vncertaine our youth may deceiue vs as it hath done many our manhoode or middle age is not priuiledged our ould age cannot last longe What then must we doe but with S. Augustine quitt the vncertaine and forth-with fixe vppon the certaine meanes a good penitentiall life to preuent the danger of that which cannot otherwise be auoyded by mortall man THE SECONDE POINTE. Nothinge more certaine for the thinge nothinge lesse certaine as to the manner Consider that as we are most certaine that dye we must as vncertaine when soe are we noe lesse ignorant where and how this irreuocable sentence is to be executed Shall it be in France or in England at Paris or in the Coūtry at home or abrode in our chābers or in the Church or Garden Shall it be by a violent accidentall or naturall death Shall we be found dead in our beds as we haue seene some heard of many Or else be wrought downe by a lōge and lingeringe disease in the presence of many Shall we finally haue the benefit of the Sacraments which we now haue with soe much ease yea want not without blame To all this the wisest amonge men is not able to answer That dye we must is appointed by a reproachlesse iustice but when but where but how mercy saith S. Augustine hath concealed that we might expect attend prouide for it in all times places occurrences AFFECTION and RESOL. If certainely we must dye my soule yet neither Know when where nor how and if vppon that certaine vncertaine houre an eternity of blisse or woe depends what a necessity is put vppon vs if we will not for moments loose eternities to be ready in all tymes places We Know not my soule we Know not when where or how death may surprise vs onely this wee Know that we haue yet an houre left vs to rise out to four slumber and it is now his present houre Now then without further delay will we by Gods grace dye to that that that c. that death findinge vs already dead may not be able to hurt vs but onely translate vs to à life which Knowes nor feares not death THE II. MEDITATION FOR THE SAME DAY Nothing more dreadfull to the obstinate sinner then death THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that as death contaynes the greatest certaintie and withall the greatest vncertaintie imaginable so it bringes alonge with it the greatest dreade and the greatest comforte possible That to the obstinate sinner this to the humble penitent The sinner vpon the approche of death hath all the sinnes of his whole life placed before his eyes which he still placed behinde his backe and would neither see them nor sorrowe for them which now the vile Tempter aggrauates and makes appeare in their vttermost inorminitie And hence the sinner begins before hand to suffer the tormentes which he alwayes beleeued tho fruitlessely through his obstinacie to be due to his crymes And thus Knowing his guilt and the punishment most iustly due to the same he deeply apprehends it a thinge full of horrour to fall into the hands of a liuing God Thence he rages and despaires seeing himselfe vpō the verie brinke of endlesse perdition and readie to be deliuered vp into the hands of his cruell Tormenteres for all eternitie AFFECTION and RESOLVT O horrour which hath nothing equall to it To apprehend ones selfe to be vpon the verie brinke of eternall perditiō O daunting dreade incomparably surpassing all that ought to be dreaded To be within a moment of falling into the hands of that euer-liuing Maiestie which is able to throw both the body and soule into Hell fire What riches honours pleasures were they neuer so opulent superlatiue and prosperous and remayned they too till that moment in their full possession wheras indeede they all are vanished away like nightly dreames were able to conteruayle so daunting and damning a disaster O my soule those accursed wretches shall then say with in themselues repenting and sighing too late for anguish of spirit What hath pride profited vs Or what aduantage hath the vaunting of riches brought vs Or what comfort hath the most prosperous pleasure of our whole life now left vs. Alas alas none at all but contrarilie a comfortlesse fruitlesse endlesse peniteri THE II. POINTE. Nothing more confortable to the humble penitent Consideration But when the innocent and iust soule or the poore humble penitent perceiues death to creepe vpon her she lifts vp her lōge deiected heade with ioy because her redemption is euen at hand She had vsed her best endeuours mournfully to purge her sinnes in the bloud of the lambe who was slaughtered for vs and thence she cōceiues an humble confidence to meere with mercy and to be ioyfully admitted in to that celestiall mariage of his In fine she eyes death as the immediate obiect of her ioy since it alone has power to deliuer her out of her loathed prison of flesh and to deliuer her vp into the deare hands and diuine imbraces of her dearest spouse whom she loues alone AFFECTION and RESOLV Sitt downe seriously my soule and count to what a high