same is being performed in a Lay person and this by vertue of a Religious state That those who are truly Religious people do euer the Will of God That a Religious life as aboue is partly shewed cutteth off and preuenteth all occasion of sinne That by a Religious state we she the world and all the dangers thereof All these particular points I say I will pretermit to enlarge my selfe vpon and I will close this longe Passage touching the Fruits and benefits of a Religious life by heere shewing That one maine or chief Fruite thereof is that it promiseth a safe quiet and happy death The greatnes of which benefit what tongue can expresse or vnderstanding conceaue since Gods sacred writ assureth vs q Blessed are they that dye in our Lord Now for the better more full apprehension of this so inexplicable a benefit we are to call to mind that at the hower of our death three things are accustomed to afflict vs The 〈◊〉 Death it selfe the remembrance where of in regard that thereby we are to leaue the world and all its temporall pleasures begetteth euen a horrour in Mans Nature and therfore it is most truly said by the Wiseman that the remembrance * of Death is bitter The second reason making death so vnpleasing is that that is the tyme when the Deuill is most accustomed to tempt a Soule with his wicked suggestions The third and most dreadfull is the astonishing feare of the last Sentence oâ— doome of a Soule which instantly followeth after death Now the discontents and terrour of all these three things are much more mitigated sweetned and lessned in Religion then they are or commonly can be in the death of Lay persons To begin with the first This griefe in the Laity proceedeth that by death we are tâ— leaue all worldly Riches states honours yeâ— wife and children Finally that the soule 〈◊〉 leaue the body they two hauing liued so lonâ— as most deare friends Now most of this griefâ— is taken away in one dying in the state of Religious life And the reason hereof is tâ— cause when a Religious man or Woman by their professed state haue once forsaken the world they haue giuen then aforehand their last farewell to all Riches Honours neereneâ— of kindred and the like and then seeing theâ— haue parted with all these allurements afore aâ— their first entering into Religion it cannot 〈◊〉 any great griefe the second tyme to part with them to wit at the tyme of their death Now touching the second point which the Assaults and temptations with which 〈◊〉 Enemy of Mans Soule is accustomed to trouble ech one at his death we dare say That if there be any kind of men that are not troubled at that tyme or but very little with his wicked suggestions the Religious Man is that man And this is thus proued First in that the goodnes of God will not suffer himselfe to â—eaue and forsake that person in that last point of a most dangerous state vpon which person God hath in his lyfe tyme heaped so many spirituall graces and fauours as are necessarily concurring for ones entring into a Religious state Secondly I maintayne that it is most sorâ—ing and agreeable euen to the Iustice of God to protect and defend in that dangerous hower that person who with all sincerity and simplicity of hart hath vowed himselfe I meane both his Body Soule and all the powers thereof to a most strict seuere and Religious Course of seruing his diuine Maiesty Wherefore no good Religious person hath iust Reason to feare but that God at the hower of his death will couer him vnder the wings of his protection and will strengthen his Soule with internall comfort To the lessening or breaking of the forces of the former temptations of the Deuill at the tyme of a Religious Mans death we may add the comfort and consolation which euery Religious man at that hower receaueth of his Brethren euery Religious Woman of her Sisters This I meane by the assistance of their Brethren and Sisters which assistance consisteth in their exhortations Counsell and continuall prayers which allwayes but especially at the instant of death are very powerfull to animate vs in hope and to repell the fierce attempts of the Enemy Concerning the third last point which maketh death most terrible which is the learâ— of the dreadfull doome which immediatly followeth the separation of the body from the soule The feare of which doome is much diminished by the hope of Saluation which iâ— Religious man may more securely promise to himselfe then any Lay person for the moâ—â— part can And this Hope is grounded principally vpon two points First that it is presumed that a Religious Man is not guilty to himselfe of any mortall and grieuous sinne Secondly his Hope is confirmed with the remembrance of the aboundance of his good works during his lyfe tyme neither of which can be wanting in a Religious Course