THE FIRST POINTE. Of Gods Benefits to man in his Creation.

CONISDER that God who is infinitly gre­at, and infinitly, and evernally happy in himselfe, seeinge thinges [Page 116]which are not, as thinges that are, out of his meere Good­nesse, without any neede of vs, beinge neither preuented by any merits of ours, not prouoked by hopes of retur­nes, raysed vs out of nothinge to his owne likenesse; presen­ted vs with the whole world; made vs absolute Lords ouer it, and ouer all the great va­rietie of thinges comprised in it, for our vse. Finally he en­dowed vs with a reasonable soule; capable of himselfe, to enioy him for euer.

AFFECTION. Where were wee, where were wee (soe­longe, or soe longe agoe) my soule? where were wee, and all that wee glory in, while wee yet were not? Ah while wee slept in our nothinge, he [Page 117]who watches ouer Israël slept not. But loued vs vvith a per­petuall loue. he made a world for vs; not vs for the world: he made vs Lords ouer it, not slaues to it. He gaue vs all thinges to vse, not to inioy: to solace our pilgrimage, not to stay vs from our contry. Heauen, my soule, is our con­try: the Kinge of Heauen our possession, which we are made to inioy. Be it farre from vs to loue the benefits, more then the bountiful be­nefactor: or to glory in our selues; or any thinge; while we and they are Equally his free gifts:

THE SECONDE POINTE. Of mans regeneration.

Consider that though the benefit of creation be great, yet that of regeneration farre exceeds it, whereby we are borne to a new and better life; life euerlastinge. By that, we were made, and called men: by this, wee were made, and called by Christ his owne name, Christians, or men of Christ. By that, he gaue vs power to liue and raigne ouer all the creatures: by this, to be little lesse then the An­gells, yea to be like to our creator in iustice, and sancti­ty. We were borne dead, but by pure grace, we were reui­ued [Page 119]in baptisme, made do­mestikes of his house the Catholike Church, strengthe­ned by confirmation, fedd and fatned by his holy word, and euen his owne pretious body and bloud. Whereby wee are not onely called his seruants, but are indeede his freinds, nor his freinds onely, but his sonns, nor his sonns alone but his spouses.

AFFECTION. If all, my soule, that we are, be due to God for our creation, by which we are all, that wee either are, or haue in the or­der of nature, what will be due for our better beeinge by our regeneration, which makes vs citizens of the Saintes, and Gods owne do­mestikes, his friends his sonns, [Page 120]his spouses? O what hart is able to conceaue the highth of the dignity, to be made, by grace, of sonns of the earth, the sonns of God: of disloyall subiects, he spouses of Christ? and yet, my soule, such wee are which was not granted to all; such wee are by his free goodnesse, and mercy. If therefore, all that wee haue in the order of na­ture, or grace, we had ab­solutly, from his free gift, let all be employed, and hartily referred, to his ho­nour.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that as the be­nefite of regeneration in Baptisme is a benefite of preference, and of singular excellencie, since of slaues of the Diuell, it renders vs chil­deren of God, and reintitles vs to our right in the Kingdo­me of Heauen: so it bringes with it greate obligations to which we are all indispensably subiect. We solemnely pro­messed therin, in the face of the Church. First to renounce [Page 122]the diuell and all his pompes, wiles, and allurementes (wher­by he endeuours incessantly to worke our eternall ruine.) That is, to detest and flye the concupiscence of the flesh; the cōcupiscence of the eyes: and pride of life which are the Diuells baites, wher-in he insnares the whole world, and inslaues it to his accursed do­minion.

These renounciations, ô my soule, are the promesses we solemnely made in our Baptisme. These are the chris­tian duties to which we are all absolutly oblidged; be we re­ligious persons, or be we secu­lar: according to these we shall be iudged at the last day. It highly behoues vs then, to run ouer our life past in the [Page 123]bitternesse of our harts, and obserue whether our holy professions haue bene secon­ded by answerable practises: and whether due performan­ces followed our solemne pro­mises. Haue we indeede, my soule, renounced the Diuell and all his pompes? Or rather, haue we not left Christ, and followed his wicked allure­ments? Vpon what follies haue we not feasted our eyes? To what highth hath not our thoughtes aspired? Of what impurities, and disloyalties, haue not our hartes, at least, bene brimme full. Obserue and lament our miseries.

THE II. POINTE. Of the seconde obligation vvhich vve contracte in Baptisme.

Consider that the seconde obligation which we cōtracte in Baptisme, is, to be listed among the soldiers of Iesus Christ, to fight vnder the ban­ner of the Crosse, and openly to professe his lawe. That Sweete lawe of loue which conteynes all Christian dutie: the loue of God incompara­bly aboue all other thinges, as being infinitly louelie, and comprisinge in himselfe all the motiues and obligations of loue: and the loue of our neighbour as our selues; that is, in order to God, in God, and for God. All the loue we can afford to the rest of the [Page 125]creatures, is but onely for so­laces to our necessities and pouerties: as prouisions for the way of our pilgrimage: to be vsed, not to be inioyed, not to haue our hates fixed vpon, which are wholie due to God and our neighbour.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Ah, my soule, had we bene to haue made choyce of what lawe we our selues had most desired (not to haue receiued it from the hand of our al­mightie maker, who had full power to impose what lawe he pleased vpon the workes of his hands) what other lawe would we haue wished, but that which we haue? A lawe by which we are not permit­ted onely, but euen comman­ded, to loue our Kinge, the [Page 126]Kinge of Kinges the Kinge of glorie. What more hono­rable? To loue him wholy, from whose loue and bountie we haue all that we haue. What more reasonable? To loue him from whose libera­litie we expect all that we yet want; the possession of his heauenly Kingdome; the inioyment of himselfe for all eternitie. What more profita­ble? And as to the other parte of the lawe, what poore liues should we not leade; nay what deathes, and Hells should we not suffer, did we in lieu of loue to our neighbour, afford him onely neglect, scorne, and hatred. Let me loue thee then, ô my deare Lord, and my neighbour in thee, and for thee, for euer.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that the third obligation that we con­tracted in Baptisme, was, that we are bound to liue the life of Christ: according to that of S. Paule: I liue, not novv I, but Iesus Christ liues in me: for vve are buried togeither vvith him by Baptisme: and ought also to ryse with him, and walke after him, in new­nesse of life: because he left vs an example, and his will is, that we should followe his [Page 128]foostepps: that is that we should walke in the lowlie pathes of humilitie, pouertie, and abiection, as he did from his verie first steppe into this world in labours, hunger and thirst from his youth: in suf­fering reproches, contume­lies, and outragious contēpts, all his life longe: in being abandonned at his death by his Apostles, and euen by his heauenly Father: my God, my God, vvhy haste thou forsaken me?

AFFECTION and RESOL. The life of Christ, my soule, is our paterne; the imitation of it, is our obligation; and the liuely expression of it is our perfection. Let vs seeke noe other, nor other way, then by humbly following his [Page 129]footestepps. To that he calls, vs: learne of me vvho am mylde and humble in harte: not to high speculations, with are more apt to fill vs with vanitie, then feede vs with solide foode. Caluarie was left vs for the imitation of his vertues, Thabor onely to admire his Maiestie: He is our Alpha, and Omega our begining and our end. Let all our applica­tions be to him, and our de­pendences of him. Let all our conuersations be with him; our desires followe him; our discourses of him; our con­tinuall cryes to him. O my dearest Lord and sauiour, thou, my loue; thou, my life. Let this couenant be made betwixt vs. Let me wholy dye to my selfe, that thou [Page 130]alone mayst liue in me: Let my passions be wholy silen­ced; that thou alone mayst be heard in me. Let all my sollicitous cares, which are fruitlesse without thee, wholy cease, that thou onely mayst worke in me.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider that notwithstan­ding all those former bene­fits, and obligatiōs contracted therby, we haue bene so vn­gratfull, and neglectfull of our owne good, as litle to mynde them. Nay like true Prodigalls we haue dissipated and spent, all those gracious, and Godlike talents, and for­getting our promesses and obligations, we haue returned backe into the slauerie of the [Page 131]Diuell. And here it was in dee­de that our good God magni­fied his mercyes towards vs. We run from him into a fo­raigne land, and he leaues the ninetie nine to seeke vs. Wee strike at him by sinne, and euen crucify him againe, and he supportes vs with patience. We steppe downe to hell, and he brings vs backe. He frequently knockes at our harts, by his holy word prea­ched to our eares; by his in­ternall voyce inculcated to our hartes; by wholsome tri­bulations multiplyed vppon vs, and breakes through our deafness. And hauinge him­selfe wrought all this in vs, he crownes his owne mercyes by takeinge vs againe into his familiarity? and he, and all [Page 132]his courte reioyceth at our conuersion.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O thou God of mercy! to what a length hast thou ex­tended thy patience with me? It was I, that ran from thee in­to a Land of disproportion I, that forsooke thee, the foun­taine of liueinge water, and made to my selfe cisternes, broken cisterns which could hold noe water. I, that turned the vse of thyne owne giftes to abuse, by loueinge them more then thy selfe (in such or such an occasion) I that stept downe into Hell (at such or such a time; soe, or soe often) and thou the while ceasedst not to redouble thy cryes: Why vvilt thou perish ô thou house of I sraëll; Why dost thou [Page 133]loue vanity, and seeke a lye? loose thy chaynes from thy necke ô thou captiue daughter of Sion. At least after all thy disloyal­tyes, call mee but Father. Ah, my soule, be noe longer deafe to all these gracious inuita­tions: but run, though alas but too late, to that Father of mercyes, and say, with a con­trite and humbled hart: Fa­ther I haue offended against heauen, & against thee, & I am noe longer vvorthy to be called thy Sonne: deale with mee onely as with one of the hy­relings of thy house.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider what sinne is, and your holy father S. Augustine will teache you that it is noe substance at all, but a miserable and accursed no­thing. Yet such a nothinge it is, that man becomes nothing therby (nihil fiuntbomines cum peccant) yea worse then no­thing, since it is the verie death of the soule (peccatum mors est animae.) Or take it from him with the whole Catholike Church, in more ample and expressiue tear­mes. Sinne is a vvord a thought, [Page 135]a deede against the eternall lavv, or prime reason, which is God himselfe. What doe we then, when we sinne, but speake, thinke or doe, against Gods eternall Lawe, or God him­selfe?

AFFECTION and RESOL. Ah my soule, my soule, it is too hard for thee to kicke a­gainst the pricke; which by how much more we assault it, by so much more we are woun­ded by it. It is against God himselfe that sinne ryseth vp; against that great, dreadfull all-mightie, reuengfull God, whom were it in its power, it would destroye: since the sin­ner, as such, would neither haue God wise to know, nor iust and powerfull to punish his iniquitie. Alas, what ad­uantage [Page 136]can wormes, and pis­mires expect by wrasling with Elephants? Our strength is like to a spiders webbe; how dare we then strugle with om­nipotencie whose will none resistes? In wrasling we shall onely meete with our owne ruine. In disputing neuer find repose, nor be able to ansvver one for a thousand: for, to conclude with S. Paule, ô man vvho art thou that dost ansvver God?

THE II. POINTE. Of the lamentable effects of sinne.

