some old and ruinous bridge vnder which a very deepe and a swift riuer runneth least he should fall into it and be deuoured of the water To be briefe consider what great warines they vse that goe vpon ropes least they declining to this hand or that fall downe With the same care and warines thou oughtest to walke especially in the beginning of thy conuersion that a good habit may be formed and framed in thee with a thought and an intent so exact that thou speake not a word nor thinke any thing as much as is possible which any whit strayeth from the path of vertue For this Seneca giueth vs excellent counsaile and that which is familier saying let a man that is vertuous or that would liue vprightly imagine that he doth alwayes stand and walke in the presence of some man of great authority and account and who is worthy to be reuerenced of all men this imagination being presupposed let him speake and doe all things none otherwise then he would doe and speake if he stood in his presence Besides this aduice there is another no lesse conuenient nor lesse profitable then the former let a man thinke that this is the last day of his life and therfore that all things are to be done no otherwise then if that day or that night following he were to stand before the Diuine tribunall to render an account of his life There is yet another counsaile much more excellent Alwayes so to be conuersant as much as is possible in the sight of the Lord and to haue him before his eyes as if he were present visibly and corporally as in truth he is â—â—uisibly present in all places and therfore to doe all things no otherwise then he that hath God his witnes and his Iudge seeing all things let him alwayes desire of God grace so to be conuersant that he may not be vnworthy the sight and presence of so great a Maiesty So that this care watch which we now speake of hath two proposed scopes one to looke vpon God with our harts to haue them lifted vp vnto him that we may stand before him with great reuerence by worshipping him by praysing by reuerencing by louing him by yeelding thanks vnto him and without intermission by offering vnto him the sacrifices of deuotion vpon the alters of our harts The other scope is a diligent obseruation of all our actions that we doe and speake all things with that warines that we doe not stray in the least from the tract and path of vertue So that with one eye we alwayes behold God by requesting grace of him and with the other looking to that which is conducent for our life that it may be well ordered and after this manner we shall very well bestow that light which God hath giuen vnto vs as well in Diuine things as in humane Therefore we shall stand partly attending on God and partly on that thing which we are to doe The which thing although it cannot alwayes be done yet let vs doe this that at the least we may then proceede after this manner when our intent is not hindered by corporall exercises yea our hart is free and may steale somwhat from exteriour businesses and hide it selfe in the wounds of Christ. I thought it very conuenient to handle this instruction here because it is very profitable The fourth admonition of the fortitude which is necessary for them that aspire vnto vertue CHAP. XXII THE precedent admonition hath opened our eyes that we are now able to see what we are to doe but this will reach vs an arme that is fortitude and courage that we may be strengthned and enabled to doe that which the eyes behold For seeing that in Vertue there be two difficulties one that we may well distinguish good from euill and seperate this from that the other that wee may conquer the one and proceede in the other in that we haue neede of wisedome and vigilancie in this of fortitude and diligence so that eyther of these failing the busines of Vertue remayneth vnperfect For there will be blindnes if vigilancy and fore-sight be wanting and if fortitude and courage faile man being lame and feeble shall not be able to worke This fortitude which we here speake of is not that which as a meane tempereth and moderateth audaciousnes and feare for that is one among the foure cardinall vertues but it is a certaine generall force and power profitable to ouercome all difficulties which hinder the vse of Vertue and therfore it alwayes walketh in the company and fellowship of the vertues hauing as it were a sword in her hand that she may open prepare the way for them which way so euer they goe For Vertue as the Philosophers say is a thing hard and difficult and therfore it is needfull that this fortitude alwayes march in the vauntgard of the vertues that she may lay to her helping hand to ouercome and conquer this difficulty Therfore as a stone-cutter ought alwayes to haue his mallet in his hand by reason of the hard matter which he laboureth in so a spirituall man of necessity ought alwayes to haue in a readines this fortitude as a spirituall mallet to tame and ouercome this difficulty which meeteth with vs in the way of vertue And as the stone-cutter shall doe nothing to any purpose vnlesse he hath his mallet so also the louer of Vertue without this fortitude shall sweat in vaine Tell me what instance of any vertue canst thou giue which hath not some particuler difficulty ioyned vnto it Consider of them seuerally if it please thee Looke into Prayer fasting obedience temperance poorenes of spirit patience chastity and humility These and all other are alwaies ioyned with some difficulty which comes eyther through our owne selfe-loue or the malice of the deuill or the crosnes and repugnacy of the world Wherfore if thou takest away this fortitude what can naked and vnarmed Vertue doe and therfore all other vertues doe seeme as it were bound hand and foote neyther can they performe any thing Wherfore my brother if thou desirest to warre in the tents of Vertue to bring forth fruite in them imagine that the Captaine and Emperor of Vertue doth say vnto thee as he sayd in times past vnto Moses although in another sence Take this rod in thine hand where-with thou shalt doe miracles and bring my people out of Egipt Trust doubt not as that rod was the worker of these miracles which effected so blessed and ioyfull a worke so also it is the rod of fortitude which will conquer ouercome all difficulties which may be procured and obiected eyther of selfe-loue or of any other enemies and it will strengthen and enable thee to bring the wished victory from this warre Therefore see that thou haue it alwayes in thine hand for thou canst doe no admirable thing without it In this place in my iudgement
worlde for his sake shall receaue an hundreth fold heere and shall inherite euerlasting life Behold therefore my brother what an excellent good it is that hetherto I haue shewed thee behold to what I inuite thee consider whether any will say that thou art deceaued if for the loue of it thou shalt forsake the world and all things which are therein Onely one inconuenience this good hath if so that it may be called an incoÌ„uenience why it is not esteemed amongst wicked men that is because it is not knowen vnto them For this cause our Sauiour said That the kingdome of heauen was like vnto a treasure hid for this good is indeede a treasure but hid not to these that possesse it but to others That Prophet very well knew of the price of this treasure who said My secret to my selfe my secret to my selfe Hee regarded not whether others knew of his treasure or no for this good is not of the nature of other goods which are not good vnlesse they be known of others vvherefore they are not good of themselues but only in the estimation of the world and therefore it is necessarie that they be knowen vnto him of whom they are so called But thys good maketh his possesser good and happy and doth noe lesse warme heate his hart when he knoweth of it alone then when the whole world knoweth it But my tongue is not the key of the Casket of this secret and much lesse of all those things which hetherto haue been spoken for whatsoeuer mans tongue can vtter is much lesse theÌ„ the truth of the thing it selfe The Diuine light experience and vse is the key of vertues I would that thou shouldest desire thys key of GOD that thou mayst finde this treasure yea God himselfe in whoÌ„ thou shalt finde all things and thou shalt see with what great reason the Prophet said Blessed is the people whose GOD the Lorde is For what can be wanting vnto him who possesseth this good It is written in the bookes of the Kings that Elcana the Father of Samuell said to his wife sorrowing because shee vvas barren and had no chyldren Anna why weepest thou and why catest thou not and why is thine hart troubled Am not I better to thee then tenne sonnes If a good husband who is to day and to morrow is not be better to his wife then tenne sonnes what thinkest thou of God what will hee be to that soule that possesseth him O men what doe ye whether looke ye what doe ye regard why doe ye leaue the fountaine of Paradice drinke of the muddy Cesterns of thys world Why doe ye not follow the good counsaile of the Prophet who saith O tast see how gracious and sweet the Lord is Why doe we not once assay thys Fourd why doe wee not once tast of these bankets Haue trust to the words of the Lord and beginne and he shal deliuer thee from all danger Terrible and fearefull seemed that Serpent a farre off into which Moses rodde was turned but when it was handled it returned to the old forme againe Not without cause saide Salomon It is naught it is naught saith he that buyâ—th but when hee commeth to his owne house then hee boasteth of his penny-worth Thys hapneth daily to men in this busines For not knowing at the beginning the value of this merchandize because they theÌ„selues are not spirituall neither know they of what esteeme it is and vnderstanding what is requested for it because they are carnall they thinke it is too deere and not worth the price But when they once beginne to tast how sweet the Lord is foorthwith they boast of their merchandize and they confesse that no price is too high or too much to be giuen for this incomparable good Consider how the Merchant in the Gospel cheerfully sold all that he had that he might buy the field in which the treasure was hid Therfore for what cause doth not a Christian man this name being heard contend to know what it is Certainly it is a matter of wonder if any tatler or tale-bearer should tell thee that in thy house there is treasure hidde thou wouldest not rest to digge and delue and to seeke and try whether it were true or no that hee had said But when the Lorde himselfe affirmeth that within thee in thy soule thou hast an inestimable treasure hid canst thou not be brought to seek for it O how soone shouldest thou sinde this treasure if thou onelie knewest how nigh the Lord is vnto them that call vpon him in truth How many men haue their beene in this world vvho considering of their sinnes and perseuering in prayer and desiring remission of them haue in lesse time then a weeke opened the earth or that I may speake better haue found a new heauen and a newe earth and haue begunne to feele in them the kingdome of God How great is it which that Lord doth who saith At what tyme soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinnes I will put them out of my remembrance How great was that which that good Father did who scarcely that short prayer of the Prodigall beeing ended could no longer containe himselfe but he must needes embrace him and receaue him into his house with great mirth and feasting Returne therefore my brother to thys gracious fauourable Father and whilst it is time lift vp thy hart vnto him and cease not for some fewe dayes vncessantly to call and knock at the gates of his mercy and assuredly beleeue mee if thou shalt perseuer with humilitie at the length the Lord shall make aunswere vnto thee and shall show thee the hid treasure of his loue which when thou shalt haue tasted and assaied thou wilt say with the Spouse in the Canticles If a man woulde giue all the good of his house for loue he should count it nothing The end of the second part THE THIRD PART OF THE SINNERS GVIDE In which aunswere is made to all those excuses by which those men are wont to excuse and defend themselues who will not embrace Vertue Against the first excuse of those who deferre and put off from day to day the amendment of their lifes and the embracing of Vertue CHAP. XXV I Thinke that no man can deny but that those things are sufficient which hetherto haue beene spoken of vs yea and that they sufficientlie and plentifully doe approoue our principall purpose and intent which wee promised at the beginning to discourse aâ—d dispute of That is that we might moue the harts of men Gods grace being first presupposed to the loue and study of Vertue But although we may be thought to haue satisfied and performed our promise yet the malitiousnes of men haue excuses which haue a show of truth by which they defend their lingering and loytering negligence and still comfort and please themselues in their wickednes as Ecclesiasticus intimateth and insinuateth
