were to heauen so to defend it self from the wrath of God if he should descend to drowne it a second tyme and that also by the setting vp of such a building their name might be celebrated throughout the world But our Lord did hinder their folly by giuing them different (h) Gen. 17. languages that so they might not vnderstand one another Whereupon they fell into brawles euery one conceauing that the other mocked him one man saying one thing and another answering him another and so the end of their pride was confusion vnquietnes and diuision Most (i) Why the name of confusion agreeth to sinners properly doth this name agree to the Citty of wicked persons For they would fayne sinne and not be punished and they wil not auoyd the iudgments of God by forbearing to offend him but if they could sinne decline the punishment either by force or sleight they would attempt it Proud people they are and al their end is but that their name may be renowned in the world and if they can they set vp the towers of vaine workes and if they cannot do it in deed at least they do it in desire God destroyeth such men as these euen when they are tasting the sweetest bit As it is written God (k) Iac. 4. resisteth such as are proud And because they would not liue in the vnity of one language performing obedience to God they are punished so far as that they shall neither vnderstand themselues nor vnderstand God nor vnderstand one another nor any one of the creatures for as much as when the wisedome of God is wanting they vnderstand nothing for their good as they ought How (l) A liuely description of the vayne variable hart of sinfull man many thinges do worke in the hart of wicked men which put them past their owne skill and they know not how to helpe themselues Sometimes they desire one thinge sometimes another yea sometimes they desire a thinge that is the contrary of the former Now they do and then they vndoe they weepe and they reioyce and all to no purpose Now they are ready to despaire and soone after they are vainely puffed vp They seeke a thing with much labour and when they haue obteyned it they are sorry that they did so much as seeke it They find not that which they imagined yea they desire one thinge and they do another being gouerned not by reason but passion And from hence it growes that man being a reasonable creature whose principall part is his soule whose office is to liue vnder reason whereas these men wil liue according to appetite it is plaine that they turne the wrong side outward since they lead a kind of life of beasts which is a life of bodies and not a life that is reasonable which is proper to men And vpon this it riseth that as God is a spirit and must be serued not by a beastiall maner of life but by a spirituall such persons as these do not serue him as hath bin said for their life is contrary to his law And since the vnion of Christians groweth from the vnion of themselues within themselues from the vnion of themselues with God these Cittizens being deuided from (m) How true do we find this by experience God cannot haue any good or stable peace with one another but rather certaine paltry quarrelles do spring from their discourses from their works and conuersations euery one liuing according to his owne fancy without caring to content any other body And on the other side they haue a quicke sense of any affront or iniury which is done to themselues without regarding that of others These (n) Selfe loue is the bane of Charity are the men who neither vse themselues nor other thinges to that end for which they were created but they vse both themselues and all other thinges to their owne aduantage making themselues the last end of all thinges And therefore with reason they are called by the name of Babylon since all goes contrary to the creatour They are also called sometimes Chaldâ—ans sometimes of Sodome and sometimes of Hedom with a thousand other names which decipher the wickednes of this people which names are yet all vnable to declare the malice thereof This is that people which is called world not because God created it so for the world is good as being created by him who is supremely good but because these men who are such as I haue heere described haue no other feeling nor no other loue but of the visible world which by (o) 1. Ioan. â— S. Iohn is called the pride of life the desyre of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes He that loueth these thinges shall perish as saith the same S. Iohn but he that will do the will of God shall remaine for euer And S. Paul (p) Rom. â— saith He that hath not the spirit of Christ is not of Christ and consequently he is to be of the world and S. Iames (q) Iac. 4. saith That the amity of the world is eâ—nity with God CHAP. XCVIII That it doth much import vs to