Consider what grieuous do­mages the poore soule recei­ues by mortall Sinne. It de­priues of grace & ban̄isheth the holy ghost out of the hart [Page 137]which it did inhabite. It brea­kes the league of freindshippe which was betwixt God & vs, & leaues vs his enemyes, and slaues of the Diuell, his & our worst enemie: It robbs vs of the right we had to possesse God for euer, leaueinge only Hell for our inheritance. It wounds, makes hideous, & euen Kills that otherwise im̄ortall soule of ours: in a word, it makes vs crucify Iesus Christ againe, & in effect tread the sacred bloud of Iesus vn­der our feete.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. Oh accursed fruites of Sinne! O saith God himselfe by the mouth of Ieremie, Know & see how euill & bitter a thinge it is for thee to haue left the Lord thy God. Ah my soule, [Page 138]these are not dreames imagi­nations, or rethoricall ampli­fications, but euen Christian truthes which none dare deny, how doe we then dare to dally with danger, to seeke occa­sions, to drinke downe sinne like water? If therefore the world, the flesh, or the Diuell tell of I Know not what de­lightes, let vs haue this ge­nerouse replye still before our eyes, but they are too dearely bought, with the losse of the holy ghost and all his giftes, Gods friendshippe, and his eternall inheritance, & become the obiecte of his hate. This moment of false libertie is not worth beinge aslaue to the Diuell for euer. This honnor lookes fawning­ly vppon mee: but it were [Page 139]madnesse to purchase it with eternall disgrace. This gold glitters agreeably, yet it is not worth the hauing: since it will serue onely to buy Hell.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider in what horror and detestation wee should haue it, since wisdome it selfe doth soe abhorre & detest it. The Almighty eter­nall God, whose goodnesse cannot be questioned without impiety; nor his iustice be impeched without blasphe­my; nor his mercy be exacted [Page 140]without presumption: he be­inge indeede, not soe much good as euen effentially goodnesse it selfe, nor soe much iust as iustice it selfe, nor soe much mercifull as mercy it selfe; for one sinne of pride throwes downe the third parte of the Angells in­to hell, irrecouerably, without any further hope of mercy.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. If, my soule, this be not lesse a truth, which all the Christian world willingly imbraces, then the former; how comes it to passe that mans follie dare be soe damnably aduentu­rous as to fall in loue with Sinne, which wisdome soe highly detests? How, how, I say, dare we liue in league with it, & be willinge to [Page 141]meete with it at euery turne? If it haue made Angells Di­uells, what priuiledge haue men not to dreade the like effects? not for one or a few, but euen for thousands of sinnes; (euery man makeinge reflection in himselfe of the multitude of his sinnes) downe then, my soule, downe; place thy mouth in the dust, and whilst thou canst not pe­netrate the rigour of Gods iustice to the Angells, turne thy selfe more earnestly to admire his incōparable mer­cy to thee, humbly confes­singe, that otherwise Hell had beene longe since thy habita­tion: makeinge a firme resolu­tion to singe his mercyes eter­nally.

THE II. POINT. Adam by sinne turned out of Paradise.

Consider how the same God who is equally goodnesse, mercy and iustice, for one acte of disobedience, throwes Adam out of the happie state wherin he had placed him, and subiects him and all his posteritie, to multitudes of miseries of body and mynde (such as we all daylie expe­perience) to heate, cold, cala­mities, innumerable sorts of sicknesses, and euen to death it selfe; and that too, not one­ly to the death of his body, but euen to a second death, the death of the soule: so that there was not any saluation left for all the sonns of men, [Page 143]at any lesse rate then the death and bloud, of a God­man Iesus-Christ.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O my soule, if this truth be taught vs by faith; if we feele it by a sadd and vniuersall ex­perience; if it be made ma­nifest to vs by the death of a God: let it printe in our har­tes, an absolute horrour, and detestation of sinne, which is so horrible, and detestable in the sight of God; and which his iustice punishes so rigou­rously. And let vs noe lesse adore that sterne iustice of his, then extolle, and dearly imbrace his mylde mercy; who to expiate the sinne of an vngracicus disloyall ser­uant, sacryficeth the bloud of a dearely beloued, and deare­ly [Page 144]louing, and wholy obe­dient, and onely child. Be that Iustice alwayes admired, and dreaded; and be that mercy magnified, and loued, by men.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that our sweete Sauiours paines (the dea­re price of our redemptió) are vniuersall; noe parte of his body passes without its parti­cular punishment. His head is tormented with pullinge of the haire, with blowes with thornes; His face with foule [Page 145]spittings & boxes. His tongue with thirst veneger & gale. His torne shoulders with the heauie loade of the Crosse. His armes with rude extentiōs & rackinge. His hāds & feete with cruell nayles. His whole body all ouer with stripes. His Sinewes with conuulsions. His arteries and veynes with wi­therednesse. His vitall partes with an incredible effusion of his pretious bloud: soe that what the prophet foretolde was fully verified: from the sole of his foote, to the crowne of his head, there was noe soundnesse. See then whether there be any sorrow like his sorrowe.

AFFECTION. Alas? it is but too euident, my dearest Lord, thy sorowes passe all our so­rowes [Page 146]& yet my soule, it is maiestie that is thus smitten: it's innocencie which thus suf­fers. It's indeede the God of Gods, whose immensitie can­not be comprehended; whose perfections & excellencies cannot be numbred; whose goodnesse is boundlesse, whose mercyes cannot be matched. Alas my deformed, hidden, crucifyed Lord? whither hath mercy, good­nesse, loue to miserable man ledd thee? was it thought fittinge to this goodnesse, that thy wounds should be without number, as are thy perfectiōs, & mercyes to man? soe to make an absolute de­monstration, that as there is noe loue, soe are there noe sorrowes like to thyne. Let me not liue but to loue thee, & [Page 147]suffer for thy sake.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider further that he sufferd inall his senses, by the presence of all the obiects of sorrow, He saw his choysen Apostles sleeping, while he was sweating bloud. He saw the Trayter, whom he had newly fedd with his owne bles­sed body & bloud, come in the heade of a barbarous band to apprehend him. He saw the execrable crueltie of an vn­gratefull nation, which he had alwayes oblidged and loued by preference. Finally, his cares were full of blasphee­mies scoffes and scornes: and his eyes and harte of the sor­rowes, teares, and bloud of a God dying.

AFFECTION. And yet, my [Page 148]soule, it is the very naturall sonne of God that suffers all this? He is the splendour of his fathers glorie, and the fi­gure of his substance. And shall we his poore sonns, taken in by adoption onely, see with drye eyes, his, full of teares and bloud? or shall we, after this sad sight, permitt them any more to be filled with va­nitie? Shall our eares lye open to destractions, adulations, and found rumours, which hurt our soules, whyle his, for our sake, are filled with con­tumelies, and blasphemies? Shall we Christians pamper the rest of our senses, with sweetes and delicacies, while our Christs so hugely suffers in them all? Ah! be it euer farre from vs; to pay his loue [Page 149]with such intolerable ingra­titude!

THE III. POINT. He suffers in his soule.

But if his body vniuersally and all his senses, be ingaged in the sufference, is his soule at least free? Ah noe, its sadd to death; its replenished vvith euill or sorrow, the bitter vva­ters of tribulations haue broken in vpon it. The horrour of death, the ingratitude of mē, the scorne of Nations, Pilates iniustice, Herods mockerie: Annas and Cayphas blasphe­mie, the Scribes and Pharisies circumuentions, the Ministers and Soldiers crueltie, the peo­ples preference of Barabbas and their tumultuous and [Page 150]vniust Crucifige. See then vvhe­ther there be any sorrovv like to his sorrovv.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O man of dolours, and accus­tomed to sufferances from thy youth: Were not thy sor­rowes, and, in them, thy loue to man, sufficiently expressed, in abandonning that inno­cent, chast, and tender virgi­nall body of thyne, to the cruell persecutours wills, vn­lesse thou didst withall per­mitt the bitter flouds of tri­bulatiō, and deadly saddnesse, enter into, and take pos­session of thy blessed soule? Consider: my soule, and see whether their be any sorowe like to this sorrow, or any loue like to his loue who gaue vp his soule to such sorrowes for [Page 151]thy sake? If the horrour of death inuade thee, thy Master went before thee, & waded through to death it selfe. Proue friends vngratefull? so they were to thy Lord. Are others, of lesse worth prefer­red before thee? but so was Barrabas before thy Master Christ. Remember, remem­ber, my soule, that the seruant is not greater then his master &c.

THE IV. POINTE. He suffers vvithout a comforter.

Consider his body's tor­mented, his senses offended, his soule afflicted and oppres­sed. Is none left to comfort him? Noe none, relictus est so­lus, he's abandoned. left all [Page 152]alone, to wrastle with all the legions of sorrowes. Non est qui consoletur eum. There is none left to comfort him. Was there euer so pittious a spectacle? His Apostles are fled; Peter followes a farre of and sweares he knowes him not. The dolorous mother stands neere the Crosse, in­deed, but her presence affords so smale solace, that her sor­rowes serue to redouble his. The Angells come not neere. His heauenly father aban­donns him: nay yet more (Heauens stand amaysed at it) he is euen forsaken by himsel­fe, while he stopps the influ­ence of his diuinitie, that it flow not vpon his humanitie, leauing it to suffer all alone without all comfort. See then [Page 153]vvhether there be any sorrovv like to his sorrovv!

AFFECTION and RESOL. O, my soule, looke vpon the face of thy Christ. Admire his his vn wearied suffering loue. Hartily acknowledge that there is noe sorrow like his sorrow. Imprint in thy harte at what a deare rate thou wast bought. Ah my soule! it was not with gold and siluer, and such corruptible thinges: but with the sorrowes, and teares, and bloud, and death, of a a God-man, our Sauiour Iesus. With sorrowes, which spredd thēselues so vniuersally ouer body, senses, and soule: with teares, and bloud, so plenti­fully and freely powred out: with death so ignominious, so deuoyd of all comfort, so [Page 154]abandonned, that it forced from the mouth of a most obedient and dearest child: My God, my God, vvhy hast thou forsaken me. Resolue firmely then, that neither sorrowes, nor bloodshed, nor abandon­ments, nor death it selfe, shall separate vs from the loue of that dearest Lord.

THE FIRST POINTE. Nothinge more certaine then death, lesse certaine then the tyme therof.

COnsider, and striue to imprint in our harts, that [Page 155]which we all know, yet seeme not to know it; that which we all beleeue, and yet as it were, beleeue it not: to witt, that as there is nothinge soe cer­taine as death, soe is there no­thinge soe vncertaine as the houre therof. Consult our owne Knowledge vppō these truthes, & we Know, that neither Salomons witt, nor Samsons strength, nor Ab­solons beauty were founde proofe against it. They were, and now are not, mortui sunt, is certaine. Consult the word of truth, and we shall finde that we are bound to beleeue what we otherwise Know. Consult our selues againe vppon the vncertain­tie of it; and we finde that we haue Knowne, many taken [Page 156]away, when they and their friends least feared it; some by violent, some by naturall dea­thes, some in their child­hoode, before they well knew what it was to liue: some in theire flourishinge spring, when vigourous youth pro­mised them they could not dye. Some in the decline of their age, while death threatned, and yet was not feared: soe certaine it is, that the houre of death is vncer­taine to all; as Christ himselfe makes it sure to faith. Watch saith he, because you neither know the day, nor the houre.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. Dye then we must, my soule, thereis nothinge soe certai­ne; departe we must out of this cottage of clay; Gods [Page 157]iustice hath pronounced the sentence. Remember man that thou art dust, & in-to dust thou shalt returne. But when must this sentence be put in execu­tion? that is noe lesse vncer­taine our youth may deceiue vs, as it hath done many. our manhoode or middle age, is not priuiledged: our ould age cannot last longe. What then must we doe, but with S. Augustine, quitt the vncer­taine, and forth-with fixe vppon the certaine meanes, a good & penitentiall life, to preuent the danger of that which cannot otherwise be auoyded by mortall man.