not as other men are Surely they do for he thought in his hart that he was wealthy in spirituall riches and therefore he gaue thanks to God but without doubt he was poore blind naked for he did not know his owne faults Now therfore we haue declared that there are two kinds of righteousnes one true and the other false and counterfeit and how noble the excellency of the true is and how the false is exposed to many and great dangers Let no man think that the labour and time which we haue bestowed vppon this demonstration to haue been ill spent For the holy Gospell the purest doctrine of all the diuine Scriptures and the most excellent which as a glasse representeth the forme and rule of our life very often reprehendeth thys false and counterfeit righteousnes and so doe the Prophets as before we haue shewed Therefore it was not meete that we should cursorily runne ouer it which so often is beate vpon in the Scriptures especially seeing that all men for the most part doe shun manifest dangers as Mariners doe Rocks that show themselues and here where there is such euidencie lesse admonition will serue but where the Rockes lie hid vnder the water there is greater heede to be taken and therfore they are marked in the Maps and Sea-cards of Sailers that they may not rush vpon them at vnawares Let no man deceiue himselfe in thys saying that then this doctrine was more copiously to be discoursed of when this vice did raigne more spaciously and largely in the world but now there is no need of it because thys sinne is vnusuall and vnfrequented For I thinke that the world hath continued alwaies in the same estate for there are and alwaies haue beene men of the same nature and of the same inclination conceaued in the same originall sinne which is the fountaine of all sinnes and therfore alwaies produceth like effects And because there is so great likenes and similitude in the causes of euils it followeth of necessary consequence that the like should be in the effects Therefore the same vices which were then in the men of this and that condition are now also although perhaps the names be some-what changed as the Comedies of Plautus Terence are at thys day the very same Comedies which they were a thousand yeres agoe albeit the persons that then acted them be changed Therefore as that rude and carnall people did thinke that then they did especially please GOD when they did offer such sacrifices and did fast after that manner and did celebrate such feasts according to the letter and not according to the spirit so also now in our time there are many Christians which euery Sabaoth and at all occasions frequent the Church who are called very good Church-men and doe run from sermon to sermon and performe such like things and that well But in the meane-time theyr desires are so full of vaine-glory they so gape after honors and riches and are so desirous of reuenge as any other that neuer obserueth any such thing They remember not what theyr profession requireth they haue no care of theyr neighbours good they perseuere in hatred and passions they maintaine theyr honour with tooth and nayle they will not humble themselues to giue reuerence place vnto others no not for the rule of the whole world Moreouer there are others that disdaine to confer and enter talke with theyr neighbour for euery small trifling cause and there are others that eyther doe not or very vnwillingly and grudgingly doe satisfie their Creditors much lesse pay the wages due vnto theyr painfull seruants and hirelings and if perhaps they be wronged in the least title of theyr honor or riches or such like things good Lord what hurly burleys doo they raise Many of thē that are most liberall in pouring forth long prayers and very prodigall in discoursing Scripture matters oftentimes are exceeding miserable and very niggards in giuing almes and helping theyr needy neighbours Many of them hold vp theyr hands to heauen and in the villany of theyr deceitfull hypocrisie turne vp the white of theyr eyes in theyr prayers as though they were rauished with the heauenlinesse of theyr meditations when theyr harts are sette vppon mischiefe being full of hatred bitternes and selfe-conceited singularitie There are others that will not eate flesh in Lent vpon dayes prohibited not for any thing no not for a thousand pound neuerthelesse they mutter murmurre and repine without any feare of GOD and most cruelly cut the throates of theyr neighbours by enhancing of rents by taking vnmerciful fines and by other extortions so that they grinde theyr faces make their lifes irkesome vnto them So that there be some that count it a religion and make very holy of it to eate the flesh of creatures permitted of God for the foode of man but they make no bones of it to eate vp and deuoure the flesh of men and to ridde them like cruell Caniballs out of theyr lifes then the which thing I know not whether any thing is more strictly forbidden of God And yet the welfare of our neighbour the tendering of his fame and honour are one of the especiall matters of which we shall render an exact account vnto God of which those men are not much carefull which greatly account of others things which in the truth of the matter are much lesse There is not any body that can denie but that these such like things doe daily raigne among Clergie Laiety among all sorts of people Therefore seeing that thys euill is so vniuersall it were needfull that wee should deliuer men from so great errors by propounding vnto them sound instructions and by prescribing wholsome admonitions especially seeing that they whose duty and function it is doe it not But that the Christian Reader may hence suck greater commodity and that he may not swallow poyson in stead of a medicine it is needfull before all things that he know the pulse and vaine of his owne disposition and inclination that he know of what spirit he is that hee may learne what his minde is most chiefely bent and inclined to For there are certaine generall doctrines which are profitable for all in generall for euery one in particuler as are the precepts of Charity Humility Patience and such like There are others more speciall which doe so profit some that they are not fit for all For example There is one very scrupulous his conscience is to be enlarged On the otherside there is another whose conscience retcheth like Cheuerill that hath a large conscience his is to be restrayned and brideled to those that are faynt-harted and doe despaire the diuine mercy is to be preached but to those that be head-strong stifenecked secure presumptuous the diuine iustice is to be denounced and so we may say of the rest according to the counsell of Ecclesiasticus saying With a man irreligious talke of
thou hast loued with so an inordinate loue much lesse the Idols which thou adoredst what doe I say that they cannot helpe thee Yea those things which thou louedst most and which were in the greatest estimation with thee these then most of all shall vexe and torment thee tell me I pray thee when thou seest thy selfe left in this danger what minde or what courage wilt thou haue Whether wilt thou goe What wilt thou doe Whom wilt thou call vnto To returne to lyfe it will be vnpossible but to depart out of life it will be intollerable to stay longer in this life it shall not be giuen vnto thee what then wilt thou doe In that day saith the Lord God by his Prophet I will euen cause the sunne to goe downe at noone and I will darken the earth in the cleere day and I will turne your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation and I will make it as the mourning of an onely sonne and the end thereof as a bitter day O fearefull words ô dreadfull sentence shaking all harts In that day sayth he the sunne shal goe downe at noone for in that houre the multitude of their offences shall be set before sinners and they seeing the deuine iustice to cut off the thred of their life some of them shall be strucken with so great feare and trembling and shall be so destitute of all hope and trust that they shall suppose themselues to be reprobate and vtterly excluded from the diuine mercy Be it that as yet they are in the noone mid-day that is that they are in the course of their life which is time as yet to for sake their sinfull wayes and to lay hold on Christ yet they shall perswade themselues that this time is ouer-past and that all grace and fauour is shut vp from them The most powerfull and mightiest perturbation of the minde is feare which supposeth euery small thing to be great and alwayes dreadeth things absent as present If a small feare of any thing doth this what shall that true feare doe conceaued of so fearefull and capitall dangers Be it that yet they suruiue and that they are placed in this life in the midst of their friends neuerthelesse they suppose that they as it were experiment and feele the dolours and punishments of the damned At one and the selfe same time they thinke themselues aliue and dead and they being caught with the sorrow of present things which they are to leaue they begin to feele the future euils which they feare They iudge them blessed and happy who are left in this world and of this enuy new sorrowes arise and increase Therfore then the sunne goeth downe at noone vnto them when they casting their eyes euery way shall see euery where entrance into heauen to be shut and denied vnto them neyther any beame of light shall appeare or shine vnto them For if they looke vnto the mercy of God they shall suppose themselues vnworthy that God should haue mercy on them if they flye vnto the diuine iustice they shall suspect that all cruell tortures are prepared for them and that hetherto their day hath beene but now that the day of the Lord doth hang ouer them yea they shall thinke that euen now it beginneth If they call to minde their life past euery part of that doth reprehend them if they behold the present time they see that now they are dying if the future time which is now at hand they see the Iudge sitting vpon his tribunall and expect iudgement from him Being compassed with so many causes of feare what will they doe whether will they goe The Prophet proceedeth And I will darken the earth in the cleere day that is those things which heeretofore were wont sweetly to delight thee now they shal exceedingly torment thee and shall strike and thrust through thy soule with intollerable stings and pricks of griefe It is pleasant and delightfull to a man liuing and in health to see his children to enioy his friends to gouerne his houshold to haue much riches and to possesse with pleasure whatsoeuer the minde desireth But then all that pleasure shall be turned into sorrow For all these afore-sayde with most bitter torments shall rend and cut in peeces thy miserable conscience and they shall be sharpe speares to wound their louers It is naturall that as the possession and presence of a thing which we loue doth ioy vs and make vs merry so the absence of the same thing doth bring heauines and sorrowe Hence it is that the sonnes doe flie the presence of their dying father and the louing and religious wife being full of anguish doth hide her selfe from her husbands face least by her presence she might encrease his dolours For although the soule being by and by to be seperated from the body hath a long and dangerous iourney to goe yet the great greefe doth not permit any obseruation of the termes of humanity and ciuility neyther doth it graunt the soule euen now iourneying before her departure to bid farewell to her friends If thou my Reader at anie time shall come to this passe thou shalt surely vnderstand that I speake nothing but truth but if thou as yet neuer camst into this danger at least beleeue them which haue had experience of these things For they that saile ouer the Sea as the Wiseman sayth tell of the perils thereof If therefore they be such and so great which goe before this dolorous and lamentable seperation what manner and how great doest thou thinke that they will be which shall follow after If the preparation be so great what shall the solemnity it selfe be For straight-wayes after death the account shall follow which that most iust Iudge shall require of the soule which how mightily it is to be feared I would not haue thee to learne of the men of this world who as they dwell in Egipt that is in a Land of darkues so they liue in great blindnes and intollerable errours But in this matter aske counsaile of the Saints of God who dwell in the Land of Goshen in which alwayes the light of truth shineth and they will teach thee not onely with words but also by examples how greatly this account is to be feared Without doubt King Dauid was a most holy man neuerthelesse so great was his feare which he conceaued being mindfull of rendring this account that he sayd in his prayer to the Lord Enter not ô Lord into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shal none that liueth be iustified Arsenius was a holy man who yet when he should dye began to weepe and to tremble after that manner that his Schollers who stoode about him being moued at this his trembling asked and sayd vnto him Father why weepest thou Why doest thou tremble What doest thou also feare To whom he aunswered I feare in truth and verity and this feare which now is
