this sepulcher of the sonne of God is also conteined the mistery of the coniunction which we haue with him by death the graue the end of the death burying of Iesus christ tending to this that we die be buried with him For as the bands and forces of our death were broken by the vertue of the death of him that killed death euen so by our death must be vanquishe the stinges prickes of that death that the merite of our sinnes made due to vs This is the same which the holy Ghost speaketh by the mouth of the Apostle We are buried wyth Christ in his death to the end we participate wyth his life béeing impossible we should communicate wyth his lyfe if first we haue no action or societie wyth his death for that wée can not haue parte in the one vnlesse wée accompanie him in the other And so the last degrée conteynes as hath béene alredie declared that he discended into Hell committed the Deuill to spoyle and brake his Prysones for euer Wherein according to the text of the Apostle his victorie encreased and became great euen by the same measure that he embased and humbled himselfe Thus much for the first part of our Article and so let vs discend to the second part wherein we confesse that the sonne of God roase againe from death and the third day retorned really and truly into life Touching the resurrection of Christ LIke as the foure Euangelistes haue vsed great diligence to perticulate the outrages condemnation and death of the sonne of God euen so they haue bene no lesse carefull to set out poynt by poynt his restoring and resurrection According to the computation of the time vsed in the gospel he died the Friday at ix a clocke in the euening roase againe the Sunday following in the morning ioyntly whervnto we agrée that he remayned thrée dayes thrée nights in the graue taking part of the Friday which was the daye of the death for the whole day and the residue of the Sunday being his resurrection for an other whole daye All which do serue manifestly to the proofe truth of his death and restoring to life being al foreordained and established in the counsell of God. Joseph demaunded of Pilate his body to burie it but Pilate desirous to know whether he were dead in déede sent for the same purpose a Centenier to discouer a truth and then condiscended to Josephes request yea when they came to take downe the dead bodies from the crosse because they should not remaine there the next day being the great feast of their Sabboth they found the two théeues on liue and our Lord dead All which with many other approbations which may be alledged together with some perticulers which we meane to ioyne to the sequele of these are sufficient proues of his resurrection Our Lorde béeing thus put into the graue and embawmed Soldiours were set to garde the Sepulcher And in the meane whyle his Disciples remayned sorrowfull and heauie hauing very little hope of his Resurreciton and small knowledge of the scriptures to the vnderstanding of this misterie They beleued that their maister had preached the trueth and that he was most iust in his workes and that God had sent him But touching the matter of resurrection they were very blind and doubtfull After there was time enough perfourmed for the proofe fayth and testimonie of his paineful death and to establish the accomplishement of the misteries and prophesies The Sunday morning bringing wyth him the triumphes of hell and death he Roase againe and returned to lyfe and to such a lyfe that after that death had no more power ouer it béeing defaced deuested of all meanes eftsoones to exercise his iurisdiction Imediatly after he was risen agayne he appeared to his Disciples to assure them of the consolations giuen vnto them before he dyed and wythal to accomplishe the words spoken and promised by him That he would rise againe the third day The first person to whom he reuealed himselfe after his resurrection was the virgin Mary his Moother as who aboue all others liued in most expectation for him and he lykewise bare vnto her a most deare affection For if we consider her by her fayth she had it more great then al the rest And if wée haue regarde to Seruices she merited wyth the best hauing nourished him followed him wyth no small care pouertie and perplexitie thirtie thrée yeares In her is expressed a good Testimonie of his death for that standing at the foote of the Crosse where she felt the accomplishment of the prophesie of Simeon that the sword of sorrow should pearce thorow her intralles she was chosen of the Father to serue in an estate of great excelencie euen so was she accomplished wyth thoughtes and actions méeke for the seruice of such a function And albeit both by her perseuerance béeing greater then the rest that followed the Lord and that the trauelles of his Death were of more Passion to her then to others hauing more interest first of that holy companie to whome he disclosed his Resurrection Yet the Euangelistes ascrybing nothing to the singularitie of persones leaue all that aparte and recyte to whome he appeared wyth all such circumstances and proofes as serue for Testimonie agaynst the People of the Jewes He appeared to Mary Mardaline in forme of a Gardiner in the selfe same Gardeyne where he hadde béene Buried He appeared to his Disciples the selfe same daye in the place where they were drawne together for feare of the Iewes He appeared to two Disciples which went to Emaus At the ende of Eyght dayes he appeared once againe to his disciples S. Thomas being then present who was absent the first time Lastly he was séene of his Disciples neare the Sea of Gallile there being yet besides these so many other testimonies to confirme this trueth that it were but superfluous to ad more to the authorite of these Thus much for the narration of the History And lyke as the Resurrection of that Messias was of great importance so also was it prefigured and foreshewed by the prophets that went afore For Jonas was throwen into the Sea and swalowed of a Whale and yet by the mercie of God after he had remained thrée dayes and thrée nights in the bellie of the Fish he came out safe and sound to accomplishe the commaundement of god In this Jonas the Seruaunt of the almightie was a figure of our sauiour For as he was cast into the Sea to saue from wracke all the others that were in the shippe and that by the consent and determination of the Mariners Euen so our Lorde was past to condemnation by the councell and resolution of men and for their safetie throwne into the Sea of persecution of death in such sort that the earth receiued him as it doth other dead bodies reteining him thrée days thrée nights as a body deiected without life yet in the
end the power of God raysed him againe drue him out of the graue hauing vanquished death Of this besides many other prophesies Dauid hath written most manifestly speaking in the person of our Lorde as a man that by the inspiration of the holy Ghost J always sayth he set afore mine eyes the Lord whom I haue of my right hande to kepe me that J fall not For this cause doe J reioyce and my tongue shall beare Testimonie of my contentment but specially for that my fleshe shall rest in hope For Lorde thou wilt not leaue my lyfe in the graue nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption Thou hast shewed me the way of lyfe euen so shalt thou fill me wyth pleasure by thy presence For thou bearest in thy right hand a perpetual blisse In these wordes the Lord sheweth the singuler fauor which he receiued of his father in the death had not domination ouer him but was subdued and vanquished shewing withall the gladsome contentment he had to sée the eternall Father on his right hand In this hope he offered his body to the death dispersed it vpon the crosse receiued the graue being certeine of his resurrection victory that aswell touching himselfe as also for all mankind wherin declaring also his confidence ioy of his victory he sayth that his Father hath not suffered that his lyfe should remaine prisoner in the graue for euer and much lesse that his soule should be there deteyned not retourne eftsoones to be revnited to his body And lastly that his most holy body conceiued by the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin and who had passed so many Passions of Tormentes for the Seruice and Obedience of his Father should not suffer corruption in the Graue but afore Nature coulde accomplishe that operation his Soule shoulde eftsoones receaue coniuntion wyth his Bodye The Prophet sayth moreouer that he hath shewed him the way to retorne to life concluding with action of thankes that he hath surmounted death and sinne The sonne of God did not only obteyne priuilege to rise againe but also to him was ioyned power to make his resurrection afore there was any such signe of corruption in his body as naturally appeares on others that be dead this respect was kept on the behalfe of his most holy person and the flesh which he had taken for that effect béeing pure and wihtout any marke of sinne Besides all these we may consider vppon the end of this Psalme a great misterie of the victorie which our Lord obtayned against death together with the assurance of our resurrection the same leauing vs satisfied and certayne that once againe we shall réenter into the possession of our bodies after wée haue abandoned them by the rigor of death With this Psalme S. Paule proues the resurrection of the Messias against the Jewes saying that Dauid was dead and buried whose Sepulcher was well enough knowne amongst the Jewes concluding that séeing the body of Dauid had passed by that corruption which is common and generall to all dead men it was not possible that those wordes should be vnderstanded by him and therefore what he said he meant it by Iesus Christ whom neyther hell nor the graue had power to deteyne and to whose flesh could be attributed no sense or suffrance of corruption So that Dauid being a Prophet and hauing receiued promise by othe that the Messias should discend of his séede prophesied of his comming vnder the forme of wordes afore recited This is of great importance for Christians to whom it is a true approbation and sommarie of all the workes which the Lord did and of all our religion together with an assured gage or pawne of all our hope Saint Paule sayth that it is concluded the resolution alreadie set downe against the aduersaries and vnbeleuing that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God the same being proued in this that the father hath raysed him from the dead with a great force and wonderfull testimonie thereby to shew that he was his onely sonne Wherein on the one side might be séene the sentence of men the condemnation of the worlde the reprobation of the people of the Jewes the iniuries outrages and tormentes of the Crosse and of death which may alleage agaynst the sauiour of the worlde that he was not the Sonne of God but an abuser Séeing he was condemned by so great personages endured so many afflictions yea fixed on the crosse in such sort and such extremitie that the miserable worlde might estéeme him for such one as of long time had bene Prophecied that is that he was not reputed a man as others were but as one most abandoned of God and of all men And on the other side might be séene the holy Prophesies workes and wordes of our Sauiour and his Doctrine expressing the reason of his comming and the misery of his death together wyth the sentence of his Father who to shew himselfe true in his workes and promises had raised him againe from death declaring that he was his true sonne All these thinges béeing of such importance were foretolde by Iesus Christ afore his death béeing willing to Prophesie and published his resurrection both to his frendes and to his enmies to comfort the one and conuince the other Yea he thought méete to manifest it to all to make the worlde vnderstande that he was sent of the eternall Father to saue the worlde and that it was he that had ben promised in the Law offering himselfe to death of his onely and proper will. The Jewes demaunded of him some signe to know who he was but he aunswered that they should haue no other signe but that of Jonas For as Jonas issued out of the bellie of the Whale the thirde day So the thirde day after his death he should eftsoones ryse out of the center of the earth hauing in that action vanquished death As he went once to Hierusalem he tolde his Disciples that he should be deliuered into the handes of the gentiles he comunicated the forme of his death assuring them that the third day he should rise againe And speaking with them a little before his death he comforted them saying that after his resurrection he would go before them to Gallely So that our confession by the which we acknowledge our Lorde to be risen againe the third day is confirmed by good and great testimonies requisite in a thing of so high misterie and importance being also matter of no small consolation to the children of GOD together with assured testimonyes that may bee gathered againste the wicked in the Holy Scriptures and predictions which our Lorde made before hys death Certaine Meditations and considerations vpon the resurrection of Iesus Christ THe firste consideration that the faithfull christian may take of this resurrection of Christe dependes vppon the meane wée haue already spoken of For in his resurrection we may comprehend that which appertaines to the
dignitie of his person to declare him such one as he is By which he hath shewed that he came to vanquishe and surmount sinne and death and to pronounce that as who so euer would followe him should liue eternally so to such was reserued euerlastinge death as would not obey his woorde and doctrine For in him saith he is conteined resurrection and lyfe yea and the Saluation of those that beléeue in him To that to proue those thinges and to assure consolation to all such as should giue faith to his woordes it was requisite that he should not only manifest himselfe the author of lyfe in raising others but that also he should expresse it in his proper person giuing this testimony of himselfe that albeit he was dead yet he had more power then death for that he was able to returne to lyfe By this it appeares that the resurrection of Christe is a trew proofe of his greatnesse and a declaration that he is the Sonne of GOD hath surmounted all trauels and perplexities hath domination ouer death and ouercome hell sinne and the deuill séeinge hée hath disfurnished them of their principall weapons wherewith they did tirrannise ouer the Linage of man which is death that followeisd It also a proofe that as wée honour serue and beléeue in a man dead and crucified so also we must obey followe and serue in faith a man that hathe foretolde his Resurrection and which is risen againe from the dead séeing that one of the reasons why he dyed was the more to declare his power and manifest further his force and excellencie of life together with his power against the kingdome of sathan In the Seconde consideration is inclosed a wonderfull secret greatly auailing the estate of mankinde it is deuyded into two partes according to the testimony of the Scripture whereof the one consistes in his death and the other in his resurrection Touching his death wee haue alreadie debated that in it was comprehended the death of our trauelles the death of our death the mortification of our olde Adam and the spoile of the forces of the wicked roote of sinne which raigned ouer vs And in his resurrection we say now is comprehended the reestablishment of our lyfe the newnes of our iustice the vertue and spirituall generation of the new Adam in vs the woorkes of this newe lyfe the hope that this newe people of GOD hath to returne to Heauen and finally the thoughtes and operations agreable to the maiestie of god Christe was not sacrificed only for himselfe but for vs he is not risen againe onely to declare what hee was but wyth all to make himselfe suche a one to vs as his Father mighte receiue vs He is dead for our sinnes risen againe for our iustificaiton His death made to dye all wicked thinges but in his resurrection were reuiued al good thinges In effect we haue to consider touching the vertue of the misterie of the resurrection that he is also so risen againe in vs Spirituallie that if it be not long of our obstinacie and Rebellion we shall féele the force of his Resurrection in vs that is he will engender in vs a power and will to doe the workes worthie of a newe lyfe and will make vs to rise agayne to a newnesse of lyfe by the which we shal be founde agréeable before the face of God And béeing risen wyth him we shall vanquishe death and sinne and be made frée from the seruitude of Sathan being affected to the commaundementes of God louers of his iustice and zealous of his glory to perticipate in the ende wyth the heauenly lyfe by the communion which we haue wyth the lyfe of Iesus Christ in thoughts and workes So that let all Christians vnderstande that if in humilitie they search a remedie for their sinnes opening wyth all the gate of their harte they shall finde wyth in Iesus Christ raysed agayne And that being in the companie of so great a Lorde liuing who hath vanquished death they can not haue in them any deade thing For they shall also rise againe spiritually wyth the Lorde into that newnes of lyfe whereof we haue spoken Let vs therefore take héede to refuse the mortification of our wicked workes of our disordered appetites and our wicked affections For if we bowe or bende our selues we shall wythout doubt apperteyne to the other parte of this misterie and rise againe wyth Iesus Christ In this sort is to be vnderstanded the saying of the Apostle That we are buried wyth Christ by Baptisme and dead to our sinnes and to our olde Adam For that as Iesus Christ is risen agayne from the deade for the glory of the Father So we must enter into a newnes of lyfe béeing assured to keepe him companie in the Resurrection if we accompanie him in his death he dyed to make dye our sinnes and liued agaiâ—e to giue life to our iustice and therefore if behooues vs to dye as touching our sinnes and to be diligent to do good workes whervnto let euerye good Christian referre all his care and study and raise al his thoughts demaunding al those things in his prayers and searching them neither more nor lesse then he would do a precious treasure wherin lyeth hidde al his felicitie The victory is already gained and the faithfull are assured of their forces for that the sonne of God soliciteth for them and holdes al these benefites in his disposing In him we may be bolde to repose our sewertye séeing he hath so much suffred for vs and to make vs communicate with these graces his mercy will neuer faile vs séeing he hath not denied it vs to get them Sure in respect they haue cost him so deare and that the paiment is already made it will not be hard to giue them vnto vs. In the third consideratcon of this article the good christian hath to vnderstand that in the resurrection of the lord we get not only spiritual resurrection as hath ben saied but also we haue assurance of the resurrection of our bodies So that considering that Iesus Christ is risen from the dead for our welth and profit we may be assured that he is risen both in body and soul that our resurrection is no lesse certain then his rising againe being the assurance and gage of our resurrection and he being in all things our first borne captain he marched before vs and we must follow him All the wretchednes that the deuill had caused were repaired by the son of God for as the deuill threw spirituall death vppon mankind so in the vertue of our sauiour that death is destroyed vanquished and a life spiritual giuen vnto men The deuil procured corporal death to mans race for death was brought into the world by sinne but the sonne of God hath ioyned to vs a corporall resurection For as death was introduced by a man so by a man came restitution resurrection we were all dead in Adam euen so
are we al reuiued and raised again in Jesus Christ This accomplishment appertaines to the liberalitie of the dyuine maiestie which hath reestablished and restored vs to the benefittes which he hath already communicated to vs Our death is vanquished on all partes and on all sides our life is eftsons reestablished Wée are absolued and made frée of all thinges séeing we haue on our side the death and lyfe of Iesus Christ the soueraigne bownty drawes vs from sinne the sacrifice is offered and we haue obtained pardon for our iniquities being but poore wretched slaues we are made rich and haue obteyned libertie to be the children of god And if we loose this benefitte it is eyther for some newe falt of ours or that wée will not cast or chaunge our olde skinne In effecte in this Article is disclosed the great humility and mercy of the Sonne of GOD who refused not to go into the darke prisons of the Earthe to deliuer the Soules of the iust there deteined and dispoile the Deuill of all his force and power to the ende that men may with more ease vanquish and surmount him We sée also that after all this he rose againe the thirde day and returned into true lyfe yea a life so excellent that death hath no more power ouer it nor any possibilitie eftsoones to preiudice it We haue shewed how this resurrection hath ben sufficiently iustefied euen by the places of Scripture accordinge to the testimonye of the créede That Christ rose againe the third day accordinge to the Scriptures which séemes to haue ben taken of the Apostle Wée haue also declared how necessary was this resurrection for the approbation of the dignitie of the person and doctrine of Christe séeing that in the same he is expressed the Sonne of god Wee haue also debated how it is to be vnderstanded and practised this great mistery partly for the regarde of our Lord and partely for the resurrection spirituall and corporall which he workes in vs by vertue of his restitution There remains nowe to declare who they be that practise the contentes of this article in faith and workes and who they bee that satisfie it not Such as professe and practise the substance ot this Article as appertaineth are those that perseuer in the mortification of their sinnes their fleshe and their disordered suggestions of the olde Adam that they reduce and bring him euen to the graue that is that they make a full and perfecte victory of him with a great remorse in themselues and a resolute hatred to all wicked and ill actions returning by the same meane into a newnesse of lyfe new desiers and new operations and actions Béeinge lastly altogether conformable to that newenesse which the Sonne of God is wont to coÌ„municat with suche as are risen againe with him Those be they that accompanie our Sauiour For as he is risen againe to be neuer after made subiect to death so the faithfull risen againe spiritually féele themselues so conuerted and out of taste of the woorkes of sinne that the spiritual death can not pearce so déepe as their hart And as our Lord rose againe triumphing so shall they also haue a glorious restitution beinge repurged of all wicked affections and enclyned to all good thinges to whom the yoke of the gospell shall séeme easie and swéete and shall trauell in great thirste and appetite to obserue the comaundementes of god Their charitie shall enflame their patience prepared to suffer all paines and tribulations they are glorified in the glorie of Iesus CHRIST they haue an honestie and purity of conscience they are chaste they loue their neighbour perfectly and pardon with all their harte suche as doe offend them They retire themselues from the thinges of this worlde and abandon the pompes and ambitions of the same as though they were vnapte therevnto and had no mindes affected to such transitory vanities For they are made newe men restored and raised againe by the Sonne of God who hath triumphed both ouer death and all dead thinges And so are they made his that hath raised them to serue him with new fruites which their new life bringes forth They feare not to suffer death to maintaine that which God hath ordeined they care neither for reproche nor hunger to defend iustice truth For their new life kepes them from smelling of those thinges which might hinder their faith perseuerance and constancie of hart in the traine of the gospell and ioynes vnto them a certainty of a better life which assureth them of all thinges Of the contrary such as be estraunged from this practise haue no other thinge but the simple name of those that are raised againe They are as painted sepulchers set out to the show without and within conteine nothing but rottennes and corruption such were the Pharasies with whom they haue only the title of lyfe and liuely and in effect are nothing els then dead rotten and corrupte Reteyninge that stinke and loathsomnes which is wonte to be aboute dead bodies Such be many of our christians who vnder thys name hyde a pride and arrogancie which the deuil teacheth them instructing them withall to be couetous and impatient the more to make them sauour of their stinke and filthynesse Lastly those be they that haue not chaunged nor cast their skinne and who being not mortefied can not be raised again For resurrection presupposeth death as there can be no death but there muste first be a life wherewith I ende the exposition of this article yéeldinge thankes for all thinges to GOD whom I beséech to continue his people in that proportion of faith which he thinkes necessary to their saluation Certaine testimonies of Pagan Authors seruing to approue christian Religion written in forme of a letter to a Noble man. ACcordinge to your requeste I haue sente you here with my opinion though not so liberally as you looked for yet with that faith industrie as may very well serue to satisfie your conscience and leaue me â—â—quited of my promis estéeming it to appertaine to me to instruct you séeing of your selfe you expresse such desier to know and learn. And albeit the matter it selfe drawing many circumstances requires a long time yet where thinges are debated faithfully and the resolution accepted diligently that that is long séemes not tedious and though it be little yet it may be enough for instruction beseechinge you to waye my reasons which I haue not drawn out of dreames but written them out of the best resolutions and agréementes of my bookes The vertue of christian religion is so great the miracles that haue confirmed it haue ben so publike and euident and the innocencie holynes of lyfe of such as haue professed it haue bin so cleare and manifest that the very enemies haue bin driuen to beare testimony with it notwithstandinge that they impugned it with all their industrie Yea it is a thinge wonderful seruing sufficiently to declare that our religion is
