remembred And as we are now clothed with the image of Adams corruptible body subiect to death misery so shall we then bee clothed with the image of Christs glorious body changed into perfection and sinceritie When Christ shall appeare saith the Apostle we shal be like vnto him see him as he is though wee shall not then as now bee maintained with earthly or elementall foode but as the Angells of Heauen yet our bodies of the same humane nature shape and fashion of flesh bones with all parts and members of a man as in this lise not altered in substance but changed in property Behold my hands and my feete saith our sauiour to his disciples for it is euen I my selfe handle mee and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see mee haue And as we shal be new men so shall we haue new sences to vnderstand things not as they seeme but as they are in deed behold the diuine Maiestie of God face to face the fruition of whose glorious presence as the originall fountaine from whence all wisedome gladnesse ioy vertue and true felicitie proceede shall so rauish content and satisfie euery member power and sence of both bodie and minde with such full perfection of pleasure and delight as neither eye hath seene eare hath heard tongue can expresse nor any hart of man imagine in comparison wherof all the desired and gladsome pleasures of this world are but fayned shewes and darke shadowes And as our sauiour Christ laid aside part of the Maiestie tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant hauing performed due obedience subiectioÌ„ vnto his father is now aduanced to the highest dominion and crowned with honor glory so that all knees shall bow vnto him So after the last day when he hath performed the office of a Meditor he shall yeeld vp into the hands of his Father both the kingdome name and crowne of glory that God may bee all in all to whose heauenly mansion the God of all glory bring vs for his Sonne Christ his sake AMEN A most godly and comfortable Praier in time of Aduersitie O Eternall and most louing Father thou GOD of mercie iudgement to whom all things in Heauen earth doe bow obey at the continuance of whose glorious Maiestie the wohle world doth tremble quake who hath fashioned Man of slime and earth couered him in his mothers womb and deliuered him from death and hell To thee our heauenly Father I humbly bow the knees of myne heart beseeching thy Fatherly goodnesse in Iesus Christ to heare mee poore wretched childe of Adam begotten and borne in sinne disquieted with troubles wrapt in aduersitie and oppressed with miserie yet by thy secret purpose pertaine to thy kingdome A Sheep of thy fold by election and calling though vnrulie A seruant of thy household by obedience dutie though vnprofitable A sonne of thy famely by adoption and grace though vnworthie I will call mine owne waies to remembrance confesse mine iniquities against my selfe powre out my complaint beefore thee Giue eare to my praier O Lord consider my distresse and pardon the voice of my humble desires let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my hart be alwaies acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my reedemer I haue sinned grieuously O mercifull God against heauen and before thee now Ioh. 13 17. in the vexation of my â—pirit the anguish of my soule remembring thy fatherly kindnesse toward penitent sinners I appeale to thy eternall mercie acknowâ—edge my wickednesse and lament my grieuous offences My hart is broken with sorrowes my life waxen olde with heauinesse my yeeres with mourning How long wilt thou be angry with thy seruant O Lord how long shall I seeke counsaile in my soule and be so vexed in my spirit how long shall I poore sorrowfull wretch bee tossed with these troublesome floods of mortaletie bewailing the tediousnesse of this my irkesome pilgrimage The infant ouercommeth his mother with crying the childe his father with weeping and the seruant his maister with submission and wilt thou be no more intreated o Lord wher are thy tender mercies which haue beene euer of old our father 's hoped in thee and were deliuered they put their trust in thee an I were not confounded Thou art the Father of the fatherlesse and the helper of the friendles thou hast alwaies hard the humble desires of the poore and thou preparest their hartes to call vpon thee and thine eares harken therevnto thou deliuerest them from wrong and right deere is their blood in thy sight Why art thou so full of heauinesse then O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me O put thy trust in God for I will yet giue him thanks which is the helpe of my countenaunce and my God yea though hee kill mee yet will I trust in him I will sing vnto the Lord so long as I liue and will praise my God so long as I haue any being He hath chastened and corrected mee but not giuen me ouer vnto death and therefore my hart daunceth sor ioy my flesh shall rest in hope and in my song will I praise him I will honor him with due obedience serue him with feare and