvise perishe as if hee should saye VVhen you see any dye sodainely and of a disastrous Deathe bee not vainely secure saying This happened vnto them because they were greate Sinners for verily I say vnto you that what Sinner soeuer hee bee though hee bee not so greate if hee doe not I enance hee is worthy of Punishment and shall perishe as these perished Then if this bee truthe as indeede it is why doe not I tremble to liue one hower in mortall Sinne in what sorte soeuer it bee VVho can secure mee that the Punishment shall not fall vpon mee that I so justly haue deserued VVho hath excepted mee from this generall threatening that Christe our God menaceth to all Sinners Eccles 30 24. O miserable Sinner bee mercifull to thyne owne Soule and endeuour to appease God with Penance before so horrible miserye light sodainely vpon thee The third Pointe THe third Propertye of Deathe is that it happeneth but once according to that of the Apostle S. Paul Ad Heb. 9.27 Statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori It is appointed to all men to dye once whereupon it ensueth that the hurt and errour of an euill Deathe being the worst of all hurts is irremediable throughout all eternitie as likewise to die a good Deathe is thoroughout all eternitie durable So that if I once dye in mortall Sinne there is no meanes to remedie this hurt For as Salomon saithe If the tree shall fall Eccles 11 3. when it is cut to the South or to the North in vvhat place soeuer it shall fall there shall it be If by Obstinacye in Sinne it falleth to the North of Hell there is no remedye to recouer grace nor to escape from paine But if by perseuerance in Grace it falleth to the South of Heauen there is no feare of returning againe to Sinne nor of the losse of Glorie VVith the liuely consideration of this and of the former Verities I am on the one side to bee astonished at myselfe that beleeuing this with such certainety of Faithe I doe yet liue so carelesse of my Saluation and so forgetfull in a matter that so much importeth mee And on the other side to animate myselfe to procure with greatest speede Penance and Amendement of Life and feruencye therein humbly beseeching our Lorde to cut the tree of my Life in such time place and in such an occasion that it may not fall to the side of Hell but of Heauen And with all I will
the wretched bodye for nothing that is not capable to enjoye them Out of all this I will collect greate confusion and shame for my vanitye and Sensuallitye wherewith I desire curiousnesse of apparell softenesse of bed and widenesse of habitation animating myselfe to mortifye my superfluities heerein and to beare patiently whatsoeuer wantes seeing what I now haue how litle soeuer it bee is very much The vovves of Religion are an Imitatiō of Deathe 1. and very large compared with that which attends mee But particularly if I am a Religious man or desire to bee perfect I may drawe from hence greate motiues to bee so in excellency procuring to make my Life a continuall Meditation and Imitation of Deathe in three things proper to this estate First in nakednesse of all these things to which perfect Pouertye obligeth mee So that as a deade man looseth the Dominion of all his Riches and they passe to his Heires or to the Poore hee not feeling that they leaue him the worst clothing or interre him in some contemptible place so I will not content myselfe with leauing all that I possessed giuing it to the poore to followe naked IESVS but I will also beare willingly the want of things necessarye and will like best that they giue mee the worst either of apparell bedding lodging or house without murmuring thereat any more then a man that is deade Iob. 1.21 for if I came naked out of my mothers wombe am naked to returne againe it is no greate matter to liue naked in this sorte conforming the midle of the life to the entrance egresse thereof 2. Secondly I will Imitate Deathe in the renuntiation fall those sensuall Pleasures whereunto perfect Chastitie obligeth mee So that as in Deathe matrimonies are dissolued the care of wife children and familye ceaseth and there is made a generall diuorce of all earthly things and of the delightes of the fleshe So I with the vowe of Chastitie shall delight to bee as it were deade to all these things and to the cares thereof as if there were none in the worlde for mee or I were not aliue for them 3. Thirdly I will Imitate the Deade in perfect Obedience for as the deade bodye