alreadie disposed to repentaunce of the which as before I sayd this Declina à malo auoyd euill is the first part I would propound these few points for their consideration First the enormity of sin in the which there is nothing but all kinde of things that should terrefie a man for before that man by suggestion of the Serpent transgressed the commaundement of God what death nay what dreame of death had man being created immortall 1. Cor. 15. Nowe death the last enemie that shall bee destroyed is most irrigular and enormous and most aduersant vnto Rom. 5. the life of man Death commeth by sinne for by a man came sinne and by sin came death into the worlde There is no worldling that is not afrayed of death But it is a wōder that the worldlings are not afraid of that thing which causeth death Perswaded I am that if a mans eye were so spirituall to see things corporall a man would abhorre the sight of any sinne were it neuer so small A man that hath a care of neatnesse and cleanlinesse in apparaile can not abide the least moat in the world or the least spot that may be imagined in any part of his apparell and all this is because he would not offend the eyes of men But a man that is little lesse in degree then the Angels and made for Psal 8. the praise of his creator who regardeth not the bodie but maketh an account of the soule hath no regard of the decking of his soule but onely followeth the lustfull delights of the flesh If then men bee so diligent in brushing and cleansing of their garments that they should not offende the eyes of carnall men doth it not behooue thee to take heed that the garments of thy soule be not defiled with the most filthie spots of sin in the sight of Almightie God Secondly let him that loueth his own saluation alwayes diligently consider the frail estate of this world And let him weigh how short all carnal delights are That man will quickly abhor the way of sinne which considereth that the pleasure of the flesh is verie short but the paine that is due vnto it to bee eternall The worlde passeth awaie and the desire thereof 1. Ioh. 2. and all men passe awaie by death and no man is permitted to staie long in this worlde for what is the worlde but a great deepe and a troublesome Sea in the which there are so manie monsters of sinne as there bee euill desires in men O false deceiptfull and impure worlde which so fowlly doost deceyue those that trust in thee and doost drowne those that doe followe thee in the depth of hell How happie are those that contemne thee for Christ his sake And making a comfortable diuision doe speedilie depart from thy vanities whatsoeuer wee see in the worlde is vanitie and euerie louer of the worlde is vaine and shall quickly be corrupted Thinke that you shall quicklie die for nothing doth so much withdraw a man from sinne as the often and diligent meditation of Ies Syra death for it is sayd Remember thy latter end and thou shalt neuer sinne the necessitie of death beeing thought vpon diligently dooth terrifie the minde and keepeth it from sinne Thirdly the meditation or thinking vpon the last iudgemēt in the which al men must be presented before the iudgement seate of Christ helpeth much to the flight of sin No man can escape this terrible iudgement but we must all appeare in it of the which day of iudgement doth the Prophet say very great Ioel. 2. and terrible is the day of the Lord and who can abide it And Salomon saith All things that are done vnder the Sun Prea 21. wil the lord bring to iudgmēt c. And in Esai we reade The Lord will come to Esai 3. iudgment with the elders princes of his people And Amos wo be to them which desire the day of the Lord for why Amos. 5. doe yee wish the day of the Lorde for that day is darkenesse and not light And Sophonie pronouncing the bitternesse of that day saieth the voyce Soph. 1. of the day of the Lorde is bitter there shall the strong man bee troubled That day is a day of anger of trouble and anguish a day of calamitie and miserie a day of darknesse and blindnes a day of mist and whirlewinde in the fire of the zeale of the Lord shal all the earth bee deuoured because hee shall quickely dispatch with all the dwellers on the earth Saint Ambrose saieth that nothing is more profitable for an honest life than to thinke that he shall bee our iudge which knoweth the secretes of our heartes and is not delighted with dishonest thinges For all we as Saint Paul saith must be presented before the tribunall seate of Christ for euerie man shall receyue as hee hath doone in his bodie eyther good or euill At that terrible houre the puritie of the heart will bee more worth then the subtill perswasions of Rhetoricians a cleere conscience shall auaile more than all the money in the worlde For hee that shall iudge all things cannot bee deceyued nor by entreatie changed Fourthly the consideration of the bitternesse of the eternall paines is auaileable to the eschuing of sinne for there is not so vehement a tentation of carnall pleasure but it may bee repressed if a man thinke of the punishment that the wicked suffer in hell And here least a man should thinke that there is no hell I will make but this discourse There is no nation as Tullie saith so barbarous but it hath this sentence naturallie written in their harts Deos esse That there are Gods Nowe that there is