to the other Thou art blind to see thine owne miserie insensible to understand thine owne perdition and harder than any Adamant to feele the hammer of Gods word Oh a thousand times most miserable thou art woorthie to be lamented with none other teares than with those wherewith thy damnation was lamented when it was said Luke 19. Oh that thou knewest this day the peace quietnesse and treasures which Almightie God hath offered unto thee that doe now lie hidden from thine eyes Oh miserable is the day of thy nativitie and much more miserable the day of thy death forsomuch as that shall bee the beginning of thine everlasting damnation Oh how much better had it beene for thee never to have beene borne if thou shalt bee damned in the horrible pit of hell for ever where the torments are perpetually durable How much better had it beene for thee never to have beene baptised nor yet to have received the Christian faith if through the abusing thereof by thy wicked life thy damnation shall therby be the greater For if the light of reasâ—n onely sufficeth to make the Heathen Philosophers inexcuseable because they knowing God in some degree did not glorifie him nor serve him as the Apostle sâ—yth in the first to the Romanes how much lesse shall he be excused that hath received the light of faith and the water of Baptisme yea and the holy Sacrament of the bodie bloud of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ hearing dayly the doctrine of the Gospell if hee doe nothing more than those Pagan Philosophers have done Now what other thing may wee inferre of the premisses but breefely to conclude That there is none other understanding none other wisdome none other counsell in the world but that setting aside all the impediments and combersome daungerous wayes of this life wee follow that onely true and certaine way whereby true peace and everlasting life is obtained Hereunto are wee called by reason by wisedome by law by heaven by earth by hell and by the life death justice and mercie of Almightie God Hereunto are wee also very notably invited by the holy Ghost speaking by the mouth of Ecclesiasticus in the sixt chapter in this wise My sonne hearken to instruction even from the first yeares of thy youth and in thy latter dayes thou shalt enjoy the sweet fruit of wisedome Approch unto it as one that ploweth and soweth and with patience expect the fruitfull encrease which it shall yeeld unto thee The paines that thou shalt take shall be but little and the benefites that thou shalt speedily enjoy shall be great My son hearken to my words and neglect not this my counsell which I shall give thee put thy feet willingly into her fetters and thy necke into â—er chaines bow downe thy shoulders and carrie her upon thee and bee not displeased with her bonds approch neare unto her with all thy heart and follow her wayes with all thy strength seeke for her with all thy diligence and shee will make her selfe knowne unto thee and after that thou hast found her never forsake her for by her shalt thou find rest in thy latter daies and that which before did seeme so painefull unto thee will afterwards become very pleasant Her fetters shall be a defence or thy strength and a foundation of vertue and her chaine shall bee a robe of glorie for in her is the beautie of life and her bonds are the bonds of health Hetherto Ecclesiasticus Whereby thou maiest understand in some degree howe great the beautie the delights the libertie and riches of true wisdome are which is vertue it selfe and the knowledge of Almightie God whereof wee doe intreat But if all this bee insufficient to mollifie our stonie hearts lift up thine eyes and fix thy thoughts constantly to behold our omnipotent God in his mercie and love towards sinners upon his dying crosse where hee made full satisfaction for thy sins There shalt thou behold him in this forme his feet nayled fast looking for thee his armes spread abroad to receive thee and his head bowing downe to give thee as to another prodigall sonne new kisses of peace and attonement From thence hee calleth thee if thou wouldest heare with so manie callings and cries as there bee wounds in his whole bodie Hearken thou therfore unto these voyces and consider well with thy selfe that if his praier bee not heard that hearkeneth not unto the cries of the poore how much lesse shall he be heard that maketh himselfe deafe to such cries as these beeing the most mercifull cryings of our loving saviour and intended for our soules salvation Who is hee that hath not cause to resolve himselfe wholly into teares to weepe and bewaile his manifold offences Who is he that can lament and will not lament at this Vnlesse hee bee such a one as seeth not nor careth not what great shipwrack wast and havocke he maketh of all the riches and treasures of his soule FINIS
