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
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
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