GRANADOS Spiritual and heavenly Exercises. Divided into seven pithy and brief Meditations, for every day in the week one. Written in Spanish, by the learned and reverend Divine, F. Lewes of Granado. Since translated into the Latin, Italian French, and the German tongue. And now englished by Francis Meres, Master of Arts of both Universities, and student in Divinity.  
AT LONDON, Printed by james robart's, for I. B. Anno. Dom. 1598.   

To the valorous and noble minded Gentleman, Captain john Sammes, Esquire: F. M. heartily wisheth in this life, the health, years, & happiness, of Galen, Nestor, and Augustus, and in the other, the delight, rest, and joy, of Abraham, Isaac, and jacob.  
THere be three things (Right worshipful) greatly desired in this life, Health, Wealth, & Fame: & it is a question which of these is chief; the sick saith Health, the covetous commendeth Wealth, and both these place good name last of all. But they be both partial judges, because Health & Wealth, though they be never so good, and so great, end with the body, and are subject to time. But honour, fame, renown, and good report, do triumph over death, and make men live for ever: Nunquam stigias fertur ad umbras Inclyta virtus.  
Immensum calcar gloria habet; there is not a greater enticement unto virtue, than Fame & true glory: Spes famae solet ad virtutem impellere multos.  
This made Alexander in honour of arms to emulate Achilles, Scipio Africanus to imitate Xenophons' Cyrus, Caesar to pattern himself by Alexander, Selimus Prince of Turks to trace the steps of Caesar, and Carolus Quintus to fire his thoughts at Philip Cominaeus his Lodovicus xi. King of France. Proceed (noble and heroic Spirit) with young Troilus to aim at Hector's glory. And as the pregnancy of your Hopes promiseth to be an Huniades to the Turks, a Talbot to the French, and a Drake to the Spaniard; so also be an Artaxerxes to Hypocrates, an Alexander to Pindarus and Aristotle, a Scipio to Ennius, an Augustus to Virgil, a trajan to Plutarch, and a Maecenas to all Scholars. And then as the sword doth defend the pen of the Scholar, so the pen shall grace the sword of the Soldier; & shall tunablie sonnet that paracletical verse out of Horace: Dignum laud virum Musa vetat mori.  
Learning indeed would be soon put to silence, without the aid & support of noble, bountiful, and generous spirits. In hope of which aid and supportation, I present these divine and celestial meditations unto your Worship, which, under the title of your protection, may do as much good in England, as they have done in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and Germany. Lodovicus Granatensis the Author of these heavenly and spiritual Meditations, hath so cunningly portrayed in this Treatise the miseries and calamities of this life, and with such divine eloquence depainted the future blessedness of the other, that for style he seems to me another Cicero, and for sound and emphatical persuasion, a second Paul. Whose divine spirit, & heavenly writing, as it hath moved the Italians Camillus Camilli, Georgius Angelierus, Timotheus Bagnus, & johannes Baptista Porcacchius to translate his works into their language, and Michael of Isselt, to convert them into Latin, & Philippus Doberniner into the German tongue, so also hath it moved me, to digest them into English; that now at the length our Country might enjoy that rare jewel, which those famous Countries do so highly prize. For further commendation of the Author and this Book, I refer your Worship to the present discourse, which I assure myself will work those motions in you, that it shall neither irk you of your pains, nor me of my labour. Thus boldly presuming on your courteous acceptation, I commit you to his sacred protection, who graceth here upon the earth the memories of the valiant and virtuous by the pens of Scholars, and glorifieth them in heaven, with his chosen men of war, who with josua have fought his battles, and with David have unsheathed their swords to avenge his quarrel. London the 24. of November. 1598.  
At your Worship's commandment Francis Meres.   

The Contents of the several heads discoursed in this Book.  

THE Prologue, & a brief manner of Meditation. Page 1.  
The first Meditation for Monday: Of the misery in which man is created. page. 21.  
