Ebrieties Commessations and such like Of these saith he I foretell you as I haue foretold you that they which do such things as these shall not obtaine the kingdome of God Now if these Sinnes doe exclude men from heauen others also which are as grieuous wil be as sure to exclude them and the more certainly will they exclude them the more grieuous and enormous they fall out to be For if simple fornication doe make a soule lyable to the paines of hell what will not Adultry do If for a priuate emnity with a mans neighbour he shal be adiudged to those eternall and vnquenchable flames what shall be not be for deuiding the Church of Christ our Lord by vnbeleeuing any doctrine or disobeying the gouernement therof I say the vnbeleeuing of any doctrine as before I said of the committing any other mortall sinne For this is as true in the law of our faith as it is in the law of our life That Qui in vno peccat omniū factus est reus he that offends in one is made guilty of all Not that he who offends in all shall not be more deepely damned then he that doth it but in one but because whosoeuer shall haue offended mortally against any one commandment of our Lord God which concerneth good life or any erroneous doctrine in difference from the Catholike beliefe is most truely declared to be a breaker of the Law of God and a corruptour of his truth and that as such a one he shall perish except he repent Woe be therefore to them and of woe they will be one day sure who bringe such false weights into the world and who prophane the law of God and not onely the law but the law-giuer himselfe In that they allow him not to be a perfect hater and a seuere punisher of all mortall sinne in what soule soeuer it be found Whereas yet he protesteth himselfe throughout the whole Current of holy Scripture not onely to hate but to abhorre it The 1 Sap. 14.10 impious man and his impiety are hated by Almighty God The 2 Prou. 3.32 scoffer the 3 Prou. 12.22 Lyer and the 4 Prou. 16.5 Arrogant person is an abomination to God The 5 Prou. 15.9 way of the wicked man and euery wicked thought of man is abhorred of God Thou 6 Ezech. 33.8 wicked man thou shalt dye the death Behould 7 Ierem. 23.19 the whirlewind of the indignation of God shall go forth sayth the Lord of Hosts and it shall come vpon the head of sinners like a furious tempest Now if any man perhaps shall tell me that these places the like are only meant of Infidels or such other wicked men as shall haue spent their whole life in the offence of God but that christiās such as lead not a life so prophanly wicked as those others are not meant heereby howsoeuer they may commit some mortal sinne and continue therein let such a one behould how the holy Ghost taketh care to answere his obiection by assuring vs Ezech. 18.26 That If a man who had been neuer so iust should yet forsake that iustice by committing sinne he should dye therein And then he can looke for nothing but that Day whereof another Prophet sayth Mal. 4.1 That it shall come burning like a fornace where all proud men and all other persons working wickednes should be like stubble and that this day shall set them on fire Nay it is a feareful thing to see in the Prophet Ieremy how our Lord doth sweare That how full of priuiledge soeuer how deare soeuer a man may haue beene to him yet if he fall to sinne dye therein he will reiect him For speaking of a sinner he expresseth it in these wordes of Terrour Ierem. 22.24 As I liue sayth our Lord if Iechonias the sonne of Ioachim the king of Iuda were a ring which I did weare vpon myne owne right hand I would plucke it off So deadly doth Almighty God hate sinne and sinners and so infallibly will he iudge them to be tormēted for the same in those eternall ardours of hell if they repent not cordially thereof before their death And what a fit of phrensy then must that be which can possesse vs so far as to make vs for any temporal and base delight to forsake and be forlorne by that God of eternall Maiesty and of infinite beauty But in the selfe same manner the Fathers and Doctours of the holy Church haue testifyed this truth vpon all occasions They were not Infidells but faythfull Christians to whome S. Chrysostome sayd Hom. 22. ad pop Antioch tom 5. when withall he tooke himselfe into the number Consider that without fayle we must all departe to stand before that Iudge whome it will not be possible for vs to de eaue and where not only our actions shall be iudged but euen our very wordes and thoughts and where we shal endure extreme punishment for those things which heer haue seemed but smal Be alwayes remembring these thinges see thou neuer forget that fire which is neuer to be extinguished Let vs therefore sayth S. Ambrose Ambr. in psal 38. lament our sinnes that we may deserue pardon If our sinnes be not forgiuen in this life we shal haue no rest in the next The a Aug. de fide oper cap. 15. tom 4. burning of such as shal be damned wil be eternall as the fire is to be which shal burne them and Truth affirmeth that not they only are to be sent vnto it who wanted Fayth but they also who wanted good workes This last is sayd by S. Augustine and he also affirmeth thus in another place No one good deed is left vnrewarded nor no one sinne vnpunished At the last Day sayth b Greg. l. 9. Moral S. Gregory that deuouring flame shal burne such as are now polluted with carnall pleasures then shall the infinitely wide mouth of hell swallow downe such persons as heere are puffed vp with pride And they who through their fault haue heer performed the wil of their crafty Tempter shall fall like reprobates into those torments togeather with that guide of theirs And c Greg. l. 5. Moral according to the quality of their sinne the punishment thereof shall be ordayned and euery damned soule shall be tormented in the fire of hell after the rate of her demerit This is then the verdict of the Fathers and Saints of the holy Catholik Church and of the Apostle Saint Paul yea and so the holy Ghost himselfe who wrote by his penne and which is euery where cleerly giuen to proue this certaine truth That any one mortall sinne whether it might be against good life or true beliefe doth shut vp the gates of heauen against vs set open the bottomlesse Abysse of hell to swallow vs vnlesse we repent thereof sincerely before our death The hower of which death because it is so wholy hidden from
vs it will infinitely concerne vs both instantly and exactly to cast vp all the accōpts of our Conscience to be cordially sorry for all our sinns to confesse them distinctly to purpose an amendment firmely and to satisfy for them intierly For this is a busines which must not be dispatcht after a cursory and superficiall manner but we are to consider with what care we would consult about our estats if they were in danger or about our liues if they lay on bleeding And heer we must not faile to vse so much more deligēce then there as Eternity is of more importance then a moment of Tyme And in fine we are to do it so as at the hower of our death when we shall go to stand before our Iudge we would be glad that we had done it For without this true repentance which signifieth a flight from sinne with griefe and supposeth a flight towards God with loue it is no Faith in Christ our Lord which will serue the turne to preserue vs out of that lake of eternall torment But rather the more knowledge we shall haue had of him by Faith the greater will our torment be if we do not pēnance for the sinns which we shal haue cōmitted against that Maiesty of his Which the same Fayth telleth vs to be infinite and that his hatred against sinne is also infinite and that as with strange mercy he will assume to incomprehensible immortall ioy the soule which at that day he shall find to be free from sinne so in whomsoeuer he he shall perceaue that sin remaines the same soule will he then instantly adiudg to that sea of fire brimston where it will saile in sorrow blaspheme and rage for all eternity To the pretious Death Passion of Christ our Lord we owe must acknowledg amongst innumerable others this vnspeakeable benefit for which let all the Angells for euer blesse praise his holy name That through the infinite merit therof we may be receiued to grace by meanes of true contrition and pēnance how often and how wickedly soeuer we shall haue offēded that high Maiesty But that Death Passion will neuer saue the soule of any one creature vnlesse both that mystery and all the other mysteries of Catholike faith be well beleeued al sinne be cordially detested which sinne is a monster so fierce and cruell as that it did cost the very sonne of God his life By that life and by that death I begge that thou wilt giue ouer to trample with thy durty feete in the sacred Bloud Royall of our B. Sauiour which he shed for thee vpon the Crosse For so thou dost preferring Barabbas before him as often as thou cōmittest any mortall sinne and so long thou hast continued to doe it as thy soule hath beene spotted with that crime Or if thou haue so little of the noble in thee as to be moued more by thine owne interest then by the consideration of that immense benefit which the foūtain of Maiesty vouchsafed with such excesse of loue to this wicked creature man then do I coniure thee euen by that very interest of thine owne that instantly thou make hast into thy selfe and that discharging thy soule by pēnance of whatsoeuer may be offensiue to the pure eyes of God thou implore his mercy now which may saue thee from that inflexible iustice of his in the last dreadful day At which tyme euen this very paper will appeare to thy extreme and euerlasting confusion if thou forbeare to serue thy selfe of this admonition Heauen and earth shall passe away but the word of God shall remayne for euer Matth. 24. v. 30. And that word hath thus aduised vs and thus assured vs by the mouth of the most B. Apostle S. Paul speaking to the Galathiās Gal. 6.7 Nolite errare Deus non irridetur Quae enim seminauerit homo haec metet Quoniam qui seminat in carne sua de carne metet corruptionem qui autem seminat in spiritu de spiritu metet vitam aeternam The plaine and cleere sense whereof is as followeth Take heed you frame not certaine fantasticall and false opinions to your selues as if you could ouer-reach Almighty God euacuate his truth make him belieue that he gaue you a free law wherby to liue thē indeed he gaue But be well assured that the very truth is this Let euery man aliue consider seriously what he sowes for iust so and no otherwise shall he reape If you sow works of flesh which are particulerly cited before in this Preface out of a former Chapter of S. Paul to the same Galathians yow shall reape nothing but corruption but destruction but euerlasting damnation But if yow sowe workes of the spirit which are wholy contrary to those others and are there expressed to be Charity Ioy Peace Patience Benignity Goodnes Longanimity Meekenes Fayth Modesty Continency Chastity yow shall in vertue of that spirit wherewith you liue and whereby you are to walk passe on from this transitory to an eternall life then at the most liberal hands of God you shal receaue a most precious crowne of immortall glory A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS OF THIS DISCOVRSE chapter 1 HOW the office of being our Iudg doth belong to Christ our Lord as he is man and of the great benefite which God imparteth to vs in giuing him to be our Iudge Chap. I. chapter 2 Of the great desire which Christ our Lord hath for as much as concerneth him not to condemne any one in his iudgmēt but to saue them al. Chap. II. chapter 3 Of the benefit which Christ our Lord imparteth to vs in giuing vs to vnderstand and feele the grieuousnes of sinne by the meanes and manner of his Iudgement to the end that we may in tyme do pennance for it Chap III. chapter 4 How we are to haue great sense of the grieuousnes of sinne by reason of the demonstrations which shall be made by all the creatures of God before the Iudgement Chap. IIII. chapter 5 How Christ our Lord discouereth the hate which he carryeth towardes sinne by the so particuler account which he taks thereof Chap. V. chapter 6 How Christ our Lord declares to vs the detestation which he carryeth against sinne whereof the wicked are conuinced by that sentence which he pronounceth against them Chap. VI. chapter 7 How Christ our Lord discouereth the grieuousnes of sinne the hatred which he carryeth against it by the last sentence whereby he is to condemne the wicked and by the punishment which he inflicteth vpon them Chap. VII chapter 8 How the grieuousnes of sinne is yet more discouered by the causes of the Iudgmēt which are alleadged by Christ our Lord. Chap. VIII chapter 9 How a Christian is to draw a detestation of sinne out of the consideration of this Iudgement of God and great vigilancy in the leading of a good life Chap. IX chapter 10 Of other Considerations from which
are excepted ordinary law are faulty and guilty it being necessary according to the diuine Iustice and wisedome that Iudgment be giuen vpon them the cause of all them who haue comitted mortall sinne being so important that either they must be condemned to immense euerlasting torments or be declared not guilty but worthy to enioy the kingdome of heauē what greater fauour what clemency could be desired or euen thought of then that God the Father should be pleased to giue vs for our Iudg Christ Iesus who is our brother and of the selfe same nature with vs and who loues vs with an vnspeakeable loue and who doth so much esteeme and desire both our liberty our glory that for the procuring therof he hath offered himself to most bitter paines and scornes and euen to the death of the Crosse O how great a comfort O how incomparable a ioy is this for those sonnes of Adam who feele the greatnes of this benefit O how confident and secure ought they to be that Iudgment shall goe vpon them with greate mercy and that the rigour of Iustice shal be tēpered with much pitty and that the sentēce shall passe in fauour of them for as much as shal be possible without impeachment of the holy law most sweet ordination of Almighty God CHAP. II. Of the great desire which Christ our Lord hath for as much as concerneth him not to condemne any one in his Iudgment but to saue them all THIS most mercifull Iudg hath giuen vs some most euident testimonies of the most ardent desire which he hath not to condemne vs in his diuine Iudgment but to deliuer vs as free safe that the sentence may wholy passe in fauour of vs. One of these testimonies and that a very admirable one is this That before he would come the second tyme to make an vniuersall Iudgment of sinners to condemne punish such as he should finde to be faulty a Marke this excellent doctrine for it is ful of truth and comfort he came in that first cōming of his to passe a Iudgment vpon sinns themselues to destroy and to consume and to depriue them of being and life and in like manner also to passe a Iudgement against all the enimies of our soules namely the World the Flesh and the Diuell and to ouercome and dispossesse them of all power and Tytle which they might make to men and to defeate those forces which they mainteyned to the preuidice of mens soules and to giue men strength and meanes wherby they might defend themselues and obteine perfect victory against them all That so when he should come to passe a Iudgment vpon men he might finde them free from sinne and if not all of them yet so many at least as would take profit by the grace he gaue them and consequently that he might haue nothing to punish in them Yea and moreouer that he might finde them conquerours ouer their enemies that so he might giue them that reward of glory for their victory which he had promised to such as should ouercome This is that high Mystery which Christ our Lord discouered to vs in the Ghospell somtyme saying Ioan. 3. That he came not to Iudge the world but to saue the world At other times he saith that he came to make iudgment vpō the world as he teacheth vs by the Euangelist saying Ioan. 12. I came into the world to Iudge it And yet in another place Ioan. 8. Now