loupe for Ioy within me For by this vvould not thy blessed powerfull GOD whose wayes passe finding out not onlie overthrow but also mocke the malice and craft of the devill to His Majesties great Glorie to Satan his sensible shame and to thy everlasting comfort ô malicious subtill Serpent thou canst cunninglie convey by Evahs eares that fearefull poyson towardes her foule which was able to slay her her husband and their posteritie but is not my good GOD both mercifull and powerfull able to convey to my Soule even by mine eare that wholesome Salue whereby that thy poyson is not onlie made ineffectuall but whereby I am made to liue for ever Thou seest thou smellest thou touchest thou tastest yea thou readest ô man manie thinges alwayes understand it is not by thy sight by thy smelling by thy touching by thy tasting yea it is not by thy reading if thou attempt to despise hearing and so to contemne the Worde preached that thou canst be saved ô when shall that shining Golden Chaine of Salvation presented to us by Paul first be reverenced and then be embraced and keeped by us Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the LORD shall bee saved but how shall they call on Him in whome they haue not believed and how shall they belieue in Him Rom. 10.13.14.15.17 of whom they haue not beard and how shall they heare without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent then faith is by hearing and hearing by the Worde of GOD. EVerie man naturallie loveth life and loving life desireth to liue but alace scarce one of a thousand doth know and consider wherefore life should bee loved and so wherefore man should desire for to liue The Ambitious man with Haman desireth for to liue to the ende his Honour may bee increased The leacherous man with Ammon desireth to liue to the ende hee may satisfie his beastlie Lust The seditious man with Ahitophell desireth to liue to the ende that accomplishing his crooked plottes hee may throw downe such as hee hateth and advaunce those which followe him The avaritious man with the Foole in the Gospel would liue to the ende hee may inlarge his Boundes and augment his Summes The Bellie-god would liue that with the rich Glutton hee may please his taste and fatte his vylde Bellie with the daintiest Fare But bee not those men O my Soule with their desires more than abominable in the Eyes of that holie GOD who made all men for Himselfe and no man for anie thing beside Himselfe Wherefore O my Soule if thou loving thy lyfe wouldest loue it as it becommeth the Childe of GOD to loue life and so if desiring to liue thou wouldest liue for the right ende I would advertise thee to learne of that wise graue Heavenlie-learning Father David That this lyfe is not to bee loved but for GODS cause onelie and so man should not desire to liue Psal 119.17 Genes 3. Luke 1.74.75 Rom. 8.11.12.13 but to the ende hee may keepe GODS Lawe This was the Ende wherefore man having lost himselfe in Adam was redeemed by IESVS CHRIST Yea this is the ende wherefore dead uncleane man is quickened renewed and sanctified by the Spirit of the Father and of His dearest Sonne A Lace ô my Soule as men desire to liue and in desiring to liue doe sinne grosselie because they desire not to liue for the right ende so men desire also to die but alace they sinne in desiring to die because the groundes of their desire are vylde before GOD and nowayes profitable but hurtfull to themselues Could wee desire to liue submitting humblie and holilie our crooked willes to the straight will of GOD to the ende that with David wee might keepe His Law and with Hezekiah that wee might benefit His Children on Earth heere Could wee desire to die submitting also heerein our will to the good will of GOD to the ende wee might cease to breake the Lawe of our GOD and so to sinne against His Majestie yea to the ende that wee might bee with IESVS who is our onelie advantage both in lyfe and in death holie should this our desire bee and happie should wee prooue having such a desire wrought in our Soules Vnderstand understand O my soule that this naturall life is no benefit unto man can bee no benefit for man at all but onelie in so farre as it goeth before Spirituall and aeternall life and so in so farre as it hath Spirituall and aeternall life following it for as that olde Saying ever remaineth true Nemo renatus qui non prius natus None hath GOD bearing them over againe by His Spirit to