of this reward is painted out vnto vs in the holy scriptures by the diuersity and greatnes of the names thereof For first it is called by the name of Regnum caelorum i. The kingdome of heauen because the saints of God do there inioy great liberty dignity honour power pleasure glory and all good things whatsoeuer Secondly it is called by the name of Regnum Dei Christi i. The kingdome of God and of Christ because that Iesus Christ hauing ouercome death hell and damnation together with all the enemies that did oppose vs in the way to heauen doth there rule and gouerne his Church triumphant with heauenly peace and euerlasting tranquillity Thirdly it is called by the name of Paradisus 1. Paradise in respect of the abundant plenty of all good and pleasant things which the saints can either wish or possibly desire Fourthly it is called by the name of Caelum tertium y e third heauen which is called Caelum Empyraeum i. igneum not in respect of fire but in respect of y e glorious light y e shineth therein for it is Situ altissimum quantitate maximum naturâ purissimum luce plenissimum capacitate amplissimum i. High in scituation great in quantity pure in nature ful of light excéeding large able to receiue ten thousand times more persoÌ„s then there are drops of water in the sea or sands lying by he shore Fiftly it is called by the name of Sancta ciuitas an holy city built with most pretious pearles because the company that dwell therein are holy and pure shining in holinesse and glistring in purity as the portals of the burnish Sunne Sixtly it is called by the name of Summa beatitudo inestimable blessednesse because the saints inioy the full presence of the blessed trinity wherein true blisse consisteth Seuenthly it is called by the name of Vita aeterna life euerlasting because there shall be no more death nor lamentation no more crying nor sorrow but the saints shall enioy these blessed ioyes so long as God shall be God which is for euerlasting This is the reward promised to all those that will runne in the race of godlines holding out to the end A large reward no man knoweth it but he that inioyeth it Adeò magna est quòd nequit numerari adio pretiosa quòd nequit comparari adeò diutina quòd nequit terminari i. So great is their reward as it cannot be numbred so pretious as it cannot be valued so lasting as it is euerlasting it is great without quantity swéet without quality infinit without number euerlasting without end So great is this reward as neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard of the like neither can it be expressed of the heart of man Quod praeparauit saith S. Augustine diligentibus se Deus fide non capitur spe non attingitur charitate non comprehenditur desideria vot a transgreditur adquiri potest aestimari non potest i. That which y e Lord hath prepared for those that loue and feare his name is not fully attained to by faith neither fully retained by hope neither fully conteined by charity it far surpasseth the desires of men and angels it may in some measure be obtained but valued it can neuer be Deus saith S. Bernard Est mel in ore melos in aure inbilus in corde i. God is hony in the mouth melody in the eare and ioy in the heart Ibi nihil intus quod fastidiatur nihil foris quod appetatur ibi rex veritas lex charitas possâ—ssia aeternitas i. In heauen there is nothing that may séeme fulsome or loathsome out of heauen there is nothing that may be wished or desired for then were there no perfection in heauen for Perfectum est cui nihil addi potest i. There is perfection where can be no addition there the king is verity the law charity and possession eternity S. Augustine speaking of the ioyes of heauen saith thus Ibi laetitia sine tristitia locus sine dolore vita sine labore lux sine tenebris ibi iuuentus semper vigescit nunquaÌ„ senescit ibi dolor nunquaÌ„ sentitur nec gemitus vnquam auditur ibi tristitia nunquaÌ„ videtur sed aeternum gaudium possidetur i. There is mirth w tout inone place without paine life w tout labour light without darknesse there youth alwayes flourisheth and neuer decayeth there is no torment felt no howling heard no sorrow séene but possession of euerlasting ioyes Ibi est summa certa tranquillitas tranquilla faeticitas faelix aeternitas aeterna beatitudo beata Trinitas i. There is great tranquillity tranquill felicity happy eternity euerlasting blessednes and the blessed trinity O gaudium super gaudium vincens omne gaudium extra quod non est gaudium quando intrabo in te vt Deum meum videam qui habitat in te i O ioy aboue all ioyes far surpassing all ioyes without which there is no ioy when shall I enter into thée that I may sée my God that dwelleth in thée This holy man Augustine considering the greatnes of the ioyes of heauen saith on this maner faciliùs expont petest