10. Finally there shall be inward and outward darknesse both of the body and minde farre more obscure then those of Egypt which might be felt and touched with the hand There shall be fire but not suche as we vse commonly which smarteth a little and vanisheth quickly but such as is most fit for that place that is which afflicteth vehemently and neuer ceaseth to torment If this be true how can it be that those whiche beléeue and confesse the same should line so loosely and sléepe in such securitie What daunger what tedious toyle would not any man gladly vndertake rather then he would endure one day yea one houre the least of these torments Why then to shun a perpetuitie of calamities so tragicall doo they not imploy themselues to so easie trauaile as that which is requisite to the following of vertue This thing were inough to sequester a mans soule from his sences and to bring him to an extacie that deliberateth aduisedly herevpon Yet if among these huge heapes of miseries were any hope of ende or redresse it woulde quallifie somewhat their gripings corsies but alas they find it there farre otherwise for the gates of comfort are closed vp on all sides In all kinde of heauinesse that may happen in this life resteth alwayes some reliefe wherein the afflicted may repose himselfe as that which is administred either by reason of time fréendes or company of many whiche doo participate with him in the same mishap or by hope to be released at last may mittigate their maladie But in this euill onely the cundits of grace are so stopped and the passages of common comfort so interrupted that these vnhappie creatures can finde fauour on no side neither from heauen neither from the earth neither of the time passed nor present nor of that to come nor of ought that can be else but they séeme to be pressed and pearsed of all partes and that all creatures coÌ„spire against them whereby at last they ware wood and wrath with themselues This is the extreme straightnesse whereof the wicked bewayle themselues by the Prophet in this sorte Psal 17. The dread of death hath hedged me in on euery side and the infernall frightes haue inuironed met round about in such wise that whereon soeuer they péepe or prie their obiect is alwayes miserie exempted of mercie The Virgines whiche stoode prest at the Pallace of their spouse were receiued in Matth. 15. as the Euangelist saith and sodeinly the gates were locked O perpetuall pinning faste O immortall inclosure O gate of comfort which neuer shall be opened which is as though he had saide Closed is the porte of pardon shut is the doore and hatch of hope and intercession of grace of consolation and of meriting any more The sixe daies are vanished wherin Manna was to be gathered but the Sabboth it could not be founde wherfore he must fast alwaies which would not prouide for himselfe in time The yâ—le sluggard saith Salomon fearing the colde will not till his grounde in the Winter whereby he shall begge in the sommer and nothing shall be giuen him And againe He that laboureth in the sommer and time of haruest is discréete but he that then betakes him to sleepe is the sonne of perdition What greater confusion can there be then that which hapned to the riche myser who might haue purchased his place in heauen with the crums of bread that fell froÌ„ his table by his couetousnesse in deteyning that litle is now brought to such penury himself that he craueth shall craue coÌ„tinually one drop of water shal neuer obtaine it In whose heart doth not this request of that wretch moue a remorse O father Abraham pittie my case and send Lazarus Luke 16. that he may dip the top of his finger in the water and may touch my toong therewith for this fire tormenteth me out of measure What lesse petition could be demaunded then this for he durst not request one vessell of water neither would he that Lazarus should wet all his hande nor his whole finger which is to be wondred at but only the toppe of his finger and yet it would not be graunted vnto him By which thou seest how close the gates of grace are shulte and howe farre the prohibition and curse stretcheth which is prepared for the vngodly sith they cannot get so small a matter In such sort that cast they their gastly lookes which way they will let them extend their hand to what place them list they shall finde no crum of comfort be it neuer so small And as one fallen into the sea plunging in the deapth of the waters can finde no perfect footing and often stretching out his arme catcheth and graspeth round about in vaine being now euen swallowed in the gulfe So shall it happen to the accursed crue to whome the worlde is without any stabilitie for wading in the waues of such woe wretchednesse and alwaies striuing with death without trust or stay of any succour to leane vnto Of all the gréefes which is suffered in that mischéeuous place and harbour of aduersitie this is the greatest for if these punishmentes were determinable by any time yea though it were a thousande yeares or a hundred thousande million of yeares it were some kinde of comfort for that which hath end is not altogither to be dispraïsed but the paine of the wicked shall be eternall and the time of their distresse shall be coequall with the diuine glorie of God so long as God shall liue so long shall they dye and when God shall cease to be that he is then shall they likewise leaue to be that they are O dying life O liuing and immortall death I know not whether I should call thée life or death for if thou be life why dyest thou if thou be death how doest thou still endure I will not therefore call thée the one nor the other for that neither the one nor the other conteyneth ought that good is Life hath his limits and death dureth but for a time which much auayleth to the asswaging of sorrowes but in thée are neyther boundes nor space at all What then art thou Verely thou art the penaunce of life and the plague of death for thou hast the sting and torment of death euerlastingly and of life thou hast the perpetuitie without intermission GOD spoyled both life and death of their happinesse and committed to thée that which was left for the perpetuall punishment of the vngodly O cursed confection O bitter pill berest vtterly of all the benefites and delights that floweth from our swéete Samour Christ which is the foode that all wretched sinners féede vpon I wish therfore deare brother that not sildome thou wouldest erect thy earthly minde to the consideration of this eternitie and as a beast of the world wouldest sometimes make thy repast thervpoÌ„ Which that thou mayest performe effectually propone before thy eyes of vnderstanding the affliction that a
which yéeldeth his fruite in due and conuenient time whiche neuer léeseth his verdure and all that hée doeth shall succéed prosperously My brother these are the voyces the drums and trumpets wherewith Gods eternall wisedome calleth sinners vnto him if thou wilt harken to this harmenie and not lysten to the Syren songes of the subtil Serpent turne thy selfe vnto to God and amende thy life spéedily to the which ende this Treatise is addressed But how this is to be performed shal be shewed in the next volume The ende of the Conuersion of a Sinner Sundrie profitable Contemplations gathered by the saide Author The Argument A Christian man which couetteth to come vnto God must make his enterance through the gate of compunction generally confessing all his offences Wherevnto it shall auaile him much to exercise himselfe euery day in certaine Prayers and godlie Meditations and in the considerations of death and of Gods seuere iudgement CHAP. I. HE therefore that is departed out of Egypt and beginneth to march towards the land of promise hee that like vnto the loste sonne reremembreth himselfe and openeth his eyes to behold the beames of glittering vertue and knoweth the perplexitie wherein hée is plunged and the fraude of this fraile life and desireth to returne to the plenteous repastes of his fathers house his first passage must be through the straights of penance where it behoueth him ruthfully to record in his minde the former ryots and excesses and firmely to purpose the amendment of them And for that this discussion and examination ought to bee as the Prophet sayth with affliction and remorce of conscience it is the part of the penitent at that time to vse al such praiers ronsiderations as by any meanes may stir him to teares and