any aduise howe lonâ— doest thou haste it foorth caâ— it downe headlong to thy own decaie Luke 15. And truly the woman the Gospell which found againâ— the lost groate called togithâ— her friends and neighbours thâ— they should reioice with her bâ— I will call your and my friends neighbours togither and wil eâ— treate them to meete not thâ— they shoulde be glad but thaâ— they should lament with me noâ— that they shoulde reioyce buâ— mourne with me and greatly soâ—rowe lifting vp their handes tâ— heauen as they shall see me tâ— doe and I will saye vnto them howle and lament with me ô mâ— friendes powre out and bring foorth with me fountaines anâ— floudes of teares not for that haue lost vnpoisable weights oâ— â—lde or innumerable talents of â—er not because I haue loste reads full of costly pearles but â— that my friend * Amicus alter ipse dearer than â—y golde more pretious than â—y stone is I knowe not how â—ile he sailed with vs ouer the â—ge and broade sea of this life â—en downe into the very depth destruction And if some one my friends shall goe about to â—mfort and will me to leaue of â—rowing I will aunswere him in â—e Prophets words * Or let me alone I will weepe bitterly you can not comfort me Suffer me weepe most bitterly neither â—â—de on comforting mee for I â—epe not through the affection the flesh neither is my lamenâ—â—tion woman like wherein apâ—are immoderate teares to be â—med I mourne for that which â—e great and famous Apostle S. â—â—ule saieth he mourneth for â—â—en as he saieth * 2. Cor. 12 22. That I may â—ourne for them that haue sinâ—d and haue not repented Certes with reason shall one buke those that for the common The death of the soule is pitifully to be lamented seeing the death of the body is so bitterly taken death of their friends we without meane but when tâ— wounds not of a bodie but oâ— soule are lamented and of sucâ— soule which in death it seâ— sheweth signes of hir former betie and wonderous gaines a with liuely tokens displayeth tâ— floure of vertues extinguished hir who is so cruell and vnquainted with vertue that woâ—â— not be mooued to lamentatiâ— that would not be prouoked teares For as it is a pointeâ— philosophy to forbeare weepâ— for common death so in a death of a soule and such a souâ— to receiue comfort I adiud both vngodly and irreligious â—â— ordinary death to keepe the eâ— from teares is the chiefest thinâ— in the studie of wisedome bâ— how shall not he seeme to be â—mented for without intermissioâ— who of late reckned the whâ— brauenes of the bodie but liâ— carued stones who account gold as clay who respected â— lights as durt and now atraâ—â—ed by the sodaine feuers of lust â—â—d voluptie being depriued of â—e integritie and bewtie of his â—inde hath shaken hands with â—â—rtue and is become a slaue to â—ce and pleasure This man shal â—ot bewaile This man shall I â—t moysten so long with a riuer teares vntill with weeping I â—r vp feeling in him and by the â—rmth of teares I raise some â—ely motions in him if mourâ—ng may do ought And if mourâ—rs of the body cease not from â—menting though they assuredâ— know their weeping profite â—â—em nothing to renew the life him that is dead why should â—t we that know the soule may â—â— called from death by conuerâ—â—â—n earnestly follow after the â—edicine of repentance that eâ—â—n the sepulchre being opened â—â—th abundance of teares he â—ay be recouered Yea also I â—inke we are to be accused of â—ggardie sith the lamenters of bodies and ordinarie death oâ— weepe so much and continuâ— yet certaine as we said tâ—â— they shall not raise againe thâ— dead if we that know that repentance lamentation couâ—led with it a soule may be refâ—red to his former state for tâ— kingly prophet said * Psal 6 5. Or in the graue who shal praise thee In hellâ—â— shall confesse thy name do thing so We know too that diuers the daies both of vs and our aâ—cestors hauing sliden out of â—â— straight path and straied frâ—â— the entrance of the narrow wâ— were so againe restored thâ— their end answered their begâ—ning obtaining the goale a crowne yea they were thougâ— to haue place among the nuâ—ber of the Saints But as long one remaineth in the flame a fornace of lust these thing seem impossible to him althouâ— * A thousand infinit examples should be alâ—â—ged But if some small conuersiâ—â— be began and the penitent poâ—â—â—on cast vpward his eies that â—ourning flame will tarry behind â—im and by how much more â—wiftly he shall take his pace by â—o much more before him shall â—e see all things sumpled with â—e coale of an heauenly dew Despaire the greatest enimy to our saluation So much woorth is it that we beware of one thing the greatest â—nimy to our saluation to our â—onuersion to our repentance â—o wit desperation which if it â—ake hold in our mind