If it please thee viewe the bodies of them who are departed out of this life and thou shalt finde nothing in them besides ashes wormes stinke lothsomnes What thou art novve they sometimes were what they are nowe thou shortly must be they were mē as thou art now they did eate drink as thou doost They spent theyr dayes in wealth suddainly went down to the graue See how the fleshe nourished in delights now beeing meate for wormes lyeth in the graue how the vnhappy soule descendeth that it may be fuell for the infernall fire without any hope that euer the torments and punishments shall haue end VVhat shall thē theyr vaine glory profit them in what steede shall then the power of thys vvorlde stand thē what shal then their carnall delights couetousnes of riches help them where are then their merry disports where is then their boasting presumptiō of false ioy O into hovve grieuous miseries are they fallē after a short pleasure frō a counterfet mirth they are fallen into assured misery eternall torment What hapned vnto thē may also happen vnto thee for thou art both a man compounded of the same dust ashes that they were framed of man of earth slime of slime and after death thou shalt bee turned into dust ashes neyther knowest thou where whē or how Wherfore seeing that death waiteth for thee in euery place if thou beest wise expect him in like manner at all times and in euery place Let the louers of this worlde remember sayth Isidore how short the felicitie of this world is how barren slender the glory of it is and howe weake and fraile the power is Tell me if thou canst where are the Kinges Princes Emperors of ancient times vvhere are the rich and mighty men of this vvorld They are all passed away as a shadow vanished as smoake and if a man seeke for them hee shall not finde them VVhat if wee say that manie of those Kings Princes Emperours thought that they shoulde alwayes conquer and neuer die O blinde and ignorant beholde it is not so beholde the matter is fallen out quite otherwise they are dead as other men are theyr lyfes haue fayled them as the lyfes of other Princes that liued and ruled before them What the estate of man is after death Saint Bernard dooth very well teach VVhat saith hee is more stinking then a carkasse what is more horrible then a dead man He that was of a beautifull coūtenance and comely stature whilst hee liued after death lyeth with a gastly and fearefull face for vvormes putrefaction horror follow a dead man Which thing seeing it is so vvhat doe riches delicacies and honours profit Riches doe not deliuer from death nor delicacies frō wormes nor honours from corruption And Saint Chrysostome sayth Hast thou not seene manie that haue dyed amidst theyr delights euen in their drunkennesse in other fonde pleasures of thys lyfe Where are they now that not long since ridd through the streets brauely mounted swelled with pride richly attired in silkes garded with attendants and seruitours smelling of perfumes oyntments and spices fawned vppon with flatterers and parasites where is now all their pompe and vaine toyes gone Where are nowe theyr large costly banquets theyr immoderate laughters theyr ease and idlenes theyr effeminate luxurious and riotous lifes All is gone What is become of their bodies that ere vvhile vvere vvayted vppon vvith so great troupes and were kept so neate and finicall Behold they are gone downe into the graue Contemplat the dust ashes worms the beauty of that pulchritude aud thou wilt sigh bitterly Behold with diligence and pry narrowly into each of their monuments serch their graues and Sepulchers tosse turne ouer theyr bones and ashes thou shalt finde nothing heere but ashes nothing besides the reliques of worms which haue eaten their bodies and see what is the end of them albeit they liued in this world in delights and glory I pray God that thou mayst diligently consider of these things and that they may neuer slip out of thy memory But ô greefe the vnhappy sonnes of Adam neglecting true and wholsom studies and endeuours doe seeke for and hunt after vaine and transitory pleasures If therefore ô my brother thou wilt alwayes in thine hart meditate of these things and consider the misery and vildnes of this life thou wilt be humbled and wilt detest pride seeing that thou art not ignorant that pride is the badge and cognisance by which the children of the deuill are knowne For he is as holy Iob saith the King ouer all the children of pride Gregory confirmeth this Pride saith he is a most euident token of reprobates but contrarily humility is a badge of the elect Seeing therfore that euery one is knowne by that he hath hee is easily found vnder vvhat King he warreth For euerie one carrieth as it were a certain title of his labour whereby hee euidently sheweth vnder whō he serueth that is whether vnder Christ or the deuill O cursed pride hated of GOD and men This tumbled Lucifer headlong out of heauen banished Adam out of Paradice drowned Pharaoh with his Army in the red Sea depriued Saul of his kingdome transformed Nabuchodonozer into a beast and destroyed Antiochus with a most horrible and hideous death The second Meditation for Tuesday of sin and what discommodities come by it HE that committeth sinne saith the beloued Disciple of Christ is of the deuill for the deuill sinneth from the beginning for this purpose appeared the Sonne of God that hee might loose the works of the deuill Sinne is so heauy a burthen that neyther heauen nor earth can beare it but with the Author and worker of it it descendeth into hell Euery word deed and thought contrary to the lawe of God according to Saint Augustine is sinne which ought none otherwise thē hell to be eschewed of all them who aspire to the heauenly kingdome and that for three causes the first of which is because it displeaseth God the second because it pleaseth the deuill the third because it is hurtfull and bringeth many discommodities to man First I say thou oughtest to eschew sinne because it exceedingly displeaseth thy Creatour in which place we are to consider what God hath done by reason of sinne No man is ignorant that for sinne God hath destroyed the workes of his owne hands that for sinne he hath cast Angels out of heauen disparadiz'd men and drowned with flood of waters all mankinde as the booke of Genesis vvitnesseth Other Kings and Emperours that they may reuenge the iniury done vnto them of theyr enemies doe spoyle and wast their Countries Dominions but God subuerted and destroyed his owne kingdome because sinne had entred into it Neyther doth God only hate sinne but all that which by any manner of way pertaineth vnto sin Men although the vvine hath lost his vertue
