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earth_n	good_a	lord_n	praise_v	2,545	5	9.3917	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08047	Of the eternall felicity of the saints fiue bookes. Writen in Latin by the most illustrious Cardinall Bellarmine, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by A.B. Permissu superiorum.; De æterna felicitate sanctorum. English	Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Bellarmino, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Saint, 1542-1621. De gemitu columbae English. Selections. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 1841; ESTC S113735	165,177	472

preserued no tongue is able to expresse with what radiant splendour light those most holy impressions shall shyne seing all the glory of Saints compared to the Glory of Christ is lesse then the Beauty of the starrs with reference to the Beauty of the sunne But now what shall I speake of the Pleasures which the Eyes of the Blessed shall take in behoulding that most spacious and large City which Tobias and S. Iohn as aboue we haue proued as not hauing Words worthy inough to set out and proclaime its beauty said That it was all made of gould and garnished with rich Iewels Margarites and other precious stones Tob. 13. Apoc. 21. What lastly may I say of the New Heauen and the New Earth the which the Holy Scriptures do promise to vs after the day of Iudgment and of the renouation of all things into a better state For these things as they are vnknowne to vs so they shall delight the Eyes of the Blessed with a new and admirable ioy when their Beauty shall begin to be seene Of the Ioy of the Eares CHAP. VI. THat the sense of Hearing and the Instruments of speach shal be in the Kingdome of Heauen no man may doubt For the Bodies of the Blessed shal be true and liuing Bodies and in euery part perfect And such was the Body of Christ after his Resurrection as all the Apostles many disciples and others haue testified For they did heare him speake and he did answere to their demaunds And S. Paul himself did heare Christ speaking to him from Heauen he answered to Christ hearing him That there shal be Canticles and songs and chiefly of that Word Alleluia the aforesaid Toby and S. Iohn do witnes From hence then we may gather that in that Heauenly City there shall not be wanting many most sweet Sonnets with the which God may be praysed and the Blessed eares of Holy men may be wonderfully delighted And if these things ought to be performed in proportion and measure thē doubtlesly those songs ought to be the more sweet harmonious by how much the singers shal be more skilfull and he that is praysed more noble and sublime the place where the Musicke is made more high and the Company or presence of the Auditours more intelligent and in greater number What consolation therefore will it be in that most high peace and in the concord of soules and in that ardour and heate of Charity towards their supreme Benefactour to heare the most cleare voyces of those which shall sing Alleluia If S. Francis as S. Bonauenture hath left written was so rapt and moued at the sound of a Citherne played vpon but a very short tyme by an Angell as that he thought himselfe to haue beene in a new World what delights then shall our Eares enioy when millions of musitians with most concordant and sweet voyces shall with full accord and consent prayse God and other Millions with like melody and feruour shall many tymes repeate the said Prayses And perhaps in that Heauenly Citty not only the prayses of God shal be celebrated with Musicall voyces but also the Triumphs of Martyrs the Honour of Confessours the Glory of Virgins and the victories of all the Saints against the Deuill shal be extolled with Celestiall Musicke For we thus read Eccl. 31. Who is proued therein and perfect shall haue eternall Glory He that could transgresse and hath not transgressed and do Euill and hath not done it therfore are his good things established in our Lord and all the Church of Saints shal declare his Almes Although this may be vnderstood of the prayses of mortall men in the militāt Church here vpon Earth yet withall it may be meant of the immortall Citizens and of the triumphant Church in Heauen Since there the Saints shall haue truly eternall glory and that is truly and properly the Church of Saints And whereas our Lord in the Gospell sayth that the faythfull and prudent seruants shal be praysed of God in the Heauenly Kingdome Matth. 