the holy saynt lyuyd nat without many of these But whan so euer they fel in any of these they were sory and knew theyr offence And so must we do whan we so fall in any of these we must be sory therfore and knowlege our offencys and almyghty god wyll than be mercyfull vnto vs yf we so do But in no wyse we may repute them as nought and rekyn them to be no synnes for thaÌ„ we shall fynde them great synnes And especyally whan we shal approche into that fire we may nat therfore I say recoÌ„pt them as nothynge for than they shall encrease vpon vs dayly more more that so largely that the nomber of them shall be importable These durynge this lyfe may be lyghtly put asyde by betynge of our brestes by osteÌ„dynge the wordes in the Pater noster Dimitte nobis debita uostra forgyue vs father our dettes By vysityng also of theÌ„ that be seke by coÌ„fortynge of them that be in trouble by forgyuynge of our iniuryes by pacyeÌ„t suffrynge of aduersytye and by many other suche But we may nat accompt them as nought for saint Austyn saith though they be lytle yet many lytels makyth a moche It is but a lytle thynge he sayth one corne of grauell but yet thou mayst ouerlade thy bote with many of them Thou mayst put so many cornes in to thy bote that it shall be ouerchargyd and fynally drowned And so lyke wyse yf thou be neglygent of these lytle synnes y u mayst hepe so many of them togyther that fynally they shall drowne thy soule And in another place the same saynt Austyn dothe lyke them to lytle blaines and scabbes and the dedly synnes to great mortall woundes Many blaynes or scabbes in a man or a woman though they slee nat yet they defourme and dysfygure the face and the body of maÌ„ and makyth it lothsom to be lokyd vpon And so sayth he these lytle synnes defourme our soules and makyth them vngoodly to be loked vpon and vnworthy the presence of almyghty god They may be also lykenyd to the rust of a knyfe and the dedly synnes to the cancre The rust that is nat cankeryd may more easely be remoued with a lytle rubbynge and scourynge thaÌ„ may the very cancre And so lykewyse these lytle synnes albeit they cancrenat the soule lyke as dothe the greate synnes yet they rust the soule And therfore they must haue a scouryng either in this worlde or els in the fyre of purga ory we shall nat escape nor passe by that flambe tyll tyme we be clene scoutyd from all venyall synnes A trouth it is the two edged swerde can nat harme the yf thou haue no dedly synne in thy soule But yf the brennynge flambe shall swynge away thy venyall synnes ere thou passe that way THe thyrde stop that we shall fynde before vs whan we shall couet to enter shal be Cherubyn ¶ Cherubyn betokenyth the streyght examynacyon that shall be made of euery person the whiche shall passe and enter into that kyngdome for these aungels shall gyue hede that all suche as shall entre there be accordyngly aparelled with the iustyce of good workes Ye se that in the kynges courte the porters standynge â–ª before the gate wyll nat suffre any person to entre that is nat in honest apparell For yf his garmeÌ„t be raggydor torne he shall nat entre there In lyke maner these blyssyd auÌ„gels of Cherubyn which is as moche to say as plenitudo scientie that is plentye of connynge and knowlege and nothynge can escape theyr iyes but that they wyll anon perceyue yf we want our apparell that is to say the ryghtwysenes of good workes For it suffysyth nat to them that shall entre there yf they be scouryd of theyr euyll workes but they must haue also many good workes For of theyr apparell y e prophete sayth Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo My lorde who shal inhabyt in thy tabernacle And he answereth Qui ingreditur sine macula et operatur institiam He that entreth without any spot worketh rightwysenes ¶ we must bothe be clene of al scabbes of synnes also be apparellyd with the workes of ryghtwysenes And our sauyour sayth of hym that was nat apparellyd accordyngly that he sholde be bounde hande and fote and so throweÌ„ out