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B11418 The complaint or dialogue, betvvixt the soule and the bodie of a damned man Each laying the fault vpon the other. Supposed to be written by S. Bernard from a nightly vision of his, and now published out of an ancient manuscript copie. By William Crashaw.; Noctis sub silentio tempore brumali. English and Latin. Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.; Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 91-1153, attributed name.; Fulbert, Saint, Bishop of Chartres, ca. 960-1028, attributed name.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626. Manuale Catholicorum. aut 1622 (1622) STC 1909.3; ESTC S105114 31,120 195

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most comely feature Am now so chang'd as fouler then a Toad 8. O wretched flesh with me that art forlorne If thou couldst know how sharpe our punishment How iustly mightst thou wish not to be borne Or from the wombe to tombe to haue beene hent 9. This I confesse no wonder for in life To one good deed thou neuer wouldst agree But to each greatest sinne didst runne with strife For which for euer we must damned be 10. I am and ay must be in bitter paine No tongue of liuing man hath power to tell One of the smallest torments I sustaine Where which is worst I must for euer dwell 11. Where be those Lord-ships thou hast laid together Thy lofty Palaces thy Castles strong Thy heapes of gold which were thy chiefest treasure Thy Rings and Iewels which about thee hung 12. Where thy rich beds thy sumptuous Tapestry Thy change of rayment many coloured vesture Thy dainty Spices baites of luxury Plate Tables Carpets and rich furniture 13. Where now thy wilde Fowle and thy Venison Thy dainty fishes and thy chosen wine In thy now Kitchin meate is dressed none Such plagues for sinners God doth still assigne 14. How lik'st thou now poore foole thy latter lodging The roofe whereof lyes euen with thy nose Thy eyes are shut thy tongue cannot be iogging Nothing of profite rests at thy dispose 15. What erst thou hast most wretchedly beene scraping By vsury deceit rage and oppression In all thy life with toyle and greedy gaping Are hid by death in earth and putrifaction 16. Thou art not now begirt with troopes of friends The flower of all thy beauty lies in dust The bands of euery loue doe heere take end Yea thine owne wife now thinkes all teares vniust 17. In thy left kindred henceforth trust no more For for thy Vine-yards fields of grasse and corne And which thy plagues encrease thy treasured store Few dayes know foole thy after Heires will mourne 18. I doe not thinke thy Wife or Children left Would lose one penny or one patch of lands For vs which are from her and them bereft Though it might quite vs from these horrid bands 19. Now wretched flesh thou seest how nought reputed Is the worlds glory false deceitfull fell With anguish fraught with sinne and vice polluted And clothed in the noysome bane of hell 20. Thy garments wretched foole are farre from rich Thy vpper garment hardly worth a Scute A little linnen shrouds thee in thy d●tch No rents nor gifts men bring nor make their suite 21. Thinke not though yet no torments thou endure Thou neuer shalt but sleepe for euer free For all Gods Scriptures which are true and sure Witnesse at last thou shalt be plagu'd with me 22. Thee which the poore didst rob and not defend Wormes gnaw in earth and rottennesse thy bone But longer stay I must not heere I end To this I trow answer thou knowest none The Body answereth 23. THus said the Soule at last the gastly Coarse Straines vp it selfe as being new reuiued And with deepe grones as if it had beene hoarse Askt who such witlesse reasons had contriued 24 Art thou quoth it my Soule which thus dost faine All that thou saist is neyther true nor stable For I will proue with arguments most plaine If some be true in many thou dost fable I as thou saist haue led thee oft astray And from well-doing haue enforst thy loue But if the flesh can leade the Soule away The fault 's more thine then mine which thus I proue 26 The world and power of hell did both conspire And did the flesh to them associate Which if the constant soule cause not retire Both needs must enter at sins wretched gate 27 But as thou sayst our God did thee create Good noble vnderstanding he thee made And like himselfe he fashioned thy state And made me seruant to what ere thou said 28 Therefore if