THE Exercise of a christian life written by G. L. Being the first ground and foundaion whence the two Treatises appertaining to resolution were made and framed by R. P. Mat. 26. ver 41. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation The spirit in deede is ready but the fleshe is weake Printed for W. Leake and are to be sold in Pauls church yard at the signe of the Crane 1594. To the Worshipfull and his louing kinde Father maister Iohn Banester Chirurgian and Licentiate in Physicke health and his harts desire intirely wished REmembring how many kind fauours I haue from time to time receiued at your handes louing friend father yet on my part no moitie of answereable courtesie returned whereby you might either finde regard of your gentlenesse or note my thankefull mind Now at last as neerely touched with consideration of mine owne slothfulnesse I presume to dedicate this small Treatise to you therein to require fauour for all former wants and in your woonted affable nature to bury all defects on my behalfe For the excellencie of the worke I dare commit it to your iudgement after reading because I knowe you can both reade and censure And for my selfe I likewise with the booke stand readie at your seruice and to bee commaunded to the vttermost power while I liue A SONNET to the Christian Reader A Chilles neuer durst at once with monsters two to fight And yet at once this book shewes thee How three to put to flight The Deuil the World the Flesh and more To conquer Death and sinne And how to liue and how to die And how the heauens to winne It is a path to Paradise Aport to heauenlie blisse It treats of truce and bringes the peace That euer during is Then read and reape the fruits thereof And thanke thou for thy gaines The God aboue who raisd vp those That tooke for thee the paines Conuertantur qui oderunt Sion To the Reader THIS learned Treatise of the exercise of a christian life Gentle Reader was first written in the Italian tounge by a certayne Iesuit Frier whoe was named Gasper Loarte and afterwarde more at large wrought vppon and handled in more plentifull discourse by Robert Persons Englishman yet a Iesuite likewise liuing beyond the Seaes which he termed A Christian exercise appertaining to Resolution two partes whereof are extant in English and many haue reaped Christian profit from them I doe not doubt Nowe this treatise beeing the firste frame and ground-woorke where these two seuerall bookes were deriued and containing very muche good matter left vnhandled in them is likewise published for thy further benefite if with like minde and spirite thou giue it entertainement as it is offered Diuers learned men haue had the perusing of it and haue left no matter in it to vrge thy dislike then thankfully accept of their paines that would gladly do any thing for thy profit Farewell WHat thing he ought first of all to doe that purposeth to begin a new life and to spend his time henceforth sincerely in Gods seruice Fol. 1 Certeine generall aduertisements necessary for such as mind to serue God sincerely 9 Of the particular order we ought euery day to obserue in our daily exercise 12 The exercises wherein a good Christian ought to occupie himselfe on holy daies 16 Of the profit and necessitie of prayer 20 The manner howe to pray in the spirit and of the preparation we ought to make before it 22 Meditations of the blessed passion of our Sauiour for euery day in the weeke especially on Morninges 25 Certeine particular aduertisements touching the Meditations contayned in the former chapter 37 Meditations to be made on Eueninges or a newe weeke 42 Other Meditations wherein the better learned may at other times exercise themselues certeine also for the simpler sort wherein the mysteries of the life of Christ is intreated of 54 Certeine remedies for such as coulde not happilie find sauour or deuotion in the former meditations 56 Of the auoiding of lewd company 61 Of the second thing that is required of him that intendeth to lead a new life 64 Of the tentations which ordinarily offer themselues to such as haue begun to walke in spirituall waies 66 General remedies to be vsed against temptations 67 A Preamble concerning the remedies against particular temptations 70 Remedies against Lasciuiousnesse 71 Remedies against the second sin of the flesh which is Gluttony 75 Remedies against the troblesome temptations of floth and Idlenesse 79 Remedies against the sinne and temptation of couetousnesse 82 Remedies against the temptation of the third enemy to wit the diuell and first against pride whereto he principally induceth vs. 86 Remedies against the temptations and sinnes of wrath 90 Remedies against the sin temptation of enuy 95 Certeine other aduises and remedies concerning the same matter of tentation 99 What a good Christian ought to doo when he falleth sick or draweth nigh the houre of deth 103 Of the rentations that are commonly felt in the houre of death and the remedies against the same 106 A praier against Desperation 109 A Conclusion and briefe reherfall of all that hath been said in this little treatise and of the things that euery good Christian is bound to learn and haue by hart 111 FINIS What thing he ought first of all to doo that purposeth to beginne a new life and to spend his time henceforth sincerely in Gods seruice Cap. 1. FOr that as S. Augustine saith it is not possible for any man to begin a newe and laudable life but if he first forsake and vtterly detest his former loose and lewde life who so therefore mindeth to amende his former manners and to endeuour himselfe sincerelie to serue God the first thing he ought to doo is to call vpon God for grace that his soul may be purged that so it may please the holy ghost to dwell therein and remaine as in his holy Temple whoe will not as holy Scripture telleth enter into the soule of the wicked nor be harbored 1. Cor. 3. 