no dovvbt to delite so in it as men doe It is a straunge thing to see hovv contrarie the Iudgementes of God are to the Iudgementes of meÌ„ The people of Israel vvolde needes haue a kyng as I haue sayd and they thought God vvolde haue geuen theÌ„ presentlie some great mightie prince to rule ouer them but he chose ovvte a poore felovve that sought asses aboute the couÌ„trie After that vvhen God vvolde displace this man agayne for his sinnes he sent Samuel to anoynt one of I say his sonnes being come to the house I say brought foorthe his eldest sonne Eliab a lustie taule felovve thinkyng hym in deed most fytte to gouerne but God answered respect not his countenance nor hys taulnes of personage for I haue reiected hym nor doe I iudge according to the countenance of man After that I say brought in his second sonne Abinadab and after hym Samma and so the rest vntill he had shewed hym seuen of his sonnes All whiche being refused by Samuel they maruayled and sayde there was no moe left but onelye a litle read headed boye that kept the sheep called Dauid whiche Samuel caused to be sent for And as sone as he came in sight God sayd to Samuel this is the man that I haue chosen VVhen the Messias was promised vnto the Iewes to be a king they imagined presentlie according to theyr worldlye wisdome that he should be some great prince and therfore they refused Christ that came in pouertie Iames and Iohn being yet but carnall seing the Samaritanes coÌ„temptuouslie to refuse Christes disciples sent to them and knoweing what Christ was thoght streightwaye that he must in reuenge haue called downe fyre from heauen to consume them But Christ rebuked them sayeing you knovv not of vvhat spirit you are The Apostles preachyng the crosse and necessitie of suffering to the wyse Gentiles and Philosophers were thought presentlye fooles for theyr labours Festus the Emperours lieutenant hearing paul to speake so muche of abandoning the world and foloweing Christ sayd he was madde Finallie this is the fashion of all worldlie wyse men to condemne the wisdome of Christ and of his saints For so the holye scripture reporteth of theyrowne coÌ„fession being now in place of torment nos insensati vitam illorum aestimabamus insaniam we fond men esteemed the liues of Saintes as madnes VVherfore this is also great vanitie as I haue sayde to make suche accoumpt of worldlye wisdome which is not onelye folye but also madnes by the testimonie of the holye ghoste hym selfe VVhoe would not thinke but that the wyse men of this world were the fittest to be chosen to doe Christ seruice in his churche Yet S. Paul saythe non mul i sapientes secundum carnem God hathe not chosen many wyse men according to the fleshe VVhoe wold not thinke but that a worldlye wyse man might easilye also make a wyse Christian yet S. Paul saythe no except first he become a foole 〈◊〉 fiat vt sit sapiens If any man seeme wise amongest you let hym become a foole to the ende he may be made wyse Vayne then and of no account is the wisdome of this world except it be subiect to the wisdome of God The fyfthe vanitie belonging to pryde of lyfe is corporall beautie wherof the wyseman saythe vayne is beautie and deceaueable is the grace of countynance VVherof also king Dauid vnderstoode properlie wheÌ„ he sayde Turne aâ—…vaye my eyes o lord that they beholde not vanitie This is a singular great vanitie daungerous and deceatfull but yet greatlie esteemed of the children of men whose propertie is to loue vanitie as the prophet say the. Beautie is compared by holie men to a painted snake whiche is fayre without and full of deadlye poyson within If a man dyd consider what infinite ruynes and destructions haue come by ouer lyght geuing credit therunto he wolde beware of yt And yf he remembred what foule drosse lyethe vnder a fayre skynne he wolde litle be in loue therwith saythe one father God hathe imparted certaine sparckes of beautie vnto his creatures therby to drawe vs to the confideration and loue of hys owne beautie wherof the other is but a shadow euen as a man fynding a litle issue of water maye seek owt the fouÌ„tane therby or happenyng vpon a small vaine of golde may therby come to the whole mynne it selfe But we lyke babes delyte our selues onelye withe the fayre couer of the booke and neuer doe consider what is writen therin In all fayre creatures that man dothe beholde he ought