The second Meditation for Tuesday: of sin, and what discommodities come by it. page, 39  
The third Meditation for Wednesday: how dangerous it is to defer repentance. page. 63  
The fourth meditation for Thursday: of the contempt of the world, and with what hatred, and diligence it is to be eschewed. page, 99  
The fift Meditation for Friday: of the vanity of the glory, and magnificence of this world. 120  
The sixth Meditation for Saturday:  
how death is to be feared: and that a Christian ought so to live, that death may never find him unprepared. 147.  
The seventh Meditation for Sunday: of the joys of the blessed in heaven, and of the pains of the damned in hell. page, 166  
Lastly, there is annexed to these seven celestial Meditations, an excellent Exposition upon the one and fifty Psalm. 208.    

THE Prologue, and a brief manner of Meditation.  
ALl things pass away, except the love of God. When as the wise man had contemplated, and by long experience learned the mutability of all things, neither had found any constancy, or certainly very little, in any thing created in this world, but many desires, & an unsatiable thirst of men, which violently forced them, to hunt after these transitory things; at length he crieth out. Vanity of vanities, 
Eccles, 1.  all is vanity & affliction of spirit. And when he had run thorough, and experimented all things in the world, with a most wholesome council he concludeth his disputation, 
Eccle. 12.  saying; Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, whiles the evil days come not, nor the years approach, wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them: whiles the Sun is not dark, nor the light, nor the Moon, nor the stars, nor the clouds return after the rain. Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. And because the whole safety of our souls, and all our blessedness dependeth of this council, it is most aptly and fitly spoken of S. Gregory; That there is no such sacrifice offered to the Almighty, as the zeal of the soul is: which showeth by wholesome doctrines the way unto celestial glory. I being therefore moved by this zeal, although unworthy to teach, have gathered this short tractate out of divers authorities of holy doctors, that a soul drowned in the pollution of sin, being convicted by these instructions & authorities of holy men, and enlightened of the holy Ghost, might be reduced to her Creator and Redeemer, as a straying and lost sheep, or at the length might know her estate, and the errors and dangers, which she in this world is in, whilst she continueth in sin, and being touched with the sorrow of contrition, might return unto God, and returning, might bring forth repentance, and repenting, might possess with all the Saints, glory and celestial beatitude, to the which she was made and created. But to this there is no other way, then that, of which the Prophet speaketh: This is the way, 
Esay, 30,  walk ye in it, neither shall ye decline to the right hand, nor to the left.  
Therefore it is needful for a Christian man, that is willing after this wretched life to go to his desired home, besides prayers and common exercises, to use also diligence, that his heart may be lifted up unto God, not only in every place, but also that at all times, and in all businesses, he may carry about with him cogitations, seriously employed about religious & godly contemplations. As a Bee delighted with the beauty of colours, 
A simile.  and sweetness of odours, doth take somewhat from every flower, and doth carry it to her hive, to make honey of it: so it is requisite that the servant of God should take of all things created, which are presented unto his mind, as it were certain spurs pricking forwards unto devotion, and to the love of God, meditating on them in his heart, with great delight with out intermission.  
By this endeavour, at the length we shall bring it to pass, that upon the altar of our hearts there shall always burn, the fire of divine love, we being always busied in godly prayers, and devout meditations.  
Therefore in the morning, 
What we are to do in the morning.  as soon as we awake, let us shut our gates against all earthly and worldly thoughts, that so before all things, our Lord may enter in and have admittance; let us offer unto him the first fruits of that day, & conferring with him, let us do three things.  
First, give him thanks for the rest he hath given thee that night, and that he hath delivered thee from all perilous and fearful fantasies, and from the snares of thine enemy; and for all other benefits, of creation, preservation, vocation, and redemption: that he hath called thee to his faith, that he hath infused into thee good inspyrations, that he hath freed thee from all danger, that so long a time, with so great patience & mercy he hath waited for thy repentance. And to be brief, yield unto him most hearty thanks for all blessings whatsoever.  