dolour To the which auaileth much the consideration of death of Gods finall iudgement of the paines of hell and of the passion of Christ suffered for the satisfaction of our sinnes Sith it is apparant that if there had bin no defects on our side there had héene no cause of his gréeuous annoy These and such like considerations may mooue vs to sorrow and to the detestation of sin which is the chéefest part of repentance In the which we should exercise our selues not onely the space of fiue or sixe dayes but the greatest part of our life Wherein many penitents are deceiued who béeing most diligent in scouring their conscience and scanning their faultes are quite carelesse in bewayling of them whereas both the one and the other are most necessarie but chéefly the last And I thinke verily that the cause why so many faynte in the following of vertue and in long time cannot attaine to perfection and sometime to surcease their iourney begunne is because they haue not layde a sure foundation nor haue not planted the rootes déepe inough in this exercise For this béeing the piller of all the building when the foundation it selfe is féeble the worke cannot bee firme which is erected vppon it To the which ende it is very necessarie to assigne certaine dayes many or sewe as the holy ghost shall direct vs wherein as I haue sayde before we may exercise our selues in all such prayers and meditations as maye induce vs to this sorrowe For the plainer declaration of this doctrine I minde to impart vnto you a fewe of the foresaid considerations which may serue not onely to stirre vs to be sory for our sinnes and to the hatred thereof but also to allure vs to the loue of vertue and to the feare of God and to the contempt of the world for al this is néedfull to nouices and beginners The Argument He that list to encline his heart to the hatred of sinne and to the dread of God must conuey himselfe into some couert corner and must bend and imploy his minde to the contemplation of the heauenly blisse and the iniquities which abound here in earth CHAP. II. VVHosoeuer then will haue his heart setled hereupon and wil fasten this firmly in his mind must euery day once or twise take a time most quiet conuenient for that purpose and sequestring himselfe into a secret place al other earthly thoughts and vain imaginations being laid apart arming himselfe first with the shield of faith humbly crauing the grace of the holy spirit to assist him in this behalfe assuming to himselfe the minde of that deuout Publican which durst not to lift vp his eyes towards Heauen for the confusion and horrour of his offences Let him repeate some generall confession or else the Psalme Miserere mei deus with so great deuotion as he can deuise and suddenly let him apply his minde to the considerations following that by this meanes he may attain the feare of God through the sorrow the dread and detestation of sinne The Argument In the first cōsideration a christian ought to runne ouer the multitude of the mortal offences that he hath committed CHAP. III. THe first sting that may stirre vs to the woe and hatred of our iniquities is to consider the infinit number of them and to fixe them before our eyes as a terrible troupe of armed Souldiers that the soule may be appalled with so hidcous a spectacle Runne ouer therefore bréefely all the commaundements of God through all the capitall sinnes through all the sences the powers and parts as well of thy body as of thy soule and thou shalt perceiue that there is scarce any commandement which thou hast not transgressed nor any sinne wherein thou haste not sunke nor any sence externall or internall which thou haste not abused nor any benefite which thou haste imployed to that ende for which it was giuen thée But as the Prophet sayth God hath giuen thée his golde and siluer and therewith thou haste serued Baal Looke therefore into thy selfe throughly and viewe the race of thy life passed and thou shalt sée a huge webbe fraught full of deceit of trecherie of pride of lyes of slouth of enuie of couetousnesse of hatred of entisements of blasphemie of malice and of a thousand other manners of mischiefes and thou shalt finde that like a brutish beast in all and euery of these thou haste followed and fulfilled thy sensuall delights without regarde of the lawe of iustice or reason and thou shalt perceiue that thou hast liued as a Gentile or Pagan altogither which neuer knewe God or as though thou so beleeuest that there were no God no death no iudgement no paine no blisse nor any thing else to be thought but euen to be borne and to dye He then that hath liued this many yeares so disorderly shall it not be reason that he imploy the fewe dayes that are remayning of his life in bewayling his former yeares fondly consumed and to féele sensibly the ruine and decay of the powers of his soule and the time that hee might hane gayned in this while which hee shall not get hereafter For time lost can neuer be recouered Throw therefore thy selfe
thou shalt die after which death because thou art a Christiā be sure thou shalt giue vp a reckoning of thy life forepassed Of this the faith which we professe wil not permit vs to doubt that other dayly experience doth confirme assuredly so that none can shunne or escape the one nor the other Be he Pope Prince or Emperour there shall come a time wherein eyther hee shall sée bright day continually or vgly night incessantly That time shall come without al doubt yet thou knowest not when whether it will be to day or to morrow In what time thou now readest this writing whole and sounde in all thy sences and members measuring the vayes of thy life according to thy businesse and delights shalt sée thy selfe in a bedde with a candle in thy hand attending the dint of death and sentence pronounced against humaine kinde which by no manner suite may bee released There shall be presented vnto thée the depriuation of all earthly delights the insupportable payne and passion of death the ende and last Pageant of thy life the horrour of thy graue the cursed condition of thy body allotted to be deuoured of woormes But the wretched estate of the soule will bee much more gréeuous vnto thée which béeing yet in the body knoweth not after an houre or two where his habitation shall be assigned Then in a moment thou shalt sée thy selfe sette before the tribunall seate of God almightie blaming and accusing vnto him thine owne naughtie life There thou shalt clearely discerne she foule enormious crimes whereof thou art guiltie and shall curse ten thousand times the day in which thou diddest transgresse the commaundements of God and the delight which stirred thée thereunto Then shalt thou meruaile at thy selfe how for so brickle pleasures as are those which thou imbrasedst diddest hazard thy selfe to endure perpetuall torments whereof thou now beginnest to haue a taste and smack for that the ioyes béeing now quite vanished away and the doome due vnto thée approaching neare that slender substance which was in them loosing his essence and beeing seemeth that it was nothing at all But the remorse and sting wherwith they presently prick and presse thy conscience appeareth to bée of inestimable force and efficacie Perceiuing therefore how for such transitorie trifles thou art at poynt to be bereaued of so incomparable felicitie béeing abashed thereat considerest thine owne distresse for that thou hauing runne out thy race there resteth no longer continuance of life nor leysure of repentance neither thy worldly fréendes neither the Idols to whom thou hast auowed the whole trauaile and terme of thy life can assist or succour thée at all yea those things which earst thou louedst most tenderly will be héere vnto thee the cause of grétest gréefe Tell me I pray thée when thou shalt sée thy selfe plunged in this perplexitie whither wilt thou turne what wilt thou doo to whom wilt thou crye To go backe it is impossible so goe forwarde intollerable to remaine as thou art thou mayest not what then wilt thou doo Then sayth God by the mouth of the Prophet the Sun shall not bee séene of the vngodly in the midday and I will bring darknesse vppon them in the bright day and I will conuert their pleasaunt sports to bitter plaints their dauncing and dallying to dolour and deadly dread Oh what wordes bee these Ezech. 