thou my Mistris ought to be And reason had by which thy office was Vs both to gonerne why did'st thou suffer me Without restraint in wicked race to passe 29. Is' t iust to charge the Body as the Spirit Which being rightfull Mistris yet will serue To tame the flesh the spirit ought of right With abstinence and stripes if she 'l not swerue 30. The bodies workes be from the soule deriued By meanes thereof in life it floruisheth That flesh which by the soule is not assisted By easie baites the world soone vanquisheth 31. The body of it selfe none ill hath knowne All that it knowes proceedeth from thy head If I doe what thou bidst the fault's thine owne For without thee the body resteth dead 32 Why should poore hand-maid flesh be charg'd with blame In working onely as thy instrument The soule commandeth all hers be the shame Of all my frailties since I want iudgement 33 Therefore I weene thy guilt exceedeth mine In following my lust so fraile and foule But oh the wormes doe teare me in my shrine I therefore say no more farewell poore soule The Soule Replies 34 NAy said the Soule I le stay by thee a while And if I can thine arguments confute Why rail'st thou on me in this bitter stile Striuing to me thy whole guilt to impute 35. Most wretched flesh which in thy time of life Wast foolish idle vaine why dost thou wreake Thy wrath in railing words to make new strife Though for the substance 't is true that thou dost speake 36. For truth it is and stands with reason plaine I should haue bridled thee and rul'd thy will But thou through loue of pleasure foule and vaine And sensuall appetites me resisted still 37. When I would thee O body haue control'd And haue subdu'd with watching fast and paine Straights the worlds vanity did thee with-hold And to his vanie delights drew thee againe 38 So thou of me didst get the vpper hand And of my mildnesse made so bad construction That thralling me in wordly pleasures band Eternally hast drown'd me in destruction 39 I know my guilt and this my trespasse was That being chiefe I did not thee restraine But thou deceiuedst me with so faire a glasse That thy offence the greater ought remaine 40 The vaine worlds practices baites and delights If thou hadst left with stedfast constancy And so with-stood Sathans inchanting sleights Heauen had beene ours with Saints and Deity 41. But flattering fancies of the world did please And made thee hope a lasting life to haue Thou neuer thoughtst to dye till death did ceaze And hal'd thee from thy Court to dirty graue 42. The world and subtile men haue both one guise Where most it smiles and most bestoweth honor There soonest it deceiues soonest death cries And changeth wealth to wormes to stinch and horror 43. He which in life did fawne and was thy friend Will not now cast a looke vpon thy graue Then gan the body weepe weighing this end And lowly in his stile such answer gaue The body answereth 44 I In
cum friuolis suis condemnaui Aurum gemmas pradia nihil reputaui Rebus transitorijs abrenunciaui Et me Christi manibus totum commendaui 75 Ecce mundus moritur vitio sepultus Ordo rerum vertitur sapiens fit stultus Exulat iustitia cessat Christicultus Et in mundo iugiter labor tumultus 76 Mundus ad interitùm pergit his diebus Dij facti sunt iterum Iupiter Phoebus Nam qui mundum possidet abundat rebus Hic vt Deus collitur sceptris aciebus 77 Et quae theologicae virtutes vocantur Fides spes charitas ferè suffocantur Fraus auaritia quae deriuantur Ex his iam in seculo toto dominantur 78 Si sis ortu nobilis si vultu serenus Si benignus humilis moribusque plenus Haec nil tibi proderunt si tu sis egenus Sola nam pecunia formam dat genus 79 Dūmodo sim splendidis vestibus ornatus Et multa familia sim circumuallatus Prudens sim sapiens morigeratus Ego tuus nepos sum tu meus cognatus 80 Ista cum defic●rint statim euanescit Nostra consanguinitas morte refrigescit Cessatque notitia ita quod me nescit Qui dum diues fueram surgens mihi cessit 81 O miranda vanitas ô diuitiarum Amor lamentabilis ô virus amarum Cur tot viros inficis faciendo carum Hoc quod tranfit cit●●● quam flamma stuparum 82 Si mundus diuitibus tria posset dare Iuuentutem floridam mortem vitare Pulchram durabilem prolem procreare Benè possent diuites nummos congregare 83. Homo miser cogita mors ista compescit Quis est ab initio qui morti non cessit Hic si viuit hodie cras forte putrescit Cuique prorsus hominum parcere iam nescit 84. Quando genus hominum morti