received and imbraced as it is among al Christians and yet bringeth not foorth good life there the cause is for that it is choked with the vanities of this world 3 This is a parable of marvelous great importance as may appeer both for that Christ after the recital therof cried out with a lowd voice He that hath ears to hear let him hear as also for that he expounded it himselfe in secret only to his disciples and principally for that before the exposition therof he useth such a solemn preface saieng To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven but to others not for that they seeing do not see and hearing do not hear nor understand Wherby Christ signifieth that the understanding of this parable among others is of singular importance for conceiving the tru mysteries of the kingdome of heaven that many are blind which seem to see and many deaf and ignorant that seem to hear and know for that they understand not wel the mysteries of this parable For which cause also Christ maketh this conclusion before he beginneth to expound the parable Happy are your eies that see and blessed are your ears that hear After which words he beginneth his exposition with this admonition Vos ergo audite parabolam Do you therfore hear and understand this parable 4 And for that this parable doth contain and touch so much indeed as may or needeth be said for remooving of this great and dangerous impediment of worldly love I mean to stay my selfe only upon the explication therof in this place and wil declare the force truth of certain words heer uttered by Christ of the world and worldly pleasures and for some order and methods sake I wil draw al to these six points following First how and in what sense al the world and commodities therof are vanities of no valu as Christ heer signifieth and consequently ought not to be an impediment to let us from so great a matter as the kingdome of heaven and the serving of God is Secondly how they are not only vanities and trifles in themselves but also deceptions as Christ saith that is deceits not performing to us indeed those little trifles which they do promise Thirdly how they are Spinae that is pricking thorns as Christ saith though they seem to worldly men to be most sweet and pleasant Fourthly how they are aerumnae that is miseries and afflictions as also Christs words are Fiftly Quomodo suffocant how they strangle or choke us as Christ affirmeth Sixtly how we may use them notwithstanding without these dangers and evils and to our great comfort gain and preferment 5 And touching the first I do not see how it may be better prooved that al the pleasures and goodly shewes of this world are vanities as Christ heer saith than to alledge the testimonie of one which hath prooved them al that is of one which speaketh not of speculation but of his own proofe and practise and this is king Salomon of whom the scripture reporteth woonderful matters touching his peace prosperitie riches and glorie in this world as that al the kings of the earth desired to see his face for his wisdome and renowmed felicitie that al the princes living besides were not like him in wealth that he had six hundred sixtie and six talents of gold which is an infinite sum brought him in yeerly besides al other that he had from the kings of Arabia and other princes that silver was as plentiful with him as heaps of stones and not esteemed for the great store and abundance he had therof that his plate and jewels had no end that his seat of majestie with stooles lions to bear it up and other furniture was of gold passing al other kingly seats in the world that his pretious apparel and armor was infinite that he had al the kings from the river of the Philistians unto Egypt to serve him that he had fortie thousand horses in his stables to ride and twelve thousand chariots with horses and other furniture readie to them for his use that he had two hundred spears of gold born before him and six hundred crowns of gold bestowed in everie spear as also three hundred buklers three hundred crowns of gold bestowed in the gilding of everie bukler that he spent everie day in his house a thousand nine hundred thirtie and seven quarters of meal flower thirtie oxen with an hundred wethers beside al other flesh that he had seaven hundred wives as queenes and three hundred others as concubines Al this and much more doth scripture report of Salomons worldly wealth wisdome riches and prosperitie which he having tasted and used to his fil pronounced yet at the last this sentence of it al Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas Vanitie of vanities and al is vanitie By vanitie of vanities meaning as Saint Ierom interpreteth the greatnes of this vanitie above al other vanities that may be devised 6 Neither only doth Salomon affirm this thing but doth prove it also by examples of himself I have been king of Israel in Ierusalem saith he and I purposed with my selfe to seek out by wisdome al things I have seen that al under the sun are meer vanities affliction of spirit I said in my hart I wil go and abound in delites and in every pleasure that may be had And I saw that this was also vanitie I tooke great works in hand builded houses to my selfe planted vineyards made orchards and gardens and beset them with al kind of trees I made me fish ponds to water my trees I possessed servants and hand-maids and had a