Then offer unto him whatsoever that day thou shalt either do or suffer; all thy lalabours, all thy steps, all thine exercises, and briefly, all that which thou art to do, or to be employed in that day. Offer unto him in like manner, thyself, with all thine, that all may redound to his glory, that he may have a hand in all, and dispose of all, as it shall please his most holy, will, none otherwise then if they were his own businesses.  
Thirdly, desire his favour & grace, that thou mayst not commit any thing that day, that shall be contrary to his divine majesty. Beseech him that he would aid thee against all sins, and especially against those, which customarily thou art most inclined to, as are anger, vain glory, dissoluteness in words, and such like: arming thyself with a firm resolution against all kind of vices.  
At night, 
What we are to do at night.  before thou goest to bed, examine thyself with judgement, and call to mind, whatsoever thou hast that day either done, spoken, or thought against the divine will: and recall all thy negligences, idleness, & slothful heaviness, about the divine service & worship, and that so wickedly thou hast forgotten thy Lord God.  
Desire God, that he would pardon all thine errors, & forgive all the sins which thou hast committed, and that he would bestow his grace upon thee, that thou mayst correct and amend thy life. And when thou layest thyself down in thy bed, think how thou shalt lie in thy grave; & consider with thyself how small a coffin will contain thy body, & end all thy meditations with that prayer, which Christ himself taught his disciples.  
As often as thou awakest in the night, 
What we are to do when the hour soundeth.  say, Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, etc. Or some such like thing, & as often as thou hearest the sound of the hour, say; Blessed be the hour in which our Lord jesus Christ was borne and died for us; o Lord remember me in the hour of my death. And consider how thy life is shorter by an hour than it was before, and how by little and little, thy web is woven-up and ended.  
When thou sittest down to eat, 
What we are to do when we sit at meat.  or risest up from the table, always remember the example of our Lord; lift-up thine heart unto thy GOD, & consider that it is he, that giveth thee meat and drink, who hath created all things for thy use: render unto him thanks for the food he sendeth thee, and ponder with thyself how many men almost perrishe through hunger and want, than which thine estate is far happier; remember with what ease and safety thou possessest those things, which others can hardly compass with great danger and labour.  
When thou art impugned or molested of the devil that ancient Tempter, the best remedy is, if thou runnest unto the Cross, and behold hanging upon it jesus Christ, cruelly scourged, crowned with thorns, racked upon the cross, having neither beauty nor comeliness, rivulets of precious blood gushing out of his body. Rembember that the chiefest cause, why thy Lord hangeth there, is none other, then that he might destroy the kingdom of sin. Beseech and entreat him with great devotion, that he would not suffer a thing so odious to reign in thine heart, or in thine eyes, which he with so great cost & labour banished & destroyed; and say, o my Lord, thou hangest here upon the cross, that I might not sin: and shall not this be sufficient for me, that I may fly from sin? 
A prayer against temptations.  I beseech thee, o lord, by those thy most holy wounds, suffer me not at any time to be forsaken of thee, when I come unto thee; yea o lord, show unto, me the best haven, where I may be in most safety.  
If thou shalt reject & refuse me, whether shall I go? what shall I do? what will become of me? who shall defend me? o my lord, help me, & defend me from that dragon, seeing that without thee I can do nothing.  
If thou shalt fervently thus persist in hearty and earnest prayer, the temptations shallbe an occasion of a nobler crown, and they shall bring it to pass, that thy mind shall be oftener lifted up to God, and the devil who came with hope of victory, shall being vanquished, most shamefully fly away. Among all these exercises, the sighs and groanings of the spirit are most commendable, which are tokens of vehement desires, by the which the soul being prevented of the holy Ghost, and wounded with the love of God, sigheth, & groaneth, and with great fervency laboureth for the love of God, and so desireth this love, both with great instancy, and without intermission.  