fly from this Citty of the wicked which is the world and how ill it treateth the cittizens therof and of the sad end which they all shall haue THOV hast already heard sufficient reason to abhorre this people and to vnderstand how much God desireth that thou shouldst depart froÌ„ thence to saue thy selfe For this is that true spirituall Aegypt out of which God commaunded Israel to depart with speed and to go on though it were with a great deale of paines towards the Land of promise And this is that people out of which God commaunded Abraham (a) Gen. 12. to depart Go out of thyne owne countrey and from thy kinred and from thy Fathers house and come into the land that I will shew thee Which he accomplished with a simple and sincere obedience without knowing whither he was going as S. Paul (b) Hebr. 11. affirmeth Out of this very people and Citty God commaunded Let to go that so the punishments which he was resolued to inflict vpon that place might not lay hold vpon him and he commaunded him to saue himselfe in the mountayne by which the height of Christian Faith of good life may be vnderstood Finally (c) How the people of God is to carry it selfe and why this is the people whereof God saith to such as he will haue to be his owne Do (d) 2. Cor. â— not keepe company with infidells For what conuersation can goodnesse and wickednes or light and darknes haue togeather and what society can there be betweene Christ and Belial betweene a faithfull man and an infidell or what composition or agreement can there be betweene the Temple of God and that of Idolls For you are the Temple of the liuing God as God saith And I wil dwell amongst them and I will conuerse amongst them
goodnes of God who is angry if by praying for one another we seeke not to appease his wrath might oppose himselfe against me and so I might not destroy the earth but I fouâ—d no such man and I powred out my wrath vpon them in the fire of my (k) Ezech. 22. anger I consumed them Take heed therefore that thou loue not a narrow and poore hart of thyne owne to which these base pleasures vse to be agreable and delightfull Remember that which S. Bernard sayd That if thou well consider the body and that which proceeds from thence it is a kind of more loathsome dunghill then otherwise thou hast seene Despise it from thy hart withall the ornaments and â—ace and delight it hath and make account that euen already it is in the sepulcher conuerted into a handfull of dust When thou seest any man or woman looke not much vpon their face or person and if thou doe let it be to loath it but addresse thy internall eyes to the soule which is shut vp and hidden in the body amongst which soules there is no difference of man or woman And admire thou that soule as a thing created by God since (l) The inestimable dignity excellency of a soule the valew of that alone is greater then that of all corporeall things eyther made or to be made And thus dismissing thy selfe from the basenesse of bodies bestow thy selfe vpon the search of greater treasures and vndertake thou noble enterprizes and no lesse then to lodge euen God himselfe both in thy soule and in thy body with a profound purity of hart Behould (m) The height and dignity of the vocation of a ChristiaÌ„ thy selfe with such eyes as these since S. Paul sayth (n) Câ— or 3. Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God remayneth in you And in another place do you not know that your members are the temples of the holy Ghost who remaynes within you and whom God hath giuen to you And you are not your owne And since you are bought with a great price let God be honoured in your bodyes Consider allso that when thou diddest receyue holy Baptisme thou wert made the Temple of God and thy soule was consecrated to him by his grace and so was thy body also by the â—uch of that holy water And the holy Ghost doth â—erue it selfe both of the soule and body as being the Lord of the whole house enclining both the one and the other to good workes and for this it is sayd That euen the partes of our body are the Temples of the holy Ghost God (o) Be thou amazed at this infinite vouchsafing of almighty God doth vouchsafe vs great honour by being pleased to dwell in vs and to honour vs indeed with the name of Temples and great is the obligation which thereby is put vpon vs to cleanse our selues it being so fit that the house of God be cleane And if thou wilt consider that thou wert purchased as S. Paul sayth at a great price that is by the life of God humaned which for thee was giuen thou mayst see how great reason it is for thee to honour God and to beare him in thy body doing him seruice and not therein to commit any thing which may be to his dishonour and thine owne extreame disaduantage For iust and true is that sentence That (p) 1. Cor. 