with me hath alwayes beene in me by which I became a solitary and a Monasticall man Histories report of Agathon that hee dying had his eyes three dayes open and neuer shut neyther euer moued them But his brethren touching him sayd ô holy Father where art thou now He sayd I stand in the sight of Gods iudgement his brethren sayd moreouer vnto him doest thou also feare To whom hee aunswered alwayes as much as lay in me I purposed to keepe the commaundements of God but I am a sinfull man and how should I know whether my works please God To whom his brethren sayd doest thou not trust in thy works because they are according to Gods word and rule To whom he aunswered I doe not trust in my works in the sight of God because in his iudgement and sight all our best works are imperfect and full of infirmity but onely in Christ Iesus my Redeemer in whom I assure my selfe to haue all righteousnes and perfection No lesse fearefull is that example which Iohannes Climacus remembreth of an other man that led a solitary life and that we will set downe heere with his owne words for it is especially to be noted to the edefying of mens soules A certaine man called Stephanus sayth hee dwelling in this place loued a solitarie and a quiet life This man when he had liued many yeeres solitarily being adorned with many singuler vertues of Christianity and sanctification built himselfe a Cell at the bottome of that hill in which in times past Elias beheld his holy and diuine vision He so venerable for life and conuersation that he might furnish himselfe with more integrity and purity of liuing hee came to a place of Anchorites which place was called Fayth In which place when hee had passed ouer many yeeres with a most straight kind of life for this place was vtterly remote from all humane consolation and almost not come to of any man for it was almost seauenty miles distant from any dwelling of man in the very last part of his life he departed thence desirous to dwell in the Cell of that holy Hill There were two Disciples of Palestina very religious who also diligently obserued the Cell of this old man In which whē he had continued a fewe dayes he fell into sicknes whereof he dyed But a day before his departure suddainly hee fell into an agonie and astonishment of minde and with open eyes he looked about first to the right side then to the left side of the bed and as though certaine required an account of him all they that stoode about him heard him say some-times thus So in truth it is but for this I haue humbled my selfe and broken of my sinnes by repentance Some-times hee said No truly but yee lie I haue not doone thus Then againe thus So it is indeede this is so but I haue wept and with weeping as with a gunneshot I haue battered downe that partition wall which kept Gods countenaunce from me God hath heard my prayers and my teares And againe yee rightly accuse me In some also some-times he said So it is truly and to these I haue not that I may say vnlesse God be mercifull vnto me and God is more mercifull then man can be sinfull if man will be sorrowful And surelie this inuisible and most sharpe iudgement was a feareful and a terrible sight in which also that which is more terrible they obiected vnto him what he had not done ah woe is me he being a man of such sanctitie and holines of life In many of his sinnes he said that he had not what he might aunswere euen this man said so who had almost forty yeeres ledde a solitarie life and had the grace of those teares that wash and blot out the hand writing of GOD against vs. Certaine affirmed to me of a truth that this man whilst he was in the vvildernes nourished a Leopard with his owne hand And vvhilst thys strict account was required of him and whilst he was in thys sore conflict he departed thys life Hetherto are the words of Climacus which sufficiently declare how greatly carelesse and negligent men ought to feare the seperation of theyr soule and body when as the very Saints themselues are found to feare so greatly But if any one aske why the Saints placed in this danger do feare with so great trembling to this Saint Gregorie aunswereth in the fourth booke of his Morrals in these words The minde of the Elect when it remembreth those things vvhich it hath done is greatly feared with the dread of iudgement Now it looketh perfectly into it selfe but as yet it dooth not raise vp it selfe vnto security because whilst it considereth how great the cumbrance and horrour of the last examination is it carefullie trembleth betweene hope and feare because the iust Iudge comming he knoweth not what of his trespasses hee will impute vnto him what he will forgiue For they are not therefore secure if outwardly in outward action they haue not offended but they are carefull for theyr thoughts by which theyr minde is forced hether thether For as much as they can do that they may not offend outwardly so much they cannot doe that they may not offend inwardlie in their thought Therefore often-times the elect vnwillingly offend in thought which they marke diligently in themselues and consider what great gilt it is before the eyes of God And when as for these things they alwaies feare the strict iudgement of God yet then especiallie they doe feare when they comming to pay theyr debt vnto nature do see themselues approching to the strict exact Iudge And so much more pearcing is the feare by howe much more the eternall retribution is neere Moreouer before the eyes of theyr hart at that time no fantasticall thing doth flie because all such matters beeing taken away they onely consider themselues and him to whom they are approching Feare increaseth by the neere retribution of iustice and by the neerenes of death so much by howe much the strict iudgement is neere as it were touched Although they remember that they neuer offended in those things which they know yet they feare those things which they knowe not because they cannot vtterly iudge of and discerne themselues therefore their end growing neere they are terrified with a greater feare Neither is the soule of man then feared without cause seeing that after a very short time it shall haue that iudgement which neuer can be changed Hetherto Gregorie If therefore holy men with so great reason haue feared thys iudgement what ought not they to doe who are not such ones Yea who haue spent the greatest part of theyr lyfe in following the vanities of this world vvho so often haue offended God vvho hetherto haue liued most carelesly vvho neuer haue had any care of theyr saluation vvho haue neuer beene touched with any regard to prepare themselues for this houre If
giue thanks to GOD for the Corinthians saying that in all things they were made rich Calling them absolutelie rich signifying that others were not to be called properly rich but rich in this world or rich men of thys world ¶ All this afore-said is explained by a notable sentence of the Gospell ALthough thys afore-said seemeth to be expounded and approoued plainly enough yet for the further confirmation of it I will ioyne moreouer a notable sentence taken out of the Gospell by which our Sauiour aunswereth to Saint Peter demaunding what reward he his fellow Disciples should haue who for the loue of their Maister had left and forsaken all Verily I say vnto you saith he as it is in Marke there is no man that hath forsaken house or bretheren or sisters or father or mother or vvife or children or lands for my sake and the Gospels but hee shall receiue an hundred fold nowe at this present houses and bretheren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions in the world to come eternall life These be the words of Christ which are not lightly to be passed ouer For first thou canst not denie but that heere is made a difference and a distinction betweene a reward which is giuen in thys life and that which is in another whilst one is promised as to come the other is offered as present Thou canst also lesse denie but that these promises are ratified and certaine neither euer doe they deceiue them to whom they are promised For heauen and earth shall perrish but one iote or one title shall not escape of these things till all be fulfilled although they seeme vnpossible For euen as we beleeue that God is three and one because he said so although otherwise it seemeth vnpossible so we also must beleeue thys trueth although it passeth all vnderstanding for it hath the testimonie of the same Author who only is truth it selfe in all his sayings Tell mee therefore I pray thee what is this hundreth fold which is giuen to the righteous in this life For we see for the most part that to them is not giuen great dignities not loftie honours not large possessions nor the magnificent furniture of this world but that many of them doe liue in corners buried in the obliuion and obscurity of the world expecting their last houre in pouerty misery and calamity Which seeing that it is so how can the infallible truth of this sentence be defended vnlesse we confesse that God in this life doth giue to his those gifts and those spirituall riches which may satisfie a man without any externall pompe of this world with greater felicitie with greater ioy sufficiencie and quiet then the possession of all the goods of this world Neyther is this so much to be meruailed at For as we beleeue that it is not of any necessity to God that hee should nourish mens bodies with bread onely for he hath many other meanes to that end so is it not necessarie to him that he should satisfie soules with temporall blessings onely For he can doe this most easily without them as hee hath most certainly done in all his Saints Who were endued with that spirituall ioy and mirth and with that affection of deuotion that their prayers exercises teares and delights exceeded all the solaces and pleasures of this world And after this manner it is most certainly verefied that an hundreth fold is receaued for that little they left for they receaue for deceiptfull and apparant things those that be vndoubtedly true for things vncertaine certaine for things corporall spirituall for carefulnes security for troubles quietnes for perturbations peace and inward tranquility to conclude for a life impure vicious and abhominable they receaue a life splendent through vertues and most acceptable to God and Angels So also thou if thou shalt despise temporall good for Christ thou shalt find in him inestimable treasures if thou shalt contemne false and fayned honours thou shalt finde in him those that be true if thou shalt renounce the loue of thy father and mother for this he will delight thee with greater blandishments and cherishing and thou shalt find for a temporall father an eternall if thou shalt cast from thee those pestiferous and venomous pleasures thou shalt haue in him sweeter pleasanter and holier delights When thou shalt come to this poynt thou shalt see manifestly that all things which before did please thee are now not onely not gratefull vnto thee but that they doe bring vnto thee an hatred and dislike of them For after that heauenly light hath illuminated our eyes by and by there is begot a new face of all things and diuerse from the former and all things doe seeme to haue put on a certaine new shape by which they shew themselues to our eyes and therefore that which before seemed sweet is now bitter and that which before appeared bitter is now sweet that which before terrified vs doth now like vs that which before was beautifull now seemeth filthy and although it appeared to be such before yet now it seemeth not such neyther that it was well knowne before Therefore after this manner standeth the truth of Christes promise when for the temporall goods of the body there are giuen spirituall blessings of the soule for those goods which are called the goods of fortune there are giuen the blessings of grace which without all comparison are greater and more effectuall and forcible to enrich and satiate mans hart then all externall blessings For the more confirmation of this matter I will not omit to remember a notable and famous example taken out of the booke called The booke of famous and illustrious men When as sayth the Author Saint Bernard preached the word of God to the people in Belgia and that with a most feruent zeale conuerted the inhabitants to God amongst many other who being touched with the grace of the holy Ghost vvere conuerted to a better lyfe there vvas a certaine noble Knight famous among the Belgians called Arnulphus vvho was bound and tyed to the world with very many and mighty bonds and who was exceedingly ensnared and entangled with wordly vanities This man when at the length he bad farewell to the world and betooke himselfe to a vertuous and heauenly kinde of lyuing this holy father so reioyced at his conuersion that he sayd to them that were present that Christ was no lesse miraculous in the conuersion of Arnulphus then he was in the raysing of Lazarus seeing that Christ had raysed him being so fettered with the chaynes of so great sinnes and buried in such deepe pleasures and had brought him to newnes of life Arnulphus also was no lesse admirable in his proceeding then he was in his conuersion And because it is too long to relate here all the vertues of this man I will onely repeate that which maketh for our purpose This holy man was many times so payned
