receiue And though our prayers be but weake faint and full of wandring fantasies yâ—t in stirring vp our selues what in vs lyeth hee will no doubt put to his helping hand sharpen our dulnâ—s strengthen our weakenes pardon our imperfections and accept our obedience But contrariwise as he is mercifull so is he iust As he is liberall so is he wise He appeared not vnto Moises before he had runne out of Egypt vnto the hilles of Madian Neither will he endewe the hartes of such with his heauenly consolatioÌ„ as are yet possessed with worldly vanities He will not cast pearles before swine not the childrens bread vnto dogges Neâ—ther giue a tast of his treasure where there is no will to receiue it He will be found of those saith the wise man that tempt him not Chapter XII Of true abstinence or fasting FAsting serueth especiallye to three endes First to mortify and subdue the lustes of the flesh Secondlye to stirre vp more feruent aptnesse to meditation and prayer And thâ—rdly to be a testimony of our inward humility and duetifull obedience to the will of God We ought to fast saith S. Ambrose to keepe our bodies from surfetting and our soules from sinning The diseases of the minde saith S. Ierom are to be healed with praying and the lustes of of the body with fasting For euen as a wanton pampered horse doth striue to cast his rider so doth a wanton pampered bodie by nature resist against reason and vertue And as a fat foule with few fethers is vnapt to flye in the aire so our praiers as it were the wings of the soule without abstinence of bodie are vnapt to fly vnto heauen The bodie of an obedient Christian is the meetest temple wherein the holy Ghost delighteth to dwell An humble penitent hart the fittest altar whereon the Lord taketh pleasure to receiue our offerings and the mortifying of our flesh the most acceptable sacrifice to appease the honorable maiestie of our God Yet alwaies prouided that as he is well contented with the abstinence of the godly so much more with the conuersion of a sinner Hee is greatly moued with the prayers of the iust but much more with the restitution of the iniurious He is greatly delighted with the patience of the sicke but much more with the charitable hospitality of those that be whole It is good to fast saith S. Augustine but better to giue almesse When the lustes of the flesh are mortifyed our wronged brother satisfied and our needy neighbour releeued then God with our fast is well pleased The sicke for lacke of stomach fast the poore for want of meate The couetuous chuffe to spare his purse the glutton more to eate The apish hipocrite for praise a good man for his soules health alwaies Chapter XIII A briefe summe of Christian religion AS the wise men of the East did offer vnto Christ their costlye presents of gold frankensence and mirre so the most pretious thing that we can present vnto him is the golde of faith and sure hope the franckensence of zeale and true deuotion and the mirre of vertue charitable liuing To honor him with due obedience and depend wholy vpon his prouidence Ioyning alwaies practice with knowledge deedes with wordes keeping with hearing walking with talking and expressing with professing Knowing that not the hearers of the word but the doers shall be iustified Not euery one that saith vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen If you vnderstand these things saith our Sauiour happy are you if you do them Blessed are they that heare the word of God and â—eepe it He that heareth the word willingly vnderstandeth it rightly belieueth it faithfuly learneth it perfectly applyeth it profitably and keepeth it diligently shall ioy with Christ assuredly And this is religion or godlines the ground of conscience and true deuotion The word of God propoundeth repentance seeketh prayer findeth faith apprehendeth hope assureth and charity perfourmeth And where faith neuer doubteth nor hope neuer shrinketh nor charity neuer ceaseth there God neuer faileth And this is the golden chaine of saluation the true pilgrimage to Paradise and right ladder to heauen To know and beleeue the truth are two winges to flye vnto ioy and to resist vice and practise vertue two legges to walke to felicity Iohn heard a voice from heauen saying blessed are the dead which die in the Lord euen so sayth the spirâ—t that they rest from their labors their works follow them And he that will die in the Lord must be carefull to liue in the Lord. It is an infallible rule qualis vita finis ita to him that liueth vertuously God doth alwayes giue grace to dye faithfully A ioyful death followeth a charitable life and a happy life insueth such a death So as hee that liueth to dye well shall surely die to liue better whereas he that will not frame himselfe to honor and obay the giuer of his life is vnworthy to haue or enioy his life And as God in olde tune was not contented to be serued with the blind lame and maimed of the flock so he that carelesly imployeth the bewty and strength