suffers itselfe to bee tossed and carried wheresoeuer they will and to bee handled as they list without resistance repugnancye or complainte neither hauing will to choose the winding sheete nor the graue nor any thing else taking onely what others giue him So I in all that is not Sinne will permitte myselfe to bee gouerned by my Prelates and Superiors obeying to all that they shall commaunde mee high or lowe sweete or sowre easy or vneasye without replying contradicting or repugning to any thing without any selfe will to choose this or that but as one deade to my owne will I will followe the will of others taking with humillitye whatsoeuer they giue mee These are the purposes that I am to drawe out of this consideration of Deathe encouraging myselfe to put them in practize seeing it is not much for fiftye yeares which perhaps shall not bee fifty dayes to anticipate Deathe in this manner for the assurance of eternall life whereby fiftye thousand millions of yeares I shall possesse the riches of God I shall enjoy his pleasures and I shall haue perfect Libertye free from all miserye O happye Deathe to the which succeedeth so happye a life Colloqui◠O svvete IESVS vvhose life vvas a continuall Deathe to giue vs example of a holy and perfect life Graunt mee that in Imitation of thee I may liue and dye naked of all terrent things mortified to all Delightes and obedient to all humane Creature for thy Loue holde mee allvvaies as deade to all that is visible Ad Colos 3.3 that my life may bee hidden vvith thee in God vvorlde vvithout ende Amen The third Pointe 1. THe third Pointe is to consider the Iourney of the bodye towardes the graue pondering first that I shall bee caried in a coffin or vpon a beere on other mens shoulders to Churche and that hee who but a while before walked the Streetes looking on euery side entred into the Churche registring all that passed goeth now vpon other mens feete blinde deafe dumbe being the motiue of Lamentatiō fo◠his miserye And therefore to suppresse the liuelinesse of my fleshe I will endeuour when I rise out of my bed to remember that some one daye others shall raise mee neuer more to retourne to it And when I goe downe the staires of my house I will say A day will come wherein others will carry mee downe these staires neuer more to get vp And when I goe in the streete or enter into the Churche I will Imagine that shortely I shall bee caried thorough that streete and I shall enter into that Churche neuer more to come out Then will I consider with what companye I am carried to my Graue some singing others weeping and many following mee with piety to honour mee and yet how litle it will auaile my bodye whither they doe it much or litle honour much lesse my Soule if it bee in Hell rather this honour would torment it the more if it knewe it Then will I consider how they cast mee into the graue and couer mee with Earthe laying a Stone vpon mee where my Bodye shall bee eaten with wormes and turned to Dust and sodainely I shall bee forgotten of all as if I had neuer beene in the VVorlde And though there doe remaine of mee very greate and honorable memorye litle shall it auaile my Soule if it enjoye not God as it litle auailed Aristotle or Alexander the greate to bee magnified in the worlde beeing in Hell in terrible Torments for as a holy Sainct saieth VVoe to thee Aristotle that art praised where thou art not and art tormented where thou art Out of these Considerations I will collect some vnbeguilings perswading myselfe to make no account of the vaine honours of this Life but to humble myselfe and in myne owne estimation to put myselfe vnder the feete of all Psal 21.7 like a worme of dust that of all is trodden vpon and cast out as also not to contemne the poore and litle ones seeing in deathe I shall soone bee equall with them and speaking to my Soule Colloquie I will say vnto her Consider wel what vvill be the ende of this fleshe that thou hast Consider vvhome thou cherishest vvhome thou adornest and vpon vvhome thou doest builde these Castles in the aire for all is but like a litle dust raised by the vvinde Psal 1.4 from the face of the Earthe vvhich prosently retourneth to fall thereinto Bee ashamed to subiect thyselfe to so vile fleshe endeuour rather to subiect it like a Slaue vnto thee that it may aide thee to negotiate Life euerlasting O eternall God cleare the eyes of my poore Soule vvith thy Soueraigne Light that it may beholde the vvretched ende of its miserable