And hereupon we read S. Ierome exhorting Iuliaâ— to a Religious life thus to write to him r Happy is that man and worthy of all blessednes whom old age ouertaketh seruing Christ whom the last day shall fynd fighting vnder our Sauiour or to whom iâ— shall be said Thou hast receaued ill things in thy life but now shalt reioyce Hitherto worthy Cosmophila I haue laboured both for your owne and your Sister Caelia her spirituall good in discoursing of a Religious state And briefly to recall to our memory what hath passed in our former words thereof euen from the beginning of our speach First you may remember that I did discoueâ—â— the weakenes and insufficiency of all those Reasons and Obiections insisted vpon by â—ou with which your Father so much laboâ—ed to impugne at least to disesteeme and disâ—alew a Votary and Monasticall lyfe After that shewed the worth of that kind of life by seting downe the three Essentiall Vowes I meane of Chastity Pouerty and Obedience wherupon a Religious life is grounded or seated That done I did spend diuers passages of â—each in laying open the Excellency Antiquity â—onour Splendour and Dignity of the same kind â— life And now in this last place I haue ranâ—ed togeather diuers of the chiefest and most â—rincipall Fruits and benefits euer necessarily â—â—tending vpon a Religious state So as now I how not what more can needfully be said â—uching this subiect That your Sister Caelia hath by these my words strengthened and fortifyed her pious resolution for imbracing this course of lyfe I â—â—st fully assured Now what operation my â—eaches haue found in you Cosmophila will â—est appeare by your owne relation Only I â—ould be glad as through some words by â—ou aboue vttered I partly hope if so by force these my speaches your Iudgment might fully induced only to haue a true and worâ—â—y conceite of a Religious life Cosmophila Only to haue a true and worthy conceite of a Religious life O God if so I
the other both in mind and outward worke We may adde hereto what S. Ierome speaketh to wit x Not only the shedding of bloud is to be accounted Martyrdome but the vnspotted behauiour of a deuout mynd is a daily Martyrdome So far S. Ierome Now to compare a Religious life with Martyrdome of the body It is then to be obserued that as in many things Martyrdome surmounteth a Religious life so also a Religious life in some some things euen excelleth Martyrdome To instance this Martyrdome of the body surpasseth a Religious life in that it vndergoeth far greater paines and torments yet the greater the torments are they must therein be the shorter and sooner bring the tormented party to Heauen But in Religion though the paines be not so violent yet they are of greater and longer endurance Againe Martyrdome is to be preferred in that by meanes thereof a man layeth downe his owne life which is the dearest pledge that one can performe for another Religion though wanting this glory yet it hath the continuance of a most holy life and store of merits this for many yeares which doth aduance a man very highly in the fauour of the diuine Maiesty and reward him with many degrees of glory and eternall happines in the Heauenly Ierusalem And according hereto we may safely affirme that many yeares spent in holy conuersation and retirednes of life wil be attended with a greater increase of Reward then the loosing of ones life by only one short Act of Martyrdome shall procure Now this Aduantage Religion hath aboue Martyrdome To wit that a Religious Course is a more safe way to gayne Heauen then the expectation thereof by Martyrdome And the reason hereof is in that many Christians at the tyme when they should suffer Martyrdome for the profession of their Religion haue shamefully falne from their fayth for the auoyding of their torments And this is euident out of the writings of S. Cyprian y who relateth the miserable falles of seuerall hundreds who as he sayth were ouercome before the battaile and ouerthrowne before the encounter Now Religion lyeth not open to this danger since a Religious life more sorreth to a mans disposition then Martyrdome doth and there be many things in it which as aboue is shewed asswage the hardnes of that Course Another priuiledge which a true Religious life hath aboue Martyrdome is that where as Religion is euer at hand and ready to be imbraced at all tymes Martyrdome seldome happeneth since Martyrdome is not in our power for neither ought we to kill our selues nor to prouoke others to kill vs for either of these were an Act of great presumption and most displeasing to God Now I will conclude the resemblance betweene Martyrdome and a Religious life with this ensuing obseruation That as without death there is no Martyrdome of the body so a Religious life may be said to suffer a