Attourneyes now to the Iudges now to the friends and allyes of all these to haue the definitiue sentence giuen in their fauour at our death the cause of all causes being brought before the supreme Iudge to wit of euerlasting life or death the defendant that is guilty oftentimes fouÌ„d vnprouided so oppressed with sicknes as he is not his owne man and is then compelled to giue an account of these things of which perhaps whiles he waâ— in good health he neuer so much as thought vpon Hence it cometh that miserable meÌ„ do fall so fast headlong into hell fire truly as S. Peter sayth If the iust maÌ„ shall scarce be saued 1. Pet. 4. where shall the wicked and the synner appeare VVherefore I esteeme it a matter of speciall moment first to admonish my selfe then my brethren that they duly regard this art and if there be any that haue not learned it of better maysters at least that they contemne not these thinges which we haue laboured to collect or gather togeather out of the holy Scriptures the writings of our ancient maisters But before we come to the rulâ—s or precepts of this Art I haue thought it expedient to search somewhat into the nature of death and to seâ— in what ranke it is to be placed eyther amongst the thinges that are good or else the contrary amongst the euill And truly if death be absolutly takeÌ„ without any other respect or relation then doubtlesse is it to be esteemed euill as being that priuation which is opposed to life which life no man can deny to be a good thing Agayne we may add that God is not the Authour of death for as the VVise man teacheth vs Through the enuy of the Diuell Sap. 1. 2. death entred into the world which is confirmed by Saint Paul when he sayth By one maÌ„ synne entred into the world Rom. 5. by synne death in whome all haue synned hence I coÌ„clud that if God made not death then is not death in it self good because al that God hath mad is good as Moyses sayth God saw all things that he had made and they were all very good Genes 1. Notwithstanding although that death be not good yet hath the wisdome of God so found out a meanes as it were to temper or season the same as that out of this bitter root much sweet sruit may growe Hence it comes that Dauid sayth The death of the Saints of our Lord is precious in his sight Psal 115. and the Church in the preface of the Masse of the Resurrection speaking of Christ sayth Who by dying destroyed our death by rising agayne repayred our life Truly that death which destroyed ours repayred our life cannot be otherwise then very good and therfore albeit euery death be not good yet we must graunt that some are therfore Saint Ambrose feared not to entitle one of his bookes De bono mortis of the good of death in which he cleerly demonstrateth death although begotten of synne to bring with it many and no small vtilityes Finally the same is confirmed by reason which doth shew death howsoeuer in it selfe ill by the grace of God to worke and procure much good for first we reape great good by death in that it riddeth vs from all the miseryes of this life which are both very many Iob. 14. and very great Holy Iob in playne words lamenteth of these miseries thus Man born of a woman liuing but a short tyme is replenished with many myseryes Eccles 4. And Salomon sayth I haue commended more the dead then the liuing haue iudged him more happy then both who is not yeâ— borne nor hath seene the wickednesse committed vnder the sunne And Ecclesiasticus addeth saying Ecl. c. 40. A great turmoyle is made for all men and a heauy yoke is layed on the children of Adam from the day of their issuing forth from their mothers wombe vntill the day of their buriall or returne to the common mother of all to wit the earth which finally as the parent of all receaueth them into her bosome and turneth them into corruption The Apostle in like maÌ„ner coÌ„plaineth of the miseryes of this life and sayth Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death By these testimonyes of sacred VVrit is sufficiently proued death to haue this good annexed vnto it that it deliuers a man from infinit miseryes of this life Moreouer it yieldeth vs another farre more eminent good then this because it is the gate by which we enter and passe from a prison to a Kingdome This was reuealed by our Lord to Saint Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist whiles for the fayth of Christ he liued in banishment in the I le of Pathmos Apoc. 14. I heard sayth he a voyce from heauen saying vnto me Blessed are the dead who dye in our Lord from hence foorth now sayth the spirit they may rest from their labours for their workes doe follow them Blessed truly is the death of Saints which at the commaund of the heauenly King deliuereth the soule from the prison of the flesh bringeth it to the Kingdome of heauen where the holy soules now free from all labours doe sweetly repose and for reward of their works do receaue the crown of a Kingdome and euen vnto the soules which are caryed to Purgatory death yieldeth a great benefit whiles it deliuereth them from the feare and danger of hell and makes them secure of their future euerlasting felicity yea euen vnto the damned death seemeth to yield some good when deliuering them the sooner from their bodyes it maketh that the measure of their torments shal no more increase by the synnes they would haue committed in their longer life For these so notable vtilityes death sheweth not a dreadfull but a smiling not a terrible but an amiable countenance towards the good hence it proceeded that the Apostle so securely cryed out Christ is my life and death my gayne Phil. 1. being desirous to be dissolued and to be with Christ in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians he warneth the good Christians not to be contristated with the deaths of their deerest friends neyther to bemoaâ— them as dead but rather to behold theÌ„ resting as it were in a sleepe And there liued not long since a holy woman called Catharine Adorna of the Citty of Genua who was so enflamed with the loue of Christ that shee had an incredible desire to dye and go to her beloued Sauiour for this cause transported with the loue of death shee did often prayse the sam as most fayre and beautifull only misliking that she fled from such as sought her and sought for such as fled from her The Reader may see more hereof in the 7. Chapter of her life Out of these things which we haue sayd we see that death as it is the childe of sin is euill but
the table pulse as beanes pease c. and herbes and sometimes for his guests or such as were sicke flesh I omit all other Saints let this suffice thaâ— if any one attentiuely consider what he wâ—â— is Lord and Father of all did doe when he tooke vpon him the office of feeding the people in the desert without doubt he shâ—l need no other Maister to teach him this art of sobriety for God who is only powerfull only wise and only good who could and knew and would well prouide for his beloued people he I say for fourty yeares togeather did rayne them Manna from heauen and caused water to flowe out of the rocke This Manna was lik a cake made of meale and hony as is sayd in the booke of Exodus behold with what sobriety our most wise prouident Lord wold haue his people to dyne sup a cake was their meate water their drinke and yet were all in health all sound vntill such tyme as they began to desire flesh The sonne of this euerliuing Father Christ Iesus in whom were All the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God Coloss 2. imitating the former example Ioan. 6. whereas he would make a dinner and supper for many thousands of his auditour he layd before them pieces of bread and fish drink of water and this he did not only whiles yet he remained in this mortall life but also after his resurrection when as there was giuen him all power in heauen and in earth Matt. vlt. he made a dinner for his Apostles at the sea side of a little bread and fish Ioan. 21. and there is no mention there of wyne or any other thinge o how farre are the counsayles of God different from counsailes of men The King of heauen taketh pleasure in the simplicity of the earth is delighted with sobriety specially carefull for the enriching filling and cherishing of our soule and yet men had rather giue care vnto their owne coÌ„cupiscence vnto the diuel their enemy theÌ„ vnto God Philip vnlesse we conclude with the Apostle that the God of carnall men is no other but their belly There resteth the sense of touching Touching which of all the rest is most grosse yet most quicke and full of life by this sense the works of the flesh do enter in to defile our soule and corrupt others which the B. Apostle recounteth saying The workes of the flesh are manifest which are fornication vncleannes lasciuiousnes So as in three words he expressed all the kindes of leachery neyther is it needfull to proceed further in the explication of these thinges which should rather be vnknown amongst Christians their names not so much as once to be heard oâ— for so sayth the same Apostle writing vnto the Ephesians Let not fornication or any vncleannes be named amongst you Ephes 5. as it becommeâ—â— Saints These remedyes occur vnto me against all the synnes in this kinde they aâ—e in maÌ„ner the same wherwith PhisitiaÌ„s doe vse to cure the sicke First they begin with fasting or abstinence they forbid such as fall sicke the eating of flesh and drinking of wine the selfe same must he do that is giuen to carnall lust abstaine I say from ouer liberall diet and excesse in drinking the same did Saint Paul prescribe vnto Timothy saying Vse a little wyne for your stomacke and for your frequent infirmityes That is to say vse wine for the weaknesse of your stomacke but a little to auoyd lust for in wine is leachery Againe the Phisitians do assigne bitter potions Ephes 5. letting of bloud and the like which are repugnant to nature 1. Cor. 9. so holy men did say with the Apostle I do chastize my body and bringe it into subiection least whiles I preach to others I become reprobat my selfe hence it comes that the ancient Hermites and monks did institute new orders â—f life quite repugnant to the delights and â—leasures of the flesh in fastings in watchings in lying one the ground in disciâ—lins in haire-cloths not for hate of their â—ody but for hate of their rebellious flesh out of many I will alleadge one example Saint Hilarion as testifyeth Saint Hierome in his life when he was tempted with lasciuious thoughts Ego sayth he speaking to his body faciam vt non c. I will take order that thou mayest not kicke I will not feed thee with barley but with straw I will make thee to starue for hunger thirst I will loade thee well with weight I will follow thee through heate and could that thou mayest thinke more vpon thy meate then vpon wanâ—onnes So he Besides this the Phisitians appoint moderate exercise of the body as walking playiâ—g at ball or the like to to preserue health and this also doth much help for the health of the soule that is to say if a man desirous of euerlasting saluation bestow one houre euery day in meditating on the mysteryes of our redemption or on the foure last thinges death iudgement heauen and hell or in some such like arguments of deuotion if the meditatioÌ„ succeed not as we would â—t least let him bestow some tyme euery daâ— in reading the holy Scriptures or otheâ— spirituall bookes or else in the liues of Saints Finally to ouercome all the tentations of the flesh and synnes of leachery the only and most effectuall remedy is to auoid idlenes for none is so much subiect vnto filthy thoughts as he who hatâ— nothing to do and bestowes his tyme iâ— loking on such as walke vp and down before his window or in talking with his frinds or in play and gaming And againe none are more free from impure thoughts then such as for whole days togeather are imployed in tilling the ground or continuall exercise in other occupations for which cause our Lord and maister Christ did chuse poore parents that they might get their liuing by their owne labour and himselfe also before he would vndertake the labour of preaching would haue his supposed Father to be a Carpenter and did help him to labour in tâ—â— same trade for the people sayd of him Iâ— not this the Carpenter the Sonne of Mary This haue I thought good to adioyn in the end of this booke that artificers and husbandmen may not repent them of their state of life seeing that the wisdome God chose the same state for himselfe and for his mother and for the holy man Ioseph his supposed Father not for that they needed this remedy but that they might warne vs that are weake to fly all sloth in case we will auoyd many other synnes The end of the first Booke THE ART HOW TO DYE WELL. THE SECOND BOOKE CHAP. I. Of the first Precept of dying well when our death is neere which is of the Meditation of Death WE deuided in the beginning this Art of dying well into two Partes in the first of which are set downe those precepts of dying well
which belong vnto that tyme in which Death might seeme to be further off in this other which we haue now in hand we will lay downe those which apperteyne vnâ—o Death when it is present or neere at hand Death is said to be at hand or expecting vâ— at the gate when we are eyther worne out with old age the Apostle telling vâ— Quod antiquatur senescit prope interitum est That which groweth auncient waxeth old is neere vnto death or destruction Heb. 8. or else are taken with some great sicknes in the iudgement of Phisitians very dangerous whether this do befall an old man or a young a youth or a child Of this second ranke it seemes to vs the first precept to be the meditatioÌ„ of death for although Death be thought vpon and considered with neuer so great diligence or attention whiles we are in our youthfull yeares yet doth it very little moue vs because we apprehend it as farre off and therefore lesse dreadfull but when we see it so present as it may in a manner be felt with our handes then it stirreth vs vp indeed and the consideration thereof is very profitable all Artes are better attayned by practise then by teaching and those who if not more often did twice at least dye as Saint Christine Drithelmus the English man of whome I made mention in my booke De gemnitu Coâ—umbae of the mourning of the Doue the noble woman raysed by Saint Malachy of whome I shall speake in the 8. chapter and that Hermite whose history Climacus doth relate of whome also we in the end of this Chapter will say somewhat it is euident that they died cheerfully but for vs who are permitted to dye but once there is no better way then to meditate to thinke often of what is done or to be done in that houre First then we are to thinke that then there shal be a separation made of the soule from the body that neyther the soule is to be extinguished nor the body to fall be resolued to dust without hope of rising againe and being reunited vnto the soule for in case the soule should be annihilated and the body be subiect to eternal corruption as the Atheists do surmize then shold they seeme to haue spoken well who contemned death and sayd Edamus bibamus eras enim moriemur Let vs eate let vs drink for to morrow we shall dye which prouerbe is most ancient as we may see in the Prophet I say Cap. 22. Cap. 15. and in the first of S. Paul to the Corinthians and surely there are some euen amongst Christians who in wordes say that they do belieue but deny it by their deeds which may be proued out 〈◊〉 this principle that very many euen iâ— their old decrepit age neuer thinke vpon death as though that they were neuer 〈◊〉 dye or as if they thought with the death of the body the soule also did perish and resolue to nothing but whatsoeuer such men do dreame the separation of the body from the soule as it were of thâ— spouse from her husband is but an absencâ— for a while not a perpetuall diuorce for the soule is immortall and the flesh without all doubt shall rise againe at the later day We must therefore if we be Christians and haue any wit dayly thinke of death at hand in this standeth the totall summe of all our weale that we dye well In this life the passage is not hard froâ— vertue to vice and with the grace of God from vice vnto vertue for he who is now heir of the Kingdom of God may to morrow by synne fall from the inheritance