beg his bread in summer and no man shall give him to eat And in another place hee sayth He that gathereth in summer is a wise sonne but hee that giveth himselfe to sleeping at that season is the sonne of confusion For what confusion can there be greater than that which that miserable covetous rich man suffereth who with a fewe crums of bread that fell from his table might have purchased to himselfe abundance of everlasting felicitie and glorie in the kingdome of heaven But because he would not give so small a thing he came to such an extreame necessitie that hee begged yea and shall for ever beg in vaine onely one drop of water and shall never obtaine it Who is not mooved with that request of that unfortunate damned person who cried O father Abraham have compassion on me and send down Lazarus vnto mee that hee may dip the tip of his finger in water and touch my tongue for thâ—se horrible flames doe torment mee exceedingly What smaller request could there bee desired than this Hee durst not request so much as one cup of water neither that Lazarus should put his whole hand into the water nor yet which is more to bee wondered at did he request so much as the whole finger but onely the tip of it that it might but touch his tongue and yet even this alonely would not be granted unto him Whereby thou maiest perceive how fast the gate of all consolation is shut up and how universall that interdict and excommunication is that is there laid upon the damned sith this rich glutton could not obtaine so much as this small request So that wheresoever the damned persons doe turne their eyes and on which side soever they stretch their hands they shall not find any manner of comfort bee it never so small And as hee that is in the sea choaked and almost drowned under the water not finding any stay wherupon to set his foot stretcheth foorth his hands oftentimes on every side in vaine because all that hee graspeth after is thinne and liquid water which deceives him even so shall it fare with the damned persons when they shall bee drowned in that deepe sea of so many miseries where they shall strive and strug gle alwayes with death without finding any succour or place of stay whereupon they may rest themselves Now this is one of the greatest paines wherewith they be tormented in that cursed place for if these torments shold have their continuance liâ— mitted but for a certaine time though it were for a thousand yea a hundred thousand millions of years yet even this would bee some little comfort unto them for nothing is perfectly great in case it have an end But alas they have not so much as this poore and miserable comfort but contrariwise their paines are equall in continuance with the eternity of almightie God and the lasting of their miserie with the eternitie of Gods glorie As long as almightie God shall live so long shall they die and when Almightie God shall cease to be God then shall they also cease to be as they are O deadly life ô immortall death I know not whether I may truly tearme thee either life or death for if thou be life why dost thou kill And if thou be death why doest thou endure Wherefore I will call thee neither the one nor the other for so much as in both of them there is contained something that is good as in life there is rest and in death there is an end which is a great comfort to the afflicted but thou hast neither rest not end What art thou then Marry thou art the worst of life and the worst of death foâ— of death thou hast the torment without any end and of life thou hast tâ—e continuance without any rest O bitter composition ô unsavorie purgation of our Lords cup of the which all the sinners of the earth shall drinke their part Now in this continuance in this eternitie I would wish that thou my deare Christian brother wouldst fixe the eyes of thy consideration a little while and that as the clean beast cheweth the cud even so thou wouldest weigh this point within thy selfe with great deliberation And to the intent thou maiest do it the better consider a little the paines that a sicke man abideth in one evill night especially if he be vexed with any vehement greefe or sharpe disease Marke how oft hee tumbleth tosseth in his bed what disquietnes he hath how long and tedious one night seemeth unto him how duly hee counteth all the houres of the clocke and how long he deemeth each houre of them to bee how hee passeth the time in wishing for the dawning of the day which notwithstanding is like to helpe him little towards the curing of his disease If this then bee accounted so great a torment what torment shall that bee trowyee in that everlasting night in hell which hath no morning nor so much as any hope of any dawning of the day O darknesse most obscure ô night everlasting ô night accursed even by the mouth of almightie God all his Saints That one shall wish for light and shall never see it neither shall the brightnesse of the morning arise any more Consider then what a kind of torment shall that bee to live everlastingly in such a night as this is lying not in a soft bed as the sicke man dooth but in a hote burning furnace foming out such terrible raging flames What shoulders shall be able to abide those horrible heats If it seeme to us as a thing intollerable to have onely some part of our feet standing upon a panne of burning coales for the space of repeating the Lords prayer What shall it bee thinke you to stand bodie and soule burning in the midst of those everlasting hot raging fires in hell in comparison of which the fires of this world are but painted fires Is there any wit or judgement in this world Have men their right sences do they understand what these words import or are they peradventure persuaded that these