if God doth but a little draw backe his hand thou necessarily commest to naught how is it possible that thou darest prouoke to wrath that Diuine Maiestie which sustaineth thee euen in that same time wherein thou offendest him For as Dionisius sayth the vertue and goodnes of the chiefest Good is so excellent that the creatures when they are immorigerous and disobedient doe receaue of his immeasurable vertue the Being and Ability by which they striue and strugle against him that they may both Be and be able to repugne him Which seeing that it is so how darest thou offend with thy members and sences that Lord who preserueth thee O great blindnes ô intollerable rebellion Who euer saw so impudent a conspiracy The members doe rise against the head of which their life and death dependeth The day will come when this iniury shall be manifestēd and the complaints of the diuine honor shal be heard Haue yee conspired against God It is equall and right that the vniuerse of the whole world shold likewise conspire against you and that God should arme euery creature to the reuenge of that iniury and that all the whole circumference of the earth should warre against the ingratefull and those that will not acknowledge this benefit For it is meete that they that would not open their eyes whilst they had time and were inuited of so great a multitude of diuine benefits I say that is meete that their eyes shold be opened by the multitude of torments which neuer shall haue end But what will be done if to these aforesayd we set before thee the plentifull rich and aboundant table of this world which the Lord hath created for thine vse Whatsoeuer is found vnder the cope of heauen is eyther for the vse of man or for the vse of that thing which attendeth and wayteth vpon man for if man be not fed as I may so say with flies that flye in the ayre yet he is fed with those birds which are fed with these flies and if hee eate not grasse and wild hearbs yet he eateth the beasts of diuers sorts and kinds which are nourished with these hearbs Cast and cast againe thine eyes vpon euery corner of the world and thou shalt see how spacious and large the bounds and limits of thy riches are and how plentifull and affluent is thine inheritance Euery thing that goeth vpon the earth that swimmeth in the water that flyeth through the ayre that shineth in heauen is thine But all these benefits are of God and the works of his prouidence are the glasses of his beauty and testimonies of his mercy the sparks of his loue and the reports and prayses of his liberality See how many Preachers God sendeth vnto thee that thou mayst know him All things that are in heauen and in earth sayth Saint Augustine doe tell me that I should loue thee ô my Lord and they doe not cease to make the same proclamation to all men that no man can be excused If thou hast eares that thou canst vnderstand the voyces of the creatures thou shalt perceaue manifestly how they all together teach thee that thou shouldest loue God For all they in holding their peace cry that they were made for thy seruice that thou as well for thy selfe as for them mightest serue both thy Lord theirs Heauen sayth I doe minister vnto thee by day the light of the Sunne and by night the benefit of the Moone and starres that thou shouldest not walke in darknes and I doe giue and send vnto thee diuers influences that diuers things may encrease and breed with thee that thou mayst not perish thtough hunger The ayre sayth I doe apply my selfe vnto thee that thou mayst breathe in me I doe coole and refresh thee I doe temper and moderate thine internall heate least it consume thee I haue in me diuers kinds of birds that by their variety and beauty thine eyes may be delighted thine eares with their singing pleased and thy pallate by their tast contented and satisfied The water sayth I do serue thee in the appoynted times of the yeere with my rayne and showers I doe refresh comfort thee with my riuers and springs I doe bring forth nourish diuers kinds of fishes that they may be meate for thee I doe water thy sowing thy gardens fruitfull trees that thou mayst be nourished with them all I doe giue thee way through the midst of the Sea that thou maist traffique with the whole world and that it may be at thy pleasure to ioyne thy riches with the wealth of another Hemispheare What thinkest thou that the earth will say which is the common mother of vs all as it were the shop and ware-house of all naturall things Truly it will say not without reason I doe beare thee as an vnprofitable lump I thy mother doe carry thee as it were in mine armes I doe prouide thee of necessaries I doe sustaine thee with the fruits of my bowels I haue participatinn communion with all the other elements with all the heauens and I doe pertake of all theyr influences and I doe fruitfully yeeld and giue thee all my benefits To conclude I like a good mother neyther leaue thee in life nor death for in lyfe I doe suffer thee to tread vpon mee with thy feete and doe sustaine and beare thee vp and in death I yeeld thee a place of quiet and rest and I doe hide and enclose thee within my wombe What neede I many words All the world doth cry with a loud voyce Behold with what great loue my Lord and Creator doth affect thee who created me for the loue of thee and willed that I should serue thee for him that thou in like manner shouldest loue and serue him who created me for thee and thee for himselfe These are ô man the voyces of all the creatures marke and giue eare now that there can be no such wicked deafenes as to heare these voyces and to be ingratefull for so great benefits If thou hast receaued a benefit pay thy debt by thankfulnes least thou be plagued vvith the punishment of ingratefull persons For euery one of the creatures as very well sayth a certayne Doctour doe speake to and call vpon man with three words Receaue Render Beware that is receaue a benefit render thy debt and beware of punishment if thou doest not render it But that thou mayst more feruently meditate think vpon these things consider how Epictetus a Philosopher of whom we haue made mention before came to the knowledge of this Diuinity who willeth that in all things created we shold heare and see our Creator saying When the Crow doth crooke and doth fore-shew any change of weather it is not the Crow that doth fore-shew this to thee but God himselfe And if by mans voyce thou be admonished of any thing is it not in like manner God who created man and gaue vnto him power and
the print thereof in the heeles of my feete Such one consumeth like a rotten thing and as a garment that is moth-eaten And a little after Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance and full of trouble He shooteth forth as a flower and is cut downe he vanisheth also as a shadow and continueth not Doost thou thinke it meete to open thine eyes vpon such an one and to bring him with thee vnto iudgement Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthines All these things said holy Iob greatlie wondering at the seuerity of the diuine Iustice which he saw that God did vse vpon man being a creature so fraile and so ready to fall into all euill who drinketh in iniquity like water But if he should vse this seuerity vpon Angels who are spirituall creatures and much more perfect it were lesse to be meruailed at but that God should vse it vpon man whose passions and euill inclinations are innumerable and that by exacting so strict an account that in his whole life hee doth not winke at one idle word nor doth let passe our minute of time ill spent this doth exceede and passe all admiration For who doth not feare and exceedingly tremble when he heareth those words of the Lord Verily I say vnto you that of euery idle word that men shall speake they shall giue account thereof at the day of iudgement Goe too therefore if an account shall be giuen of those words which offend no man what shall become of vnhonest words Of vnchast thoughts of hands full of blood Of the eyes of adulterers To be briefe of all the time of thy life euill spent in the works of iniquity If this be true as it is most true what tongue what eloquence can remember so great things of the rigour and seuerity of this iudgement which shall not be much lesse then the truth of the thing Or which can be equalized with it in any manner of respect How will wretched and miserable man stand astonished and amazed when in the assemblie of so many Senatours and in the presence of such a Councell an account shall be required of a little word which he hath spoken such or such a day without purpose or fruite Who will not be amazed at this demaund Who durst haue sayde these things vnlesse Christ himselfe before had spoken them Who durst haue vttered them vnlesse he had affirmed them What King was euer found that did expostulate or was greeued with his seruants for so small a fault O the depth of Christian Religion how great is the purity which thou teachest How strict is the account which thou exactest And with how seuere a iudgment doost thou examine search out all things How great will that shame be with which wretched and miserable sinners shall be there confounded When as all their iniquities and enormities which closely they committed within the wals of their houses whilst they liued whatsoeuer also vnhonest or filthy thing euen from their birth to their death they haue polluted themselues with all the corners of their hart and euery secret shall be discouered and opened in this Court before the eyes of the whole world Who there shall haue a conscience so pure that when these things shall begin to be done will not straight-wayes change colour and tremble throughout euery part of his body For if a man doth blush and is ashamed to tell his faults secretly to an other how great will that shame be with which sinners shall be confounded in the sight of God and all the world So great shall that shame be that the wicked as the Prophet testifieth shall cry out saying to the mountaines couer vs to the hils fal on vs. But be it that these be tollerable but what wil it be whē as those most sharp keene arrowes of that finall sentence shot from Gods mouth through their harts Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuil and his Angels Alas with what dolours wil sinners be tormented hearing this sentence When we can heare but a litle portion of his words saith Iob who can vnderstand his fearful power This voyce shal be so horible of such force that the earth in the twinkling of an eye shall be opened And sodainlie they shall goe downe to the graue as the same Iob sayth those which now take the Tabret and Harpe and reioyce in the sound of the Organs and they that now spend theyr dayes in wealth This fall Saint Iohn describeth in the Reuelation in these words And after these things I saw another Angell come downe from heauen hauing great power so that the earth was lightned with his glory And hee cryed out mightily with a loud voyce saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great Cittie and is become the habitation of deuils and the hold of all foule spirits and a Cage of euery vncleane and hateful Bird. And a little after the same Euangelist addeth saying Then a mighty Angell tooke vp a stone like a great Milstone cast it into the Sea saying with such violenee shall the great Cittie Babilon be cast and shall be found no more After thys manner the wicked shall be cast into that pit and darke prison full of all confusion which in this place is vnderstood by Babylon What tongue shall be able to expresse the multitude and aboundance of paynes which they shall suffer There their bodies shall burne with liuing fire that neuer shall be put out there without intermission their soules shall be gnawne of the worme of conscience which shall suffer them to take no rest there shall be continuall weeping and gnashing of teeth neuer to haue end which the holy Scriptures do so often threaten and repeate In this place of desperation those wretches being damned raging with extreame madnes shall turne their furie against God and shall rage vpon themselues eating their owne flesh tearing their owne bowels most furiously renting one anothers flesh with theyr nayles and continually blaspheming the Iudge who condemned them to these paines There euery one shall curse his miserable estate and his vnhappie birth repeating without ceasing that sorrowfull complaint and those mournfull and forsaken lamentations of Iob Let the day perrish wherein I was borne the night when it vvas said there is a man child conceiued Let that day be darknesse let not GOD regard it from aboue neyther let the light shine vpon it But let darknesse and the shadow of death staine it let the cloudes remaine vppon it and let them make it feareful as a bitter day Let darknes possesse that night let it not be ioyned vnto the dayes of the yeere nor let it come into the count of the Moneths Yea desolate be that night and let no ioy be in it Let them that curse the day being ready to renue theyr mourning curse it Let the starres of that
sayth The age of the righteous shall appeare more cleare then the noone day because hee knoweth how great clearenes and brightnes remayneth for him when now he beginneth to goe out of this world And so at that time when the wicked are heauy and faynt the righteous reioyce and haue confidence in the Lord. This Salomon testifieth in his Prouerbs The wicked sayth he shall be cast away for his malice but the righteous hath hope in his death Tell mee I pray thee what greater hope or confidence can be wished for then that which a certaine holy man did ioy in at the houre of his death Death drawing on and he seeing the enemy of mankinde sayd Thou cruell beast why standest thou there thou shalt find nothing deadly in me for the bosome of Abraham shall receaue me in peace How can hee feare or be disquieted who at the very poynt of death had so great hope of the heauenly glory Therfore the righteous doe not feare death yea they reioyce and prayse God when they dye and doe render vnto him great thanks for theyr ende for by the benefit of death they are deliuered from all their labours and enter into their happines Saint Augustine writing vpon the Epistle of Saint Iohn sayth Hee that desireth to be dissolued and to be with Christ dyeth not patiently but lyueth patiently and dyeth delightsomly Therefore the righteous hath no cause to sorrowe neyther to feare death yea rather â—â— is to be sayd of him that like vnto a Swan he dyeth singing yeelding the glory to God who calleth him He feareth not death because he feared God and he that feareth him neede not feare any other He feareth not death because he feared life but feares of death are the effects of an euill life Hee feareth not death because throughout all his life he learned to dye and prepared himselfe to dye but a man prepared and prouident feareth not his enemy Hee feareth not death because so long as he liued he sought for those things that might helpe him that is for vertues and good works He feareth not death because he hath the Iudge fauourable friendlie vnto him and this was the comfort of Saint Ambrose when he was departing this life I haue not so liued sayth he among you that I am ashamed to liue any longer neyther doe I feare to dye because we haue a good and a gracious Lord. To be briefe he feareth not death because to a righteous man death is not death but a sleepe it is not death but an end of all labours it is not death but the way vnto life and a ladder vnto Paradice For he knoweth very well that death hath lost all the bitternes of death after that it hath passed through the veines of life and that it hath receaued the sweetnes of life Hee is not discouraged for any other accidents which oftentimes happen vnto him at this last cast for he knoweth that those sorrowes are the sorrowes of the birth by which he is borne vnto eternity for the loue of which he hath alwayes desired death and led his life in patience He is not terrified through the memory of his sinnes because he hath Christ his Redeemer whom alwayes he did striue to please He feareth not the Diuine iudgement because he hath Christ his Aduocate he sereth not the presence of deuils because he hath Iesus his defender and Captaine he feareth not the horrour of the graue because he knoweth that his body is sowne a corruptible body but shall rise againe an incorruptible body And after this manner prayse is sung in the end The last day iudgeth all the praecedent as Seneca sayth and giueth sentence of the life past for this is it which eyther iustifieth or condemneth but seeing that the end of the righteous is so quiet and peaceable and the death of the wicked so troublesome and dangerous what is further required to make vs flye an euill life and to embrace a good besides this difference What doe all pleasures riches and sauours of this world profit and what auaileth prosperity if I am at the last to be cast into hell fire And what haue all the miseries and calamities of this life hurt me if I shall sleepe and rest in peace tranquillity and if I shall passe hence hauing a pledge and pawne of eternall life Albeit a sinner be wise in the busines of this life vvhat profit reapeth he by this wisedome vnlesse he heape and scrape together those things whereby he becommeth prouder vainer more delicate and of greater power to worke mischiefe but more vnfitte and vnapt to any good worke Hence death is so much the more bitter vnto him by howe much lyfe vvas sweeter There is no wisedome nor prudence more excellent in this life then so to dispose of all affaires that the end may be ioyfull and happy For it is the propertie of a wise man conueniently and fitly to direct the meanes to the end Wherefore if he be called a skilfull Phisitian who can so temper his medicine that it bringeth health which is the end of his medicine so he shall be termed truly wise who hath so learned to lead his life that a good death may follow that is that he be prepared to giue an account which in that day shall be exacted vnto which all the life is to be disposed aymed and leuelled at ¶ The Conclusion of those thinges which haue beene spoken of in this second part THou hast heard therfore my brother what how great be these twelue priuiledges prerogatiues which are granted vnto Vertue in this life which are as the twelue most notable and excellent fruites of that most noble tree which S. Iohn saw in his Reuelation which was planted by the side of a Riuer bearing twelue manner of fruites and yeelding fruite euerie month For what other thing can thys tree be after the Sonne of GOD then Vertue herselfe which yeeldeth fruites of holines and of lyfe And what other fruites more precious then these can be desired which throughout this whole part we haue remembred For what fruite is more pleasant to the sight then that fatherly prouidence by which God preserueth his What fruite is sweeter then the Diuine grace the light of wisedome the consolations of the holy Ghost the ioy peace of a good conscience the good euent of hope the true libertie of the soule the inward peace of the hart to be heard in prayers to be helped in tribulations to be prouided for temporall necessities and to conclude to be ayded and to tast of heauenly comforts in death Surely each one of these priuiledges is so great and so excellent of it selfe that if it were thorowly known each I say were sufficient to moue a man to embrace Vertue to alter and change his life and it would make a man truelie to vnderstand how well it was said of our Sauiour That whosoeuer shall forsake the