quid non sit in coelo quà m quid fit in coelo i. A man may sooner tel what is not in heauen then what is in heauen for the ioyes which are there are innumerable Euen as a learned Geometrician finding Hercules his footes length vpoÌ„ the high hill Olympus drew out his whole picture by the proportion of the same though farre vnequall to it so we may gesse at the greatnesse of the ioyes of heauen though farre vnequal to them As the Quéene of Sheba hauing heard the wisdome of Salomon which before she beléeued not sayd to Salomon Loe the one halfe was not told me So the saints of God inioying y e vnspeakeable ioyes of heaueÌ„ may say It is true which we haue heard concerning the ioyes of heaueÌ„ by the mouth of preching ministers but lo the thousand part of theÌ„ was not told vnto vs. The greatnesse of these ioyes do appeare in y e entertainment of the faithful seruant into ioyes by our Lord Iesus saying Enter into thy masters ioy Our Sauiour saith not Let thy maisters ioy enter into thee but Enter thou into it shewing vnto vs that the ioyes of heauen are so many as the thousand part of them cannot be contained in the soule of man Thus at large haue I spoken of this reward the more to allure al men to run in y e race of Christianity which is y e highway to this glorious reward Foure things there are that being well considered are excellent motiues to cause men to leaue the broad way of iniquity and to betake themselues to run in this race Celestiall The day of death The day of doome The ioyes of heauen and the torments of hell Let euery Christian therefore as he tendreth his euerlasting
from the prison of our bodies thou shalt sooner remoue the rockes and mountaines from their places then make vs recant from the profession of the Gospell of Iesus Such was y e resolution of Sydrach Myshach and Abednego that rather than they would croutch to Nabucadnezzars golden image which was 60. cubits high they would be cast into the hot fiery fornace which was made seuen times more hot then vsually it was for necessary vses Such was the resolution of Blessed Paul that nothing could separate him from his Lord and maister Christ whose couragious vow we may finde in his Epistle to the Romans on this manner Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword No verily for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord neither the loue which we haue to God from vs who are made his sonnes through Christ Iesus And indéed that which Paule promised he performed for he was beheaded at Rome for the Gospels defence although y e sword did separate his head from his shoulders yet it could not separate him frō his head Christ Iesus Such was the resolution of the patterne of patience that though the Lord should kill him yet would he put his trust in him Such was the resolution of Ignatius Bishop of Antioch after Peter that the rauening beasts could not make him flinch from his redéemer yea being commanded by the king of Syria to be torne in péeces of wilde beasts and being led to the place of execution he vttered this golden sentence Nihil moror visibilium nec inuisibilium modo Iesum Christum i. I care neither for things visible nor yet for things inuisible neither for things séene nor yet for things not séene Onely this is my care that I may obtaine Christ Iesus and with him euerlasting saluation and when the beasts were let loose vpon him these were his last words as saith S. Ierome I am Gods corne and the teeth of these wild beasts must grind me in peeces that I may be pure bread and fine manchet for Christ Iesus his table in heauen Such was the constant resolution of that godly old woman Apollonia that she chose rather to haue her téeth dasht out of her head willingly and to be burnt to ashes then to worship any other gods beside the true and euerliuing God Yea this was the constancy of all holy Martyrs that they would rather indure a thousand deaths then shrink backe from the word of life Peter was beheaded for the Gospels defence Iames throwne downe from an high pinnacle and his head cleft in sunder yea almost all of the Apostles were put to grieuous deaths some were stoned some broyled some put to one death some to another Old Simeon that was cosin germaine to Christ sonne to Cleophas and Mary Bishop of Ierusalem after Iames was nailed to the crosse being six score yeares old and more S. Cyprian beheaded at Sexti nigh the city Carthage Polycarpe Bishop of Smyrna disciple to Iohn was most pitifully tortured to death by fire yea for the space of 300. yeares after Christ and more the Lord sent persecution ordinarily to his Church Willingly did these saints suffer and ioyfully did vndergo all these afflictions for the kingdome of heauen sake Hîc vre hîc seca vt in aeternum parcas domine saith Saint Augustine i. Here burne me Lord here