yea the souereigne delight of mortal folks is the solace of their lyfe and the greatest terror they suffer is the opinion and conceit of death Beastes exercize generation fruites returne séedes to their planter corne yéeldes his graine of increase and birds leaue egges in their nestes And all for no other reason then that knowing they can not alwayes liue they leaue others to liuein their place yea for no other purpose doe men beasts eate drinke sléepe and execute their other naturall actions then therby the more to preserue and pamper lyfe and with more securitie to prolong and shyft of death And for that in generall experience nature loues her conuersation and abhorreth all thinges hurtfull to her increase we sée there is nothing more comforts the man that is sicke then when he is tolde that he may eate of what his appetite lykes best euen so there is no worde that doth more amaze or mortifye him then when he is put in remembrance of his mortalitie and to prepare his conscience for with one woorde he hath sewertie of lyfe and wyth an other he heareth his sentence of death Whereof was verifyed a right true experience in the good king Ezechiell to whom in one houre in one house and to one person euen to himselfe was pronounced by the Prophete Esay that he was condemned to death and that GOD had eftsoones giuen him Pardon So that hauing deserued by the grauitie of his sinnes that GOD should take his lyfe from him God afterwardes through the fulnes of his mercie and consideration of his teares and repentance found occasion to pardon his death how incensat and rude soeuer any creature is yet we sée he hath iudgment to eschew the fire that burnes him to auoyd the Laborinth made to his distruction not to clime with desperate perill those high rockes from whose tops is present effect of death whereunto by what other reason is he induced then to preserue life which he holdeth deare flée death which nature teacheth him to feare The brute beast fléeth death and yet he is of a condition not to iudge of the worthines solace of life but to man nothing is more deare then life of al other thinges he holdeth death in most terror for that liuing he knoweth what he is being dead he cannot tel what shal become of him since after death there is no restitution no more then a trée once hewen downe can be eftsoons replanted Frendship the office of societie require that we wish to our frends much habilitie might power but with a greater affection we wish them long life yea this stands in common regard with vs all rather to séeke to prolong our lyfe thē encrease our welth not to make a greater care to augment our treasor then to continue our dayes which being true what a wonderfull prouidence of God nature is this that the confidence of life death consistes only in the tong who hath the same office in the administration of the life of man which is incidēt to the portall or wyket of a great palaice thorow the which do enter al things that we eat vse by the other do issue all that we thinke and speake So that it holdes good conformatie with the saying of the Wiseman that lyfe and death are in the power of the tongue since lyfe is at the portall of our Palaice readie to depart when death striking on the hamor of our conscience séekes to enter yea there is no part of our bodie wherein we stande more subiect to daunger of lyfe and death then in our mouth and tongue for that they being the open gates of the tower and truncke of the bodie lyfe may go out without speaking and death hath libertie to enter without knocking Habemus thesaurum in vasis fictilibus sayth S. Paule as if he had sayde Oh what payne haue Christians to beare in féeble and frayle vessels such precious treasures as fayth in the vnderstanding charitie in the will pietie in the handes loue in the hart chastetie in the bodie and lyfe and death in the tongue Yea they are vertues infused into vessels corrupt and appoynted to consociate members putrifyed who being so daungerous to be managed and most easie to be broken what suretie or gard is there to the lyfe when in the mouth is found no gouernement and to the tongue is denied the gyfte of secrecie For hauing no boanes to controule it nor senewes to restrains it what science or meane hath it to doe that we commaunde it or how can it reteine and kéepe secret thinges which are referred to his trust and confidence Therefore to the man that feareth death and desireth long lyfe it is necessarie he minister gouernement to his tongue lest he know not how to prolong his lyfe and much lesse finde out where vpon his death may come Salomon then sayde wisely that death and lyfe were in the power of the Tongue Meaning that as to some men the tongue hath saued their lyfe so in others wicked speach hath wrought the occasion of their death For that to a Noble minde an iniurious worde doth more hurt then a great cutte or wounde of a swoorde on the bodie of a barbarous or rude man And to proue by many examples and figures in the Scripture the operation of the tongue in the action of lyfe and death we reade that Cayn béeing asked of God why he had slaine his Brother Abell In place to repent him of the fact and aske Pardon of God he sayde that his fault was greater then that Gods mercie could forgeue it against whom S. Augustine cryeth vehemently that much lesse that the mercie of the Lord could be inferior to the fault of Cayn séeing that to pardon and forgeue is a thing proper to God and to reuenge and punishe is farre estranged from his nature So that there is no doubt but greater was the offence of Cayn in the wordes he sayd then in the Murder he did since if with the stroake of the swoorde he tooke away the lyfe of his Brother by the Blasphemie of his tongue he gaue death to his soule To kil his Brother was euil done but to dispaire in Gods mercie was euen a transgression of the deuill for that more doe we offende God to estéeme him without mercie then in any other sinne we commit against his maiestie Some of the Jewes Crucified Iesus with torments and some with their tongues in whom I thinke was déeper effect of sinne then in the rest that pearced his bodie with nayles For that they layd their handes on him by ignorance but the other fylled their tongues with false testimonie Blasphemed Crucifyed him by malice It is written in the Prophete Esay discoursing vppon the fall of Lucipher Quia dicebat in corde suo in coelum conscendam et super astra dei c. Because thou hast sayd Oh Lucipher that thou
to haue him steale from her to enriche his frende to communicate wyth his minion and be a straunger to his Wife and to minister to the wantes of his Concubine and be wythout pitie to his proper Children In the Lawe of Christianitie the same fayth the woman is bounde to kepe to her Husband he is al so bounde to obserue to her But if Wyues had the lyke authoritie to chastise as Husbandes take libertie to accuse sure they would neyther take to such sorrow the disorders of their Husbandes nor in them would be founde such facilitie to offende Besides from the season that Man and Woman be vnited by the holy promise and couenaunt of mariage they haue so small iurisdiction in perticuler ouer themselues that it is a kinde of theft if eyther the one or the other alien or deuide their bodies Consider therefore Sir the great occasions you giue to your Wyfe who hauing youth riches and beutie and courted with no simple importunities If she were otherwayes then she is she would perhaps bestow her hart vpon some one of those many that bestow vpon her their eyes occasion may doe much and there is no worse thing to tempt a Woman then the ill example of her husband For your parte if you thinke your Wyfe not worthie to receiue recompence of affection at least haue consideration of her merit and let not her loyaltie discouer your penurie nor her constancie complaine of your want of honor If you will not obserue to her the Law of a husband for the respectes of your soule your honor your goodes and your health at least remember that what pleasures or felicyties you finde in the companie of your Concubine are nothing in regarde of the disquiets you shall finde when you come home For how wise how secret how temperate or how holy so euer a Wyfe be yet she had rather die then not to giue reuenge to the iniuries of her Husbande or not to make him féele her Ielousie And therefore to men that are drowned in fancie wyth forreyne Women it is in vayne to repose in the Baude who will be corrupted or in the Concubine whose indifferencie makes her a blab Séeing in cases of Ielousie Wyues are so suttle and wyth all so liberall that the better to espie and trace out the Confederacies of their Husbandes they will not sticke to corrupt hte Quicke by money and Coniure the deade by Charmes And so God graunt you that you want and defende you from that you deserue A Treatise of the Resurrection of IESVS CHRIST ▪ together wyth an Exposition of the Fifth Article of the Créede that he discended into Hell and roase againe the thirde day ACcording to your request I haue sent you herewith the declaration of the fifth Article of the Créede in substance as I published it but not in sort as I pronounced it For that it is impossible that in the Penne should be represented the facilitie grace and edifying vertue of the Tongue according to the opinions of the best Philosophers and Orators both Gréeke and Latine wyth whom the Penne was accompted insufficient to satisfie or compare wyth the honor which they had gotten wyth the Tongue and specially to recorde or write Sermons wherein they helde that the matter should loase his Grace and the auther his reputation Notwithstanding according to your power to commaunde me you shall finde no want of desire to doe you seruice albeit vnder this condition that if you be not satisfyed the fault is more in your importunitie then in my charitie and so to the matter The fifth article of our faith expressing that Christ discended into hell roase eftsones the third day contayneth two partes whereof the first comprehendes our confession that he went into hell and in the second is contayned his resurrection Some deuines deuide it into two articles but wée draw it into one contayning notwithstanding two partes tending to one end We confesse that our redéemer being buried his holy bodie remayned in the graue thrée dayes being in déede dead during that season But his soule in the meane while was not ydle for that it discended into hell to do there a wonderfull action which he accomplished And so we confesse that on the third day his soule was reioyned to his bodie to geue it reall and essentiall life So that there can be no dout that he roase not againe hauing obteyned the victorie against death Wherein if we consider thinges in iudgement and equitie we shall find great matter in the humilitie of the sonne of God and in whom may be séene the singuler mercie of the father not sparing his sonne and his readie obedience to accomplish the eternall will of his father all inuiting vs to beare no small loue and thankfulnes to him In this article and in the former are declared the degrées by the which the sonne of God discended and embased himself euen to thinges incredible for a personage of that dignitie The first degrée was to make him man and to vouchsafe to be borne at a time certaine he which was borne eternally The second was that he yet humbled himself more to suffer sentence and publike condemnation as a malefactor In the third he tooke vppon him the torments of the crosse a death most cruell and more infamous then any other sort of passion By the fourth he was content to suffer death not as God albeit being God but as man in such sort as the very person of God suffred death In the fifth he suffred himselfe to be buried as others that were dead making himselfe like them in all thinges as if he had bene comprehended vnder the curse of Adam to retorne into dust whereof he was formed yea he that was frée from sinne and the curse And by the last steppe or degrée he discended into hel whether were discended such as stood destitute of their proper iustice to the end to open to them the gate of the kingdome of heauen By these degrées if we consider spiritually the discending of Iesus Christ we shall find it as long as is the distance of heauen from whence he came vntill the Center of the earth whether he discended And as there restes no other place any further to embase the sonne of God so would he not bée committed to more humilitie only there remayned one degrée which proceded of sinne and the fellowship of Sathan ▪ out of the which the person of Christ was exempted hée which came to redéeme sinners and iustifie men and vanquish the deuill All that he could suffer to be made a sacrifice for our sinnes the sonne of God was enclined embased vnto it sinne only except whereunto he could not be subiect for that there is too great enimitie betwene the iustice of the sauiour the malignity of sinne The greatest part of the degrees aboue mencioned concerning the discending and humilitie of the sonne of God are declared by the Apostle who speaking by
that shée is already in the way to hir saluation But séeing she is dead and now set in the place of Gods eternall appointment and since in the world is no power eftsones to raise her let her rest at quiet in the ioyes of Paradise and resort you hereafter to a resolute patience Become imediatly carefull for your life and leaue of those funeralles and vayne ceremonies for the dead séeing that if God hath fulfilled his will to call her to him it is to place her in his tabernacle of eternall rest and leauing you still in the world he doth it to none other end but to giue you time of amendement For where God promiseth to man long and many daies it is vnder this warning that he giue order to the correction of his life Many times haue I spoken and written that the sounde and noyse of Belles doth not so much benefite the dead as do good to those that liue for that as the dead béeing wythout sence are also voyde of nature and habilitie to resume remorse so to such as liue the Belles giue warning of death as those that are alreadie departed yea they pronounce that we shall all be buried as such as are alreadie put in the graue and no more remembraunce remayne of vs then of them that lie couered with claye which makes mée still maintaine that albeit to the dead the Belles are merly vnprofitable yet to the liuing they serue as officers to somon vs to the fatall banquet They call vs to prepare our reckoning and make vs readie to appeare afore our soueraigne iudge to heare our sentence yea they put vs in remembrance of the last houre of our miserable life and then as I knowe none that wish to haue bene Emperours so there is no doubt but many desire to haue liued in the state of poore heardsmen But now to perswade with you somewhat familiarlie aswell to witnesse my good will as to warne your frailtie I wishe you to vse patience not so much to expresse your grauetie as to solace the heauinesse of your minde and by so much haue you néede to cal for aid to the spirite of God by how much the greatnes of your losse séemes to excéede the resistance of flesh and bloud consider that to render retribucion is a dutie of nature and a debt to be payed either in youth in age or at other season and that not in the hand and discretion of man but at the will and good pleasure of God with whom we haue no power to contend for that the thinges which he commaundeth ought to be accomplished and what he willeth is well worthy to be approued being impossible that he should exact any vniust thing he that is euen the selfe supreame and souereigne iustice Be it sir that you are sory for her death of whom can you redemaund your losse but of death against whom there is neyther prescription nor authoritie It is he in whom is wrought the very effect and stipend of sinne and it is he that is the fearefull tirant ouer the world who yéeldes no compassion to the teares of men takes no care of their sighes scornes at their complaints and playeth with their afflictions he maketh great kinges fall as lowe as the ground he deuides their principallities destroyeth their heyres he confoundes the proude and mightie and rayseth the humble and méeke hée neither pardoneth old men nor pitieth the young sort yea he hath authoritie to call all men to reckoning and no man to demaund reason of him The Philosopher Secundus being asked what death was Aunswered that it was an eternall sléepe a terror of riches a desire of the miserable a seperation of friends a voyage vncertaine a robber of men a beginning of those that liue and an end of such as die Death hath this absolute libertie to enter where hee list without knocking at the gate condemne whom he will not heare them speake and carie away what he thinkes good without that euen the highest authoritie either can or dare resist him Yea we must be pleased with what he leaueth vs and not complaine of that he takes from vs. I doubt not but it is grieuous to you to féele the want of so deare a wife aswell for the solace of your person as direction of your house and children but séeing the chaunces of mortall creatures do shew that al men are subiect to the law of nature and fortune and that of necessitie this must passe so put on a good countenaunce to the world and shake of all inward heauines of mind séeing the care of thinges impossible is vaine and only proper to weake men you know also that in this troublesome life many mo in number are the things that amaze vs then those that hurt vs And therfore to wéepe much to sigh often to sorrowe alwaies to weare attire of dule to flée societie of friends to retire into desolate priuat places to delite in solitarines be in one of your grauetie matters more to be rebuked then affected séeing that as too great ioye estrangeth the heart into the like so for the most part much parplexitie sorrow bring with them the effect of dispaire You ought not for the death of your wife to be negligent in the administration of your house carelesse in the state of your health forgetfull to entertaine the reputation of your honour nor vnmindful to direct your reuenue For the passions and afflictions of the hart are neuer cured by newe grieues but with the longnesse of time One of the greatest trauels that we suffer in this transitory race is that sorowes grieues enter our harts sodainly which afterwards we cānot expell but with great time and vertue And therfore we ought not at the first to vrge a troubled minde to forget his paine but rather to perswade to moderate it for that at the beginning the mind receiueth more comfort in debating the harme then in speaking of the remedie And therefore to a mind afflicted with gréene sorrowes the best remedy is to deferre them vntill by time they be more apt to receiue consolation For as tract of time carieth with it a law of forgetfulnes of things past so to a hart grieued the true souereigne plasters are temperance time forgetfulnes So that neither because you are a widower nor in respect of your passions you ought to cōmit to negligence the order of your person nor the nouriture of your children for as it is no small fully to wéepe for the dead whom we haue no power to recouer so it can not but be a great madnesse to be carelesse of them that liue standing in the way of perdicion withall no man is bound to raise vp againe such as are dead but euery one is tied to this dutie to giue succours to them that liue I hope sir you wil not lay afore you the example of your neighbour friend Roderico who assone
the Prophet was culpable for vsing scilence and Cayn condemned because he spake by which we may gather the great necessitie we haue of wisdome to vse time to speake and time to suffer scilence For as the trée is known by his fruite the vertue of a man discerned by his workes so in his wordes and spéeche are disclosed the qualitie of his wisedome or simplicitie And as Iesus Christ in all his actions was no lesse pacient to heare then moderate in speaking so we finde not in scripture that he euer deliuered worde in vaine nor neuer helde his peace but for feare of slaunder And although it be a miserable compulsion to vse scilēce in things which we haue desire to disclose yet considering scilence bringes sewerty and conteines in it selfe many other goodly thinges let vs stand restrained to the two seasons which Socrates aloweth without reprehension the one is when we speake of that which we manifestly know and the other when we haue in hande thinges necessary In which two times onely as speache is better then Scilence so in all other Seasons experience approueth that we ought to preferre scilence afor speaking To what purpose or intentions tended all the speaches of Iesus Christ THe wordes of our Sauiour tended eyther to the prayse of his Father as when he humbled himselfe in this speach Confiteor tibi pater or to teach men what they ought to do when he sayd Beati mites or else to reprehend wickednesse and sinne when he cried vae vobis legis peritis So that when he was not occupied to giue prayse and glorie to his Father nor to preach doctrine nor to rebuke vices it was then he was setled in a deuout and holy scilence The Hebrewes led him to their consistories a fore thrée iudges that is to say they brought him to the Palaice before Herod to the Bishops house before Annas to the trée of the crosse before his Father at which place only he spake and in the others he vsed scilence and therefore afore the two first tribunals he was accused of crime because he held his peace standing as aduocate afore the thirde he spake And albeit right great infinit were the works which our Redéemer did from the time he was taken till he was crucified yet his wordes were fewe and his spéeches in very small number the better to teach vs that in time of tribulation and aduersitie we ought more to séeke our consolation in a holy and deuout patience then to preferre or expresse great eloquence Christ then being vpon the hill of Caluary not onely condemned to death but very nere the passion of the same hauing his flesh pearced with nayles his hart burning in zeale and loue cryed to his father Pater ignosce illis quia nesciunt quid faciunt as if he had sayd Oh eternall father in recompence that I am come into the worlde and in consideration of the preaching that I haue made of thy name In satisfaction of the paynes and crucifying that I endure and in respect that I haue reconciled the world to thée I require no other reward but that it may be thy good pleasure to pardon these mine enemies who haue sinned to the end I should dye and I suffer death because they may liue Forgeue them since thou knowest and all the world séeth that in my bloud is payde and satisfied their crime with my charitie I haue raysed and put them in my glory so that let my death be sufficient to the end that no other death haue more place in the world Pardon them since thou knowest that the death which triumphed in the crosse and by the which I am nailed to the same is crucified heare in this trée by meanes wherof oh euerlasting Father I beséech thée estéeme more the charity wherein I dye for them then the malice by the which they prosecute my death Forgeue them Oh heauenly Father since if thou considerest these my enemies in the nature and merite of their sinnes there will not be founde in the furies of Hell tormentes worthye enough to punishe them Then better is it Oh gracious Father that thou Pardon them since that as there was neuer the lyke faulte committed so shalt thou neuer haue occasion to vse the like mercie And séeing my death is sufficient to saue all such as are borne or to bée borne those that are absent present deade and on liue It is no reason that these heare should be shutte out from that benefite being a thing of most equitie iustice and right that as my bloud is not spilt but with thy consent so also by thy hands it should be well employd In this we haue to note that Christ sayd not Lorde pardon them but he sayde Father forgeue them as discribing this difference betwéene those two estates that to a Lorde belonges properly to haue Bondemen Subiectes and Vassalls and the name of a Father presupposeth to haue children so that he required his Father not to iudge them as Lorde but besought him to pardon them as a Father Christ also sayde not condicionally Father if it be thy pleasure forgeue them but he prayed absolutely after himselfe had forgeuen them that his Father would Pardon them by which example we are put in remembraunce that the reconcilement which we make with our Enemies ought to be pure absolute and without affection Besides our Redéemer sayd not singulerlie Father Pardon him but he spake plurally by which we may be informed that as he prayed not particularly for any one in priuate but generally for all so his blood dispersed on the crosse was not only sufficiēt to redéem one onely Worlde but to satisfie the Raunsome of a Million of Worldes And out of this misterie may be drawne this construction that our Sauiour praying generally for all expresseth himselfe so liberall to geue and so mercifull to pardon that when he forgeues a sinner any offence he pardoneth with all his other crimes It is not also without misterie that Christ sayd not I forgeue them but besought his Father to Pardon them For that if the Sonne onely had pardoned them after his death the Father might haue demaunded the iniurie because that if the Sonne had forgeuen them he had done it as a man where the execution of the iustice remayned in God but as the deuine worde yea the liuing Lorde hath perfourmed this pardon with so true a hart so hath he not suffered that there remaine in it any scrupule And therefore he besought his Father to pardon them to the end that by the humanitie which he endured and diuinitie which suffered it his enemies might be at the instant absolued and we others haue hope to obteine remission ¶ That when CHRIST our Lord gaue pardon he left nothing to forgeue IN lyke sort we haue to note that Iesus Christ required not his Fathere to pardon them after his death but besought him to forgeue them at the instant