and should put off that he had on before and although the same lineaments and ioynts of the body remayned yet he should change his minde and disposition I sayd how may such a conuersion be possible that that should speedily and on a sodaine be put off which eyther being bred in the bone is soundly confirmed by reason of the solidity of naturall matter or being accustomed is so deeply rooted by the customary frequentation of continuall practise These are firmely and profoundly fixed and haue taken fast rooting When shall he learne thriftines and frugality who hath continually accustomed himselfe to delicates feasts and large banquets Or how shall hee fit himselfe to homely and simple attire who hath vsually been inuested with glorious garments and shined in gold and purple He being delighted and setting his pleasure vpon honours and dignities cannot abide to be priuate or inglorious Hee being wayted vpon with multitudes of men and honoured with a company of officious seruants thinketh it a punishment and a plague when he is alone He that continually entangleth himselfe with the fast-hold enticements of pleasures and vices it becommeth a necessity vnto him still to frequent them his drunkennes inuiteth him his pride puffeth him vp his wrath inflameth him his rapes disquiet him his cruelty prouoketh him his ambition allureth him and his lust carrieth and driueth him headlong whether it list I often considered of these things with my selfe for as I my selfe was wrapped in very many errors of my former life which I thought vnpossible to be shut of so also I was obsequious vnto the vices that did sticke and cleaue vnto me and despayring of a better estate I abounded with mine owne euils as though they were proper and naturall vnto me But afterwards the blemish of my former life was washed away by the helpe of that begetting water and the heauenly light poured it selfe into my purged and clensed breast and afterwards the second birth had made me a new man by the operation of the heauenly spirit after a wonderfull and strange manner by and by doubtfull matters were confirmed vnto me secret matters layd open and matters altogether obscure and darke did appeare and that before seemed difficult now began to be easie and that seemed possible which before was thought impossible as it was to acknowledge that to haue beene earthly which before had liued carnally was borne in sinne and endangered with vices and this to be of God which now the holy Ghost hath quickened Thou assuredly knowest and in like manner thou canst recognize with me what this death of vices hath hindered vs of and what this life of vertues hath bestowed vpon vs. Thou thy selfe knowest neyther need I publish it because oftentation of selfe-prayse is odious albeit this cannot be taken as a boast or brag but acceptably for it is not ascribed to the vertue of man but divulged to be the gift of God that now not to sinne began to be of fayth which before to sinne was of humane errour Hetherto be the words of Cyprian by which both thine and the errour of many others is layd open who measure the difficulty of Vertue by their owne strength and therefore they deeme it a thing difficult and impossible to attayne vnto not considering that if they runne to Gods armes and firmely purpose to auoyde sinne that the grace of God will embrace them which maketh this way plaine and easie as here it is manifest by this example remembred seeing that it is most certaine that heere no lyes are told neyther shall that grace fayle thee which fayled not this holy man if thou wilt be conuerted vnto God as he was conuerted I will remember heere another example no lesse admirable then the former Augustine that famous and excellent Doctor of the Church writeth of himselfe that when as he now purposed in his hart to leaue the world a mighty difficulty represented it selfe vnto him in that change Trifles of trifles sayth he toyes of toyes and vanities of vanities my olde and auntient friends and louers held me backe and pulled and shaked my fleshly vesture and whispered vnto me saying Doost thou dismisse vs and from this moment shall wee neuer any more be with thee and from this moment shall it neuer any more be lawfull for thee to doe this and that And what they suggested in this that I call this and that for this ô my God take not away thy mercy from the soule of thy seruant what vncleannes ô my God and what dishonesty did they suggest And I heard them now not halfe so much as before not so freely nor so stoutly gayne-standing me in my way but as muttering behinde my back and priuily pulling me going on that I might looke back yet they hindered me I lingering to escape rid my selfe from them and to passe whether I was called when as violent custome sayd vnto me Thinkest thou that thou shalt be able to passe without these But this was spoken somwhat coldly On the other side he sayd that Vertue appeared vnto him The chast dignity of Continency appeared sayth he on that side towards which my face was and whether I was afrayd to goe of a cheerefull peaceable and quiet countenance not garishly merry honestly and vertuously enticing mee that I should not doubt but come vnto her stretching out her religious and deuout hands to take and embrace me hauing in them an army and a huge band of good examples There were many young men and maydes there was much youth and men of all ages also matronely widdowes and graue virgins and in them all Continency her selfe was not barren but a fruitfull mother of ioyfull children thou ô Lord being her husband And she derided me with an exhortatory irrision as if she would haue said Canst not thou doe that which these and these can doe Or doe these and these it of themselues or not rather in the Lord their God The Lord their God hath giuen me vnto them Why doost thou stand in thy selfe and not stand Cast thy selfe vpon him feare not he will not withdraw himselfe from thee that thou shouldest fall Cast thy selfe securely vpon him hee will receaue thee and will heale thee In the midst of this combat this holy man sayth that he began wonderfully to weepe I sayth he cast my selfe prostrate vnder a certaine figge tree I know not how and I gaue my teares their fill and floods gushed from mine eyes thine acceptable sacrifice And I sayd vnto thee many things not in these words but to this purpose And how long ô Lord How long ô Lord vvilt thou be angry without end Be not mindfull ô Lord of our olde iniquities For I perceaued that I was held back of them and therefore I cast out miserable and wofull plaints and bewaylings Howe long how long to morrow to morrow Why not now why not at this houre is an ende of mine vncleannes I sayd these things and I did
tast that which being tasted bringeth death Hence it is that those beasts in Ezechiell which are the figures of holy men were full of eyes round about that thereby might be signified howe necessary these spirituall eyes are for the seruants of GOD that they may defend themselues from vices Therefore of this remedy we will in this tractate especially entreate to which we will also adioyne all others which seeme to bring any profit as shall be more plainly seene in the discourse following Of the remedies against Pryde CHAP. IIII. WE handling in thys former part sinnes the remedies of them will take our beginning from those seauen which are called capitall as it were the heads and fountaines of all other For euen as the rootes of trees beeing cut vp the boughes branches which receiue life from the rootes doe foorth-with wither and perish so those seauen generall vniuersall rootes of all other vices beeing hewen in sunder and vtterly eradicated suddenly also the vices will dye which are deriued from them For this cause Cassianus with great diligence writ eyght bookes against these vices in which kinde of studie many other learned and graue men haue imitated him 〈◊〉 they did see that these enemies being ouerthrowne others could not lift vp their heads The reason of this is because all sinnes doe originally flow from selfe-loue because euery one of them is committed through the loue desire of some particuler good to desire which this selfe-loue pricketh vs forwards From this loue those three branches do spring of which S. Iohn speaketh in his Canonicall Epistle which are The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life Which that I may expresse them by more known names are the loue of carnall delights pleasures and the loue of riches and honours These three loues are deriued from that first For from the loue of pleasure three sins are engendered Luxurie Gluttony Idlenes From the loue of riches Couâ—tousnes ariseth and from the loue of honour Pride The other two Wrath and Enuye serue each one of these peruerse corrupt loues For Wrath proceedeth thence that a man cannot obtaine that he desireth and Enuye thence that any one is preferred before vs or that any one hath obtayned that we desired Seeing therefore that these three are as the vniuersall rootes of all euils from which all these seauen sinnes proceede these seauen beeing destroyed the whole Armie of other vices shall be ouerthrowen Therefore all our studie ought to be to thys end that we fight valiantly against these Gyants if we will tryumph ouer all other enemies who possesse the Land of Promise Among these vices Pryde is the most powerfull which is an inordinate appetite of our owne excellencie The Saints doe call this the Mother and Queene of all other vices Wherefore not without cause amongst many other instructions holy Toby said to his sonne Suffer not pride to raigne in thine hart or in thy mouth for in pride destruction tooke her beginning Therefore when as this pestilent beast doth assault thy hart thou maist defend thy selfe with the weapons following Consider first that horrible punishment with which Lucifer and his Angels are punished because they were proude for in a moment in the twinckling of an eye hee with his Angels was cast from the highest heauen downe to the deepest hell See 〈◊〉 darke and blinde this vice made him who was more cleâ—â—â—n the starres who not onely was an Angell but the Prince of Angels but now is made not onely a deuill but the wickedst and the filthiest of all deuils If it could doe so much in Angels what can it not doe in thee who art dust and ashes For God is not contrary to himselfe neyther is hee an accepter of persons and as he suffered not pryde in Angels so also in men it dooth displease him in whom he looketh for humilitie Hence it is that Saint Augustine saith Humilitie maketh men like vnto holy Angels pride of Angels maketh deuils And that I may speake plainly Pride is the beginning end cause of all sinnes because it is not onely a sinne but that no sinne is or hath been or shall be without it This saith he And Bernard saith Pride casteth downe from heauen to hell Humilitie rayseth from the lowest place to the highest an Angell falleth froÌ„ the loftiest height to the lowest pitte and man ascendeth from out the world to heauen Then with this punishment let vs consider of the inestimable example of the humility of the sonne of God who for vs tooke vpon him the most abiect nature of man and for vs in like manner was obedient to his father euen to the death of the Crosse. Learne therfore ô man to be humble learne ô earth to obey learne ô dust to be despised Learne ô man of thy God for he is meeke and humble in spirit If it seemeth not honorable inough vnto thee to imitate the example of other men imitate the example of the God of Gods who became man not only that he might redeeme vs but also that he might teach vs humility Cast thine eyes also vpon thy selfe for in thy selfe thou shalt finde that may perswade humility Consider what thou wast before thou wast borne what thou art now being borne and what thou shalt be after death Before thou wast borne thou wast filthy and obscene matter not worthy to be named now thou art dung couered ouer with snow and a while after thou shalt be meate for wormes Why then art thou proud ô man seeing that thy natiuity is sinne thy life misery and thine end putrefaction and corruption If the possession of temporall goods doe puffe thee vp stay a while and death will come who maketh the begger equall with the King and the cottage with the crowne For as we are all borne alike and equall as much as pertayneth to the condition of nature so we all dye alike and equall by reason of the common necessity that being excepted that after death they haue the greater count to render who here haue possessed more Wherfore Chrisostome sayth excellently well Looke into the Sepulchers of the dead seeke amongst them for tokens and notices of that magnificence in which they â—â—ned seeke and enquire for their riches seeke for the solaces of this world which they enioyed whilst they liued Tell me where are now their ornaments their precious and costly apparell their delights and pleasures they are all past away all gone all their magnificent and riotous banquets laughters sports and all the mirth of this world is faded and vanished away Come neerer to the Sepulcher of whom so euer thou wilt and thou shalt find no other thing here but dust ashes wormes and putrified bones Here then is an end of all bodies yea although fed and nourished with the greatest delicates and dainties of the world And I would to God that here were an end of
man should more esteeme his riches then himselfe and rather make shipwrack of his soule then of his substance expose his body to the sword that his garment might not be rent Such an one whosoeuer he be seemeth to me not much to differ from Iudas who for a few pence sold iustice sold grace and sold his owne soule To conclude if it be certaine as we assuredly beleeue that thou in the houre of death if thou meanest to be saued art bound of necessity to make restitution what greater madnes can there be then when thou art bound to restore and repay that thou owest to persist and continue in sinne to the houre of death to goe to bed in sinne to rise in sinne to liue and receaue the communion in sinne and to lose all that he loseth who perseuereth in sinne rather then to restore forth-with vvhat perdition can be greater in the vniuersal world He seemeth to haue no iudgment who slenderly accounteth of so great a losse Labour therfore my brother that thou mayst speedily and fully restore that thou owest neyther hereafter offer iniury or loose to any man Beware in like manner that the wages of thine hireling do not sleepe with thee til the morrow Doe not cause him to come often vnto thee and to depart heauy and sad from thee before he receaue his stipend least he lose more time in receauing then in earning it which often-times cōmeth to passe through the iniury of euil pay-maisters If thou beest the executour of any mans wil and testament beware that thou deceauest not the soule of the deceased least it proue another day a burden and clogge to thy soule If thou hast a family and many accounts to cast vp endeuor that they may be cleare and absolute or at least whilst thou lyuest that they may be cleared least when thou dyest strife and contention fall amongst thy family All that thou canst doe for the finishing and perfecting of thine owne will and testament passe it not ouer to the trust of another for if thou shalt be negligent in thine owne busines what thinkest thou others wil be in other mens Reioyce if thou owest not any thing to another but charity for then thou shalt sleepe securely and thou shalt feele no prick of conscience thy life shall be peaceable and thy death in tranquility But that thou mayst more be stirred vp to all these things cast a bridle vpon thine appetites and desires least thou giue the raynes vnto thy will and so out-runne thine estate dispose of thy diet and charges according to thy substance measure thine expences not by thy will but by thine ability least thou be oppressed with the lone of other mens money The burden of lones is drawne vpon vs by our owne affections temperance alone is more worth then many thousand of yeerely reuenues Possesse those blessed and true riches of which Paule speaketh Godlines is great gaine If men would be content with that estate that God hath sent them neyther murmur against the Diuine ordinance they should alwayes liue in peace but when they will ouerpasse these bonds and limits it is necessary that they should lose much of their tranquillity and quiet For those things haue neuer a happy end which are taken in hand against the will of the Lord. Remedies against Luxurie CHAP. VI. LVxury is an ordinate desire of filthy and vnhonest pleasures This sinne is very generall and common and more violent then all the rest For of all the combats and battailes which Christians are to fight the combat of Chastity is most difficult for the wrastling is perpetuall and the victory rare as sayth Bernard Therefore when as this soule and obscene vice doth tempt thy minde and thy flesh beginneth to tickle and prouoke thee thou shalt meete these motions with the cogitations following First and formost consider with thy selfe that this vice doth not onely pollute and contaminate thy soule which the sonne of God hath washed and beautified with his owne blood but also it defileth thy body which is a member of Christ and the temple of the holy Ghost But if it be a great wickednes to pollute the materiall Church of GOD what an hainous offence will it be to prophane this temple which is the liuely habitation of the true God For euery sinne sayth the Apostle that a man dooth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body that is by prophaning and coinquinating it with carnall lust and fleshly sinne Consider that this sinne cannot be done without the scandall and preiudice of many persons which concurre to the effecting of it which thing wonderfully afflicteth the conscience at the houre of death For if the Law of the Lord commaundeth that life is to be tendered for life an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth how can he giue a like recompence to God who hath destroyed so many Christian soules howe shall hee be able to make satisfaction for so many soules which Christ hath purchased vnto him by his precious blood See how many delights and pleasures this sinne hath in the beginning but the end is most bitter the entrance is easie but the issue and egresse most difficult Therefore the Wise-man sayth A whore is as a deepe ditch and a strange woman is as anarrow pit Ingresse to her is easie but egresse difficult For truely there is nothing found in which men are more easily taken then in the sweetnes of this sin which appeareth by the beginnings and entrance into it But when as hands haue strooken friendship and this league is confirmed and lust hath captiuated thy soule who shall be able to deliuer and free it Wherefore not without cause this sinne is sayd to be most like a fishers Wee le or bow-net which hath a large entrance into it but a narrovve getting out and therefore the fishes that once goe in cannot get out Hence it appeareth how great is the multitude of sins which ariseth from this one when as in all that time in which the way is prepared and the deede committed God is a thousand wayes offended by thoughts desires and workes Consider furthermore as a certaine learned Doctor sayth what a multitude of other mischiefes this deceitfull pestilence bringeth with it First it spoyleth thy good name which is the most precious thing that belongs to man neyther is there any sinne that pulleth more haynous infamy vpon thee then luxurie doth After that it weakeneth and enfeebleth the strength of man it taketh away the beauty it hurteth the sound constitution it bringeth infinite diseases which are both filthy and reprochfull it perisheth and blasteth the florish and blossome of thy youth neyther suffereth it to bud and increase it bringeth old age before the time it breaketh the force strength of thy wit it dulleth the subtiltie of thine vnderstanding and maketh a man like vnto a brute beast
