things doth by a little and a little fall and â—…lyde away altogither So that my singulerly beloued if thou wilt continue in the state of health grace and charitie that is to say out of all gréeuous sin and cause of dampnation doe not onely be diligent to auoyd the greatest offences but the least also For otherwyse thy fruites are deade before the face of god Whose voice wheÌ„ the shéepe heareth not he strayeth and wandereth Now it is a gréeuous sinne and offence more to cleaue and stick vnto to be more delighted and affected in the create frayle and vayn things of this world then God him selfe Whervpon Hierome sayeth A mynd dedicated vnto God should as well beware of the least as of the greatest offences Knowing that accompt must bée rendered of euery idle word And therefore Gregorie sayth He that taketh not héede of the least falleth into the greatest offences Then such as doe dayly follow vanities laughyng bablyng sportyng dallying wandring here and there and accustomyng them selues to all lightnesse and in the meane whyle doe very seldome or neuer repent or amend how can they choose but become culpable also of greater enormities Therefore let no man â—…oye â—…latter neglect nor beguyle him selfe But the better to auoyd and eschue these â—…ares of the diuill these knottes of temptation as slouth and negligence yea and the better to procéede and increase in goodnesse and in all vâ—…tue and grace it is greatly auayleable to haue a faythfull godly wary expâ—…e iust wyse and entyre familier friend Unto whom a man may be bolde to lay opeÌ„ boldly all his secrets doubtes and scrupules And by whose godly aduyce he may be instructed kindled by his exhortations and helped by his assistant prayers For the frendship of such being founded on godlinesse and honestie is of great force and efficacye before god Wherevpon the auntient fathers sayde that the fraudes and temptations of the diuill are by no worldly meanes more repulsed nor defended then by the socyetie of a zealous friende vnto whom a man may laye open his harte and mynde Least the power of the diuil being secretly shutte therein doe infecte and vtterly distroy it And therevpon it is written A faythfull friend is a strong protection And he which hath founde such an one hath a great treasure There is no comparison to a faythful friend neyther can the weight of Gold nor siluer counterpeyse hys fayth A faythfull friend is a medicyne of lyfe and immortalitie and suche as feare the Lorde shall fynde suche friendes And in another place hee sayeth Blessed is hee which fyndeth a faythfull friende For since man is naturally a lyuing creature which defireth company it is naturall say the Philosophers that he should be helped And since man is not a good iudge ouer him selfe it is expedyent that hee open his griefe and conscyence to some other more méete to iudge thereof Therefore harken vnto counsell and bee not ruled by thyne owne sensuall appetyte But endeuour thy selfe to eschue all familyaritie societie of wanton worldlings for that is greatly hurtfull to thy soule God is a spirite as it is written in the fourth Chapiter of John and they which worship him must worshippâ—… hym in spiryte and truth And although wee ought deuoutly and carefully with all reuerence to performe and execute all the workes of God for hée is accursed which doth the worke of God negligently yet those actions of vertues which are immedyately and without any interim done and exercysed about God ought to be done and exercysed with a greater reuerence and singular zeale Now prayer singing of Psalmes and adminystring of sacramentes are actions of vertue pertayning vnto Gods honor And therefore they are to be executed with all diligence and perfection Wherevnto first is requyred the obseruation and kéeping of the diuyne precâ—…ptes For it is written Hee that declineth his eare least hee should heare Gods law hys prayer is execrable And agayn Cursed are they which declyne from thy commaundements Therfore first the conuersation must be made conformable vnto the prayer and nexte the harte must be vnyted vnto God by often proofe and continuall attentyuenesse For of suche as are backewarde and doe not attende the Lorde spake by Esaye saying This people honoreth me with their lippes but their harte is farre from mée And the wyse man sayde Before prayer prepare thyne harte and soule and be not lyke vnto a man which tempteth god Therefore attentiuenesse is chiefly necessarie and ought to be alwayes in the begynnyng of prayer and singyng of Psalmes For the vertue of eche good