certaine kind of death For seeing death depriueth vs of our wealth of our friends and of all manner of things in this world we in like manner find that a Religious Cause doth depriue a man of all the same things and this so wholy that a Religious man can no more enioy these things then if he were truly really dead Yet here is a disparity which maketh in behalfe of Religion which is that when by Martyrdome we dye our bodily death it is an easy matter to want all these worldly things because we then going to a better lyfe shall haue no need of them whereas seeing in this life we haue need of them we forbeare the fruition and enioying of them with greater difficulty and resistance of Nature Therefore impasse no further in this subiect I conclude in respect of all that aboue said that by Martyrdō a man dyet to his Body by Religion he dyeth to himselfe Heere now Cosmophila you may behold the splendour and worth of a Religious life which as it is surpassed in some respects by Martyrdome so in others it exceedeth it I say it exceeds Martyrdome the suffering whereof euen our Sauiour himselfe so much celebrateth in these words Greater z love then this no man hath that a man yealdeth his life for his friends Caelia O good Father You much strengthen my resolution with the sweetnes of these your discourses But now it comes to my mind that you one day in discoursing to our Religious Sisters of the dignity of a Religious state did call it a Sacrifice to God your meaning therein I did not I confesse nor yet do perfectly vnderstand I would desire your Reuerence to expresse your selfe more plainly that so my sister Cosmophila and my selfe may be the better instructed therein Confessarius Well then to come to that point I did then say nothing but what I will proue at this present And first in warrant of that my Assertion that Religious persons are a continuall Sacrifice to God in respect of the oblation which they make of themselues to God I do produce S. Austin thus teaching a A man consecrated vowed to the Honour of God is a Sacrifice in regard that he dyeth to the world that he may liue to God When we chastice our body by temperance if we do it for God as we ought to do to the end not to yeald our members weapons of Iniquity but weapons of Iustice to God it is a sacrifice Yf therefore our body which is but as it were a seruant and instrument of our soule be a sacrifice if the good and pious vse thereof he directed to God How much more then shall a soule be a Sacrifice when it deuoteth it selfe to God to the end that being inflamed with the fyre of his loue it may destroy in it selfe the forme and impression of all worldly Concupiscence and be reformed according to his vnchangeable likenes subiect vnto him and this Sacrifice shall be so much the more gratefull by how much it partaketh of his beauty Thus far doth S. Austin discourse of this point With whom agreeth S. Gregory thus speaking b We offer our selfes in Sacrifice to God when we dedicate our lyfe to his diuine Seruice Thus these Fathers to whom I could alledge the like authorities of many other of them And now from hence I may infer That if it be a Sacrifice for vs to offer any thing vp to God then doubtlesly to offer vp our selues to God is truly a Sacrifice the true Nature and essence whereof cōsisteth in the absolute oblation of our selues I meane of our bodies and soules and of all the powers of our Soules and particularly in offering vp the power of our will especially in such an oblation as being once offered vp it is not in our power to recall Now how most acceptable the sacrifizing of our Soule body is to God is proued by this reason following Yf the Sacrifices of the Old Testament consisting in offering vp to God a Heiffer of three yeare old or a
that thou hast offended him for iust nothing Contrary-wise at that houre all deuotion piety and other good-workes will seeme vnto thee the greatest and sweetest Treasures in the world O wherfore did I not follow this faire and pleasant path wilt thou then say At that sorrowfull tyme thy sinnes which before seemed vnto thee but little Molehills will appeare bigger then huge Mountaines and thy deuotion so little that thou wilt be scarce able to perceaue it 3. Consider the long and languishing Fare-wells and Adieu's that thy distressed soule will then giue to this world how sorrowfully she will bid adieu to Riches to Honours to Vanities to vaine Company to Pleasures to Pastimes to Friends to Neighbours to Parents to Kinsfolks to Husband to Wyfe to Children and in a word to all creatures And finally to her owne body which she must likewise leaue all pale wrinckled hideous loathsome and most detestably smelling 4. Consider the impressions that one shalâ— haue to lift vp or lay hand on this thy body The great