haue left behynd them and howe moch remaineth to the marke And in tymes past they that loked for the Iubilie knewe howe longe they might enioy that that they had bought But there is no mortall man whiche certainely knoweth that he shall lyue vntyll the nexte day We renne but hauynge deathe in oure fete yea carieng it aboute on all our body We haue receiued our life frely of the lord but condicionally that we surrender it at euery moment whan he demandeth it Howe though it chanceth vs to liue vntil extreme age whiche to how fewe it chaunceth euery man knoweth O lorde god what is the hole lyfe of man but a very short rennynge place wherin wyl we wyl we not we renne contynuallye slepe we wake we be we in welth or in wo The contynuall course of the worlde carieth vs away lyke a boystous flode although we seme to our selues or to other to stand styl Than if prices of world ly thynges be estemed by the shortenes of tyme howe moche more vyle oughte tho thynges to be whiche haue not so moch as one howre certayne Nowe the thynges that we lyttelle regarde we lyttelle force though they be plucked awaye from vs as they why che be not at home but in strange countreys if any coÌ„moditie appereth vnto them in the way or in theyr ynnes they cast not their mynd greatly therto bicause they must leue forth with the thing that delyteth them and if any incoÌ„modite chaunce them they beare it easely thinkyng thus Here I dine my supp is ordeined in an other place The thinges that be sene sayth Paule be teÌ„porall and tho that be not sene be eternall And this is a greate parte of the Christen philosophie whiche prepareth vs to dethe that by the contemplation of thinges eternall and heuenly we maye lerne the despisynge of temporall and erthly Plato iuged the hole philosophy none other thynge but a meditation of deathe He callyd a meditation a preparation as who shuld say an exercyse to death none otherwyse thaÌ„ a yong warriour that shal in time commynge fyght with his ennemy exercyseth hym selfe at a tylte Whiche is a ryghte holsome saying if that whiche is spoken of the philsopher philosophically be taken of christen men christeÌ„ly For not the contemplation of mathematicall formes abstracte from the mattiers nor yet the imagination of Idee whiche Plato deuysed causeth vs to dye wel but if with the eies of feithe we consider in our mindes the goodes passyng al mans wyt whiche god hath promised by his son Jesus to them that trust vnto hym the euils which he hath thretnid to infidels disobedient Thone shal feare vs from sinning the other shal prouoke vs to do wel I grant an eternall veritie in certayn humayn lerninges but suche as procureth to no man the true felicitie But here the promiser is euerlastinge euerlastyng is he by whom he promiseth euerlasting be the thinges ê“mysed euerlastinge felicitie they brynge to the beleuers euerlasting infelicitie to the despisers This meditation of deth is the meditation of the true life And it causeth not only that the philosopher promiseth which is that the soule shulde depart from the bodye with lesse heuynesse but also that with cherefulnes of hart it shuld lepe merily as it were out of a darke and painful prison into blessed libertie into that light so louely which is void of any nyght or darknes For the body whiche is corruptible accombreth the soule and the erthely habitation depresseth the mynd reuoluing many thynges And therfore crieth the ê“phete Lede out of prison my soule that it may coÌ„fesse thy name Lorde The summe of mans felicitie is to contemplate and prayse his maker redemer gouernour To this end is man created This felicitie of man is oftentymes disturbed by the weakenes of this body which we cary aboute subiecte to so many necessities to so many euyls to so many peryls In like wyse also saynt Paule accombred with the carnall habytation pytyfully syghynge crieth O I vnhappy man who shall delyuer me froÌ„ this body of deth For he saw them in high blysse whiche dwelled in the house of the lorde pray synge hym worlde without ende Of this affection be men of the ryght holynes of whome though the bodyes kepe in erth yet their treasure harte and conuersation is in heuens But few men haue this perfection and strongenes of mynde It is not gyuen to al men to say with Paul Christ to me is lyfe and to dye is a lucre And I couet to be dissolued and be with Christe We beinge our selues weake prepare