beloued sonne and all the sorrowe and torments that he hath suffered for me Therefore most mercifull father for the feruent loue and petitions of thy deare sonne forgiue the faults of thy histoyall vassall regarde the noble sacrifice offered by thy sonne and race out of thy remembraunce the disobedience of thy leaud seruaunt For the raunsome that he hath payde for my deliuerie surpasseth farre any my debts or trespasses whatsoeuer Oh that it would please thée to put in a payre of balance my leaudnesse thy liberalitie my wickednesse and thy woundes no doubt the peise of them would bee more weightie a great deale For what guilt can bee so gréeuous for which such sorrowe cannot satisfie sufficiently which cannot bee washed away with such affliction with so many teares and with such obedience and humilitie with such inuincible patience and aboue all with such immeasurable loue What crime can be so enormous which may not bee cleansed with that bloudie sweat yea whole flouds of blood What sinne is there so execrable which is not cured by Christes death Oh heauenly Father I offer here vnto thée the selfe-same my Sauiour and Redéemer Iesus Christ thy sonne beloued most tenderly His sharpe sorrowes his agonies incomprchensible the which thou knowest exactly to be suffered for my defects and in stead of the contrition which I ought to haue for them I offer vnto thee his bloudie sweat in stead of my teares which I cannot shed because of the adamanticall harnesse of my hart I offer vnto thée his humble and feruēt praiers for all my slouths and negligences For ende I offer vnto thée all his loathsome labours and vertuous exercises his austere life and all that he hath wrought therein and the bitter tormēts that he did abide as a worthie sacrifice of thy diuine glorie for all the iniquities wherewith my whole life I haue offended thée and for the good things which I haue omitted and left vndone Which liuest and raignest for euer and euer Amen The Argument In the sixt consideration a man should thinke vpon death the last iudgement and bell paines And how greeuous will be the separation of the soule from the bodie by meanes of death which by reason of diuers accidents occurring then togither is the very receit of excessiue sorrows anxieties CHAP. VIII TO these considerations I wil adde other thrée out of Sarasinus of Fermus that is death iudgement and she paines of hel which are a very necesry appendix to all that we haue treated of before The same Doctor telleth vs that to him that is newly conuerted nothing is more behouefull and requisite then the meditation of death both for that it repelleth vaine delightes as also because the practise thereof is of such facilitie as the whiche we daily viewe with our eyes and féele with our hands yea we may rather say that our surest portion is with death and that we dye continually hauing a bodie so corruptible that euery houre altereth chaungeth his shape and neuer resteth in one estate Like vnto a riuer that passeth with a furious and headlong course wherof no part can be marked throughly for it running swiftly whilest ye note one waue straight it is not the same that ye looked vppon before but is turned into another Many deuout considerations may be had cōcerning death which the matter it selfe yéeldeth sufficiently to him that aduisedly deliberateth herevpon Of which minding to collect a fewe I doo affirme that if thou intende to reforme thy life when thou risest in the morning perswade thy selfe so much as thou maiest that the same will bee the last day of thy life and dispose of thy soule and worldly affaires in suche sort as though in verie déede thou shouldest not liue one houre longer and thinke not that thou deceiuest thy selfe in so dooing for if death may attache thée euery day thou shouldest likewise daily attende his comming And farther I say vnto thée that no one day of thy life shall passe without many negligences vnlesse thou doest enforce thy selfe to beléeue that euery of them is the laste of thy life Thinke also vppon the dreadfull stroke of Death which because it is so vncertaine ought to bee feared continually And consider to howe many perilles of death we are subiected and thou shalt finde that they are innumerable as well within the bodie as without in so muche that if thou looke warily about thée thou shalt perceiue Death to be paynted in euery place and businesse Thinke also what pressures and agonies shall assault thée at the poynte of death To this consideration it shall assist thée much to beholde sometimes a man dying Marke the accidents and painefull passions of that houre howe his bodie lyeth forsaken of naturall heats his sences without force or moouing as though it were a very stone the extremities and vttermost parts waxe colds the face is turned into the colour of leade the bowles of the eyes dipped in the mouth full of fome the tongue swollen the necke winding to euery side Then marke also howe the brest beateth and panteth and is readie to burst asunder with paine the lippes waxe blewe the téethe become dumbe Finally all the bodie dissoluing it selfe