is nothing more necessary to suppresse and subdue his haughty affections then continuall remembraunce what he is from whence he came Eccle. 7. and whether hee shall That in calling to minde his base mettle his wretched condition and mortall generation he may the rather bee moued more humbly and lowly to conceiue and esteeme of himselfe What is Man Telluris invtile pondus an vnprofitable Man what lump of earth like as one might say to a peece of yee thou wast water thou art water and to water shalt thou bee turned againe So Man was earth hee is earth and to earth hee shall bee turned againe Thou hast fashioned mee of mould and earth sayth Iob and I am become like dust ashes O homo saith Chrisostome Iob. Chrisost si consider as quid per os quid per nares quid per ceteros meatus egrediatur numquam vilius sterquilium inuenisti What is Man his matter is base slime clay his nature weake feeble his birth paine sorrow his life vayne and miserable his state slippery vncertaine his time short tedious his sins horrible filthy his end grieuous lothsome What is Man A mirrour of misery a play of fortune and a pray of death he is borne wee ping and wayling to shew his wretchednesse hee liueth laughing and toying to beewray his folly and dyeth sighing and sobbing to declare his weake infirmitie What is Man Apuleius a Philosopher and scholler to Plato describeth him in this wise Men Apulcius sayth hee are liuing creatures dwelling vpon the earth hauing soules immortall brutish seruile bodies subiect to death light carefull mindes apt to errour vaine in labours diuers in conditions long ere they be wise their time but short and during life neuer content What is the state of Man Saint Barnard describeth Barnard it in this manner There commeth before thine eyes faith he a man poore naked miserable mourning that hee is a man blushing that he is naked weeping for that he is a wretch replenished with misery and fearefull for that his time is but short A great part of his life passeth away in doing that is euill a greater part in doing nothing and the greatest part in doing thinges to small purpose And as the life of man is vaine transitory and miserable euen so is the world with all things else wherein humaine nature taketh pleasure and delight as health wealth honour wisedome strength beautie or whatsoeuer What is the World A vale of misery a sincke of sinne a mould of mischiefe a denne of theeues a World Court of Sathan a purgatory of payne a mother to the wicked and a stepdame to the good where the proude and vitious are daily aduanced without desert and the humble and vertuous oppressed without cause the way ward and seditious befriended and the quiet and obedient molested the ignorant and foolish permitted to speake and the wise and discreet put to silence crafty dissemblers extolled and simple innocents despised What is the world hir mirth is but sorrow hir pleasure but payne hir wisedome but folishnesse and hir wealth but misery where nothing is to bee looked for but euen a rancke of troubles one following in anothers necke A great trauaile is created for all men sayth Iesus the sonne of Sirach Eccle. and a heauie yoke vpon all mens children some so pinched with pouertie and oppressed with miserie some tossed and tormented with strife and contention some tormented with sicknesse sores and contagious diseases that if an old man would set downe the tragedie of his life from the day of his brith till his departure to his graue a man would wonder that the body could suffer and the heatt could beare so painefull and dolorous a pilgrimage All the godly from the beeginning haue tasted the troubles of their time Adam when his children did one kill another Abraham when he wandred into a strāge coūtry Iob when he saw the spoile and hauocke of his goods the destruction of his children and his owne body tormented with botches and sores Ioseph felt his part of miserie beeing sould by his brethren and imprisoned without cause Noah felt his part of miserie beeing persecuted by the wicked Lazarus was both sicke sore hungry thirsty Father Iacob complayned that his daies were few and euill Dauid said hee was a worme and no man Solomon was weary of his life beecause all hee saw vnder the Sunne was nothing but vanitie miserie and vexation of minde Father Ierome complayned that Sathan sought to ouer throw him and that his weake flesh was ready to consent The prophet Ieremy cursed the day of his birth Ionas said it was better for him to dye then to liue Chrisostome called the daies of his life the daies of his sorrow Nazianzen wept that his mother had brought him forth to see such miserable daies Such trauayle hath God giuen vnto men vnder the Sunne to be exercised therein Cap. IIII. Of the race of mans life And certenty of death AND as the daies of this our painefull pilgrimage are vaine and miserable so are they short and tedious The one foote no sooner on the ground but the other is ready to step into the graue Man that is borne of a woman saith Iob hath but a short time to liue and is full of miserie hee springeth as a flower vadeth like a shadow and neuer continueth in one state The life of man is aptly compared to a vapour to the trace of a cloude to a ship passing ouer the waues of the Sea tossed beaten with tempest to a bird that flieth in the Aire or a shaft that