to reade this say the one father that yf God could make a peece of earthe so fayre and louelie withe imparting vnto yt some litle sparke of his beautie how infinite fayre is he hym selfe and how woorthye of all loue and admiration And how happye shall we be wheÌ„ we shall come to enioye his beautifull presence wherof now all creatures doe take theyr beautie If we wolde exercise our selues in these maner of cogitations We might easilye keepe oure hartes pure and vnspotted before God in beholding the beautie of his creatures But for that we vse not this passage froÌ„ the creature to the creator but doe rest onelye in the eternall appearance of a deceatfull face letting goe the brydle to foule cogitations and setting willfully on fyre our owne concupiscences hence is it that infinite men doe peryshe daylie by occasion of this fond vanitie I call it fond for that euerie chylde may discrie the deceate and vahitie therof For take the fairest face in the world wherwithe infinite folishe men fall in loue vpon the sight and rase yt ouer but with a litle scrache and all the matter of loue is gone lett there come but an Ague all this goodly beautie is distroyed lett the soule departe but one halfe hower from the bodye and this louing face is vglye to looke on lett yt lye but two dayes in the graue and those whiche were so hote in loue withe yt before will skarse abyde to beholde yt or come neare yt And yf none of those things happen vnto yt yet quicklie cometh on olde age which riueleth the skinne draweth in the eyes setteth owt the teethe and so disfigurethe the whole visage as yt becometh more contemptible now than it was beautifull and alluringe before And what then can be more vanitie than this VVhat more madnesse than ether to take pride of it yf I 〈◊〉 it my selfe or to endaunger my soule for yt yf I see it in others The sixthe vanitie belonging to pryde of lyfe is the glorie of fyne apparell against whiche the scripture saythe In vestitu ne gloriaris vnque See thou neuer take glorie in apparelle Of all vanities this is the greatest which we see so common among men of this worlde If Adam had neuer fallen we had neuer vsed apparell For that apparell was deuised to couer our shame of
man hathe deserued Te speake then of this second iudgement generall and common for all the vvorlde vvherin as the scripture saith God shall bringe into iudgement euerie errour vvhich hath bene committed there are diuers circunstances to be considered and diuers men doe set dovvne the same diuerslye but in myne opinion no better playner or more effectuall declaration can be made therof than the verye scricture maketh it selfe settinge furthe vnto vs in most signifieant vvordes all the maner order and circunstances vvith the preparation therunto as follovveth At that daye there shal be signes in the Sunne and in the moone and in the starres the Sunne shal be darckened the moone shall geeue no light the starres shall fall from the skyes all the powers of heauen shal be moued the firmament shall leaue his situation with a greate violence the elementes shal be dissolued vvith heate and the earth vvith all that is in it shal be consumed vvith fire the earthe also snall moue of her place and shall flye like a litle deare or sheepe The pressures of nations vpon the earthe shal be greate by reason of the confusion of the noyse of the sea and fluddes and men shall vvither a vvaye for feare and expectation of thes thinges that then shall come vpon the vvhole vvorld Then shall the signe of the Sonne of man appeare in the skye and then shall all the tribes of the earthe mourne and vvayle and they shall see the sonne of man comminge in the clovvdes of heauen vvith muche power and glorie great authoritie and maiestie And then in a moment in the twynklynge of an eye he shall send his Angels vvith a trumpet and vvith a greate crie at midnight and they shall gather together his elect frō the fovver partes of the vvorld from heauen to earth All must be presented before the tribunall of Christ vvhoe vvill bringe to light those thinges vvhich vvere hidden in darcknes vvill make manifest the thoughtes of mens hartes and vvhat soeuer hath bene spoken in chambers in the eare shal be preached vpon the house toppe Accounte shal be asked of eueryeydle vvorde and he shall iudge our verie righteousnes it selfe Then shall the iust stando in greate constancie