of his youth in vice vanity and seruice of the Deuill as though old rotten bones and dregs of age were good ynough to vse in the seruâ—ce of God he seldome granteth either time to liue long or grace to dye well Such as liue like wolues do often dye like swine Commonly after a dissolute life without feare of death followeth a desperat death without hope of life And it agreeth with all equity right and reason that such as in lewd behauiour haue passed their time should by rygure of iustice receiue their end Chapter XIIII An exhortation to indure constant in time of tryall IT is required in a true christian Pilgram to be wel and strongly armed with patieÌ„ce and girt with constancy to abide firme and stable in the time of temptation and triall so as nether prosperity nor aduersity well nor woe life nor death can once moue quaile or discorage him Worldly riches are subiect to many mishaps bodily strength is taken away by sicknes and by age that dayly creeâ—es on bewty is soone consumed but a true constant mind comforted by Gods holy spirit no chance or misfortune can alter or quall Elias in the desert Iohn Baptist in the wildernesse and Peeter in prison with the rest of the Apostles in time of their pilgrimage had but simple clothing but the loines of their minds were weâ—l surely giâ—t Whose commendations of Christ himselfe are very great yet not so much for leauing their parents frendes goods and countrie to followe him nether for their strait kinde of liuing or valiant corage in preaching as for that they continued constant to the end You are they that
him to blaspheme God Ioseph felt his part of miserie when he was solde of his brother and imprâ—soned without cause Noah felt his part of miserie being grieuouslye mocked and persecuted of the wicked Poore Lazarus was both sicke â—oâ—e hungry and thirsty Father Iacob complayned that his daies were fewe and euill Dauid said hee was a worme and no man Solomon was weary of his life because all that euer he saw vnder the Sunne was nothing but vanitie miserie and vexation of minde Father Ierom complayned that Satan sought to ouerthrowe him and that his weake fleshe was readie to consent The Prophet Ieremy cursed the daye of his birth Ionas said it was better for hâ—m to die then liue Chrisostome called the daies of his life the daies of his sorrowe Naziensen wept that his mother had brought him forth to see such miserable daies Such trauell hath God giuen vnto men vnder the sunne to be exercised therin Chapter IIII. Of the breuitye of mans life and certaintye of Death ANd as the dayes of this our painefull pilgrimage are vayne and miserable so are they short and tedious The one foote no sooner on the ground but the other readie to slip into the graue Man that is borne of woman saith Iob hath but a short time to liue and is full of miserie He springeth as a flower fadeth like a shadowe and neuer continueth in one state My daies saith he are more swifte then a runner We bring our yeares to an ende saith Dauid as it were a tale that is tolde We are dying continually all our life long euery yeare day and houre Our infancie lasteth a small while and dyeth Our youth florisheth a time and vanisheth Our manhood a time and departeth Our age a time and by and by it is gone The dayes of our life saith the Psalmist are three-score yeares and tenne and though men bee so strong that they rubbe out till foure score yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow so soone passeth it away and we are gone The life of man is aptly compared to a vapour to the trace of a cloude to a shippe passing ouer the waues of the sea tossed and beaten with tempest to a birde that flyeth in the aire or a shaft that is shot at a marke and neuer staieth till it light vpon the ground Euen so man assoone as he is borne beginneth immediately to draw to his ende The godly Patriarkes who liued in the firste age of the world saw many yeares yet at last the dyed Death was alwaies the ende of their song Adam lyued 930-yeares Seath 912 Enoch 905 Kenan 910 Mahelaell 895 Iared 962 Mathusala 969 Lamech 777 Noah 950 and they died saith the text ABraham the father of the faithfull Dauid a man according to Gods owne hart Iohn Baptist of whom our Sauiour Christ said there hath not risen a greater amongst the children of women yâ—t they dyed All the Prophets Apostles and godly martires were greatly in Gods fauour yet they died Rich and poore wisemen and fooles learned and ignorant godly and vngodly all must follow the dauÌ„ce of death Many are gone before the rest must followe after when God doth call nature must obey Wise Salomon rich Iob strong Sampson and faire Absolon haue trode the path of all flesh Great Alexander Conquered the whole world yet could hee finde no weapon to conquer death The stiffest steele yeeldeth to the hammer the strongest oake to the axe and the stoutest heart vnto nature And therefore king Phillip of Macedonia wallowing in worldly wealth and prosperity commaunded his