beginninâ—… doeth shyne in as muche as followeth and the latter ende followeth vertuously by guyde of a good beginning Furthermore for as much as there are thrée sundry effects in prayer that is acceptation with God obtayning of that we craue and a certayne swéete refection of mynde which be féeleth that prayeth the before named attentiuenesse shal be sufficient to the former two of these affectes But vnto the third there is requisite a continuall and mightie attentyuenesse For according to Basilles wordes Euen as the taste of the mouth doth discerne and taste euerie morsell or péece of the bodily sustenaunce whilest it cheweth and gnaweth it euen so the inwarde taste of the soule oughte in prayer and singyng of Psalmes to marke and taste the sence of euerye worde and sentence And that the forenamed actions and dueties may be perfectly discharged and executed there is required a great warynesse and watchfulnesse of â—…arte and an affectionate recollection or repiticion of 〈◊〉 towardes god And therefore some haue thought no 〈◊〉 nor payne comparable vnto hartie prayer But such prayer and singing of Psalmes is of great and excéedyng great efficatie towardes the obtayning at Gods handes of all things which we doe healthfully requyre And there vpon Christ sayd True worshippers and prayers shal worship and pray to the father in spirit and veritie And Basille sayeth the diuyne helpe is to be craued not â—…ackly nor with a mynde wandring here and there for suche an one shall not onely fayle to obtayne but further shall styrre and prouoke God to anger For it is requisite in tyme of prayer to behaue our selues purely and stoutly Stoutly that wée may reuerently and ioyfully attend the Lord our god Not sloughfally nor sléepily gaping and yawning neither whisperyng and muttering and cutting of our words in the middest but with a stout and couragious sounde as best becommeth let vs pronounce our desires before the holy Ghost Then purely also that we thinke vpon none other thing but the Psalme or prayer which wée sing or say For the holye ghost will not acceptably receyue that which is profered if we neglecte that which is due vnto him And pray not nor sing not ouer hastily In praying and singing of Psalms we haue two especiall things to marke and attend That is our owne myserie and Gods mercie To the ende
my welbeloued in Christ Iesu attâ—…d and marke the word of god with good affectioÌ„ heare it humbly and reuerently reade it and peruse it as an Epistle sent thée from the holy ghost Neyther yet is it sufficient to know the will of God or to haue it in reuerence but we must also fulfill the same As the Psalmist sayth I haue layed vp thy wordes in my harte to the end that I might not offend thée And the Euangelist sath The seruaunt which knoweth his Lords will doth it not shal be beateÌ„ with many stripes And the Apostle Iames in his Canonicall Epistle sayth He that doth knowe the good and doth it not offendeth gréeuously And here vpon Augustine doth conclud that the word of god is of no lesse worthynesse then the body of christ Neyther is he lesse gyltye which heareth the word of God neclygently then he which receyueth his body vnworthyly And therfore since I writ these things vnto thée for the health of thy soule by the helpe and grace of God without whâ—…se provydence and helpe no trée groweth nor leafe falleth I require that thou read these thinges with no lesse dillygence and earnest affection then they are feruently and zealously wrytten for thyne instruction For so the natureall goodnesse of thy quick capacytie doth requyre As it is written A good eare will harken vnto wisdome with earnest desire And how acceptable and well pleasing that were vnto god appeareth by the wyseman saying The earnest desire of wysdome shall guid a man to the perpetuall kyngedome But what wisdome Not the wysdome of this world Not the wysdome of Phylosophers Poets or Rethorycians For by the 〈◊〉 of â—…he Apostle God estéemeth the wisdome of this worlde for méere folly And Saint Hierome that holy father doth call Aristotle who was Prince of Philosophers a father of fooles or Prince of ignoraunce But the wordes before rehearced are ment by the wisdome and perfect knowledge which is conteyned in holy scriptures And are not they to be accoumpted vayne and foolishe who settinge a side such thinges as are requisite for the soules health And omitting â—…he obseruaunce of gods holy coÌ„maundementes and the holesome knowledge conteyned in his holy word are earnestly and contynewally occupyed in thinges altogether