remembrance of the soueraigne benefit that God did vs to take vs out of the dust of the Earthe bee not sufficient to spurre and to curbe vs yet at least the remembrance may suffice that when wee leaste thinke of it wee shall bee turned into Dust and so what Loue could not doe let Feare bring to passe Therefore o my Soule Colloquie Micheae 1.10 take Counsell of the Prophet vvho sayeth In the house of Dust couer thyselfe vvith Dust and seeing thou liuest in fleshe vvhich is Dust and art shortely to dvvell in the house of Dust vvhich is the graue couer thyselfe vvith Dust and Ashes doing penance for thy Sinnes and vvith the remembrance of this Dust beduste the svveete and pleasing things of this life that they may not carrye thee after them to Deathe euerlasting The third Pointe 1. FRom hence I will ascende to consider the spirit that is included in these wordes pondering that not without cause they say not vnto mee Remember that thou wast Dust but that thou art Dust at this present to signifye that of my corrupt nature I am earthe Dust for that I am inclined to earthly things as Riches Honors and pampering of the fleshe and that like Dust I am mutable and instable Psal 1.4 suffering myselfe to bee tossed with the winde of euery temptation especially of Vanitye And if I restraine not myselfe I shall turne into Earthe and Dust following my Inclinations and tourning myselfe into a terrene ambitious sensuall and vaine man For the which I am greately to humble myselfe and to tremble at my owne mutabillitye and weaknes and at the perill wherein I liue 2. Then will I ponder how by Gods grace I may free myselfe from these Daungers remembring that aswell I myselfe as all those earthly things that I loue are to ende and to tourne into Dust And with this spirit when I shall beholde a riche and potent man whose riches and power carry my eyes after him that Auarice and Ambition may not ouerthrowe mee I will remember that hee is but Dust and that his gould and Siluer is earthe that all shall retourne thereinto And if I see any beautifull woman that I may not bee tempted and vanquished by Luxury I will also remember that shee and all her Ornaments are Dust and that therein they shall rest And with this spirit I will applye these wordes to all things vpon Earthe saying to myselfe Remember that what thou seest and desirest is Dust and shall turne into Dust and Ashes and if thou doest loue it disordinately thou likewise shalt bee Dust and Earthe as it is Therefore loue God onely and celestiall Riches that by Vertue of his Grace it may bee saide vnto thee Thou art Heauen and to Heauen thou shallt retourne transforming thyselfe by loue into Heauen which thou louest The fourth Pointe FOurthly I am to consider that God our Lorde by the meanes of the Deade and of their Skulles and Bones sayeth vnto mee these very wordes Remember that thou art Dust and that into Dust thou shallt retourne that they may bee the more strongly imprinted in my Hearte and that out of them I may collect the greater prossit This I may ponder calling to memorye that memorable Sentence of Ecclesiasticus Eccles 38 23. which comprehendeth the sense and spirit of the saide wordes Memor esto Iudicij mei sic enim erit tuum mihi heri tibi hodie Remember my Iudgement for so shall thine bee yesterday for mee to daye for thee And for that the Deade had two Iudgements one of his bodye by which hee was condemned to turne to Dull and to VVormes the other of his Soule by which hee receiueth Sentence conformable to his meritteâ— of both of them hee willeth vs to remember ourselues And therefore in seeing any deade bodye or the sculles and bones of the deceased I am to imagine that they say vnto mee Remember that where thou seest thyselfe I sawe myselfe and where I now see myselfe thou shalt see thyselfe yesterday ended my life to day peraduenture thine shall bee ended Yesterday I turned into Dust to daye the like will begin for thee Yesterday the Bells rung for mee to day perhaps the same shall ring for thee Yesterday I gaue an accounte to God of my workes to day thou shallt giue a reckoning of thine Yesterday I receiued Sentence according to my merits to day thou shallt receiue according to thine Consider well that all this shall bee to daye for all the time of thy Life is but as a daye Ad Hebr. 3.13 Colloquie and peraduenture for thee this day shall bee thy last and thou shallt not liue till to morrowe O my Soule heare the crye of the Deade