This meditation, & this holy exercise is so profitable, that if it be daily done, or be used at meal times, at drinking times, in going, or labouring, oftentimes is of greater dignity and efficacy, than other prolix exercises, or copious prayers.  
This exercise is more profitably done by desires and inward sigh and mournings, then by words: albeit words help at all times; which a man may now and then utter after this, or such like manner.  
O blessed jesus, o the sweetness and delight of my heart: 
A Prayer,  o the life of my soul, when shall I please thee in all things and at all times? When shall I perfectly die unto myself? When shall I prefer thee before all creatures? When shall there not live any other thing in me beside thyself o Lord? Have mercy upon me o Lord, and help me. I salute thy wounds o Lord, as it were fresh flourishing roses, hide me o lord in them, and wash me in them, that I may be throughly clean, and inflamed with thy love. O Lord God, o admirable beginning, o the piety of amiable charity; o the dearest light of my understanding; o the rest of my will, when shall I fervently and ardently love thee? Vouchsafe o lord to shoot through my soul with the dart of thy love, vouchsafe to associate and unite me unto thee, that I may be one with thee. O my desire: o my hope: o my refreshing and comfort. O that my soul were worthy thine embraces, that all the drowsiness and lukewarmness of my soul, might be consumed with the fire of thy love. O the soul of my soul: o the life of my life, I wholly desire thee, and offer myself wholly unto thee, wholly to thee that art all in all, one to one, and only to thee alone. O that it had place in me, that thou spakest to thy Father; O holy Father, let them be one, as we are one. 
john. 17.  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.  
I neither will nor wish any other thing, I desire none other thing, I entreat none other thing of thee; for thou alone art sufficient for me. Thou art my father, thou art my mother, thou art my defender, my leader, and all my good. Thou art wholly lovely, wholly delightful, wholly faithful. Who was ever so liberal that would give himself? who ever loved so tenderly, that would deliver himself unto death for a vile creature? Who was ever so humble, that hath so debased and eclipsed his Majesty? O Lord, thou despisest no man, disdainest no man, rejectest no man, that sueth unto thee: yea, thou callest and provokest them to come & meet thee; for it is thy delight to converse with the children of men.  
O Lord, the Angels do bless and praise thee, what other thing hast thou found in us, but pollutions and blemishes of sin? Wherefore wouldst thou be with us to the end of the world? Was it not enough for thee, that thou suffered'st for us, but that thou must leave thy Sacraments for a medicine unto us, and thy Angels for our companions and protectors? And albeit we be unthankful for so great benefits, yet thou wouldst dwell among us, for thou art so good and gracious, that thou canst not deny thyself.  
Therefore o Lord let us make (if so it please thee) a league & covenant: take thou charge of me, and I will take charge of thee. Do with me o Lord, as it pleaseth thee: for thou knowest what I want, and what is meet for me: I will be thine, and no others. Give me grace o Lord, that I may not seek nor desire any thing, but thee: and that I may wholly offer & yield up myself unto thee.  
O sire, that enlightenest me: o charity, that inflamest me: o light illuminating me: o my rest: o my life: o my love, who always burnest, and never art extinguished: when shall I perfectly love thee? When shall I embrace thee with the naked arms of my soul? When shall I despise myself and the whole world, for the love of thee? When shall my soul with all her powers & strength be united unto thee? When shall I be swallowed up in the bottomless depth of thy love? O thou most sweet, most loving, most beautiful, most wise, most rich, most noble, most precious, and most worthy to be loved and worshipped, when shall I so love thee, that I may lie drowned wholly in thy love? O the life of my soul, who didst undergo the burden of death, that thou mightest revive me, and dying didst kill death: kill o Lord me also, that is, slay all my perverse inclinations to evil; my will also, and whatsoever hindereth, whereby thou mayst not live with me. But after that thou hast thus killed me, make me to live with thee, by love, and a true faith: that I may faithfully observe all thy commandments, and the precepts of my superiors, and that I may only prosecute & follow those things, that are of the spirit.  