doe not therfore cast away the siluer bowles in which the wine is but reseruing them they poure out the wine but God not onely casteth out sinne but also together with sinne hurleth downe headlong into the deepest Ocean of hel the vessels in which it is which are creatures reasonable soules made according to his owne image and redeemed with his precious blood Wherupon the wiseman saith Vngodlines and an vngodly man are alike hated of God That most patient man Iob sayth Thou doest visite me euery morning and triest me euery moment Therefore in vvhat should I hope or wherin should I trust but in the mere mercy of God and in the affiance of celestiall grace For bee it that I dwell amongst honest men be it that I conuerse and dyet with religious deuoute and faythfull friends be it that I reade holy Bookes godly Treatises and sing heauenly Himnes yet they little or rather nothing at all profit mee if the fauour of GOD forsake mee and leaue me to my nakednes and necessity Therefore there is none other remedy but to embrace patience to deny my selfe and vvholy to yeelde vp and offer my selfe vnto the deuine will and pleasure There was neuer any man so religeous who did not sometimes feele himselfe depriued of diuine consolation and that hee wanted the zeale and feruour of the spirit There neyther is nor hath at any time been any Saint vvhom temptation hath not sometimes taken holde of Certainely hee is not woorthy of that high and sublime contemplation of GOD vvho before hath not for the loue of GOD been exercised in sundrie and manifolde tribulations Almost alvvayes the praecedent temptation is vvoont to bee a token that comforte is at the doores VVherefore heauenlie consolation is promised vnto them that are approoued and tried vvith temptations which the Scripture affirmeth when it is said To him that ouercommeth will I giue to eat of the tree of life which is in the middes of the Paradice of God Wherefore God hath not eyther in heauen or vpon the earth so deere and faithfull a familier friend whō he deadly hateth not if he finde deadly sinne in him Wherfore albeit Christ loued Saint Peter entirely yet he had condemned him if he had died in that sin when thrice he denied his lord and Maister Secondly Gods hatred to sin heereby also appeareth that he would haue his onely begotten Sonne dye for the sinnes of men as Esay testifieth saying For the transgression of my people haue I strucken and plagued him And certainly the Sonne of God himselfe that he might destroy sinne deliuered his owne soule into the hands of death as the same Prophet sayth Who was euer found boyling with so great wrath against his enemies who that he might destroy them slewe his onely Sonne Thirdly Gods detestation to sinne is heereby also gathered that he hath persecuted it euen from the beginning of the world to the end not in one place but wheresoeuer he found it He found it in heauen and thence he banished it when he saw it remaining vppon the earth he came in his owne person that hee might expell it thence and at the last in the finall iudgement he vvill confine include sinne within the limits and bonds of hell as in his naturall place as the Prophet testifieth saying And he will cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the Sea Fourthly how greatly sinne displeaseth God this similitude argueth vvithout all doubt that fault is very odious and abhominable that causeth a Mother to cast her beloued Sonne into a burning furnace and not once to assay to take him thence againe so certainly there must needes be some great matter in it and exceedingly odious vnto God for which hee should cast his children into eternall flames if hee finde sinne in them vvhom notwithstanding hee so loued that hee refused not to dye for them Thou seest heere ô sinfull soule how odious and abhominable all sin is vnto God Wherefore if thou desirest to please God it is necessary that thou keepe thy selfe free and clean from sinne so that it possesse not the least place in thee For shee shall be accounted a very vnfaythfull woman who admitteth into her bed an other man besides her husband but especially if shee admitte one that is his enemy and of whom hee is to expect many discommodities and iniuries so also vnfaithfull is that soule vvhich of purpose and vvillingly giueth place vnto sinne vvhich Christ our Redeemer the true spouse of our souls hateth so deadly which wrought him so many discōmodities so many losses so many torments and for vvhich he vvas hanged naked vpon the Crosse. Wherfore heere it pleaseth and liketh mee vvell to imitate that regall Prophet and svveete singer of Israell and saye Create in me a cleane hart ô God and renue a right spirit within mee VVee sayd that the second reason why sinne was to be eschewed is because it maketh merry our auntient enemy the deuill vvhich is gathered by three signes and tokens The first is because hee seeketh for nothing in the whole world so industriously he hunteth not after gold nor siluer nor precious stones but after soules as it is figured in Genesis where the King of Sodome sayth in the person of the deuill Giue mee the soules and take the goods to thy selfe Saint Gregory affirmeth the same thing Perswade thy selfe that the deuill seeketh for none other thing then to deceaue and destroy soules for as an Hawke desireth nothing so much as the hart of that bird which he pursueth so the deuill desireth nothing so much as the soule of a sinner The second signe whereby we know that the deuill doth loue sin is the continuall temptation by which he impugneth and molesteth men neyther is euer wearied in solliciting man vnto sinne For there are almost nowe past sixe thousand yeares in all which time hee hath onely applied himselfe to this study that he might sinne and make man to sinne neyther is he tyred yea hee daily findeth and inuenteth nevve kinds of sinne hee is still nimbler and busier in his endeuors and temptations daily bringeth men into new errours as wee see in the booke of Iob. For when as God asked him whence he came he aunswered From compassing the earth to and fro and from walking in it Hee is so busied in preferring sinne that he hath not time to take any rest as Iob testifieth They that pierce me through saith he doe not sleepe The third signe that sinne pleaseth the deuill is that hee can neuer be satisfied with sin For although infinit thousands of men haue descended to hell for their impiety and pollution of sinne of whom the deuill is the ringleader yet he is not satisfied but alwayes hungerly Like a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom hee may deuoure as Saint Peter testifieth in his first Epistle generall He so hungreth and
might bring forth repentance and repenting might possesse with al the Saints glorie and celestiall beatitude to the which shee was made and created But to this there is no other way then that of which the Prophet speaketh This is the way walke yee in it neyther shall yee decline to the right hand nor to the left Therefore it is needfull for a Christian man that is vvilling after thys wretched life to goe to his desired home besides prayers and common exercises to vse also diligēce that his hart may bee lifted vp vnto God not onely in euery place but also that at all times and in all businesses hee may carrie about with him cogitations seriously imployed about religious godly contemplations As a Bee delighted vvith the beautie of colours and sweetnes of odours doth take somewhat from euery flower and dooth carry it to her hiue to make honey of it so it is requisite that the seruant of God should take of all things created which are presented vnto his minde as it were certaine spurrs pricking forwards vnto deuotion and to the loue of God meditating on them in his hart with great delight with out intermission By this endeuour at the length vvee shall bring it to passe that vppon the alter of our harts there shall alvvayes burne the fire of diuine loue wee beeing alwayes busied in godly prayers and deuout meditations Therefore in the morning as soone as wee awake let vs shut our gates against al earthlie and worldly thoughts that so before all things our Lorde may enter in and haue admittance let