THE SECONDE POINTE. Nothinge more certaine for the thinge, nothinge lesse certaine, as to the manner.

Consider that as we are most certaine that dye we must, & as vncertaine when; soe are we noe lesse ignorant, where, and how this irreuoca­ble sentence is to be execu­ted. Shall it be in France or in England? at Paris or in the Coūtry; at home or abrode, in our chābers, or in the Church or Garden? Shall it be by a violent, accidentall, or natu­rall death? Shall we be found dead in our beds, as we haue seene some, & heard of many? Or else, be wrought downe by a lōge and lingeringe disease in the presence of many? [Page 159]Shall we finally haue the be­nefit of the Sacraments, which we now haue with soe much ease, yea want not without blame? To all this, the wisest amonge men is not able to answer. That dye we must is appointed by a reproachlesse iustice; but when, but where, but how: mercy, saith S. Au­gustine, hath concealed, that we might expect, attend, & prouide for it, in all times, places, & occurrences.

AFFECTION and RESOL. If certainely we must dye, my soule, & yet neither Know when, where, nor how; and if vppon that certaine vncertai­ne houre an eternity of blisse or woe depends, what a ne­cessity is put vppon vs, (if we will not for moments loose [Page 160]eternities) to be ready in all tymes & places. We Know not, my soule, we Know not when, where, or how death may surprise vs; onely this wee Know, that we haue yet an houre left vs to rise out to four slumber, and it is now his present houre. Now then without further delay, will we, by Gods grace dye (to that, that, & that, &c.) that death findinge vs already dead, may not be able to hurt vs, but onely translate vs to à life which Knowes nor feares not death.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that as death contaynes the greatest certaintie, and withall, the greatest vncertaintie imagi­nable, so it bringes alonge with it, the greatest dreade, and the greatest comforte possible. That, to the obsti­nate sinner; this, to the hum­ble penitent. The sinner vpon the approche of death, hath all the sinnes of his whole life placed before his eyes, which he still placed behinde his [Page 162]backe; and would neither see them, nor sorrowe for them; which now the vile Tempter aggrauates, and makes ap­peare in their vttermost inor­minitie. And hence the sinner begins, before hand, to suffer the tormentes, which he al­wayes beleeued (tho fruitlesse­ly, through his obstinacie) to be due to his crymes. And thus Knowing his guilt, and the punishment most iustly due to the same, he deeply ap­prehends it a thinge full of horrour to fall into the hands of a liuing God. Thence he rages, and despaires, seeing himselfe vpō the verie brinke of endlesse perdition; and readie to be deliuered vp into the hands of his cruell Tor­menteres for all eternitie.

AFFECTION. and RESOLVT. O horrour which hath no­thing equall to it! To appre­hend ones selfe to be vpon the verie brinke of eternall perditiō. O daunting dreade, incomparably surpassing all that ought to be dreaded! To be within a moment of falling into the hands of that euer-liuing Maiestie, which is able to throw both the body and soule into Hell fire. What riches, honours, pleasures, (were they neuer so opulent, superlatiue, and prosperous, and remayned they too till that moment, in their full possession, wheras indeede they all are vanished away like nightly dreames) were able to conteruayle so daun­ting and damning a disaster? [Page 164]O my soule, those accursed wretches, shall then say with in themselues; repenting, and sighing (too late) for anguish of spirit. What hath pride profited vs? Or what aduan­tage hath the vaunting of ri­ches brought vs? Or what comfort hath the most pros­perous pleasure of our whole life now left vs. Alas, alas none at all, but contrarilie a comfortlesse, fruitlesse, end­lesse peniteri.

THE II. POINTE. Nothing more confortable to the humble penitent.

Consideration. But when the innocent and iust soule, or the poore humble penitent, perceiues death to creepe [Page 165]vpon her, she lifts vp her lōge deiected heade with ioy, because her redemption is euen at hand. She had vsed her best endeuours, mourn­fully to purge her sinnes in the bloud of the lambe who was slaughtered for vs, and thence she cōceiues an hum­ble confidence to meere with mercy, and to be ioyfully ad­mitted in, to that celestiall mariage of his. In fine, she eyes death as the immediate obiect of her ioy; since it alone has power to deliuer her out of her loathed prison of flesh; and to deliuer her vp into the deare hands, and diuine im­braces of her dearest spouse whom she loues alone.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. Sitt downe seriously, my [Page 166]soule, and count to what a high degree of consolation it will then amounte, to heare those heauenly inuitations of the heauenly spouse saying: come, come, my spouse thou shalt be Crovvned. Crowned, I say, vvith that crovvne of iustice vvhich is layd vp for, and by a iuste Iudge shall be rendered, to them that loue his coming. The shewers of repentāt tea­res, are now blowen ouer: the sharpe winter of temptations, tribulations, vexations, and crosses, which we willingly endured for the loue of God, are quite gone: ryse vp my friend and come. O what ex­cesse of deare delight, shall that happie soule inioye at that houre?

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that dye wee must; that is, this soe much neglected soule of ours, must be turned out of the body, which was pampered, caressed, & too carefully looked to by vs, & presently after death, Iudgment (saith the great Apostle) we must all of vs be brought, and be made manifest before Christs Tribunall, that euery one beare away accordinge to his woorks. We haue left the world vnwillingly while wil­lingly [Page 168]the world leaues vs; the dearest freind that euer we had will not goe alonge with our abandoned soule, nor euen permitt the body which they loued, to ly foure and twentie houres in the Roome with them. They that offended with vs, will not an­swer for vs, but leaue vs alas, to answer all alone.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Aye me vppon what is it that we fixe our hopes? is't vppon our selues; but alas these muddle walls fall, & the im­mortall inhabitant is turned our, Vppon the freinds that we haue purchased by sinne, or other wise! but they haue left vs, our body is throwne into the earth, & our poore soule is left alone to be iud­ged. [Page 169]Ah how much better were it saieth S. Augustine, to chuse him for our freind, a­boue all our freinds, vvho vvhen all forsake vs vvill be sure to make good his trust, at the day of our death, vvho vvhen all departe from vs, vvill not leaue vs, but vvill defend vs, & conduct vs by a countrie vvhere vve haue yet noe acquaintance. Thou art my Iesu & noe other, be thou therefore my choyce in tyme & in eternity.

THE II. POINTE.

Cōsider in what a dauntinge anxiety, & dreadfull expecta­tion the poore soule must needs be, findinge herselfe all alone, to be sentenced by a Iudge who is all knowinge: all things lyinge open, & [Page 170]naked before his Eyes. All powerfull, for who resists his will? all holy, & souerainly hates Sinne. Iustice it selfe which can neither be cor­rupted by bribes, nor moued by prayes. And to behold,; this knovvledge; this povver; this sanctitie; this iustice; armed with implacable vvroth, and inflexable Zeale against the sinner!

AFFECTION and RESOL. Alas and woe, my soule, whither shall we run for shel­ter? To his mercy? but her tyme is past, she leaues the place to iustice. To his sanctitie? But our sinnes are quite opposite to the holynesse of that thrice Holy. To his Iustice? But alas our iniquitie stopps our mouthes. Shall we call vpon [Page 171]the mountaines and rockes to hide vs? But his power is a hammer bruising the rockes in sunder; his knowledge pe­netrates the mountaines; and his Zeale and furie spares none. Such certainly, my soule, and infinitly more dreadfull then we can imagine it, will that dismale day be found. How­beit, we are yet in a tyme of mercye, we can yet safely flye from Christ to Christ; from his iustice to his mercye; from his power to his impotencie, in his cradle &c. From the zeale and wroth of Maiestie; to the sweetnesse and myld­nesse of the Lambe, who comes to take away the sinnes of the world. Finally we haue yet the meanes to hide our selues in the holes of the [Page 172]the saueing rocke, and to saue our selues.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that as mercy & iustice are equall in God, or euen God himselfe; soe, by the law of contraryes, they will be followed with equall effects. If God out of his mercy then, haue posses­sed the blessed of the collec­tion of all good thinges, vnder his heauenly raigne; which is beatitude: he will throw the accursed into the possession of a collection of [Page 173]all euill, vnder the tyranie of the Diuell, which is dam­nation. Let vs therefore ima­gine all that we are able of horrour, of hope turned vnto dispaire; of the loue of God, and all we euer had deare, into hatred, & detestation: let vs add wormes, which neuer dye, weepinge, wailing, gnashinge of teeth, brimstone, and flouds of fire, & yet we must con­clude, that it is not that which the damned suffer, which will indeede, bee that, which nei­ther eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor hath entered into the hart of man.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. Ay me my soule, into what a vast sea of misery, disaster, & dispaire, doth sinne cast downe poore man? we ima­gine [Page 174]all that euer we can of terrour, of horrour, & tor­ment; of im̄ortall wormes; fire & brimstone, & yet we fall short. We adde the col­lection of all euills, & yet we cannot reach to it. What is it alas? what is it, that lulles vs asleepe, & makes vs sense­lesse, of things soe sensible? O that we could descend into Hell aliue, & consider, who amongst vs, were able to liue in the midest of deuouringe flames? And yet into such is the sinner throwne by the doome of eternall Truth: Goe you accursed into eternall fire.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider yet more particu­larly, that as the accursed had misused all that God had [Page 175]giuen them for his seruice, to offend him; as body, soule, & senses, soe shall they all meete with theire seuerall tortures. The body & soule, become fewell for deuouringe flames. All the senses are replenished with obiects of horrour: the eys are full of dreedfull & gastly Ghosts: the ears of howlinges, roareings, execra­ble maledictions, & blasphe­mies: the smell of the stinc­kinge odours issuinge from the bodyes of the damned: the taste is glutted with what can be imagined most bitter, & abbominably loathsome. Finaly, the sense of touchinge meets with nothinge but flouds of tormentinge flames.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. O horrour, consternation, & [Page 176]despaire? O lamentation of lamentations, & woe, woe, woe? woe to the corruptible body which waighed downe the poore soule? woe to the soule that quickened that fleshly lumpe, & gaue way to its badd inclinations. Woe to the eys & eares which lay open to vanities, & franticke madnesse, & con­ueyed poyson into the harte. Woe to all the rest of the sen­ses & members, which conspi­red to the seducinge of the soule, & to bringe it, & them­selues, to lye tormented in this flame.

THE II. POINT.