28. Well farre thee good and faythfull seruant because thou hast beene faythfull ouer a few things I will place thee ouer many things Enter into the ioy of thy Lord Why may we not thinke that those words of our Lord shal be celebrated with the singing of the whole Celestiall Court shall againe and againe be most sweetly repeated Certainly the Catholike Church doubted not thus to speake of S. Martin Martinus hic pauper modicus diues Caelum ingreditur hymnis caelestibus honoratur Martin being but poore and temperate did enter into Heauen rich and is honored with Celestiall Hymnes To conclude S. Austin affirmeth the same point in expresse Words l. 22. de Ciu. c. 30. saying There shal be true glory where no man shal be praysed through the errour or adulation of the Prayser True Honour which shall not be conferred vpon any not worthy Neither shall any vnworthy seeke after that Honour where none but he that is worthy shall be permitted to be O therefore thrice Happy Soules who in that place where all flattery is banished and exiled and no lye is found to be shall heare their owne Prayses and Trophees to be celebrated without danger of Pryde but not without increase of ioy and comfort Of the Ioy of the sense of smelling CHAP. VII TOuching the other senses litle is to be said not in that they want their great Pleasures but because what Pleasures those shal be the Holy Scripture hath not declared Neuerthelesse this is euident to vs that many Bodies of Holy Saints haue after their deaths braathed out a most sweet Odour This S. Ierome testifieth of the Body of S. Hilarion For he affirmeth that ten Months after the Body was interred it was found entyre as if it were then liuing and did cast from it such a fragrant smel as if it had beene imbalmed with sweet oyntments The like doth S. Gregory witnes of the body of S. Seruulus the Palsey-man His words are these l. 4. Dial. c. 14. The soule departing such a fragrancy of smell did rise as that all there present were replenished with incredible sweetnes And a litle after Till the Body was buried the sweetnes of that smell did not depart from their Noses Neither are there wanting many other such like Examples both of former later tymes from all which we may gather that if the Bodies of the dead Saints after the Soule is glorifyed do send forth such sweet smells then much more the liuing and glorifyed Bodies of the saints shall breath forth a most delicious and sweet Odour I will adioyne hereto that which the said S. Gregory relateth of the liuing and most glorious Body of our Sauiour Thus he writeth lib. 4. c. 16. hom 38. sup Euang. Tarsilla the Virgin then looking vp sow Iesus comming and suddenly there was as it were sprinkled such a fragrancy of a wounderful Odour as that the sweetnes therof did assure all that

Paul nor Iohn nor the rest of the Apostles and Prophets taught these Points of their owne Authority but they were instructed therin of God himself they did preach the word of God not their w●e word thē presently is the Hart dilated and prepared to belieue without the least doubt or wauering in fayth Now that it was God who taught and spake by the Apostles and Prophets is made manifest from his working of so many manifest stupendious miracles so as it were not only simplicity but great temerity to rest diffident and distrustfull of the Truth For thus doth the Apostle speake to the Hebrews cap. 2. VVhich when it was begun to be declared by our Lord of them that heard was confirmed on vs God withall testifying by signes and wonders and diuers miracles and distributions of the Holy Ghost according to his VVill. But what things God speaketh who dare deny to be true seeing God cannot possibly lye for if he could iye then were he not God Yet is it vrged what things are propoūded to vs to belieue are aboue reason This is true but they are not aboue the Power and Wisdome of God And therefore S. Iohn sayth 1. Ioan. 3. God is greater then our Hart because he is able to do and which we are not able to vnderstand And his Essence and Existence is more perfect and worthy then mans Soule can possibly comprehend or take the true height thereof If an vnlearned and ignorant man be ready to belieue the Philosophers and Astrologers discoursing of the greatnes of the Sunne and the starrs vvhich seeme incredible Why then may not man with the like promptitude and facility giue credit to God himselfe touching those points of fayth which it shall please him to reueale and the rather seing the Wisdome and power of God do by infinit degrees differ from that sparke of Reason with which men are endued Those men therfore who haue a true apprehension of these reasons do not suffer any straitnes or difficulty in belieuing those dogmaticall Points which the Church propounds to vs to belieue A second discourse of Hope which is the second Part of the Gate of the House of God CHAP. XI VVHat we haue said of the Vertue of Fayth the same we may bouldly pronounce of the Vertue of Hope for if we should say that what we expect in the life to come we do expect to proceede from the bounty and liberality of men we might be deseruedly reiected as vayne Impostours since men may lye and it is not in their power to afford distribute so great and transcendent Rewards But we teach not that they are to be hoped for from man but from God Who neither can lye since he is Truth nor deceaue since he is Goodnes nor can promise any thing impossible since he is Omnipotent Therefore a Rusticke fellow might deseruedly thinke himselfe to be mocked and derided if any man should promise to him the Wisdome of Salomon or the Greatnes of Augustus because that man who thus should promise should be reputed as a Lyar. But why ought not a Christian to