Truth preserue the King Pro. 20.28 and by Clemencie is his Throne established But if a vicious and wicked King who hath not that care of iustice and pietie which becommeth him doe Raigne drawing his subiects by his wicked example to exorbitances and sensualitie of life to carelessenesse of Religion and contempt of pietie casting themselues by the imitation of him into the infectious gulphe of Impietie and Impuritie of life what then can be expected but that Quicquid delirant Regès plectentur Achiui King and Subiects shall both smart for it What other thing can bee hoped for authoritie fayling vertues dying raigning and raging but the hastening of Gods seuere iudgements who vsually plagueth King and people for their sinnes with no lesse censures then extermination and ruine of the whole Weale-publique For we must not think that God is so bound to any limitations of time as that he cannot cancell change and order the times as best serueth for the setting forth of his glorie But such and so insearchable are the riches of his wisdome that he seeth cause sufficient of subuersion of Kingdomes and States where we blind beetles conceiue a perpetuitie And contrarily where wee deeme by certaine coniectures that Kingdomes are not long lasting there he determineth a longer continuation of them for reasons best knowne to his heauenly wisedome And this is it which the wise King witnesseth Pro. 28.2 That for the transgression of the Land there are many Princes thereof but by a man of vnderstanding and knowledge a Realme also endureth long But what transgressions these are and at what time it pleaseth him by ruinating of Kingdomes to take vengeance of these sinnes wee must not precisely and rashly determine because the Cup of indignation is in the 〈◊〉 of the Lord and hee powreth is out at his appointed tiâ—e Nor it is for vs to knowe the times and seasons Act. 1.7 which the Father hath put in his owne power But forasmuch as all the Learned hâ—â—e obserâ—ed that there are three special sinnes in holy Scripture noted causing the ruines of Kingdomes one is Impietie subuerting the Church another is Iniustice subuerting the Politie and State and the third Lecherie subuerting the Family and the house The infection of euerie of which teacheth to another euen as the Pest which infecting one he infected doth also infect another the poyson dispersing it selfe whilest there is any subiect to worke vpon Wee may hence conclude That where these sinnes which by the Diuine Oracle are fore-runners of Kingdomes changes and desolations are most regnant predominant and rise there will the ruine and destruction not slowly follow This I haue noted before as also that Aristotle ascribing the falls and ruines of Kingdomes to the sinnes of Kingdomes collects them all summarily into this one of Inequalitie as if the vnproportioned distinction and difference 〈◊〉 degrees of honour and dignities and the adâ—â—â—cing of vnworthie persons to titles and places of Honour others much more deseruing neglected and cast off were a sinne of all others most dangerous for the rooting out of people and râ—â—â—â—ting of Kingdomes But how true 〈◊〉 vâ—rtue this is I will not dispute This is it that I dare constantly â—vow that the causes and occâ—rences going before any notable change or ruine of a Kingdome are chiefly and alone confined and contained in the exorbitant manners vngodly corruptions and sinfull liues of Kings and people Therefore that I may free my Conceit from this imputation of placing a fatall necessitie of Kingdomes ruines in any fabulous or vngrounded far-fetcht Almanacke of the Philosophers dreames or coniectures of some latter Writers I will plainely shew That I doe not First found any opinion herein vpon the diuination Responses and Oracles of Deuils wherewith many Wise men haue beene deluded Secondly nor doe I binde them to any celestiall influences as many Philosophers haue done nor Thirdly to Harmonie as was Plato's opinion nor Fourthly to Augures Southsayers Astrologers Witches Chaldaeans nor that foolish and deuilish conceit of Iamblieus who calculating to know the name of the Emperour that should succeed Valens caused the Greeke Alphabet to be written in the ground putting vpon euerie one of the letters a barley-corne and in the middest a Cocke so that the letters where the Cocke scraped the barley should signifie his name hee desired Fiftly nor to dreames either naturall deuilish or diuinatorie by the vertue and influence of starres who moued with vnderstanding of thinges to come affect the Braine with impressions and representations of future euents Sixtly nor to the curious obseruation of yeares and moneths as Boain doth who affirmes that if wee obserue wee shall finde the most notable changes of States and deathes of great Princes for the most part to haue fallen in the moneth of September Seuenthly nor yet absolutely and infallibly to the numbers of fiue hundred seuen hundred and two hundred and fiftie of which I haue spoken Eightly nor yet to Comets and blazing starres albeit strange and vn-accustomed euents doe often follow them In none of these I place any absolute necessitie of deuining of Kingdomes changes yet doe