vayne and superfluous yea things which god doth not by any meanes requyre at their handes And therevpon we sée such men most comoÌ„ly blynded with infinite vanyties vnfearefully vnwarely conuersant and delighted in playes pastimes and ouermitting greater offences in méere tryfels and fantasies Is this thinkest thou the streyght waye leading to lyfe euerlasting the which as Christ himselfe doth witnesse few can fynde out No But doo thou as the holy word teacheth thée séeke not thinges aboue thy reach Nor search not thinges beyonde thy strength But looke what god cuÌ„maundeth and therevpon doo thou alwayes medytate And as for these superfluous toyes of prophaine mystries doo neuer troble thy braynes therewith Agayne what prosâ—…teth it to haue knowledge of thinges created without a dew reuerence and worship of the creator Nothing at all But rather it hyndereth much and maketh such smatterers as gesse thereby to fal into daunger of coÌ„dempnatioÌ„ Wherfore let not the study of naturall Phylosophy more delight thée then the study of true morallytie which is deuynity But let the cheife delight consist in the study vnderstanding of holy scriptures That thou mayest say O how swéete are thy wordes vnto my mouth more swéete then fine hony And agayne I haue delyghted in the wayes of thy testimonyes as in much rytches And lykewyse The lawe of thy mouth is profitable vnto me yea more then thowsandes of gold siluer By experience thereof one of the Fathers in holy churche did say Nothing in this lyfe is tasted more swéetely nor swallowed more gréedely nothinge doth so seperate mans mynd from the world nothing so strâ—…gthen it against temptation nor any thing more help and styrre him to all goodnesse then the study of the holy scriptures And agayne hée sayth Whatsouer is written in holy scriptures is veritie Whatsoeuer is therein commaunded is honesty and whatsoeuer is therin promised is true and perfect felicitye This is then the most holesome and profitable study which teacheth a man to know himselfe to correct his lyfe and to procéed in all goodnesse by the grace of the holy spirite And therevpon Augustine warneth vs saying Use reading of holy scriptures for thy glasse whereby thou mayest moue any blott or blemishe that thou findest in thy selfe Yea theu mayest therein learne to preserue whatsoeuer thou perceiuest to be fayre in thée by doing that which is fayerer then it séemeth to be For the worde of god is most plentyfull conteyning in it all delights And therin as in a myrrour when we doo looke and gaze with the eyes of our inward mynde we doo also sée and behold the secret shape of our soules Yea we may thereby perceiue how much we haue profited or how much we are gone a straye froÌ„ perfection Wherevpon Isodorus sayth The reading of holy scriptures doth yéeld prosit For it doth not onely teath instruct a mans mynde but it bringeth backe to the loue of god such as are by vanyties abstract and caryed into concupiscence Can any study then be compared to y study of this wysdome No surely For as Gregorie sayth Euen as the holy scriptures doo excell aboue all other knowledge learning without coÌ„parisoÌ„ teaching vs the perfect trueth calling vs to the heaueÌ„ly habitatioÌ„ inuyting and prouoking y readers hart froÌ„ worldly desirs to theÌ„braceing of high heaueÌ„ly treasurs being neither so darke that they are to be dred nor yet so plaine y they are to be dispised eueÌ„ so doth the vse and exercise thereof take away all wearinesse and the more they are red the more they delight surpassinge all other scyences euen in the maner of writing and handlynge Wherevpon Hyerome also sayth Loue the studie of the holy scryptures and thou shalt not passe vpon the vitious desires of the fleshe So that I doe greatly desire welbeloued to decke and bewtyâ—…e thy soule with this diuyne and supernaturall knowledge of the holy scripturs the which shyneth as a certayne blase or bryght bâ—…ame of the euerlastinge vncreated and highest wysdome And the very reading thereof by the testimony of Hyerome doth sharpen y sence encrease y vnderstanding warme the will shake of â—…owth quench lust prouoke swéet sighes distyll plesant teares and maketh vs as it were néeare neighbours vnto God himselfe Wherein when we bestowe our tyme and study the holy ghost doth talke and common with vs euen famylyarely as Isodr sayth And surely thou art singulerly endewed with capacity towardes thatteyning thereof synce thou art bewtified with a naturall sharpenesse of vnderstanding in such sort that thou mayest by Gods grace say being yet but a yong scoller I haue enclyned my soule vnto goodnesse And I besech thée most