malice that thou takest no more shame of thy Sinnes then a common woman deuiding her body to straunge Fleshe yet if thou come afore me in Prayer and call me Father I will aunswere thée and acknowledge thée for my Sonne By this we haue to thinke that it was not to obteyne a small thing when he began his Prayer by this inuocation Father forgeue them yea he made offer of the same Phrase for the remission of his Enemies which he would haue done if he had prayed for the aduauncement of his best friendes But in recompence of this Wonderfull affection and Zeale that Nation replenished with malice Cryed out to Pylate to Crucifye him who refusing to committe his Innocencie to sentence and not fynding in him worthynesse of Death they cryed eftsoones Sanguis eius super nos et super Filios nostros Be not so scrupulus to Iudge an offendour saye they for if thou thinke thou doest an vniust thing let the Venggeance of his innocencie fal vpon vs and our Posteritie but from this petition Iesus Christe séemed to appeale for that as they Cryed that his bloud might be agaynst them so of the contrary he sought to make that Holy effusion profitable to them So that where they demaunded of Pylate their condemnation he Prayed to his Father for their Pardon For a man to doe no Euill to his Ennemie may very well happen to Pardon Ennemies belonges to the Office of CHRISTIANS to loue an Ennemie is the worke of a perfect man But to pardon him which would not obteyne pardon was neuer done by any but by Iesus Christ For when the Hebrewes cryed Sanguis eius super nos Christ lyft vp his voyce and zeale to his Father Pater ignosce illis There was no great distance betwéene the time of the petition of the Jewes and the Prayer of our Sauiour for as they cryed at the the third hower to haue him crucified and that the reueng of his bloud might light vpon them and theirs so at the ninth hower Christ prayed to his Father to forgeue them Oh Father sayth he let not the vengeance of my death redownd vpon them neyther stretch out thine Ire vpon this people that know not what they do for they are ignorant of the price of their demaunde and protestation that with such obstinate vehemencie they pursue to Pilate Much better then did the Apostle consider and féele this great miserie when he sayde Accessitis ad sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam abell Oh wretched Hebrews and happie Oh we Christians who haue obteined pardon by the effusion of the bloud of the Sonne of God shed by your meane this spéech sure was farre otherwayes then the saying of Abell crying iustice iustice but our Sauiour sayd mercie mercie So that the iniquitie so generall and sinne so wicked as ours is had néede of such an aduocate as is Iesus Christ for who was so fitte to obtaine Pardon for our sinnes as he whose innocencie made him without sinne That God was wont to be called the God of vengeance and now is he named the Father of mercie IEsus Christ Langushing in torment and Martirdome vpon the Crosse expressed an other maner of Testament to the worlde then King Dauid who in the very passions of death charged Salomon his Sonne not to suffer the gray heares of Joab to come to the graue without bloud nor the liues of his subiects seruantes to end without reuēg yet they had not somuch as touched his garmēt to offend him where the Lord would not cease to purchase pardō euen for those by whose violēt hāds was wrought the effect of his death Deus vltionum dominus deus vltionum saith Dauid speaking of the iustice of god thou Lord art the god of reuenge since that from the instant that we commit the offence it is thou that thondrest punishment vpon vs yea thou art so called because of the feare that the world hath of thée that thou dealest with the generations of men in so great rigor with the auncients he was called the God of reuenge for the immediatly that Adam had transgressed he was chased out of the earthly paradise the regions of the earth by the vniuersalflud were drowned the two cities by his rigor subuerted the faction of Aron and Abiram consumed the idolators that offred worship to the calfe cōmitted to death the théefe of Hiericho stoaned and the host of Senacherib ouerthrowne yea without offring wrong to any he did iustice to all That god in those times was the god of vēgeāce appeareth in the actiō on the moūt Raphin whē the Hebrues demaūded of Moyses to geue them flesh to eate which tourned to their great domage for that they had scarcely begon to tast the flesh of the quailes falling in their host whē loe the indignation of the lord slew such multitudes of them that the scripture forbears to expresse the nomber The reuēge of the offence of the king Abimelech denying the Jsraelites to passe thorow his coūtries was it not executed thrée hūdreth years after the falt in the raign of Saule to whō god said I kepe remēbrāce of the smal regard which Abimelech gaue to my cōmaundements stopping the passage of my people thorow his realmes against whom looke that thou rise arreare thine armie cut in péeces all his people sparing neither man woman nor beast by which example with many others of equall continuance and equitie the men of the world may perceiue how déepe and vnsearchable are the iudgmentes of god who somtimes punish the ymediat offender oftentimes transferreth the correction vpon such onely as discende of their race So that he punisheth no man without desert and therfore not without mistery is he called by the Prophet the God of reuenge because that albeit he vseth to dissemble for sometime our transgessions committed against his maiestie yet they are not parpetually forgotten with him The same God that the Hebrues had and worshipped in those times doe the Christians hold at this day as true and soueraigne Lord of whom the Apostle yéeldes better testimonie to the Church then did Dauid to the sinagog For Dauid called him the God of vengeance and the Apostle honoureth him by the name of Father of mercie and consolation wherin as Dauid was not without some occasion to ascribe vnto him that surname title so the Apostle also had better reason to inuocate him in the phrase of mercifull father for that in that law of rigor feare God had a propertie to chastise people nations where in this law of grace he visiteth vs in affection mercy whereby hauing chaunged custome he hath also ioyned vnto him an other propertie of name title being now worthely called the father of mercy according to his many examples of mercie pitie expressed vpon many sinners as vpon S. Mthew in remitting his vseries vppō Mary Magdaline in pardoning her vanities vpō
the Samartiayne in forgeuing her adulteries vpon the théefe in purging his theftes vpon S. Peter that had denied him and vpon the wretched Hebrues that conspired his death Oh mercifull Iesus delight of our soules since the time is past wherein thy father was named the God of reuenge the season come wherein he is called vpon by the name of father of mercies we besech thée oh sauiour of the race of man to haue pitie vppon our soules amend our liues we that are thy brethern members of thy church and since in losing our selues we lose much the meane of our safetie stands onely in thy goodnes pardon vs according to thy holy custome propertie of thy nature oh creator of all things redéemer of al faultes since thou hast spoken by thy Prophete J will not the death of a sinner but that he liue and bee conuerted Beholde vs Oh Lorde in thy presence and conuerted to thée Receaue vs Oh infinit and perpetual God as our Father and pardon vs as thy childrē and as we confesse with humilitie Tibi solipecauimus so let it be thy pleasure to saye to thy Father Pater ignosce illis he was called in the olde law the God of reuenge because his will was that there should be restitutiō of eye for eye tooth for tooth and hande for hand But in the law of grace he is called Father of mercy for that he hath cōmaunded to render loue for hate honour for infamy clemencie for cruelty pardon for iniurie Locuti sunt aduersum me lingua dolosa et odio circundiderunt me expugnauerunt me gratis ego autem orabam sayth Dauid speaking in the person of Iesus Christ Oh sinagog full well doe I know that thou canst worke me no more euil then thou hast already don for thou hast hated me with thy hart blasphemed me with thy tonge killed me with thy hands in recompence of these deadly wrongs I prayed to my father for thée with vehement humilitie called vpon him to heare my praier This Prophecie sure as it was pronoūced by Dauid both king Prophet so hath it also ben accomplished by Iesus Christ For at the time when they crucified him with nailes torments at the instāt when they blasphemed him with their tongues at the season when they helde his Prophets in derision ▪ yea when he licored the earth with his bloud and opened the heauens with his tears euen then did he pray with great cōpassion to his father to pardon them oh wonderfull boūtie of our sauiour who seing euen frō the crosse his greatest enemies Quod loquuti sūt aduersum illum quod odio circundiderūt without occasiō expugnauerūt illū yet he praied for thē as if they had ben frée exempt from fault great is the action of this boūty ouerpassing the reach of man and exceding the iudgment of Angels and yet a worke right worthie of the Lorde betwéene whose holy intentions and Wicked working of his Ennemies is expressed no small difference For that for loue they rendred hate they appoynted him prisoner where he purchased their deliuery they accused him where he excused them they persented him afore Pilate where he offered them to God his father yea where he desired to haue them pardoned they procured to sée him crucified so that in this he expresseth a greater zeale to them then they can beare to themselues for that he holdeth the offender absolued demaūdes pardon of his Father afore the falt he confessed They prepared gal and vineger to present him in the passion of death and sharped their launce to pearce his sydes and yet he besought his father to remit the punishemēt afore they had actually commited the sinne if the sonne of God would haue demaunded any other thing of his Father the present view and estate of his martirdome ministred sufficient occasion for he might haue desired of his Father to remoue the panges of his passion or to ease the paines of his fleshe pearced thorow with nailes to take his enemies from his presence to preuent the obloquie to suffer betwéene two théeues or lastly he might haue demaūded that after his death to his body might be ioyned a sepulcher But to requestes of such nature the sauiour of the world séemed to cary small regard lesse expectation of cōfort or ease to his owne distresse no he estéemed it a thing far more worthy of him an act of greater charity to require pardō for his enemies rather thē to séek solace for his presēt sorowes or be careful for his pains to com ech redéemer of the world let it please thée we besech thée that as in the act of the holy sacrifice celebrated by thée vpō the crosse thou prayedst for thine enemies besought thy father to pardō thē that euen by the same boūty thou wouldst also vouchsafe to prai to thi father for vs particularly saying pater ignosce illis for albeit we were not of the nōber of those that crucified thée yet we ar not exempt frō trāsgressing thy commaundementes and are euen with the first that haue offended thée it suffised not Christ to saye onely Pater ignosce illis but in excusing them he added Nesciunt Quid faciunt Oh Father sayth he forgeue them as people that know not the harme that they doe in putting me to death and as men ignorant of the displeasures that wil happen for want that they haue not knowne me vouchsafe to supplie the fault of their ignoraunce Quia nesciunt quid faciunt Rightly spake the Lorde of them when he sayd They know not what they doe for ignorance was to them knowledg that by his bloud should be a appaised the wrath of the Father the seats eftsoones replenished which were made voyd by the offence of the wicked Angels the olde sinne of Adam defaced the vniuersall world redéemed This was an assured argument of their ignorance for that they put to death the sonne of God the inheritour of eternitie the workeman of the world the lord of angels he which is not only iust but iustice it selfe truly they knew not what they did since the time will come wherin shal be redemaūded of thē the blood of the innocent their citie destroyed layd open to spoyle their riche temple reuersed their sacrifices confoūded their law take end yea vntill the reuolution of the world they shall wander as vagabounds without law without king Nesciunt quid faciunt for by the effusion of that precious bloud the Church hath succéeded the smagog Iesus Christ taken place of Moyses baptim supplanted circumcision the Apostles succeded the Prophets the olde testament the new the crosse of Iesus Christ abollished the serpent of brasse the sacraments of the Church defaced the olde sacrifices so that as they toke away the lyfe of Iesus christ with paines on the crosse so in the same he put end to their sinagog
vouchsafe then oh mercifull Lord the as thou hast pardoned thē who without any submissiō crucified thée so thou wilt also remit our sinnes the prostrate afore thée accōpany our petitions with teares humilitie beseching thée to communicate vnto vs during the vse of this life thy spirit of grace feare in the other world the fruition of thy maiesty in glory A discourse afore the Emperour wherein is touched the Conuersion of the good Théefe Domine memento mei cum veneris in regnum tuum TO euery Christian iudgement ought to be acceptable this notable saying of Boetius Nihil ex omni parte beatum as if he had sayd there is nothing in this worlde so perfect wherein cannot be found imperfection nor any thing so vniuersally blissed which is not subiect to his bale error reprehension yea few things conteine their iust measure being brought to the yard fewer are founde to holde equitie of weight when they are paysed in the balance Man of himselfe is so small a matter and by reason of his frayltie of so weake power apprehension that there was neuer prince so mighty Philosopher so wise Captaine so valiant nor any one so established in blisse in whose condicion could not be found occasion of correction in their lyfe amendment of behauiour what is he to whom god hath geuen creation the earth disposed her natural sustenance which hath not sorrowed which hath not sinned whose doings haue not ben entangled with error yea if we beholde our selues with eyes of our selues besides that we shall sée in our common actions nothing but imperfection error and sinne yet also we shall finde that the men of the worlde doe many mo thinges wherein are mo occasions to repent them then meanes to worke their commendation Justus es domine et rectum iudicium tuum sayth the Prophet Righteous is the Lord in all that he doth and iust in his iudgements yea there is more certeintie in the iustice and iudgements of the Lord then eyther in the course of the Sunne the reuolution of the heauens or stabilitie of the earth Little honour had Dauid attributed to God in naming him iust if he had not also sayd that his custome was to doe iustice as in lyke sort it had not ben enough to ascribe vnto the Lord the action of iustice if withall he had not geuen him the name title dignitie and reputation of Righteous For many there are who are iust in their persons but doe not administer iustice to others as of the other side there be such as are instruments in the distrubution of iustice to others and are not righteous in themselues By reason whereof we may saye that so high and noble is this priueledge to doe all thinges wel and in their perfection that God hath reserued it to himselfe and not vouchsafed to communicate that deuine prerogatiue to any Creature And therefore all thinges vppon the which the Lorde bestoweth his eyes and countenance are not onely good but also we ought to beléeue that in them is no imperfection or error Quia vidit Deus cuncta qua fecerat et erant valde bona which falleth not out so in the Actions of man because in whatsoeuer he enterpriseth or bringeth to passe is founde good occasion of correction and iust reason of amendement For the dayes of our lyfe are so short and the Art which we learne of so longe studie and time that when we thinke we haue learned anye thinge it is then we stande euen in the Iawes of death and are ready to pearce the Pitte prepared for our corrupt Boanes In all the workes of man there is imperfection according to the Sentence of Socrates who confessed he had learned no other thing in Athens but to know that he knewe nothing wherein sure he sayde truely For how Rude Vile or Base so euer the Art be we finde in it alwayes more thinges to learne then we haue learned the same being the occasion of the Ciuill controuersies now a dayes wherein the Philosopher reasoneth agaynst the Philosopher the Mayster agaynst the Mayster and the Scholer agaynst his mate disputing and mayntayning opinions onely to séeke out and know which is he that vnderstandes most all which procéedes of the litle we know and the much we presume and that noane will confesse to be Inferiour one to an other Omnia in pondere et mensura fecisti sayth the wise man speaking of God thou hast made all thinges Oh Lorde by weight and measure which being aboue the power and prerogatiue of man falls out contrarie in all his actions For all thinges in this wretched worlde being guided more by opinion then by reason it happeneth most often that we cutte of and abridge that we ought most to encrease and lengthen and of the contrary geue continuance and amplyfication to thinges which deserue to be discontinued and deminished But in the house of God is neyther faction in opinion nor parcialitie in reason no who can reasonablie haue occasion to complayne séeing that all thinges that he geues to vs are layde out by weyght and measure when God had Promised to Abraham the Lande of Promisse he séemed forthwyth desirous of the possession of it which the Lorde woulde not agrée vnto afore thrée Hundreth yeares were past and finished saying vnto him that Nondum completa erat malitia amorreorum meaning I am the great God of Jsraell the Iudge of the Quicke and of the Deade and of the good and of the Wicked and being he to whom belongs the Rodde of righteous iustice and in whome onely is the propertie to doe Equitie to euerie one it is méete to expect yet in thrée Hundreth yeares to the ende the Cananites may deserue to loase theyr Lande and thy race procéede to be more worthie of it from the time that Kyng Saule was forgotten of GOD vntill Dauid was Elected ouer Jsraell there passed Forty yeares afore the Scepter was taken from the one and the other ioyned to the Throane of the Kyngedome In which respite of tyme the Lorde taried till wicked Saule became worse and Dauid increased in vertue and goodnesse Since therefore the giftes and doings of God are administred by weight and measure this ought to be the thought iudgment of euery Christian that when he sendes aduersities it is to exercise vs if he visit vs with pouerty it is with this intentiō to make vs deserue better whē he blesseth our estates with plentie by so much more ought we to retribute vnto him thankes seruice glory and obedience And if he chastiseth vs oh let vs thinke that he hath meaning to amend and make vs better so that as al things in the world and elswhere within the circuite and circumference of heauen and earth were established by his preordinance and foresight and guided to their effects by his omnipotent deuine and infallible prouidence So there is nothing that he doth administer or disperse
therewith haue made seruice offerings to the Lord Multiplicati sunt super capilos capitis mei et cor meuÌ„ dereliquit me I am falne into that age sayth Dauid that I haue no more sight remaining Mine enemies haue enuironed me my frends are dead my sinnes haue made me fall my good daies are now drawne to end so that my grieffes sorrows perplexities are mo in nomber then my hears but my greatest heauinesse of all is that my hart hath forsaken me wholoaseth his eyes the other particuler parts of his body together with all his goods can not but loase right dear great things but he that loaseth his hart loaseth assuredly all that can remaine or aperteine to a man For that within the wombe of our mothers the hart is the first that engendereth taketh lyfe and the last that dissolueth and vanisheth to death So that lyke as so longe as our hartes leaue vs not we may both loue feare and serue God so also if the hart loase his vigor and géeue vs ouer assuredly we haue neyther power nor facultie to Fast Praye or perseuer in Breath And therefore according to Saynt Hierom it is a great gyfte of GOD to be endued wyth a Constant and Valiant mynde as on the other syde to haue fayntnesse of hart and Pusillanimytye canne not but beare Testimonye and Prooffe of great Punnishement Audi popule Audi qui non habes cor sayth GOD by his Prophete Jeremie heare my voyce Oh generation of Jsraell and hearken to my wordes Oh People of the Hebrues I call thée Foole because thou art wythout harte yea I saye thou hast no harte because thou art a foole wher the Prophet in this phrase charged the people to haue no hart he imposed vpon them infidelitie as though they had neither fayth nor belefe in Iesus Christ the true god because the lyke as when the hart dyeth the life dissolueth euen so by Christ aspiring vpon the Crosse the sinagog tooke ende So that the Prophete was not without great reason to call the Hebrues Fooles men without hart séeing the testimony of so many miracles suffised them not much lesse were they satisfied with the nomber of benefites blessings with infinit Sermons perfourmed by our sauiour Iesus Christ all tending to make them Christians and yet wrought small impression in them by reason of their slender knowledge and great follie Euen so according to morrall phrase when we say any man hath want of hart it is asmuch as if we should charge him not to haue Iesus christ in his spirit for that as vndertaking to doe any good worke Iesus Christ is he that geues vs hart puts vs in reason euen so by good conclusion that man we may saye is depriued of reason and vnfurnished of hart which loues not Christ thinkes not on Christ serues him not feareth him not and hopes not in him So that in the Lawe of GOD to call a man without hart is no other thing then to saye he hath a body without a soule Omni custodia custodi cor tuum sayth the Wise man euery one ought to kéepe and double garde his hart to the ende it be not defiled by the fleshe oppressed of the worlde deceaued by the Deuill and that it be not altogether exercised by his fréende nor outraged by his enemie For that euen so much and no more haue wée in Iesus Christ then we geue vnto him Possession and place in our harte Wherein according to the measure of our confidence in GOD shall we finde recompence and retribution in him Yea if we geue our selues altogether to him he wyll assuredly be wholy ours So that all those thinges which the Lord geues vnto vs being holy harty or vnfained it belonges to vs the better to Prepare our offeringes to God euen from our hartes fixed in our harte vnfaynedly to touche our hart to kéepe our hartes alwayes replenished wyth Holy desires and enuironed with good thoughts For which occasion it suffised not the wiseman to bid vs simplie kepe our hartes but he enioyned vs to a double and diligent garde the better to aduertise vs that as the Eyes may be preserued by their Eyeliddes the mouth defended by the lippes the féete and handes kept from harme by Armour Gauntlets and a mans treasure holden from the Théefe vnder Locke and Key So there can nothing in this world suffise to forbid an ambicious minde to thinke and desire And so falling eftsoones vppon our first matter I saye that much doth that man offer to God that offereth his hart as also what hath he more to lose that loseth his hart the same appearing in the conuersion of this good théefe who euen as he hanged vppon the crosse because he offered to God onely his hart founde this recompence to be caryed into the eternall Tabernacle of God and communicate in his glorie Let then the example of this théefe stande before vs all that notwithstanding we haue not handes Féete Eyes Siluer Golde precious Iewels or clothes to offer to God yet let vs not be troubled or gréeued For who hath not these thinges in his power let him not doubt to be acceptable to the Lord if he present his hart replenished with holy desires The Sister of Moyses was diseased Moyses himselfe Stutted Tobyas was Blinde Mimpheboseph was Lame Zacharias the Priest was Dumbe yet these imperfections hindred not these men to be holy vertuous yea God called some of them to the function ministerie of his will If we haue our hartes whole holy sound the Lord obserues little the state of our other members no he makes no care whether they be perfect or putrified for this théefe in his senteÌ„ce of condemnation death had his limmes brused broken his mouth his eyes whole body crucified but his hart only reteining integritie he offred it to his sauiour and by his â—…yth constancie purchased the benefit of saluation And albeit in so small a respit of time in so quicke sharpe torments in so greuous apprehension of the dollors and terrors of death suffered by this théefe on the Crosse he coulde perfourme no great penaunce expresse no varietie or copie of spéeche or vtter apparant remorse by sighes sorrowe or publike contrition yet for that to his passions he ioyned greatnesse and constancie of harte wyth fayth and deuotion to GOD The Lorde dyd accept not onely that which he dyd then but also what he would haue done if he had not ben preuented by death How wickedly the euill THEEFE spake hanging on the Crosse THe Wicked Théefe speaking to Iesus Christ sayd if thou be that same Christ that is the sonne of God deliuer thy selfe from death and vs from this Passion of torments Oh cursed impudencie to pronounce such Horrible blasphemie against the maiestie of our Sauiour For albeit the Sonne of God was committed to the Crosse and