this consolation to them that be weake vnto whom yet thexamples of the perfyte lyuers be as who saith prickes and prouocations to obteyne the strength of the spirite Wherfore this meditation of dethe is through out all the lyfe to be exercysed and euer amonge the sparke of feyth is to be styred vp that it may encreace and gather streÌ„gth to whom charytie annexed shall drawe vnto it hope whiche neuer maketh his maister ashamed But we haue none of these oure selfes but they be the gyftes of god with contynuall prayers and vowes to be vowed for if they lacke and if we haue them to be augmentid that they may encreace The stronger that feyth accompanied with Hope and Charitie is the lesse is the tremblynge For that most part of vs thus abhoire from the men tion of death it commeth commonly of the vnstedfastnes of fayth But on the promises of god ought man to haue moste certain trust For he is onely he whiche of nature true can not deny hym selfe To whom the noble psalmograph syngeth Euerlastingely lorde thy worde abydeth In heuen worlde without ende is thy trouth which also in the Euangel pronounceth of hym selfe Heuen and erthe shall passe but my wordes shal not passe What hath he promysed He hathe promysed vyctorye of deathe vyctorye of fleshe of the worlde and of the dyuell He hath promysed remission of synnes he hath promysed an hundrede tymes as moche in this worlde euerlastyng lyfe in the next But in what wyse hathe he promysed By our owne ryghtwysenes No truely but by grace of faythe whiche is vpon Christ Iesus And to the entent we shulde be the surer he hath annulled cancelled that fyrst handwrityng whiche Adam vnhappily had described vnto vs naylynge it to the crosse and hath giuen vs his handwriting of grace whiche he hath scaled with his owne blod and hath confirmed it with innumerable testimonies of prophetes apostels martyrs and virgins whiche with their blode alsoo haue subscribed And the vnyuersal church of Christen men and holy fathers also haue subscribed He hath more ouer added the erneste penye of the spirite that our truste shulde wauer in no part And the goodnesse of god not coÌ„tented with these hath vouchesafed to shewe vnto all men an euidente and notable example in his onely begotten sonne
For that he hath ouercome vndoutedly he ouercame for his membres sakes on whome he holly bestoweth hym selfe For what were we sely wormes of our selues Christe is our Justyce Christe is our vyctorie Christe is our hope and surenes Christe is our tryumphe and crowne He was borne a chylde but which Esai omitted not to vs he was borne to vs he was gyuen In lykewyse for vs he taughte for vs he healyd diseases caste forth dyuelles for vs he hungred and thyrsted for vs he was blasphemed for vs the time of deth approching he was striken with heuynes and werynes of lyfe for vs he swette bloud for vs he was bound and beate for vs he dyed and reuiued fynally for vs he sytteth on the ryght hande of the father Whyles he toke vpon hym all euyls due vnto vs he delyuered them vnto vs that we shulde ouercome theym Nowe that he hathe broken theyr strengthes hath added the strongenes of spirite according to the measure of our afflictions He hath shewed vs the way howe to ouercome he hath added a desire of figh ting to the fyghters he ministreth help So he ouercometh in vs if so be that we tary in hym We tarie by faithe and charitie If ye aske where this chyrograph or handwrytynge that assureth vs remaineth I answer in the canonicall scriptures in whiche we rede the wordis of god not of mē To these no lesse credence is to be youen than if god had spoken theym vnto the with his owne mouth yea I dare boldli say somwhat more largely For if god had spoken vnto the by some created lykenes perchaunce accordinge to thexample of certayne good men thou woldest haue doubted whether there were any disceite in the thynge But al this doubte the perpetuall consent of the catholyke churche hath cleane take away frome vs. Than in this handwriting to studye all our lyfe is the best preparation to dethe As thapostle sayth that by pacience and cōsolation of scriptures we maye haue hope Agayne if a man demaundeth how and whan Christe ouercame these I answere he ouercame the flesshe and shewed vs the maner of ouercomynge where as he fearynge and abhorrynge deathe accordynge to the nature which he toke vppon hym sayth to the father But yet not as I wyll but as