me thou didst fast thou didst watch thou didst run hether thether thou didst sweat thou didst weepe and thou didst proue by experience those miseries which my sinnes deserued and yet thou wast without any sinne neyther was there guile found in thy mouth neyther hadst thou offended but wast offended To be briefe for me thou wast taken forsaken of thine denied sold presented now before this Iudge now before that falsely accused before them beaten with fists spette vpon mocked whypped crowned with thornes reuiled with blasphemies hanged vpon the Crosse dead and buried At the length thou didst free me from all euill dying vpon the Crosse and ending thy life thy mother looking on at which time thou wast found in so great neede and misery that in that thine intollerable thirst a small drop of water was denied vnto thee by which thou mightest refresh and coole the heate of thy mouth Not onely thou wast forsaken of all externall things but also of thine owne Father What is worthy of greater admiration then that the God of so great a maiestie should end his lyfe vpon the cursed tree of the Crosse with the title of a malefactour When any man yea of meane estate commeth to that misfortune that he is to be punished with like death for his offence and fault and thou by chaunce dost know him seeing his countenaunce thou canst not sufficiently wonder considering into what an vnhappy estate his misery hath cast hym that hee must vnder-goe a death so cruell and ignominous Wherefore if it be an admirable thing to see a common man of inferiour degree to be compassed with so miserable calamitie what will it be to see not a man but the Lord of all creatures to be so plunged Can a thing be seene with greater admiration then God himselfe to be brought into so great misery for the offences of one malefactour And if by how much the person is more worthy and more noble who is slaine by so much hys case is more admirable and more miserable O yee Angels to whom the height and excellencie of this Lord is so perfectlie knowne vnderstood tel me what was your griefe and discruciatement What was your admiration astonishment when ye saw him hanging vpon the tree The Cherubins whom God in the old Testament commaunded to be placed at the two ends of the Arke of the Couenant theyr faces beeing turned one to another towards the Mercie-seate as though they beheld it admiring wondering doe signifie vnto vs that those high and supreame spirits were astonished when they did see and behold a worke of so great pietie when I say they did see God made the propitiatorie sacrifice of the worlde hanging vpon a tree Nature herselfe stoode astonished and all the creatures were suspended from theyr functions the principalities and powers of heauen were amazed considering this inestimable goodnesse which they knew to be in GOD. What then shall they doe who doe not swimme in waters of so great admiration of the Sea What shal they doe who are not drowned in the Ocean of this goodnes How cannot he but be amazed as another Moses astonished then in the Mount when the figure and patterne of this misterie was reuealed vnto him and he cryed out with a loud voyce The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slowe to anger and aboundant in goodnesse and truth Beeing able neyther to say nor doe any thing but to proclaime with a high voyce that mercy which God then shewed to him What shall hee doe that couereth not his face as Elias dyd when he saw God passe by him not in the figure of his maiestie but in the forme of his most lowly humility not ouerthrowing Mountaines renting in sunder Rocks by his infinite power but presented to the eyes of a froward Nation commaunding Rocks to be rent and clouen in sunder through his compassion Who then will not shut the eyes of his vnderstanding who will not open the bosome of his will that he may perceiue the greatnesse of thys loue and benefit and loue thys Lord without any meane or measure O the height of loue ô the depth of vnmeasurable humility ô the greatnes of mercy ô the bottomlesse pitte of incomprehensible goodnes O Lord if I bee so greatly indebted to thee because thou hast redeemed me what doe I not owe thee for that manner by which thou hast redeemed me Thou hast redeemed mee with most great dolours with contumelies and ignominies not to be borne in so much that thou wast made a reproch of men and the scorne of the whole vvorld Through thy reproches thou hast honored me through thy accusations thou hast defended me through thy blood thou hast washed me through thy death thou hast raysed me and through thy teares thou hast freed me from euerlasting weeping and gnashing of teeth O good Father who so tenderly louest thy chyldren thou art that good and true Sheepheard which giuest thy selfe foode for thy flocke O thou most faythfull Keeper who lavest down thy life for thy Sheepe which thou tookest to defend keepe vvith what rewards shall I recompence this so great a benefit vvith what teares shall I requite thy weeping vvith what lyfe shall I remunerate thy holy and pure liuing There is too huge and great a difference betweene the life of man and God betweene the teares of the Creator and the creature But if ô man it be apparent vnto thee that thou art not onlie indebted vnto God that hee dyed not onely for thee alone but for the whole world beware thou be not deceiued For so he dyed for all that also he dyed for euery one For by his infinite wisedome all they for whom he suffered were so present to his eyes that they were all comprehended as it were in one and with his vnmeasurable loue he embraced all in generall and euery one in particuler and he so shedde his blood for all as if it had beene for one To conclude his loue was so great and so exceeding that as the holy men of GOD doe say if but one onely amongst all men had been guiltie and faultie yea for him alone he would haue suffered all that which he suffered for all Marke therefore and ponder with thy selfe howe much thou art indebted to thys Lord who hath doone so great thinges for thee and would haue doone much greater if thy necessitie had required greater ¶ Of this afore-said it is gathered how great an offence it is to offend our Sauiour I Would that all creatures would tell mee if any benefit greater if a greater bond if greater fauour thē this may be found Let the whole assembly and company of Angels tell me if God did euer such things for them Who then is he that will refuse to offer himselfe vp wholy a sacrifice to GOD For three causes saith Anselme ô Lord I owe all that to thee that I am First because thou hast created mee
thou hast loued with so an inordinate loue much lesse the Idols which thou adoredst what doe I say that they cannot helpe thee Yea those things which thou louedst most and which were in the greatest estimation with thee these then most of all shall vexe and torment thee tell me I pray thee when thou seest thy selfe left in this danger what minde or what courage wilt thou haue Whether wilt thou goe What wilt thou doe Whom wilt thou call vnto To returne to lyfe it will be vnpossible but to depart out of life it will be intollerable to stay longer in this life it shall not be giuen vnto thee what then wilt thou doe In that day saith the Lord God by his Prophet I will euen cause the sunne to goe downe at noone and I will darken the earth in the cleere day and I will turne your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation and I will make it as the mourning of an onely sonne and the end thereof as a bitter day O fearefull words ô dreadfull sentence shaking all harts In that day sayth he the sunne shal goe downe at noone for in that houre the multitude of their offences shall be set before sinners and they seeing the deuine iustice to cut off the thred of their life some of them shall be strucken with so great feare and trembling and shall be so destitute of all hope and trust that they shall suppose themselues to be reprobate and vtterly excluded from the diuine mercy Be it that as yet they are in the noone mid-day that is that they are in the course of their life which is time as yet to for sake their sinfull wayes and to lay hold on Christ yet they shall perswade themselues that this time is ouer-past and that all grace and fauour is shut vp from them The most powerfull and mightiest perturbation of the minde is feare which supposeth euery small thing to be great and alwayes dreadeth things absent as present If a small feare of any thing doth this what shall that true feare doe conceaued of so fearefull and capitall dangers Be it that yet they suruiue and that they are placed in this life in the midst of their friends neuerthelesse they suppose that they as it were experiment and feele the dolours and punishments of the damned At one and the selfe same time they thinke themselues aliue and dead and they being caught with the sorrow of present things which they are to leaue they begin to feele the future euils which they feare They iudge them blessed and happy who are left in this world and of this enuy new sorrowes arise and increase Therfore then the sunne goeth downe at noone vnto them when they casting their eyes euery way shall see euery where entrance into heauen to be shut and denied vnto them neyther any beame of light shall appeare or shine vnto them For if they looke vnto the mercy of God they shall suppose themselues vnworthy that God should haue mercy on them if they flye vnto the diuine iustice they shall suspect that all cruell tortures are prepared for them and that hetherto their day hath beene but now that the day of the Lord doth hang ouer them yea they shall thinke that euen now it beginneth If they call to minde their life past euery part of that doth reprehend them if they behold the present time they see that now they are dying if the future time which is now at hand they see the Iudge sitting vpon his tribunall and expect iudgement from him Being compassed with so many causes of feare what will they doe whether will they goe The Prophet proceedeth And I will darken the earth in the cleere day that is those things which heeretofore were wont sweetly to delight thee now they shal exceedingly torment thee and shall strike and thrust through thy soule with intollerable stings and pricks of griefe It is pleasant and delightfull to a man liuing and in health to see his children to enioy his friends to gouerne his houshold to haue much riches and to possesse with pleasure whatsoeuer the minde desireth But then all that pleasure shall be turned into sorrow For all these afore-sayde with most bitter torments shall rend and cut in peeces thy miserable conscience and they shall be sharpe speares to wound their louers It is naturall that as the possession and presence of a thing which we loue doth ioy vs and make vs merry so the absence of the same thing doth bring heauines and sorrowe Hence it is that the sonnes doe flie the presence of their dying father and the louing and religious wife being full of anguish doth hide her selfe from her husbands face least by her presence she might encrease his dolours For although the soule being by and by to be seperated from the body hath a long and dangerous iourney to goe yet the great greefe doth not permit any obseruation of the termes of humanity and ciuility neyther doth it graunt the soule euen now iourneying before her departure to bid farewell to her friends If thou my Reader at anie time shall come to this passe thou shalt surely vnderstand that I speake nothing but truth but if thou as yet neuer camst into this danger at least beleeue them which haue had experience of these things For they that saile ouer the Sea as the Wiseman sayth tell of the perils thereof If therefore they be such and so great which goe before this dolorous and lamentable seperation what manner and how great doest thou thinke that they will be which shall follow after If the preparation be so great what shall the solemnity it selfe be For straight-wayes after death the account shall follow which that most iust Iudge shall require of the soule which how mightily it is to be feared I would not haue thee to learne of the men of this world who as they dwell in Egipt that is in a Land of darkues so they liue in great blindnes and intollerable errours But in this matter aske counsaile of the Saints of God who dwell in the Land of Goshen in which alwayes the light of truth shineth and they will teach thee not onely with words but also by examples how greatly this account is to be feared Without doubt King Dauid was a most holy man neuerthelesse so great was his feare which he conceaued being mindfull of rendring this account that he sayd in his prayer to the Lord Enter not ô Lord into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shal none that liueth be iustified Arsenius was a holy man who yet when he should dye began to weepe and to tremble after that manner that his Schollers who stoode about him being moued at this his trembling asked and sayd vnto him Father why weepest thou Why doest thou tremble What doest thou also feare To whom he aunswered I feare in truth and verity and this feare which now is
come let vs rayse and stirre vp our selues before we be ouer-taken before that great day of the Lord come and appeare of which the Prophet sayth Behold it commeth and who shall endure it Or who shall abide the day of his comming That is a feareful day of hurly burly and of darknes But thou wilt say Howe then may I escape these foresaide euils I will tell thee not onely keepe thy body pure and vnspotted but when thou hast suffered iniurie do good for it if thou beest accused be thou patient When thou doost fast be not boasting of it for fasts are not commended for abstayning from meate but for abstayning from sinne Search the Scriptures see how first the Prophet seeth a Hasill-wand and afterwards a burning Cauldron demonstrating vnto vs that the fire doth consume those that doe not beare the chastisement and correction of the rodde So by Moses the pyllar of fire showed that they that obserue the law receiue the light but the disobedient receiue fire Reade the Scriptures of our Sauiour and learne howe that when we goe hence thether no body can helpe vs. The brother shall not redeeme the brother from endlesse torments nor the friend hys friend nor the parents their children nor the children their parents And what doe I speake of myserable men when as if Noe Iob and Daniel come they cannot intreate the Iudge But thou wilt say Whence may I know this to be true Looke vppon him that hauing not his wedding garment was excluded and none intreating for him Looke vppon him that had the talent committed vnto him and dyd not increase it and how for him no body intreateth Looke vpon the fiue Virgins shutte foorth neyther the other fiue intreateth for them which also Christ calleth foolish because after they had troden pleasures vnder theyr feete after they had cooled the fornace of concupiscence then they were found fooles and not without cause because they obseruing that great dutie of Virginitie dyd not keepe that small commaundement of Humilitie Looke vpon the Iudge in the day of iudgement placing the Sheepe on hys right hand and the vnprofitable Goates on his left and saying to those on his right hand Come yee blessed of my Father receaue a kingdome prepared for you But those on his left hand to be cast into vtter darknesse and that no body dooth helpe and succour them being cast out For it is a true speech Behold the man and his worke Thou hast heard how Diues neuer pittying Lazarus was tormented with flames desired a droppe of water Thou knowest how that Abraham himselfe could not ease his paines although he desired and beseeched him Therefore heereafter we regarding and respecting our selues before we are confounded and vtterly cast downe let vs giue the glory to God It is better here that thy tongue should be dried vp through fasting then to keepe it moyst and there to desire that moysture which being denied is eternall paine Heere with small labour wee may auoide great torments And if we be so delicate and tender in this life that we can not suffer patiently a feauer of three dayes how shall we in the life to come be able to suffer euerlasting fire If wee doe feare the sentence of death pronounced of an earthly Iudge which taketh only from vs life of a few yeres why doe we not feare the sentence of this Iudge which depriueth vs vtterly of an eternall life If we are terrified seeing the execution of some horrible punishment which in this world is inflicted vpon some malefactour when wee see the Sargiants with the Hang-man to draw the malefactour to punishment to beate him to hang and quarter him or to burne him Yet all these are rather solaces then sorrowes if they be compared with the punishments to come For these torments are ended together with life but there neyther the worme shall dye nor the tormenter shall be wearied nor the fire shall euer be extinguished In so much that if all things which thou shalt compare with this punishment be fire be sword be beasts be what torment thou wilt yet it is a sleepe and a shadow in comparison of this But what will the condemned doe when they see themselues depriued of so great a good and condemned to so great misery What will they doe What will they say How will they breathe And all these in vaine For after the ship is drowned the Saylers are for no vse neyther is a Phisition profitable when the diseased dye Then although too late they shall disclaime their errours and say this was to be done and this not Although we often haue beene admonished yet we haue not obeyed Then the Iewes at the length shall acknowledge him that commeth in the name of the Lord but this too late knowledge shall nothing profit them For there shall be no time O vs wretched and miserable what shall we bring for our excuse in that day when as heauen the earth the Sunne the Moone the day and the night with all things that are in the world shall accuse vs and shall cry out for reuengement vpon vs bearing witnes of our euils Yea if all should hold their peace yet our owne conscience would lift vp her voyce against vs and accuse vs. All these things are out of Saint Chrisostome by which it is manifest how greatly hee shall be striken with a vehement feare who shall come vnprepared to this sentence This same Saint Ambrose feared when he sayth woe vnto me if I shall not rise at midnight to confesse and prayse thee ô Lord. Woe to me if I shall deale craftily with my neighbour Woe vnto me if I shall not speake the truth The axe is layde to the roote of the tree let it bring forth those fruites of grace which it should of repentance The Lord is at hand that requireth fruite hee giueth life to the fruitfull but casteth the barren into the fire THE NINTH TITLE That man is bound to the exercise of Vertue by reason of the third last thing that happeneth vnto him which is the glory of Heauen CHAP. IX EVery one of those things which hetherto wee haue spoken of by very good reason ought to haue sufficient force to inflame our minds with the loue of Vertue But because the hardnes of mans hart is so great that after all this it cannot be moued with all these we will adde an other motiue no lesse effectuall then the praecedent It is the greatnes of the reward which Vertue promiseth to her louers that is the glory of Heauen in which two things are to be especially looked vnto the one is the excellencie and beauty of the place that is of the heauen of heauens the other is the dignity and greatnes of the King that dwelleth there with all his elect As touching the first howe great the beauty is and how great are the riches of this place no humane