3. whosoeuer shall defile the Temple of God him will God destroy For in his Temple there must be nothing but that which tends to his honour and prayse Remember that which S. Augustine sayd When I had once vnderstood that God had redeemed and purchased me with his pretious bloud I resolued that neuer more I would sell my selfe To which I would haue thee add And how much lesse will I doe it for the base pleasure of flesh and bloud Thou hast begunne a (q) A vow of perpetual Chastity worke worthy of a noble courage because thou meanest to be incorrupt in that corruptible flesh of thyne and to possesse that by way of vertue which the Angells possesse by way of nature and to pretend to a particuler crowne in heauen in being companion to those blessed Virgins Who sing that new song and follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth Consider the name which now thou holdest of being the spouse of Christ and the ioye which thou mayst expect in heauen when there that spouse of thyne shall lodge thee in thy bed for thus thou wilt come to so much loue of the purity of virginity that for it thou wilt gladly loose thy life as many holy Virgins haue done who rather then they would not be Virgins were content to be Martyrs with great magnaminity Procure thou also to (r) This is true Nobility the contrary is meer basenesse haue a noble hart which is very necessary for the keeping of thee in that high estate where God hath placed thee CHAP. XII That God vseth to punish such as are proud by permitting them to loose the treasure of Chastity thereby to humble them and how necessary it is to be humble for the ouercomming of the enemy to this vertue THERE haue byn others who lost the treasure of their chastity by reason that God did punish them in his iust iudgement through a giuing them ouer as S. Paul sayth to the dishonest affections of their owne hart as into the hands of cruell executioners Chastizing thus some of their sinnes by other sinnes of theirs he not inciting them to sin (s) See detest the doctrine of Caluin which he vttereth in his Institutions for the maketh the treason of Iudas to be as properly and as truly the work of God as the coÌ„uersion of S. Paul for a very strange thing it were for him who is soueraigne goodnesse to because of sinne in any soule but by retiring his succour from a man for other sinns of the same man which is the worke of a iust iudge who in that he is iust is also good Thus sayth the scripture A wicked woman is a deepe well and a loose woman is a straite well and he shall fall into it who hath offended God Let (i) Be not high-minded but feare no man therefore presume vpon his not sinning against God in the point of chastity if yet he sin in other thinges Since God is wont to let men fall into that which they would not into which they were not wont to fall in punishment of their falling into other sinnes from which they ought to haue kept themselues And though this be generally true in the case of all sinnes and God is offended with them all and doth punish all yet more particularly doth he as S. Augustin sayth punish secret (u) Aboue all thinges take heed of Pride Pryde by open lust So is it related of Nabuchodonosor That for the punishment of his pryde he lost his Kingdome was cast out of
groweth to be as it were brâ—â—tish and so euen the sensitiue part of a chist person groweth to be as it were reasonable as the soules of some are so miserably giuen ouer to the flesh that they sayle not by any other star then of their appetite though the nature thereof be spirituall yet they abase themselues to the lamentable subiection of their body being so transformed as it were into flesh that they grow fleshly and do seeme in their wil and in their thoughts to be but a meere lumpe of flesh so the sensuall part of those others commeth so close to their reason that the same doth more looke like reason then euen the very soules of those others do This (a) The doctrin of Chastâ—â—y till the comming of â—â—sus Châ—â—st our Lord was a great peece of neweâ—â— the Sectaryes of this age would now sayn put it out of â—ashion seemeth a hard thing to be belieued but in fine it is the worke guise of God and conceaued especially through Iesus Christ his only Son in this tyme of the Christian Church Of which time it was prophesyed That the wolfe and the lambe the Lyon the Beare should feed togeather because the irrationall affections of the sensitiue part which as cruell beasts would be striuing to vexe and swallow vp the soule should be put in peace by the guift of Iesus Christ and hauing giuen ouer the warre that they were in should liue in amity As Iob sayth The (b) Iob. 5. beastes of the earth shall be peaceable to thee and thou shalt keep friendship with the stones of the earth And then also is that fullfilled