hearken vnto the Lecture that vvithered bones doe reade thee Consider vvell vvhat Iudgement passed on them for such shall bee thine Liue as they vvishe that they had liued prepare thyselfe as they vvould that they had prepared themselues passe often aliue this carriere that they haue passed that when thy houre approcheth thou maiest run it in such sorte that thou mayest obtaine Life euerlasting Amen The twelfth Meditation of the most grieuous Deceites and Daungers which the forgetfulnes of Deathe bringeth with it and of the manner hovv they are to bee remedied THis meditation I will grounde vpon the speeche of our Sauiour Christe concerning a riche man Of the parable of the couetous riche man whose fieldes hauing yeilded him plenty of fruites hee thought within himselfe to inlarge his grainaries or barnes to gather to keepe them and speaking vnto his Soule hee sayed vnto it Soule Luc. 12.19 thou hast much goods layed vp for many yeares take thy rest eate drinke and make good cheere But God saide vnto him Thou foole this night they require thy Soule of thee and the things that thou hast prouided vvhose shall they bee In the person of this riche man so forgetfull of his Deathe are represented vnto vs those that haue the like forgetfullnesse especially when they are riche healthfull and young which I am to applye to myselfe in the forme ensuing The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider three greate Deceites which the forgetfullnesse of Deathe bringeth with it by reason whereof our Lord God calleth this Richeman foole The first Deceite is to promise to myselfe many yeares of Life and to beethinke mee what I shall doe with them as if this depended onely vpon my VVill and not vpon Gods who peraduenture hath determined to take from vs our Life the very same night or day wherein wee thought it should haue beene largest And herewith hee defeateth our Imaginations and discouereth how much they went astraye VVhereupon I will reprehende myselfe with the wordes of the Apostle S. Iaco. 4.13 Iames saying to myselfe How darest thou say to morrowe I will goe into such a Cittye and there I will spende a yeare and will trafficke and make gaine when thou
with more perfection by flying in secret for to this purpose the night is more proper Fourthly I will ponder with what Ioye and Content they trauelled albeit their iourney was troublesome and tedious and deuoide of temporall Commodities which yet they felt not much thorough the greatenesse of their interiour alacritye which relyed vpon two thinges First in that it was the will of our Lord God which they helde for their greatest consolation Secondly in that they carried with them IESVS whose Companye was sufficient to comfort them in any solitarinesse or abandoning whatsoeuer without diuerting themselues to regard or to procure any other refreshing which Trauellers vse to seeke after O omnipotent God Colloquie that gauest to these thy beloued Sainctes such Obedience by their merites I beseeche thee to assist me that I may obey thee with subiection of my iudgement with promptnesse of Will with readinesse in execution and with alacritye of Hearte only to fullfill thy VVill relying vpon thy prouidence that it will haue a care of me if in this manner I obey thee The fifth Pointe FIfthly I am to consider how they remained in Egipt vntill the Deathe of the Tyrant Herod which was fiue or seuen yeares pondering the speciall things that hapned in this time As first the greate Pouertye wherein they liued sustaining themselues with the Labour of their Handes in a poore house among a straunge and barbarous People and yet bearing all this very ioifully for the two causes aforesaide From whence proceeded the greate Quietnesse that they there had in such sorte that they neither desired the Deathe of Herod nor were afflicted with the delaye of their retourne but remitted all to Gods prouidence Being also so zealous as they were of the glorye of God they liued there in continuall dolour for the Idolatrye and perdition of that nation so that of eache of them might be sayed 2 Pet. 2.8 as S. Peter saied of Lot when he was in Sodome that in sight and hearing he was iust dwelling with them who from day to day vexed the iust Soule with vniust workes So it is likely that the sacred VIRGIN S. Ioseph were vexed in Spirit for the Sinnes of that People yet alwaies in the middest of them they preserued their puritye Sanctitye shining like Lightes of Heauen in the