is noe lesse vncertaine our youth may deceiue vs as it hath done many our manhoode or middle age is not priuiledged our ould age cannot last longe What then must we doe but with S. Augustine quitt the vncertaine and forth-with fixe vppon the certaine meanes a good penitentiall life to preuent the danger of that which cannot otherwise be auoyded by mortall man THE SECONDE POINTE. Nothinge more certaine for the thinge nothinge lesse certaine as to the manner Consider that as we are most certaine that dye we must as vncertaine when soe are we noe lesse ignorant where and how this irreuocable sentence is to be executed Shall it be in France or in England at Paris or in the Coūtry at home or abrode in our chābers or in the Church or Garden Shall it be by a violent accidentall or naturall death Shall we be found dead in our beds as we haue seene some heard of many Or else be wrought downe by a loge and lingeringe disease in the presence of many Shall we finally haue the benefit of the Sacraments which we now haue with soe much ease yea want not without blame To all this the wisest amonge men is not able to answer That dye we must is appointed by a reproachlesse iustice but when but where but how mercy saith S. Augustine hath concealed that we might expect attend prouide for it in all times places occurrences AFFECTION and RESOL. If certainely we must dye my soule yet neither Know when where nor how and if vppon that certaine vncertaine houre an eternity of blisse or woe depends what a necessity is put vppon vs if we will not for moments loose eternities to be ready in all tymes places We Know not my soule we Know not when where or how death may surprise vs onely this wee Know that we haue yet an houre left vs to rise out to four slumber and it is now his present houre Now then without further delay will we by Gods grace dye to that that that c. that death findinge vs already dead may not be able to hurt vs but onely translate vs to à life which Knowes nor feares not death THE II. MEDITATION FOR THE SAME DAY Nothing more dreadfull to the obstinate sinner then death THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that as death contaynes the greatest certaintie and withall the greatest vncertaintie imaginable so it bringes alonge with it the greatest dreade and the greatest comforte possible That to the obstinate sinner this to the humble penitent The sinner vpon the approche of death hath all the sinnes of his whole life placed before his eyes which he still placed behinde his backe and would neither see them nor sorrowe for them which now the vile Tempter aggrauates and makes appeare in their vttermost inorminitie And hence the sinner begins before hand to suffer the tormentes which he alwayes beleeued tho fruitlessely through his obstinacie to be due to his crymes And thus Knowing his guilt and the punishment most iustly due to the same he deeply apprehends it a thinge full of horrour to fall into the hands of a liuing God Thence he rages and despaires seeing himselfe vpō the verie brinke of endlesse perdition and readie to be deliuered vp into the hands of his cruell Tormenteres for all eternitie AFFECTION and RESOLVT O horrour which hath nothing equall to it To apprehend ones selfe to be vpon the verie brinke of eternall perditiō O daunting dreade incomparably surpassing all that ought to be dreaded To be within a moment of falling into the hands of that euer-liuing Maiestie which is able to throw both the body and soule into Hell fire What riches honours pleasures were they neuer so opulent superlatiue and prosperous and remayned they too till that moment in their full possession wheras indeede they all are vanished away like nightly dreames were able to conteruayle so daunting and damning a disaster O my soule those accursed wretches shall then say with in themselues repenting and sighing too late for anguish of spirit What hath pride profited vs Or what aduantage hath the vaunting of riches brought vs Or what comfort hath the most prosperous pleasure of our whole life now left vs. Alas alas none at all but contrarilie a comfortlesse fruitlesse endlesse peniteri THE II. POINTE. Nothing more confortable to the humble penitent Consideration But when the innocent and iust soule or the poore humble penitent perceiues death to creepe vpon her she lifts vp her lōge deiected heade with ioy because her redemption is euen at hand She had vsed her best endeuours mournfully to purge her sinnes in the bloud of the lambe who was slaughtered for vs and thence she cōceiues an humble confidence to meete with mercy and to be ioyfully admitted in to that celestiall mariage of his In fine she eyes death as the immediate obiect of her ioy since it alone has power to deliuer her out of her loathed prison of flesh and to deliuer her vp into the deare hands and diuine imbraces of her dearest spouse whom she loues alone AFFECTION and RESOLV Sitt downe seriously my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soule and count to what a high degree of consolation it will then amounte to heare those heauenly inuitations of the heauenly spouse saying come come my spouse thou shalt be Crovvned Crowned I say vvith that crovvne of iustice vvhich is layd vp for and by a iuste Iudge shall be rendered to them that loue his coming The shewers of repentāt teares