degree of consolation it will then amounte to heare those heauenly inuitations of the heauenly spouse saying come come my spouse thou shalt be Crovvned Crowned I say vvith that crovvne of iustice vvhich is layd vp for and by a iuste Iudge shall be rendered to them that loue his coming The shewers of repentāt teares are now blowen ouer the sharpe winter of temptations tribulations vexations and crosses which we willingly endured for the loue of God are quite gone ryse vp my friend and come O what excesse of deare delight shall that happie soule inioye at that houre THE FIRST MEDITAT FOR THE FIFTH DAY Of Iudgment THE FIRST POINTE. COnsider that dye wee must that is this soe much neglected soule of ours must be turned out of the body which was pampered caressed too carefully looked to by vs presently after death Iudgment saith the great Apostle we must all of vs be brought and be made manifest before Christs Tribunall that euery one beare away accordinge to his woorks We haue left the world vnwillingly while willingly the world leaues vs the dearest freind that euer we had will not goe alonge with our abandoned soule nor euen permitt the body which they loued to ly foure and twentie houres in the Roome with them They that offended with vs will not answer for vs but leaue vs alas to answer all alone AFFECTION and RESOL. Aye me vppon what is it that we fixe our hopes is' t vppon our selues but alas these muddle walls fall the immortall inhabitant is turned our Vppon the freinds that we haue purchased by sinne or other wise but they haue left vs our body is throwne into the earth our poore soule is left alone to be iudged Ah how much better were it saieth S. Augustine to chuse him for our freind aboue all
alreadie aboue He below by the compassion of Charitie we aboue by the hope of Charitie AFFECTION and RESOLV Had we Christians yet reason to doubt with Salomon vvhether God did dvvell amongst men we might also fall into that deficiencie of Truth that he vvalkes about the Poles of Heauen and considers not our things but being assured by Faith that he left heauen to take vp his delights amongst the sons of men we cannot feare but he is full of goodnes for vs through that goodnes loues vs and for that loues-sake would haue vs to loue him againe and to be confident in him I will therfore with the holy Patriarche hope euen against hope and with the good Iob hope in him Though he should kill me because sure I am what euer sense may seeme to suggest he doth not loue and forsake II. POINT Consider that his seconde motiue was not that he conuersed with vs onely but euen became one of vs. What hath man to doe for whom God became man taking our humane nature vpon him This is my whole Hope and entire confidence for by this sacred vnion euery one of vs hath a part or portion in Iesus Christ to witt flesh and bloode AFFECTIONS and RESOL. Let vs then say with your holy Father where a part of me raignes their will I apprehend I raigne where my flesh is glorified their I know I am glorious Though I am a sinner I cannot be diffident in this communion of grace for what my sinns prohibite my substance exacts He cannot forgett man which he beares a bout with him and for our loue tooke vpon him In him we haue alreadie ascended the heauens in him we are sett at the right hand of his heauenly father O comfortable and admirable and ineffable motiue of mans hope and confidence in so sweete à Sauiour II. POINT Consider that his third moriue of hope was not so much that he conuersed among vs or was one of vs as that he daigned to dye for our Loue. Be confident thou shalt attayne to his life of glorie vvho hast his death for a pledge of it AFFECTION and RESOL. Let then the Diuell rage the flesh reuoult the world waxe madd against me Let me heare nothing from them but vvhere is novv thy God as though I were quite forsaken by him yet wil I liue and dye in this confidence that since he delightes to be vvith the sonnes of man he cannot delight to abandonne him to the rage of his enemye any further then he discouers it for his aduantage That since for the loue of man he became man he loues no◠man so litle as to loose him That finally since he dyed for him while he was yet an enemye he will not now sith he endeuours to be a seruant and a friend leaue him a praye to his enemye In ha◠spe dormiam requiescam THE XIV MEDITAT Hovv he behaued him selfe in Charitie shevving first that vvithout Charitie all serues for nothing I. POINT COnsider that though Faith shew vs the good things which nether eye hath seene nor eare hath heard c. and Hope giues vs a comfortable confidence that we shall attayne vnto them yet shall we neuer walke home indeede vnlesse Charitie giue vs feete Thy Charitie is thy feete with that thou art carried where so euer thou art carried Thy two feete are the two precepts of the loue of God and thy neighbour Run to God with these feete draw close to him for he himselfe exhorts thee to run