O most bountiful and gracious jesus, give me a perfect hatred and loathing of sin; and a perfect conversion of heart unto thee, that all my thoughts, and all my desires may be busied and conversant in thee alone, and about thee alone. O life. without which I die; o truth, without which I am deceived: o way, without which I go astray: o salvation, without which I perish: o light, without which I walk in darkness. Do not o Lord, do not suffer, that at any time I should be plucked away from thee: for in thee alone I live, & without thee I die: in thee I am safe, and without thee I perish: in thee I am some body, but without thee I am no body. As I shall more manifestly declare in the sequent considerations, which shall be unto me as a most clear glass, which I looking into with open, steadfast, and constant eyes, shall see both the magnitude and multitude of my miseries.   

A SPIRITVA'L and heavenly Exercise, divided into seven pithy and brief Meditations, for every day in the week one.  
The first Meditation, for Monday: of the misery in which man is created.  
THE Prophet jeremy deploring the misery of his own condition, saith; How is it, 
jerem. 20.  that I came forth of the womb, to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame? If the Prophet sanctified in his mother's womb so lamentably spoke of himself, what shall I miserable and wretched man say, conceived and borne of my Mother in sin? 
Hugo lib. 3. de anima.  Hugo de S. Victore doth very well counsel us; o man, saith he, learn to know thyself: Thou art better if thou knowest thyself, then if neglecting thyself, thou knewest the motions of the stars, the virtue of herbs, the complexions of men, and the natures of all heavenly & earthly creatures. For many men know many things, and know not themselves, when as the knowledge of ourselves is the chiefest Philosophy.  
Consider therefore o man, 
What man was before he was borne.  what thou wast before thou wert born: what thou art now thou art borne until thou return to dust: and what thou shalt be after death. Before thou wast borne, wast thou any other thing, but an impure and unclean matter, conceived of the corruption of the flesh, in the pollution of pleasure, in the heat of lust, and that which is worst of all, in the corruption of sin? Ponder also with thyself, with what meat thou wast nourished being conceived in thy mother's womb; surely with none other, then with impure, menstruous and hurtful blood, which stayeth in women from the time of their conceiving, that by it their young ones may be nourished in their wombs. Remember that GOD hath created thee of the slime of the earth, which is the basest element. He created the stars and planets of fire, birds of the air, and fishes of water: but men and other creatures of the slime of the earth. Therefore compare thyself with the fishes and beasts bred of the water, and thou shalt find thyself of a more abject nature, & vilder condition, than they are. If thou beholdest the fowls and creatures that live in the air, neither art thou to be compared unto them: if thou considerest the nature of the Planets, stars, and other things made of fire, thou art much more ignoble. Thou canst neither be compared to celestial things, nor be preferred before terrestrial: but if thou comparest thyself to brute creatures, in these alone thou shalt find some semblance and likelihood with thyself, as the Wiseman testifieth, who saith, That the condition of the children of men, 
Eccles, 3.  and the condition of beasts are even as one condition unto them. As the one dieth, so dieth the other: for they have all one breath, and there is no excellency of man above the beast. For man hath not, as touching his body, any more than a beast hath, seeing both of them are framed and created of earth, and both of them in like manner are resolved into earth. Remember that when thou wast borne, thou wast brought forth into this miserable world howling and weeping, as it were foreseeing, and therefore bewailing the labours, dangers & dolours which in this world are to be sustained: and that which is worst of all, deploring death itself. Wherefore, if perhaps thou be'st borne in a noble and honourable place, neither remember'st how vile a beginning and how abject an original thou hadst; if the beauty of thy countenance, and comeliness of thy proportion, if the lineaments of thy body, if the favour of the people, if the heat of youth, & abundance of riches take away the knowledge of thyself from thee, yet nevertheless, if thou desirest to know what man is, hear what that most glorious Father S. Augustine saith, 
S. Augustine.  the star and light of the doctors of the church, hear I say what he saith; Wretched man, saith he, what am I, but a vessel full of dung and corruption? a stinking and detestable worm? poor, naked, subject to many necessities? who knows not whence I came, nor whether I shall go. Miserable and mortal am I, whose days vanish & fade as a shadow, whose life increaseth and decreaseth as the Moon, and as a leaf upon a tree, now flourishing, and to morrow withering. I am earth, misery, the child of wrath, and a vessel of indignation & reprobation. I was borne in the corruption of sin, I live in misery and labour, and shall end my days in grief and anguish.  