a God by the scriptures it is manifest For saint Paule saith for the inuisible thinges of him that is his eternall Rom 1. power and Godhead are seene by the Creation of the worlde beeing considered in his workes to the intent that they should not be excused And for the singularitie of one God what dooth not Nature tell vs seeing that we see all thinges concurre to the conseruation of one whole vniuersity And Aristotle himselfe the greatest enimie of one prouidence of all thinges in the worlde dooth not onely confesse but also proue that there is one onelie Primus motor the first moouer which being granted we must say that there is a God a Creator a Conseruer a gouernor of all things and consequently a prouider for all thinges For if there be a God it is requisite that in him should be all kind of perfection So if we count it a perfection in an vnreasoble Creature to haue a care of the young that is procreated of it howe much more is it a perfection in almightie God not onely willingly and not of necessitie to create all things but also to haue a perpetual care of things created aswel visible as inuisible reasonable as vnreasonable And as the scripture Psal 145.
THE Exercise of a christian life written by G. L. Being the first ground and foundaion whence the two Treatises appertaining to resolution were made and framed by R. P. Mat. 26. ver 41. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation The spirit in deede is ready but the fleshe is weake Printed for W. Leake and are to be sold in Pauls church yard at the signe of the Crane 1594. To the Worshipfull and his louing kinde Father maister Iohn Banester Chirurgian and Licentiate in Physicke health and his harts desire intirely wished REmembring how many kind fauours I haue from time to time receiued at your handes louing friend father yet on my part no moitie of answereable courtesie returned whereby you might either finde regard of your gentlenesse or note my thankefull mind Now at last as neerely touched with consideration of mine owne slothfulnesse I presume to dedicate this small Treatise to you therein to require fauour for all former wants and in your woonted affable nature to bury all defects on my behalfe For the excellencie of the worke I dare commit it to your iudgement after reading because I knowe you can both reade and censure And for my selfe I likewise with the booke stand readie at your seruice and to bee commaunded to the vttermost power while I liue A SONNET to the Christian Reader A Chilles neuer durst at once with monsters two to fight And yet at once this book shewes thee How three to put to flight The Deuil the World the Flesh and more To conquer Death and sinne And how to liue and how to die And how the heauens to winne It is a path to Paradise Aport to heauenlie blisse It treats of truce and bringes the peace That euer during is Then read and reape the fruits thereof And thanke thou for thy gaines The God aboue who raisd vp those That tooke for thee the paines Conuertantur qui oderunt Sion To the Reader THIS learned Treatise of the exercise of a christian life Gentle Reader was first written in the Italian tounge by a certayne Iesuit Frier whoe was named Gasper Loarte and afterwarde more at large wrought vppon and handled in more plentifull discourse by Robert Persons Englishman yet a Iesuite likewise liuing beyond the Seaes which he termed A Christian exercise appertaining to Resolution two partes whereof are extant in English and many haue reaped Christian profit from them I doe not doubt Nowe this treatise beeing the firste frame and ground-woorke where these two seuerall bookes were deriued and containing very muche good matter left vnhandled in them is likewise published for thy further benefite if with like minde and spirite thou giue it entertainement as it is offered Diuers learned men haue had the perusing of it and haue left no matter in it to vrge thy dislike then thankfully accept of their paines that would gladly do any thing for thy profit Farewell WHat thing he ought first of all to doe that purposeth to begin a new life and to spend his time henceforth sincerely in Gods seruice Fol. 1 Certeine generall aduertisements necessary for such as mind to serue God sincerely 9 Of the particular order we ought euery day to obserue in our daily exercise 12 The exercises wherein a good Christian ought to occupie himselfe on holy daies 16 Of the profit and necessitie of prayer 20 The manner howe to pray in the spirit and of the preparation we ought to make before it 22 Meditations of the blessed passion of our Sauiour for euery day in the weeke especially on Morninges 25 Certeine particular aduertisements touching the Meditations contayned in the former chapter 37 Meditations to be made on Eueninges or a newe weeke 42 Other Meditations wherein the better learned may at other times exercise themselues certeine also for the simpler sort wherein the mysteries of the life of Christ is intreated of 54 Certeine remedies for such as coulde not happilie find sauour or deuotion in the former meditations 56 Of the auoiding of lewd company 61 Of the second thing that is required of him that intendeth to lead a new life 64 Of the tentations which ordinarily offer themselues to such as haue begun to walke in spirituall waies 66 General remedies to be vsed