into outwarde darkenes where shall be wepynge and gnastynge of teeth Thou must therfore haue thy garment made of ryghtwyse workes or els thou shalt nat entre into that kyngdom ¶ whan thou art clensyd from dedly synne and purged from venyall synne yet yf there be founde in the no good workes thou shalt nat be suffryd to entre there Thou must brynge with the a clene garment of iustyce whiche was betokenyd by that whyte garment that was taken vnto the at the Sacrament of baptysme by the preest whan he sayd vnto the Accipe vesteÌ„ candidaÌ„ quaÌ„ perferas ante tribunal dnÌ„i nrÌ„i Jesu christi Take here this whyte garment to the entent that thou maist bryng it before the trone of our lorde Jesu chryst This garmeÌ„t yf thou haue lost or torne or solde thou must study bytymes to repayre it agayne by som good workes But alas I feare me that this garmeÌ„t be farre to seke with many persoÌ„s Som hath smodged this garment with the smoke of worldly affeccyon some hath male it and spot it with many venyall synnes som hath foule blottyd it by dedly synne som hath made it vggly by pryde som by wrath and enuy hath torne it some hath made it horrybly stynkynge by lechery som by couytyse hath clerely cast it from them But none of these as saynt Paule sayth Regnum dei possidebunt Shall haue possessyon of the kyngdome of god ¶ we must therfore study to recouer this clene white garment agayne by ryghtwyse lyuynge and kepyng of the commaundementes of almyghty god of the which my purpose is to speke at large for the tyme that I intenâ—â— to be occupyed with you for doubtlesse as I 〈◊〉 â—â—hersyd vnto you the wordes of our sauyâ—ur 〈◊〉 â—â—etyng vs all Nisi abundauerit c. Onelesse your ryghtwyse lyse be more amyle than was the lyfe of the scrybes and pharyseys ye shall nat entre into the kyngdom of heuen Thus than I suppose ye conceyue those thre thynges that I promysed to declare ¶ Fyrst how after the exaÌ„ple of Adaâ— and Eue whiche brake the commaundement of god euery other synner fallyth vnto synne ¶ The secoÌ„de how that for the vnryghtwysnes of synne and brekynge of the commauÌ„demeÌ„tes of god all synners nat amendynge theyr lyfe shal be excludyd from the intresse into the kyngdom of heuyn ¶ The thyrde that there standeth suche stoppes in our way that oneles we begyn ones to enfouime our lyfe by the true kepynge of the coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes of god to recouer agayn this vnryghtwysnes that we haue lost we shal neuer haue entresse into that kyngdome ¶ wherfore it shall be expedyent for euery true chrysten man and woman to lerne to know the commaundementes of our lorde to the entente that he may endeuour hym selfe to kepe them and so by the kepynge of them he may recouer agayne the possybylytye to entre into that ioyfull and gloryous place the whiche he graunt vs qui cum patre et spiritu sancto viuit et regnat deus Amen ¶ Finis ¶ Newly Enprynted at London by me w. Rastell the. xxviii day of June the yere of our lorde M. CCCCC xxxii ¶ Cum priuilegio ¶ These bokes be to sell at London in Southwarke by me Peter Treuerys
tuis super milia Better is one day within thyne entresse than many thousandes els where This is than one great difference of the Joyes of heuyn fro the Joyes of this worlde THe seconde dyffereÌ„ce is this The ioyes of this worlde haue adioyned with theÌ„ many dredes ¶ we be certayne that ones we must forgoo these pleasures here we knowe it well and therfore we can nat but alway drede to forgo and lese them And the more dere they be vnto vs the deplyer we set our hertes vppon them the more we shall drede to forgo theÌ„ ¶ A lytle sykenes a lytle trouble a nye lykelyhood of dethe dysapoynteth all these pleasures we must nedes therfore drede and fere sikenes feare trouble and fere the sodeyne comynge of dethe and fere euery thynge that may let or breke our pleasures And verely of suche pleasures aryseth theyr owne dystruccyon at the ende the whiche dyd ryght well appere in the pleasaunt syghtes wherof I spake before For by the