reioyce vnto him with reuerence Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither doe thou chasten mee in thy heauie displeasure forsake me not in mine old age when my strength faileth me but comfort my heauinesse pittie my misery and relieue my necessitie Clense mee from my secret faults and pardon the sinnes of my youth Graunt mee a new hart a new minde a new spirit and a new life and I wil offer vnto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiuing and reioyce in my saluation O thou most highest An Exhortacion to continew all Subiects in their dew obedience together with the reward of a faithful subiect to his Prince To the Reuerend Lo. Bishops and the Clergie FOR-asmuch as your ecclesiasticall office is giuen you from God as the next principall members vnder the head to gouerne the Common wealth of this misticall bodie and that there is required at your hands an extraordinarie dutie touching the function of the Soule Let mee entreate you to be as vigilant as the fiue wise Virgins hauing Oyle alwaies in your Lamps against the Bridegrome comes forth of his chamber Your office is the Soule of the Laitie the heart of gouernement the verie Epitome of all obedience From you as the Moone boroweth hir light of the Sunne all inferiour Ministers take their order of perfection Let then your doctrine be pure stedfast like Moyses bush that alwaies burned but neuer cousumed your preaching in season and out of season and your conuersation as spotlesse as the sacrifice of Turtles You best know what plentie of Manna hath rained in Israel how many Homers ful euery man ought to gather Be not any of you the first that
IHÌ„S R V SOLE FRA LE STELLE Tenet Angelus Deam A new yeeres guift whose good well seene May please the wisdome of a Queene True vse whereof well weide in deede May stand the gracious in good steed HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE THE RIGHT WAY TO HEAVEN And the true testimonie of a faithfull and loyall subiect Compiled by Richard Vennard of Lincolnes Inne MATH 6. First seeke the kingdome of Heauen and all things shal be giuen AT LONDON Printed by Thomas Este 1601. R. V. SALVATOR MVNDI I IN this thy Name my soule great comfort findes H Heald from hir leprous sinne by thy deere bloud E Eschewing that molests disturbed mindes S Seeking for that may doe my conscience good V Vouchsafe thy Nature as thou giuest thy Name S Sweet Iesus that a blessed Sauiour came C Come comforter behold my soule is sad H Helpe with thy Mercie that thy Hand hath made R Regard mee so with hope I may be glad I In thy deere grace let all my deedes be staid S Sonne of thy Father such true lightning send T That in thy fauour Christ our liues may end AMEN TO THE HIGH AND mightie Princis Elizabeth by the grace of God Queene of England France and Ireland defendor of the Faith c. Richard Vennard of Lincolnes Inne Gent Wisheth all happinesse in this life And in the world to come Celestiall Eternitie MOST Renowned Soueraigne pleaseth it your Sacred Maiestie at the humble hands of your loiall subiect to accept this little handfull of my harts labour wherein my feeling of Gods mercies my knowledge of your gracious goodnesse and my care of my countries well doeing haue made me take such paines as if it may be pleasing in your sight shall breed no little ioy to my Soule Who kneeling at your Royall feete doe besech the God of all Glory to indew your Highnesse with his infinite blessings and long to preserue your sacred Maiestie in all ioyfull health and prosperous life Your Maiesties most faithfull and loyall subiect Richard Vennard Laudetur Dominus in aeternum OH Heauenly Spirit of especiall power That in thy hand thy praise of praises holdest And from the top of Truthes triumphant tower The hidden sence of fairest thoughts vnfoldest Inspire this hart and humble soule of mine With some sweet sparkle of thy power deuine Teach me to thinck but on that onely thought Wherein doth liue the grace of vertues glory And learne no more then what thy truth hath taught To those best wits that write thy worthie storie Wherein is seene in heauen and earths preseruing The highest point of praises praise deseruing Let not compare come neere vnto none such Heauen bee my thought and let the world go by And say withall that say I nere so much All are but trifles to thy treasurie For all no more then what thy mercie giueth Who can behold wherein thy glory liueth No I can see the shining of the Sunne But cannot sound the Essence of the light Then of thy face in whom that faire begunne How can my soule presume to haue a sight No my deere God thy glory hath a beeing Where Eie nor Heart nor Soule may haue a seeing And therefore Lord since such thy glory is As cannot bee but of thy selfe conceiued And heauen nor earth conteines that sparke of blisse But from thy hand of Mercy is receiued What spirit can hir sweetest passion raise Neere to the due of thy deserued praise Yet since all glory doth belong to thee Thy name in all things must bee magnified And by thy