bee a Christian but such who were borne first of flesh and bloode to be men and women So that shall ever holde true which our Master spake of Iudas It had beene good for that man who is not borne over againe by the holie Spirit that hee had never bene borne of a Woman For Death seazing on that man cannot possibly but sende him to Hell unlesse before death man cease for to sinne And if through GODS Grace man die to sinne before hee die before the worlde hee shall cease from his laboures and rest with GOD for ever Bernhard meditating long agoe upon this and subscrybing to the trueth of it from a renewed humble honest heart drewe up this Prayer unto his GOD I beseech Thee O LORD my Father to bestowe upon mee Thine hungrie Childe three Bread Even that I may knowe that I may loue and that I may doe Thy will So shall I liue for in these three standeth the whole lyfe of my Soule And againe It is commonlie sayde amongst men Hee who feedeth well liveth well But heere Wickednesse doeth most grosselie ô my GOD bewray it selfe for none can possiblie liue well but such who liue ordinatelie sociallie and humblie ordinatelie studying to procure honest thinges both before GOD and man that neyther hee sinne against his GOD nor by his sinfull lyfe offend his Brethren Sociallie living so that hee studie to bee beloved of others and to loue others Humblie that while hee is made thus through the Grace of his GOD to carrie himselfe he be not puffed up with pryde as alace too manie bee But contrarie-wise that with the holie Sainctes of GOD yea with His most blessed Angels Rev. 4.9.10 hee cast himselfe alwayes downe before that Majestie who hath beene so mercifull and beneficiall unto him O My Soule When shalt thou beginne to loue that GOD truelie who hath loved thee dearelie with that sincere loue which His Majestie will accept of as of that loue which commeth from Him and sendeth thee backe unto Him againe Belieue mee ô my Soule albeit there bee some yet there bee not manie who be beautified and gifted with this sorte of loue for thou must know ô my soule that the heart of man hath beene and is clogged and cloathed with a foure-folde loue which would be considered by our
I finde another lawe in my members Rom. 7.23.24 rebelling against the law of my minde and leading mee captiue unto the law of sinne which is in my members And after this bursteth he not foorth into that languishing complaint O wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from this bodie of death Besides this O my Soule is not miserable man thus depryved of all righteousnesse and corrupted throughout in bodie and soule made a miserable Beggar beeing before so great a Monarch that hee hath no title to anie of the creatures of GOD so that beeing out of CHRIST the verie meate which hee eateth the verie cloathes which cover his nakednesse the verie aire which hee breatheth into c. shall procure his condemnation suppose hee sinned not otherwayes against his GOD. But which is moste lamentablie miserable O my Soule not onelie is man thus depryved of good and corrupted with evill made a miserable Beggar but a monstrous Slaue yea a Slaue unto a fearfull Slaue even unto Satan that evill one who not onelie lodgeth but even worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2.2 fighting against man by those his ugliest champions Sinne the Worlde Death and the Graue When shall this bee seene and perceived by us O my Soule Surelie could this bee seene Sinne should bee hated by us with an unfained hatred Satan should bee resisted by us as our onelie deadliest enemie Wee use to say O my Soule Burnt Bairne Fyre dreaddeth Hath not that fierie Dragon long agoe burnt us all alace in our first parentes Feele wee not even to this day the fearfull hurt which wee received by that burning Yea carrie wee not about with us goe where wee will the scarres and markes of that burning Should wee not then abhorre to looke to that Dragon to obey anie of his counsels were they never so apparantlie profitable or pleasant For albeit his coate appeareth somewhat to bee friendlie his heart shall remaine alwayes the heart of an irreconcilable Foe SCarre scarre O my Soule with sinne as thou lovest thy GOD and thy selfe for hath not thy GOD who loveth thee with a great loue with a wise loue tolde thee That whosoever sinneth against Him must not onelie receiue wages for his sinnes but besides his wages that boontieth which is due unto