which is written in the Psalme Thou man of one consent with me and my guide and familiar acquaintance who diddest (c) A place of Holy Scripture well pondered and applyed eate with me of that sweet food and we went into the house of God with one consent Which wordes the interiour man doth say to the exteriour holding him in such subiection that he stileth him to be of one soule and of such conformity to his will that he sayth they eate sweet food togeather and go iointly into the house of God For they are in such a league that if the interiour man do feed vpon chastity or prayer or that he fast or watch or performe any other holy exercise finding much sweetnes in them iust so doth the exteriour man also and they are sauoury to him like a sweet food But (d) Note yet do not thou conceaue that in this exile of ours one shall arriue to so great aboundance of peace as not to find sometimes both in this and other particulers some motions against reason For excepting Christ our Redeemer his sacred Mother this prerogatiue was neuer graunted to any But thou art to vnderstand that although there be of these motions in persons to whome God doth graunt this guift yet are they not either so many in number or such in quality as to put them to any great payn but without engaging them to much warre or taking from them true peace they are ouercome by them vvith ease And (e) A significant comparison if in a Citty we should see a couple of boyes togeather by the eares instantly after to shake hands we should neuer say That for that short little bickering the peace of the Citty were broken if it were maintayned by the rest of the people And since euen the Philosophers confessed that there was such a state of soule as this without knowing what belonged to the power of the holy Ghost Let (f) A fortiori it not be hard for a Christian to confesse it and to desire it for the glory (g) We proclaime the Diuinity of Christ by the conquest of our sensualityes of the redemption of Christ and of his power to which nothing is impossible Of whose comming it was prophesied That then there was to be an aboundance of peace And Isay sayth It is as a riuer And S. Paul sayth That it exceedeth all vnderstanding And when the flesh shall be thus obedient and thus tempered then shall we be far from hearing the voyce of her (h) Of sensuality naturall language and out of danger also of falling vnder that terrible malediction which God cast out against our first Father Adam because he bearkned to the voyce of his wife It rather belongeth to vs to make her serue vs and to heare our voyce and as we would do to a byrd in cage so to teach her to speake our (i) Of reason religion language and to make her learne it since she can obey vs with so much readynesse By (k) A sweet fraiâ—e of a long labour which long rooted obedience which she yealdeth to reason she groweth so wel nourtured that if she aske for any thing it is not for the vse of pleasure but for the reliefe of necessity And that voyce we may well heare as God commanded Abraham to heare the voice of his wife Sara who was then so aged and her body so weakned and so mortifyed that now it had no more the superfluityes which others of fewer yeares were subiect to And such a body as that we may trust the more hearing that which it wil say to vs though (l) Note yet we must not giue it so much credit as that the will thereof may be a law But we must examine it with prudence of spirit least that flesh of ours which seemed to be dead do but only counterfeyte the being so least it do so much the more dangerously draw vs downe as we thought it had been more faithfull to vs. CHAP. XVII Wherein he beginneth to discourse of the languages spoken by the Diuell and how much we ought to fly them and that one of them is to make a man proud and so to bring him to great mischeife and errour and of the meanes how to auoyde this language of Pryde THE Languages of the Diuell are as many as be the kinds of his malice which are innumerable For as Christ is the fountayne of all the graces which are communicated to the soules of such as by obedience grow subiect to him so is the Diuell the Father of sinne and darkenesse who by inciting and persuading his rotten sheep induceth them to wickednesse and lies wherby they may eternally perish And because his deceites are so many that the spirit of our Lord alone is able to discouer them we wil only speak a few wordes remitting the rest to Christ who is the true instructour of our soules The Diuell is called by many names to declare the mischeifes that are in him But amongst them all let vs speake of two That of Dragon and that of Lyon A Dragon he is as sayth S. Augustine because he secretly doth lye in ambush and lay his snares A Lion because he doth openly persecute The snare which he layeth to deceaue vs by is first to