are onely the fables of Poets or doe they thinke that this appertaineth not to them orels that it was onely meant for others None of all this can they say for so much as our faith assureth us most certainely herein And our Saviour Christ himselfe who is everlasting trueth crieth out in his Gospell saying Heaven and earth shall faile but my word shall not faile Of this miserie there followeth another as great as it which is that the paines are alwaies continuing in one like degree without any manner of intermission or decreasing All manner of things that are under the cope of heaven doe moove and turne round about with the same heaven and do never stand still at one state or beeing but are continually either ascending or descending The sea and the rivers have their ebbing and flowing the times the ages and the mutable fortune of men and of kingdomes
HELS Torments and HEAVENS Glorie Printed by Adam Islip for George Loftus and are to be sold at his shop in Popes head alley 1601. ⧠To the Reader THe present carelesse securitie of all men in generall is like unto our first parents neglect of Gods sacred commandement in Paradice when the seducing serpent no sooner persuaded evill but it was instantly put in practise You shall die said God was heard but you shall not die said the divell was beleeved Our eares are dayly acquainted with the threatenings of God denounced against sinners and yet that sinne that broad way-path and high way to hell is attempted with a delectation and pleasure so crastie and subtill are the baits and lures of the deceiver and so void of spirituall wisedome is the soule-murdering sinner But if due consideration were had of the wages of sinne and the reward of unrighteousnesse and to what bitternesse it will turne in the end it would make us lesse bold to sinne and more fearefull to offend if wee would take into our companie for a dayly consort the pale memorie of death and whereto hee summoneth us after this life Death in it selfe is very fearefull but much more terrible in regard of the iudgement it warneth us unto Imagine to see a sinner lie on his departing bed burdened and tired with the greevous and heavie load of all his former trespasses goared with the sting and pricke of a festered conscience feeling the crampe of death wâ—esting at his heart strings readie to make the ruthfull divorce betweene soule and bodie panting for breath and swimming in a cold and fatall sweat wearied with strugling against the deadly pangs Oh how much would hee give for an houre of repentaunce at what rate would hee value a daies contrition Then worlds would bee worthlesse in respect of a little respite a short truce would seeme more precious than the treasures of Empires nothing would be so much esteemed as a moment of time which now by moneths and yeares is lavishly spent How inconsolable were his case his friends beeing fled his sences frighted his thoughts amazed his memorie decayed his whole mind agast and no part able to performe that it should but onely his guiltie conscience pestered with sinne continually upbraiding him with bitter accusations what would hee thinke when stripped out of this mortall weed and turned both out of the service and houseroume of this world hee must passe before a most severe Iudge carrying in his owne conscience his enditement written and a perfect register of all his misdeeds when hee should see the Iudge prepared to passe the sentence against him and the same to bee his Vmpire whome by so many offences hee hath made his enemie When not onely the devils but even the Angels should plead against him and himselfe maugre his will bee his owne sharpest appeacher What were to bee done in these dreadfull exigents When hee saw that gastly dungeon and huge goulfe of hell breaking out with fearefull flames the weeping houling and gnashâ—ng of teeth the rage of all those hellish monsters the horrour of the place the rigour of the paine the terrour of the companie and the eternitie of all those punishments Would you thinke them wise that would dallie in so weightie matters and idlie play away the time allotted them to prevent these intollerable calamities Would you then account it secure to nuâ—se in your bosome so many ougly serpents as sinnes are or to foster in your soule so many malicious accusers as mortall faults are Would you not then thinke one life too little to repent for so many iniquities everie one whereof were ynough to cast you into those everlasting and unspeakeable torments Why then doe wee not at the least devote that small remnaunt of these our latter dayes to the making an attonement with God that our consciences may bee free from this eternall daunger Who would relie the everlasting affaires of the life to come upon the gliding slipperinesse and running streame of our uncertaine life It is a preposterous pollicie in any wise conceit to fight against God till our weapons bee blunted our forces consumed our lims impotent and our best spent and then when wee fall for faintnesse and have sought ourselves almost dead to presume on his mercie It were a straunge peece of art and a very exorbitant course while the ship is sound the Pylote well the marriners strong the gale favourable and the sea calme to lie idle at rode and when the ship