against temptations 67 A Preamble concerning the remedies against particular temptations 70 Remedies against Lasciuiousnesse 71 Remedies against the second sin of the flesh which is Gluttony 75 Remedies against the troblesome temptations of floth and Idlenesse 79 Remedies against the sinne and temptation of couetousnesse 82 Remedies against the temptation of the third enemy to wit the diuell and first against pride whereto he principally induceth vs. 86 Remedies against the temptations and sinnes of wrath 90 Remedies against the sin temptation of enuy 95 Certeine other aduises and remedies concerning the same matter of tentation 99 What a good Christian ought to doo when he falleth sick or draweth nigh the houre of deth 103 Of the rentations that are commonly felt in the houre of death and the remedies against the same 106 A praier against Desperation 109 A Conclusion and briefe reherfall of all that hath been said in this little treatise and of the things that euery good Christian is bound to learn and haue by hart 111 FINIS What thing he ought first of all to doo that purposeth to beginne a new life and to spend his time henceforth sincerely in Gods seruice Cap. 1. FOr that as S. Augustine saith it is not possible for any man to begin a newe and laudable life but if he first forsake and vtterly detest his former loose and lewde life who so therefore mindeth to amende his former manners and to endeuour himselfe sincerelie to serue God the first thing he ought to doo is to call vpon God for grace that his soul may be purged that so it may please the holy ghost to dwell therein and remaine as in his holy Temple whoe will not as holy Scripture telleth enter into the soule of the wicked nor be harbored 1. Cor. 3. 1. Cor. 6. 2. Cor. 6. Sap. 1. in the body thral and captiuate vnto sinne It behooueth therefore to followe the prophets councell to sequester thy selfe from sin and so shalt thou become a fit instrument to doo good The which sequestration from sin Psa 33. Psa 33. Isai 1. 1. Pet. 3. and purging of the soule is procured by true and hartie repentance for thy sinnes past In asmuch as it is certaine that there is no man nor no man can be without sin and sin is the very poyson and bane of mans soule and that which the Prophet saith is true your wickednesse hath made a diuision betweene you and your God and your Esai 59. 2. sinnes haue hidden his face from you that he should not heare you Moreouer sinne dooth not onelie make diuision betweene God and man which in deed is the most lamentable diuision that man can thinke on for it is
thou feelest in thee proceed not of any iniury or wrong don to thee by any person but through the aduersities and tribulations that befall thee in this life then shall it bee a very good remedy to remember the examples of such perfect and holy men as haue endured with greate patience Ber. ser 16. ad soro de mo be viu farre greater tribulations and calamities then thine bee Remember that inuincible patience of Iob who Examples of patience with so stoute courage sustained so many losses so many soores suche infinite number of griefes corsies and harte-breakes as happened to him in one instante neyther did hee amongst Iob. 2. all these millions of miseries once droope or shewe by worde or deede any signe of blame worthy impatience as the holy Scripture testifieth Thinke also of that holy man Tobyas his rare patience who Tob. 2. in his blindnesse pouertye and all his other annoies had continually a constant minde and comformable to the will of God Consider also that mildenesse and marueilous patience of the holy Prophet Moyses whome Exo. 15 16 Num. 14. not all the continuall troubles and murmurings of that ingratefull people which hee had brought out of Egypte coulde suffice to disquiet or moue to anger The like patience and mildenesse maiest thou note in that 2 Reg. 16. holy Kinge Dauid amongest all the manifolde persecutions and afflictions hee suffered through the whole course and period of his life the which may enforce thee to endure all things very patiently Thou maiest also in this case apply A good consideration against anger another remedy by considering the greate commoditie thou shalte reape by these tentations and tribulations which thou sufferest This consideration S. Gregory as Sainte Gregory affirmeth doth mitigate the force of the whip and skourge Thinke therefore God sendes to thee like a Father that loueth thee 1. Pet. 1 Sap. 3. Prou. 17 Heb. 12 Apoc. 3 Prou. 3 as his deare childe and by chastising thee dooth purge and puryfie thee whereas if thou lackest this disciplyne and his holy rodde of correction thou wouldest not deserue to be called by the title of his sonne All these thinges if thou consider very well as these and sundry others haue donne thou wilt not onely abide patiently all such paineful tribulations nowe present but yealde thy selfe to God with thanksgiuing to him who hath so singularly loued thee as to seÌ„d them for thy benefit and to the enriching Iam. 1. Tim. 2. 