are now blowen ouer the sharpe winter of temptations tribulations vexations and crosses which we willingly endured for the loue of God are quite gone ryse vp my friend and come O what excesse of deare delight shall that happie soule inioye at that houre THE FIRST MEDITAT FOR THE FIFTH DAY Of Iudgment THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that dye wee must that is this soe much neglected soule of ours must be turned out of the body which was pampered caressed too carefully looked to by vs presently after death Iudgment saith the great Apostle we must all of vs be brought and be made manifest before Christs Tribunall that euery one beare away accordinge to his woorks We haue left the world vnwillingly while willingly the world leaues vs the dearest freind that euer we had will not goe alonge with our abandoned soule nor euen permitt the body which they loued to ly foure and twentie houres in the Roome with them They that offended with vs will not answer for vs but leaue vs alas to answer all alone AFFECTION and RESOL. Aye me vppon what is it that we fixe our hopes is' t vppon our selues bus alas these muddie walls fall the immortall inhabitant is turned out Vppon the freinds that we haue purchased by sinne or
stand barganing my soule and grudging at the price The naturall sonne of God purchaced it at noe lesse a rate for himselfe and thee THE FIRST MEDITAT FOR THE 7. DAY A serious reflection to be made as vvell of Gods gracious gifts bestovved vpon vs as minaces pronounced against vs THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider by way of a serious reflection of all the former Meditations that since God hath bene so gracious to vs and we so vngratefull to him as greatly and frequently to haue offended his diuine Maiestie Since he so souuerainly hates sinne wher-of we stand guiltie Since death is so vncertaine iudgement so dreadfull Hell so intolerable and the ioyes of Heauen prepared for vs so ineffablely great consider I say what a necessitie is put vpon vs if our hartes be touched either with dreade of vnspeakable torments or loue of Beatitude To make a good vse of the tyme which by Gods mercy we yet haue to redeeme tyme lost to make hay whyle the sunne shines and to treasure vp the celestiall Manna before the sunne sett AFFECTION and RESOLV Noe my soule we will dare noe lōger to be so audaciously aduenterous as to triffle out pretious tyme with cold cras crasses But euen at this verie moment I will striue to conclude an eternall peace with God It is dreadfull to come too late to heare verily verily I know you not and to finde the dore shutt My conuersation therfor shall henceforth be in heauen and heauenly thinges I will descende into Hell aliue to obserue the horride torments of that gastly denne I will expect death at all houres since none knowes the houre indeede in which it may surprise me I will iudge my selfe without flatterie that I may not be more rigourously iudged I will endeuour in earnest and with my whole harte to hate sinne which God so soueraignely hates And the residue of my life shall be spent that by true and hartie pennance the onely true refuge after sinne I may take reuenge of my selfe according to S. Paule for hauing offended so gracious a Benefactour and so dreadfull a Maiestie THE SECONDE POINTE. Hovv vve are to returne to God by pennance according to S. Augustine Consider that the way to returne to God by pennance prescribed by S. Augustine is First as to the tyme to returne speedily and without all delay because he who promised pardon to the repentant sinner promised noe certaine tyme for him to repent in but willed him not to delay his conuersion Secondly as to the manner mournfully and with confusion Euery one ought to lament ouer himselfe as ouer a deade corps and expresse huge grones vpon his deade soule Thirdly in qualitie of Iudge Mounte into the Tribunall of your owne harte proue your owne Iudge and exercise iustice vpon your selfe And in the first place take your selfe from behind you where you endeuoured to hide your faults and not to be seene and stand araigned before your selfe Let feare torture you till a true confession burst out from an humbled harte and say to God I acknovvledge myne iniquitie and my sinnes are continually before myne eyes AFFECTION and RESOLVT My soule hauing thus speedily mournefully and with the iustice and rigour of an vnpartiall Iudge discussed our selues let vs presently humbly and confidently haue recourse to God for the rest We haue an vnhappie power in our selues to commit sinne Thy perdition is from thy selfe ô Israel but our saluation is from God alone To his mercy therfor which is aboue all his workes let vs betake our selues saying in the bitternesse of our harte Grant mercy ô Lord to that miserable wretch whom thou so longe sparedst in his crymes O immense pietie take compassion vpon a confessing cryminall O publike mercy looke vpon him with the eye of pitie who hath proued cruell against his owne soule ah I should apprehend my case in a manner desparate did I not bewaile it in the sight of an infinite goodnesse and conceiue my wounds incurable had I not recourse to an all-souueraigne Physition Let me perceiue the effects of thy myldnesse hauing so longe mercifully suspended the sword of reuenge and let the multitudes of my miseries be