thou wylte And in an nother place he wytnesseth of hym selfe sayenge I came not to do my wyll but his that sent me Nothynge is soo horrible to mans nature that by the helpe of Christe is not ouercome if we commytte and submytte vs hole to goddis wyl and in our moste greuous stormes of tribulations haue all tymes in mynde the sayenge of the good father and kyng Dauyd It is the lord let him do that semeth best in his eyes These wordes be not magicall but they be stronger than all enchantementes whiche who so euer pronounceth with his hart and cōtinueth with this trust he can not despayre thoughe the hole route of euyls with al the diuels in hel shuld inuade him Almyghty is he that fyghteth for vs and which speketh in the Psalme with hym I am in tribulation I wyll plucke hym oute and I wyll gloryfyē hym Whan thou herest with hym doo not prayse thyn owne strength but haue an eye to the power of the helper Whan thou herest I wyll plucke hym out be not desperate of mynde thoughe thou be somwhat longe in tribulations He wyll do withoute doute that he promysed and he knoweth whan it is expedient that thou shouldest be lyghted of thy euyls Whan thou herest I wyll glorify hym be thou assured that as thou were felowe with Christe of the Crosse so thou shalt be felowe with hym also of glory But remēbre what went before He cryed to me It is thy part to crye to crye to the lorde not to the succours of this worlde not to thy strengthes and good dedes but to the lorde which onely maye delyuer the frome these euyls Nothinge is frayler than man and yet no man can expresse with how many and how outragious euyls and fearefull myschefes he is besicged For to omyt thūders erthquakes see rages grounde openynges warres robberies wytchecraftes who can recken vp all fourmes of diseses And amongest these how many be there so horrible and so paynefulle that a man shall quake for feare to here them but named of the which sort be the fallynge syckenes the palsey the flayinge of the bladder the frāsye I wyll not speake of the often inuasiōs of Pestilences which dayly springe not only newe and newe but also worse and worse against all the remedyes of the Phisitiens so that it is most truly spoken of the Poet. ¶ Mille modis leti miseros mors vna fatigat Onely death with his cruell dart By thousand meanes make man to smart ¶ How is it possible that we so weake both of bodies of myndes can be able to match be good ynoughe for so many outragious stormes vtterly we were vndone though the burden of synne were away yf the hand of the lorde helped not oure imbecillytye Nowe remayneth an other myschefe that is to wytte the worlde whiche bringeth to good and godly persones no small batayle I call the worlde the olde man with his actes and concupiscences Howe be it vnder the name of worlde ye maye not vnconuenientely vnderstonde menne gyuen to this worlde which neuer haue ceassed nor neuer shal ceasse with their vttermost power to warre against Christ and his disciples But vnto this batayl Christ armeth vs sayeng Be bolde I haue vanquyshed the world But howe farre strange he was frome the concupiscence of worldly thynges he declareth whan he sayth The sonne of manne hath not where to reste his heed For therin euerye manne resteth his heed wherin his mynde is in quyete and as it were slepeth And how violent and croked this world is they knowe whiche ernestely go about to lyue vertuously in Christ Jesu He toke vpon him our concupiscēce but none otherwyse thanne he toke synne suffrynge for vs punyshement whiche was due for our affections and actes But all engyns and ordynaunces that this worlde had it threwe vppon our lorde as shame sclander awaytes myght tourmentes deathes What dydde not this worlde to the entente it myght vtterly quenche the name of Christe And so he lyueth and flouryssheth bothe in heauen and in erth Our lorde hath ouercome not that we shulde nowe slepe but that we shuld not despayre He hathe delyuered vnto vs our enemye not vtterly dead but broken vanquyshable to th entent that we by oure fyghtynge maye haue a crowne of glorye prepared for vs. If thou askest howe this worlde maye be vanquysshed John̄ the inwarde disciple of Christe teacheth This is quod he the victorie which ouercometh the worlde your Fayth Fyght than faythfully castyng all thy trust in the lorde nor doubt not but throughe his fauour and ayde thou shalt be a conquerour ¶ Now resteth synne wherein vnhappily we