himselfe to the sacrifice he heard of him Now I know that thou fearest God seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely sonne By my selfe haue I sworne because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thine onely sonne Therefore will I surely blesse thee and will greatly multiply thy seede as the starres of the heauen and as the sand which is vpon the Sea shoare and thy seede shall possesse the gate of his enemies More-ouer amongst thy sonnes I will giue thee one who shall be the Sauiour of the world and he shal be both thy sonne and the sonne of GOD. Dooth this seeme vnto thee an ample reward Thys is a reward woorthy of God for God is God in all things Hee is God in recompencing hee is God in correcting hee is God in all other things Dauid on a certaine night considered with himselfe howe he himselfe dwelt in a house of Cedar trees and the Arke of GOD remained within the Curtaines and he began to think of building an house vnto the Lord. And the same night the word of the Lord came vnto Nathan saying Goe and tell my seruaunt Dauid thus saith the Lord vvilt thou build mee an house for my dwelling I doe sweare vnto thee I will builde thee an house for euer and for all thy posteritie with a perpetuall kingdome neyther shall my mercy depart from it So he sayd and so he did for to the comming of Christ they raigned in the house of Iuda who descended of the familie and seede of Dauid whō Christ followed who shall raigne for euer Therefore if the glory of Heauen be a recompence and an vniuersall remuneration of the diuine worship and seruice done vnto God of his Saints if God be so liberall in this recompence it is no hard thing to coniecture how great the glory to come of the blessed will be We haue another coniecture if we consider howe great the price is which God requireth for this glorie notwithstanding he is so liberall and bountifull For after sinne hee would not grant this glory to any man at a lesser price then at the death blood of his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ insomuch that this heauenly life is not gyuen to man but for the death of God and for the sorrowes of God celestiall ioy is giuen to man And because God hanged vppon the Crosse between two theeues now man raigneth amongst the assembly of Angels Tell me if by any meane it may be spoken what manner of good is that which that the Lorde might giue it vnto thee first he must sweat out his owne blood he must be apprehended bound beaten mocked crowned with thornes and crucified What will it be I pray thee that the Lord who otherwise of his own nature is so liberall hath prepared that he might giue vnto men for this so inestimable a price Hee that kuoweth well how to fish in thys depth hee by this coniecture shall know the greatnes of thys glory more manifestly then by all others which may be imagined God also exacteth as an appendix of thys former the greatest thing that may be exacted of man for this celestiall glory that is he take vp his crosse that hee pull out his right eye and cast it from him if it offend him that he forsake Father and Mother with all other things created if they at any time perswade any thing contrary to the diuine commandements And when we haue doone all things that we can the Lord willeth that we say that wee are vnprofitable seruants hee willeth that glory be gyuen vnto him onely and all things to be esteemed as his sole and meere grace Which he confirmeth by Saint Iohn when he sayth I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I wil giue to him that is a thirst of the wel of the water of life freely Tell me what ones how great are they thinkest thou for the which the Lord requireth so hard things which when we haue giuen or done yet he would haue vs to confesse that they are gyuen vnto vs freely of his meere grace Tell me therefore if the Lord our God be so magnificent and so liberall in bestowing his graces if his diuine goodnes hath graunted to all men in this life the vse of things so different if all the creatures of heauen and earth indifferently serue all and the possession of them be common as well to the vniust as to the iust who deseruedly can doubt that much greater are those supreame blessings which he hath prepared onely for the righteous Who was euer found that freely bestowed so great treasures vpon him to whom he was not indebted How much greater will he gyue if he shal be indebted to any He that is so liberall in bestowing gifts freely how liberall will he be in repaying and rewarding a debt He that bestoweth so great things freely what will hee not giue to him that continueth faythfull If the magnificence of those things which he giueth be so inestimable vvhat shal be the splendour of those things which he will repay Certainly it cannot be spoken nor be expressed by any words how great that glory will be which the Lord will gyue to his Elect seeing they are so great which of his great bountie he bestoweth vpon the vnthankfull The situation and height of the place may somewhat teach vs also of the quantitie and qualitie of thys glory that this heauen of heauens which is aboue the seauen Spheares as it is greater then all the heauens so it is the noblest of all the most beautifull the most glorious and the most worthy Thys place the Scripture calleth The Land of the liuing that he might signifie that this Land which wee inhabite is a land of those which be dead But if in this region of death the creatures be so noble so precious and so excellent what shall those there be in the land of the euer-liuing Turne thine eyes into what part soeuer thou wilt of thys visible world and behold how many and how beautiful things are found in it Behold how spacious the greatnesse of the heauen is how great the splendour is of the Sunne Moone and of all the s tarres how beautifull the earth is being beautified and adorned with so great multitude and variety of plants byrds and other liuing creatures How pleasant a thing is it to see the plainnesse of the fielde the highnesse of hills and mountaines the greenes of Valleyes the streaming of fountaines the aboundance of riuers vvhich like vaynes runne through the whole body of the earth and that which is more what great pleasure it is to see the largnesse of the Sea full of so many and so admirable things What be the standing pooles vvhat be the lakes of pure and cleere water what other things be they then the eyes of the earth the looking-glasses of heauen What be the meddowes clothed adorned with the pleasantnes
all their tribulations This Dauid confesseth in his Psalmes when he sayth Thou vpholdest me in mine integritie and doost sette mee before thy face for euer That is thou neuer turnest thine eyes from me for that contitinuall care thou hast of mee Also hee sayth in another place The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open vnto theyr cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do euill to cutte off theyr remembrance from the earth But because the greatest riches of a good Christian is the prouidence which God beareth ouer him this the more certaine it is and better knowne vnto man the greater is his ioy confidence I thinke that I shall doe a thing worth the labour if I shall adde and bring hether moe places and testimonies of the sacred Scripture seeing that euery one of them are as the Charters and Letter-pattents of a King and new confirmations of the rich promises and legacies of his diuine will Therefore Ecclesiasticus sayth The eyes of the Lord are vpon them that feare him and he knoweth all the workes of man hee is their mighty protection and strong ground a defence from the heate and a shadow for the noone day a succour from stumbling and an help from falling he setteth vp the soule and lightneth the eyes he giueth health life and blessing Hetherto are the words of Ecclesiasticus out of which it is euident and plaine to euery man how many kind of duties there be which GOD supplyeth in the preseruation of man This the Prophet Dauid confirmeth The paths of man are directed by the Lord for he loueth his way Though he fall he shal not be cast of for the Lord putteth vnder his hand Consider I pray thee heere what ill can happen vnto him who falleth vpon a bolster so soft as is the hand of the Lord our God And in another place Many great sayth he are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth him out of them all He keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken In the New Testament also more excellent magnificent things are spoken of this diuine prouidence where the Lorde sayth that he onely hath not a care of the bones of the righteous but also of euery one of theyr haires that they fall not nor perrish without his prouidence willing after this manner of speaking to insinuate and intimate vnto vs his greatest and speciallest prouidence towards them For of what thing shall not he haue care who hath a care of all our haires If this seeme too much vnto thee heare that which is no lesse which God speaketh by his Prophet Hee that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye It had beene sufficient to haue sayd hee that toucheth you toucheth me but it is more that he saith he that toucheth any part of you toucheth the apple of mine eye Neyther is our most bountifull Lord content that he hymselfe should alone watch-ouer our safetie but he also willeth that the Angels should be ready to doe vs seruice for so wee read in the Psalmes Hee hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy waies they shall beare thee in theyr handes that thou hurt not thy foote against a stone Didst thou euer see I pray thee such a Chariot or Wagon as are the hands of Angels See therfore how the Angels who are our elder brethren doe beare the righteous in their armes who are their younger brethren who as yet know now how to walk alone but must be carryed in the armes of their elders And this they doe not onely in life but also in death at the history in the Gospell testifieth of the rich Glutton in which we see that the begger Lazarus after death was carryed of Angels into Abrahams bosome The diuine Psalmographer confirmeth this The Angell of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and deliuereth them How mightie and strong this garde is the translation of S. Ierome dooth more expresse The Angell of the Lorde compasseth and encircleth them that feare him that he may deliuer them What King was euer founde that had such a garde as our Lord hath giuen vnto vs This is most manifestly seene in the bookes of the Kings the King of Syria comming to take the Prophet Elizeus brought a great Armie with him vvhich the seruaunt of the Prophet seeing feared and began to tremble But the Prophet turning to his prayer prayed the Lorde that hee would vouchsafe to open the eyes of his vnbeleeuing seruant that he might see the Armie which stoode for the defence of the Prophet being stronger by infinite thousands then that which came to hurt and wrong him And hee opened the eyes of his seruant and he saw the Mountaine ful of horses and of fierie Charrets for the defence and gard of Elizeus Like to this gard is that which is mentioned in the Canticles in these words What shall you see in the Shulamite which is the Church or any soule liuing in the state of grace but as the company of an Army that is an Armie of Angels This same also in the same booke is explaned by an other figure when it is said Behold Salomons bedde threescore strong men are rounde about it of the valiant men of Israell They all handle the sword and are expert in warre euery one hath his sword vpon his thigh for the feare by night What other thing is this then that the holy Ghost by this figure might teach and show the great care singuler prouidence by which God defendeth and watcheth ouer the soules of the righteous For whence is it I pray thee that man being conceaued in sin liuing in a corrupt flesh bent to all euill should passe so many yeeres among so many snares and dangers without destruction and vtter ruine of himselfe if hee were not preserued sustayned by the Diuine prouidence Which is so great that it dooth not onely preserue men from euill but also oftentimes it dooth turne the very euills into which men fall through carelesnesse and negligence into a matter of greater good that is as often as by that they are made more wary more humble and more thankfull vnto him who hath drawne them back from so great danger and hath pardoned them so great a sinne For this cause the Apostle sayth Vnto them that loue God all things worke together for the best If this fauour and friendship be worthy of admiration that shall be more worthy that God doth not onely shew this mercy to his seruants but also to their sonnes and Nephewes and to all things that appertaine vnto them as God himselfe testifieth saying I am the Lord thy God a iealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers vpon the children vpon the third generation and vpon the fourth of them that hate me And shewing mercy
the time of Achab king of Israell when Samaria was besieged by the Armie of the king of Syria we read that men did eate the dunge of Doues that thys kinde of meate was sold for a great price But thys was not so much at the length it came to that passe that mothers did kil and eate the chyldren of their owne wombe Iosephus also writeth that the same happened at the siege of Ierusalem But the slaughters and captiuities of this people together with the vtter ouerthrow of the Common-wealth and the kingdome of the Iewes are so well knowne to all that heere they neede not to be rehearsed An eleuen of theyr Tribes were made perpetuall seruants to the Kings of Assyria that one Trybe which remained a long time after beeing vanquished was brought into seruitude vnder the Romaines in which destruction exceeding great was the number of the captiues but greater was the number of those that were slaine as the same Historiographer copiously describeth Neyther let any one deceaue himselfe saying that this calamitie pertaineth onely to the Iewish nation seeing that it generally appertaineth to all men who haue knowledge of the Diuine law and doe despise it neyther will obey it as the Lord himselfe testifieth by his Prophet Haue not I brought vp Israell out of the Land of Egipt and the Philistines from Cappadocia and the Syrians from Cyrene Behold the eyes of the Lord God are vppon the sinfull kingdome and I will destroy it cleane out of the earth Signifying that all these changes of kingdoms whereby thys kingdome is ouerthrowne and that planted and raysed vp doth come through sinne And if any one will see that this is true let him read ouer the histories of times past he shal vnderstand how God doth chastice the froward and peruerse but especially those that haue the true law and doe not keepe it He shal see how great a part of Europe Asia and Affrica which in times past were full of Churches and of Christian people now are possessed of Infidels he shall know also what great massacres ruines and destructions the Gothes Hunnes and Vandales haue made vpon the Churches who in the time of Saint Augustine destroyed and wasted the Prouinces of Affrica and that without any mercie or compassion they sparing neyther men nor women neither old nor young neither Virgins nor married At the same time also and after the same manner the kingdome of Dalmatia was wasted with the bordering Countries as Saint Ierome showeth who was borne in that Country insomuch that he that should haue passed through trauelled those Countries should haue seene nothing but heauen and earth all things were so ruinated and ouerthrowen Yea if we will looke into our owne times we shall see what slaughters and effusion of Christian blood what desolations and euersions of Citties sinne hath caused in Fraunce Belgia and many other Countryes What mightie massacres and lamentable diuastations hath sinne brought vppon the world by the sword of the Turkes those professed enemies of Christianitie who stil brandish their swords against Christendome for the sinnes of Christians These sufficient plainly doe declare how that true vertue and sincere religion are not onely profitable to the obtayning of eternall blessings but also to gette and keepe temporall blessings that the consideration of all these may inflame our mindes with the loue of Vertue which preserueth vs from so many mischiefes bringeth with it so many good things Of the twelfth priuiledge of Vertue that is of the quiet peaceable ioyfull death of the righteous and contrarily of the wretched miserable painfull disquiet and grieuous death of sinners CHAP. XXIIII THE last priuiledge prerogatiue at the length is ioyned to the precedent that is the death and the glorious end of the righteous when they depart out of the prison of this body vnto the which end all the rest of the priuiledges are destinated and ordayned Because in the end as we are wont to say the praise is proclaimed Tell mee what is more glorious or what more delightsome then the end of the iust and righteous And contrarilie what is more wretched or vnhappy then the death of sinners Right deere and precious saith the Psalmogapher in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints but the death of sinners is vilde and exceeding euill What meaneth thys vvord Exceeding euill vttered in the Superlatiue degree Because thys is the last and greatest of all euils as well for the soule as for the body After thys manner S. Bernard doth expound this of the Psalmist The death of sinners is exceeding euill Because it is euill in losing the world worser in the seperation of the flesh but exceeding euill in that double calamitie of the worme and of the fire It is grieuous to leaue the worlde more grieuous that the soule is seperated from the body but exceeding grieuous and in no wise to be compared vnto the other to be tortured vvith the torments of hell Both these and many moe miseries shall vexe and turmoile the wicked in this houre For then before and aboue all things the accidents of thys infirmitie shall surmount the griefes of the body the terrors of the soule and the afflictions of externall things the thoughts of things to come the remembrance of sinnes past the feare to giue an account the dreadfull sentence the horrour of the graue the seperation and departure from euery thing that was too deere and imbraced with an inordinate loue that is from riches friends wife children from this light from the ayre wherein we breathe and from life it selfe All euery one of these so much the more doe afflict a man by how much they are loued For as Augustine sayth They are not lost without griefe which are possessed with loue Therefore it was very well said of a Phylosopher Hee that in his life knoweth of fewest delights least of all other feareth death But most of all in that houre the burned and feared conscience and the consideration of that which is prepared for them doth excruciate vexe the vvicked For then man beeing raised as it were out of a deepe sleepe by the presence of Death openeth hys eyes and beginneth to behold and see that which he neuer saw before Eusebius Emisseâ—â—s giueth a reason of this At what passe will man be then at sayth hee when bidding his last farewell to all worldly matters hauing death before him leauing life behind him he shal be drawn into that horrible fearefull gulfe For there shall be no preparation for victuals or care for cloathing no busines for Labourers Souldiers or Traffickers no ambition for wealth or honour but there an intollerable terror of giuing an account shall fill and possesse the minde being free from all other cares and the heauy and vnsupportable weight of iudgment shal dreadfully hang ouer the captiue sences Then man forgetteth all thinges