deputatur Quò post mortem transeat quisquam ignoratur Vnde quidem sapiens ita de se fatur Contremisco iugiter dum mens meditatur Quid sum quò propero quid mihi paratur 85 De morte dum cogito contristor ploro Vnum est quòd moriar tempus ignoro Tertium quòd nescio quorum iungar choro Sed vt suis valeam iungi Deum oro FINIS THE COMPLAINT OR DIALOGVE BETVVIXT The Soule and the Bodie of a damned man Each laying the fault vpon the other Supposed to be written by S. BERNARD from a nightly vision of his and now published out of an ancient Manuscript Copie By WILLIAM CRASHAW LONDON Printed by G. E. for Leonard Becket and are to be sold at his shop in the Temple neere the Church 1622. To the VVorshipful my worthy beloued friends Hugh Hare Richard Brownlow George Crok and Iohn Walter Esquires Benchers of the honourable society of the inner TEMPLE Mercy Grace and Peace THe end and highest happinesse of a Christian man is to honour God in this life and to dye well the way to die well is to liue well and no better prouocation to good life nor preparatiue to a good death then a continuall and serious meditation of the mortality of this life the certainty of our end the vncertainty when and how the terriblenesse of the last iudgement and the account that each one must make then who haue not made it here before crossed the debt-book of their sins by the Lambe of God This made an ancient Father crye out When I thinke of that day I feare and tremble for whether I eate or drinke or what euer I doe I thinke I heare that terrible Trumpet sounding in mine eares Arise yee dead and come to iudgement And to this end the holy men of elder times willingly entertained all occasions that might helpe them in these holy cogitations One euidence thereof is this short and sweet Dialogue which as a fore-runner of others that may follow being diuulged and desired by many to bee englished I am therefore induced to make it common This being an age that needs all helps to holinesse and inticements to deuotion And this the rather in as much as though it was made in the mist of Popery euen not long after the Diuell was let loose yet is it not tainted with Popish corruption nor scarce smels of any superstition whereas it is stuft with godly truthes and wholsome instructions My thoughts intended and dedicated it to your selues and that worthy vertuous and religious Gentleman now with God the brother to one of you in nature and to you all in faithfull Christian loue But seeing he needs it not God hauing prouided better things for him and his soule now feeding on finer foode in Gods glorious presence and blessed vision of the Deity take you it therefore and that part of profite that might heereby haue falne to him and that part of my loue which heerein I shewed him diuide among you and as hee hath left behinde him to this Society and all that knew him the sweete smell of a good name for his many religious and morall vertues so let me leaue behinde me this little Monument of the much loue my heart owes you and shall bee willing to testifie by my best seruice as to this whole and honorable Society in generall so to your selues in particular To whom without wrong to any other I speake it I haue beene peculiarly beholden and by whom my studies haue beene much aduanced Now the God of Grace and Mercy so guide you in the wayes of holinesse and good workes that at your ends your body may not blame your soule nor the soule the body but both soule and body may haue cause to glorifie God their Creatour Redeemer and Sanctifier in whose loue I leaue you and rest yours in all Christian duety THE SPEAKERS 1. The Author 2. A Soule departed 3. A dead Carcasse 4. The Diuels THE AVTHOR IN silence of a Winters night A sleeping yet a waking spirit A liuelesse body to my sight Me thought appeared thus addight 2. In that my sleepe I did descry A Soule departed but lately From that foule body which lay by Wailing with sighes and loud did cry 3. Fast by the body thus she mones And questions it with sighes and grones O wretched flesh thus low who makes thee lye Whom yesterday the world had seene so high 4. Wast not but yesterday the world was thine And all the Country stood at thy deuotion Thy traine that followed thee when thy Sunne did shine Haue now forsaken thee O dolefull alteration 5. Those Turrets gay of costly Masonry And larger Palaces are not now thy roome But in a Coffin of small quantity Thou lyest interred in a little tombe 6. Thy Palaces what helpe they thee or buildings Thy graue vneth's of largenesse for thy feet Henceforth thou canst hurt none with thy false iudgings For thy misdeeds in hell we both must meete 7. I I poore soule oh I a noble creature Formed and made in likenesse of my God Adorn'd with graces of