the sight of theyr consistories that they were thought worthie to suffer that continually for the name of Iesus Consider then my welbeloued in which of these thrée kyndes or sortes of Trauaylers thou arte to bée accompted For he which doeth onely attayne vnto the first rehearsed degrée let him not thereby boast that he is in suretie of saluation And therefore it shall bée thyne industrye not to be contented with the first degrée but that thou haue desyre of passing by the seconde to clyme vnto the thyrde degrée of perfection That leadyng a heauenly and angelycall lyfe in the fleshe and dayly increasing in all fayth charitie knowledge and grace thou mayest bée accompted amongest the sonnes of the holye and glorious God and not bée foreslowed after thy departure from the glorie of his maiestie And out of a sermon of holy Bernard I haue taken certaine chosen sentences touching this matter Be not sayeth hée lyke vnto the fâ—…lishe Trauayler whome the fayre shewe of this worlde dóeth entyse the prosperitie thereof doeth lulle him on sléepe the fauor thereof doeth deceyue him and the ioyes therof entrappe him in such sort that being drawen and turned from God hee is helde backe from his iourney and hyndered in hys wayes Doe not then vse or estéeme this world as thy countrey as Beda forewarnesh bicause this is the difference betwéene the chosen and the reprobate That the electe béeyng now Alyens and straungers banyshedde doe expecte and hope for a perpetuall habitation in heauen do so much the lesse delight in the frayle ioyes of this preseâ—…t lyfe bycause they hope to receyue the ioyes â—…out end which are to come to raigne with Christ for 〈◊〉 But â—…he reprobate haue their countrey héere And vnto the desires of this life they onely doe cleaue and therfore after this life they are sent into euerlastyng banyshement whereas lacking all pleasures and delightes they doe onely suffer aduersitie in torments The 〈◊〉 Mathew in his seuenth Chapiter hath these wordes Enter or goe in by the narow gate for the way is broad and 〈◊〉 which leadeth vnto distruction and many there he which goe in the reat But the way is straight and the gate narow which leadeth to euerlasting life and fewe there be which fynde it out These wordes procéeded from our sauiour Christ and are reported by his Euangelist saint Mathew And what could haue bin spokeÌ„ more terrible then these wordes or what soundeth more thundringly in our eares It had bene sufficient to terrifie the stoutest hart if Christ had onely sayde The way of saluation is straight and broad or wide opeÌ„ is the way of dampnatioÌ„ â–ª Whereby it might haue bene sufficieÌ„tly apparaÌ„t how hard it is to be saued and how easâ—…e to be dampned But he procéedeth saying That verie fewe doe finde the straight way of saluation and that â—…erie many doe walke in the voyde open way to dampnation Whereby he doeth ensinuate also that right fewe shal be saued and verie many dampned The which he doth more euidently set downe in another place saying Many are called but fewe are chosen Therefore who would not feare yea and tremble to heare these wordes if he be of the faythful and haue obteyned a liuely beliefe in Christ Jesus For the faith and true dutie of a christian is such and so misticall so great and yet so difficult that although we certainly know by the testimonie of Gods spirite the certaintie of our saluation in Christ yet should euerie wayfaring man in this worlde doe verie well to feare and forecast least hée in respect of infirmitie of fleshe should fall and offende and so consequently should doe well to walke in dread and reuerence before the Lord god For as we are bound to beleue that after this transitorie lyfe we shall be brought before the Tribunall seate of Christ the euerlasting God and infallyble dreadfull and moste iuste iudge there to receyue from him eyther euerlasting paynes of hell fyre or the euerlasting ioyes of heauen euen so if we behold the same with a cleare and lyuely fayth it were wonderfull if euer wee should be frée from trembling and dread But the malice and necligence that is in vs doeth blynde our hartes For if we were to passe through a field or place full of théeues wherin fewe passengers or wayfaring men had escaped who were he that would not feare excéedingly to light in danger of corporall death But now we passe and walke dayly through a fielde of this wicked worlde replenished with all kynde of diuilish temptations Wherein as is abouesayde