great familie great herds of cattel above any that ever were before me in Ierusalem I gathered togither gold and silver the riches of kings and provinces I appointed to my selfe singers both men and women which are the delites of the children of men fine cups also to drink wine withal and whatsoever my eies did desire I denied it not unto them neither did I let my hart from using any pleasure to delite it selfe in these things which I prepared And when I turned my selfe to al that my hands had made and to al the labors wherin I had taken such pains and sweat I saw in them al vanitie and affliction of the mind 7 This is the testimonie of Salomon upon his own proof in these matters and if he had spoken it upon his wisdome only being such as it was we ought to beleeve him but much more seeing he affirmeth it of his own experience But yet if any man be not mooved with this let us bring yet another witnes out of the new testament and such a one as was privie to the opinion of Christ heerin that is Saint Iohn the evangelist whose words are these Do not love the world nor those things that are in the world if any man love the
threatnings of holy scriptures to al admonishments of Gods servants and to al the other meanes which God doth use for their salvation 12 Good Lord who would wittingly commit any sin for the gaining of ten thousand worlds if he considered the infinite damages hurts inconveniences and miseries which do come by the committing of one sin For first he that in such sort sinneth leeseth the grace of God which was given him which is the greatest gift that God can give to a creature in this life consequently he leeseth al those things which did accompany that grace as the vertues and gifts of the holy Ghost wherby the soul was beautified in the sight of hir spouse and armed against the assaults of hir enimies Secondly he leeseth the favor of God and consequently his fatherly protection care and providence over him gaineth him to be his professed enimie Which how great a losse it is we may esteem by the state of a worldly courtier which should leese the favor of an earthly prince and incur mortal hatred by the same Thirdly he leeseth al inheritance claime title to the kingdome of heaven which is du only by grace as S. Paul noteth and consequently depriveth himselfe of al dignities and commodities folowing the same in this life as the condition and high priviledge of a son of God the communion of saints the protection of Angels and the like Fourthly he leeseth the quiet ioy and tranquillitie of a good conscience and al the favors cherishments consolations and other comforts wherewith the holy Ghost is woont to visit the minds of the just Fiftly he leeseth the reward of al his good works done since he was born and whatsoever he doth or shal do while he standeth in that state Sixtly he maketh himselfe giltie of eternal punishment and ingrosseth his name in the booke of perdition and consequently bindeth himself to al those inconveniences wherto the reprobate are subiect that is to be inherit or of hel fire to be in the power of the devil and his angels to be subiect to al sin and temptation of sin and his soul which was before the temple of the holy Ghost the habitation of the blessed Trinitie and place of repose for the Angels to visite now to be the nest of scorpions and dungeon of devils and himselfe a companion of the miserable damned Lastly he abandoneth Christ and renounceth the portion he had with him making himselfe a persecuter of the same by treading him under his feete And crucifieng him again and defiling his blood as the Apostle saith in sinning against him which died for sin and therfore the same Apostle pronounceth a marvelous heavie sentence against such in these words If we sin wilfully now after we have receaved knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but rather a certain terrible expectation of iudgement and emulation of fire which shal consume the adversaries To which Saint Peter agreeth when he saith It had beene better not to have knowen the way of iustice than after such knowledge to slide back again from the holie commandement which was given 13 Now then let our worldlings go and solace themselves with sin as much as they wil let them excuse and pleasantly defend the same saieng Pride is but a point of gentrie gluttonie good felowship lecherie and wantonnes a trik of youth and the like they shal finde one day that these excuses wil not be receaved but rather that these pleasant devises wil be turned into teares They shal prove that God wil not be jested with but that he is the same God stil and wil aske as severe account of them as he hath done of others before although it please not them now to keep any account of their life at al but rather to turn al to disport and pleasure perswading themselves that howsoever God hath dealt with others before yet he wil forgive al to them but the holie scripture reasoneth after another maner which I would have every wise Christian to consider 14 Saint Paul comparing the Iewes sins with ours maketh this collection If God spared not the natural boughs take heed least he spare not thee And therupon he inferreth this admonition Noli altum sapere sed time Be not too high minded but fear Again the Apostle reasoneth thus upon the old and the new law he that broke the law of Moises being convicted by two or three