against those vvhich haue afflicted them in this lyfe And the vvicked seeinge that shlbe trovvbled vvith a horrible feare and shall saye to the hilles fall vppon vs and hyde vs from the face of hym that sitteth vppon the throne and from the angre of the lambe for that the greate daye of vvrath is come Then shall Christ separate the sheepe from the goates and shall put the sheepe on his right hande and the goates on the left and shall saye to those on the right hand come ye blessed of my father possesse the kindome prepared for you from the beginninge of the vvorlde I vvas Humgry and you gaue me to eate I vvas a straunger and you gaue me harboure I vvas naked and you clothed me I vvas sycke and you visited me I vvas in prison you came to me Then shall the iust saye o lorde vvhen haue vve donne thes tainges for the and the kinge shall aunswere trewlye vvhen you dyd them to the least of my brothers you did it to me Then shall he saye to them on his left hand departe from me you accursed into euerlastinge fyre prepared for the deuill and his angels for I vvas Hungrie and you fed me not I vvas a straunger and you harboured me not I vvas naked and you clothed me not I vvas sicke and in prison and you visited me not Then shall they saye o lorde vvhen haue vve seene thee hungrie or thirstio or a straunger or naked or sicke or in pryson and did not minister vnto the and he shall aunswere verylye I tell you seeinge you haue not donne it to one of thes lesser you haue not done it to me And then thes men shall goe into eternall punishment and the iust into lyfe euerlastinge Tell me vvhat a dreadfull preparation is heere layed doune how manye circumstāces of feare horrour it shal be saythe the scripture at midnight when commonlie men are a sleepe it shal be with hydeous noyse of trumpetts sounde of waters motion of all the elementes VVhat a night vvill that bee trowest thovv to see the earthe shake the hilles and dales moued from their places the moone darckened the starrs fall dovvne from heauen the whole element shiuered in peeces and all the vvorld in a flaminge fire Sainct Iohn savve it in vision and was maruailous a feard I saw faithe he when the lambe had opened one of the seuen seales I harde one of the fower beastes saye lyke the voyce of a thunder come and see and I sawe and beholde a white horse and one that satte vpon him had a bowe and he went out to conquere Then went there furthe a blacke horse he that sate vpon him had a payre of balāces in his hand then went there forthe a pale horse and he that satte vpon hym was named death and hell folowed behynde hym and he had authoritie geeuen hym to kyll by sworde by death and by beastes of the earth The earth did snake the sunne grew blacke lyke a sacke the moone like bloode the starres fell from heauen the skye doubled it selfe like a folded booke euerie hyll and Ilande was moued from his place the kynges of the earth and princes and tribunes and the the riche stoute hid them selues in dennes and in the rockes of hylles Then appeared there seuen Angels will seuen trumpettes and eche one prepared hym selfe to blovv his blast at the first blast came there hayle and fyre mixt vvith bloode At the secōd blast came there a vvhole mountaine of burnynge fyre into the sea and the thyrd part of the sea vvas made bloode At the thyrd blast fell there a greate starre from heauen named absinthium burninge like a torche and infected the ryuers and fountaines At the fourth blast vvas striken doune the third parte of the sunne moone and starres and an egle flewe in the element cryeinge vvith a hydeous voice vvoe vvoe woe to all them that dvvell vppon the earth At the fyfthe blast fell a starre frō heauen vvhich had the keye of the pytt of hell and he opened the pitt and there arose a smoke as from a greate furnace and there came forth besydes certaine Locustes lyke scorpions to torment them that had not the marcke of god in their foreheades And at thes dayes men shall seeke deathe and shall not fynde it And these Locustes vvere like barbed horses with crownes on their heades Their faces like men their heare lyke vvemen their teeth lyke lyons and the noyse of their wynges lyke the noyse of manye chariottes running together their tayles like scorpions and they re stinges were in their tayles their kynge was an Angel of hell named Abbadon whiche