Mercie thou hast made mee see How in my soule thou maist be glorified In that sweet Mercy make my Soule to know How best I may thy blessed glory show Oh glorious God what creature can there bee That moues or Breathes or growes but shewes thy glory What art or science but doth speake of thee And writes the wonder of thy wisedome story What sound or sence can reasons Soule refine But speakes in glory of thy grace deuine The Sunne in brightnesse glorifies the light That in the beames but of thy beauty liueth The Moone and Starres amid the darkest night Shew what a light thy louing Mercy giueth So Sunne and Moone and all those shining creatures Doe shew thy glory in their lightsome natures Is not the daye a figure of perfection Wherin thy creatures were created first And Night of sinne that with a fowle infection Shewes how the Soule is for hir sinnes accurst But night once past the Glorious daie appeering Shewes sinnes forgiuen the ioy of mercies cheering So Sunne and Moone and Starres and daie and night Speakes of thy glorie in their cause of beeing And how they serue but in obedience right Vnto the grace but of thy will agreeing While wisdome shewes in state of reasons storie They giue vs light that wee may giue thee glory The Azure Skie more cleere then Chrystalline Wherin the Sunne doth cast his beames abroad How doth it figure that faire hand of thine Wherein thy Mercie makes hir most aboade While to the humble soules beleeuing eye Thy glory shines farre brighter then the Skie The Clowds that shed those dropps of blessed dewes That water the drie places of the Earth What droppe so small but it thy glory shewes To bring a plenty where was earst a dearth How doe they figure faithfull sorrowes teares Whence sin-burnt soules the fruit of mercie beares The Aier that giues each liuing creature breath Speakes of thy glorie in that breathing power And when it leaues the creature vnto death It shewes thy glory in that parting hower To leaue the flesh so in corruption wounded Till grace renue that was in sinne confounded The earth that yeelds such choice of fruits and flowers How doth it shew that glorious power of thine When all vnseene doe hidden lie those powers That Arte or Nature neuer can define How sweetes and formes and colours so should grow But that thy glorious will would haue it so And as the spring brings forth the budding greene With beauties dies for to adorne the field So in the winter few or none are seene That can the eye contentiue pleasure yeeld So that the earth that neuer silence breaketh In hir dumb speech yet of thy glory speaketh The Sea wherein those worlds of fishes liue That floate and tomble in the tossing waues What Notice doe they of thy glory giue That from the Whale the little Herring saues And makes the Dolphin wound the Whale so sore As driues him from the Sea to die on shore What beast so great or creeping worme so small what bird so high or of so low a flight But that thy name is glorified in-all who hauing made them by thy heauenly might Preseruest them so that all the world may see They haue their beeing onely but in thee The beast his heare the feather of the bird The fishes scale and euery tree his barke These for defence doth Nature all aforde As of thy
time most vncertaine and doubtfull The Lord in his woord hath reuealed vnto man many notable lessons touching the knowledge of his will yet not the day of his death knowing that as the course of his life is the race vnto death so is death the gate to eternall life So though our Bodies layd shal bee to rot in loathsome graue Yet afterwards in glorious state more beauty they shall haue When Death hath held them downe a while anone they shall arise Eternally in ioy to liue with Christ aboue the skies Cap. V. The defence of a Christian souldier FOr-asmuch as our enemyes the children of the worlde are more subtile crafty and politike in theyr generation then the children of God able to deceaue if it were possible euen the very elect Sathan can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light Pharohs sorcerers Exod. could worke straunge wonders turne a rodde to a Serpent water into bloud and make quicke frogs It is written that Simon Magus could by forcery flye in the ayre turne stones into bread make serpents of brasse sikles to reape come with out handes images of stone to laugh and dogs to sing And our enemyes beeing so many in number as which way so euer wee turne vs wee bee sure to haue some of them ready to encounter vs at our right hand the world the flesh and the diuell watch to entice vs to our vtter destruction at our left hand Aduersitie Pouertie and Affliction of body is ready to cast vs downe into the dungeon of dispaire beehinde vs our sinnes are at hand to bewray vs within vs our owne consciences belayeth to accuse vs before vs are Gods iudgements ready to condemne vs and hell mouth open to deuour vs. To resist these Tirannies it standeth vs in hand to bee strongly armed with the brest plate of Equitie the shield of vndoubted Faith