4 Apoc. 2. Tob. 3. of thy crowne knowing that it was not possible to come by so great a reward as we looke for without great paines and trauaile And truly greate reason is it that Christians like good souldiors should followe their Captaine Christ tracing his steps and walking the same way hee went before and so entred into his glory Remedies against the sinne and temptation of enuy Cap. 23. IT nowe remaineth to sette thee downe some remedies against the tentations of enuy and malice wherewith the feende in like manner is wont to assault and tempt vs for as the holy Sap. 2. Gen. 3. Scripture doth witnesse Through the malice of the Diuell death first entered into the world This made the Iewes Mat. 27. to seek our Lord and Sauior his death 1. Gen 4. Sap. 14. Ioh. 5. and by this vice haue many murthers and innumerable wicked acts beene committed in the world This is also that most cruell beaste Iacob 3. Gen. 37. 44. which Iacob sayde had deuoured his sonne Ioseph and therfore must thou carefully foresee that this venomous viper begin not at any time to norish her selfe in thy soule but forthwith at the very first brunt to kill and cast her out vsing these iuste rudements or instructions for that purpose following First consider howe this sin of malice Aug. lib. 11 de Genes ad lit 14 or enuy which is according to S. Austen a griefe and sorrow at others felicitie is more hurtfull and vnprofitable then any of the other for albeit other sinnes doo hurt the soule yet affoord The first remedy against enuy they I knowe not in what kinde of myserable estate some taste and pleasure to the fleshe but this vilde vice dooeth both hurt the soule and afflict the flesh sith it scaldeth the heart pineth the body withereth the face appaleth the countenance and comlie sanguine hue Briefelie it tormenteth and ouerthroweth the whole manne beeing like vnto the Worme that consumeth the Wood whereof she commeth And hence is it that the enuious manne findeth himselfe in the worst case and most wretched when the other whom he maliceth The 2. Remedie against â—nuie is best at ease and happiest Secondly consider how by shaking off this so fettering and fruitles a vice by being in the state of Gods grace thou art a partaker of all such thinges as others do possesse sith charity doth Gregor past curaeâ— 3. ad 11. make them thine and therefore oughtest thou to bee ioyfull that other enioy such goods and liue so happely rather then to bee sorrowfull or any whit grieued thereat For by reioycing in charity thou art Charity maketh each one partakers of others happines made happy in their happynesse and by maliciously repyning thereat thou losest thy parte and they remaine still with their prosperity which albeit they lost yet shouldest not thou recouer it Thirdlye whatsoeuer helpethe againste pryde dooth likewise helpe against enuy as proceeding for the The 3. remedie against enuy Pride the mother of enuy moste parte out of the other sithens the proude man bearing impatientlie that any other shoulde bee his better or pheere and fellowe with him hee maliceth those whome in any respecte hee deemeth to bee his betters or more happy then hee is See therefore do thou endeuour thy selfe to plucke this poisoned roote out of thee and not to set thy loue vpon the temporall things of this world which are so miserable spare and skant and if thy neighbor haue them thou must goe without them and many times must looke that which another might conueniently leaue But if on the other side thou set thy mind on spirituall or heauenly things no man can bereaue or barre thee from them yea looke how much the number of such is greater that enioye and possese the same Gre. lib. 5. moral cap. 34. goods thou doest and so much shall thy happynesse increase and grow the greater and by this meanes shalt thou bee so farre of from malicyng of any man as thou shalt hartely desier that each one mighte gaine the goodes which thou possessest woting well that so should thy riches and blisse be not a little multiplyed Fourthly if the desire of thine own The 4 remedy against enuy excellency make thee malice thy neighbour for being thyne equall or more high in dignity then thou art consider that in dooing thus thou losest that thou so greatly seekest for
people ought to doe For such as prolong their preparation and conuersion vntill the houre of death hauing lyued loosely and without the feare of God al their time of health albeit they bee not to despaire but to make the best shift they can for their poore soules in the small time that is left behinde yet are they in great daunger no doubt and in a very perillous estate These The wicked liuer◠dying to be doubted being they whose saluation saint Augustine doubteth of Let vs therefore as saint Paule warneth vs Doe well whiles we haue time continually watching Galath 6 and preparing our selues to death according to out Sauiors councell Mat. 24 Sith we neither wot the daie nor houre thereof therefore watch and with care prepare thy selfe First see thou cleanse and purge thy soule with wholesome praier and exhortation The first aduise in time of sicknes either before or in thy sickenesse especially before the purging of thy bodie For God many times sends sicknesse to the body for the sinnes of The soule to be purged before the body the soule And therefore it may bee the cause once ceasing to wit sinnes thy sicknesse also being the effect shal also cease The body afflicted for the sins of the soule Now if hauing vsed this remedie thy sicknesse continue then take this second aduise accept it with a willing mind as a gift which thy heauenly father for thy soules health to