Consider that if the mise­rable state of the damned be most vnhappie by the conti­nuall presence of the whole [Page 177]collection of all euill: What an infinite addition is made, to it by the priuation of all good, and that for an eterni­tie? To be for an Eternitie, se­parated from all the blessed, were they neuer soe deare vnto vs, while they liued with vs? for an eternitie to be de­priued of the peerelesse beau­tie of the Queene of Heauen, & the societie of all the Qui­res of Angells! For an eterni­tie to be exiled from the glo­rious face of God, which is man & Angells essential bea­titude; & to detest, curse, & blaspheame it for euer? Neuer to haue one moment of ease; consolation or rest, or euen the least hope of any for all eternitie

AFFECTION and RESOL. [Page 178]O God of mercy, now turned the Lord of reuenge, what hart hath assurance ennough, not to endure, but euen to be­holde this calamitous condi­tion of the damned? ouer­whelmed with all sortes of torments; remoued from all hopes, or euen desires of com­fort: not for some millions of millions of yeares, but for an eternitie! O eternitie! eter­nitie! how longe thou art! Noe number of yeares are able to expresse thee; the sands of the sea cannot equa­lise thee; after all, thou still remainest what thou art, Eter­nitie. Ah my soule let vs vse a timely preuention, & not make our selues away to eter­nall' torments for light & short delightes (such or such [Page 179]&c.) nor yet for the auoy­dinge of, such or such smale crosses, afflictions, or tempo­rall losses. Let vs couragiously plucke out the Eye, and cutt of the hand, which scandali­ses, & hazards our eternall losse: & conclude with holy S. Augustine: Let me here be burnt, let me here be cutt in peeces. soe that I may not perish eternally.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider what this King­dome is, which is pre­pared for the Blessed and [Page 180]which they are called to pos­sesse (come possesse the King­dome prepared for you) and this, at least, we shall finde, that whateuer this possession may be, it is greater then we haue any capacitie to com­prehend. Let vs looke vpon all the beauties, and magnifi­cencies that euer our eyes be­held, and they are not it. Lets make reflection of all that euer we haue heard, of ho­nours, riches, pleasures, and all of them are not it. Let vs by helpe of imagination, put all togeither that we haue either seene or heard; and euen adde to them millions of millions more, and yet we are not arriued at it. Noe, for S. Paule assures vs: that neither eye hath seene, nor eare hath [Page 181]heard, nor hath it entred into the mynde of man, vvhat God hath prepared for those that loue him.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O my most bountifull Lord and Master. Hath thy good­nesse made me capable of a Kingdome, which thy wis­dome hath not inabled me at present to comprehend! O too too happie we, could we truly vnderstand our owne happinesse! But ô more then most vnhappie we, if we permitt sinne to robbe vs of it; or that we otherwise make it a way for a messe of potage; or the bitter Mandragores of mixt moments of painefull pleasures: for such inconsi­derable toyes (I meane) as are daylie obiects to meanest eyes, and fill euery eare. Nay [Page 182]euen for the greatest thinges our hartes can conceiue, since in a smale tyme they vanish away like dreames, and leaue nothinge in our hands. Alas! were it not a strange miserie, and madnesse, to make away such inconceiuable permanēt possessions, for such knowne transitorie toyes?

THE II. POINTE. What heauen is.

Consider, againe, what this Kingdome, or possession pre­pared for vs may be; and we finde it is a state of life per­fectly accomplished with the whole collection of all good thinges. Not a passage, but a state, a permanencie, without change, without end, without [Page 183]irkesommesse. Perfectly accom­plished: not by halues, and peecemeales. With the vvhole collection of all good thinges. Not with a few, as here below, and those, good and ill; paines and pleasures mixt togeither, but with the whole collection of all good thinges: so that what euer we desire, shall be present: and all that we desire not shall be absent eternally.

AFFECTION and RESOL. We haue Gods word for it, my soule, and it cannot fayle vs, that he will shew vs all good; that is, all that is aduan­tagious, gaynefull, and rich, in steede of the transitorie riches of this world: all that is be­seeming, honorable, and illu­strious; in lieu of the vaine and vadinge honours here be­lowe: [Page 184]all that conteynes in it selfe any cause of ioy, and iubilie, and and all that is deare and delightfull (to witt, that ineffable, vnmeasurable, eternall waight of glorie, ac­cording to S. Paule) in place of those short, light, deluding, and euen painefull pleasures (as Salomon and S. Augustine experienced them) for which poore man looses himselfe. Thus, my soule, doth faith assure vs: let not then follie perswade vs the contrarie.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider, the kingdome prepared for vs, is Beati­tude: come ô you blessed: and Beatitude is noe other thinge, then to know what is best, and to inioy the same. And wheras none but God himselfe is our summum bonum, or optimum, our cheife good, or our best: it followes, that God himselfe, the father, sonne, and holy Ghost, is our Beatitude, or the Kingdome prepared for vs: accordinge to that: I my selfe vvill be thy exceeding greate [Page 186]revvarde. Him we shall see face to face, and in that sight our vnderstanding meets with all truth: him we shall see, and in seeing him, our will meetes with all good. Hence the vn­derstanding hauing noe more to seeke, and the will noe more to loue, they fall, as it were, into a blessed necessitie, of truly seeing what they loue, and louing what they see for all eternitie.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Forgett not then, ô man, thy dignitie! By Gods mercy, and the merits of Christ, thou art made the sonne of God, coheire with Christ, to share in his heauenly inheritance, to possesse the same Kingdome with him: that is, to knowe the prime truth, and loue the [Page 187] cheife good for euer and euer. Let not then the fables, fictions and vaine lyes of the world, take vp thyne vnder­standinge made to knowe so great and diuine a Truth: nor the vaine loue of creatures ingage thy will, made to loue so souueraigne à Good. But crye incessantly here belowe with holy S. Augustine: Let me knovv thee, ô Lord, and knovv my selfe; and let me loue thee as much as I desire, and as much as I ought. Thus, my soule, may we in some measure, while we liue amidst our miseries, be­gin, before hand, to possesse our Beatitude, which consists in knovving, louing, and inioying our chiefe Good, which is God himselfe.

THE II. POINTE. Hovv Heauen is to be purchased.

Consider out of the Gos­pell, that the Kingdome of heauen suffers violence; and the violent beare it avvay. Yes, but we must learne of S. Am­brose how we are to make this violence. We are to assault it, not with swords, with clubbe, or stone; but with myldnesse, with good workes, with chastitie. These are the armes which our faith makes vse of, in that onsett. But yet to make a right vse therof, we must first of all, make force against our owne flesh and bloud, that so gayning domi­nion ouer our selues, we may imploye all our abilities to force Heauen, as it were, out [Page 189]of the stronge hands of the Almightie. We are not to hope, saith S. Gregorie, to come to great honours, but by great labours and paines. We must mortifie our members, and all the mutinous people of our hartes, our vnrulie pas­sions, and badd inclinations. So did all the saintes of God scale and winne his King­dome. So did that greate Doc­tour of the Gentiles beare it away: I chastise my body and bringe it into seruitude. So did the sainte of saintes enter into his owne Kingdome. He suffered and so entred into his owne Kingdome.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Let vs not hope, my soule, that we who are but younger, and adoptiue children, should [Page 190]find any other safe way to heauen, then that which the naturall sonne of God, and all his saintes, were to passe: That is, through tribulations, contumelies, and contempts. If vve suffer vvith him vve shall raigne vvith him. Noe, noe, the pure wheate reserued for the heauenly granaries must be winnowed: the gold found worthy to haue course in that celestiall Kingdome, must passe through the hotest fires. Sweete S. Augustine putts it at the lowest rate; that euer it can be expected: and yet ac­cording to him it will cost vs noe lesse then all we are. The Kingdome of heauen, saith that excellent Sainte, is vvorth as much as thou art: giue thy selfe and thou shalt haue it. Doe not [Page 191]stand barganing, my soule, and grudging at the price. The naturall sonne of God, purchaced it at noe lesse a rate for himselfe, and thee.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider (by way of a serious reflection of all the former Meditarions) that since God hath bene so gra­cious to vs, and we so vngrate­full to him, as greatly and [Page 192]frequently to haue offended his diuine Maiestie. Since he so souuerainly hates sinne wher [...]of we stand guiltie. Since death is so vncertaine: iudge­ment so dreadfull. Hell so intolerable; and the ioyes of Heauen prepared for vs, so ineffablely great; consider, I say, what a necessitie is put vpon vs (if our hartes be tou­ched, either with dreade of vnspeakable torments, or loue of Beatitude.) To make a good vse of the tyme, which by Gods mercy, we yet haue, to redeeme tyme lost: to make hay whyle the sunne shines: and to treasure vp the ce­lestiall Manna before the sunne sett.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. Noe my soule, we will dare [Page 193]noe lōger to be so audaciously aduenterous as to triffle our pretious tyme with cold cras crasses. But euen at this verie moment I will striue to con­clude an eternall peace with God. It is dreadfull to come too late; to heare, verily verily I know you not, and to finde the dore shurt. My conuersa­tion therfor shall henceforth be in heauen, and heauenly thinges. I will descende into Hell aliue, to obserue the hor­ride torments of that gastly denne. I will expect death at all houres, since none knowes the houre indeede in which it may surprise me. I will iudge my selfe without flatterie, that I may not be more rigourously iudged. I will endeuour in earnest and [Page 194]with my whole harte to hate sinne, which God so souerai­gnely hates. And the residue of my life shall be spent, that by true and hartie pennance (the onely true refuge after sinne) I may take reuenge of my selfe, according to S. Paule, for hauing offended, so gracious a Benefactour, and so dreadfull a Maiestie.

THE SECONDE POINTE. Hovv vve are to returne to God by pennance according to S. Augustine.

Consider that the way to returne to God by pennance prescribed by S. Augustine, is: First (as to the tyme) to re­turne speedily, and without all delay: because he who pro­mised [Page 195]pardon to the repen­tant sinner; promised noe cer­taine tyme for him to repent in, but willed him not to delay his conuersion. Secondly, (as to the manner) mournfully and with confusion. Euery one ought to lament ouer himselfe, as ouer a deade corps: and expresse huge grones vpon his deade soule. Thirdly, in qualitie of Iudge: Mounte into the Tribunall of your owne harte, proue your owne Iudge, and exer­cise iustice vpon your selfe. And in the first place, take your selfe from behind you, where you endeuoured to hide your faults, and not to be seene, and stand araigned before your selfe. Let feare torture you, till a true confes­sion [Page 196]burst out from an hum­bled harte: and say to God: I achnovvledge myne iniquitie, and my sinnes are continually before myne eyes.

AFFECTION. and RESOLVT. My soule, hauing thus, speedi­ly, mounefully and with the iustice and rigour of an vn­partiall Iudge, discussed our selues, let vs, presently, hum­bly, and confidently haue re­course to God for the rest. We haue an vnhappie power in our selues to commit sinne Thy perdition is from thy selfe, ô Israel: but our saluation is from God alone. To his mercy therfor, which is aboue all his workes, let vs betake our sel­ues, saying in the bitternesse of our harte: Grant mercy ô Lord to that miserable [Page 197]wretch, whom thou so longe sparedst in his crymes. O im­mense pietie, take compassion vpon a confessing cryminall. O publike mercy, looke vpon him with the eye of pitie who hath proued cruell against his owne soule, ah. I should apprehend my case, in a man­ner, desparate, did I not bewaile it in the fight of an infinite goodnesse; and con­ceiue my wounds incurable, had I not recourse to an all-souueraigne Physition. Let me perceiue the effects of thy myldnesse, hauing so longe mercifully suspended the sword of reuenge, and let the multitudes of my miseries, be drunke vp in the multitudes of thy drainelesse mercyes.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that the poore prodigall hauing consu­med all his substance, and rysing (by Gods preuenting grace) out of the sleepe of sinne where he had longe layd, he said in himselfe: hovv many hyrelings are there in my fathers house, vvho haue bread in aboundance, vvhile I lye staruing herevvith hunger? I vvill therfor goe to my father, and say vnto him, Father I haue [Page 199]offended against heauen, and against thee: nor am I vvorthy to be called thy sonne: treate me onely as one of thy hyrelings. This was all the rhetoricke he vsed: to witt a true acknow­ledgment of his owne miserie and offences: and the plentie which was found in his fathers house. And so tooke a pious resolution, with the harte of a contrite, and humbled child, to returne to a gracious father, and confesse his fault, willing for his punishment, to loose the title of a sonne, for that of a poore hirelinge.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Thus it is, my soule, that we ought to enter into our selues, by comparing the honour and plentie which we in­ioyed in our fathers house, [Page 200]where a quiete conscience, heauenly comforts, benedic­tiōs and graces doe abounde; with the disasters, disgrace, and abandonments which ex­perience made vs find and feel, when like fugitiues we wandred abroad, and were reduced at length, to that ex­cesse of miserie, as to feede with swine. Thus it is that we are to returne home againe, by an humble confession of our faults to God, and his Mi­nisters: hartily acknowled­ging that we are noe longer worthy of that noble Title of domestikes of God, sonns of God, coheires, and spouses of Christ, but onely of poore hirelings, which we willingly imbrace. Thus doe my soule, and we shall infallibly be [Page 201]receiued into the open bo­some of a tender father, whose bowells are more prone to mercy, then our miserable harts readie to craue it as we ought.