leakes the Pylote were sicke the marriners faint the stormes boysterous and the sea turmoyled with surges to launch foorth for a voyage into a farre countrey yet such is the skill of our evening repenters who though in the soundnesse of health and in the perfect use of reason they cannot resolve to weigh the ankers that with-hold them from God neverthelesse feed themselves with a strong persuasion that when their sences are astonied their wits distracted their understanding dusked and both bodie and mind racked and tormented with the throbs aud gripes of a mortall sickenesse then will they thinke of the weightiest matters and become Saints when they are scarse able to behave themselves like reasonable creatures beeing then presumed to bee lesse than men for how can hee that is assaulted with an unsettled conscience distrained with the wringing fits of his dying flesh maimed in all his abilities and circled in with so strange encombrances bee thought of due discretion to dispose of his cheefest iewell which is his soule No no they that will loiter in seed time and begin then to sow when others begin to reape they that will royot out their health and cast their accounts when they can scarsely speake they that will slumber out the day and enter their iourney when the light dooth faile them let them blame their owne sollic if they die in debt and eternall beggerie and fall beadlong into the lapse of endlesse perdition Great cause have wee then to have an hourely watchfull care over our soule beeing so daungerous assaulted and environed most instaâ—tly entreating the divine Maiestie to bee our assured defence and let us passe the day in mourning the night in watching and weeping and our whole time in plainâ—ull lamenting falling downe upon the ground humbled in sacke-cloth and ashes having lost the garment of Christ that hee may receive what the persecuting enemie would have spoyled every short sigh will not bee a sufficient satisfaction nor every knocke a warrant to get in Many shall crie Lord Lord and shall not bee accepted the foolish Virgines did knocke but were not admitted Iudas had some sorrow and yet died desperat For slâ—w not sayth the holy Ghost to bee converted unto God and make not a dayly lingering of thy repaire unto him for thou shalt find the suddainenesse of his wrath and revenge not slacke to destroy sinners For which cause let no man soiourne long in sinfull securitie or post over his repentaunce
seeing never satisfide God as he is sight beyond estimate Which angels tongues are untaught to discover Whose splendor doth the heavens illustrate Vnto which sight each sight becomes a lover Whom all the glorious court of heaven laud With praises of eternities applaud There where no teares are to interprete greeves Nor any sighs heart dolours to expound There where no treasure as surpris'd by theeves Nor any voice that speakes with sorrowes sound No use of passions no distempered thought No spot of sinne no deed of errour wrought The native home of pilgrime soules abod Rest's habitation ioies true residence Ierusalem's new citie built by God Form'd by the hands of his owne excellence With gold-pav'd streets the wals of precious stone Where all sound praise to him sits on the throne Finis ⧠Of the glorie of the blessed Saints in Heaven TO the end there might want nothing to stir up our mindes to vertue after the paines which Almightie God threateneth to the wicked he dooth also set before us the reward of the good which is that glorie and everlasting life which the blessed Saints doe enjoy in heaven whereby he dooth very mightily allure us to the love of the same But what manner of thing this reward and what this life is there is no tongue neither of angels nor of men that is sufficient to expresse it Howbeit that wee may have some kind of savor knowledge therof I intend here to rehearse even word for word what S. Augustine sayth in one of his meditations speaking of the life everlasting ensuing this transitorie time and the joies of the blessed Saints in heaven O life sayth he prepared by almighty God for his friends a blessed life a secure life a quiet life a beautifull life a cleane life a chast life a holy life a life that knoweth no death a life without sadnesse without labour without greefe without trouble without corruption without feare without variety without alteration a life replenished with all beautie and dignity where there is neither enemy that can offend nor delight that can annoy where love is perfect and no feare at all where the day is everlasting and the spirit of all is one where almightie God is seene face to face who is the only meat whereupon they feed without lothsomnesse it delighteth me to consider thy brightnesse thy treasures do rejoice my longing heart The more I consider thee the more I am stricken in love with thee The great desire I have of thee doth wonderfully delight me no lesse pleasure is it to me to keep thee in my remembrance O life most happie ô kingdome truly blessed wherin there is no death nor end neither yet succession of time where the day continuing evermore without night knoweth not anie mutation where the victorious conqueror being joined with those everlasting quires of Angels and having his head crowned with a garland of glorie