lyueth welle is not gendred of a mystruste towarde the promyses and coÌ„minations of god or of the not beleuyng in the artycles of the fayth or of doubtynge of the power of the sacramentes which they haue of the deathe of Christe but it ryseth of inwarde knowlege of our wekenes whiche is gretter than may be fully vnderstande of vs. Of singular or particular thinges we be not coÌ„streyned to be sure howe be it we maye dispaire of no person As for ensaumple it is necessary to beleue that who so euer receiueth with faythe the sacrament of baptime receyueth free remission of all synnes but it is not necessarie to beleue that this maÌ„ baptised is free from all synnes For it maye be that in this manne there is a peculyar thyng whiche letteth the general power of the sacramente Likewise it is of the sacramente of penaunce It is a wyckednesse to doubte whether he be assoyled of his synnes whiche hath rightly taken this sacrament Yet it is no poynt of heresie to doute whether this man or that man is assoyled bycause of peculiar impedimentes we haue no knowlege I except a syngular and euydente reuelation or irrefutable authoritie whan there is no expresse authoritie of scriptures or of the agrement of the church to the contrary This doutynge is not an infydelitie but a religious modestie with his hole hart submitting him self to the wyl and iugement of god yea though he wyl damne the man For he shall not therfore be damned but by this very submission he shall deserue absolution if to the religious treÌ„blyng be ioyned a truste that cometh of the mercye of Christe The same is to be thought of the sacrament of the Aultar We be bouÌ„d generally to beleue that the prieste duelye doinge his offyce dothe consecrate the bodye and bloud of our lorde but it is no vngodlynes to doubte whether this manne or that man dyd consecrate For this is not to doubte of the sacrament but of the peculiar circumstances lettyng the vertue or reson of the sacrament Lykewise we beleue of necessitie that men by faith and charitie towarde our lorde Iesu obteyn euerlasting helthe yet it is lefull to dout whether this man or that be in the same state Howe be it neyther of other men we ought rasihely to iuge and in our selues hope oughte to encrease togyther with the increase of loue and feyth The same must we thynke of the promyses and manaces of scriptures For the matter of doutynge ryseth not of god which can not ly but of vs. It is not vnknowen to man howe excedyng good thinges god hath promysed but to them that feare and loue hym But who of vs is there whiche hath shewed feare as dewe to suche a lorde and loue due and worthy for suche a parent Wherfore they doubt not whether god be true in his promises but whether we be worthy of his promyses Faythe hope charitiie drede be gyftes of the spirite Who thaÌ„ knoweth whether the feyth cha ritie whiche he hath be of this sort of giftes which make vs the beloued of god and whether they suffyse to euerlasting helthe Lykewyse god by his sonne hath promised forgiuenes of all synnes but ones by baptyme yf it be duely taken Who is there of vs which hath not by many wayes spotted the whyte garment which was frely gyuen vs in baptyme There is prepared a remedy of penaunce but to theym whiche with their hole hert be conuerted to the lorde Here let euery man examyn hym self whether with his hole hart he be conuerted to the lord whether he hath an hert truly coÌ„trite and humbled and yf he hath whether it be after a sufficient maner The baptyste cryeth Do ye fruytes worthy repentaunce Who dare take vppon hym that he hath in due forme hatyd and detested his synnes God thretneth wrathe and hell to the breakers of his preceptis and how oft casting awaye the fere of hym breake we theym Whom shalt thou fynde which feareth not more the displesure of a prince or iuge mortall than of the lyuynge god Further how ofte chaunceth it that manne loueth more a man than god suffring for his mortal frend that whiche he wolde refuse to suffre for Christes sake certes I am this opinioÌ„ that I thynke the fayth of good men alwaye to be ioyned togither with a deuout and religious tremblynge I excepte a fewe whom god wolde haue to be counted perelesse to be as examples to styre all men but which few can folowe They more certeynly hope for mercy of our lorde which drede his inâ—â— Wherfore who that thus saye beleue