is shot at a marke and neuer staieth till it light on the ground Euen so man as soone as hee is borne doth begin immediatly to draw to his end The godly Patriarks who liued in the first age Certainety of death of the world saw many yeeres yet at last they dyed Death was alwaies the end of their song Adam liued 930. yeeres Seth 912. Enoch 905. Kenan 910. Mahelael 895. Iarard 962. Methuselah 969. Lameth 777. Noah 950. and they dyed saith the text Abraham the Father of the faithfull Dauid a man according to Gods owne heart Iohn Baptist of whom our Sauiour Christ saith there hath not risen a greater among the children of women yet they dyed All the Prophets Apostles godly Martirs wer greatly in Gods fauour yet they dyed Rich and poore wise men fooles learned and vnlearned godly and vngodly all must follow the daunce of death Many are gone before the rest must follow after Wyse Solomon Rich Iob Strong Sampson faire Absolon haue trode the path of al flesh Great Alexander cōquered the whole world yet could finde no weapon to conquere death The stiffest steele yeldeth to the hammer the strongest Oke to the Axe and the stoutest hart vnto nature And as death is a thing of all other most certaine and sure so is the
time most vncertaine and doubtfull The Lord in his woord hath reuealed vnto man many notable lessons touching the knowledge of his will yet not the day of his death knowing that as the course of his life is the race vnto death so is death the gate to eternall life So though our Bodies layd shal bee to rot in loathsome graue Yet afterwards in glorious state more beauty they shall haue When Death hath held them downe a while anone they shall arise Eternally in ioy to liue with Christ aboue the skies Cap. V. The defence of a Christian souldier FOr-asmuch as our enemyes the children of the worlde are more subtile crafty and politike in theyr generation then the children of God able to deceaue if it were possible euen the very elect Sathan can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light Pharohs sorcerers Exod. could worke straunge wonders turne a rodde to a Serpent water into bloud and make quicke frogs It is written that Simon Magus could by forcery flye in the ayre turne stones into bread make serpents of brasse sikles to reape come with out handes images of stone to laugh and dogs to sing And our enemyes beeing so many in number as which way so euer wee turne vs wee bee sure to haue some of them ready to encounter vs at our right hand the world the flesh and the diuell watch to entice vs to our vtter destruction at our left hand Aduersitie Pouertie and Affliction of body is ready to cast vs downe into the dungeon of dispaire beehinde vs our sinnes are at hand to bewray vs within vs our owne consciences belayeth to accuse vs before vs are Gods iudgements ready to condemne vs and hell mouth open to deuour vs. To resist these Tirannies it standeth vs in hand to bee strongly armed with the brest plate of Equitie the shield of vndoubted Faith in Christ the helmet of assured Hope and Faith in Christ Iesus alwayes ready to doe our best and trusting in him to doe the rest Cap. VI. Hee that in Heauen will come to ioy with Christ must first trauaile with patience vnder the crosse of Christ AS the Israelits could not come to the land of promise but Patience by long painefull trauaile through the wildernesse of tribulation The law of Adams children is to liue in labour and the cursse of Eues brats to suffer affliction yea all mankinde doth feele the biting of the Serpent Hee that will tast of the glory of Heauen must first be pertaker of his cup vpon earth he that after death will reioyce at Christ his presence must first in his life time mourne for his absence There is no other way left for the members then to follow their head the disciple is not aboue his maister nor the seruant aboue his Lord. Seeing the good man of the house hath ben called Belzebub Glutton and a companion of the wicked how can the Seruants looke for better entertainment All the Apostles and godly Martirs suffered with patience the troubles and persecutions of their time to obtaine the kingdome of Heauen Esay had his carkas cut a sunder with a wodden Prophets saw Amos thrust into the temples with a nayle Daniell condemned to the Lyons Ieremy and Steuen stoned to death Iohn Baptist and Paul beheaded The three Israelits Sidrach Misach and Abednago committed to the flaming fire Thomas preaching the Gospell in Iudea was slaine with a dart And Simon Zelotes preaching in Britaine was there crucified But these valiaunt and victorious conquerours were well assured that prosperitie and aduersity life and death are all Gods giftes to trye the harts of men Ignatius scholler to Iohn and Bishop of Antioch beeing condemned to dye for the Gospell in his greatest torments did valiauntly comfort himselfe saying Iam incipio esse Discipulus Christi now begin I to bee the disciple of Christ It is written how a certayne Pagan tormenting a Christian asked him in disdayne What profit hee receiued by his Christ who answered That I patiently doe suffer thy tiranny and willingly pardon thee without reuenge For as a noble mans seruant is knowne by his Maisters cognisaunce so is a faithfull Christian by bearing his crosse with patience Cap. VII Of true Repentance with hir inseperable