is Iudgmēt to passe vpon the world Our Lord meanes to say heerby as himself declares That at his first cōming when he came in a mortal and passible body he came not to passe a Iudgement vpon men to chastise condemne the wicked by doing Iustice and pronouncing a sentence of condemnation against them For if he had come to this end and that he would haue passed this Iudgement at his first comming he would in effect haue bin obliged to comdemne all the world for in effect he found them all in sin and euen those few Iust persōs who were free were so in vertue of his being come to saue them And if that first coming of his had beene to Iudge men euen those few had also bene in state of sinne and had beene condemned He therfore explicates himselfe by saying I came not to iudg the world but to saue it That is I came not as a Iudge but as a Sauiour I came not to condemne sinners by doing Iustice on them by passing a sentence of condemnation against them But b Christ our Lord deliuereth no man from the paynes of hell by his sacred Passion but such as first are deliuered by it from sinne I came to saue them by suffering and dying for them and by communicating my Iustice and merits to them that so I might free them from sinne and Iustify them and giue them the spirituall health of grace and of eternall glory And to this very office of sauing men is ordeyned that Iudgement which he saith he came to make in that first comming and which he was to passe against sinnes against the diuell also in fauour of men So doth he declare himselfe saying Through my Passion and Death Iudgment is now to passe and sentence is to be giuen in fauour of the men of this world against the diuell For till now he held men subiect and captiued vnder his power and tyranny but now by the payment which I am making for thē they are to remaine safe and free Now the diuell who is the Prince of this world who held men subiect vnder sinne is to be deposed from that dominion which he held in the world for innumerable soules which were captiued in error and sinne are to be conuerted and saued and remedy shal be imparted to them all wherby they may be deliuered from him and may obtaine eternall glory So also in that first cōming of Christ our Lord to saue mankind he made a kind of distinguishing and deuiding Iudgement betweene the good and the bad the elect and the reprobate For when he was preaching and working miracles and procuring the saluatiō of the world some did profit by his comming receauing his fayth and obeying his Ghospell participating of his merits And others againe because they would not belieue in him nor serue themselues of his remedyes did still remaine in their sins yea through their ingratitude and the hardnes of their harts they grew therein And thus by the occasion of the comming of Christ our Lord the distinction grew more apparent betweene the faythful the vnfaithfull between Iust persons and sinners betweene the elect and such as were reproued by God For they who receaued the faith of Christ did follow him by the imitation of his life by the taking vp of his Crosse according to their c That is according to the state wherein they were at that tyme. present iustice were iust
persons as long as they did perseuere they had signes in them of being predestinated and they who receaued not the fayth according to their then present state were wicked reprobate This did our Lord declare whē he sayd I came into this world that they who see not might se◠they who see might be blind Which was as much to say Vpon my comming did this iudgment follow and this distinction was made amongst men that many who in their soules were blind through ignorance and errour and vice and who did not see the truth nor did walke in the right way to heauen by beleeuing in me with a liuely fayth they I say might see the truth and follow it And that many others who saw and had knowledg of the Scriptures and did know the law and the Prophets who both in their own and in the peoples opinion estimation were held wise and had a spirituall light wherwith to looke into diuine things they I say for their pride and ingratitude should remaine blind and going astray from the right way should not find their errour and perdition Another diuine and most singular testimony which Christ our Lord hath giuen vs of the desire which he hath in this iudgment of his not to finde any sinnes which he might punish nor any sinners whom he should be so obliged to condemne is That d Let all Angells adore him for this inestimable benefit to men at his first comming he made a law which was to last till the end of the world wherby he gaue faculty to all sinners that during the whole tyme whilst their life should last they might passe a Iudgement vpon themselues acknowledging their sinns and accusing themselues therof with greefe and confessing them to a Priest who should hould the place of Christ our Lord and satisfying for them according to the iudgment of the same Ghostly father and that they performing this he would not in his Iudgment either cōdemne or punish them but would declare them to be not Guilty and would impart the kingdome of heauen to thē And that if hauing once passed this Iudgement vpon themselues they should yet return againe to sinne become abnoxious therby to eternall condemnation yet stil as long as their life should last they might returne to passe the same Iudgment vpon themselus as often as they would and that if they should do it according to e Confessing them all clearely with great sorrow firme purpose of amendmēt Truth he would not condemne them but would admit them into his company and make them happy O Iudgment which is so deerely sweet O Iudge who is so ful of mercy and how vnanswerable is it proued by this most pitteous Iudge that his intention and desire is not to punish but to pardon not to condemne but to absolue and saue since before he comes to passe his Iudgment he vseth so many meanes applyes so many remedies to the end that he may finde no sinnes to punish nor no sinners to condemne If an earthly Iudge had his prison ful of delinquents theeues murtherers and should make a kind of agreement and bargaine with them that f Consider seriously heerof admire the infinit goodnes of God in that wherein the blind world thinkes it hath hard measure namely in the Institution of the Sacrament of Confession euery one of them might choose what friend or kinsman of his owne he would and in secret should declare his offence to him deliuering to him the whole truth and vndergoing but that penalty which he should impose vpon him for the same And that vpon some day of the same yeare himselfe would come to the prison to Iudge them and that he would pronounce them to be free who had declared their offences to friend or kinsman of theirs who had performed the penalty which he had imposed and that he would only cōdemne those others who would not haue recourse to that remedy what would you say of this Iudge of this agreement You would say that there nether is nor euer was nor euer will be in the world any Iudge who sheweth or is to shew any such mercy nor who euer made or will euer make any such Capitulation with persons who had deserued to dye nor are there any laws on earth which can permit any such thinge And if there were any Iudge who would submit himselfe to the like cōdition there would no delinquent be found who would not ioyfully performe this agreement and so be declared for not guilty Well then Christ Iesus the Eternall Iudge and who is of infinite power and Maiesty doth shew this mercy to all such sinners as are worthy of eternall death And he hath made this bargaine and agreement with them all and that is yielded to by the laws of heauē which the laws of earth will not endure Let vs therfore serue our selues of this mercy let vs performe the articles of this agreement and let vs in tyme passe a Iudgment vpon our selues let vs confesse our sinnes with true sorrow let vs amend our liues to the end that when at the houre of our death in the particuler Iudgment and at the end of the world in the Vniuersal iudgment we shal come before this great Iudge he may find no sinnes to punish or condemne in vs. For it is sayd by S. Iohn the Apostle concerning this Lord 1. Ioan. 1. If we confesse our sins repenting our selues truly of them before God and his substitute God is iust and faithfull in fulfilling the promises and rewarding the meritts of Chri◅ our Sauiour and so he will pardon vs our sinnes through his merits and will cleanse vs from all wickednes as he hath promised O most vnhappy men who deferring to do pennance and to make amendment of their liues despise this mercy of God as S. Paul sayth by making ill vse thereof Rom. 2. And g Woe be to thē who will needes be wicked euen because God is so infinitely good by this meanes they treasure vp the wrath and punishment of God for themselues against the day of his wrath which is that of his Iudgement These lawes of mercy were not made nor are they proclaimed vnto men to the end that thereupon they should take such a wicked strange presumption to sinne but that if they haue sinned they should not be dismaid but that in hope of this diuine mercy they should instantly correct themselues and reforme their liues and obtaine pardon So doth the glorious Apostle S Iohn aduertise vs for hauing sayd That if we confesse our selues well God will pardon vs he instātly addeth this 1. Ioan. 2. These thinges haue I written to you my children to the end that you may not sinne but that you may fly from sinne at full speed but yet if any man do sinne we haue an Aduocate before the Father That is to say let him not be dismaid nor out
THE IVDGE WHEREIN IS SHEWED how Christ our Lord is to Iudge the World at the last Day to the extreme Terrour of the Wicked and to the excessiue Comfort of the Good With a Preface which it will be necessary to read before the Booke Translated into English Nolite errare Deus non irridetur Quae enim seminauerit homo haec metet Gal. 6. vers 7. Be not deceaued God will not be mocked for the thinges which a man shall sow the same he shall reape Permissu Superiorum 1621. TO MY NOBLE FAITHFVLL WORTHY and most deare Friend Mr. G. T. SYR Since I had the Ioy to see you last I haue looked a little into the next Life as despayring that in this I should be able to find any thing which might be worthy to fill vp that place which is made empty by your ABSENCE And now by chance or rather by Gods good Prouidence I haue met with a Prospectiue-Glasse which giues me a view of Heauen and Hell in a very expresse cleare manner though the Countreyes theÌ„selues be far off I should neuer haue beene able to fit the Instrument towardes any eye but finding now that all was ready made and that so excellently to my hand I haue aduentured to frame a case for it after the English fashion The thing in it self you will not chuse but like for it is excellent and I am but too sure that you wil loue the part that I haue therein because the same Loue hath ceeled vp the eyes of your iudgement concerning me But if abstracting from that you chance to like it I shall stand in little feare of the censure of others who must giue me leaue to belieue that ther liues not amoÌ„gst them all for ought I know a man that can outstrippe you in Translating Heerein I haue seene pretious things of your doing both in Prose and Verse and in seuerall Languages And I neuer misliked any Translation of yours but that one when you traÌ„slated your Presence from the eyes of my body by whose AbseÌ„ce I am in part depriued of being able to translate some of your vertues into my soule The least that I can do against Absence Distance for so great a wrong is to send them a Defiance and to bid them be sure that if they mean to make me loue you one haires breadth the lesse they shal loose their labour Nay they kindle me rather to make this expression of my selfe and to acknowledge as I may say this Statute of my hart before the World For I am fixt in giuing you all power ouer me and I glory in being subiect to such a Friend Your what you will G. M. THE PREFACE A Learned and holy man of this age besides the odour of his Sanctity hath left suruiuing diuers Monuments of his writing and amongst the rest three bookes Of the Imitation of Christ our Lord. In the first of these he sheweth vnder seuerall Titles the seuerall Offices which his diuine Maiesty is performing to the soules of men as he is our God our Redeemer our King our Sauiour our Mediatour our Aduocate our Captaine our Sacrifice our Spouse our Doctour our Law-giuer our Pastour our Light our Life to conclude our Iudge The whole booke is large and not only should I haue felt the paines in translating it all but I might haue doubted of your Patience whether or no it would haue reached to the reading of it ouer with due intention The last of the Tytles deliuered to vs by our Authour I haue heere translated and you may see that he is a Lyon by his nayles In this discourse of Iudge which is not founded vpon priuate contemplations and much lesse either vpon loose coniections or streyned conceipts but euen wholy in effect vpon the passages of holy Scriptures though not cyted word for word but duely pondered and truly paraphrased as the best spirituall wryters are wont to do he doth admirably describe the soueraigne Maiesty the incomparable Mercy and the inuiolable Iustice of our Iudge And as incident heerunto he deliuers vs such a Mappe of the next world and doth so describe the Paradise of heauen the Zona Torrida of hell as may serue either to rauish vs with ioy or strike vs through with horrour and make vs euen wither for woe according to the seueral state that we may be in If we be members of the true Church of Christ our Lord and if withall we be in the state of grace we shall looke with more hope vpon the ioyes of heauen then with feare vpon the torments of hell and so we shall get courage in the good course begun But if on the other side we be cut off from the communion of the true Church of Christ our Lord by any one errour in beliefe or if yet being Catholikes we be remaining in state of mortal sinne this Treatise I hope wil help to guide vs by the haÌ„d out of those Labyrinths place vs in that high way of Fayth Charity without which we can haue no tytle to heaueÌ„ but the â—aws of hel will be sure to sucke swallow deuoure vs. Let no man therfore be deceaued or rather let no man deceaue himselfe God is God and he wil be serued And it is all reason that by our beleeuing and liuing as we ought true Homage may be done to that infinite inuisible immortall and most pure Maiesty of his And man is man a thing of nothing for of nothing he was made And as now he is what is he but a Pedlars-shop full of trash or rather a very sincke full of filth and to what height of honour ought he esteeme himselfe to be aduanced if he had but euen a single leaue to serue loue such an omnipotent Creator But now since besides this he is to be rewarded with an immortall Crowne of glory for so doing the sublime excellency wherof no created power can comprehend what meruayle can it be that the torments be also infinite to which he shal be adiudged and chayned if insteed of doing reuerence to God by imbracing an incorrupted faith leading either an innocent or penitent life he enter into rebellioÌ„ and treason against him by imbracing any errour in beleefe or falling into sensuality or any one other mortall sin if withall he dye therin without repentance It is not want of Charity in them who say That all such as dye with any mortall sinne vpon their soules shall eternally be tormented in the fyre of hell but it is true Charity to declare this truth that so in tyme men may know to what to trust S. Paul abounded and ouerflowed with Charity and that very Charity it was which obliged him to proclaim this doctrine Gal. 5. v. 20. That the workes of the flesh be manifest and he saith they are these Fornication Vncleanes Impudicity Luxury Seruing of Idolls Witchcrafts Emnities Contentions Emulations Anger 's Brawles Dissentions Sects Enuies Murthers