that which was lost and bring againe that which was driuen away and will binde vp that which was broken and will strengthen the weake but I will destroy the fat and the strong and I will feede them with iudgment And a little after And I will make with them a couenant of peace and will cause the euill beasts to cease out of this Land and they shall dwel safely in the wildernes and sleepe in the woods And I will set them as a blessing euen round about my mountaine and I will cause raine to come downe in due season and there shall be raine of blessing Tell me I pray thee what could our good sheepheard promise more Or how could he describe this his meaning with words more sweet more louing or more elegant For it is certaine that God speaketh heere not of a materiall flocke but of a spirituall which are men where-vpon concluding this chapter he sayth And yee my sheepe the sheepe of my pasture are men Neyther promiseth he grosse or aboundance of temporall blessings which are common to good and euill but aboundance of spirituall graces and of speciall prouidence with which the Lord doth gouerne and rule this spirituall flock as a shepheard so sayth Esay He shall feede his flocke like a sheepheard he shall gather the Lambs with his arme and carry them in his bosome and shall guide them with young What I pray thee can be spoken more louingly or more cherishingly Of the offices and benefits of a sheepheard that whole Psalme speaketh whose beginning is The Lord doth guide me for which S. Ierome translateth The Lord is my sheepheard After this beginning he proceedeth to remember all the duties of a sheepheard which in this place we will not set downe because they are in euery place found and this psalme may be reade of any one Neyther heere in like maner will I remember that as he is called a sheepheard because he doth feede so is he called a King because he doth gouerne and defend a Maister because he teacheth a Phisition because he healeth a Carier because he beareth vs in his armes a Watcher because he watcheth for our defence of which names the Scriptures are full Among all these names there is none more louing which also demonstrateth this prouidence then the name of a Bride-grome by which name in the Canticles and in other places of Scripture he is called By thys sweet and louing word hee inuiteth the soule of a sinner to call vpon him Call mee and still cry vnto me sayth he by the Prophet Thou art my Father and the guide of my youth and virginity The which name is greatly honoured of the Apostle For after those words with which he that was first formed spake to his wife Eue Therefore shall a man leaue his Father and his Mother and shall cleaue to his wife they shall be one flesh the Apostle addeth This is a great secrete but I speake concerning Christ and concerning the Church Which is his Bride as is euery soule of man placed in the state of grace What therefore is not to be hoped of him who hath such a name as this is especially seeing that it is vndoubtedlie true that this name is not giuen vnto him in vaine or vvithout reason But why in searching the Scriptures doe we seeke for thys name or that when as all names which promise any good doe agree to this Lorde especially seeing that whosoeuer loueth him or whosoeuer seeketh him may finde in him all good that he desireth Thys is that which Saint Ambrose saith in a certaine Sermon Christ is all vnto vs If thou desirest to heale thy woūds he is a Phisition if thou beest ouer-heated with feauers he is a fountaine to coole thee if thou beest burdened with vnrighteousnes hee is righteousnesse if thou neede helpe hee is strength if thou fearest death he is life if thou desirest heauen he is the way if thou hatest darknes he is light if thou seekest for meat he is foode See I pray thee my brother with hovve many names and titles Christ is noted and set out vnto vs who notwithstanding is one in himselfe and most simple For although he is one in himselfe yet he is all things in vs that for the releeuing of all our necessities which are innumerable There should be no end if I would recite all the authorities of the Scripture which pertaine to this matter yet I haue brought a fewe of many to the comfort of them who waite attend vpon God and that we might prouoke and allure those to his obedience which doe not serue him for it is certaine that there is no greater treasure vnder heauen then this For euen as he that hath warred in any voyage vnder an earthly King and hath gotten Letters in which great rewards are promised vnto him he keepeth them with great care he often looketh vppon them he is reioyced at them they comfort his heauy hart in tribulation and at length he commeth to the King with them desiring that was promised to him so the seruants of GOD doe keepe all these words and diuine Charters and Letter-pattents in their harts which are more certaine then the Letters of all Kings which are vpon the earth In these is theyr trust vvith these they are comforted in their labors for these they are confident in dangers and in tribulations they adde consolation vnto them to these they runne in all theyr needes these doe inflame their mindes with the loue of this Lord and binde them vnto him to lay and pay out sustaine all things for his worshyp seruice seeing that he himselfe so faythfully doth promise himselfe wholy for our vse who is all things in all In thys appeareth one of the principall foundations of a Christian life to haue knowne by experience this truth Tell me I pray thee can any thing be imagined richer precioser better or more to be desired then he Can any one think of a greater good in this life then to haue GOD a Sheepheard a Phisitian a Maister a Supporter or Caryer a strong vvall a defence a garde and to conclude a Bridegrome and all in all What can any one haue in the world that he can giue to his friend to be compared to the least of these benefits Great cause therefore haue they to reioyce and be glad who possesse so great a good neyther onely to reioyce but also to comfort themselues and to cheere vp their drooping spyrits to glory in him aboue all things Be glad yee righteous and reioyce in the Lord sayth that royall Singer and be ioyfull all yee that are vpright in hart As if he should say Let others reioyce in the riches and honours of the world others in noblenes of birth others in the friendship and fauours of Princes others in the excellencie of theyr dignities but reioyce and glory ye in deed truth in
in their soules as in an earthly Paradice and in an Orchard well trimmed and tilled in which he also is delighted So Saint Augustine speaketh writing vpon Genesis yea in man himselfe the ioy of a good conscience is Paradice Where-vpon the Church also in the Saints lyuing temperately godly and iustly is rightly called a Paradice abounding with the affluence of graces and chast delights In his booke also of Catechizing the ignorant hee sayth thus Thou who seekest for true rest which after this life is promised to Christians heere thou mayst also tast of it sweetly amongst the most bitter troubles of this lyfe if thou shalt loue his commaundements who hath promised it For soone thou shalt perceaue and feele that the fruites of righteousn es are more sweet then those of iniquity more truly and more pleasantly thou shalt reioyce of a good conscience amongst troubles then of an ill conscience amongst pleasures Hetherto Augustine Out of whose words thou mayst easily gather that the ioy of a good conscience is so much and so great that as honey is not onely sweete of itselfe but also it maketh that sweet which before was not sweet so a good conscience is so merry and so pleasant that it maketh all the troubles and tribulations of this world seeme pleasant and delightfull Furthermore as we haue sayd that the filthines and enormity of sinne doth torment the wicked so on the other side the beauty and dignity of Vertue doth make merry and comfort the good as in manifest words the Prophet testifieth The iudgments of the Lord which are his diuine commaundements are truth they are righteous altogether And more to be desired then gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then honey and the honey combe But how the kingly Prophet was delighted in keeping the commaundements of the Lord he testifieth of himselfe in another Psalme saying I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches The which sentence of the father his sonne Salomon confirmeth It is ioy sayth he to the iust to doe iudgement but destruction shall be to the woorkers of iniquity Which iudgement is no other thing then Vertue her selfe and that a man should doe as he ought Which ioy although it riseth also from other causes yet especially it ariseth from the dignity and beauty of Vertue which as Plato sayth is beauty inestimable To be briefe the fruite and sweetnes of a good conscience is so great that Saint Ambrose in his bookes of Duties is not afrayd to say that in it consisteth the happines of the righteous in this life His words be So great is the renowne and splendour of honesty that the tranquility of conscience and the security of innocency make the life blessed and happy Moreouer euen as the Philosophers without the light of fayth knew the torments of an euill conscience so they knew the ioyes of a good conscience Amongst others Cicero in the bookes of his Tusculane Questions speaketh thus The age and time of man passed honestly and vertuously doth bring so great comfort that no griefe of minde doth touch them that haue so liued or if it doe it is but lightly The same man also sayth in an other place Vertue hath no larger or fayrer a Theater then the conscience Socrates being asked who could liue without perturbation He aunswered He that is guilty to himselfe of no euill Bias whē he was asked what wanted feare in this life He said A good conscience Seneca also sayth in a certaine Epistle A wise man is neuer without ioy and that proceedeth from a good conscience Out of which it is manifest how excellently these agree with that sentence of Salomon All the dayes of the afflicted are euill but a good conscience is a continuall feast A greater thing could not be spoken in so few words By which the wise-man signifieth that as they that sit at a banquet are made merry by the variety of meates and dainty cates and by the presence of their friends with whom they liue so the righteous are made merry by the testimony of a good conscience and by the sweet sauour of the diuine presence from which they haue receaued and feele in theyr soules so euident a pledge of saluation But the difference is this that the mirth of the banquets of this world are bestiall and earthly but this is celestiall and for euer that beginneth with hunger and endeth with loathing this beginneth with good life and perseuereth and endeth with glory But if the Philosophers haue had this ioy in so great price and esteeme without hope of any other thing in the lyfe to come howe much more ought Christians to exult and reioyce who knowe how great good things the Lord hath prepared for them both in this life and also in the other Furthermore although this testimonie ought not to bee without a holy and religious feare yet this feare doth not trouble or diminish that ioy but after an admirable manner dooth strengthen confirme and comfort it in whom it is By which it is insinuated vnto vs that then our hope is more lawfull and sound whē it hath this holy feare ioyned vnto it without which hope shall be no hope but false presumption Behold my brother heere is a newe priuiledge which the the righteous enioy of which the Apostle speaketh Our reioycing is this the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicitie and and godly purenesse and not in fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we haue had our cōuersation in the world These be the things that can be spoken of this priuiledge But neither these nor many moe suffise to declare the excellencie of it to that man who hath not had experience of it himselfe For the tast of any delicious meat cannot be expressed or described with words to him sufficiently who heeretofore hath not tasted of it Seeing that without doubt thys ioy is so great that oftentimes when a godly man is much afflicted tormented and casting his eyes about no where seeth any comfort yet turning his eyes into himselfe and beholding the peace of conscience and the good testimony of it he is fully strengthened and filled full of wonderfull comfort For he vnderstandeth very well that all other things let them succeede as they will doe bring small profit but a good conscience is profitable for all things And although no man can be sure and certaine of it yet as the morning sunne when it is scarcely risen and is not yet seene enlightneth the world with the neerenesse of his brightnes so a good conscience although it be not fully plainly known yet it reioyceth and gladdeth the soule by her good testimonie This is so true that Saint Chrisostome sayth all aboundance of griefe trouble falling into a good conscience dooth no otherwise perrish and is extinguished then if a sparke of fire should