witnesses dieth for the same without commiseration or mercie how much more greevous punishment doth he deserve which breaking the law or Christ by wilful sin treadeth the Son of God under his feet polluteth the blood of the new testament and reprocheth the holie Ghost In like maner reasoneth Saint Peter and Saint Iude touching the sin of Angels and ours If God spared not the Angels when they sinned but did thrust them down to hel there to be tormented and to be kept unto judgement with eternal chaines under darknes how much lesse wil he spare us And again If the Angels which passe us in power and strength are not able to bear Gods execrable judgement against them what shal we do Again in another place he reasoneth thus If the just man shal hardly be saved where shal the wicked man and sinner appeere By which examples we are instructed to reason in like sort if God have punished so severelie one sin in the Angels in Adam and in others before recited what shal I look for which have committed so many sins against him If God have damned so many for lesser sins than mine be what wil he do to me for greater If God hath born longer with me than he hath done with many other whom he hath cut off without geving them time of repentance what reason is there that he should bear longer with me If David and others after their sins forgeeven them were nevertheles so sharply chasticed what punishment remaineth for me either here or in the world to come for so many and so greevous sins committed If it be tru that our Savior saith that the way is hard and the gate narrow wherby men go into heaven and that they shal answer for every idle word before they enter there what shal become of me which do live so easie a life and do keepe no account of my deedes and much lesse of my words If good men in old time did take such pains in the way of their salvation and yet as Saint Peter saith the very just were scarce saved what a state am I in which take no pain at al but do live in al kind of pleasure and worldly delites 15 These kinds of consequents were more tru and profitable for us wherby we might enter into some consideration of our own danger and into some fear of the judgements of God for want wherof the most part of sins amongst Christians are committed
repeat a great many more privileges and prerogatives of a vertuous life which make the same easie pleasant and comfortable but that this chapter groweth to be long and therfore I wil only touch as it were in passing by two or three of the other points of the most principal which notwithstanding would require large discourses to declare the same according to their dignities And the first is the inestimable privilege of libertie and freedom which the vertuous do enjoy above the wicked according as Christ promiseth in these words If you abide in my cōmandements you shal be my schollers indeed and you shal know the truth and the truth shal set your free Which words Saint Paul as it were expounding saith Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedome And this freedome is ment from the tyrannie and thraldome of our corrupt sensualitie concupiscence wherunto the wicked are so in thraldome as there was never bondman so in thraldome to a most cruel and mercilesse tyrant This in part may be conceaved by this one example If a man had maried a rich beautiful noble gentlewoman adorned with al gifts and graces which may be devised to be in a woman and yet notwithstanding should be so sotted and intangled with the love of some soul and dishonest begger or servile maid of his house as for hir sake to abandon the company and frindship of the said wife to spend his time in daliance and service of his base woman to run to go to stand at hir appointment to put al his living and revenues into hir hands for hir to consume and spoil at hir pleasure to denie hir nothing but to wait and serve hir at hir bek yea and to compel his said wife to do the same would you not think this mans life miserable and most servile And yet surely the servitude wherof we talk is far greater and more intollerable than this For no woman or other creature in the world is or can be of that beautie or nobilitie as the grace of Gods spirit is to whom man by his creation was espoused which notwithstanding we see abandoned contemned and rejected by him for the love of sensualitie hir enimie and a most deformed creature in respect of reason in whose love notwithstanding or rather servitude we see wicked men so drowned as they serve hir day and night with al pains perils and expenses and do constrain also the good motions of Gods spirit to give place at every bek commandement of this new mistres For wherfore do they labor Wherfore do they watch Wherfore do they heape riches togither but only to serve their sensualitie and hir desires Wherfore do they beat their brains but only to satisfie this cruel tyrant and hir passions 23 And if you wil see indeed how cruel and pittiful this servitude is consider but some particular examples therof Take a man whom she overruleth in any passion as for example in the lust of the flesh and what pains taketh he for hir How doth he labor how doth he sweat in this servitude How mightie strong doth he feele hir tyrannie Remember the strength of Samson the wisdome of Salomon the sanctitie of David overthrown by this tyrannie Iupiter Mars and Hercules who for their valiant