And Saint Bernard saith: Flesh with which thou hast so great society, 
S. Bernard in his meditations.  is none other thing but froth & foam made flesh: invested in a frail ornament: but the time shall come, when it shall be a miserable and putrefied carcase, and the food of worms. For be it never so gaily garnished and tricked up, it is always flesh. If thou diligently considerest, what goeth forth by thy mouth and nostrils, and the other passages of thy body, thou never beheldest so vile a dunghill. Consider o man, (saith he) what thou wert before thy birth; what thou art from thy birth till thy death; and what thou shalt be after this life of thine is ended. Certainly, thou waste that thou wert not, after that thou haddst thy being of vile matter, thou wast enwrapped in a most vile film, and nourished in thy mother's womb with menstruous blood. Thy coat was a skin, so attired and adorned camest thou unto us.  
And hath beauty, favour, riches, and youth,  
So sotted thy senses devoid of truth,  
That mindless thou art how base was thy birth?  
And that all men are dust, ashes, and earth?  
Man is none other thing, but an unclean sperm, a sack of dung, and food for worms:  
After a man a worm, after a worm, stinch & faetour,  
So from a man to no man, is turned this creature.  
Hitherto S. Bernard, with whom agreeth Innocentius. 
Innocentius of the miseries of man's life.  O indignity, saith he▪ & vildness of man's condition. Consider the plants & trees, they bring forth leaves, flowers, & fruits, pleasant to the taste, & delightful for smell: but wretched man bringeth forth pestilent & noisome savours: & as the tree is, such also is the fruit; for an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit. But wilt thou more manifestly know, what man is, after he is borne? hear most patiented job, 
job, 14,  Man saith he, that is borne of a woman, is of short continuance and full of trouble. He shooteth forth as a flower, and is cut down, he vanisheth also as a shadow, & continueth not. Why do we seek for the testimonies of men, let us ask God himself, 
Gone, 3,  & he will tell us: Remember man that thou art dust▪ & to dust shalt thou return. This knowledge had holy job, 
job, 10,  when he said unto God: Remember I pray thee, o that thou hast made me as the clay, and wilt bring me into dust again.  
O man of clay, why art thou proud? o dust, why growest thou insolent? o ashes, for what wouldest thou be commended, whose conception is sinful, whose nativity is painful, whose life is labour, and death necessity? Why doest thou nourish thy body so delicately? Why doest thou adorn that with so precious garments, which after a while shall in the sepulchre be eaten of worms? Why doest thou not rather beautify thy soul with good works, which shall be carried into heaven by the hands of good Angels? Why doest thou neglect thy soul, and so extaordinarily cocker thy flesh? Behold confusion and preposterous order, the soul, which ought to rule, serveth the flesh; and the flesh ruleth which should obey. Why sufferest thou the Lady to be the handmaid, & the handmaid to usurp authority over the Lady? Dost thou not know that thy flesh is a domestical & homebred enemy unto thy soul, which under colour of friendship, is more cruel than the most tyrannous enemy? When thou cherishest & delicately nourishest it, thou breedest and bringest up thine own enemy: when thou deckest & beautifiest it, thou armest thine enemy against thee: when thou arraiest it in precious garments and outlandish skins of wild beasts, thou robbest thy soul of all beautiful and heavenly ornaments.  