I not denie but these and such like predictions haue their vses oftentimes and particular applications to the alterations of Kingdomes adding this That not one of those predictions and rules by which Antiquitie hath presumed to iudge of the fals of Kingdomes is so necessarie as exactly to conclude the point of ruine howbeit God many times suffers Nature to haue her due course and many strange euents to succeed according to such predictions rules and obseruations as are declared From whence wee must learne to take heed of presumption vpon such vncertaine grounds to iudge of certaine ruines of States but rather with patience to expect such end as God in his most wise counsell hath resolued auoyding all such curious searchings as our dull apprehensions cannot reach Yet is not our infirmitie so farre to dispriuiledge vs as that because we cannot diue into the secrets of such hidden predictions and causes we should vtterly abandon all care of Gods terrible comminations holy fore-warnings wherby he seekes to acquaint vs with future euents and calamities to the end to disturne vs from sinne that we may auoide the direfull vengeance of his wrath and thinke them to be of that vn-resistable necessitie that God cannot out of the greatest will worke the greatest good but rather to cast our eyes vpon his soueraignâ— bountie which is infinite and vnâ—â—luable in price to all such as in due time seeke vnto him by true repentance From whence alone is the most true leuell and avâ—â—e of Kingdomes preseruations and felicities as from the contrarie their ruines and infelicities to be setled iudged and determined knowing as a learned Diuine hath concluded that no future euents can of themselues be knowne of any vnderstanding Zâ—â—â—h â—e opâ—r 6.2 saving the Diuine to whom all things are present and therefore I conclude that
wicked the sense of the horrible anger of God against their sinnes the most sorrowfull feare confusion flight roaring indignation biting and gnawing of conscience arising from the recordation of their sinnes now laid open to the whole world and with the most direfull thunder of Gods anger inflicted vpon them The wicked perceiuing themselues for euer with the Diuels cast off from God and his horrible wrath powred out vpon them all their turpitude and malice to all the Angels and men demonstrated and all occasions of flying these punishments and mending of their manners in this life intercepted acknowledging godly men enioying with God eternall ioy and glorie to be for euer blessed so all houle and lament for their carnall securitie and final impenitency and amongst these infinite torments of bodie and soule with horrible lamentations eiulations sobbes and sighes and in perpetuall mourning anguishâ— trembling shame ignominie gnashing of teeth and desperation ration shal euery moment in vaine wish that these sorrowes and torments might by death be cut off and they themselues to be redacted into nothing but all this I say in vaine Apoc. 9.6 For Cupient mori mors fugiet ab eis they shall desire to die but death will not be acquainted with them This is eternall damnation this is eternall fire O horrible eternitie whom the consideration of thee may not moue to forsake all euill and follow all that is good I will speake it in a word but I will speake it truly he hath no faith or if any sure he hath no heart or if any sure hee he hath no hope of saluation Close vp this Meditation with a sweet colloquie and speech with God desiring him so to inflame thy heart with a true zeale of seruing him in holinesse and righteousnesse of life that all thy life long thou maist be out of the feare of this eternall death and in the death of thy bodie thou maist enioy the fruit and Crowne of righteousnesse eternall life MEDITATION IIII. Of Coelestiall glorie CAst downe thy self before God and begge of him that he will direct all thy thoughts words and workes to his glorie and thy saluation First cast thy conceit earnestly vpon that description of the holy Citie Apoc. 21. New Hierusalem where is represented to thee a place full of all glory pleasures and excellencies that heart can imagine and all those perdurable and for euer Secondly aske of God to giue thee grace intimously and from the heart to vnderstand the glory of this heauenly countrie and so to be affected and rauished with the desire thereof that euer and euery where thou maist be stirred vp to serue him in purenesse of life and also labour to bring as many to this glorie as thou canst The first point is to consider what kind of place it is that the blessed doe inhabite in site most high in space most ample in matter most sumptuous in shew and beautie most specious and glorious whose foundations are precious stones and the whole Citie of most pure gold the gates of Smaragds and Saphyres and the streets of no lesse price and beautie There is no night nor darknesse for the Sunne of righteousnesse which knowes not to be hid doth euer send his beames into it Now if the fabricke of this world which is but a stable for beasts an exile and valley of teares to men hath so much beautie and excellency that it strikes him that contemplates it into admiration and