drunke vp in the multitudes of thy drainelesse mercyes THE II. MEDITATION FOR THE SAME DAY Hovv vve are to returne to God by the example of the Prodigall child THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that the poore prodigall hauing consumed all his substance and rysing by Gods preuenting grace out of the sleepe of sinne where he had longe layd he said in himselfe hovv many hyrelings are there in my fathers house vvho haue bread in aboundance vvhile I lye staruing here vvith hunger I vvill therfor goe to my father and say vnto him Father I haue offended against heauen and against thee nor am I vvorthy to be called thy sonne treate me onely as one of thy hyrelings This was all the rhetoricke he vsed to witt a true acknowledgment of his owne miserie and offences and the plentie which was found in his fathers house And so tooke a pious resolution with the harte of a contrite and humbled child to returne to a gracious father and confesse his fault willing for his punishment to loose the title of a sonne for that of a poore hirelinge AFFECTION and RESOL. Thus it is my soule that we ought to enter into our selues by comparing the honour and plentie which we inioyed in our fathers house where a quiete conscience heauenly comforts benedictiōs and graces doe abounde with the disasters disgrace and abandonments which experience made vs find and feel when like fugitiues we wandred abroad and were reduced at length to that excesse of miserie as to feede with swine Thus it is that we are to returne home againe by an humble confession of our faults to God and his Ministers hartily acknowledging that we are noe longer worthy of that noble Title of domestikes of God sonns of God coheires and spouses of Christ but onely of poore hirelings which we willingly imbrace Thus doe my soule and we shall infallibly be receiued into the open bosome of a tender father whose bowells are more prone to mercy then our miserable harts readie to craue it as we ought THE II. POINTE. Hovv vve are to returne to God by the example of B. Marie Magdalene Consider that that mirour of true penitents returned to God in the best manner imaginable that is with humilitie and loue mixed with teares c. Vt cognouit saith the Euangelist as soone as she knevv that Iesus vvas sett dovvne to table in the Pharisies house c. she entred with a pious impudence where she was not inuited and placed her selfe behind him at his feete she began to water his feete with teares and wiped them with the haires of her heade and kissed them c. She delayed not to witt the grace of the holie Ghost knovves noe sluggish delay She blushed not because the confusion which she felt within perswaded her that outward
did so touch him at the hart that he forceably cryed out The vnlearned men of the world doe teare heauen out of our hands and we with our great knowledge without braynes or courrage are still content to wallow in flesh and bloud AFFECTION And why doe not we my soule obseruing in our selues the same errours make vse of the same remedies why doe we not fly the occasions of euill and speedily lay hold vpon the occasions of good compagnie and good counsell If in the one we meete with a moment of false delight experience assures vs it is payd with houres and dayes and yeares of discomfort and remorse of conscience wheras in that other we might euen here below haue some participation of heauen and be left with our thoughts full of a solide and permanent delight MEDITATION V. WHAT BEFELL HIM soone after his perfect conuersion to God To vvitt a change vvrought by the hand of the highest I. POINT COnsider a soudaine and strange change of the hand of the highest which happens to all who absolutly conuert themselues to God It became sweete to me saith he to be depriued of the sweetnes of wordly toyes What formerly I feared to loose I now departed from with ioy For thou didst cast them from me thou ô Lord who art my true and prime sweetnes Thou thre west them out I say and in lieu of them didst thy selfe enter who art sweeter then all delightes though not to fleshe and bloode more sublime and high then all honour but not to those who are high in their owne conceipt AFFECTION Take courrage then ô my soule take courrage God is not Augustins God alone but ours also the bowells of his fatherly mercy lyes open euen to vs too His loue is not lessened his arme is not shortened Le ts but in good earnest conuert our selues vnto him and his goodnes cannot auert himselfe from vs. Be conuerted to me and I vvill be conuerted to you saith our Lord. Let 's but absolutely dispossesse our selues of the world and worldly toyes and he will infalliby inhabite our harts possesse them of heauenly ioyes and make vs experience a deare and delightfull change II. POINT Consider secondly that he was restored to the libertie which by the flauerie of sinne he had lost Now saith he was my mynd freed from the biting cares both of honor and riches as also from procuring to welter in carnall sins and prouoking the heate of lust AFFECTION and RESOL. Oh what a change is this from that wherin he formerly found himselfe ingaged when he said now all the arguments which I was wonte to bring were solued and their remayned onely a speachles trembling and it his soule feared euen as death it selfe to be restrayned from the course and fluxe it had