32 The Sunne shall go downe in the midday because she huge heape of sinne then ouerwhelming the wicked which séeing by the iust iudgement of God the course of their life and time of repentance to b◠abridged many of them are so appalled with feare that they fall to flat dispayre of the mildenesse and mercy of GOD. And abyding yet in the middest of the day for so much as is remaynent of their mortall life which is the very time to merit or not to merit it séemeth vnto them that they haue no longer respect to doo good or euill but are vtterly excluded of both verily the passion of feare is of great force and vehemencie which maketh things that bee farre from vs séeme to bee present and of a trifle rayseth a tragedie If the consideration of this causeth them sometime to quake a little what then shall the feare of their vndoubted and iust ieopardie cause them to doo They béeing yet in this life beginne to suffer sensibly the gréefe and reproach of the Reprobate and in one very moment are both quick and dead For bewayling the present pleasures which they must forsake beginne to séele the future miserie which so much they feare They holde them most happie which tarry here behinde whereby they are prouoked to enuie which greatly augmenteth their griese To those the Sunne goeth downe at noone dayes for so much as which way soeuer they caste theyr eyes they sée themselues debarred on euery side from accesse to Heauen and that no beame or sparke of comfort appeareth vnto them for if they regarde the bountie of God they sée how sore they haue offended him if they behold his iustice they see him in a manner rigorously to rush vppon them for that hitherto the time and tide hath béene at their becke but now Gods turne is at hande If they looke backe to their life forepassed they sée what accusations groweth therof If to the time present they sée themselues to pecke ouer the pearch by péecemeale If they looke forwarde a little further they beholde the Iudge attending for their accounts Alasse what shall the séely wretches doo béeing atteinted with so many trespasses and affrighted with such furious feares at once For this cause the Prophet said that the bright day shall be turned into darkenesse thereby to giue vs notice that those things whereof the wicked are wont to take their greatest consolation should then be vnto them the cheefest cause of their discomfort It is a good thing I graunt for a man to sée his sonnes his friendes his house his worldly workes and all that he loueth besides but then this chearefull light shall bee altogither conuerted to profound darknesse for that all these things shall heape more heauinesse and shall become most bitter persecuters of their affectioned louers For as by nature and common custome we take no small delight in the present possession of those thinges which we loue and like well So likewise the losse thereof bringeth excessiue gréefe Therefore let the swéete children depart out of their fathers sight when hée lyeth at poynt of death and lette the mother also absent her selfe that shee may not giue and receiue by her presence so many sharpe assaults of sorrowe And his departure béeing into so far countries his iourney through so straunge and vnknowne waies the pinching smart which hee abideth will not permit him to haue confidence in any thing neyther will graunt him to take his leaue of his fréends If thou standest now vppon the same termes I spake of thou shalt well perceiue I haue not swarued from the truth
Prophet saith they shall cry vnto the hilles Math. 25. saying O ye hilles fall vpon vs and close vs in your Caues that we may not shewe our selues with such excéeding shame But wo worth ye wretches your hope is frustrate ye toyle against the tide weighing the force of that sentence definitiue Go ye caitiues into euerlasting fire long since prepared for Satan and his adherents What shall that cursed generation imagine then will become of themselues hearing this for if as Iob saith we can scarce abide to heare his mildest wordes Iob. 4. who can abide those thundring threats of his omnipotencie These words shall be so sharpe and so pearsing that at the verie instant the earth shall open it selfe wide and large and into the bottome and bowels thereof shall be whirled topsie turuie all those who Iob. 2 as the same Iob saith here haue had their paradise and pleasures in sundry sortes of Musicke and harmony trifleling out their time and yeares in all kinde of mirth and iollitie This fall and cracke of the earth S. Iohn describeth in his Apocalips in this maner I saw an Angell descending from heauen with great power and with such brightnesse that all the earth was lightned therewith and hée cryed aloude saying The great Cittie of Babilon is fallen downe and is made of the habitation of diuels and the cage of all filthy and abhominable fowles And further hée sayd I sawe another mightie Angell lifting vp on high a great stone much like to a mylstone and did cast it into the sea saying With such a violence shall the great Babylon bee throwne into the bottomlesse pitte and shall neuer recouer his estate againe In this sort shall the vngodly fall into the blacke and gastly prison full of confusion and vtter desolation Esay 66. But what tongue can expresse the innumerable sundrie sorts of torments in that place addressed for the wicked There their bodies shall be broyled with furious flames cōtinually there their soules shall be consumed with the worme of conscience which will neuer cease his gréenous gnawing There shall be that incessant howling and gnashing of téeth whereof the Scriptures treateth in so many places There these vnhappie wretches surseysed with cruell dispaire and rage shall waxe wood against GOD and themselues in suche dispiteous wise that they shall deuoure their owne fleshe and in a franticke moode rent it with their nayles crashing their téeth togither and spilling their Intrailes with sorrowe and sighing blaspheming and denying continually their creator that hath adiudged them to such sharpe punishments There euery of them shall crie out vpon his cursed condition and vnfortunate byrth estsoones repeating those pittifull bewaylinges and wofull wordes of patient Iob Iob. 3. but with a minde and intent farre contrarie to his These bee the wordes Curst be the day wherin I was borne and the night in whiche it was sayd A man is come into the worlde let that day be turned into darknesse let it not be reckoned of God nor beautified with light let it be ouerwhelmed with darknesse and shadowe of death let it be full fraught with obscuritie and bitternesse let that night be ouercast with a black cloude let not that day be numbred among dayes and moneths of the yeare Why did not death receiue me so soone as I was issued out of my mothers wombe why was I not carried from the place of my byrth straight to my graue why was I lulled in my mothers lap or why did she giue me suck This shall be their melodie their mydnight mattens their morning and euening prayer O filthie tongues which babble of nothing else but brawling and blasphemie O wretched cares which heare no other things but wofull mourning O vnhappie eyes whose obiect is miserie vppon miserie O wretched bodies who haue for your harbour a fierie fornace In what case shall they then be who héere earst wallowed in wealth and wantonnesse O what fléeting delight hath wrought continuall gréefe O what wofull habitations are addressed for you Now gone is all your gallant glée and iollitie wherein you delighted for a moment for which ye now lament eternally Now what doo your treasures auayle you where is your pompe and pleasure become the seuen fertile yeares are now ended quite and in place thereof are now succéeded the seuen barren yeares which shall so consume the abundance of those which are passed that there shall not remaine any one shadow or shewe thereof Therefore all your former felicitie is drenched and wrapped vp in the waues of wretchednesse and are now driuen to such straights and scarcitie that not so much as one droppe of water shall be granted vnto you wherwith ye might somwhat asswage the raging thirst which vexeth you so furiously neyther shall your wonted prosperitie reléeue your miserie but rather thereby ye shall be more fiercely afflicted For therein is accomplished this saying of Iob Iob. 21.24.25 that the sugred soppes of the vngodly shal be at the last deuoured with wormes Which S. Gregory in his Moralls expoundeth in this sort The memory of their wonted ioyes maketh their present