and being forsaken of the soule with sorrowe inestimable the man resteth a lumpe of earth Thou perceiuing and viewing well such perplexities in other maiest likewise represent the same spectacle in thy selfe imagining that the Phisttians haue nowe giuen thée ouer as knowing the maladie to bee incurable thy friendes and kinsfolkes about thy bedde whose presence shal augment the griefe of thy departure O how dreadfull shall that separation be where welth shall not asswage thy woe but shall rather plunge thée déeper in the gulfe of calamities neyther shall honours assist thée yea thou shalt leaue them with like vehement smart as thou gottest them with gréedie desire and for thy wonted delights shalt reape the fruites of a gnawing conscience What then wilt thou doo béeing brought to this poynt what counsell wilt thou then take To go out of thy bodie will be intollerable to abide there impossible to deferre thy departure cannot be graunted thée neither maiest thou returne to thy sensuall delightes which nowe are senslesse togither but knowing thy selfe and scanning them more narrowly shalt bee abashed at thine owne brutish behauiour and if it were possible wouldest flie from thy selfe Shalt sée thy selfe beset with horrible monsters that is with thine owne sinnes of whom whither soeuer thou wandrest thou shalt be pursued and hedged in all that is passed shall séeme vnto thée as the twinkling of an eye and shalt know the time to come to be infinite Then mayest thou well say with the Prophet The dolours and daungers of death hath inclosed mée rounde about and the furie of hell hath assaulted mée By this minding and meditation of death thou shalt acquire many great commodities First thou shalt be stirred and incensed to the seruice of God the feare of
a gallant superscription as héere thou seest grauen by the hande of God It was much lesse then this that Quéene Sabba had heard of Salomon and yet she came from the vttermost partes of the earth to trie whether those things were true which were reported vnto her Wherefore then hearing such and so certaine tydings of vertue doest thou not betake thée to a litle trauell If thou wilt be assured hereof graunt thy selfe vnto the word of God and confidently commit thy selfe into his handes loose thy selfe from the hands which hath wrapt and wonne thée and thou shalt sée that the same of vertue is lesse then her merite and that whatsoeuer we haue said is nothing in comparison of that she is in her proper effect The Argument To perseuere in sinne with a thousand excuses and delaies intending to amend his life hereafter deceiueth a Christian maruellously For by this meanes he blindeth and burieth himselfe in the durtie dunghill of vice and waxeth daily more prone therevnto in such wise that iniquitie taking deep roote in the intrailes of his mind it will very hardly be remoued CHAP. VIII NOtwithstanding all these assertioÌ„s whereby the condition of vertue is iustified sufficiently the wicked wil neuer want their wonted excuses and delaies for as it is written He that will shake off his friend searcheth for a cause of quarrell but in so dooing he meriteth a gréeuous reprehension and controlment Yet some there be which with one onely worde will easily reply to all this saying It sufficeth them to amend hereafter and then to reduce the course of their life to a better order foolishly feyning to themselues that it is too hard a matter presently for them so to doo and that in time to come they may attempt atchieue this thing with more facilitie How fondly man deceiueth himselfe which is one of the grossest errours wherewith a man may delude himselfe For if thou mindest so long to procéede and perseuere in that perillous path wherein thou art entred still augmenting the heape of thine iniquities howe canst thou so easily hereafter forsake it at thy pleasure thy naughtie conditions béeing growne by continuall custome into an habite Further if thou continue héerein euill custome shall bee more fortified and confirmed and nature shall be corrupted the more and the diuell shall preuaile and haue more power vpon thée and shalt be still farther from the fauour of GOD and consequently more blinde more enclined and plunged déeper in the stinking puddle of iniquitie Then howe can it be more easie for thée to performe this businesse béeing increased with these newe difficulties by reason of thy perseueraunce in sinne If euery time that thou doest offend thou leauest behinde thâ—â— a dayes iourney of thy voyage towardes vertue how canst thou more readily frame thy selfe thereunto hereafter hauing let slip so many daies iourney as thou hast committed offences It may well appeare that by this answere thou art instructed by the father of lyes and falshood that after thou hast so long inured thy selfe to vice and folly and haste runned a race so farre from the trade of vertue shall then bee most easie for thée to attayne therevnto But among these things what shall I say of the great power of custome and of the force shee hath to binde and wrap thée fast in wickednesse For true it is that as they which