Thirdly, o sinner consider what thou shalt be, when thou ceasest to live. Certainly thou shalt be none other, but a miserable and corrupted carcase, an habitation & food for worms. If it please thee, view the bodies of them, who are departed out of this life, and thou shalt find nothing in them, besides ashes, worms, stink, & loathsomeness. What thou art now, they sometimes were, & what they are now, thou shortly must be: they were men as thou art now, they did eat & drink as thou dost. 
job, 21,  They spent their days in wealth, & suddenly went down to the grave. See how the flesh nourished in delights, now being meat for worms lieth in the grave: & how the unhappy soul descendeth, that it may be fuel for the infernal fire, without any hope that ever the torments and punishments shall have end. What shall then their vain glory profit them? in what steed shall then the power of this world stand then? what shall then their carnal delights, & covetousness of riches help them? where are then their merry disports? where is then their boasting, & presumption of false joy? O into how grievous miseries are they fallen after a short pleasure? from a counterfeit mirth they are fallen into assured misery, & eternal torment. What happened unto them, may also happen unto thee, for thou art both a man, & compounded of the same dust & ashes, that they were framed of; man of earth, slime of slime, and after death thou shalt be turned into dust & ashes, neither knowest thou where, when, or how. Wherefore, seeing that death waiteth for thee in every place, if thou be'st wise, expect him in like manner at all times, and in every place. Let the lovers of this world remember, saith Isidore, 
Isidore.  how short the felicity of this world is, how barren & slender the glory of it is, and how weak and frail the power is. Tell me if thou canst where are the Kings, Princes, & Emperors of ancient times? where are the rich and mighty men of this world? They are all passed away as a shadow, & vanished as smoke: and if a man seek for them, he shall not find them.  
What if we say, that many of those Kings, Princes, & Emperors, thought that they should always conquer, and never die. O blind and ignorant, behold, it is not so, behold the matter is fallen out quite otherwise, they are dead, as other men are, their lives have failed them, as the lives of other Princes, that lived and ruled before them.  
What the estate of man is after death, Saint Bernard doth very well teach: What, saith he, is more stinking than a carcase? what is more horrible than a dead man? He that was of a beautiful countenance, and comely stature, whilst he lived, after death lieth with a ghastly and fearful face: for worms, putrefaction & horror, follow a dead man. Which thing, seeing it is so, what do riches, delicacies, and honour's profit? Riches do not deliver from death, nor delicacies from worms, nor honours from corruption. 
Chrysost. Epist. add The odor. Laps.  And Saint Chrysostome saith: Hast thou not seen many, that have died amidst their delights, even in their drunkenness, & in other fond pleasures of this life?  
Where are they now, that not long since rid through the streets bravely mounted, swelled with pride, richly attired in silks, guarded with attendants and servitors, smelling of perfumes, ointments, and spices, fawned upon with flatterers and parasites, where is now all their pomp and vain toys? gone. Where are now their large & costly banquets, their immoderate laughters, their ease and idleness, their effeminate, luxurious, and riotous lives? All is gone. What is become of their bodies, that ere while were waited upon with so great troops, and were kept so neat and finical? Behold, they are gone down into the grave. Contemplate the dust, ashes, worms, the beauty of that pulchritude, and thou wilt sigh bitterly.  