how great â—esire soeuer we haue of saluatiâ—n how great purpose soeuer to â—â—ue euerlastingly if I say deâ—paire come all the entry to salâ—ation is stopped the way to reâ—entance is hindered and the â—eginning of anguish is engenâ—red And how then shal he that â—s out of the way and to whom â—he doore is shut be able to doe â—ny good worke when as biâ—ause despaire prohibiteth he â—annot come to the entrance of goodnes For this cause the Diâ—ell goeth about with tooth and naile to plant in our harts such manner of cogitations For iâ— the feare of despaire shall remooue vs from the way of vertue he hath no long combate with vs for why should he assault when none resisteth Anâ— whoso shall haue the power to vndoe this knot incontinent hiâ— strength returneth the lustine of his mind encreaseth he shal bâ— delighted with the renuing oâ— those contentions the reason is he shall see himselfe chase thâ— chaser pursue the persecuteâ— And if in case as in wrastling iâ— falleth out he faulter againe fal let him not be out of hope foâ— shame but remember that is noâ— the law of wrestling and iusting not once to fall for he may noâ— be said to be conquered that falleth but in the end not to yeeld for he that despaire hath maystered howe can he either recouer might in coÌ„tention or with stand and fight seeing he taketh his heeles and doth not at al returne to the conflict Neither thinke that I speake of those alonely that haue transgressed in small and not much important things but my speech is of him that hath made himselfe a villaine to all mischiefe and hath damned to himselfe the way to the kingdome of heauen was once of the number not of the incredulous miscreants but of them that liked God and after this hath fallen either into fornication or into all sortes of vnchastitie which as the
of the very punishment is different for the fire in this life coÌ„sumeth al things it taketh but that fire whom it once taketh hold on it vexeth alwaies reserueth to the tormeÌ„t And therfore is it termed vnquenchable not only bicaus it caÌ„not be queÌ„ched it selfe but bicause it doth not quench or sley theÌ„ it taketh For the scripture saith that sinners put on immortalitie to wit profitable not to honor of life but to perpetuitie of correction Now the force of the punishment and that punishment of that fire which is so forcible no voice will serue to declare no speech will serue to vtter for in good or euill things subiect to corruption there is nothing like them The torments of hell set forth in their colours Neuerthelesse that we may conceiue some motion of that fire and torment call to minde in him that hath a burning ague what tribulation what anxietie of bodie and soule standeth on each side and by this temporall maladie gather what those torments be which are inflamed with an eternall fire which are watered before that horrible iudgement seat with a fierie streame of tormenting waues There what shall we do What shal we answere Nothing shall be there but gnashing of teeth but scritching and weeping and too to late repentance no way any helpe being founde and euery way the torments increasing without any comfort We shal see none but the executioners and tortours dreadfull to be beholden and which is woorst of all we shall haue no solace of the very aire For vtter darknes shall compas the place of torments and the fire which as it hath not a nature of consuming so hath it not of illumining but it is a darke fire the flame thereof giuing no light So that to them that are in it what feare what renting of their bowels what dismembring of their bodies what crosses there be to euery sense no toong can tell And as the sortes of torments do varie and differ so proportionably euerichone to his sinnes hath his paine multiplied Now if thou shouldest say how can the bodie continue in so wretched such an endles tormenting Consider what things now and then in this life betide vs and by these smal things coniecture great How that sometimes we see some troubled with long sicknes and yet their life to indure and howbeit the bodie be dissolued by some death yet the soule is not dissolued nor consumed whence it is apparant that when the body shal also become immortall no death may kill the soule or body For in this present life it cannot be that the punishmeÌ„t of the body should be both grieuous perpetuall but the one yeeldeth to the other for that the body cannot abide both But when each shall put off corruption the coâ—ruption afore receiued shal end but the incorruption gotten shal be endlesse So let vs not thinke the very exceeding greatnes of punishment will cause an end of dolor but as I said our sins shall aggrauate the chastisement and the incorruption of the bodie or soule shall not limite it Tell me nowe what space of sensualitie and dainties