acts otherwise were accounted gods of the painims were they not overcome and made slaves by the inchantment of this tyrant And if you wil yet further see of what strength she is and how cruelly she executeth the same upon those that Christ hath not delivered from hir bondage consider for examples sake in this kind the pittiful case of some disloial wife who though she know that by committing adulterie she runneth into a thousand dangers and inconveniences as the losse of Gods favor the hatred of hir husband the danger of punishment the offence of hir frinds the utter dishonor of hir person if it be known and finally the ruin and peril of bodie and soul yet to satisfie this tyrant she wil venture to commit the sin notwithstanding any dangers or perils whatsoever 24 Neither is it only in this one point of carnal lust but in al other wherin a man is in servitude to this tyrant and hir passions Look upon an ambitious or vain glorious man see how he serveth this mistresse with what care and diligence he attendeth hir commandements that is to follow after a little wind of mens mouthes to pursu a little feather flieng before him in the air you shal see that he omitteth no one thing no one time no one circumstance for gaining therof He riseth betime goeth late to bed trotteth by day studieth by night heer he flattereth there he dissembleth heer he stowpeth there he looketh big heer he maketh frinds there he preventeth enimies And to this only end he referreth al his actions and applieth al his other matters as his order of life his cōpany keping his sutes of apparel his house his table his horses his servants his talk his behavior his jests his looks and his very going in the street 25 In like wise he that serveth his ladie in passion of covetousnes what a miserable slaverie doth he abide His hart being so walled in prison with money as he must only think therof talk therof dream therof and imagin only new wais to get the same nothing else If you should see a Christian man in slavery under the gret Turk tied in a galley by the leg with chains there to serve by rowing for ever you could not but take compassion of his case And what then shal we do of the miserie of this man who standeth in captivitie to a more base creature than a Turk or any other reasonable creature that is to a peece of mettal in whose prison he lieth bound not only by the feete in such sort as he may not go any where against the commoditie and commandement of the same but also by the hands by the mouth by the eies by the eares and by the hart so as he may neither do speak see hear or think any thing but the service of the same Was there ever servitude so great as this Doth not Christ say truly now Qui facit peccatum servus est peccati He that doth sin is a slave unto sin Doth not S. Peter say wel A quo quis superatus est huius servus est A man is slaue to that wherof he is cōquered 26 From this slaverie then are the vertuous delivered by the power of Christ and his assistance insomuch as they rule over their passions in sensualitie and are not ruled therby This God promised by the prophet Ezechiel saieng And they shal know that I am their Lord when I shal break the chains of their yoke and shal deliver them from the power of those that over-ruled them before And this benefit holie David acknowledged in himselfe when he used these most effectuous words
The rich glutton might have escaped his torments and have made himselfe an happie man by help of worldlie wealth if he would and so might manie a thousand which now live and wil go to hel for the same Oh that men would take warning and be wise whiles they have time Saint Paul saith Deceive not your selves looke what a man soweth and that shal he reap What a plentiful harvest then might rich men provide themselves if they would which have such store of seed and so much ground offered them daily to sow it in Why do they not remember that sweet harvest song Come ye blessed of my father enter into the kingdome prepared for you for I was hungrie and you fed me I was thirstie and you gave me to drink I was naked and you appareled me Or if they do not care for this why do they not fear at least the blak Sanctus that must be chaunted to them for the contrarie Agite nunc divites plorate ululantes in miserijs vestris quae advenient vobis Go to now you rich men weep and howl in your miseries that shal come upon you 60 The holie father Iohn Damascen reporteth a parable of Barlaam the hermite to our purpose There was saith he a certain citie or common welth which used to choose themselves a king from among the poorest sort of the people and to advance him to great honor wealth and pleasures for a time but after a while when they were wearie of him their fashion was to rise against him and to despoile him of al his felicitie yea the very cloths of his bak and so to banish him naked into an iland of a far country where bringing nothing with him he should live in great miserie and be put to great slaverie for ever Which practise one king at a certain time considering by good advise for al the other though they knew that fashion yet through negligence and pleasures of their present felicitie cared not for it took resolute order with himselfe how to prevent this miserie which was by this means He saved every day great sums of money from his superfluities and idle expenses and so secretly made over