vs offer vnto him the first fruites of that day conferring with him let vs doe three things First giue him thanks for the rest hee hath giuen thee that night and that he hath deliuered thee from al perrillous and feareful fantasies and from the snares of thine enemy and for all other benefites of creation preseruation vocation and redemption that he hath called thee to his fayth that hee hath infused into thee good inspyrations that he hath freed thee from all danger that so long a time with so great patience mercy hee hath waited for thy repentance And to be briefe yeelde vnto him most hartie thanks for all blessings whatsoeuer Then offer vnto him whatsoeuer that day thou shalt eyther doe or suffer all thy lalabours all thy stepps all thine exercises and briefely all that which thou art to doe or to be imployed in that day Offer vnto him in like manner thy selfe with all thine that al may redound to his glorie that hee may haue a hand in all and dispose of all as it shall please his most holy will none otherwise then if they were his owne businesses Thirdly desire his fauour grace that thou mayst not cōmitt any thing that day that shall be contrarie to his diuine maiestie Beseech him that he vvoulde ayde thee against all sinnes and especially against those which customarily thou art most inclined to as are anger vaine glory dissolutnes in wordes and such like arming thy selfe with a firme resolution against all kind of vices At night before thou goest to bed examine thy selfe with iudgement and call to minde whatsoeuer thou hast that day either done spoken or thought against the diuine will and recall all thy negligences idlenes slothfull heauines about the diuine seruice worship and that so wickedly thou hast forgotten thy Lord God Desire God that hee would pardon all thine errors forgiue all the sinnes which thou hast committed and that hee would bestowe his grace vpon thee that thou mayst correct and amend thy life And when thou layest thy selfe downe in thy bed thinke how thou shalt lie in thy graue cōsider with thy selfe how small a coffin wil cōtaine thy body end all thy meditations with that prayer which Christ himselfe taught his disciples As often as thou awakest in the night say Glory be to the Father and to the Sonne c. Or some such like thing as often as thou hearest the sound of the howre say Blessed be the howre in which our Lorde Iesus Christ was borne and died for vs ô Lorde remember mee in the howre of my death And consider howe thy life is shorter by an hower then it was before and howe by little and little thy web is wouen-vp and ended VVhen thou sittest downe to eate or risest vp from the table alwayes remember the example of our Lorde lift-vp thine hart vnto thy GOD cōsider that it is he that giueth thee meate and drinke vvho hath created all things for thy vse render vnto him thankes for the foode hee sendeth thee and ponder with thy selfe how many men almost perrishe through hunger and vvant then which thine estate is farre happier remember with what ease and safety thou possessest those things which others can hardly compasse with great danger and labour When thou art impugned or molested of the deuill that auntient Tempter the best remedie is if thou runnest vnto the Crosse and beholde hanging vpon it Iesus Christ cruellie scourged crovvned vvith thornes racked vpō the crosse hauing neyther beauty nor cōlinesse riuolets of precious bloode gushing out of his bodie Rembember that the chiefest cause why thy Lord hangeth there is none other then that hee might destroy the kingdome of sinne Beseech and intreate him with great deuotion that hee would not suffer a thing so odious to raigne in thine heart or in thine eyes which he with so great cost labour banished destroyed and say ô my Lord thou hangest heere vpon the crosse that I might not sinne and shall not this be sufficient for mee that I may flie from sinne I beseech thee ô lorde by those thy most holy wounds suffer me not at any time to bee forsaken of thee when I come vnto thee yea ô lord shew vnto mee the best hauen vvhere I may be in most safetie If thou shalt reiect refuse me whether shall I goe what shall I doe what will become of me who shall defend mee ô my lorde helpe mee defend me from that dragon seeing that without thee I can doe nothing If thou shalt feruently thus persist in heartie and earnest prayer the temptations shal be an occasion of a nobler crown and they shall bring it to passe that thy minde shall bee oftner lifted vp to God and the deuil who came with hope of victorie shall beeing vanquished most shamefully flie away Among all these exercises the sighes and gronings of the spirite are most commendable which are tokens of vehement desires by the which the soule beeing preuented of the holie Ghost and wounded vvith the loue of God sigheth groneth and with great feruencie laboureth for the loue of God and so desireth this loue both with great instancie and without intermission This meditation this holy exercise is so profitable that if it be daily done or be vsed at meale times at drinking
times in going or labouring oftentimes is of greater dignity and efficacy then other prolixe exercises or copious prayers This exercise is more profitably done by desires and inward sighings and mournings then by words albeit wordes helpe at al times which a man may now and then vtter after this or such like manner O blessed Iesu ô the sweetnes and delight of my hart ô the life of my soule when shall I please thee in all things and at all times When shall I perfectly dye vnto my selfe Whē shall I preferre thee before all creatures When shall there not liue any other thing in mee besides thy selfe ô Lord Haue mercy vpon me ô Lord and helpe me I salute thy wounds ô Lord as it were fresh flourishing roses hide me ô lord in them and wash mee in them that I may be throghly cleane and inflamed with thy loue O Lord God ô admirable beginning ô the piety of amiable charity ô the dearest light of my vnderstanding ô the rest of my vvill vvhen shall I feruently and ardently loue thee Vouchsafe ô lord to shoote through my soule vvith the dart of thy loue vouchsafe to associate and vnite mee vnto thee that I may bee one vvith thee O my desire ô my hope ô my refreshing and comfort O that my soule were worthy thyne embraces that all the drowsines and luke-warmnes of my soule might be consumed with the fire of thy loue O the soule of my soule ô the life of my life I wholy desire thee and offer my selfe wholy vnto thee wholy to thee that art all in all one to one and only to thee alone O that it had place in me that thou spakest to thy Father O holy Father let them be one as wee are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one I neyther will nor wish any other thing I desire none other thing I entreate none other thing of thee for thou alone art sufficient for me Thou art my father thou art my mother thou art my defender my leader and all my good Thou art wholy louely vvholy delightfull wholy faithfull Who was euer so liberall that would giue him selfe vvho euer loued so tenderly that would deliuer himselfe vnto death for a vile creature Who vvas euer so humble that hath so debased and ecclipsed his Maiesty O Lorde thou despisest no man disdaynest no man reiectest no man that sueth vnto thee yea thou callest and prouokest them to come meete thee for it is thy delight to conuerse with the children of men O Lorde the Angells doe