forth these litle droppes in small measure although it sometime commeth to passe that it is more manifestly reuealed to mindes that are giuen to diuine contemplation so that being as it were in a traunce they can not tell where they are Such were Augustin and his mother as they confesse of them selues and many others The second chapter of the second consideration which is of the good to come or before a man. TO them that are not Christians litle comfort can be giuen in their euills by the good things to come for that al things be to them vncertaine Howbeit that notable affection which is called hope is here cause of great trouble By which affection men comfort them selues and bid one an other hope for better thinges whereby we vncertainely seeke after great thinges being for the most part deceiued as Christ teacheth of that man in the Gospell Luke 12 who sayd I wil pul downe my barnes and builde greater and therein will I gather all my frutes and my goods and I will say to my soule soule thou hast much goods layde vppe for many yeares liue at ease eate drinke and be merie But God said vnto him O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee then whose shall those thinges be which thou hast prouided So is he that gathereth riches to him selfe and is not rich in God. Howbeit God leaueth not the children of men so but in this affection to put away euill and attayne that which is good he comforteth them albeit they be vncertaine of the thinges to come yet doe they hope well whereby in the meane while they are susteyned lest that falling into the euill of desperation they suffer not the present euill and so doe worse thinges Wherefore euen the affection of such hope is the gifte of God not that he will haue them trust vnto it but be moued to sounde and true hope which is in him alone For he is therefore slow to anger that he may bring them to repentance as it is sayde Rom. 2 neyther doth he suffer men to be deceyued by this deceitefull hope if so be that they beginne from the hart and truely to hope in him But to Christians beside these good things two sortes of especiall good things shal assuredly come howbeit by death and sufferinges Now they also reioyce in that common vncertain hope that the present euill shall ende the contrary good shall be encreased although they doe not so much regard that as they doe that their owne proper good is increased which is truth in Christ wherein they goe forwarde from day to day for which they both liue hope But beside these I haue sayd that two especiall good thinges shall come vnto them in deathe The first is that by deathe the whole tragedie of the euills of this life is ended as it is written Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saincts And againe I will lay me downe and also sleepe in peace Againe Though the righteous be preuēted with death yet shal he be in rest Whereas contrariwise to the wicked death is the beginning of euils as the Psalmist sayth The death of the wicked is very euill Againe Euils shal come vppon the wicked man in destruction so Lazarus shall be comforted who hath suffered his euills here whereas the riche glutton shall be tormented who hath here enioyed his pleasures So it commeth to passe that a Christian whether he dye or liue hath alwayes the better so blessed a thinge is it to be a Christian and to beleue in Christ whereupon Paule saith Christ is to me life death is to me aduauntage And Rom. 14. he sayth Whether we liue we liue vnto the Lord or whether we die we die vnto the Lord whether we liue therfore or die we are the Lordes This safety Christ hath obtained for vs inasmuch as he dyed and rose agayne that he might be Lord of the liuing and dead being able to make vs quiet and safe as well in life as in death as the 22. Psalme sayth Though I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare no euill for thou art with me If this commoditie of death doe litle moue vs it is a signe that the faith of Christ is weake in vs which doth not sufficiently esteeme the treasure and commoditie of a good death or doth not yet beleue that death is good the olde man which as yet liueth too much the wisedome of the fleshe hindering vs We must endeuour therefore that we may know and loue this benefit of death It is a great matter that death which to others is exceeding euill shoulde be made to vs exceeding good and cōmodious And if Christ had not brought this to passe for vs what thinge should he haue done worthy of so great a price as he payed It is a very diuine worke which he did and therefore it should be no maruel to any that he made the euill of death exceeding good Wherefore death is nowe deade to the faithful and hath nothing terrible but onely a certaine semblance and appearance No otherwise then a serpent that is slaine in outwarde forme and appearance he is cerrible as before but in very deede