paine to séeme more bitter by calling to minde how braue and frolike they haue bene and how base and vile they now are come and howe for loue of that which so soone slipte away they suffer that which neuer shall haue end Then shall they perceiue euidently the subtil slights of the enemie and being called to their account shall mutter too late these sayings of Salomon Sap. 5. Woe vnto vs wretches howe apparaunt is it now vnto vs that wée haue strayed from the trade of trueth that the light of instice hath not shined vpon vs and that the sunne of intelligence hath not risen ouer vs. Wée haue wasted and wearied our selues in the crooked and crabbed way of wickednesse but we haue not stepped one foote in the plaine and easie path which leadeth to righteousnesse What are we now abettered by our Princely traine and treasure All these thinges are now vanished as the fléeting shade and as the swift Courser chased vppon the spurre as a shippe driuen with the tide and tempest which leaueth behinde no print of his passage This and such like in the infernall pitte shall bee the talke of those which haue bene offendors For that the hope and trust of sinne is like vnto chaffe chased with the winde or as the skumme and froath of the Sea dispearsed with the waues as the smoke sodeinly dissolued into the ayre or as the remembraunce of a pylgrime passing by the way These be there the complaintes and this the perpetual penance of the vngodly which shall not assist them at all because the time is passed wherein they might haue bene reléeued hereby Come therefore in the time of grace and repentaunce and you that haue eares receiue the sounde aduise of our Lorde vttered by the Prophet saying Iere. 13. Serue and glorifie God before the
of our Lord shall enuiron thée on euery side that thou mayest be honoured in the sight of God and men Then shalt thou call vpon the name of our Lorde and he will heare thée because thou louedst him and shall say vnto thée behold me here prest to accomplish whatsoeuer thou canst aske Then in the middest and déepe darkenesse of the tribulation and distresse of this life the comfortable beames of diuine fauour shall shine vpon thée and thy tribulation shall be as the middest of the day for that our Lord had ordeyned that thy miseries themselues and thy transgressions passed should accumulat vnto thée greater felicitie presenting alwayes to thy minde assured peace and firme tranquilitie And in the time of scarcitie and famine he shall féede thee full and shall supply thy wantes aboundauntly and thy bones shall be deliuered from death and from the flames of eternall fire and thou shalt be like vnto a moyst garden and as a fountaine which runneth incessantly and in thée that shall be accomplished which many yeares hath bene vnfinished to the ende thou maiest stand vpon a sure foundation from generation to generation and if thou wilt endeuour to celebrate my festiuall daies not contriuing them in foolish delightes nor in preferring thy will before mine obseruing carefully my will and behest in this voyage then will I create thée a Lord and will giue thée such solaces as shall farre surpasse all pleasures of the worlde And I will exalt thée aboue the highest turrets of the earth to a most blessed state of life wherevnto neither fortune nor humaine nature can adde or detract ought at all And after all this I wil enstal thée into the precious inheritaunce that I promised to Iacob thy father which is the benediction of glorie because the mouth of God hath spoken it These are the rewards which God promised to his seruantes of which although some are yet to come notwithstanding many of them pertaine to this present life As is that new light and heauenly brightnesse that abundance of all things that assured trust in GOD that diuine assistance to al petitions and demands that peace and securitie of conscience that diuine prouidence and protection that flourishing Gardein which is the deo king and garnishment of grace the fountaine which floweth continually which is the great plentie of all things those supernall ioyes which excéede the capacitie of man that lifting vp of the spirite which cannot be augmented by assistance of humane nature These fauours and prerogatiues promised by God are all the workes of his mercy the influence of his grace the testimonies of his loue the effect of the fatherly prouidence he extendeth to his seruaunts Vpon euery one of these I could say much more then the breuitie of this volume will permit for that euery of them would aske a seuerall Treatise Wherefore the iust shall reioyce of all these good thinges both in this life and in the life to come whereof the vniust shall be vtterly destitute By which meanes marke what oddes is betwixt the one part and the other nowe that these are so fauoured from heauen and those in such distresse and penury for if thou consider aduisedly all things before treated of doest weigh the estate and condition both of the iust and vniust thou shalt finde that the lot of the righteous is in the fauour of God but that of the vngodly in vtter disgrace The estate of the good and of the euill these are his friendes the other his professed foes these enioy the light the other dwell in darknesse these participate in delight with Angels those with dririe swine these are frée indeed and masters of themselues those other the thrals and vassalls of Satan these liue in vnitie those other in deadly discord the trust and testimonie of a false conscience delighteth these and to the other mindes resorteth alwayes the guilt of their filthy facts these with a resolute minde abide the brunt of tribulation in their accustomed place those other as light chaffe are repelled by the winde these depende vpon the anker of hope those other haue no stay to leane vnto being obiected to euery chaunce and chaunge of fickle fortune the prayers of these are acceptable to the eares of the Lord the other petitions are odious and execrable The death of these is quiet and glorious with diuine honour and that of the others troublesome defamed fraught with a thousand feares Finally these liue as children vnder the guard and gouernment of God they sléepe securely vnder the winges and shadow of his prouidence but the others excluded from this diuine protection wander too and fro as scattered beasts without head or guide thrust out to apparant perils and alaroms of fortune Then if such and so excellent perfections doo accompany vertue what restraynt can there be why thou shouldest not imbrace so soueraigne a thing what canst thou alleage for thy excuse herein To wrangle and say this is not true cannot extenuate thy guilt séeing thou seest howe it is founded vppon the infallible word of God and testimonies of the scripture To say these perfections are of small price auayleth not for that as I haue before mentioned they excéede all that mans heart can wish for To alleage that thou art thine owne enemie herein and that thou doest not desire these good things is most vntrue for a man is by nature a friende to himselfe and humaine will hath felicitie for his subiect which is the ende of his desires To affirme that thou hast no sence nor taste hereof sufficeth not to acquite thy crime considering thou beléeuest them to be true although thou canst not taste them Originall sinne bereaued thée of thy taste herein but not of thy faith and faith is a testimonie more sure more secure and more doubtlesse then all other experiences witnesses and warrants of the worlde Wherefore then doest thou not preferre this testimonie before all the other allegations Why doest thou not attribute more to fayth then to thine owne sottish séeming and iudgement O that thou wouldest determinately commit thy selfe into the handes and armes of God and trust to him onely how suddenly shouldest thou perceiue in thy selfe the accomplishment of these prophesies shouldest soone see the greatnesse of these treasures shouldest sée how senslesse and blinde all worldlings are which doo neither féele nor fancy this felicitie and shouldest sée with howe iust reason God commaunded vs this kinde of life saying Come vnto me al ye that are laden and weary and I will ease your gréefe Receiue my yoke vppon you and then ye shall finde comfort in your soules for it is full swéete and delectable God is no deceyuer his promises are neither false nor fraudulent Which sith it is so indéed why doest thou flée or faynt why doest thou abandon peace and pleasure Wherefore despisest thou the allurementes and swéete soundes of thy Pastor How darest thou to chase vertue from thée hauing such