righteous the hope of the wicked betweene the prosperity of the one and of the other What greater commodity can arise from a tree then to be planted after that maner that the Prophet speaketh Beleeue me such is the condition and estate of the righteous to whom all things fall out prosperously and with whō all things goe well because they are planted by the current of the Riuer of Gods grace But on the contrary part there can be no worser estate of a tree then to be wilde then to be planted in a dry ground in the wildernes in a land of salt it dooth not yeeld fruite in due season to be briefe it is farre remooued from the sight and tillage of men By thys comparison the wicked may easily vnderstand that they in thys life cannot haue a more miserable estate because they haue eyes remoued yea quite turned from God who is the fountaine of liuing water and haue theyr eyes sette and fixed and theyr hope reposed vpon frayle deceitfull creatures which are vnderstood by a dry land desert vnoccupied By this also it is manifest in how excellent a place the world it selfe is planted which certainly is planted in a dry barraine ground seeing it hath the footing of his hope placed on a foundation so weake which is no hope but errour vanitie and confusion as before we haue showen Tell me I pray thee vvhat misery can be greater then this what pouertie more naked thē to liue without hope Therefore seeing that man is through sinne left so poore and naked as before we haue declared and that the hope of the Diuine mercy is so necessary for him what shall bee left vnto him who hath lost it which might haue strengthened and confirmed him Wee see that all liuing creatures in theyr kinde are brought foorth perfect that nothing is wanting vnto them for the preseruation of theyr life But man through sinne is so desolate and so bereft of all things that hee hath nothing of those things which are needfull and necessary for him but he must liue of almes and be relieued from the diuine mercy Then if thys meanes be taken away what shall be the life of man Surely lame maimed full of a thousand defects What other thing is it to liue without hope then to liue without God What other thing is left vnto man of all his auncient patrimony to preserue his life besides this onely support and helpe What Nation was euer so barbarous so voyde of all religion that had not some knowledge of God or of some Dietie whom it did not worshyp with some certaine honour adoration of whom also it did not looke for some benefit of the Diuine prouidence In that short time that Moses was absent from the chyldren of Israell the people thought that they had beene vvithout a God and as rude and ignorant began to exclaime and to speak to Aaron Arise make vs Gods to goe before vs as if they durst not goe any further without some God Wherby it is manifest that mans nature although it alwayes knoweth not the true God yet it is necessary that it know some God And although man is ignorant of the cause of his owne frailtie yet he acknowledgeth his owne frailtie and for this naturally seeketh helpe of some God Euen as Iuie naturally seeketh for some post or tree which it may leane vnto or some wall by which it may bee supported and creepe aloft it beeing not able to sustaine and held vp it selfe And as a woman naturally seeketh for the supportation and shadow of man for she as an imperfect creature knoweth that the ayde and helpe of man is necessary for her so mans nature beeing needfull and wanting many things doth seeke for the shadow and refuge of God These things therefore beeing thus wee may easily coniecture what is the life of those men who liue in this wretched miserable widowish estate forsaking God and beeing forsaken of God I would gladly knowe this one thing They that lyue after thys manner how doe they comfort themselues in theyr miseries howe doe they defende themselues in dangers vvho doth cure theyr infirmities with whom doe they confer of their businesse of whom doe they aske counsaile in doubtfull matters of whom doe they seeke for help in theyr necessities with whom doe they traffique with whom are they conuersant whom doe they sticke to to be briefe by whose help doe they escape the snares of this life who haue not any refuge If the body cannot liue without the soule nor the soule without God surely God is no lesse necessary for the one life then the soule is for the other And if as we haue said before liuely hope be the anchor of our life how dare any man vndergoe the dangers of this tempestuous sea his shyp beeing destitute of this anchor of hope If hope be the shielde by which wee defend our selues how can men defend themselues in the midst of theyr enemies beeing without this shield If hope be the staffe by which mans nature is supported in all her weakenes and frailtie vvhat shall weake and feeble man doe without the staffe of this hope Hetherto as I thinke we haue sufficiently showed what is the difference betweene the hope of the righteous and of the wicked and what is the nature and condition of them both That is one of them hath God for his defence and bulwarke but the other the broken staffe of reede of Egipt which he that leaneth vpon it goeth into his hand and shooteth it through For it is meet that that error which he committeth in hoping in things so vncertaine and doubtfull relying altogether on them that he should be corrected no otherwise then by hauing mischance and being deceiued by them as the Prophet Ieremy plainlie testifieth who when he would denounce the destruction and ouerthrow of the kingdome of Moab he sayth thus For because thou hast trusted in thine owne workes and treasure thou shall bee taken and Chamos the God in whom thou trustest with his priests and Princes shall goe away into captiuitie Consider therefore what kinde of ayde that is the trust of which is the ruine and ouerthrow of him that so trusteth Therefore let these things suffise which haue beene spoken of the priuiledge and prerogatiue of hope which although it seeme almost to be the same with the speciall prouidence of God of which wee haue spoken before yet it is not the same for they differ betweene themselues as the effect and cause of a thing For although there be many foundations of thys hope as the goodnes of God truth of the same God and the merrits of Christ yet the principall ground is the fatherly prouidence of God from which ariseth thys hope confidence For to know that God hath so great a care ouer him and that he is defended and gouerned of him with so
where there is no desire or concupiscence there are no chaynes no captiuitie Insomuch that the hart because it hath found the Lord of all therefore it after a certaine manner is made Lord of all for in this chiefe good it findeth and possesseth all good To these two diuine benefits by helpe of which men come to true libertie the care also and diligence of man is to bee ioyned by which hee striueth and contendeth to subiect the flesh to the spirit and the affections to reason By which study men by little and little are mortified and are made fit and able to all good theyr manners are bettered and their furie and former boldnes is restrained and bridled Hence it is that S. Chrisostome sayth If wilde beasts that are nourished among men by degrees put off their naturall fiercenesse and become tame and are peaceably conuersant among men as the Poet sayth verie vvell Lyons that be fierce barbarous and wilde In time are tamed to play with a child What great thing is it if our naturall affections when they haue accustomed themselues by little and little to obey reason if by degrees they waxe gentle milde that is if by little and little they participate something of the nature of the spirit reason and reioyce in the works of the spirit If custome good vse hath so great force and efficacie what shall not grace doe working together with this vse Hence it is that the seruants of God are often more sensibly merry delighted for so it pleaseth me to speake in celestial rauishments in silence in reading in prayer in meditation and in such like exercises then they would be in feasting in sports in hunting and in other pleasures and delights of this world For now they hate all those it is a torment vnto them to remember them insomuch that now the very flesh dooth abhorre that which before it loued and findeth tast and delight in that thing which before it loathed Which is so true as a certaine learned and holy man saith that often-times the inferiour part of our soule is so delighted in prayer and inwardly hath such sweet conference with God that it feeleth a great torment when it is with-holden by anie manner from these exercises or hindered in them Thys is that which the Prophet sayth I will praise the Lorde who hath giuen me counsell my reines also chasten me in the nights or as another translation hath they teach mee Thys surelie is an excellent worke of the Diuine grace For those that comment vpon this place vnderstand by the reines the affections and inward motions of man which are wont as wee haue said to bee prouokers and procurers of sinnes Which notwithstanding oftentimes through the vertue of grace not onely doe not incite and stirre vp to euill as they were wont but some-times they helpe vnto good and not only they doe not serue the deuill on whose side they were wont to warre but they goe on Christs side and turne theyr weapons vpon his enemies Which although it be seene in many spirituall exercises yet especially it appeareth in the affection of contrition and in the greefe for sinne in which the inferiour part of the soule playeth her part in afflicting it selfe and in plentifull pouring out of teares for sinnes Therefore the Prophet sayth that in the night when the day beeing past the righteous are wont to examine theyr consciences this same his reines did in chastising him for from that anguish bitternes which he felt in that part of his soule because therein he had offended GOD he was alwayes afflicted and he was alwaies carefull that he might not commit that againe for which hee was sorrowfull Therefore not vvithout cause he gaue thanks vnto the Lord for not onely the superiour part of his soule in which his vnderstanding was inuited him to good but also the inferiour part which alwaies for the most part is wont to driue and prick man to euill But although this be both truth and also great glory of the Redemption purchased by Christ for vs who as hee is a most perfect and absolute Redeemer so hee hath most perfectly and absolutely redeemed vs yet no man must be too bolde to trust to his owne flesh yea although it be mortified so long as hee continueth in this mortall life These therefore be the chiefest causes of thys admirable and wonderfull libertie after which followeth a newe knowledge of GOD and a sound and solide confirmation of our fayth and of our Religion which we professe as the Lord himselfe testifieth by the Prophet Ezechiell saying And they shall knowe that I am the Lord when I haue broken the cordes of theyr yoke and deliuered them out of the handes of those that serued themselues of them Wee say that this yoke is sensualitie or an inordinate desire to sinne which cleaueth to our flesh and which oppresseth vs and subdueth vs to sinne The cordes of thys yoke are euill inclinations with which the deuill apprehendeth and catcheth man and draweth him vnto him which inclinations are so much the stronger by how much they haue beene longer confirmed through an euill custome Which thing Saint Augustine confesseth of himselfe in these wordes I was bounde not with yron but with mine yron will my will the enemie kept of my selfe made a chayne for my selfe and bound me with it Because of my corrupt will came lust and whilst I did not resist lust custome folowed with which as with a chaine I was bound and imprisoned in sinne Therefore if at any time a man shall see himselfe bound after this manner that this holy man confesseth himselfe to haue beene bound and is willing and desirous to be vnlosed and to gette out of thys captiuitie hee shall finde as great difficulties to escape out as hee found but if at the length he beeing conuerted vnto GOD doe see these chaynes broken in peeces these affections tamed and brought vnder and these euill inclinations mortified and if hee see himselfe free and the Lord of hys ovvne appetites to conclude if hee see the yoke that lay vpon his shoulders novve lye vnder his feete what other thing ought he to doe then assuredly and vndoubtedly to beleeue that it is GOD who hath broken these chaynes and hath taken thys greeuous and burthenous yoke from his shoulders Therefore let him praise God and say with the Prophet Thou hast broken my bonds I will offer to thee a sacrifice of praise and will call vpon the Name of the Lord. Of the eight priuiledge of Vertue that is of the blessed peace and inward quietnesse which the righteous enioy and of the wretched warre and continuall trouble and terrour with which the wicked are shaken and smitten in theyr soules CHAP. XX. AFter the priuiledge of the liberty of the sonnes of God followeth another no lesse then it that is the prerogatiue of the peace and inward