THE II. POINTE. Hovv vve are to returne to God, by the example of B. Marie Magdalene.

Consider that that mirour of true penitents returned to God in the best manner ima­ginable, that is, with humilitie and loue mixed with teares, &c. Vt cognouit, saith the Euangelist, as soone as she knevv that Iesus vvas sett dovvne, to table in the Phari­sies house &c. she entred with a pious impudence, where she [Page 202]was not inuited and placed her selfe, behind him at his feete, she began to water his feete with teares, and wiped them with the haires of her heade, and kissed them &c. She delayed not; to witt, the grace of the holie Ghost knovves noe sluggish delay. She blushed not: because the confusion which she felt within, per­swaded her, that outward shame was not to be valued. She spoke not, where she knew that the language of a contrite harte was better heard, and her teares, the while, more effectually spoke her errand. So that she wrought her wrothfull Iudge, to turne her pious Aduocate, and to pronounce a fauoura­ble sentence for her. Thy [Page 203]sinns are forgiuen thee.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. These indeede, my soule, are the blissed dispositions, which leade vs to a perfect recōcile­ment with God. But alas! who is so impertinētly proude as to presume to haue them without his gifte who com­mands them, assuring vs by S. Iohn, that vvithout him, vve can doe nothinge Say there-for; giue ô Lord, I humbly be­seech thee, what thou com­mandest, that I may loue thee, as much as I desire, and as much as dutie obliges me to. Giue humilitie, that inseparable companion of Charitie, and sure Guardien of virginitie. Giue, finally fountaines of teares, that day and night I may bewaile my offences: [Page 104]giue them, I say, because without thee we are able to doe nothing. Noe: for if with B. Magdalene we come to Christ, it is because his hea­uenly Father drawes vs. If the deepe inwarde sense of our crymes make vs insensible (with her) of all outward con­fusion which they bringe with them; it is the sorrovv vvhich is accordinge to God, and from God, that workes it in our hartes. If we washe his feere with teares; it is God who powres downe that heauenly dewe. If we loue him, it is because he loued vs first. And yet, (ô ineffable goodnesse and benignitie!) by these his owne gifts he drawes vs to him, and then crownes the same by his free pardon, [Page 205]saying: thy sinns are forgiuen thee.

THE FIRST POINTE.

CONSIDER that since now the yeare of your nouishippe, or tryall, is come to an end; and that by Gods spe­ciall grace and assistance, (to his honour and glorie, and the [Page 208]good of your soule) you haue conceiued a generous resolu­tion, to sett vpon the building of the Euangelicall Towre, you are highly concerned maturely to examine how it is to be done. Nor can you pro­ceede more securely then by taking it from the mouth of Prime Truth, saying: ‘which of you mynding to build a tower, doth not first sitt downe and reckon the char­ges that are necessaire whe­ther he haue to finish it, least that after he hath layd the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mocke him, saying this man began to build, and he could not finish it.’ You ought therfor to consider the strength of your body: the [Page 209]bent of your mynde; the motiues which brought you hither: that so you may dis­couer, whether your body be not in truth too infirme: your mynd too weake and waue­ring: your motiues too light, and incōsiderate; out of some disgust, rather then a disinter­rested choyce: out of confi­dence of your owne abilitie and strength rather then Gods inspirations and dependance of his grace.

AFFECTION. Let this be done, my soule, in sinceritie and truth; with grauitie and care; still taking your coun­sells with God, and from God. It is not a childs play you are going about but the worke of a perfect man. Your choyce is not for a day, but for life. The [Page 210]consequence of it not for a tearme of some fewe yeares, but for eternitie, eternitie, my soule. In thinges, in a manner, indifferent, the choyce is in­different. In such things of smale importance, it litle im­portes whether this, or that be done: so either of them be done to Gods glorie, God is pleased, and we merite: If we should stand a waighing Dou­bles, saith B. Sales, trading would proue too troublesome, Marrie, goes on the same, the choyce of ones vocation: the proposition of a matter of great consequence: a worke of much difficultie &c. de­serue a serious ponderation, that Gods will (which is our dutie happinesse and perfec­tion) may be discerned therin. [Page 211]And let our firme resolutions be made accordingly.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider with what it is that this Euangelicall Towre, or spirituall building ought to be built, and S. Augustine will teach you, that it is to be done vvith noe other treasure, then the forsaking of all, and follovving of Christ, which he takes from Truth it selfe, saying; Euery one of you that doth not renounce all that he hath can not be my Disciple. And the same Truth expresses what he meanes by renounceing of all, in these words; If any man come to me, and hateth not his Father and mother, and vvife, and children, and bre­thren and sisters, yea and his [Page 212]evvne life besides, he cannot be my Disciple.

AFFECTION. This, my soule, is the conctition of the obli­gation into which we are to enter, for the building of this spirituall Towre. This must be performed by vs, and euen by all Christians in generall (at least in perparation of mynde) or els in vaine doe we pretend to be the Disciples, or seruants of Christ. Giue all, and gayne all. At any lesse coste, this spirituall Towre will not be finished: at any lesse rate the Euangelicall pearle will not be purchaced. Vnlesse all this be performed▪ saith Christ himselfe, You cannot be my Disciples: you cannot be true Religious and true followers of Christ. Vn­lesse [Page 213]this generous resolution be absolutley vndertaken: let our designe be absolutly for­saken. To serue God by halues, will proue vnprospe­rous to vs, God desires the hart which was made by himselfe, and for himselfe, and he will haue it whole. The virgines whole thoughtes, and sollici­tudes ought to be imployed vpon the thinges vvhich per­taine to our Lord: that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. Remember that it was S. Paule who saith it.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider what fundation ought to be layd to sup­porte this waightie, and most important building; and your holy Father will tell you againe, that it ought to be noe other then humilitle. Doe you, saith he, pretende to erecte a fabrike of a huge highth? Thinke first of the foundation, humilitie. And by how much higher we in­tend to rayse the building, and to charge more waight [Page 215]vpon it, by so much deeper we must digge the fundation. Now, vnto what a vaste highth is the toppe of our Euan­gelliall Towre to reach? Cer­tes euen into the sight of God, that great God, that im­mense and dreadfull ma­iestie. How vastly deepe then ought our foundation to be digged?

AFFECTION and RESOL. Yes my soule: it is euen into the sight of this dreadfull Maiestie, that we intend that the toppe of our Towre should reach. That maiestie, which the Angells prayse, the Dominations adore, the Powers tremble at; the Che­rubins and Seraphins with dreade singe to. Holy, Holy, Holy, for euer. Let vs not [Page 216]hazard so hugely important a peece vpon vnsound ground­workes which will proue at length but ruines. Nay, con­trarily, let vs digge quite through, this loose earth of which we are made, exinanite exinanite vsques ad fundamen­tum in-ea. Let vs neuer leaue digging till we meete without owne nothinge; till we knowe it certainly; till we confesse it ingenuously: that, is our safest ground to build vpon. where we may iustly hope that God will put a hand too, and rayse the worke; since his custome is, to trade vpon nothinge and to worke wonders vpon it. All my soule, may we be so truly nothing in our owne eyes, that he vvho is potent, may looke vpon our abiectnesse, [Page 217]and doe great thinges in vs.

THE II. POINTE. What this foundation (humi­litie) is.

Consider what humilitie truly is; and you will receiue from your holy Father, that it is a voluntarie stooping, or lovving of the mynde, out of a serious consideration of vvhat our almightie maker is, and vvhat vve are in relation to him. Or againe; humilitie is a vertue vvherby a man vvaxeth vile in his ovvne sight, by the true Knovvledge he hath of his ovvne miserie. Or els from S. Bernard: Humilitie is veritie; that is the truth of what God is, and what is man; which being well knowne and pon­dered, [Page 218]it is impossible but that our hartes should bowe downe to the verie ground, and keepe vs there with our mouthes in the dust wherof we were made.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. Now, my soule, if humilitie be nothinge els but a stoo­ping of the harte vpon the knowledge we haue, of what God is, and what we are, let our consideration be conti­nually fixed vpon those two thinges, as the sure, solide, and true ground therof; saying with the humble S. Francis. O my God, Who art thou, and who am I? Who art thou, but an immense, inaccessible, ineffable, incom­prehensible Maiestie? And who am I, but a miserable, [Page 219]inconsiderable, contemptible abisse of miserie? Who art thou, but an infinite rich Master, who canst neede no­thinge that is myne? And who am I, but a poore, needie, beggarly seruant, who am constrayned to begge breade at thy dore euery day? Who art thou, but à permanent, independant, eternall essence or being? And who am I, as the scriptures teach, but a vapor, a morning devve, a drea­me, a fantome, a fading flovver, a pure vanitie, a blast of vvinde, as had ovve, in aword, a thinge, which neither hath any other thinge, more miserably poore, or more vainely proude then it selfe. Dust and ashes, then, vvhy art thou proude?

