The food of the soule.

WHen our Sauiour Christ had performed that hea­uenly miracle in feeding fiue thousand men with fiue loues, and two fishes, the people which were satisfied with that gratis cheer, did followe him to the Citty Caper­naum. But when Iesus perceiued theyr hypocrisie, that they were fleshly and carnall hearers, and as a good Writer saith, Parasiti qu [...]s pati­na conglutinat, hypocrites and bellie Gods, whō the trencher doth make friendes to Christ: like vnto him [Page 2]which when he sweat ouer his tren­cher, yet cryed out, O quanta patimur pro amore Christi, Lorde what suffer we for the loue of Christ! Iesus therfore reprehendeth these men, saying, Verily, verily I say vnto you, yee seeke mee not, because yee sawe the miracles, but because yee cate the loanes and were filled. Yet they obstinatly aunswered him, VVhat miracles hast thou done? hast thou commaunded the Sun and the Moone to stand still, as Iosua did? hast thou reuiued the widdowes son as Elias did? hast thou made yron to swim as Eliza did? hast thou reuiued the dead bones as Ezechiell did? hast thou been in the VVhales belly with Ionas? or parted the redde sea with Moses? Our Fathers did eate Man­na in the VVildernesse, Moses gaue them bread from heauen to eate: but marke I pray you how Iesus did aun­swere them. Nay, (saith hee) Moses gaue you not bread from Heauen, but [Page 3]my Father gyueth you the true Breade from Heauen: For the breade of GOD is hee vvhich commeth downe from Heauen, and giueth life vnto the world: Then sayde they vnto him, Lorde euer­more giue vs this Breade. And Iesus sayde, I am the Breade of life, hee that commeth to me, shall not hunger, & he that belieueth in me, shall neuer thirst.

And thus much for the cohaerence, and occasion of our Sauiour Christs wordes: now particularly as they lie in order: first who is this Breade? VVhich is Christ, persona loquens, signified in this word, I. Secondly, what is this breade? It is the breade of life. Thirdly, the powerfull efficacie, and effect of this bread, declared in these wordes, Hee that commeth to mee shall not hunger, and hee that be­lieueth in mee, shall neuer thirst.

And first, vvho is this Breade, which is, Christ: I am the liuing Breade vvhich came downe from hea­uen, [Page 4]saith Christ. Ego sum panis vitae, et fons aquae viuae. I am the bread of life, and sountaine of liuing water: Omnia nobis est Christus (sayth Am­brose) si esuris, ipse est panis, si sitis, ipse est fons aquae viua, si carus es, ipse est lu­men, si infirmus es, ipse medicus, si mor­tuus, ipse vita gratiae et gloriae. Christ is all things to vs, if thou beest hungry, he is bread, if thou beest thirsty, he is the fountaine of liuing water, if thou beest blind he is the light, hee is the health of a feauered soule, light of thy life, life of thy desire, heauen of the minde, guide to thy wandring feete, succorer in necessity, helper in aduersitie: yea hee is all things to thee: I am the liuing bread, sayth Christ. The bread which I giue is my flesh, and the drinke which I giue is my blood, my flesh is meate indeede, and my blood is drinke indeede. Hee that ca­teth my flesh & drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp [Page 5]at the latter day.

O blessed meate, O celestiall food: O heauenly Manna: it farre excelleth the Poets Ambrosia: would to God that all of vs daily might eate of this Manna: would to God that all of vs which trauell in the Wildernesse of this world, might lodge at such an Inne, where God the father is the host, the holy Ghost, the hostesse, the Church the Inne, the crosse the signe, and Christ the meate, and drinke. Aristotell must dine when it pleaseth Phillip, but heere thou maist haue store of spirituall foode for the repast of thy soule, and take it when it please thy selfe. Say but thy grace before this blessed banquet, and then sit downe and satisfie thy hunger. The more thou eatest, the more it encreaseth, like to Iupiters nectar, the more it is drunke of, the more it ouerfloweth. Neither needst thou vse, the counsaile of Lysander, which [Page 6]hee perscribed to his Daughters, to drinke with a drop of wine a spunful of water. Thou maist drinke as much of this pretious wine as thou wilt, neither canst thou infuse any mix­ture of water, but of the water of e­ternall life. This meate is of the like quality with the stone of Thracia, which whosoeuer findeth, is neuer after troubled, so whosoeuer eateth of this meate, is neuer after grieued: labour therefore to get this meate which endureth to euerlasting life. No water was so good as that which came out of the Rocke, no meate so delicate as Manna which came from heauen, no wine so wholesome as that which Christ made of water at the marriage of Cana, no oyle so pretious as that which the Samaritan had, no robe so costly, as that which the father gaue to the prodigall son, no bread, no foode, no meate so pro­fitable, as this meate of the soule [Page 7]which endureth to euerlasting life. This meate is water to refresh vs, and wine to cheare vs, this is bread to strengthen vs, and Manna to nourish vs, it is a treasure to inrich vs, and a pearle to adorne vs, it is a fire to purge vs, and salt to pouder vs, it is a trumpet to call vs, and wisedome to instruct vs, it is a way to direct vs, and life to reuine vs, it is a Lanterne to guide vs, and a buckler to shield vs, it is phisicke to recure vs, and a salue to heale vs: if wee haue this meate, this Manna, this bread, we shall haue no neede of Elizens to increase our oyle, no neede to begge at the glut­tons gate, or to send vnto Naball the churle for foode: if wee haue this treasure, wee shall not neede to rob the Egiptians, if we haue this pearle, we shall not neede the golde of O­phire, if we haue this water, wee neede not drawe water at Iacobs well, Naaman needes not wash his [Page 8]feete seauen times in Iordan, the sicke needes not to goe to the poole of Bethesda: for this pretious meate, and inestimable Manna will purge vs from all leprosie of sinne: So that we shall loath to drinke of the slumber­ing cup, of the deuills sorceries to bewitch vs to sinne: this bread is Homers Moly, and Plinies Centauria against all lustfull inchauntments: for this bread, this spirituall foode, will so clense our mindes, and purifie our harts, that we will alwaies detest the eye-pleasing baits of carnall de­sires, and wholly delight our selues with this inestimable treasure: car­nall voluptuousnes is transitorie and fading; the minuts that lackey at the heeles of time runne not faster away, then doe those pleasures: but this spi­rituall foode, this breade of life, is not like palate-pleasing dainties, whose sugered sweetenesse once rel­lisht is presently gone, but it yieldeth [Page 9]the hungry soule an euerlasting frui­tion of most rauishing pleasantnesse: labour therfore for this bread which bringeth to euerlasting life.

The Bees doe labour to get a lit­tle hony:

Mella stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas.

But this bread is sweeter then ho­nie, or the hony-combe. Our fore­fathers did eate of the Acorns of the Oakes, and thought them pleasant meate. And we which by Ceres hus­wifrie haue learned to bury the reui­uing graine, doe thinke that Bread most delicate foode. O foolish Cate­rers, let vs rather learne to bury in our harts this reuiuing graine, that in this generall famine of true Christian foode, we may with Ioseph prouide aboundance of this bread of life, for the benefit of our soules: thē should we not haue such spirituall penurie, and dearth of religion, if our hearts [Page 8] [...] [Page 9] [...] [Page 10]were made fertill to bring forth the seedes of our soules nourishment and sustenance. Labor not therefore for the bread that perrisheth, but for this bread which remaineth vnto euerla­sting life.

Ay but will some say, where shall we find this spirituall food, this bread of life? I tell thee Christ is this bread of life. Ay but will he perhaps reply: how shal I come to Christ to get this foode? I bidde thee goe to the scrip­tures, (Christs treasury) where thou shalt finde this Manna, this Bread of life, there is plentifull store, take and satisfie thy selfe; neyther needst thou goe farre to seeke it, as Dauid did the Arke of GOD, or as Iosias did the Booke of the Lawe; Neither canst thou desire with the Glutton, that one frō the dead might arise to teach thee how to finde this bread of life: for now adayes (thanks be giuen to GOD for it) the dispencers of this [Page 11]bread of life be plentifull, who may without feare or perril shew thee the compendious way to seek this bread of life. Now Obadia neede not feare Queene Iezabell, to bide an hundred Prophets in a Caue. Moses need not feare King Pharao, and say, I haue a stuttering tongue: Ieremy need not feare the Iewes, and say, I am a child: for now the Ministers of Gods word are maintained, and preserued, and may freely without danger, & boldly without feare, dispence of this bread of life. Yea & enery one of Christes faithful children, although he be not an heade in the misticall body of Christ, or an eye, or a legge, yea if he be but an hand, yet he may gather of this bread of life, if he be but an eare he may heare of this bread of life, or a tongue, he may praise this bread of life, or a mouth, he may receiue this bread of life. Labour therefore for this bread which endureth to euerla­sting [Page 12]life: I am the Breade of lyfe: O Iesus art thou the bread which giuest life? Thou art a guide to our waies, a gardian to our persons, a counseller in our doubts, a comforter in misery, a patron in necessity, and wilt thou be bread also? Thou art our keeper, our sheepheard, our defender, our Sauiour, & wilt thou be bread also? O Iesus, thou art light vnto our eies, musick to our eares, contentment to our soules, & wilt thou be bread also? O louing Iesus, O mercifull redee­mer, O blessed Emanuell, O Iesu, we giue thee our bodies, our soules, our substance, our wealth, our honor, our friends, our Children, our life, and all that is ours: Iesus wee are not our own but thine, claime vs as thy right, keepe vs as thy charge, loue vs as thy children: Iesus fight for vs when sa­than commeth, heale vs if he woun­deth, reuiue vs if hee killeth, receiue vs if we flie into thy merciful bosom: [Page 13]protect vs when he approcheth, de­tect vs when he cōmeth: Iesus thou art our foode in the day, thou shalt also be our repose in the night: Iesus make vs pliable to thy will, resigned wholy to thy pleasure. Iesus forsake vs not least wee perrish, leaue vs not least we bee ouercome: Iesus direct our intentions, correct our follies, e­rect our cogitations, protect our en­deuors: Iesus grant vs sorrow for our sinnes, feare for thy iudgements, loue of thy mercies, thankfulnesse for this bread of life: I am the breade of life, that is, I am the bread of an immor­tall & heauenly life, not of this mor­tall and earthly life: for else Christ might rather haue saide, I am the bread of death, and not of life; for this life is a liuing death, and a dying life. But Christ is not bread of such a life. But, he is the bread of an immortall, and neuer fading life.