hast that euen thy best friends will make to carry thy carcasse out of doores and to hide the same full deepe vnder the ground farre inough from their sight and this done how seldome afterwards the world will thinke vpon thee Surely no more then thou thy selfe hast thought vpon other men who haue deceased before thee God haue mercy on his Soule will they say and there is all O death how art thou to be pondered How art thou terrible pittiles and without compassion 5. That at this departure from the body the Soule taketh his way on the righthand oâ— the left Alas alas whither then shal thine goe what way shall it take Surely no other theâ— that which it hath heretofore begun in this world Affections and Resolutions 1. Pray earnestly to God and cast thy selfe with trembling loue betwixt his armes and say Alas O my Lord receaue me into thy protection at that dreadfull day Make that last houre happy and fauourable vnto me and let rather all the rest of my life be nothing else but dayes of sorrow affliction and calamity 2. Despise the world thus saying Seeing know not the houre wherein I must leaue thee O wretched world I will no more set my loue vpon thee O my deare Friends Kinsfolkes and Allies suffer me â— beare you only that affection which is compatible â—ith an holy amity and may therefore last eternally For why should I vnite my selfe to you in such sort as that afterwards we should be forced to break the knot â—f amity betwixt vs 3. I will therefore from this very instant prepare my selfe for that perilous houre and take that care which is requisite to end this iourney happily I will seâ—ure the state of my conscience to the vttermost of my ability and take present order for the reformation and amendment of such and such my defaults c. Conclusion Giue thankes vnto God for these Resolutions which he hath infused and giuen vnto â—hee and offer them againe thankefully loâ—ingly and lowly vnto his Maiesty Intreat him a new to giue thee a Happy death for the death of his dearely beloued Sonnes sake our Lord and Sauiour Implore the assistance oâ— the Blessed Virgin Mary thy Angell Gardian and all the holy Saints in Heauen The second Meditation of Iudgment The Preparation 1. Place thy selfe in the presence of God 2. Pray him to assist thee with his grace Considerations 1. After the time that God hath ordained for the continuance of the world and after a number of dreadfull signes and boâ—r blâ—presages the terrour thereof shall make a man wither for feare and anguish A consuming floud of fire shall burne and reduce to ashes euery thing that is vpon the face of the earth â— nothing we see excepted to be priuiledged from this fyery deluge 2. After this fearfull floud of flames and lightnings all men shall rise from their graues excepting such as already be risen and at the summoning of the Archangels voyce they shall appeare before the iudgment Throne in the valley of Iosaphat But alas with what difference For the one sort shall arise with glorified bodies casting forth rayes of exceeding light and the other in bodies or rather in Carkasses most hideous and Ioathsome to behold 3. Consider the Maiesty wherewith the Soueraigne iudge will appeare enuironed with all the armies of his Angells and Saints Before him shall be borne triumphantly his â—acred Crosse shining much brighter then the â—unne A standart of Grace to the Good and of â—igour and terrour to the Wicked 4. This Soueraigne Iudge by his redoubâ—ed commandement which shall suddainâ—y and in a moment be put in execution shall separate the good from the bad placing the one at his right hand and the other at his left O euerlasting separation after which these two bands shall neuer more meete againe together 5. This separation being made and the bookes of Consciences being layed open all men shall see clearely the malice of the wicked the contempt which they haue borne to the Maiesty of God And on the other side the â—ennance of the good and the effects of the grace of God which they haue receaued and nothing at all shall be hidden or kept secret â—n that great Consistorie O good God! What a shamefull confusion will this be for the one and what a glorious consolation for the other 6. Consider the last sentence pronounced against the wicked Goe you * cursed into euerlasting fyre prepared for the Diuel and his Angels Waigh well these words which are so waighty Goe sayth he a word of eternall reiection and abandoning of those vnfortunate wretches banishing them eternally from his glorious face Next he termeth them accursed O my Soule how dreadfull a Curse a Curse comprising in iâ— all manner of mischiefe and misery An irreuocablâ— curse comprehending all tymes and eternity He addeth into euerlasting fire Behold O my hart the grieuous horrour of