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
in the sight of God and the death of the other is unquiet painefull and troubled with a thousand frights and terrours To conclude the one live like children under the protection and defence of Almightie God and sleepe sweetly under the shaddow of his pastoral providence and the other being excluded from this kind of providence wander abroad as straied sheep without their sheep heard and maister lying wide open to all the perils daungers assaults of the world Seeing then that a vertuous life is accompanied with all these benefits what is the cause that should withdraw thee and persuade thee not to embrace such a precious treasure what art thou able to alledge for excuse of thy great negligence To say that this is not true it cannot be admitted for so much as Gods word doth avouch the certainetie hereof To say that these are but small benefits thou canst not for so much as they do exceed all that mans heart can desire To say that thou art an enemie unto thy selfe and that thou doest not desire these benefits cannot bee considering that a man is even naturally a friend to himselfe the will of man hath ever an cie to his own benefit which is the very object or marke that his desire shooteth at To say that thou hast no understanding nor tast of these benefits it will not serve to discharge thine offence for so much as thou hast the fayth and beleefe thereof though thou hast not the tast for the tast is lost through sin but not the faith and the faith is a witnesse more certaine more secure and better to be trusted than al other experiences and witnesses in the world Why doest thou not then discredit all other witnesses with this one assured testimonie Why doest thou not rather give credit unto faith than to thine owne opinion and judgement O that thou wouldest make a resolute determination to submit thy selfe into the hands of almightie God and to put thy whole trust assuredly in him How soon shouldest thou then see all these prophesies fulfilled in thee then shouldest thou see the excellencie of these divine treasures then sholdest thou see how starke blind the lovers of this world are that seeke not after this high treasure then shouldest thou see upon what good ground our Saviour inviteth us to this kind of life saying Come unto me all ye that travell and are loaden and I will refresh you take my yoke upon you you shal find rest for your souls for my yoke is sweet my burden is light Almightie God is no deceiver nor false promiser neither yet is he a great boaster of such things as he promiseth Why dost thou then shrinke backe why dost thou refuse peace and true quietnesse why dost thou refuse the gentle offers and sweet callings of thy pastor how darest thou despise banish away vertue from thee which hath such prerogatives and priviledges as these bee and withal confirmed signed even with the hand of Almighty God The queen of Saba heard far lesse things than these of Salomon and yet shee travelled from the uttermost parts of the world to trie the truth of those things that she had heard And why doest not thou then hearing such notable yea and so certain news of vertue adventure to take a little paines to trie the truth and sequell therof O deare Christian brother put thy trust in Almightie God and in his word and commit thy self most boldly without all feare into his armes and unloose from thy handes those trifling knots that have hetherto deceived thee and thou shalt find that the merites of vertue doe far excell her fame and that all which is spoken in praise of her is nothing in comparison of that which shee is indeed ¶ That a man ought not to deferre his repentance and conversion unto God from day to day considering hee hath so many debts to discharge by reason of the offences committed in his sinfull life alredie past NOw then if on the one side there bee so many and so great respects that do bind us to chaunge our sinfull life and on the other side we have not any sufficient excuse why wee should not make this exchange How long wilt thou tarrie untill thou fully resolve to doe it Turne thine eyes a little and looke backe upon thy life past and consider that at this present of what age soever thou bee it is high time or rather the time well nigh past to begin to discharge some part of thy old debts Consider that thou which art a Christian regenerated in the water of holy Baptisme which doest acknowledge Almightie God for thy father and the Catholicke church for thy mother whome shee hath nourished with the milke of the Gospell to wit with the doctrine of the Apostles and Evangelists consider I say that all this notwithstanding thou hast lived even as loosely and dissolutely as if thou hadst been a meere Infidell that had never any knowledge of Almightie God And if thou doe denie this then tell mee what kind of sinne is there which thou hast not committed What tree is there forbidden that thou hast not beholden with thine eyes What greene meddow is there in which thou hast not at the least in desire feasted thy letcherous lust what thing hath been set before thine eyes that thou hast not wantonly desired What appetite hast thou left unexecuted notwithstanding that thou didst beleeve in almightie God and that thou wert a Christian what wouldest thou have done more if thou hadst not had any faith at all If thou hadst not looked for any other life If thou hadst not feared the dreadful day of judgement What hath all thy former life been but a web of sinnes a sinke of vices a way full of brambles and thornes and a froward disobedience of God with whome hast thou hetherto lived but onely with thine appetite with thy flesh with thy pride and with the goods and riches of this transitorie world These have beene thy gods these have beene thine idols whome thou hast served and whose lawes thou hast diligently obeied Make thine account with the Almighty God with his laws and with his obedience and peradventure thou shalt find that thou hast esteemed him no more than if hee had been a god of wood or stone For it is certaine that there be many Christians which beleeving that there is a God are induced to sinne with such facilitie as though they beleeved that there were no God at all and do offend no whit the lesse though they beleeve that there is a God than they would doe if they beleeved there were none at all What greater injurie what greater despight can bee done than so to contemne his divine majestie Finally thou beleeving all such things as Christs church doth beleeve hast notwithstanding so led thy life as if thou wert persuaded that the beleefe of Christians were the greatest fables or lies in the world And if the multitude of