〈◊〉 we want grace we must haue feare because we are ready to take a thousand falls When we haue it we must haue care because we are to worke in conformity of the talent which God bestoweth on vs therby most care of all when we loose it because that fauour went from vs by our negligence The Scripture doth therefore say Blessed is the man who doth alwayes feare CHAP. LVIII That we must be diligent to find out the knowledge of our selues and by what meanes this may be done and that it is fit for vs to haue some priuate place into which we may dayly retire our selues for a tyme. BY that which heere is sayd and by much more which hath beene sayd by the Saints in prayse of the knowledge of ones selfe thou wilt find how necessary this Iewell is for the comming afterward to know God And since thou hast a mind to build a house in thy soule for so high a Lord know thou that (a) God will neuer inhabite a proud hart not the high but the humble of hart are his houses Therefore let thy first care be to digg deep in the earth of thy littlenes till hauing freed all that which thou hast from being esteemed by thy selfe thou come at last to the firme stone which is God vpon which not vpon thyne owne false earth or sand thou art to build thy house For this did the blessed S. Gregory say Thou who thinkest to rayse vp a building of vertues take into the first part of thy care the foundation which is humility for he that pretendeth to haue vertue without it is like a man that would carry ashes in his hand against the wind This he sayth not only because vertues do not profit men without humility though rather indeed without it they be no vertues but for that they are an occasion of great perdition as a great building vpon a sleight and weake foundation would be sure of a great fall According therefore to the height of other vertues the foundation of humility is to be layd low to the end that the soule may be firme and not puffed first vp then down by the wind of Pride And if thou say where shall I find this pretious iewell of the knowledge of my selfe I tell thee that although it be of great valew yet (b) Wher humility is to be found art thou to find it in the stable and in the middest of the dung of thyne owne pouertyes and infirmityes remouing thyne eyes from looking on the liues of others Do not busy thy selfe to know curious thinges but turne in thy sight vpon thy soule and continue in examining of thy selfe And although at the first thou canst not lay hold vpon this knowledge like one that goeth out of a bright Sunne-shine into a darke chamber yet (c) Obserue and practise this for thou wile find it most certainely true by continuing in a quiet manner thou shalt see by little little with the grace of God whatsoeuer is in thy hart thogh it lye in the most secret corners therof And that thou mayst know the meanes which thou art to vse in a thing that doth so highly import thee giue eare to S. Hierome who speaketh thus to a marryed woman In such sort art thou to haue care of thy house that thou also mayst find some resting place for thy soule Seeke out some fit corner and retyred from the noyse of thy family to which I would haue thee go as one doth into a hauen flying frō the stiffe tēpest of thy cares And there be thou in reading of spirituall books and continuall prayer and in the thoughts of another life and they so firme as that all the employments of the rest of the day may be made light to thee by this tyme of thy retraite Nor do I yet say this to withdraw thee from the gouernement of thy house but rather that so thou mayst learne thereby and consider how thou art to carry thy selfe therein If this Blessed Saint do recommend to a marryed woman that she free her self from the busines of her house for some tyme and retyre her self into some quiet place to read and thinke of heauenly thinges with how much more reason is it that a Virgin of Christ who is free from worldly cares and who should thinke that she liueth not for any thing els so particulerly as to frequent prayer to practise both interiour and exteriour recollection should seeke out some priuate and hidden place of her house wherein she may haue her deuout books and deuout pictures and that the same place may be only deputed to the vse of seeing and tasting how sweet our Lord is The state of Virginity which thou hast taken is not meant for this that thou shouldst be wrapped vp in the cares of this world which passe perish But as it carryeth resemblance to the (d) The noblenes of the state of virginity state of celestiall spirits for as much as concernes the entiernes incorruption of the flesh so thou art to thinke to the very out side of thy power that no thought of earth must haue entrance into thy hart but thou art to be a liuing