a gallant superscription as héere thou seest grauen by the hande of God It was much lesse then this that Quéene Sabba had heard of Salomon and yet she came from the vttermost partes of the earth to trie whether those things were true which were reported vnto her Wherefore then hearing such and so certaine tydings of vertue doest thou not betake thée to a litle trauell If thou wilt be assured hereof graunt thy selfe vnto the word of God and confidently commit thy selfe into his handes loose thy selfe from the hands which hath wrapt and wonne thée and thou shalt sée that the same of vertue is lesse then her merite and that whatsoeuer we haue said is nothing in comparison of that she is in her proper effect The Argument To perseuere in sinne with a thousand excuses and delaies intending to amend his life hereafter deceiueth a Christian maruellously For by this meanes he blindeth and burieth himselfe in the durtie dunghill of vice and waxeth daily more prone therevnto in such wise that iniquitie taking deep roote in the intrailes of his mind it will very hardly be remoued CHAP. VIII NOtwithstanding all these assertioÌ„s whereby the condition of vertue is iustified sufficiently the wicked wil neuer want their wonted excuses and delaies for as it is written He that will shake off his friend searcheth for a cause of quarrell but in so dooing he meriteth a gréeuous reprehension and controlment Yet some there be which with one onely worde will easily reply to all this saying It sufficeth them to amend hereafter and then to reduce the course of their life to a better order foolishly feyning to themselues that it is too hard a matter presently for them so to doo and that in time to come they may attempt atchieue this thing with more facilitie How fondly man deceiueth himselfe which is one of the grossest errours wherewith a man may delude himselfe For if thou mindest so long to procéede and perseuere in that perillous path wherein thou art entred still augmenting the heape of thine iniquities howe canst thou so easily hereafter forsake it at thy pleasure thy naughtie conditions béeing growne by continuall custome into an habite Further if thou continue héerein euill custome shall bee more fortified and confirmed and nature shall be corrupted the more and the diuell shall preuaile and haue more power vpon thée and shalt be still farther from the fauour of GOD and consequently more blinde more enclined and plunged déeper in the stinking puddle of iniquitie Then howe can it be more easie for thée to performe this businesse béeing increased with these newe difficulties by reason of thy perseueraunce in sinne If euery time that thou doest offend thou leauest behinde thâ—â— a dayes iourney of thy voyage towardes vertue how canst thou more readily frame thy selfe thereunto hereafter hauing let slip so many daies iourney as thou hast committed offences It may well appeare that by this answere thou art instructed by the father of lyes and falshood that after thou hast so long inured thy selfe to vice and folly and haste runned a race so farre from the trade of vertue shall then bee most easie for thée to attayne therevnto But among these things what shall I say of the great power of custome and of the force shee hath to binde and wrap thée fast in wickednesse For true it is that as they which fasten a nayle in any thing with euery stroke they driue it further in and yet with other strokes further and so the more still they strike the more they fasten it and waxeth thereby the more harde to pull out againe In like maner by each euill fact we commit vice as it were with a béetle is more déepely rammed into our minde where it is fixed so fast that there can very hardly bee founde any force able to remooue it Whereby wée sée not seldome that the olde age of those who in their flourishing yeares were wholely giuen to carnalitie is often subiect to the dissolute manners of theyr youth yea although they then abhorre them and nature thereof disclaymeth vtterly which onely commeth to passe through the tyranny of euill custome For it is affirmed by Iob that the bones of the wicked shall be full of those vices that they vsed in their youth which shall accoÌ„pany them in their graues in such sort the vice hath no other end then death which is the dissolution and extinguishment of all mortall things which onely suffiseth to redresse and cure it And the cause hereof is custome coÌ„firmed which nowe is growne to nature For vicious appetites taking such roote in the bones and bowels of their souls is euen like vnto a ioynt ague which hauing setled it selfe in the intrailes of a man is become incurable The very same thing is shewed by our Sauiour in the resurrection of Lazarus which had lien dead nowe foure daies whome GOD called againe to life with such vehement shrikes and cries notwithstanding hee raised many from death before with such falicitie thereby to make it knowne vnto vs what a wonder it was that God raised him againe who foure dayes had béene dead and buried This long since is espied to be in sinne For as Saint Augustine openeth this place of these foure dayes the first is the delight we haue in sinne the second is the consent of minde the third the accomplishment in déede the fourth the perseuerance in sin and he that is come to this point is Lazarus lying dead foure dayes who cannot be receiued but with the loud lamentations and teares of our Sauiour If peraduenture this chaunce vnto thée which very seldome hapneth to any tell mee what lawe canst thou alleadge for thy leawdnesse that God before all worlds hauing loued and created thée to inuest thée with the glory of eternall felicitie wilt not consume in the seruice of him who hath bin thy benefactor and friend so long in this short brickle life that thou enioyest The Argument Repentance ought not to be deferred to the end of life for theÌ„ God doth seldome grant them his grace to dye well For he that hath lead a leaud life hath commonly a worse death and so findeth a righteous recompence for his vniust deserts CHAP. IX BVt some there be so blinde shamelesse that it suffiseth them not to haue sinned all their life passed but they resolue with themselues wilfully to wallowe therein vntill they sensibly féele themselues assited with the very sommons of death O dreadfull time full of perplexitie what thinkest thou with this price to purchase the Kingdome of Heauen and to merit the societie and seate of Angels Doest thou not sée that whatsoeuer is done at this time is necessitie and not will is forced and not frée is constraint and not consent is feare and not friendship yet it is loue not the loue of God but selfe loue which shunneth naturally his owne annoy Doest thou not perceiue that these things are méere opposite
to the rule of equitie that thou hauing dedicated the whole tearme of thy life to deuotion of the diuell wilt in the ende require to be rewarded of God Doest thou not behold herein euen that which the fiue foolish Virgins did prepare whereof the Euangelist sheweth that they were making them readie when they shoulde haue giuen vppe their accounts Therefore how canst thou expect any better successe then thou art admonished by this example continuing in the selfesame carefulnesse God is mightie and can inspire vpon vs true repentance when he list but howe often it happeneth at this houre and howe fewe they bee which then repent hartily aske S. Augustine S. Ambrose S. Gregory and all other Saints and thou shalt sée howe precisely and scrupulously they speake in this matter and thou shalt well perceiue what a madnesse it is so confidently to commit thy selfe to the mercie of a gulfe wherevnto so many skilfull Pilots did passe with such great horrour and feare To dye well is a knowledge which ought to be learned all the life before for in the houre of death the diseased is cumbred with so many cares and gréefes that hée hath no leysure to learne to dye well It is a generall rule that as the life is of euery man such is his daath The death of the wicked is conformable to their life Whereby it followeth that if the life bee mischéenous the death is miserable except God for some speciall purpose doth dispose it otherwise These be not my words but the Apostles sayings The ende