slay me to spare me hereafter doe what thou wilt Lord with my body so that thou wilt spare my soule Vtinam saith S. Ierome ob Domini mei nomen atque iustitiam cuncta gentiliam turba me persequatur tribulet vtinam in opprobrium meum stolidus hic mundus exurgat tantum vt ego mercedem Iesu consequar i I would to God that the whole nation of the Gentiles Pagans and Infidels would for the name of my God and for the glory of his Gospell persecute me and trouble me I would to God this mad and foolish world rise vp against me for the profession of Gods blessed truth only that I may obteine Christ Iesus for my reward Ammonarion Mercuria Dyonisia with diuerse other godly women would runne to the fire with their children as to a ioyfull feast or banquet thinking no greater glory on earth then to suffer for the Gospell of Christ And thus should euery man and woman as they tender the welfare of their déere soules resolue to suffer willingly and beare patiently whatsoeuer calamity may befall them in this heauenly race considering the torments of hell which by reuolting they shall vndergo considering the ioyes of heauen which they shall haue by patience and considering what others haue done before them as the Martyrs and what Christ hath suffered for them that so with perseuerance holding out to the end they may obteine euerlasting blisse The merchant will through fire and water suffering no repulse that he may haue his pinnace fraught with plenty of pure gold at the Indian hauen according to that of the Poet Impiger extremos currit mercator ad Indos per mare pauperiem fugiens per saxa per ignes i The painefull merchant aduentureth to the forreine Indians beyond the seas through fire and water fearing nothing that he may eschew pouerty and obteine much treasure Euen so he that will haue the pinnace both of soule and body fraught with the siluer of all earthly prosperity and with the gold of all celestiall felicity must runne the race that is set before him with patience leaping ouer the wall of all obuious afflictions perseuering till he commeth at the happy hauen of heauen that then he being more than conquerour in Christ Iesus may triumph ouer death hel and damnation saying with the Prophet Ero mors tua O mors i. O death I will be thy death O graue I will be thy destruction and with valiant Paul Death where is thy sting hell where is thy victory Of necessity afflictions must méete with vs that runne in the high way to heauen Yea no man liuing can be fréed from them All that will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God Whom the Lord loueth hee chasteneth and he scourgeth euery sonne whom he receiueth we are bastards not sonnes if we be free from afflictions Ego quos amo arguo castigo i. as many as I loue I rebuke and chasten Qui diligitur corripitur i. He that is loued is reproued The oxen that are appointed for the slaughter are let runne in fat pastures but those that are not appointed for so terrible an end
of Gods permission and by beléeuing most assuredly his promises concerning our deliuerance Hope is exercised in affliction by assuring our selues of the rewards promised to all those that suffer patiently Loue is exercised in affliction by considering the loue of Christ in suffering for vs and thereby we are prouoked to suffer for him againe Obedience is exercised in affliction by conforming our wils to the will of Christ saying with Christ Not as we will but as thou wilt ô Lord God of hosts Patience is exercised in affliction by suffering quietly willingly and chéerefully and by welcomming them sent of God for our good Humility is exercised in affliction by abasing our selues in the sight of God acknowledging that they are but as flea-bitings in respect of the torments of hell which by our lewd liues for euermore we haue deserued Fiftly the Lord suffereth vs to be afflicted in this world that the greatnesse of his power and the inâ—initenes of his mercy might be shewne in the deliuery of vs. We reade in the Gospell of Iohn that the Apostles hauing asked our Sauiour the reason why the man was borne blind he answereth them Not for his fathers nor for his owne sinne but that the workes of God should be shewne on him From which we may truly gather thus much namely that the man was borne blind especially to this end that our Sauiour might haue occasion to shew the greatnesse of his power in curing him Againe in the same gospel we reade that Lazarus died to this end that God might be glorified in raising him from death The wonderfull power of the Lord was shewne in the deliuery of the thrée children from fire of Ionas from drowning by the Whale of Susanna from death by Daniel of Daniel from the Lyons by his owne immediate power of Eliah from staruing by the rauens and of our most gratious souereigne Lord King