wilt heare his voyce harden not thy hart that thou maist make answer to hym to morrow yea begin presently to lay to thine hand which the sooner that thou shalt doe it shall be the more easier vnto thee Against them that deferre their repentance to the houre of death CHAP. XXVI IVstly and rightlie ought those things which we haue spoken to be sufficient to confound them who deferre and put off their repentance to the houre of death For if it be so dangerous to prorogue and deferre it to certaine yeeres what wil it be I pray thee to driue it of and reserue it for that most perrilous time But because this errour is too familiar and vsuall in the world and seeing that very many soules doe perrish beeing miserably deceiued by this errour I thought it very necessary to speake somewhat of this vaine opinion of men And although it is very dangerous to speake of this matter for it may minister occasion to weake and fearefull consciences to distrust and despayre yet greater shall the danger be that men know not into what hazard they cast themselues when they deferre theyr repentance to that time So that weighing both dangers in an equall ballance we may manifestly see that this is greater then that by manie degrees For experience teacheth vs that moe soules doe perrish through too much confidence then by too much feare or faint-hartednes For wee are appointed Watchmen as Ezechiell saith that when we see the sword comming we should tell the people of it least those that should be admonished of vs be deceaued and their blood should be required at our hands But because in this life we haue no other light nor no other truth besides the holy Scripture and the monuments of holie Fathers and Doctors of the Church who before vs haue copiouslie and sufficiently handled this matter let vs see what they say of it For I hope that no man will be so rash that will prefer his own opinion before their iudgements In speaking of which we will obserue this order that first we remember what the Fathers haue spoken of this matter and then what the Scripture teacheth vs. ¶ Authorities of certaine Fathers concerning finall repentance BEfore we enter into this disputation let vs presuppose that which Saint Augustine and all the Doctors of the Church do say that we must necessarilie know that as true repentance is properly the worke of God so he can giue it to whom he wil and when he pleaseth Therefore according to this sentence repentance shall be true and sufficient to saluation at what time soeuer it be yea in the houre of death But how sildome thys happeneth I would not that thou shouldest beleeue me or thy selfe but the Saints by whose mouth the holy Ghost hath spoken Therefore it is meet and requisâ—â—e that we relye vpon their iudgements Heare therfore what Saint Augustine doth speak of this matter in his booke of true and false repentance Hee that first is forsaken of his sinnes before he forsake theÌ„ he freely and willingly doth not forsake them but of necessity and constraint But God requireth the libertie of thy will Wherefore they that will not be conuerted vnto the Lord so long as they can sinne and afterwards come vnto conuersion wheÌ„ they can sin no longer they shall not so easily obtaine that they desire And then a little after Augustine declaring how that conuersion is wrought sayth thus Hee is conuerted that is he is wholie and altogether changed who now not onely feareth punishment but hasteth to returne to a good and gracious God Which conuersion albeit it happeneth to any one at the end of his life we are not to despaire of the remission of his sinnes But because so faithfull and absolute a conuersion sildome or neuer happeneth so late repentance is suspicious and to be feared For whom the disease constraineth and the paine terrifieth he shall scarcelie euer come to true conuersion especially when hys children are present whom he hath too much doted on his wife and the world doe call him vnto them For this late repentance is wont to deceaue manie But because God is alwayes almightie he can alwaies help in death whom he pleaseth But because there be many things that doe hinder and doe draw away the languishing and fainting spirit it is most dangerous next to destruction to put of repentance vntill death But it is a very great thing that God should then inspire thee and deale so fauourably with thee If therefore there be any one who then doth seeke for true repentance let him expect the friendly clemencie of God well vnderstanding and feeling that the goodnes of God is greater then his wickednes He that thus escapeth let him liue and not die Hetherto Saint Augustine by whose words it is manifest into how great dangers they do cast themselues headlong who of purpose leaue of their repentance to the houre of death Saint Ambrose also in his bookes of repentance doth largelie dispute of this matter although there be some that attribute this discourse of his to Augustine where amongst many other things he faith He that râ—penteth and reconcileth himselfe at the last cast and passeth hence that is departeth out of his bodie I confesse vnto you that we deny not vnto him that which he desireth but I dare not presume to say that hee went vvell hence I doe not presume I doe not promise I doe not say I deceaue ye not I doe not beguile you I make no promise vnto you A faithfull man liuing well doth safely depart hence He that repenteth and is reconciled whilst he is in health if after he liue well is safe Repeating the same thing a little after he saith But he that repenteth at the last and shall passe hence whether hee safelie passeth or no I am not certaine I can assure him of repenpentance but of further securitie I cannot assure him Marke what I say I will lay downe this more plainly least any one should misse my meaning Doe I say that he shal be damned I doe not say so Neither doe I say that he shall be saued O holie Bishop what other thing doost thou say vnto me Certainlie I know not what I shall say vnto thee I haue said I presume not I promise not I know not Gods determination Wilt thou my brother be deliuered from all doubt wilt thou escape thys ambiguous incertaintie Repent whilst thou art strong and in health For if thou truly repentest whilst thou art in health so the last day finde thee thou art safe Therefore runne that thou maist be reconciled If thou doost so thou art safe Why safe Wilt thou that I shal tell thee Because thou repentedst at that time when thou mightest haue sinned Behold I haue told thee why thou art safe But if then thou wilt repent when thou canst sinne no longer thy sinnes haue dismissed thee and not thou them
which is made at the poynt of death and in extreamity is sildome true by reason of the great difficulty that happeneth at this time He prooueth this conclusion by foure reasons or arguments The first is by reason of the great perturbations which arise out of the greatnes of griefes sicknes and the presence of Death through which the hart is lesse able to lift vp it selfe to God and rightly to busie it selfe in the exercises of true repentance For the better vnderstanding of this argument we must know that all the perturbations of our hart haue great force to disturbe and hinder our will and sences and according to the rule of Philosophy in this effect and euent the affections or passions are much more powerfull which cause sorrow and sadnes then those that procure mirth and ioy Hence it is that the perturbations or affections of one dying are exceeding strong and of all other most powerfull For as Aristotle saith death is the most dreadfull of all terrible things there being so many dolours discruciatements in the body so many afflictions and anguishes in the soule so great sorrow and care for children wife the world all which are to be forsaken Amongst so many and so tempestuous winds of the passions where shall the sences be and where the cogitations but where these dolours and perturbations doe carry and whirle them Daily experience teacheth vs that if any one be tormented with the tooth-ach or by any other sharpe payne although he be a very godly and a religious man yet scarcely then can he stedfastly lift vp his hart to God nay all the sences thoughts haue recourse thither where the griefe is If this happeneth to the righteous what will he doe who neuer accustomed himselfe to thinke of God and who so much is readier to endanger his greater friend then his lesser by how much he is apter and proner to loue his body better then his soule Amongst the foure impediments of contemplation which S. Bernard doth reckon vp one is the euill disposition and temperature of the body For then the soule is so vrged and occupied with the dolours of the flesh that scarce it permitteth a man to thinke vpon any other thing besides that which then greeueth and excruciateth him Which if it be true what greater dotage or madnes can there be then to expect tarry and wayte for the worst disposition and temperature of the body in it to handle and deal with the greatest businesses of the soule I knew a certaine man who being at the poynt of death when he was willed and admonished to prepare himselfe for his end for the glasse of his life was now runned out he was so affrighted and ouerwhelmed with the presence of death that he thought vpon nothing els then how he might escape the danger of death as if the date of his life had beene put in his owne hands and he had the ordering and determining of it All his care was how he might remedy and auoyde this danger if possibly it might be But when the Minister saw him so little carefull and troubled with those things which were necessary for that time he admonished him that he should let passe such thoughts and begin earnestly to call vpon God The sicke man hardly taking this aâ—â—onition began to talke a farre off from the purpose and so yeeleded vp the ghost Notwithstanding this man had beene a louer of Vertue wherby thou mayst see how the presence of Death doth disturbe and disquiet them who are in loue with their lifes seeing that it so greatly troubled him who at other times had despised it I knew also another man who when hee had fallen into a most dangerous and greeuous sicknes and saw Death now at hand he earnestly desired to conferre a little with God and to preuent the Iudge by a deuoute prayer before hee should depart out of this life but sorrowes and the continuall accidents of his infirmity would let him haue no rest If therfore onely preparation to repentance bâ—so hard at that time who will be so fond and mad to defer and prorogue the remedy and repentance of his whole life to that moment The second reason of the Shoole-man is that true repentance ought to be voluntary that is it ought to be done willingly and not of constraint or compelled by necessitie Thys is that which Saint Augustine saith Let no man tarry so long as he can sin For God requireth the liberty of the vvill that thy faultes may be wiped away he requireth not necessity but charitie not onely feare because man liueth not onely in feare Therefore it behoueth him that lately repenteth not onely to feare the Iudge but to loue him because without charitie no man can be saued Wherefore that man that neuer truly repenteth himselfe in his life time but prorogeth it to the houre of death he seemeth not to bring forth repentance of will but of compulsion â—â—d if of constraint or necessity then it is not meerely voluntary Such was the repentance of Shimei for that offence which he had committed against Dauid when hee fled from the face of his sonne Absolon Which Shimei when he saw that the victory did incline to Dauid and considering of the mischiefe that hung ouer his head he descended with the men of Iuda to meete King Dauid and with the thousand men of Beniamin and prostrating himselfe before the King he craued pardon for his fault Which when Abishai heard he sayd Shall not Shimei die for this because he cursed the Lords annointed But holy king Dauid not ignorâ—â—â— of what small desert this repentance was for the time wisely dissembled the deede yet he would not that it should vtterly passe vnreuenged but when he was at deaths doore not for any desire of reuenge but in the zeale of iustice he commaunded his sonne that hee should not suffer it to goe vnreuenged who afterwards commanded him to be slaine Of this kinde and nature seemeth the repentance of many wicked Christians to be who when they haue perscuered all theyr lyfe thorow in sinne offending God when the houre of rendering an account shall draw neere when they see death approching and the graue open and the Iudge present when they shall vnderstand that no strength or power can be founde against that infinite power omnipotencie and that that shall be determined in that moment which is for euer irreuocable then they turne themselues vnto the Iudge with prayers and protestations which if they be true certainly they are profitable But the common euent teacheth what manner of prayers and protestations they were and are for we haue learned by experience that many of them hauing escaped this danger forthwith haue forgot all that they promised and as Swine haue returned to theyr wallowing in the myre yea they haue reuersed and recalled that good which then they purposed and haue againe embraced those
things which then they estimated preiudiciall to their soules as if they were the men that had not doone that they did for the loue of God but onely for feare of the extreamitie in which at that time they were which ceasing also the effect ceaseth which thereupon followed Whereby it most manifestly appeareth that this repētance is like vnto that which Saylers make who when they are in extreamity and danger of shypwrack they promise to change their lifes to embrace vertue and I know not what protestations they make but vvhen the storme is appeased and ouer-past and a wished calme commeth and they are without ieopardy byand by they returne to theyr former vomit they laugh they trifle they blaspheme carouse and sweare and become worser then they were before making no account of their vowes and protestations yea reputing them as dreames and toyes The third reason is because the custome of sinne in vvhich the sinner hath hetherto liued will almost neuer forsake a man but euen till death waiteth vpon him and followeth him no otherwise then the shadow doth the body For custome is another nature which is not ouercome without very great difficultie And so we see by experience that many at the houre of theyr deaths are so little carefull for the saluation of their soules are so couetous so drowned in carnall and wordly things such louers of this life that they would still enioy it if at any price they might buy it so captiuated in the loue of this world so enamoured with all those things that they loued in it as if they vvere not at all at this passe or in this danger Haue you not often-times seene old men so greedy and so couetous that they haue neuer intermitted one houre nor slacked any time to hourd vp the pelfe of this worlde who notwithstanding are vnmercifull and haue theyr hands shut when they should doe any good and whose affections and appetites are very fresh and liuely in prosecuting the businesse of thys world heaping vp riches without end or meane which they must leaue in the world GOD knowes to whom but to anie good worke reprobate and dull This is a punishment not the least by which God punisheth sinne permitting it to attend vpon the offender to the graue according to that of S. Gregorie God chastiseth a sinner with this kinde of punishment that he permitteth him to forget and be vnmindfull of himselfe in the houre of death because he remembred not God in his lyfe And so one negligence or obliuion is punished by another the forgetfulnes of the fault is punished with that obliuion which is both a punishment and a fault which we see and heare verified by daily experience for how often doe we heare that many haue wished to die and haue died in the armes of theyr harlots whom they tenderly loued that as in theyr life time they would not expell them out of their houses so in death they would not forsake them because by the iust iudgement of God they are become vtterly vnmindfull obliuious both of themselues and of their soules The fourth reason of the Schoole-man is founded in the qualitie of the valour of the workes which are commonly done at that houre for euery one who hath but a sparke of Diuine light seeth plainly how farre different the works that then are done are from the works which are done of a man sound and in health he acknowledgeth I say that those much lesse please God then these That gift cannot be very acceptable to God as saith a certaine holy woman which therefore is offered because the last day so enioynes it for it is not of the right nature of a gift What I pray thee is it to pardon an iniury at that houre when not to pardon it is a great reproch Doost thou thinke it praise worthy that then thou leauest thy Concubine when thou must leaue her whether thou wilt or no neither may shee stay any longer in thine house By these reasons this subtile Doctor concludeth that a man with great difficultie in that houre truely repenteth Yea he saith that a Christian who of a set purpose deferreth his repentance to the houre of death doth very highly sinne by reason of the great iniury that he offereth to his owne soule and by reason of the great danger vnto which he exposeth his saluation Now I leaue the Reader to his owne conscience and consideration that he may see whether there is any thing more to be feared then this ¶ Certaine authorities of the holy Scripture confirming the precedent sentences of the Doctors BVt because the strength and bulwarke of all this disputation consisteth in the word of God for against this there is neyther appeale nor answere heare what it teacheth vs concerning this matter Salomon in the first chapter of his Prouerbs after he had related the words by which the eternall Wisedome calleth man to repentance hee in like manner adioyneth those wordes which shee will speake to those that doe not obey her call Because saith she I haue called and yee refused I haue stretched out my hand and no man regarded But all my counsailes haue ye despised and sette my correction at naught Therefore will I also laugh at your destruction mocke you when the thing that ye feare commeth vpon you Euen when the thing that ye be afraid of falleth in suddainly like a storme and your miserie like a tempest yea when trouble and heauines commeth vpon you Then shall they call vppon mee but I will not answere they shall seeke mee early but they shall not finde mee And that because they hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord. Hetherto be the wordes of Salomon or that I may speake better of God himselfe Which Saint Gregory in his Morrall bookes doth expound to be spoken of this repentance which heere we handle What can be aunswered vnto this Are not these threatnings sufficient being from God himselfe to make thee to feare and to admonish thee that betimes thou prepare thy selfe for that houre But heare also another testimony not lesse plaine then this The Lord reasoning in the Gospell of his comming to iudgement he aduiseth and counsaileth his Disciples with great instancie that they prepare themselues against that day hauing vsed many parables and similitudes to that end that by them they might vnderstand of what great weight that matter was His words be these Blessed is that seruant whom his Lord when he commeth shall finde watching But if that euill seruant shall say in his hart My Lord will be long a comming and so beginne to finite his fellowes yea and to care and drinke with the drunken The same seruants Lord shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an houre that he is not ware of and shall hew him in peeces and giue him his portion with the Hipocrites It is playne and euident by