Temple wherein the sacrifice of continuall prayers may be offered and prayses of him that made thee sounded forth without intermission Let this only thought possesse thy hart how thou mayst please our Lord as (e) Coloss 3. S. Paul sayth Giue thy selfe for dead to the world since thou hast espoused thy soule to a celestiall King And (f) Recollection is necessary for soule that pretend to serue God remember what he sayth to the Spouse A (g) Cant. 4. gardē shut vp O my sister and my spouse a garden shut vp For not only art thou to be kept cleane in thy body but thou art also to be very retyred recollected in thy soule And because Virginity is imbraced among Christians not only for what it is in it selfe but because it helpeth to giue the soule to God with more freedome of spirit that Virgin who is content with the only Virginity of her body and is not carefull of progresse in vertue and prayer and taking gust in God what other thing doth she then dwell vpon the way and not procure to arriue to the iourneys end And it were as if thou hadst all thinges ready to sew and worke and shouldst neuer set thy selfe about it A shameful thing it is for any Christian not to exercise himselfe in reading of spirituall bookes and not to carry holy thoughtes in his soule but for a Religious man not to do it or for a Priest or for a Virgin who haue giuen themselues away to Christ is not only a thing shamefull but vnsufferable And therefore if thou wilt reape the fruites of that holy Virginity which thou hast promised to Christ be an enemy both of seeing and being seene Go abroad the least thou canst though it be euen to
what we are to do when we beginne to treat any businesse since he in that first businesse of his did pray and that in so great length From hence it is that S. Denis saith that at the entrance into any workâ— we must begin by prayer S. Paul exhorteth vs to be instant and earnest in prayer and our Lord saith (t) Luc. 1â— That we must euer pray and not giue ouer which signifieth that this worke must be performed with frequent diligence and care For they who thinke it will serue their turns to take heed to themselues in doing workes pleasing vnto God yet make no accompt of vsing prayer do swimme and fight with one only hand and do walke with one only foot For our Lord did teach vs that two thinges are necessary when he sayd (u) Matt. 26. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation And the same did he aduise when he said (x) Luc. 21. Watch in prayer at all tymes that you may escape from these thinges which are to come and that you may be able to appeare before the sonne of the Virgin And S. Paul (y) Ephes â— doth couple these two thinges when hearmeth the Cauallier of Christ towards the spirituall warre which he is to make against the Diuell For as a man how well soeuer he fare yet vnles he rest and sleepe he wil be weake run hazard of going out of his wits so wil it happen to one that worketh prayeth not for (z) Prayer is that to the soule which rest is to the â—ody prayer is that to the soule which repose is to the body There is not any estate so great which will not be brought to an end if there be euer spending and no getting nor are there any good workes which will last without praying For thereby that light and spirit is gotten for the recouery of that feruour of charity interiour deuotion which is diminished by businesse though it be good How necessary it is to pray seemeth plaine by the instance and fastes wherewith the prophet (a) 1. Reg. 2. Samuel prayed our Lord That (b) Marke this well he would deliuer the people out of the captiuity of Babylon although the seauenty yeares which our Lord had appointed for the terme vpon which he would deliuer them were accomplished And if in that which God hath promised that he will do or giue there be yet neede to begge it by earnest prayer how much more will it be needfull to do it in such case as wherein we haue no particuler promise from him S. Paul desyreth the Romanes to pray for him that all impediments being remooued he might be able to visit them wherevpon Origen saith that although the Apostle had said a little afore I know that when 〈◊〉 shall go to you my going wil be in the aboundance of the benediction of Christ yet notwithstanding all this he knew that prayer was necessary euen for the thinges which we expressely know shall happenâ— and (c) Because our Lord ordayneth the giuing of his graces by meanes of Prayer if there were no prayer without doubt there would be no accomplishment of that which is foretold Doth it not seeme to thee that he had reason who (d) S. Gregory said that prayer was the meanes to obteyne what the omnipotent God had ordained in eternity to bestow afterward in tyme And againe That as plowing and sowing is the meanes for the getting