blesse and prayse thee what other thing hast thou found in vs but pollutions and blemishes of sin Wherefore wouldest thou be with vs to the end of the vvorld Was it not enough for thee that thou sufferedst for vs but that thou must leaue thy Sacraments for a medicine vnto vs and thy Angells for our companions and protectours And albeit we be vnthankfull for so great benefites yet thou wouldest dwell among vs for thou art so good and gracious that thou canst not deny thy selfe Therfore ô Lord let vs make if so it please thee a league couenant take thou charge of me and I will take charge of thee Doe with me ô Lord as it pleaseth thee for thou knowest what I want and what is meete for mee I will be thine and no others Giue me grace ô Lord that I may not seeke nor desire any thing but thee and that I may wholy offer yeeld vp my selfe vnto thee O sire that enlightenest me ô charity that inflamest me ô light illuminating me ô my rest ô my life ô my loue who alwayes burnest and neuer art extinguished vvhen shall I perfectly loue thee When shall I embrace thee with the naked arms of my soule Whē shall I despise my selfe and the whole vvorld for the loue of thee When shall my soule with al her powers strength bee vnited vnto thee When shall I be swallowed vp in the bottomles depth of thy loue O thou most sweete most louing most beautifull most wise most rich most noble most precious and most worthy to be loued and worshipped when shall I so loue thee that I may lie drowned wholy in thy loue O the life of my soule who didst vndergoe the burthen of death that thou mightest reuiue me and dying didst kill death kill ô Lord me also that is slay all my peruerse inclinations to euill my will also and whatsoeuer hindereth whereby thou mayst not liue with mee But after that thou hast thus killed me make me to liue with thee by loue and a true faith that I may faithfully obserue all thy commaundements and the precepts of my superiours and that I may only prosecute follow those things that are of the spirit O most bountifull and gracious Iesu giue me a perfect hatred and loathing of sinne and a perfect cōuersion of hart vnto thee that all my thoughts and all my desires may be busied and conuersant in thee alone and about thee alone O life vvithout which I dye ô truth without which I am deceaued ô way without which I goe astray ô saluation without which I perrish ô light without which I walk in darknes Doe not ô Lord doe not suffer that at any time I should be plucked away from thee for in thee alone I liue without thee I dye in thee I am safe and without thee I perish in thee I am some body but without thee I am no body As I shall more manifestly declare in the sequent considerations which shall be vnto mee as a most cleare glasse which I looking into with open stedfast and constant eies shall see both the magnitude and multitude of my miseries A SPIRITVA'L and heauenly Exercise deuided into seauen pithy and briefe Meditations for euery day in the weeke one The first Meditation for Monday of the miserie in which man is created THE Prophet Ieremy deploring the misery of his own condition saith How is it that I cam forth of the wombe to see labour and sorrow that my dayes should be consumed with shame If the Prophet sanctified in his mothers vvombe so lamentablie spake of himselfe what shall I miserable and vvretched man say conceaued and borne of my Mother in sinne Hugo de S. Victore doth very well counsaile vs ô man sayth he learne to know thy selfe Thou art better if thou knowest thy self then if neglecting thy self thou knevvest the motions of the starres the vertue of hearbs the complexions of men and the natures of al heauenly earthly creatures For many men know many things and know not themselues vvhen as the knowledge of our selues is the chiefest Philosophy Consider therefore ô man vvhat thou wast before thou wert born what thou art now thou art borne vntill thou returne to dust and what thou shalt be after death Before thou wast borne wast thou any other thing but an impure and vncleane matter conceaued
maketh a man the child seruant of the deuil hence is that of Iohn He that committeth sin is of the deuill And our Lord saith in the Gospell Yee are of your father the deuill Therfore ô thou sinner howe vnhappy art thou that feelest so great losses and dammages take pitty therefore on thine owne soule and doe not burden and loade it with sinnes These things being thus remember ô man and acknovvledge these three mayne and huge mischiefes which sinne bringeth vnto thee that is the offending of God the reioycing of the deuill and infernall torments Consider furthermore the noblenes of thy soul and hovve daungerous thy wounds be which could not be healed but onely by the blood and woundes of the Sonne of God Vnlesse the wounds of thy soule had been euerlastingly mortall and deadly the Son of God had not died for them Therefore doe not sleightly prize or lightly weigh the concupiscences of thy soule which that same supreame Maiesty of God did so greatly and highly account of Hee aboundantly poured out teares for thee euery night wash thou thy bed with teares water thy couch with continuall contrition He shed his blood for thee shed also thine by the daily affliction of thine hart and continuall tribulation of thy spirit Doe not regard what thy body desireth but respect vvhat thy soule willeth for Saint Gregory sayth where the body liueth a while in delights there the soule is tortured with perpetuall torments And by how much the body is afflicted in this life by so much the spirit reioyceth in the other Therefore Saint Augustine admonisheth vs very well Let vs denie our owne vvills for Iesus Christ for they must once be forsaken neither doth it please God that for temporall things we should loose eternall blessings If thou wast permitted certayne yeares to liue in the delights of this flesh with this cōdition that afterwards thine eyes should be plucked out or that thou being depriued of all delicates shouldest most miserably perrish through hunger and thirst and wretchedly contend with famine affliction misery I perswade my self that thou wouldest neuer wish for such manner of delicats What I pray thee is this life In truth it is not the space of one moneth vvhat doe I say of a moneth Nay it is not the space of one houre not of a minute no not of a moment if it bee compared to that eternall beatitude or to those torments of hell vvhich haue none ende and lyke which none can bee thought of The third Meditation for Wednesday howe dangerous it is to deferre repentance OVR Redeemer inuiting vs all vnto repentance sayth If any man will follow mee let him forsake himselfe and take vp his Crosse and follow mee for whosoeuer vvill saue his lyfe shall loose it It is necessary that all sinners doe take vp thys Crosse and carry it with perseuerance if they desire to raigne with Christ Iesus Wherefore Saint Hierome writing to Susanna saith that repentance ought to be equall or greater then the sinnes That repentance is necessary sayth hee which may either equalize the faults or exceede them And Saint Augustine saith Whosoeuer will be saued it is necesary that hee be washed at the least with the teares of the contrition of his hart being cleansed before by baptisme from all those blemishes and pollutions which sinne had spotted and soyled him withall But if thou shalt say that this is a hard saying and that thou canst not forsake the