Happy therefore is hee which is at [Page 14]this hanquet, & tasteth of this breade of life: Neither is this an imaginarie fruition, or a painted banquet, resem­bling the hungry cheere, which the birds had that fedde themselues with Zeuxis painted grapes, vntill with picking at shaddowes they waxt so leane, that they were glad with E­sops Cocke to scrape for a Barley corne. But with this bread of life thy foule shall be so cherrished, with this Manna thou shalt be so wonderfully delighted, that euer after thou shalt loath the flesh pots of Egipt. Hic pa­nis est corpus meum, this bread is my body, and therefore thou canst not mislike it. O you Ministers, the faith­ful dispencers of this hallowed bread of life, feede duly Christs flock with this bread of life. Christ said to Peter Pasce, pasce, pasce, feede, feede, feede: Feede with this bread of life, vvith your doctrine, with your almes: Feede first with this bread of life, for [Page 15]it is the bread of saluation: Secondly feed with your wholsome doctrine, that Christs sheep do not surfet with vice, and so neede the corsiue of his correction to amend them. Thirdly, feede with almes: but what shall I presse you to that? Nay I must in cō ­science spare you, for the case nowe so stands, that you are liker to liue of almes, then bee able to giue almes: and therfore till happier times come, wherein your diuine function may more bounteously be rewarded, I will spare you for that poynt, for ne­cessitie hath no law. In meane while feede with this bread of life, & spend your breath happily in the fires of de­uotion, crying alarum spiritual gainst soule vice, and all wickednesse: so at last you hauing not defrauded Chri­stes children of this bread of life, may haue a most bountifull remuneration for your painfull labours, and enioy all heauenly happinesse, and celestiall [Page 16]ioyes, tasting this bread of life, which is prepared for all Gods faithful chil­dren: And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of the first parcell of my text, I am the bread of life.

Nowe it followeth that I should briefly speake of the powerfull effica­cie, and effect of this bread of life. VVhich by the tongues of Angels cannot be so wel declared, as by these our Sauiours words, He that commeth to me shall not hunger, and hee that be­lieueth in me shall neuer thirst. After a man hath tasted of all manner of de­licate meats, yea although hee hath caroused new grapes in Alexanders cup, and plentifully payd that dailie Tribute to the stomacke, which the lawe of our nature exacteth, yet that foode will not satiate him for euer, so that hee shall neuer hunger, or thirst after. But this bread, this breade of life hath another power, and effect, for he that eateth of this breade, shall [Page 17]neuer hunger, or thirst more.

VVe read in the fourth chapter of Mathewe, that man liueth not by bread onely: but I say, man onely li­ueth by this bread: for this bread is the bread of heauen, which giueth life vnto the world. Therefore be carefull to seeke for this breade, for Christ doth not forbid vs to seeke for this bread: hee saith in Mathew the sixt chapter; Bee not carefull what you shal eate, or what you shal drink, behold the fowles of heauen, they sow not, neither reape, nor carry in­to theyr barnes, yet your heauenly Father feedeth them: the Lillies doe not labour nor spin, yet Salomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these: therefore take no thought, saying, what shall wee eate, or what shall we drinke, or how shall we bee claothed? but seeke yee the King­dome of heauen, and all these things shall bee ministred vnto you: yet in [Page 18]all these exemplified admonitions of our Sauiour Christ, he doth not fore­warne vs to bee carelesse for seeking of this bread of life: will Christ for­bid vs to seeke himselfe? Christ is this bread of life, feede on his flesh, and nourish your soules: hee is the oyle, and lampe, with which the fiue Vir­gines entered into the Bridgromes chamber. He is the Lord of life, the way of life, the bread of life.

Belieue in this Lord, come vnto this way, eate of this bread, you shall neuer hunger, or thirst after. But some man peraduenture may obiect, can bread extinguish hunger, and thirst? When a man is dry and thir­sty, he doth not vse to eate bread: I aunswere, that the Hebrewes doe vse this phrase, panem comedere, pro caenare, for to sup, as Maister Caluin heere well noteth: so wee say in the Lords prayer, danobis quotidianum pa­nem, giue vs our daily bread, signi­fying [Page 19]all necessary things belonging to a man; eate of this bread of life, and you shall not neede to say, giue vs our daily breade, for you shall ne­uer hunger, or thirst after: Hee that commeth to mee, shall not hunger: accedat ad Christum omnis anima: let euery soule come to Christ, and hee will refresh it: I will (saith he) feede the hungry soule, and refresh all faint harts. I am the strength of the feeble, the succor of the hungry, a refuge a­gainst euill weather, a shadow against heate: I am a continuall feast, where all hungry & languishing soules may satisfie thēselues with celestiall food. O well are they, and happy shall they be, which sit at this heauenly Table, and eate of this blessed, and spirituall meate, the price and redemptian of theyr soules. Heere is Manna which the childrē of Israel shal neuer lothe: the wise Ethnick mans saying vpon a feast, heere taketh no place: Prima [Page 20]cratera (saith he) ad sitim pertinet, se­cunda ad hilaritatem, tertia ad volup­tatem, quarta ad insaniam: The first cuppe belongeth to thirst, the second to mirth, the third to pleasure, and the fourth to insobrietie. But at this feast of the Soule, it is quite contra­rie, for the more thou drinkest, tanto propriores ad animae sanitatem, et salu­tem: thou art so much the neerer to the health, and welfare of thy soule. Calistenes said to Alexander, that he had rather carouse olde graines with Diogenes in his dish, thē new grapes with Alexander in his cup, for of all the Gods (quoth hee) I loue not Es­culapius. But whosoeuer drinketh in this cup, shall not neede Aesculapius phisicke, for it is a present remedy, & a soueraigne restoratiue against the maladies of a sinfull soule: it is an ex­cellent potion, and a most wholsome purgation to expell the leprosie of a sinne-seauered soule. [Page 21]

The precious stone Sandastra hath nothing in outward appearance, but being brokē, it poureth forth beams, like the sun: so this bread of life hath not an outward glea of superexcel­lent goodnes, but taste it, and then it poureth forth such admirable excel­lencie, that thou shalt neuer hunger any more. Therfore the sheepheards of Christes flock, should onely feede his lambes with this bread of life.

VVhen they bee hungry, they should fill them with this Breade of life. They should cry vnto them al­waies, Come vnto Christ, and he wil giue you the bread of life, so that you shall neuer hunger or thirst any more. The Ministers should haue a cōtinuall cry, not like the Swallows, which haue matutinū cantum, a mor­ning song, or as the Grashoppers, meridianum cantum, a noone song, or as the Owles, vespertinum cantum, an euening song, or as the Cocks, ante­lucanum [Page 22]cantum, a song before mor­ning, but they shold haue a morning song, a noone song, an euening song, and a song before day light, to awake Christes slumbering sheepe to come vnto Christ, and eate of this bread of life, so they shal neuer hūger or thirst more. He that commeth to me shall not hunger, & he that belieueth in me, shall neuer thirst.

To belieue in Christ, is the totall summe of all Christian religion: For our fayth in the death, and passion of our Lord, and Sauiour Iesus Christ, is the sure foundation of our saluati­on. Fides in Christo (saith S. Ierome) est fundamentum humanae saluationis: Faith in Christ is the foundation of mans saluation: without this fayth, all our vertuous actions, & good en­deuours, be in vaine. So saith S. Au­gustine, Sine fide falsa est omnis virtus, without faith, all vertue is in vaine: Sine fide impossibile est placere Deo, with [Page 23]out faith it is impossible to please God: Sine fide omnis labor vacuuo. VVithout faith all our labour is frustrate. Faith is the porter of hea­uen gate, and not Saint Peter.

He that hath faith, yea but as much as a graine of mustard seede, shall be able to remooue Mountaines: VVherefore let vs labour to get this faith, which being obtained, we shal not neede any other treasury: let vs lay vp this iewell in our harts, which will inrich vs euer after. The Anoto­mists say, that in the heart of a man, there is a little whole, which hath nothing in it. VVhereupon a good writer sayth, that this little Cabinet and Cell of the heart, God doth re­serue for himselfe, to be a chamber, and a priuate mansion for him to dwell, & keepe therin: let vs therfore bestow vpon our gracious Lord this pretious gemme, this excellent orna­ment to adorne, and beautifie this [Page 24]inward chamber. That when it shall please the Lord to call vs to the high starre-chamber ouer our heades, hee may Antipelargein, that is, requite vs with farre more sumptuous iewells, and richer ornaments, making vs co­habitors with Angells, and the admi­red paragons of all perfection: let vs therefore confidently belieue in Christ, desiting him most heartily, and vnfainedly, to giue vs of this breade of life, which is the only re­storatiue against hunger, and thirst. Auicen like a foole sayd in his Apho­rismes, that golde was the best resto­ratiue. No, no, this bread of life, is the most heauenly remedie against al diseases: it is a poyson for vice, but a life-giuing potion for vertue. It is the bread of death for carnall gluttonie, but it is the bread of life for spirituall hunger. If thou beest famished, eate of this bread, and it will reuiue thee: it can heale all leprosie of sinne, and [Page 25]remooue all maladies from a sin-sick soule: it is the nectar of our saluati­on, and the Lethe of our iniquines: tast but once of this breade of life, & thou shalt euer after loath the suge­red cares, and bewitching damties of lustfull affections: looke daily vppon this bread of life, and thou shalt euer after hide thine eyes, and stop thine eares, which are now captiued vas­sailes to behold, and heare the leger­demaine of humaine iugling desires: all siren songes of carnall concupi­sence, and vices loue-lines, which now are imprinted in thy brest, shall be quight cancelled out, after thou hast once digested inwardly, and thy soule hath had an happy concoction of this bread of life: it purgeth all the hidden corruption of mans folly, & giueth working pills to vomit vp ori­ginall transgressions: it is the present remedie for a body, which lieth in a consumption of grace, to tast of this [Page 26]bread of life, with in a short space by the vnspeakeable hidden operation, will make a blessed recouerie for this languishing creature. If thy soule bee hungry or thirsty, behold two sacra­mentall riuers flowing out of the Pa­radise of Christs body, in the one, thou shalt find this bread of life, in the other, this water of life: tast ei­ther of them, and thou shalt neuer hunger, or thirst more; yea the po­wer of this bread cannot bee suffici­ently declared by the tongue of the worthiest Orator. VVherefore let vs only satisfie our soules with this bread of life, whose power, and effi­cacie our daily Orator Christ Iesus, hath declared vnto vs in these words, Hee that cōmeth to me shall not hunger, and he that belieueth in me shall neuer thirst. Wherefore to drawe to a con­clusion, let vs from the bottome of our hearts, desire Christ Iesus euer­more to giue vs of this bread, that [Page 27]when the glasse of our life is runne out, and with the Phenix wee may discerne the terme of our dayes, and with the Swanne discouer our fatall end, that it would please him to feed our hungry soules with this spirituall foode, this bread of life, and place them at his heauenly table, to satisfie themselues with this celestiall ban­quet: yea whē our breath vanisheth, our eyes waxe dim, and wee turned out of the houseroome of this tran­sitory world, repayre vnto our doomesday house, where the wormes (the dead mens lawyers) shall take their fees out of vs their graue-clients, and our bodies shall be their bread to satiate their hunger, yet thou (O Iesus) would vouchsafe to giue vs thy body, the only breade of life, for to nourish our hungry soules, that by the winges of a liuely faith wee may fly vp to the heauens, and inioy that age of vnspeakeable [Page 28]pleasures: the eternall father through the merrits of his deerest sonne, by the scepter of his holy spirit, so rule our hearts, that wee being righteous as Elias, and our prayers feruent as those of Elias, they may peirce the clouds, and open heauen, and thence bring downe this bread of life, this dew of diuine grace vppon vs, and satisfie our soules with this misticall banquet of Christs body. O Lord in­flame our tongues with the zeale of deuotion, that our prayers may bee feruent, and may make a sweete in­cense to pacifie thy wrath, that thou blotting out all our vnworthinesse out of thy memory, maist graciously hearken to our petitions, and maist grant vs this inestimable treasure, the price, and raunsom of our soules re­demption: if the Lyons seeke their meate of God, if the Oxe knowe his owner, and the Asse his maisters crib, graunt vnto vs a most carefull desire [Page 29]to craue this meate of our soules, and to waite and seeke for this bread of life, that we which were created by a consultation of the Dietie, redee­med with the pretious bloud of Christ, sanctified by the holy Ghost, may be partakers of this blessed bread of life, and in the end, and without all end, sit at his heauenly table, raig­ning together with the Trinity in the Kingdome of heauen, to which bee all glory, power, praise, and do­minion, both now, and for euer­more.