furniture REpentance is an inward sorrow Repent mourning of the hart and conscience for sins committed And contayneth three parts first Contricion of hart the second Confession of mouth the third Reformacion of life Like as a man feeling his body infected first doth acknowledge his disease Secondly seeketh to the Phisition for remedy Thirdly beeing cured is carefull to keepe himselfe from future griefe by keeping good dyet So is it the duty of euery good Christian feeling his soule infected with sinne first by earnest repentaunce to acknowledge the same before God secondly by humble and deuout prayer to seeke vnto Christ for pardon thirdly by restrayning of his affections prone to euill to keepe him from salling againe So when a faithfull Christian feeling his conscience burthened with sinne doth humbly bewaile and confesse the same with teares trickling downe his cheekes with groning and sobbing vnto God for mercie beeing easely wonne and intreated straite followerh pardon in Christ comfort of conscience and quietnesse of minde In such manner the Prophet Dauid confessed Kings his sinnes to be more in number then the haires of his head Manasses bowing the knees of his heart vnto God confessed his faults to be more in number then the sands of the Sea Ezechiah turning his face to the wall mourned heauely Mary Magdalen fell downe behinde Iesus and lamented pitefully Peter remembring the words of Christ after hee had forsworne him went out and wept bitterly Thus whersoeuer true repentaunce goeth beefore with hir inseperable furniture as humble Confession Faithfull prayer and amendment of Life the Remission of sins doth follow after And wher thackowledging of sins leadeth not the way there the gates of Gods mercy are alwaies shut Cap. VIII Of true Fasting FAsting serueth to three Fasting endes first to mortifie and subdue the lustes of the flesh the second to stir vp our mindes to meditation praier the third to be a testimony of our inward humilitie dutifull obedience to the will of God We ought to fast saith Saint Ambrose to keepe our bodies from surfeting our soules from sinning The diseases of the minde saith Saint Ierome are healed with praying the lusts of the body with fasting For euen as a wanton pampred horse doth striue to cast his rider so doth a wanton pampred body by nature resist against vertue It is good to fast saide Saint Ambrose but better to giue Almes When the lustes of the flesh are mortefied our wronged brother satisfied and our needie neighbour reliued then God with our fast is well pleased Saint Augustine in his Sermon in the Wildernesse saith The sick for lack of stomack fast the Poore for want of meate The couetous chuffe to spare
his pursse the Glotton more to eate The Apish Ipocrite for praise a good man for his Soule health alwaies Cap. IX A briefe exhortation to Christian Religion AS the wise men of the East did offer vnto Christ their Math. 2. costly presents of Gold Frankencense and Mirh so the most precious thing that wee can present vnto him is the Gold of Faith sure Hope the Frankencence of Zeale and true Deuotion and the Mirh of Vertue and Charitable liuing To honour him with due obedience and depend wholy vpon his prouidence ioyning alwayes practise with knowledge deedes with words keeping with hearing walking with talking and expressing with professing knowing that not the hearers of the word but the doers therof shal be saued Not euery one that cryeth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of Heauen but hee that doth the will of my Father which is in Heauen If yee vnderstand these things saith our Sauiour Ioh. 13 17. happy are ye if ye doe them blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it Hee that heareth the word willingly vnderstandeth it rightly beleeueth it faithfully applieth it profitably and keepeth it diligently shall ioy with Christ assuredly And thus is Religion or godlynesse the ground of conscience and true deuotion Iohn heard a voyce from Heauen saying Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord euen so saith the spirit that they rest from theyr labours and their works follow them And hee that will dye in the Lord must first bee carefull to liue in the Lord It is an infallible rule Qualis vita Finis ita to him that liueth vertuously God doth alwaies giue grace to die faithfully A ioyfull death followeth a charitable life and a happy life insueth such a death So he that liueth to die well shal assuredly die to liue better such as liue like Wolues doe often dye like Swine And commonly after a dissolute life without feare of death followeth a desperate death without hope of life And it agreeth with all equitie right and reason that such as in lewde behauiour haue passed their time shall by rigour of iustice receaue their end Cap. X. An Exhortation to continue patient in Aduersitie IT is required in a true Christian to bee strongly armed Aduersitie with Patience and to abide firme and stable in time of temptation and tryall so that neither prosperitie nor aduersitie weale nor woe life nor death can once moue quaile or discourage him Worldly Riches are subiect to many mishaps bodely health is taken away with sicknesse and by age that daily creepeth on Beautie is soone consumed But a true constant minde comforted by Gods holy spirit no chance or misfortune can