oâ— God and become guilty of hell fire coâ—trarywise he who is a slaue of the Diuell may be deliuered from that bondage and be againe enrolled amongst the children â—f God and heyres of the heauenly Kingâ—ome But he who dyes the enemy of God â—nd guilty of euerlâ—sting fire he shall alwayes remayne the enemy of God tyed to these torments and on the other side he who dyeth the friend of God and heir of the Kingdome of heauen shall neuer fall from grace and that most excellent glory wherefore all our feliciâ—y or infelicity dependeth vpoÌ„ our good or bad death who then that hath not lost all is wit and iudgement will aduenture to depart out of this life vntill withall diligence he hath learned and prepared also himselfe to dye well Another consideratioÌ„ that most profitable touching death may be to conceaue well that although death be most certeyn the prophet worthily demaunding VVho is the man that liueth and shall not see death Psal 88. with whome Saint Paul agreeth saying It is decreed for all men once to dye Heb. 9. Yet is there nothing more vncerteyne then the day and houre of our death which the Scripture cleerly pronounceth saying VVatch because that you do not know the day nor houre many are taken away in their infancy some arryue arryue vnto crooked old age some dyâ— young some at matures yeares and which is more miserable some do dy so sodeÌ„ly as they haue no leasure left then to call vpoâ— God or to commend their soules to his mercy and these thinges doth the diuiâ—â— prouidence of God according to the treasures of his wisdome for no other cause ordeyne after this manner but to the end that none of his elected children and seruaunts should presume or be so hardy as to remayne for one moment plunged iâ— the durt of deadly synne and therefore whosoeuer thou be that doest reade thesâ— thinges if perhaps thy conscience giue testimony against thee of a deadly synne be not so bold as to stay till to morrow in it nor yet to expect till the end of this day or houre but presently with a contrite and humble hart before God detest and be sorrowfull for the same The third Consideration no lesse profitable then the former may be if in the morning before thou go out to thy daily busines at night before thou goest to bed least soden death should takâ— thee at vnawares that thou diligently examin thy conscience what thou hast done the night past what the day immediately â—efore especially whether there be any â—ing that may seeme a deadly syn and if â—ou find nothing yield thanks vnto God â—e Authour of all good and it thou fynd â—â—y thinge committed against God seriâ—usly repent thee from thy hart and at the â—rst occasioÌ„ prostrating thy selfe at the feet of the Priest confesse the same receaue willingly the pennance imposed faithfully performe it â—his method of examiâ—ing our selues twice in the day wonderâ—ully helpeth that death neuer take vs heÌ„ce â—nprouided The fourth consideration may be that which Ecclesiasticus setteth downe that In euery thinge thou doest remember the last things â—nd thou shalt neuer synne For how can he oâ—â—end in any worke who first doth weigh â—ll his works in the ballance
pure most perâ—ect and to continew for all eternity and â—his may suffice in this place for the foure â—ast thinges Death Iudgement Hell and Heauen CHAP. V. Of the fifth Precept of the Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of making our last will and Testament THE consideration of Death at hand and the foure last thinges being premised it followeth that he who maks himselfe ready to go out of the world doe dispose of his house Isay 38. for so the Prophet Isay warned King Ezechias saying Dispose of thy house for thou shalt not liue from which trouble all Religious men are discharged who can say with the Apostle Ecce nos reliquimus omnia secutisuâ—â—s te Be hold we haue left all and haue followed thee Matt. 19. of which number Saint Augustine was one of whome Possidius writeth thâ—â— in his life He made no will or testament because the poore seruant of Christ had not whereof to make it for albeit he were a Bishop yet according to the custome of Religious men he kept nothing as his owne But this Wil is to be mad at the beginning of the sicknes in case the patieÌ„t haue not prudently preuented it by making it whiles he was in good health they doe much hurt hinder themselues who neuer thinke on making a Will vntill their sicknes still increasing they be forced thereunto by their friendes at what tyme they eyther beginne to leese their senses or certainly cannot then dispose of their thinges with that wisdome iudgement and maturity as they had disposed them had they made their Wills whiles they were in good health First of all before the sicke men make their wills they must think of paying their debts if so be that they be charged with any then to leaue their good vnto them to whome of right and equity they shall know them to appertayne not suffer themselues to be caryed away with affectioÌ„ towards those persons whoÌ„ they most loue in case this be any way repugnant to iustice In such thinges as depend on their owne free gift let them first lay before their eyes the glory of God and then the necessityes of their neighbours and if they be very rich those thinges which before they ought to haue giuen to the poore let them not now thinke to haue satisfyed their conscience if with their other synnes they confesse also this vnto the priest their ghostly Father vnles they take order that the same thinges be giuen to the poore or rather vnlesse that they themselues do presently giue them For it is a common opinion of the holy Fathers and chiefe schoole Doctours that all superfluous thinges which the rich enioy are due vnto the poore of which thing we haue writen in the former book and ninth chapter and it is not needfull heere againe to repeate what I haue there sayd but of thinges which they may dispose of at their pleasure let them conferre with vertuous discreet men which be the workes of charity that then for the tyme and place are more acceptable vnto God somewhere perhaps it will more import to buyld a Church or place for common buriall elswhere to place poore maydes in honest wedlocke elswhere to â—uyld an Hospitall to help the number of sicke persons elswhere to bestow almes on such as begge in the streets elswhere to redeeme captiues and the like and finally in such distributions there if no better rule to be obserued Lib. 3. off Cap. 48.3 p. Past adm 21. then as Saint Ambrose sayth sincere Fayth and discreet prouidence or as Saint Gregory sayth Charity with prudence or prudence conioyned with charity This in my iudgement is of speciall moment and seriously to be considered that the almes which are giuen by the liuing or else are appointed to be giuen by such as are to dye that then they be specially giuen or appointed when as he that giueth or appointeth them is gratefull vnto God for then both to the one other they are very meritorious and such bountifull almes-giuers are receaued of their good friendes into the euerlasting tabernacles according vnto Christ his promise in S. Luke for if they be giuen or appointed to be giueÌ„ by a wicked man the almes auaile nothing to euerlasting life whatsoeuer it doe in respect of other merits neyther for them are the giuers receaued into the euerlasting tabernacles wherefore the party that is guilty of mortall synne and hath made his last will and testament in that state is to aske counsaile of a discreet ghostly Father or some other of his vertuous frends that after a Confession entierly and perfectly made he confirme allow and ratify whatsoeuer he had disposed in his former will especially for the bestowing of almes on the Church or poore people after his death Hereunto last of all is to be added that he who in his last will and testament hath beene liberall vnto his neighbours that he be not vnmyndfull of his owne soule when as it may very well fall out that he go not directly after his death into heauen but first passe through the place of purging fire wherefore he shall do both prudently and religiously if he command one part of the almes to be giuen vnto Priests who may offer vp sacrifices vnto our Lord for his soule for as the Scripture testifyeth It is a holy and wholsome thought to pray for the dead 2. Mach. Cap. 12. that they may be deliuered from their syns so in the second of the Machabees out of which place Saint Augustine gathereth à fortiore that the soules of faythfull Christians departed this life are much more holpen by the sacrifyce of the body bloud of Christ in the Masse then they other were by the sacrifices of beasts in the old testament CHAP. VI. Of the sixt Precept of this Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of the Confession of our sinnes AFTER the consideration of the former points it is necessary that a man gone in yeares or taken with a dangerous sicknes do seriously casting aside all other cares apply his mynd duly to receaue the Sacrament of Pennance for it often happens that at what tyme the Sacrament of Pennance is most necessary that then it is with lesse disposition receaued of the Penitent such as are grieuously sicke or hindered with sorrowes or weakenesse or want of iudgement or horrour of death at hanâ— or loue of their deere frends whoÌ„ vnwillingly they leaue make a very maymed and imperfect confession for being in those â—nguishes they can hardly stirre theÌ„selues vp vnto true and sincere contrition or sorrow for their offences My selfe can be a witnesse of this difficulty which such for the most part doe fynd for when at a tyme I visited a frend a rich Gentleman who by reason of a great synne he had committed fell into a deadly disease told him that there was nothing better for him to seeke
Christ be entiere liuing both vnder the one and other forme Our Lord then would that by these mysteryes there should be extant amongst vs a continual daily remeÌ„brance of his passion by which we haue escaped all euill obteined al good heÌ„ce it came that our Lord said vnto his Apostles speaking of this Sacrament Do ye this in my remembrance the Apostle S. Paul expounding these-wordes of our Lord sayth As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke the cup you shall shew forth the death of our Lord vntill hecome That is to say as often as you shall come vnto this most sacred mystery you shal be mindfull that Christ left his life for you and this remembrance shall still endure or continew vntil the second coming of our Lord that is euen vntill the end of the world And our Lord wold haue vs daily to be mindful of his passion death because he knew this remembrance to be very profitable for vs that being mindeful of his great charity towards vs we should as well in our life as in our death repose all our trust or confidence in him for what will he be able to deny them for whome so freely and liberally he hath bestowed his owne life Another fruit of this celestiall banquet is designed in these wordes mens inpletur gratia the soule is replenished with grace which is the singular priuiledge of this Blessed Sacrament when it is receaued with due preparation and disposition of the receauer for as corporall food is but one thinge and by eating is conueyed into the stomacke yet notwithstanding it doth repayre nourish strengthen comâ—rt all the members of the body and conâ—ary wise to much abstinence from meate â—ot only makes the stomake empty but â—eakens and extenuates all the members it maketh them vgly and languishing in fine kills the body so this Diuine meat doth repaire nourish and strengthen all the spirituall power of our soule the memory by this sacred food is filled with grace of the most sweet remembrance of the benefits of God and especially of our Lords passion by which we are deliuered and saued our vnderstanding by this food is filled with the grace of fayth not habituall only but also actuall and fayth purifyes the hart from very many errours and filleth our mind with the knowledge of duiine things which breeds an vnspeakable ioy and comfort within vs and last of all the wil by this diuine food is filled with the grace of most certeyne hope and most ardent charity which for that shee is the Queene of vertues drawes all vertues vnto it with the possession wherof a man becometh most rich of spirituall wealth By these meanes then is our soule filled with grace by this most Diuine Sacrament and on the other side too much abstinence from this food hinders all the former effects it makes vs in them alâ— feeble weake deformed and drawes in the end vnto spirituall death The last fruite is futurae gloriae 〈◊〉 pignus datur there is a pledge giuen vs 〈◊〉 this most soueraygne Sacrament of thâ— glory to come the metaphor of a pledge 〈◊〉 taken from the ordinary condition annexed to a promise made amongst men because that which is promised cannot be denyed when there is a pledge giuen for the performance our Lord left his body in the SacrameÌ„t of the Eucharist as a pledge of our heauenly felicity and therefore he who at his death receaueth his Blessed body with due purity of mynde and reuerence he shall before his Redeemer shew his pledge and cannot be excluded from hiâ— celestiall happinesse And he indeed sheweth this pledge who dyeth vnited with Christ by true charity which the worthy receauing of this Sacrament did leaue in the soule for then the soule issueth forth of the body as an Espouse leaning vpoÌ„ her beloued Cant. 8. And this is that which S. Iohn writeth in the Apocalips when he sayth Apoc. 14. Blessed â—re the dead who dye in our Lord That is blesâ—ed are they who do dye conioyned vnto â—ur Lord as members vnto their head Ioan. 3. No man ascendeth into heauen but he who came downe from heauen the Sonne of man who is in heauen The Sonne of man is Christ who ascended not without his body of which he is the head and for thiâ— cause only such doe dye in our Lord who in their deaths doe adhere vnto him as meÌ„bers to their head which blessing al they do get who a little before they dy do worthily receaue Christ in the holy Eucharist And this hitherto haue we sayd touching the preparation of the sicke man to receaue his last food and heauenly Manna before that it be present brought vnto him For as soone as it is brought the sick man must as he is able lift himselfe vp and eyther on his knees or with humble bowing downe his head adore his Lord and Sauiour often it falls out that our Lord giueth such strength and vigour that men eueÌ„ ready to dye do rise at that tyme fal on their knees and so we reade of Saint VVilliam Archbishop Bourges in France Vt autem c. When he knew that his Lord Creatour was come vnto him presently recouering his strength he lept out of the bed as though that the ague had quite left him not without the amazement of such as were present especially for that he seemed to be at the last gaspe went wiâ—â— a speedy pace to meet his Sauiour chariâ—â— yielding him strength thereunto kneeling downe all bede wed with teares he adored him and to the end he might often kneele he was often lifted vp from his knees and with singular deuotion he coÌ„mended his last agony vnto Christ earnestly praying that if yet any thinges remayned to be purged that he would heere cleanse it that the wicked enemy might fynd nothing in him So farre the history of his life Now it seemeth to me a thing most requisite and to be practised at that tyme that before the sicke man do receaue the body of his Lord he repeat or heare an other read vnto him those verses of Saint Thomas of Aquin which at once do professe our fayth stirre vp our hope and kindle our charity the verses are these Adoro te deuotè latens Deitas Quae sub his figuris verè latitas c. I thee aÌ„dore O hidden Deity who couered in these outward signes doest lye My hart to thee doth tender all his might which contemplating is dazeled quite My sight my tast my touch in thee do faile me my hearing only doth for fayth auaile me To all that Christ hath spoken I agree then this truths word no truth can euer be Vpon the Crosse thy Godhead sole was shrowded thy Godhead heere maÌ„hoodly or ' clowded Yet them beleeuing both and both confessing I begge the happy theefs obtayned blessing Thy wounds with Thomas I nor see nor touch Yet thee