verie fewe in comparison doe escape dampnation Neyther yet doe we feare but laugh playe sporte and banquet Yea we are throughly replenished with a vayne and moste perillous securitie or carefulnesse But my welbeloued let it not bee so let it not for Gods sake beé so amongest vs Let vs not so superficially heare the wordes of Christ least we neglect yea and loose our selues in vnrecouerable vntollerable and eternall distruction Let vs rather profoundly and cunningly fulfill the wordes of our sauiour thinking alwayes vpon that which is written Sanctifie the Lorde of Hostes for he is your feare and your terrour And agayne Be thou all day in the feare of God thou shalt haue wheron to hope in the latter day Wher vpon Hieremie also considering these things sayd There is no man lyke vnto thée O Lorde thou arte greate and thy name is also greate in strength And who shall not be afeard of thée O King of kingdomes Where vpon it is also written Great wonderfull are thy workes O Lord God omnipotent iust and true are thy wayes O Lorde and King of all worldes Who wil not magnifie and feare thy holy name bicause thy iudgements are manifest But before I wade any further let me say a little of the wordes before rehearsed of our sauiâ—…ur christ For he sayth that the way is narow the gate straight which leadeth to saluation Or rather as I take it he sayth that the way is verie narow the gate very straight For in y he demaundeth interrogatiuèly how straight is the way c. It is to be vnderstood y he ment very straight and narow But he plainly affirmeth that the way is broad and spatious which leadeth to euerlasting dampnatioÌ„ And by the wordes before rehearced the vnderstanding hereof is made manifest For as I haue a little before alledged there are two kyndes of wayes which men walke in One bright vertuous the which is the way of the chosen which fearfully and carefully serue the Lord God that is the straight and narrow way For as much as knowledge and vertue are alwayes occupyed about hardest things As I will hereafter more playnly declare And there is another vitious darksome way which is the way or lyfe of the reprobate the which is accoumpted broad and spatious bicause it is an easie matter to declyne from the
Egypt without the helpe of thy diuine Maiestie euen so no man caÌ„ be pulled or withdrawen from this world vnlesse he be helped with the fynger and power of the heauenly hande Yet shall there neuer be founde any defect in God so that man will doe his best that he maye Agayne the world is compared to a deserte by the which the chyldren of Israell went from Egipt vnto the land of promisse And in this desert they met so many letts and impedyments that of thréeskore thowsand numbred onely two euen Caleph and Iosue were brought into the land of promyse O how the Diuils doth reioyse to sée them all now in the synke and filthynesse of their sinnes Men cleaue vnto worldly thinges and in worldly thinges they are wyse but they neyther care for God nor for his commaundementes neyther are they astonyed when they heare his moste terryble iudgementes But they accompt them as fables Oh all thinges that are be euill bestowed vpon vs For our hardnesse is neuer mollâ—…ed But thinke we that God will omyt his iudgement Or leaue these sinnes vnrewarded Or suffer the wordes which he hath spoken of the iudgement to come and of the euerlasting paynes to be falsified God forbyd that we should so thynke Furthermore whosoeuer is ouercome with the loue of earthly thinges he is not delyghted in god But no man can long abyde without some delectation And therefore such as are not delighted in spyrituall things doe powre themselues out vnto worldly solace And so consequently are ouerwhelmed in the multytude of sinnes and vyces Wherevpon Saint Augustine sayth Blessed is he O Lord which loueth thée For he which loueth not thee loueth the world is seruaunt and bounde vnto sinne he is neuer quyet neuer in safetie but is dystracte and dyspersed in the varyable cares vanityes and pompes of the world And whosoeuer doth contempne the volupteousnesse of this world and thereby eskaye the snares of the Diuill shal be most happy in that his soule is delighted in such thinges as cannot be blotted or defiled with any vncleannesse but is immediately clensed purged with the cleannesse of truth And synce y lawe of God doth so delight him y he shal be able ther by to avoyde eschew y delightes of y world But as longe as we delight in the deceyptfull tast of iniquity so long we shall thinke it most sower and bytter to faste of equitie