world nor hate thy flesh nor chastice thy body heare what is sayd not of mee but of Saint Hierome It is a difficult thing nay it is impossible that any one should enioy both present and future blessings that hee should fill his belly heere and his soule there that from delicacies he should passe vnto delightes that in both worlds he should be graced carry his head aloft and that hee should appeare glorious both in heauen in earth Which sentence Saint Gregory confirmeth Many saith he doe desire to flye out of the exile of this present life vnto celestiall ioy who in the meane time will not forsake the pleasures of this world The grace of Christ Iesus doth call them but the concupiscence of the world doth detaine thē They desire to dye the death of the righteous but they wil not liue as they doe such shall euerlastingly perrish because theyr works shal follow them The austerity of holy Iohn Baptists life sayth Saint Bernard is a hard sentence of death vnto sinners who when there arose not a greater then hee among those that are born of women did so chastice correct and afflict his most innocent body and yee hast to be clothed with silke fine linnen and purple and to fare deliciously O wicked man this is not the Kings high vvay vnto heauen Remember the rich glutton who vvas the Lorde of such great wealth who was cloathed in purple and fine linnen fared wel delicatly euery day who afterwards could not haue one smal drop of water to coole his tong beeing tormented in the midst of the flames of hel Cōsider this ô my frend repent whilst thou hast time Heare what Saint Gregory saith Although God promiseth pardō vnto the penitent yet he hath not promised to morrow vnto a sinner It is repentance to deplore sins past not to cōmit any hereafter Therfore it is very well sayde of S. Augustine Vaine is that repētance which the future fault doth pollute lamentations do nothing profit if sins be multiplied it nothing auaileth to craue pardon for euils if eftsoons thou renuest reiteratest thy follies We must note for the further manifestation of this matter that true repentance doth cōsist of three parts which are contrition of hart cōfession of mouth satisfaction of deed For we haue offended God three maner of vvayes by delight of thought by lapse of tong and by pride of works and these three are to be cured by three contrarie remedies delight of thought by the sorrow and contrition of hart the lapse of the tongue by the confession of the mouth and the pride of workes by vpright and vncorupted satisfaction Of these three parts therefore wee will speake and first of contrition which is a voluntary greefe taken for sinne committed with a purpose of confession satisfaction and heereafter not to sinne any more Contrition must haue foure degrees according to Bernard Furthermore know saith he that thou hast wholy recouered thy wits and sences if thou feelest thy conscience to be bitten with a fourefold compunction with a double shamfastnes and with a double feare Therfore in thy plangors and lamentations for thy selfe think of God thy maker think of thy father think of him who is bountiful gracious think of thy Lord and knowe that thou art guilty in each respect deplore and lament each offence thy feare doth make aunswer to the first and last thy
who hauing but a little oyle and exercising mercy filled all her empty vessels the oyle was so multiplied that shee had enough to pay her debts and to satisfie all her creditors These empty vessels are the poore whom we must bring into our houses according to that saying of Esay Deale thy bread to the hungry bring the poore that wander home to thyne house when thou seest the naked couer him and hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh Like vnto thys is the counsell of Tobias saying vnto his sonne Giue almes of thy substance and when thou giuest almes let not thine eye bee enuious neyther turne thy face from any poore least God turne his face from thee Giue almes according to thy substance if thou haue but a little bee not afraid to giue a little almes And so a little of thys oyle of mercie shall more and more abound beeing increased with the augmentation of grace Furthermore almes multiplyeth our temporall goods as Gregory testifieth saying vve loose earthly thinges by keeping them and preserue them by giuing them away And in another place vvhatsoeuer is giuen to the poore if it be well considered is not a gift but a lone because that which is gyuē is receiued again without all hazard or aduenture with aduantage as for example where the widdowes oyle and meale is increased who nourished Elias wherby it is manifest that the poore doe rather feede thē that giue almes then are fedde of them Thyrdly because almes is a worke of mercie which vvayteth vpon the soule to heauen as S. Ambrose testifieth who sayth They are not the goods of man which he cannot carry with him Onely mercy is a cōpanion of the dead O how good and necessary a companion is almes for the deade Therefore do not despise such a cōpanion which like an Aduocate goeth before thee and not followeth after as those wretches do contemne it who will not extend their almes in theyr life time beeing not vnlike to them that cause light to be carrryed behind them whō the Wise-man reprehendeth saying Say not vnto thy neighbour Goe and come againe and to morrow will I giue thee if thou now haue it Hee that is rich ought to cōsider three things in giuing his almes the first of the which is that it is God that requireth the almes that he will haue that mercy in the same account as if it were done to himselfe according to that vvhich Christ sayth in the Gospell That which yee haue doone vnto one of the least of these my bretheren yee haue doone it vnto mee GOD dooth begge of the rich money for the poore of whom the rich daily desire the kingdom of heauen He therfore that denyeth almes to the poore God requiring it it is greatly to be feared least God in lyke manner denie vnto him the kingdome of heauen and that he will not heare him whē he cryeth according to that of Salomon in his Prouerbs Hee that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore he shall also cry and not bee heard The second thing that a rich man ought to thinke of beeing about to giue almes is that almightie GOD dooth require that for the poore which is his owne seeing that hee is the Lorde of all those thinges which wee possesse therefore hee is without doubt most ingratefull that denyeth necessarie almes vnto the poore Dauid was farre of from thys ingratitude when he said Might and power and glorie and victorie and prayse ô Lord are thine For all things that are in heauen and in earth are thine Thine is thy kingdome O Lorde and thou art aboue all Princes Riches and honour are thine All thinges are thine and wee giue vnto thee that which wee haue receiued at thine hands And thys cogitation ought the more to mooue vs vnto almes because GOD receyueth what we giue and dooth repay vs not onely our principall but an hundred fold This is that which Saint Augustine saith If thou wilt bee a good Merchant and a gainefull Vsurer gyue that vvhich thou canst not keepe that thou mayst receiue what thou canst not loose Gyue a little that thou mayst receiue an hundred folde giue a temporall fading possession that thou maist receiue an euerlasting inhearitance Therfore he is not onely ingratefull but also madde who dooth not giue vnto God his reuenues that he may