whom God hath promised eternall life the kingdome of Heauen the Paradise of all Pleasure assuredly hope for the same Is there perhaps wanting an Earnest or Pledge of Gods most bountifull Good Will to vs Not so For did not God by way of figure and adumbration of things Present lead his People without any step or print of vvet through the Red Sea did he not rayne Manna from Heauen did he not draw Water from out a Rock To conclude did he not bring his Seruants by the Conduct of Iosue into the Land of Promise And must so remarkable a figure be reputed as empty and of no force Furthermore If God so loued the World that he gaue his only begotten sonne Ioan. 3. Hath be not then giuen with him all things to vs Rom. 8. What great thing do we hope for to be giuen vs from God the which is not inferiour to that guift which already he hath giuen to vs we neither hoping for it nor demanding it Yf God gaue to sinners and his Enemyes the Death of his owne Sonne will he not giue to the lust and his friends the life of his Sonne Neither satisfying himselfe herewith he gaue and adioyned the Holy Ghost as a pledge of our Inheritance who cryeth in our Harts Abba Pater And the spirit giueth testimony to our spirit that we are the Sonnes of God and if Sonnes Heyres also of God and Coheyres with Christ. Rom. 8. Wherefore if the greatnes of the things promised may seeme to ouercome our Hope yet can they not ouercome the greatnes of him that promiseth Which greatnes since it is infinite may so easely strengthen our Hope as that without any fearefull doubtfulnes it may arriue and attaine to the things promised Which Promise as the Apostle proueth Heb. 6. God hath euen confirmed with a most solemne Oath That so by force of two inexpugnable and immoueable forts to wit the Promise of him who cannot lye and his annexed Oath we may haue Hope as a s●●me and safe Anker leading vs to those Penetralia into which Christ entred for vs who is made a Priest for euer according to the Order of Melchisedech A second discourse of Charity which is the third part of the Gate of the House of God CHAP. XII NOw what shall we speake of Charity This Vertue as in regard of the difficulty of fulfilling its precepts is of a most narrow and strayt extent so in respect of the excellency of the Diuine Goodnes whervnto Charity hath reference it may be said to be of a most great breadth For why ought it to seeme hard to loue God with all our Hart with all our soule with all our strength when as he is most sayre most good most worthy of infinite Loue It is not a hard matter here vpō Earth to loue things that are fayre and good but it is hard not to loue them at all or not to loue them too much Therefore God seemeth after a certaine manner to offer vs wrong in commanding vnder so seuere punishments to loue him as if of our owne accord and willingly we ought not to loue him But some may reply saying Those things which are good fayre here vpon the Earth are so ardently loued and affected because they are clearely seene as being subiect to the sense But God no man euer saw Ioan. 1. It is true indeed we see not God neuerthelesse we haue seene and do dayly see his workes which are very fayre of which works the VViseman thus sayth Sap. 13. Yf with whose beauty being delighted meaning with the beauty of the Sunne and the Moone they thought them Gods let them know how much the Lord of them is more beautifull then they for the Authour of Beauty made all those things We in like sort do make triall and tast of the sweetnes of God in his daily Benefits conferred

beginning to the End What pleasure will the remembrance of so many Vicissitudes of things and of so great Variety bring which the Prouidence of God hath gouerned so wisely and brought to their due ends And perhaps this is that mayne current of that Riuer which so wonderfully exhilerateth the Citty of God Psal 45. For what other thing is the Order of ages passing away with such speede and neuer intermitting their course then the great swiftnes of the Riuer running without any cessation till it be wholy absorpt in the mayne Ocean And now truly whiles the Riuer is in running and the Times slipping away many do dispute of the Prouidence of God yea some euen of Gods seruants are much troubled with this impetuosity of the streame for seing that it is often hurtfull to good men but commodious and beneficiall to the Wicked whi●es it carieth away the good earth taken from the fields of the Vertuous vnto the fields of the Wicked thus they often suffer great Temptations and seeme to complayne of Gods Prouidence Heare of this point the Royall Prophet thus moaning Psal 72. My feete were almost moued my steps almost slipped because I had zeale vpon the wicked seing the peace of sinners And a little after Loe the sinners themselues and they that abound in the World haue obtayned riches And I said then I haue iustified my hart without cause and haue washed my hands among Innocents and haue bene scourged all the day Heare also Ieremy the Prophet thus expostulating cap. 12. Thou O Lord art iust if I dispute with thee but yet I will speake iust things