dolour like a damned wretch beganne to tell them that he saw hell open and the Diuell drowned in the depth of the pit neere vnto him Caiphas and others that killed our Lord giueÌ„ ouer to those reueÌ„ging flams neere also vnto theÌ„ he said Owre tâ— that I am I see a place prepared for 〈◊〉 euerlasting daÌ„nation the BrethreÌ„ hearing this began earnestly to perswade him that yet whiles he was in his body he would repent he vtterly despayring answered it is now to late to chaunge my life seeing that I haue seene my iudgement ended thus speaking without receauing the B. Sacrament he departed this life and was buried in the vtmost part of the monastery So Saint Bede and whereas this wretched Monke sayd there was now no tymâ— left to amend his life he speake not that out of truth but out of the suggestioÌ„ of the Diuell for the holy Ghost expresly pronounceth by the Prophet Ezechiel â—zechiel â— 33. that God is alwayes ready to imbrace such who are conuerted from synne to repentance and more plainly S. Leo in his epistle to Theodorus Bishop of Forotulia in these wordes To the mercy of God we can assigne no measure or apoint any tyme to whose presence a true conuersion fyndes no delay the spirit of God saying in the Prophet when thou shalt lament thy sin then thou shalt be saued I will add an example or two more to shew that vertuous men also at their passadge out of this life are often tempted with the sin of desperation there is extant in Surius the life of the Count Eleazarus who liued a Virgin with his wife Dalphina and shined after his most holy death with many miracles this Count notwithstanding at his death endured most stronge tentations for thus writeth the Authour of his life in the last Chapter Ad extremum in agone positus c. At last in the agony of death he shewed a very dreadfull looke whereby it might be coniectured that he was in perplexity for somethings that were obiected vnto him in this conflict he cryed out the power of the Diuells is great but the force and meritts of the sacred incarnation and passion of Iesus Christ hath broken and made weake their forces and a little after cryed out agayne Planè vici Now I haue ouercome a little after that agayne with a strong cry he sayd I do commit my selfe wholy vnto the iudgment of God so saying his contenance retourned to the former wont and graced with a fayre red in his cheeks with a splendour and very much beauty he yielded vp his soule vnto God There is another example much more dreadfull then this in Iohn Climacus who râ—counteth that a certeyne very Veneâ—able Monk called Stephen after that he had liued well neere forty yeares in the wildernes in fasting watching teares and prayers being adorned with many vertues he came at length to dye and when in his last agony the Diuells had found him guilty of many great crimes therâ—by to cast him into despayre he was sodenly amazed in mynde and his eyes being open with a loud voice he beganne to say sometymes thus Ita sanè reuera ita est sed poenitentia lachrimis crimen dilui It is iust as you say so indeed it is but with pennance and teares I haue washed away that spot sometymes thus Non estita mentimini it is not so you doe bely me Then agayne Verum loquimini sed fleui sed ministraui you speak the truth but I haue wept I haue serued in some other things he sayd Verè me accusatis quid respondeam non habeo You do truly chargâ— me and I know not what to answere and so dyed leauing it in doubt whether he were saued or damned These theÌ„ other the like examples do admonish vs with all diligence to cleanse our conscience before that houre that so we may not distrust in â—he mercy of our Lord. CHAP. XI Of the eleuenth Precept of the Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of the third tentatioÌ„ that is of the hatred of God OVR Aduersary the Diuell doth not only labour as much as he can to rob such as are to dye of their fayth and hope to draw them into heresy desperation but also striues to separate the friendes of God from his frendship and to draw them into his hatred by blasphemies magical arts these men for the most part neyther feare death nor hel persuading themselues that in hell they shall lead a merry life being now become the fellowes of Diuells who raygne and rule in those parts of this point writeth Grillandus Lib. desor quaest 9. num 2. lib. 6. dâ— mag ca 1. sect 3 and out of him Martinus Delrio affirming that wheÌ„ the witches are taken by the officers as themselues haue often confessed that then the Diuell seeketh for no more or is busied in any other thing but in persuading them to remayne obstinate euen vntill death yâ—â— though they shold be brought to the placâ— of execution and the fire should be kindled promising them to deliuer their bodyes from the halter or fire and to procure that they shold feele no payns in the flams or in case they should dye by that burning yet that their death should be without all sense or feeling of any paine and so to passe without torment out of this life into the happines of the next that there they shal be like the Diuels themselues endued with as great strength knowledge wealth power pleasure as the Diuell himselfe is So doth the lying Diuell delude and deceaue them There is also another sorte of these people who albeit they be not properly witches or magitians yet are so blinded with the inordinate loue of worldly wealth as that they differ very little from Infidells â—hes 5. â—lloss 3. neyther was it without cause that the Apostle called couetousnes the worship of Idols for that wealth is the Idoll the God and all the loue and delight of the couetous My selfe going one day to visit one that was sick very neere his death when I beganne to speake vnto him about the â—reparing of himselfe to dy he with stout courage and without all feare answered me and sayd I haue desired Sir to speake with you not for my selfe but for my wife and children for I now hasten vnto hell so as you need not for me to trouble your selfe any further And this he spake with as great a peace and quiet of mind as if he had talked of walking into the fields or going to some towne neere at hand for so farre foorth had the Diuell subdued possessed his soule as now it desired not nay it would not be separated from him and yet was this man no Magitian or Necromancer but practised an art which was very dangerous and wholy set vpon gains whether by right or wrong and thus he forgot not only God but also his owne
soule The conclusion in fine was that hauing longe laboured to reclaime him and draw him to a better mynde I could doe nothing with him Some perhaps wil desire to know of what profession this man was of which to the end his death may be a warning vnto others that practise the same in case that any be like him as there are to many I will not dissemble he was a lawyer but one of the number of theÌ„ which care full little whether the cause whicâ— they doe defend be iust or wronge aâ—d aâ— little doe they care though the iniure both partes so that they may fill their owne purses And for that I am fallen into this mattter I will add this also when on a tyme a very learned lawyer talked with me and explicated the â—quity of a certayne cause I breaking off his speech sayd you seeme to me to defend a bad cause The lawyer answered that so indeed it was but quoth he I am not an Attorney for truth or iustice but for my clyent I am to make the best of the cause with I haue taken vpon me to defend let the Iudge looke how he pronounce the sentence and in fauour of whome I replyed that in this matter I did not desire that he should belieue me but that he shold belieue Saint Thomas of Aquin a most learned 2. quaest pâ—art 3. most holy Doctour who writeth in this manner Respondeo Dicendum c. I answere and conclude that it is vnlawfull for any man to cooperate eyther by counsayling helping or consenting to doe euill because he who is the counsailour or cooperatour is in some sort also the dooer the Apostle writing vnâ—â— the Romans sayth that not only such as â—o sin â—â—t such also as consent to the doers â—â—e worthy of death and hence followeth 〈◊〉 before hath beene sayd that all such are â—ound to restitution but it is cleere that â—he Lawier Attourney or Aduocate doth â—ffoard his client both help and counsayle therfore if wittingly he defeÌ„d a wrong cause doubtles he sinneth grieuously and â—s bound to the restitution of whatsoeuer â—osse the other party hath incurred by his meanes helpe or assistance if out of ignorance he do defend an vniust cause thinking it to be iust he is excused in such sort as ignorance can be excused So farre Saint Thomas and his Commentour Cardinall Caietan explicateth the last wordes of Saint Thomas saying Qui omnino defendisset c. He who had defended the cause whether it were iust or vniust although he know it not to be vniust doth pleade vniustly not out of ignorance but with ignorance which doth not excuse and they also who care not to see and penetrate whether the cause that they maynteyne be iust or vniust do manifestly neglect to know that which they are bouÌ„d to know So he To these tentatioÌ„s another may be added which doth not so much hurt as help 〈◊〉 although the Diuell vse it with in 〈…〉 only of hurting for the Diuel vseth ofteâ—tymes to be present to shew himselfe iâ— most dreadfull vgly shape to such as aâ—â— tody that in case he be not able to deceaue them yet that therby at least he may hinder their alacrity and feruour of prayer so writeth Sulpitius of Saiâ—t Martin to wit that the Diuell appeared vnto him when he was to dye vnto whome Saint Martin sayd VVhat staÌ„ds thou heere for thou bloody beast Thou shalt fynde no filth in me and the venâ—rable man Petrus Damianus in the life of S. Odilo doth write that the Diuell appeared to the same Saint in a most fearefull shape a little before his death of whome Saint Odilo is recounted to haue spoken In the hower of my departure in that corner for he pointed as it were at the place with his finger I saw a cruell most dreadfull shape which endeauoured to strike a horrour and dread into me of a most monstrous vision but Christs grace assisting me it could do me no hurt And Saint Adelinus Bishop of Sagium writeth of Saint Oportuna the Virgin extant in Surius that the Diuell appeared vnto her when shee was to dye in the forme â—2 April of a blackemore from whose a head and â—eard did drop downe hoat and liquid â—ytch his eyes were like burning iron that â—s taken out of the forge when it casts out many sparkes out of his mouth and nose issued foorth a flame of fire and a stinking vapour like vnto brimstone The cause why God permitteth holy men to be tempted with those fearefull visions is deliuered by an Angell of our Lord in the life of Saint Aicardus to be seen in Surius 15. Sepâ— for whereas the Diuell at a certeyne monastery was busy to get his prey a holy Angell who was the Guardian Angell of that monastery sayd vnto the diuell Thou shalt heere haue an imployment fruitfull for the monkes but not profitable for thee for the Monkes to cleanse their synnes for thee to confusion and the diuell replying am I bound eyther to these or to any other Christians to further their saluation The Angell answered in this thou art bound because whatsoeuer is in them that is to be cut of through the horrour of thy vision shall be purged or made cleane And a little after the same Angell speaking of the diuell sayd vnto S. Aicardus Be not afraid of him he hath no power giuen him to hurt any in this family but that only his vgly visioÌ„ shall cast the beholders now ready to departe out of their bodyes into a wholsom feare which shal take away whatsoeuer yet remayneth to be purged CHAP. XII Of the twelfth Precept of the Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of the first remedy against the Tentations of the Diuell VVE haue layed open in the former Chapters foure tentations which do much molest such as are to dye against which tentations there may be applied two sorts of remedies one of them is for such as yet haue the vse of reason and can both heare and vnderstand what is sayd vnto them the other is more generall and common vnto all and it is most profitable secure Concerning the first if the tentation impugne the Catholike faith it is no way conuenient as before we sayd to dispute with the Diuell but in generall such as be â—o teÌ„pted are to be aduertised that if the tentation be touching the nature of God whom we are to belieue to be one in substance and three in person the sicke man is to be taught that he reflect with himselfe that there be many things created not only spirituaâ— but also corporall of which we are ignorant for most men wil not be drawn easily to belieue al the starrs of the firmameÌ„t to be greater theÌ„ the whol world and yet the mathematitians do easily demonstrate it to be most true and in case this thinge which is corporall be of many not vnderstood who
cheerfully we do the same where the daÌ„ger is both corporall and spirituall temporall euerlasting Lastly there remayneth a consideration for these men who are so carnal sensuall that they esteeme not the losse of eternall life and that glory which surpasseth all vnderstanding these men are to be warned that in case they esteeme not the glory of heauen which they neuer saw at least they contemne not the fire brimstone and other corporall punishments which they know and which in hell are found to be most outragious truly carnall pleasure which in this life is light and momentary doth worke in the wicked aboue measure an euerlasting weight of misery And truly our Lord Sauiour Christ in the last day in few words will make this euident saying go ye accursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell his Angells But S. Iohn iâ— his Apocalips hath expressed more fully what maÌ„ner oâ— torments are prepared for the Diuell and his Angells for men circumuented seduced by these Apostata spirits of the Diuell Prince of the wicked thus we reade in the Apocalips Apoc. 20. Et Diabolus c. And the Diuell who seduced them was cast into the sake of fire and brimstone where the beast the false Prophet shall be tormented day and night for euer in the next Chap. of others condemned to hell he sayth Cap. 21. to the fearfull vnbelieuing and to the execrable murtherers fornicatours and sorcerers idolaters al lyars their part shal be in the lake that burneth with fire brimstone which is the second death of which words the very first only needeth explicatioÌ„ for the other sins are manifest cleere S. Iohn calleth the fearefull those who dare not resist the tempter be he Diuell or man but presently yield and consent to the tentatation to such S. Iames sayth resistite Diabolo fugiet à voâ—is resist the Diuell he will fly from you there are not a few but rather innumerable who haue not learned to fight in our Lords warfare but without all resistance receaue the wounds of the Diuell dy the first death which is deadly syn because they are fearfull also in doing pennance whiles they dare not chastise their body bring it in subiection they fall vpon the second death which is hell therfore S. Iohn put the fearefull in the first place because this timidity drawes infinit men into hell What heere will carnall men say For that all temporale moluments whatsoeuer are momentary light we haue all learned by our owne and other mens experience that the torments of hell fire are most weighty to eÌ„dure for euer the holy Scripturs in which no falsity can be coÌ„teyned do cleerly testify Out of which it followeth that the total summe of this Art of dying well is that which is comprized in the three ensuing propositions or which is euinced in the sillogisme following in the next and last Chapter of this booke CHAP. XVII The Summe or Abridgement of the Art of dying well AS well the comfort as the tribulation of this life is momentary and small the comfort and tribulation of the next life is for duraÌ„ce euerlasting for greatnesse without measure therefore they are fooles who contemne the comfort tribulation of the next life The first proposition of this argument is cleere by experience the assumption is more cleare in the Scriptures which are penned by the holy Ghost the conclusion followeth ineuitably out of them both if theÌ„ any one will easily and soone learne this art let him not content himselfe with the reading of this or the like bookes but let