fasten a nayle in any thing with euery stroke they driue it further in and yet with other strokes further and so the more still they strike the more they fasten it and waxeth thereby the more harde to pull out againe In like maner by each euill fact we commit vice as it were with a béetle is more déepely rammed into our minde where it is fixed so fast that there can very hardly bee founde any force able to remooue it Whereby wée sée not seldome that the olde age of those who in their flourishing yeares were wholely giuen to carnalitie is often subiect to the dissolute manners of theyr youth yea although they then abhorre them and nature thereof disclaymeth vtterly which onely commeth to passe through the tyranny of euill custome For it is affirmed by Iob that the bones of the wicked shall be full of those vices that they vsed in their youth which shall accoÌ„pany them in their graues in such sort the vice hath no other end then death which is the dissolution and extinguishment of all mortall things which onely suffiseth to redresse and cure it And the cause hereof is custome coÌ„firmed which nowe is growne to nature For vicious appetites taking such roote in the bones and bowels of their souls is euen like vnto a ioynt ague which hauing setled it selfe in the intrailes of a man is become incurable The very same thing is shewed by our Sauiour in the resurrection of Lazarus which had lien dead nowe foure daies whome GOD called againe to life with such vehement shrikes and cries notwithstanding hee raised many from death before with such falicitie thereby to make it knowne vnto vs what a wonder it was that God raised him againe who foure dayes had béene dead and buried This long since is espied to be in sinne For as Saint Augustine openeth this place of these foure dayes the first is the delight we haue in sinne the second is the consent of minde the third the accomplishment in déede the fourth the perseuerance in sin and he that is come to this point is Lazarus lying dead foure dayes who cannot be receiued but with the loud lamentations and teares of our Sauiour If peraduenture this chaunce vnto thée which very seldome hapneth to any tell mee what lawe canst thou alleadge for thy leawdnesse that God before all worlds hauing loued and created thée to inuest thée with the glory of eternall felicitie wilt not consume in the seruice of him who hath bin thy benefactor and friend so long in this short brickle life that thou enioyest The Argument Repentance ought not to be deferred to the end of life for theÌ„ God doth seldome grant them his grace to dye well For he that hath lead a leaud life hath commonly a worse death and so findeth a righteous recompence for his vniust deserts CHAP. IX BVt some there be so blinde shamelesse that it suffiseth them not to haue sinned all their life passed but they resolue with themselues wilfully to wallowe therein vntill they sensibly féele themselues assited with the very sommons of death O dreadfull time full of perplexitie what thinkest thou with this price to purchase the Kingdome of Heauen and to merit the societie and seate of Angels Doest thou not sée that whatsoeuer is done at this time is necessitie and not will is forced and not frée is constraint and not consent is feare and not friendship yet it is loue not the loue of God but selfe loue which shunneth naturally his owne annoy Doest thou not perceiue that these things are méere opposite
he doo more then that he hath doone eyther by promising or threatning to drawe vs to himselfe and to withdraw and terrifie vs from sinne This notwithstanding béeing of such weight what shal I blame the boldnesse or bluntishnesse of men which beléeuing this assuredly doubt not to dally out the day in sinne to sléepe with sinne to arise with sinne and to bathe themselues in the beastly puddle of all iniquities and to doo all this without feare without scruple without abridging their sléepe or abating their fare as though all their beléefe were a dreame and the sayings of the Euangelists fables of Titius the Giaunt and such like Howe couldest thou doo more then thou doest if thou diddest doubt of thy beléefe sith it is euident that hitherto onely the shame and feare of the wordle hath brideled thy appetites yet the feare of God cannot restraine thée from satisfying thy sensualitie nor make thée blush in executing thy diuellish deuices Tell me blind as thou art depriued of vnderstanding béeing in suche securitie and confidence wherevpon worketh the worme of conscience whither is fayth vanished knowledge iudgement reason which onely endued thée with the title to bee called a man Doest thou not dread so huge so certaine so vndoubted daungers If thou were set at the table and serued with meates and some man should come vnto thée thogh a knowne lyer saying that the meates set before thée were impoysoned thou wouldest doubt and dreade to cate it were the meate neuer so delicate and he a lyer that did aduise thée Then if the Prophets if the Apostles if the Euangelists if God himselfe doth cry vnto thée saying Death is in the potte O wretched man death