chamberlaine euery daye at his vp rysing sadly to repeate vnto him these wordes Remember king Phillip and forget not that thou art a man subiect to mortality All flesh is grasse and euerye man the flower of the grasse the grasse shall be withered and the flower shall fall away And as death is a thing of all other most certaine and sure so is the time of dâ—ath most vncertaine and doubtfull The Lord in his word hath reueaâ—ed vnto man many notable lessons touchâ—ng the knowledge of his wâ—ll yet not the day of death bâ—cause he would haue vs liue so as euery day migâ—t be the day of death Knowing that as the course of this life is the râ—ce vnto death so is death the gate to eternal life And therefore as at night we do willingly put of our garments in hope the next morning to put them on againe so ought wee willingly to put of these our mortall bodies assuring our selues that after we haue slept a while in tâ—e dust to receiue them againe immortall O homo Nosce Teipsum The wheat and other seede though it dye and rot in the ground yet springeth vp more beautiful then before It is written how certain summer birds lye dead all winter and reuiue in the spring The Phenix being burnt vnto ashes yet of the same ashes is bred to liue againe So though our bodies layd shall be to rot in lothsome graue Yet afterwards in glorious state more bewty they shall haue When death hath held them downe awhile Anon they shall arise Eternally in ioy to liue With Christ aboue the skyes Chapter V. The passage to Paradise is aptly compared to a warfare PLato calleth a Philosophers life a meditation of death But it may truly be said that the whole race of a Christian mans life is nothing else but a continuall warfare For as the Israelites by bodily resistance did assaile fyght against and ouercome seuen Nations before they could obtaine a temporall inheritance in the land of Canaan so must Gods children by spirituall resistance assaile fight against and ouercome their lewd lustes wicked appetits and fleshly affections with the hole host of vicâ—s enemies most odious to God and dangerous to man before they can come to inioy their eternall inheritance in the kingdome of heauen The chiefe Captaine generall in this continuall conflict is the mighty Lion of the tribe of Iuda the prince of peace the conqueror of death hell and sinne the great Iudge of the world and bishop of our soules which is Christ himselfe The grande Captaine of our ennemyes part is the great red Dragon the old crafty serpent the deceauer of the world accuser of his bretheren and gouernor of darknes which is Satan himselfe Mighty in power subtil in pollicy skilfull in war Apt and ready what in him lyeth to hinder the glory of God and saluation of man Who like a ramping and roring lyon seeking continually whom he may deuoure knoweth how to vse both riches and pouerty prosperity and aduersity health and sicknesse strength and weakenes bewty and deformity as instruments and weapons to serue his purpose Hee tempted Adam to eate the forbâ—ddeÌ„ fruit Aaron to make the goldeÌ„ Calfe Dauid to commit adultry and murther Iudas to betray Christ Peter to forsweare him
The Pilgrimage to Paradise Compiled for the direction comfort and resolution of Gods poore distressed children in passing through this irkesome wildernesse of temptation and tryall By Leonard Wright Acts. 14.22 Through much tribulation must wee enter into the kingdome of God Matth. 7.14 Straight is the gate and narrowe is the way that leadeth vnto life and fewe there be that finde it Seene and allowed LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe and are to be solde at his shoppe against the broad South doore of Paules 1591. To the Right Honourable and my very good Lord Ihon Lord Saint-Ihon Baron of Bletso L. Wright wisheth increase of honour and temporall prosperitie and after death to ioy with Christ in eternal felicitie THE Patriarkes in olde time coÌ„plained right Honorable that the dayes of their pilgrimage were short tedious but we may truly say that the days of our crooked aged are most wretched and dangerous WheÌ„ Satan whose wrath being great because he knoweth his time but short is transformed into an Angel of of light and his peeuish Ministers fashioned like to the Apostles of Christ hauyng their heads so fraught with nouelties their harts so ful of hypocrisie and their toongs so smooth eloquent and plausible as by the persuadable words of mans wisdome they are able to deceiue if it were possible euen the very elect They fil our eares with vaine iangling striuing and contending about Church-plots and principles of doctrine euer learning and neuer able to come to the trueth as though Religion consisted onely in speculation wythout action hearing without doing or knowledge without execution To the great discouraging and amazing of many a simple soule Who though in zeale of conscience very careful to please God and feareful to offend him yet by reason of ignorance vnable to discerne