wilt thou liken to these tormentes Let vs if we list bestow on delights an hundreth yeeres adde thereto an hundreth moe and tenne times an hundreth what benefite will there bee gotten of it if we consider this euer-remaining paine May not the whole time of this life wherein we seeme to take pleasure in pastimes and wallow in wantonnes be rekoned as the dreame of one night in comparison of that eternitie Is there any therfore who to haue a delightsome dreame one night would vndertake sempiternall pains Or take that for this or this for that I dispraise not as yet delights nor vnfolde the bitternes of them bicause the time serueth not for such speeches nowe but then I shal be occasioned when I see thee able to auoid the same For bicause thou art addicted to them thou maist ghesse we doated if we auouch that pleasure which all men reckon acceptable and gladsome were yrkesome and sowre But if by the mercie of God thou maiest escape out of this sort of sicknes at that time yea at that time thou shalt finde out what bitternes yea what bane sensualitie hath Now meane while let vs imagine that pastimes and pleasure and voluptuousnes are honest and comely What shall we say to the punishments laide vp in store for them What shall we say to them bicause the delights vade like a shadowe and hastily flie away but the paine abideth for euer and euer Grant the time and space of pastime and punishment were al one is there any so foolish or so depriued of his fiue wits that would chuse to tolerate one day of paine for a daye of pleasure sith the pangs of one houre and euerye vexation of the bodye coÌ„monly causeth vs to forget all the time past consumed in deâ—ight Wherfore for asmuch as we may be rid if in a moment we be turned from euery of those tormenting chastisements and inioy eternall goodnes why defeâ— we why stay we why do we noâ— vse the bountifulnes of God Foâ— this is prouided by the vnspeakeable and infinite clemencie oâ— God that labor and toile shoulâ— not be stretched far nor be lonâ— or endles but short and as may saye for a minute of aâ— houre Such is this present life â—â— it be conferred with that euerlasting The clemencie I say oâ— God hath prouided 2. Cor. 4. that in thiâ— fleeting short life the shoulâ— be labors and agonies but thaâ— in the life eternall there shoulâ— be crownes and rewards of gooâ— workes and that trauell shoulâ— soone be ended but the rewardâ— of good deedes should last foreuer And euen as this maketâ— them glad that through indâ—ring of toile indure a crowne â—â— it shall grieue and trouble thosâ— in the time to come that seâ— they haue loste for a little and small time of delights perpetuall good things and haue sought for still induring euill things Let vs not therefore incurre this anguish of soule let vs awake while we haue time And lo now is the acceptable time now is the day of saluation now is opportunitie of repentance and a time wherein repentance will not be fruitles But if we be careles of our life we shall sustaine in hell not these calamities alone whereof we haue spoken but a more grieuous mischiefe For to be excluded from blisse and to be debarred from the things prepared for the Saintes causeth such affliction such wofulnes as if no outward punishment tormented it were sufficient It surpasseth all paines of hell to want that beatitude the fruition of which lay in thy power For muse I desire you on the state of that life Heauenly blisse set forth asmuch as a man may consider it for as it is in deed no speech can vtter Yet let vs comprehende an image thereof to the vtmost it may be by that we haue read and the darke
shipwracke neither damage of soule should we not take in hand againe our former exercises and renew our busines by negligence ouerslipped Neuertheles we lie retchlesly and fold our idle hands on our breast after the manner of sluggards and would God our hands were idle and did not worke our owne decay Which if they doo it hath great affinitie with most manifest outrage as if for example a champion leauing his aduersâ—ry should turne his hands on hiâ— owne head and buffet himselfe The diuell hath put vs to flighâ— and hath dashed vs in sunder wâ— haue neede then to rise anâ— to resist him When thou anâ— once cast downe if thou be willing not onely to lie still but tâ— throw down thy selfe headlong this is to assent to thine enimie and to take in defence hiâ— part Blessed Dauid fell after the same sort thou diddest neither so alone but in more greeuous wise for he combined murder with adultery and what did he then Did hee lie so Did hee not rise and resist the enimie and so ouercame him that his good deeds profited his posteritie when he was gone For when Salomon had committed that hainous crime and was deemed woorthy of a thousand deathes yet for Dauids sake the Lorde