that the ten twentie or two yeres or perhaps two monethes which thow hast yet to lyue were now ended and that thow were euen at this present stretched out vppon a bed wearied and worne with dolour and paine thy carnall frindes aboute the weepinge and howlinge the phisitions 〈◊〉 with theire fees as hauinge geeuen the ouer thow lyinge there alone mute and dumme in most pitifull agonie expectinge from moment to moment the last stroake of death to be geeuen the. Tell me in this instant what would all the pleasures and commodities of this world doe the good what comforte would it be to the to haue bene of honour in this world to haue bene ryche and purchassed muche to haue borne office and bene in the princes fauoure 〈◊〉 haue left thy children or kynred wealthye to haue trodden downe thyne enimies to haue sturred much and borne greate swaye in this lyfe what ease I saye or comfort would it be to the to haue ben fayre to haue ben gallant in apparell goodlie in personage glytteringe in golde would not all thes thinges rather afflict than profit the at this instant for now shouldest thow see the vanitie of thes trifles now would thy hart begyn to saye within the o follye and vnfortunate blindenes of myne Loe heere is an end now of all my delytes and prosperities all my ioyes all my pleasures all my myrth all 〈◊〉 pastymes are now finished where are my frindes whiche were wont to laugh with me my seruantes wont to attende me my children wont to disporte me where are all my coches horses wherwith I was wont to make so goodlie a shew the cappes and knees of people wont to honour me the troupes of suters followinge me where are all my daliances and trickes of loue all my pleasant musicke all my gorgeous buyldinges all my costlie feastes and banquettinges and aboue all other where are my deare and sweete frindes whoe seemed they would neuer haue forsaken me but all are now gone and hath left me heere alone to aunswere the reckoninge for all none of them will doe so muche as to goe with me to iudgemēt or to speake one worde in my behalfe VVoe worthe to me that I had not foreseene this daye rather so haue made better prouisiō for the same it is now to late and I feare me I haue purchased eternall damnation for a litle pleasure and lost vnspeakable glorie for a slootinge vanitie Oh how happie twise fortunate are they whiche so lyue as they maye not be a fearde of this daye I now see the difference betwixt the endes of good and euill and maruaile not thought the scriptures saye of the one the deathe of sainctes are precious And of the other the death of sinners is miserable Oh that I had lyued so vertuouslye as some other haue donne or as I had often inspirations from God to doe or that I had done the good deedes I might haue donne how sweete and confortable woold they be to me now in this my last and extremest distresse To these cogitations and speeches deare brother shall thy harte be enforced of what estate soeuer thow be at the hower of death yf thow doe not 〈◊〉 it nowe by good lyfe and vertuous actions whiche onlye can yeeld the comfort in that sorowfull daye For of good men the iudge hym selfe sayeth His autem fieri incipientibus respicite leuate capita vestra quoniam appropinquat redemptio vestra VVhen these terrible thinges begyn to come vpon other men doe you looke aboute you and lyft vp your heades for that yourred emption cōmeth on from the laboures and toyles of this worlde And the holye prophet sayeth of the vertuous man which hath done good woorkes in this lyfe that he shal be at this tyme beatus vir a happye man he 〈◊〉 the cause quia in die mala liberabit eumdominus opē feret illi super lectum doloris eius For that God will deliuer hym in this euill daye and will assist hym vppon the bed of his sorow VVhiche is ment no doubt of the bed of his last departure especialye for that of all other beddes this is the most sorowfull as I haue shewed beinge nothinge els but a heape of all sorowes together especiallie to them whiche are drawen vnto it before they are readie for the same as commonly all they are which deferre their amēdement from daye to daie and doe not attend to lyue in such sorte now as they shall wishe they had done when they come to that last passage Of the paines appointed for sinne after this lyfe and of tvvo sortes of the same CHAP. IX AMongest all the meanes whiche God vseth to wardes the childrē of men to moue them to this