❧ A Treatise, entituled Deaths welcome.

THE principall motiue vvhich doth encourage a man to wel­come and imbrace death, is the assured hope of the future life, and of those ioyes, which hee shall enioy in the neuer fading kingdome.

Therefore S. Paule saith, Vnlesse the dead be raised againe, what ad­uantageth it me to haue fought with beasts at Ephesus? For vnlesse there were a resurrection of the dead, and an immortall life to be obtained after this our pilgrimage, why should we liue in ieopardy euery howre, & suf­fer such persecution in this world, & not rather follow the rules of the E­picures, eate, drinke, for to morrow [Page 6]we shall die: and vppon our graues, engraue the Epitaph of Sardanapa­lus, which hee writ a little before his death,

This I say, were the best pleasing life, to eate with the Epicure, sleepe with Endimion, carouse with Alexan­der, & with the rich man in the scrip­ture, to flatter our selues, saying, Soule thou hast much goods layde vp in store, eate, drinke, and take thy rest. VVho would endure the mocks and scornes of the world, who would be rosted with Laurentius, or martyred with the Apostles, vnlesse they ho­ped, that after the vessel of theyr bo­dies were seasoned in the wombe of the earth, they should arriue at that blessed vndiscouered country, where is no mediocritie of ioy, no end of [Page 7]pleasure. So then we Christians, who are illuminated with the bright sun­ny beames of Christs Gospell, wil re­iect such Epicurian opinions of god­lesse Atheists, who belieue there is no resurrection, no crowne of glorie remaining for them after theyr life is ended: but S. Paul teacheth vs an o­ther lesson; For (saith he) if the dead be not raised, then is Christ not risen, & if Christ be not risen, thē our fayth is in vaine. And in another place; If in this life we haue hope onely, then of all men we be most miserable.

So Iob saide, when hee was ouer­whelmed with a sea of sorrowe; I am certaine that my redeemer liueth, and that I shall rise out of the earth in the latter day, and that I shall be clo­thed againe with this skinne, and see GOD in my flesh, yea I my selfe shal behold him, not with other, but with these same eyes.

This poynt of religion concerning [Page 8]our resurrection, the very Heathen VVriters haue approoued, for thus Cato speaking to Scipio & Laelius in Ci­ceros booke De senectute, saith; Doost thou thinke that I would haue vn­dertaken so great labors both by day and night, both at home, and at the warre, if my glory should haue had the same limits which my life hath? So Plato in his Booke De animae im­mortalit. saith, That the soule of man is immortall, and that it shall liue in another world. So Socrates when he did drinke the venemous poyson, with which he should breake of the feeble thred of mortalitie, said: I am sure that my soule shall liue, and that my body shall arise in the second ne­uer dying birth.

But why doe I spend my time in a matter so needlesse to be confirmed, sith the scripture (the oracles of wis­dome) be so plentifull of proues: & all VVriters doe defend this vndeni­able [Page 9]veritie: for who can denie, but that there is a resurrection, and a re­ward reserued for them, which die in the Lord: if that this life were the only Paradise where we should take our delights, who would not desire a long life with Methusalah, or store of wealth with Salomon, or honor with Haman: but wee that knowe this earth to bee nothing else but an element of sorrowe, this world to be but a Hydra of renewing cares, will not place our eternall affaires, and treasures of heauen vpon the gliding streame, of this vncertaine life. For we are surely perswaded, that after the houre glasse of this momentary life is runne out, we shall be impara­dized in heauen, and made free De­nizers in that celestiall Ierusalem, whose ioyes and praises doe supera­bound all inhumaine inuention to comprehend: for so sayth Saint Gre­gorie; No man is able to tell how [Page 10]great, the ioyes of the heauenly Cit­tie shall be. Because (as Saint Bernard sayth) the dishes of the heauenly banquet are so great, that they can­not be measured, so long that they cannot be limitted, so many that they cannot be numbred, and so precious, that they cannot bee esteemed. Yet notwithstanding, that those ioyes be inestimable, and innumerable, we shall be certaine to inioy them, after this life is finished. For so sayth Saint Paule, when this earthly house of this Tabernacle is destroyed, wee knowe wee haue a building giuen of God, that is, an house not made with hands, but eternall in the heauens: there shall wee haue ioyes without measure, pleasures without end. We shall (sayth Saint Augustine) see with­out wearinesse, we shall loue with-measure, and shall giue praises with­out end. Then shall Dauid tast how sweete the Lord is. I am sure (sayth [Page 11]hee) I shall see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing. These ioyes and the hope of the fruition of that blessed future life, doth inbol­den and harden a true Christian a­gainst his fatall houre, willingly, and ioyfully to leaue this world, (which is valles miseriae, as Augustine sayth) that hee may see the new Ierusalem, & that blessed companie of Angells, whose glory, whose praises, whose blessednesse, whose delights, no tongue is able to expresse, no heart to conceiue.

Yet that I might giue you a tast of those ioyes, and as it were a shaddow of the Sunne shine of that glory, which we shall possesse after the dis­solution of our earthly bodies, I will recite a few things, which I haue reade in the Scriptures, and in other places concerning the blessednesse of that happie life: for the ioyes of heauen bee the onely causes which [Page 12]doe mooue and incite vs, to liue god­ly in this present life. For what doth make the laborer to worke, but his hire: The husbandman to toyle but the hope of a good haruest. The Souldier to fight but the hope of victory, and of obtaining of a Gar­land: so in like manner, what doth stirre vp mortall men to liue religi­ously, and louingly to welcome the approach of death, but only the con­fident hope of that hire, which none of them by vertuall merrits shall de­serue. The hope of that good har­uest, wherein they shall reape all contentment of minde. The hope of that wished victory and precious Garland, wherewith they shall bee adorned and florish like Angelis. These bee the true motiues and in­ducements, which doe giue alacrity and bold spirits, to vndergoe the pangs of death willinly, and encou­rage and animate all timerous and [Page 13]fleshly minded persons, to bee de­lighted, and theyr eares tickled with musick in the daunce of death, when they shall seriously consider, they shal passe from death to life, from morta­litie to immortality, from miserie to ioy, from pertill to securitie, frō bon­dage to libertie, from aduersitie to prosperitie, and in fine, from hell and damnation, to blisle and saluation. Howbeit, that I may giue some kind of sauour and feeling knowledge thereof, which may allure fearefull men cheerefully to expect, and pati­ently to suffer the Iayler Death to lock vp the windowes of the prison house of theyr soules, I intend heere to rehearse euen worde for worde, what S. Augustine saith in one of his Meditations, namelie, the 22 medi­tation, speaking of the felicitie of the future life.

O life (sayth hee) prepared by al­mighty God for his friends, a blessed [Page 14]life, a seeure life, a quiet life, a beauti­full, a cleane life, a chast life, a holy life, a life that knoweth no death, a life without sadnes, without labour, without griefe, without trouble, without corruption, without feare, without varietie, without alteration, a life replenished with all beautie, and dignitie, where there is neither enemie that can offend, or delight that can annoy, where loue is prefect, and no feare at all, where the day is euerlasting, & the spirit of all is one, where almightie God is seene face to face, who is the onely meate where­vpon they feede without any loath­somnesse. It delighteth me to consi­der thy brightnesse, & thy treasures do reioyce my lōging hart; the more I consider thee, the more I loue thee. The great desire I haue of thee, doth wonderfully delight mee, and no lesse pleasure is it vnto mee to keepe thee in my remembrance. O [Page 15]life most happy: O Kingdome truly blessed, where there is no death, no end, neither yet succession of time, where the day continueth euermore without night, knoweth no mutati­on, where the victorious conquer­our, beeing ioyned with those euer­lasting quieres of Angels, and hauing his head crowned with a Garland of glory, singeth vnto almighty godone of the songes of Syon. O happy, yea & most happy should my soule bee, if when the race of this my pilgrimage is ended, I might bee worthy to see thy glory, thy blessednes, thy beau­tie, thy walls, and gates of thy Citty, thy streetes, thy lodgings, thy noble Cittizens, and thine omnipotent King, in his most glorious Maiestie. The stones of thy walls, are precious, thy gates are adorned with bright pearles, thy streetes are of very fine gold, in which there neuer faile per­petuall praises. Thy houses are paued [Page 16]with rich stones, wrought with Za­phires, and couered aboue with massie gold: where none entereth that is not cleane, neither doth any abide there, that is defiled.