him attentiuely consider not once but often not of curiosity to learne but out of sincere intention to liue and dye well what distance there is betweene momentary things and euerlasting betweene thinges of no moment and such as are of most importance most weighty and if he desire to be throughly grounded in this most profitable perspicuous truth let him call to mynde the examples of such as haue beene before vs whether by good life they came to a good end or by their il behauiour haue euerlastingly perished to case him of the labour of seking after examples I will help him to three payre of them one of Kings one of priuate men the last payre of Clergy men and all these I wil take out of the holy Scripture The first shall be of Saul and Dauid Saul whiles that he was a priuate man poore was so honest and good as that the Scripture testifyeth there was not a better then he amongst the children of Israel being made King he changed his behauiour 1. Reg. 9. in so much as there was not found a worse then he for he persecuted Dauid who was innocent euen vnto death and that for no other cause but for that he suspected that Dauid should be a King raigne after him and when he had raygned 20. yeares he was slayne in warre descended to hell Dauid a faythfull and vertuous man after a long persecution procured by Saul was declared King and for forty yeares raygned gouerned his Kingdome most prudently and iustly in which tyme he endured many tribulations at length rested in peace Now let vs compare togeather the comforts and tribulations of them both see whether of theÌ„ had better learned the art of liuing dying well Saul whils he liued had not that cleere and perfect delight which yet of all others is wont to be greatest in Kings and men of supreme authority whiles he swayed the scepter that for the great hatred wherwith he pursued Dauid therfore he tasted not in the twenty yeares of his raign the sweetnes of his crowne without the gall of enuy those yeares being expired all the pleasure of this life left him and there succeeded a perfect and euerlasting calamity and now for the space well neere of two thousand threescore ten yeares his chiefest part to wit his soule liueth in vnspeakable torments that which is more miserable these torments are to endure for euer Dauid on the other side liued 70. yeares and raigned of that number forty and although he tasted of tribulations and these neyther few nor small yet found he very frequent singular comforts out of the reuelations he had from God which he expressed in his most sweet and heauenly psalmes after his death descended not into tormeÌ„ts but with the holy Fathers into repose the bosome of Abraham and after the resurrection of our Sauiour he ascended with Christ into the euerlasting Kingdome of heauen Let the Reader now iudge whether the passadge of the wicked froÌ„ their body be not most miserable although it be of Kings and Emperours and the passage of the iust most happy be it also eyther of Kings or Emperours Saul as I sayd raygned twenty yeares and now after his death for
THE ART OF DYING WELL. Deuided into tvvo Books WRITTEN By ROBERT BELLARMINE of the Society of Iesus and Cardinall Translated into English for the benefit of our Countreymen by C. E. of the same Society â—imortui qui in Domino moriuntur TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE L. M. M. the Translatour wisheth all true Honour and Happynes HAVING nothing of myne own worthy of your Honorable Acceptance or any way proportionable to your Merits I present you with a Strangers Labour in an English attyre which although for quantity it be one of the least for tyme the last that hath come from that learned Pen yet for generall profit it may proue the best as treating a more familiar Argument then any of his other spirituall Books haue done Nothing is more certayne nothing more vsuall then Death which hath consumed all that haue gone before vs and we whether we will or nill must tread the same path and follow them There is no exemption from this passage to which such is the swift and short course of our life we doe not so much runne as fly and yet for the most part come to it before we would yea altogeather against our will and that specially for the great horrour we conceaue thereof which for the most part is grounded on the guylt of Conscience For as the Wiseman saith Sap. 17. timida est nequitia wickednesse is full of feare and condemnes it selfe and where the soule is surcharged with synne hel fire prepared to receiue the sinner no meruayle though he feare and treÌ„ble or els for want of Fayth of the future life For such as make their soules as mortall as their bodyes and stretch their thoughts no further then to that which like beasts they see with their eyes do easily with the Philosopher esteeme of death as if it were Arist 3. Moral 6. Maximè omnium rerum horribilis of all things the most dreadfull in regard that it depriues them of their temporall Emoluments their Friends Honours Disports and all esteemed Happines so as the first for feare of what is to come these for griefe of that which is past esteeme death dreadfull Or finally this falls out for want of due consideration thereof of death I meane which to such as haue it still before their eyes as it is a bridle from sinne and spur to vertue so is it an encouragement against the poyson thereof For the sting of this snake as the Apostle sayth is synne Stimulus mortis peccatum 1. Cor. 15. which by continuall meditation thereon is taken away memento mortis tuae sayth Saint Hierome non peccabis Hier. ad Cypr. Greg. 13. Moral c. 10. remember thy death and thou shalt not sin or as Saint Gregory sayth culparum laqueos euadent such shall walke so warily as they shal not fal into the snares of the enemy or sting of death and consequently shal be free from al feare which the morall Philosopher did rightly obserue and therfore gaue this aduise to his friend Lucilius Seneca ep 30. Tu vt mortem numquam timeas semper cogita that thou mayst neuer feare death be alwayes thinking on it Which contemplation is so soueraigne and effectuall as our worthy Bishop of Canterbury S. Anselme writing to one Ansel ep 113. whome he very dearly esteemed in England who had demaunded his counsayle for spirituall direction he gaue him only this aduyse saying So liue euery day as thou doest desyre to be found at the last houre of thy life and so euery day prepare thy selfe as if to morrow thou wert to dye and to giue account vnto God by this meanes thou shalt proceed from vertue to vertue So he Which graue aduise little needs any Commentary your Vertuous Disposition as little needes my incitement I know you are not vnmyndfull heerof I know your Zeale and Constancy in Gods cause I know your Charity towards the afflicted and cannot doubt of the continual vse of prayer and vertuous actions wherwith now for many yeares you haue beene so well accustomed which so dispose you to this end as you need not feare but with desire expect this passage which will open heauen which will take you from the world and restore you to God which will loose the bands of this corruptible clogge and inuest you for euer with immortall glory and which finally froÌ„ the sight of these transitory things the meere shaddows of true pleasure will bring you to the full sight of the Blessed Trinity the maine ocean of all true delights and there as the Apostle sayth semper cum Domino erimus 1. Thess 4. we shall for euer be with our Lord. This is the happynesse of the Vetuous for euer in the next life to be with our Lord who neuer in this life would forsake him but still continued in his feare and fauour vntill the end These with triumphant security tread Death vnder their feete whiles the wicked surprized conquered by his force are made a prey to his Tyranny who is not moued at all with their teares cryes or any intreaty but no lesse scornes this their fruitlesse griefe then he doth the frayle power of the most potent Monarch of the world whome he ouerthrowes with as great facility as the poorest beggar and that without all regard of degree age strength riches or what els soeuer the earth affoards This did Clotharius King of France to name one for all acknowledge when being dangerously sicke as Saint Gregory of Towers doth recount Greg. Tu. l. 4. hist or cap. 21. he sayd vnto such as stood about him Vah quid putatis qualis est ille Rex caelestis qui sic tam magnos Reges interficit What thinke you my maysters How great is the King of heauen who in this manner doth kill so potent Kings Death is the instrument of execution which to such as prepare themselues vnto it is a sleep and quiet repose to others a most dreadfull bitternes and vexing torment a Lambe where it is subdued a lyon where it doth ouercome The good wish for it the bad abhorre it but both the one the other must of necessity vndergo it and I know not what greater folly or frenzy can be imagined then to be watchfull in light matters and to forget this to behould with attentiue affection the thinges that fly from vs and not to fee whither our selues by the swift wings of tyme are incessantly carryed to see others euery where to dye and yet to liue in such careles neglect as if euen in this life we were immortall to belieue that there is a Hell Heauen neither to feare the one or to desire the other to know that euery one shall receaue according to the workes he hath done good or euill Referet vnusquisque sayth the Apostle propria corporis prout gessit 2. Cor. 5. siue bonum siue malum Euery one shall receaue according to that he hath done
praecincti Let your loynes be girded this is the literall sense of these wordes that we be ready and stopped by no entanglements to runne to meet with our Lord when he shal call vs by death to this particuler iudgement This similitude of girding the loynes is taken from the custome of the Easterne people who did weare long garments almost to their feet and when they were to walke apace they did gather vp their garment and girded therewith all their loynes least the length of their weed might hinder their hast and make them go more leasurely for which cause it is said of the Angell Raphael who â—ame to accompany the younger Toby Tunc egressus c. Then Tobias going forth Tob. 5. found a faier young man standing girt as it were ready to walke By occasion of this custome of the Easterne people 1. Pet. 1. S. Peter wrote propter quod succincti lumbos mentis vestrae soby perfectè sperate c. For the which cause hauing the loynes of your mynd girded sober hope perfectly c. and S. Paul to the Ephesians state succincti lumbos vestros in veritate stand yee hauing your loynes girded in truth Now to haue our loynes girded doth signify two thinges first the vertue of chastity secondly a promptitude or readines to meet with Christ whether he come to the particuler or generall iudgement Aug. lib. de contientia Loco citat The first sense is admitted by S. Basil in his exposition of the first chapter of the prophet Isaias by S. Augustine and S. Gregory and truly amongst all the passions and perturbations of the mynde no one doth so much hinder our swift and ready passadge to meet with Christ as the concupiscence of the flesh as on the other side nothing maketh a man more ready to runne and follow Christ then doth virginall chastity Apoc. ca. 14. 1. Cor. 7. for we read in the Apocalips that the Virgins doe follow Chrisâ— whersoeuer he shall goe to this doth S. Paul exhort vs saying qui sine vxore est c. He who is without a wife is careful of those thinges which concerne our Lord how he may please God but he who is with his wife is carefull how he may please his wife is deuided But the other exposition which doth not restraine and limit these girded loyns to chastity alone but extendeth it to prompt obedience of Christ in al thinges is of S. Cyprian Lib. de exhor Mart. cap. 8. and is generally admitted by all Commentours on S. Lukes Gospellâ— the meaning then of this place of thâ— Ghospell is that all the affaiers of this world albeit very good and necessary should not so farre forth possesse our myndes as that they should hinder this chiefest most principall care of being ready to meet our Sauiour when he shall call vs by death to yield an account of all our workes yea also of our words and thoughts euen our idle words vayne cogitations For what shall men wholy drowned in the world at that tyme doe when death at vnawares and not looked or prouided for shall come who in the whole course of their life haue neuer thought of giuing an account vnto God of all their workes of all their wordes of all their thoughts of all their desires of all their omissions shall such think you be able to haue their loynes girt runne to meet with Christ Or rather shall they not be tossed entangled in their filthy life and become both dumbe and desperate What wil they answere to the Iudge when he shall demaund of them why did you not giue eare vnto my wordes by which I warned you saying Seeke first for the Kingdome of God and the righteousnes therof and all these thinges shall be giuen vnto you why did you not consider the words so often and so publickly song and sayd in the Church Martha Martha sollicita es c. Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things but one is necessary Mary hath chosen the best part which shall not be taken from her If I haue reprehended the care of Martha who most deuoutly desired to serue my selfe doe you thinke that your care of gathering superfluous riches of greedy gaping after dangerous honours of satisfying your hurtfull appetites and in thâ— meane tyme forgetting the Kingdomâ— of God and the righteousnes thereof which aboue al things in this life is most necessary can please content me But let vs come to another duty of a diligent and faithfull seruant lucernae ardentes in manibus vestris and burning candles in yours hands it is not inougâ— for a good seruant that his loynes be girâ— whereby he may freely and without leâ— runne to meet with his Lord but it iâ— further exacted of him that there be also a burning candle in his hands which may shew him the way in the night at what tyme his Lord is expected to returnâ— from this marriage feast The candle in this place signifyeth the law of God which sheweth vs indeed a good way to walke in Lucerna sayth Dauid pedibus meis verbum tuum Psal 111. Thy word is a candle to my feet and lex lux sayth Salomon in his Prouerbes Prouer. 6. the law is a light but this candle giueth no light to a traueller or sheweth any way at al if it be left at home or in our chamber and therefore if we will haue it to shew vs the way we must cary it in our hands many there be that know the diuine and humane lawes but therefore they commit many sinnes and pretermit many necessary good workes because they cary not this candle in their hands that is they apply not their knowledge vnto the workes of the law How many great learned men are there who commit most grieuous offences because in their actions they take not direction from the law of God but are transported by their owne anger lust or some other disordinate passion of their mynd When King Dauid saw Bersabee naked had he recurred to this law he had found Non concupisces vxorem proximi tui thou shalt not lust after thy neighbours wife and had neuer falne into such an enormous crime but because he made no further recourse then to the womans beauty fogetting the law of God though otherwise a very iust holy man he coÌ„mitted adultery We must not then haue this candle hid and shut vp in our chamber but must still haue it in our handes obey the voyce of the holy Ghost which commaundeth vs that we meditate day and night on the law of our Lord Psal 1. and that we say with the Prophet Tu mandasti c. Psal 118. Thou hast commaunded thy coÌ„maundements most diligently to be kepâ— I would to God my wayes may be directed to keep thy iustifications He who hath alwayes the candle of Gods law before the eyes of his soule Psal 118. will
