holy Scripture as well in y e old testament as y e new First Esay saith It is I my selfe It is I my selfe that doth blotte out thine iniquities for mine owne loue sake I will not haue thy sins in remembrance For the loue of me saith he not for the loue of thée meaning my goodnesse and mercie not for the loue of thy merits As if he said to all sinners in this sort If thou thinkest y t I pardon thy sins for thy merits sake thou art deceiued wallowest in dispaire no no but for my mercy infinit goodnes I remit forgiue Thou hast no cause to dispaire for y e least part of my mercie excéedeth all thy sinnes In an other place he saith by the same Prophet Turne your selues vnto me all the earth and you shall be saued for I am God and there is none other besides me What is the meaning of these words I am God anie thing els but that God is good mercifull If it be vnpossible but he should be God it is vnpossible but he should be good and mercifull The same Prophet speaketh vnto euerie one of vs sayeng Let the Infidell leaue his waye and the vniust man his thoughts let them turne to the Lord and he will haue pitie vpō him for he is redy to forgiue By his Prophet Ieremy hée saith to the people of Israel that he was wroth for their Idolatrie manie other sinnes neuerthelesse he said Turne Israel thou Rebell vnto me thy Lord and I will not turne my face from thee or as the Hebrew text saith I will not lay mine ire vpon thee for I am saith the Lord holy and gentle and keepe not mine anger foreuer By the Prophet Ezechiel he sath If the euill man repent him of his sinnes and keepe my commaundemants doing righteously he shal liue and not dye neither will I haue his former offences anie more in remembraunce Doe you thinke saith the LORDE that I delight in the death of a sinner nay rather that hee shoulde turne from his wickednesse and liue Repent you then and you shall liue The Prophet Dauid said That from morning till night Israel hoped in the Lord. What doth this signifie but that the faithfull from their natiuitie and birth vntil their verie death haue hope in the Lord. There is mercy in the Lord and great redemption attendeth vpon him In Ioel it is writtē Turne your selues vnto the Lord with all your heart in fasting praieng weeping sorrow tearing your hearts and not your garments so shall you be turned vnto the Lord your God for he is ful of clemencie mercie great grace slowe to ire redie to forgiue or as the Hebrewe text saith such a one as repents him of euill that is to say is loth to execute the punishment vpon sinners which he hath denounced and threatened Micheas the Prophet sayth What God is there like vnto thee which takest awaie iniquities forgiuest sins for the rest of thine heritage sake He keepeth not his ire for euer but of his compassion mercy wil haue pitie vpon vs. He will put out our iniquities and throw all our sins into the bottome of the sea What sinner is ther that hearing these wordes hath so heauie a heart as to dispaire séeing that God is more readie to forgiue then the sinner to aske forgiuenesse Now let vs come to the new Testament to trie if there be not testimonies to the same effect The sonne of God which is the infallyble truth spake this to Nicodemus God so loued the world that he gaue his onelye begotten sonne to the end that whosoeuer beleeued in him shoulde bee saued and not perish but haue euerlasting life God sent not his sonne into the world to condempne the world but to the end the world shuld be saued by him To the Scribes and Pharesies which murmured because he did eate drink among Publicans and sinners Christ said Those that bee whole need not the Phisition but such as be sicke Againe I came not saith the Lord to call the iust but sinners to repentaunce Not as a Iudge but as a Phisition For such as languish in their sinnes came I into the worlde not that they should remaine sinners but to turne them from their sinnes that béeing penitent they might be made righteous Likewise he tolde the Pharesies That the Angells in heauen doe more reioyce in one penitent sinner then in .99 iust persons which needes no repentance God saith Saint Paule spared not his onely sonne for vs but that he shoulde rather die then we be vnpardoned If God spared not his onely sonne to dye for sinners what thing is more worthy and precious vnto him that he should refuse them And therefore the same Apostle speaking of Iesus Christ saith thus We haue not an high priest which cannot haue compassion of our infirmities but such a one as in all points was tempted as well as we sinne excepted Let vs goe then boldly to the seate of grace that we may obteine mercie find grace in time conuenient