receiue them againe with so great interest when as both the Iewes the Ethnicks and the Moores willingly doe it Wherfore my deere Brother repent and gather and lay vp the treasuries of mercy in a safe place in celestiall securitie and not among earthly dangers Consider that the hart of a couetous man is a pytte vvithout a bottome the more it receiueth the more it desireth neyther is at any time satisfied as the Wiseman sayth A couetous man is not satisfied with money Woe be vnto them that lay vp their treasures in the earth for theyr hearts are afflicted because they cannot enioy theyr riches and they keepe them with danger and will they nill they they must at the last part from them and suffer punishment in hell Lay vp thy treasure my deer and good brother in thine own Countrey which is Heauen where thou shalt liue alwayes and neuer haue hope to enioy these which are to bee left in the earth perswade thy selfe that those are thy goods which thou hast layde out bestowed on the poore for those are not properly thy goods which thou canst not carry with thee Heare what S. Ambrose saith Nothing dooth so much commend a Christian as commiseration and charity And saint Ierome sayth I doe not remēber that I haue read that any one dyed an euill death vvho willingly exercised the workes of charity For they haue the prayers of many and it is impossible but that theyr prayers shoulde bee heard And Leo commending this vertue saith Hee shall receiue many great blessings at Gods hands who letteth not the poore depart from him without comfort Mercy is of so great vertue that without it others doe not any whitte profit Bee it that thou art faithful sober chast adorned with vvorthier titles yet if thou beest not mercifull thou shalt finde no mercy And this may bee enough to moue the mindes of men that they may readily cheerfully take vpon thē this third part of repentance which is Satis-faction Of this repentance that we may return to our purpose our Sauiour sayth He that taketh not vp his crosse followeth me is not worthy of me Which if it be true we are to performe our repentance as speedily as may be yea in our youth for then it is more profitable vnto vs more acceptable to God as the wise man teacheth saying Remember thy creator in the daies of thy youth whiles the euill daies come not nor the yeeres approch wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in thē My son
company and euil society For a man becomes such a one as the company he keepeth The Wolfe dooth neuer dwel with the lamb a chast man doth flie the company of the luxurious I think it impossible that a man shoulde long cōtinue honest who daily vseth the societie of wicked mē With the holy thou shalt be holy sayth the Psalmist with the innocent thou shalt be innocent and with the frowarde thou shalt learne frowardnes For as euill companie hurteth so good company profiteth Nothing can bee compared to thys treasure He that findeth good society findeth life and aboundeth with wealth I speake truly and confidently a man is made verie sildome eyther good or euill but through company society The hart of a chyld is said to bee as a Table in which nothing is paynted Therefore that he receiueth from company hee keepeth till his old age whether it bee good or euill These things spake S. Ierome beeing ready to yeelde vp the ghost Therfore seeing that the worlde is so euill wee ought to eschewe and auoyde it as an ill neighbour who can worke vs great mischiefe by hys neighbourhoode and vicinitie and hurte vs very much by sinnes and sinners of vvhich it is full The second cause vvhy the worlde is to be eschewed is because vvise and considerate men doe auoyde those places in which they feare the intrappings and snares of theyr enemies least they fall into theyr hands and thys is the revvard that the world rendereth vnto her louers that shee at the length deliuereth thē into the hands of the deuils theyr deadly enemies The wordes of the the traytour Iudas are to be referred hether saying to them to whom hee sold and betrayed the Sonne of God Whomsoeuer I shall kisse and say peace be vnto thee that is he lay hold on him VVhich vvordes the world saith also to the deuils to vvhomsoeuer I shall gyue the kisse of peace of riches of pleasures and honors lay holde on him binde him hand foote and cast him into hell Wherfore S. Gregory saith not without good cause It is a manifest signe of perdition whē the effect and euent dooth fauour affected iniquitie and no contrarietie dooth hinder what the peruerse minde hath cōceiued And Saint Ierome sayth It is a manifest token of damnation to bee loued of the vvorld to enioy prosperity to haue all things what the vvill desireth Certaine therefore it is that they are exceedingly deceiued in finding out the way to felicitie who thinke that they may enter into glory and into the kingdome of heauen by riches and pleasures The third cause why vvee ought to eschew the worlde is this because wise wary men doe flie auoyde dangerous places such as the sea is wherin we saile with feare Whervpon the Wise-man saith They that saile ouer the sea doe tell of the dangers of it Dauid certifieth vs that thys world is a great spacious sea in which the greater parte of the marriners perrish Thys is manifest because as Bernard saith many do miscarry in it and fewe are saued The worlde is as an Ocean in which of foure shyps scarcelie one is saued as the Deluge in vvhich so many thousand men were drowned and so fewe escaped and as the Fornace of Babylon kindled with hell fire in which a man is sette on a light flame with one word of the fire of vvrath in vvhich luxury dooth burne and couetousnes is inflamed by the onely looke and aspect The fourth cause vvhy we ought to forsake the world is because euery man that is wise beeing admonished ought to eschew that place in which his mortal deadly enemy dwelleth Thys place is the vvorld which the deuill our capitall enemie inhabiteth hee hath his signory and dominion in thys world who alwayes threatneth destruction vnto vs and thyrsteth for our deathes Therfore let vs flye from the worlde as from the deuill according to the counsell of the VViseman Keep thee far from the man that hath power to slay These reasons thus beeing sette before our eyes let vs bee wise for we see manifestly by these things which haue beene spoken that the world cannot be better ouercome by any other way then by flying from it VVee haue an example of thys in the life 's of the Fathers of Achrimus who being Emperour standing in his pallace prayed thus vnto GOD. Lord I desire thee shewe vnto me the way of saluation And behold hee heard a voyce saying vnto him Achrimus auoyde the concourse and solemnities of the worlde entangle not thy selfe in the snares of humaine vanities thou shalt be safe At the hearing of which voyce hee betooke himselfe foorth-with to a strict solitarie course of lyfe And saying an other time the same prayer he hearde a voyce saying Fly ouercome bee silent at rest And surely these be the rootes and the grounds not to sinne For by flying the cōcupiscence of the flesh is ouercome by being silent the pride of lyfe and by beeing of a peaceable and quiet mind couetousnesse greedines of gaine are subdued and ouerthrowne Saint Isidore admonishing vs that wee shoulde contemne the world sayth If thou desirest to lyue quietly couet nothing that is in this world cast frō thee what-soeuer may hinder thy holy purpose Be dead