astonishment and such plentie of good things that no sense can desire more such varietie of beastes fishes fountaines townes cities prouinces disagreeing in institutes manners and lawes such choise of all stones of value gold siluer and exquisite silkes naturall and artificiall if I say this building of so small a frame of the Sunne Moone and Starres shine with such brightnesse what shall then our heauenly countrie doe not now the habitation of seruants but sonnes not of beasts but blessed soules where is the Hall of the great King of Kings the omnipotent God who can and will performe to his beloued children much more then they can conceiue what things will not he frame in his eternall Palace for his sonnes Psal 84.1.2 How amiable are thy dwellings thou Lord of Hostes My soule hath a desire and longing to enter into the Courts of the Lord. What ioy shall that bee when they shall come from the East and from the West from the North and from the South Luc. 13.29 sit at table in the kingdom of God Thou shalt consider what kind of house Gods house is wholly pleasant wholly desirable remoued from all euill replenished with all good in which as Angustine there is a life prepared of God for his friends a secure life a quiet life a beautifull life a cleane life a chast life a holy life a life that knowes not death a life without straitnesse without necessitie without sorrow without auxietie without corruption without perturbation without varietie without mutation a life full of beautie and honour Where as Bernard saith there is nothing present that offends nothing absent that delights How louely a house is this where is perfect loue and no feare eternall day and all one Spirit where God is seene face to face Blessed are all those who so liue in this world that departing hence they may be assured to remoue to so blessed a home Then contemplate that blessed society of most pure minds in their seueral quires described Angels Archangels Principalities Powers Dominions Vertues Thrones Cherubins and Seraphins Whereof there is such a multitude that Daniel saith Dan. 7. Thousand thousands serue him ten hundred thousands assist him Behold with these so many most holy soules of men and women Patriarches Prophets Apostles Martyres Virgins Innocents so many that Iohn said Apoc. 15. They could not be numbred Behold the beautie of euery one and so great charitie that they no lesse reioyce of anothers glorie then their owne Conceiue what is the exercise of the blessed to see God face to face First to know the diuine Essence in three persons Father Sonne and holy Ghost with which knowledge they are so illumined and inflamed that incessantly they sing Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath Isa 6. In the diuine Essence they know themselues and all things else and do not onely see God but also loue him with a vehement loue a full loue a perfect loue with all the heart and all the strength and in louing they enioy him and in enioying with an inexplicable ioy are rauished No cessation of praises admiration thanksgiuing and ioy which they receiue by the presence of God whom with all reuerence and rest they assist and by that societie of so many Saints with whom they see themselues in glorie in a place so sublime secure and pleasant doe eternally reioyce Consider withall the multitude and fulnesse of those ioyes so many that God can onely number them so great that onely he
to be deplored into which hee fell by his owne default and will The third commends tâ— vs the mercie of God and vnspeakeable loue of the Sonne of God to be meditated with faith and thankesgiuing The fourth stirres vp a wonderfull gladnesse and comfort in the mindes of the godly from the hope of promised saluation with thankesgiuing and care of godly liuing The third member is of the comparison of thinges visible and invisible And how sweet this contemplation is of comparing visible thinges to invisible Heauenly and spirituall thinges no man can sufficiently expresse For so hath GOD that most wise Architect framed these visible thinges that Man being put as the Contemplator and beholder in the middest of them hee might lead him as by the hand into the knowledge of things invisible Heauenly and spirituall In which thing the most high wisedome goodnesse power and Maiestie of the Almaker is with admiration beholden and this to that end that he might be acknoledged glorified and worshipped of Man whome hee created to happinesse This Contemplation our LORD commends to vs with diuers Parables in the Historie of the Gospell signifying not obscurely That there is nothing visible created of GOD which hath not some comparison to invisible thinges namely either to frame aright the manners of men or to contemplate Heauenly and Spirituall things insomuch that whatsoeuer sensible thinges are framed by God are as it were certaine Symboles and resemblances of some thinges that are not exposed to our senses To make this more plaine The fire which wee see is as it were a Symbole and resemblance of the Holy Spirit For as the fire burnes insightens and purgeth so the Holy Spirit inflames the heartes insightens the minde with the true light and purgeth vices This