securely meet with our Sauiour at his retourne from the marriage There remayneth the third office or duty of a faithfull seruant that he alwayes watch because he is vncertayne when his maister will come Blessed are those seruants saith Christ whome their maister when he shall come shall fynde watching God Almighty would not haue all men at a certeyne tyme or period of their age to depart this life least they should bestow all the tyme of their life til then in gluttony and drunkennes plaies and desportes or in other ill works and then afterwards a little before their death to recal themselues retourne vnto God wherefore his diuine prouidence hath so ordeyned that nothing should be more vncerteyne then the houre of our death whiles some as we see dye in their mothers wombe others as soone as they are borne if not in their very birth some in hoary old age others in the very flower of their youth againe some we see by long lingring to languish away others to dye sodenly some to recouer from a most desperate sicknes others to be but a little sicke whiles they seeme free from death the disease increaseth and they depart this life and to make vs the better see this vncertaynty our Sauiour sayd Et si venerit c. Luc. 12. If he shall come in the second watch or if in the third watch so shall fynd his seruants to wit watching blessed are those seruants for know you this that if the maister of the house shold know at what houre the theefe would come truly he would watch and not suffer his house to be ransacked and be you prepared because the Sonne of man will come at such an hower as you thinke not on Moreouer that we might vnderstand of what weight this matter is to be well perswaded of the vncertainty of our life of the houre in which our Lord will call vs to iudgement eyther in the death of euery particuler or else at the later day the Scripture doth repeate nothing so often as that one word Vigilate watch and the similitude of a theefe who vseth not as you know to come but at such a tyme and place where and when he is least expected the word watch is in many places repeated in the Ghospells of S. Mathew Marke and Luke and the similitude of a thiefe is not only in the Gospels but also in the Epistles of the Apostles Apocalyps of S. Iohn Of all which we may euidently perceaue how great the negligence and ignorance not to say madnes and folly of most men is that so often admonished by the spirit of truth by the pens of the Apostles who could not lye nor deceaue vs that we be still prepared for death as a thing most great and difficult and on which dependeth our greatest and euerlasting happines or our greatest and euerlasting destruction and yet that there be so few that are stirred vp by these wordes or rather thunderings of the holy Ghost to prepare themselues thereunto Heer some will say what counsaile do you giue vs that we may watch as we should and by watching be prepared to make a happy end I can thinke of nothing better then that we often prepare our selues to death by a serious and due examination of our conscience and truly Catholike people when they come euery yeare to confession omit not to examine their consciences and againe when they begin to be sicke and the Phisitians by the decree of Pope Pius V. are forbidden to come the second tyme vnto them vnlesse after the examination of their conscience they haue also made a confession of their syns finally there are none in the Catholike Church but neere the hower of their death examine their consciences and confesse their synnes But what shall we say of such as are taken away by soden death What of such as become mad or leese their witts before they can make their confession What of those who are so ouerburthened with the extremity of sicknes as they cannot so much as thinke how many or what sins they haue coÌ„mitted What of those who in dying do synne or in synning doe dye as those who fight in vniust warre or in single combat or are taken in adultery To auoid therefore prudently and religiously these and the like inconueniences nothing better can be deuised then that all those who esteeme and make account of their saluation do twice euery day to wit at noone and night diligently discusse their conscience what the night or day before they haue done what they haue sayd what they haue desired what they haue thought in which any spot of synne may be found and if they fynd any such especially any thing that may seeme a mortall synne let them not delay the remedy of true contrition with firme purpose at the first opportunity to come to the Sacrament of pennance wherefore let them aske of God the gift of true compunction and sorrow let them call to mynde the grieuousnes of synne let them detest from their hart the fault committed let them seriously discusse who it is that doth offend whome he hath offended to wit a vile wretch Almighty God an vnprofitable seruant the Lord of heauen and earth let not their eyes cease from teares nor their hands froÌ„ knocking their brest and finally let them make a true and resolute purpose neuer more to prouoke Gods wrath nor to offend their most louing Father This examination if it be well made morning and euening or at least once in the day it can very hardly happeÌ„ that any one in dying should synne or in synning dye or be preuented with giddines madnes or other like misfortunes and so being well prepared to dye neyther the vncertainty can hurt vs or we be depriued of the glorious reward of euerlasting life CHAP. V. Of the fifth precept or rule of the Art of dying well in which is detected the errour of the Rich men of this world TO that which hath been sayd we are to adioyne the refutation of a certeyne errour very vulgar amongst the rich men of this world and it much hindereth the good life and death we haue spoken of The errour consisteth in this that rich men do esteeme the goods which they possesse to be absolutely and truly their owne if they possesse them by due clayme tytle and therefore that they may lawfully wast them giue them as they list neyther may any man say vnto them why do you thus Why go yoâ— so braue in apparell Why do you faâ—â— and feast so daintely Why are you so prodigall and lauish in feeding doggs oâ— hawkes or in play at dâ—ce or cardes oâ— in like delighting pastimes For the will forth with answere you what 〈◊〉 that to you May I not do with myâ—â— owne goods what I list or must I askâ—â— your leaue and counsaile how to bestow them This truly is a most grieuous and pernicious errour For suppose the rich
sonnes of Iudas the Patriarcke is â—â—arply repreheÌ„ded for that wheÌ„ he knew is wife he cast out the seed on the earth â—â—at no child might be born for this is not â—o vse but to abuse Matrimony and if soÌ„â—â—mes it happen that the vertuous parents â—re ouerburdened with multitude of their â—ssue in so much as by reason of their poâ—erty they cannot mainteyne them there 〈◊〉 a remedy in it selfe good and gratefull vnto God by continuall consent to sepaâ—ate theÌ„selues from the bed knowledge of each other and for the tyme to come to attend vnto prayer and fasting for it it be gratefull acceptable vnto God for man and wife to continew stil euen vnto their old age in virginity after the example of the mother of God and Saint Ioseph whose example Saint Henry the Emperour and Chunegunda his Empresse Saint Edward the Confessour King and Editha his Queene Elizearius Earle and his Lady Dalphina many others did follow why shold it displease God or men that marryed folke hauing now children by mutuall consent should refraine from copulation that they may bestow what resteth their life in fasting prayer Moreouer it is a grieuous synne for any in the state of Matrimony to â—â—glect his children and let them want eyther vertuous education or necessary maintenance of clothes diet and the liâ—â— many examples there are extant of thâ— matter at well in sacred as prophane historyes but for that I intend to be briefe 〈◊〉 will content myselfe with one which 〈◊〉 in the first booke of Kings Thus in that place doth God himselfe speake In that 〈◊〉 I will raise vp all these thinges which I haue spokeâ— against the house of Heli. I will begin and I will end For I foretold him that I was to iudge his house for euer for the iniquity thereof because he knew that his children did wickedly behaue themselues he did not correct them therefore haue I sâ—â—orne to the house of Heli that the iniquity of his houses shall not be blotted out for euer with victimes or gifts This did our Lord fortell and a little after did execute for the children of Heâ—â— were slaine in warre and Heli himselfe sâ—ting on his seat fell backeward brake his necke dyed miserably if then Heli who was otherwise a good man iust Iudge of the people for the synnes of his children which he had not brought vp so wel as he should haue done and when afterwards they became worse and worse he â—ad not cheked and amended them came â—ith his Children to a miserable end and 〈◊〉 the gouernment or principality ouer â—he people what shall become of them â—ho not only do not endeauour to bring vp their children well but by their own example of bad life teach them to do ill Surely they can expeâ—â— nothing else for themselues or their children but a dreadful death vnlesse they amend be tyme and do pennance condigne to their former offences Another good of matrimony is fidelity which consisteth in this that ech of the maried couple do know that their bodyes are not their owne but that the body of the wife is the husbands and the body of the husband is the wiues and as the one cannot deny coniugall duty vnto the other so can neyther of them both yield their bodyes to be vsed by any other the signe of this fidelity is the ring giuen in the solemnity of Marriage this doctrin is cleerly deliuered by the Apostle saying Let the husband render duty to his wife shee likewise to her husband the woman hath not power ouer her but the husband 1. Cor. 7. and likewise the husband hath not power ouer his body but the woman defraude not one another vnlesse it bâ— mutuall consent for a tyme that you may attenâ— prayer This is the Apostolicall doctriâ—â— which all Christian maried folkes mâ—â— diligently obserue if they desire to liue dye well if there be any publike adulterers eyther the Iudges do iustly puniâ—â— them or else the friends and kinsfolkâ— of the party reuenge the wronge offered by that disgrace but for secret adulterers who are many more then the open the Almighty and most iust Iudge from whome no secrets lye hid will doubteles in the end condemne them to euerlasting torments The third good or perfection of Matrimony and that most noble is the grace of the Sacrament which God powreth into the harts of the marryed couple if in the tyme of their Marriage they be duly disposed and prepared thereunto this grace besides other good which it bringeth with it is of wonderfull force to effect mutuall loue betweene both the partie notwithstanding that different iudgemeÌ„ts maners diseases diuersitys of dispositions of body mind may easily sow dissensions betweene them but aboue all the â—mitation of the wedlocke or Marriage â—hat is betweene Christ and his Church maketh this corporall Marriage most â—weet and blessed of which matter thus writteth S. Paul Viridiligite vxores vestras c. Ephes 5. Husbands loue your wiues as Christ hath loued his Church and deliuered vp himselfe for it that he might sanctifye it cleâ—nsing it by the lauer of water in the word of life that he might present or exhibite vnto himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle Which Blessed Apostle also admonisheth women saying Let women be subiect to their husbands as vnto our Lord because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church But as the Church is subiect to Christ so let the women be subiect in all thinges to their husbands and in fine thus he concludeth Let euery one loue his wife as himselfe and let the wife feare or reuerence her husband This doctrine if it be so considered and practised as is requisite will make the Marriages happy both in earth heauen Let vs in briefe explicate this Apostolicall doctrine of Saint Paul first of all he exhorteth husbands to loue their wiues as Christ loued his Church Truly Christ loued his Church Amore amicitiae with a fiâ—endly loue as Schooles do speake and â—more concupiscentiae with the loue of desiring any thing for himself he sought the gooâ— of the Church the profit of the Church the saluation of the Church not any profit or pleasure of his owne And therfore they do not imitate christ who loue their wiues for their great beauty allured with the loue of her fairenes or for her dowâ— of many thousand crownes or for some rich and wealthy inheritance for such do not loue their wiues but themselues desiring to satiate or satisfy the concupiscence of the flesh the concupiscence of the eyes which is tearmed couetousnes So Sâ—lomon wise in the beginning and a fooleâ— the end loued wiues and concubines not for the loue of them but for the loue oâ— his owne lust desiring not to gratify aâ—â— do them good but to fulfill his owne carnall desire with which he was so blinded as he
made no conscience to sacrifice to strange Gods least he should neuer sâ— little crosse his delights That Christ iâ— this wedlocke did not seeke himselfe thâ— is his own profit or pleasure but the good only of the Church his spouse is cleere by â—he wordes that follow And he deliuered â—imselfe vp for her that he might sanctify her cleâ—nsing it in the lauer of water by the word of life This indeed is true and perfect charity to â—ield himselfe vp vnto torments for the eâ—erlasting saluation of the Church his â—pouse and Christ did not only loue his Church Amore amicitiae and not concupiscenâ—iae but with an euerâ—â—â—ting loue not for tyme only for as he neuer left of our huâ—ane nature which once he assumed so â—lso did he knit this Church vnto him by â—he band of indissoluble wedlocke In caritate perpetua dilexi te Hiir 31. sayth God by the Prophet I haue loued thee with endles charity and this is the cause why matrimony consummated by the coniugall act â—mongst Christians is inseparable because â—t is a Sacrament signifying the marriage of Christ with his Church which wedâ—ocke cannot possibly be dissolued whereas the matrimony of Iewes and Pagans in some cases may be broken off made voyde After this the Apostle doth add instructing women and teaching them that they be subiect vnto their husbands as the Church is subiect vnto Christ this pâ—cept Iezabel who would domineer other husband did not obserue and thereâ—â— ouerthrew her himselfe him and all hiâ— children and I would to God there weâ— not many women amongst vs who striâ—â— to beare rule ouer their husbands but perhaps this is the fault of the meÌ„ who know not how to keepe their authority oâ—er their wiues 3. Reg. 21. 4. Reg. 10. Truly Sara the wife of AbrahaÌ„ was so subiect and obedient to her husband as that she called him her Lord I am sayth shee growne farre in yeares and my Lord is olde which vertue of Sara Saint Peter in his first Epistle doth commend saying The holy women were subiect to their husbands as Sara obeyed Abraham calling him Lord. And it seemeth strange that the Apostles S. Peter and Saint Paul do alwayes teach that husbands ought to loue their wiues 1. Pet. 3. are to feare their husbands or which is al one to be subiect vnto them but is not the wife also bound to loue her husband she is truly to loue her husband and to be beloued of her husbaÌ„d but she must loue him with feare and reuerence so as that loue do not hinder feare for otherwise the woman becomes a tyrant for so Dalila mocked her husband Sampson though otherwise most â—trong not so much as her husband Iudic. 