Faire and beautifull in thy delights, art thou O Ierusalem our mother: none of those things are suffered in thee, that are suffered heere. There is great diuersitie betweene thy things, and the things that we doe continually see in this miserable life. In thee is neuer seene darkenesse, nor any change of time. The light that shineth in thee, commeth neither of Iampes, nor of the Moone, nor yet of the bright glistering Starres. But God that proceedeth of God, and the light that commeth of light, is he that gieueth clearensse vnto thee. E­uen the very King of Kings him­selfe, keepeth continuall residence in the midst of thee, compassed about with his officers and seruants. There [Page 17]doe the Angels in their orders, and quiers sing a most sweete and melo­dious Harmonie: There is celebra­ted a perpetuall feast, with euery one of them that commeth thether, after his departure out of this his pilgri­mage. There be the orders of Pro­phets; there is the famous society of Apostles: there is the inuicible army of Martirs; there is the most reuerend assembly of Confessors, there be the true religious persons. There are the holy Virgines, which haue ouer­come the pleasures of the world, and the frailty of the flesh: there bee the young men & women, more aunci­ent in vertue, then in yeares: there are the sheepe, and little lambes, that haue escaped from the wolues, and from the deceitfull snares of this life. There charity raigneth in her full perfection. O happy were I, yea and very happy indeede, if at what time I shall bee loosed out of the prison of [Page 18]this wretched bodie, I might bee thought worthy to heare those songs of that heauenly melodie, sung in the praises of the euerlasting King, by all the Cittizens of that so noble Citty: Happy were I, yea and very happy, if I might obtaine a roome a­mong the Chaplens of that Chap­pell, and waite for my turne also to sing my Alleluia: if I might bee neare vnto my King, my God, my Lord, & see him in his glory, euen as he pro­mised mee, when he sayd, Iohn, 17. O father this is my last determinate will, that all those, that thou hast giuen vnto me, may bee with mee, and see the glory which I had with thee before the world was created. Hetherto are the words of Saint Augustine: Marke also I pray you, how Saint Iohn describeth in his re­uelation the new Ierusalem, xxi. And I Iohn (sayth he) saw a new heauen, and a new earth, for the first heauen [Page 19]and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more Sea; and I Iohn saw the holy Citty new Ierusa­lem, come downe from God out of heauen, prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband; and I heard a great voyce out of heauen saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and hee will dwell with them, and they shall bee his people, and God himselfe shall bee their God with them. And God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes, and there shal be no more death, neither sorrowe, neither crying, neither shal there bee any more paine. For the first thinges are passed: and there came vnto mee an Angell, saying, come, I will show thee the Bridegroome the lambs wife. And he carried me away to an hie mountaine, and showed me that great Cittie, that holy Ierusalem, dis­cending out of heauen from God, hauing the glory of God, and her [Page 20]shining was like vnto a stone most precious, as a Iasper stone as cleere as Christall, and had a great wall and hie, and had twelue gates, and at the gates twelue Angels, and the names written, which are the twelue tribes of the children of Israell; and the building of the wall of it was of Ias­per, and the Citty was pure gold, like vnto cleare glasse; the foundation of the wall of the Cittie, was garnished with all manner of precious stones; and the twelue Gates were twelue pearles, and euery gate is of one pearle, and the streetes of the Citty is pure gold, as shining glasse: and there is no Temple, for the Lord al­mighty, & the Lambe are the Tem­ple of it. There is the pure Riuer of water of life, cleare as Christall pro­ceeding out of the Throne of God, and of the Lambe. There is the tree of life, which beare twelue manner of fruites. There is no night, no can­dle, [Page 21]or light of the Sun, for the Lord God giueth them light, and they shal shine for euermore.

Now then tell me (ô zealous Chri­stian) what needest thou feare death, sith frō a most miserable world, thou shalt passe to a glorious kingdome, from miseries to euelasting ioyes, frō labours & troubles, to eternally plea­sures and delights. Will not the hope of these rewards mooue thee to wel­come Death? Thē heare some more ioyes, which thou shalt possesse in the blessed future life.

The righteous shall shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their Fa­ther; They shall haue the inheri­tance of euerlasting life; They shall be as the Angels of heauē; they shall be in Abrahams bosome; they shal be where Christ is, and see his glorie.

The Apostle S. Paul saith, The eye hath not seene, the eare hath not heard, nor hath it entered into the [Page 22]hart of man, the thinges which God hath prepared for them which loue him; vve shall be with the Lord, and liue with him for euer; vvee shall be vessels vnto honour; vvee shal haue the crowne of righteousnes; we shal dwel in the Citty of the liuing God, the heauenly Ierusalem, and see the innumerable company of Angels.

VVhen Christ our chiefe Shep­heard shal appeare (saith S. Peter) we shal receiue an incorruptible crowne of glory; and S. Iohn in his Reuelati­on saith; To him that ouercōmeth. I will giue to eate of the Tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradice of almightie GOD; The righteous shal neither hunger nor thirst, heate nor sunne shall not hurt them: for he that fauoureth them, shal lead them, and giue them drinke of the spring­ing wells: they shal eate, drinke, and be merry for very quietnes of hart: yea, their gladnes and theyr ioy shall [Page 23]continue for euer and euer.

The wise (saith Daniell) shall gli­ster as the shining of heauen, and be like the starres worlde without end. My people (saith God) shal dwell in pleasant peace, and safe holds, & shal haue continuall rest without distur­bance.

Therefore when the Psalmograph did consider the excellent things that are spoken of the Citty of God, and of the great Citty holy Ierusalem, he cryed out, O how amiable are thy dwellings (thou Lorde of Hosts) my soule hath a desire & longing to en­ter into the Courts of the Lord. My hart & my flesh reioyce in the liuing God: for who can be delighted with the kennell of this life, when he shall read what the diuine Egle, the Egle of Diuines hath spoken of this cittie, that it is pure golde like vnto cleare glasse: that the streets are pure golde as shining glasse: that the shining is [Page 24]like vnto a stone most precious, as a Iasper stone, cleere as Christall: that the foundations of the wall are gar­nished with all manner of precious stones: that the twelue gates bee 12. pearles: that the keepers of the 12. gates be 12. Angels: that the light is the gloty of God, & the lambe: that the temple is the Lord God almigh­tie and the lambe: that the inhabi­tants be pure, and that no vncleane thing entereth therein: that the Re­cords be the booke of Life: that the water is a water of Life: that the tree is a tree of Life: and of the mimuni­ties of the Cittizens, that there shall be no more curse, no night, no need of candle, nor light of Sun: and that the estate of the Cittizens is this, that they shall raigne for euermore. Oh who would not willingly diue into the whitlpoole of deuouring Death, and desire that the twisted feeble threds of our life would euery houre [Page 25]vntwine, so that we might be recei­ued into this heauenly foeietie, after the ioyfull diuorcement of Soule & bodie.

Balaam wished, that his soule might die the death of the righteous, and that his last end might bee like vnto theirs: & the Prophet Dauid wished rather to bee a doore keeper in the house of God, then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly; one day in thy Courts is better then a thousand: & blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will alwaies be praysing of thee.

These ioyes might allure vs to raise our thoughts, aboue the ordina­rie leuell of this world, and to say with Poule, I desire to be loosed from this body of sinne, and to bee with Christ; no musicke should bee so sweete vnto our eares, as the remem­brance of death; for death is our faithful conductor to this Ierusalem: [Page 26]I haue oft wondered at the folly of our nature, which doe so abhorre to heare the mention of our death; yea euen aged men whose spring was past, whose summer spent, and euen arriued at the fall of the leafe, and winter cullours had stayned their hoary head, whose tired ship did be­ginne to leake and grate vppon the grauell of their graue, yet how timer­ously they were amazed, when they perceiued, that the trumpet of death beganne to giue his last sound. O foolish imbecillitie, who would not willingly bee luiled in deaths slum­bering fits, and close vp the day of his life, that from a mortall day hee may come to an euerlasting morrow. It is they will say themselues, the greatest delight and pleasure in this world, to heare the Nightingales re­count their tunes with daintie varie­ty: to see Valleis compassed about with siluer Riuers. To see medowes [Page 27]enameled with eye pleasing flowers; to see Gardens bedecked with roses and lillies, and pleasant shades. Or to heare the Lambs craue their Dams comfort, with their bleting oratorie, yet these be trifles: from heauen you shall heare the Angells singing Alle­luia, which will surpasse the musicke of Nightingalls: there is the Eden of content: the Paradise of pleasure. Will you haue pastures to pastime in: Marke what Saint Gregorie saith, pas­ma electorum sunt vultus Dei, vbi erit perpetua latitia et securitas: Dost thou delight in shepheard & Lambs? there is our watchfull shepheard Christ, & there is the Lambe of God, crauing day and night for the comfort of our soules: yet I will saile a little further into the broad Sea of these celestiall ioyes. It will bee no small ioye vnto vs, when our soules shall bee presen­ted before the Throne of the most blessed Trinitie, by the hands of the [Page 28]Angells, and they placing them be­fore the Tribunall seate of almightie God, shall declare our good workes, our almes deedes, our prayers, our fastings, our innocencie of life, our temperance in diet, our crosses, our tribulations, torments, iniuries, and afflictions we haue suffered for Gods sake. Saint Luke writeth that when holy Tabitha, the great almes giuer was dead, all the widdowes and poore people came about the Apo­stle Saint Peter, showing him the coates, and garments she had giuen them, wherewith the Apostle being mooued, made his prayer to almigh­tie God, for that so mercifull a wo­man, and by his prayers he raised her againe to life. Now what a ioy and gladnesse will it be to vs, when the Angells shall rehearse our ver­tues, and good deedes, which wee haue performed in our lise. Then shall wee fully perceiue the value of [Page 29]vertue; there the obedient man shall talke of victories; there shall the Kings come loaden with the spoiles of honor. There shall the valiant men enter with triumphe, which haue conquered sathan and all his de­uises. There shall the innocent Vir­gines enter, which haue liued chastly in the world, adorned with Garlands of Lillies and Roses; There shall the whole Court of heauen imbrace with kisses religious bishops, which haue beene watchfull shepheards o­uer the whole flocke of Christ: There shal the constant Martirs bee receiued, which haue suffered mar­tirdome for the Gospell; There shal the aged men enter, which haue with discretion and wisedome passed their daies on earth; There shall the vertuous young men receiue there reward: There vertue shal be hono­red according to her merrit. Oh how sweete and sauorie shall the [Page 30]fruite of vertue then bee. Sweet is the fountaine to the weary traueller, sweete is rest to the tyred seruaunt, sweet is the cold euening after a hote sunny day; yet much more sweeter will it be to the faithfull seruaunts of almightie GOD, and Saints of the heauenly Cittie, to haue peace after warre, continuall quietnesse after paynes, ioy after trouble, securitie af­ter danger.