reason of them great money was spent many great mennes coffers were emptyed many were brought to a great ebbe pouerty This ebbe caused a greater flowe of Couytyse afterwarde in many mennes hartes Sumof them were the syker the weker in theyr bodyes dyuers toke theyr deth therby Sum by reason of theyr sumptuouse apparelment lernyd so great pryde y t hytherto they coulde nat shyfte it fro them Neuer was sene in England suche excesse of apparelment before as hath ben vsed euer syns And thereof also must nedes aryse moche harte brennynge and secrete enuye amongest many for the apparell They whiche had the leest dyd enuye the other whiche had rycher apparell than they had or myght reche vnto Thus many for these pleasures were the worse bothe in theyr bodyes in theyr soules ¶ But the pleasures of heuyn be after another maner No man is enpayred by theym There is no dred of pouerty there is no gredynesse of Couytyse there is no wekenes of any maner of sykenesse nor feare of any maner of dethe There is no pryde nor enuye nor desyre of honour but charyte concorde peace tranquylyte and perfyte rest and euery persone Joyeth as well of his neyghbours furtheraunce as of his owne as glad of his neyghbours welth as of his owne ¶ Oh what Joyfull place is this Oh how confortable it were to dwell in this kyngedome For these be the thynges whiche we all desyre we flye pouertye and we wolde haue rychesse and there is plenty Gloria et diuitie in domo eius we flye sykenes and dethe and wolde haue contynuaunce of helth Here we get it nat there we may haue it Mors vltra non erit After that we be entred thether we shall no more fele dethe nor any cause or occasyon therof we flye trouble and busynes and wolde haue rest which can nat be gotten nor had here There we may be sure to haue it and therfore it is called Eterna req ies euerlastyng rest And saint Paule sayth Festinemus ingredi in requieÌ„ illam Let vs make spede to entre into that rest for as it is wryten in the Apocalipsis Neque luctê° neque clamor neque dolor erit vltra There shall neuer be mournynge or complaynyng of any maner of sorow For these causes the Joyes of heuen incomperably passeth all the Joyes that can be deuysed in this wretchyd world or coÌ„ceyued by mortall mennes wyttes THe thyrde dyfference is that the pleasures whereof I spake had many interrupcyons For that lytell whyle that we were there somtyme there was suche dust and therewithall so great wyndes that all the ayre was full of dust The gownes of veluet and clothe of golde were full of dust the ryche trappers of horses were full of dust hattes cappes gownes were full of dust the here and faces of men were full of dust briefly to speke horse man were so encombred with dust that scantly one myght se another The wyndes blewe downe many tentes shakyd sore the houses that were buylded for pleasure and let dyuers of them to be buylded Somtyme agayne we had raynes and thunders so vnmeasurably that noo man myght styre forth to to se no pleasures Somtyme whan men wolde lenger haue dysportyd them at the Justes cam the nyght darkenes vpon them interruptyd theyr pleasure ¶ In Heuyn is no suche interrupcyons There is no dust nor droughtes there is no raynes nor no wetes there is no blastes nor stormes of wyndes there is no thunder ne tempestes There is no nyght nor darkenes but a contynuall day a contynuall temperauÌ„ce a clere ayre without mystes and cloudes wherfore the Joyes of that place be neuer interrupted abated nor mynyshed in any poynt THe fourth the pleasures aforsayd were sone done they dyd nat abyde where be all tho pleasures now they were but shadowes lyke shadowes they be past lyke shadowes they be slyd away lyke shadowes they be now vanysshed away from vs. Ye se somtyme a clowde that is alofte in the ayre betwene the soÌ„ne the grouÌ„de make a shadow vpoÌ„y e grouÌ„de tarieth nat but slydeth away euen so slydeth away y e pleasures of this life But the pleasures of Heuyn contynually abyde They passe nat they slyde nat they vanyssh nat away they