before hand a great treasure unto that iland wherunto he was in danger daily to be sent And when the time came that indeed they deposed him from his kingdom and turned him away naked as they had done the other before he went to the iland with joy and confidence where his treasure lay and was received there with exceeding great triumph and placed presently in greater glory than ever he was before 61 This parable drawing somwhat neer to that which Christ put of the evil steward teacheth as much as at this present needs to be said in this point For the citie or common wealth is this present world which advanceth to authoritie poore men that is such as come naked into this life and upon the sudden when they look least for it doth it pul them down again turneth them naked into their graves and so sendeth them into another world where bringing no treasure with them they are like to find little favor and rather eternal miserie The wise king that prevented this calamitie is he which in this life according to the counsel of Christ doth seek to lay up treasure in heaven against the day of his deth when he must be banished hence naked as al the princes of that citie were At which time if their good deeds do follow them as God promiseth then shal they be happie men and placed in much more glorie than ever this world was able to give them But if they come without oil in their lamps then is there nothing for them to expect but Nescio vos I know not you And when they are known Ite maledicti in ignem eternum Go you accursed into fire everlasting CHAP. IIII. Of the fourth impediment which is too much presuming of the mercie of GOD. THere are a certain kind of people in the world who wil not take the pains to think of or to allege any of the said impediments before but have a shorter way for al and more plausible as it semeth to them and that is to lay the whole matter upon the bak of Christ himselfe and to answer what soever you can say against them with this only sentence God is merciful Of these men may Christ complain with the prophet saieng Supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores prolongaverunt iniquitatem Sinners have built upon my bak they have prolonged their iniquitie By which words we may account our selves charged that prolonging of iniquities in hope of Gods mercie is to build our sins on his bak But what followeth Wil God bear it No verily for the next words insuing are Dominus iustus concidet cervices peccatorum God is iust he wil cut in sunder the neks of sinners Heer are two cooling cards for the two warm imaginations before Mean you Sir to prolong your iniquitie for that God is merciful Remember also that he is just saith the prophet Are ye gotten up upon the bak of God to make your nest of sin there Take heed for he wil fetch you down again and break your nek downward except ye repent for that indeed there is no one thing which may be so injurious to God as to make him the foundation of our sinful life which lost his own life for the extinguishing of sin 2 But you wil say And is not God then merciful Yes truly deer brother he is most merciful and there is neither end nor measure of his mercie He is even mercie it selfe it is his nature and essence and he can no more leave to be merciful than he can leave to be God But yet as the prophet heer saith he is just also We must not so remember his mercie as we forget his justice Dulcis rectus Dominus Our Lord is sweet but yet upright and iust too saith David and in the same place Al the wais of the Lord are mercie truth Which words holie Barnard expounding in a certain sermon of his saith thus There be two feete of the Lord wherby he walketh his wais that is mercie and truth and God fasteneth both these feete upon the harts of them which turn unto him And every sinner that wil truly convert himselfe must lay hand fast on both these feet For if he should lay hands on mercie only letting passe truth and justice he would perish by presumption And on the other side if he shuld apprehend justice only without mercie he would perish by desperation To the end therfore that he may be saved he must humbly fal down and kisse both these feet that in respect of Gods justice he may retain fear and in respect of his mercie he may conceive hope And in another place Happie is that soul upon which our Lord Iesus
profit that many of them have therby it is very tru it would decay as namely with those that are either officers or artificers that belong therunto or but in prison for their conscience sake as they cal it upon the advantage For indeed it cannot be denied but that many of them do live therby as massing-priests confessors friers singing men organists waxchandlers image-makers belfounders and such like and a great number of officers besides Al which should be to seek at least in respect of their former way of advantage if that they should turn unto us Their person I take to be touched only in this that of many they should be taken for inconstant and such as had lightly turned from their former profession and it should be laid to their charge by some that if they were right now then were they wrong before and so consequently had deceived many that hoong upon them Which indeed could not be avoided would they never so fain if any of them should turn unto us And so we deny not but that al these inconveniences such as they are would hang