their blood for him who first shed his for them and when they cannot come vnto that they desire they rage against themselues becoÌ„ming their owne tormenters for they doe torment their bodies by hunger and thirst by cold and heate and by many other afflictions and by such works after some manner they satisfie their desire This Idiome and propriety the louers of this world vnderstand not neyther can they imagine how he can be loued so ardently whom they so abhorre and on the contrary part that they are so abhorred for that which they so tenderly loue and yet this is the truth of the thing We reade in the Scriptures that the Aegyptians had for their Gods vnreasonable creatures and that they did worship them But the Israelites called them an abhomination and that which they called their God the Israelites killed and sacrificed to their true God After the same manner also the righteous as the Israelites call the Gods of this world an abhomination as are honours pleasures and riches which notwithstanding the the world adoreth these false Gods the righteous as abhominations doe sacrifice to the glory of their true God So he that would offer an acceptable sacrifice to God let him haue an eye to that which the world adoreth and let him offer that and let him embrace that which the world abhorreth Doe not they seeme vnto thee to haue so done who after that they had receaued the first fruites of the holy Spirit departed from the Councel reioycing that they were couÌ„ted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Iesus What sayest thou vnto these things that which can make bonds whyps fire and other torments sweet shall it not make the obseruation and keeping of the commaundements of God sweet Thou errest my brother thou errest not knowing the nature of Vertue and the force of charitie and the Diuine grace ¶ Of other things which make the way of saluation easie sweete THis that we haue hetherto said is sufficieÌ„t to take away that common impediment which many alledge But let vs put the case that this is not which wee haue spoken of and therefore this way is hard and difficult I pray thee tell mee why should it be troublesome and grieuous vnto thee to do that for thy soule which thou refusest not to doe for thy body Shall it seeme a great thing vnto thee to suffer a little trouble here that hereafter thou maist escape eternall torment What would not the rich couetous man buried in hell willingly doe if he might haue licence to come into the world againe that he might amend his errors It is not meete that thou shouldest doe lesse now then he would doe seeing that if thou doost perseuere in thy wicked maliciousnesse the same torments remaine for thee and therefore thou oughtest to haue the same desire Furthermore if thou wouldest diligently perpend and consider the manifold and great things that GOD hath doone for thee and greater which he hath promised thee and also thy hainous sinnes by which thou hast offended him moreouer the great torments which the Saints haue suffered but most of all those exceeding great ones which the Holy of Holies himselfe hath borne without doubt it would shame thee to be vnwilling to abide so little for the loue of God yea to be vnwilling to flie that which delighteth thee Therfore Saint Bernard saith The afflictions of thys world are not worthy of the fault past which is pardoned nor of the present grace of consolation which is giuen nor of the future glory which is promised vnto thee Euery one of these considerations ought worthily to moue vs to enter into this way although it be very laborious But that we may confesse the truth although our life in euery part and in euery proceeding is grieuous and full of tribulations yet without coÌ„parison greater is the griefe trouble that is found in the lyfe of wicked men then that which is found in the life of good men For although to goe or walke in the way be laborious for which way soeuer thou walkest at the length thou shalt be wearie yet much greater is the trouble of him who walketh blindly and often dasheth his feete against the stones then of him who goeth with open eyes and seeth where and howe he passeth Seeing therefore that our life is a way it cannot be but man must be wearied vntill he come to the place of reâ—â— But a sinner who vseth not the light of reason but his own affections and is gouerned by the perturbations of his minde it is certaine that he walketh blindfold for there is not any thing founde in the world more blinde then the perturbations of the mind But good men who are gouerned of reason when they meete with rockie and breake-necke downfalls they shun them and so they walke with lesser labour and with greater securitie That great wise man long agoe vnderstood this and therefore said The way of the righteous shineth as the light that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day But the way of the wicked is as the darknes they know not wherin they shall fall Neyther is the way of the wicked onely obscure and darke as Salomon sayth here but also difficult slipperie and full of Caues Dennes as Dauid saith that thou mayst thereby learne how often they flyp and slide that tread in that path Besides in thys short and small trouble which meeteth with the godly a thousand kind of helps are giuen which doe lighten diminish this trouble For principally the presence fatherly prouidence of God doth help which guideth them and the grace of the holy Ghost which encourageth them the Sacraments which strengthen them and the Diuine consolations which cheere them and the examples of good men which comfort them and the holy Scriptures which teach them and the peace of a good conscience which doth ioy them and lastly the hope of glory which maketh them constant and vnmoueable with a thousand other graces and benefits of God which maketh thys way so easie pleasant to the walkers in it that they say with the Prophet How sweet are thy promises vnto my mouth yea more then Honny vnto my mouth Let it be whosoeuer it will that considereth of this thing diligently he shal find very many authorities of scripture concerning this matter notwithstanding some of them make thys way harde and sharpe others make it easie light and pleasant For the same Prophet in another place sayth For the wordes of thy lippes I haue kept straight and difficult wayes And in another place I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches For thys way hath two things Difficulty and Suauitie the one by reason of nature the other by reason of grace so that which is difficult by reason of the and is made sweet pleasant by reason of the other As well the
weepe in the very bitternes of my hart These and other things being past finished which he remembreth forth-with the light of security being infused into his hart the darknes of al doubt fled away The Lord so changed his mind that afterwards he neyther desired any carnall vices nor any other vanity in this world And being losed from these chaynes he beginneth at the entrance of the booke following to giue thanks to God his deliuerer saying Lord I am thy seruant I am thy seruant and the sonne of thine Hand-mayde Thou hast broken my bonds I will sacrifice vnto thee the sacrifice of prayse My hart and my tongue doe prayse thee and all my bones doe say Lord who is like vnto thee Let them say so and Lord aunswer me and say to my soule I am thy saluation Who then am I and what an one What euill am I not Or was it my deedes or if not my deedes was it my words or if not my words was it my will But thou Lord art good and mercifull and thy right hand respected the profundity of my death and thou drewest the depth of corruption from the bottome of my hart And this was wholy that vnwillingnes which thou willedst and that willingnes which thou wouldest not But where was all this long time my wil to doe wel and from vvhat bottome and deepe Abysse didst thou in a moment call it forth vvhereby I might submit my necke vnder thine easie yoke and my shoulders vnder thy light burthen ô Christ Iesus my helper and onely redeemer How sweete on a sodaine was it for me to want the sweetnes of trifles and which I was afrayd to lose now it was a ioy vnto me to lose them For thou being the true and chiefest sweetnes didst cast them from mee thou didst cast them away and for them entredst in thy selfe being sweeter then any pleasure but not to flesh blood and brighter then any light but to the inward secret man and higher then all honour but not to those that are high in themselues Hetherto are the words of Saint Augustine Tell me now if the matter standeth thus if the vertue and efficacie of the Diuine grace be so powerfull what is it that holdeth thee captiue vvhereby thou canst not doe that vvhich they haue done If thou beleeuest that these things are true that the grace of God is effectuall to worke so admirable a change if it be denied to no man that with all his hart desireth it because now also he is the same God vvhich he vvas then vvithout respect of persons vvhat doth hinder thee vvhy thou goest not out of this wretched seruitude and embracest that chiefest good vvhich freely is offered thee Why hadst thou rather vvith one hell to gayne another then vvith one Paradice to gayne another Paradice Be not negligent or vvithout hope Assay once his busines and trust in God vvhich vvhen thou shalt scarcely begin to doe behold he vvill come to meete thee as the father met his prodigall child with open armes Certainly it is a matter of wonder astonishment That if some cosener should promise thee the Art of Alcumy vvhereby thou mightest extract gold out of brasse thou vvouldest not cease although it vvere very chargeable vnto thee vntil thou hadst tried and experimented it and heere the vvord of the Lord teacheth thee to make heauen of earth spirit of flesh and an Angel of a man and vvilt thou not assay and make trial And when as in the end eyther later or sooner eyther in this life or in that to come at the length thou shalt know the truth of this matter I desire thee that with attention thou wouldest consider how thou shalt finde thy selfe deceaued in the day of rendering an account when thou shalt see thy selfe damned because thou didst forsake the way of Vertue because thou imaginedst to thy selfe that it was hard and difficult And there thou shalt know most manifestly that this way is much more sweet and pleasant then the way of vices and pleasures which leade thee onely to earthly delights of which then there shall not be any footsteps or reliques left Against them that feare to enter into the way of Vertue for the loue of this world CHAP. XXIX IF we should feele the pulse and life vaine of all them who feare to enter into the way of vertue perhaps wee should finde many so slothfull and sluggish because the loue of this world hath infatuated them and made them fooles I say that it hath infatuated them for this loue is a false glasse and an apparance of good things which in truth are not good vvhich false glasse maketh all worldly things to be in so great price amongst the ignorant Whereupon beasts which feare shadowes flie all shadowie things as hurtfull dangerous when in deed they are not So these men on the contrary part doe loue and embrace the things of this world supposing estimating them to be louely and delectable when in deed they are not Therefore as they that would bring beasts from their shadowie idle imagination doe often leade them through those places which they feare that they may see that that is but a vaine shadowe which they feared So now it is necessary that we leade these men through the shadowes of earthly things who so ordinarily doe loue them that we may make them to behold them vvith other eyes that they may plainly see how great a vanitie and a shadow all that is which they so greatly admire and loue and that as those dangers are not worthy that they should be feared so also these good things are not worthy that they should be desired or loued He therefore that shall diligently and seriously consider of the world with all the felicities in it shall finde sixe euils and mischiefes in it which no man can denie as are shortnesse miserie dangers blindnes sinnes and deceipts vvith which the felicitie of the world is alwaies mingled by which it may plainly be seene who and what it is Euery one of these wee will handle in that which followeth yet briefely and in order ¶ How short the felicity of this world is GOe to thou canst not denie to me beginning to dispute of this worldly felicitie but that all the felicitie and sweetnes of this world or by what name so euer els thou wilt call it is short and of small continuance For this felicitie cannot endure beyond a mans life But how long the life of man is we haue before declared seeing that it reacheath scarcely to an hundred yeeres But how many be there that come to an hundred yeres I haue seene diuers Bishops and Cardinals who haue scarcelie liued two moneths in theyr dignitie others elected Popes who haue scarce sit one month I haue seene others that haue married wiues louing beautifull rich and vertuous so that nothing seemed to be wanting in them who haue not enioyed them one week