singeth unto Almightie God one of the songs of Syon Oh happie yea and most happie should my soule bee if when the race of this my pilgrimage is ended I might bee worthie to see thy glorie thy blessednes thy beautie the wals and gates of thy city thy streets thy lodgings thy noble citizens and thine omnipotent king in his most glorious majestie The stones of thy wals are precious thy gates are adorned with bright pearles thy streets are of very fine excellent gold in which there never faile perpetuall praises thy houses are paved with rich stones wrought throghout with Zaphirs and covered above with massie gold where no uncleane thing may enter neither dooth any abide there that is defiled Faire and beautifull in thy delights art thou ô Ierusalem our mother none of those thinges are suffered in thee that are suffered here There is great diversitie betweene thy things and the things that we doe continually see in this life In thee is never seene neither darkenesse nor night neither yet any change of time The light that shineth in thee commeth neither of lampes nor of Sunne or Moone nor yet of bright glittering stars but God that proceedeth of God and the light that commeth of light is he that giveth clearenesse unto thee Even the very king of kings himselfe keepeth continuall residence in the middest of thee compassed about with his officers and servants There doe the Angels in their orders and quires sing a most sweet and melodious harmonie There is celebrated a perpetuall solemnitie and feast with everie one of them that commeth thither after his departure out of this pilgrimage There bee the orders of Prophets there is the famous companie of the Apostles there is the invincible armie of Martyrs there is the most reverent assembly of confessours there are the true and perfect religious persons there are the holy Virgines which have overcome both the pleasures of the world and the frailtie of their owne nature there are the young men and young women more auncient in vertue than in yeares there are the sheepe and little lambs that have escaped from the wolves and from the deceitfull snares of this life and therefore do now keep a perpetuall feast each one in his place all alike in joy though different in degree There Charitie raigneth in her full perfection for unto them God is all in all whome they behold without end in whose love they be all continually inflamed whom they doe alwaies love and in loving do praise and in praising doe love and all their exercises consist in praises without wearinesse and without travell O happie were I yea and very happy indeed if at what time I shall bee loosed out of the prison of this wretched bodie I might bee thought worthie to hear those songs of that heavenly melodie sung in the praise of the everlasting king by all the cittizens of that so noble cittie Happie were I and very happie if I might obtaine a roome among the chaplaines of that chappell and wait for my turne also to sing my Alleluia If I might be neare to my king my God my Lord and see him in his glorie even as he promised mee when he said O father this is my last determinate will that all those that thou hast given unto mee may bee with me and see the glorie which I had with thee before the world was created Hetherto are the words of S. Augustine Nowe tell mee Christian brother what a day of glorious shine shall that bee unto thee if thou lead thy life in Gods feare when after the course of this pilgrimage thou shalt passe from death to immortallitie and in that passage when others shall begin to feare thou shalt begin to rejoyce and lift up thyhead because the day of thy deliverance is at hand Come foorth a little sayth S. Ierome unto the Virgine Eustochia out of the prison of this body and when thou art before the gate of this Tabernacle set before thy eyes the reward that thou hopest to have for thy present labours Tell
shold they all bee wearied and the world come to an end before they should end their description make a perfect declaration what is comprehended in each one of these points This faith informeth thee also that the debts and duties which we owe to almightie God are so great that albeit a man had so many lives as there bee sands in the sea yet would they not suffice if they were all employed in his service And this faith likewise telleth thee that vertue is such an excellent treasure that all the treasures of the world and al that mans heart can desire are in no sort comparable unto it Wherefore if there be so many and so great respects that doe invite us unto vertue how commeth it to passe that there bee so few lovers and followers of the same If men be mooved with gaine and commodity what greater commoditie can there be than to attaine life everlasting If they be moved with fear of punishment what greater punishment can bee found than the most horrible everlasting dreadfull torments in the lake of fire and brimstone to continue even world without end If that bonds of debts and benefites what debts are greater than these which we owe unto the almightie God as well for that hee is which he is as also for that which wee have received of him If the feare of perils doe move us what greater perill can there bee than death the houre thereof being so uncertaine and the