â—aid he woulde bestow the kingdome on him longer These be the wordes 2. King 11 11 I will surely rent the kingdome from thee and will giue it to thy seruaunt Notwithstanding in thy daies I will not do it 12. bicause of Dauid thy father but I will rent it out of the hand of thy sonne Hezechiah when he was much indangered albeit he were a iust man himselfe yet for blessed Dauid the Lord promised to help him * Or J will defend this citie to saue it for mine owne sake and for Dauid my seruants sake I will defend this citie for mine owne sake 2. King 19 34 and for Dauid my seruants sake I will saue it See what was the strength of repentance see what power conuersion had But if hee had thus thought which thou now thinkest and had said it is impossible that the Lord shoulde nowe be mercifull to me he hath greatly honored me and hath endued me with the gift of prophecie he hath exalted me to a kingdome he hath deliuered me from manifold dangers how then can I promerite clemencie at thâ— hands of God forasmuch as â— haue thus fallen Yf Dauid haâ— thus thought he had lost noâ— onely that went afore but thaâ— that followed also For not only the wounds of the body if they be neglected bring death but the wounds of the soule semblably Are we so sottish to put a plaister to a bodily wound and neuer attempt to cure the soule Many woundes of our bodies may not be cured yet we despaire not and though the Chirurgions say the wound is vncureable yet we earnestly and vrgently beseech them that they would mittigate somewhat the paine But in the wounds of the soule which are not vnsanable for the soule is not tied to necessitie neither abideth any passion we are remisse we are past hope we are pricked with no care When there is no hope our griefe of body may be healed yet we withdraw nothing from our care but here when no occasion is of desperation without vsing any labor we omite all care So you perceiue how that more ardently we loue our body than our soule knowing not that if we regard not our soule we cannot saue our body For the soule was not ordained for the body but the body for the soule and he that esteemeth nothing the higher but polisheth the inferiour marreth both But he that obserueth an order and garnisheth the first admit he do not passe for the second by the saluatioÌ„ neuertheles of the first the second shall be saued The which is builded on the plot of Christ his words Matt. 10 28. Feare ye not them which kil the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and bodie in Hell Thinke you we haue done enough and satisfied you in this thing that no infirmitie of the soule is vncureable Or else is it needefull we should vse other reasons and confirme it yet farther For although a thousand times thou despaire of thy selfe we will neuer despaire of thee Neither do we this that we mislike in other howbeit there be ods whether one despaire of himselfe or another of him To despaire of another is pardonable but to despaire of himselfe is not bicause he is not master of anothers minde this ruleth his owne purpose Wherefore we hope there is a returne for you to the state of your former life and to the vertues of the mind which we know are in you Besides these things this we adde Ion. 2 4. The Nineuites heard the prophet saying definitely Yet fourtie daies and Nineueh shall be ouerthrowen notwithstanding they were not discouraged No not when they were not certaine that the Lord would not bring to passe his words when in mans iudgement there was no hope of forgiuenes And assoone as that abrupt saying was ended they determined repentance saying Verse 9. 10. who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away his fierce wrath that we perish not And God saw their workes that they turned from their euil waies and God repented of the euill that he had said he would doo vnto them and he did it not If Barbarians and ignorant folke could vnderstand so much of the mercy of God doth it not much more behoue vs to do so who are enstructed in the word of God know this example was before our time and that many moe like are contained in Gods Booke either in words or in actes For my thoughts are not your thoughts Isai 55 8. neither are your waies my waies saith the Lord. 9. For as the heauens are hier than the earth so are my waies higher than your waies and my thoughts aboue your thoughts Futhermore if we receiue our seruants who haue offended vs when they promise they will amende and account of them as afore nay many times credit them more after reconcilemeÌ„t will not God much rather deale thus with vs If he had made vs to punish vs thou mightest well despaire and doubt of thy saluation but if for his goodnes onely he made vs to enioy hiâ— euer-enduring blisse rewards and doth all things from the beginning of the world til this day to this end and purpose that he may saue vs what matter of despairing what matter of misdoubting is there left Wee haue offended him say you more than euer any man For this cause shouldest thou more speedilie earnestly make satisfaction and be sorrowfulâ— for thine offence abandon those deedes with which God is offended Neither doth a grieuous iniurie offend any bodie so much as to continue in it when there is time and opportunitie of satisfaction To sinne is