in the Companie of Robbers dyd suffer a slaunderous Death yet it was not for the he had any communitie with the offences of the théeues and much lesse suffered for his proper crimes but for the Sinnes of the Worlde Quae non rapui tunc exsoluebam I make sayth Christ by the Prophete satisfaction for the faltes done by others others haue eaten the Apple and yet I paye the price of it Though I haue committed no Crime yet mine innocencie is put to punishement Yea where others haue troubled the commonweale I am committed to iustice and hauing no nature or effect of offence in me yet I passe vnto death for the sinnes of the whole Worlde Right iust was the occasion of our Sauiour to holde such argument For that if they crucifyed him vnder a most smarting and infamous death it was not for that he had deserued it but to the ende that by it mankinde should be redéemed This théefe sayd not with sewertie that he was Christ and therefore by making wicked doubt question whether he were the sonne of God or not he deserued not with his companion to be made a Christian But the good théefe making no doubt of his omnipotencie sayde absolutly Lorde haue remembrance of me and therefore was not onely adopted to Christianitie but also there was ioyned to his fayth recompence of eternall saluation In the same maner S. Peter said not if thou be Christ I wil beleue in thée but he protested in bolde fayth and cryed J beleue that thou art the Sonne of the euerliuing God For who will receaue the grace and blessing of God his fayth ought to be without scrupull or doubt he that wil obteine any thing of god saith the Apostle it apperteines to him to aske it with a faith that is not doubtful for if God giue vs not forthwith that which we demaunde of him it is more for that we know not how to aske him then that he is harde to grauÌ„t our requests Let it then be farre from vs to say with the wicked théefe If thou be Chrict saue thy selfe and vs also but let vs rather with the Blinde man of Hierico say Oh sonne of Dauid haue pitie vpon vs For so shall we be made to sée with the blinde man and not caried into damnation wyth the Théefe Who in saying to Christ Salua te met ipsum et nos thought to perswade him to leaue the Passions of the Crosse and put himselfe in libertie and deliuer him from death For this was the opinion of this wicked théefe that euen as Pilate put on him the senteÌ„ce of death for his thefts and roberies euen so also there was no lesse guiltinesse in Christ as béeing vntruely holden a Seducer of the People and a man contrarie to the common Weale And therefore he thought that as the Terrors of Death made him vnwilling to dye so also there remayned in Christ a desire to lyue longer Wherein his error was so much the greater by how much he considered not that ther was necessitie of Christs death for the redemtioÌ„ of the world for which cause though he wished to liue loÌ„ger yet our sauiour desired the present stroke of death according to his owne words to his disciples Desiderio desideraui hoc pasâ—ha manducare vobiscuÌ„ at other times sayth he I haue celebrated with you this feast the which at this preseÌ„t I esteme to be truly passeouer in holy scripture The doubling and reiteration of a worde is a signe of vehement and great desire the which was wel expressed in the zeale of our sauiour who by this phrase Desiderio desideraui published manifestly that he had no lesse desire to dye for vs then most desirous to redéeme vs For of that nature was his thirst and desire to ouercome our perpetuall death that he expected nothing more then the houre wherein he might employ for vs his most holy and vndefiled lyfe There was great similitude and likenes betwéene the blasphemie of this wicked théefe and the request of the Jewes who willed him to descend from the crosse and they would all beléeue in him wherevnto if our sauiour had condiscended and abandoned the agonies of the crosse al the world had stand crucified with death sinne and the perpetuall perplexities of Hell Oh wicked théefe Oh people hardened and obstinate if Christ had come down from the crosse according to your requestes or if he had deuided himselfe from the paines of death following the blasphemous motion of the condemned théefe much lesse that it had bene happie with any sort of people but of the contrary Hell had bene alwayes open for you and the gates of Paradise perpetually closed agaynst our posterities For the Lorde came not to descende but to mount and ascende not to eschew the crosse but to dye vpon it Cum exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum sayth our Lorde Iesus Christ Because now I goe Preaching from one countrey to an other and that I haue my ryches dispersed you cannot haue knowledge of my might nor of the vertue and benefites that are in my power But when you sée me elected and chosen to the crosse euen in the same place shall be my treasure This spéech truely is of great admiration for the good sort and leaues no little feare to the wicked Omnia traham ad me ipsum by the which we are instructed that who will obteine any thing of Iesus Christ ought to aske it vpon the crosse For neuer was the Lorde so liberall as when he was Crucifyed at no time so rych as when he was Naked nor at any time so mighty as when he was condemned to death All these treasures did Christ bring with him from heauen to earth and from the earth he recaryed them with him to the trée of his suffering and being there he dispersed them through out the worlde so that he that is found most neare the crosse of our sauiour on him is bestowed the most plentifull rewarde it was on the crosse that he recomded his soule to his Father his Church to S. Peter to Nicodemus his body and to the good théefe the ioyes of Paradise it was on the crosse where he commaunded the Sunne to hyde his lyght the stoanes to breake the vayle of the Temple to rent the graues to open and the dead to ryse agayne which carieth an assured Testimonie that in his death was wrought the effect of our lyfe it was on the crosse that he spake to his Father gaue comfort to his mother had remembrance of his Disciple pardoned the beléeuing théefe and illumined the centurion to the end he might know Iesus christ to be the redéemer and confesse himselfe a sinner it was on the crosse where his side was opened his bloud shed where he shewed most plentifully his charitie expressed most myldly his patience and vsed greatest clemencie Yea it was the place where his death tooke ende and our redemption receaued beginning Lastly
vppon the crosse he was crowned as king saluted as king and hayled with the title of king So that all these being true how coulde it stande with any congruent reason that he should abandon the crosse which brought to him so many preheminences Oh Soueraigne sauiour and loue of our soules let vs not beséech thée with the Jewes to discende from the crosse nor in the corrupt affection of the Théefe to abandon the paynes thereof But graunt Oh Lorde that with thée we may be ioyned to the crosse where let vs not require that thou geue vs to eate since in that place thou haddest but gall and for thy drinke was reserued most sharpe viniger Let vs not require garments since thou wast all naked let vs not craue libertie since thou wast bounde and much lesse haue we reason to entreate for lyfe since thou diddest not refuse the execution of death That which we haue to require of thée is that it will please thée to geue vs part and communion in this crosse since in it thou hast with such plentie bestowed thy graces for wel we know Oh Lorde that thou dost neuer communicate thy loue and affection but to such as taste in thy paynes and Passions By all this discourse we may gather what hart we ought to haue to enterprise any good worke together with what magnanimitie of courage to execute it séeing that euen when we meane to beginne to doe well Wicked Spirites are then most neare vs and readyest prepared to deceaue vs For the Fleshe doth pricke and quicken vs men drawe vs backe and the Worlde workes to our vexation and Trouble Albeit manie were the occasions in IESVS Christe béeing on the Crosse to abandon it As firste the importunityes of the Jewes the perswasions of the Théefe the bitter Agonyes of Death the sorrowes of the Daughters of Hierusalem the Scornes and Scoffes of Straungers Passing that waye and Lastely the small thankes and recompence that men attributed to him for that Passion Yet they were not sufficient to Tempt him from the Execution of his Fathers Commaundement nor to let him to accomplishe all that wherevnto his Charitye bounde him for the fulfilling of our Redemption For when he sayd on the Crosse J am a thirst it was not for any appetite he had to Drinke but he spake it rather in a vehement wyll and desire to Endure yet more for the Healthe of our Soules The good theefe rebuked his fellowe hanging on the Crosse THE good Théefe hearing the wicked discourse of his companion agaynst Iesus Christ could not but minister this rebuke Weighing saith he with the horror of our lyfe past our present estate drawing to the extremitie of death I maruel that thou hast no feare of god art wythout shame of that thou sayest séeking to Crucifye this Prophete wyth thy Tongue as these Raging Tormentors doe wyth the violence of theyr Handes Oh thou knowest not that as this Innocent neuer dyd yll to any So in thée and mée was neuer founde any Good Fewe were the Wordes which this Théefe Spoke but ryght great Mysteryes are touched in them and therefore it is néedefull that we heare them wyth grauitye and Pronounce them in Charitye And albeit it is most Sewer that GOD the Almyghtie Creator is by Power all in all thinges yet particulerlye by Grace is he more manyfested by the Hearte and Tongue of man then through any other member of the Bodye as they being the two Instrumentes where wyth we doe most serue him and oftenest offende hym For the Eyes become Wearrye wyth séeing the Eares wythdrawe from Hearing the Handes refuse to Woorke the Féete forbeare to Goe and the whole Bodye may be gréeued to Sinne But it is the Harte which neuer puttes ende to hys Thoughtes and the Tongue is Séeldome wearye of Speakinge The Good Kynge Dauid was vpright in Iudgement and founde of Bodye and yet Praying to GOD for the most part he obserued these two Petytions Cor mundum crea in me Deus and Domine labia mea aperies Wherein he required of GOD to rayse in him a Harte cleare and Innocent also to blesse him wyth a tongue that should not pronounce any thing contrary to his wil for albeit he receiued gréeffes and disquiets by his other members yet he knewe he coulde neuer be vanquished of them for that it is one principall signe that we are in the grace of god when he blesseth vs with a hart replenished with pure intentions geues vs a tongue refrained frō speaking euill yea it is a true foundation testimonie of good Christians to beléeue in God with our hart and set forth his prayses with our tongue Much was the people of Jsraell in the grace of God when by Jeremie he sayd to them Ego dabo eis cor nouum and no lesse fauoured was Ezechiell of that almightie worker of all thinges when he sayde Ego aperiam os tuum in medio eorum as if he had sayde to Israell in signe of the great amitie I haue with thée I will illumine thy harte and because thou art my seruannt Oh Ezechiell I will open thy mouth to the ende thou mayest publishe and preach my power and might For right small is the nomber of those which atteyne to my knowledge and farre fewer are they that preach sincerely my name yea albeit a man haue the facultie to read to interpreat to studie and to deliuer yet he hath not for all that the full facultie of a true Apostolyke preacher for it is no small gifte and blessing of the Lorde to know how to preach well and pronoūce his worde and will Great therefore was the liberalitie which Christ vsed on the crosse séeing that the grace of newnes of hart which he gaue to Jsraell and the spirite and power of well preaching which he imparted to Ezechiell he infused both together into this good théefe toutching his harte to make him beléeue in him and opening his mouth to the ende he might publishe and preach his name By which is happened that after the Sermons of Iesus Christ and afore the preachinges of the Apostles this good théefe was the first that preached in the Church yea euen where he was crucified in the presence of the people he magnified that which Christ did and reproued his companion of blasphemy saying Neque tu times Deum qui in eadem damnatione es I sée saith he thou hast no feare of God and art in the way to be damned therefore beholde me and thinke vpon thy selfe To teach the ignorant and reduce to truth him that is in error is a worke of charitie proceding of great bountie which was expressed in the behauiour of this théefe warning his companion to consider that he was condemned to death hauing by his side the sonne of God in whom was power to pardon his offences and withall to deliuer him from the perpetuall agonies of Hell Oh to how many of our companions and
deserue to be chastised and matters that ought to be dissembled So it can not but happen to the furious man that in place to appease and couer iniuries he will of himselfe thunder reproches agaynst the parties But now after the daungers and domages that come by Anger it apperteynes to reason and congruencie to exhibite a fewe remedies to Cure or qualifie those moodes In all our affayres and actions it is good to fore sée both what may happen to vs and what may be sayde of vs For so shall we be Armed that albeit men geue vs cause to be Angrye yet they shall haue no power to make our passion furious And therfore the same néede that the poore man hath of Riches and the Foole of Wisedome the same necessitie hath the harte of patience For béeing Subiect to many Afflictions and the troubles no lesse that assayle him together wyth the daungers that depende on them wthout comparison many mo be the thinges which he ought to suffer in patience then that are Lawfull for him to reuenge wyth his Tongue And if of euery wronge that is done to vs and of euery aduersitie that is naturall to our condition we should reteyne special accompt and reckoning our hands would neuer cease to reuenge our Tongue weary with complayning and our hart wasted and broken with sighing For what man béeing a member of this miserable lyfe to whom is not one equall desire that his dayes and troubles might dissolue together Men béeing so ouergrowne wyth vices and so deuoured wyth affayres and businesses it is maruell that since they are so slow to cutte of their cares and troubles that the waues of their proper aduersities doe not rise and swallowe them vp And if the Phisitions ordeined to cure infirmities of the body would binde themselues to heale the sorows of the hart they should in particuler haue more patients mustering afore their gates then in times past were inhabitantes in Rome when it was best replenished For so naturall is the sickenesse of trouble and vexation that though many eschew it yet few haue power to liue long exempt frō it What is he either past present or to come who in his body hath not felt some paine and in his hart some passion hath not suffered some losse or spoile of his goodes or infamye to his person or at least who can walke so vpryghtlye to whome is not done some Iniurye or some Scorne or Reproache spoken But he that is Vexed wyth all these Aduersities and wyll make Headde agaynste them and Remedye them Let hym bée assured that euen then shall he laye the plotte of the ende and dispatch of his life when he begins to put order to these incurable harmes For as there is no Sea without working no Warre without daunger nor Iourney without trauell Euen so that there is no worldly lyfe voyde of troubles nor any estate without stombling blockes it is most apparant in this that there liues no man so happie which hath not wherin to be greued and wherupon to complaine For how many doe we sée whom Pryde makes fal Enuie consumes Anger torments Pouertie wasteth and Ambicion endeth their dayes so that for the most part such is the miscontentment of our mindes that our aduersities traueling our spirites in Martirdome driue vs to wishe rather an honest death then to languishe in so troblesome a lyfe And so if we will accomplishe this commaundement To be angrie and sinne not let vs in accidentes which the world fortune and nature bring vpon vs dissemble some suffer some conceale some and remedie the rest and in all thinges let vs follow reason and flée opinion For such as enter into Religion SVch as be Religious or aspire to the office and ministerie of the Church ought to haue alwaies afore their eyes the wordes which God spake to Abraham saying Depart out of thy Countrey and from amongest thy frendes and goe into the lande which I shall shewe thée and abyde where I commaunde thée For vnder these wordes shall they finde comprehended all that God doth for them and lykewise that which they are bounde to doe for the seruice of god Abraham being in the house of Tara his father and Aran and Achor his Bretherne Chaldees and Idolators God appeared vnto him and bad him leaue his Countrey and Parentes and goe where he would guide him and rest where he would commaund him and in recompence of this obedience sayth God I will make thée Lord ouer great nombers of people and will so geue thée my blessing as thou shalt for euer remaine blessed Out of these wordes may be gathered foure things which God commaunded Abraham and other foure things which God promised him So that as a Lorde he teacheth him in what he ought to serue him and withall tels him what rewarde he will geue him for his seruice Afore God called Abraham it was not founde that there was any vertue in him and much lesse that he had done any seruice to God only the scriptures make mencion that he was of the generation of Saruth and sonne af Tara and had to his Brother Aran which all were Gentils and Idolators Cassianus sayth that of thrée sorts be called those that come to the perfection of Religion One sort God calles by holy inspirations an other sort is chozen of men by good councels The thirde sort is constreyned to enter into Religion by some necessitie or misaduenture happened to them So that albeit the perfection of Religion be alwayes one yet the meanes to come thereunto are many The first function or estate is called deuine and consistes as is sayd in this when the great goodnes of God so toucheth the hart of a man that he leaueth that which he doth and doth that which he ought estraunging his minde from worldly thinges and raysing it to deuine and heauenly contemplations The seconde is called humaine or worldly as when any wicked liuer is tourned to God by the councell of some good man as Hippolito was conuerted to the Fayth by the instructions of S. Laurence The thirde vocation may be called constrayned or by necessitie as when a man of dissolute conuersation and falling into aduersitie is conuerted to God And as these be the thrée manners of calling and meanes to enter into Religion so if they be wel considered I sée not how the first oftentimes eyther doth much profite nor the last much hinder for more or lesse to serue God in religion For there haue bene many of those which God hath called to Religion condemned and many others which came to serue him by force haue ben saued Christ called and chused to the Colleadge of his Disciples the cursed Judas and the Apostle S. Paule being reuersed and falne from his Horse necessitie compelled him to know Iesus Christ So that Judas being exalted fell and S. Paule being falne was exalted This I bring in this place to the ende that none estéeme much or
is an infallible propertie in his iustice to minister rewardes to good men aboue the rate of their merittes and prepare punishment to the wicked vnder their deseruinges And where Christ commaunds not without great misterie that we should hold in our handes our candles lighted and neither vse the seruice of the candlestick nor appoint others to hold them for vs it is to aduertise vs that if God ought to saue vs it ought to be through his great mercy onely and not by any meane of our proper merittes although in our actions we ought alwaies to expresse a holy industrie and diligence In like sort it is not enough in the profession of religion that we be girt that we haue cādles that we hold thē in our hands or that we haue many candles but it belongs to our christianitie to haue thē burning with light not as dead and stinking snuffes wher by we are warned the better were it not to enter into religiō at al if in the same we correct not the abuses of our liues gather profit by the fruit doctrine of the gospel by the example of the great prophet S. Iohn baptist being himself as the scripture saith the candle that burned gaue light are boūd al sincere vertuous religious men to take hede that they want no wax of good life to burne and be lesse replenished with vices to giue impedimēts to their lights so that no other thing is the religious man vndeuoute then a candle dead it can not by any similitude resemble a candle light but rather a snuffe troden out quenched where the man of the church hath no other good thing in him then his habit by the which he ought neuer the more to exalt or glorifie himself since afore the maiesty of God it is no no other thing to be reputed a holy man holding nothing of vertue but his habit then a candle whose light being quenched his qualitie lieth dead The virgins that had not their lamps lighted according to the iudgement of the gospel deserued not to enter with the bridgrome euenso the man by whom is not performed the dutie of a good Christian and muchlesse hath fulfilled the office of a Churchman may stande assured that when de dyeth he shall not be founde amongst those that are inuited but past ouer to the fellowship of such as are deceiued That great is the grace which God sheweth to that man whom he withdrawes from the world and reduceth into holy religion for that there is more suretie to stande and not so much subiection to fall and if he suffer him to stumble he hath appoynted him helpes to hold him vp and many readie meanes to repentance Since that in the Church he hath more oportunitie to serue God and lesse occasion to commit sinne And albeit being compounded vpon humors and complexions of corruption we cannot but erre in thinges corrupt and worldly Yet such is the care and protection of God ouer those that he loueth and hath called and chozen to the seruice office of the Church that if sometimes he suffer them to fall the better to make them know him it is not without the readie assistance of his hand to helpe them essoones to ryse agayne Yea he seldome suffereth them to slyde into such faultes as may geue him occasion to be angrie with them Therefore who vnder the habite of religion riseth into a minde of Pryde Ambition Epicuritie or Malice is amongest the children of God the same that Satan is to all Christians Dathan amongest the Jsraelites Saule amongest the Prophets and Judas amongest the Apostles Wherein let all men be warned that haue will to enter into Religion that afore they séeke it they may know wherefore they follow it since for no other cause ought they to come to the cōmunion of Religion but to amend and reforme their liues For albeit the sinceritie of Religion receiue great sinners yet it is with no tolleration to commit heynous Crimes after they be inuested What other thing is ment by that Discipline of the Scripture wherein the Lande of Promise for traueling in small labors on the Holydayes they were commaunded to be stoaned But that to the man of the Church sinning lightly in Religion was merit of great seueritie punishment for that a small sinne committed in the world beares an estimation of a grieuous crime in the Church Take héede sayth S. Paule that you receiue not the grace of our Lorde in vaine And what other thing doth he then receiue it in vaine who makes no reckoning of his election and cares not to be called to the Church and deuided from the worlde For as by baptisme we are sanctified euenso by the profession of the ministerie we are regenerat Let euerie one then take héede what it is that he takes in hande afore he beginne to manage so holy a function and whether they be professors by will or by necessitie For all religions being of the institutions of holy personages as it can not be tollerable that in their ministers be any imperfections or want of perfect deuotion and vertue So who in the habite of religion will liue prophanely or follow the libertie of the worlde in that man is no apparance of reformation and lesse argument of fayth or vertue And therfore in the church for some perticuler mento be more exempt and priuileadged then others or to aspire aboue the congregation and communitie of the Church in any priuat or familiar prerogatiue although it may be suffered for a time yet religion can not holde it tollerable long For no more then the Sea can beare bodies that be dead no more hath the Church a nature to brooke in her ministers mindes of Ambition and Pryde for which cause it is called order as wherein are conteined all thinges well ordered which without this order cannot but beare to cōfusion Who hath once taken the habite of religion and will still continue entangled with the customes of the worlde and exercise his minde in vanities can not but breake the statutes of Religion and stande in perill of infidelitie since the doctrine of the gospell and the libertie of the world could neuer holde societie or fellowshippe together A discourse in the presence of a great assemblie of Noble Ladyes of the good and euill that the tongue doth Mors et vita in manibus linguae IF to men of the worlde were power of election to demaunde the thinges they desire most afore all other temporall felicities they would require to liue long And if on the other syde they had libertie to contesse what thing in the World they abhorred most who doubtes not but all men loth nothing more then to dye Wherunto there is to be made this readie reason that as liuing they enioye that they haue and dying they leaue to be that they are So with life all things are remedied by death there is nothing which hath not end