that thou shalte be saued and thou shalte be saued do commyt double synne For if they lacke of anye maner saythe the sayenge is â—â— and yf they speke of the lyuing fayth it is folyshly sayde beleue as who shoulde saye it were in any mans power to beleue whan he will where as I stande in doubte whether we be certayn yf the gyft of fayth be in vs. Adde herevnto that man not only to other men but also to hym selfe is ofte rymes vnknowen where as nothinge be it neuer so hyd can disceyue the eyes of god The herte of man is vnserchable of vs but no corner of the herte is hydde from hym which fourmed and made the herte To vs oftentymes that appereth holy and good which is wicked in the eyes of god pure which is vnpure So it happeth that man thinketh hym cleane from synne whan vnknowynge he hath a wounded conscience Why shulde not this thinge chance vnto vs. â—â— that noble kynge in his Psalme sayth Delicta quis intelligit ab occultis meis munâ—â— me domine Who vnderstandeth his offences from my hyd synnes make me cleane O lorde Wherfore the moste surest sauegarde and saynctuary is with a religious feare to â—â— frome the iustice of god to his mercy with the Psalmografe to saye Ne intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo quia non iustificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis viuens Entre not lorde into iugement with thy seruaunt for no lyuynge creature shal be iustifyed in thy sight No man than can stande vpright in this iugement yf our merites be examyned accordyng to the strayte rule of god onles mercy be present in the iugement And therfore there wente before in the same Psalme In thy trouthe here my petition in thy iustyce Whosoeuer coueteth his petitioÌ„ to be hard leueth coÌ„tention and who coueteth his petition to be harde in the trouth of god hath a distrust to his owne trouth knowyng that onely god is true and euery man a lyar and he that requyrethe his petition to be harde in the iustyce of god mystrusteth his owne iustyce The trouthe and the ryghtwysnes of god is Christe the minister of the euangelicall grace For by Moyses was gyuen the law which hath disclosed our vnrightwysnesse but grace is made by Christ Iesu which hath imparted and communicate vnto vs his ryghtwysenes We
of Christ so with the deuyll we shoulde not dispute but whan he suggesteth and casteth into mans mynde wycked and vngodly thynges he must say to hym Abi retro Satana So backe Satanas It is not lefull for me to doubte of tho thinges which the churche instructed by the holy goste hath taught and it is also sufficient to beleue tho thinges which I can not attayne with my wytte They tell a certayne thinge not out of holy scripture but neuerthelesse to the mattier that we go now about it is sufficientely accommodate mete of two whome the dyuell at tyme of their deth tempted of their beleue the one was lerned in Philosophie the other was nothinge but a Christen man rude and vnlerned he assayled the fyrst how he beleued whether that Christ was god and mā whether that he was born of a virgin and whether he beleued the generall resurrection And began with reasons of Philosophie to demonstrate that it was impossible to ioyne tho thinges in one betwixt whiche there is no agreance as betwyxt fynite and infynite create and increate Furthermore that it is against nature that a virgyn shulde brynge forth a childe without carnal knowledge of man nor that accordynge to Aristotell the Prynce of the Philosophers there can be no returne frome priuation to the habyte What nedeth mo wordes The man wauered and was conuicte and the dyuell departed a victour The other rude man whā the dyuel asked him how he beleued of this and of that thynge he aunswered him with a cōpendious way As the church beleueth Agayne whan he obiected howe dothe the churche beleue Marye quod he as I beleue How dost thou beleue As the church beleueth How beleueth the church As I beleue Frome this rude vnprepared man so disputations but with symple fayth stable and stedfast the gostly ennemy departed vanquyshed This aunswere is good ynoughe to confounde and dryue awaye the subtyll and craftye ennemy the dyuell But chiefly it is good in obscure and doubtefull causes and matters As yf the ennemy wyll suggest or some other captious felaw how maye it be that in thre persones there shuld be one god and one essencie in numbre and also by whatte meanes they be distincte the