of the vngodly shall be like vnto their deserts For speaking generally neither doo we looke for a good euent of wicked beginnings nor of good attemptes cuill happes Reade ouer the whole Byble and thou shalt not heare any thing repeated so oft as this What séede a man soweth such croppe shall he gather and that in the extremitie of death the vniust shall reape the fruite of their trauels and that God will impart to euery man according to his merits and that the death of euery man shall be conformable to the life he hath lead and that the iustice of the righteous man shall be vppon his head and the curse of the â—â—godly vpon his head likewise with a thousand such like sentences If all the diuine scriptures might be powred out to sée what would issue thereof scarce any thing would appeare more often to our view then this Wherefore if thy workes be wicked and thy life likewise what other thing can we prognosticate thereof but that the ende will succéede as the beginning and middle hath béene What thing else shall we thinke him to gather in the other life but corruption who in this life hath sowen nothing else but corruption Peraduenture as our Sauiour saith We may gather roses of thornes figges of furse-bushes c. If the house of the wicked as Salomon sayth declineth towards death and his foote path leadeth directly to hell what other port can bee expected after this nauigation but euen such an ende as where the wall or trée shall fall which bendeth to one side but in that part whither it howeth most For he whose life whose dooings whose thoughts hath bene their onely regard to hell for that they haue all deserued it where shall he settle himselfe after all this but euen there right where shall he haue his habitation if not in outward darkenesse which alway walked in inward darknesse how wouldest thou bring to passe that in the ende of his iourney he should arriue in heauen which hath alwayes pursued the beaten pathe that lyeth straight to hell The Argument Wee ought not to abuse the mercie of God perseuering in sinne vpon confidence thereof For if Gods mercy can suffer so many Infidelles in the worlde and in the Church so many wicked Christians and that all those should be cast away quite he will also suffer that euery one which stil remaineth in sinne shall perish eternally CHAP. X. ANd if on the other side thou say that great is the mercie of God which dooth embolden thée in such that continuing in thy naughtie life are yet assured of thy saluation But tell mee how canst thou offer greater iniâ—rie to the mercy of God then of his beneuolence to take occasion to displease him Who taught thee to argue in this sort that because God is good and gracious shou shouldest haue leaue to be vngracious and to merit heauen thereby The holy Ghost neuer taught thée this kinde of reasoning but rather in this fashion That God being so good ought to be honoured obeyed imbraced aboue all other thinges wherefore sith God is pittifull it is good reason that in him I shoulde repose my whole trust and considence that he will pardon my treipasses bee they neuer so hainous so that I detest them vtterly turning my selfe vnto him with a sincere heart But procéeding alwayes in sinne beléeue it well hée will not abeare it yea hee will condemne thée and hate thée the more whome hée suffereth so long Thou canst not gainsay me that of an hundreth partes of the worlde there is scarce one repleated with Christians and that of ninetie and nine which abide in the worlde none are saned For as in the time of that great flood none was saued out of the Arke of Noe nor out of the house of Rubbe none escaped of those which dwelt in Hierusalem so none can be saued out of the house of God which it his church euen that which wee call Christianitie Beholde in what pickle and perplexitie it standeth in these dayes and thou shalte finde for certaine that in this whole mysticall bodie from toppe to toe is scarce any thing entire and sounde Sette aparte some principall Cittie where discipline taketh place and range abroad through all Townes and other places where as I saide is no talke of discipline and thou shalte finde much people of whome may be verified that which GOD saide touching Hierusalem Search all the stréetes and houses of Hierusalem and if thou shalte finde one iust man for his sake I will haue compassion vpon the Cittie Raunge abroad I say not now through Innes and Markets for that these anâ— places dedicated to deceit but through the best Cittizens houses As Ieremie saith Listen thy eares to that they speake and thou shalt hardly heare ouâ— good word but bitter backbytings and murmure shall fill thy eares Their disorder their oathes their blasphemie laughter discorde threates and of all sides both heart and tongues debate of earthly drosse and gaine but verie sâ—dome of God and good things but altogither in swearing and forswearing his holy name which is the memory he hath left vnto vs. The same Prophet saying Let them be mindfull of me but not in swearing falsly by my name iâ— such sort that by the externall shewe a man can scarce coniecture whether that nation be Christian or Heathen except it be by the sounde of belles and ruthful rage of
that deare brother take it for vnfeigned veritie that the quiet and contentment which thou expectest cannot bee had in this world but to bee rich in the fauour of God but in contemning thereof and in estéeming lesse of earthly things then they be indeede Go rounde about the sea and land wander whither thou wilt as saith S. Augustine thou shalt finde wretchednesse euery where if thou walk not in the way of the Lord in whom consisteth all felicitie and contentment The Argument The way of God is now nothing difficult nor austere at all but is become very plain and easie by the instruction and ensample of Christ but especially by his passion his resurrection and assention and after by his sending downe of the holy Ghost CHAP. XII OTher there be which excuse themselues saying The way of God is very hard and this is onely because his precepts are repugnant to the inclinatiō of mans appetites This is one of the principall causes that maketh men to loath this labour but the authors of such allegations though they bee Christians and liue vnder the lawe of grace they knowe not yet the first letter that standeth in the Alphabet of this lawe nor haue any smacke of this misterie O thou vnhappie wretche which makest profession to bee a Christian tell mee I beséech thée wherefore came Christ into the world wherefore did he shead his blood why did he institute so many sacramentes why sent hee the holy Ghost what is ment by the Gospell by grace by this word Iesu what doth this renowmed name of Lorde and Sauiour signifie which thou woorshippest If thou knowest not aske of the Euangelist who sayth His name shall be Iesu for it shall be hée that shall saue his people from their sinne But what is it to be a sauiour and deliuerer from sinne if by him wee doo not meritte pardon for our offences passed and grace to excuse those that are to come For what cause came Christ into the world if not to helpe vs to saluation Wherefore dyed he vppon the Crosse if not to slay sinne why did he rise againe after his death if not to reuiue vs Likewise wherefore spent hee his blood if not for a medicine able to heale thy festered woundes wherefore ordained hee so many Sacraments if not for a speciall remedie against sinne what is she chéefest fruite of his comming and possion if not to shewe vs thereby the way to Heauen which before was austere and difficult Esai 40. As appeareth by Esaias where hée saith At the comming of Mossias the crooked wayes shall become straight and the bitter passages pleasaunt large and wide Besides all this why did he send his holy Ghost if not of flesh to make thée spirituall and wherefore did hee sende it in the forme of fire if not to the ende thou shouldest bee inflamed as fire illuminated fortified and transformed into himselfe and should drawe thée to heauen whence he descended that he might powre vppon thée the grace and vertue that floweth from him abundantly thereby to lighten the heauie yoake of sinne to mittigate the exercise of vertue by reioysing in aduersity by hope in perils and by ouercomming in temptations This is the beginning the middle and ende of the Gospell that as one carnall man and a sinner which was Adam made vs all earthly and sinners so an other man béeing