I had in the wildernes a cottage of way-faring men that I might leaue my people and goe from them for they bee all adulterers and an assembly of rebels Whatsoeuer hath hetherto been spoken generally appertayneth to wicked men although it cannot be denied but that in all estates of the world there are many good men for vvhose sakes GOD spareth to destroy the world Therefore vvhen thou shalt see all these things consider with thy selfe how iust a cause thou hast to forsake and auoyde a thing so wicked corrupt and abhominable in which if GOD would fully open thine eyes thou shouldest see more deuils and moe sinnes then there be moates in the Sunne-beames Thys consideration will worke in thee at least in thy spirit a desire to leaue this world so that thou wilt take vp that of the Prophet and say O that I had winges like a Doue then would I flie away and be at rest ¶ How deceaueable the felicitie of the world is THese and infinite other are the attributes of worldly felicitie as it were the counterpoizes with which it is weighed and peised and the vnseparable companions which waite vpon it that thou mayst see that there is more gall then honny in it and more Wormwood then Sugar I omit very many other euils mischiefes which it hideth from her louers For besides that this miserable felicitie is short it is also impure vncleane for it maketh a man carnall and filthie it is also beastly for it maketh a man like vnto a beast And mad for it taketh avvay his iudgement To conclude it is deceitfull and faithlesse because it faileth and forsaketh a man in his chiefest hight and in the florish of his best time Neyther will I heere be vnwilling to take further paines in manifesting thys latter euill which perhaps is the worst of all that is that it is deceitfull and fraudulent For it seemeth to be that it not it promiseth that it performeth not and yet these not hindering it draweth vnto it the greater part of people For euen as there is found both true gold and counterfeit gold so there are found true good things counterfeite good things true felicity and false which appeareth to be such but is not of thys sort is this worldly felicity which deceiueth vs by a vaine disguised apparition and painted masking face For as Aristotle sayth many lyes meete with vs which although they be lyes yet they haue greater showe and apparance of truth then the truth it selfe So certainly and it is matter worthy of obseruation certaine euils and enormities are found which albeit they be euils indeed yet they haue greater semblance and apparance of good things then the good things themselues And of thys number is the felicity of this world and by reason of this apparance the ignorant are deceaued by the show of it no otherwise then byrds and fishes by a false baite For it is the nature condition of corporall and worldly things that on a suddaine they offer themselues with a flattering countenaunce and doe fawne and smâ—â—e vpon men promising vnto them ioy and felicitie but afterwards the very experience of the things themselues discouereth theyr errour and falshood For after the pleasures folow calamities diseases griefes by the abseuce of the thing loued by iealousie by strifes and contentions by the losse of things by diseases by the perturbations of the affections and by very many other sorrowes and last of all death also followeth What greater deceit can there be and what hipocrisie more intollerable So a virgine merily reioycing goeth to the house of her Bridegrome for the hath not eyes to see any other thing but that which outwardly appeareth and presently showeth it selfe but if she could see that seed-plot seminary of miseries which are sowen vpon this day for her to reape surely she should haue greater cause to weep then to reioyce Rebecca desired to bring foorth children but when she was great with child c. the children stroue together in her wombe she sayd If it must be thus with mee what neede had I to conceaue O how often dooth such like guile and fraude make heauie the hart of man after it hath got that it desired wheÌ„ as those things offer themselues in the progresse which were not promised in the beginning But what shall I say of offices dignities and honours vvith what a smiling countenaunce faire aspect do they first shew themselues but afterwards to howe many passions care enuies and labours doe they expose their possessors But of those that are entangled with vnhonest loues we may iustly say that at the beginning they finde a pleasant entrance into that darke and denious Laborinth but when they haue passed in alack how many labours and troubles doe they beare hovve many nights doe they passe ouer without sleepe how many how great dangers are they compelled to vndergoe For the fury of that venomous dragon which is the sword of that cruel parent and of that iealous husband dooth alwayes keepe the fruite of that forbidden tree and it often coÌ„meth to passe that such men in one moment doe lose together theyr lifes riches honors and soules After the same maner it were no hard matter to examine the lifes of couetous men seruing the world and catching at by all meanes by force and fauour the vaine-glory of it in whose tragedies we might behold a merry protasis but a lamentable and mournful epitasis for this is the nature of that Babylonian cup which without is gold but within full of poyfon These things being thus what I pray thee in thy iudgement is the glory of this world but the singing of Syrens sweet but a deadly potion a Viper artificially painted without but within full of venomous poyson If the worlde fawne vpon thee it doth it that it may deceitie thee if it exalt thee it doth it that thy fal may be the greater if it make thee merry it dooth it that it afterwardes with sorrow may breake thy hart It giueth all her goods vvith the mixture of incomparable heauines and griefe and that with the greatest vsury If a sonne be borne vnto thee and soone after die thy sorrow will be seauen-fold greater then thy ioy was The thing lost more afflicteth vs then found ioyeth vs sicknes more excruciateth vs then health gladdeth vs iniury more tormenteth vs then honour contenteth vs insomuch that I am altogether ignorant why it is so effected by nature that euils do more afflict vs then good things do reioyce vs. All these things being well considered of they do shew vnto vs clearer then the noone day how vaine deceitfull and fraudulent the felicity of this world is ¶ The conclusion of all this aforesaid THou hast here seene my brother the true figure of thys world although with another face then it outwardly carrieth Behold therefore now what the felicity of the World is how short miserable
so great a good whose Lord is God who possesse God whose inheritance God is for by so much your good is more excellent by how much God is more excellent then the creatures This expresly confesseth the Prophet in the Psalmes saying Rescue and deliuer me ô Lord frō the hand of strangers whose mouth talketh vanity and theyr right hande is a right hand of falsehood that our sonnes may be as the plants growing vp in their youth and our daughters as the corner stones grauen after the similitude of a pallace that our corners may be full and abounding with diuers sorts and that our sheepe may bring foorth thousands and ten thousand in our streets that our Oxen may be strong to labour that there be none inuasion nor going out nor no crying in our streets Blessed are the people that be so yea blessed are the people whose GOD is the Lord. Why doost thou speake thys ô Dauid The reason is in a readines For he that possesseth GOD hee hath that good in which all goods are found which may be desired Let them glorie that will in all other things I will glory onely in the Lord my GOD. So also that holy Prophet dyd glory who said I will reioyce in the Lord I will ioy in the God of my saluation The Lorde God is my strength hee will make my feete like Hindes feete and hee will make me to walke vpon mine high places This then is the treasure this is the glory prepared for them in this world who serue the Lord. This is one and that the greatest reason which inuiteth vs to serue God and a iust complaint is it that God hath against them who will not serue him seeing that he is so good a Lord to them so faithfull a defendour and so sincere an Aduocate With this complaint in times past he sent Ieremy that he might expostulate and chide with the people saying What iniquitie haue your Fathers found in mee that they are gone farre from mee and haue walked after vanitie and are become vaine And a little after Haue I beene as a wildernesse vnto Israell or a land of darkenesse As if he should say No Seeing that this Land hath receaued of mine hands so many victories so much happines Wherefore sayth my people then Wee are Lordes wee will come no more vnto thee Can a mayde forget her ornament or a Bride her attire Yet my people haue forgotten me daies without number who am their ornament glory and beauty If God after this manner lamented in the old Lawe when as his fauours and graces vvere not so perfect what great cause hath he novve to lament seeing that his graces are so much the more excellent by hovve much they are more diuine and more spirituall Of that manner of prouidence by which God espieth out the wicked to chastise theyr maliciousnesse CHAP. XIII IF thou be not mooued with the loue of so happy and blessed a Prouidence in which the good do ioy at least let the feare of that Prouidence moue thee if it be lawfull so to call it with which God doth espy and watch ouer the wicked which is to measure them with theyr owne measure and to handle them according to the obliuion and contempt offered to the diuine Maiestie forgetting them who haue forgotten him and contemning them of whō first he was contemned But that I may speake this after a more homely manner God commanded his Prophet Hosea to take vnto him a wife of fornications that he might demonstrate the spiritual fornication of that people who had refused and put away theyr lawfull Bridegrome and Lord to play the fornicators And hee willed also that the Prophet should haue of that wife sonnes of fornications and the thyrd begotten he should call by an Hebrue name signifying Not my people that he might shew thereby seeing that they for their sinnes would not acknowledge GOD nor serue him as theyr God that he in like manner would not acknowledge them neither would haue them for his people And that he might confirme this sentence he saith by the Prophet a little below Pleade with your Mother pleade with her for shee is not my wife neyther am I her husband as if hee should say as shee hath not kept the fayth and obedience of a good wife towards me so in like manner I will not keepe that loue and prouidence which a good husband is wont to show and vse vnto a good wife See howe plainely our Lord teacheth vs heere how he dooth mete vnto euery one according to his owne measure whilst he dealeth so towards men as men deale with him Therefore the wicked doe liue as neglected and forsaken of the Lord and they are in this world as a patrimony without an heire as a schoole without a maister as a shippe without a guide and as a flock without a Pastour layd open to the deuouring greedines and voracity of Wolues After this manner he threatneth them by the mouth of his Prophet saying I will not feede you that that dyeth let it dye and that that perisheth let it perish and let the remnant eate euery one the flesh of his neighbor The same thing Moses obiecteth to Israel in his song I wil hide sayth the Lord my face from them I will see what their end shall be for they are a froward generation and children in whom is no fayth He sayth I will consider what their end shall be that is I will stand idely and will see what end their misery shall haue at length neyther will I bring any release vnto them Besides these things that haue beene spoken much more plainely speaketh Esay to the people of this kinde of prouidence vnder the name of a Vineyard in the person of the Lord against which when it had beene tilled and much cost and many benefits bestowed vpon it neyther brought forth tollerable fruites he pronounceth this sentence And now I will tell you what I will doe to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten vp I will breake the wall thereof and it shall be troden downe And I will lay it wast it shall not be cut nor digged but bryers and thornes shall grow vp I will also commaund the cloudes that they raine no raine vpon it That is I will take away all the ayde and helpe with which I haue hetherto defended it which being taken away destruction and ruine will follow Doth not this kinde of prouidence seeme fearefull vnto thee Tell me what greater danger or what greater misery then to liue without the defence of the Diuine prouidence To be left and layd open to all the persecutions of the world to the iniuries and calamities of this life For seeing that the world is a tempestuous sea and as it were a wildernes full of theeues and fearefull beasts and seeing that there be so many and so great discomodities and