Apostle saith * Ephes 5.3 to name is vnseemely This man I saye ought not to misdoubt of saluation though such wickednes enuiron him euen to the last gaspe The anger of God is not passible and therfore though we sinne yet his wrath may be changed into mercie But harken what the cause of this is If the wrath of God were an affection that did worke a passion wee might rightly say that the flame of it kindled with so many such euils might not bee quenched but for asmuch as the truth teacheth that the nature of God is void of passions we must learne that though God punish though he plague he doth it not with a wrathfull passion but with vnspeakeable gentlenes going about to cure vs not to confound vs and therefore with gladnes will receiue the penitent For the plaister of repentance if thou seeke it healeth the soule and defendeth thee from the anger of God which he conceiued for thine offences God doth not as I saide punishe a sinner for his owne fantasie Why God punisheth man when he reuengeth his wrong for the nature of God is not capable of such an affection but for our profit he doth all things for our vtilitie he chastiseth and correcteth not to auenge himselfe but to amend vs. And if any persist in hardnes as the man that turneth his eies from the light damnifieth nothing the light but damneth himselfe to darkenes so he that contemneth vertue through a hart that can not repent estrangeth himself from saluation And as a Physition that suffreth wrōg at the hands of phrenticke and brainesicke men sorroweth not nor is displeased a whit at it but doth all things that appertaine to ease the maladie of the patient for the wrong is caused by paine and as you may see the Physition glad at a litle amendment of the sicke person and to execute the residue of his charge with ioye and chearefulnes not keeping in mind the wrong don but respecting the health of the patient so much rather God God is willing to haue vs returne when we are become stark wood is not greedy of vengeance for our trespasses but desirous to heale our olde putrified biles for to this end he saith and doth al things thirsting after our safetie not our punishment And albeit reason sufficiently shew the contrary yet least you should stagger in the matter we are able to auouche it out of the holie Scriptures Tell me what more wicked bodie was there euer than the king of Babylon Who hauing found out in many things the omnipotency of God in so much that hee worshipped his Prophet Dan. 2.46 and commaunded frankencense and myrrhe to be offred to him yet againe in despight of God he returned to his wonted hawtines Dan. 3. and did cast iointly into the ouen of burning fire those that refused to worship his image bicause they preferred the seruice of God Neuertheles God allured to repentance and gaue occasion of recanting to this so bloudie so wicked a king First in this that with the three children he appeared vnto him in the ouen Dan. 3. afterward in that he caused him to see the vision which Daniel interpreted Dan. 4. that was able to mollifie euen an hart of flint But when he was warned by workes the Prophet also exhorted him by wordes he receiued the counsell of the Prophet saying Dan. 4. Wherefore O king let my counsell be acceptable vnto thee and breake off thy sins by righteousnes and thine iniquities by mercie towards the poore lo let there be an healing of thine errour What saiest thou to this O thou wise and blessed man Yet is there a returning after so great slides credit me there is after grieuous sickenes and from the doore of death proceedeth health and after desperate sins many waxe wise For loe as we shewed afore this king of Babel had now stopped all way of saluation in that he prouoked the Lord to wrath who made him and exalted him to the throne of a kingdome who reuealed also to him heauenly mysteries who imparted on him the knowledge of things to come disclosed to him the secrets of all his kingdome who confounded by the diuine solution of his prophet the iuglings of the wise men Astrologers Gazarens Caldeans and opened to the capacitie of a child by a diuine interpretation a hidden secrete in somuch that he seemed not only to beleeue in the highest God but to proclaime throughout all the world that the God of Daniell was the true God yet after this he fell into such an outrage that he threw headlong