and to that end enlightened thee with Faith incourraged thee by Hope c. AFF. and RESOL. I playnely see what euer Faith shewes me and Hope assures me of it is loue alone can make me happie Without that like the sicke man of the passie I lye vncomfortably vnprofitably I aduance not at all vnlesse thy loue make me walke I stirre not Grant me therfore to loue thee as much as I desire and as much as I ought Let me be wholy inflamed with the fire of thy Charitie that I may loue thee with all my hart yea with the verie marrow of my hart strings that thou maist alwayes and in all places be in my hart in my mouth and before my eyes till at length I may see thee for euer face to face in thy heauenly Sion II. POINT Consider that without true Charitie all our workes are of no value seeme they neuer so specious in the eye of the world Charitie makes the distinctiō betwixt the sons of God and the sons of the Diuell Let them signe themselues with the signe of the Crosse Let them all answere Amen Let them all singe Allēluya Let them all be baptised Let them all enter into the Church and build vp the walls of the Church by Charitie onely are the sons of God discerned from the sons of the Diuell AFFECTION and RESOL. Let vs not deceaue our selues with the faire out-sides of things All that is without loue is without life Whether we beleeue or we hope what the Catholike Church beleeueth and hopeth and liue within the walls of the same Church and with ioy say Amen to all that is said to it Whether we watch or fast or preach or pray it will not all auayle vs to eternall life vnlesse all be both commanded and ordered by charitie Without this one necessarie thing all the rest are lost Diligam te Domine fortitudo mea refugium meum liberator meus c. III. POINT Consider that as hauing Faith and Hope together with all the specious vvorkes imaginable without Charitie wee haue nothing so hauing Charitie we want nothing Where Charitie is what can be wanting saith he and where it is not what can profit vs The Diuell beleeues and yet loues not but none loues but he beleeues One who loues not may though without effect hope for pardon but none that loues can despaire where loue is therefor Faith and Hope also necessarily are Let vs then keepe this precept of our Lord and let vs but loue one another and we shall not fayle to performe what euer he commands besids For in this we haue what euer other thing there is AFF. and RESOL. O God how true it was that Salomon said when he professed that together with wisdome all good things came vnto him for what is wisdome but a sauourie knowledge a true relish of heauenly things which is noe other thing then Charitie This makes vs beleeue as we ought hope as we ought worke as we ought This is one and all vpon the purchace of which if a man imploye all his substance he shall repute it all as nothing at all Vpon this then will I settle my whole intentions vpon this spend all my meditation and thoughts c. THE XV. MEDITAT VVHAT CHARITIE IS I. POINT COnsider what Charitie is and you will receaue from Saint Augustine that it is a loue of the cheife Good or Charitie is a vertue wherby we desire to see God
Lord thy sorowes passe all our sorowes yet my soule it is maiestie that is thus smitten it 's innocencie which thus suffers It 's indeede the God of Gods whose immensitie cannot be comprehended whose perfections excellencies cannot be numbred whose goodnesse is boundlesse whose mercyes cannot be matched Alas my deformed hidden crucifyed Lord whither hath mercy goodnesse loue to miserable man ledd thee was it thought fittinge to this goodnesse that thy wounds should be without number as are thy perfectiōs mercyes to man soe to make an absolute demonstration that as there is noe loue soe are there noe sorrowes like to thyne Let me not liue but to loue thee suffer for thy sake THE II. POINTE. Consider further that he sufferd inall his senses by the presence of all the obiects of sorrow He saw his choysen Apostles sleeping while he was sweating bloud He saw the Trayter whom he had newly fedd with his owne blessed body bloud come in the heade of a barbarous band to apprehend him He saw the execrable crueltie of an vngratefull nation which he had alwayes oblidged and loued by preference Finally his cares were full of blaspheemies scoffes and scornes and his eyes and harte of the sorrowes teares and bloud of a God dying AFFECTION And yet my soule it is the very naturall sonne of God that suffers all this He is the splendour of his fathers glorie and the figure of his substance And shall we his poore sonns taken in by adoption onely see with drye eyes his full of teares and bloud or shall we after this sad sight permitt them any more to be filled with vanitie Shall our eares lye open to destractions adulations and found rumours which hurt our soules whyle his for our sake are filled with contumelies and blasphemies Shall we Christians pamper the rest of our senses with