If I shuld reherse al the places of the Scripture to this effect the time would faile me Thus we sée thē none hath cause to distrust y e goodnes of God or to dispaire of the greatnesse of his sins seeing that God hath made so many faire promises to pardon the penitent sinner there be many examples in the olde new testament of the performance of Gods promises as namely to Dauid who committed both adultrie murther he euen he by sorrowing for his offences and crieng Peccaui obteined mercy and pardon of all his wickednesse Manasses the son of Ezechias restored the false worship of God which his father had defaced of an euill zeale to infidelitie he himselfe offered vp his own children in fire for sacrifice He persecuted the Prophets slew innumerable innocents amongst all which he caused the Prophet Esay to be sawne in péeces In the end he was takē by the enimies and lead captiue to Babilon But when he was in his extremitie he acknowledged his offences asked forgiuenesse of God of whom he was receiued into fauour restored to his kingdome againe The people of Niniue whom God threatened by y e Prophet Ionas vtterly to destroy for y e multitude for their sins they repented praid so God forgaue them The Samaritane also the Cananite notwithstanding their horrible sins when they asked God mercy he forgaue them Mathew Zachee diuers other publicans vpon their repētaunce were receiued into fauour Peter y t denied his Maister thrée times gaue himself to the diuell if he knew him whē he wept bitterly for his sins he was receiued into mercy The theefe also vpon the crosse being at point of death euē this fellow who liued vppon nothing but robberie manslaughter all his life time acknowledged his hainous sins asking pardon God
Repentaunce taketh hir beginning at loue or at feare This question cannot be decided in fewe wordes but to be short I saye it may beginne at both For true Repentaunce being a worke of God he may beginne it as he lyst But when it comes from loue it is not ordinarie or common but meruailous Looke vpon the conuersion of Saint Paule of S. Mathew and the Theefe But ordinarily â—o GOD beginnes Repentaunce in vs by feare as in the third Booke of the Kings when he commaunded Helias to come out of his caue to remaine in the Mount before the Lord and a mightie strong winde passed by that rent the high hills and ragged Rockes before the Lord but the Lord was not in the winde After that came an Earthquake but the Lord was not in the Earthquake After that came a fire but the Lord was not in the fire After that came a softe sounde wherein the Lord was In such sort God sendes to sinners a winde of terrour to breake the mightie Mountaine of pride the heart more harde then the rocke After that comes the troubling of the soule after that comes the conscience grudging the hart of the sinner and accusing him of his euill life but yet the Lord is not there with his quickening Grace Neuerthelesse these be forerunners to prepare the way of the Lord. For when the peruerse will of man is mortified by seruile feare and led almost to hell after comes the swéete sound of Gods grace which reuiueth the soule saieng Lazarus come forth This is the voice that giueth consolation at the hearing whereof we may be bold to depart in peace with assurance of remission of our sinnes But it séemes that Repentance began first in the Knight at loue and that miraculously for he being in the filth of his sinne sodainly by Gods prouidence confessed his folly and loathing his lewde lyfe he required helpe and succour of Gods grace who presently assisted him and brought him out of the sinke of sinne But this manner of conuersion is not ordinarily vsed There are indéede certeine forerunners to the iustifieng of sinners which prepare the way to Gods reuiuing or quickening grace and offereth vnto God a renewed spirit and a pure and vpright heart which manner of conuersion godly people onely doe vse And héereof meaneth the Knight to speake purposing also to shew how it digresseth from Gods grace When Repentaunce had thus apparailed me with haire sackcloth I was set vpon a stoole then Gods grace appeared vnto me with two women one man which was a preacher Now one of the women held in hir right hand a sharp pricking yron rod called the gnawing of y e conscience and in hir left hande she had a red booke whereat I was affraid For as she beheld me my thought she threatened me The other woman was curteous milde and gentle holding in hir right hand a booke of golde couered with pearles and she was called Remembrance Gods grace placed Conscience on my left hand and Remembraunce on my right hand the Preacher Repentaunce and her Damselles