into the hoate burning ouen the seruants of God that would not worship his image And yet ne here doth the mercy of God forget to cure and remedy him but in the middest of the fire when he had put to the flame the children that worshipped God there he asswageth him not with quenching the fire with water but with working a wonder For he could both extinguish the fire distill down a showre from heauen but this he doth not least he should encrease the force of his rage but permitteth the flame to be made as great as the furie of the tortor desired and he doth not forbid him to punish but taketh away power from the torment And that no one that sawe the children not burnt might suppose it was a vaine imagination no fire in deede that he saw he suffred the executioners namely those that stoode about the fornace to be consumed that he might make manifest that not onely fire in truth was seene but that Gods commandement was more forcible than anie strength of fire For euery thing that is obeieth him of whome it had his beginning That fire receiued the bodies of those saints and by the ordinance and wil of God forgetting his nature wherby it burneth vpon it shewed onely his nature of illumining rendring againe the holie and faithfull thing committed to his charge nothing hurted for they came foorth out of the flaming fornace as it had beene out of a princes palace woorthy to be admired of all of all to be reuerenced None then cast his eies on the king who glittered in purple with a diademe on his head but he was forsaken of all a◠though he had beene no bodie for that the children had rapt euerichone into an admiration For who woulde not be astonied that the fire was afrighted at the fight of the yoong mens bodies and that it did not onely flie from the flesh of those saints but also did not touch one haire of their head which was but little nor the vttermost hem of their garments Who would not admire that their members were stronger than mountains their garments than metals their haires than diamondes And herein is the woonder aggrauated that when they were in the middest of the fire they sang a Psalme to God albeit experience teacheth that they that are committed to the
life seekâ— chiefely the setting foorth of Gods glory and the benefiting of their neighbor who bewailing their sinnes with true and vnfeined repentance by the hand of faith lay hold on Gods promises auaileth not a little to the abandoning of sinne and iniquitie Wherefore gentle Reader in the sentences following I haue vsed this order that those which apperteine to the seconde comming of Christ and the punishment of the vngodly are set first in the seconde place those that shew the ioyes of the world to come and in the last roome those that teach that by faith sincere repentance and amendement of our liues we may inioy that heauenly blisse My petition to thee is this that thou daine to accept my labour which if thou do I shall be occasioned to iudge my trauell well bestowed The Lorde of his mercy grant that sith wickednes neuer more abounded nor men neuer lesse remembred the comming of Christ vnto iudgement we may hartily repent vs of our sinnes bicause the wrath of God hangeth ouer our heads and that we may as good Christians liue woorthy of our vocation liuing so as though euery one particularly should say with that holy man Saint Hierome as often as I remember that day euery member of my body quaketh for whether I eate or drinke or do any thing else me thinketh alwaies that dreadfull trumpet soundeth in mine eares Arise O ye dead and come to iudgement bicause the last houre is at hand Amen As desirous of thy profit as of his owne in the Schoole of Christ Iesus R. WOL OENIPODES Non cistae sed pectori Sentences collected out of the Fathers works which haue such agreement with the former Treatise as that they are not vnfit for this place Of the punishments of hell and the day of iudgement IN that terrible houre of the death of a wretched sinner Bernard in spec pec immediately there will come euill spirits like roaring lions to snatch away their pray Then sodainely shall appeare the horrible places of torments the Chaos and obscurity of darkenes the dread of misery and confusion the terror of that fearefull mansion where is the place of weepers where is the place of groners where is the voice of them that crie WO WO Wo be to vs the children of Euah When the miserable soule departing from the body shall heare see and feele these and semblable thinges yea a thousand times worse than may be spoken in what I pray how great and how wonderous feare trembling shall she be What toong can vtter it what booke declare it What will now auaile the boasting of knowledge the pomp of the people the vanity of the world the greedines of earthly dignity what shal then auaile the