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A06447 The sinners guyde A vvorke contayning the whole regiment of a Christian life, deuided into two bookes: vvherein sinners are reclaimed from the by-path of vice and destruction, and brought vnto the high-way of euerlasting happinesse. Compiled in the Spanish tongue, by the learned and reuerend diuine, F. Lewes of Granada. Since translated into Latine, Italian, and French. And nowe perused, and digested into English, by Francis Meres, Maister of Artes, and student in diuinitie.; Guía de pecadores. English Luis, de Granada, 1504-1588.; Meres, Francis, 1565-1647. 1598 (1598) STC 16918; ESTC S108893 472,071 572

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foorth their young ones doe only nourish them and prouide meate for them but a Father ought to be a father as a man and as a Christian man and as a true seruant of God who educateth traineth vp his chyldren as the chyldren of God and heyres of the kingdome of heauen not that they should be the bond-slaues of sathan and inhabitants of hell Let Maisters of families who haue seruants and other houshold be mi●dfull of the commination of S. Paule who saith If any prouide not for his owne and especially for them of his houshold he hath denied the fayth that is the faithfulnes that he oweth and to which he is bound and is worse then an infidell Let them remember that these are as Lambes of their sh●epefold and that they are the Sheepheards that should care and vvatch ouer them and let them thinke that the time will come vvhen as GOD will exact an account for them saying Where is the flocke that was giuen thee the sheepe glorious and noble Worthelie he calleth them glorious and noble for great is the price by which they are redeemed Noble and glorious is the most sacred humanity of Christ by which they are enobled Therefore there is not any seruant albeit abiect and base who is not free and noble in regard of the blood humanity of Christ. Therfore let a goo● Christian striue and endeuour that those that be in his house may be free from all enormous vices as are quarrels and strifes vnlawfull gaming false and vaine oathes blasphemies fornications c. And furthermore that they haue knowledge and skill in matters of Christianity and that they obserue the orders and constitutions of the Church and that especially vpon the Lords day they be at Church to heare Sermons and Diuine seruice and that they be not contumacious and peruerse inthwarting the good and orderly proceedings of the Church as the Puritans and Precisians of this time are who by their ignorant zeale peeuish singularity disturbe the quiet and peace of the Church The first admonition in what esteeme and price vertues are to be had that this rule may be better vnderstoode CHAP. XVIII AS in the beginning of this rule we set downe certayne preambles agreeable and conuenient for this purpose so now the rule being perfected and absolute for the better vnderstanding of it I take it to be worth the labour if I shall add certaine admonitions For seeing that we haue spoken discoursed of many kinds of vertues it is behoofefull that we teach which is worthier and which lesse worthy that we may estimate matters according to their dignity and assigne a proper place to euery one For he that selleth precious pearles rich Iems ought very well to know them that he be not deceaued in the price and the ouer-seer and gouernour of any Princes house ought to know the deserts of euery one in the house that he may dispose of euery one according to his dignity for otherwise he should commit many errors and offer much inequalitie so a man that dealeth with the worth value of these Iems that is of vertues and he that as a good ouer-seer and gouernour of an house is bound to render and tender to euery one of these vertues the due honour he must most exactly know the price and dignity of them that comparing them betweene themselues he may see which is to be preferred before another least he as it is wont to be sayd be penny wise and pound foolish least he I say gather ashes and cast away flower vvhich many doe Therfore we must know that all the vertues vvhich hetherto we haue spoken of may be reduced into a two-fold order for some of them be spirituall inuisible and internall and some corporall visible and externall In the first order are theologicall vetues with all other which are referred vnto God but especially Charity which among all other vertues possesseth the first and chiefe place as the Queene of all other To this are many other noble vertues ioyned and which are nearest vnto Charity in dignity as are humility chastity mercy patience discretion deuotion poorenes of spirit contempt of the world denying of our owne will the loue of the Crosse and of austerity and very many moe of this kind which by taking largely the signification of this vvord we call vertues They are called spirituall and internall vertues because principally they reside and haue their being in the soule although also they passe into externall works as we see in Charity and deuotion vvhich albeit they are altogether internall yet they produce their external acts to the honour and glory of God Other vertues are more externall and visible as are fasting discipline silence solitarines reading singing preaching a Christian and a religious life For albeit these vertues also reside and haue their being in the soule yet their proper acts are more outward then the former which are often hid and inuisible as are to beleeue to loue to hope to contemplate to be humbled to be inwardly contrite for sinnes to iudge discreetly and so in others Among all these vertues there is no doubt but that the former are farre more excellent and more necessary then the latter For the Lord sayth vnto the vvoman of Samaria Woman beleeue me the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in the truth for such the father also requireth to worship him God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in the truth The same words fall also into our common speach children in Schooles are wont to learne those verses If God be a spirit as verses record In spirit and truth thy worship afford Wherfore also the Prophet Dauid describing the beauty of the Church and of a soule that is in the fauour of God he saith The Kings daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of wrought gold The same thing the Apostle insinuateth when he sayth to his Disciple Timothy Exercise thy selfe vnto godlines for bodily exercise profiteth little but godlines is profitable vnto all things hauing promises of the life that is now and of that which is to come In which place he vnderstandeth by godlines the worship of God and mercy toward our neighbonr and by bodily exercise abstinence and other corporall austerenes as learned expositers auerre expounding this place This also the Heathen Philosophers vnderstood For Aristotle who albeit he writ very little concerning God yet sayth If humane affaires be regarded of God as we may very probably gather that they are it is very likely that he ioyeth in the best things and in those that are the likest vnto him but those are the mind and spirit of man Therfore they that haue their spirits beautified and adorned vvith the knowledge of the truth and reformed affections are most acceptable vnto God 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