about me and then commanded Conscience to open the red booke which when I perceiued and sawe the wordes written with bloud declaring all my offences with tormentes vnto them belonging for my following of Folly I was amazed and became speachlesse Then Conscience with hir yron rod toucht me prickt mee yea pearced my heart and cried aloud vnto me saieng Behold thou wretch view this booke thou shalt sée how thou hast liued euen against God and contrarie to right and reason Thou hast bene a proud arrogant ambitious spitefull at others prosperitie a prolonger of time wrathfull a backbiter iniurious traiterous hatefull couetous of gold more then of God gluttonous wanton shamelesse a stewes haunter giuen to all vices hast transgressed al the commandements of God leading a loathsome life denieng God swearing and blaspheming his name an hainous offender a false witnesse bearer a lyar a desirer of other mens goods disobedient to parents cursing them and wishing their death Furthermore thou hast had neither faith nor hope in God but rather in the force riches honour and friendship of thy kinred with their authoritie I cannot recken vp the rest of thy sinnes for they are vncountable Uerie little care hast thou had of Christs merites or of thy own soules helth but alwaies yéelding to Voluptuousnesse filthines iniquitie When Conscience had thus accused me sorrow for sin fel bitterly a wéeping and oftentimes stroke her brest Then Conscience shewed me what torments I had deserued for following voluptuous affections and for louing them better then God Thou oughtest sayd she to burne in hell fire that neuer quencheth to be nipped with tormeÌ„ts both of body and soule for euer more Thy laughinges shall be turned to wéeping thy ioye to sorrowe thy songs to cryes yea what paines can be named but thou art like perpetually to suffer theÌ„ without hope of redemptioÌ„ For this is the due reward of worldly Felicitie and following Folly Bethinke thée now and tell me if it be in thy power to rid thée from these gréeuaunces Hearing my conscience thus speak my thought I sawe hell open to swallowe me vp and with sorrowfull sadnesse I fell to the ground before Gods grace speachlesse but she had compassion vpon me and bad me rise the which I did though halfe in dispaire and to recomfort me shée opned the booke which Remembraunce held in her hand BY COMMAVNDEMENT OF GODS GRACE Remembraunce read to me the goodnesse of God with his promises made to repentaunt sinners The fift Chapter AFter Remembraunce had opened her booke I perceiued the letters were of golde and Azure conteining the great goodnesse and infinit mercie of God to repentaunt sinners with faire promises annexed thervnto Then at commaundement of Gods grace Remembraunce read out of that booke vnto me in this manner S. Paule writing to the Romaines saith Where sinne hath abounded grace hath more abounded He that mistrusteth the mercye of God mistrusteth God to be mercifull and in so dooing he doth God great iniurie For he denieth God to be Loue Truth and Power wherein consisteth all the hope of poore sinners For of his great loue he sent his onely son to take mans nature vpon him in the world that in the same he might suffer death vpon the Crosse for the remission of sinnes Consequently he promised for the loue of his sonne remission and pardon to all poore sinners so often as they require it in faith with a heauy and sorrowfull heart Now God is as true of his promises as he is of power able to performe theÌ„ And as he is of power so will he doe whatsoeuer pleaseth him God wil pardon sinners their sins Who then can let him from doing it To whom God pleaseth or hath promised to pardon their sinnes he forgiueth The truth héereof is written in plaine wordes shewed by examples in many places of the
Water the Aire the Earth and to make Idols and honour them in the likenesse of men of beasts and birds and to worship them so that the true knowledge of God should be proper but vnto one people descended from the loines of Abraham and they are the Iewes Then I demaūded of Folly how Idolatry entred y e world wher she took place first My son qd she vnderstād y e Idolatrie hath bē brought into y e world by my means For Idolatry took hir first original beginning in Chaldea in y e citie of Babilō in y e region or country of y e Assyrians in y e raign of Ninus y e third king which was y e son of Bel Bel of Nemroth Nēroth of Chus Chus of Cham Cham of Noah so y e Ninus y e third king of Babilon was y e first man y t did ordein tēples set vp Altars to sacrifice vpō vnto his father Bel to Iuno his mother First he fashioned their standing Images set thē in y e midst of y e