alter or quaile Elias in the wildernesse Iohn Baptist in the desart and Peter in prison with the rest of the Apostles whose commendacions by Christ himselfe are very great not onely for leauing their parents friends country to follow him neither for their godly kinde of liuing but by continuing constant vnto the end You haue bidden with mee sayth our Sauiour Christ in my temptation and I will giue you a kingdome Be faithfull saith our Sauiour to the end I will giue you a crowne of life He that ouer-commeth shall possesse all things and I will bee his God and hee shall be my Sonne and shall eate of the tree of life but he that taketh the plough in hand and looketh backe is vnmeet for the kingdome of Heauen Not euery one that worketh in the vineyard but he that coutinueth till night hath the pennie not euery one that fighteth but hee that getteth the victory hath the crowne of triumph not euery one that beginneth well doth good for a time but he that endureth to the end shal be saued Happy and blessed is hee whom the father of mercy indueth with his interior grace so to work runne and perseuer as in the end he may say with the Apostle I haue fought a good fight and got the victory I haue finished my course and woone the price Christ is to mee life and death to mee aduantage Cap. XI A comfortable consolation to the faithfull children of Christ PLuck vp thy hart reioyce little poore dispised flock for the Lorde hath heard the voice of thy weeping whose will and pleasure is to giue thee a kingdome Great are the troubles of the Righteous but the Lord is the defender of the righteous cause wildeliuer them out of all Euen as a Father pittyeth his owne sonne so is our God mercifull vnto them that feare him I haue beene young and now am olde saith Dauid yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken nor his children begge their breade Rather then Elias shall perish for soode God will prepare the Rauens to seede him Rather then Sampson shall decay for drincke God will bring water out of an Asses law to refresh him Rather then Israell shall sterue the Lord will raine Manna from Heauen rather then his people shall faint with thirst the Lord will turne a great Rocke into a mightie fountaine Yea rather then harmeshal come to any one of his chosen he wil set his Angels to preserue thē The mountaines shall moue the hils shall fall downe but my louing kindnesse shall neuer bee remoued not fall away from my elect faith the Lord whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth yet delighteth in him as a Father in his sonne because thou wast beloued of God saith the Angell to Tobias it was necessary that temptation shold try thee Like the heards man when any of his flock is vnruly straieth from his fellowes sendeth forth his dog not of malice to hurt or deuoure him but of loue to saue reforme him euen so our sauiour Christ being our heauenly shepheard when his sheepe goeth astray offend him he sendeth out his dog of tribulation not of enuie to destroy or harme them but of fauour to correct and amend them Euen as Moses by striking the hard stonie rocke with his rod brought forth plentie of water euen so God by striking the hard stony hart of man with affliction bringeth sorth teares of contrition And as in the goldsmithes forge the gold is fined the coales burned so in the forge of temptation trouble the faithfull are tryed whilst the wicked are hardned consumed yea euen as the seede that is cast vpon the land vnlesse it endure the coldnes of raine frost snow can bring forth no fruite no more can a man vnlesse hee beare the crosse of Christ by tribulation and aduersitie bring forth true fruits of the Gospell Cap. XII Of the ioyfull state of Gods children after the last Iudgeent AS the world had a beginning so shal it haue an ending The Heauens shall passe away in maner of a tempest saith the Apostle the element also shall melt with heate the earth shal be consumed with fire but the Lord will create new and the former shall not be
remembred And as we are now clothed with the image of Adams corruptible body subiect to death misery so shall we then bee clothed with the image of Christs glorious body changed into perfection and sinceritie When Christ shall appeare saith the Apostle we shal be like vnto him see him as he is though wee shall not then as now bee maintained with earthly or elementall foode but as the Angells of Heauen yet our bodies of the same humane nature shape and fashion of flesh bones with all parts and members of a man as in this lise not altered in substance but changed in property Behold my hands and my feete saith our sauiour to his disciples for it is euen I my selfe handle mee and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see mee haue And as we shal be new men so shall we haue new sences to vnderstand things not as they seeme but as they are in deed behold the diuine Maiestie of God face to face the fruition of whose glorious presence as the originall fountaine from whence all wisedome gladnesse ioy vertue and true felicitie proceede shall so rauish content and satisfie euery member power and sence of both bodie and minde with such full perfection of pleasure and delight as neither eye hath seene eare hath heard tongue can expresse nor any hart of man imagine in comparison wherof all the desired and gladsome