celestiall and iust descending from Heauen made vs all celestiall and iust What other thing did the Euangelistes write of What other promises did the Prophet forespeake of what else did the Apostles preache of There is no other diuinitie but this this is the woorde abreuiated this God wrote vppon the earth this is the consummation and abridgement heard by the Prophet Esay which was verified by the sequell of the great abundance of vertue and iustice which came into the world immediately after Then deare brother behaue thy selfe as though thou wert newly conuerted to christianitie and aske of some skilfull Diuine what thou art charged to doo by this thy Religion of whome thou shalt receiue no other aunswere then that it behooueth thée to bee a good man which to accomplish this profession giueth thée comfort and courage and causeth the carnall man to become spirituall giuing vnto him the holy Ghost the better thereby to procéede in the promises Surely it is a great ouersight that thou bearing the name of a Christian so many yeares knowest not yet what difference is betwéene the written lawe and the lawe of grace In this then consisteth the difference sith thou knowest it not that lawe enioyned a man to bee iust not furnishing him with forces necessarie for that exployt but this also chargeth vs to bee iust and good giuing grace and abilitie to accomplish this commaundement therefore for this cause and no other it is tearmed the law of grace That pressed vs to battaile without weapons to fight willed vs to ascend to Heauen but gaue vs no ladders to climbe prescribed to men that they should bee spirituall yet did it not inspire them with the holy Ghost that they might be spirituall But now it is otherwise for this lawe ceasing the other succéeded which farre excéeded it by his merites and by the sacred blood of Christ And yet as though the olde lawe were not extinguished nor Christ come into the world thou standest Iewishly coniecturing that of thy selfe thou art sufficient to fulfill and execute this lawe and so to be iustified Wherefore euery one that vnderstandeth this shall perceiue apparantly that many Authors agrée that this way of the Lord is both swéete and sowre Psal 18. For loue of the wordes issuing out of thy mouth saith the Prophet I trudge a iourney harde and vnsauery I am delighted with thy Commaundements as with the greatest treasures For this way conteineth in it selfe both partes that is it is difficult and easie difficult in respect of nature easie in respect of vertue and grace in suche sort that which was harde by one reason is light by another As our Sauiour sheweth when hée said That his yoke was easie and his burthen pleasaunt for a yoke and burthen is all ene in signification But to say it was swéete declareth the facilitie hée had in bearing it here through the grace which was giuen vnto him So that if thou demaundest howe it is possible that béeing a yoke it should be easie séeing it is the propertie of a yoke to bee heauie and hatefull Wherevnto it may be answered that God doth quallifie the gréefe of those that willingly submitte themselues to the saide yoke as he hath promised by the Prophet Esay saying I will bee as hée whiche looseth the yoke and as he that vnloadeth a mans necke from the weight thereof What thing is more woorthie of admiration then this that a yoke is easie and that by God it is made portable for that himselfe supporteth the burthen Wherefore then dooth it séeme a thing incredible vnto
of Angels Therefore if the righteous for their secret pride or negligence and ingratitude became so vnmiâ—d full of God after they had béene his dutifull Seruaunts so many yeares What doest thou looke for hauing framed thy life to no other trade then to accumulate one sinne vppon an other Therefore whosocuer we sée to liue in this sort as wee haue tolde of before shall it not bee expedient that hee shoulde nowe at the length cease to fill vppe the measure of his iniquities and to assay to please God and to deliuer his soule from bondage should it not suffise him that he hath liued so leaudlie till this houre addicting himselfe wholy to the worlde the flesh and the diuell and hereafter to imploy himselfe and to runne out the remnant of his race 〈◊〉 the homage and honour of God is it not néedefull after so long time and so many iniuries committed against his Diuine Masestie to feare his seuere instice which the more patiently it beareth with the wicked so much the more rigorously is reuenged vppon them in the ende shall it not be reason that hee should bee afraid to lye so long swallowed vppe in the gulfe of sinne depriued of the grace of God and to haue so strong an enemie as is hee who of a deare father through his deserts is become his adnersarie and his iudge Shall it not bée reason to dread least the force of long vse bee turned into nature and habitte making of vice necessitie How should hee not feare by little and little to fall into a reprobate sence whereunto when a man is come hee doth not any thing that is acceptable in the sight of almightie God The Patriarke Iacob said to his father in lawe Labin Fourtéene yeares are passed since I haue scrued thée and haue had charge of thy businesse and now it is time that I attend vppon mine owne affaires and that I begin to prouide for mine owne house Wherefore I pray thée sith thou hast bin so long not a retayner but a daylie waiter to the worlde not letting slip any oportunitie of this life which was eyther appendaunt to thy pleasures or agréeing to thy appetites shall it not to be reasonable for thée nowe at the length to get some commoditie for the soule and for the bertering of thy estate in the other life certainly there is nothing more short and vnsure then the life of man Why then thou prouiding so carefully all necessaries for that which is so momentall and transitory dost not likewise make some prouision for that which endureth for euer The Argument A man ought to remember himselfe and that he is a Christian and that he beleeue firmely all that he is taught by his faith which should mooue him eyther through loue or feare All things inuite him to the loue and seruice of God among which hee should acquire wisedome and harken to the words of Christ who fixed himselfe to the crosse for our redemption CHAP. XIIII NOw therfore if it be true as I haue said I beséech thée deare brother and charge thée by the precious blood of Christ that thou remember thy selfe that thou art a Christian and that thou take all that which our faith teacheth for vnfeined veritie which plainly prooueth vnto thée that besides other things thou hast a iudge to whose eye lyeth open all the actions and moments of thy life who will come at a day vnwares wherin he will exact an account of thée euen of euery idle worde This faith telleth shée farther that a man at his death is not quite extinguished because after this mortall life succéedeth an other which lasteth eternally and shat mens foules doo not perish with their bodies but that the bodies resting and raked vp in their graues the soules yet enter into a newe Kingdome and into an other new world where such condition and company shal be assigned vnto them as their manner and behauiour hath bin in this life Héere vnto this faith adioyneth yet more that as the rewarde of vertue so the scourge of vice is so infinit that although the whole worlde were full of bookes and euery creature were a Scriuener the writers woulde sooner dye and the world be at an ende before it could bee knowne and treated of particularly that which each of these doth containe in it selfe This faith also informeth thée that our debt and dutie is so great through our benefites receiued of God that though the number of a mans yeares did surpasse the sandes of the seas yet they should be too fewe to acquite himselfe in his seruice towards him The same faith affirmeth that vertue is of such passing valour that all the treasures of the worlde and all that a mans heart can desire may in no respect be coÌ„pared the reunto Wherfore if such and so great things doo exhort vs to vertue why be there so fewe which imbrace it and endeuour themselues to attaine it If men may bee mooued with any aduauntage or interest what greater gaine is there what life more perdurable If with feare what sharper punishments what paint more permanent If with the bonds of bountious liberalitie what greater debt haue wee then that which