appetite of riot delitiousnes of meate exquisite drinke curiositie of garmentes nicenes of the flesh gluttony of the belly superfluousnesse of foode surfetting and drunkennes curious building of houses possession of terrene goods scraping togither of prebends hoording of riches Whether can these thinges deliuer the wretched soule of a man from the â—outh of the headious and horâ—…ble lion that is from the iawe 〈◊〉 the cursed dragon When that cunning deceiâ—er Idem ibid. that sonne of iniquitie that â—ost eager enimie of our soules â—…all miserably and dreadfully â—eete with thy soule how wilt â—hou be able to abide the feareâ—…ll sight of his terrible counteâ—ance the intolerable stinke of â—is mouth the brimstone-like â—ames of his eies How then wilt â—hou be of force to abide so â—reat feare of so horrible a â—east Be assured that the feare â—f his dreadfull presence exceeâ—eth euery kinde of tormentes â—hich may be deuised in this world At which the Prophet quaking betooke himselfe to praier saying heare my praier O God when I call vpon thee deliuer my soule from the feare of the enimie He saide not from the power of the enimie but from the feare of the enimy But alas my brother if the sinnefull soule be so much and so greatly daunted at the sight onely of sathan how great confusion 〈◊〉 how great horror how great affliction and how great lamentation shall she haue through his touching and tormenting Hierom. ad Heliod When the Lord shal be abouâ— to iudge the sorrowfull world it shall make a great noise and one kindred shall strike the breast to another kindred The kinges once most puissant shall quake without a garde foolish Plato with his schollers shall be brought foorth then Aristotles arguments shall not be profitable when that sonne of the poore woman which exercised a craft shall come to iudge the endes of the earth August lib. 3. de symb That iudge is neither preuented with fauor nor mooued with pittie nor bribed with money neither wil he be appeased with satisfaction or repentance Here let the soule deale for it selfe while it hath time as long as there is a place for mercy bicause there will be a place of iustice In the last daie of iudgement Greg. hom 15. when the heauens beeing opened the Angels ministring the Apostles sitting togither Christ shall appeare in the seate of his maiestie all the elect and reprobate shall see him that both the iust may reioice without ende of the gift of their reward and the vniust euer lament for the reuengement of their plague On the right hand there shall be our sinnes to accuse vs Ansel de similitudinibus mundi on the left hand infinite diuels beneath the horrible confusion of hell aboue an angrie Iudge without the worlde flaming within our conscience burning there scarce the iust shall be saued Alacke wretched sinner whither wilt thou flee It is impossible to be hidden intollerable to appeare The ioie of the time present must be so vsed Greg. hom 32. that the remembraunce of the bitternes of the iudgement to come may neuer depart from vs. Of the ioies of heauen Aug. lib. de morb SO great is the beautie of righteousnes so great is the sweetenes of the euerlasting light that is of the immutable wisedome that although we might not tarrie in it more than one daie for this alone innumerable yeeres of this life replenished with delights abundance of temporall goods were not without cause and reason to be contemned Idem lib. 3. de symb We can easilier tel what there is not in that eternall life than what there is There is not deth there is not mourning there is not wearines there is not weaknes there is not hunger there is no thirst no parching heate no corruption no lacke no sorrowe no sadnes Idem de vtil agen poenit Make haste thither where you may liue for euer For if you so loue this miserable and transitorie life wherein you liue with such labour and wherein by running trauelling sweating breathing thou scarce get things necessarie for the bodie how much more ought you to loue the life euerlasting where you shall susteine no labour where alwaies is great
quietnes great felicitie happie libertie happie blessednes where shall be fulfilled that the Lorde spake in the Gospell Men shal be like the Angels And that the iust shall shine c. Temporal life compared with eternall life Greg. in homil is rather to be called death than life For the dailie fainting of corruption what is it els but a certaine longe continuance of death But what tong can tell or what vnderstanding conceiue how great those ioies are of that supernall citie to be in the assemblie of Angels with the most blessed soules to stand by the glorie of the Creator to behold in presence the face of God to see that immeasurable light to feele no pangs of death to inioy the gift of euer-induring incorruption Against despaire