Sinne also The wages of Sinne O my Soule as thou knowest is Death Rom. 6.23 even that first death with all those diseases which leade a man unto it separating the soule from the bodie and the bodie from the soule and that second death banishing soule and bodie from the comfortable sight of Gods saving Face and gracious presence for ever and why wilt thou die thus O my soule The boontieth of sinne ô my soule is shame Rom. 6.21 procuring such confusion to man that he dare not lift up his head before GOD before Angels before Men unlesse in soule he bee senselesse both of his GOD and of his sinne This shame was that boontieth wherewith our Iust GOD propined our first parents the first sinners O my soule for howbeit Adam and Evah being free of sinne were naked altogether in respect of materiall naturall seene cloathes yet they were not ashamed but could stand before their GOD and looke one upon another with a good heart and chearfull countenance so glorious were they through the beautie of the Image of GOD which then covered them Alwayes O my Soule no sooner are they infected with Sinne by disobeying the Voyce of their GOD Gen. 3.7.8 but as soone they were so covered with Shame that they dare not looke upon GOD and are confounded while they beholde themselues VVOuldest thou bee freed O my Soule from that Death which is the Wages of Sinne and delivered from that Shame which is the bontieth of Iniquitie I beseech thee shake off that Shame which alace too manie misseled by Satan in this our Age are clogged with albeit it procure daylie matter of new death and greater shame unto them and with a good heart smyling countenance put thou on that Shame where-with too few alace in this our Age are covered albeit it bee able GOD beeing mercifull unto us not onelie to slay Death and shake off confounding Shame but also to procure quickening Grace and saving Glorie Alace O my Soule how manie with Vincentius the Hereticke beside Augustine in his fourtie-eight Epistle while they thinke shame to amende their Faultes thinke no shame to continue in their Faultes Corah with his companions lift up themselues against Moâ—ses Numb 16. and Aaron A certaine space is graunted unto them to advise themselues about this their sinne But dare they not face the matter peartlie beeing as readie to present themselues upon the morrow before the LORD as Moyses and Aaron were What wonder then that our GOD just in all His Wayes cover them with Death and with Shame to their destruction who would not confesse their sinne and willinglie acknowledge That Death and Shame belonged unto them because of it to their conversion Fewe Sinners alace O my Soule in these our dayes with Moyses with David with Daniel with that Great Apostle Paul can acknowledge and confesse their sinnes crying yea crying aloude That Shame yea open Shame belongeth unto them and That Glorie and Righteousnesse belongeth to their GOD and therefore what wonder that amongst our Sinners there bee fewe who haue our Blessed GOD to looke their eyes with Moyses to put away their sinnes with David Deut. 34.6 2. Sam. 12. Dan. 9. 1. â—â—m 1. to heare them with Daniel to receiue them to mercie with Paul Pronounce thy selfe heerefore O my Soule worthie of death because of thy sinnes that GOD through His CHRIST may receiue thee to Life Take the Coate of Shame to thee for thy sinne O my Soule to the ende that thy GOD for thy Saviours sake who for a while was covered with Shame for thee may cloathe thee with Grace heere and with Glorie heere-after for ever FOrget not forget not O my Soule to giue in a Bill of Complaint against thy selfe unto thy GOD accusing thy selfe condemning thy selfe before His Majestie for the secret sinnes committed by thee hid from the Worlde yet knowne by Him And with this forget not to giue in the like Bill against thy selfe before GOD before Angels yea before Men for thy manifest and knowne sinnes seene by that Sunne which shineth by day and not kept secret from that Moone which governeth the night For if thou O my Soule deceived by that olde cunning Deceiver vvho as yet taketh pleasure to deceiue shalt attempt to refuse for anie alluring promise can bee made unto thee for anie harming threatning can bee pronounced against thee to giue in those Billes against thy selfe to the ende that thou happilie judging thy selfe bee not justlie condemned with the Worlde I know one beeing taught of my GOD who will both peartlie and fearcelie giue in his Bill against thee ayming at no lesse than thy