this eternity O eternall eternity and boundlesse infinity of paines how dreadfull art thou 7. Consider the contrary Sentence giuen and pronounced in fauour of the good Come sayth * the Iudge O sweet word beginning of saluation by which God draweth vs vp vnto himselfe and receaueth vs into the bosome of the rest and glory the Blessed of my Father O deare blessing treasure of blisse Possesse the kingdome which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world O good God what excesse of fauour for this kingdome hath no end Affections and Resolutions 1. Tremble O my soule at the remembrance heerof O my God who can secure me at that dismall day in which the pillars of heauen shall tremble for feare 2. Detest and abhorre thy sinnes for only they can cast thee away at that dreadfull houre 3. Ah wretched hart of mine resolue to amende all O Lord I will iudge my selfe now with all care stricktnes least I be then iudged far more rigorously
of by you breed any saciety to my Eares nor can they euer be cloyed there with such inexplicable pleasure I take therein so strongly haue your words deliuered of the state of a Religious life inuaded my iudgment making it most contrary so farre as concernes Religion to that vnworthy conceyte I had thereof at my first entrance into this vertuous Monastery But presuming of your voluntary continuance in your former Charity touching the more fully rectifying of my weake and feminine Iudgment herein I would desire you to descend to the displaying of other fruits benefits springing from the roote of a Religious life Confessarius Most willingly The next benefit then wherin I will insist is to shew that a Religious life through Gods most mercifull acceptance therof doth often expiate and make satisfaction for all sinns whose temporal punishmeÌ„ts after the guilt of eternall damnation is remitted are to be suffered either in this world or in the next in the fyer of Purgatory That a Religious life is of this efficacy and vertue is thus proued Yf a Religious life can procure a full remission of all sinnes in respect of eternall damnation due to our sinnes as aboue I haue shewed it doth then much more a Religious life is of force to procure the lesse that is to cancell and blot out all temporall punishment Since the torments in Purgatory are so much inferiour to euerlasting damnation as tyme is inferiour to all Eternity and to endure torments for certaine yeares only is more sufferable then to endure torments for euer and without End And the lesse we are here to admire that a Religious life can take away all the paines of Purgatory if so we call to mind that this life is a state or Pennance and so commonly called in regard that most of the tyme thereof is bestowed in bewayling and lamenting the sinnes of our life and in repairing the faults and negligences of former yeares Now the greatnes of this benefit of a Religious life if we apprehend two things touching Purgatory will more easely appeare First the greatnes of those temporall torments in Purgatory Secondly if we conceaue that there are very few persons and those only of extraordinary sanctity which doe escape the fyer of Purgatory Now touching the first point I will enlarge my discourse with the testimonies and iudgment of S. Austin deliuered vpon this point Well then let vs heare of what iudgment S. Austin is herein who thus writeth of the atrocity of the paines of Purgatory f Because g S. Paul affirmeth that they meaning those in Purgatory do suffer detriment but yet they shall be saued as by fyre Therefore sayth S. Austin this fyre is contemned but certainly though they shall be saued by it yet is this fyre more grieuous then whatsoeuer a man can suffer in this life albeit you know how great and intollerable things men haue and can suffer Againe S. h Austin in another place thus They which haue done things worthy of temporall punishment whom the Apostle sayth shall be saued by fyre must passe through a fiery râ—uer and most horrible shallowes of buring 〈◊〉 Finally the same Father thus further discourseth hereof in these words Yf i a sinner by repentance and Conuersion escape death and obtayneth life yet for all this I cannot promise him that he shall escape all payne or punishment which must be suffered in Purgatory fyre this fyre I tell you though it be not euerlasting yet it is passing grieuous for it doth exceed all paines that man can suffer in this life In this place now I will descend to shew that most holy Seruants of God haue been greatly afrayd of the paines of this purging fyre Now if such men of eminency for vertue and Piety haue stood in such feare and horrour thereof what then shall become almost of all Lay-people who liue in the world and forbeare to take the Course of Religious life which is very