we may draw the detestation of sinne the care of leading a good life Chap. X. chapter 11 How a Christian is to draw out of the consideration of the diuine Iudgement a great feare of offending God that so he may fly far from it Chap. XI chapter 12 How it is very necessary ful of profit that a Christian do exercise himselfe in this holy feare accompany it with the exercise of diuine loue Chap. XII chapter 13 Of how great value and merit this holy Feare is Chap. XIII chapter 14 Of the fauours which Christ our Lord will do to the good at the day of Iudgement and of the Ioy which they shall conceaue by seeing the signes which precede that Iudgment and by beholding the glory of the Crosse which shall go before Christ our Lord. Chap. XIV chapter 15 Of the fauour which Christ our Lord will do his seruants at the day of Iudgment by separating them from the wicked Chap. XV. chapter 16 Of the fauour which Christ our Lord imparteth to his seruants at the day of Iudgment by giuing them his benediction and communicating his kingdome to them Chap. XVI chapter 17 Of the felicity which Christ our Lord will communicate to his seruants in the kingdome of heauen Chap. XVII chapter 18 Of other benefits which Christ our Lord cōmunicateth to his seruants in his heauenly kingdome and of the fruit of gratitude which we must gather from the Consideration of this reward Chap. XVIII chapter 19 How all the things of this life which are good and which giue delight do induce vs to a desire of the kingdome of heauen Chap. XIX chapter 20 How from this knowledge concerning the kingdome of Heauen which Christ our Lord will giue his seruants we are to gather a resolute purpose to fly from sinne and to fullfill the Commandments of God and to despise the commodityes of this life Chap. XX. chapter 21 How we are much to animate our selues towardes the exercise of good works considering the great estimation which Christ our Lord doth make of them at the day of Iudgement the reward which he also imparteth to them Chap. XXI THE IVDGE CHAP. I. How the office of being our Iudge doth belong to Christ our Lord as he is man and of the great benefit which God imparteth to vs in giuing him to vs to be our Iudge ALTHOVGH the indignation wrath of Christ our Lord against the wicked and the punishment which he inflicteth vpon their sins do belong to the office which he hath of being a Iudge yet so also doth it belong to him vnder the same Title to doe fauour to such as are Good to defend them to imparte benefites to them and both to expresse mercy towardes them in the Iudgment which he exerciseth vpon their faults to giue thē reward for their good deeds and for this reason it is that I wil declare the benefits and fauours which we obtaine by Christ our Lord in respect that he is our Iudge It a Why it was wholy fit for the second Person of the most holy Trinity to be our Iudg at the last day belongeth to Christ our Lord that he be our Iudge in regard that he is a man and because he tooke the nature of man vpon him as being a most conuenient thing that the Iudge be seene by all such as are to be iudged by him and that the guilty may wel vnderstand and heare the sentence that shal be giuē against them that for as much as men are composed of a body a soule they may perceaue it with their soule and heare it with the senses of their body Now if Christ our Lord as he is only God were to be the Iudge he could not then be seene by the wicked and the sentence which immediatly he should pronounce would not interiourly be perceaued by them and therefore it was fit that he should be our Iudge as man and should passe his Iudgment vpon men that so he might be seene and heard by all This Mystery was discouered to vs by Christ our Lord and Sauiour himselfe whilest he was saying Ioan. 5. The Father iudgeth no man but he hath giuen all iudgement to the Sonne and he gaue him au hority to exercise Iudgement as the sonne of man That is to say Although the eternal Father haue the supreme authority and power of Iudging that to him it doth principally belong to approue reward that which is good as also to reproue and punish that which is euill the same also hath the Sonne and the holy Ghost the same as being one the same God with the Father yet the office of Iudging exteriourly and after a visible manner to be seene in the Tribunall and with the authority Maiesty of a Iudge to giue exteriourly a sentence which may sensibly be perceaued by such as are Iudged this doth only belong to the person of the Sonne of God Who by meanes of the most sacred humanity which he hath immediatly vnited to himselfe by the power which frō all eternity he hath as God and by that which in Tyme was communicated to him as man he is to make this visible and exteriour Iudgment this being an execution of the interiour inuisible Iudgmēt which is made of all the most Blessed Trinity And although this exteriour Iudgment be also ascribed to the Father and to all the Blessed Trinity as to the prime cause of all things yet he who is the immediate executour of this Iudgement is Iesus Christ the Sonne of the liuing God because the sacred Humanity is only vnited immediatly to the person of the Sonne that Humanity doth make this Iudgment as the instrument of Diuinity Now b An vnspeakable benefit of God who gaue vs Christ our Lord for our Iudge an immense benefit and an imcomprehensible mercy it was for God the Father to giue vs Christ Iesus for the Iu ge of our cause as he is man as he is our brother and our Sauiour If a delinquent were in prison for greiuous Crymes deseruing death and that he had a brother who most tenderly loued him and esteemed him and did so much desire his liberty and his good that to deliuer him out of prison and from death he had spent his fortune and had exposed himselfe to many troubles and euen to the hazard of death and if the king should assigne that brother of the party for the Iudge of his cause with Soueraigne power to Iudge him without appeale what kind of fauour what clemency would it be which heerin should be vsed towards that man How full of ioy and comfort would he be vpō the naming of such a Iudge How confident and secure would he make himself that the sentence would be full of pitty and as fauourable to him as possible his cause might beare Well therfore since all men according to the c From which Christ our Lord his B. Mother
of hope but let him instantly be conuerted to God confessing his sinnes and doing pennance for the same because we haue an Aduocate and Mediatour before the eternall Father which is Iesus Christ the Iust and the very fountaine of Iustice who made satisfaction for al our sinnes CHAP. III. Of the benefit which Christ our Lord imparteth to vs in giuing vs to vnderstand and feele the grieuousnes of sinne by the meanes manner of his Iudgement to the end that we may in tyme do pennance for it ANOTHER most singular benefit which Christ our Lord imparteth to vs vnder the quality of his being our Iudge is to make vs know and feele the grieuousnes of of sinne that so we may be drawne to abhorre it greatly to conceaue a true feare of falling into any offence of God This knowledg and this holy Feare do we fetch from the consideration of that diuine Iudgment since notwithstanding that Christ our Sauiour is of his owne Nature most pitteous and most benigne being the very fountaine of pitty and mercy and being most profoundly meeke and sweet and the very fountaine of sweetnes and being so great a louer of men that he dyes for them and so much desiring and esteeming the saluation of their soules that he giues his life for the same we a The terrour wherwith Christ our Lord will appeare at the later day yet see that in his Iudgment he will come extremely full of cause to make vs horribly feare and most terrible wil he be in the highest degree and full of wrath and fury for zeale of iustice against sinners He will come sitting downe vpon those horses of the heauen which are the cloudes Matt. 25. he will come in a warlike manner accompanyed by all the squadrons and armies of heauen Sap. 5. he will draw with him the whole world of creatures being all ranged placed in forme of battaile against sinners Sopho. c. 1. Yea and euen the very Saintes and Blessed soules themselues who are so full of pitty and haue beene the Aduocates of sinners will come armed shall be made both Iudges and the Ministers of diuine Iustice against them He shall haue for the Messenger which speakes of his comming Psal 96. a most furious fire which shall burne and purge all corporeall creatures a most hideous frightfull sound of mysterious trumpets which shal spēd themselues ouer the whole world shall make all creatures tremble and shal passe and pierce euen to the lowest bottome of hell and shall make those soules spring out of those infernall habitations of theirs full of horrible confusion to resume their bodyes and appeare in Iudgment In this manner doth the Scripture describe the comming of Christ our Lord to Iudgement Let vs now consider who it is that causeth this mutation of Christ our Lord. Who changeth him in so strang a fashion Who maketh him of most pittifull so extremly fierce Who of most profoundly meeke so full of wrath Of must delightfully sweet so full of fury and terrour Of peaceable so giuen to warre Of a refuge and shelter for sinners to be growne such a seuere punisher of the faulty Sinnes b See heere if sinne be not a dangerous companion to liue withall they are which cause this great mutation and which do so farre estrange him from that most benigne and sweet condition of his The hatred and profound detestation which he hath of sinne the liuely feeling he hath to see himselfe so foulely offended the greiuous weight which our faultes do carry in his diuine presence wherby his will is transgrest and his law despised do make him grow so frightfull and so very fierce towards the doing of iustice and taking vengance vpon sinners So saith the Apostle of Christ Iudas Thadaeus Iud. 1. speaking of this Iudgment Marke well for our Lord doth come accompanied with the innumerable troupes of holy Angells to passe a Iudgment vpon all wicked men to conuince them of all the euill workes which they haue comitted and of all the euill words which they haue spoken contrary to the law of God and to pronounce a sentence of condēnation against them Since then the hatred which God doth carry against sinne is so very great since the punishment which he will execute vpon sinners in that Iudgment of his is so immense O it is full of reason that from the faith and infallible notice which we haue of this truth all we who are beleeuers should fetch a knowledge of the grieuousnes of sinne and a perfect detestation of the same and a profound griefe and sorrow for such sinne as we haue already cōmitted much feare in respect of them which we may commit heerafter That so we may fly them and be freed from the fury of that diuine Iudgment and from that sentence of eternal damnation which is to be thundered out against sinners For c The true vse which we are to make of considering the terrour of the day of Iudgement this is the true reason why this Iudgment is discouered and notified to vs as S. Paul affirmed whilst he was preaching to the Athenians to this effect God doth now anounce the truth of his Ghospell to men to the end that all men and in all places may do penance of their sins since he hath with firme deliberation ordeyned a day at which tyme he will iudg the whol world with great vprightnes of iustice giuing to euery one that reward and punishment which his workes deserue And this Iudgment he will passe vpon the world by the meanes of Christ our Lord who as man hath authority from the eternall Father to giue visible Iudgment vpon all men Act. 17. CHAP. IIII. How we are to haue great feeling of the grieuousnes of sinne by reason of the demonstrations which shall be made by all the creatures of God before the Iudgement TO the end that from the declaration of the office which Christ our Lord hath of being the Iudge of the Iudgement which is to passe vpon the whole world we may draw the great fruite of knowing and feeling the greiuousnes of sinne and of abhorring it and doing penance for it and that we may also draw from thence a feare of sinne and of the punishment therof we will go dedeclaring those points and misteries of this diuine Iudgment which may best discouer to vs the immensnes of the hate which God doth carry towards sinne and of the punishment which he inflicteth vpon sinners The first point which doth discouer to vs the hate which God doth carry toward sinne is that in this his terrible Iudgment he will not onely punish the sinners who did offend him by their sins Matt. 24. but a How insensible creatures shall after a sort be punished for hauing been made the instrumēt of mans sinne he will after a sort punish all the Creatures of the whole world wherby sinners were assisted
and serued The Sunne shall grow darke not as now it doth somtymes by naturall causes or in respect that any cloude may ouershadow it or because the Moone may cast it self betweene it and the earth as it hapneth in the case of an Eclipse but it is to be obscured by a supernaturall and miraculous cause and so it is to be vnderstood that for a while it shall loose the whole light it had The Moone shall also loose her light The Stars shall fall from heauen Ioel. 2. either because when they are without light it shall seeme to be as if they were fallen or els for that in very deed they shall dislodge themselues from that high firmament where they are fixt and for some tyme shall fall from thence and deteine themselues in the ayre till they returne againe into their place The powers of the heauen shal be moued that is those celestiall bodies with their naturall vertue shall tremble and so shift their places as in an earthquake the earth is wont to do or if it be vnderstood of Angells the meaning is how in that day they shall make some kind of spiritual demōstration motion of great admiratiō The Sea shal be troubled shal be moued in a most wōderful māner and with the waues thereof shall make such a hideous noyse as will astonish the whole world oppresse and afflict with excessiue feare and horrour the harts of mortall men will make them euen whither againe with woe The Earth shall tremble 2. Pet. 3. and shal be open in many partes and shall disclose euen the pits of hel The Ayre with the same Earth and Sea shall burne by that most ardent ouerflowing of fire which shall consume al the liuing bodyes of fishes beasts and men God in his law commanded the children of Israel Deut. c. 13. v. 20. that when they should be to fight against the Idolatours and Pagans who dwelt in the Land of Promise and whome he was pleased to punish for their sinnes not only that they should kill the men but euen the very beasts which did them seruice and so in particuler he b A sign of this truth in the old Testamēt exacted this of Saul when he went to fight against the Amalecites and because he did not punctually comply with this cōmandment but suffered some of the Cattle to liue God was offended Saul was punished 1. Reg. 3. Let vs now see why God did not content himselfe with causing the men who had sinned to be put to death but the beasts also which had no fault It was to make men vnderstand and feele that sinne is so great a mischeife and is so worthy to be abhorred and punisht and that God doth indeed so much abhor it that it is a most cōuenient thing not onely to punish sinners with eternall tormēts death but to destroy also and consume and as it were to chastice the creatures wherof they did serue help thēselues towards their sinnes Therfore is it that resoluing in the Vniuersall Iudgment to chastice the wickednes of all men in a most complete manner he will not content himselfe to deliuer ouer sinners themselues to those eternall ardours of fire those other immense paines of hell but to the creaturs also wherof they made some vse in sinning he giues as it were a kind of payne and punishment in detestation of the sins themselues as also to the end that they may be purged and cleered frō that indecency and deformity which grew to them