1. Cor. 6. 2. Cor. 6. Sap. 1. in the body thral and captiuate vnto sinne It behooueth therefore to followe the prophets councell to sequester thy selfe from sin and so shalt thou become a fit instrument to doo good The which sequestration from sin Psa 33. Psa 33. Isai 1. 1. Pet. 3. and purging of the soule is procured by true and hartie repentance for thy sinnes past In asmuch as it is certaine that there is no man nor no man can be without sin and sin is the very poyson and bane of mans soule and that which the Prophet saith is true your wickednesse hath made a diuision betweene you and your God and your Esai 59. 2. sinnes haue hidden his face from you that he should not heare you Moreouer sinne dooth not onelie make diuision betweene God and man which in deed is the most lamentable diuision that man can thinke on for it is
alreadie disposed to repentaunce of the which as before I sayd this Declina à malo auoyd euill is the first part I would propound these few points for their consideration First the enormity of sin in the which there is nothing but all kinde of things that should terrefie a man for before that man by suggestion of the Serpent transgressed the commaundement of God what death nay what dreame of death had man being created immortall 1. Cor. 15. Nowe death the last enemie that shall bee destroyed is most irrigular and enormous and most aduersant vnto Rom. 5. the life of man Death commeth by sinne for by a man came sinne and by sin came death into the worlde There is no worldling that is not afrayed of death But it is a wōder that the worldlings are not afraid of that thing which causeth death Perswaded I am that if a mans eye were so spirituall to see things corporall a man would abhorre the sight of any sinne were it neuer so small A man that hath a care of neatnesse and cleanlinesse in apparaile can not abide the least moat in the world or the least spot that may be imagined in any part of his apparell and all this is because he would not offend the eyes of men But a man that is little lesse in degree then the Angels and made for Psal 8. the praise of his creator who regardeth not the bodie but maketh an account of the soule hath no regard of the decking of his soule but onely followeth the lustfull delights of the flesh If then men bee so diligent in brushing and cleansing of their garments that they should not offende the eyes of carnall men doth it not behooue thee to take heed that the garments of thy soule be not defiled with the most filthie spots of sin in the sight of Almightie God Secondly let him that loueth his own saluation alwayes diligently consider the frail estate of this world And let him weigh how short all carnal delights are That man will quickly abhor the way of sinne which considereth that the pleasure of the flesh is verie short but the paine that is due vnto it to bee eternall The worlde passeth awaie and the desire thereof 1. Ioh. 2. and all men passe awaie by death and no man is permitted to staie long in this worlde for what is the worlde but a great deepe and a troublesome Sea in the which there are so manie monsters of sinne as there bee euill desires in men O false deceiptfull and impure worlde which so fowlly doost deceyue those that trust in thee and doost drowne those that doe followe thee in the depth of hell How happie are those that contemne thee for Christ his sake And making a comfortable diuision doe speedilie depart from thy vanities whatsoeuer wee see in the worlde is vanitie and euerie louer of the worlde is vaine and shall quickly be corrupted Thinke that you shall quicklie die for nothing doth so much withdraw a man from sinne as the often and diligent meditation of Ies Syra death for it is sayd Remember thy latter end and thou shalt neuer sinne the necessitie of death beeing thought vpon diligently dooth terrifie the minde and keepeth it from sinne Thirdly the meditation or thinking vpon the last iudgemēt in the which al men must be presented before the iudgement seate of Christ helpeth much to the flight of sin No man can escape this terrible iudgement but we must all appeare in it of the which day of iudgement doth the Prophet say very great Ioel. 2. and terrible is the day of the Lord and who can abide it And Salomon saith All things that are done vnder the Sun Prea 21. wil the lord bring to iudgmēt c. And in Esai we reade The Lord will come to Esai 3. iudgment with the elders princes of his people And Amos wo be to them which desire the day of the Lord for why Amos. 5. doe yee wish the day of the Lorde for that day is darkenesse and not light And Sophonie pronouncing the bitternesse of that day saieth the voyce Soph. 1. of the day of the Lorde is bitter there shall the strong man bee troubled That