neuer lesse but rather eÌ„crease they neuer enpayre ne dye but waxe better and fressher Therfore the Prophete Dauyd sayd CuÌ„cupiscit et deficit aiÌ„a mea iÌ„ atria dnÌ„i My soule couetith faiteth for desyre to be within the house of my Lorde that is to say within the kyngdome of heuyn THe fyft last difference is y t all the gloryous syghtes worldly y t can be deuised of men be but couÌ„trefeytes in coÌ„paryson of the Joyes aboue in heuyn All the glory whiche is shewed i this world of worldly prynces be borowed of other creatures it is nat theyr owne natural glory Fyrst the cloth that they were it cometh onely of the poore shepes backes The fyne costely furres from other vnreasonable beestes The sylkes wherwith they couer theyr bodyes were taken of the intrales of wormes The fresshe colours bothe of clothe and sylke be made by the craft of diynge and by the myxture of dyuers thynges taken of ryght vyle creatures The golde whiche by crafte is tourned into theyr garmeÌ„tes what is it els but erthe The precyous stones lykewyse be gadered som out of beestes some out of fysshes som out of the see some out of the erthe In these thynges stande all the gloryous syght of man and this is nat his owne naturall glory whiche he hath by nature yet for synne remaineth in vs the wouÌ„de of shame that we dare nat shew our owne naturall glory but couer it with a borowed glory taken and begged of other creatures which is nat naturall vnto vs but may be layd asyde remoued whan so euer we lyst And whan this apparell is remoued fro vs where is than our glory
and charytable dedes Of the which bycause I haue spokē vnto you in other yeres past I shall nat nede now to reherce the same agayne THe fyfte consyderacyon is for that our owne profyte and our owne welth han geth therby ¶ who that wyll haue mercy of god must shew mercy fyrst into other yf thou wylt that almyghty god shall haue pytye on the begyn thou haue pyte of other which haue nede and be in that necessytye than almyghty god wyll haue pytye vpon the. Our sauyour cryste sayth in the Gospell Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur vobis In lyke measure as ye haue pytyed other so shall pyty be measured vnto you Shew your charyte vpon these prysoners of god take some pytye and compassyon vpon them study to releue them in theyr necessytye by your prayers or other good workes and than almyghty god shal haue pytye of you agayne and els it shall be sayd vnto euery of vs that wyll haue no pyty that that is wryten in a parable Serue neque nonne oportuit te misereri conserui tui sicut et ego tui misertus sum SEcōdly y u shalt be rewarded of these blessyd soules for whom thou prayest For whā they shall be delyueryd out of that paynfull pryson set aboue in the kyngdome of heuyn they shal there agayn be as myndefull of the a meane for thy delyueraūce eyther fro the lust of synne in this present lyfe or els from Purgatory yf peraduc̄ture thou shalt com thyder Scrypture tellyth that Joseph was benefycyall to one beynge Sargeant of the Celler to kyng Pharo the sayd Sergeant he were in prysō as it chaūced after the sergeant was delyuered restored vnto his offyce agayn he so delyuered wolde nat forget the gentylnes of Joseph but was so myndefull of hym that by his wysdome he gate hym also delyuered out of pryson ¶ Do thou lykewyse be thou now benefycyall vnto these blessed soules in this tyme of theyr moost nede whyles they be in this pryson of Purgatory and they in the same wyse shall be benyfycyall agayne to releue the whan thou shalt peraduenture be there THyrdly thou shalt hereby do a great ple asure vnto theyr good aungels that be appoynted there to gyue theyr attendaūce vpō these blessyd soules in Purgatory For these good aūgels neuer leue them y t shalbe sauyd frō the fyrst houre of theyr byrth into this worlde tyll they brynge them before the face of almygh ty god aboue in heuyn Therfore whā these sou les be delyuered out of that pryson it is to theyr aungels a great Joy conforte And so by the same benefyte which