mistery of that time it will be counted a ridiculous thing to thinke that these are matters for all times and places which were onely proper for that time We see also in all well ordered common wealths that some things be done ordinarily and alwayes after the same manner and some things that are vsed extraordinarily Ordinary things are common to all but the extraordinary are proper to some certaine The same thing also commeth in vse in the common wealth of God which is his Church And so that of the Apostle is regular and ordinary Whose end shall be according to theyr works signifying that after the common manner of speaking an euill death followeth an euill life and a good death a good life And it is an ordinary thing that those that embrace Vertue and leade a godly life doe enter into an eternal life and those that liue viciously and wickedly to be cast into hell fire This sentence is common and true which the holy Scripture doth beate vpon in many places This the Psalmes doe sing of this the Prophets doe celebrate this the Apostles doe preach of this the Euangelists haue noted The kingly Prophet hath comprehended this in few words when he sayd God spake once and twice I haue also heard the same that power belongeth vnto God And that thou Lord art mercifull for thou rewardest euery man according to his worke This is the summe of all Christian Philosophy Therfore according to this speach of Dauid we say that it is an ordinary thing that as well the righteous as the sinner should receaue a reward at the end of their lifes according to the works which they haue done Yet besides this vniuersall law God can by his especiall grace and fauour bestow mercy vpon some that they should dye the death of the righteous who haue liued the life of sinners as also it may come to passe that he that hath liued like a righteous man in this world by the secret iudgement of God may dye as a sinner As it happeneth vnto them who haue sayled very fortunately in a long voyage and at the very mouth of the Hauen suffer shipwrack Hence it is that Salomon sayth Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth vpward and the breath of the beast that goeth downe to the earth For although it be alwayes in a manner true that their soules who liue like beasts descend to hell and that theirs that liue like men ascend to heauen yet in the secret and particuler iudgement of God this order may be somtimes inuerted Yet it is safe and generall doctrine that a good liuer shall haue a blessed death Therefore no man ought for the praecedent causes to leane to their examples who haue been saued by especiall and particuler grace and sauour for they make no generall rule nor extend themselues to all men but onely to few and those vnknowne Neyther canst thou know whether thou art contayned in that number But if thou obiectest vnto me the repentance of the Niniuites which proceeded from feare least they should all haue beene destroyed within forty dayes consider thou not onely their sharpe and seuere repentance which they made but also their change of life Change thou also thy life after the same manner and the same mercy shall not forsake thee But I perceaue that thou art scarcely recouered of thine infirmity and scarcely risen out of bed seeing that thou straightwayes runnest to the first kind of life and recallest all that which thou didst purpose when thou wast weake Wherfore I leaue thee to consider what I may think of thy repentance ¶ The conclusion of the former disputation WHatsoeuer hath hetherto beene spoken hath not beene spoken to that end that it should shut the gate of saluation or of hope against any man for neyther hath any of the Saints shut it neyther ought any man to shut it but to this end that the wicked may be recalled turned from that refuge and fortresse in which they lurke and are made mightier to perseuere in their iniquities But tell me I pray thee my brother if all the voyces and iudgements of Doctors and holy men if all reasons if the holy and sacred Scripture pronounce so dangerous and perillous things of it how darest thou hope for saluation in so great danger and hazard In whom doest thou trust that will helpe thee in this ieopardy Perhaps thou placest thy hope in thy preparations in thine almes and in thy prayers Thou vnderstoodest a little before how the fiue foolish virgins with great care would haue prepared made ready thēselues after that they had heard the voyce telling them that the Bridegrome came thou hast learned also with what great instancie they knocked and cryed at the doore yet it profited none of them for it proceeded not of true loue or of true repentance Perhaps thou trustest to thy teares which thou wilt poure forth at that time surely vnfained teares at all times are auailable happy is that man that from his very hart can poure thē foorth but remember I pray thee what teares Esau shedde Who as the Apostle saith found no place of repentance though he sought it with teares For he did not weepe for the loue of GOD but for his owne commoditie Or doost thou put thy hope in thy good purposes which thou then settest before thine eyes These are of force vvhen they are true and sincere but remember the purposes of King Antiochus who when hee was in this danger promised such great and magnificent things that it would make a man amazed that readeth them This wicked man saith that booke prayed vnto the Lord of whom he obtayned no mercy The reason was for all things that he purposed proceeded not of the spirit of loue but of seruill feare which is not acceptable For to feare hell may proceede of the meere naturall loue which man beareth to himselfe But that man loueth himselfe is no reason that the kingdome of heauen should be giuen vnto him Insomuch that as no man entred into the pallace of King Assuerus clothed in Sackcloth so it is lawfull for no man to enter into the pallace of God with a seruill garment but all that will enter must be clothed with wedding garments that is adorned and beautified with true loue and charitie Wherefore my brother I pray and intreate thee that thou wouldest reade and consider of these things with great attention that thou after a very short time without all doubt shalt come to this houre and to this ieopardy For thou seest vvith what great swiftnes heauen is turned about and with what velocitie time slippeth and posteth away how soone the thred of thy life shall be cut off The day of destruction is at hand sayth the Prophet and the times that shall come make hast Therefore a little space of time being ouer-past this prophecie shal be fulfilled Then thou shalt
them in thy minde by little and little thou shalt feele this feare wrought in thee ¶ Of the workes of the Diuine iustice whereof mention is made in the holy Scripture THE first worke of the Diuine iustice which the holy Scripture remembreth is the damnation of Angels The beginning of the wayes of the Lord was that terrible bloudy beast the Prince of deuils as it is written in the booke of Iob. For seeing that all the waies of the Lord are mercy and iustice vntill this first sinne the iustice of GOD was not yet reuealed which was hid in the bosome of the Lord as a sword in a scabberd This first sinne was the cause why this sword was vnsheathed Consider now how grieuous and terrible this first plague and punishment was lift vp thine eyes and thou shalt behold wonderfull things thou shalt see I say the most precious iewel of the house of God thou shalt see the chiefest beauty of heauen thou shalt see that Image in which the Diuine beauty shyned so cleerly this I say thou shalt see falling from heauen like an arrow and that for the onely thought of pride The Prince of all the Angels is made the Prince of deuils of most beautifull he is made most horrible and deformed of most glorious he is made most vilde and disgracious of one most acceptable gracious of all those creatures which God had made or euer would make he is made the greatest the most malicious enemie What astonishment thinkest thou and what admiration was this to the heauenly Spirits who know from whence and whether this so noble a creature fell With what feare did they all pronounce that of Esay Howe art thou fallen from heauen ô Lucifer sonne of the Morning Descend afterward a little lower to the earthly Paradice and there thou shalt see a case no lesse feareful vnlesse there had been a remedy vsed for this mischiefe For that the Angels should fall it was needfull that they all should actually offend But what hath the creature which is borne actually offended in why he should be borne the child of wrath It is not needfull that he should haue actuall sinne it sufficeth onely that he be borne of that man that had offended and by offending had corrupted the common roote of all mankind which was in him this I say is sufficient why he is borne in sinne The glory and Maiesty of God is so great that when as one onely creature had offended him the whole kinde deserued so seuerely to be punished For if it was not sufficient to Haman that great friend of King Assuerus that he might reuenge himselfe of Mardocheus of whom he supposed that he had receaued an iniury not only to punish Mardocheus but for the greatnes of his honour to cut off the whole nation of the Iewes for the deniall as he iudged of a small reuerence why doest thou meruaile if the glory and maiesty of God which is infinite requireth like punishment Behold therfore the first man is banished out of Paradice for a bit of an apple for which euen to this day the whole world is punished And after so many thousand yeares the sonne that is borne bringeth with him out of his mothers wombe the staine and blemish of his father and not when he can offend himselfe by reason of age but in his very natiuity he is borne the child of wrath and that as I haue sayd after so many thousand yeares After so long time this iniury could not be buried in obliuion being deuided among so many thousand thousands of men and punished with so many scourges Yea all the torments which men haue suffered from the beginning of the world to this day all the deaths which they haue vndergone and all the soules which burne and shall burne in hell euerlastingly are sparks which haue originally proceeded from that first sinne all which are arguments and testimonies of the Diuine iustice And all these things are also done and brought vpon vs after the redemption of mankind wrought and made by the blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Which remedy if it had not beene wrought there had been no difference betweene men and deuils for of themselues there had beene as little remedy and hope of saluation to the one as to the other What doest thou think of this punishment I thinke that it is a reasonable sound argument of the Diuine iustice But because this heauy and greeuous yoke is not taken away from the sonnes of Adam new and moe kinds of punishments haue sprung from it for other sinnes which haue beene deriued from that first All the world was drowned with the waters of the deluge The Lord rayned from heauen fire and brimstone vpon those fiue polluted and sinfull Citties The earth swallowed vp Dathan and Abiron aliue for a certaine contention that was betweene them and Moses A fire went out from the Lord and deuoured the two sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu because they had not obserued the right and due ceremonies in the sacrifice neyther did the dignity of their priesthood profit them any thing nor the holines of their father nor that familiarity which theyr Vncle Moses had with the Lord. Ananias and Saphira in the new Testament because they lyed vnto S. Peter which seemed to be but a small matter fell downe dead and sodainly yeelded vp the ghost But what shall we say of the hidden and secret iudgements of God Salomon who was the wisest of all men and whom God so tenderly loued that he was sayd to be the Lords beloued by the hidden and secret iudgement of God came to that extreame abhomination and that most abhominable sinne that he fell into Idolatry What is more fearefull then this But if thou shouldest know of moe iudgements of this kinde which daily happen in the Church perhaps thou wouldest no lesse feare these then thou dreadest that Because thou shouldest see many starres falling from heauen to the earth thou shouldest see many who did eate the bread of Angels vpon the Lords table to fall and slip into such calamities that they rather desire to fill their bellies with the drasse and swash of Swine thou shouldest see many whose chastity was purer and more beautifull then a Porphirite to be blacker then a cole The causes of whose lapse were their sinnes But what greater signe of the Diuine iustice canst thou desire thē that God for the iniury done vnto him wold not be satisfied but with the death of his onely begotten sonne before he would receaue the world to his fauour What manner of words I pray thee were they which the Lord spake to the women which followed him lamenting and bewayling Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for me but weepe for your selues and for your children For behold the dayes will come when men shall say Blessed are the barren and the wombs that neuer bare and the paps
looke a little into the worlds darknes and blind guidance and thou shalt soone discerne it Tell me I pray thee what is more blind then that men should beleeue as they beleeue and liue as they liue What greater blindnes then so to reuerence and dread men and so wickedly to contemne and despise God So carefully to seeke and study for the commodities of the body which is nothing else but a brutish creature and to haue no care for the soule which is the image of the Diuine maiefty what greater blindnes can there be What greater blindnes then when wee assuredly know that we shall dye neyther doe we know in that houre whether our felicity or misery shall be determined which for euer shal stand ratified yet we liue so negligently and securely as if we should alwayes liue For sinners liue no otherwise to day then if they meant to liue alwayes and that death would neuer come What greater blindnes can be thought vpon then this that men for the satisfying of one desire should lose willingly their whole inheritance of heauen So greatly to esteeme of riches and so finally to set by their conscience To haue so diligent a regard that all external blessings should be safe and ordered and not to care whether the life be ordered and sound Such plenty of blindnes and palpable darknes is found in the world that a man hath good cause to coniecture that men are inchaunted and bewitched who hauing eyes see not eares yet heare not who when they are cleare and bright sighted to behold earthly things yet are more blind then Moles in viewing celestiall things That happeneth to them that in times past happened to Saint Paule persecuting the Church of God who falling vpon the earth when hee opened his eyes hee saw no light so also these miserable and wretched men who when they haue eyes broad open in earthly matters doe see nothing in Diuine matters as though their eyes were shut ¶ Of the multitude of sinnes that are in this world IF there be so many snares in the vvorld and so great darknes what is to be hoped therof but stumblings slydings and sinnes But sinne is the greatest of all the euils of this world and ought to be the most effectuall motiue to mooue vs to forsake the world By this only consideration that glorious Martir Cyprian endeuoured to perswade a friend of his to despise contemne this world imagining him to be set on the top of a very high mountaine whence he might view all things lying beneath him his eyes being cast on euery side the holy Martyr sheweth vnto him all Seas Lands Pallaces and iudgement seates to be fild and replished with a thousand kinde of sinnes and iniuries which were committed in euery place and when he had seene so many and great euils which were daily perpetrated in the vvorld he very well knew with what great circumspection and care he ought to beware of the world how great a debter he was to God who had vouchsafed him such a caueat wherby he might detest and abhorre the world Ascend thou therefore my brother to the top of this mountayne and cast thine eyes into euery corner of the vvorld and behold the stormy vvhirle-winds of this boysterous Sea Looke into the Pallaces of Princes the Courts and publique meetings of this vvorld and there thou shalt see so many kind of sinnes so many lyes so many cauilations deceits iniuries thefts enuyings flatteries vanities and that which is greater so great forgetfulnes of God and so little care of saluation that thou canst not but greatly vvonder and stand amazed in beholding so many and so great euils Thou shalt see the greater part of men to liue after the manner of beasts ruled and swayed by the violence of their affections hauing no respect eyther of iustice or of the Diuine law or of nature or reason lyuing more filthily then the Heathen who haue no knowledge of the true God neyther doe they thinke that any thing further remayneth then to be borne and to die Thou shalt see Innocents wrongfully punished and malefactors escape vvithout danger thou shalt see good men despised and vvicked men honoured thou shalt see poore men afflicted and humbled and in all things fauour to be preferred before equity and vertue Thou shalt see the lawe sold no respect being had vnto the truth thou shalt see vnlawfull Arts maintayned offices peruerted and depraued and all estates of men corrupted and turned vpside downe Thou shalt see many dishonest and vild men woorthy to be seuerely punished vvho by theft and frandulent means haue purchased store of vvealth to be praysed and feared of all men To be briefe thou shalt see the vvorld more deuoutly vvorshipping and adoring a penny then God himselfe And vvhen thou hast beheld and ouer-looked all things thou shalt confesse that it is most truly and iustly spoken of the Psalmist The Lord looked downe from heaven vpon the children of men to see if there were any that would vnderstand and seeke God All are gone out of the way they are all corrupt there is none that doth good no not one Hosea doth no lesse deplore the estate of men The Lord sayth he hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the Land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whooring they breake out blood toucheth blood But that thou mayest more plainly discerne the condition and estate of this vvorld take a view of the head that gouerneth it and beholding the Gouernour thou shalt easily vnderstand the condition of that thing that is gouerned For if it be true that the Prince of this vvorld that is of sinners be the deuill vvhich Christ himselfe also affirmeth vvhat is to be looked for of that body vvhich hath such an head and of that common vvealth vvhich hath such a Ruler This one thing is sufficient to let vs vnderstand vvhat is to be expected of the louers of this vvorld What neede we many words tell me vvhat other thing is the vvorld then a denne of theeues an army of robbers astie of Swine a galley full of Pirates and a lake of Serpents Cockatrices and Basiliskes If the vvorld be thus and of this kind why doe I not leaue a place so filthy and impure sayth a certaine Phylosopher a place so full of traditions and deceits wherein scarcely any pietie faithfulnes or iustice may be found Wherein all vices raigne where one brother lyeth in waite for another where the sonne wisheth the death of his father where the wife desireth the death of her husband and the husband of his wife to be briefe where nothing beareth rule but gluttony enuie wrath luxurie ambition and all other euils and enormities Who would not wish to be deliuered from such a world it is not to be doubted but that Prophet wished it who said O that