account so strait If thou be moved with peace libertie quietnes of mind and with a pleasant life which are things that all the world desires it is certaine that all these are found much better in the life that is governed by vertue and reason than in that life which is ruled by the affections and passions of the mind forsomuch as man is a reasonable creature and no beast Howbeit in case thou account all this as not sufficient to move thee thereunto yet let it suffice thee to consider further that even Almightie God so abased himselfe for thy sake that he descended from heaven unto the earth and became man and whereas he created the whole world in sixe dayes hee bestowed three and thirtie yeares about thy redemption yea and was also contented for the same to leese his life Almightie God died that sinne should die and yet for all this doe wee endeavor that sinne might live in our hearts notwithstanding that our Lord purposed to take away the life of sinne with his owne death If this matter were to be discussed with reason surely this alreadie spoken might suffice to prevaile with any reasonable creature for not onely in beholding Almightie God upon the crosse but whether soever we doe turn our eyes we shal find that every thing crieth out to us and calleth upon us to receive this so excellent a benefite for there is not a thing created in the world if we duly consider it but dooth invite us to the love and service of our Saviour Iesus Christ insomuch that looke how many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voices and so manie reasons which doe all call us unto almighty God And how is it possible then that so many callings as these are so many promises so many threatnings and so many provocations should not suffice to bring us unto him What might almightie God have done more than hee hath done or promised more greater blessings than he hath promised or threatened more greevous and horrible torments than he hath threatned to draw us unto him and to pluck us away from sinne And yet all this notwithstanding howe commeth it to passe that there is so great I will not say arrogancie but bewitching of men that doe beleeve these things to bee certainely true and yet bee not afraid to continue all the dayes of their life in the committing of deadly sinnes Yea to goe to bed in deadly sinne and to rise up againe in deadly sinne and to embrue themselves in every kind of lothsome detestable and odious sinne even as though all their whole endeavours intended by the practise of sinne to resist all grace and favour in the sight of God And this is done in such sort so without feare so without scruple of mind so without breaking of one houres sleepe and without the refraining of anie one delicate morsell of meat for the same as if all that they beleeved were dreames and olde wives tales and as if all that the holy Evangelists have written were meere fiction and fables But tel me thou that art such a desperate wilfull rebell against thy Creator and Redeemer which by thy detestable life and dissolute conversation doest evidence thy selfe to be a firebrand prepared to burne in those everlasting and revenging horrible fires of hell What wouldest thou have done more than thou hast done in case thou haddest beene persuaded that all were meere lies which thou hast beleeved For although that for feare of incurring the daunger of the princes lawes and the execution of their force upon thee thou hast somewhat brideled thine appetites yet doth it not appeare that for any feare of Almightie God thou hast refrained thy will in any one thing neither from carnall pleasures nor from taking revenge of thine enemies nor from backbiting and slandering thy neighbours nor yet from fulfilling thine inordinate lusts and desires in case thine abilitie served thee thereunto Oh what dooth the worme of thy conscience say unto thee whiles thou art in such a fond securitie and confidence continuing in such a dissolute and wicked life as thou doest Where is now become the understanding judgement and reason which thou hast of a man Why art thou not afraid of so horrible so certaine and so assured perils and daungers If there were a dish of meat set before thee and some man albeit he were a lier should say unto thee refraine to touch and eat thereof for it is poysoned durst thou once adventure to stretch out thy hand to take a tast thereof though the meat were never so savorie and delicate and hee never so great a lier that should beare thee thus in hand If then the Prophets if the Apostles if the Evangelists yea if Almightie God himselfe doe crie out unto thee and say Take heed thou miserable man for death is in that kind of meat and death dooth lie lurking in that gluttonous morsell which the devill hath set before thee Howe darest thou reach for everlasting death with thine owne handes and drinke thine owne damnation Where is the applying of thy wits thy judgement and the discourse and reason which thou hast of a spirituall man Where is their light where is their force Sith that none of them doe bridle thee anie whit from thy common usuall vices Oh thou wretched and carelesse creature be witched by the common enemie Sathan adjudged to everlasting darkenesse both inward and outward and so doest goe from one darkenesse