Yea knowest thou not Him who knewe the verie thought of the heart of Simeon the Pharisee speaking thus within himselfe of thy Saviour If this Man were a Prophet Hee would surelie haue knowne what manner of Woman this is which toucheth Him Luke 7.39.40 for shee is a Sinner Oh! ô my soule when shall that which was seene felt and confessed by olde Bernhard who lived in that blinde Age which was couched under grosse Darknesse bee seene bee felt and bee confessed by us who liue nowe hauing that great shyning light of the Gospel continuallie with her hote pearcing Beames stryking as it were our verie Eyes so that wee cannot hyde our selues from them eyther LORDS Day or Weeke day yea eyther by day or by night Bringeth hee not in the wicked man speaking thus to himselfe Parietes inquit sunt undiqueue quis me videt I am inclosed on all sides with walles vvho seeth me Alwayes how is that wicked man answered by him Esto nemo te videt non tamen nullus videt te Angelus bonus videt te angelus malus Bernhard videt te bonis malis Angelis major Deus I giue thee sayeth Bernhard that no man seeth thee yet darest thou say that none seeth thee the good Angell seeth thee the evill angell seeth thee also and vvhich is more one who is greater than good and evill angels seeth thee to wit GOD. When that evill angell the devill O my Soule seeth thee thy irreconciliable Adversarie and bitter Accuser ô my Soule seeth thee When GODS good Angell seeth thee that witnesse seeth thee who vvill beare testimonie against thee yea thy loving Brother seeth thee whom by thy sinne thou grievest fearefullie When thy GOD seeth thee that judge seeth thee who neyther can bee possibilie frustrate of His purpose nor anyways corrupted when He goeth to judgement Attempt not heerefore O my Soule to commit sinne upon hope of secresie for I must assure thee from the mouth of thy GOD that if thou shalt sinne against Him thou shalt bee seene by Him SInne and Evill are so joyntlie knit together O my Soule let Satan alleadge vvhat he will let men misled by Satan alleadge what they please that vvhosoever committeth sinne doeth evill albeit neither in the eyes of other men neither in his owne eyes yet in the eyes of that good GOD before whome sinne was never good before whom sinne shall never be good yea before whom sinne hath ever beene evill sinne shall ever remaine evill commit it who so will I pray thee heerefore O my soule while thou breathest heere forget not to thinke grauelie upon that warning and vvakening Sentence which is delivered by the Spirit touching David his adulterie and murther And when the wife of Vriah heard that her husband Vriah was dead 2. Sam. 11.26.27 shee mourned for her husband So when the mourning was past David sent and tooke her to his House and she became his Wife Alwayes hearken hearken O my soule unto that which followed But the thing that David had done was evill in the sight of the LORD Alwayes lest this evill which ever accompanieth sinne be mistaken by thee O my Soule thou must know that howbeit Sinne bee evill in the sight of the LORD yet the evill of Sinne is not hurtfull to the LORD against whom it is committed but onelie unto that Soule by the which it is committed For as mans goodnesse cannot profite his GOD Ioh 35.6.7 8. so his sinne cannot harme His Majestie Oh! ô my Soule When shall the deboashed Gospellers of this our Tyme suffer these Oracles of GOD to take roote downwarde in their heartes to the ende they may bring foorth Fruite upwards in their lyues Doe they provoake Mee to wrath sayeth the Lord and not themselues to the confusion of their owne faces Ierem. 7.19 Eccles 8.13 It shall not bee well with the Wicked neyther shall hee prolong his dayes but hee shall bee lyke a shadow because hee feareth not before GOD. As thou lovest thy selfe then ô my soule strengthen thy selfe against all Sinne if thou wouldest not haue mee to repent albeit alace out of tyme after death and judgement That ever I was borne For that Evill which ever accompanieth the Sinner for Sinne must in despight of Devils and men at length ceaze upon the Sinner unlesse by sincere repentance GOD beeing mercifull unto him for His Sonne IESVS His sake hee quyte himselfe tymouslie of Sinne. THE Wyse Gardener judgeth of his Tree by its Fruite as the vertuous Husbandman judgeth of his Seede according to his Harvest But oh