citie of Babilon that was y e first beginning of Idolatry other neighbours nations did as much the Aegyptians made y e like by Osiris surnamed Iupiter the true son of Cham of Rhea The same Osiris after his death was esteemed of y e Aegyptians for his vertue to be a God so y t the matter by my coūsell quod Folly turned to Idolatrie For they offered sacrifice vnto him honoured him in forme of an Oxe or a Calfe y e like also did y e childrē of Israel in the desart to their Idoll which afterwards was named Serapis But as yet Fraunce Germany wer not infected with Idolatry howbeit I did mine indeuour to make it more vniuersal ceased not til y t shortly after this pestilence had taken root For y e aboue named Ninus son of Bel king of Babilon maried Semiramis y t wonderfull woman who as it is written deuised y t all y e male children shuld be gelded of hir body begat he one son named Ninus y e second by another wife he had another son called Trabeta who by right of succession should haue enioyed y e crowne of Babilon but y t his mother in law kept him from it tooke y e gouernment rule vnto hir selfe kept it in y e behalfe of her young son Ninus Trabeta then fering his stepmother fled frō Babilon after long trauaile he arriued in Fraunce not far from the riuer of Rhene wher he founded a citie called it Treues which is yet a very ancient citie At that time was Gallia Belgica all the country about it which we call Low Almaine first infected poisoned w t Idolatry which was 1947. yeres before the incarnation of Iesus Christ. Ther Trabeta by my counsel made y e picture of his grandfather Bel y e son of Nemroth y e great Giant first Saturn of y e Babilonians to be worshipped in y e citie of Treues But afterwards Bauo who foūded y e citie Belges otherwise called Bauoy in Hainot had taken by force y e citie of Treues victoriously brought to Bauoy all y e tresure of Treues their Idols wherwith also he brought his own Idolls from Phrigia By this meanes the error of Idolatry was more authorised For by my counsell he built with y e spoils of his cōquest 7. meruailous mightie temples in his citie which had vii dores according to y e seauen planets they had also a thousād towres euerie one an hundreth cubites high xviii foote broad As for other nations they were euen no other then y e Babilonians the Aegyptians the Phrigians the French men the Germaines for y e good Patriarke Noah otherwise called Ianus hauing dwelt in Italy 82. years being 959. years olde .350 years or ther about after y e floud he dyed before y e incarnatiō .1967 years This good man was lamented bewailed through all y e world generally but chiefly of y e Italians then called Lanigenes of the Armenians ouer whome he first reigned These people presētly after they knew of Noahs death they honored him as a holy man For in those daies al holy men were counted Gods as it is often mentioned in the holy scripture Ego dixi Dij estis filij excelsi omnes that is I haue said ye are Gods yee all are children of the most high And which is more they made him temples alters as now a daies Idolaters do vnto y e saints of heauen I quoth Folly made y e simple people assure themselues that the soule was remoued into some of y e heauenly bodies for y e which cause they called heauen y e Sun the séede of the world the father of Gods y e greater lesser y e God of peace iustice holinesse y e driuer away of euil things the preseruer of good things Againe they called his successors Ianus Geminus Quadrifrons Enotrius Ogiges Vertumnus Iupiter Optimus Maximus Thē I perswaded y e people to offer sacrifice vnto him as vnto god by which déed they became al Idolaters for if they had estéemed thē no better thē holy mē they had not sinned in that for in déede he was a holy man Marke what Austen saith in the tenth booke of the Citie of God It is not lawfull saith he to offer any sacrifice to any Saint be it Man or Angell but onely to God After the destruction of Troye Aeneas came into Italy bringing with him his owne Idolls and the Gods of Troye héerevppon Idolatrie tooke force and increased more and more I thinke quod Folly that this which I haue tolde thée already may suffice to declare how Idolarie entred the world first Thou hast heard also how I gouerned Angells Nations Now thou shalt vnderstand how I haue ruled and ordered perticular persons After the floud I first ruled Cham Noahs sonne who being wholly giuen to the Magicall Art obtained and had the name of Zorastes He hated his father because he loued his other brother better then him In reuenge whereof vppon a daye he found his father Noah drunke lieng fast a sléepe vpon the ground vnhonestly he discouered his fathers priuities and by my counsell he presumed to touch those his secret parts and inchaunted them by his Magicall Arte so that euer after for want of abilitie he could not ioyne issue with any woman to beget children His Father being angry thereat abandoned him for a season After that he became the first King and Saturne of Aegypt insomuch as the holy Scriptures calleth Cham the first King of Aegypt Againe by my counsell he trained vp his people according to his owne nature in all villany and filthinesse openly affirming that men might lawfully vse and haue to doe with their owne mothers daughters and sisters as was the custome before the floud and also to commit many other