by howmuch he did not onely wéepe for the death of his enemie and honored him with funerall pompe and Burying but also he gaue Reuenge to his Death In that fearefull discourse which CHRIST makes of the rich man and Lazarus in the other worlde we finde that the riche man Cryed vnto Abraham to haue Pitie on him at least wise that he would sende Lazarus to touch with his Finger the flame and heate of his Tongue which request albeit séemes to carie no face of importance or greatnesse yet the vpright iustice of God would neither heare nor helpe him For that in his prosperitie hauing denied to the pore the very Crummes falling from his Table by what reason could he deserue a droppe of Water to refreshe or comfort his necessities And where by the testimonie of the Scripture we finde that this wretched riche man was both a glutton and an epicure in delites of Banquets Garments and all other sensualities Yet it is apparant that in no part of his body he féeles such sorow as in his Tongue nor in any sort commits so great sinnes as in speaking By whose example and Punishment let all men in their conuersation bring forth vertue and in their spéeche vse councell and discression since the next way to liue in honor and dye wyth prayse is to be honest in desires and to haue a Tongue well corrected And so for ende if to Cayn Lucipher Senacherib the builders of the tower of Babilon the Murderer of Saule the wicked riche man had not bene ioyned vaine tongues to pronounce disdainefull and vndiscréete thinges it may be beléeued that they had not with such lightnesse haue loste their liues in this world nor in the other had put their souls vnder perpetuall damation But now hauing proued how the Tongue hath béene to many the cause of their Death Let vs also in another Example of the Pietie of Dauid prooue that in so hath béene the occasion of lyfe according to the argument of our Theame That Lyfe and Death are in the power of the Tongue In the bodye of Man the most necessarie member is the Harte The goodlyest Instruments are the Eyes The partes most delicate are the Eares And the thing wherein is most daunger wyth good reason wée may saye is the Tongue For that the Harte thinketh onely the wyll consentes the Eares heare the Handes stryke but to the Tongue is tyed a propertye too Kyll and Sleye And as our Tongue is none other thinge then as a whyte Wall whereon the Wyse man may paynte deuoute Images and the Foole drawe thinges vayne and fonde So to him that canne vse his Tongue well it is an Instrument that may woorke to his Saluation as of the contrarye who employeth it in ill seruices it is sufficient to his Damnation For the Harte béeing the Fordge whereon our Wicked plottes are wrought then that which our Tongue pronounceth is none other thing then the pryce and publication of the Sinnes which we haue within our Harte But now to the Historie of King Dauid a thing no lesse pitifull to heare then necessarie to know For that the discourse leaues to all Christians a true experience what weakenesse we haue to fall and with what readinesse we may eftsoons rise againe As king Saule by Gods wil was depriued of his kingdome so in his place the eternall prouidence raised the holy king Dauid who in the sight of the Lord found so much grace as the wicked Saule was disfauored So God loued Dauid that amongst al the patriarkes he made him most honored amongest the propheâ—s best inspired amongest the Capteines most feared amongst the kings best estéemed and loued yea he founde him so agréeable in his sight that he promised and swore to discend of his race bearing himselfe such witnesse of his holinesse that he confessed that amongst all the Children of Israell he had founde and chozen Dauid as best pleasiing his Harte and most agréeable to his will And so was Dauid loued of God wyth a diuine affection For that he serued him wyth all his Harte by which wée may iudge that wyth one equall Weyght or measure are peysed the loue which GOD beares too vs and the seruices which wée doe to him But as Idlenesse is the Enemie of vertue and the verie trayne to all Wickednesse it happened that Dauid being in his Palaice well dispozed of his person and mightie in Countreyes but his minde enuironed with Idlenesse he fell into an accident most preiudiciall to his renoume no lesse infamous to his common weale Wherby Princes may sée that more punishment doe they deserue for the euill example they shew then for the vices they commit For it had not happened so to the good king Dauid if he had bene either writing of Psalmes or busie in some expedition of war or at least managing some other his affaires of importance but such is the resolution of God so it is so it hath bene so it shal be that from the time that princes take truce with their enemies they set at libertie the fludde of vices to run with maine streame into their courts palaices according to the testimonie of S. Augustine in the citie of god More hurtful was the citie of Carthage to Rome after her destruction then during the whole course season of wars which the Romains had with her For the whylest they had enemies in Affrike they knew not what vices ment in Rome But now eftsoons to the history Dauid being idle in his gallery beheld the beutie of Bethsabe the wife of Vrias being then in the warres applying the absence of her husband to the commoditie of his desire what with his great importunitie and her small constancie hée committed Adulterye and gatte her wyth childe And fearing Detection of the Fact he Wroat spéedelye to Joab his Gennerall in those Warres that at the time of the assault Vrias might be preferred to the perill of his lyfe wherein according to the societie that is in sinne it séemed that from one offence he appealed to an other as from Epicuritie he fel to idlenesse idlenesse bred in him foule desires by desire he was driuen to solicit by soliciting he beguiled her weakenesse and after he had beguiled her he fell to adulterie and from Adulterie to Murder so that the Deuill had neuer deceiued him if himselfe had not pitched the toyles of his proper harmes Yea if Dauid had so serued God as God loued him he had neuer suffered him to fall so farre For with such care doth the Lorde holde vp such as striue to serue him that he neuer suffereth them to fall into great sinnes But if we doe slyde stumble and hurt our selues let vs not be amazed for euen the same infirmities are common to Angels Therefore when we pray to God we ought to demaunde with teares and contrition for that if he then suffer vs to fall he will also geue vs grace
to rise againe So prouident is the Lorde ouer the vertuous sayth the Prophete and so carelesse to the sinner that if the iust man swimme vpon the mayne Sea he will not suffer him to be drowned Where the wicked walking vpon the firme Lande shall fall headlong into wels and déepe pittes which the Scripture doth conster to that foule and huge enormitie of sinnes of the which he hath no power to repent All this I haue written vpon the occasion of the sins wherein King Dauid fell who notwithstanding vsed suche diligence to rise againe and from the time of his restitution so labored to liue in Gods feare that albeit he was brused with his fall yet he was not greatly hurt Immediatly then that the Lorde aduertised Dauid by the Prophet Nathan that he was so much kindled agaynst him both for the Adulterie and Murder that he would sende vppon him punishment according to the greatnesse of his falt The good King lift vp his hart and handes to the Lorde and cried Peccaui and confessing himselfe to be an abhominable sinner he rent the heauens with his sighes and watered the earth with his infinit teares wherin it is not to be doubted but that the exercize of so vnfayned repentaunce and confession of his falt was a great degrée to his forgiunesse He willed not the Prophete to dispute with God and saye on his behalfe that he was frayle or that the Deuil had deceiued him or that it was a sinne humaine But he aspiring to the mercie of God exhibited confession of his fault saying Tibi soli peccaut et malum coram te feci Wherein in not séeking to iustifie his fault he founde forgiuenesse of his trespasse Here may be gathered to the comfort of all good Christians that after Dauid had sinned he went not so soone to searche God as God was readie to receiue him whose prouidence perfection is such ouer his chozen that though they fall in any notorious Crime yet he suffereth them to haue no perseuerance in it according to the experiēce of his heauenly bountie expressed vpon S. Mathew and S. Paule whom Christ searched with the blind man neare the highe way with others of whom the Scripture giues testimonie that Christ searched them Then let all Christians confesse the wonderfull clemencie of God who euen in our negligence goeth out to séeke vs though we praye him not yet he prayeth vs and where we forget to call to him he fayles not to call vpon vs so that if we loase our selues and be the instruments of our owne destruction it is not so much for that we haue sinned as for that after our transgression we will not beléeue Let vs therefore take pleasure to heare when God calles vs Let vs be glad to be founde when the Lord searcheth vs Let vs be readie to folow whē he guides vs Let vs be willing to beléeue when he takes from vs all deceyt And let vs thinke vs happie to serue him when he is disposed to pay vs our hire Yea since he is so liberall and pitifull towardes vs let vs with the councell of S. Paule Go with confidence to the throane of his grace For séeing he went to séeke Dauid who had offended him let vs beléeue that he will be founde and entreated of any that is his true seruant the conditions of the house of God being such that as none are compelled to enter into it so it resistes none that knocke at the Gates Where Dauid stoode not to reason with himselfe that he had Sinned in this or in that we haue to gather by him that the matter of our Saluation consistes not so much in multiplycation of woordes as too correct our liues and encrease dayly in good déedes And truely GOD hath no necessitie of great Cryes to the ende he may heare vs and lesse néede of many reasons too perswade him too vnderstande vs since Dauid vsed no other solicitor for the remouing of Gods wrath then the imploration of a penitent harte Crying Tibi tibi soli peccaui et coram te malum feci Yea though men regarde for the most part the exposition of the Tongue yet wyth GOD the impression of the harte standes alwayes most acceptable as appeared in this conuersion of Dauid who acknowledging simplie that he had sinned without further dispute with God the Lord was neyther scrupulous nor suspicious for that he spake no more but one woorde but had regard to the sinceritie of the harte where with he repented Oh omnipontent Iesus and swéet comfort of our soules grant that with Dauid we may cease to sinne and beginne to amende our lyfe let vs with S. Paule confesse our sinnes with intention to offend no more And where by our proper corruption we ar subiect to dayly transgression without the ayde of thy holy spirit graunt that as thy law is replenished with mercie so with Dauid we may finde remission confessing with him that we haue sinned with intent to offende no more Let vs in the deuotion of Dauid recommende to Gods mercie the faultes and ignorances of our youth for that in that tender age wée know not what wée dyd and were ignorant in that wée ought to doe Wherein where Dauid asked pardon of GOD onely for the transgressions of his youth and not for the Sinnes he committed when he was olde and well experienced in the thinges of the world the faults of which age are not to be called ignorances but malices not simplicities but filthie enormities not light vanities but heauie vices and not faults done for want of knowlege but offences committed wyth well aduized will and resolution We haue reason to thinke that if his olde age had bene also defiled with crimes and sinne he had likewise offered them vp as a sacrifize with the confession of the abuses of his youth By which is wel proued that much doth it import when God pardoneth our sinnes past without sufferance eftsoones to retourne fal into them againe For Dauid had no sooner cryed Peccaui then GOD was readie to aunswere Loe heare J forgeue thee Whereby it is manifest that we are more slow to confesse our offences then God to exhibite his mercie And so for end of this discourse That life and death are in the power of the tongue we sée that as to many it hath bene the occasion of death so to the good king Dauid it was the meane to preserue his lyfe here through grace and in the other world to establishe it in eternall glory to the which the spirite of God bring vs all Amen A Letter to a great learned man aunswering to certeine demaundes THis hath bene alwayes one strange propertie in your frendship that the more I traueled to serue you the more you studied to troble me and that not so much for necessitie of matter as with intētion to exercize proue my skill wherein albeit to your wit is ioyned a naturall redines more
thinking from one day to another to giue reformation to our life so let vs be warned that the winges of old age being plumed with the fethers of death we shall find it too late to learne to liue when we are at poynt to die And therefore all men ought to examine in themselues how many deare seasons they haue past what perils they haue escaped how many friends they haue lost frō what perplexities they haue ben deliuered accōpting it not to their own merit that god hath taken thē out of so many daūgers but to the end they shuld haue further time to amend their life A man to liue soūd without diseases the regimēt of phisicke with our owne good gouernment are much helping but the stroke of death whether it come earely or late that depends more on the power and hand of God then on the will or disposition of men Therfore let all men be moderate in their exercise and vse temperance in their vniuersall actions making more estimation of their wisedome then of their olde age since otherwayes if they forget not to recken their yeres others will not forbeare to kéepe accompt of their vices Many learned men haue proued by many reasons that olde age is profitable and that the life of auncient men is good But God giue them better quiet and tranquilitie then that their opinions haue any societie with either experience or reason For now a dayes where is the retraite of infirmities but in an aged body or in what cōsistes the miserie of mans life but in the passions of age wherunto is appoynted no other cure but sufferance in paine and griefe without hope old age being none other thing then a disease without remedie and a sicknesse incurable But comming now to exhibit some priuileges and liberties which old men enioy I meane not to medle with the complexions and qualities of those whose wisedome agreeth with their age and their yeres conformable to their graue discretion and much lesse to giue libertie to my pen to contest against any of those graue honorable and vertuous auncients by whose direction common weales haue bene gouerned and in their wisedome young men haue found suretie of counsell But to set downe some customes of old men that be wanderers waspish bablers scoffers players dissemblers and such as are lead by amarous humors together with what familiar manners their sorowfull old age is accompanied I hold it neither against reason nor honestie It is a custome to old men to haue a short sight their eyes yéelding double iudgement comprehending two thinges for one and oftentimes to haue cloudes in their eyes when there is none in the skie by meanes whereof for the most part they misknow their friend and take him for an other It is a custome to old men to be thick of hearing by meanes whereof such thinges as they heare and do not well vnderstand they thinke is either spoken to the preiudice of their honour or detriment of their goods It is familiar with old men to haue their haires fall without combing wrinckles growing and no séede sowen and their head fuming without any fire made for remedie whereof when they would take the bathe it is forbidden them by reason of their weaknes Old men haue this priuilege to eat bread without crust for the ease of their téeth to haue their meat minsed for the helpe of disgestion to haue their drinke warmed for the cōfort of their stomacke and in case of infirmities in their legges they haue their oyles to supple them their rollers to wrap them their hoaze at libertie their buskins buckled and if any grudge at this brauerie they haue to aunswere that it is done more for the ease of the disease that troubleth them then for any glory they reappose in such attire It is a custome with old men to enquire after the disposition of the wether wherein they haue great sence and iudgement by the motion of their infirmities whose humors following the reuolution of the Moone and change distemper of the ayre bring the poore old man to be halfe a phisition and to haue a painefull science in Astronomie It is a custome with old men to cōplaine much of the trauels of the day and to kéepe reckoning of the houres of the night that their dinner is not resolued into disgestion and their supper would not suffer them to sléepe and yet it is no sooner day then they begin to murmure that their breakfast is not readie It is a priuilege to old men to search companie and either in temple tauerne or shoppes they enterteyne al that come enquiring of the newes of the world and whatsoeuer they heare be it true or false they will not onely beleue it for true but ad to it somewhat of their owne it is familiar to old men to be suspicious distrustfull obstinate intractable and subiect to selfe opinion by meanes wherof they lacke reason and liue in error and though they are not abused yet they wil be ielouse of their owne shadowe yea such men haue rather want of any other thing then of suspicion It is a custome with old men once a moneth to be lockt vp in their closet and compt their treasure deuiding their coynes and searching the lockes of their chestes such men will not deminish one denir of that that is heaped vp but loue to liue poorely to the end they may die rich To some old men it is a custome to haue familiaritie with phisitions and friendship with Potticaries but some delite more to haunt tauernes where is vent of good wine then in the conference of learned men by whom is ministred whole some regiments of health it belongs much to olde men to be fickle in all things but specially to be inconstant against the time commending much the ages past and complayning more of the season present which for the most part they do more of custome then by any reason and rather by authoritie then for necessitie It is due to old men to wrap and cherish themselues to haue their chamber hanged their fire ordinarie their bed warmed and yet for the most part they spend the nights in coughing and the dayes in complaints making their bed a place to debate the actiōs of their youth past and to féele the infirmities and weaknes of their present age the memorie of which thinges makes them oftentimes so ill contented that they are carelesse to prouide for death which they sée euen afore their eyes And it is one common propertie with old men to be angrie with such as enquire of their age and most familiar with those that will tell of the pleasures they haue past So that they would be honored by reason of their age and yet they are grieued when they heare a reckoning of their yeres and so old men delite in authorttie yet wish their age might be cōcealed To a noble personage touching the difference betwene the friendship
and worthie Charitie the same being well expressed in the day of his Passion when neyther the tormentes of his bodie nor the wickednesse of his People could restraine the course of his great loue wherewith he Prayed for such as Crucifyed him and pardone those that offended him Yea he prayed not onely for his Apostles and Disciples but also for all the faythfull that beléeued in him and loued his Father with whom as he was one selfe thing in Diuinitie so he prayed to his Father that all such as beléeued might be in him one body misticall through Charitie Great was the loue of Iesus Christ in the wordes of his petition to his Father séeing that albeit we were not then borne no nor our farre auncient Fathers yet he besought his Father in great feruencie for the estate of all his Church euen no lesse then for those that dyd communicate with him in the Supper So that as he dyed for all so he prayed for all By which we haue good reason to beléeue that séeing be remembred vs afore we came into the world he will also kepe care ouer such as are employed in his seruice If Christ had not loued vs with that Charitie and prayed for vs in such feruencie of zeale what had become of vs Sure if there be in the Church of God at this present any obedience patience charitie humilitie or any abstinence or continencie it ought all to be atributed to that loue which Christ expressed in the prayer that he commended to his Father for vs Redéeming with his bloud our disfauour and with his praier he restored vs eftsoones to an estate of Grace and reconcilement To loue those that are present and such as are absent to beare affection to the Quicke and remember such as are Dead happeneth often is naturall but to loue such as are to come and not yet borne is a zeale that neuer was hearde of but in the person of our Redéemer who prayeth for such as liue wickedly and loueth good men although they are not yet borne In worldly thinges so straight is the copulation and vnitie betwéene lyfe and death loue and hate him that doth affect and the thing affected that al takes end together and in one houre But to the frendship that Iesus Christ beares vs belonges an other qualetie for that his loue tooke beginning afore the foundation of the world and will not ende no not at the day of iudgement In this Letter is debated the difference betweene a seruaunt and a frende FInding in your last Letter more matter worthie of rebuke then méete to be answered I am bolde to geue you this Councel that in causes of importance the Penne is not to bée vsed afore the matter be wel debated lest others take occasion to iudge of your domges and your selfe be denied of that you demaunde This is also to bee obserued in speaking to any personage of estate wyth whom we ought not to Communicate but with feare reuerence and modestie By your Letter you wishe me to be your Mayster and withall would chuse me to be your frende Two estates no lesse different in qualitie then incompatible in one person and most vnlyke in office for that a frende is chosen by wil and a Mayster is taken by necessitie A frende will consider but a Mayster must be serued A frende geues of liberalitie but a Lorde demaundes by authoritie a Mayster hath libertie to be Angrie but it belonges to a frende to suffer And a frende pardoneth but a Mayster punisheth So that the comparison béeing so different it cannot be possible that being your Master I should beare vnto you the due respects of a frende since if I be your Mayster you are bounde to serue me feare me follow me and obey me Offices preiudiciall to the prerogatiues of a frende and against the laws of that libertie and frée souereignetie which the hart of man desireth To require me with such rashenesse to be your frende is sure to demaunde of me the most precious Iewell I haue in the worlde For to be your frende is to binde me to loue you all my lyfe deuiding my hart into youres and making you euen an other moytie with my selfe true frendship being none other thing then an vnfayned consent of will and affections and a transportation of two hartes into one bodie And therefore two frendes if they will loue and liue in the true obseruations of frendship ought to speak but wyth one Tongue and loue with one harte yea they ought to Communicate together in one substance and rate of lyfe and not grudge to suffer in common one perculier and singuler death Amongest frendes what is suffered of the one ought not to be intollerable to the other and albeit their thoughtes be proper to themselues yet their persons their goodes and fortunes ought alwayes to be common One frende ought not to say to an other I will not or I cannot since it is principall priueleadge in frendship to finde nothing impossible Therefore who ioynes in frendship with an other bindes himselfe not to denie the thing that he demaundes nor to vse excuse in any thing that his frende requires him to doe since in this consistes the full office of frendship to owe to our frendes euen our selues and all that we haue By the Councell of Seneka the wise and discréete man ought to admitte but one frende forséeing withall as neare as he can to haue no enemie at all For sayth he if there be daūger in enemies there can be no suretie in the multitude of frendes since in respect of their nomber they bréede difference of consent and will with varietie of condicions and where is no conformitie of manners there can be no perfection in frendship So straight is the rule of frendship that of many that professe liberall affection there are fewe that performe it being an office perticuler to the Children of vanitie to haue readie tongues to promise and slowe handes to performe True frendes are bounde to féele the aduersities of their frendes with no lesse affection then if they had proper interest in them yea it belonges to them to minister remedie to their necessities and geue comfort to their miseries estéeming it to apperteine to their dutie to communicate in all the fortunes of their frendes The same agréeing with the resolution of Eschinus the Philosopher who being asked what was the greatest perplexitie of this lyfe aunswered that to loase thinges which we haue got with paine and to be deuided from that which we loue are the greatest afflictions that can trauell a humaine minde The frende whom we chuse ought aboue all other thinges to be discréete to the ende he may Councell vs and of habilitie and wealth the better to administer to our necessities and lackes For other wayes if he beare no aduise and iudgement wée shall want Councell to gouerne our prosperitie and if he be pore what meane is there to