pleasures of this world are but fayned shewes and darke shadowes And as our sauiour Christ laid aside part of the Maiestie tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant hauing performed due obedience subiectioÌ„ vnto his father is now aduanced to the highest dominion and crowned with honor glory so that all knees shall bow vnto him So after the last day when he hath performed the office of a Meditor he shall yeeld vp into the hands of his Father both the kingdome name and crowne of glory that God may bee all in all to whose heauenly mansion the God of all glory bring vs for his Sonne Christ his sake AMEN A most godly and comfortable Praier in time of Aduersitie O Eternall and most louing Father thou GOD of mercie iudgement to whom all things in Heauen earth doe bow obey at the continuance of whose glorious Maiestie the wohle world doth tremble quake who hath fashioned Man of slime and earth couered him in his mothers womb and deliuered him from death and hell To thee our heauenly Father I humbly bow the knees of myne heart beseeching thy Fatherly goodnesse in Iesus Christ to heare mee poore wretched childe of Adam begotten and borne in sinne disquieted with troubles wrapt in aduersitie and oppressed with miserie yet by thy secret purpose pertaine to thy kingdome A Sheep of thy fold by election and calling though vnrulie A seruant of thy household by obedience dutie though vnprofitable A sonne of thy famely by adoption and grace though vnworthie I will call mine owne waies to remembrance confesse mine iniquities against my selfe powre out my complaint beefore thee Giue eare to my praier O Lord consider my distresse and pardon the voice of my humble desires let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my hart be alwaies acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my reedemer I haue sinned grieuously O mercifull God against heauen and before thee now Ioh. 13 17. in the vexation of my â—pirit the anguish of my soule remembring thy fatherly kindnesse toward penitent sinners I appeale to thy eternall mercie acknowâ—edge my wickednesse and lament my grieuous offences My hart is broken with sorrowes my life waxen olde with heauinesse my yeeres with mourning How long wilt thou be angry with thy seruant O Lord how long shall I seeke counsaile in my soule and be so vexed in my spirit how long shall I poore sorrowfull wretch bee tossed with these troublesome floods of mortaletie bewailing the tediousnesse of this my irkesome pilgrimage The infant ouercommeth his mother with crying the childe his father with weeping and the seruant his maister with submission and wilt thou be no more intreated o Lord wher are thy tender mercies which haue beene euer of old our father 's hoped in thee and were deliuered they put their trust in thee an I were not confounded Thou art the Father of the fatherlesse and the helper of the friendles thou hast alwaies hard the humble desires of the poore and thou preparest their hartes to call vpon thee and thine eares harken therevnto thou deliuerest them from wrong and right deere is their blood in thy sight Why art thou so full of heauinesse then O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me O put thy trust in God for I will yet giue him thanks which is the helpe of my countenaunce and my God yea though hee kill mee yet will I trust in him I will sing vnto the Lord so long as I liue and will praise my God so long as I haue any being He hath chastened and corrected mee but not giuen me ouer vnto death and therefore my hart daunceth sor ioy my flesh shall rest in hope and in my song will I praise him I will honor him with due obedience serue him with feare and reioyce vnto him with reuerence Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither doe thou chasten mee in thy heauie displeasure forsake me not in mine old age when my strength faileth me but comfort my heauinesse pittie my misery and relieue my necessitie Clense mee from my secret faults and pardon the sinnes of my youth Graunt mee a new hart a new minde a new spirit and a new life and I wil offer vnto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiuing and reioyce in my saluation O thou most highest An Exhortacion to continew all Subiects in their dew obedience together with the reward of a faithful subiect to his Prince To the Reuerend Lo. Bishops and the Clergie FOR-asmuch as your ecclesiasticall office is giuen you from God as the next principall members vnder the head to gouerne the Common wealth of this misticall bodie and that there is required at your hands an extraordinarie dutie touching the function of the Soule Let mee entreate you to be as vigilant as the fiue wise Virgins hauing Oyle alwaies in your Lamps against the Bridegrome comes forth of his chamber Your office is the Soule of the Laitie the heart of gouernement the verie Epitome of all obedience From you as the Moone boroweth hir light of the Sunne all inferiour Ministers take their order of perfection Let then your doctrine be pure stedfast like Moyses bush that alwaies burned but neuer cousumed your preaching in season and out of season and your conuersation as spotlesse as the sacrifice of Turtles You best know what plentie of Manna hath rained in Israel how many Homers ful euery man ought to gather Be not any of you the first that