resolution wherof I entreate the strongest and most forcible is the consideration of punishmentes prepared by hym for rebellious sinners and transgressours of his cōmaundemēts VVherfore he vseth this motyue often as maye appeare by all the prophetes whoe doe almost nothinge els but threaten plagues and destruction to offenders And this meane hath often tyme preuailed more than anye other that could be vsed by reason of the naturall loue which we beare towardes our selues and consequentlie the naturall feare whiche we haue of our owne dannger So we reade that nothinge could moue the Niniuites so much as the foretell nge them of theire imminent destruction And S. Iohn Baptist although he came in a simple and cōtemptible maner yet preachinge vnto the people the terrour of vengeance to come and that the axe vvas novv put to the tree to cut dovvne for the fyre all those vvhich repented not he moued the verie publicanes and souldiers to feare which otherwise are people of verie harde mettall whoe came vnto hym vppon this terrible embassage and asked what they should doe to auoyde these punishmentes After then that we haue considered of death and of godes seuere iudgmente which ensueth after death and wherin euerie man hath to receyue accordinge to his woorkes in this lyfe as the scripture sayeth it followeth that we consider also of the punishmentes which are appointed for them that shal be founde faultie in that accounte hereby at leastwise yf no other consideration will serue to induce Christians to this resolution of seruinge God For as I haue noted before if euerie mā haue naturallie a loue of him selfe and desire to conserue his owne ease then should he also haue feare of perill wherby he is to fall into the extreame calamitie This expresseth S. Bernard excellently accordinge to his wounte O man saiethe he if thow haue left all shame which appertaineth to so noble a creature as thow art if thow feele no sorow as carnall men doe not yet leese not feare also which is founde in very beastes VVe vse to loade an asse to werie him out with laboure and he careth not because he is an asse but yf thow
vs by coueringe our neckes onelie with his yoke and burden so lightned and sweetned by his holy grace as the bearinge therof is not trauailsome but most easie pleasant and confortable as hathe bene shewed An other cause why this yoke is so sweete this burden so light and this vvaie of gods commaundemētes so pleasant to good men is loue loue I meane tovvards God whose commaundementes they are for euery man can tell and hathe experienced in hym selfe what a strong passion the passion of loue is and how it maketh easie the verie greatest paynes that are in this world VVhat maketh the mother to take suche paynes in the bringing vpp of her child but onelie loue what causeth the wyfe to sytt so attentyue at the bedde syde of her sycke husbande but onelie loue what moueth the beastes and byrdes of the ayer to spare from their owne foode and to endaunger their own lyues for the feedinge and defendinge of their litle ones but onelie the force of loue S. Austen doeth prosecute this pointe at large by many other examples as of Marchantes that refuse no aduenture of sea for loue of gayne of huntars that refuse no season of euill weather for loue of game of soldiers that refuse no daunger of deathe for loue of spoyle And he addeth in the end that yf the loue of man can be so greate towardes creatures heere as to make labour easie ī deede to seeme no labour but rather pleasure how muche more shall the loue of good men towardes god make all their labour comfortable whiche they take in his seruice This extreme loue was the cause whie all the paynes afflictiōs which Christ suffered for vs seemed nothing vnto hym And this loue also was the cause why all the trauailes tormentes whiche many Christianes haue suffered for Christ seemed nothing vnto them Imprisonmēntes tormentes losse of honour goodes and lyfe seemed tryfles to diuers seruantes of God in respect of this burning loue This loue droue infinite virgines and tender children to offer them selues in tyme of persecutiō for the loue of him which in the cause was persecuted This loue caused holye Apollonia of Alexandria beinge broght to the fyre to be burned for Christ to slypp out of the handes of suche as ledde her ioyfullie to runne into the fire of her selfe This loue moued