And to whome the world séemeth swéete sauorye to him Christ séemeth bytter and sower Yet hauing tasted the spyrite of God all fleshe shall as it were dote and playe the foole Agayne whosoeuer doeth with his whole mynde serue and please this world is thereby enfected with a manyfold deformytie of vyces And he which tasteth nothing of the heauenly swéetenesse will not be afeared to be polluted with earthly desires But if such as for the loue of God despyse the world kéepyng themselues contyneually conuersant in spyrytuall thinges cannot yet he altogither pure and clensed from sinnes with how heauy burdens of vyces are theâ—… loden which are not afearde to walke in the myddest of the world wrapped in vanities without carefulnesse or feare of God What is theyr lyfe but sinne it selfe For the myrth and ioye of the world is wickedâ—…sse vnpunyshed But y which the reprobate doe accompt delight and comforte that the elect and verteous doe take and defâ—… to be most gréeuoâ—…s payne Thynking and concluding that the soule 〈◊〉 néedes peryshâ—… 〈◊〉 by that wherein the â—…she for a tyme did delight most pleasantly Wherefore you louers of this world howle and crye out which doo myserably kyll your body and soule before the tyme appoynted Whyles you attend wholly vpon the vyces of glottonye and lecherye immoderately and vylely And thereof euen in this world doe procéede sundrye infirmyties and sodayne deathes Reioyse and be merrie nowe in this most shorte space which you haue that hereafter you maye complayne and bewayle with the Diuill perpetually Banquet and drynke dronken that after a whyle you maye call for a droppe of water and yet not haue it when you shal be daÌ„pned in hell with the riche man which lyued in greate delightes and fared delycately euery daye Why are your hartes harder then yron stéele or stones when you doe not weye and consider nor â—…e not afeard in payne of these most vnhappy and frayle sollaces and vanyties of this world to heare that most dreadfull and horryble sentence of Chryst go ye accursed into euerlasting fyre But here peradnenture you will saye God is mercyfull and benigne he would not the death of a sinner but that he be conuerted and lyue And againe In what houre soeuer a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repeÌ„t him I will no more remember all his iniquites So that if a sinner doe bewayle his sinnes eueÌ„ at the very time of death he shall be saued And I doe confesse that all these sayinges are true Nay rather the excieding greatenesse of the heaâ—…nly pietie doth beyond all comparyson excéede and surpasse the verye capacytie of our mynde For it is vnmeasurable As may playnely appeare in that he 〈◊〉 sinners so longe to the ende they maye bée conuerted yea expecteth and desireth theyr conuersyon he 〈◊〉 such as retorue moste mercyfully he quyckly for 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 and doth aboundantly powre asmuche grace vpon them as if they had neuer sinned nor offended And is not this an infynite pietie But his equytie and iâ—…styce is no lesse then his pitiye And though he doo beare with and longe suffer such as he attendeth to repent and conuerte yet if they doe not conuert he doth the more greuously punyshe and detest them And that which the Prophet sayeth of the contrytion and sorowe of a sinner must be vnderstood of true contrytion and harty repentaunce But the true contrycion doth procéede of the true faith and loue of God and of the lothing of sinne and an affection vnto righteousnesse Yea and as Hierome testyfieth Repentaunce and harty contrytion are necessarye Wherevnto that saying of Chrisostome agréeeth Compunction is the thing whiche maketh purple séeme vyle maketh men desire hearecloth loue teares and eschewe company Syuce then these thinges â—…ée certaynly thus what kynde of contrycion and bewayling can that be which commeth onely at the very houre of death and then repenteth bicause he thynkes he can lyue no longer Or peraduenture if he hoped of longer lyfe he would deferre it Surely it séemeth doubtfull that through seruyle feare and constrayned fayth his contrycion procéedeth by the onely beholdyng of his owne onely refuge And that it is not true contrycion but a terryfing of the spyrite But he which will soundly and perfectly repent must first be sorye for his faulte bicause it is filthy transgression and offensyue vnto god Yea and a dyshonour vnto the diuine sanctitye and Maiestie Wée reade in the Machabes That Antyochus dyd repent and yet obteyned not mercy The Apostle doth wryte the lyke of