glorious Sunne is it not as it were the Symbole and representation not onely of the humane nature assumpted of the Sonne of God into an Hypostaticall Vnion but also of the presence of Christ and his efficacie in the Church Besides the nature of things it selfe is to vs as it were a Schoolemaster chiefly to the vnderstanding of the Mysteries of Holy Scriptures What shall I say of the Figures of the olde Testament by which the things of the new Testament are shadowed What meaneth the prohibition of the eating of certaine beastes was it not for the auoiding of certaine properties of theirs vnto them good in their order but to vs hurtful in the degree of our Dignitie What shall I say of the Types of the olde Couenant and Testament by which Heauenly Spirituall and eternall thinges were signified offered and receiued In the writings of Moses the Prophets Apostles and Fathers many such things are recounted so that I need not waste time in giuing you any further tast heereof but conclude this point with Senecas iudgement Quicquid vides quicquid nòn vides Deus est Whatsoeuer thou seest and what oâ—uer thou seest not is God that is all things visible and invisible doe expresse vnto thee a Deitie and lead thee as by the hand to contemplate Heauenly Spirituall and Eternall thinges Thus then is it true that Diuines affirme That the most High Beatitude and Felicitie is apprehended by contemplation but perfected by fruition Whilst we rise from Meditation to Contemplation from Contemplation to Admiration from Admiration to Alâ—â—nation of mind by this Contemplation Man is instructed to righteousnes and consummated to glorie For the grace of Contemplation as Bernard saith Bern. de inter domâ— cap. 〈◊〉 doth not onely cleanse the heart from all mundane loue but sanctifies and inflames the mind to the loue of Heauenly thinges He that by Diuine inspiration and reuelation is promoted to the grace of Contemplation hath receiued certaine pledges of that future fulnesse where hee shall for euer inherit and rest in eternall Contemplation But hee that would be at leisure for Contemplation he must of necessitie learne not onely to rest from euil works but euen from vaine câ—gitations else it is as Bernard saith vacare corpore but not vacare corde to be at leisure in body but not to be at leisure in heart Now as the ioy of that multitude of supernall Spirits is not onely of the Contemplation of the Creatour but in conteÌ„plating the Creatures so must ours be whilest wee are vnder the beggerly rudiments of the World For whilest they find God in all his workes wonderfull what maruell if euery where in admiring they reuerence him in reuerencing they admire his wonderfull thinges whome they so loue Therefore they finde not onely in the incorporeall Creatures but also in the corporeall whence they may admire whence they may worthily reuerence the Creatour of them All these things they continually contemplate in contemplating admire and admiring reioyce They reioyce at the Diuine Contemplation congratulate at the mutuall vision and admire at the speculation of corporeall thinges Let vs learne contemplating to admire and admiring to contemplate how the Citisens of that Heauenly Kingdome and happinesse doe without ceasing beholde all thinges that are vnder them do comprehend and see from high the reason and order of all thinges how infinitely they reioyce at their mutuall and indissoluble societie and charitie how insatiably they are inflamed at the vision of Diuine Glorie and Brightnesse Nothing is more pleasant nothing more profitable then the grace of Contemplation By how much as thou art more delighted in Contemplation of Heauenly thinges and being delighted doest admine by so much doest thou more willingly staie more diligently search more profoundly thou art illuminated Euer shalt thou find in those things tâ— at which thou maist admire and whence to be delighted No where is there more plentifull matter of admiring and no where more profitable cause of delighting Therefore in these thinges let thy adâ—â—ration and delectation euer bee nor shall it bee needfull to seeke other thinges for these and to runne hither and thither by a vaine wandering of cogitations for to know God is the fulnesse of knowledge and the fulnesse of this knowledge is the fulnes of glorie consummation of grace and perpetuitie of life To the fulnesse of this knowledge there is rather neede of intimous compunction then profound inuestigation of sighes then of arguments of often lamentations then of copious augmentations of teares then of sentences of prayer then of reading of the grace of teares then of the knowledge of letters rather of the contemplation of heauenly things then of the occupation of earthly things By this that hath beene said it is most euident how worthie of a Prince and euerie good Christian this diuine worke of contemplation is seeing it bringeth not onely to the knowledge and fulnesse of all knowledge of God but also to the loue reuerence feare seruice and true worship of the true God whom to know in Iesus Christ Io. 17.3 is life eternall Yet besides it will not a little strengthen this conceit to consider that as the most noble