acknowledge the effects of the Diuine iustice For as no man can denie but that it is a great blessing of GOD to preserue a man from sinne so it is a great punishment and a notable token of wrath when God permitteth that a man falleth into sinne So we reade in the second booke of the Kings that the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israell therefore he moued or permitted Dauid to fall into the sin of pride when he commaunded Israell to be numbred In Ecclesiasticus also when as many sinnes had been remembred he addeth A mercifull man shall be deliuered from them all and he shall not wallow in them For euen as one the one part the increase of vertue is a reward of vertue so not sildome it is a punishment of sin that God punisheth sinne with sinne or that God suffereth other sinnes to be done and committed So we see that that great punishment was no other which was inflicted for the greatest wickednes in the world that is for the death of our Sauiour then that which the Prophet denounceth against the workers of it saying Lay iniquitie vpon theyr iniquitie and let not them come into thy righteousnes that is to the keeping of thy cōmaundements And what followeth The same Prophet straightwayes after telleth and expoundeth himselfe Let them be put saith he out of the booke of life neither let them be written with the righteous If therefore the punishment be so great and the tokens of Gods wrath so notorious that he punisheth sinnes with sinnes how is it that thou seest not so great arguments of the Diuine iustice amongst so many kinde of sinnes with which this world now in this age doth flow and swell If so it pleaseth thee cast thine eyes about after the manner of them who are in the midst of the maine Ocea to whom nothing is seene but the sea and heauen as the Poet sayth and scarcely thou shalt see any other thing besides sinnes and thou seeing so many sinnes wilt thou not see the Diuine iustice Doost thou not see water beeing in the midst of the Sea Yes certainly And if all the worlde be a Sea of sinnes what els shall it be but a sea of the Diuine iustice It is not needfull that I should descend into hell and there see how the Diuine iustice rageth it suffiseth that I onely behold it in thys world But if thou wilt be blinde and see nothing that is without thee at least looke into thy selfe For if thou beest endangered with sinne thou art within the reach of the Diuine iustice and as long as thou liuest secure vnder it so long art thou endangered and so much the more perrillous is thy danger by how much longer thou hast beene endangered with it So Saint Augustine liued some-times in this most wretched estate as he testifieth of himselfe saying I was drowned in the Sea of my sinnes and thy wrath had preuailed against me and I knewe not I was made deafe with the noyse of the chaines of my mortality and of thy wrath and the ignorance of my fault was the punishment of my pride Wherefore if God punish thee with this kind of punishment permitting thee to lie drowned in the deepe sea of sinnes and so to blindfolde thee in the midst of thine iniquities what doost thou speake of a thing so contrary to thy selfe Let him speake and make his boast of the mercy of God who is worthy of mercy and let him that is punished with the iustice of the Lord speake of iustice Doth the mercy of God so patiently permit thee to liue in thy sinnes and will it not permit thee that at length thou fall into hell O that thou wouldest be wise and know how short the way is that leadeth from the fault to the punishment and from grace to glorie What great thing is it for a man in the state of grace to ascend into heauen and what maruell is it if a sinner descend into hell Grace is the beginning of glory and sin of hell hell is the reward of it Furthermore what is more horrible fearfull then when as the paines of hell are so intollerable as before we haue sayde yet neuerthelesse God permitteth the number of the damned to be so great and the number of the elect so few How small the number of these is least thou shouldest suppose that it is a deuise of mine owne hee himselfe telleth vs who numbereth the multitude of the starres and calleth them all by their names Who trembleth and quaketh not at those words which are knowen to all but eyther ill vnderstood or sildome called to remembrance For when as certaine had asked Christ said Lord are there but fewe that shall be saued he aunswered Enter in at the straite gate for it is the wide gate and broade way that leadeth to destruction many there be which goe in thereat Because the gate is strait and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life few there be that finde it Who would haue vnderstood this in these words that our Sauiour vnderstood if simply he had spoken it not with an exclamation and an emphasis O how strait is the gate and narrow the way The whole world perished in the waters of the deluge onely eyght persons were saued which as Saint Peter testifieth in his Canonicall Epistle was a signe by vvhich is signified how small the number is that is saued if they be cōpared with the number of those that are damned Sixe hundred thousand men the Lord brought out of Egipt into the wilderdernes that he might bring them into the promised Land besides women and chyldren who were not numbred in thys iourney they were many thousand wayes helped of the Lord notwithstanding by their sinnes they lost thys Land which the Lord of his grace and fauour had promised them and so of so many hundred thousand men onely two entred into that promised Land Which almost all the Doctors doe thus interpret that by it the multitude of the damned is insinuated and the paucity of those that are to be saued that is That many are called and few chosen For this cause not sildome in the sacred Scripture the righteous are called Iemmes or precious stones that thereby might be signified that theyr rarenes is as great in the world as precious stones be and by as great a quantitie as other stones exceed precious stones by as great the number of the wicked exceedeth the number of the righteous which Salomon closely insinuateth when he sayth That the number of fooles is infinite Tell me then if the number of the righteous be so small vvhich both the figure the truth testifie to be true when thou seest by the iust iudgement of GOD that so many are depriued of that felicity to which they were created why doost thou not feare that common danger and that vniuersall deluge If the number were
alike yet there were great cause of feare Why do I say alike Yea such so great are the euerlasting torments of hell that if onely one man of all man-kind were to be banished thether yet we all should tremble and feare When our Sauiour did eate his last Supper with his Disciples and sayd One of you shall betray me they were all exceeding sorrowful began to feare although theyr conscience witnessed their innocencie For when as an imminent mischiefe is grieuous heauie although there be but few to whom it is threatned yet all and euery one feareth least it should happen to him If there were a great Army of men in a fielde and it should bee reuealed from heauen to them all that a little after an Arrow should fall from heauen and should kill one of them neyther was it known whom it should be there is no doubt but that euery one would feare himselfe least it should fal vpon him But what would they do if the greater part of them should be in danger and ieopardy How much greater would thys feare be Tell me ô man thou that art so cunning in fleshly wisedome and so vnskilfull in the busines of thy saluation did God euer reueale vnto thee that there should be so many whom the thunder or sword of the Diuine iustice should smite If thou knowest not this certainly I much lesse beleeue that thou knowest how many and which â—e they that shall escape that plague on which side thou shalt stand and yet doost thou not feare Or doth hell seeme more tollerable vnto thee then the wound of an arrow Or hath God secured thee or hast thou letters of thy securitie or is an infallible charter of thy saluation graunted vnto thee or a priuiledge of immunity and freedom Hetherto there is nothing that promiseth any such like thing vnto thee moreouer thy works condemne thee and according to the present iustice vnlesse thou turne ouer a new lease thou art reprobated and doost thou not yet feare or wilt thou say that the Diuine mercie doth comfort thee Surely that doth not dissolue the works of iustice neither is contrary to them yea if it suffer so many to be damned will it not also suffer thee to be one of them if thou together sinnest with them Doost thou not see that thys vnhappy loue of thy selfe doth blinde thee and miserably deceaue thee whilst it maketh thee to presume other things then are seene in the whole world What priuiledge I pray thee is giuen vnto thee beyond the other sonnes of Adam that thou shouldest not be banished thether whither they are gone whose works tâ—oâ— doost follow But if God be to be known by his works I know what I wil say For although there be many comparisons by which the mercy of God his iustice may be compared between themselues in which the works of mercy doe preuaile yet at the length we finde that in the posterity of Adam of whose seede thou also art borne that there are found many moe vessels of wrath then of mercy seeing that there are so many that are damned and so few that are saued The cause of which is not because the grace and helpe of God forsaketh them or is wanting vnto them For God as the Apostle sayth would haue all to be saued and to come to the knowledge of his truth but because the wicked are wanting to themselues and the grace of God is of none effect in them All these things are remembred more largely and prolixely of me that thou mayest vnderstand that notwithstanding the mercy of God which thou pretendest God suffereth so many to be Infidels and in the Church so many euill Christians and so many Infidels and so many euill Christians to perish so also he will permit thee to perish with them if thou imitatest theyr life Or when thou wast borne did the heauens reioyce or shal the iudgements and decrees of God be changed that the world may be peculier to thee and another to others If therfore notwithstanding the mercy of God hell be so enlarged and so many thousand soules be daily swallowed vp of it shall not thy soule also come thether if thou continuest in thy sinnes But that thou mayest not say that God in times past was seuere and sharpe but now gentle and mild consider that also with this gentlenes and clemencie he suffereth all that thou hast heard neyther shalt thou be free and exempted from it but also thy punishment remayneth for thee yea although thou beest called a Christian if thou beest found a sinner Or therfore shal God lose his glory if he shall condemne thee Hast thou I pray thee any singuler thing in thee for which God aboue others ought to spare thee Or hast thou any priuiledge which others haue not for which he should not destroy thee with others if thou beest not lesse euill then others be Consider I pray thee the sonnes of Dauid for their fathers sake many priuiledges were promised vnto them but neyther for that cause would the Lord suffer their wickednes vnpunished wherefore many of them had but sorrowfull ends Where then is thy vaine trust Why doest thou vainely hope they perishing that thou shalt not perish seeing thou art pertaker of their wickednes Thou errest my brother thou errest if thou thinkest that this is to hope in God This is not hope but presumption For hope is to trust that God will forgiue thee thy sinnes if thou be repentant and sorrowfull for them and turnest from thy wickednes and that then he will receaue thee into fauour But it is exceeding great presumption to beleeue that thou shalt be saued and happy perseuering and continuing in thy sinnes Doe not think that this is a small sinne for it is numbred amongst those which are committed against the holy Ghost for he that presumeth after this maner he offereth no smal ignominy reproch to the Diuine goodnes which especially is attributed to the holy Ghost Such sinnes as our Sauiour testifieth are not forgiuen in this world nor in that to come insinuating that they are remitted with great difficulty for as much as they shut against them the gate of grace and offend a Phisitian who can giue life apply the medicine to the wound ¶ The conclusion of all those things which haue beene spoken in this Chapter LEt vs at the length conclude this matter with that excellent sentence of Ecclesiasticus Because thy sinne is forgiuen be not without feare to heape sinne vpon sinne And say not The mercy of God is great he will forgiue my manifold sinnes for mercy wrath come from him and his indignation commeth downe vpon sinners Tell me I pray thee if of a sinne forgiuen we ought to feare how can it possibly be that thou shouldest be secure by daily adding sinnes to sinnes Marke diligently what he sayth His indignation commeth downe vpon sinners For of this sentence the