longe taken towards sinne wherby it was dayly pining away and growing neerer to destruction And againe I turned and winded my selfe in my chayne till such tyme as that litle which helde me might be broken but still it helde me I was saying I would doe it and euen almost did it yet indeed I did it not but remayned breathing neere the place where I should haue bene We often my soule find the same wrastling with flesh and blood but le ts be faithfull to Gods inspirations and we shall also be restored to the same libertie III. POINT Consider thirdly that as he is more and more remoued from the troubles and cares of the world he approcheth neerer and neerer to the deare delights of heauen and inioying the true libertie of the sons of God I conuersed saith he in a familiar and tender manner with thee who art my beautie my riches my saluation my Lord and my God AFF. and RESOL. Marke ô my soule the delightfull degrees of this heauenly change We are first touched and excited by grace being fallen we are carried on by delight being risen accompayned by delight we are lead to libertie which affords vs wings of holy desire to flye vp and repose in the bosome of our dearely beloued and shelter and solace our selues betwixt those sacred breastes of consolation to which I will cling and nothing shall be able to separate me THE VI. MEDITATION Hovv absolutely he betooke himselfe to a good life I. POINT COnsider that no sooner was he restored to this blessed libertie and had he receaued the Sacraments at Saint Ambrose his hands but he began to lay the fundation of a holy life by bidding a most absolute Adieu from the verie bo tom of his hart as saith Possidius to all worldly pretentions nether now desireing a wife nor sons of his body nor riches nor worldly honors but made a firme purpose to giue himselfe wholy to Gods seruice fasting prayer and good workes meditating day and night in the law of our Lord. saith Possidius AFFECTIONS and RESOL. O my soule lets vs take the same resolution and humbly confidently and perseuerantly make vse of the same meanes and we shall not fayle happily to be restored to Gods fauour He who made vs without vs will not saue vs without our consent and cooperation we must worke then not we alone but Gods grace with vs. II. POINT Consider that this resolution being taken in generall he found no better way to sett vpon it in particular then by selling what he had and giuing it to the poore to follow Christe take his owne word for it I saith he Epis 89. Who write these things did vehemently loue that perfection wherof our Lord spoke when he said to the rich young man in the Gospell Goe c. and I imbraced it not by myne owne strength but by the assistance of his grace AFFECTION and RESOL. Behold ô my soule how thy holy Patron springs on in the wayes of Gods counsells Their is now no more cold cras crases to morow and to morow heard but fourthwith he setts vpon it No more halfe wills wherof the one serues to destroye the other but he resolutely and vehemenly loues it No more irresolution as fearing into what hands he might putt himselfe or that he might loose by the bargaine but he sells and giues all that he hath If we find our selues thus affected how good reason haue we to reioyce in our Lord but if contrarily we be delaying cold irresolute in what we haue vndertaken how good reason haue we to spurre our selues on by his example I will therfore c. III. POINT Consider that he did not build woode haye or stubble that is terreane preferments or respects of flesh and blood vpon these holy fundations but euen gold siluer and pretious stones saith Possidius that is the most choyce christian vertues to witt a feruent loue of God intimated by gold the loue of the neighbour signified by siluer and all the rest of the vertues imported by pretious stones AFF. and RESOL. This is the paterne which our holy Patron left vs let 's examine how well we take it out Is it thus indeed ô my
miserable and accursed nothing Yet such a nothinge it is that man becomes nothing therby nihil fiunt bomines cum peccant yea worse then nothing since it is the verie death of the soule peccatum mors est animae Or take it from him with the whole Catholike Church in more ample and expressiue tearmes Sinne is a vvord a thought a deede against the eternall lavv or prime reason which is God himselfe What doe we then when we sinne but speake thinke or doe against Gods eternall Lawe or God himselfe AFFECTION and RESOL. Ah my soule my soule it is too hard for thee to kicke against the pricke which by how much more we assault it by so much more we are wounded by it It is against God himselfe that sinne ryseth vp against that great dreadfull all-mightie reuengfull God whom were it in its power it would destroye since the sinner as such would neither haue God wise to know nor iust and powerfull to punish his iniquitie Alas what aduantage can wormes and pismires expect by wrasling with Elephants Our strength is like to a spiders webbe how dare we then strugle with omnipotencie whose will none resistes In wrasling we shall onely meete with our owne ruine In disputing neuer find repose nor be able to ansvver one for a thousand for to conclude with S. Paule ô man vvho art thou that dost ansvver God THE II. POINTE. Of the lamentable effects of sinne Consider what grieuous domages the