O my Soule When shalt thou learning to bee holilie and truelie wyse beginne to judge of Sinne thine onelie Enemie by that fruite by that harvest alace which it bringeth foorth Oh LORD GOD oh LORD GOD how fearfullie bitter is that fruit which that rotten poysoning tree of Sin bringeth foorth How fearfullie hurtfull is that uncouth harvest which followeth it I must tell thee heere O my Soule that that Sinne whereinto I was conceived and borne and which alace I must alwayes keepe within my bosome while I liue heere bringeth foorth fruite bringeth foorth sheaues yea such stoukes such stackes which bee so fearfullie bitter so horriblie hurtfull that if this bitternesse and hurt coulde bee perceived even by us who call our selues GODS Children wee should bee easilie mooved with that chosen Vessell of GOD uncessantlie to crye out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver mee from this bodie of death Knowest thou not ô my Soule Roman 7. that thou and this my bodie came joyntlie in one minute joyned together in this Worlde as two kynde Twinnes loving other moste entirelie embracing other most kyndlie Yea knowest thou not ô my Soule that thou and this my bodie haue lived since that time of my birth in this Worlde some yeares together as husband and wife moste strictlie married one to another even before GOD and by GOD and yet that bitter roote of Sinne which alace was conceived was borne and which hath lived with us will haue in despight of all wee can devise or doe thee O my soule separate from this bodie of mine and this my bodie separate from thee But will bitter Sinne stay heere notwithstanding this bee a sharpe stroake Not ô my Soule For Sinne even after this separation is made will haue that bodie within the which it some-time lodged for heere I am speaking ô my Soule of the verie condition of GODS Sainctes onelie albeit it bee dislodged and put out of the bodie by death couched under the vildest stinke and most pestiferous flewar that ever came to the nosthrils of man notwithstanding that that bodie was sometime pleasant to the eyes of the beholders and savourie to the smell of such as approached neare unto it in such sorte that the loving father may not suffer that his tender childe beeing dead to abide in one house with him that the pittiefull hearted mother can bee
onlie they slew them not but that the haires of their head were not burnt neyther were their Coates chaunged nor anie smell of Fire upon them O abusers of Davius yee are so maliciouslie set against the Servant of GOD Daniel that yee will haue him casten into the Denne of Lyons Daniel 6. because hee prayed unto his owne GOD as hee was wont contrarie to that wicked decree vvhich yee by your malicious subtiltie made your king to subscribe unto And yet those Lyons will haue him saved whom yee resolved to haue slaine No refreshment can hungrie Lazarus finde at the handes of the rich Glutton and yet he can finde ease from the tongues of bloodie Dogges Luke 16. How manie wicked men in this our time O my Soule haue soft Doane Beds and Pillowes to lye upon while the Religious Childe of GOD cannot finde a Feather Bedde no not a Fodder Bedde and yet the Earth is contented to be a Bed unto him But ô my soule what if the cruell Princes of the Earth will not suffer so much as this hard earth to be a bedde unto thee O then what shalt thou doe what canst thou looke for be sure either this thy provident pittifull powerfull GOD who hath absolute commandement over all shall O my Soule eyther alter their hearts and make them pittie thee or furnish thee with a strong contented heart able to beare out all that they can devise or doe against thee or make death which is a cruell Burrio to the Wicked but a loving friende to His secret ones to finish thy Laboures and to sende thee to His Rest IOyne ô my soule the thirtiefiue and thirtiesixe verses of the twelft of Exodus with the sixt seventh and tenth verses of the fift Chapter of that Booke that thou mayest learne even with joy to put on that Head-piece of Hope possessing thy selfe alwayes in patience confidentlie and leasurelie depending upon thy GOD even when the King vvhen the Task-masters vvho command under the King yea even when with the King his Task-masters the whole People of the Land are set against thee and busied about nothing but thine overthrow and destruction But vvherefore but vvherefore should I doe this O my soule because He who