the rude people made him a God many false liars haue attributed vnto him the noble deedes of the good Patriarch Noah and his Nephew Osiris surnamed Iupiter the iust Moreouer they did not onely offer sacrifice vnto him but also gaue him the title and name of Most excellent good whereas indéed he was most euill for he was an incestuous and Sodomitical person and a common enimie to chastitie and honestie insomuch that people openly in their stage-plaies counterfetted sung and descanted vpon the filthy lecheries and other villanies which he vsed affirming that such Anticques and Pageaunts were most fit and agreeable vnto him By meanes whereof all his subiects gaue themselues to the same saieng that it was as fit for them so to lyue as for their great God Iupiter I gouerned little Hercules of Greece otherwise called Alceus the bastard sonne vnto the same Iupiter whom he had by Alcmena the wife of Amphitrio Unto this same Hercules the lieng Greekes full of vaine eloquence giue the name title of great Hercules of Lybia which is most false For that Hercules of Greece was the first Pyrate that euer roued on the Seas and abounded with all vice following the steps of his Father Iupiter the adulterer in all respects and as hée liued euen so he died For being mad saith Seneca he slew his wife children afterwards burned himselfe But a litle before his death he made Philoctetes sweare y t he wold neuer disclose his death nor y e manner how he had bestowed himselfe which thing he did of a vaine arrogant proud ambitious minde euen to this end that the people might report and beléeue that the Gods had drawne him vp to heauen inuisibly but it chaunced not as he desired Yet notwithstanding quoth Folly I perswaded the lienge Greekes that it was so made them worship him as a God I gouerned faire Paris king Priams sonne whose surname was Alexander At the first he made no accompt of me but leading a contemplatiue lyfe he followed the loâ—e of Pallas the Goddesse of wisdome mine aduersarie but when Iuno Pallas and Venus wer at strife for the golden Ball which was throwne amongest them with condition that the fairest of them should haue it they committed the matter to the iudgement of Paris surnamed Alexander who was vppon the point to giue sentence in the behalfe of Pallas mine enimie but by my perswasion afterwards he gaue it vnto Venus my good friend and of olde acquaintaunce then for recompense of his foolish iudgement I counsailed him to goe to Greece where he rauished faire Helen Heerevpon the Greekes in a great and mad rage prepared all their force against the Troyans and after ten yeares siege against their Citie they tooke Ilion put king Priam to death insomuch that the whole Realme was defaced In that warres were killed many Princes and noble knights as Hector Achilles Paris also was slaine by Philoctetes the companion of the lesse Hercules in a combat fought hande to hande The weapons which they vsed were Bowes and forked Arrowes wherewith Philoctetes wounded Paris in thrée places First in his left haÌ„d secondly in his right eie thirdly in both his legs which wer fastened with the stroke together Béeing thus wounded the Troyans carried him into their Citie where shortly after hée dyed I gouerned quoth Folly faire Helen the bastard daughter of the third Iupiter of Greece begotten of Laeda the wife of Tindarus which Helen by my counsell went from her husband Menelaus and suffered her selfe to be rauished of a yong lecherous Troyan named Paris surnamed Alexander the sonne of king Priam. She brought bloud death to Troye in stéede of dowrie For by her occasion Troye was destroyed and Priam with the most part of his children killed And to the ende that her adulterous mate Paris or Alexander should not leaue her and goe to his owne lawfull wife Pegasis Enone she bewitched him with certeine drinkes wherein she was her crafts Mistres which tricke when one doth vse he is in such case that he forgets all things past and all sorrowes