day is a day of anger of trouble and anguish a day of calamitie and miserie a day of darknesse and blindnes a day of mist and whirlewinde in the fire of the zeale of the Lord shal all the earth bee deuoured because hee shall quickely dispatch with all the dwellers on the earth Saint Ambrose saieth that nothing is more profitable for an honest life than to thinke that he shall bee our iudge which knoweth the secretes of our heartes and is not delighted with dishonest thinges For all we as Saint Paul saith must be presented before the tribunall seate of Christ for euerie man shall receyue as hee hath doone in his bodie eyther good or euill At that terrible houre the puritie of the heart will bee more worth then the subtill perswasions of Rhetoricians a cleere conscience shall auaile more than all the money in the worlde For hee that shall iudge all things cannot bee deceyued nor by entreatie changed Fourthly the consideration of the bitternesse of the eternall paines is auaileable to the eschuing of sinne for there is not so vehement a tentation of carnall pleasure but it may bee repressed if a man thinke of the punishment that the wicked suffer in hell And here least a man should thinke that there is no hell I will make but this discourse There is no nation as Tullie saith so barbarous but it hath this sentence naturallie written in their harts Deos esse That there are Gods Nowe that there is a God by the scriptures it is manifest For saint Paule saith for the inuisible thinges of him that is his eternall Rom 1. power and Godhead are seene by the Creation of the worlde beeing considered in his workes to the intent that they should not be excused And for the singularitie of one God what dooth not Nature tell vs seeing that we see all thinges concurre to the conseruation of one whole vniuersity And Aristotle himselfe the greatest enimie of one prouidence of all thinges in the worlde dooth not onely confesse but also proue that there is one onelie Primus motor the first moouer which being granted we must say that there is a God a Creator a Conseruer a gouernor of all things and consequently a prouider for all thinges For if there be a God it is requisite that in him should be all kind of perfection So if we count it a perfection in an vnreasoble Creature to haue a care of the young that is procreated of it howe much more is it a perfection in almightie God not onely willingly and not of necessitie to create all things but also to haue a perpetual care of things created aswel visible as inuisible reasonable as vnreasonable And as the scripture Psal 145.
saith doth prouide for all thinges in due season and time yet if we giue al perfections vnto God which are due Psal 145. vnto him wee must needes giue vnto him that attribute which is most proper vnto him we shall see that he is most iust and therfore in the rigor of iustice he giueth that to euerie man which is due vnto him according as hee hath don in his bodie either good or euill Hell therefore is prepared for the diuel and his angels and the reprobates and this depēdeth on the consideration going before For S. Paul saith that God wil reward euery man according to his Rom 2. works that is to thē which by patience in weldoing seek glory honor immortality and euerlasting life but vnto thē that be cōtentious disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnes shal be indignation wrath tribulation anguish shal be vpō the soule of euery man that doth euill of the Iewe first and also of the Gentile but to euerie man that dooth good shal be honor glorie and peace to the Iewe first and also to the grecian it is therefore as harde a thing for a man to deny hel as it is for him to denie God but the torments of hell are extreame and intollerable yet not so great as the qualitie of sin deserueth For the very iust in the sight of God are defiled Psal 143. And if God would deale with thē in rigour they are worthy of condemnation Where then shal the sinner haue place Then as we see that in the scriptures there is no penitent sinner reiected of God at what time soeuer hee repenteth so are there in the same scripture manifest examples of the punishments of such as obstinately persist in their sinnes Let therefore this suffice for the terrifying of a man from sinne and consequently to the amendment of his life Certaine general aduertisments necessarie for such as minde to serue God sincerely Cap. 2. HAuing thus therefore with my self considered the great discord that sinne setteth betweene God and man and the causes that may make a man refraine sinne and so by consequence if at the least Gods grace haue taken any place in thee thou detesting sinne and with a penitent heart returning vnto God with determination neuer to returne vnto the same againe but rather calling vpon God that hee would giue thee grace rather to suffer any kind of affliction contempt yea death it selfe if need require then to offend For if a chast wife ought to carry this mind rather to loose her life then betray the truth she hath once plight to her husband how much more oughtest thou to be of the same mind rather to loose a thousand liues if thou hads so many then to play the traitor towardes God 2. Cor. 1. 