Iames from the sword in Scotland and from the powder-treason in England by his extraordinary fauour and wonderfull loue which he had to this his gratious seruant which the Lord in mercy vouchsafe vnto him and his royall progeny for euermore Thus the Lord bringeth men into déepe afflictions that his power might be shewne in bringing them out againe Dominus deducit ad inferos reducit i. The Lord bringeth to hell and bringeth backe againe to great afflictions and out of them againe Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit The same hand that woundeth the same hand cureth Vulnerat medetur percutit sanum reddit i. He maketh the wound and bindeth it vp he smiteth his hand maketh whole So that howsoeuer many are the troubles of the righteous in their iourney to heauen yet the Lord powerfully in his good time deliuereth them out of all if he séeth it best for their good otherwise suffering for the testimony of the truth and the glory of his name they shall change this life for a better Thus haue I somwhat largely spoken of afflictions both in regard of their necessity as they cannot be shifted of any that runne in the way of godlinesse as also in regard of their conueniency being more helpe then hinderance in this spirituall iourney that so we may make good vse of them when it shall please the Lord to send them And thus much shall suffice for this third point namely for perseuerance in this course of godlinesse beséeching the Lord of his goodnesse to giue vs grace that we may not shrinke backe for feare of afflictions but wade through with patience holding out in this race to the end of our race So runne that ye may obtaine The third thing in order to be spoken of is praemium promissum i. the promised reward but before I enter into the handling thereof one thing necessarily must be obserued and that worthy of annotation The Apostle saith not here Seeme so to runne that ye may obteine or make an outward shew of running but. So runne that ye may obteine In which spéech he excludeth all hypocrisie and banisheth all counterfeit godlinesse from this Christian race For in this visible Church there are many that outwardly professe Christ but inwardly serue Belial Christians in name but reprobates in déede Saints in shew but diuels in conuersation Many hypocrites there are like painted sepulchres dissembling pharisées faire without but foule within lambes in apparition but wolues in condition Ones habitu as saith S. Bernard vulpeâ— actu crudeliâ—ate lupi i. Shéepe in shew foxes in déed and wolues in cruelty Mente sub agnina latitat mens saepè lupina i They haue lambes skins but wolues harts Yea howsoeuer they séeme to be members of Christs body courteous and kind to the stocke of Iesus zealous louers and earnest embracers of the sincere milke of the word running in the path of true godlinesse yet neuerthelesse they are a generation of vipers of whom the Euangelist speaketh ready to sucke out the very heart-blood of the saints of God and rend them in péeces like rauening wolues they haue mel in ore fel in corde i. Hony in their mouths but gall in their hearts sugred words to intrap but poysoned hearts to torment carying themselues like Iudas who saluted his maister with a kisse hauing the poyson of Aspes lying vnder his lips For Quando bonum ore faris mala corde tamen meditaris oscula quae Domino Iudas dedit haec mihi tu das i. When men speake well and thinke ill their kindnesse is treason as was the kisse of Iudas And of all other enmities in the world this is the greatest as saith Cassiodorus Grauissimum inimicitiae est genus corde aduersarios linguae simulare deuotos i. This is a most grieuous kind of enmity when men pretend much loue in tongue and beare much more malice in heart These cursed hypocrites these dissembling helhounds and these venemous vipers are the very pictures of the diuell and liuely representations of the old serpent for as the diuell lyeth coggeth counterfeiteth and dissembleth so do these The subtil serpent pretended great kindnesse to our first parents counselling them to eate of the forbidden fruit that so they might sée and be as gods but he intended their euerlasting destruction so these crafty foxes séeme to be charitable Christians and to giue good counsell wheresoeuer they become but yet they denoure widows houses and that vnder colour of long prayers The subtill serpent séemeth to be an Angell of light but yet he is a diuell of darknesse fettered with the chaines of euerlasting darknesse So these apes of the diuell do beare an outward shew of holinesse and purity yet they are wels without water and cloudes caried about with euery tempest to whom the blacke darknes is reserued for euer These hypocriticall mocke-gods may fitly be compared to Idols for as an Idoll hath an outward shape of a