present When she was thus arriued at Troye the good man her husbande Menalaus with Vlisses and other Greeke ambassadours came to fetch her awaye and king Primamus commaunded that she should be brought into his presence offering vnto her franklye with lowde voice that she should if she thought good fréely and with full libertie depart againe into Greece with all her retinue people and pelfe Wherevnto she aunswered in the hearing of her husband and king Priam with the rest of his counsel and commons that she was not disposed to retire to her countrie wishing also that her husband Menelaus that good man might go to God for she was none of his wife neither would she haue to doe with him and that she came not to Troy against her will neither did she estéeme of his marriage To conclude at length Troy by treason was taken and raunsackt .xviii. yeares after she had bene from her husband and all that space had liued in lecherie with two adulterers she grew to agreement and made peace with her husband Menelaus But when she waxed olde she looked in a Glasse and séeing her face farre from faire she fel in a lowd laughter and flouted at the fooles that fought ten years together for the loue of a thing that faded so soone away but when her husband Menelaus was dead two chiefe men of y e citie of Sparta named Nicostratus Megapentus men of great authoritie hunted Helen out of y e citie realme of Lacedemonia without appointing vnto her any place or prouision to kéep her Upon which banishmeÌ„t she came to Rhods to hir auncient coÌ„panion friend quéene Polypo which was also then widow by reason of y e death of hir husband Tlepolemus who was slaine before Troy And when shée was at Rhods quéene Polypo vsed her very well but the yong gentlewomen hir waiting maides hated hir deadly for y t shée was the cause y t their king Tlepolimus was kild insomuch y t vpon a day they conspired together against hir gat hir into a garden where then fastening a rope obout hir neck hung hir vpon a trée strangled hir to death This was y e miserable end of Helen who being dead quoth Folly I put into y e heads of y e blind people y t she was a Goddesse by reson of hir incomperable beauty For which coÌ„sideratioÌ„ they being not onely Idolatrously heretically but also dampnably deceiued built hir a meruailous costly stately temple named her with great deuotion The Goddesse of beautie deuised many fals miracles lies y e which for breuity I let passe I gouerned quod Folly Pharao Amenophis Pharao Bocchoris both kings of Aegipt who by my counsel caused al y e male children of y e Iews to be drowned which people y e first Pharao held in meruelous subiectioÌ„ As
Perseueraunce to continue with me charging me to kéepe her euer with me if I meant to be a Citizen of heauen For sayd she all other vertues without her are as nothing to winne heauen For it is written Who so perseuers vnto the end shall be saued And therefore if thou wilt be saued thou must continue Hereof we haue manye examples in the holye Scripture but I will touch twaine and no more When Saule was first created King of Israel hée was as lowly and as humble as the childe of one yeare old but hée continued not aboue two yeares in this his goodnesse For after he had put Perseueraunce awaye he became euill and grewe to be a cruell tyrant insomuch that he slewe many of the Lordes Priestes and persecuted good Dauid But what was his ende He was vanquished of his enimies and béeing giuen ouer of God he killed himselfe vppon the mount Gelboë Againe touching the same matter Iudas at the first when God made him an Apostle was good and duetifull but when he had put Perseueraunce away he became a théefe by couetousnesse hée betraied and solde his Maister Christ. But what was his ende He was forsaken of God became a reprobate fell into desperation and with an accusing conscience sore charginge him with the hainousnesse of his offence with a halter he hanged himselfe When I hearde Perseueraune saye so for feare least the lyke should befall to me I desired my counsailour Good vnderstanding to shew me the meanes howe I might kéepe Perseueraunce alwayes with me that in so doing I might not bée depriued of the glorious Citie of Heauen To which request of mine the good Hermit Vnderstanding tendering the safetie of my soule and hauing a carefull regarde to all mine endeauours did yeeld and spake to me in manner and forme following GOOD VNDERSTANDING SHEVVETH the Knight how to keepe Perseueraunce alwaies with him The tenth Chapter MY sonne the last point of thy soules health quoth Good vnderstaÌ„ding is to learne know how to tarrie wher thou art now without going back which if thou desire