Aug. in lib. de symb THE theefe acknowledged Peter denied In Peter there is shewed that no iust maÌ„ ought to presume of himselfe in the theefe that no wicked man being conuerted should despaire Therefore let the good feare least he perish through pride and let not the wicked despaire through much naughtines Idem de vtil agen poen Let none despaire of Iudas the traitor not so much the hainous wickednes which he committed was the cause of his eternall destruction as the despaire of forgiuenes Amb. sup Luc. lib. 2. Let none distrust let none in the priuitie of his old sinnes despaire of the rewardes of God God knoweth how to change his determination if thou know how to amend thy fault Let no man despaire of pardon Isido de sum bon lib. 2. although about the ende of his life he be turned to repentance God iudgeth euery one according to his end not according to his life past To commit some foule offence is the death of the soule Idem ibid. but to despaire is to descend into hell Of Repentance IF I proffer thee golde Ambr. in ser de eleem ieiun thou saiest not I will come to morrow but at the instant thou requirest it none prolongeth none maketh excuse the redeeming of our soule is promised and none maketh haste Conuersion is neuer too late Hier. in ep ad Laetam Gregor hom 34. sup euan the theefe went from the crosse to Paradise There is greater ioy in heauen of a sinner conuerted than of a righteous man that standeth for a captaine also in war loueth that souldiour more who being returned from flight hath valiantly slaine his foe than him that neuer fled and hath neuer done any manly act So the husbandman loueth more that ground which after thorns yeldeth foorth plentifull corne than that which neuer had thornes and neuer bare a fertile graine Ambr. ep 3. ad Simplicianum In nothing to sin is onely the propertie of God it is the propertie of a wise man both to correct his fault and to repent for his sinne Hierom. in quod serm With God not so much the measure of time as the measure of griefe preuaileth not so much the abstinencie of meats as the mortification of vices Isid lib. 3. de sum bon Repentance is the medicine of our wound the hope of saluation by which sinners are salued by which God is prouoked to mercy The which is not weighed by time but by deepenes of lamentation and teares O repentance Cyprian de laud. poen what new thing shall I speake of thee Thou loosest al things which are boundeÌ„ thou openest all things which are shut thou mitigatest all aduersitie thou healest that is brused thou enluminest that is confounded thou incouragest all that is out of hope Be not negligent bicause the Lord forbeareth you when you sin Aug. in lib. de vtil poen for how much the longer he waiteth that ye amend so much the more greeuously will he punish if you be negligent Better is a little bitternes in the cheekes Idem de 10. chordis than a perpetuall torment in the bowels Although the theefe was pardoned in his latter end of all his sinnes Id. de poen yet he gaue not an example to them that are baptized to sinne and perseuer in euill For then he was first baptized with the baptisme of the spirit in that then first he professed Christ Hier. super Matt. The sweetenes of the apple recompenceth the sowrenes of the roote the dangers of the sea for hope of gaine delight vs the hope of health asswageth the griefe of Physicke He that desireth the kirnell breaketh the nut and he that will be partaker of euerlasting goodnes repenteth Chrys in ep ad Heliod Monach. It is no great matter to fall in wrestling but to lie when one is cast downe It is not deadly to be wounded in battle but after the wound is inflicted through despaire to be cured to denie a plaister to the bile And oftentimes we see wrestlers crowned after often slides and manie downe-casts We see also a soldiour after many flights to be a stout man and to ouercome him that discomfited him Aug. de spir anima Behold the kingdome of God is to be solde buy it if thou wilt Neither thinke of some great thing for the greatnes of the price it is woorth so much as thou hast seeke not what thou hast but what maner of bodie thou art This thing is woorth so much as thou art giue thy selfe and thou shalt haue it But I am euill thou wilt saie and happily it will not receiue me by giuing thy selfe vnto it thou shalt be good That repentance is in vaine Idem in soliloquijs which afterward a fault polluteth lamentations profit nothing if sinnes be doubled It auaileth nothing to craue pardon of euils and anew to commit euils He that knocketh his breast Idem in quodam serm and correcteth not himselfe strengtheneth his sins and doth not take them away NAZIANZENVS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SÃcubi chalcógraphus titubârit lector amice Da veniam lapso sic petis ipse tibi FINIS