by the seruice which they did to sinners For thus it is that the Sunne the Moone Stars which did illuminate sinners whilest they were committing their sinnes shal be depriued by him for a whyle of all the light beauty which they haue he shall conuert it into thick darknes And as for the Sea the Earth Ayre which gaue food to sinners did maintaine them whilest they were offending God he will make them as it were feare and tremble will depriue them for a tyme of the naturall quality and disposition they haue and will consume and kill all those liuing creatures and plantes which were the food of sinners and wil destroy al those buildings which were the habitation of wicked men And thus through the mutation demonstration desolation which in the Iudgment God will shew in al the creatures which serued sinners he doth teach and testify the infinite hatred which he hath against sin And he doth induce perswade vs that now through the knowledge of this truth we may be drawn to abhor detest them and that with a penitentiall holy life we may cleanse our soules as well as possibly we can frō al fault offence of his diuine Maiesty 2. Pet. 3. S. Peter c This truth is insinuated by S. Peter doth admonish vs of the good effect which we are to draw from the change which is to be made vpon the creatures by saying to this effect Since there is a day of the vniuersall Iudgement to come wherin all the creatures for hauing serued sinners are to be purged with fire and burnt inferre my brethren from hence how diligent and constant it is fit for you to be in the leading of a good life and how holily and purely you are to conuerse in this world and how vigilant and carefull it will becom you to be in performing the works of piety towards God and of mercy towards your Neighbour expecting with a liuely fayth that day of our Lord and approaching and drawing neere to him with speed not with paces of the body but with the desires affections of the soule desiring and louing this day and preparing to see your selues at that tyme accompanyed with purity of life and with the exercise of vertue CHAP. V. How Christ our Lord discouereth the hate which he carryeth towardes sin by the so particuler account which he taketh of them all ANOTHER mystery of this diuine Iudgement discouering the mighty demonstration and detestatiō which God doth expresse against the faults whereby he is offended is the so particuler accompt which he will take of vs which we all must giue of all the facultyes or powers al the senses both of our body and soule of all the creaturs which we haue vsed and a If you beleeue this point of fayth to be true I shall not need to wish you to looke wel about you of all the workes which we haue performed all the wordes which we haue spoken and all the thoughts which we haue conceaued how little soeuer they fall out to haue beene without leauing out so much as any one idle word or any one idle thought We shall giue accompt of how we imployed our Vnderstanding if we did set it on worke vpon the inquiry and search of God and his truth and in contemplating on him his holy Cōmandments and the workes of
his handes and the diuine words of his mouth As for the memory we shal be questioned if we haue vsed it in calling our Lord God to mind togeather with his presence his goodnes his power and all his benefits and mercies We shal be arraigned vpon the point of our Will if perhaps it haue beene busyed in the loue and estimation and desire of God and the accomplishment of his Law and of his will and in the search of all those thinges which concerne the glory of our Lord God We shall b We shall not only giue account of our sinnes the faculties of our mind but also of the senses of our body and of the vse of all Gods creatures giue account of how we put the senses of our body on worke if we imployed our eyes vpon behoulding this fabrike of the world and these Heauens and Elements and the other works of God that so behoulding in these creaturs the trace and sent which they carry in them of all his diuine perfections we may raise our selues vp by them So to consider with our soules the power and the wisedome and the goodnes and the beauty of God and by this meanes to loue and praise him with our whole harts So also if we imployed our ears to hear the words of the true God and those instructions and doctrines admonitions and examples which were profitable to the soule and in hearing the sweet musicke of mans voice and of the instruments which he can vse of the birds also of the ayre so to stir our selues vp towardes deuotion to contemplate the much sweetnes of that Celestiall musicke and so to loue and esteeme the blessinges of heauen And concerning the Smell if we imployed it onely vpon those things which are necessary for mans life through the sent of creaturs if we aspir'd towardes the sweet sauour of vertues and of good example of the glory of the next life So also for the Tongue if it was mouing in the prayse of our Lord God in offering him deuout prayers in learning and teaching those thinges which are necessary both for our selues and our Neighbours and in discouering and confessing our sinnes for the obtayning of pardon and redresse thereof and in taking but that food which was necessary for the sustenance of our life and in drawing out of the gust sauour of corporal meate a consideration and feeling of the vnspeakeable sweetnes and sauour of those spirituall foods of grace and glory So also if we haue imployed the sense of Feeling with our handes and all the rest of our body vpon the onely taking of those thinges which were necessary for the same body and profitable for our soule and for our Neighbours and for the vse of our life and for the exercise of the workes of Charity and Mercy This good vse of all the powers of our souls senses of our body doth our Lord God demaund of vs when he saith Deut. 4. Keepe thy selfe and keepe thy soule with great care and of this are we to make a very exact accompt in his diuine Iudgement Wee shall also giue accompt in the same Iudgment of all our sinnes of speach such as are vaine Oathes Reproaches murmurations cursings scoffing of our neighbours and words of anger and impatience of lying of sowing discord Of these and others which are either lasciuious or curious or vaine of euery idle word saith Christ our Redeemer Matt. 12. shall men giue accompt in the day of Iudgment and that word goeth for idle which is neither necessary nor profitable Accompt must also be giuen of all sinnes of deed such as are disobedience to parents and other Superiours reuenge ill in treaty of our neighbours dishonesty iniustice vsurping detayning the goods of others against right vnlawfull bargaines pride in gouernement excesse in the furniture of houses of clothes of expences otherwise and in the intertainemēt of seruants excesse also in dyet in play and in other superfluous and vaine things Of all these and of all other euill deeds accompt must be giuen as Ecclesiastes saith Eccles 12. All things which are done by man both good bad shall be presented in that diuine Iudgemēt to be there examined for euery work which shal be found erroneous and ill he shal be punished We shall giue accompt of al our thoughts such as are rash Iudgmēt consents which are giuen to reuenge or els vncleanes or voluntary delights in any thing which is ill or to inward hatred or in fine to thoughts which are vnprofitable For as the Wise man saith Sap. 1 God will examine iudge the thoughts of the wicked Besides this we shall giue c A point of great moment and little thought on accompt of our sinnes of Omission which are the most in number and ly most hidden from our sight For hauing forborne to pray to read good bookes to fast to performe other penances and mortifications and to confesse and communicate For hauing omitted to do the workes of Iustice and mercy in certaine cases and at certaine tymes when either some particuler precept or the great necessity of doing those workes did oblige vs to them For hauing fayled to comply with many dutyes of our calling and offices to which we were bound by the obligations either of God or man We shall giue accompt how we haue profitted by those spirituall and supernaturall graces which God hath giuen vs such as are his Sacraments the guifte of Fayth the Doctrine of the Ghospell good Sermons holy exampls vertuous conuersations the admonitions and reprehensions of our Superiours and Ghostly Fathers and the interiour inspirations which God hath giuen vs. We shall giue account how we haue vsed our naturall and temporall benefits as namely our Health if we haue imployed it vpon the seruice of that Lord who gaue it Our Tyme if we haue spent it profitably our Reputation if we vsed it to the glory of God and the good of our Neighbour Our Estate temporal goods if we haue imployed them onely to the succour of the true necessities of our selues our family and our neighbours and of those things which are profitable to the life of a Christian man and to the honest Condition of euery one The accompt which is to be giuen for these sinnes of Omission and the punishment which is allotted to them Christ our Lord declared in that Parable of the Talents when he told that vnprofitable seruant that the Talent which God gaue him which are his naturall and spirituall guifts as also his temporall goods was not well imployed by him nor vsed in those workes which were agreable to God and he said thus to him Matt. 25. Thou negligent and wicked seruant since thou sayst that I am rigorous and that I expect more then I laid out why didst thou not put out that Talent to profit which I gaue thee That is why didst thou not make
the right vse of what I gaue thee imploying it well in the exercise of vertue in the increase of merit and in the multiplication of good works And so when he had rebuked this sloathfull seruant he commaunds the ministers of his Iustice to excecute the sentence which he giues against him when he sayth Take that vnprofitable seruant and cast him into exteriour darknes which is that of Hell where there is lamentation and euerlasting torment through the paines of intollerable both heat and could other torments also which are to be endured there CHAP. VI. How Christ our Lord declares the detestation which he carryeth against the sinnes of wicked men whereof they are conuinced by the sentence which he pronounceth against them THESE are the things wherof a man is to giue accompt in that diuine Iudgment of God And this is that which now is to be considered that so he may know how deeply God doth feele the weight of sinne and consequently how to moue himselfe to detest it And withall let him ponder how after that Christ our Lord hath demāded this accompt of thē whom he findeth to be culpable for not hauing complyed with these obligations but proceeded contrary to his commaundements How I say that most iust Iudge will conuince them in that terrible Tribunall before all the Inhabitants both of heauen and earth saying to them in his manner You a If this do not mooue thee pray to God that it may for els thou art in ill case men why haue you thus offended mee why haue your done me so many Iniuries I being your God of infinity Maiesty Goodnes and wisedome I being your Creatour your Father and your Sauiour who for you did giue my life and shed my bloud Why haue you spoken so many wordes in affront of me Why haue you wrought so many wicked deeds in dishonour and disobedience to my Law Why did you consent to those bad desires and thoughts whereby you came to cast me vnder the feet of those creatures esteeming louing them more then me Me whom you ought to haue praysed glorifyed with your tongues whome you should haue serued and obeyed with your workes whome you should alwayes haue desired and loued with your whole harts for whom you ought to haue giuē your liues a thousand liues if you had been Maisters of so many Why haue you so dishonoured me transgressing trāpling vpō my Precepts Why haue you exchāged me with so extreme contempt for those most base aduantages and gayns of earth and for those most vaine delights guifts of creatures Since you confessed me by your wordes to be your Lord and God why would you deny me by your workes Tell me you men since I haue imparted to you so many supernaturall guifts which I gayned for you by my Passion Death A guift of Fayth and Baptisme whereby I made you Christians a guift of Grace whereby I adopted you for my Children so many Vertues whereby you might adorne your soules be enabled to worke well The guift of Sacraments which might conferre and conuey my Grace into your soules and innumerable inspirations which might quicken you vp towardes vertue and so many most high and most pretious guifts which I purchased at my so great cost why haue you set them at so low a rate VVhy haue you despised thē and permitted them to passe away without being of any profit to you at all More account did you make of the vanity of your descent according to your linage of flesh bloud then of the fayth of Christians and the adoption of the sonnes of God More account did you make of money which is made of dead mettall of the goods of this life and of the vaine punctillios of honour then of the blessing of my grace and of those immense eternall treasures of my glory I hauing giuen you such a holy Law a Doctrine so pure so profitable and so celestiall that you might obserue and keepe it hauing giuen you so many Prophets Apostles holy Doctours so many Preachers and teachers of my Ghospell to the end that they all might counsaile perswade you to the obseruation of my Commandmēts and to the accomplishment of my will yea and my selfe being come visibly downe to earth in flesh bloud to teach preach this Law to you by the very wordes of myne owne mouth why haue you made no more account of this law nor complyed with my will nor obeyed my wordes Why would you rather do that which Sathā that did tempt you to thē that which was commanded you by me VVhy would you rather follow and obey that peruerse enemy who abhorred you and endeauoured nothing but your damnation then me who am your God who was your Father who loued you and did procure your saluation euerlasting glory Tel me yet further O you vngrateful mē since it is I who gaue you life health and temporal goods space of tyme that you might sacrifice it all to my seruice how commeth is to passe that you would needs imploy it in offence of me I gaue you life I say and health and strength whereby you might haue acquired vertues and haue exercised good workes and so you might haue b throgh the passiō promise of Christ our Lord good workes arriue to be meritorious and not of themselues merited eternall happines And you on the other side haue imploied it in the pursuite of vaine honour of pleasing men for certaine interests which passe and perish and in the search of those deadly delights which now are carrying you on towards eternall torments I gaue you temporall meanes for the necessary supply of this life and that you might relieue the miseries of your Neighbours and you haue wasted them vpon the foolish complemēts of the world and vpon banquets which serued not for necessitie but for gluttony and vpon certaine attires ornaments which did but serue for vanity and vpon sports and other vicious imployments I gaue you Tyme to the end that you might imploy it vpon praying and ruminating and meditating vpon my benefits and mercyes and vpon the Mysteryes of my law and in performing workes which might haue relation to euerlacting life but you haue wasted it vpon vnprofitable conuersations and vpon wicked deedes which deserue to be rewarded with eternall fire These complaintes doth God make against sinners by his Prophet and there will he make them at that day with greater demonstration of mislike then euer till that tyme he will haue shewed And thereby he will conuince them all they shal be able to make no excuse or defēce nor haue so much as one word to answere and so shall that be fullfilled which the Psalmist sayth Psal 106. All wickednes that is all wicked men shal haue the mouth stopped vp Let vs now consider what euery one of these sinners will thinke within himselfe in that point of the