sweetes and delicacies while our Christs so hugely suffers in them all Ah! be it euer farre from vs to pay his loue with such intolerable ingratitude THE III. POINT He suffers in his soule But if his body vniuersally and all his senses be ingaged in the sufference is his soule at least free Ah noe it s sadd to death it s replenished vvith euill or sorrow the bitter vvaters of tribulations haue broken in vpon it The horrour of death the ingratitude of mē the scorne of Nations Pilates iniustice Herods mockerie Annas and Cayphas blasphemie the Scribes and Pharisies circumuentions the Ministers and Soldiers crueltie the peoples preference of Barabbas and their tumultuous and vniust Crucifige See then vvhether there be any sorrovv like to his sorrovv AFFECTION and RESOL. O man of dolours and accustomed to sufferances from thy youth Were not thy sorrowes and in them thy loue to man sufficiently expressed in abandonning that innocent chast and tender virginall body of thyne to the cruell persecutours wills vnlesse thou didst withall permitt the bitter flouds of tribulatiō and deadly saddnesse enter into and take possession of thy blessed soule Consider my soule and see whether their be any sorowe like to this sorrow or any loue like to his loue who gaue vp his soule to such sorrowes for thy sake If the horrour of death inuade thee thy Master went before thee waded through to death it selfe Proue friends vngratefull so they were to thy Lord. Are others of lesse worth preferred before thee but so was Barrabas before thy Master Christ Remember remember my soule that the seruant is not greater then his master c. THE IV. POINTE. He suffers vvithout a comforter Consider his body 's tormented his senses offended his soule afflicted and oppressed Is none left to comfort him Noe none relictus est solus he 's abandoned left all alone to wrastle with all the legions of sorrowes Non est qui consoletur eum There is none left to comfort him Was there euer so pittious a spectacle His Apostles are fled Peter followes a farre of and sweares he knowes him not The dolorous mother stands neere the Crosse indeed but her presence affords so smale solace that her sorrowes serue to redouble his The Angells come not neere His heauenly father abandonns him nay yet more Heauens stand amaysed at it he is euen forsaken by himselfe while he stopps the influence of his diuinitie that it flow not vpon his humanitie leauing it to suffer all alone without all comfort See then vvhether there be any sorrovv like to his sorrovv AFFECTION and RESOL. O my soule looke vpon the face of thy Christ Admire his his vn wearied suffering loue Hartily acknowledge that there is noe sorrow like his sorrow Imprint in thy harte at what a deare rate thou wast bought Ah my soule it was not with gold and siluer and such corruptible thinges but with the sorrowes and teares and bloud and death of a a God-man our Sauiour Iesus With sorrowes which spredd thēselues so vniuersally ouer body senses and soule with teares and bloud so plentifully and freely powred out with death so ignominious so deuoyd of all comfort so abandonned that it forced from the mouth of a most obedient and dearest child My God my God vvhy hast thou forsaken me Resolue firmely then that neither sorrowes nor bloodshed nor abandonments nor death it selfe shall separate vs from the loue of that dearest Lord. THE FIRST MEDITAT FOR THE FOVRTH DAY Of Deathe THE FIRST POINTE. Nothinge more certaine then death lesse certaine then the tyme therof COnsider and striue to imprint in our harts that which we all know yet seeme not to know it that which we all beleeue and yet as it were beleeue it not to witt that as there is nothinge soe certaine as death soe is there nothinge soe vncertaine as the houre therof Consult our owne Knowledge vppō these truthes we Know that neither Salomons witt nor Samsons strength nor Absolons beauty were founde proofe against it They were and now are not mortui sunt is certaine Consult the word of truth and we shall finde that we are bound to beleeue what we otherwise Know. Consult our selues againe vppon the vncertaintie of it and we finde that we haue Knowne many taken away when they and their friends least feared it some by violent some by naturall deathes some in their childhoode before they well knew what it was to liue some in theire flourishinge spring when vigourous youth promised them they could not dye Some in the decline of their age while death threatned and yet was not feared soe certaine it is that the houre of death is vncertaine to all as Christ himselfe makes it sure to faith Watch saith he because you neither know the day nor the houre AFFECTION and RESOLV Dye then we must my soule thereis nothinge soe certaine departe we must out of this cottage of clay Gods iustice hath pronounced the sentence Remember man that thou art dust in-to dust thou shalt returne But when must this sentence be put in execution that is noe lesse