thee Then if thou pray Christ will not stay to set thee free Albe thou were To death most neare yet still be sure And vnderstand That his high hand containes thy cure Be he thy quest That giues all rest from restlesse woes Who so adore And him implore shall come to those For many a one Dead long agone hath he reuiued And saued more That were before of grace depriued Be all thy loue On God aboue lift vp thy spirit That thou maist taste The Saints repast through his sole merit And honour him That he from sinne may thee deliuer That sinnes increase In thee may cease in prayer perseuer On him I call That all in all hath in his power Against all harme Be he mine arme my shield my towre And this liues length Vouchsafe vs strength to keepe his hest That at our end Wee may ascend to endlesse rest Amen HEre followeth the meanes and manner how our forefathers in the time of Popery prepared themselues and others to die consisting first of the confession of their faith and secondly of the Prayers which were made by them and for them in their last sicknesse by which it may appeare that though they were misled by the crafty Romish Clergie in diuers errors and superstitions yet in the great point of the meanes of saluation they were of our religion and were saued by it Truly and verbatim englished out of the Latine being an ancient Copie and by any of that side vnquestioned and heretofore in that kind published By W. CRASH Questions to be expounded to sicke persons whilst they haue the vse of reason and power to speak to the end that if any be not so well disposed to dye hee may be better informed and prepared and the questions be these according to Anselme the Reuerend Bishop 1. Let him be asked thus BRother dost thou reioyce that thou shalt die in the faith of Christ A. I doe Q. Doest thou sorrow and grieue for that thou hast not liued so well as thou oughtest A. I doe Q. Hast thou a hearty purpose to liue better if God giue thee time to liue A. I haue Q. Doest thou beleeue that thou canst not be saued but by the death of Christ A. I doe Q. Doest thou beleeue that Iesus Christ the Sonne of God dyed for thee A. I doe Q. Doest thou giue thankes to God therefore from thy whole heart A. I doe Well then good Brother whilst thy soule is in thy body giue him hearty thankes and settle all thy assurance vpon his death alone haue no confidence in any thing else trust thy selfe wholly to his passion couer thy selfe wholly with it fasten thy whole life on his Crosse cast thy whole selfe into this Sea and if the Lord God say hee will iudge thee answere thou Lord I obiect the death of my Lord Iesus Christ betwixt me and thy iudgement otherwise I will not contend with thee And if GOD say to thee Thou art a sinner answere Lord it is so but I set the death of my Lord Iesus betwixt thee and my sinnes If hee say thou hast deserued damnation answer It is true Lord but I place the death and merits of my Lord Iesus Christ betwixt thee and my ill deseruings and I offer vp him and the most worthy merits of his passion for the merits which I should haue had but alas haue not If the Lord say further that he is angry with thee answer Lord thou hast cause but I set the death and sufferings of my Lord Iesus Christ betwixt thy wrath and my soule Then let him say thrice Lord into thy hands I commit my spirit and if he be so weake he cannot let the company that stand by say Lord into thy hands we commend his soule And hee that doth this is safe and sure that he shall neuer tast of eternall death Also in another old Booke I find this written THese bee the sixe signes vpon which a man may rest confident of his Saluation 1. If hee beleeue the Articles of Christian faith as many as are determined by the Church 2. If hee reioyce to dye in the faith of Christ 3. If he know that he haue grieuously offended God 4. If he be heartily sory for it 5. If hee resolue to forsake his sinnes if God giue him leaue 6 If hee hope and beleeue to come to eternall saluation not by his owne merits but by the merits of Iesus Christ And Anselme saith that these sixe questions are to bee asked of euery one at the time of his death and saith