Then shal not the childrē of Israel neede to feare Pharao. Then Mar­docheus neede not feare proude am­bitious Haman. Then Iosephs feete shal not be pinched and hurt in the stocks.

Then the VViddowe of Sarep­ta may cast away her cruse and her meale, for shee shal be satisfied vvith heauenly manna. Then may the bles­sed Father Saint Ierome take his rest, who in his watchings made no dif­ference betweene dayes and nights, [Page 31]beating his breast in his deuour pray­ers, and fighting against the violence of the old serpent.

Then Ieremy need not renew his tragicall note in his prophecie, say­ing; O that my head were a well of vvater, and my eye-lidds fountaines of teares, that I might weepe day & night for the slaine of the Dangliters of my people.

Then may the stout harted Soul­diers lay downe theyr swords and spears, for there is a region of peace, and a place of tranquilitie: for euery one in that Cittie, enioy the fruite of sweet peace.

That Citty is situated aboue all the Elements, where no cloudes can a­rise, no stormy winds can blow, no tempetuous waues can come. There is the lambe of God Christ Iesus, em­bracing his deere spouse the Church, saying, My sister, my spouse, how fayre & how pleasant art thou, ô my [Page 32]Loue in pleasures: thy lippes (my spouse) drop as honny combes. Ho­ny and milke is vnder thy tongue: my spouse is as a Garden enclosed with Roses and Lillies, ô Paradise of Gardens, ô well of liuing waters, ô my vvel-beloued, thou art the fairest among women. O ioyfull time, when we shall see face to face Christ Iesus, and heare the sweet communication betweene him and the Church his beloued Spouse.

Blessed are they (saith holy Tobias) that loue thee, and enioy thy peace. VVherefore Bernard might well say, If any man should tast in his heart, howe great the pleasantnesse of the heauenly reward is, then euery thing in the earth will seeme bitter, euerie comly thing shamefull, and all ioy sorrowfulnes. Also in another place he saith, In comparison of heauenly ioy, all pleasure is griefe, all delights sorrow, all sweetnes bitternesse, and [Page 33]all honor horriblenesse. VVherfore I will exhort all godly Christians, with the graue sentence of blessed S. Augustine, where he saith, O man be feruent in the loue & desire of Eter­nall life, where euery action is with­out labor, rest without idlenes, praise without disdaine, life without de­fect; where there is no want, but all superfluitie, where there is no good hidden, and no euill present.

Oh into what an Ocean of ioyes my ioyfull tongue leades me, my eyes waxe dim at the sunne-shine of this glory, my penne begins to tyre, and yet I will not like a badde Historian, speake of the meanest ioyet, and cut of the course of the greatest happi­nesse. Therefore my tongue, mine eyes, my penne, each of them shall sing a part to make vp the harmonie of this excessiue felicitie. It is an vn­speakable pleasure to a christian whē he shall arriue at this blessed hauen, & [Page 34]shall turne back, and looke vpon the course of his nauigation, wherein he hath sailed in the tempestuous sea of his former life: whē he shall remem­ber the waues where-with hee hath been tossed, the rocks which he hath escaped, the Pyrats, (namely the de­uill and his Angels) whom hee hath happily auoyded. VVhen he shal cō ­sider this transitory world to be but a dungeon of sinners, where the growth of Vertue is poysoned with the puddle water of penurie, where rancor & despight chiefely raigneth, and all goodnes is ouer-whelmed in malice, where vertue is a handmaide to sugred hypocrisie, smooth malice, hidden ambition, smiling enuie, wic­ked tyranny. Besides, when he shall behold so many thousand soules de­scending into hell, and that it hath pleased the omnipotent King, among so many millions of damned persons, thou shalt be one of that predestina­ted [Page 35]companie, which should obtaine such vnexpressable felicitie and glory. Yea what a glorious sight will it bee to thee, to see so many persons hauing on their heads golden Crownes, and to see the Kingly seats of heauen filled vp, and that Citty builded, and the noble Ierusalem repayred againe. Yea what a ioy will it bee to thee, to see Archangells, Angells, the soules of Saints, the companie of Martirs, the Sunne, the Moone, the glistering Starres, and all other things, each one of them in their course and qualitie, showe themselues obedient to his will, giuing veneration, glory, and praise, singing this sweete song, praise, and honor, and power, and glory bee vnto him, that sitteth vppon the Throne, and vnto the Lambe for e­uermore.

Is not this a glorious companie? a ioyfull countrey; a happy life; who shall be these so fortunate, and so hap­py, [Page 36]that are elected for thee. Happy shall I be, if the remnant of my poste­ritie, might come to see the clearenes of this Ierusalem. To behold her gates wrought with Emeraldes, and Za­phires, and all the circuit of her walls built with precious stones, her streetes paued with polished marble, and in all her parts shall be sung Alleluia. It seemeth a presumption to desire thee, and yet I will not liue without the de­sire of thee, for by the grace of God, (which grace I hope in Christ shall more and more daily abound in mee) I purpose to refuse no labours, paines, and trauels, so that at the end of my naturall life my soule may rest with my Redeemer. Let tribulations afflict me: let diseases molest mee; let my daies be consumed with weeping, and teares alwaies runne downe by my cheekes; let mee alwaies drinke the bitter wormewoode water of aduersi­tie; let lamentation and mourning al­waies [Page 37]accompanie me: let me be per­secuted with captiuitie. Nay let my head be cut off with Iohn Baptist, or let mee be stoned to death with Ste­phen: yea let my eies be pulled out of my head, or my flesh be torced with pincers; let vexations poure downe as thicke as haile, so that all that passe by may behold and see: if there bee any sorrowe like vnto my sorrowe. Yet all these griefes would I willingly sustaine, if it would please my God, that when pal [...] death shall shut vp the eies of my body, that my eies of my soule might still behold, and looke vpō my Red emer. And that when I shall bee stripped out of this mortall weede, and turned both out of the ser­uice, and houseroome of this world, yet at last I may arriue at that blessed Hauen, the celestiall Ierusalem, there to be placed among the glorious com­pany of the holy Angells and Saints, & receiue an immortall & incorrup­tible [Page 38]crowne of glory. For what will it grieue a man, to haue a troublesome-night, so that ioy commeth in the morning. The Mariner will not re­gard a short tempest, so that presently after the storm, there followeth a quiet calme: euen so should it seeme to vs. Although for a short season we suffer sorrowe in this world, yet for that short sorrowe wee shall reape euer­lasting ioy. Therefore let vs constant­ly endure to the end of our sorrowes, for he that endureth to the end, shall be saued. Would we not esteeme him a foolish man, who would refuse to suffer patiētly the tortures of one mo­ment, so that after, hee should inioy perpetuall happinesse.

VVell saith S. Augustine, So great is the fairenes, and pleasure of Eter­nall light, that if one might not liue there longer then one day, for thys onely, innumerable yeeres full of the delights of this life, and aboundance [Page 39]of temporall goods, he might rightly & worthily be cōtented. For in hea­uen, we shal haue light without end, brightnesse without comprehensi­on, peace without inuasion. In this world our sences are benummed, & frozen with the extremitie of mise­ries coldnesse, but in heauen there shal such vnexpected blisse shine vp­pon vs, that all the parts of our body and soule shal be miraculously cheri­shed with the lightning of selicitie. In this world, if the whole worthi­nesse of all humane creatures vvere comprised in the globe of one mans breast, yet were not that one man so happy, as the least Saint in Heauen. In this world wee are but as it vvere ships without a Pylot, tumbling vp and downe in vncertaine waues, till we runne vpon the rocks of selfe de­uision, or bee ouerthrowne by the stormie winde of forraine inuasion: In this VVorld we are but as it were [Page 40]tenisbals, tossed by the racked of in­iurious fortune, but in heauen vve need not feare the tempests of aduer­sitie, for there wee shall dwell vvith Saints vnited in perfection; there we shall tast the golden fruite of blessed soules: there wee shal haue Christ a guide vnto our waies, and a Gardian to our persons; there Christ shall be light vnto our eyes, musick vnto our eares, sweetnes to our tast, content­ment to our soules.

The state of the Church militant, heere in this world, is like the Arke floting vpon waters, like a lilly grow­ing among thornes, like Christs ship in the 8 of Mathew, couered vvith waues, and yet not drowned: But in the second worlde it shall be trium­phant, where it shal gloriously raigne for euermore. Man in this world is but an Anatomy of misery, or a spec­tacle of a dolorous ending tragedie, but in the world to come, he shall be [Page 41]a paragon of glory, and a patterne of endlesse happinesse. Therefore, sith the reward of our godly endeuours, shal be so well recompenced in the future life, let vs abandon all vicious pleasures, & neuer be recalled to the vomit of carnall desires: Let vs fight manfully vnder the banner of our grand captaine Christ, vntill we van­quish all his enemies, the denill & his angels: and for that good seruice per­formed in Christes quarrell, we shall receiue at his handes a large pay, namely, an euerlasting life, and an immortall crowne of glory.

Now therefore, sith I haue (as it were) lighted a candle to the glori­ous sun-shine of this heauenly glorie. which cannot any way be better sha­dowed out, with the best pensil, then by couering it ouer with the vaile of silence, I will speake but verie little more concerning this happines, but will onely compare the torments of [Page 42]hell to the ioyes of heauen. For as beautie seemes more excellent, when it is paralelled with deformitie, so wil heauen show more glorious when it is compared to hell. For as it is an ax­iome with the Logicians, Of con­trarie things the reason is contrarie: so in this contrarietie in heauen, and in hell, hee which doth perceiue the ioyes in heauen, may easily coniec­ture at the torments in hell.