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider of whom you ought to learne humili­tie, and S. Augustine will tell you, that he sends you not to publicans and harlots, who yet will be preferred before the proude person in the Kingdome of heauen, but to the Kinge of heauen him­selfe, who cryes out as it were in a publick auditorie of all man kinde: come vnto me, and learne of me. But tell me; I beseech thee, saith he, ô thou [Page 221]sonne of God, what must I learne of thee, by coming to thee? that I am mylde, and humble in harte. Are then all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge which are hidd in thee, reduced to this, that we must learne this of thee, as some great matter of impor­tance, that thou art mylde and humble in harte? Is it so great a thinge to become litle, that vnlesse we learne it of thee, who art so great, we shall neuer be able to learne it? Yes truly, saith he, euen so it is: for the peace and repose of the soule can be noe otherwise attained to, then by dissipa­ting that vnrulie swelling, which makes a man seeme great in his owne eyes, while he appeares vnsound in thyne, ôn; Lord.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. We are here called to Christs schoole, my soule, to learne a a lesson which the world was neuer acquainted with be­fore. The great Rabbys of the Lawe looked ouer it, to finde the first places in the syna­gogue. The learned Phyloso­phers vnderstoode it not, and thence vanished in their owne wisdome. The great Potenta­tes of the earth looked vpon it with scorne, and thence they vvere throvvne dovvne from their seates. But the wis­dome of heauen made him­selfe the Master of it, and will haue vs to learne of him: not to create newe worlds; not to make visible and inuisible things; not to worke miracles, and raise the deade &c. which [Page 223]we should haue iudged a strange, since an impossible commande, but this onely, short, sweete and easie lesson; myldnesse and humilitie of harte. For alas, without it, what would it profite vs to be able to say, as some shall say to God: did we not prophe­cie in thy name? did we not east our Diuells? did we not worke many wonders? What would it profit vs, I say: since we should onely heare with them: I knovv you not; be gone from me, ô you vvorkers of ini­quitie.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider that it is noe wonder that the teaching of humilitie, was one of his grea­test sermons to all mankind in earth, since, as it may seeme, [Page 224]one of his wisdomes cheife designes in coming downe from heauen, was to teache the sonnes of earth that ne­cessarie way to heauen accor­ding to that none ascends but he vvho descends. To witt he had seene one of the brightest of his starrs with huge multi­tudes of his accursed crue rushe downe to Hell, by their proude ambition of ascen­ding: and therfor he would reache the earth by descen­ding to ascende aboue the Heauens. They lost their right to Heauen by aspiring aboue their places, to more then they were; and man was to be taught to cure contra­ries by contraries, and to re­intitle himselfe to heauen, by humbly staying in his place, [Page 225]and by remayning what he was, by dwelling in his poore naked nothing; which alone (were it anything) he might properly tearme his owne.

AFFECTION and RESOL. If the verie brightest starrs fall from Heauen, where pride can gett noe safe footing; what ought we poore wormes to doe in earth but feare, and keepe our selues within the compasse of what we are? If they fell to Hell by aspiringe to be like to the highest; let our firme resolutiō and whole strife be, to ascende to heauē, by affecting to be equall to, or euen lesse then the lowest: since Thruth hath said it, nor can he deceiue vs: that he vvho exaltes himselfe shall be hum­bled, and be that humbleth him­selfe [Page 226]shall be exalted. Nay, my soule, since the same Truth comes to teach vs this lesson in his sacred passion, let vs not proue so much contrarie to his blessed designe, and our owne aduantage, as not to en­deuour to learne it, with the whole strife of our hartes. Howbeit, sith he is as well the teacher, as giuer of it, let vs often say with S. Augus­tine: thou commandest humi­litie, ô Lord, giue vvhat thou commandest, and commande vvhat thou vvilt.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that hence it was, that the diuine wisdome, or Word of God, which was in the begining with God; nay, was God (and therfor could thinke it noe stealth to be coequall, coeter­nall, consubstantiall with God the Father) exinanited, or powred himselfe out, and became flesh, Et Verbum caro factum est, taking vpon him the shape of a seruant. Earth is at a losse, vpon this abismall humiliation, litle kowing, as faith S. Augustine, what to say to it, or what conceipt to [Page 228]make of it. Nay the heauenly powers stand amaysed, to sea the kinge of Angells, become lesse then the Angells: yee iust like to one of vs (in all thinges saue sinne) nay one of vs indeede: flesh of our flesh: bones of our bones, poore man. Vnlesse we should yet say further, lesse then man: Nouissimus virorum, the least and last of men: a vvorme and not a man, with the royall Prophete.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. Ah my poore soule; if the gracious inuitations, and mylde lessons of Wisdome cannot preuayle to plucke downe our proude harte; let at least the abismall example of our humanised God, the eternall Word made flesh [Page 229]put before our eyes, dissipate, and cure that pernicious tu­mour. It is thy verie God that lyes humbled at thy feete my soule; it is diuinitie it selfe, which lyes, as it were, infirme before thee, that so thy swel­ling being worne downe, thou mightst deiect thy selfe, and caste thy selfe prostrate, vpon that great God, Deus Deorum, now, for thy example, become the last and least of men.

THE II. POINTE.

Consider that if this hea­uenly designe, and resolution be truly admirable; farre, farre aboue the reach of men and Angells, and the execution of it, ineffably gracious, and euen rauishinge (as speaking more sweetnesse, and heauēly [Page 230]delightes to humane hartes, then they are any way capable to comprehende; so that they doe not so much intice, as in­force the said hartes to hu­militie, if there be any sense of man left in man) so the ad­mirable circumstances which accompaignie it, doe power­fully preach the same lessons to the eyes of the world. If then it hath pleased him, to build himselfe a cottage of the same claye wherof he made vs; he will also haue all the rest suted to it. This most humble, Loue, metamorsised-kinge, will haue an humble mother Queene, a poore hand­mayde of our Lord, An humble putatiue father, Ioseph a car­penter. An humble Pallace, a poore: Rocke or caue. An hum­ble [Page 231]chaire of state, a manger Humble attendants, an oxe and an Asse, vvith a fevve sillie shephardes: and after that, all his life longe, poore, rude, simple fishermen.

AFFECTION and RESOL. What, my soule; will be euer able to decrye pride, if this doe not? And what will be able to imprinte humilitie deepe in the verie bottomes of our hartes, if this proue not effectuall? His poore, abiect, and despicable condition, in the verie first steppe he made into this world began to pu­blish it: His lowlie, obscure, and hidden life, all the tyme of his infancie, declared it: in his riper yeares he continually preached it: the course of his whole life, confirmed it: and [Page 232]at his death, he signed it with his pretious, bloude, humbling himselfe to death, and the death of the crosse, the most infamous of all deathes. O my soule, let vs then, being forced by all these pressing, and euen oppressing arguments, either humble our selues to the ground in all occasions of humiliation; or at least, con­fesse to our confusion, that we are the most vnworthy, and vnsutable seruants, to a diuine Master, who was in all thinges so incomparably humble.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that it seemed not enough to that Kinge of glorie, First to haue made you a reasonable crea­ture, after his owne likenesse, and all the other creatures for your vse. 2. to haue regenerated you to a new and better life by the holy Sacra­ment of Baptisme. 3. to haue giuen you the knowledge of the Catholike faith, hauing culled you out of multitudes that daylie perish: but his [Page 234]gracious beneuolence went yet further on with you, and by this holie vocation to Re­ligion, called you to be his pe­culiar friend and seruant and Fauourite, to haue a more neere and deare conuersation with him, and to make it your businesse in earth, to singe his prayses, and mercyes, as the Blessed shall doe for euer and euer in Heauen.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O the infinite goodnesse of my deare Lord who goes still on, in my behalfe, heaping benefit vpon benefit, and fa­uours vpon fauours; yea fa­uours of singular preference, tender loue, and greatest assu­rance; towards the attayning of Beatitude, that can be mette with vpon this perilous [Page 235]sea. Fauours not granted to all, nay scarce to a few, among multitudes who daylie suffer shipwracke; while thy free grace, deare God, not my merits, hath guided my doubtfull nauigation to a safe harbour. Where (witnesse S. Bernard who experienced the same) one liues more pure­ly, falls more rarely, riseth more quicklie, walkes more cautiously, receiues grace more frequently, reposeth more securely, dyes more confidently, and is rewarded more abundantly.

THE II. POINTE. That this vocation leads to a certaine state.

Consider that Gods good­nesse, [Page 236]by meanes of this holie vocation, lendes you not to a certaine indifferencie of ser­uing him, or not seruing him, at your owne pleasure and election; but he bringes you therby to a setled and perma­nent state, wherin your body is tyed to stabilitie in a certai­ne place; and all your actions are marked out, and limited by Rule and constitutions, and all these confirmed by the three essential vowes of Religion, Pouertie, chastitie and obedience, according to S. Augustins Rule. Which vowes are noe other things then sacred and solemne promises freely, deliberatly, and with out constrainte, made to God in the face of the holy Church, of thinges which are [Page 237]better, as S. Thomas of Aqui­ne teacheth.

AFFECTION and RESOL. This, my soule, was Gods sin­gular goodnesse to vs, to winne our hartes by our owne free choyce, to renounce that dangerous libertie, which might happly haue proued our ruine, to imbrace the true libertie of the children of God, which is neuer so free, or euen truly free indeede, but vnder the seruitude of that most pious Kinge of glo­rie, according to that of S. Augustine; Libertie is neuer greater then vnder a pious Kinge, whom to serue, is in­deede to raigne: and happie is that blessed necessitie vvhich compells vs to the better. Our false libertie then is turned [Page 238]into a necessitie, but it is to be truly free: to haue nothing common with the world: not to be tortured with the greedie desire of vaine toyes! to haue noe commerce with wickednesse: to passe our tyme in innocencie. Our for­tunes are noe more ours: noe, but they are gaynfully spent vpon the purchace of the ri­ches of Heauen. The dispo­sition of our body is not in our owne hands: true, but it is to imitate the Angells. The goods of our mynd, our verie will is at anothers dispose. Yes, but it is, that by wanting it for a tyme, we may inioy it for an eternitie.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that if humili­tie be the basis and fun­dation, which secures all that is built vpon it, pouertie must be at the charges to rayse the walls. But with what treasure will pouertie performe this worke? Marrie with noe other, as S. Augustine hath told vs, but with relinquish­ing of all we either haue or can hope for. So is the toppe and perfection of our spiri­tuall building to be attained to; as wisdome it selfe assures [Page 240]vs, saying: if thou wilt be perfect, goe and sell all that thou hast, and giue it to the poore, and take vp thy crosse and come and follovv me.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. O glorious and rich pouer­tie, which alone art able to vndertake and accomplish so great a worke. The riches of a kingdome are scarcely suffi­cient to finish one princely Louure: and yet the pouertie of one poore free giuing harte, is able to rayse a stately Towre reaching into the sight of God, and to possesse it selfe of his kingdome. O gaynfull cōmerce! ô diuine­ly-rich trading! Ingenious pouertie is able to improue her smale talent, to an hun­dred-fold aduantage: and to [Page 241]the sure possessiō of life euer­lasting. He sayes it, whom we dare not misbeleeue: euery one that hath left house, or landes for my names sake, shall receiue an hundred fold, and shall possesse life euerlasting.

THE II. POINT. That Euangelicall pouertie ought to be learnt of Christ.

Consider that though di­uers Phylosophers both pray­sed, and in some sort practised pouertie, as not reputing him worthy of God who did not dontemne riches: yea and some among them qualified it laeta paupertas, ioyfull po­uertie. Yet hardly should we either haue tasted the ioy of it, or haue put our selues to [Page 242]the practise therof, had we not had a better Master to haue proposed it to vs by way of counsell; preached it to vs with a blissing vpon it; and practised it in his owne sacred person all his life longe: who being rich became poore to inrich vs by his owne pouer­tie. He was poore in his nati­uitie; being borne in a poore caue or stable; wrapped vp in poore clothes; layd on a poore locke of hay, lodged in a poore manger, accompai­gned with a poore oxe and asse. All the course of his life was spent in pouertie and want: neuer hauing any possession, noe not so much as a place to shrude his heade, and at his death he was stript naked vpon the crosse.