auayleable to preuent and free them from that raging fyre I will then first set downe the words of S. Gregory touching the dread that the Prophet Dauid had of the temporall fyre of Purgatory Thus then he writeth expounding those words of Dauid k O Lord rebuke me not in thy fury nor correct me in thy wrath This is sayth S. Gregory as if he had said I know that after this life some must be clensed by purging fyre and others must receaue Sentence of eternall damnation But because I esteeme that purging fyre though it be transitory to be more intollerable then all the tribulation which in this lyfe may be suffered Therefore I only do not desire not to be rebuked in the fury of eternall damnation but also I greatly feare to be purged in the wrath of transitory Correction Thus S. Gregory From whose words we may conceaue in what feare of Purgatory both Dauid as also S Gregory himselfe allowing the iudgement of Dauid did stand S. Ambrose that Holy Father feared no lesse but that he might suffer the paines of Purgatory who thus writeth of himselfe l O Lord if thou reserue any thing in me to be reuenged in the next life yet I humbly beseech thee that thou giue me not vp to the power of wicked spirits whiles thou wypest away my sinnes by the paines of Purgatory I will conclude with S. Bernard who in these passionate words following discouereth his conceaued dread and horrour of suffering the temporall paines of fyre in the next life m O would God some man would now afore hand prouide for my head aboundance of Water and to mine Eyes a fountayne of teares for so perhaps the burning fyre should take no hould where running teares had clensed before Thus far Cosmophila of this subiect And now from hence I present to your iudgment the consideration of two points First the violent extremity of the paines of Purgatory Secondly that the most holy men who haue liued stood most fearefull that their liues and Actions should be tried refyned purged in this fyre Now both these two passages being most euident and aboue by me so cleared what dread then may Lay-people such as your selfe Cosmophila is conceaue of this fyre Wherein all the Idle words to apply my speach particularly to your Sex of yong Gentle-women all heir amarous Conceites and discourses with men all multitude of lighter sinnes all desire of superfluous brauery in apparell and new fashions all idle spending of seuerall howers in the day for adorning and beautifying of their faces and bodies to be gazed on by men shal be purged and for how many yeares God himselfe only knoweth Yf a man should put his hand into the fyre but for the space of a quarter of an hower what insupportable paines should he endure Yet all this were but a flea-byting in regard of the torments of Purgatory conunuing for many yeares Now then to turne apply my speach to the
them that burne Or what comfort is it to the damned to haue fellowes of their damnation Thus much worthy Syr for a tast of the former three holy Fathers touching the great impiety committed by Parents in seeking to withdraw their Children from the most blessed Course of a Religious and votary life In this next passage I will descend to some few examples omitting many others for greater expedition wherein God hath shewed his reuengfull hand against those who haue impugned a Religious life S. Ierome e recounteth that one Praetextata a noble Marrone by commandement of her husband who was vnâ—le to the Virgin Eustochium who had deuoted herselfe to a Religious life did change the said Virgins apparell for brauer cloaths and cuiously did combe her hayre after the fashion of the world and all this to withdraw Eustoâ—hium from a Religious lyfe But Behould sayth S. Ierome the same night after Praetextata had done â—his she sees in her sheepe an Angell that came to her breathing with a terrible voyce to punish her in these words Wert thou so bould as to prefer the Commandement of thy husband before Christ How durst thou handle the head of the Virgin of God with thy Sacriâ—egious hands Which hands shall euen now wither away that thou thus tormented maist feele what thou hast done and at the end of the fifth moneth thou shalt â—e carried to Hell Thus S. Ierome and he relateth for certaine that her haÌ„ds were presently then withered and dryed and that at the end of the tyme prefixed she died S. Ambrose recordeth of a Noble Yong Gentlewoman who was then liuing when he wrote the relation how that flying to the Altar out of a great desire she had to be Religious diuers of her nearest friends were much against this her pious determination and one of them in a harsh and vnciuill manner thus rebuked her f Yf thy Father were now liuing dost thou thinke he would suffer thee to liue vnmaried To whome the chast Virgin thus mildly answered Perhaps