in Christ the helmet of assured Hope and Faith in Christ Iesus alwayes ready to doe our best and trusting in him to doe the rest Cap. VI. Hee that in Heauen will come to ioy with Christ must first trauaile with patience vnder the crosse of Christ AS the Israelits could not come to the land of promise but Patience by long painefull trauaile through the wildernesse of tribulation The law of Adams children is to liue in labour and the cursse of Eues brats to suffer affliction yea all mankinde doth feele the biting of the Serpent Hee that will tast of the glory of Heauen must first be pertaker of his cup vpon earth he that after death will reioyce at Christ his presence must first in his life time mourne for his absence There is no other way left for the members then to follow their head the disciple is not aboue his maister nor the seruant aboue his Lord. Seeing the good man of the house hath ben called Belzebub Glutton and a companion of the wicked how can the Seruants looke for better entertainment All the Apostles and godly Martirs suffered with patience the troubles and persecutions of their time to obtaine the kingdome of Heauen Esay had his carkas cut a sunder with a wodden Prophets saw Amos thrust into the temples with a nayle Daniell condemned to the Lyons Ieremy and Steuen stoned to death Iohn Baptist and Paul beheaded The three Israelits Sidrach Misach and Abednago committed to the flaming fire Thomas preaching the Gospell in Iudea was slaine with a dart And Simon Zelotes preaching in Britaine was there crucified But these valiaunt and victorious conquerours were well assured that prosperitie and aduersity life and death are all Gods giftes to trye the harts of men Ignatius scholler to Iohn and Bishop of Antioch beeing condemned to dye for the Gospell in his greatest torments did valiauntly comfort himselfe saying Iam incipio esse Discipulus Christi now begin I to bee the disciple of Christ It is written how a certayne Pagan tormenting a Christian asked him in disdayne What profit hee receiued by his Christ who answered That I patiently doe suffer thy tiranny and willingly pardon thee without reuenge For as a noble mans seruant is knowne by his Maisters cognisaunce so is a faithfull Christian by bearing his crosse with patience Cap. VII Of true Repentance with hir inseperable furniture REpentance is an inward sorrow Repent mourning of the hart and conscience for sins committed And contayneth three parts first Contricion of hart the second Confession of mouth the third Reformacion of life Like as a man feeling his body infected first doth acknowledge his disease Secondly seeketh to the Phisition for remedy Thirdly beeing cured is carefull to keepe himselfe from future griefe by keeping good dyet So is it the duty of euery good Christian feeling his soule infected with sinne first by earnest repentaunce to acknowledge the same before God secondly by humble and deuout prayer to seeke vnto Christ for pardon thirdly by restrayning of his affections prone to euill to keepe him from salling againe So when a faithfull Christian feeling his conscience burthened with sinne doth humbly bewaile and confesse the same with teares trickling downe his cheekes with groning and sobbing vnto God for mercie beeing easely wonne and intreated straite followerh pardon in Christ comfort of conscience and quietnesse of minde In such manner the Prophet Dauid confessed Kings his sinnes to be more in number then the haires of his head Manasses bowing the knees of his heart vnto God confessed his faults to be more in number then the sands of the Sea Ezechiah turning his face to the wall mourned heauely Mary Magdalen fell downe behinde Iesus and lamented pitefully Peter remembring the words of Christ after hee had forsworne him went out and wept bitterly Thus whersoeuer true repentaunce goeth beefore with hir inseperable furniture as humble Confession Faithfull prayer and amendment of Life the Remission of sins doth follow after And wher thackowledging of sins leadeth not the way there the gates of Gods mercy are alwaies shut Cap. VIII Of true Fasting FAsting serueth to three Fasting endes first to mortifie and subdue the lustes of the flesh the second to stir vp our mindes to meditation praier the third to be a testimony of our inward humilitie dutifull obedience to the will of God We ought to fast saith Saint Ambrose to keepe our bodies from surfeting our soules from sinning The diseases of the minde saith Saint Ierome are healed with praying the lusts of the body with fasting For euen as a wanton pampred horse doth striue to cast his rider so doth a wanton pampred body by nature resist against vertue It is good to fast saide Saint Ambrose but better to giue Almes When the lustes of the flesh are mortefied our wronged brother satisfied and our needie neighbour reliued then God with our fast is well pleased Saint Augustine in his Sermon in the Wildernesse saith The sick for lack of stomack fast the Poore for want of meate The couetous chuffe to spare