further thus Then say to the sicke person if Satan obiect any thing against thee oppose thou the merits of Christ betwixt thee and him and thus without all doubt he shall be saued This consolation of the sicke and preparation to their death is in ancient Copies ascribed to Anselme who liued more then 500. yeares agoe euen when Popery was almost growne to perfect age Now if any man make question how our fathers were saued in these later and worse times when Popery preuailed in a great measure I answere that euen almost the same preparation and same questions were vsed long after Anselme euen in the deepest darknesse of Popery for in the most euil time about the Councell of Constance some two hundred yeares agoe thus I find it written in an ancient Booke and it is ascribed to Gerson Euery Christian whether secular or regular is thus to be examined and informed in his sicknesse touching his saluation 1 DOest thou beleeue all the principall Articles of faith all that is contained in the whole body of holy Scripture according to the exposition of the Catholike and Orthodoxall Doctors of the holy Church and doest thou detest all heresies and errors and superstitions condemned or reproued by the Church and art thou glad that thou diest in the faith of Christ and vnitie and obedience of thy mother the Church 2 Dost thou know and confesse that thou hast many waies and grieuously offended thy God and thy Creator 3 Doest thou sorrow from thy whole heart for all thy sinnes committed against Gods Maiesty his loue and mercy art thou truly sorrowfull for the euils that thou hast committed and the good that thou hast omitted and the grace that thou hast neglected and art thou agrieued not so much for feare of death or any punishment as for that loue that thou oughtest to beare towards God 4 Doest thou beg pardon for all these thy sinnes of Iesus Christ desiring that by him thy heart may bee enlightned truely to see and know thy sinnes that so thou mayest particularly and more seriously repent of them 5 Doest thou propound and resolue truely to amend thy life if so be thou liue and neuer hereafter to sinne so againe but rather to lose any thing how deare soeuer vnto thee yea euen life it selfe then to offend thy God againe 6 Doest thou also desire of God grace to continue in this purpose that thou maiest not
fall againe 7 Doest thou forgiue from thy whole heart any that haue done thee any wrong in word or deede for the loue of Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour and as thou hopest for pardon from him and doest thou heartily desire to bee forgiuen of all men whom thou hast any way offended 8 Wilt thou that there bee full restitution made according to thy power yea though it should extend to thy whole estate if otherwise there cannot be satisfaction made 9 Doest thou beleeue that Christ dyed for thee and that thou canst be saued no otherwise but by the merits of Iesus Christ and doest thou giue God thankes for this from thy whole heart as much as thou art able And whosoeuer can giue true answer to these questions affirmatiuely out of a good conscience and faith not fained It is an euident and sufficient testimonie of saluation and let him not doubt but if he so depart hee is one of them that shall bee saued Behold heere good Reader our Religion practised in the most misty times of Popery behold here the true holy Catholike and ancient way to heauen Namely by Christ and his merits alone Here is no trusting on mans merits either our owne or others Here is no mention of Agnus dei or woodden Crucifixes Hee is not bid to trust in the prayers suffrages requiems dirges Masses Trentalls or other obsequies that shall bee said for him after his departure Hee is sent to no Angell no nor to the Virgin Mary for matter of Saluation Nay all are excluded and Christs death alone euen it alone is made the meanes of his Saluation And the makers hereof were so resolute and zealous in this point that they vsed such variety of words as though they could not sufficiently expresse the excellencie and the necessity of cleauing to Christ alone in the matter of Saluation And if any man suspect that this is but deuised by vs and falsly fathered vpon Antiquity let him know that not onely we haue the ancient Copies whose age will speake for themselues but Gasper Vlēbergius in lib. de Causis Causa 14 pag 462. editionis Colon. 