12 who is thy husband thy father thy Lorde and maker When thou hast once thus fullie determined then take a zealous and feruent desire to liue a newe hereafter and striue to get other new behauiours and to liue far otherwise then thou hast done before reputing thy self now to be a new man farre changed from that thou earst was Sithence all the time thou hast hitherto liued hath beene lost and as it were a death for the better doing hereof this shall helpe thee greatly in any wise to eschew all occasions of sinne especially the companie of wicked men but much more of women such as may prouoke thee to naughtines and giue thee loose lewd example For albeit thou art bound to loue euery one to pray for euery one as charitie commādeth yet art thou not bound to companie and conuerse with euery one but only such as may help to do thee good and with their good wordes and vertuous example serue to edifie thee Secondly thou must flie such places where God is customably offended as dicing-houses tauerns dauncing scholes and such like not only foreseeing thou do no euil thy self but also not to be present there where it is done for looke how much more thou standst aloof from the fire so much more secure art thou not to be burnt therwith Thirdlie thou must take great heed to be at no tyme Idle for that as the Eccle. 33. holy scripture telleth many men haue receaued much harme through Idlenes See therefore thou follow S. Ieroms counsaile saying It behoueth we S. Ierome bee alwaies doing of some good that when the feend shall come to tempt vs he shall find vs well and vertuouslie occupied Fourthly thou must take heede of all excesse in eating drinking sleeping and clothing and indeuour thy selfe to obserue a mediocritie and temperance in ech of them yea rather to decline to some rigor and austeritie then to anie superfluitie and delicate pampering of thy flesh for looke by how much the more thou tamest and bridelest it and by so much the lesse shalt thou be trobled with the temptations and disordinate desires that proceed of it yea so much the more apter shalt thou finde thy self to serue God and to performe all spirituall exercises As touching corporal mortification it is good to follow the example of the apostle which saith but I beat downe 1. Cor. 9. my bodie and bring it into subiection which must not be doone as some hypocrites do which by Imoderate kind of punishing their bodie do seek to get vnto themselues the names of Saintes and holy men But with all kind of moderation and alacritie so that it be don not for ostentation vaine glorie but for that which the Apostle saith in the Ibid. same place least by any meanes after it I haue Preached to other I my selfe should be reproued Fiftly it shall greatlie profit thee to sette before thine eies the good examples workes and life that the Saintes which both the old and new testament haue sette before vs to imitate haue led and continued in and also of them which in this time thou seest to excell in any kinde of vertue but cheiflie of 2. Cor. 4. such as bee like to thy selfe animating thee by their good examples and procuring asmuch as thou maiest to imitate them in euerie thinge yea forgetting the good thou haste already don thou oughtest to striue euerie daie to become better then other and alwaies to aduaunce thy selfe forwarde in the seruice and feare of God Sixtlie make none accompt of the tediousnes temptatiōs which those commonly feele that beginne first to lead a godly and a spirituall life be not 1. Cor. 9. thou I say dismaid there with at all but march on forward fight manfully against all such temptations cōforting and confirming thy selfe with this vndoubted truth which thou must haue firmelie fixed in thy mind to wit that now thou hast taken in hād the highest and most happiest enterprise that may be thought of in this world and how this is an affaire of more weight and importance then any other whereby more certaine gaine greater aboun
thy life past fraught full of filth and sin and feeing the sundrie staines thou art now presently defiled with thereby thou mayest humble thy selfe and force thee to amende such faults as thou findest in thee and withall begin to hate this life so full of calamities and daungers wherin for thy better and more orderlie proceeding consider these three pointes following 1. Examine first the sundry imperfections which thou presently findest in thee how first thou lack est a pure right intent in most of thy actions doing them for the worlde or for some worldly interest where indeed thou oughtest to doe them purely for God Thou mayst finde likewise thine inclinations to be disordered being wholy bent to the vaine and transitory things of this worlde The like disorder shalt thou finde and perceiue in all thy sences thoughts wordes and works seeing there is no true vertue to be found in thee which by the examination thereof thou shalt well perceiue As first for Charitie which thou wantest as also Humilitie Patience Chastitie Temperance and so through all the rest about the which thou maist discourse particularlie howe often thou vsest to offend in each one falling into such vices as be opposite and contrarie to the said vertues Secondly consider howe smally thou hast profited since it pleased God to helpe thee with his grace and giue thee these good motions and purposes to amende thy life and howe manie times thou hast left such works vndone as thou