to the world and therefore being deade doe not thyrst after glory and thou shalt lyue in tranquilitie and rest being cōtent with thine owne Despise that in thy life which thou canst not keepe in thy death S. Augustine speaketh thus of this deceitfull world This life is a miserable life a fraile life an vncertaine life a painefull life an impure lyfe a lyfe Lady of enormities Queen of pride ful of miseries errors which is not to be called a life but a death in which wee die dailie through sundry defections of mutability and by manifolde kinds of death A brickle lyfe an incōstant life which the faster it goeth on the nerer it approcheth to death a deceitfull and vnsteady life full of the snares of death Although it be replenished with these and other greeuances sorrowes and inconueniences yet ô greefe howe many dooth it ensnare with vanities and howe many are deceiued with false and deceitfull promises And albeit of it selfe it is so false and bitter that it cannot cōceale these incōueniences from her blinde louers yet it maketh drunk an infinite multitude of fooles with the golden cup which she beareth in her hand As they are happy so are they rare that refuse her familiarity that despise her perfunctory ioyes that contemne her society least with this perishing deceiuer they bee also forced to perrish This sayth he Beholde sayth Bernard the worlde cryeth I shall fayle thee and the flesh crieth I shal infect thee which then ô miserable sinner vvilt thou follow the failing world or the infecting flesh Both of them are euill therefore followe Christ who
enter in with Iesus Christ and enioy all the blessings of his glory Chastice novve thy body vvith repentance that thou mayst then finde most firme assurance O howe happy prudent is that man who laboureth nowe to be such an one as hee will desire to be in that doubtfull and dreadful houre of death Therfore now contend with all thy might to bee such an one for thou knowest not when thou shalt die neither what wil happen vnto thee after death Doe not relie eyther vppon thy friendes or thy children for they will forgette thee sooner then thou thinkest and vnlesse now thou disposest of all thinges who can or will heereafter dispose of them for thee Be carefull and prouident for it is better to foresee and preuent that day with good preparation then to looke for helpe and ayde of another Therfore gather now immortall goods giue almes in thys life make those holy and blessed ones thy friends that when thou departest hence they may receaue thee into their euerlasting habitations For that glorious Doctour of the Church Saint Gregory saith that those things are with great diligence to be considered of and those works with many teares to bee meditated vppon which the Iudge of the world shall exact of vs when that houre of death shall come And Saint Bernard sayth O my soule what feare shal there be when all are sent away whose presence was pleasant vnto thee whose sight acceptable and whose neighbourhood so familiar and thou altogether alone enterest into that vnknowne region shalt see those vgly horible monsters flocking to meete thee Who wil succour thee in a day of so great necessitie Who shall defende thee from those roaring Lyons greedy of theyr pray who shal comfort thee who shal helpe thee who shal conduct thee But happie is that soule which confidentlie and boldly shall speake to her enemies in the gate vvhy standest thou heere thou cruel and bloody beast Thou shalt find nothing deadly in me which shal be entertayned of Angels defended from the rage violence of deuils and shal bee carried into the bosome of Abraham Of death and the way of sinners in an other place also thus speaketh S. Bernard The death of sinners is exceeding euil And heare why it is exceeding euil It is euil in the losse of the worlde vvorse in the seperation of the flesh but worst of al in the double torment of the vvorme and of fire But of al it is exceeding euil because the soule shal bee seperated from the Diuine aspect and with great confusion shal bee for euer depriued of the sight of God Consider my deare brother and marke that no man can eschew death neyther know the houre nor change the time appoynted of God But the death of the righteous is good for they rest from their labours better for the nouelty of the life but best of all for the assurance and security of eternity The seauenth Meditation for Sonday of the ioyes of the blessed in heauen and of the paynes of the damned in hell O Sinfull soule if these earthly thinges seeme vile vnto thee and of no price lift vp thine eyes and beholde heauenlie things consider with great diligence what thinges they be and how great which GOD hath prepared for the Elect. For they be such and so great that as Saint Paul sayth neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neyther hath entred into the hart of man Therefore wee must knowe that the delightes of a blessed lyfe are so many and so great that no Arithmetitian can number them no Geomater can measure thē neyther can any Grammarian Logitian or Rhetoritian expresse them eyther by wordes or reasons Seeing neither eye hath seene theyr greatnes nor eare hath heard of them neyther at any time haue they entered into mans heart There the Saints shall ioy beeing circled and compassed with glorie beholding the Diuine essence aboue them seeing the beauty of the heauens and of all creatures beneath them viewing in thēselues the dignity of their soules and glory of their bodies and to bee briefe hauing about them the societie and fellowshippe of all the Angells and blessed Spyrites Hence it is that Anselmus sayth that there are fourteene partes of that felicity vvhich all the Elect shall perfectlie haue vvhen that generall session is ended seauen of the body and as many of the soule the first of vvhich is beautie for in that lyfe the beautie of the righteous shall bee equall to the beautie of the Sunne vvhich shall bee seauen folde brighter then it novve is VVhere-vppon it is written That the iust shall shyne as the Sunne in the Kingdome of God The second shall bee theyr agilitie which shall bee like vnto that of Angells for they shall bee mooued from heauen to the earth and from the earth to heauen sooner then we can mooue one of our fingers vp and downe VVe may beholde an example of this velocitie in the beames of the Sunne vvhich at the Sunne rysing in the East are in a moment carryed to the VVest that thereby we may consider that it is not impossible which wee speake of this our future swiftnesse and celerity especially seeing that greater velocitie is wont to bee in all thinges liuing thē in those things that are liuelesse The third part of their beatitude is fortitude for whosoeuer shall be accounted woorthy to be numbred vvith the celestiall Cittizens shal excell in strength so that no man shal be able to resist them For theyr fortitude shall be as great as that of Angells with whom they liue in ioy for as theyr glory shall be a like so theyr other gyfts shall bee a like The fourth shall bee free and secure liberty for as nothing can hinder Angels so nothing shall hinder the Saints neyther shal any element whatsoeuer bee able to resist them The fift part of theyr beatitude is health which shall bee vvithout infirmitie Of thys health of the righteous vvhat can bee sayd better then that which the sweete Singer of Israel speaketh saying The health of the righteous is of the Lord. And to whom this sound and true health is giuen of the Lorde what infirmitie can any way touch them or come neere them The sixt gift of beatitude is an ineffable delight which shal make drunke the righteous shal fill them full and wholy replenish them with an vnspeakeable aboundance of inestimable ioy What said I shal fil them ful and wholy repleanish them yea theyr eyes nostrils ears mouth hands throat lunges marrow and theyr very entrailes and all and euey part and member of them shal be filled with such wonderfull sence and feeling of such exceeding incomparable pleasure delight that the whole man shal quaffe of the riuer of Gods pleasure and shall bee made drunke with the plentie of his house so that hee shall stande amazed and bee altogether astonished and those