possessions in large thy territories dominions yea commaund if thou wilt whole empires and worlds yet shalt thou never bee so great as the least of all the servants of almightie God who shall receive that treasure which this world cannot give shall enjoy that felicitie which shal endure for evermore when thou with thy pomp and riches shall bear the rich glutton companie whose buriall is in the deepe vault of hell but the devout spirituall man shall be carried by the holy Angels with poore Lazarus into Abrahams bosome a place of perpetuall rest joy sollace and eternall happines ¶ Of the benefites which our Lord promiseth to give in this present life to such as live a iust and godly life PEradventure thou wilt now say that al these things before rehearsed bee rewards and punishments only for the life to come and that thou desirest to see something in this present life because our mindes are wont to bee mooved very much with the sight of things present To satisfie thee herein I will also explaine unto thee what may answere thy desire For althogh our Lord do reserve the best wine and the delicat dishes of most delight untill the end of the banket yet he suffereth not his friends to bee utterly destitute of meat and drinke in this tedious voyage for he knoweth very wel that they could not otherwise hold out in their journey And therfore when he said unto Abraham Feare not Abraham for I am thy defendor and thy reward shall bee exceeding great By these wordes hee promised two thinges the one for the time present that was to be his safegard and defence in all such things as may happen in this life the other for the time to come and that is the reward of glorie which is reserved for the next life But how great the first promise is and how many kinds of benefites and favours are therein included no man is able to understand but onely hee that hath with great diligence read the holy scriptures wherein no one thing is more often repeated and set forth than the greatnesse of the favours benefits and priviledges which Almightie God promiseth unto his friends in this life Hearken what Salomon saith in the third chapter of his Proverbes as touching this matter Blessed is that man that findeth wisdome for it is better to have it than all the treasures of silver and gold be they never so excellent and precious and it is more worth than all the riches of the world and whatsoever mans heart is able to desire is not comparable unto it The length of daies are at her right hand and riches and glorie at her left Her waies be pleasant and all her passages be quiet she is a tree of life to all those that have obtained her and hee that shall have her in continuall possession shall bee blessed Keepe therefore O my sonne the lawes of Almightie God and his counsels for they shal bee as life to thy soule and sweetnesse to thy tast Then shalt thou walke safely in thy waies and thy feet shall not find any stumbling blockes If thou sleep thou shalt have no cause to feare and if thou take thy rest thy sleepe shall be quiet This is the sweetnesse and quietnesse of the way of the godly but the waies of the wicked are far different as the holy Scripture doth declare unto us The paths and waies of the wicked sayth Ecclesiasticus are full of brambles and at the end of their journey are prepared for them hell darkenesse paines Doest thou thinke it then a good exchaunge to forsake the waies of Almightie God for the wayes of the world sith there is so great difference betweene the one and the other not onely in the end of the way but also in all the steps of the same What madnesse can bee greater than to chuse one torment to gaine another by rather than with one rest to gaine another rest And that thou maist more clearely perceive the excellencie of this rest and what a number of benefits are presently incident therunto I beseech thee hearken attentively even what Almightie God himselfe hath promised by his Prophet Esay to the observers of his law in a manner with these words as diverse interpreters doe expound them When thou shalt doe saith he such and such things which I have commaunded thee to do there shall forthwith appear unto thee the dawning of the cleare day that is the sonne of justice which shall drive away all the darkenesse of thy errours and miseries then shalt thou begin to enjoy true and perfit salvation Now these are the benefits which almighty God hath promised to his servants And albeit some of them bee for the time to come yet are some of them to be presently received in this life as that new light and shining from heaven that safetie and abundance of all good thinges that assured confidence trust in the almightie God that divine assistance in all our praiers and petitions made unto him that peace and tranquilitie of conscience that protection and providence of Almightie God All these are the gracious gifts and favours which almightie God hath promised to his servaunts in this life They all are the works of his mercie effects of his grace testimonies of his love and blessings which hee of his fatherly providence extendeth To bee short all these benefits do the godly injoy both in this present life and in the life to come and of all these are the ungodly deprived both in the one life and in the other Wherby thou maist easily perceive what difference there is betweene the one sort and the other seeing the one is so rich in graces and the other so poore and needie For if thou ponder well Gods promised blessings and consider the state and condition of the good and the wicked thou shalt find that the one sort is highly in the favour of Almightie God and the other deeply in his displeasure the one be his friends and the other his enemies the one bee in light and the other in darkenesse the one doe enjoy the companie of Angels the other the filthie pleasures and delights of swine the one are truly free and lords over themselves and the other are become bondslaves unto Sathan and unto their owne lusts and appetites The one are joyfull with the witnesse of a good conscience and the other except they be utterly blinded are continually bitten with the worme of conscience evermore gnawing on them the one in tribulation stand stedfastly in their proper place and the other like light chaffe are carried up and downe with everie blast of wind the one stand secure and firme with the anker of hope and the other are unstable and evermore yeelding unto the assaults of fortune the praiers of the one are acceptable and liking unto God and the praiers of the other are abhorred and accursed the death of the one is quiet peaceable and precious