Ignatius the auncient Martyre to saye being condemned to beastes 〈◊〉 leste they wolde refuse his bodie as they had done of diuers Martyres before that he wolde not permitt them so to doe but wolde prouoke and styrre them to come vpō hym and to take his lyfe from hym by tearing his body in peeces These are the effectes then of feruent loue which maketh euen the thinges that are most difficult and dreadfull of them selues to appeare sweete and pleasant and much more the lawes and commaundementes of God whiche in them selues are moste iust reasonable holye and easie Da amantem sayeth S. Austen speaking of this 〈◊〉 sentit quod dico S. autem srigido loquor nescit quid loquar Geue me a man that is in loue with God and he feeleth this to be true whiche I saye but yf I talke to a colde Christian he vnderstandeth not what I saye And this is the cause whie Christ talking of the keeping of his cōmaundementes repeateth so often this woorde loue as the onelye sure cause of keeping the same for wāt whereof in the world the world keepeth them not as there he sheweth If you loue me keepe my commaundementes sayeth he and againe He that hathe my commaundementes and keepeth them he is he that loueth me Agayne He which loueth me will keepe my commaundement and he that loueth me not keepeth not my comaundemētes In which last woordes is to be noted that to the louer he sayeth his cōmaundement in the singular number for that to suche a one all his commaundementes are but one commaundement according to the sayeing of S. Paul That loue is the fullnesse of the lauve For that it comprehendeth all But to hym that loueth not Christ sayeth his commaundementes in the plurall number signifyeing thereby that they are bothe many and heauie to hym for that he wanteth loue whiche should make them easie VVhiche S. Iohn also expresseth when he sayeth this is the loue of God when we keepe his commaundementes and his commaundementes are not heauie That is they are not heauye to hym whiche hathe the loue of God otherwyse no maruaile thoughe they be moste heauie For that euerie thing feemeth heauie whiche we doe against our lyking And so by this also gentle reader thow mayest gesse whether the loue of God be in thee or no. And these are two meanes now wherby the lyfe of good men is made easie in this worlde There folow diuers other to the end that these negligent excusers may see how vniust and vntrue this excuse of theyrs is cōcerninge the pretended hardnes of vertuous lyuing whiche in verie deede is indewed with infinite priuileges of comfort aboue the lyfe of wicked men euen in this world And the next that I will name for example sake after the former is a certaine speciall and peculiar light of vnderstanding pertayning to the iust and called in scripture prudentia sanctorum The wisdome of Saintes which is nothing eles but a certayne sparkle of heauenlie wisdome bestowed by singular priuilege vpon the vertuouse in this lyfe wherby they receyue moste comfortable light and vnderstanding in spirituall matters especiallie towching their owne saluation thinges necessarie therunto Of whiche the prophet Dauid meant when he sayed notas mihi fecisti vias vitae Thow hast made the wayes of lyfe knowen to me Also when he sayde of hym selfe Super senes intellexi I haue vnderstoode more than olde men And agayne in an other place Incerta occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi Thow hast opened to me the vnknowen and hydden secretes of thy wisedome This is that light wherwith S. Iohn sayeth that Christ lighteneth his seruantes as also that vnction of the holye ghoste whiche the same Apostle teacheth to be geuen to the godlie to instructe them in all thinges behoofefull for their saluation In like wyse this is that writing of gods lawe in mennes hartes whiche he promiseth by the prophet Ieremie as also the instruction of men immediatlye from God him selfe promised by the prophet Esaye And finallie this is that soueraigne vnderstanding in the lawe commaundementes and iustificationes of God whiche holy Dauid so muche desired and so often demaunded in that most diuine psalme whiche begynneth Blessed are the unspotted in the uvaye That is in this lyfe By this light of vnderstandinge supernaturall knowlege feeling from the holie ghost in spirituall thinges the vertuouse are greatlie holpen in the waye of rightetousnes for that they are made able to