diuine Iudgement when c Make this case thyne owne betymes for one day it wil be thy case whether thou wilt or no he shall see a Theater made round about him of all the creatures both of heauen and earth and that himselfe is placed in the middest of them that both all the Angells and men and Diuels are looking on him And when he shall obserue that his sinnes are published and proclaymed before them all and not only his wicked words and workes but euen all his bad desires and thoughts when he shall perceaue that all that lewdnes which he committed in the most retyred corners yea and those impurityes which did not so much as issue out of his hart shall then be cleare and patent to all the world To see that all those Diuels shal stand accusing him that his own very conscience is stil vpbraiding cōdemning him And to see the Iudge himselfe offended enraged against him and that he behoulds him with a countenance full of terrour and of reuenge for iniuryes receaued and to see that hideous pitt of hell all open in expectation to swallow him vp and to see himselfe so euidently conuinced that he hath no word to plead for himself And d A sad consideration but most certainely true that finding himselfe hemmed in by such an excesse of afflictions such incomparable miseryes he cannot fly away nor hath he any one hole wherein to hide his head nor any one thing to alleadge nor any one person to whome he may appeale or by whom he may be succoured For to defend himselfe against the Iudge is impossible since he is of infinite power To deceaue him with false informations cannot be since he is of infinite Wisedome To work vpon him by way of presents or petitions is not to be thought of since he is infinitely iust To goe in search after Patrons and Aduocats is losse of labour For in that day neither the Angels nor the Apostles can intercede for any one no nor euen the Queene e A heauy and most desperate case of heauen and the mother of mercy can plead the cause of sinners in that day The gate of pardon and sauing mercy is then closed vp against all the wicked all the iust and blessed soules shall approue of the diuine Iustice in that day and shall reioyce in that it is to be executed because so it is fit for the glory of God our Redeemer And then shal that be perfectly fullfilled which the Psalmist sayth Psalm 57. The Iust man seeing the punishment and vengeance which is to be taken vpon the wicked shall reioyce not for the payne which those sinners shall be subiect to nor out of any desire of reuenge but only for the zeale they haue to the glory of God for the loue they beare to his diuine Iustice CHAP. VII How Christ our Lord discouereth the grieuousnes of sinne and the hatred which he carryeth against it by the last sentence wherby he is to condemne the wicked and the punishment which he inflicteth vpon them ANOTHER Article of the diuine Iudgement which doth admirably discouer the excessiue hatred which Christ our Lord doth carry against sin is the last sentence which he will thunder out against the wicked As soone as he shall haue published their sinnes conuinced them thereof he wil deuide them from the company of the Iust and then turning his terrible and fierce countenance towardes them he will pronounce this most hideous sentence against them Depart a Our Lord deliuer vs from so great a misery from me you accursed into that eternall fire which is prepared for the Diuell and the wicked Angells Depart from me who am an infinite good and the fountaine of all benediction of grace of comfort of ioy of life of saluation of glory If then they be deuided from that only fountaine of al Good what kind of miserable thinges will they find themselues to be It is plaine that they must find themselues without comfort without grace without ioy without repose or ease and ful on the contrary side of all misery of all mischiefe of all paine Depart all you accursed because cursed are they who breake the Commandments of the true God for the greatest ill of all ill is sin and to this ill do they submit themselues who do any thing against that which our Lord cōmāds So sayth Dauid so doth the church sing euery day when she speakes to God Cursed are they O Lord who depart from keeping of thy Cōmandments Psal 118. In particuler manner are they accursed in the Law who doe not offer the first fruits and tithes of those things which God had giuen to them Matt. 3.1 and cursed also are those others who hauing promised some beast in sacrifice to Almighty God do offer him such a one as is leane and lame and worth nothing Into all these curses haue you fallen because you haue broken the Commandmēts of God and gaue him not the honour and glory of all the good deeds which once you wrought nor of all the benefits which you receaued And hauing consecrated and dedicated your soules to our true God by Fayth and Baptisme and being obliged to giue him the best and chiefe part thereof which is your loue and obedience fidelity and a watchfull care to doe him seruice you did not giue this to God but to the world and to your owne will and for these reasons you are indeed accursed and your selues are the authors of your malediction Let b Be attentiue to see whither the wicked are to be sent whē they are once driuen from God vs now consider whither it is that he sends them when once he driues them from himselfe Go saith he you accursed into euerlasting fier because in this life you sought for contentments for delights and gusts according to your owne will against the will of God you shal now be burnt body and soule with a most furious and impetuous fier against your will And because by sinning you haue offended and despised God who is infinite Good and an infinite Maiesty that fier shall be infinite in the continuance therof And who now shal be the ministers of Iustice to torment these accursed creatures And with what companions shall they be sorted in that torment of eternall fire Go saith our Lord into eternal fire which is prepared for the diuell and his wicked Angells For the principall authors of any wickednes the punishement is principally to be prouided and because the deuill was the first author of sinne therfore was the torment of eternall fier prouided first for him And because wicked men did follow the deuill in the fault they shall follow him also in the paine And because they chose to obey the perswasion will of the deuill rather then the commaundement and will of God they shall therfore haue him for their tormentor and
by it that he would rather chose death then it And what then shall they feele who burning in that hideous fire are possessed with such a most raging thirst wheras yet they shall not get the least drop of water for all eternity For as S. Iohn affirmeth Apoc. 14. The smoke of their torments shall ascend for euer and for euer and neuer shall they rest either by day or night They l The indissoluble chains of hell shall also continue in that euerlasting prison bound hand and foot and so are they to be cast into that fire as Christ our Lord signifyeth when giuing sentence against him that came into the Feast which is the bosome of his Church without his wedding garment which is charity and grace he sayd thus to the Ministers of his Iustice Bind him hand foot and so cast him bound into exterior darknes where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth Matt. 22. That is the wicked shall remaine obstinate hardned for euer without meanes of remedy or deliuery And this is to haue the hands and feet tyed vp To be incapable of doing any one work or conceauing any one good desire in such sort as that whatsoeuer they shall do or thinke for all eternity is to be wickednes and sinne And as a man who being bound hand foot and cast into the bottome of the sea cannot swimme nor scape from being drowned so those wretches can neuer wrastle out of those paynes For if there could be any remedy it must be by pennance and amendement of their liues but that can neuer be because they are to remaine obstinate in euill and disabled to do any thing which is good These miserable damned creatures shal also be subiect to most m The filthy smells of hel offensiue smells which shall extremly afflict and torment them This is signifyed by S. Iohn who sayth Apoc. 14.19.20 That into that lake of fire which is Hell the Diuell shal be cast who is the occasion of the paynes of Hell and of death for which cause he is called sometymes by the name of death and hel it selfe Aug. de ciuit Dei l. 20. c. 14. that into the same lake all the wicked who are not written in the booke of life shal be also cast and that this lake of fire shall burne with brimstone which signifyeth the detestable smell of that horrible prison which is caused supernaturally either by brimstone or some such thing These and innumerable other paynes there are in that most hideous prison and although they be all so immense as that they exceed all expression Riber in Apoc. c. 19 num 37. yet the n If thou belieue not this truth it is a sign that thou art extraordinarily in ill case greatest of thē all is hauing lost the glory of God and then being to want it for al eternity For as the greatest good and suprem felicity of man is to see God and to enioy him so the greatest misery and mischiefe and torment is for euer to want the sight of God the possession of his celestiall Kingdome This is that which aboue all things doth torment those most vnhappy soules of the damned to see that they might haue gained an infinite good and that they had tyme commodity for it and that through their owne fault negligence they gained it not nor did serue themselues well of their tyme and of those other meanes which were giuen thē by our Lord for that purpose And to see that innumerable other men of their owne naturall condition fraile like themselues doe for the good imployemēt which they made of the guifts of God obtaine to enioy so great a good and to possesse it with a perpetuall security whereas they by their negligence or malice lost it The remēbrāce heerof which for euer shall be imprinted in their minds will be so liuely and fresh as that they will neuer be able to cast it off and this will breed in them an intollerable griefe beyond all griefs and a most vehement indignation a hoat boyling rage against themselues for hauing so lost God But yet this torment doe they not feele for the respect of God for they doe not loue but do abhorre him but only for the interest profit which they might haue had by his glory And this torment of indignation is that which Christ our Lord did signify by the gnashing of teeth which springeth from the inraged wrath of the hart That o Note this certain truth so piously deliuered excellent writer Rusbrochius doth ponder the grieuousnes of these torments very excellently well and particulerly he sayth That the hauing lost the glory of God is the greatest of them all and he expresseth it by these wordes Rusbroch Epist 1. Belieue me that whatsoeuer can be sayd of the paynes of hell if it be compared with that which there is felt in very deed is lesse then a drop of water is in respect of the whole Sea and yet neuerthelesse all those paynes of hell put togeather are nothing in respect of that one only payne which is felt by hauing for euer lost the sight of God And of this paine S. Iohn Chrysostom said Chrys in Matt. c. 7. hom 24. If thou put before me a thousand hells they are not all so great a mischiefe as is to loose the glory of Christ our Lord to be abhorred and driuen away by him with those p O infinite affliction wordes I know you not CHAP. VIII How the grieuousnes of sin is yet more discouered by the causes which Christ our Lord alleadgeth as the reasons of his Iudgment ANOTHER point very worthy of Consideration in this diuine Iudgment which discouereth also the mighty hatred which Christ our Iudg doth carry against sinne which sheweth also the greiuousnes of those paines wherewith he is to punish the same are the faults which he relates and which he alledgeth at the tyme of his Iudgment in the sentence of damnation which he pronounceth against the wicked saying Matt. 25 a So that men shall not be iustifyed by faith alone since they are to be dāned for want of Charity I was hungry and you did not giue me to eate I was thirsty and you did not giue me to drinke I was a stranger and you did not harbour me I was naked and you did not cloth me I was sicke and in prison you did not visit me For it is euident that amongst all mortall sins the very least and they whereof men make least accompt and scruple are the forbearing to succour their neighbours euen in those cases of necessity wherin yet they are bound to do it by the precept of Charity And for this reason Christ our Lord who had no meaning in this relatiō which he makes at the tyme of his Iudgment to reckon vp all those sins for which he is to cōdemne the wicked for that
would be a long b That is it wold haue beene longe for Christ our Lord to haue spoken of all a mans sinnes in that speach of his busines did only speak of such as go for the lightest vpon which men vse to make the least reflection wherby all men may gather and inferre concerning those other great sins for which he is to passe the sentence of condemnation vpon the wicked And this following circumstance a man is to consider and ponder euen in the very bottome of his hart If c A most necessary consequēce which deserues to be deeply pondered these sins of Omission and negligence in the performing of the workes of mercy which in reason and in the estimation and iudgment of all men are the lightest of all mortall sins be yet neuertheles so abhorred by Almighty God as that in the vniuersall Iudgment he doth publish them in a particuler manner as being very grieuous and worthy of eternall condemnation and will complaine against them as against faults which are full of iniury and affront against his diuine and eternal Maiesty and will proceed against such as fell into them as against his enemies and will excommunicate them as cursed people dryuing them away for euer out of his company and the communion of the Church triumphant and will deliuer them ouer into euerlasting fiers and will execute the same paines vpon them which are suffred by the very Diuells themselues in whose infernall company they are to be tormented that for euer what will he not be sure to do to wicked men for the sins of cōmission wherby they offend their neighbours which are more expresse sinnes and wherin there is more malice shewed and which are committed by men vpon more deliberation If the ouersights and voluntary negligences in not giuing bread to him who is hungry or drinke to him who is thirsty or clothes to him who is naked or visits to him who is sicke imprisoned in cases when piety doth oblige men to it are yet so abhorred by Christ our Lord and so seuerely punished what will he do to men for those impieties when a sinfull man will take from another the goods which he had honestly gayned and if he robb him or vsurpe it otherwise by vnlawfull and vnconscionable waies and for those other sins when one man takes the health and life from another by wounding and killing him or doing it at least in his desire and when he depriues him of his honour and good name by murmurations detractions and reproaches or when he takes from him his wife or his daughter or his kinswoman by fornications or adultries or the like And d The spirituall workes of charity are of farre more importance then the corporall if negligence in releeuing the corporall necessities of ones neighbor when there is comodity for the same be so abhorred and punished by Allmighty God how much more will he abhorre and punish any slacknes in releiuing the necessities of soules by teaching the ignorant those things which are necessary to saluation by reprehending their vices and by admonishing and exhorting them to a good life in cases of necessity and obligatiō Thus doth the blessed Laurētius Iustinianus ponder this truth in these words Laurent Iustin l. de humili◅ If Christ our Lord in his Iudgment do