it is onely a seeming or appearance of euil the euill it selfe is nowe dead and harmelesse Yea as in the 21. chapter of Numb God commaunded a brasen serpent to be set vp by the sight wherof the liuing serpents did perish so also our death by faithfull and stedfast beholding of the death of Christ doth perish and onely appeareth terrible but can not hurt vs in very deede So doth the mercye of God aforehande exercise vs that are weake with these goodly figures or semblances that forasmuch as death cānot be taken away he may at the least make the force thereof to be nothing but in outward shew and appearance only for which cause also death in the Scriptures is called sleepe rather then death The other good thing that commeth by death is that it doth not onely ende the troubles and afflictions of this life but which is more exccllent it maketh an end of vices and sinnes which maketh death farre more acceptable to the faithfull as we haue sayd before then the good which we haue nowe spoken of For the euills of the soule which are sinnes are without comparison worse then the euills of the bodye Which onely if we did knowe they would make death most amiable vnto vs Now if they do not so it is a signe that we doe not sufficiently feele nor hate the euils of our soule Whereas therfore this life is most perilous daungerous sinne seeking to deceiue vs on euery side and we can not liue without sinne moste commodious death setteth vs free from these perills and cutteth of sinne quite from vs whereupon in the booke of wisedom it is sayd in praise of the righteous He pleased God and was
whatsoeuer of these do not come it is to be counted for aduasitage for no smal cōfort against that euill that chaunceth so that thou art here compelled to say with Ieremie it is through the mercies of the Lorde that we are not destroyed For whatsoeuer of them doth not chaunce it chaunceth not the right hand of the Highest letting or prohibiting it which mightely preserueth vs on euery side as it is declared in Iob so that Satan and euils doe euen grudge and beare it vnpatiently that they are letted and prohibited Wherfore we see how sweetely the Lord is to be loued as often as any thing chaunceth vnto vs forasmuch as by this one euil our most louing father admonisheth vs to consider howe many euils are ready to assaile vs if he did not stay and let them as if he sayd Satan and a huge heape of euills desire to sifte thee but I haue set boundes to the sea and haue sayd vnto it hitherto shall thy swelling waues come and here shall they stay as he sayth in Iob chap. 28. But none of them shall come perhaps the will of God being so howbeit that which of all terrible things is sayd to be the greatest namely death shall most certainely come and nothing is more vncertaine then the hower thereof Which euil is so great that we see that many men had rather liue euen with all the foresayd euils then they being ended to dye once And to this one the Scripture also wheras it contemneth the rest referreth feare saying Remember the end and thou shalt neuer do amisse Consider how many meditations howe many bookes how many meanes and remedies are ordained hereunto so that with the remembrance of this onely euill it is vsual to fray men from sinnes and make the world contemptible to lighten sufferings and euills and to comfort the afflicted by comparing their euills with so horrible great an euill which shall at one time or other of necessitie come There is no man who would not wish to suffer all euills if thereby he might auoide the euill of death This the Sainctes also haue feared this Christ suffered with feare and sweat like dropps of blood So that the diuine mercy hath bene careful to strengthen comfort the weake faint harted in nothing more then in this euill as we shall see hereafter As for Christians they haue a speciall and proper cause to feare the euill to come which exceedeth all the other euils this is that which the Apostle setteth forth I. Cor. 10. saying Let him that thinketh he standeth take heede lest he fal So slipperie is the way so mighty is the enemy being armed with our owne proper strength that is with the aydes of the flesh of all euill affections accompanied with infinite hands companies of the world with delights pleasures on the right hand with troubles the euil wils of men on the left beside that art a thousand wayes to hurt seduce destroy whereof he is most kilfull We liue so that we are not sure of our good purpose so much as a moment Cyprian speaking of many such things in his epistle of mortalitie teacheth that death is to be wished as a speedy helper to auoyde these euils And for the most part where men haue a good hart duely reuolue in their minde these infinite perils we see them despising life and death that is all the aforesaide euills wish to be losed that they may be also losed from this