seeing them in ioy may not onely bee tormented with theyr owne pument but with their blessednes But the iust shal alwayes behold in torments the vniust that hereby their ioyes may alwayes increase because they see the euill from which by mercie they are deliuered and by so much they shall render greater thanks vnto theyr Redeemer by howe much they see themselues deliuered from greater torments Neyther shall thys sight of the reprobates miserable and intollerable punishment anie whit dimme the clearenesse of the blessednes of the righteous because where there shal bee no compassion of misery there without doubt shal be no diminution of the blesseds beatitude What if it be no meruaile if the sight of the damneds torments bee vnto the righteous a cause of greater ioy seeing that in a picture a blacke coloure is layde vnderneath that a white or a redde colour may be seene more manifestly and beare the greater beautie For as I sayde before the ioyes of the righteous shal so much the more increase as they see the paynes of the damned increased from which they haue escaped A saued Father shall not pitty his damned Sonne neyther shal the wife be sorrie for her reprobate husbande The damned shall see till the last iudgement the glory of the righteous not that they shal knowe what it is but onely that they shall vnderstand that it is an inestimable ioy such an vnderstanding shal be vnto them both griefe punishment and enuie but after iudgement for euer they shall bee depriued of this sight which shall bee an exceeding greeuous torment vnto them for they shall alwayes remember that glorie which they before saw and shall think themselues vnworthy to behold so great happinesse Heere also an other question ariseth whether the damned doe see what is doone in thys world To which S. Gregorie aunswereth in his Morrals saying They know not whether theyr children be noble or ignoble As neyther the liuing doe knowe what torments the damned haue They knowe not what they are whō they haue left in this world for the life of their soule is seperated from their body Thirdly it is doubted whether the damned doe wish that all may come into hel to them to which doubt it is answered As the Saints haue perfect loue and charity so the damned doe burne agaynst all with spight and hatred Wherefore as the Saints doe reioyce at anothers good so the damned doe repine at it neyther is there anie thing foūd at which they more greeue then at the glory of the Saints and therfore they wish that all might be damned and they boile with so great enuie that also they enuy the glory of their own parents although lesse then they enuie other mens glory for they knowe that the nearer they are vnto them who are damned that theyr ovvne punishment is so much the more encreased Which albeit they know yet so great is their hatred malice that they had rather suffer great torments with many then smal discruciatements with a few Fourthly it is wont to be demanded whether the damned shal be mindful of those things which they haue done in this life to which S. Bernard answereth affirmatiuely saith that this remēbrance shal more torment thē whilst they remember the euils which they haue committed for which they are nowe afflicted and the good things which they haue omitted by which they might haue purchased the kingdom of heuen Hence it is apparent that there are two kinds of punishment in hel one of losse the other of sence as the Diuines speake Christ remembreth the first when he saith Euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen downe And the latter whē he addeth And shall be cast into the fire Of the punishmēt of sence Gregory speketh saying In hell there shal be intollerable cold vnquenchable fire an immortal worm insufferable stink palpable darknes tormēters with scourges an horible sight of deuils cōfusion of sinners endles desperatiō of any good Therfore the dāned shal be full of all misery affliction griefe for they shal haue tears in their eyes gnashing in their teeth stink in their nosthrils houling in their mouthes mourning in their throats terrors in their ears bonds and manacles vpon their hands feet eternall fire burning all their parts members Wherfore not without cause S. Augustine calleth hel a denne full of all kinde of punishments and miseries For this cause the Prophet sayth Euery one shall bee astonished at his neighbour their countenances shall be blacke with burning And Baruch sayth That theyr faces shall bee pitchy and blacke through the smoake that is in the house The greatnes of the punishments in hel may bee also gathered by the continuall mourning and lamentation vvhich groweth throgh a desire of death which shal not come at them nor nere them wherefore they shal bite their tongues and blaspheme theyr Creatour as Saint Iohn testifieth saying They gnewe their tongues for sorrow blasphemed the God of heauen for their paines and for theyr sores The rigour of theyr torments shal be so great that despising lyfe which all so greatly loue they shal desire death which all men hate and that very earnestly as the same Iohn witnesseth when he sayth In those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to die death shall slee from them What then shal wee doe sayth Chrysostome For there shall be none other thing but mourning trembling and lamentation there all repentance shal be too late helpe shal be wanting punishmēts shal encrease neyther is any comfort or consolation euer to be looked for O what terrors what gripings what wearines and what torments shal afflict them that are boyled in this purgatory No tongue can expresse what punishment it is sayth Chrysostome to bee depriued of the Diuine sight There be some of an absurde iudgement who onelie are glad to thinke that they shall escape hell But I think it a greater torment then hell not to haue attayned so great glorie I doe not thinke that vvee are so much to sorrowe for the paynes of hell as wee are to lament our losse in that wee are fallen from heauen which is a torment in my iudgement aboue all torments Hell and the plagues of hell are intollerable yet if one should say that innumerable hells were to bee suffered hee should say nothing in respect of the losse of that heauenlie glory to be hated of Christ to heare I know you not For it is better to bee pierced thorough vvith infinite thunderbolts then to haue that milde face turned agaynst vs and that peaceable eye disdayning to beholde vs. O let vs neuer suffer this ô thou onely begotten sonne of God and of the blessed Virgine ô let vs neuer haue experience of this irrecuperable losse and intollerable punishment But woe is vnto vs in that wee doe not foresee this imminent