of corne so is prayer for the obteyning of the fruits of spirit and therefore we are not to meruayle yf we gather so few since we pray so little A (c) Note this souÌ„d certayn reason most certaine thing it is that by conuersation with a good man it doth follow that one will loue him and he will conceaue desires of being vertuous And so if we did conuerse with God with more reason we might hope for these and other aduantages by his conuersation As Moyses did who after he had treated in the Mount with God he came downe from thence full of splendour And from no other roote it growes that we are so wanting to shew pitty to our neighbours but because we frequent not this conuersation with our Lord. For the man who by night lay prostrate in the sight of God demaunding pardon for his sinnes and mercy for his miseries if vpon the day following himselfe sind another who asketh that of him which he begged of God he will not be able to choose but know those very wordes which himselfe vsed and he will remember the great affliction wherewith he spake them to our Lord and with how great desire to be heard and he will do by his neighbour as he desired that God should doe with him And to deliuer to thee what I conceaue of this in a word I represent to thy memory that which Dauid (f) Psal 65. said Blessed be our Lord who to the not my prayer nor his mercy from me Whereupon S. Augustine (g) Note saith Thou maiest well be secure that if God do not take thy prayer from thee neither will he take his mercy And remember yet againe what our Lord said (h) Luc. 11. That the heauenly Father will giue a good spirit to them that aske it And with this spirit we fulfill the law of God as S. Paul saith So that the mercy of God is neere vs and we fulfill his law by meanes of prayer Thinke (i) Note then what kind of Creature that will be to whom by the want of prayer these two thinges shal be wanting And I will aduertise thee of an errour of some men who thinke that because (k) Rom. â— S. Paul said I would haue meÌ„ pray in al places it should therfore not be necessary to pray long at once not in any particuler place but that it would suffice to enterlace our prayers with the rest of our workes A (l) The answere to an obiection good thing it is to pray in all places but that will not serue our turne if we meane to imitate Iesus Christ our Lord and to practise that which his Saintes haue said and done in matter of prayer And be thou well assured that no man wil be able to pray with profit in euery place vnles first he haue learned to do this duty in a particuler place and to imploy some space of time vpon it CHAP. LXXI That the pennance due to our sinnes must be the first pace whereby we come to God conceauing true griefe for them and making true Confession thereof and satisfaction THE first pace which the soule is to make in approaching towardes God is to be the pennance of her sins And to the end that this may be well performed it will profit much that a man disimploy himselfe from all businesse and from all conuersations and do attend with care to draw to his memory all the sinnes of his life helping himselfe for this
people their kinred that in their hartes they may be a kinde of Melchisedech in this world without hauing any thinge in those hartes which may captiue them or so much as foreslow the pace which they make in the way of God CHAP. XCIX Of the vanity of being nobly borne and that such persons must not bragge thereof as desire to be of the kindred of Christ. I would not haue thee blinded by that vanity which blindeth many whilest they presume vpon the extraction of their bloud And therefore I will tell thee what S. Hierome saith to a certayne virgin I will not saith he haue thee behold those Virgins who are Virgins of the world not of Christ And who not remembring their good purpose begunne do take ioy in pleasure and do please themselues in vanity and glory in corporall thinges and in the antiquity of their descent Who if (a) The extreme valew of temporall nobility sheweth that men vnderstaÌ„d not the true valew of that nobility which is spirituall they did indeed hold themselues for the Children of God they would neuer after they had bin borne diuinely of him make any estimation of this temporall nobility And if they felt that God were become their Father they would not valew the nobility of other parents Why dost thou glory in such nobility of descent God made one man and one woman in the beginning of the world from whome the multitude of mankind descendeth This (b) In nature there is no difference of nobility Nobility of linage is not giuen by nature which is alike to all but by the appetite of ambition Nor ought there to be any difference (c) That in spirituall nobility there is also no difference betweene one and another between