middest of that wicked nation And it is to be beleeued that the Sanctitye Modestye and celestiall conuersation of our blessed LADYE the VIRGIN and of S. Ioseph mollified the heartes of that barbarous people and caused in them admiration and respect and some by their example were conuerted to God and came to fauour them with almes and with giftes which they being poore accepted for their sustenance O happy he Colloquie that might be present in this banishment to accompanye and serue the Childe and the mother Ayde me o my God with thy Grace that in my Exile I may liue with alacritye conforming myselfe vnto thy will and giuing good example to such as liue with me that many by my meanes may serue thee with perfection Amen The XXVIII Meditation Of the murder of the holy Innocents and of the retourne from Egipt The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider how king Herod fearing least that king whome the Sages had spoken of should depriue him of his kingdome and perceiuing that he was deluded by them Matt. 2.16 he cruelly commaunded to be murdered all the men Children that were in Bethlehem in all the borders thereof from two yeare old and vnder Wherein is first to be considered what an abominable Vice is Ambition and the Desier of raigning and commaunding from whence ensued such horrible mischeifes the cheife of all which was to desier to take away the life of Christ to vsurpe his kingdome and to raigne by himselfe As also how proper it is to Ambitious men to be suspitious and timorous suspecting least others should depriue them of their greatenesse and fearing where there is no neede of feare as the Tyrant Herod was afraide without cause for our Lord Christ came not to take away temporall kingdomes but to giue celestiall Secondly I will ponder the greate greife that our Sauiour Christ had being in Egipt seeing from thence the murder of the holy Innocents for his sake for it is to be beleeued that the sworde which wounded the bodye of eache one of them peirced his Soule with Dolour of Compassion thorough the exceeding loue wherewith he loued them suffering so many martirdomes in his Spirit as they altogither suffered in bodye O most glorious king of Martyrs Colloquie who on this day conquerest in them and sufferest with them haue compassion on my weakenesse and ayde me with thy grace vanquishing in me all whatsoeuer is contrary vnto thee Thirdly I will ponder the greate spirituall good which accrewed vnto these Children by the temporall Deathe which they suffered being assured thereby of their eternall saluation and therefore that was a louing prouidence which Christ vsed towardes them albeit with the coste of the life of their bodye which is of lesse worth then that of the Soule And for this reason our Sauiour Christ rejoiced at the glorious Deathe of his martyrs by the which they became partakers of so glorious and eternall a life Iob 9.23 that being fullfilled heere which holy Iob sayeth of God that he laugheth at the paines of the innocent because be is recreated with the good that commeth vnto them thereby I would Colloquie o my God that I might suffer for thy sake that my paines might be thy Laughter and mirthe catching me with deathe like these Children before malice chaunge my Hearte Sap. 4.11 and Deceite alter my Soule for I rather desier to dye then to liue to offend thee The Second Pointe ANd when Herod was deade Matt. 2.19 beholde an Angell of our Lord appeared in sleepe to Ioseph in Egipt saying Arize and take the Childe and his mother and goe into the lande of Israel for they are deade that sought the life of the Childe Heere is first to be considered how Herod seeking to take away the life of Christ dâ—ed without compassing his intent and dyed a disastrous deathe both of bodye and Soule for the Iustice of God though it dissembleth for a time chastizeth in the ende and though the punishment of the wicked be deferred yet it commeth at last and when men least thinke then Deathe seazeth vpon them when as they pay for all their wickednesse togither what proffit had Herod by his Ambition and Crueltye and extreame care to preserue his kingdome for he lost all in one day and with all lost his Soule bewailing this remedilesse losse as the rest of the Damned doe bewaile it who say What hath our Pride auailed vs Sap. 5.8 and the boasting of our Riches what hath it profited vs all is passed like a Shadowe and now in our wickednesse we are consumed paying the penaltye that