euill of sinnes wherein they are as we haue sayd in the first chapter and into which they may fall whereof we speake nowe And surely these are two most weighty reasons to moue vs not onely to wish for death but also to contemne all euills not to beare one euil onely lightly if the Lorde shall giue to any to be moued with them for it is the gift of God to be moued with them For what true Christian will not wish euen to dye and not only to be sicke who seeth and feeleth that he while he liueth in healthe is not onely in sinnes and continually may and daily doth fall into moe and so without intermission doth contrary to the moste louing will of his most louing Father With this vehemencie of indignation Paule beinge moued as it is declared Rom. 7. when he had complayned that he did not the good which he woulde but the euill which he would not cryed out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death The grace of God sayth he by Iesus Christ c. He litle loueth God his Father who doth not choose rather the euill of death then this euill of sinning seing that he hath ordayned death hereunto that this euil may at the last haue an ende and death may be the minister of life and righteousnes whereof shal be spoken hereafter The third chapter of the third consideration which is of the euill past or behind vs. HErein more then in the rest notably shineth the sweete mercye of God the father which is able to comfort vs in all our distresse For euery man neuer feeleth the hand of God more present vpon him then when he calleth to minde the yeares of his life past Sainct Augustine saith If a man should choose either to dye or to leade againe his life past he would choose rather to die considering so great perills euils which he hath scarce and hardely auoided Which saying is most true if it be well duely weyed For here a man may see how often he hath without his owne studye without his owne care yea without and contrary to his desire done and suffered many thinges whereof he did not so much as thinke before they were done or in doing that the worke being ended he is then first compelled to say Howe hath it come to passe that I haue done these thinges which I did not thinke on or thought of other thinges so that the prouerbe is true Man purposeth but God disposeth that is altereth and bringeth to passe an other thinge then man purposeth that euen in this one thinge we can not denie that our life and actions are gouerned directed not by our owne wisedom but by the maruelous power counsel goodnes of god Hereby we perceiue howe often God hath bene with vs when we neither saw nor felt it and how truely Peter sayd Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Wherfore if there were no bookes nor sermons yet our life it selfe led through so many euills and perills if it be well considered doth abundātly commend the goodnes of God to be present with vs most sweete vnto vs who hath farre otherwise then we either thought or felt borne vs as it were in his bosome and as Moses sayth Deut. 32 The Lord hath kept him as the apple of his eye he hath led him about and caried him on his shoulders And hereunon came those
Thus much sayth Paule Who would not be terrified with these wordes of Paule where he expresly affirmeth that they are not the sonnes of God which are without the correction of God And who can be more strongly confirmed more effectually comforted then he that heareth that they are loued of the Lorde which are chastened of him that they are sonnes that they haue communion with all the Sainctes and that not they alone doe suffer This vehement exhortation is able to make chastening and correction euen amiable and to be loued Neither is here any place for excuse for that some doe suffer lighter euills some those that be more grieuous for euery one is tried according to measure not aboue his strength as it is sayd Psal. 80 Thou shalt feede them with the bread of teares and giue them teares to drinke with measure The same Paule also sayth God is faithfull which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able but will euen giue the issue with the tentation that ye may be able to beare it Where therefore there is a greater euill there are more meanes to escape out of tentation and more helpe so that the inequalitie of suffering is rather in appearance then in very deede Doth not the example of Iohn Baptist whose feast we celebrate at this day that he was beheaded of Herode greatly amaze vs all that so great a man then whome a greater hath not risen amonge them that are begotten of women the speciall friend of the bridegrome the forerunner of Christ greater then all the Prophets that such a one I say was not put to death at the least by publike iudgement was not at the least accused of some fayned crime as Christ was nor for the peoples sake but at the request of the daughter of an