purposedst to doe and howe ofren thou hast falne in relapse of thy former follies which thou determinest in anie wise to abstaine from Thinke withall howe much better others haue behaued themselues in this time and profited more in vertue then thou hast done And heere oughtest thou to purpose firmely to imitate them and to seeke newe remedies and meanes of amenâ—â—â—ent humblie crauing grace of God to execute the same Thirdly weigh what small affection thou oughtest to beare towardes this wicked worlde and present life fraught full of such paines and grieuous miseries and wherein no true sacietie or contentation is to bee founde yea that which is woorst of all wherein are so manie rockes to reele agaynst and so infinite occasions to offende that souereigne Lorde who so woorthily deserueth to be honoured loued and most dutifully obeyed Wednesday 2. Med. ON Wednesday thy Meditation may bee of death a thing greatlie profitable to eschewe sinne And this muste thou meditate euen as though that houre were now arriued imagining therefore it is so and how thou art nowe come to that latter time of so great griefe and frighting feare discoâ—â—â—â— vpon these articles folowing First how in that houre there is a separation and diuorce to be made be twixt the soule and bodie by meanes whereof the soule shall not onely bee separate from the bodie but also from all thinges it loued in this life and how thou must needes leaue heere behinde thee wife riches kinsfolks and al thy other deare friends with eache other thing be it neuer so well beloued neyther shalt thou carrie any thing awaie Iob. 1 1. Tim. 6 Eccles 5 with thee but onely the good and euil works thou hast wroght in this world Concerning secondly what we suffer in this sundering of our soules and bodies the agonies temptations and frightes the vision of deuils which in dreadfull and terrible shew appear before vs the perils that pinch the soule on euery side the anxietie it receiueth imagining what shall become both of it selfe and of the withered and consumed body Thirdly thinke howe thy soule thus parting from thy body with inestimable greefe the body shal then be buried and yeeld it food to worms neither shall any one iot of riches rest with it but onely that poore peece of winding sheet it shall be wrapped in and that small circuit of earth wherein it shall be enterred Now the soule it shall bee presented before Christ the dreadfull Iudge to whom it shal yeeld a most strict and narrow reckoning of all her life and shall receiue as she hath don in the body an euerlasting doom weigh well heere what the soule shall feele whiles it waiteth for this doome not wotting on which side it shall bee sent Out of these considerations may Documentes these right profitable lessons be gathered to wit how small trust and confidence wee ought to haue in this life wherein death may euery day and hower assaile vs as also to riches kinsfolkes and friendes whoe cannot any waies helpe vs at that time yea all abandon and forsake vs On the other side what contentation wee shoulde then receiue by hauing liued well and gained a certaine faithfull friend who might in that houre helpe and greatly succour vs. See therfore thou endeuor thy selfe now to do that thou wouldest in that houre haue done and force thee to please thy true friend in deede which is Iesus Christ that hee maie succour thee in that houre of so apparant perill Thursday 2. Med. ON Thursday thy meditation let bee of the last day of iudgement which we according to our beliefe do certainly looke for and shall come without fail yea perhaps in thy daies concerning the which thou shalt meditate these three points First howe terrible and dreadfull a day that shal be aswell by reason of the signes and wonders that shal go before it in the Sunne Moone the sea and other creatures with the ruine and ouerthrow of the whole world as also through that most dreadfull sounde of the terrible trumpet whereby all shall Mat. 13. Sap 3. Dan. 12. be in one moment raised vp againe Secondly consider the brightnesse and beautie which the elect shall rise 2. Cor. 5. 10. 14. in and the vglines and grisly grimnes of the reprobate besides the most straight account which they shal yeeld to Christ of all the workes words and thoughts of their whole life and what vtter shame and confusion the wicked shall suffer before all the Angels and millions of men Thirdly think how highly the good shall bee fauoured and honoured before that vniuersall assemblie and what the reprobate shall feele seeing Christ in such power and maiestie and Mat. 24. with that finall doome throwe them downe to eucrlasting torments Out of these points debated at leisure and in more particularitie thou maiest Documents gleane this profite howe to auoid this shame confusion of that day wheÌ„ to euery one their sins shal be discouered There is no better a remedy then with Dauid to poure out thy soule before God in confessing thy sinnes in crying peccaui and to call for mercy at Gods hand saying haue mercy on me Lorde And then repent thee of thy sinnes weighing withall that if men doo heere trauaile so much to attaine some temporal degree and riches and so greatly force themselues to flie the dangers and disgraces of this life what oughtest thou to doo to be made partaker of that soueraigne dignitie and