16. as her â—â—ue and in the third booke of Kinges it â—s recounted of a King enamoured of his concubine who permitted this his harlot to sit on his right hand 3. Reg. 4. Genes 2. to take the Crowne from the Kings head and put it on her owne yea and with her hand to strike the King himselfe therfore it is no meruaile that God sayd vnto the first woman Thou shalt be vnder the power of thy husband and he shall beare rule ouer thee For which cause there is much wisdome required in the husband that he loue and gouerne his wife withall that he warne and teach her if need be correct and amend her yet so as he truely loue her as part of his owne body procure likewise that shee loue him be assuredly perswaded that she is so beloued and that his admonishments proceed out of Charity not out of hatred an example we haue in Saint Monica mother of S. Augustine who albeit her husband was a fierce man and a Pagan yet did she so prudently religiously endure him that she was beloued of him and he afterwards was conuerted to the Christian faith The Reader may repaire vnto the bookes of Confessions of S. Augustine and there fynd more hereoâ— CHAP. XVI Of the sixteenth precept of the Art of dying well which is of the Sacrament of Extreme Vnction THERE now remayneth only the last Sacrament which is called Extremâ— Vnction out of which is gathered a most profitable document not for the end only but for the whole course of our life for at that tyme are annoynted al the parts of the body in which are the fiue senses and at euery one it is sayd God pardon thâ—â— in whatsoeuer thou hast offended by thy sight c. and so of the rest From whence we are giuen to vnderstand the fiue senses to be the gates by which all manner of synnes do enter in to our soules and therefore if any keepe well these gates he shall easily eschew a great multitude of synnes and consequently shall liue and dye most happily Let vs speake somewhat of the custody of these fiue gates Sight That the eye is a gate by which all the synnes that apperâ—eyne vnto leachery do enter he who is maister of vs all Christ himselfe I meane doth teach vs when he sayth Matth. 5. whosoeuer shall see a woman to lust after her hath already coÌ„mitted aduoutry in his hart if thy right eye do scandalize or offend thee plucke it out and cast it from thee for it is better that one of thy members should perish then for thy whole body to be cast into hell And we know that the old men who saw Susanna naked were kindled with lust towardes her and for that cause came to miserable ends we know also that Dauid that great friend of God at the sight only of Bersabee washing her selfe to haue fallen into adultery out of which followed maÌ„ slaughter and innumerable other calamityes And the reason hereof is euident because the beauty of a woman is very forcible to allure a man to loue it as the beauty of a man worketh the same effect in a woman and this loue neuer resteth vntill it come to carnall copulation the effect of concupiscence remayning in vs after originall synne which calamnity the Apostle doth deplore saying I see another law in my members repugning to the law of my mynde and keeping me captiue in the law of synâ—â— which is in my members I vnhappy man who sâ—â— deliuer me from the body of this death The graâ—â— of God by Iesus Christ our Lord. So the Apostle What remedy shall we fynde out against this great tentation The remedy iâ— at hand and that with the helpe of God very easy if any list to vse it and this â—â—medy is extant in Saint Augustine in an â—pistle of his where he setteth down a rule for Nunnes Ephes 109. thus amongst other thing he speaketh vnto them If your eyes by chance be cast on any let them be fixed on none For a bare only seemes a thing vnauoidable but it cannot or truly is not wont to wound the hart vnlesse it endure longer and therfore although of set purpose
of Gods iudgement as they shal be weighed at his death To which purpose we may apply that remarkeable saying of a man twice dead which Climacus in his booke entituâ—ed the Ladder recouÌ„teth for thus he saith Grad 6. Non omittaÌ„ c. I wil not pretermit to recouÌ„t the history of that Anchoret who dwelled in Choreb this man after that he had liued most negligently for a longe tyme togeather and had had no care at al of his soule taken at length with sicknes and by â—â—â—nes with the death when as he was pâ—â—fectly departed after the space of an hoâ— the soule retourned againe to the bod◠〈◊〉 then he desired vs that were present 〈◊〉 incontinently we would all depart 〈◊〉 then stopping vp the dore of his cell wiâ—â— stones he remained there for twelue yearâ— neuer speaking one word to any or 〈◊〉 tasting any other thing then bread wâ—ter and sitting with great amazement 〈◊〉 reuolued in his mynd the thinges whiâ— in the tyme of his departure he had seene and that with so stedfast apprehension aâ— he neuer changed his countenaÌ„ce but remayning alwayes astonished he shed in silence great abundance of teares but when the tyme of his departure was at haâ—â— breaking downe the wall and opening the dore we went in vnto him and humbly intreating him to speake somewhat for our instruction this only we heard froâ— him Nemo qui reuerà mortis memoriam agnâ—â—rit peccare vmquam poterit No man who indeed shall throughly conceaue the remembrance of death can euer synne Hitherto Climacus Now let the Reader consider â—ell and know that this is a true history â—d no fiction or fable written by one â—ho was a very holy man and he wrote 〈◊〉 otherwise then he saw with his owne â—â—s heard with his eares Out of which it is easy to perceaue â—w important a thinge it is daily to meâ—ate vpon death alwayes to haue the sâ—â—e present in our remembrance this maÌ„ had beene before very negligent in procuring his owne saluation but out of the great mercy of God he tasted death and risiâ—g againe vnto life for twelue yeares togeather he did daily thinke vpon death moreouer bewayled his synnes with conâ—iâ—uall teares and those thinges which beâ—e his first death he accounted light and â—iall matters hauing tasted the bitterâ— of death he iudged to be most grieuous â—nd such as required the penitential teares â—welue yeares to blot theÌ„ out This then â—he true commentary of these wordes of 〈◊〉 Scripture Remember the last thinges to wit â—th iudgement heauen and hell and 〈◊〉 shalt neuer synne if the remembrance 〈◊〉 one only of these foure was so auailable 〈◊〉 this Monke as that for twelue yeares pennance he redeemed the euerlasting toâ—ment of hellfyre and gayned the glory 〈◊〉 a neuer ending Kingdome what will 〈◊〉 perpetuall memory of al foure work in 〈◊〉 in case we wold exercise our selues theriâ— I would to God men would but know 〈◊〉 try this short and compendious way to 〈◊〉 great and vnspeakable a gaine CHAP. II. Of the second Precept of dying well wheâ— our Death is neere which is of the last day of Iudgment THE second of the foure last thinges iâ— Iudgment which is twofold the one particuler in which euery soule in particuler is iudged at the departure from the body the other generall which shal be of altogeather in the later day both are most horrible and dreadfull vnto the wicked delightfull and glorious vnto the good And often and attentiuely to thinke of tâ— one and other is most profitable for sâ—â— as desire to atteyne a happy death No 〈◊〉 can doubt but that the particuler Iudgement of euery man alone is to be made preâ—â—ntly at his death when as in the Counâ—ell of Florence it is declared against the heâ—etiks that such as depart out of this life in â—eadly sinne streight wayes to descend inâ—o hell fire and those who dye out of the â—tate of deadly synne but with the debt of â—emporal punishment to be caried to purgatory and finally such as after baptisme are free from synne and debt of punishment presently to ascend into heauen to receaue euerlasting felicity And it is very credible as Deuines do hold S. Tho. in 4. dist 47. Dom. Soto in 4. dist 45. the iudiciall sentence of Christ eyther to be signifyed vnto them by Angells or to be reuealed immediately vnto their soules by God himselfe and the soules of the vertuous guarded by Angells either to ascend into heauen or to descend into Purgatory but the soules of the daÌ„ned to be carryed by the Diuells and by them to be cast headlong into hell This iudgement may be dispatched in a moment because the Iudge is present who being God and man according to his diuine nature is euery where and as he is man doth know all things For most truly did Saint Peter say vnto our Sauiour Domine tu omnia nosti Ioan. 21. O Lord thou knowest all thinges the accuser which is the Diuell called in the Apocalips Accusator fratrum nostrorum the accuser of our brethren is at hand he runneth to such as are sick and ready to dye as a wolfe lion or dogg to his prey The witnes is also ready the coÌ„science it selfe of the soule which now separated from the body can no more be deceaued by ignorance or obliuion but throughly knoweth it selfe and incontinently seeth whether it be gratefull or hatefull vnto God and therefore nothing hindereth but that this iudgement may presently be made and put in execution this iudgement is to be called priuate if it be compared with the iudgement at the the later day which shal be publike generall before all the Angells and men of the world But heere briefly is to be yelded a reason why it is required that such shold be iudged againe who not only are iudged already but are also eyther punished in hell 〈◊〉 rewarded in heauen for this point noâ— one reason alone but six may bâ— alleadâ—â—â— The first is in respect of God for in this liâ—â— there want not many who seeing many vertuous men to be vniustly afâ—licted and punished by the wicked on â—he other side many wicked meÌ„ to abound with temporall wealth prosperityes do â—uspect that eyther God doth not see these â—hinges or else that he hath no care of â—hem therefore that all mankind may â—now this world to be most prudently â—uyded by God he hath determined at â—he later day before all the Angells and men to manifest his iustice and to render vnto euery man according to his deserts rewards to the good punishments to the wicked Apoc. 16. that all may be compelled to auouch and say Iustus es Domine vera iusta iudicia tua thou art iust o Lord thy Iudgements are true and iust The second reason is that Christ who before men was so vniustly iudged â—nd suffered so many grieuous and most vnworthy torments
and their fire is not quenched which wordes our Sauiour Christ thrice repeated in one chapter of Saint Marke the better to imprint in our harts the punishments of hell for durance to be eternall Marc. 9. and for this eternity most cruelly to torment the bodyes of the damned with incredible griefe Those who on earth by order of iustice haue seene a man burned in the fire haue beene scant able to endure the sight of that torment which yet is dispatched as it were in a moment but in case one neuer so faulty should endure for a whole day in the flames certeinly none were able to endure so dreadfull a spectacle Let then euery one within himselfe make this discourse if I cannot endure to see the burning of a man aliue with whome I haue nothing to doe how shall I be able to endure the burning of myne owne bodye for an howre day moneth or yeare And if this breed in me so great horrour and dread that I cannot so much as thinke vpon it with what intollerable folly doe I put my selfe in so great danger as to burn for euer If we belieue not the matter to stand thus where is our fayth If we belieue it where is our iudgement where is our wit If we be Christians if we belieue the holy Scriptures how can it be that so great danger hanging ouer our head we are not waked and stirred vp to preuent it He truly that will be saued let him enter into his hart and hauing diligently weighed all these thinges in their owne ballance let him so cary himselfe as that death may fynd him prepared hell fire not receaue him but rather he may happily deserue to enter into the ioyes of his Lord. CHAP. IIII. Of the fourth Precept of the Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of the glory of the Saints THERE remainâ—th now the last of the four last things which is of the glory of Saints in haÌ„dling wherof I wil briefly consider the three heads aboue mentioned in the former chapter of Hell torments the place the tyme and the manner The place of the glory of the Blessed Saints is the heauenly Paradise the tyme eternity which hath no end the manner is celestiall happines exceeding all measure Let vs beginne with the first The celestiall Paradise is a place Place most high aboue all the mounteynes of the earth aboue all the elements aboue al the starrs and therefore the Kingdom of heauen is called in the Scriptures The howse of God the citty of the great King the citty of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem Out of the most high situation of this Citty we may easily perceaue that there are many priuiledges of this place aboue all the places of this world firsâ— by how much this place is higher aâ—ongst worldly thinges created by so much it is the greater and more capable for receipt for the forme or fashion of this world as it includeth heauens elements as we see is crowned â—n so much as all the whole earth is but the center thereof and the highest heauen or vtmost sphere including al the rest must needs be of infinit capacity a thing so euident as it needeth no proofe The place therefore of the Saints as it is most high so is it also most large and spatious as on the contrary side the the place of the damned as it is of al others most low so is it also most streight as we haue sayd Againe the place that is most high is also most pure for certeinly the water is purer then the earth the ayre theÌ„ the water fire then the ayre heauen then fire the supreme heauen then that of the starrs finally the place that iâ— most high is most secure in so much as there can no harme reach thereunto and no scourge as the psalmist sayth can come â—â—â—l 60. neere vnto his tabernacle First then the seate of Saints is most â—â—mâ—le and large that they may freely go â—rom oâ—e place to another neither is there any danger least they be wearyed by their trauell for hauing the gift of agility or nimblenes they can in a moment passe froÌ„ place to place without labour or difficulty now what pleasure and delight will it be now to passe from the east to the west now to transport our selues froÌ„ the south to the north and in an instant to compasse or go about the whole world whils the damned in hell being bound hand foot remayne for all eternity without further motion in the same place and this felicity of Saints shall be the greater for that they enioy that most pure refreshing in heauen which neyther darkenes nor clowdes nor vapours nor blasts of wynd nor any contagion can defile whiles the most miserable captiues of hell are constrayned to lye in the thicke darkenesse smoke of that burning fornace in that place so ouercharged with horrour without al hope or expectation of any though neuer so little refreshment Now what shal I say of that supernall Citty most safe from all treaâ—on and harme Prayse Hierusalem our Lord prayse â—â—y God o Sion Psal 147. because he hath made stronge the bâ—â—â—s thy gates This defending or making strong of the gates doth not signify that whiâ—â— the wordes seeme to sound for it is saâ—â— in the Apocalips of the heauenly Citty Et portae eius non claudentur per diem nox enim noâ— erit illic The gates thereof shall not be shâ—â— in the daytime for there is no night there and therefore God hath made stronge thâ— barrs of the gates because he hath made iâ— impregnable by reason of the height and although the Dragon fought in heauâ—â— with Michael the Archangell the cause thereof is not for that he ascended out of hell into heauen but that being created in heauen before his confirmatioÌ„ in grace he rebelled against God and puffed vp with pride affected his equality but because tâ—â— heauenly Hierusalem is fonded in peace 〈◊〉 enemy of peace could not stay therin but preseÌ„tly like a flash of lightning fell from heauen and after that time could neuer set his foot therein from that time no maâ— is admitted to inhabit this Hierusalem vnlesse he be grounded and perfectly confirmed in peace And so much of the place Let vs speake now of the tyme the time of inhabiting the celestiall Hierusalem is â—ftâ—â— the fall of the diuell Tyme a tyme without â—yme that is an euerlasting durance without the enterchange of daies and nights so in the Apocalips the Angell swore by him that liueth for euer that there shall be no more tyme and Christ in the Ghospell the iudgement being ended will say Hi ibunt sic in ignem aeternum iusti autem in vitam aeâ—ernam so they shall go to wit the wicked into euerlasting fire and the iust into euerlasting life but this difference there shall be between these eternities that they damned