forward thee looke to the safeguard of the same with consideration of the singular loue he beareth thee so vnworthy a member thinke therefore to conforme thy selfe to his will that thy painefull pilgrimage may be past ouer to his glory and the vsuall health of thy soule and body These and such like aduises for thy troubled body thou mayest vse during such time as God shall put thee in such remembrance by visitation to escape and be cured of But if thy mallady be mortall and no remedie but this temporall life must be determined and ended by it then ouer and aboue take these aduises following The first is perceiuing sicknes increase that thou most vigilantly awake and rouse vp thy self to dispose both of thy temporall and spirituall affaires as if then these wordes were spoken vnto thee deliuered by the prophet Esay to king Ezechias Dispose of thy house for thou shalt die and not liue Dispatche therefore and make perfect thy Will which euery good Christian ought to doo in the time of health when hee may with better ease sounder iudgement and more mature aduise performe and doo the same and not to driue it till the last hour when all these commodities doe faile him sith daily experience dooth informe vs howe through the lets and incumbrances of sicknesse the Wils that are made in that time be very rawly perfourmed and many times vnperfectlie drawne and penned Hauing therefore I saie thy Will in a readinesse by thee with thy satisfaction therein conteyned thou mayest then as shall seeme best vnto thee alter or adde therevnto any thinge by waie of councell but if thou hast beene heretofore negligent in this matter then mayest thou amende with wisedome such wilfull ouersighte eyther by aduisement of thy friend or how thou wilt dispose it to thy contentment The second is when that is fully finished The secōd aduise in time of death touching temporal causes I mean then to occupie thy minde with heauenly matters forgetting the World as if it were not but as if thou A forgetting of worldly affaires hopedst to enioy a glorious kingdome aboue and giue thy selfe ouer to thy Lorde and Sauiour moste willinglie least thou be in thy conscience otherwise afflicted The third is to giue warning that thou beest not troubled with any housholde matters whatsoeuer And see this chieflye doone when death is at thy doore and thy life draweth fast to an end let this aduise bee most carefully executed least the sight or hearing of such matters might then with drawe thy affection to them quite from Diuine and heauenlye thinges which at such time thou must oughtest to bee in loue withall The fourth is that some deuout The 4. aduise manne being called if thou chance to fall in those tearmes and confer with him vpon other matters belonging to thy soules health considering thy bodie is not but earth and passing the time in godly conference and prayer thy soule may lifte and eleuate it selfe The deth of Christ a help in death our sweetest comfort to heauenly and spiritual ioyes celestiall and most glorious thinking especially on the passion of Christ Iesus for thy better resolution of thy fixed faith And thus pray with them in the best manner that thou canst Of the tentations that are commonly felt in the houre of death and the remedies against the same Cap. 26. THere bee many anguishes and anxieties which the soule dooth commonly feele in the perillous traunce and houre of death this beeing the moste terrible thinge that can happen vnto vs in this life sith at that time the soule dooth suffer on euerie side and which way soeuer it turneth doth finde great cause of corsie and extreame annoy First it suffereth in respect of the The extreame anguishes of the soule in the time of death body from which it parteth with no small paine It suffereth likewise in parting from temporall thinges which it leaueth heere behinde and look how much they were in life time loued of it and so much more doo they in that houre of death torment it It suffereth through the great dread it hath of the strict accoumpt which it knoweth wel must forthwith be passed to the dreadfull iudge of euery thing it hath doon in all hir life time It suffereth through the horrible visions of Deuils which in that houre appeere the sight wherof is an intollerable torment And much more doth it suffer through the greeuous and bitter assaults wherwith in that houre they farre more siercelie set vpon it then euer they did before For like as towardes the ende of the world and time of general iudgement the prince of darkenesse shal most terriblie and with greater rage and fury assault mankinde as he knoweth better how smal a time is then remaining for him to doo the same and to infest it any longer In like manner doo the deuils behaue themselues towardes such as be at the point of death againste whom they bend all their might and maine all their sleightes and subtileties whatsoeuer sith they know well that if the soule in that last houre doe escape their dreadfull clookes they loose what they pretended to gaine all her life time in this world For so doe the Doctors commonly saie vpon the sentence of the Apocalypse That Apoc. 2 the diuell descendeth with great rage wotting well that hee hath but a small time lefte So that the anxietie and bitternesse of that houre shal be great and no man by wordes shall exaggerate