so exactly and precisely examine chastice the faults which are comitted in failing to shew those works of mercy which are expressed towards the bodies of men which dye what kind of examen and what kind of punishment wil he impose vpon their faults who forbeare to shew the spirituall works of mercy which they ought to haue imparted for the saluation of soules which are immortall Let him that readeth this conceaue rightly and be well assured that there is no doubt but that as this latter fault is greater so shal the examen be more rigorous the punishment more seuere And if the denying of any spirituall benifit which is due to his neighbour for the good of his soule be a fault of so high quality how much more will it be so to rob the soule of life by giuing it wicked Counsell and by teaching it false doctrine and by inducing it to vice by all perswasions and lewd examples Let the good Christian passe on and consider ponder yet more deepely that the sins which are e Sinnes cōmitted immediatly against God are the greatest of all others committed imediately against God such as are the crimes of infidelity of seuerall kinds of superstitions and blasphemies and Sacriledges in breaking vowes and promises made to God and of periuries which draw God as a witnes of lyes and falshood be greater sins then they which are committed against our neighbours and consequently the hatred which God doth carry against them and the punishment which he wil execute for them is incomparably greater From f The true vse which is to be made of this consideration hence the Christian man will gather the great necessity that he is in to abhor in a most profound internall manner all kinde of sins and to flye them with a most watchfull care to feare them with his whole hart For if the lighter sort of sinnes and they wherof men are wont to make least accompt are so publikely to be recorded reproued in that diuine iudgment to be sentenced as worthy of condemnation and punished with eternall torments the case is plaine that the sins which are more greiuous and in greater hurt preiudice of our neighbours and they againe which are of more imediate iniury and affront to God himselfe shal be proclaimed in that diuine iudgment to the greater confusion of sinners they shal be more sharply rebuked by Christ our Lord and more grieuously punished And although the other torments were also eternall yet these shal be greater and more intense then they For this truth was reuealed to S. Iohn by the Holy Ghost who sayth Apoc. 18. So much as the wicked man hath glorified himselfe and hath deliuered himselfe ouer to vicious pleasure and so much more as he presumed of himselfe and lifted vp his face of pride against God affronting his diuine Maiesty with greater sins and so much more as he yeilded obedience to vice in contradiction to the law of God so much greater torment shal be imposed vpon his body and so much more greife and sorrow shall be inflicted vpon his soule CHAP. IX How a Christian is to draw a detestation of sinne out of the consideration of this Iudgement of God and great vigilancy in the leading of a good life THESE a For Iesus sake read ouer this Chapter with sober and sound attention are the points and articles of that diuine Iudgment which discouer to vs the hatred that God doth carry against sinne And these we are to consider with great attention that so we also may gather this fruit out of the diuine Iudgement to
abhorre sinne extremely to grieue vnfaygnedly for those which we haue committed to feare it with our whole harts and to fly from it with cōtinual care For it is all reason that we should abhorre that which God doth so highly abhorre and that we should be mightily grieued for hauing committed such things against God as he mislikes so much wherby he is so much offended And it is most iust fit to feare a Iudgment which is so seuere and ful of terrour and such torments as are so excessiue and so without all end And now that we may with the more efficacy rowse our selues vp towards a perfect hatred of sinne and a feare of the diuine Iudgement let euery one of vs go casting vp his accompt after this manner God b Resolue thy selfe to suffer eternally in hel if thou refuse the grace which God is desirous to giue thee euen very now if thou wilt concurre who is my Creatour hath resolued that the day shall come when he will Iudge me and from this Iudgment it is impossible for me to flye So also hath he resolued that he will reward me in this Iudgment according to my works If he find me in the state of Grace and with the stocke of a good life in my hand he will giue me the reward of eternall felicity If he find me in mortall sinne and that I haue ill imployed my life he will driue me out of the sight of his glory wil cōdemne me to euerlasting torments Now that I consider my selfe I see that I haue lead a carelesse kind of life that I haue committed many offences against his holy Commaundmentes If now he should call me to his Iudgment I am sure that I should be condemned for I haue not done pennance for the sinnes which I haue committed nor haue I yet reformed my life At least I am in much doubt of my saluation for the pennance which I haue done was luke-warme I haue sought to mend m life but slackly It is necessary therefore now euen very now that I change my course that I betake my selfe to my pennance that I do it in good earnest I will obey the voyce of God who commands me by Ecclesiastious saying Before thou come to the diuine Iudgement prouide thy selfe of workes which may be holy and iust to the end that it may succeed well with thee Before thou come into the hāds of God to be iudged by him aske thy selfe the question examine thy conscience well passe an vpright Iudgement vpon thy selfe reprouing thy selfe with griefe punishing thy faults with pennance and so thou shalt find mercy in the sight of God thou shalt find him a fauourable Iudge and he will cast the sentence on thy side Let c Attention the Christian man consider further in the bottome of his hart let him reason thus within himselfe If I d Of the litle difference which there is to be for vs in substāce betweene the day of our death the day of the last Iudgement knew now that the end of the world and the Vniuersall Iudgment were to be held within ten or twenty yeares it would more seriously worke vpon me and would make me more carefull to do pennance and to endeauour a totall renouation of my life and I should more cordially feare the Iudgement and eternal punishment of God the sinnes which make me subiect to euerlasting damnation Yet certainly for as much as concerns me the day when I shall dye is after ◅sort the very day of the Vniuersal Iudgement and of the end of the world For the chiefe of that which passeth in the Vniuersall Iudgement and which maketh it to be feared so much is the irreuocable sentence of eternall damnation which is then to passe vpon the wicked e This maketh not against purgatory but sheweth only that if a man dye in state of sinne he shall continue so for euer and if in state of grace he shall also for euer continue so thogh till all be satisfyed he shal stay in purgatory and then he flyes vp to heauen that where a man shall then be lodged he shall lye for all eternity And he shall then no more haue any vse of any creature of this world or of tyme wherin he may do pennance or procure saluation Now this is in effect the same thing which is to be done with me in the houre of my death For then I shall be iudged and if then I be found guilty an irreuocable sentence of damnation shall passe vpon me and where I shall then be cast I shall remayne for euer and in the Vniuersall Iudgment there is no more to be done but to confirme and proclaime the sentence which was giuen in the particuler Iudgment And in the houre of my death for as much as concerneth me the whole world is at an end so is the vse of all the creaturs therof since I shall returne to it or them no more and so is the Tyme also at an end wherein pennance might haue beene performed and merit might haue been procured If therfore it be so that the houre of my death is to be the same thing for me which the Vniuersall Iudgment and the end of the world and the same it is to be for all men and f The certainty of death and the vncertianty of the houre of our death since it is most certain that the day of my death will arriue eare long and that according to my age and to the tyme which men are wont to last it cannot exceed twenty or thirty years and since it is so casuall as that perhaps it may be eare night it followeth as a most iust and necessary consequence that I should euen from this very instant dispose my selfe to do pennance for my sins with greater care and to make a totall amendment of my life to do that which Christ our Lord commandes me saying Matt. 24. Watch for you know not the houre when your Lord will come and that also which the Apostle S. Peter 2. Pet. 3. in the name of the same Lord doth aduise me saying Brethren the day of our Lord will come like a theefe Now the theef who steales by night comes without giuing any news of himselfe and then he doth it when he is lookt for least Iust so will christ our lord come to iudg vs in the end of the world and in the houre of our death and no man shall know when he is to come the tyme will be at hand when many will be least ready for it Doe you therefore earnestly labour to lead a vertuous life that so you may be free from sinne and that there be nothing in you which may deserue reproofe but that with a quiet and safe conscience you may expect our Lord when he shall come to iudge CHAP. X. Of other Considerations from which we may draw the detestation of sinne
feare of his diuine Maiesty And S. Thomas giuing a reason why the Apostle saith not that we should doe it with the loue but with the feare deliuereth these words D. Thom. in 2. Cor. c. 7. The Apostle saith not with charity but with feare of God To teach vs that the affection of loue which we are to carry towards God is to be accompanyed by a solicitude and reuerentiall feare For this loue causeth security wherby many tymes a man groweth carelesse and negligent in the seruice of God but he who accompaineth that affect of loue with feare is watchfull in the seruice of God and runs diligently towards it and flyes speedily frō any offence of him This is deliuered by S. Thomas And for this reason it wil be fit many tymes to vse the cōsiderations of the diuine Iudgement from whence this holy chast feare may be fetcht And so we may comply with that which the holy Apostle aduiseth vs saying Worke your saluation with feare and trembling Which is as much as to say With an interiour feare to offend God which may be so great as that it may appeare by your exteriour vigilancy and care to performe your workes whereby you may obtayne that true and euerlasting saluation S. Bernard f A sweet secure guide for vs to follow left this truth confirmed both by his doctrine and example in these words Bernar. in Cant. ser 7 Happy is that soule wherin Christ our Lord hath set the print of his two feet and wherin he hath left the markes and footestps of them both which are the feare of his diuine Iudgment and the hope of his diuine Mercy For the consideration of the diuine Iudgment alone breeds disconfidence and despayre and the memory and consideration of his mercy alone doth occasion a sly deceipt of a mans selfe ingendreth a very dangerous kind of security And so haue I experimented in my selfe For the benignity of God sometymes hath graunted to me miserable creature that I might sit downe at the feet of Iesus Christ my Sauiour and that I might with entier deuotion imbrace the one foot of feare at other tymes the other foot of confidence and of loue And if at any tyme it hapned to me that being forgetfull for his mercy I detayned my self long in the consideration and apprehension of the diuine Iudgment I grew all dismayd distempered with an incredible kind of feare and a miserable confusion and all trembling I would be crying out with the Psalmist Psal 8◠O Lord who shall be able to conceaue or comprehend the power of thy wrath And who through the feare he hath shal be able to measure out the greatnes and mightines of that indignation which thou wilt execute against sinners in the other life And g See imitate the great humility of this excellent Saint and learne heereby to know thy selfe if on the other side giuing ouer the consideration and exercise of this feare I detayned my selfe long in the consideration and meditation of the mercy of God I should be grown to fall into such a deale of carelesse negligence that euen then already my prayer would become more remisse my selfe more sloathfull towards a◅ good workes and I should be more disposed towards laughter and such idle intertaynements more free and liberall in my speach and more vnsetled both in my inward outward man Being therefore taught by experience which hath bin a faythfull Maister to me I wi◅ sing to thee O Lord not only Iudgement nor only Mercy but Mercy Iudgment both togeather and both these meanes of iustification will I exercise and vse as long as the tyme of Pilgrimage in this banishment of myne shall last and till I arriue to be possessed of that most happy state wherein all misery and all cause of compunction and feare shall cease and all my glory shall be to prayse thee for all eternity This saying is of S. Bernard wherin by the testimony of what he experienced in himselfe he confirmeth that which the holy Scripture and the doctrine of the Saints doe teach concerning the necessity wherein all the seruants of God are towards the keping of themselues still his seruants to ioyne holy feare with loue and the considerations of the diuine Iudgement the punishments inflicted by his Iustice with the considerations of the mercy of God and of the fauours benefits which he cōmunicateth with a most liberall hand to such as keepe his Law CHAP. XIII Of how great value and merit this holy Feare is THIS is the first way of answring that which was demaunded The a The second answere of the former obiection second is that when we speake of seruile feare of accompaning the same with the loue of God it is true that the exercise of loue is much more excellēt thē that of feare For as we haue said seruile feare which hath the eye vpon punishment is imperfect and but of beginners it is found euen in them who are not yet in state of grace nor can it be meritorious nor wholly acceptable to our Lord God But speaking of filiall feare wherby a man feareth and flyeth from sinne because it is the offense of God and of that reuerenciall feare wherby the soule reueareth his diuine Maiesty and doth humble her selfe to him by doing his diuine wil and comparing this kind of feare with the loue of our Lord God and considering that which indeed doth passe in iust persons it is not an exercise lesse excellent nor lesse pleasing to God nor lesse meritorious then is that of loue For b Filiall fear riseth out of loue this holy feare springeth out of the true loue of God and imbraceth the same loue as the fountaine roote from whence it springs For from louing of God doth grow the feare of offēding him and from the loue of vertue groweth the feare of loosing it frō the high estimation which the soule makes of God and the fulfilling of his will doth growe a profound reuerence of God and the keeping of his law and the feare of doeing any thing which is contrary to the same And so the good Christian whilst he is exercising the chast feare of a sōne of God he doth also exercise the loue of God So saith S. Augustine Aug. in psal 118. serm 25. The feare through which a man loues not vertue but flyes from the punishment of vice is a seruile feare and this feare is that which shutteth Charity out of doores and the same Charity which also shutteth out this kind of fear doth produce and breed that other chast feare through which the soule feares to sinne though it were neuer to be punished And this is that holy feare which iust mē do exercise in the consideration of the diuine Iudgement because as we haue declared through the great desire which they haue to please God and to do according to his wil in