If the ioyes in heauen cannot bee expressed by the tongues of Angells, then the torments of hell cannot be declared by the best Orator. For as those two places be distant in quali­tie, so their ioyes and paines be equall in quantitie. If that the ioyes of hea­uen be infinite, the paines of hel must consequently followe to be infinite. Now then, sith these two opposite places bee distinguished with such a contrarietie, the ioyes of the one e­uery man would gladly enioy, the [Page 43]paines of the other, euery man would willingly eschewe, it followeth that this is the greatest impediment for a man, not willingly to welcome death, because he is wonderfully afraid, least he should bee punnished for his sinnes in these hellish torments: these tor­ments doe ingender such a feare in a man, that hee horridly quaketh at the mention of death.

For when a man shall recount with himselfe that he offered the May crop of his life to the deuill, that hee sacrifi­ced his blooming yeares to the seruice of the deuill, and that now the flow­ers of his youth are blasted, the fruite perrish, the body of the Tree groweth to decay, then hee shall thinke with himselfe, that hee being voyde of the sap of good fruites, shall become fuell for hell fire. When he shall lie on his departing bed, burdened with the hea­uy loade of his trespasses, and vexed with the worme of conscience, and [Page 44]feeling the crampe of death wresting his harts strings, and ready inpathed in his finally voyage, and not farre from the period of his daies. Oh how hee shall be distracted in his senses, when he should make a free gift of his body and soule to God, and by bequeath­ment to dispach the whole menage of all eternitie, and of the treasures of heauen: Oh how shall he bee mazed, when he shall consider, how the mor­ning pleasures of his youth lulled him a sleepe in sinne, how the violent heat of the noone of his age did prouoke and excite sinfull affections, and there­fore in the coole and calme of his eue­ning, how can hee hope to retire to a Christian rest, and close vp the day of his life with a cleare sunset, wan­ting the light of grace, without which euery one shall abide in euerlasting darkenesse. These considerations I say, will make a man tremble at the mention of death: for peccati stipendi­um [Page 45]mors, the reward of sinne is death, and these torments in hell fire; there­fore when hee shall thinke with him­selfe, that the most vertuous, can scarce attaine to heauen in mountenance of yeares, whose liues were died in the beautifull graine of vertue, how then shall hee wretched sinner hope to ob­taine heauen, since all his life time hee hath perseuered in sinne, & that now death hauing taken away abilitie in sinning, and left him to the lees of his dying daies, how shall he beleiue to be infranchised in that heauenly Citty, which is not so penurious of friends, that it should bee made salable for the refuse and reuersion of euery sinners life. A King which hath liued like an Epicure heere vppon earth, and in no­thing tooke delight, but like a Nero to oppresse the innocent; shall not inioy the heauenly happinesse. (For as Bernard saith) It is impossible to ioyne present, and future delights. And as [Page 46]the same father in another place ad­deth. He that is fed with earthly plea­sures, is counted vnworthy of eternall ioyes; The shining title of worldly glory, shall nothing helpe to the hap­pines of that life: they be like bladders which are puffed vp with the winde of prosperitie, and only doe affect the smoke of vaine glory; they doe not obserue the precept, giuen by Moses vnto Princes, Princes must reade the Lawe all the daies of their liues, and as Iosua, let not the booke of this Lawe depart out of thy mouth, but record therein day and night. Their Lawes should be axioms, arising out of their owne deedes, but they themselues are the readiest to infring the same. Now then when the lease of the liues of these Stewards, who hold all their possessions by seruice, is expired, and shall be summoned by death, to ap­peare before their Land-lord to giue there accounts, how beneficially they [Page 47]haue imployed their talents, then they will beginne to haue a feeling sense of there owne miserie, seeing how ill they did gouerne the people, ouer the which the Lord had made them ouer­seers.

We reade that Dauid being chosen of God, to feede his people in Iacob, and his in heritance in Israell, did feede them according to the simplici­ty of his hart, and guided thee by the discretion of his handes. These Dauids be few now adaies; and as the Poeth saith,

A good King and wise, such a one as Apollo, beeing asked counsell of, coulde scarce finde one among all men.

Yet thanks be giuen to God, who by his blessed prouidence hath elec­ted [Page 48]a second Dauid to raigne ouer vs, whose loynes are girded with righteousnesse, and faithfulnesse the buckle of his raines: in whose throne Astraea sits weying euery mans mer­rits by the equall ballance of their ac­tions, whose minde is inuironed a­gainst vice, with the cleere streames of sweet vertue. And therefore, sith it hath pleased God to set a temporal & transitory crowne of glorie on his head, he needs not feare, but that in the world to come, he shall be crow­ned with a farre surpassing weight of glorie, & there shall tast the heauenly Manna, and drinke the nectar of ioy: But as for other Princes, who heere doe tast the Roses of prosperitie, shal in the world to come, for their wic­kednesse drinke the worme-wood of aduersitie: when they shall recount with themselues, that they haue tou­ched the Lords annointed, and done his Prophets harme, iniured the fa­therlesse, [Page 49]oppressed the innocent, prophaned the sanctuary of God, & onely delighted themselues with the vaine pompe of this world, how can they hope that their impure soules shoulde bee translated to this pure place of endlesse comfort? So like­wise to descend lower by a lineall de­gree, throughout all the pedigrees of men. Behold the Ministerie, who haue the ouer-sight of our soules, see if they can boldly run vnto the goale of death, who haue not ledde theyr liues according to their inioyned vo­cations. The Ministers, which should haue two eyes, (as Gregory saith) one of famous learning, the other of an vpright & godly life; many of them haue one of these eyes, but want the other. And as the same Gregory saith, Many declare that in wordes, vvhich in life and manners they goe against. These haue the eye of learning, but want the eye of honest life. Yea ma­nie [Page 50]are blinde of both eyes, but they be worse then the former: For the Ministers should by their endeuours and honest cōuersation, reclaime the wicked from the brink of perdition, they should inuent medicinable re­ceits against the gostly maladies of sinners: they should in the generall famine of spirituall foode, prepare with Ioseph abundance of the breade of Angels, for the repast of theyr soules.

Yea, they should studie spirituall Phisicke, and be trauelled in the scru­tinie of the soules diseases, and be ac­quainted with the beating and tem­per of euery mans pulse: they should purge theyr flock from the leaprosie of sinne; they should lift vp theyr voyce like a trumpet, and shewe the people their offences, and the house of Iacob theyr sinnes. They are the Prophets of the Lord, that shal bring the messages from the Mountaines, [Page 51]and proclaime peace. They be the light of the VVorlde, the salt of the earth; they be watch-men, which for Sions sake should not holde theyr tongues, & for Ierusalems sake should not cease.

Nowe when they shall remember that they haue beene dumbe dogges, which did not bark, whē the wolues did teare their flocks. And as Gregory saith, Thou hast seene the wolfe and hast escaped, saying, by chance I haue escaped all: Thou hast escaped be­cause thou hast kept silence: Thou hast been heere in body, thou hast escaped in spirit.

Or as Saint Bernard saith, when they shall remember, they were Mi­nistri Christi, sed serni anti Christi, or call to mind the straight commande­mēt giuen by christ to Peter, to feede Christes flocke, and they haue been rather wolues thē shepheards, which did rather fleece and oppresse them, [Page 52]then protect them: when they did imitate, Souldiers in habit, husband­men in gaine, indeede they were nei­ther, because they did neither fight against the Wolues as Souldiers, nor as husbandmen labour in Gods Vine­yarde, nor as Clarkes preach the Gos­pell in the Church, and while they de­sire both, they confound both. As Bernard saith: therefore their consci­ences will be perplixed, their mindes distracted, nor shall they perceiue, the melodious harmonie of excusing thoughts, or perswade themselues of that comfortable assurance, that the opening of the booke will showe, that their names are written in heauen, or shall they tast that continuall feast, of a cleere conscience, the soules blessed banquet; they shall wring their hands for griefe, when they might haue clapt for ioy, they shall tremble, when they might haue triumph [...]d, they shall weepe, when they might haue laught, [Page 53]they shall wish that the Mountaines would couer them, & hide them from the sight of God: and these bee the causes, why so vnwillingly they yeeld to dy, yea euen whē their forces lang­uish, their senses impaire, their body droupeth, and on euery side the rui­nous cottage, of their fraile body threatneth a fall, yea when they may behold their grasse wasted, their grapes gathered, their house broken, and nothing remaining but the stocke of the grapes, the skinne of the flesh, and but one only blast of life, yet not­withstanding they will say with Calli­machus, I am too old to liue, and too young to die; and they are afraid to close vp their eies, when they heare the Bell of death knelling in their eares: but had rather fight still in this Campe of miserie, then by deaths pas­pot, to bee conducted out of this world. They had rather with Aristip­pus prolong life, then with Socrates [Page 54]yield to die; and the causes bee these, because they haue not beene carefull in their functions, but haue beene carelesse in their liues, dissolute in their actions: they were not the instruments of God, hauing a sound to teach well, but the bones of the deuill, because they did want the feeling: and there­fore they hauing deuoted their liues, only to the deuill, their conscience doe assure them, that they hauing gorged the deuill, with the fairest fruites of their liues, God will not feede vppon the scrappes of his leauings, & gleane the reproofe of his haruest, and there­fore they bee vnwilling to depart out of this life.