my Father therefore dyed that he might not hinder me The end hereof was that this vnkind friend of hers dyed within a short tyme after he had thus reprehended the Virgin the rest of her friends ascribing the cause of hiâ— vnexpected death to his rough words giueâ— to her And thereupon all they who before were ready to diswade her from entring in tâ—Religion did after most willingly giue their aâ—sents thereto I will conclude this point of Exampleâ— wherein Gods reuenge hath beene manifesteâ— in punishing of those who labour to impugâ—â— and resist his Ordination of such as desired tâ— forsake the world with the Example of oâ—â— called Pontianus who was but a Bond slaueâ— a cruell and barbarous Mayster This maâ— through desire of liuing a Saintly life fled vnto a Monastery But his Maister demanding him with great importunity looke him from thence But what was his punishment therefore He was instantly strooken stone blind and so by loosing his sight he fully acknowledged his former sinne and was most willing that Pontianus his slaue should returne vnto the Monastery Yet notwithstanding hiâ— consent thereto his Maister recouered nor hiâ— sight till Pontianus had touched his eyes with his hands that so it might more euidently appeare that his former transgression and 〈◊〉 was the cause of his blindnes This History iâ— relaied by S. Gregory g of â—ours a Venerable and Worthy Authour To come to the third and last point of the Subiect before mentioned that is to warrant with force of Reason that Parents ought to rest content and satisfyed with their Children â—oâ— their entring into a Religious life I thus affirme that when Parents do freely offer vp some of their Children to the peculiar seruice of God they depart with nothing therein which is truly and soly their owne but only willingly restore to God what was Gods before And thus God by demaunding them challengeth but what is his right and his owne and therfore that Parent who shall retaine and keepe back any of his children from God committeth a horrible Sacriledge against his Diuine Maiesty since it is God not the Parent who was but a secondary instrument vnder him this only for the body who gaue the first fabricke and making to the child and who aâ—one without any concurrency of the Parents herein infuseth the soule into the new begotten Body Thus far Worthy Syr I haue thought good to proceed for the better animating and encouraging of you to rest content or rather greatly to reioyce at Gods good pleasure in taking your two Daughters to his peculiar seruice and patronage But now good Lady Gynecia since you are a Woman I will produce for your greater corroboration herein two Examples of Women shewing most admirable and spirituall fortitude in the losse and death of their Children Much more then ought you to entertayne with all eauenues and quietnes of mind the absence of your two Daughters entring into a Religious Course The first shall be that Noble Woman who was the mother of the most valiant Machabeâ—â— who saw not one or two only but seauen of her Sonnes put to most barbarous death euen in her owne presence because they would noâ— violate and breake the Law giuen to them from God and yet she was so far from being disanimated or grieued here with as that aâ— the Scripture relateth the h exhorted stoutly euery one of her sonnes to be constant in his Religious in her owne Country language filled with wisdome instilling manly Courage to her womanish thoughts And here Madame you are to take notize that this happened in the tyme of the Old Law which tyme serued but as a Type or Figure oâ— the tyme of the Gospell which with reference to the tyme of the Old Testament is as the i Apostle sayth established in better promisses Yf theâ—â— a Woman in that imperfect tyme had such spirituall Fortitude as to reioyce at her Childrens death suffered for the Honour of God and to encourage them to perseuer to the end in enduring their torments shall not a Christian Catholike Lady such as you are now in the tyme of the Gospell which affoardeth far greaâ—ter measure of Grace fully be resolued with aâ— resignation of Will and Iudgment to forbearâ— the corporall presence only of her daughters deuoting themselues to the more peculiar seruice of their Lord and Redeemer The second example which I will present to your Ladiship is of one Melania a most noble Matrone of Rome of whom S. Ierome thus writeth k Sancta Melania nostri temporis c. Saine Melania being the true Honour and Nobility among Christians of our tyme when the dead body of her husband was scarse cold and not huried did loose togeather two Sonnes I am to relate sayth S. Ierome an incredible thing but I call Christ to witnesse a thing most true Who would not thinke that this afflicted Lady would not after