two testimonyes which shew the order obserued betweene the two Sacraments Extreme Vnction and â—he holy Eucharist there may be produced â—wo other which shew the Blessed Sacraâ—ent to haue beene the last although no â—ention be made in them of extreme Vnction In the life of Saint Ambrose which Paulinus wrote there is mentioned that he at the point of death receaued this heaueÌ„ly food and hauing receaued it presently departed this life and the same writeth Methaphrast of Saint Iohn Chrysostome in his life so as it is cleere that this was the last Sacrament that was giuen to the sicke in â—ncient tymes Now a dayâ—s we first arme the sicke with the Blessed Sacrament then after some dayes the disease continuing or encreasing we anneyle them with holy oyle both customes haue their reasons for approuance the ancient Fathers did coÌ„sider the Sacrament of Extreme Vnction to be instituted both for the recouery of perfect health and to take away synnes or the relikes that remayned of them for so speaketh Saint Iames Is there any sicke amongst you Iac. 5. Let him fetch the Priests of the Church and let them pray ouer him annoynting him with oyle in the name of our Lord and the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and our Lord shall rayse him vp and if he be in sinns they shall be forgiuen him The ancients then hoping by this sacred Vnction the corporall health of the diseased delayed not this Sacrament vntill that tyme when in the iudgement of Phisitiâ—ns the disease was desperate but as soone â—s it seemed in their iudgement to be danâ—erous presently they made recourse vnto â—he holy vnction which also may be gathered of that which Saint Bernard writeth in the life of Saint Malachy the same Saint being sicke came downe on his feet from his chamber which was in the top of the howse to the Church that first he might receaue the holy Vnction then the Blessed Sacrament and hauing receaued them both he returned againe on his feet without the helpe of any to his chamber bed But now a dayes when they heare any mention to be made of extreme Vnction they thinke all at an end that the sicke man cannot escape for which cause the kinsfolkes and friendes of the partyes that be sicke not to terrify them with the apprehension of present death do delay as long as they can this Sacrament There is also another reason hereof which moued the ancients first to anâ—eyle the sicke then to giue them their â—eauenly foode because in the SacrameÌ„t of Extreme Vnction the synnes are forgiuen as we haue heard out of the Apostle Sainâ— Iames and therefore of some ancient writers Extreme Vnction is called Poâ—nitentiâ— infirmorum the pennance of the sicke and remission of synnes togeather with pennance are most worthily premised as a preparation or dispositioÌ„ to the most high diuine SacrameÌ„â— of the Eucharist which requireth the greatest pâ—â—ity that can be gotten in this life Finally all the Sacraments are ended and as it were sealed vp with the Sacrament of the body of our Lord and so we see that such as are of rype age when they are baptized as Turkes Iewes the like are presently after their baptisme confirmed admitted to be present at the sacrifyce of the Masse and to receaue the holy Eucharist so likewise such as did publike pennance after their pennance performed at least according to the auncient custome al wayes receaued the Blessed Sacrament and they who take Orders whether the lesser or greater after they haue taken them come to the holy communion and lastly such as are marryed doe strengthen and confirme the Sacrament of Marryage with the Sacrament of the Altar now in our dayes this order is alteâ—ed and that not without a iust cause For oftentymes it happynes that Extreme Vnâ—tion that the sicke person may not be aâ—frighted is put of for a longe tyme and there is danger least he leese his senses or vse of â—eason or for some other cause become vnfit if not vnable to receaue the B. Sacrament and therâ—fore this wholsome food is giuen before for it is better that the order of giuing these Sacraments be changed then that the sicke should be depriued of the one that also most wholsome and comfortable and Extreme Vnction may be giuen vnto the sicke albeit he be in his agony or last pangs and conflicts with death although he neyther vnderstand or feele what is done so as yet he be aliue for the dead are capable of no Sacraments and so much of the order of ministring these Sacraments to the sicke Now I come to speake of the pretious body of Christ to be fruitfully giueÌ„ to the sicke and first I will briefly explicate what the sicke man is to doe before this Sacrament be brought vnto him then what the same sicke man is to do wheÌ„ the body of Christ is present lastly how he ought to behaue himself after that he hath receaued it As for the first my counsayle sholâ— be vnlesse his Ghostly Father should suggest some other thinge according to the present occasions more necessary that the sicke man diligently ponder these wordes of Saint Thomas O sacred banquet in whiâ—â— Christ is receaued the remembrance of his passâ—â—â— is recounted the soule is filled with grace a pledge is giuen vs of the glory to come First then he shal attentiuely consider the holy Eucharist to be giuen to vs trauellers which tytle by Deuines is applyed vnto all mortall men by way of food that we faint not in the way in which we trauell towards out countrey especially at that tyme in the which we being wearyed with a longe iuorney we become weake and feeble this food is called a banquet and a sacred baÌ„quet for although it be giueÌ„ vnder the forme of bread alone yet is it an entiere great banquet a banquet not prophane but sacred not of the body but of the soule and therefore it is added In quo Christus samitur in which Christ is receaued for vnder the formes or accidents of bread is the true body of Christ not separated from his soule and diuinity and for that it is a most great most excellent and most pretious thinge a great and most sweet banquet farre exceeding the tast of all earthâ—y sweetnes but fit to feed and delight the â—oule not the body What the fruites or commodityes are of this food is added when it is sayd The remembrance of our â—auiour his passion is recounted the soule is filled with grace and a pledge is giuen vs of our future glory The first fruite then is the remembrance of our Sauiours passion for which cause the body bloud of our Lord are consecrated vnder the twofold formes of bread and wyne that the forme of breade may represent his body separated from the bloud and so consequently dead and the forme of wyne represent his bloud separated from the body although that
14. session second Canon Another kind of the relikes of syns is a certayne horrour or stupidity or rather sorrow and heauines which oppresse sicke to which apperteyneth the promise of Saint Iames Et alleuiabit eum Dominus and our Lord will lift him vp this SacrameÌ„t recomforteth the sicke when they marke the diuine promises expressed in the same and for that cause it should not be differred vntill the last houre when the sicke man doth not heare or else vnderstandeth nothing at all What vtility is reaped out of this Sacrament may be gathered by the words of the forme thereof Fiue places there be which are specially annoynted in which the fiue seÌ„ses are scituated to wit the sense of seeing the sense of hearing the sense of smelling the sense of tasting and the sense of touching and in the meane tyme the priest sayth Indulgeat tibi Dominus quicquid deliquisti per visum auditum c. Our Lord pardon or forgiue thee in whatsoeuer thou hast synned by sight by hearing and so of the rest and because that prayer is the forme of the Sacrament without all controuersy it effectually worketh that which the words doe sound and signify vnlesse there be some impediment on the behalfe of the receauer How great the bountifulnesse and mercy of our Lord God is in this Sacrament he will soone fynde that shall consider with himselfe what a mayne multitude of synnes do flow from these fiue fountaynes and this was the occasion why Saint Malachy a Bishop of Ireland whose life Saint Bernard wrote after that for some houres he had delayed to minister this Sacrament of Extreme Vnction to a certeyne noble woman that was sicke and she the meane tyme had departed out of this life he so farre foorth repented himselfe that with his priests he lay in the chamber of â—e dead woman all the night praying â—d lamenting imputing it to his owne â—ult that the vertuous woman eyther had â—ot recouered by the vertue of Extreme Vnction or had not receaued that ample pardon of her sins from the liberall mercy of our louing Lord and because this holy Bishop was the friend of God by his prayers and tearâ—◠〈◊〉 obteyned of him that the sayd woman should come agayne to life receaue from the hands of the same Saint both the effects of this holy VnctioÌ„ for she recouered her health liued many yeares after as we may piously coniecture gayned also the pardon of her sins This example of so worthy a man and of another most holy man faithfully related is inough to persuade all who with reasoÌ„ or authority wil be perswaded how much they ought to esteeme this venerable Sacrament CHAP. IX Of the ninth Precept of this Art of dying well when our Death is neere which is of the first tentation of the Diuell to wit Heresy VVHEN our death drawes neere our aduersary the diuel as a roâ—ring lyon is not wanting to himselfe but swiftly approacheth as vnto a prey with all his power assayles the sicke man in his last conflict and he is wont to make his first assault with the tentation concerning fayth for the things which we belieue do transcend not only our sense but also naturall reason and fayth it selfe the ground of our iustification and that being ouerthrowen all the buylding of our good workes falleth downe this of all other tentations it most grieuous because we are to encounter with an Aduersary not only most learned subtile but trained in this warfare from the beginning of the world He it is that hath seduced all the heads or ringleaders of heretikes of whome not a â—w were excellent and very wise men â—ell therefore doth the Apostle warne vs â—ur combat or conflict is not agaynst flesh bloud Ephes 5. â—hat is to say agaynst men but against the â—iritualls of wickednes that are aboue That is â—gaynst the Diuels which are spirits most â—icked and crafty spirits and see vs all from the ayre aboue called Coelum aëreum the aiery heauen our weapons in this batâ—ell are not disputations but simple beliefe of the truth for so do the two chiefe Aâ—ostles teach vs. S. Peter sayth Ephes 6. Your aduerâ—ary the Diuell goeth round about as a roaring lion â—eking whome he may deuoure agaynst whome mak â—esistance being stronge in sayth and Saint Paul 1. Pet. 6. In all things taking the shield of fayth in which you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the most wicked enemy Therefore out of the doctrine of the Apostles we must dispute with the Diuell but with the shield of fayth take all his darts and beate them backe agayne although they seeme to be both fiery and burning that is efficacious subtle There is a very dreadfull example hereof in Peter Barocius Bishop of Padua who wrote three bookes of the methode of dying well he his second booke thus speaketh Fuere quemadmodum audiui c. Two there were as I haue heard in their tyme most learned and of all others of thâ—â— vniuersity in which they studied the chiâ—fest disputers both of good behauiour anâ— very deuout of which one of them aftâ— his death appeared vnto the other at sucâ— time as he was in his library and studyinâ— of the holy Scriptures and that all in buâ—ning fire the student a mighted at this spectacle and asking what the cause sholâ— be of so great torment the other witâ— griefe and sighes replyed saying when I was to depart out of this life the enemy oâ— mankynd to wit the Diuell came vnâ—â— me and for that he knew me to be weâ—â— learned he beganne to aske me about mâ— fayth what I did belieue I answered that 〈◊〉 belieued whatsoeuer was conteyned in the Apostles Creed he willed me to explicate somethinges vnto him which seemed not to be so cleere I did so and that in such manner as I had reade in the Creed of Athanasius for I thought that they could not be more carely or more truly explicated Then the Diuell It is not so as thoâ— doest surmize for those thinges which belong to God the Father are in part playne and true in part obscure and false for 〈◊〉 indeed is eternall but as he hath euer â—â—ene God so hath he not euer beene a faâ—â—er but first God and after a Father aâ—â—inst this when that I cryed out and sayd â—â—at it was an heretical position diaboâ—call doctrine the Diuell sayd this matter 〈◊〉 not to be decided by clamours but arguâ—ents if we be moued with desire of fynâ—ing out of truth I can easily alleadge reaâ—ons for my opinion as for your opinion defend it if you can and then shall you deliuer me from a great errour I poore wretch who presumed more on my wit â—nd learning then was fit beganne seriously to dispute with him as with some ordinary man till at length by little little with the arguments that he obiected against me he drew me into that
wicked errour as now I neyther belieued the Son nor the holy Ghost to be God presently death tooke my soule hence and in what state it found it in the same it presented it vnto the Iudge and by him I am adiudged vnto this fire which although most raging yet in some sort I should thinke more tolerable if that after a thousand thousand yeares it might haue an end but it is eternall and there withall so great thaâ— none whatsoeuer that euer hath beenâ— seene in earth can match it in so much 〈◊〉 almost euery houre I repeÌ„t me of my leaâ—ning which hath brought me to thiâ— dreadfull destruction And hauing thâ— spoken he vanished away but the otheâ— exceedingly astonished as well for the nâ—uelty of the thing aâ— with the miserabâ—â— case of his daÌ„ned frend as soone as he recouered himselfe coÌ„ferred with such as weâ—â— his greatest frends touching this vision asked their counsayle what they thought best in such a case to be done and it wâ—â— determined by them all that euery one aâ— such a tyme and occasion should without dispute refer himselfe to that faith which the Catholicke Church doth mayntayne Not longe after he fell into a sickenesse whereof he dyed when loe the same enemy emboldened with the successe of the former dispute asked him of his fayth what he did belieue to whome he answered that he did belieue that which the holy mother the Church did belieue agayne the Diuell demaunded what doth the Church belieue he answered the same that I belieue and in this manner in the hearing of all that were present as though â—e had sâ—oken vnto him he neuer ceased â—om saying I belieue what the Church â—â—liueth and the church belieueth what I â—elieue vntill he gaue vp the ghost and by this meaÌ„s deluding the subtilty of the enemy he passed into heauen And a few days after he appeared vnto his friends of whoÌ„ before he had asked â—â—unsayle what was to be done in such a case in a farre differeÌ„t shape from that wherin his fellow before had appeared vnto him and he gaue them thanks for that by their couÌ„saile he passed all difficultyes and aryued vnto heauen which things we haue not thought amisse to set downe as they hapned that so eyther out of feare by the misfortune of the one or out of confideÌ„ce by the good successe of the other euery one may learn that there is no disputing with the Diuell that it is inough to referre himselfe to that fayth which the Catholike Church doth teach mainteyne Hitherto Barocius I need not heerin say any more then he already hath sayd CHAP. X. Of the tenth Precept of the Art of â—â—ing well when our Death is neere which is of the second tentatation of the Diuell to wit of Desperation ANOTHER tentation at this tymâ— wont to be touching Despayre bâ— which the Diuell if often wont to trouble not only wicked men but also such as be very vertuous and truly as for wicked meâ— when their death is at hand he easily casteth downe into the pit of desperation for he layes before their eyes al the offenceâ— which in the whole course of their life they haue committed as Venerable Bede in the fifth book of his history recounteth of a certayne souldier in these wordes Fuit quidam temporibus Coenredi qui post Edilredum regnauit c. There was one in the time of Coenred who raygned after Edilred a lay man and by profession a souldier who by how much the more gratefull he was to the King