But to passe ouer the spirituall go­uernors, and come to ciuell Magi­strates: The Lawyers they make the lawes and statutes limetwiggs, to catch the simple, which should bee as it were Sea-markes to auoyde ship­wracke, for ignorant passengers; they [Page 55]studdie for to inuent, pollicie, how to palliate committed disorders. The Iudges imitate Samuels songs, which did not walke in their fathers waies, but tooke bribes and rewards to per­uert right. The widdowes complaine, the Orphans are wronged, the poore are not regarded. And (as Isidorus saith) through the loue of desire, lawes are of no force, hee that hath to giue, hath also to gouerne. And (as Saint Augustine saith) a fat Hen doth more preuaile with Iudges then iustice, and money more then innocencie. They will not regard any plea, vnlesse the euidence containes golden eloquence. But there is another commaunde­ment giuen them in Deutronomie, Wrest not the law, nor know any per­son, neither take any rewards, for giftes, blind the wise, and peruert the words of the righteous: & as there is a common axiom among the Ca­nonists, Ni nire non debet esse acceptio [Page 56]personarum: the Iudges, and Lawyers should not regard the great men more then the poore, nor the plain­tifes bagges, more then the defen­dants, in forma pauperis. Woe be vnto them that make vnrighteous lawes, whereby the poore are oppressed. Woe vnto that abominable Cittie, whose Rulers are as roaring Lyons, whose Iudges are as Wolues in the Eucning: these threatnings out of the Scripture, will make the Lawyers ti­merous to die, when they shall re­count with themselues, how oft they haue trangressed these diuine lawes, how many bribes they haue receiued to giue vniust sentence, how oft they haue stopt their eares, against the crie of the needie, how oft they haue heard the accuser, & would not hear­ken to the accused. Reiecting Alexan­ders graue iudgement, who did al­waies stop one of his eares, when any one did complaine againe another, [Page 57]saying, this care I lend the accuser, the other I reserue for the excuser. When I say they shall record their publicke and priuate iniuries, their conniuence at manifest faults, and too much seueritie at small crimes, their vnlaw­full condemnations, and their partiall absolutions, I say these committed of­fences will so examinate them, and strike such a terror into them, when the streame of their life runneth at a low ebbe, and the date of their life heere in this world is expired, and they entering into the kalends of death, then they will sit quiuering for feare, and knocke at the doore of their conscience, and there summon a quest of inquirie for their sinnes, and when they shall come to appeare at the Bar of consideration, and there be arrai­ned, they shall answere as prisoners at the Barre, guiltie, guiltie. And this is the reason why they are so vnwil­lingly to depart out of this life: in [Page 58]like manner the Tradesmen, who are customers to the world, who haue gotten false ware sutable to the shoppe of such Marchants, whose traficke is to toile, whose wealth trash, whose gaine miserie: they I say, are vnwil­ling to depart this life, because by their fraudulent dealings, they haue pur­chased an ill conscience, which doth make them sleepe like the Nightin­galls, who alwaies sleepe with a prickt against their brest, so doe they sleepe, or rather slumber, hauing a pricking conscience. It alwaies registreth their misdeedes, showing them their of­fences, and so they haue no confident perswasiion that their election is sure. Also the husbandmen, who haue long time tilled the earth, and by the sweat of their labours, haue increased their worldly possessions, & now perceiue by the infirmitie of their body, they bee not able any more to endure the churlish entertainment of the [Page 59]world, or to prolong the tedious line of life, and recount with themselues what infinite paines they haue vnder­gone, for to obtaine worldly riches, and neuer laboured one houre in the field of Gods Church, to possesse beauenly treasures, sowing the seedes of repentant sorrowe, and watering them with the teares of contrition, that they might reape a more benefi­ciall haruest, and gather the fruits of endlesse comfort.

Then they will thinke with them selues, that it is an vnseasonable time to alter the course of their vnthri­uing husbandry, when in the Aprill of theyr yeeres they might haue brought foorth the flowers & fruites of saluation, and these be the causes why they be vnwilling to depart out of this life, and dare not say with fa­ther Simeon, O Lord cōmaund that my Soule may depart in peace. Nor dare not cry out with Dauid, the pyl­ler [Page 60]of mother Sion, who liued in the child-hood of the Church, when the clowde of the Law did ouershadow the appearance of the Sun in fulnesse of comfort, before Christ had ope­ned the store-house of ioy; and yet he beeing wearie of his life, and the burden of his body, cryed out, Oh howe long shall I liue in this prison? And Paule, the notable organ of the holy Ghost, singeth the same long with Dauid, saying; ô wretched man that I am, who shall deliuer me from this body of sinne? So did Father Ie­remie wish, that the wombe had ser­ued for his tombe. And so did Esay be waile his birth, and murmured a­gainst the knees that held him vp, & the breasts that gaue him sucke. For they knew that the worlde was but a sea of sorrow, and our life like vnto a new ship put into the sea, fleeting to the bottomlesse swallow, where as the tempestuous winds and waues of [Page 61]this world doe beate vppon, and al­waies threaten a drowning of life: but whē this fraile mortall life seemes to haue brokē her wings by the force of death, then presently as immortall shee taketh her flight, and lands at a good port: VVhy therefore should wee desire to adde more feathers to the wings of time, sith after our dis­solution we shal be made liuely mem­bers, fully knit in our body Christ Iesus.

Ay but a man will say, if I were fully perswaded, that I should bee made partaker of this beauenlie life, I would willingly desire to die, and wish that the feeble threds of my life would euery howre vntwine: But now my guiltie conscience doth ac­cuse mee, my ill ledde life doth terri­fie me, and all my wicked deedes doe so molest my mind, that I am afraide to die. Sure this serious considerati­on of our former offences, dooth [Page 62]much amaze a good grounded chri­stian, when hee lies vppon his dying bed, wayting for the rufull diuorce­ment of his body and soule, hauing a fettered conscience, which alwaies will assure him, that he hauing been a sluggish drone in the hiue of Chri­stes Church, shall not tast the sweet­nes of pleasure, nor the hony combe of comfort in the heauenly Citty, but hee shall bee glutted with the sower grape of persecution, of Gods wrath, and these hellish torments: that he hauing been a carelesse Mar­riner in this world, and alwaies the shippe of his body remaining in the scope of the wicked wind and vvea­ther of this world, the Pirate the de­uill shall make shipwracke of his sal­uation, and so hee perrish vppon the rocks of eternall ruine.

But against all these desperable con­siderations, the saying of Saint Augu­stine is the best remedy, If thou feare [Page 63]iudgement to come, rebuke thy con­science. In the whole course of thy life so liue, that thou maist haue a se­cure conscience: for thou must liue here for a time in such sort, that thou dying godly, maist liue for euer. VVe must die that wee may liue, and wee must liue that wee may die well. If thou liuest well, thou shalt die vvell, and thou shalt liue wel, if thou doost follow the holy course which Saint Hierome obserued, VVhether I eate or drinke (saith hee) or what soeuer els I doe, alwaies that same terrible trumpet soundeth in mine eares, A­rise you that be dead, and come to iudgement. For as the same Father saith in another place, He easily con­temneth all things, that doth alwaies thinke that he shall die.

For he that alwaies takes the me­mory of death for his vnseparable spouse, and bitter sighs for his chyl­dren, and holy compunction for his [Page 64]mother to depure him from his filthy­nesse, he which hateth the world per­fectly, fauoreth godlinesse zealously, endeuoreth to amend his life serious­ly, obeieth his superiors gladly, and beareth Christs crosse patiently, show­eth good tokens that hee will die a good Christian: such a man needs not feare the mention of death, nor neede his soule weepe in secret, nor his eies drop downe teares, for hee may bee certaine that he is one of that perdesti­nated company, which shall raigne for euermore. But as for a man that hath liued dissolutely, & through the whole course of his life, hath beene a notorious sinner, yet for all that hee needs not dispaire; for Christ was not surprised with a rauing feuer, when in the tragedie of his passion, he made his body as a Cloude to resolue in showres of innocent bloud, and suffe­red his decrest vaines to be launced, to giue a full issue for the price of our [Page 65]soules redemption. Hee came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. O yee sinners, behold the Lambe blee­ding, and shedding his precious blood to clense you from sinne, and to saue you from sathan, drinke vp in faith the drop­pings of his blood, and moisten your soules therewith, eate him and chew him, for he is the bread of life, which whosoeuer eateth, shall neuer hunger more. Say with Christestome, Omnis mea salus in passione Christi est posita. For whatsoeuer doth belong to my sal­uation, paratum est per Christi mor­tem, as the same father saith: his death hath made a sufficient ransome for my sinnes; It is the Lambe of God which doth purge mee from all my sinnes: I fully beleiue that therefore all my sinnes shall be forgiuen me, not for my merrits, but for Christs death, not for my righteousnesse, but for Gods mer­cies, which doth extend to thousands, and tenne thousands, whose sinnes in [Page 66]respect of Gods mercies, are but (as Augustine saith) one droppe in respect of the whole Sea. And (as Bernard saith) the mercie of God is greater, then any miserie of ours. Hold vp thine eies to heauen, behold the God of all consolati­on and mercy, craue of him to poure downe the influences of his comfort to helpe thy vnbeliefe, to confirme thy faith, to strengthen thee with a stedfast assurance of his heauenly Kingdome. Wast away thy wickednesse in the Fountaine of repentance, and the lepro­sie of thy sinne, in the streaming Riuers of penitent teares. For this heauenly dew of repentance neuer falls, but the Sun of righteousnesse drawes it vp; for it was sweetly vttered by a Diuine of swee­test vtterance, that repentant eies are the Cellars of Angells, and penitent teares the sweetest wines, which the sauour of life perfumeth, the tast of grace sweet­neth, and the purest cullours of retur­ning innocency highly beautifieth. Oh [Page 67]that our harts were euermore such a lim­becke, distilling so pure a quintessence of godlinesse, drawne from the weedes of our offences; by the fire of true contriti­on, heauen would mourne at the ab­sence of so precious waters, and earth la­ment the losse of so fruitfull showres. Sure till death close vp those fountaines, they should neuer faile running: which if they did alwaies runne, we neede not doubt of our saluation, but that GOD would wash away all our sinnes. The world (saith Bernard) had not perrished with the flood, if they had betaken them­selues to repentance. And as it is in Iere­mie, If wee repent of our wickednesse, God will repent of his wickednesse deui­sed against vs, and as it is in Ezechiell, If the vngodly will turne away from all his sinnes that he hath done, doubtlesse he shall liue and not die. And againe, bee conuerted, and turne you cleane from your wickednesse, so shall there do sinne doe you harme. So when the Niniuites [Page 68]did repent, mourning in Sack-cloath and ashes, he repented on the euill which he said he would doe vnto them, and did it not. Examples of repentant sinners, who obtained remission for their offen­ces, be Paule, the sinfull woman, Dauid, Manasses, Peter, the theife this day on the crosse, this night in Paradise. For Iesus is like an Euangelicall henne, ne­uer ceaseth clocking to gather thee vn­der his winges like a Chicken; for it pleased Iesus of vnmerrited goodnesse, to leaue the nintie nine mist sheepe, the societie of blessed Angells, to seeke the straying sheepe, the groate that lost the royall stampe of pure nature: man this lost sheepe thou soughtest (O Iesus) thou foundest sweete Iesus, by death thou foundest him, by bleeding paines thou foundest him, by nayled hands and boa­red feete thou foundest him, by a thornie Crowne, by drinking vineger, by swea­ting droppes of bloud, by suffering the violent death on the crosse thou foun­dest [Page 69]him. O louing Iesus, and tender harted Samaritan, that of a sicke hast sal­ued, of a grieuous sinner hast saued him, of a wicked creature, hast washed him in the streame of thy inestimable mercie. Therfore I confidently beleiue although the flower of my age is faded, the grasse withered, and my whole life as a vanish­ing vapoure is passed away, yet when I shail be dissolued, I assuredly hope to be ioyned fully to Iesus my head, and onely Vine, wherein I liue; although the purse­uant sicknesse must visit this body of sin, and death must rowe mee ouer the Seas of this world, yet I hope in the barke of faith, and merrits of Christ Iesus, and by the Ancor of Gods couenaunts made to the house of David, I shall arriue at that blessed Hauen, from whence I shall ne­uer more hoise vp sailes, or lanch into the deepe of miserie, but shall sit imparadised in heauen with fulnesse of grace, till the day of thy great visitation shal com, whē meeting thee in the cloudes, I shall enter into the store house of ioyes, there for [Page 70]euermore to raigne.