with corporall eyes sayd Plato she would alure the whole world vnto her If we respect profit what thing is more profitable and supported with greater hope then Vertue for by Vertue we obtayne the chiefest good Length of dayes and gifts of eternity are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour If thou art delighted with pleasantnes what greater delight canst thou wish for then a peaceable and a good conscience the sweetnes of charity of peace and of the liberty of the children of God that in the meane time I may say nothing of the consolation of the holy Ghost which is most sweet and pleasant If thou desirest a perdurant and lasting name The righteous shall liue and shall be had in euerlasting remembrance But the memoriall of the wicked shall perish with them If thou be desirous of vvisedome that thou mayst finde the way that leadeth to heauen and the meanes that direct to this end there is no meane more certaine then Vertue which leadeth vnto God If thou desirest to be gracious and acceptable among all men there is not any thing more gracious or more conducent to it then Vertue For as Cicero sayth nothing is more amiable then Vertue nothing that more allureth men vnto loue seeing that for vertue and honesty we loue them whom we neuer saw Such force it hath which is more that we loue it in an enemy Euen as of the conueniency and proportion of the members and lyneaments and of the humours of the naturall body a certaine beauty ariseth which is acceptable to the eyes of men so of the order and vertuous frame of the life laudably led and formed so great a beauty proceedeth that not onely it is most acceptable to the eyes of God and Angels but it is also amiable and beloued of peruerse men and enemies That is truly and simply good which is good in euery respect neyther hath any euill in it Therfore God not without cause sendeth this honorable embasie to a righteous man which we haue set in the forefront of this booke and now againe repeate in the end Say yee surely it shall be well with the iust Say yee so because he is borne vnder an happy starre and that he shall die in a good houre because his life and death is blessed and whatsoeuer after death shall beside him Say yee so vnto him because all things shall goe well with him as well prosperous as aduerfe as well things pleasant as heauy both in quietnes and in labour For all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God Say yee vnto him although the vvorld be turned topsey turuey and the elements confounded if heauen be ruinated and disturbed let not him feare yea then let him lift vp his head because the day of his redemption is at hand Say yee surely it shall be well with the iust Because a blessing is prepared for him vvhich in excellencie exccedeth all blessings that is God himselfe and that he is free from all euill and from the tiranny of the deuill which is the worst of all euils Say yee surely it shall be well with the iust For his name is vvritten in the booke of life and God the father hath adopted him for his sonne the holy Ghost to be a liuely temple vnto him Say yee surely it shall be well with the iust For that estate which he hath gotten is happy blessed in euery respect And if at any time in any temporal matter it seemeth lesse happy if this be patiently borne it is turned vnto him for a greater good for that which seemed a loose vnto him that is patient is made a gayne vnto him his labour becomes a reward and his warre victory and a perpetuall crowne As often as Laban changed the wages of Iacob his sonne in law he thought that it was profitable vnto him hurtfull to his sonne in law but it fell out cleane contrary for it was vnprofitable vnto him and profitable to his sonne in law Wilt thou then my brother be so cruell to thy selfe and such an enemy that thou shouldest linger to embrace so great a blessing which promiseth on euery side so great good vnto thee What counsaile is more wholsome what more profitable condition or estate of life canst thou follow Blessed are those that are vpright in their way and walke in the law of the Lord saith the Prophet a thousand times blessed are they and blessed againe that keepe his testimonies and seeke him with their whole hart If a good thing as the Philosophers say be the obiect of our will and by how much the more any thing is good by so much the more it deserueth to be loued desired What I pray thee doth make thy will so sottish and insencible that it tasteth not nor embraceth this so vniuersall a good O how much better did that King who sayd I haue chosen the way of thy truth and thy iudgements haue I layd before me I haue cleaued to thy testimonies ô Lord. And in another place O Lord I haue layd vp thy commaundements in mine whole hart He saith not in a corner not in his hand but in the midst or in his whole hart which is the beginning of life the chiefest the best place of all others as if he had sayd This is my best part in which I contriue and determine of all my busines and all my cogitations are in it The men of this world do contrarily for vanity possesseth the chiefest roome of their harts and Gods law lyeth obscured and hid in some corner But this holy man albeit he was a King and troubled with many businesses of his kingdome yet he put them all vnder his feete but placed the law of his Lord in the midst of his hart What hindereth then why thou doost not imitate this good example and embrace so great a good For if thou respectest the bond of the obligation what greater obligation can there be then that which is betweene God and man or only for that cause that he is what he is All the obligations of this world are not worthy of this name if they be compared with this as we haue sayd in the beginning of this booke If thou lookest vnto the benefits what benefits can be greater or more excellent then those that we receaue from the hand of the Lord For besides that he hath created vs and redeemed vs with his blood we haue receaued frō him all that we possesse both within and without our body our soule life health riches grace if so we haue it the continuance of our life our purposes the desires of our harts and all that which hath the name of essence or of goodnes we receaue it I say originally frō him who is the fountaine of all essences and of all goodnes Words are wanting vnto me by which I might set out her
they who cannot equalize thee eyther in wit or industry Therefore rather obey the rule of the Lord and respect not others Blessed subiection answereth If the Lords rule be to be obeyed it followeth of necessitie that we must be subiect to mans magistracie For he hath sayd He that heareth you heareth me and hee that despiseth you despiseth mee So thou sayst that it is meete if hee be such an one as he ought to be but by such an one as he is God ruleth not But the Apostle speaketh otherwise There is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God Whosoeuer therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God For what ones they ought to be that rule is not to be discussed of the subiects Enuie sayth In what thing art thou inferiour to him or him why therefore art thou not equall or superiour vnto them What great things canst thou doe that they cannot doe Therefore they ought not to be eyther thy superiours or thyne equalls Congratulation for thy brothers good answereth If thou excellest others in vertues it is safer for thee to keep thy selfe in a low place then in a high For the higher the place is the greater is the fall But if there be some as thou affirmest that are thy superiours or thine equals what doth it hurt thee what doth it iniure thee Beware least while thou enuiest the height of others thou imitate him of whom it is written Throug◠〈◊〉 of the deuill 〈◊〉 death into the world and they that hold of his side proue it Hatred sayth God forbid that thou shouldest loue him who is contrary to thee in all things who derogateth from thee who insulteth ouer thee who vexeth thee with iniuries who casteth thy faults in thy teeth who alwayes hasteth to be before thee in wordes workes and honours and vnlesse he did enuie thee he would neuer so preferre himselfe before thee True Charitie answereth Because these that thou reckonest vp are woorthy to be hated in a man is not therefore the image of God to be loued in man As Christ being nayled vppon the Crosse loued his enemies before his torments on the Crosse admonished vs saying Loue your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which hurt you and persecute you that yee may be the children of your Father which is in heauen But thou sayst It is sufficient that I loue them that loue me But the Lord speaketh contrarily For if ye loue them which loue you whâ—â— reward shal you haue Doe not the Publicans euen the same What art thou able to obiect against this Surely Hee that hateth his brother abideth in death and her that loueth abideth in God and God in him Therefore cast foorth all the bitternes of gall and as farre as lyeth in thee take vnto thee the sweetnesse of Charity For there is nothing sweeter then it nothing more blessed Iohn the Euangelist auouching this sayth God is Charitie Detraction sayth Who can beare with who can passe ouer in silence those great euils hee committeth vnlesse perhaps hee consent vnto them The liberty of iust and vpright correction answereth The faults of thy neighbor are neyther to be concealed nor consented vnto but in brotherly charity thy neighbour is to be reproued before his face and not priuily and behinde his backe to be spightfully handled and reproched But if it be obiected I will not therefore reprehend my brother before his face least he beeing exasperated and vexed should not profit by my reproofe but rather take offence at my correction the holy Scripture doth meete with thys and the case beeing altered telleth thee that this is a greater offence saying Thou sattest and spakest against thy brother yea and hast slaundered thine owne mothers sonne For he taketh a greater offence who vnderstandeth himselfe to be backbytten then he that sustaineth a reproouer And because sometimes the faultes of offenders are for a tyme to be passed ouer in silence that they may be reproued in a time more fit and seasonable therefore it is added These things hast thou doone and I held my tongue But least by thys discreet silence detracters and backbyters should applaude themselues vvho whilst they had alwayes rather priuily derogate and detract and neuer come to open reproofe therefore hee further inferreth And thou thoughtest wickedly that I am euen such an one as thy selfe As if he should haue sayd It is a wicked thought to think that therefore I am like vnto a detracter because I not derogating for a time silence my selfe expecting a fit place and tyme for open correction Whereupon this is foorth-with annexed But I will reproue thee and set before thee the things that thou hast doone As if hee shoulde haue sayd Not priuily as it is thy custome but openly as it is my care expecting a fitte time of reproofe will I reproue a sinner that I may sette his offences before his face But thou sayst I doe not hate him but loue him whom I so reprehend in priuitie Yea thou doost so much the more hate him and not loue him because thou detractest and not correctest Anger sayth Those things which are done against thee cannot patiently be borne yea it is a sinne to suffer them because if thou vvith great indignation doost not resist them they with greater measure will be heaped vpon thee Patience aunswereth If the passion of our Redeemer be called to minde nothing is so hard or rough that with patience may not be borne For Christ sayth Peter hath suffered for vs leauing vs an example that we should follow his steps For he himselfe sayth If they haue called the Lord of the house Beelzebub howe much more shall they call them of his houshold If they haue persecuted mee they will also persecute you But how small are the things that we suffer in coÌ„parison of his passions For hee suffered reproches mockings reuilings slaunders blowes spettings whippings the thornie crowne and the Crosse and we wretches to our owne confusion are wearied vexed and cast downe at one word Frowardnes and malapartnes sayth Are not rough sharp words rather to be giuen to fooles to brutish and insensible creatures then gentle and milde speeches when they offend Meekenes and gentlenes answereth Not thine owne perswasion but the precept of the Apostle is to be followed in thys who as concerning this matter hath admonished his beloued disciple saying Rebuke not an Elder but exhort him as a father and the younger men as bretheren the elder women as mothers the younger as sisters with all purenesse And againe The seruant of the Lord sayth he must not striue but must be gentle toward all men apt to teach suffering the euill men patiently instructing them with meekenes that are contrary minded And gaine Rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine Swelling loftinesse sayth Thy witnesse is in
a gratefull hart for all the benefits we haue receiued of God and such a tongue which alwaies may be occupied in giuing thanks to God for the same saying with the Prophet I will alwayes giue thankes vnto the Lord his praise shall euer be in my mouth And in another place O let my mouth be filled with thy praise that I may sing of thy glory honour all the day long For seeing that God doth continually giue vs life and preserueth vs in that estate he hath allotted vs and daily yea euery moment showreth vpon vs his benefits by the motion of the heauens and the continuall seruice of all creatures who wil refuse or desist to praise him daily and continually who alwaies preserueth and gouerneth vs and bestoweth a thousand blessings vpon vs Let this be the beginning of all our exercises hence as Saint 〈◊〉 admonisheth vs let all our prayers begin So that in the morning and at noone and at night and in the night or at what time soeuer we giue thanks to God for all his benefits particuler and generall as well of nature as of grace let vs then yeeld him greater thanks for his greater and larger benefits and blessings of which sort these are that for all men he became a man that he shedde for vs all the blood hee had and especially in all these benefits this circumstance is to be cōsidered that he bestowed all these benefits vpon vs not moued by any priuate commoditie to himselfe but of his meere loue and goodnes ¶ Of the foure degrees of obedience THE eyght Vertue which we owe to this heauenly Father is a generall obedience in all those things which hee hath commaunded in which consisteth the sum and complement of all righteousnes This Vertue hath three degrees the first is to obey the diuine commaundements the second the diuine counsailes and the third to obey the inspirations and inward callings of GOD. The obeying of the commaundements of God are absolutely necessary vnto saluation the counsailes do helpe a man to keepe them without which man is oftentimes endangered and ieopardeth himselfe in them for not to swear at all although it be in a true and a iust matter maketh vs that we neuer sweare falsely Patience maketh vs that we lose not the peace of minde and charitie Not to possesse any thing of our owne maketh vs that we doe not desire or couet any thing of anothers To doe well vnto those that doe ill vnto vs is profitable for vs that we doe not ill vnto our selues Therefore the counsailes are as Bulwarkes and Fortresses vnto the commaundements and therefore let him that meaneth to hit his ayme obtaine his purposed scope not be content with the keeping of one but also let him contend as much as he is able according to his degree and condition to obserue the other For euen as hee that would ferry ouer a swift Riuer doth not directly ferry ouer it but somewhat crooketh his course and forceth his boat somwhat vp the streame that he may come the better to his roade so the seruant of God ought not onely to consider what is sufficient for saluation but also he ought to begin keep a course some-what more straight and hard that albeit he cannot attaine the perfection proposed vnto himselfe yet at the least hee may attaine saluation The thyrd degree that we spoke of is to obey the Diuine inspirations and callings For good seruaunts doe not onely obey theyr Maisters in those things which are commaunded vnto them by the voyce of theyr Maisters but also in those thinges which they signifie vnto them by some nod or token But because we may here easily be deceiued supposing that it is a Diuine inspiration which is eyther of the deuill or of man it behoueth vs to obserue diligently that of Saint Iohn Beleeue not euery spirit but proue the spirits whether they are of God or not The Scriptures are to be our onely direction in this neyther must we harken vnto any thing which crosseth the analogie of fayth or Gods reuealed will in his word That sentence of Samuel must haue place in vs Obedience is better then sacrifice To these three degrees a fourth is ioyned which is a perfect conformity of our 〈◊〉 with the will of God or a yeelding of our selues vnto Gods disposing of vs in whatsoeuer so that with a pacified minde and patiently we beare alike both dishonour and honour infamy and good report health and sicknes death and life humbly submitting our selues to all those things which he hath determined and decreed of vs patiently bearing as well scourges as cherishings comforts taking in good part as well the taking away of graces as the enioying of them not respecting that which is giuen but him who giueth and the loue wherewith he giueth for a Father chasticeth and cherrisheth his sonne accordingly as he knoweth it to be conducent to his health and safety We may say of that man who hath attained these foure degrees of obedience that he hath come to that resignation of himselfe which is commended with so great praises of those that sette downe and extoll a spirituall life which deliuereth a man into Gods hands no otherwise to be handled then soft waxe is handled in the hands of an Artificer It is called Resignation because euen as he that resigneth a benefice vtterly depriueth himselfe of it and committeth it wholy to the next incombent that hee may dispose of it according to his minde without contradiction of the former professour so a perfect man rendereth himselfe ouer into the Diuine hands so that hereafter he will not be his owne nor liue to himselfe nor eate nor sleepe nor labour for himselfe but for the only glorie of his Creator conforming himselfe to the Diuine vvill in all things as hee disposeth of him receiuing from his handes all scourges and tribulations which are sent and that with great quiet and tranquility of minde depriuing himselfe of his owne liberty and will that the will of the Lord may be onely doone to whom he acknowledgeth himselfe to be infinitely bound After this maner the Prophet signifyeth himselfe to haue beene resigned when he saith I am as a beast before thee and I am alway by thee For euen as a beast goeth not whether he will nor resteth nor worketh when he pleaseth but in all things obeyeth his Gouernour so ought the seruant of God to do by submitting himselfe perfectly vnto God Thys is that whereof the Prophet Esay speaketh saying The Lord GOD hath opened myne eare and I will not gaine-say him I haue not gone backewards in those things he hath commaunded me albeit they were sharpe and difficult Those mysticall beastes of Ezechiell doe signifie the same thing of which it is written that whether as the spirit ledde them that is the inspiration of the holy Ghost thether they went and returned