his enemie and take from him by force his Seruauntes and Subiectes whom of long time he had holden Prisoners By this is shewed the great power of Iesus Christ according to his owne phrase in these tearmes So long as a strong man sayth he and well furnished wyth weapons kepes his house and defendes it by force all that he hath is in peace But if there come one more mightie then he he makes him forsake his garde chaseth him out of his house and becomes Lord of al his goods euen so did our Lord with the Deuill expressing vppon him his wonderful power and great victory which he obtayned against the kingdome of darknes For séeing the Deuill hath layed aside his weapons it is a signe he is vanquished and séeing death is conquered the Deuill must néedes remayne disfurnished of Armes And séeing the depthes and bottomes of the earth haue bene illuminated by the light and presence of our sauiour the kingdome of darkenesse is defeyted and brought to ruine And so for conclusion we find thrée great considerations in the first part of this Article Wherof the first hath ben debated comprehending the great discending and extreame humilitie which the Sonne of God tooke vppon him to saue man and confound the works of sinne The second consists in this that whilest his most holy body accōpanied with his diuinitie remayned in the graue to testifie that he was truly dead His soule discended into the darke prisons where were deteined the holy fathers notwithstanding they were not in the power of the deuill For albeit they were iustified by the vertue of the mediator and their fayth and repentance yet they were banished from heauen and put as it were in prison to witnesse the effect and operation of sinne together wyth the necessitie which man had of the comming of the sonne of God to geue them their full remedie So that the sauiour of the worlde entering into this prison and confounding all darkenesse by his great light did fully comfort and satisfye by his presence the holy soules which exspected him wyth a desire farre aboue the iudgement or comprehēcion of man it was then that those good auncient Fathers saw the accomplishment of the promise long afore made to them that out of their séede should ryse one that should breake the heade of the great Serpent Then all their desires were accomplished beholding euen wyth their eyes the maiestie and presence of him whom so often they had séene in contemplation and Spirite In whom they had layde vppe all their hope from the remembrance of whom they dyd neuer swarue and by the onely thought of whom they had ouercome all their aduersities taking comfort in him in their miseries and perplexities Then did Abraham sée him who was promised to blesse al his people and al Nations in the faith of whom he was circumcised and made alliance with god Jsaac saw him whom he prefigured when his father thought to haue sacrifised him he saw the sprinkles and markes of the bloud whose effusion was most swéete before the face of the father from the beginning of the world Jacob who had called vpon this sauiour in his death saw his desiers fulfilled no more resting which he might require Melchisedech saw the great sacreficator the sacrifice of whom had neither end nor rule Moises spake then with the great Prophet which God promised to send to deliuer his people from the captiuity of the spirituall Egipt whose power and authoritie should be so perentory and great that who would not obey him should dye eternall death And the great Prophete Dauid embraced then the health which hee had so long desired he saw then that great and mighty Christ of whom hée had made so many holy ditties and songes in whose hope he had so many times taken comfort and vanquished sinne Lastly all the iust of the times past saw the accomplishment of their desiers the end of their sighes the remedye of their miseries the comfort of their sorowes the victory againste death hell and sinne and all by the presence of the captaine which came to guide them euen vnto the sight and maiestie of god Oh how possible are the perplexities which men suffer vnder hope of the promises of GOD How happie is that abiding or expectation which for pawne hath the verity of GOD Howe well assured and well recompenced is that patience which is of longe sufferance and neuer swarueth All these auncient Fathers were in diuers seasons and yet they had all one faith they were all inspired with one spirite all serued one Lorde all liued and dyed in one hope they all bare their crosse in this lyfe they all were made prisoners in that place lastely they all saw in one instant him whom they had so long expected together with the fulfillinge of al the promises which had ben made to them There the Sauiour of the worlde spake to them publishinge good newes touchinge their remedyes and restitution And comunicated with them the greatnes of the misteries which it behooued him to doe for their Redemption there is no doubt but with them he vsed most deare familiaritie Yea he who was alwaies so ioyfull with his owne vsed no lesse fauour and consolation to those with whom his Father had made alliance and so iustely kept his promises And they likewise rendred no small thankes and praises to the Lorde that had so accomplished his worde for the Saluation of the world yea they departed out of their olde prisons with no small triumphes to follow their captaine which had ouer come so many and greate ennemies The third consideration is that our sauiour Iesus Christ did not only breake the prisones and deliuer the holy Fathers but also by this discending hée brought a great astonishment and feare into hell and ouer the whole kingdome of the deuill making him know that his forces were dissolued and that now was brought to effect the breaking of his head expressed long before by prophesie and that the gates of his darke kingdome were throwne open and all hys workes brought to nought Euen as a captaine victor entering into the fortresse of his ennemie and hauing once pluckte downe the munition and ensignes so committes it to ruine and spoile that he leaues an easines to subdue it as often as he will euen in the same sort the Sunne of God gaue such a terrour to the kingdome of hell that sathan and his ministers knew well their forces were broken that there remained vnto them no possibilitie eftsones to reestablish a kingdome of sufficient power to resist the meanest souldier of that great captain that hereafter he could take no prisoners except some wretched cowardes people of smal valure which would offer thēselues to be captiues of their proper and miserable will. In this sort the princypalitie of hell so felte the inuincible and assured power of him who being dead and his body left in the Sepulcher shaked them
notwythstanding with so great Warre that on the one syde he leuyed those Prisoners that were kept restrayned and on the other his vertue so weakened their infernall forces that they remeyned euer since vanquished It was then that they sawe and knew that their Hell whither they thought to haue reduced all mankinde was forced and dissolued And that sinne which they had introduced into the worlde and death that ensued it were deade and vanquished by the conquest of this newe and inuincible Prince That was it which the Apostle spake of that the sonne of God hath defaced and sacked the powers of Hell the worlde am putting them to publyke confusion and Triumphing ouer them in his proper person So that the enterprises of our Sauiour in this comparison represent vnto vs the forme and actions of a valiant Capteyne marching before men before Aungelles and before the face of the Father wyth a great troupe of enemies vanquished bounde and spoyled of their forces In the beginning of this Article wée touched that our Lorde made his discending by certeyne degrées yea euen to a Wonderfull embasement of himselfe and knowne onely to the diuine wisedome This embasement hath ben Prophecied vnder the signe of discending from Heauen vnto the the Bottomes of the Earth But now we say that of all those degrées by the which he discended and of al other things which in the wisedome of the world made him séeme so embased vanquished he caried a wonderfull victory which encreased alwais more more In the first degrée he was made man that was the true and eternall sonne of god This step and wonderfull humilitie albeit it is great yet he neuer abandoned his diuinitie no he could not loase it and much lesse diminishe it by it his humanitie was greatly exalted being by the same meane so connexed with the diuinitie that one selfe person was GOD and man ▪ if it were possible that God might gaine in any thing it might be sayd that he gained in this but hauing want of nothing he gaines not as a néedie man For he hath no necessitie of any thing and much lesse can there be added to his greatnesse But because the gaine of men is great in this receiuing a benefite which was neuer Communicated with Angelles for God neuer tooke aliance nor séede of Aungelles but chused the Linage of Abraham we say also that there was a gaine and profite to God béeing a true declaration of his riches and of his workes which are comformable to him together wyth a playne manifestation of his mercie This victorie against sinne and the deuill is truly worthie of the person of the Sonne of God Séeing that mankinde which was put to perdition by the suttletie of the Serpent is redéemed and redeliuered from the seruitude of the Deuill and restored to an estate of habilitie to be the Children of God by the meane of this sauiour The seconde degrée of this discending of the Lord was in that he was condemned publykly as a malefactor In this descending there is a great want and yet by it he recouered a wonderfull victorie For béeing our brother he deliuereth vs from the eternall condemnation so that all our libertie and absolution depende vppon his Condemnation he hath payde the debtes which he made not euen so those shall be discharged which ought them He was Condemned by the Sentence of men and wée absolued in the iudgement of God hauing deliuered vs from the cursse of the law which had condemned vs The thirde degrée was when he was iudged to the Death of the Crosse For by his death he brake the forces of Death dispoyling him of his weapons wherewyth he had made so great and vniuersall slaughters For which cause the Apostle demaundes of death where was his victorie and where were become the meanes by the which he determined so many men By the fourth steppe or degrée he was put into the Sepulcher but the better to comprehend the true sense of this passage it is méete we make some iudgment and construction of thinges The storye of the Gospell declareth that our Lorde being dead Joseph demaunded of Pylate to take his bodie from the crosse and burie it which Pylate suffered by the ordinance of god And hauing taken it from the crosse they wrapped it in a newe Linnen cloath and layde it in a Sepulcher where no man had yet lyen Lastly hauing embawmed him wyth the oyntmentes which Nicodemus brought they left the body in the graue roulling to the mouth therof a great stoan Mary Nagdalin and the other Mary considering well in their vnderstanding the sayd sepulcher All this serueth to two effectes the first is to render testimony of the truth of the death of Iesus Christ shewing also a great misterie comprehended vnder the graue but the Church comprehendes both the one and the other in one worde his Sepulcher and that he remayned there thrée dayes expresseth the truth of his death making by that meane his resurrection more euident In this Article the imbasement and humilitie of the sonne of God encreaseth more and more as also his spirite and victorie which he hath obteined for vs For it is sayd first of al that he suffered the condemnation of Pilate and was executed and so being dead his body was buried It séemes that all these bring encrease to the victory of the deuill the world and death But of the contrarie it is our victory that is enlarged For by how much nere doth approch and is manifested the death of our Lorde by so much more is at hand the end and ruine of our death Death is dead and vanquished in such sort that he hath no power agaynst vs and for such one we put him into the graue Esay hath Prophesied that the Lord should destroy death eternally and drye vp the teares of his people and take away the dishonor of the earth in which words may be discerned the full victory against death which hath no power to cōfoūd nor make sorowful the true Christian It is not sayd by this that we shall not die and not féele death which is naturall but by this is expounded that the pricks and sorrows of death are vanquished haue no authority against a Christian séeing that for the exchange of this temporall lyfe he goeth to the eternall life accompanied with the fayth that he hath had that Christ is his redemption his life In this is performed the Prophecie of Ose speaking in the name of the Lord Oh death J will be thy death the same agréeing with the Apostle who assureth vs that our death is vanquished by the passion of Iesus christ our sepulcher buried in his yea our death hath lost his forces which made him reigne ouer vs and our graue hath lost his power and possibilitie to reteine vs stil seing it cannot now any more hold vs in propertie or perpetuitie but as it were by deputation and for a time In
christians for that they are and beare the name of christians He had not sure erected this Edict had hee not bene well informed of the innocency and iustice of such as followed christian religion and had some taste by the doctrine of Quadratus and Aristides of the reasons appertaining to the mistery of the gospel For he deuised to builde Temples dedicated to the seruice and woorshipping of Christ wherein his counsell restrayned hym alleadginge that in that example woulde be generall conuersion to christianitie In this may be discerned the conscience of his councellours who stoode vpon no other impediments but a certain feare that by that meane the multitude would come to the knowledge of the truth Those tēples that he did build were not subect to idolatrie neither would he suffer customes of superstition beeing for those respectes called the temples of Adrian Marcus Antonius Aurelius declared in fauour of the christians that they worshipped the immortal God he gaue libertie to whom would be a christian and forbad expressely that they should be molested The Emperour Alexander Seuerus published a lawe in grace of the christians that they should not be persecuted and much lesse restrained to vse publike conference and action of their religion he had hanging in his Oratorie the Image of a Crucifix and deuised to builde a Temple wherein Christ should be worshipped but he suffered many impedimentes that drew him from it All this was wrought by Gods prouidence foreséeing that the Sauiour of the worlde shoulde not be put amongst other false Gods. This Prince in all his deuises and spéeches had great familiaritie wyth this principall point of christian discipline Not to do to an other that which he would not haue done to himself wherin was good declaration that his conscience could not denie that truth which those men professed that were persecuted of the world Valerius Maximus the Emperour was a great vexer of the christians yet the truth of the gospell and the chastisementes of God which he had bitterly felt made him oftentimes reuoke the straight and seueare Edictes which he had ordeined against the christians giuinge libertie to who would professe the state and opinion of christianitie and they not to be vexed by any persecutions All these men and great Princes were sworne ennemies to the religion and died in their ignorance and blindnes whose testimonies are of no small effect against the ennemies of Christ For when they ceased to vexe and persecute the church and beare fauour to the christians it procéeded of none other motion thē of the puretie of religion and of the iustice and innocencye of those that professed it together with their constancie in all actes of vertue bearing withal a setled hatred to all vices They saw also the sundry maruelles and prodigious things which were don daily for the reformation of that doctrine and felt the anger of GOD and his chastisementes thundered vppon such as persecuted the churche So that it séemes that in those thinges was a spirit enforcinge those mightie Princes to testifie for that doctrine and beare fauour to it to the ende that on all sides errour and falsehoode might be driuen away as béeing not hable to remaine where the lighte of the gospell should dispearse his beames In that time when the gospell began to be planted and sowen and that the name of a christian was so dearely solde to him that bare it the prouidence of God raised a meane to remoue the crosse from the churche to the end shée were not so oppressed with persecutions as not to haue leasure to recouer breath and eftsones take fresh courage Thys respitte was giuen by the meanes to haue conuersation with the Pagans and yet remained from the Emperour Tiberius vntill Nero who was the first that persecuted the primatiue churche yea this persecution brought greate slaughter to the christians euen to the principalles of the church and Christes Disciples hauinge brought to perfection their race and course and accomplished all those thinges that appertained to their time and for the which they had bene myraculously preserued The Emperour Domitian contynued this affliction and by him notwythstandinge the goodnesse of GOD wroughte a meane to cease and remoue all those tormentes for that by the hate which Domitian boare to the doinges of his predecessour Nero he with the Senate brake all the statutes and ordenances of Nero By which was ministred to the churche good oportunitie to reenter into comforte and courage bringinge some reste to the gospell the better to haue it communicated in some sewertie and to plant it with greater power So that in good viewe and consideration of these affaires and actions we may discerne in these discourses of the christian church a woonderfull fauour and prouidence of GOD séekinge on the one side to proue and examine his churche by a rigorous crosse shewinge her the traces and steppes of her Sauiour to the ende to followe hym and on the other side he exhibited a Fatherly loue and incomprehensible prouidence making her truly to se that neither the furie of the kingdome of Sathan nor the rage of his ministers are sufficient to supplant and roote it out of the worlde yea hauinge on her part the infinitte power of GOD she shall stande eternally and yet the worlde not know the meane how she is preserued By this meane also may bee discerned how readily and feruently the yre of GOD is kindled againste the aduersaries of the gospell séeinge that all the Romaine Emperours which persecuted it suffered wicked and monstrous endes As of the contrary such as were moderate and temperate founde fauour with GOD and were lesse punnished of the world laying them in comparison wyth Nero Domitian and such other like Princes whom the Deuill helde in hys deuotion to persecute the churche By these meaness the Prymatiue churche was mayntained sometimes in one estate sometimes in an other vntill the raigne of Julian the Apostat who being a christian in hys beginninge was seduced by Libinius Sofista his schoolmaister to abandon Christian faith and restore Paganry together wyth the sacrifices and superstitions which had bene abolished by the lighte of the gospell By these it is woonderfull to see howe christian faith encreased séeinge the impedimentes of persecution that were raised against it But much more are to be woondered at the respytes succours and comfortes which euen her proper ennemyes ministred vnto her as well appeareth no lesse by the relation of those myghty Princes Emperours before declared then also by the persecution of this Iulian in whom Gods prouidence wrought no lesse benefitte and fauour then in any of the rest séeing that notwithstandinge this Prince persecuted the church with greater arte and hate then any of his predecessours yet God forbare not to raise her into an estate of great spirituall prosperitie this tirant séeing as well in his life as his death euident tokens that God was his enemie For euen in his time the gospell was
succéedes an honest and iust renoume So to haue that beléeued which is spoken it imports much that he haue credite that speaketh it since in that tale is small suretie of truth in whose reporter is no testimonie of credit In cases of partialitie and faction if there bée an hundred infamous men against one man of honour his vertue onely will carie him to more authoritie in a common weale then all the strength or subteltie of the others without credite The whole countrey of Egypt had perished during the seuen yeares of famine had it not bene for the credite and opinion which Ioseph had with Pharao Destruction had falne vppon the Citie of Ierusalem by the warres of the Machabes with their neighboures had not the reputation of Mathias the sacrificator ministred succour and sauetie to the whole common weale If Helie the Prophet had not ben well thought of with the people of Jsrael they had al become idolators their inclination drawing them vniuersally thereunto And in the great captiuitie of Babylon had it not bene for the estimation credit holines of life of Daniel Ezechiel and the good old Tobyas many Hebrewes had become Gentiles where by the vertue of those men many Gentiles were conuerted to the Hebrewes So that in the texts of Iesus Christ and the wiseman is great congruencie of reason séeing that all these vertuous personages brought stay comfort to their commonweales not by their wealth or huge treasures but by their renoume credit of honor ▪ Spectaculū facti sumus Deo mundo hominibus the other Apostles I saith S. Paul are set as spectacles from whence euery one draws his impression as whites whereat al men do shoote and as guides after whom euery one ought to go By whom let the Magistrates gouernors of the earth learne to know what life they shuld lead what vertue they should vse and what credit they ought to haue For there is no man how simple so euer he be who is not moued more with the good example he séeth then with al the swéete words that can be spoken to him since amongst men more doth prouoke to well doing the action then the word And therfore whether he be King that commaūds or Prelat that administreth or Magistrate that gouerneth or Preacher that instructeth let him first labour to winne opinion to the end his doctrine may bring forth good fruit For other wayes for one that prayseth that he saith there wil be many hundred to blame that he doth since the affections of men are more led by example then by perswasion or conference Cepit Iesus facere docere the redéemer of the world saith S. Luke was so auised in his doings and so wonderfull in that he spake that he remained thirtie yeres in recouering good name afore he published to the world his Doctrine Who liues vertuously although he speake neuer a word yet he preacheth enough with the example of his life where the euill liuer how good so euer he be in tongue and spéech defaceth his vertues with the infamies of his life Yea his preaching is but hipocresie his doctrine but error since such as speake goodly things do them not are like to a Harpe which giues a sound to others and vnderstandeth nothing it selfe The Turkes the Jewes the Indians and Chaldies although they differ from vs in sectes and languages yet there is no difference in the desire of honour good renowme as being inuerted in the nature of man to desire to be frée and labour to be honoured For that of all voluble things there is nothing more deare and precious then credite and renoume And how holy and perfect so euer a man be yet may he be subiect to contemne or reiect the reuerence that men beare him and the presents that are giuen him but touching the credite of his person and reputation of his good renoume and doctrine there are none that take pleasure to leaue them and much lesse will suffer them to decline or diminish For otherwayes there would not be many followers of their life fewer to imitate their doctrine Since good examples only drawes to perfection and spéech language be but helpers to the same Yea if in one man were met the forces of Sampson the wisedome of Salomon the courage of Caesar the riches of Cressus the science of Plato and the constancie of Cato If with all these his person stoode not in good renoume and his life cōmended for good example he were no other thing then a paynted fire that gaue no heate or as a fayre visor that couered a foule deformed face Men of honour and vertuous reputation haue many great priuileges for good men desire to serue them and ill men are made better by their example Old men are assured by them and the younger sort draw counsell from them Yea on them are fixed the eyes thoughts and actions of all sortes of people in whom their vertues haue wonne such affection that if they be detected of any crime yet it is accompted more to misaduenture then to sinne and being accused of fault the malice of their aduersary is cifted and they cleared by the testimonie of their proper innocencie For this is holden a rule amongst the multitude that men of vertue and such as haue feare to erre beare more respect to honour then eyther to life or goods For that either earely or late the life dissolueth and riches must be left but in true honour good renoume are layd vp our monuments of perpetuitie and fame so long as we liue and after our death they lift vs to immortalitie Hector of Troy Achilles of Greece Hercules of Thebes and Caesar of Rome had their seasons and meanes to determine their life but to touch or take away their renoumes there was no power to time or death For that euery one of them buried with him his strength his riches and his life but their renoumes remayne subiect to no prescription but as doctrines of perpetuitie are closed vp and reserued to serue the ages and posterities to come Tell vnto my father all my glory saith the Patriarch Joseph to his bretherne the first time he sawe them in Egipt as if hée had sayd go vp my Bretherne into the countrey of Chanan and reioyce my Father telling vnto him the great fauour that Pharao beares mée together with the glory honour and renoume I haue gotten through out the land of Egipt He did not recommend vnto his Bretherne to tell his Father that hée was on liue that he was maried or that hée had children but only that hée was fauoured and much honoured estéeming more for our example a little good ronoume then his wife his children his goods or his proper life For that in the first being of vertue is perpetuall stabilitie where the others béeing transitory suffer reuersement and dissolution When God called Abraham out of his countrey to