y u doost exhybyt vnto any blessed soule there thou byndest his good aūgell to haue the the rather in remembraunce lyke wyse to pray for the at thy necessyte ¶ Now whā we haue spoken fyrst of the ioyes that the gloryouse holy saintes haue aboue in the kyngdom of heuyn that we may Joy with them in this feestfull day secōdly of the soules beyng in the myserable pryson of Purgatory which so desyrously loke after y e confort of our prayers let vs nat forget our owne soules as yet lyuynge in this wretchyd worlde but speke also somwhat concernyng the profyte of them ¶ The remembraunce of these two places sholde greatly moue and styre our hartes and myndes that one to withdraw our appetytes from this worlde wherby we dayly gather the dust at the leest of venyall synnes and to make vs to couyte and desyre that ioyfull kyngdom of heuyn where is all conforte and pleasure That other shold quycken vs to lyue so for this lytle whyle that we haue to abyde i this world that we be nat taryed nor arested by the way and so peraduenture cast into that ferefull pryson of Purgafory tyll tyme we haue payd euery ferthynge of our dettys which hange as yet vpon our hedes for our synnes past FYrst here I say that the remembraunce of the Joyes of Heuyn sholde greately styre vs to forsake the false pleasures of this lyfe and to desyre to be there where be the very sure abydynge pleasures ¶ whiche of vs wolde nat gladly be in that place where is neuer werynesse nor lothsomnesse ne fastydyousnes where there is no pouertye no sykenes no feare of dethe no maner of trouble no enuy no malice no hatred no pryde no couertise but true peace and perfyte rest where there is no intertupcyon of pleasures neyther by hetes nor coldes neyther by dustes ne by raynes neyther by wyndes ne by tempeslys neyther by nyght ne by darknes but euer a fayre bryght clere ayre euer a styll goodly calme euer a swete pleasaūt attemperaunce where the pleasures vanysshe nat away as do the shadowes the smokes the blases the dremes other fantasyes but euer styll abyde a lyke fresshe a lyke new a lyke confortable where be no countrefeyt ymagys or dysguysynge for a tyme but the very thynges the true ioyes the sure pleasures the very glory that euer shall indure and neuer shall ende where we shall se face to face nat hym that is a kynge but for a few yeres and vppon a Realme that is subiect vnto many myseryes But hym that is the kynge of all kynges the lorde of all realmes the Emperour of heuyn and of erthe the gouernour of all the worlde ¶ Halas what meane we Oh myserable dulnesse of our hartes Crysten men what do we what thynke we Oh hartes so sore congelyd in the frosty colde of synne that can nat warme nor delyte in the remembraunce of these moost cōfortable Joyes Oh Jesus we can take paynes we can take labours to get the transytory pleasures of this lyfe whiche we be nat sure to kepe the space of halfe an houre and tho Joyes and pleasures that be so excellent and that euer shall endure and abyde that also which with moche lesse paynes and labours myght be goten we nothynge study for to get ¶ Halas what cursed blyndenes is this how be men thus deceyued ye thus wretchyd thus inchaunted and charmed with subtyll craftes of the deuyll that they clene forget theyr owne moste welthe which they myght attayne vnto with moche lesse labour and payne than they now take And yet they wery them selfe toylynge and labourynge with moche care trouble and study for the wretchyd pleasures vanytes of this transytory worlde that nat only wyll nat abyde with them but also lede theym to euerlastynge werynesse and to perpetuall trauayle and labour in the moste extreme paynes of hell which euer shall endure SEcondly the remembraunce of Purgatory sholde make vs so to lyue here that whan we depart hence we be nat taryed by the waye and be arested for our dettes so be cast into that paynfull pryson from the whiche no man shall be delyueryd tyll tyme he haue payd the vttermost ferthynge ¶ Marke well what Saynt Austyn sayth of this fyre that