1589. euen the better sort of Papists that be learned doe know this well enough A learned Papist of this age writeth that in a Church in Colaine this very booke is extant Manuscript and that he hath seene it and that this manner of comforting the sicke was vsed in former ages and confesseth that it containes the very treasure and kernell of Christian religion And saith further that this manner was vsed not in Germany onely but ouer all the Christian world Indeede to the Iesuites I confesse this is held a ridiculous manner of comforting the sicke such a spirit possesseth them Thus doth Gretzer their Champion flout vs Lutherans as he cals vs for thus doing The Lutherans saith he do Iac. Gretz in resut Leyseri de hist Ord. Iesuit thus comfort their sicke Relickes Crucifixes Agnus deis and such matters are but dead things nothing worth the Scripture hath not a word of them it is therefore very vngodly to trust in them but God is our hope and God is our strength trust in him c. On this wise fashion doe these godly comforters comfort their sicke persons Thus in the Iesuites iudgement it is but a silly course to trust in Gods mercy and Christs merits in point of saluation hereby it may bee discerned of what spirit they are But let them mock vs as long as with vs they mocke the Scriptures Antiquitie and the better sort of their owne side for we appeale to this that hath beene said whether this manner of comforting the sicke were not in vse long before Luther was borne Now if any obiect that in the same bookes there is mention of the Crucifixe and that it is appointed to be in the presence of the sicke person I answer it is true but not that he should worship it as now the Iesuites teach and Greg. de Valent. Gretzer Vasquez Chrys à visit c. all the approued Romish writers but that it may put him in minde of Christ which though it bee a needlesse superstition yet it is not that impietie and Idolatrie which now at this day is practised and maintained in the Romish Church and my purpose is not to discharge those times nor our forefathers in those times of errours and superstitions but of the idolatry impietie and blasphemie of the present Church of Rome And the same answer is also to be giuen to another obiection That in the same book there are prayers to the Saints and Angels It is so and from that errour those ages cannot be cleared but withall let vs still obserue that those praiers are not to help them in matters of saluation as are many blasphemous prayers now vsuall in Popery and that sinne in those misty times being a sin of ignorance no doubt was pardoned vnto them in the mercy of God seeing that for their reconciliation with God and eternall saluation they beleeued to attaine it onely by the merits and passion of Iesus Christ But let not vs feede on their infirmities but louingly passe by them and let this content and comfort vs that their meanes of saluation which they vsed and trusted vnto is the same with ours at this day For better testimony whereof let vs set downe some of their prayers being such as the best Christians may vse at this day with much comfort Certaine Prayers vsed by our forefathers in the darkest times of Poperie in the time of a mans sicknesse some to bee made for the sicke and some by the sicke person gathered out of the same Ancient Bookes When the sicke person feeles his strength to faile then let him commend his soule to God in this prayer O Most high and Soueraigne GOD whose goodnesse and mercy is infinite O most glorious Trinitie which art loue and mercie and goodnesse it selfe haue mercy vpon mee most miserable sinner for vnto thee and vnto thy hands I commend my spirit O Lord my most louing God and Father of mercies shew thy mercie on me thy poore creature and forsake me not in my last need but stand with me and helpe my succourlesse soule saue my poore and desolate soule that it be not deuoured of the infernall dogs O most louing Lord and sweete Sauiour Iesus Christ the Sonne of the liuing God I beseech thee for thy honor and by the vertue of thy most blessed passion command that I may bee receiued into the number of thy Saints and seruants O my Sauiour and my Redeemer I here yeeld vp my selfe wholly vnto thee O graunt me thy grace and thy glory vouchsafe mee pardon of my sinne and giue mee a portion of thy glory But ô my deare Lord I challenge not a place in heauen for any worthinesse of mine owne merits for I am but dust and ashes and a most wretched sinner but for the vertue of thy most blessed passion by