hurts we haue by our enemies are causes to decrease our goodes the vices of our children bring losse and spoyle to our honour And where it may happen that an honest man may not receyne a blowe of his ennemie once in his lyfe the enormities of his owne children are sufficient to make him dye euery hower So that the perplexities wée haue sometimes by straungers are disgested as thinges happeninge by straungers as the wound that is outwarde may gréeue but not perishe the intrales But the displeasures passing in our house pearse déeper and as a martyr languishe the harte euen to death And therefore by howe much the Father beareth pittie to hys wicked Sonne by so much hee vseth extreame cruelty againste himselfe yea that day wherein he ministreth not correction to his Sonne that daye doth he iustice of hys proper person and sendes his renowne to question The Romaynes had a Lawe called Faelcidia by which the first offence of the Childe was pardoned the Seconde punnished and for the third he was banished which Law if it were eftsones reduced to practise in these tymes wée should not sée so many youth runne hedlong into vices nor so many Fathers suffer blame for their negligence But because Fathers doe not chastise and mothers too muche suffer the childe takes boldnesse in vice leauinge to the Parentes occasion to lament but no lybertye of remedie Where you wryte to me that you are old that your infirmityes make you weary as though you liued to longe I wishe you not to reckon your age so much by the nomber of yeares you haue lyued as by the many trauelles you haue endured For that to sensuallitie to liue a hundred yeares séemes but a short time and to the harte that is heauie and sorrowfull the lyfe of a hundreth momentes is too long and wearie It must not suffize you to séeme to bée olde but you must bée so in déede séeing he onely may bée called olde who puttes ende to his olde vices For little doth it profite to haue your head Graye and your Face Wrinckled if your lyfe follow younge customes and your minde Féede vppon Greene desyres the same béeing the cause why Olde men weakened wyth vice and Sinne are Subiecte to feare Death and to dye soone béeing wyth nothing so ill contented as to bée deuided from their vices The Author writeth to his Sister seruing in Court Partly hée instructes her how to liue in Court and partly satisfyeth her request vnder a short Discription of Loue. WEighing wyth the nature of the place where you are the qualetie of the affection I beare to you I dout whether it were better to vse playnesse according to good meaning or dissemble and so leaue you better contented For by the office of nature I cannot but warne you and yet to the place where you are nothing is lesse acceptable then to be instructed the Court béeing a place that sometimes couereth or séeth not the faultes in their frendes or else takes all thinges to blame and findes nothing in their foes that they may lyke But béeing my Sister I will vse my authoritie though not to please you yet to perswade you and acquite my selfe béeing farre from my profession to deale in matters of loue I that haue vndertaken the direction of consciences And albeit my other trauels priuat exercise make me very insufficiēt to debate with you to your ful satisfactiō yet taking the opportunity as it is I had rather put my imperfectiō vpōiudgment then leaue you not instructed hoping you wil no lesse answer for mine honor then for your sake you sée mée readie to hazarde it to Question Where you write to me that he that presented you wyth your laste Iewell was your frende and Louer I denye it since there is difference béetwéene him that Loues and one that is a Friende For a friende doth alwayes Loue but he that Loues is not alwayes a friende Which may bée well prooued in your Ladyes of the court For that in Seruice and Amarous deuotion you haue many that Serue you Follow you and desire you who may rather bée called your Louers then your Friendes since they intende no other thing then the practise of pleasure being as voyde of intent of mariage as they are of vertue Yea hauing not the Spirite to iudge of honest Loue nor true intention to follow it they bring oftentimes dishonor to their Ladyes whose simplicitie for the most parte falles into Slaunder by the Sutletie and malice of their Seruauntes Suche one I feare is hée that hath béestowed the Iewell vppon you which then you may best discerne when you finde him to Promise much and perfourme little assuring you that then hée vseth the Sleyght of the Fowler who wyth a Swéete Call bringes the Byrde to his Nette and deceaues her to her Destruction Consider therefore the place where you are the Race that you come of and what you pretende The Courte giues you Libertie to doe muche ill and little Instruction too Follow that is good And if you Stande not Faste vppon those Vertues you Learned in the House of your father the place it selfe will infect and change you since frequentation drawes into one felowship societie of Estate things that of themselues are different remēber also that to such as desire to be vertuous the house of the Prince is a schole house for their better instruction and a place helping to their aduauncement Wherein if any miscarie the falt may be more in their proper negligence then in the will of the Prince since to maydes of honor seruing in Court it is a greater aduauncement to be maried by the fauor consent of the Prince then by the patrimonies or portion which their parentes can leaue them I haue oftentimes written vnto you that if deuotion and conscience leade some women into Religion vertue and good name rayse others to preferment in court Therefore I aduise you lay not vp great confidence in your beautie much lesse presume vpon the greatnesse of your race For in Court for one Gentleman that makes loue to your persones you shall find twenty that spend the whole day to iudge of your liues since beautie without vertue and high kindred wythout good conditions is no other thing then as a goodly gréene Trée that florisheth with leaues and blossomes and brings forth no fruite or as a stately carued Image which men take great pleasure to beholde but are gréeued when they finde it dead and without qualitie You and the other Ladies your companions would haue me write what loue is wherein it consistes and what be the fignes and tokens of true loue estéeming me a man of studie and an auncient Courtier This office I might better tourne vppon your selues for that your beauties standing in the eyes of men leading them to sue to serue to solicit and to loue you mée thinkes it belonges to you to set downe the discription of loue and to me
to an old man to haue desire to that which the force and strength of nature denie him to execute What reckoning of temperance is there to be made in old men since their stomackes being weake they are the more subiect to surfet their mindes fierie and their bodies drie their substance is nothing but fume their yeres make them credulous suspicious ambicious malicious couetous and forgetfull carying them withall into euery passion of nature and that more by the furie of their age being a burden intollerable then that they waigh things according to iustice order and reason Men in many respects and at many times more light in sence and iudgement then setled in grauetie and counsell borowing credit by their yeres and wanting that experience which many young men haue of lesse continuance It is an ordinary speach with many of these old men that if they were to begin againe and that in their youth they had known that which the successe of yeres hath brought to them they would liue after an other gouernement and do otherwayes then they haue done So that for one young man that hath not done that which hee ought there be many old men that would do more if they could to whom it is proper to shew a will aboue the power and possibilitie of their bodies euen like to a Drayne Bée whose sting being shot yet he flies vp and downe homming as though he were hable to do more harme Cicero in vaine prayseth old age for his nearenesse to the other perpetuall and happie life as for the hope they haue to visite the spirites of good men alreadie layed vp in rest Seeing we sée all men eschew that iorney being more naturall to the creatures of nature to prolong life then to bee officers in that fatall visitation Yea Cicero himselfe sought to auoyde it when hée was surprised by his enemies who compelled him to goe that iorney which hee had so much commended and so litle desired It is in vaine to desire longer life when we sée nothing but present certeintie of death and yet the greatest care of olde men is to kéepe them from death and their greatest feare to fall into his handes Yea it is this care that depriues them of the residue of the felicities of this life For that the desires of the flesh are so swéeee and importunate that naturally wée desire to establish a perpetuitie of our béeing here though it bée contrary to the eternall ordinance and impossible to the power of kind and nature For by how much we séeke to make our life long by so much do wée shorten it and by how much wée thinke it encreaseth and aduaunceth by so much doth it decline and abate the lyfe of man béeing none other thing then as a bubble of water which swelling with a vaine wynd vanisheth euen when hée is at his greatest If an olde man will vse the authoritie of his age he is intollerable euery one escheweth him and of the contrary if hée play the young man he is an ill example and euery one mockes him The olde man is to do no seruice for that he hath no power neither is he to be serued for that hée is troublesome and passioned He is no companion for young men for that to his yeares belonges too great ceremonie and euen to old men he is troublesome by the very properties and impediments of his age subiect to hemming spitting coughing and many other loathsome dispositions If they bée poore their parents disdayne them and béeing rich they are thought to liue too long for their heires and successors They spend much and get litle they speake often and do seldome Yea their couetousnes encreaseth wyth their yeres which is the greatest corruption that can happen to man. So that I sée not by what reason Cicero could so much commend olde age béeing the very dregges and consumption of the life of man whom hée makes subiect to all diseases which makes mée of opinion that if there bée any age in man worthy of prayse it is more due to youth then to olde age For that the one is fayre and the other deformed the one is sound and the other diseased the one disposed the other froward the one strong the other weake And youth is apt to all exercises but the delites of age are resolued into plaintes passions and dollors So that the one being necessary the other intollerable the one full of griefe and the other frée from passion I sée no particular dignitie due to olde age other then in reuerence and much lesse how the consolations of Cicero can minister remedies since most olde men do féele their infirmities with more griefe and bitternesse then that wordes onely can giue them remedie One friend writeth to an other of the rage of Enuie and the nature thereof SVch is the infirmitie of the present season that men of vertue rising into fauour find enuie to hinder their merit and malice to minister recompence to their painefull desertes enuie being alwayes such an enemie to vertue that where it can not oppresse it yet will it lie in waite to suppresse the glory therof There is no felicitie so well assured nor estate so modest which is not subiect to the inuasion of enuie For that enuie being none other thing then a branch of iniustice it stirres vp the thoughts to wicked purposes and armes the handes to actions of iniquitie The enuious man hath no respect either to the vertue or fortune of any but to the good thinges that are in them not reioycing so much in the goods that are his owne as in the domage hurt hée doth to others his office stretching chiefely to desire that no good thing happen to an other Yea hée will not sticke to suffer hurt himselfe vppon condicion to make his neighbour féele more harme according to the Poeticall example following Jupiter disposed to suruey the estate of the worlde sent downe for that purpose one of his Aungels disguised in the fourme of a man whom he ordained to fall first into felowship with two men trauailers on the way as it séemed and in that respect not the lesse conuenient for his companie They perfourmed together many dayes iourneys wyth those delites and fortunes which happen to such as wander countreys In the end the Angell hauing drawne from them all those thinges hée required to satisfie his desire disclosed vnto them whose messenger he was and hauing power to dispose of the liberalitie of Jupiter hée sayd that for their good companie hée would giue them present recompence Whereuppon he willed them to aske what they would and who made the first demaund should not onely haue fully all that he required but the other should haue forthwith double as much The one of these two trauaylers was a couetous man and the other an enuious man betwene whom this offer of the Angell bred no small contention For the couetous
and yet there comes an heire whom they thought not vppsn who wyth great delyte reioyseth in the fruite and vse of all their paynefull trauels It is a iust Sentence that such as haue beguyled many should reape the recompence of their abuses since Gods iustice goeth by measure and hath regarde to the equitie of thinges wythout Parciallitie to persons It is no indifferencie that that which a wicked Father hath heaped for on heire alone by the preiudice of many goodmen should be enioyed by him many yeares for that the line to measure all thinges ought to be equall and goodes gotten by shyfte are for the most part lost wyth shame the same falling out in common experience that what the wicked Father wins wyth studie and sorrow the vnthryftie sonne wastes in Solace and Negligence And what the one Plantes in toyle and care the other remooues in ease and welfare béeing a Lawe in Gods iustice that the Prodigall Sonne should scorne at the sighes of his Couetous Father You séeme according to the figure of the Scripture for the silling of one Patte of Water to wade continually wetshood in the lake of this miserable Worlde You drye vp the noritour of your brayne wyth the fume of sighs You breake your bodye wyth the toyles of this lyfe and aduenture your honour to fyll but one Iarre or Pitcher wyth Water and yet lyke as for the time you liue it will not quench your appetite so in the ende you will be dryuen to dye of Thirst and the Potte which wyth so great payne you haue fylled in your lyfe shall after your death be broken against the walles of a prodigall heire who will laugh to sée it runne as a ryuer and reioyce to water the streates wyth the Ryches that you Locked full dearely in your sewrest Chestes Remember that he is not Ryche that possesseth much goodes but he whose desires are satisfyed and his minde contented The liberall man liues in beste securitie for that his liberalitie continues his friendes and reclaimes his enemies And Golde and Siluer giue better renoume to those that spende them then to such as hoard them vp for that couetousnesse makes the hoarders to bée hated where liberalitye draweth loue to the spender By these I wishe you to be aduised that gayne and getting are weake pillors to vpholde good name for that Couetousnesse and honor are of themselues contrarye and can holde no congruencie together in one man All the vices of this worlde haue in themselues some taste except Couetousnesse which bringes griefe for the goodes that others haue and Ielousie and suspition for the riches that are euen vnder our owne handes For to be riche it belonges also to haue the fruition of riches the same giuing pleasure to such as can take it as the possession serueth to such as can vse it The perplexities of the couetous man are to suspect his Seruauntes and distrust his kindred to set Espyalles ouer his Wyfe and doubt his Children to bée fearefull of the thiefe and to be Ielouse euen of his owne shaddowe Yea he is so miserable that he settes more garde of his money then of his person He takes no pleasure but in casting his Reckoninges in Compting his Siluer in Selling his Wares and in multiplying his Commodities estéeming it as his Paradice to bée alwayes gayning and neuer spending to bée alwayes winninig and neuer loasing to bée alwayes receiuing and neuer lending and to be alwayes getting as though he should neuer dye But when there is question to disburse money though it be for thinges necessarie Oh then he is as farre from modestye as he is full of malice accursing to the Diuell both Wyfe Children and Familie and in that Passion hée estéemes suche to deceaue him most in whom hée hath greatest reason to repose Confydence and who in deede are the best Stewardes and Husbandes of his commodityes So that if Couetous men would Consider what a swéete thing Lyberalitye is they would tourne their desires to gayne much into a disposition to géeue more for that it is not of so great value that which the Liberall man doth géeue as is his recompence Séeing that for the pleasure hée doth to anye hée is to Redemaunde the Trybute of his Libertie Yea the Liberall man is the Lorde ouer those People where hee lyueth and the leader of all suche as haue to doe wyth him For that their Recompence béeing certayne there are none wyll denye him their Seruice Where to the Nygarde and Couetous man where one wyll heare him manye wyll feare him where none wyll speake to him manye wyll auoyde him Where none wyll geeue him any thing many wyll practise agaynst him Where none will visitte him many will abhorre him where none wyll employe him many wyll accurse him Yea who wyll Demaunde any thing of the Couetous man that denyeth all thinges to himselfe or how hath he a mynde to succour Straungers that is not touched in Conscience to suffer his owne to Starue Manye Couetous men doe wée sée now a dayes to whom God geeues Power to gette Ryches Pollecye to kéepe them Heartes to defende them Lyfe to possesse them but not Lybertye to reioyce and vse them So that though they bee Lordes ouer the Ryches of others yet they are Slaues euen to that whiche themselues Possesse Wherein I am of Opinyon that by so muche more Excellent is Honeste Pouertie then Cursed Couetousnesse By how muche the Poore man is contented wyth Little where to the Richeman a great deale seemes nothing And therefore what mynde canne bée more Myserable then to sighe for the goodes of an other more by desire then by default The gréedie mynde caryeth no Disposition to Spende vppon his Parentes and friendes séeing hée accomptes that Stolne which hée employeth of himselfe Therefore it is a false Witnesse to call the couetous man rich since it is not he that hath riches but rather riches are maisters of him For the which he takes no small paine to get them vseth as great care to kéepe them and suffereth no lesse griefe to forgoe them Yea I accompt not the couetous riche men so happie as the pore labourer and deluer of the earth For that wyth his mattocke the one drawes reliefe and noriture out of the earth and the other wretchedly hydes in the earth his treasure and felicitie and how secretly so euer it is hyd yet he standes not so suspicious of any as of himselfe For if he haue two keyes to his Chest to kéepe his money from stealing he suffereth ten cares in his harte to kéepe him from spending So that the care being great to kéep and the griefe no lesse to loase I wishe all men well aduised how they beginne to get since to saue a little of their wealth they are subiect to put in hazarde much of their honor Therefore who will be reuenged of a richeman can wish him no greater passion then
to liue long For that greater is the penaunce by his long lyfe in couetousnesse then any other reuenge that can be taken of him Great is that ambicion and slaunderous that couetousnesse which neyther for shame of the worlde nor for feare of death is restrained or moderated and tenne times great is the abuse of him who hauing no necessitie séekes to exchaunge contentment for care solace for sorrow libertie for bondage pleasure for paine and watching for sléeping Yea accursed is that man that fals from the reputation of seruice in warres to the profession of broakage in martes and Marchaundise And forbearing to climbe hilles and mountaynes to resist the enemie is contented to kéepe the vally and Robbe his Countreymen that be passengers euen lyke to many olde men who when they waxe weake in force without séeke to growe strong in malice wythin By these Sir I wish you to consider what Dampnable office you haue taken in hand and into what discredible Opinions you are growen with bringing to your friendes no small griefe and to your selfe a lamentable infamie I aduise you for ende to chaunge your mind séeing it is easier to suffer that want of wealth thē to dissemble the abuse of honor A Letter in consolation declaring the discommodities of anger and the benefites of patience I Would you were as good a Phisition as I know you to be a true christian then would you eyther vse the proper remedie to infelicities which is patience or at least shake of the heauinesse of your misfortune which iustly béecomes a wiseman For as to all naturall infirmities afflicting the body phisicke is able to aforde cures proper and conuenient So when tribulations happen and the minde is trauelled the man of God will not contest or argue why he is visited but looke vp to the will of the Lorde wyth whom our medicines are alreadie compounded though not swéete and pleasaunt to our taste yet necessarie and profitable to our saluation and health And albeit oftentimes he deales not wyth vs as we would and looke for yet we finde from time to time that he trauelleth to our remedie and knowing best the humor that offendes vs he can in due season applye the medecine that best worketh to our deliuery And therefore when we are in tribulation and séeme to aske of God in vaine we ought not forthwith to enter into murmure but to weigh with that little he denyeth vs then the many graces he hath graunted vs afore it being to great an vnthankefulnesse to forget the many blessinges we haue receiued and béeing denyed but small thinges to rayse great complaynies agaynst him But as a mischiefe knowne of before and diligently looked for is not so gréeuous as when it comes vppon a suddeyne So for that I haue alwayes knowne you to bée resolute in the chaunces of tyme and fortune I hope you stande now in leaste necessitie of Councell when there is most occasion of courage or vertue estéeming it all one to foresée a mischiefe when you are sewer of the remedie And yet béecause Afflictions are the true Touche stoanes to trye the Affections of Friendes I thought good to offer myselfe to Communicate wyth you not in direction for that I know you hable and well aduised but in Councell which béeing faythfully giuen ought to finde no season vnapt to be receiued Lyke as in experience of Worldly thinges euery newe mutation bringes wyth it for the present a newe care and leaues notwythstanding the minde in greater sewertie at last So for your part if you knewe the necessitie of afflietions your owne debilitie If you considered wel of fortune and her chaunges If you weighed men wyth their malices And discerned betwéene the worlde and his allurementes you would not suffer heauinesse for that which is necessary nor séeke your succoures in thinges that entertaine your misery since it is more miserable to be with out vertue then to be afflicted Such is the suttle malice of the world that the lesse héed men giue to it the more doth it prepare to strike them to the end to giue them afterwards a greater wounde Many men sounde and disposed dye sooner of diseases newely growen then the weake that haue languished many yeares in their infirmities And therefore séeing it is most sewer that the wretched man canne not passe wythout myserie he is more Wise that canne taste his trauelles by little and little then hée that tryeth them al together For that many thinges are Eaten by morsels which if they weare Swallowed togeather woulde bringe Perill of Stranglinge Euen so at sundrye times wée suffer many perplexities which if they should trauell vs all at once our frayltie weare too weake to resiste them for that they woulde deuoure vs all in one daye So that séeing God hath so ordeyned that what wée holde our selues most sewer of wée sée oftentimes suffer most Perill Why doe wée complayne of want of reste when wée haue vndertaken a Iourney wearie and troublesome Why doe wée thinke muche to stomble hauing chosen a stoanie way How canne wée thinke to sléepe in securitie when in the seames of our Bedde bée sowen thoughtes and cares Lastly there is no reason to thinke wée should bée frée in Heauen séeing wée stande bounde to the Worlde There is no more Power in fortune to assure thinges then in the Sea to bée calme béeing Subiect to the Wyndes And no more Authoritie hath shée to dispose thinges then the simple Maryner that committes his Sayles to the Wynde which dryueth his Shippe not whether hée woulde but whether the Waues and Wynde doe shooue her It is an infallible rule that all Naturall courses are Subiect to mutation euery yeare and all Worldely menne that hunte after Fortune are sewer to suffer Eclipse euery moment So that séeing Naturall thinges béeing necessarie canne not reteyne alwayes one essence and béeing It is most iuste that the goodes of fortune perishe which are superfluous I am sorie for your miseaduenture as if it hadde happened to my selfe And more sorie that I canne not as I woulde make knowne wyth what hearte I beare compassion to you Since it is one principall office amongest Friendes to Communicate in fortunes and though their persones bée deuided yet to exercise Communitie of councell comforte and remedie So that hauing no possibilitie to come to you standinge Subiect to the Seruice of the Prince and lesse expectation of reliefe béeing not hable to minister to mine owne wantes I thought to vse the industrie of my Penne to declare the disposition of my harte hoping you will accept that that is and looke for no more then may be and where in giuing you aduise to make no reckoning of that is happened you may perhappes take occasion to thinke that eyther I know not the grauetie of the chance or els that I estéeme you to haue want of iudgment I cannot but confesse to holde this opinion that albeit you are subiect to