If a sinner could thus absolutely con­firme himself, & not distrust Gods mer­cy and clemencie, without all doubt he would not feare to die: but withall, hee must haue a setled determination, to mortifie his bodie, to abandon vices, & with the trumpet of a Christian life to sound a retraite frō sin, alwaies remem­bring Christ crucified: For as Bernard saith, The remembrance of Christ cru­cified, crucifieth sinne. And as S. Augu­stine saith, Then Christ dooth sleepe in thee, when thou hast forgot his passion. The readiest way, & direct path to goe to Heauen, is to swim through the red sea of Christes blood. The droppes of Christs precious blood raigning downe from the clowdes of his mercie, must quēch the angry flame of Gods wrath, which wee cannot extinguish by the vertuous water of any merrit. It is the oyle of Grace, which must purge our defiled harts: It is the dewe of heauen which will make vs florish, beeing in­grafted [Page 71]into the true Oliue. It is the welspring of our saluation, it is the hea­uenly manna, which all of vs should ga­ther vp in the wildernes of this world. Loue this good thing, in which all goodnes is, & it is enough for thee: yea obserue but this short lesson which Au­gustine giueth, & thou art a good Chri­stian: Ama deum, et amices in deum, et ini­micos propter deū, et beatus es, Loue Christ who loueth thee, loue his friends, that loue Christ, and thee, loue Christes ene­mies, that hate Christ and thee, & then thou shalt be beloued of Christ; for lo­uing him, thou shalt bee beloued of Christ: for louing thē that hate Christ, & thee, the haters shall perrish, yet thou louing, shalt be beloued. Loue GOD without measure, thē shalt thou be hap­py without measure. Loue God withal thy hart, whō thou shalt behold with­out end, loue without pride, praise with out wearines. Therfore, if men did but obserue this briefe lesson, wee need not feare death, but welcome him vvith a [Page 72]thousand kisses, for that messenger doth bring vs gladde tidings; for by him we change transitory, mortall, and corrup­tible things, for certaine, immortall, and incorruptible treasures, earth for hea­uen, sin for godlines, darknes for light, feare for security, trauell for quietnesse, sicknesse for health, death for life, the company of men, for the companie of the omnipotent God, and heauenly an­gels, the vile pleasures of this world, for the inestimable ioyes of heauen.

Oh therefore let vs hartily wish to be losoned frō this life, that we may come to appeare before the presence of God: let vs say with Dauid, Like as the Hart desireth the water brookes, so longeth my soule after thee, ô God, O GOD, thou art my God, early will I seek thee, my soule thirsteth for thee, my flesh also longeth after thee, in a barren and dry land where no water is. Let vs say with Iob, It grieueth my soule to liue longer in this mortall body. Let vs say with holy Toby, O Lord deale with me accor­ding [Page 73]to thy will, and command my spi­rit to be receiued in peace. For whē the liuely threds of our life vntie, the spin­dle vndoe, the web riue, and our natu­rall life endeth, yet the spirituall and es­sentiall part, namely the soule, shall be receiued with Angels, & carried to hea­uen most louingly, as a precious relique into the kingdome of heauen. It shal be like a Doue carried on the wings of An­gels, into this heauenly Palace: For as Augustine saith, It is the office of Angels to carry soules to the company of the blessed. Now therefore, when Death shal breake vp your mortall house, im­print this lesson in the forefront of your languishing flesh, yea euen when you are halfe berest of life, that you remem­ber Christ crucified; remember him to be the onely Sauiour; remember God the Father, to bee a most mercifull Fa­ther. Fixe the eyes of your faith on Ie­sus Christ, & on his merrits, on his pas­sion & death, on his blessed body brea­king, and his most precious blood shed­ding, [Page 74]on his triumph and victory ouer fathan, and his hellish army. Forget not that all your sinnes are washed away in Christes blood, & that by vertue of his death and passion, you are made beyre of euerlasting saluation. Fight a good fight, be not discouraged by the paines of death, neuer shrink in Deaths battell, call vppon Iesus, for no baulme will be more comfortable to a wound, thē the name of Iesus to deaths wound. Put on the Helmet of saluation, the brest-plate of righteousnes, the girdle of truth, the shield of faith, the sworde of the spirit, and your feete shod with the preparati­on of the Gospell of peace. Feare not, stand fast, quit your selues like men, for in this spirituall battell, you sight vnder the banner of the mighty & victorious Emperor Iesus Christ; onely continue with these weapons, & the day is yours. If sathan tempt you, you may with har­tie prayers, (good Orators for your sal­uation) inchant that Dragon, that hee may sleep, while your soule is translated [Page 75]to tast of the golden fruite of blessed soules: perseuere in this battell, which is the true complement of vertue: The paine of the battel is small, the glorie of the triumph shall abide for euer & euer. For so saith the scripture, To him that ouercōmmeth, I will giue to eate of the tree of life, which is in the midst of Pa­radice: be faithful vnto the death, and I wil giue thee a crowne of life. Hee that ouercommeth, I wil make a piller in the temple of my God, and hee shall go no more out: yea to him that ouercōmath wil I grant to sit with me in my seate.

These precious promises & rewards, may make vs couragious against death: folow your captaine Christ & you can­not erre, for he is the way, belieue christ & you cannot be deceiued for hee is the truth, abide and remaine in Christ, and you cannot die the death euerlasting, for he is the life: wherfore cleaue with strong faith to Christ, and say with that wise man; My minde is rooted and built in Christ, and then you neede not feare [Page 76]when death shall giue your soule the winges of true libertie, to depart out of your fraile flesh, and to flie vp to heauen, and rest within Abrahams bosome: for thē you shal rest from your labors & tra­uels. For so saith the scripture; the soules of the righteous are in thy hād ô God, & the paine of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the vnwise they appeare to die, but they are in peace; they are as the Angells of God: they are clad with white garmēts, & haue golden crownes vpon their heads. They doe stand day & night before his Maiesty, there they haue all ioy, solace, and harts contentments. By death we passe from earth to heauen, from men to Angells, from warre to peace, from paine to pleasure, from griefe to gladnesse, from miserie to perpetuall felicitie: we passe by death from this life, which is like a bubble in the water, like a weauers Shettell, like a smoake, like a vapoure, like a shaddowe, like a flower that fadeth, like grasse that withereth, it is but a span-long: it is a warfare, it is [Page 77]like a ruinous house euer readie to fall, it is like a cloude in the element, whereof wee are vncertaine, where and when it falleth. This cloude sometimes melteth in the cradle, sometimes in the chaire. Death is like the Sunne, whensoeuer it shineth, it melteth our cloudie life, be the cloude thereof neuer so thicke or thin in yeares: this life is like an vncertaine we­thercocke, which turnech at euery blast; like a Waue that mounteth at euery storme: like a reede that boweth at eue­ry whistling wind. This world is an ex­ile, a vale of miserie, a wildernesse of sor­rowes, a dungeon of sinners, a sea of mi­series, where wee passe away the wauer­ing daies of this vncertaine life, sayling as Pilgrims on the waters of this world, tossed by the tempests of aduersitie, and oppressed by sundry Pyrats, the flesh, sin, and the deuill, and yet by the Barke of a liuely faith, and by the Marriner death, wee shall bee transported from the flesh pots of Egipt, to eate of comfortable Manna, not in the wildernesse, but in [Page 78]new Ierusalem: Therefore hast ô good God to deliuer me frō this painfull life, to that glorious life, from this wretched mansion, to that excellent tabernacle: from this stormie worlde, to the calme country of heauen; where I shall haue liberty without imprisonment, health without sicknes, ioy without sorrowe, pleasure without paine, in such securi­tie, eternitie, and perpetuitie, as passeth all thoughts. Come therefore Death, thou art welcome, thou art thrice wel­come death.

For when the Tree of my life shall fall downe heere vpon earth, and I shall see my father dust, & my mother ashes, yer my soule shall be carried into Abra­hams bosome. Adiew vile life, farewell life, sinfull life adiewe: and welcome Death, the Embassador from my louing Sauiour: for by thee my misery shall end. So that (O Death) thou art wel­come. VVelcome sicknes, for my Lord Iesus hath nowe sent thee to fetch mee from this prison to his Pallace, from a [Page 79]strange pilgrimage, to dwell in the rest­full Country of Canaan, from these teares and mourning, to the day of ma­riage (sweet Iesus) to bee espoused to thee in thy merrits for euermore, where I shall liue like a Demie-god, hauing the sight of the glorious Trinitie, and the companie of holie Patriarks, Prophets, Apostles, Martirs, and blessed Saints, & inherite such ioyes, as neither eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor hart e­uer conceiued.

Therefore welcome death, welcome sweet death, for thou shalt remooue me out of this prison, & deliuer me frō this body of sinne, to enter into the amiable tabernacles of my Lord, where one day is better then a thousand else-where: I shal no more weep by the waters of Ba­bilon, when I shal remember thee ô Si­on, for now I shall be in Sion, and dwell there for euermore. Come therfore, ô death to mee at thy pleasure, for it is a pleasure for me to die, com death, ô my ioy, for it is a ioy for mee to enioy thee. [Page 80]VVelcome death the beginning of ioy, the first fruite of pleasure, when thou commes [...] [...]ar well sorowes, adiew mise­ries, death is the Prince of delights. A­rise therfore & make hast ô my beloued, my delight, my comfort, for at thy com­ming my winter is past, and the tempe­stuous waters of miseries are ceased: thou art io [...]es messenger, and gladde ti­dings bringer, ô life thou art my death, ô death thou art my life: this life is a cō ­tintiāll death, but after this death hath ceased vpon my body, thē shal my soule go vnto her life. Adiew therfore, ô my­serable li [...]e, welcome, thrice welcome death; farewell also ô death, welcome immortall life.

Laus Deo.