poore soule receiues by mortall Sinne. It depriues of grace ban̄isheth the holy ghost out of the hart which it did inhabite It breakes the league of freindshippe which was betwixt God vs leaues vs his enemyes and slaues of the Diuell his our worst enemie It robbs vs of the right we had to possesse God for euer leaueinge only Hell for our inheritance It wounds makes hideous euen Kills that otherwise im̄ortall soule of ours in a word it makes vs crucify Iesus Christ againe in effect tread the sacred bloud of Iesus vnder our feete AFFECTION RESOLVT Oh accursed fruites of Sinne O saith God himselfe by the mouth of Ieremie Know see how euill bitter a thinge it is for thee to haue left the Lord thy God Ah my soule these are not dreames imaginations or rethoricall amplifications but euen Christian truthes which none dare deny how doe we then dare to dally with danger to seeke occasions to drinke downe sinne like water If therefore the world the flesh or the Diuell tell of I Know not what delightes let vs haue this generouse replye still before our eyes but they are too dearely bought with the losse of the holy ghost and all his giftes Gods freindshippe and his eternall inheritance become the obiecte of his hate This moment of false libertie is not worth beinge aslaue to the Diuell for euer This honnor lookes fawningly vppon mee but it were madnesse to purchase it with eternall disgrace This gold glitters agreeably yet it is not worth the hauing since it will serue onely to buy Hell THE FIRST MEDITAT FOR THE THIRD DAY Sinne is detestable to God THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider in what horror and detestation wee should haue it since wisdome it selfe doth soe abhorre detest it The Almighty eternall God whose goodnesse cannot be questioned without impiety nor his iustice be impeched without blasphemy nor his mercy be exacted without presumption he beinge indeede not soe much good as euen essentially goodnesse it selfe nor soe much iust as iustice it selfe nor soe much mercifull as mercy it selfe for one sinne of pride throwes downe the third parte of the Angells into hell irrecouerably without any further hope of mercy AFFECTION RESOLVT If my soule this be not lesse a truth which all the Christian world willingly imbraces then the former how comes it to passe that mans follie dare be soe damnably aduenturous as to fall in loue with Sinne which wisdome soe highly detests How how I say dare we liue in league with it be willinge to meete with it at euery turne If it haue made Angells Diuells what priuiledge haue men not to dreade the like effects not for one or a few but euen for thousands of sinnes euery man makeinge reflection in himselfe of the multitude of his sinnes downe then my soule downe place thy mouth in the dust and whilst thou canst not penetrate the rigour of Gods iustice to the Angells turne thy selfe more earnestly to admire his incōparable mercy to thee humbly confessinge that otherwise Hell had beene longe since thy habitation makeinge a firme resolution to singe his mercyes eternally THE II. POINT Adam by sinne turned out of Paradise Consider how the same God who is equally goodnesse mercy and iustice for one acte of disobedience throwes Adam out of the happie state wherin he had placed him and subiects him and all his posteritie to multitudes of miseries of body and mynde such as we all daylie expeperience to heate cold calamities innumerable sorts of sicknesses and euen to death it selfe and that too not onely to the dearh of his body but euen to a second death the death of the soule so that there was not any saluation left for all the sonns of men at any lesse rate then the death and bloud of a God-man Iesus-Christ AFFECTION and RESOL. O my soule if this truth be taught vs by faith if we feele it by a sadd and vniuersall experience if it be made manifest to vs by the death of a God let it printe in our hartes an absolute horrour and detestation of sinne which is so horrible and detestable in the sight of God and which his iustice punishes so rigourously And let vs noe lesse adore that sterne iustice of his then extolle and dearly imbrace his mylde mercy who to expiate the sinne of an vngracicus disloyall seruant sacry ficeth the bloud of a dearely beloued and dearely louing and wholy obedient and onely child Be that Iustice alwayes admired and dreaded and be that mercy magnified and loued by men THE II. MEDITATION FOR THE THIRD DAY Sinne putt a God to death THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that our sweete Sauiours paines the deare price of our redemptiō are vniuersall noe parte of his body passes without its particular punishment His head is tormented with pullinge of the haire with blowes with thornes His face with foule spittings boxes His tongue with thirst veneger gale His torne shoulders with the heauie loade of the Crosse His armes with rude extentiōs rackinge His hāds feete with cruell nayles His whole body all ouer with stripes His Sinewes with conuulsions His arteries and veynes with witherednesse His vitall partes with an incredible effusion of his pretious bloud soe that what the prophet foretolde was fully verified from the sole of his foote to the crowne of his head there was noe soundnesse See then whether there be any sorrow like his sorrowe AFFECTION Alas it is but too