hath the hearts of all men in His hands can alter both Court and Countrey so that that man vvho this day who this yeare would neither grant thee for begging nor sell thee for Silver a poore Sheafe of Straw to make Bricke of to thy King will another day another yeare giue the willinglie and freelie all his Golde Chaines all his Bracelets all his Ringes and so spoile himselfe to make thee rich And vvould ye not thinke this a vvonder of vvonders Liue there not manie this day who having experience of this in their owne person may say that that King vvho sometime vvas seeking mee to haue offered my bodie to the Gallowes mine head to the Axe hath since that lovinglie embraced mee graciouslie accepted mee to kisse his hand and set mee higher than ever I was before Hast thou compared ô my Soule the ende of the third of Ester with the ende of the eight of Ester In the ende of the third of Ester the Scrybes are writing Letters the King is signating Letters and the Postes are riding and running through the Countrey with Letters In the ende of the eight of Ester the Scribes are writing Letters also the King is signating Letters also and the Postes are running and riding upon Horses of Pryze and Dromidaries with Letters Alwayes tell me vvhat Letters are the Scribes writing is the King Signating are the Postes carrying in the ende of the third of Ester And what Letters be those which the Scribes are writing the King is signating the Postes are carrying in the ende of the eight of Ester In the ende of the third of Ester Letters are vvryting signating and carrying by the Scribes King and Postes to roote out to kill and to destroy all the Iewes both young and olde Children and Women in one day In the ende of the eight of Ester Letters are vvriting signating and carrying by the same Scribes by that same King by those same Postes who vvrote signated and carryed the former granting the Iewes in vvhat Cities soever they were to gather themselues together and to stand for their liues and to roote out to kil and to destroy all the power of the People and of the Province that vexed them both Children and Women and to spoile their goodes Hast thou compared ô my Soule the 19 20 and 21 verses of the third of Daniel vvith the 28 29 and 30 verses of that same Chapter In the 19 20 and 21 verses fearce Nebuchadnezar is so furiouslie set against Hananiah Mishael and Azariah and that GOD vvhome they worshiped that hee would haue them casten into and devoured by the hote fierie Fornace But in the 28 29 and 30 verses pacified Nebuchadnezar thinketh so reverentlie of their GOD and is so favourablie disposed towardes them that blessing their GOD hee maketh a Decree That everie People Nation and Language which spake anie blasphemie against their GOD should bee drawen in pieces and haue their Houses made a jaxe And besides this hee promoted those three in the Province of Babel highlie whom hee decreed before to burne cruellie We use to say and would to GOD our tongues were onelie accustomed with such speaches Blessed bee hee who can make friendes of fremde folke And vvhen I consider this O my Soule I must say Blessed be hee who can make deare Friendes of deadlie Foes Alwayes what must thou doe ô my soule to the ende thou mayest finde this to thy comfort and benefite Let that wise King Salomon informe thee as he was informed by that true Salomon the King of wisdome When the wayes of a man please the LORD Prov. 16.7 he will make his enemies to be at peace with him If thou haue compared O my Soule the 41 verse of the 27 of Genesis with the 4 verse of the 33 of Genesis and with the 29 verse of the xxxv of Genesis thou shalt find this to be most true In the 41 verse of the 27 of Genesis I heare cruell Esau avowing to slay his brother Iaakob when the dayes of mourning for his Father should come Alwayes not onlie see I this same Esau in the 4 verse of the 33 of Genesis embracing this Iaakob falling upon the necke of this Iaakob but in the 29 verse of the thirtiefiue of Genesis I see Esau and Iaakob most kindelie as it became Brethren burying their dead Father Isaac So great advantage reaped Iaakob by walking before GOD and amongst men so that his wayes pleased GOD. If a Subject then find that he is wrōged by his king let him not doe that which may grieue GOD and please his King to the ende hee may obtaine his Kinges favour If a Childe finde that he is wronged by his Father let him not doe that