one from the other Let him make answere thus Euen as the churche beleueth How can all one bodye be in dyuers places all at one tyme And how in the Sacramente of the aulter maye the trewe body of a man be conteyned in so lytell a space Let him answere as the church beleueth Agayn what maner of fyre is in hell how can a bodyly thing be an agent in an vnbodyly substance let him answere as the church beleueth Or yf any thinge is to be answered let him answere with fewe wordes eyther out of the Crede which dayly ought to be rehersed vnto the sicke man or out of holy scripture or els by the spirite of faith If Satan heapeth vp the greatnes of his synnes let him turne hym to god and say Auerte faciem tuā a peccatis meis Turne thy face lorde frome my sinnes loke vpon the face of thy sonne Christ Jesus Dyuell The noumbre of thy synnes do passe the grauell of the see Man But yet the mercye of god is more plentuous Dyuell How doest thou trust to haue a rewarde of rightwysenes which art all vnrightwyse Mā My rightwysnes is Christ. Dyuell Shalt thou whiche art all beclad in wyckednesse go with Peter and Paule to euer lastynge blysse Man No but with the thefe to whome it was sayde on the crosse This daye thou shalt be with me in Paradyse Dyuell How hast thou this trust which hast done nothinge that is good Man Bycause I haue a good lorde an intreatable iudge and a gracious aduocate Dyuell Thou shalt be haled downe to hell Man My heed is in heuen Dyuell Thou shalt be damned Man Thou art a barratour and a fals harlot no iudge a damned fende no damnour Dyuell Many legions of dyuels wayte for thy soule Man I shoulde despaire yf I had not a protectour which hath ouercom your tyranny Dyuell God is not iuste if for thy euyll dedes he gyueth the euerlasting lyfe Man Nay he is iuste that kepeth his promises and I longe sythen haue appeled frome his iustice vnto his mercye Dyuell Thou flattereste thy selfe with vayne hope Man He that is verite can not lye it is thy properte to be false of promyses Dyuelle Thou seest what thou leauest behynde but what thou shalt haue thou seest not Manne The thinges that be sene be temporall and the thinges that be not sene be euerlasting and he seeth and more than seeth whiche surely and stedfastly beleueth Dyuel Thou departest hence laden with euyll dedes and naked of good dedes Man I will praye to the lorde that he wyll dyscharge me of my euyls and clothe me in his good thinges Dyuell But god heareth not synners Man But he heareth penitentes and for synners he dyed Dyuell Thy repentance is to late Man It was not to late vnto the thefe Dyuell The thefes faithe was stedfaste thyne wauereth Man I wyll praye to the lorde that he will encrease my faith Dyuel Thou doeste falsely perswade thy selfe that thou haste a mercyfull lorde which with so many euyls vexeth and punyssheth the. Man He healeth as a louynge phisition Dyuell Why than wolde he that thy deathe shoulde be so bytter Man It is the lorde he can not wil but that thinge which is good Why shulde I an vnprofytable seruaunt refuse to suffre the thinge that the lorde of glory hath suffred Dyuell It is a wretched thing to dye Mā Blessed be they which dye in the lord Dyuell But the deathe of synners is euyll Man He ceasseth to be a synner which with hope of mercy acknowlegeth hym self for a synner Dyuell Thou leauest this worlde Man Frome heuy exyle I departe into my natiue countreye Dyuell Thou leauest behynde the many great commodities good thinges Man But many mo euyll thinges Dyuell Thou leauest thy rychesse Manne They be other mens that I leaue I beare myne with me Dyuel What dost thou bere syth thou hast no goodnes in the Mā That is trewly myne which the lorde hath frely gyuen me Dyuell Thou forsakest wyfe and childerne Man They be the lordes I cōmyt them vnto hym Dyuell It is an harde thinge to be plucked away from the derely beloued Man Within short space they shall folow me Dyuell From thy swete frendes thou arte sundered Manne I go to sweter frendes In as moche as the moste wyly and subtill ennemy whome he can not drawe to desperatiō entyseth and solliciteth them to a trust and confidence in them selfes to th entent that whō he can not thrust down heedlong he maye brimge vp on a heyght and so confounde them therfore against this no smal daungier the sycke man must be armed defended and protected Lykewyse also as againste the daungier of desperation it is