al things they dispose themselues to consider the diuine IudgmeÌ„t so to know the better and as it were to feele the greiuousnes of sinne and the punishment that falls vpon it and the much that God abhors it so to procure a sorrow and hatred of sinne as being an offence of God and to feare it much and to fly from it with great care as being contrary to his diuine will and so exercysing this chast feare which is an effect fruit of diuine loue he exerciseth loue with all which is the cause of that feare for this it is that we haue said that the iust man exercising this filiall feare doth not loose the least graine of the excellency and merit of his loue and that the exercise of filiall feare is not lesse pious and acceptable to God then that of loue For in fine this is the feare of Saints to all whome the Psalmist speakes by saying Psal 33. O all yow Saints feare our Lord. And this is that feare which hath for a reward That it obteyneth of God what it will as the Psalmist doth also witnes saying Psal 140. God will fullfill the will of them that feare him and will heare their praâ—ers granting all which they aske To b True hope riseth out of filiall Feare conclude this is that feare which maketh men happy in this life through the liuely hope and pledge it giues of glory in the other life it will giue the possession therof For a truth it is deliuered by the holy Ghost Prou. 28. Blessed is the man who alwaies liues in the holy feare of God CHAP. XIIII Of the fauours which Christ our Lord will do to the good at the day of Iudgement and of the Ioy which they shall conceaue by seeing the signes which precede that Iudgment and by beholding the glory of the Crosse which shall go before Christ our Lord. GREAT are the benefits which we find in that diuine Iudgment the fruits which we gather thence by our considering that which Christ our Lord will shew vpon the wicked For as we haue declared it doth cleerly discouer the greiuousnes of sinne and how mightily it is abhorred by our Lord God and it moueth vs to a hatred and a feare therof But yet greater are the blessings which we find in the Iudgement of God and the profit which we reap from theÌ„ce by considering that which Christ our Lord will then do for his seruants the fauours which he will impart and the felicity which he will communicate For in this doth he discouer his goodnes and the much that he loueth such as are good and the estimation which he makes of vertue he awaketh and prouoketh vs much to loue him and he doth animate and incourage vs much to labour hard in his seruice and that for the pleasing of him and complying with his holy will we must imploy our selues in all kind of vertue Let vs therfore go declaring the fauors which Christ our Lord will impart to the good in this his Iudgment to the end that we may gather this fruite from thence A great a How differeÌ„tly the same things do worke vpon the good and the bad benefit and fauour shall it be for the good that those very signes which are to precede the diuine Iugdment as namely the darkening of the Sunne the Moone Starres the swelling vp of the Sea the opening of the earth withal the rest which are to strike such excessiue horrour into the wicked and will cause in them such an extreme affliction and dismay so far as that they shall goe like persons euen distracted and mad with griefe shal euen be dryed vp and withered thorough the deadly paine and sorrow which they shal receaue as our Lord himselfe declareth saying Luc. 21. Men shall whither with the feare they will be in of those miseryes which they expect and of which those signes are the forerunners That these very signes I say shal giue to those iust men the seruants of God whome they shall find aliue great strength courage great confidence and security in God shall cause them great alacrity and comfort and they shall go all refresh't and fully at ease as being animated with a new spirit of hope and ioy For b The great reasons which good men haue to be glad of death and the day of Iudgment iust men who cordially doe loue Almighty God do much desire to leaue the miserable estate of this life where God is so many wayes offended and when themselues cannot forbeare to fal into some defects which although they be light veniall yet for as much as they goe against the will of God they feele theÌ„ much and much paine by them where they also find that they haue many impedimentes to keepe them from communicating with God from louing him and tasting him as they desire These persons do extremely couet the state of immortality glory where they shall most perfectly both in body and soule enioy the fauours and benedictions of God as the Apostle declareth c The sense is of the B. Apostle and it is opened and explained by our Authour saying Rom. 8. We know that all creatures that is to say all the whole machine of the world which conteyns all the sensible creaturs is groaning vnder the weight and mutability and corruption which it is subiect to And as a woman who being in labour of her child doth expect to bring him forth so doth it remaine with a kind of wearines and griefe from the very first beginning of the world till this instant desiring hoping to see it self free from this corruption and mutability to be all renewed according to the imitation and resemblance of that glorious liberty of the sonnes of God And we the disciples seruants of Christ our Lord who haue receaued the chiefe and first fruits gifts of the holy Ghost doe sigh groan withal the affectioÌ„ of our harts towards the perfect complete adoptioÌ„ of the sonnes of God which is the glory not only of our soules but euen of our bodyes also whereby the whole man shall be deliuered from all mortality and corruption and from all euill inclination concupiscence and shall perfectly enioy both in body and soule the redemption which was wrought by Christ our Lord. This is of the Apostle And for as much as this desire is of iust persons and that in it selfe it is so very internall and so vehement when they shall see the signes of the diuine Iudgement they shal know that the tyme is then close at hand wherein that desire of theirs is to be satisfyed and when they are to be possessed of that happy state and wherein they are to be free both in body and soule froÌ„ all corruption and misery both of sin and pennance And they shall be ful of glory in their soules and their bodyes being adorned
wherwith they abouÌ„d and the wicked he calleth Goates for their barrennes in doing any thing that is good and for the ill odour of their vices and the impetuousnes of their passions to which they are subiect Three things there are which do principally afflict and torment the good when they are in company of the bad First they see before their eyes many and great offences committed against God and they are not able to preuent them This a He that finds not this griefe in his hart is not so much in loue with God as he perhaps conceaues is a greiuous torment and the more they loue God the fulfilling of his lawe so much greater is the griefe which they conceaue by seeing him offended and it despised This did S. Peter explicate when he said of Lot 2. Pet. 2. That he was a iust man as such he could not indure to see sins coÌ„mitted and yet he dwelt among such men as tormented his very soule by their sins Another thing which afflicteth good men when they liue and conuerse with such as are wicked is the danger b Thou little knowest the extrem danger into which ill company doth cast thee wherin they are of loosing the vertue which they haue For as the example of the good doth induce men to the loue of vertue so doth the example of the wicked to the loue of vice For this cause did the Apostle say to the CorinthiaÌ„s who were men of vertue 1. Cor. 15. Do not suffer your selues to be deceiued depart from the coÌ„pany and communication of the wicked for euill wordes do preiudice and corrupt goodworkes and so make men bad of good For as much therfore as d The more vertuous meÌ„ are the lesse they presume vpon theÌ„selues good men do vnderstand their owne frailty they do greately apprehend their spirituall hurt therfore do they feele great paine by running hazard of falling into such a thing as sinne which they do so much abhorre The third thing which afflicteth good men who finde themselues in the company of wilfull sinners is feare to be punished ioyntly with them For although in this life God doth not punish the soule of one for the sins of another yet e The iudgmeÌ„ts of God are sometymes secret but they are euer iust it happeneth that for as much as concerneth temporall things God sendeth punishment sometymes to some who are good for the sins of other with whoÌ„e they liue As he did to the Children of Israell Iosu 7. who for the sins of Acham who tooke some parte of the enemies spoyles against the commaundment of God retyred his hand of succour from them all and discontinued the strength which he had giuen them and so they were subdued and slaine by their enemies And God declared that he sent that punishmeÌ„t for the sinne of Acham saying The children of Israel shall not be able to resist their enemyes but they shall flye from before their face because they are polluted by his sinnes who tooke that which was solemnely forbidden I will no more declare my selfe in fauour of you till you punish him And so Acham being punished God returned againe to shew them fauour Now this course of Gods punishing in temporall things some one for the sins of another may be taken by Almighty God without the least iniustice to any one because he is the absolute Lord of all things and he doth whatsoeuer he doth vpon perfect reason to declare as S. Austine sheweth Augu. in Iosue q. â— what a wicked thing sinne is and how profoundly it is hated by him D. Thom. 2. â—…q 108. art 4. And this is to be vnderstood when the good who liue amongst the wicked do not yet participate with them in their sins for when they do partake or consent therin and doe f It is no smal 〈◊〉 for a 〈◊〉 not to â—…prehenâ— sinne in due tyme place not reprehend or correct them as they ought then God doth not onely chastise them in temporall things as of the body or goods but also in those other which concerne the soule and that not onely in this life but in that of the other also according to the quality of the fault These are the things which put good men in paine when they are in coÌ„pany of the wicked And so it wil be a most singular benefit and of supreme consolation and ioy for the good to see themselues separated that for euer from the society of the wicked And to knowe soe cleerly that then no longer they shall be able to see with their eyes nor to heare with their eares in those eternall habitations of theyrs any thing at all which may be of the least offence to God But that whatsoeuer they shall either heare or see is to be nothing els but the praising and glorifying of his diuine Maiesty with supreme perfection And to knowe that then they shall not be able to haue so much as any occasion or daunger of it nor that there shall be any one in heauen who may giue them example of sinne by deed or perswade them to it by word For all they whom there they are to haue for companions that for euer are to be Saints and so truly Saints that they shall neuer cease not so much as for one little single moment from louing God with the very highest top of all perfection from doing the holy will of God in all thinges with vnspeakable comfort and ioy And yet further to know that then they are free for euer from all kind of punishment from all danger to suffer any For as for any sinnes of their owne they cannot be punished for any such because they can commit none and as for the sinnes of others they cannot be punished for them because they haue not nor cannot haue the company of any such as can sinne But on g How euery one of the Elect will ioy in the glory of each other the other side they are to haue an augmentation of glory for the most holy society which they shall enioy of the Blessed through whose glory their glory also shall increase For the immense ardour of loue wherewith they will be carryed to God will be the cause why they shal take particuler gust in that loue wherwith euery one of those blessed soules shall glorify loue Almighty God And so also the supreme loue which euery one of the same blessed soules shall beare ech other wil mak theÌ„ receaue particuler ioy by euery one in particuler O most blessed creatures who are to liue in such a society and who are to enioy such a communication of felicity for all eternity If it be a great benediction to enioy the society of good men heere on earth what kind of blessednes will it be to enioy the company of blessed soules If it be a matter of much profit and comfort to participate in the communication of
yet make choyce of vs from all eternity and first create vs and after that sinne was committed redeeme vs to the end that we might obteine that most sublyme and supernaturall end of beatitude which consisteth in seeing God and in enioying God and in obteyning and possessing that by grace which God himselfe doth possesse by nature which is to loue enioy himselfe Againe that he hath created and ordayned and called and iustified vs for the enabling vs to a dignity so sublime as it is to be Kings of heauen and to haue seates and thrones in that heauen which is called Empyreall that for euer And there to possesse the incomprehensible and eternall felicity of glory in this glory to be companions of the Angells yea and of God himselfe who is the Lord of the Angels This I say is a grace and mercy which we are to ponder and most profoundly to esteeme in the very rootes of our harts and to be gratefull to God for it withal the powers of our soule and with our tongue to blesse and prayse him for it with S. Peter saying Blessed and praysed be our God and the naturall fauour of Iesus Christ our Lord who through his great and most aboundant mercy hath engendred vs anew who were borne in sinne and were the Children of wrath by our descent from Adam by liuely Fayth and by the Sacraments making vs by this spirituall generation to become the sonnes of God himselfe and giuing vs a certaine true hope of the true life which is that blessed and euerlasting end And this he wrought in vs by the Resurrection of Christ our Sauiour For by his Resurrection he procured that the world should beleeue in him and should obey his ghospell and by meanes of this faith and obedience the fruit of his life and passion might be communicated to it and by this liuely hope he first enabled vs to expect and afterward to obteine the inheritāce which is due to the Sonne of God The i An insatiable thirst after the ioyes of heauen second thinge which we are to draw from hence is a very great and liuely and efficatious desire of this kingdome of heauen and that once we may arriue to possesse and enioye that celestiall happines A man desires euen by the very appetit of nature to be free from the affliction of paine other corporal miseries but this desire cannot be fulfilled in this life For all this life is full of affliction and sicknes paines of body and sadnes and griefe of mind and difficulties and troubles and contradictions by his kinsmen friends and of persecution by iniustice and oppressions of enemies and of contrary and ill encounters in point of fortune and of temptations of deuils and of the world and of their lawes and rights and of our owne corrupt nature and al our euill inclinations A man saith Iob liues but a little tyme and that little is full of many miseries In heauen it is where a man may haue this desire satisfied because there as S. Iohn saith Apoc. 21. God will wipe away the teares from his frends eyes there shall be no death nor lamentation nor any sad note nor griefe For all this had an end in this life and therfore it is necessary for a man to labour with desire of the kingdome of heauen where only this desire can be accomplished A man k The iust reasō of this thirst drawne from the sinnes wherwith the world abounds