then must PerseueraÌ„ce neuer leaue thée for if she forsake thée once then must thou néeds loose the pleasure of lady Vertues pallaice wherin thou art now From whence if thou go backe thou shalt be sure to loose her and the ioyes of heauen Thou must therfore remaine constant in thy good minde without wauering the which to do thou must by deuout continual praier faithfully craue helpe of Gods grace without y e which no man can continue in goodnes And to accomplish all this thou must remember thrée things the first is thy life past the second thy life present the third thy life to come These thrée considerations will encourage thée to stay where thou art and as it were with a bridle will kéepe thee from recoiling 1 Think what thou hast done séene before time in following Folly how thou liuedst vaine worldling like yéelding to euery vaine concupiscence lust wherby thou diddest fall into the filth of sin diddest indaunger both thy body and thy soule hadst thy conscience accusing thée Oh where haddest thou ben if Gods grace had not taken compassion vpon thée Where be the worldlinges that wold not be sorrie for their sinnes Wher are they become Are they not condempned to euerlasting torments in hell fire Oh thinke then that sinne doth greatly offende God thinke what punishment God hath ordeined for sinne which makes man an enimye to God and a friende to the diuel thinke that sinne hath depriued thee of thy first innocencie and vertue making thee meate for hell-hounds amongest whome thou haddest bene numbred and counted if God of his grace had not pittied thée 2 Thinke that at this present time thou art in Gods fauour by the meanes of his grace who hath made thee a childe of God and an heire of heauen by hope so that now thy conscience is quiet Thinke what good consolations thou hast receiued by deuout praieng thinke what spiritual instructions Gods grace hath giuen to thee think all the pleasures of the world are mingled with sorows think that thou shalt haue no hurt if thou remaine where thou art for thou art in Gods kéepinge thinke that this worlde shall passe away with all the pompes and pleasures of the same thinke that thy present state is the high-waie to heauen and so shalt thou kéepe Perseueraunce 3 Thirdly thinke that the iust iudgement of God is to come which is to the good to giue Heauen and to the euill Hell Thinke thou must dye and that at thy death thou shalt not receiue so good consolation as thou hast had of Vertue and Gods grace in whose wholsome counsailes and admonishments thou oughtest to perseuer to the end Thinke that at thy death thou must leaue behinde thée wife children goods and monie Whether thou doe good or euill thinke that thou must goe to a region vnknowne and to a place where thou hast neuer bene and if thou be founde to haue dyed in sinne without repentaunce the Diuells will attend to take thy cursed bodie and thy dampned soule and will carrie both into the dungeon of darknesse there to féele eternall torments But if thou be found with Perseuerance in the Pallaice of Vertue millions of Angelles will goe before thée and with greate ioye will bringe thée to Heauen O thinke vpon the iust iudgement of God to come when euery one shal be iudged according to his déeds For God fauoureth neither king nor kaiser prince nor people high nor lowe rich nor poore without respect of person he wil crown the good and condempne the euill at that day of dome when we must appeare personally without excuse or exception before him Then euery one must be his own atturney when the iust Iudge at that day wil shew himselfe terrible to the peruerse which haue followed Voluptuousnesse and haue not heartely repented nor retyred from the filthy puddle of their sins But will be gentle iust good vnto those y t haue bene sorrie for their offences O thinke what torments the vnrepentant shal suffer both in bodie and soule perpetually wheras all such as haue perseuered in goodnesse to y e end shall receiue ioye and the fulnesse of God and of heauen In â—uch sort to perseuer in goodnes to the end do thine vtter indeauour thou shalt sée that God will be readie with his grace to blesse and to arme with constancie in thy Christian purpose A PROTESTATION VVHICH GOOD VNDERstanding taught the Knight to make euery day for the auoiding of temptations how he ought to huÌ„ble himselfe before God and what he should aske in his praier The xj Chapter MY sonne alwayes I wish thée to kéepe Perseuerance with thée by whome thou maist auoide temptations which woulde induce thée to sinne force thée to forsake the true Faith and also to transgresse the holy commaundementes of almightie God This to auoide I wish