upon such alteration of their professiō 7 But bicause I said they were little or none at al it shal be good now to run over them breefly again and to see how it may appeer that they need not to stand in fear of any of these And first as touching those that do hang on religion it selfe we take it to be no inconvenience at al to be excluded al other helps and nothing dowt but that by the sufferings and merits of Christ we shal find the justice of God fully satisfied both to the avoiding of everlasting judgement and to the obtaining of life aeternal Neither do we think that it can be found to be any disgrace at al to the sufferings and merits of saints to set them aside in the work of our redemption when as notwhithstanding we do aesteem of them stil both as notable ornaments in the church of Christ and as woorthie examples for us to follow So likewise that we stand in no account of help by any of them when as we account of al sufficiencie in God alone by Iesus Christ we do not see how there can be any want therby having therin a delicate feast we cannot in any wise have any stomak to the scraps and crusts of a beggers poke be the man himselfe never so honest or his poke his scraps never so clean And as for any other mediator betwixt God and us we are sure inough that we safely hold that neither do we need any other neither is there any other in heaven or earth in such sort qualified as that he can be in any wise meet to such a purpose nor so minded as that he would As for any betwixt Christ and us we think it great dishonor unto him after that being verie God he hath so far abased himselfe as to be man for our sakes and in that his manhood suffered for us such things as he hath now to cal his goodnes towards us into any such dowt as to conceive that it should be needful or at the least that it were not amise to have some mediator to him And if it be not for any need or dowt of his goodnes but onlie of reverence that reverence think we is no reverence at al but a faithlesse starting aside proceeding from a conscience that being guiltie nevertheles cannot repent and therupon steppeth aside from the praesence of him whom it feareth Their direction also that should wholie rest upon the written word alone we take it to be so very sufficient towards that purpose for which we need it that we need none other besides being alreadie by the authoritie of the word it selfe so plainly given to understand that the scriptures onlie are sufficient to teach al truth and to convince al error to rebuke al vice and to instruct in al godlines that a Christian may be perfected therby and fully praepared to everie good work The comfort that they have in those other helps that we have not is in our judgement so very smal that it wil be an easie losse to go without it The Apostle saith that in those things that we have alreadie we may soundly rejoice and that our joy therin may be such as that it can receive no increase by any other And then in such plentie and fulnes of it how may we finde that so smal things as those may anie thing eeke What comfort is it to match those five sacraments of theirs in such account with the other two that the Lord did so expresly ordain to be in so common use with us And when they have that aestimation given them what new thing have we then by them that we had not before Their superfluous ceremonies and al their images may go togither as never brought in at the first by the word of God but long after by the foolish wisdome of man the former of them we think a great deal more burdenous than commodious unto them the other not only burdenous but offensive too to themselues and others an evident corruption of the truth and a just provocation of the wrath of God If in such cases the hart shal have any sound comfort it must rise out of some woorthier fountains than either the wisdome of flesh and blood or else better warranted repraesentations than images are Concerning their civile estate heer in this world first we cannot condescend to think that there is any need at al for to have any one to be a general universal head over al. The Apostle in divers several places shewing how plentifully God had left his church furnished with divers functions to keepe al in unitie of faith and to bring to perfection the church of Christ so to consummate his mystical bodie maketh no mention of any such which notwithstanding might in no wise have been omitted if there had been any such ordeined of God Besides that we know it is impossible And then our opinion is they shal have with us no want to misse of that which never men had and is impossible on earth to be found But as for those other things that follow their credit and profit which before they had therin I grant that needs must they come to some want indeed For if they abandon their forced chastitie and use the lawful means of marriage if they lay down their glorious ceremonies and other observances of unprofitable hardnes and whatsoever compendious practises before they used to bring in their commoditie unto them there is no quaestion but that among the common sort they should leese a great part of that aestimation and profit that now they have verie long enjoied But it is no great matter what others think of us so that with God and good men we have that credit that is convenient and we ought not to count al that a losse whatsoever we cannot get