desires by the appetite of grace to see himselfe free from the sins of his soule which induce him to do ill In this life this delight cannot be accomplished because all this life is full of innumerable sinns and whersoeuer thou goest thou shal see sinne and plenty of wickednes And althogh in many places it aboundeth more or lesse then in other yet for the most part euery one of them is corrupted defild with diuers kinds of vices yea and euen the most iust and holy men haue some veniall sins of which they cānot free themselues and the same men run hazard to fall into other which are greater For as S. Iohn sayth 1. Ioan. 1. If we shall say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues therin and we speake not truth In heauen it is where this desire is fulfilled for there is neither fault nether can there be any For as the same Apostle saith Apoc. 21. Into that celestiall Hierusalem nothing can enter which is spotted And therfore it is necessary and most profitable for a man to aspire to that habitatiō of heauen where his desire may be satisfied CHAP. XIX How all the things of this life which are good and which giue delight doe induce vs to a desire of the kingdome of heauen NOT a We haue reason to thirst after the kingdom of heauen through the consideration of earthly pleasures which are miserable things yet they make a shift to please vs. onely do the euills of sinne and punishment wherof this life of ours is full incline vs to desire the kingdome of heauē which is free from al those inconueniences but so also do all good things which giue vs in this life any contentment or gust either corporall or spirituall perswade and moue vs to the same For they all discouer to vs the immensity of that celestiall happines and the greatnes of the appetite of our soule which cannot be satisfied and put in quiet by any thing which is lesse then that For a man who by his senses taketh experience of the sauour of his meat and drinke and of the sweetenes of musicke and of the contentment which he hath in seeing those things which are artificiall gallant and full of beauty by the light of reason and of faith will grow to make this consideration If a creature b A most certayne truth and which entreth sweetly into the soule so base and of so small importance as a bird a liquor of milke or wine or any other thing that concernes our food being toucht but by the course pallate of a man do yet cause delight and gust and such gust as that for it some men do expose themselues to much trouble and cost yea and euen to the very perdition of their soules what sauour and what ioy shall it giue the soule to be most profoundly internally with all the powers and forces therof vnited with God and to tast God he being that infinit good and that infinit sweetnes and ioy yea the infinit fountaine of all ioy and sweetnes And with the same soule to swallow downe huge draughtes of that riuer of delights which is in the house of God and which in substance is in euen God himselfe and the infinit and inexhausted sea of all chast and pure delights If to see with these corporall eyes of ours the designe the beauty and the grace of creatures which yet are but compounded of earth water and
the other elements and framed by the will of man out of mettall and wood and other mateâ—…alls of this world do cause such â—ontentment and ioy in the hart â—f man by the sight therof that for â—…is sight they endure and suffer much and make long iourneys and much expence what comfort and ioy shall it be for the cleere eyes of the soule being strengthned by supernaturall force and light to behould that beauty of the Angels and blessed spirits yea and the beauty of God himselfe If to heare with our corporall eares that Musicke which is made by the voyce of a man and of other instrumeÌ„ts of Musicke doth impart such sweetnes as that a man will remaine many houres as if his soule were euen suspended and he is content to loose both his food and rest for this earthly gust what sweetnes will it be for those inhabitants of heauen with the eares of their soule to heare those consorts melodious songes wherwith all the Quires of the Angells do praise and glorify Almighty God And to heare that most gratious voyce wherwith the same God doth comfort and recreate all those blessed soules discouereth to them his Loue togeather with the secrets of his very hart And to heare also eueÌ„ with the ears of their bodies the sound of that praise and thanksgiuing wherwith all those men who are to be made happy after their Resurrection shall glorify Almighty God giue ioy to the whole court of heauen A man c We haue reason to aspire to eternall glory since nothing of this life can queÌ„ch our thirst who considereth and pondereth by these and such other discourses both of reason and faith the greatenes of these celestiall blessings and who findeth that neither the naturall appetite of reason and much lesse the supernaturall which he hath being caused in him by grace is satisfied or contented or quieted by al the benefits and gusts and delights of the earth but that euen whilst he hath them he becometh more hungry more discontent and more vnquiet then he was before that onely he can be satisfied by the delights and gusts which are in heauen will be induced vpon this motiue to desire the happines of heauen with a most vehement ardour of minde And he is animated and encouraged to begge it of God and to sigh and grone for it continually and he sayth with Dauid Psal 41. As the Hart with being chased and tired and hauing deadly thirst desires the waters and goes panting vp and downe in search therof so my soule being ouerwrought by the miseries of this life desireth thee o my God hath a mighty thirst and an vnsatiable appetit towards thee who art the fountaine of the liuing water both of grace glory which can only satisfie and appease my whole appetit How longe o Lord am I to liue in this place of banishment When wil it be granted me that being freed from the miseries of this exile I may present my selfe before thee and behould thee face to face and enioy thy presence in the society of those happy soules And as longe as this sentence of banishement lies vpon me that the sight of thy Diuinity is deferred I take contentment in nothing but spending of sighes and shedding of teares day and night throgh the excessiue desire that I haue to be with thee and by these teares my soule is comforted mantained Thus did Dauid and all those holy Patriarcks and Prophets and great seruants of God of the old Testament aspire sigh and groane with vehement desire of this celestiall beatitude And much more and with more reason did the Saints of the newe Testament performe the same and so should all true Christians do First because till the passion of Christ our Lord was past the Saints how fully soeuer they were purged from all sinne and paine went not yet to heauen but to the Lymbus of the holy Fathers where they staid froÌ„ entring into heaueÌ„ till the redemption of the world were accomplished by Christ our Lord. But since his death all they who are purified either in this life or in the other do instantly rise vp to the possessioÌ„ of euerlasting beatitude And secondly now in tyme of the lawe of grace the guifts of the holy Ghost are more aboundantly communicated to the faithfull so they receiue more consolations and spirituall ioy and haue more gust feeling and experience of celestiall graces and do more perfectly vnderstand the height the value and the maiesty therof and consequently they desire them more with more ardour of affectioÌ„ then did the Saints of the old Testament It doth also increase this desire in the tyme of the lawe of grace to knowe that heauen is full of blessed creatures who are of the race of mankinde and who are expecting vs there and do greatly desire our Society For by the entry which any one of the elect doth make into heauen the glory of God is increased who is far more beloued and praised and glorified by the iust in heauen then on earth and so also doth the accidentall ioy and glory of euery one of the elect increase vpon the arriuall of any other But much more then they altogether doth d This reason would extremely oblige vs though ther were no other Christ our Lord who redeemed saued vs by his death desire to haue vs there with him Both because he loueth vs much more then they all are able to do as also for that by the entry of the elect into heauen and by the possession which theÌ„ is giuen theÌ„ of that kingdome the whole fruit of his passion and death is gathered all that is perfected and established which he did and suffred for vs heere that so he might make vs completely happy be like to himselfe in glory be partakers of his heauenly kingdome and in fine to make vs such as that togeather with him we may perfectly prayse and glorify and enioy his eternall Father For these reasons doth he much desire to see vs in heauen and when that desire of his is satisfyed by the ascent which any of the elect maketh thither that most sacred soule of our Lord doth receaue a new delight ioy which belongeth to his accidentall glory For as that kind of glory may increase in any of those other Blessed Spirits so may it also do in the most glorious Humanity of Christ our Lord. CHAP. XX. How from this knowledge concerning the Kingdome of Heauen which Christ our Lord will giue his seruaÌ„ts we are to gather a resolute purpose to fly from sinne and to fullfill the Commandments of God to despise the commodityes of this life THE a The consideration of eternall glory must awake vs to hate fly from sinne third and the principall vse which we are to make of this our knowledge and estimation and desire of heauenly beatitude is a stout and resolute minde and
that good cause which he hath begun Let vs all both heare and with great fidelity obey the voyce of that Prophet who sayth 2. Paral. 25. You who are the people of God do you encourage and animate yourselues to serue him and to continue in that seruice of his without dismay for in fine your labours shall 〈◊〉 answered with a great reward CHAP. XXI How we are much to animate our selues to the exercise of good workes considering the great estimation which Christ our Lord doth make of them at the day of Iudgement and the reward which he also imparteth to thē THERE is also another particular consideration belonging to this diuine Iudgment and to the reward of good workes which doth greately moue the soule to labour hard in the seruice of God And this is the Reason and Tytle which Christ our Lord alledgeth in giuing his benediction and reward to the iust when he saith Matt. 25. Come yee blessed of my Father possesse the kingdom which is prepared for you For I was hungry and you gaue me to eat I was thirsty and you gaue me to drinke I was a stranger you receiued me into your howse I was sicke and in prison and you came to visit me For a The great valew which our Lord doth make euen of our least good workes by these words Christ our Lord doth mightily discouer the estimation and price which he hath stamped vpon good workes which are done in grace and the great fauour and honor which they receiue in his diuine presence the much that they please him and the immense glory wherwith he rewardeth them since so meane workes so very easy to be wrought as it is to giue a peece of bread to a poore hūgry body or a cup of water to a thirsty or a shirt to couer the naked or a nights lodging to a stranger or a visit to an imprisoned or sick person though it be but to comfort him with good words for we see he doth not say I was sicke and you cured me or I was imprisoned and you freed me but such easy workes as are those other and which put vs to so little cost and trouble that excellent Maiesty of his is pleased to publish proclaime in that great Theater vpon the day of Iudgement in the presence of the whole world and he setteth out and praiseth them which his owne sacred mouth he sublymes then so high as to take them for seruices and deare fauours imparted to his owne persō which giue him great contenment gust And so much b That which maketh a good worke meritorious is the flowing of it from the grace of God in Christ our Lord and the being seconded by his promise of a reward which promise makes the reward due account he makes therof as to esteeme them for merits which are worthy of eternall life and he receaues them as a price of the kingdome of heauen And he esteemeth them for meritorious that not only all together but euery one of them a part and a part he takes euery one of them for the price of glory and of that kingdome which hath no end But c What will not our Lord do to vs for greater worke since he doth so much for the lesse now if Christ our Lord who so highely esteemes and vouchsafes the fauour of so great reward to so light and easy workes as those what will he do to such workes of mercy as are great hard and which grow out of much Charity As when a man doth giue all his goods or a great part therof to the poore or lodge Pilgrims for a long tyme and serue them and prouide them of all things necessary depriue himselfe of clothes to cloth the poore naked Christian and to serue sicke persons day and night and that in the case of troublesome and contagious diseases as when they may be struckē with the plague and to drawe with much trouble of person and charge of purse such as are prisoners or Captiues out of their chaines How much I say will Christ our Lord esteeme such works as these which cost much labour and money and for the performing whereof a man endures much incommodity and imbraceth many paineful things and wrastling with store of difficulties and mortifies himselfe much to comfort others renounces his owne will in many things that so others may be comforted and releeued There can no doubt be made but that much more he will esteeme them and will afford them the fauour in that day of Iudgement of a reward so much higher as the works are more excellent more acceptable in his eyes for being growne vp out of greater Charity And if the Corporall works of mercy which are exercised vpon the bodyes of men which must quickly dy and for the maintenance and preseruation of this corporall life which is soone to haue an end be so much esteemed and fauoured and so highly rewarded by Christ our Lord what will he be sure to do to the workes of spirituall mercy wherby immortall soules are succoured redrest and wherby they being deliuered from the death of sinne and euerlasting paine there is imparted to them saluation and a life of euerlasting glory A plaine d How much therefore are we bound to such as do assist our soules though it be with hazard of their liues case it is that the worke of mercy wherby a soule is assisted is more excellēt then that other wherby a body is releeued that these works of piety wherby the spirituall and eternall life is holpen is of much more valew and merit then that other wherby that corporall and fraile life is succoured For as much as according to S. Thomas D. Thom. cont Gen. l. 4. cap. 55. Amongst all those things which are created no one is greater then the saluation of a reasonable soule which consisteth in the enioying of God So also there is no other greater almes then that wherby this saluation and this life of grace and glory is procured consequently a much greater benefit doth he impart to another who remedieth the necessityes of his soule then if he had giuen him a great sūme of money And since they who giue a little bread to the hungry and a little water to the thirsty and they who retyre a Pilgrime to their house and apparel a naked person with a peece of cloth and visit a man who is in prison or sicke giuing him a little temporall comfort be so esteemed and honoured by Almighty God in the presence both of heauen earth in that terrible tribunall of his Iudgment and are so enobled and sublymed with the Crowne of celestiall glory and with the dignity of the euerlasting kingdome what will Christ do that most iust and righteous Iudge and that most liberal God with them who dispense the bread of heauenly doctrine to such as haue need and are hungry after it