AFFECTION. and RESOLVT. And yet, was he not eternall prouidence, and foresawe all this? Was he not eternall wis­dome and so could haue pre­uented it all? Was he not the riches of heauen, and our God, who could stand in want of nothing that is ours? Conclude then my soule, with much ioy and consola­tion? either are we making a good choyce of this poore life we intende to leade; or els the wisdome of heauen may seeme to haue mist in his choyce. But wisdome could not deceiue, nor be deceiued: reioyce then, my soule, to haue made so sure, so happie, so Christ like a choyce. And let vs neuer cease to vse our vttermost endeuours, to imi­tate [Page 244]his extreame pouertie in his natiuitie, in his life, and at his death.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that the pouer­tie to which you oblidge your selfe, is accordinge to S. Augustins Rule. That is, not to mendicitie, not to penurie, or extreame want of necessa­ties in meate drinke or clo­thes &c. But to possesse what you possesse in common, ac­cording to that Apostolicall and primitiue Christian pro­ceeding [Page 245]in the fourth of the Actes: All thinges vvere com­mon vnto them & neither vvas there any needie among them & and to euerie one vvas deuided, according as euery one had neede. From these blessed first fruites of Christianitie, did your holy father, as himselfe declares, take the model of your life. So that, as you can haue nothing of your owne, nor euen the power to call it so: so on the other side, you haue right to your share in the comon distribution of the whole.

AFFECTION and RESOL. How happie are we, my soule, to haue fixed vpon so happie a proceeding; where we are neither to haue nor want ri­ches: to witt we neither suffer [Page 246]the danger of hauing them; not the incommoditie of wanting them. Happie con­dition, which frees vs from the perill of riches, which makes the way of heauen almost impossible: and yet subiects vs not to the incom­moditie, of the want of them, wherby life becomes loath­some, and necessitie compells to vnworthy and base thin­ges. This golden meane, was certainly the production of the holy Ghost in those boylinge primitiue hartes, whence it was deriued downe to vs; and wherby we can ioy­fully pronounce with the Apostle: vve haue nothinge, and yet vve possesse all thinges, by the harmelesse vse which we are permitted to make of thē.

THE II. POINTE. What pouertie a true Religious ought indeede to ayme at.

Consider that though the possessing of nothing in pro­per, or want of proprietie. be all that you canonically promisse or are bound to; yet your aymes indeede, are the contempt of riches, and of the verie desire of them. It is not gold and siluer that the Apostle tearmes the roote of all euil, but the inordinate coueting of them. Nor are rich persons alone subiect to dan­ger, but these also that couet to be riche, vvho, saith he, fall into snares, and temptations. The pouertie which our sauiour preacheth with a benedictiō [Page 248]vpon it, is spirituall pouer­tie, or pouertie of the d'isin­terrest mynde which neither has them, nor cares for them, nor seekes the commodities and pleasures they bringe with them, further then a meere necessarie liuelyhoode, as we see in our B. Sauiours example, which is our pat­terne indeede.

AFFECTION and RESOL. The actuall want of riches, my soule, and the banishing of those contentious words myne and thyne, is a good steppe to beatitude: since therby innumerable occasiōs of contentions and quarrells are cut off. Yet alas, that is not all that the spouses of Christ should ayme at who in their pouertie ought to [Page 249]expresse the pouertie of Christ, who neither had them, nor desired them, nor the commodities and de­lights which accompanie them. It profits vs not at all, saith S. Caesarius, to aban­donne riches outwardly, vnlesse we roote out withall the inward desire of them, which sticke close to our hartes. It is not too much, my soule, for poore naked man, to follow poore and naked Christ.

THE SECONDE POINTE. That by the vovve of chastitie you are truly maried to God.

Consider to what a highth of dignitie you are admitted by this heauenly vowe: certes to noe lesse then an absolute mariage with God. So were we taught by Tortullian 14. hundred yeares agoe; spea­king to a virgine: thou art maried to Christ: to him didst thou deliuer vp thy body: to him thou didst betrouth thy maturi­tie. Walke on then, according to thy spouse his vvill and pleasure. Whence the Church of God till this day, appoints these words to be said at your re­ceiuing of the veyle: receiue this sacred veyle, vvherby you [Page 253]may be knovvne to haue contem­ned the vvorld; and to haue subiected or espoused your selfe for euer to Christ the spouse of virgines.

AFFECTION and RESOL.

O admirable dignitie of the Virgine, where the hum­ble hand may de is raysed to the honour of a Bride to Christ himselfe, the Bride­grome! whom when she loues, she's chaste: whom when she touches, she's pure: whom when she takes in ma­riage, she is a virgine! O supercelestiall mariage! from whence fidelitie, and fertili­tie are expected, as well as in other mariages: because such as breake the first faith, haue damnation, saith the Apostle. Yea, the happie state of vir­gines, [Page 254]assures S. Augustine, is more fruitfull and fertile; not by hauing great bellies, but great myndes: not by hauing breasts full of mylke, but hartes full of candour: and in lieu of binging forth earth out of their bowells, by bringing forth heauen by their prayers. Hence issues a noble progenie; puritie, iusti­ce, patience, myldnesse, cha­ritie attended by all herno­ble traine of vertues; the holy virgins heauenly issue.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that notwith­standing that in humili­tie, the ground worke, is sure: that riche pouertie hath raysed the walles, and ange­licall puritie hath adorned the worke interiourly, Yet must transcendante bedien­ce secure all, or nothinge will proue stable. All is sure in obedience, all without it is in danger. Obedience, saith your holy Father, is, as it were, the mother, and keeper of all: she continually [Page 256]watches that noe parte of our spirituall building may be lyable to any danger. And this so necessarie vertue of obedience, is nothing els but a voluntarie and rationall sacry­fice of our ovvne vvill to the will of another, which S. Iohn Climacus tearmes, the death or graue of our ovvne vvill.

AFFECTION and RESOL. If then, my soule, our greatest assurance be found in obe­dience, let our greatest care be imployed to purchace, conserue, and practise it. By obeying our Superiours, it is (saith S. Gregorie) that God is obedient to our prayers. And your holy Father, dares affir­me; that one prayer of an obe­dient person is sooner heard, [Page 257]thet ten thousand of one diso­bedient. It is obedience which makes vs secure: obedience which frees vs from care and sollicitude: Obedience which renders our meate, drinke, and play, meritorious. By obedience we equally aduan­ce our iorney towards heauen in standing still, as walking on; in sleeping as wakinge. O admirable aduantages of obedience! O how happie and secure is the condition of an obedient soule, of whom the wiseman pronounceth that she shall singe victories.

THE II. POINTE. That obedience is the most im­portant of the three vovves.

Consider that though the [Page 258]vowes of pouertie and chasti­tie, contribute much to the happie state of a religious life, yet doth that of obe­dience farre excelle them, and in some sorte conteynes them all, according to the sense of the Angelicall Doc­tour. For wheras Religion is a sacrifice, wherin pouertie offers all her goods of Fortu­ne; and chastitie all those of the body: obedience goes yet further, and sacryficeth all those of the mynde, as selfe-will, selfe-iudgement, and euen the whole man, which certainly is incompa­rably more excellent then all the rest.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Pouertie, and chastitie, saith S. Bernard, are the two winges [Page 259]by which obedience mounts aloft. Yet it is she indeede, not they that flye. A douzen such winges would not be able to rayse proude disobedience one inch to heauen-wards. It is neither our goods of for­tune, nor those of our body, which will proue a pleasing sacry fice in the sight of God, vnlesse they be accompayned with obedience, the humble submission of the will, and iudgement. Banishe out of your harte, this pleaseth, and this displeaseth, saith your brother a Kempis, and nothing shall trouble you. and S. Bernarde, take avvay the vvill, and there shall be noe hell.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider, that as to make obedience absolutly blin­de, were to depriue man of man, that is, of reason wherby he is differenced from a beast, and to oppose that of the Apostle; let your obseruance be reasonable: so to leaue it wholy to the guidance, and appoint­ment of reason; were rather to make a man a Phylosopher, then either a good religious person, or euen a good Chris­tian. It must so farre see, as to be able to discerne Gods part, [Page 261]because the Decree is without exception, that vve ought rather to obeye God then men. But where we doe not manifestly see, that Gods right is tren­ched vpon, or violated, we ought absolutly to obeye a superiours commande in all things without reserue, wher­in he is superiour. And this kind of obedience falls vnder your vowe, and is absolutly necessarie.

AFFECTION and RESOLV. O my soule, if our owne reason were made the Rule of our obedience, with what confusions, and endlesse wranglings would not Mo­nasteries be replenished? They would not so much be found sacred and silent soli­tudes, as cententious Aca­demies. [Page 262]It is at the death of our rebellious wills (that pesti­lent source of mans miserie and mortall poison of a spri­tuall life) that obedience aymes, which is not effected by proude disputes, but by humble submissions; hauing continually in mynd that all povver is from God, and he vvho resists povver resists Gods ordonnance. Let vs then, my soule, humbly and promptly obeye God in our superiours person, standing alwayes in a blissed indifferencie with S. Paule, to heare him by their mouthes, and to obeye him, in their persons, saying: What is thy holy vvill I should doe?

THE II. POINTE. Of the diuers degrees of it.

Consider that tho necessa­rie obedience to which you are tyed by vowe, consists in obeying Superiours cōmands, according to Rule and Con­stitutiōs, or what conduces to the due obseruance therof. Yet are not the pious spouses of Christ to stoppe there, but to be still striuing to emulate the better gifts, and to render themselues wholy agreeable to their diuine spouse. Be per­fect, as your heauenly father is perfect saith our sauiour, by endeuouring still to obeye in the most perfect man­ner, which that great seruant of God Ruisbrochius putts [Page 264]downe as followes. In the first place it must be prudent and discreete. 2. simple. 3. cheer­full. 4. prompt. 5. couragious. 6. deuoute. 7. humble.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O what a blessed life is ledd where all these conditions meete! O what a Heauen appeares in earth where earthly Angells thus liue Let this be our cheife endeuour, my soule, as it is the happi­nesse, securitie, and ornament of a religious life. Let vs with prudence and discretion dis­cerne Gods will by our supe­riours mouth, and whether we be commanded to watch, to fast, to pray or worke, &c. or els vpon occasions, at their pleasure, to leaue them off, let it be done simply, and [Page 265]with assurance, that by how much more simply, by so much the more fruitfully and excellently its done. Let that discreete simplicitie be secō ­ded with quicke and chees­full execution: for God loues a free and merrie-harted giuer. If the thinge commanded appeare hard, yet imbrace it with a manly courage, heauen is worth more, and he who gaue the commande can giue strength to performe it. Fi­nally, let all this be done with humilitie and deuotion, not so much to please men, as that our heauenly father may be glorified.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider with deuoute Ruisbrochius, that obe­dience is a vertue of so great excellēcie, that the verie least worke, be it of what kinde it will, being done by vertue therof, is much better, and more acceptable to God, then euen other geate workes done without it; as for example, hearing of Masse, reading, praying, contemplating, or any other worke you can thinke of. Which lesson we [Page 267]are yet taught by a greater Master: Kings 1.15. Will our Lord haue Holocausts and victi­mes, and not rather that his voyce should be obeyd? For bet­ter is obedience then victimes: and to harken rather, then to offer the fatt of rammes. Because &c. it is as it vvere the vvic­kednesse of Idolatrie to refuse to obey.

AFFECT and RESO. It is not so much the greatnesse of the thinge then, my soule, we ought to looke vpon, as the greatnesse of the obedience with which we are to perfor­me it. Commandes of great and herociall actions rare­ly occurre, wheras obedience may be daylie exercised, and merite increased in a num­ber of smale matters: Nor is [Page 268]it easily to be conceiued, what riches are to be treasu­red vp for heauen therby. Deuoute obedience knowes how to render the poore wido­wes myte a gratfull offering. Industrious obedience nego­tiates vpon trifles, and yet like the honie bee stores her hyue with huge riches. Many other vertues, daughters of Charitie, gather maine hea­pes of treasure togeither, yet obedience so farre outstripps them all, that she makes her selfe more gratefull to God then a sacryfice.