some liued longer then others and therefore their ages were not compted in that fourme of yeares that wée recken oures For we take the beginning of our fifth age which is called Vnweldinesse at fiftie yeares Which could not bée in the men of the first times séeing the fifth age presupposeth in vs a debilitie of strength and naturall operations a thing which could not happen to the first men for that if they had begonne to decline at fiftie yeres they could not by any possibilitie haue endured so long séeing there were of them that liued more then fiftie yeres So that wée may establish the fifth age of those people to begin at thrée hundreth yeares or there about aspiring very neare the third part of their life In which respect this fifth age hauing an other beginning in them then in vs I thought it not out of purpose to touch somewhat those ages which had not the same termes whereunto wée are subiect at this present Here must bée considered the accompt that wée applie to the third age and other ages since vntill Dauid in whose time men liued no more then they doe now according to his owne testimonie the dayes of man are threescore yeares and if any liue till fourescore the residue of their life is but griefe and trauell Touching the ages of the men of the first and second worlde wée can not speake resolutely nor of the termes or limittes whereunto they were referred One reason is for that those thinges were not continued vntill these later times where were authors writers to record them And withall for that those thinges which were once past no more in nature the writers had no great care to dispose them to monument To this may bée also added an other reason more peremptorie that notwithstanding the authors had will to describe particularly those thinges as they had done the ages Yet they had no meane therevnto seeing experience sheweth vs the ages which are proper for procreation in what season man forbeares to grow in what time hée is in his flower and when hée begins to decline By which the wisemen tooke meane not only to Baptise and distinguish the ages of man but also to limitte such as were subiect to terme From the first and second age of the worlde wée are assured that the age of men was deuided into sixe as it is nowe For the men of that season felt the same mutations that wée féele and did not engender in all ages and yet in certaine ages they were hable to procreation They grew into stature and strength vntill certaine times and afterwardes their growing ceased In a certain age they were in their flower and in an other they began to wither and decline But wée knowe not in what terme nor in what tyme they suffred these mutations as now experience in our selues makes them easely knowne to vs That was the cause why the wise men of those times could not limit to certaine termes of yeres the ages of men of the first and second world as oures are Moreouer if any will dispute that there is more reason to establish seuen ages in the life of man then sixe for that the Scripture makes mention of senectus and senium that is old age and state decrepit it may be aunswered that the Scripture appoynts no more ages to the life of man then doth Jsidore For these two wordes senectus and senium as the two later ages of man which Jsidore calles by other names naming vnweldinesse that which the Scripture calles olde age and old age that which in the Scripture is called state decrepit There is also an other reason agréeing with the opinion of Isidore that senectus and senium be not taken in the Scripture for two ages but for one that to be the pouder or oust of the life of man Old age saith Isidore which is the sixth age is not limitted for that al that remaines of the life of man after the fiue first ages be past is layd and referred to olde age Touching the state decrepit it is the end of old age called senium as holding vpon the traine of the sixth age This last opinion semes not the least likely and most conformable to the saying of Isidore by whom is not ment that the decrepit state is the vttermost end of old age For so should it be one selfe thing with death and hold no part of life but it is ment that the state decrepit makes one part of the life of man and of the sixt age according to the testimonie of Jsidore So that we may conclude that it is not an age distinct and absolute but part of an age being as it were the dregges and pouder of old age and generally of all the life of man And for death much lesse that it is part of the life of man séeing we hold it a iust meane of priuation of life But if any disposed to cift straitly our opinion will aske this question that séeing the state decrepit is one part of our life why we make not an age of it as we do of the other partes of the life of man It may be aunswered that by so much is the question vaine by how much the matter is impossible For al the other ages are subiect to beginning and end and are determinable to a certain content proportion and nomber of yeres And touching old age albeit his end can not assuredly be determined yet it is knowne in what time he begins which is about threescore and ten yeres But the state decrepit drawes an other course as hauing neither beginning nor end certaine and terminable and therefore can not be called an age distinct and of it selfe The same being easely séene in this that it containes that residue of the life of man wherein the body is made vnweldie with many infirmities the which appeares after a man be entred into olde age and not afore notwithstanding we séeme to féele and suffer vnweldinesse So that that part of the life which is so grieuous hath no certaine beginning séeing those infirmities come sooner to one then to an other and endure either more or lesse according to the complexions of persons and therefore that can not well bée called an age compleate but rather part of an age This estate decrepit hath bene referred with great reason to the yeares of olde age béeing the last and extremest of all the other ages For that there remaynes no other thing to such as are come to it but death And for that such as liue so long are naturally subiect to many grieues and sorowes some men haue called the end of this last age senium An opinion fully conformable with the Scriptures For as it is here alleadged that the state decrepit is the last part of the life of man and followeth olde age So the Scripture accomptes the continuance and proporcion of our life to thréescore and ten yeeres referring the residue but to trauayle
and dollor So that this part of the life so ouerladen with infirmities is that which we call state decrepit and the Latines senium béeing in déede the last age called olde age The best dayes of the life of men saith Virgill are those which passe first after the which succéede infirmities and diseases yea and olde age which leades with him fearefull death Thus doth Virgill cal old age a state troublesome and afflicted with infirmities wherein if he had knowne the state decrepit to be seperate from old age and that he had taken it for an age of it selfe he had geuen it communitie with those ils and infirmities whereof he speaketh and not to old age for that it is in the last and most extreme age that those miseries happen to man Yea he makes no reckoning of any age after old age for that next after it he makes accompt of death The same prouing sufficiently that the state decrepit is not an age seperate and distinct from old age but containes a part of the same which agréeth with the opinion of Isidore and holdeth consent with the scriptures and with the Poets In all which is no difference nor distinction betwene senectus and olde age A continuing of the discourse begon wherein is brought in an other opinion WE haue alreadie shewed two opinions touching the ages of the life of man whereof the one appoints seuen and the other establisheth but sixe But nowe will we adioyne an other which sets down in the life of man but fiue ages that is to say Jnfancie Paerilitie Mans estate Youth and old age Of this opinion is M. Terentius Varro in his Booke of the originall of the Latine tongue is also alledged by Seruius in his comment of Virgill vppon the fifth Booke of Aeneidos This opinion agréeth with the former and foure first ages which foure there is no meane to impugne séeing they haue taken their names of the foure diuerse estates which we féele in our life The first age is when by reason of our very few yeres and indisposition of our body we haue no vse of reason nor full knowledge of thinges this age we call Jnfancie or innocencie as an estate wherein man knoweth not yet what sinne is There is an other age wherein albeit man hath a certayne vse of reason yet by reason of the inhabilitie of his person hée is not yet hable to procreation this age is called Puerilitie or Childhode continuing from eight yeares to fourtene and it is the second age There is an other age which giues to man the vse of reason and power of procreation his body béeing not yet risen to his greatnes and perfect force but groweth still in strength bignesse This third age is called Mans ectate for that in it we take our greatnes and stature although we grow still in force There is an other age wherein man hath his strength accomplished and is apt to all actions possible to bée done in any age whatsoeuer this age is named Youth And for that these foure mutations are so manifest they are all resolued and concluded in these foure ages notwithstanding they haue not said so of the ages following and from thence is deriued the diuersitie of opinions M. Varro reckoneth but old age after these foure ages afore recited taking youth as I thinke for the age wherein man is perfect in his forces in his stature in his vertues naturall referring to olde age all the time of declination or decaying of the naturall forces of man So that according to Varro olde age should begin at fiftie yeares and endure vntil death This opinion diffreth from the former in that the first putteth virilitie amongest the nomber of ages seperating it from youth where this encloseth it vnder the name title of youth according to the iudgmēt of Jsidore And yet this opinion is contrary to the former which makes olde age and state decrepit two ages agréeing with the resolution of Jsidore who accomptes olde age for the last age and takes the state decrepit but for one part of it Notwithstanding Varro diffreth from Isidore who after youth establisheth the age of grauetie or vnweldinesse of the which Varro makes no mention following therin the first opinion which toucheth nothing that graue and heauie age VVhich of these opinions is most worthie ALbeit there is neuer one of these thrée opinions which bringes not with it his meane of defence and iustification as béeing al grounded vppon causes which haue their proper apparance and similitude with reason Yet there is differēce of authoritie betwene them one being more antentike then an other the same being the consideration why I hold the second best approued and most reasonable Touching the first opinion establishing two ages of old age and state decrepit it is contrary to all good authors who haue alwayes taken olde age for the last age of man not meaning that the state decrepit was an age distinct but a part of old age Wherein if it be alledged that the decrepit state is not taken for the last part of the sixth age for that it hath no beginning limitted nor any end determiminable but that it is taken for the last age which is limitted in his beginning notwithstanding it hath no end determinable as beginning at thréescore and ten yeares and lasting vntill death and that this age also is that which some call olde age It may bée aunswered that taking the termes and limittes in that sort thée agrée with the first and second opinion touching the two last ages and that there is no difference but in the names So that wée may conclude that the second opinion is more auayleable then the first for that it consents in names of the ages with the good authours and Poets Wherein truly for thinges that lie in act and haue bene inuented those opinions that holde most conformetie with the iudgements of good authors ought to bée reputed as most true The third opinion aduouched by M. Varo albeit it be in some sort supportable yet Jsidore satisfieth more at full for that he puts vnweldinesse for an age betwéene youth and old age For first in that age men feele a manifest mutation which deserueth well to deare the name of age Seeing that properly olde age may be called that time wherein the iudgement of man beginneth to fayle diminish both by the greatnes of age and indisposition of the body and person Touching youth it is the flower of the age of man since in that age hée is man compleat and perfect in his forces actions and naturall operations but that age being past al thinges that are in man begin to decline Then it is that the force of the body and vertues naturall begin to weare and wax weake Of which decay procéedes also a diminution of iudgement and vnderstanding All which are discerned dayly by ordinarie experience besides the reasons and arguments conducible to
the more Subiect to complaynt by how muche their mindes lyue alwayes trauelled in trouble and Ielousie You aske me how it happeneth that Louers in the presence of their Ladyes lose liberty of speache and doe oftentimes forget that which they had studyed and well considered to speake It may bée that infyrmitie procéedes of the trouble of the minde engendred by a looke or glaunce cast by stealth vppon the thing that they Loue and standing so amazed in minde the tongue hath no facilytie to the action of his dutie séeing the beginning of the speach deriueth of the mind or spyrit to whom the tongue serues as an interpretor to expresse his conceytes This happeneth also to many who called to question in the presence of a Prince or magestrate fall oftentimes into a passion of stutting or meare scilence specially if they bée trauelled either with feare or falshod of conscience To that you aske me why Louers are shamefaste to discouer their affections I say that men haue certaine appetites naturall and necessary as to drinke and eate which of necessity they must satisfy to preserue lyfe and auoyde death so they haue other affections which albeit are natural yet not necessary but superfluous vaine and withall dishonest from those are deryued many disordered appetites as is the rage of loue which is an affection blind engendred of Idlenes and for that it bringes vnto men an estimation of beast lines and dishonesty The most sort séeke as much as they can to hyd their loue vnder figures apparances to liue in expectatiō of that they desire You aske me also how it happeneth that louers discerne not the vices falts of their amorous frends That must néeds be an error deriuing of their proper affection which deuides them from their true iudgment sences For louers as saith Plato are like to such as hunt after estats offices or to those that are giuen to wyne to whom al estats are welcome al wines seeme to giue a pleasing tast besides according to the philosophers al great mocions hinder those that be lesse So that loue hauing occupied the chief most principal mocions of the spirit troubleth for the most part the vertue original of the sences the same being the cause with Plato why louers are made blinde with the sight of their Ladies and according to the same the poets haue fained Cupid without eyes And where you desire me to giue a reasō why men be hoarse of corrupt voyce after they haue slept I thinke that impedimēt comes no otherwaies then by a replexiō of humors caused by a rawnes or indigestiō of meat the same occupying the vpper parts of the body makes the head dull heauie therfore the pipe of the weysand being ful of the said humors they must necessarily be impedimentes to the voyce and make it hoarse and hollow Thus muche touching the Exposition of your Philosophicall demaundes And now where you require me by a speciall and lardge request to Communicate wyth you what I haue harde and read eyther in Phylosophye or Physscke by what apparant signes tokēs may be iudged whether one that is sicke shall dye or lyue for that as you say you haue a daughter in daunger and would gladly know her destiny The resolution of this demaund albeit appertaineth more properly to your doctor of Physicke then vnto me that am a Diuine studying more how to Preache then to iudge of complexions yet séeing you will haue my opinion I pray you let me debate with you as a Christian that as God hath nombered the yeares of our lyfe and set downe a limit which no man can passe so if it bée his good pleasure your Daughter shall yet lyue but if hée thinke it conuenient for her Saluation hée knoweth best when to call her to him For it is not onely hée that géeueth lyfe but hée is euen the selfe lyfe And therefore according to the office of a Diuine more then in the councell of a Phisition I wyshe you to put her in remembraunce of her mortalitye and prepare her to God in whom and none other all good Christians ought to béelieue is power to chaunge our lyfe and translate vs to himselfe Many and many haue I knowne abandoned of the worlde and extreamely past succour and helpe of man haue yet receiued restitution of God and liued many yers and many againe recouered of sicknes past all apparaunce of daunger and yet payd their tribute to nature when was no expectation of death A thing that is not to be construed to the well or ill handling of the Phisition but to be referred to the prouidence of God which hath so ordeyned it The king Ezechias was giuen ouer of the Phisitions and the sonne of the host of Samaria was dead but at the commaundement of God the Chylde reuiued and Ezechias was recouered But leauing those Testimonies of Scripture to a further leasure let vs gather some opinions of the Philosophers who wyth many auncient Phisitions haue set downe in wryting certayne notable Signes to discerne the perill of Death in such as are Sicke Plynie in his seauenth Booke and one fifty Chapter sayth that a man being sicke of any sharp infirmitye as of a Frenzie if hee fall sometimes into a suddayne myrth or burst out into great laughing that Patient expresseth great tokens of present death if any bée sicke of a corruption of humors malencholike and set himselfe to behold or stare much vppon another without sturring his eye of long such one is not farre from death If a man be sicke of a Feuer collerike or sharp and his pulse moue vncertainely sometimes quicke and somtimes slow such one no doubt enclines to death Who is sicke of a burning Feuer and vseth sometimes to draw vp the shéete or double the cloathes of the bed or plucke of the thrumbes of the same in that man is great coniecture of the end of his lyfe One that hath lyen long sicke and beginnes to shut and close his eyes often and set his téeth and mouth carieth great apparance of death He that is striken wyth the plague and being halfe awake and beginneth to raue and murmure to himselfe caryeth manifest coniecture of death If any aboue the age of fourescore yeares fall into a gréedy hungar to eate and drinke wythout measure it is a signe they haue not long to liue A young Chylde being sharppe in wit and ready in aunsweres or that he shew in that tender age a discression accomplished in that childe is no iudgement of long life These be the coniectures of the Philosophers which I haue gathered more to content you then that I assure them to be infallible aduising you for end to recommend your daughter to God who only hath power to dispose all thinges by the same prerogatiue whereby he hath made them of nothing A discourse of the Canonisiing of the Pagan Gods and why
and those that would can not Oh it is time you had some sence of the miseries wée féele seeing that if in reducing them thus to memory my tongue faynteth my eyes growe dimme my hart vanisheth and my flesh trembleth Much more grieuous is it to sée them in my countrey to heare them with mine eares to touch them with my finger and to tast them in my hart yea the iniquitie of your iudges is so great and the iustice of this Senate so partiall that it exceedes the facultie of flesh and bloud to endure the one and is hatefull to all good men to heare of the other And therefore in the accompt of all that I haue sayd I growe to this conclusion that one of these two thinges are to bée done eyther to chastice me if I haue lied or if I haue told truth you to bee depriued of your offices wherein for my part if you thinke my tongue hath taken an vnlawfull libertie to publish the roundnes and simplicitie of my hart I stretch out my selfe afore you in this place and do offer my head to the Axe assuring my selfe of more honour by my death then you can merit fame or renoume by ioyning so many miseries to my wretched life Here the sauage man gaue â— to his Oration leauing the Senate in such remorse for the oppressions of Germany that the next daye they established other Iudges ouer that part vppon Daunby and procéeded to punish the corruption of others for peruerting so noble a common weale Beholde here sir what holinesse flowed out of the mouth of an Ethnike from whom I wishe you wyth other iudges mercenary as you are to fetch your directions to reforme the Prouinces committed to your gouernement and with all to discouer the subtilties corruptions and iniquities of inferior officers subsisting in Cities and common weales For who would set him downe to describe faythfully the deceites the delayes the perplexities and daungerous ends of sutes he should find it a subiect not to be writteÌ„ with inke but with blood séeing if euery suter suffred as much for the holy faith of Christ as he endureth about the trauell of his processe there would be as many martirs in chaunceries and other courtes of iustice and record of Princes as was at Rome in the times of persecution by the old Emperours so that as to begin a processe at this day is no other thing then to prepare sorow to his hart complaintes to his tongue teares to his eyes trauaile to his féete expenses to his purse toyle to his men triall of his friendes and to all the rest of his body nothing but paine and trauell So the effects and condicions of a processe are no other then of a rich man to become poore of a spirite pleasant to settle into malencholly of a frée mind to become bouÌ„de from liberalitie to fall to couetousnes from truth to learne falsehode and shiftes and of a quiet man to become a vexer of others So that I sée no other difference betwene the ten plagues that scourged Egipt and the miseries that afflict suters then that the calamities of the one were inflicted by Gods prouidence and the torments of the other are inuented by the malice of of men who by their proper toyle make themselues very Martirs ⸫ ¶ FINIS Three desires amongest friends The propertie of Gods loue towards vs. That that is coÌ„mon to all ought not to be intollerable to one Death the very effect and stipend of sinne VVhat death is All men subiect to the lawe of nature and fortune Passions of the minde cured with the longnesse of time The remedie of a heart grieued The bonde of a friend Prosperit aduersitie haue societie together by nature Men are the instruments of our owne mishapes Tirantes vse triall by armes but the iust sort referre their causes to the arbitrement of the Lawes For banished men Happie is the punishment by the which we are passed into greater perfection No fortune can resist him to whom nature hath giuen magnanimitie of minde Men not accustomed to aduersitie haue least rule ouer their passions Priueledges of banished men A Lawe to punishe vnthankefulnes by death M. Aurelius to Popilion captaine of the partes God giues victories not to such as fight most but where he loueth best Fortune is most variable in the action of warre Fortune hath a free wil to com and go when she list He bears his miserie best that hydes it most It is better to suffer that wee feare then by feare to be alvvayes in martirdome That is frank gift which is giuen without respect That man is happy that hath good desires True nobilitie depends of vertue and al other things are to of fortune Much is in the Father to make his children refourmed The lavve of Christ giues no libertie to do euill Vertue prepares vs to imortalitie To restraine punishment is a great error in gouernement Punishments for theeues VVhat is required of a iudge in matters of councell A magistrate ought rather to be terrible in threates then in punishment Math. 10. Praise of vvisdome Psal. 118. Ierom. 4. 1. Kings 16. Eccle. 3. ScileÌ„ce is a gift vvithout perill Ezech. 3. Esay 6. Gene. 4 Math. 13. Math. 5 Luke 11 Fiue iniuries don to Christ at his suffering A circumstance of the passion of Christ Malice the mistrese of iniustice Psal. 128. Psal. 12â— Christ vsed most svveete vvordes when he asked pardoÌ„ for his enemies Math. 27. An indiscreet demaunde of the Iewes Genes 3. Genes 7. Genes 19. Exod. 32. Ad huc carnes erant in dentibus eoruÌ„ et ecce furor domini et percussit populum plaga magna Resensui quod fecit Abimelech Jsrael vade ergo et interfice a viro vsque ad muliere bouem â—ouem et Camelum c. 1. King. Psal. 50 A good praier Psal. 108. god hath made all thinges by vveight and measure VVisedome 11. A question not impertinent The solucion of the doubt â–ª God pearceth into the thoughts and intentions of men Faith is the ground of our saluation The mother of Christ Jbi fides non habet meriâ—u vbi humanum ratio habet experimentum God in his election maketh no difference of person age â—tates sex or calling Heare is verified the word of God that when the sinner hath contrition God will kepe no remembrance of his sinnes Math. 26 Actes 5. VVe ought to loue our neighbour for that he loueth God. He that loueth God cannot perish 2. Cor. 13. Charitas est cum diligirous Deum propter se proximuÌ„ propter Deuns The man of God loues not his neighbour for any wordlâ— respect but for God. Psal. 119. By the death of Christ tooke ende the sinagog Christ requires not but the offering of our hart How wickedly the euill theefe spake hanging on the Crosse Neque tu times deum qui in eadem daÌ„natione es non quidem digna factis recipimus hic auteÌ„ quid mals fecit God is