harlot which had daunced before Herode was beheaded in the prison The ignominious death of this one Sainet and his life so vilely and after so vnworthy a sort yeelded vp into the handes of a moste malitious and cruell adulteresse ought to lighten and asswage all our euill Where was God here who might see such things where was Christ who hearing this did quite hold his peace He dieth as though he were vnknowne vnto God men and all creatures What doe we suffer wherein I will not say we may boast but not at al be troubled if it be compared to the death of this man Or where shall we appeare if we wil suffer nothing when as so great men do vndeseruedly suffer so shamefull and ignominious death and their bodies are mocked and scorned of their enemies after their death Behold sayth the Lord in Ieremie they that men thought were vmneete to drinke of the cup haue drunke with the first thinkest thou then to be free No no thou shalt neither be quit nor free but thou must drinke also Rightly therfore did that Eremite who when he had bene sicke euery yeare being at the last one whole yeare in health was very sorrowfull and wept bitterly saying that God had forgotten him denied vnto him his grace So necessary and wholsom is the chastising of the Lorde to all Christians Wherefore we shal see that it is litle or nothing which we suffer if we cōsider how the Sainctes were thrust vnder the nayles with sharpe pricks how they were imprisoned slaine with the sword burned torne in peeces with wild beasts suffered infinite tormēts yea if we doe but wey the tentations of them which are present with vs in this life and suffer most grieuous persecutions of the deuill For there are which suffer more sharpely and grieuously then we doe as well in spirit as in body Some say here This I lament that my suffering is not comparable to the sufferings of the Saincts because I am a sinner not worthy to be compared with them They suffered for their innocencie I suffer for my sinnes wherfore it is no maruell if they suffered all things cheerefully This is a very vnwise saying For if thou suffer for thy sinnes thou must reioyce that thy sinnes are scoured were not the Saincts also sinners But fearest thou that thou art like Herode the theefe on the left hande Thou art not if thou be patient for what made difference betweene the theefe on the left hand and him on the right but patience in faythe If thou be a sinner well the theefe was a sinner also but by patience he attained to the glory of righteousnes and sanctitie which that thou maist doe doe likewise as he did For thou canst not suffer but thou shalt suffer either for sinnes or for righteousnes either suffering doth sanctifie and make blessed if thou loue it and suffer in faith wherefore there is no excuse remaining Finally as soone as thou hast faithfully confessed that thou doest suffer iustely for thy sinnes thou art righteous and holy as the theefe on the right hande For the confession of sinne inasmuch as it is of faith doth iustifie and make holy and so in a moment after suche confession thou doost not suffer for sinnes but for innocencie for he that is righteous doth not suffer but innocently but thou art become righteous after faithfull confession of thy worthy suffering and of thy sinnes Wherefore thy suffering may truely and worthely be compared to the sufferinges of the Sainctes euen as thy confession of thy sinnes may truely and worthely be compared to the confession of them for there is one faith of all one confession of sinnes one suffering of euils and one true communion of Saincts in all and through all The seuenth chapter of the seuenth consideration which is of the euill aboue vs. LAstly we must lift vp our hart on hie ascend vp the mountaine of myrre with the spouse Here is Iesus Christ crucified the head of all the Sainctes the chiefe of all that suffer The memory of him is commended to the spouse where it is sayd Set me as a seale vpon thine hart as a signet vpon thine arme The blood of this lambe beinge striken on the postes suffereth not the angell the destroyer to approch Hereof is the spouse commended that her heare is like purple that is her meditation is red by the memorie of Christes passion This is the tree which Moses was commaunded to cast into the waters of Marah that is bitter passions they were made sweete There is nothing that this passion doth not make sweete euen death as the spouse sayth His lippes are like lillies that droppe pure myrrhe Nowe concerning this likenes of lillies and lippes forasmuch as these are red those are white surely she speaketh mystically that the words of Christ are most gentle and pure wherein is no cruell bitternes or spite but are sweete and mylde which notwithstanding droppe and perswade pure and principall myrre that is most bitter death These most pure sweete lippes are able to make most bitter