THE II. POINTE. Of vvhom vve ought to learne Obedience.

Consider that we ought to [Page 269]learne this best of morall vertues of the best of Masters of moralitie Iesus Ch. Who is as well the Master, as the Disciple, of it. He was the Master of it: at his coming into the world; while he liued in it; and at his departure out of it. At his coming, S. Paule tells vs in his person: in the heade of the booke it is vvritten of me, that I should doe thy vvill: then said I: behold I come that I may doe thy vvill o God. His whole life was spent in the doing the will of his heauenly father who sent him, and in obeying his mother, S. Ioseph, and euen all creatures for his sake. At his departure, he vvas obe­dient euen vnto death, and the death of the Crosse. And he [Page 270]was the Disciple of it too; sithens, as S. Paule affirmes, though he were the sonne of God, he learnt obedience by the thinges vvhich he suffered; and vvas made the cause of eternall saluation to all that obey him.

AFFECTION and RESOL. O what an excellent lesson of obedience hath the sonne of God, left for the sonnes of men to imitate! He, who, as God, could be obedient to none, being God-man, beco­mes obedient to all men for his heauenly fathers sake. All his life was a cōtinued obedi­ence, till by his painfull death he consummated the great worke of mans redemption, for which he was sent. Father I haue consummated the vvorke vvhih thou gauest me to doe, [Page 271]saith that intirely obedient sonne. The worke which we are to doe, my soule, (which is as it were our whole busi­nesse) is, to obey God in our superiours commandes, and by such submission, and their care, to secure our blessed eternitie. By their eyes we best discerne: By their iud­gements we most wisely iudge: by their directions, and orders, we most surely walke to mans beatitude.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider, that be the foundationes neuer so deeply digged: be the walls neuer so firme, and confir­med; and the interior partes neuer so fairely adorned: yet if the roofe be not sutable to the rest, and be not establis­hed aboue the rest, it lyes but vselessely open to receiue winds and shewres; and is vnfitt for the vse of man: being indeede noe perfect buildinge, but onely the ma­terialls [Page 273]or ruines therof; vpon which passers by looke with derision, and say: this man began to build, but could not finish the same.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. It is the end, my soule, that euery wise man acts for, without which his worke is imperfect, nor can he repose. Pouertie indeede seemes more then humane. Pure na­ture knowes noe such pro­duction. Virginitie is truly Angelicall and diuine; and is a fruite which is onely found in the bosome of the Catho­like Church. None but a vir­gine mother brings out vir­gines. Obedience directs all, secures all, confirmes all: and makes a fitt tabernacle for God in the harte of man; by [Page 274]banishing thence selfe iudge­ment and selfe will. But hea­uenly charitie; as a glorious mother, farr outstrips them all, giues them all their begin­ing, increase, and perfection. For why indeede, my soule, did we first enterprise this holy worke, but because we loue? What could be able to robbe vs of all we haue, but loue? What did wowe vs to virginall chastitie, but the loue of a virgine spouse? What could moue men to depriue them selues of belo­ued libertie, and to liue at the dispose of anothers will, but the loue of him alone, who chused rather to dye, thē not to accomplish the will of his heauenly Father? Loue then, saith your holy Father, [Page 275] and doe vvhat thou vvilt.

THE II. POINTE. That vvithout charitie nothing is done to secure our happie eternitie.

Consider that if humilitie put the foundation of your spirituall Towre, it was by charities guidance and order: for as humilitie goes not without charitie, so charitie neuer leaues humilitie. If pouertie raysed the walls, it was with the treasure wher­with charitie furnished her. If chastitie adorned it within: it was with the pure burning gold which she had of chari­tie. Finally if obedience con­firmed and secured the whole worke; it was by the force she [Page 276]receiued of charitie, vvhich is as stronge as death. In a word all is from charitie, and all is for charitie.

AFFECTION & RESOLVT. He (S. Paule) knewe this truth, my soule, as certainly, as he affirmes it vndauntedly to wit; that not onely the foresaid vertues profit vs nothinge without charitie, but euen that tho vve should haue all faith, so that vve could remoue moun­taines: though vve should distri­bute all our goods to be meate for the poore: finally, though vve should deliuer our bodies to bur­ne, and yet vvant charitie, it profits vs nothing. Charitie; saith holy S. Augustine, is that which discernes the sonns of God from the sonns of the Diuell. Charitie is that one [Page 277]necessarie thinge, which alone sufficeth. Charitie, in a word, is that Euangelicall gemme, for which if a man should giue all his substance, he shall re­pute it as nothing. Come thē, ô come then, ô thou holy spirit, Deus Charitas, and replenish the hartes of thy faithfull, and inflame them vvith the fire of thy loue.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that so true it is that nothing is done without charitie, that your holy Father makes noe diffi­cultie [Page 278]to teach you, that vvithout charitie the rest of the vertues are not indeede reputed vertues: nay further, that the rest of the vertues are but in­deede loue and charitie, so, or so qualified. For what is humi­litie but charitie stooping, and reputing her selfe no­thing? What is pouertie, but charitie contemning all, and stripping herself of all: What is chastitie but loue preser­uing corruptible man from corruption of bodie and mynde? What finally obe­dience, but loue freely and reasonably sacrifycing vp the will of man, and making it supple and inclinable to eue­rie creature.

AFFECTION and RESOL. Charitie then, my soule, is [Page 279]that transcendant heauenly vertue without which there is noe true vertue at all▪ It is she which gouernes as Queene, giues life, vigour and worth to all the other vertues. He who loueth not remaynes in death. It is she who perfumes them all with the odour and sweeenesse of holy loue: since we doe not meerely imbrace them, because they are ver­tues, but rather in qualitie of thinges that are desired, im­braced, and beloued by God: (To discouer à man truly vertuous, we vse not to inquire what he beleeues or what he hopes for, but what he loues. If earth h'es earthly: if Heauen, he's heauenly; if God, he's Godlike.) for as such they be­come all desirable, louing, [Page 280]and louelie. Let me loue thee, then, ô Lord, let me loue thee, and loue all other thinges which I loue and practise, for thee, and in thee: that my be­loued may be myne, and I wholie his.

THE II. POINTE. That vve ought incessantly to desire, and breath after charitie.

Consider that if, as we haue seene, Charitie be all in all, our thoughtes ought to be sett vpon the continuall de­sire of it. For what ought we, or doe we indeede desire, but what euery one pro­poseth to himselfe for his end? and the end of the lavve is loue. What ought any Christiā to desire but the accomplish­ment of the lawe of God, and [Page 281]the fulnesse of the lavve is chari­tie. Nor fares it in those hea­uenly desires, as in vaine worldly wishes: a million of them puts not one pennie into our purses. Wheras by the verie desire of the loue of God, we begin to loue God indeed: and still the more we desire it, the more we loue. Yea, when this desire waxes stronge and hartie, the desire is turned into fire, and infla­mes the couering harte. He that desires God vvith his vvhole harte has alreadie him vvhom he loues saith S. Gregorie. And S. Augustine: a holy desire, is the vvhole life of a good Christian.

AFFECTION and RESOL. But alas, my poore soule, tho we clearely discerne this desire [Page 282]to be most iust, aduantagious, and most worthy of a christiā harte: yet we somtymes per­ceiue our selues not to be so happie, as euen to haue this desire. Let vs then at least say with the Prophete: my soule hath desired, earnestly to desire thy iustifications at all tymes. Let vs not fayle to haue this desire of desiring, continually in our harte; saying with S. Au. Giue me thy selfe, restore me thy selfe: for vvhat is not thy verie selfe, is verie nothing to me. and it will happen with vs, as it did with the holie Prophete, that in these holy thoughtes and desirs fire will flashe out; and so throughly inflame our sou­le, that as the stagge thirsteth after the fountaines of fresh water, so shall we vehementlie [Page 283]couet, and thirst after our good God, that drainlesse fountaine of liuing water, which flowes into life euer­lastnig.

THE FIRST POINTE.

COnsider that we ought to learne this most impor­tant lesson, this one necessarie thinge, of him, who doth as well teach it, as giue it, our Sauiour Iesus; who brought downe this sacred fire into earth and his vvill vvas it should burne the hartes of men. And indeede, neuer did he seeme [Page 284]so peculiarly to make him­selfe the Master of any thin­ge, as of this vertue and hu­militie. ‘This is my precept, said that deare master of ours, that you loue one another. My litle children. I giue you a new precept, that you loue one another. In this all men shall know that you are my Disciples, if you haue loue one to another. Holy Fa­ther, I pray &c. that they may be one, as we also are one, I in them, and thou in me.’

AFFECTION and RESOL. This is the great commande­ment, indeede, my soule, this Christs speciall precept: Loue one another. this the badge by which he will haue all his ser­uants to be knowne. If they [Page 285]loue one another. If we come without this wedding garmēt, we shall be repulsed. If we knocke, not hauing this oyle of charitie in our Lampes, (wherby we may be knowne to men to be Gods Disciples) God vvill not knovve vs; the dore vvill be shut. What thin­ge more wishfull, could we haue desired to haue heard, thē by affording mutuall loue and assistance to one another, (which we haue all such neede of) to secure our saluation? And yet, the most louing, and beloued Apostle assures vs: It is the precept of our soueraigne Lord, and Master: doe this faith he and it sufficeth. Beare one anothers burden, and so you shal accomplish the lavve of Christ.

THE SECONDE POINTE. Hovv vve ought to exercise Charitie to one another.

Consider that this ought to be done by his example, who gaue the commande of it, and afterwards came gra­ciously downe to teach it by his owne practise. Thus we are taught by the great Apostle. Receiue, helpe, comfort, sup­port, and loue one another as Christ receiued, assisted, sup­ported and loued vs. But how did Christ loue vs &c? Marrie, he loued vs first, with a free, and disinterested loue, which looked vpon noe preceedant merites. 2. With a right loue, not to receiue any thinge from vs, but to discharge the [Page 287]ouer-flowing riches of his mercifull breastes vpon our pouertie. 3. With a perseue­rant loue: for louing his vvho vvere in the vvorld, he loued them to the end. 4. With a stronge loue; euen as stronge as death it selfe: he loued vs, and deliuered himselfe for vs: for vs men, and for our saluation.

AFFECTION and RESOL. If then my soule, we hope for any consolation in Christ; if any solace of Charitie; if any societie of spirit, if any bowells of commiseration, let vs endeuour to fulfill the B. Apostles ioy, by being of one meaning (having the same charitie) of one mynd, agree­ing in one. That nothing be done by contention, nor by vaine glorie: but in humilitie; [Page 288]each counting others better then themselues. In a word, let vs receiue, comfort, sup­port and loue our poore bre­thren: and that too; as Christ gaue vs the example, with a pure and disinterrested loue, because it is his blessed plea­sure that so it should be. With a right loue, not seeking that vvhich is profitable, in parti­cular, to our selues, but that vvhich is profitable to many. With a perseuerant loue, which is not to end but with the end of our liues. Finally, with a stronge loue, readie to wrastle with obuious difficul­ties, and euen with death it selfe, for the good of our bro­ther, as our deare Lord gaue vs an example.