for his exteriour diligeÌ„ce so much was he displeasing vnto him for the inteâ—â—our negligence of himself and therefore â—â—e King carefully warned him that he â—ould confesse his synnes that he would â—â—mend leaue them before that he were â—â—rprized by death and before that it were â—â—olate for him to repent and amend them but the souldier notwithstanding his ofteÌ„ admonitions despised all good counsaile and promised his Admonitours that afterwards he would doe pennance in the meane time falling sicke he lay on his bed â—nd beganne to be tormented with great â—ayne whome the King visiting for he â—eerly esteemed him did earnestly perâ—uade him that now at last before he departed that he would doe pennance for his synnes but he answered that he wold not then confesse them but would doe it after that he were recouered least that his fellowes should vpbraide him and say that he had done that out of feare in his sicknes which he would not do whiles he was in good health speaking as he thought couragiously but indeed as after appeared miserably deluded by the Diuell for the sicknes increasing when as the King came againe to visit admonish him he foorthwith with cryed out with a pitifull voice what wil you now haue for what are you come hither now there is no more saluation tâ— be hoped for vnto whome the Kinâ— sayd speake not in this manner see that now you leese not your selfe I am not maâ— quoth he but I haue now my most wicked conscience before myne eyes a little since there entred into my chamber two most beautifull young men and they sate by me one at my head and the other at my feet and one of them tooke out a booke very fayre but wonderfull little and gaue it me to read and reading the same I fouÌ„d registred therein all the good deeds that I had done and these were to few and to little or small then presently rushed in an army of wicked and horrible spirits and he who for the darkenesse of his clowdy face and for his preferment in sitting seemed to be chiefe brought foorth a booke of a dreadfull aspect of an excessiue greatnes and for weight almost importable and commaunded the same to be brought me to read by one of his guarde which when I had read I found all my wikednes and whatsoeuer I had offended in not only in worke and word but also in my secretest thought to be written most cleerly in vgly letters Thus spake this desperate wretch and soone after dyed and that pennance which for a short tyme he omitted to do with the fruite and pardon of remission of his synnes he now without all fruite doth vndergo in euerlasting torments Hitherto Saint Bede Where euidently we see the Diuell first to haue persuaded this miserable souldier not to do pennance vnder the precept of longer life and then to haue brought him into desperation There is another example in the same Authour in the next Chapter where thus he writeth Noui ipse fratrem c. Lib. 5. c. 1 historiae Angl. I knew a brother whome I would to God I had not knowen whose name also I could tell if the telling thereof wold auayle any thing who was placed in a famous monastery though he liued infamously this man being ouertaken with sicknesse and brought euen vnto the point of death called for the brethren of the monastery and with great
thousand hundred thousands Daniel 7. as Daniel writeth I say at least for in the opinion of Saint Denis Areopagita and S. Thomas the number of holy Angells exceeds the number of all corporall things there also will be present with Christ the King all the multitude of Saints in glorious bodyes of whome it is sayd in the Apocalips I saw a great multitude which no man was able to count of all Nations tribes and tongues standing before the throne There will be then in this iudgement such a spectacle as the like was neuer from the beginning of the world nor shal be againe for all the wicked shall be guilty of hel fire who in their resumed â—odyes shall stand naked and dolefull whâ— excessiue and vncredible griefe on thâ— arth brought by the Angells from aâ— places of the world to the vale of Iosaphâ—â— and places adioyning and the numberâ— such shall be farre greater then the number of Saints for our Lord himselfe hath sayd Matth. 7. many are called few are chosen and more plainly narrow is the way that leadeth vnto lifâ— and few there be that do fynâ—e it The way 〈◊〉 large that leadeth to perdition and many there be that enter by the same which iâ— it be true as it is most certeyne that tâ—â— great multitude of Saints cannot be numbred how much lesse can be numbred the multitude of the reprobate To these also shall be adioyned the wicked spirits who also are inumerable Those thinges thus disposed before the sentence of the Iudge be pronounced the books of accounts will be opened as appears by Daniel Saint Iohn Daniel 7. Apoc. 20. what those bookes are which shal be opened in this iudgement Saint Paul doth explicate to the Corinthians saying Do not ye iudge before the tyme vntill our Lord come 1. Cor. 4. who will bring to light the hidden thinges of darkenes and make manifest the Counsayles of harts For God will powre â—â—orth such a light that in the same all the â—onsciences of wicked men may be seene â—ea all that shall be in that Theatre or â—ublike spectacle shall see the consciences â—f all men and thereby their deeds their words their thoughts their desirs O what a spectacle will this be to see all the consciences of hypocrites of lyers of traytours of cauillours who made no accouÌ„t to periure themselues by all the sacred thinges they cold name By out of this publishing of the sinnes and villanies of al men wherby they will come to know the sentence before it be giuen that will follow which we read in the Apocalips Reges terrae c. Apoc. 6. The Kings of the earth and Princes and Tribunes and Rich men and Captaines bond men and free shall hide themselues in caues and in the rocks of the mountaynes and they shall say vnto the mountaynes rockes fall vpon vs and hide vs from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe because the great day of theirs is come and who shal be able to stand And the same hath our Sauiour foretold in the Ghospell when as he caryed the Crosse on his sholders speaking vnto the vertuous womeÌ„ that beheld him Daughters of Ierusalem weep not ouer me but 〈◊〉 ouer your selues and your children for beholâ— dayes shall come in which they shall say Luc. 23. Blessed 〈◊〉 the barren and the wombes that haue not borne 〈◊〉 the papps that haue not giuen sucke then they sâ—â— beginne to say vnto the mountaynes fall vpon vs aâ—â— to the hills couer vs Last of all the sentence shall be pronounced by the Iudge Venite benedicti ite maledicti come you Blessed depart you cursed Matth. 25. and the good shall go intâ— euerlasting life and the wicked into euerlasting fire And now I beseech my Readers to thinke and thinke agayne both often and with attention that themselues also shall be present in this Theatre theâ—fore now whiles they haue tyme let them seriously deliberate what is to be done neyther let them obiect that the day of iudgement is farre of and it were bootles to trouble oâ— afflict themselues so long before the tyme as if the day of iudgement were at hand for although this generall iudgement be not so neere yet is not the particuler farre of but at hand and expectes vs at the gate and looke what the sentence shal be of the particuler iudgement the same stalbe also of â—e generall he therefore that is wise â—ht so to prepare himselfe to heare the â—enâ—e of Gods iudgement as though it â—e to day or to morrow to be deliueâ— for the houre of this iudgement is no â—uâ—ther of then the houre of our death â—he houre of death from an old man or who is grieuously sicke cannot be farre of therefore whiles we expect this great iudgement in which standeth all our hope or ruine we must earnestly call vpon our aduocate who is the Iudge himselfe 1. Ioan. 2. VVe haue an aduocat Iesus Christ the iust as S. Iohn teacheth vs moreouer to sollicite the frendes oâ— the Aduocate first of all the most benâ—gne Virgin the Mother of our Aduocat then the Angels and holy Saints neyther is 〈◊〉 conuenient that we come to our Aduocat or his friends with empty words only but also with gifts for the Saints refuse not gifts which auaile them nothing but the poore meÌ„bers of Iesus Christ for they being blessed for all eternity in heauen waÌ„t none of our temporall commodityes on earth CHAP. III. Of the third Precept of the Aâ—â— of dyâ—â— well when our Death is neere which is of Hell AFTER the consideration of death 〈◊〉 Iudgment it is also conuenient 〈◊〉 thinke with earnest attention on the pâ—nishments of Hell and ioyes of heaâ—â—â— for of the foure last thinges these are the two last of all and only euerlasting of which two Christ being the Iudge eyther the one or the other will befall vnto euery man and these two are so contrary both in nature and their effects as that the one maketh vs most miserable the other most happy but for that we haue written of both these in the booke of the Ascending of our mynde vnto God towards the end and of the Ioyes of the celestiall Paradise in a whole booke of that argument entituled of The eternall felicity of Saints and of the torments of hell in the second booke of The mourning of the Doue and of the good and profit we reape by teares and finally 〈◊〉 all the foure last thinges in our Latin â—â—râ—ons and what occurred touching â—is subiect we did then both deliuer to â—â—e people and left in writing I iudge it best in this place to touch the heades of matters already treated whereon a man may profitably entertayne his thoughts â—hiles he expecteth death and with ioy prepare himselfe to receaue and meet the same Therefore touching the most vnâ—â—ppy state of the damned to hell
three â—â—ings occurre to be considered the place The Place â—â—e tyme the manner The place is depth â—â—e tyme eternity the manner without â—easure I say that the place is depth for â—â—at the reprobate persons for their great synnes committed against the diuine Maieâ—y of God shall haue their prison in the deepest place of the world and which is furthest of from the pallace of God which is in heauen for it was conuenient that the pride of the Diuell and of proud men shold be condemned to this ptnishment Isa 14. for the Diuell sayd I will ascend into heauen I will aduance my throne ouer the starrs I will be like vnto the highest but it was answered him Thou shalt be throwne down into hell into the depth of the lake and the same shall befall vnto all such as are the children of pride Out of this first infelicity oâ— the reprobate there do flow three other darkenesse straitnes of place and beggary For whereas hell is in the center of the earth to which place neyther the beames of the sunne Moone or starrs can penetrate there can be no â—ight therein morâ— then that which proceedeth froÌ„ the brimstone fire which shall increase and not diminish their torment for by that darke stinking light they shall see the Diuells their most cruell enemyes they shall see also those men whether their frends or kinsfolkes who were cause of their destruction they shall finally see their owne nakednesse their beggary their bandes or chaines their owne torments all which perhaps they would desire not to see certeine it is that any thing which may yeld them any comfort they shall neuer see O darkenesse not darkenesse darkenesse to keep from our sight all that is good noâ— darkenes in laying open before vs all that may be to our discomfort affliction and torment As for the straitnesse of place that â—halbe so great as it shall scarce be able to â—ake the multitude of the damned bodyes For if the whole earth seeme in compariâ—on of the vastnes of heauen to be as Pliny with morall Philosophers say but an inâ—iuisible point or pricke of a pen and the place of hell comprizeth not the whole â—arth nor yet the one halfe but the lower part and center only and the number of the damned be farre greater then the number of the saued Apoc. 5. of which notwithstanding we reade in the Apocalyps I saw a â—reat multitude which no man was able to number who can conceaue or imagine what straites there be in hell Now let the great Kings Nabuchodonosor Darius Alexander Iulius Caesar and others whome the whole world cold not coÌ„teyn whiles they liued on earth go and enlarge if they can their straite habitation in hell let them see with all their wit and power if they can procure to lye more at ease or more mildely to be tormented O vanity of vanityes all mortall men labour to extend and enlarge their fields their territoryes their Kingdomes that for a short time they may vaunt and brag of the great multitude that is vnder their commaund and neuer thinke what a strait place expects them in hell where not for a short tyme but for all tyme and eternity will they nill they they must dwell Now what shall I say of the incredible beggary of the damned All the inhabitants of hell want all thinges that be good and are only in the abundance and multitude of then toâ—ments rich there shall the rich remember how they wallowed in their delights whiles they did liue on earth eyther in meate and drink or in braue apparell or in hunting or hauking or in gardens or vineyards or in theaters playes or other disportes but all this remembrance shall increase their punishment when they shall see themselues naked in hell lying in torments contemned and most miserably despoiled of all their wealth and prosperityes then will they say that which we read in the booke of wisdom spoken in the person of such men Sap. 5. VVhat hath our pride profited vs and what haue we goften by the bragging of our wealth All these thinges haue passed away like a shadow Let vs come to the second head which is Tyme Tyme How long shall this banishment of the damned endure in hell fire I would â—o God no longer then was the length of our mortall life But there will be no coÌ„â—arison betweene the one and the other â—ndurance for to tyme past there shall not succeed a set tyme to come but eterniâ—y which is beyond all tyme therefore so â—onge shall the wicked dwell in these torments as long as the eternity of God himselfe shal endure which as it wanteth a beginning so is it without al end euerlasting â—he wicked shall be tormented so long as â—he Saints shall be in glory and the damned shall dye as long as God shall liue and vnlesse God do cease to be that which he â—s which is impossible the reprobat shall neuer cease to be in the torments wherin they are O deadly life o mortall death If thou be life how doest thou kill If thou be death how doest thou endure Truly thou art neyther to be tearmed death nor life for eyther of them haue some good thing in them life hath rest and death an end But thou hast neyther rest nor end What then shall we say that thou art but the heape of all that euill which life and death haue in them A great thing doubtles it were if we could but meanly vnderstand what the eternity of torments doth meane this thought alone as a bridle would hinder all licentious liberty so make vs order and direct our liues â—s we should all seeme not to be Christians only but most holy Anchorets most vertuous religious men There remayneth of three things proposed the maÌ„ner Manner only which as we said is punishment without measure for the punishment of hell is not one particuler punishment but the heape of all punishments and torments togeather for in hell al the powers of our vnderstanding soule and all the senses as well internall as external are tormented that not by course or one after the other but all these torments like a torrent rush on altogeather violently vpon man here on earth as we haue no triall or experience of the generall ioyes or comforts of Saints so neyther of the generall calamnityes of the damned for heere he that hath sore eyes hath not commonly at the same tyme a king teeth and he who is troubled with hiâ— teeth complaines not of his eyes so likwise in the rest of the senses and corporall infirmityes but in hell at the selfe same tyme are susteined most cruell torments in all and euery member togeather when as thâ— fire compasseth about the whole body most seuerely torments it and yet consumes it not Goe you sayth the Iudge into euerlasting fire and the Prophet Isay Matth. 25. Isa 66. their worme doth not dye