dwelleth in gluttonie which the diuel presenteth before thée and darest thou to receiue thy death with thy owne hands and to drinke the dramme of thy damnation What now auaileth this beléefe buried in thy bosome where is his light his firmnesse as stéele his pearsing sharpenesse séeing none of all these things can extenuate thy sinne O madde myser O franticke foole made sencelesse by the subtile sleightes of the Serpent adiudged to eternall darkenesse both within and without for that thou goest straight from inwarde to outward darkenesse Blinde thou art because thou seest not thy miserie sencelesse because thou doest not perceiue thy perdition and more obdurate then the Diamonde because thou féelest not the weightie béetle of the worde of the Lorde O wreche wrapte in woe tenne thousande folde woorthie to be bewayled with no other teares then those whiche shall lament thy damnation saying If thou knewest the contentment the quiet the peace and riches that God in this life hath offered vnto thée which nowe are thus shut and kept from thée O wretched was the dismall day of thy natiuitie but muche more miserable shall bee the day of thy death which shall be the verie doore and first steppe to thy damnation Howe muche better had it beene if thou haddest neuer béene borne then to bee tormented for euer Howe muche better had it béene for thée neuer to haue béene baptised nor to haue knowne the fayth sithe there they serue thée to none other ende but to make thy faulte more gréeuous for if the reache of reason bee sufficient to cause the guilt of the Philosophers to be inexcusable for that they knowing God in a sort did not glorifie him as the Apostle saith Howe muche lesse can he excuse himselfe whosoeuer hée be hauing receiued the light of faith and the water of Baptisme and yearely receiueth the holy Communion and euery day heareth his doctrine doth nothing that belongeth therevnto as the Philosophers themselues haue shewed to haue done in their liues But what shall we inferre of all that we haue said before if not to conclude briefly that there is no other fence no other wisedome no other counsell in the worlde but to reiect all the lettes and intricate cares of this life and to pursue that onely pathe where is obteyned sure peace and eternall blisse To this reason doth inuite vs iustice lawe heauen earth hell life death and the mercy of God To this the holy Ghost doth enioyne vs by the mouth of Ecclasiastick saying My sonne employ the flourishing yeres of thy youth to discipline that in thy age thou maist sucke the swéete sappe of sapience as he which tilleth and soweth expecteth with patience the commoditie that groweth thereof Thy griefe smart shal be very slender and soone shalt haue a plentifull haruest My sonne harken to my words and despise not the aduise I giue thée put voluntarily thy féete into the fetters that prudence hath prepared and thy neck into her yoke bowe downe thy shoulders and take her bonds vpon thée and let it not gréeue thée to bee tyed therewith Couple thy selfe to her with all thy heart with al thy forces and with all thy might Follow her footesteppes search her diligently and thou shalt find her and when thou hast found her léese her not againe in any condition For she shal giue comfort to thy crooked age and that which earst séemed sowre and tedious vnto thée shall become swéete and delectable and her fetters shall bee the foundation of vertue and her chaines the iewels of glorie For in that happie life her bondes are the bulwarkes of health Thus much saith Ecclesiastick by which wordes hée notifieth vnto vs the great beautie the delights the liberbertie and riches of true wisdom which is vertue it selfe and the knowledge of God of which we héere treate But if this be not suffient to mollifie thy stonie heart lift vp thy eyes and looke not to the water of the world which fléeteth quickly but beholde that Lord who dying vpon the Crosse and sharpely satisfying for that whiche thy sinnes deserued Where he standeth in that forme as thou seest with his féete fastened to stay for thée and with his armes stretcht abroad to receiue thée and with his head declining to giue thée at thy comming as to the prodigall sonne the swéet kisse of reconciliation There he calleth to thée if thou hast the grace to heare him with so many cryes as he hath woundes in all his bodie Imagine with thy selfe that thou hearest his wordes in thy heart sounding in this sort Turne vnto me turne vnto me O Samaritane turne vnto me for I will receiue thée Thou knowest well that thou hast committed adultery with all those louers thou lustest after yet for all this turne vnto me and I will pardon thée turne vnto me I say for I am thy father thy God thy Creator thy Sauior thy faithfull friend thy onely benefactor thy full and perfect felicitie thy finall ende In me thou shalt find rest ioy peace health truth wisedome and all treasures In mée thou shalt finde the flowing vaine of the liuely water which chasest thirst away and lifteth vp a man to life eternall In me thou shalt stand like vnto the trée planted by the riuers side