them who are begotten according to this second spirituall birth whereby as well the poore as the rich the slaue as the free man may be accoumpted to be of noble linage and without which they are neuer made the sonnes of God The descent of flesh and bloud is wholy obscured by the brightnes of this heauenly honour and appeareth not to be any thing at all now that they wâ—o before were vnequall in respect of worldly honour are equally apparelled with the Nobility of that otâ—â—er honour which is spirituall and diuine No place is there left for this vaine kind of linage none of them can be thought to be without Nobility who are beautifyed by the height of a heauenly birth And if that former be esteemed it is but in the mind of them who valew temporall thinges more then eternall Which temporall aduantage although theâ— haue how vainely do they proceed who esteeme themselues more for lesse thinges then they esteeme others whom they know to be equall to themselues in greater things and who esteeme others as men creeping vpon the ground and far inferiour vnto themselues whome yet they belieue to be their equalls in celestiall thinges But whatsoeuer thou be of birth O Virgin thou who art of Christ and not of the world fly away from all glory of this present life that thou mayst obtayne all that which is promised in the life to come All this is sayd by S. Hierome Heereby thou mayst see how necessary it is for thee To forget thy people and the house of thy Father remembring well that the priuiledge which thy parentes gaue thee was to be conceaued in sinne and filled full of many miseryes and to be borne in the wrath of God by the first sinne of Adam which we inherit by our conception A (d) The basenes of the body body they bestowed vpon vs which was begotten in such a loathsome maÌ„ner that it would cost a man shame to speake of it and makes him loath to thinke of it Into which the soule being infused after the creation thereof doth grow to be spotted with originall sinne which yet by the hand of God was created without it Our body is besides full of a thousand necessityes and subiect to sicknesses and death and made fit to do pennance by suffering it Such a body it is that (e) Consider seriously of this if thou shouldst take of but the first thynne skinne that couers it the most beautyfull creature would be abhominable A body which if thou obserue to be exteriourly white yet consider the trash which is shut vp within thou wilt say it is some dunghill ouer cast with snow A body whereof I would to God the worst condition were to be full of paine and shame but this is the least matter of all the rest That (f) The emniâ—y of a sinnefull body to a soule which importeth is that it is the greatest enemy which we haue and the greatest traytour it is which was euer seene who goeth vp and downe in pursuite how to plunge that (g) The soule thing into death and death eternall which giues it bread to eate and whatsoeuer else is necessary for a body And which for the enioying of a little pleasure doth set at nothing the giuing of any offence to God and the casting of the soule into hel fire A body which is as sloathfull as an asse and as malicious as a mule And if thou belieue not me let it but goe a while without a bridle and do thou but neglect a little to keep it in order and thou shalt see whether it be a wicked thinge or no. O Vanity which deserues to be despised in them that presume vpon their descent whereas all the soules of men are created immediately by God and we haue not them by inheritance And as for the flesh which is inherited it ought to serue vs but for matter of shame and feare Let such giue eare to that which God hath said by (h) Isa 4. Isaias Cry out and what shall I cry out vpon sayth the Prophet Our Lord made this answere That all flesh is but withred grasse and all the glory therof as the fading flower of the field God commanded his Prophet to cry out but yet deaf men did not heare him who resolued to (i) A preposterous absurd kind of pride glory more in that filth which they drew from their flesh then in that height of dignity which by the holy ghost was graunted to them Be not thou blind be not vnthankefull O thou spouse of Christ The estimation which God maketh of thee is not for thy birth of bloud but for thy being a Christian not because thou wert borne in that sumptuous Chamber but because thou wert borne againe by holy Baptisime The former of these births was of dishonour the later was of honour the former of basenes the later of nobility The first of sinne the second of Iustification from sinne The first of flesh which kills the second of spirit which quickens Bâ— the first we are made the sonnes of men by the second the sonnes of God By the first as we be out Fathers heires to their estates we are also