medicine from poison or Religion from Superstition For whose comfort and directioÌ„ in the way of truth godlinesse and vertue I haue penned this litle volume Which as a true testimony of a thankefull minde for those fauourable courtesies your Lordship hath vouchsafed to shew me I haue presumed to dedicate vnto your Honor in hope that in passing vnder your good name the people shal the rather be moued to take the same in good part and apply it to their profit Humbly beseeching you to pardon my boldenesse and accept it as willingly as I offer it faithfully And as duety bindes me my dailie prayers to the Almightie for your Honour shal not cease during life The Author to the Reader IT is a true saying gentle Reader man doth purpose but God doth dispose For I had no sooner determined in discharge of my dutie to frame this litle volume but that vpon speciall occasion offered by some of Satans broode who vnder an hipocriticall shew of Religion sought to corrupt the pure doctrine of the Gospell deface the ministerie and subuert the state of Ecclesiasticall gouernement I was moued in zeale of conscience to stay my former pretence And rather as time then required to apply my indeuours to the preuenting of eminent daungers as in my late published labour intituled A Sommons for sleepers A Patterne for Pastors A Display of dutie and The Hunting of Anti-christ with A friendly admonition to Martin Marprelate and his Mates may plainely appeare Tending chiefely to awake and stirre vp to repentance and amendment of life such wicked and notorious offenders as are most grieuous to the Church and noysome to the common wealth And to put all states and degrees of people in minde of their office and dutie to God their Prince and countrie And now to proceede as one alwayes willing and desirous what in me lyeth to further the glorie of God and profite his children I haue at length finished this my first pretended worke as a meane to incourage strengthen direct in the right path to eternal felicity such weary waÌ„dring Pilgrims as yet are weake in faith doubtfull in conscience or distressed in minde Crauing thus much at thy handes courteous Reader that if it shall please the Lorde in mercie so effectually to blesse and fructifie these my simple trauailes as by the helpe and meanes thereof thou shalt conceiue in thy soule that spirituall comfort and heauenly consolation which in heart I wish thee then yeelde dutifull thankes to the highest and charitably pray for me vale in Christo. L. Wright THE PILGRIMAGE to Paradise Chapter 1. He that in Paradise wil taist the fruites of Diuinity must first learne to know himselfe in the schole of humility HVmility is a vertue springing from the feare of God the mother of meekenesse and sister of deuotioÌ„ without which no man can attaine to the knowledge and feeling of his owne misery in Adam felicity in Christ. A Birde except her winges be mooued downwards can not flye vp to the top of an hill nor man except the affections of his hart be humbled downwards mount vp to the towre of diuine vnderstanding And therfore that godly father S. Augustine compareth heauen vnto a faire stately Pallace with a litle dore whereat no man can enter except he stoupe very low As who should say God reiecteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble and lowlye The true wisedome of a Christian Pilgram consisteth espetiaâ—ly in the knowledge of his owne imperfections Then are we said to bee righteous saith Ierom when we acknowledge our selues to be wicked transgressors He hath much profited in this life saith S. Augustin that hath learned how farre he is from perfection of righteousnes For the lesse opinion a man hath of himselfe the more trust he hath in God And the more he feeleth in his conscience the horror of hell the nearer he is to the ioyes of Heauen None so neare as the humble penitent whose hart is most deepely wounded with the greeuousnes of sinnes nor none so farre from true religion as he who thinketh himselfe most perfect and very religious The ioyes of Paradise are prepared not for proud presumptuous Pharasyes who seeme in their owne Eyes most iust pure and perfect but poore humble Publicans that iustly condemne themselues as most vile miserable and wretched The Sunne of man came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance To seeke vp none but those that do acknowledge themselues to bee lost To comfort and to raise vp none with his Gospel but those which bee discomforted and cast downe by the law Nor to annoint and heale none with his oyle of gladnes but such broken and contrit hartes as for griefe of synnes are sicke and mourne in syon Chapter II. Of the lothsome deformity of nature through Adams fall All which parts of man at the fyrst were in such perfect order and concoâ—d framed together as nether the immortall spirit did conceaue any thing the naturall powers of the soule desyre any thing nor the terrestriall body execute any thing coÌ„trary to the wil of God All