is manifest that the supreame goodnes is angry in this world that it may not be angry in the other therefore he now mercifully vseth his rigour least afterwards should vse iust vengeance For as Saint Ierome sayth it is great anger that God is not angry with sinners He therefore that will not here be chastised with sonnes shall be damned in hell with deuils Wherefore worthily Saint Bernard praying vnto God cryed out saying O Lord here burne me here cut me in peeces that thou mayst eternally spare me By this we may easily see how carefull the Creatour of all things is for thee for he doth not with-draw his hand from thee neyther doth he too much giue thee the raine least thou shouldest follow thine owne desires Phisitians for the body doe willingly graunt vnto the sicke of whose health they despaire all things that he desireth but to him whose health they hope to recouer they prescribe a dyet and will him to abstaine from all hurtfull things contrary to his health Fathers also doe deny to giue money to dissolute and prodigall children that they may not squander abroad theyr wealth but at length they make them the heires of all theyr goods That heauenly Phisitian of our soules and father of aâ—â— fathers after a certaine manner of speaking dealeth so with vs. Consider furthermore how many and how great reproches our Redeemer suffered of them he had created how many slaunders and blowes he bare and how patiently he turned his couered face to those infernall iawes that did spet vpon him how mildly he suffered his head to be pricked and rent with thornes how cheerefully hee receaued that most bitter potion for the quenching of his thirst with what great silence he bore theyr scoffings who mocking at him worshipped him lastly with what great feruour he offered himselfe and hasted to death that he might free vs from death Therfore let it not seeme a cruell thing vnto thee if thou miserable vild and abiect man sufferest scourges which he sendeth vnto thee who for thy sinnes would not depart out of this life without scourges who came into it without sinnes For it behooued Christ so to suffer and enter into his glory that he might act that in worke which the Apostle teacheth in words No man shall be crowned except he wrestlâ— lawfully Therefore it is much better to suffer patiently all present euils in this world which are profitable vnto vs then impatiently and vnquietly to suffer them especially seeing that will thou nill thou thou must suffer that which it pleaseth God to send for nothing can resist his power Besides these considerations and remedies I will set downâ— another yet more effectuall that is that a man be well armâ— alwayes to preserue this patience against all afflictions and aduersities which may arise against him on any side For what other thing is to be looked for of the world so peruerse of the flesh so weake of the enuy of deuils and maliciousnes of men Therfore he that is wise ought to be armed against all accidents and euils that may happen vnto him as he that is to take his iourney through his enemies Countrey For by it he shall receaue two great commodities the first because that which is to be borne shall not seeme so great if it be fore-seene for darts fore-seene as sayth Seneca doe lesse hurt Therfore Ecclesiasticus vvell admonisheth Goe to phisicke or euer thou be sicke As he doth who letteth himselfe blood while he is in health The second is that he that followeth our counsaile is sure to offer a sâ—crifice acceptable to God after a certaine manner like vnto that vvhich Abraham offered when he prepared himselfe to â—ffer his sonne Isaack For as often as man doth set downe with himselfe that this euil or that may happen vnto him from God or from men and he as the seruant of God prepareth himselfe and hath determined already to receaue it with all humility and patience and therfore resigneth himselfe into the hands of the Lord and is ready to entertaine any tribulation which way so euer it commeth after that manner as Dauid did the iniury offered and done vnto him of Semei as though God had commaunded him to doe it let him be ascertayned that if he haue his mind thus disposed although that commeth not to passe he expected or supposed yet it shall be as acceptable as if it had happened vnto him Therefore a Christian ought to remember that this is one of the especiall parts of Christian profession which Saint Peter teacheth saying If when yee doe well yee suffer wrong and shall take it patiently then is there thanke with God For heere-vnto verily were yee called Therefore let a Christian that liueth in this vvorld thinke that he is a rocke placed in the midst of the Sea which on euery side is beate and crushed with vvaues and billowes yet neuertheles he persisteth firme neyther is remoued out of his place These things therfore are the more copiously handled of vs because seeing that the profession of a Christian life as Saint Bernard sayth is diuided into â—wo parts vvherof one is to doe good the other to suffer wrong and euery one knowes that the second part is more difficult then the first therfore it were needfull to collect hether many cautions and many remedies because in this part there were greater danger It is further to be noted in this place that in this vertue of Patience according to the Doctors that there are three most excellent degrees and one more perfect then another The first is patiently to suffer afflictions The second is of own accord to desire them for the loue of Christ Iesus The third is to reioyce in the same afflictions Therfore the seruant of God must not be content be to be in the first degree of patience but he must labour to come to the second and when he is come vnto this he must not rest but proceede vntill he hath attayned the third We haue an example of the first degree in holy Iob of the second in the holy Martirs who so desired martirdome of the third in the holy Apostles who reioyced that they were made worthy to suffer iniury for the name of Christ. The same ioy was in Saint Paule as he testifieth of himselfe in a certaine place But let vs glory also sayth he in tribulations And in another place he ioyeth and glorieth in infirmities in distresse in scourges c. that he suffered for the Name of Christ. In another place speaking of his imprisonment and his bonds he desireth the Philippians that they would be pertakers of his ioy which he enioyed in that he was imprisoned and bound with chaines for the loue of Christ. Moreouer he sayth that this grace was giuen at the same time to the faythfull of the Church of Macedonia because in much tryall of affliction their ioy abounded and
lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction For the desire of money is the roote of all euill The naughtines and malignitie of this vice cannot be described more cunningly or curiously For it is manifest by these words that that vnhappy man who is subiect to this euill is the seruaunt and slaue of all other sinnes Wherfore wheÌ„ this vice doth assault thine hart thou shalt defend thy selfe with these weapons following First therefore ô thou couetous man consider that vvhen the Lord and thy GOD descended from the highest heauen to the earth he would not possesse riches which thou so greatly desirest yea he loued pouerty so wel that he would take flesh of a Virgin most poore and lowly and not of a Queene rich mighty When he was borne he would not lodge in a stately and wealthy pallace he would not lye vppon a soft bed he refused dainty swadling-clothes embraced for his cradle a hard Cratch So long as he lyued in the world he alwayes loued pouerty and contemned riches He chose his Apostles and his Embassadours not Princes and great men but base and abiect Fishers What preposterous order then is this that the most vild worme should seeke riches which the Lord of al the world and of all creatures contemned for his cause Consider furthermore the exceeding great basenes of thine hart that when as thy soule is created according to the image similitude of God and redeemed by his owne blood in comparison of which all the world is nothing yet thou art not ashamed to lose it for so small a gaine God would not haue gyuen his life for the whole world which notwithstanding he willingly layd downe for the soule of man Therefore thy soule is worthier and of more price then the whole world True riches are not gold nor siluer nor precious stones but they are found in Vertue which a good conscience bringeth with it Relinquish the false opinion of men and thou shalt see that gold and siluer are no other things but yellow and white earth which through the errour of men is crept into so great credit That which hath been despised by all the Phylosophers of the world doost thou beeing a disciple of Christ so much esteeme it that thou shouldest make thy selfe a seruant and slaue vnto it For as S. Ierome saith he is a seruant vnto riches who keepeth and tendeth them as a seruant but he who hath cast off that yoke deuideth them as a Lord. Consider also what the Lord sayth in the Gospell No man can serue two Maister God and Mammon that is riches The soule cannot freely serue God if it follow and hunt after riches so greedily and with so open a mouth Spirituall delights doe shunne a hart busied and occupied about earthly matters neyther doe things counterfeit and true agree together nor things hie and low temporall and eternall spirituall and carnall neyther can any man reioyce and recreate himselfe in them both together Consider in like manner that by howe much more prosperously earthly matters succeede with thee by so much perhaps thou art more miserable by reason of that pledge which here is giuen vnto thee that thou maist relye vpon vaine felicity which heere is offered vnto thee Ah that thou knewest what great euils and how many inconueniences thys small prosperity bringeth with it thou shouldest see the loue of riches more to afflict by desire then to delight by vse For it enwrappeth the soule in diuers temptations and bindeth it in infinite cares it allureth it with sundry delights prouoketh it to sinne and disturbeth the quiet no lesse of the body then of the soule And that vvhich is greater riches are neuer gotten without trouble nor possessed without care nor lost without griefe and that which is worser they are sildome gathered without sin and offence to God Hence is that prouerbe A rich man is eyther a wicked man or the heâ—re of a wicked man Consider moreouer how great an errour it is without intermission to desire those things which albeit they be most plentifull yet they can neuer satisfie the desire of man yea they prouoke it and inflame it more as drinke in a Dropsie is the cause of greater thirst so that although thou hast yet thou alwaies couetest that which thou wantest and alwaies couetest more and more So that the miserable and wretched hart wandering through all the things of this world is wearied but neuer satisfied it drinketh but the thirst is not quenched for it esteemeth not those things which it hath vnlesse also it possesse in like manner those things which further it may haue and there is no lesse trouble for things which it compasseth not theÌ„ there is pleasure in things which it possesseth neyther is the heart more satisfied with gold then the body with wind or ayre Wherefore not without cause Saint Augustine maruelleth saying What greedines sayth hee of desire is this seeing that the beastes haue a meane For then they rauine when they are hungry but they spare the pray when they feele fulnes Onely the couetousnes of riches is vnfatiable it alwayes raueneth and is neuer satisfied neyther feareth GOD nor reuerenceth man neyther spareth Father nor acknowledgeth Mother neyther yeeldeth vnto brother nor keepeth fayth with friend Consider that where much riches is there are many that eate and deuoure them many that couet them and many that lye in waite to steale them What hath the richest man of this world more of all his riches then whereof he may necessarily lyue of thys yrksome care thou maist disburthen thy selfe if thou wilt cast thy care vpon God and commit thy selfe to his prouidence for God neuer confoundeth them that trust in him For whom God made he will not suffer to die through hunger He that feedeth the foules of heauen and clotheth the Lillyes of the field how is it possible that he should forsake man especially seeing that so small a thing sufficeth the necessity of man The life is short death followeth at our heeles what need is there then of so great prouision for so short a iourney What wilt thou doe with so much riches especially seeing that the lesse thou hast the more lightly and freely thou mayest walke and when thou shalt come to the end of thy pilgrimage if thou beest poore thy estate shall not be worser then rich mens who are loaden with much gold Yea it shall be much better for thou shalt feele lesser griefe in forsaking this trash and pelfe of the world and a smaller account is to be rendered before God On the contrary part rich men in the end of their iourney leaue their mountaines of gold not without great griefe of hart which they adored as GOD neyther without exceeding great danger and hazard vnto them an account is to be rendered of those things they possessed Consider also ô thou couetous man for whom thou gatherest so
great riches for it is most certaine that like as thou camst naked into this vvorld so thou shalt depart naked hence thou entrest poore and shalt returne poore These things are often to be meditated of thee For he easily contemneth all things sayth Ierome who perswadeth himselfe that he shal dye At the houre of death thou must leaue all temporal things onely thy works which thou hast done whether they be good or euill shal waite vpon thee then thou shalt remember how thou hast changed eternal things for things temporal in heaping vp of which thou hast consumed thy time thy affections and all thy labours Then thy goods shal be deuided into three parts thy body shal be giuen to the wormes thy soule to deuils and thy temporal goods shal fall to thine heires which perhaps shal be vngrateful spend-thrifts and wicked Therfore it is much better and safer to follow the counsaile of our Sauiour who willeth vs to deuide our goods amongst the poore that they may prepare an entrance into life for vs as the Princes of this vvorld doe who determining a voyage doe send their furniture and treasure before them and such prouision as would hinder theyr speede and they themselues follow after What greater folly and madnes I pray thee can be thought of then to leaue thy treasure in a place to the which thou shalt neuer returne againe and not to send it before thee to that place in which thou shalt alwayes abide Consider moreouer of the great Gouernour and high director of this spacious Vniuerse who like a wise Housholder hath so disposed of the goods of this vvorld as he hath done of offices and degrees of estate and hath so ordered all things that one should rule and another be ruled that one should distribute and deuide wealth and another should receaue it Seeing therfore that thou art one of those on whom much wealth is bestowed to giue to those that neede thine owne necessity being supplied thinkest thou that it is lawfull to reserue it solely to thy selfe which thou hast receaued for many Heare what Ambrose sayth It is no lesser fault to deny that to the needy which he wanteth thou being of ability to giue it then it is to take by force from him that hath It is the bread of the hungry that thou detaynest the garment of the naked which thou layest by thee and the money and ransome of the captiue and miserable which thou hidest in the earth Consider therfore that those goods which thou hast receaued of the Lord are remedies and releefes of mans misery and not instruments of pleasure and pride Haue an eye that seeing all things prosperously succeed with thee thou remember him who is the authour and giuer of them and beware that the remedies of another mans misery doe not minister matter vnto thee of vaine glory Doe not ô my brother more loue banishment then thy Countrey Let not the furniture and prouision of thy voyage be an hinderance and a burden to thy iourney Doe not so loue the Moone-shine that thou contemne the noone-sunne doe not so liue that the solaces of this present life minister matter of eternal death Be content with the condition and estate which is happened to thee being mindfull of that of the Apostle Hauing foode and rayment let vs there-with be content For the seruant of God as Chrisostome sayth ought not to be clothed gorgiously to fare deliciously and to pamper his flesh delicatly but only to satisfie his necessity Seeke first the kingdome of God and his righteousnes and all other things shall be ministred vnto you For God who is willing to bestow great matters vpon thee will not deny thee small And if it please him to giue thee pouerty take it patiently for the poore are like vnto Christ who when he was rich became poore for our sakes They that are poore and with patience abide the Lords leysure and doe not respect riches which they haue not these make their pouerty a vertue And as the poore in their pouerty doe imitate Christ and are fashioned like vnto Christ so the rich bestowing and laying out their almes are renewed reformed by Christ for not only the poore sheepheards found Christ but also the Wise-men that came from the East and brought him their treasures Wherfore thou that art rich giue almes to the poore which if thou dost Christ himselfe receaueth them And doubt not but that almes that thou now giuest shal be reserued for thee in heauen where thy mansion shal be for euer but if in this earth thou hidest thy treasures thou shalt not there finde any thing where thou hast layd vp nothing How then shal any man truly terme those goods which cannot be taken away with vs yea which may be lost we looking on What doe they profit me sayth Ambrose if they may not be with me after death They are gotten heere and here shal be left But on the contrary part spirituall goods are goods truly and in deede for they neuer leaue nor forsake their Lord neyther fayle in death neyther can any man take them away we liuing and being against it ¶ That no man ought to detayne goods that are not his owne their Lord and Maister being eyther against it or not knowing of it ABout this sinne a very great danger is to be considered of which men oftentimes doe incurre in detayning other mens goods for we must know that it is not onely a sinne to steale other mens goods but also to keepe them against their owners wils neither is it sufficient to haue a determination at the length to restore them againe if forth-with they may be restored For we are not only bound to restore but also forth-with to restore If so be we be able but if we be not able forth-with to restore or not able to restore the whole by reason of pouerty in such a case we are not bound to the one nor to the other For God compelleth no man to performe impossibilities To the confirmation of this conclusion I think that we need not many words for that of Saint Gregory will be sufficient who writing to Iustinus a certaine Pretor of Sicilia sayth Let not any bribes or gaines allure and hale thee to iniustice let no mans threatnings or friendship make thee to decline from the right and straight way It is a thing diligently and seriously to be thought of that we leaue all gaines and bribes here behind vs and carry to iudgement onely the pleas and actions of harmfull and hurtfull gaines What greater madnes is there then then here to leaue the profit and to carry the losse with thee to doe another man a commodity and to disprofit thy selfe to procure mirth to another and torment to thy selfe vvhat is more foolish then to suffer punishment for that in another life which of others is consumed in this Furthermore it is an intollerable error that any