to thee Why doth the way of the impious prosper And why is it well with all that transgresse and do wickedly Thou hast planted them they haue taken roote They prosper and bring forth fruite thou art nigh to their mouth and far from their reynes To conclude Heare the Prophet Habacuc c. 1. Why lookest thou vpon them that do vniust things and houldest thy peace when the impious deuoureth him that is more iust then himselfe Thou wilt make men as the fishes of the Sea and as the creeping Beast not hauing a Prince Thus these former Prophets But after the reuolution of tymes and after the forsaid Riuer hath disgorged it selfe into the sea when the Saints in Heauen shall cleerely see read the reasons of all those vicissitudes or alterations as written in the Booke of the diuine Prouidence then VVords will light short to expresse the ioye which the City of God shall receaue thereby There they shall read why God suffered the first Angell and the first man to sinne and why the Mercy of God did restore the man but would not restore the Angell There they shall see why God did make choyce of the sonnes of Abraham for his peculiar people whome notwithstanding he did foresee to be after of a most stubborne necke and what good through their obstinacy he was after to prepare for the Gentills And that I may pretermit the Vniuersall Prouidence of God there they shall see why he did permit many iust Men or rather almost a●l to suffer pressures and ●fflictions in this World and to become balls to their Enemies that therby he might after crowne them most gloriously And from this remembrāce the Saints shall with great ioy euen blesse all those Crosses which they suffered in the VVord when they shall see them changed into euerlasting Crownes and shall say with the Prophet Psal 93. According to the multude of my sorrowes in my hart thy Consolations haue made my soule ioyfull Of the Ioy of the Eyes CHAP. V. LEt vs now take into our consideration the ioyes of a glorified Body And first the Ioy of the sense of seeing presenteth it selfe which sense among the senses of the Body is most noble and in its office and vse dilateth it selfe most largly This sense in the Celestiall Country shall first reioyce at the splendour of its owne proper Body changed by Christ and configured or made like to the Body of his Glory as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 3. Neither shall its brightnes be lesse then the splendour of the sunne For the same Apostle Act. 26. affirmeth that Christ according to whose brightne● we are to be cōformed was seene of him to exceed the brightnes of the sunne And our Lord himselfe thus speaketh in the Ghospell Then the iust shall shyne as the sunne in the kingdome of their Father Matth. 13. How pleasing and gratefull a spectacle will it be when the Eyes of the Blessed shall behould their hands their feete and all their mēbers so to send forth beames of light as that they shall not neede any more the light of the sunne or of the moone much lesse the light of a Candle to dispense all darknes And they shall see not only their owne body to shyne like to the sunne but also the bodies of all Saints and especially of Christ himselfe and of his Blessed Mother How much doth one Sunne at its rising reioyce the whole Earth What then will it be to behould innumerable sunnes togeather not resplendent only in light but also most fayre for their variety and proportion of members Neither in that place shall the Eyes shut themselues for feare least they be oppressed and hurt with ouer much brightnes for those Eyes shall be Blessed and in this respect impassible and immortall For he who shall so comfort the Eyes of the mind with the light of Glory as that they behoulding God face to face shall not be oppressed by his Glory he shall also comfort the Eyes of the body with the guift or priuiledge of Impassibility so as without any danger they shal be able to looke vpon not one only sunne but innumerable sunnes This further shal be adioyned to increase the glory of the Eyes as S. Austin teacheth l. 22. de Ciu. c. 20. to wit that the most Blessed Martyrs shall beare most fayre and beautifull prints or signes of Vertue euen in those particular partes of the Body wherein they suffered their torments What solace to the eye then shall it be to behould S. Stephen shyning with as many precious stones as he suffered dints of stones in his Body In like sort what pleasure wil it be to see S. Io. Baptist S. Iames the elder S. Paul almost infinite others whose heads were cut of for professing Christ to shyne vvith a most rich chayne more precious then any gould What to see S. Bartholomew whose skinne was fleaed off so illustrious in body as that it may seeme to exceed all Purple though neuer so precious What shall it be to omit all others to behould S. Peter S. Andrew and many others who suffered death vpon the Crosse to represent or beare most shining stars as it were in their hands and feete with incred●ble Beauty Concerning Christ the king of Martyrs who for his glory and our comfort will haue the signes or marks of the nayles and the Lance