we owe vnto God of whom wee haue receiued all things If the dread of dangers may stirre vs what greater perill can there bee then that of death whose comming is so vncertaine whose account so straight If peace if libertie if the gifts of the holy Ghost and the solace of a sugred life be desired of all men it appeareth euidently that all these things are founde more readilie in that life which is lead by vertue and reason then in that which is ruled by rage and passions for that a man is a reasonable creature and not a beast But if all this bee not regarded shall it not bee sufficient that for the maintenaunce of veriue GOD descended from Heauen to the earth and was made man who hauing created the world in six dais imployed thirtie and thrée yeares in this worke wherein hee also spent his bloud and life God dyed to slay sinne yet for all this wee endeuour to reuiue in our hearts those whom God would destroy with his owne death What should I say more for all reasons are sufficient to promote this matter or to shewe it as it is Fo I say not respecting the crosse onely but which way soeuer we turne our eyes we shall finde that all things doo cry and cal vs to this commoditie sith there is no creature in the world if hee bee well noted but doth inuite vs to the loue and seruice of our supernall Lord in such sort that looke howe many creatures there be in the world so many preachers there are so many bookes so many voyces which doo stirre vs therevnto Wherefore howe is it possible that so many shriking sounds as héere thou hearest so many promises thundring threats can beare no parte to perswade thée thereunto What should God or could
he doo more then that he hath doone eyther by promising or threatning to drawe vs to himselfe and to withdraw and terrifie vs from sinne This notwithstanding béeing of such weight what shal I blame the boldnesse or bluntishnesse of men which beléeuing this assuredly doubt not to dally out the day in sinne to sléepe with sinne to arise with sinne and to bathe themselues in the beastly puddle of all iniquities and to doo all this without feare without scruple without abridging their sléepe or abating their fare as though all their beléefe were a dreame and the sayings of the Euangelists fables of Titius the Giaunt and such like Howe couldest thou doo more then thou doest if thou diddest doubt of thy beléefe sith it is euident that hitherto onely the shame and feare of the wordle hath brideled thy appetites yet the feare of God cannot restraine thée from satisfying thy sensualitie nor make thée blush in executing thy diuellish deuices Tell me blind as thou art depriued of vnderstanding béeing in suche securitie and confidence wherevpon worketh the worme of conscience whither is fayth vanished knowledge iudgement reason which onely endued thée with the title to bee called a man Doest thou not dread so huge so certaine so vndoubted daungers If thou were set at the table and serued with meates and some man should come vnto thée thogh a knowne lyer saying that the meates set before thée were impoysoned thou wouldest doubt and dreade to cate it were the meate neuer so delicate and he a lyer that did aduise thée Then if the Prophets if the Apostles if the Euangelists if God himselfe doth cry vnto thée saying Death is in the potte O wretched man death dwelleth in gluttonie which the diuel presenteth before thée and darest thou to receiue thy death with thy owne hands and to drinke the dramme of thy damnation What now auaileth this beléefe buried in thy bosome where is his light his firmnesse as stéele his pearsing sharpenesse séeing none of all these things can extenuate thy sinne O madde myser O franticke foole made sencelesse by the subtile sleightes of the Serpent adiudged to eternall darkenesse both within and without for that thou goest straight from inwarde to outward darkenesse Blinde thou art because thou seest not thy miserie sencelesse because thou doest not perceiue thy perdition and more obdurate then the Diamonde because thou féelest not the weightie béetle of the worde of the Lorde O wreche wrapte in woe tenne thousande folde woorthie to be bewayled with no other teares then those whiche shall lament thy damnation saying If thou knewest the contentment the quiet the peace and riches that God in this life hath offered vnto thée which nowe are thus shut and kept from thée O wretched was the dismall day of thy natiuitie but muche more miserable shall bee the day of thy death which shall be the verie doore and first steppe to thy damnation Howe muche better had it beene if thou haddest neuer béene borne then to bee tormented for euer Howe muche better had it béene for thée neuer to haue béene baptised nor to haue knowne the fayth sithe there they serue thée to none other ende but to make thy faulte more gréeuous for if the reache of reason bee sufficient to cause the guilt of the Philosophers to be inexcusable for that they knowing God in a sort did not glorifie him as the Apostle saith Howe muche lesse can he excuse himselfe whosoeuer hée be hauing receiued the light of faith and the water of Baptisme and yearely receiueth the holy Communion and euery day heareth his doctrine doth nothing that belongeth therevnto as the Philosophers themselues haue shewed to haue done in their liues But what shall we inferre of all that we haue said before if not to conclude briefly that there is no other fence no other wisedome no other counsell in the worlde but to reiect all the lettes and intricate cares of this life and to pursue that onely pathe where is obteyned sure peace and eternall blisse To this reason doth inuite vs iustice lawe heauen earth hell life death and the mercy of God To this the holy Ghost doth enioyne vs by the mouth of Ecclasiastick saying My sonne employ the flourishing yeres of thy youth to discipline that in thy age thou maist sucke the swéete sappe of sapience as he which tilleth and soweth expecteth with patience the commoditie that groweth thereof Thy griefe smart shal be very slender and soone shalt haue a plentifull haruest My sonne harken to my words and despise not the aduise I giue thée put voluntarily thy féete into the fetters that prudence hath prepared and thy neck into her yoke bowe downe thy shoulders and take her bonds vpon thée and let it not gréeue thée to bee tyed therewith Couple thy selfe to her with all thy heart with al thy forces and with all thy might Follow her footesteppes search her diligently and thou shalt find her and when thou hast found her léese her not againe in any condition For she shal giue comfort to thy crooked age and that which earst séemed sowre and tedious vnto thée shall become swéete and delectable and her fetters shall bee the foundation of vertue and her chaines the iewels of glorie For in that happie life her bondes are the bulwarkes of health Thus much saith Ecclesiastick by which wordes hée notifieth vnto vs the great beautie the delights the liberbertie and riches of true wisdom which is vertue it selfe and the knowledge of God of which we héere treate But if this be not suffient to mollifie thy stonie heart lift vp thy eyes and looke not to the water of the world which fléeteth quickly but beholde that Lord who dying vpon the Crosse and sharpely satisfying for that whiche thy sinnes deserued Where he standeth in that forme as thou seest with his féete fastened to stay for thée and with his armes stretcht abroad to receiue thée and with his head declining to giue thée at thy comming as to the prodigall sonne the swéet kisse of reconciliation There he calleth to thée if thou hast the grace to heare him with so many cryes as he hath woundes in all his bodie Imagine with thy selfe that thou hearest his wordes in thy heart sounding in this sort Turne vnto me turne vnto me O Samaritane turne vnto me for I will receiue thée Thou knowest well that thou hast committed adultery with all those louers thou lustest after yet for all this turne vnto me and I will pardon thée turne vnto me I say for I am thy father thy God thy Creator thy Sauior thy faithfull friend thy onely benefactor thy full and perfect felicitie thy finall ende In me thou shalt find rest ioy peace health truth wisedome and all treasures In mée thou shalt finde the flowing vaine of the liuely water which chasest thirst away and lifteth vp a man to life eternall In me thou shalt stand like vnto the trée planted by the riuers side