Behold with diligence, and pry narrowly into each of their monuments, search their graves and sepulchres, toss & turn over their bones and ashes, thou shalt find nothing here but ashes: nothing besides the relics of worms, which have eaten their bodies, and see what is the end of them, albeit they lived in this world in delights and glory. I pray God, that thou mayst diligently consider of these things, and that they may never slip out of thy memory. But (o grief) the unhappy sons of Adam, neglecting true and wholesome studies and endeavours, do seek for and hunt after vain and transitory pleasures. If therefore, o my brother, thou wilt always in thine heart meditate of these things, and consider the misery, and vildness of this life, thou wilt be humbled, and wilt detest pride, seeing that thou art not ignorant that pride is the badge and cognisance, 
The devil is the King of pride.  by which the children of the devil are known: For he is, 
job. 41.  as holy job saith, the King over all the children of pride. Gregory confirmeth this; 
Greg. lib. 34. Moral, cap. 25.  Pride, saith he, is a most evident token of reprobates: but contrarily humility is a badge of the elect. Seeing therefore that every one is known by that he hath, he is easily found under what King he warreth. For every one carrieth as it were a certain title of his labour, whereby he evidently showeth, under whom he serveth, that is, whether under Christ, or the devil. O cursed pride, hated of GOD and men. This tumbled Lucifer headlong out of heaven: banished Adam out of Paradise, drowned Pharaoh with his Army in the red Sea: deprived Saul of his kingdom: transformed Nabuchodonozer into a beast, and destroyed Antiochus with a most horrible and hideous death.   

The second Meditation for Tuesday: of sin, and what discommodities come by it.  
HE that committeth sin, saith the beloved Disciple of Christ, 
1, john, 3.  is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning: for this purpose appeared the Son of God, that he might lose the works of the devil. Sin is so heavy a burden, that neither heaven, nor earth can bear it, but with the Author and worker of it, it descendeth into hell. Every word, deed, and thought contrary to the law of God, according to Saint Augustine, is sin: which ought, none otherwise than hell to be eschewed of all them, who aspire to the heavenly kingdom: and that for three causes, 
Sin is to be eschewed for three things.  the first of which is, because it displeaseth God: the second, because it pleaseth the devil: the third, because it is hurtful, and bringeth many discommodities to man.  
First, I say, thou oughtest to eschew sin, because it exceedingly displeaseth thy Creator, in which place we are to consider, what God hath done by reason of sin. No man is ignorant that for sin God hath destroyed the works of his own hands: that for sin he hath cast Angels out of heaven, dizparadized men, and drowned with flood of waters all mankind, as the book of Genesis witnesseth. Other Kings and Emperors, that they may revenge the injury done unto them of their enemies, do spoil and waste their Countries & Dominions: but God subverted and destroyed his own kingdom, because sin had entered into it. Neither doth God only hate sin, but all that, which by any manner of way pertaineth unto sin. Men although the wine hath lost his virtue, do not therefore cast away the silver bowls, in which the wine is, but reserving them, they pour out the wine: but God not only casteth out sin, but also together with sin hurleth down headlong into the deepest Ocean of hell the vessels, in which it is, which are creatures & reasonable souls, made according to his own image, and redeemed with his precious blood. Whereupon the wiseman saith: Ungodliness, and an ungodly man are alike hated of God. That most patiented man job saith: Thou dost visit me every morning, 
job. 7.  and triest me every moment. Therefore in what should I hope, or wherein should I trust, but in the mere mercy of God, and in the affiance of celestial grace? For be it that I dwell amongst honest men, be it that I converse and diet with religious, devout, and faithful friends, be it that I read holy Books, godly Treatises, and sing heavenly Hymns, yet they little, or rather nothing at all profit me, if the favour of GOD forsake me, and leave me to my nakedness and necessity. Therefore there is none other remedy, but to embrace patience, to deny my self, and wholly to yield up and offer myself unto the divine will and pleasure. There was never any man so religeous, who did not sometimes feel himself deprived of divine consolation, and that he wanted the zeal and fervour of the spirit. There neither is, nor hath at any time been any Saint, whom temptation hath not sometimes taken hold of. Certainly, he is not worthy of that high and sublime contemplation of GOD, who before hath not for the love of GOD been exercised in sundry and manifold tribulations. Almost always the precedent temptation is wont to be a token, that comfort is at the doors. Wherhfore heavenly consolation is promised unto them, that are approved and tried with temptations, which the Scripture affirmeth, when it is said: To him that overcometh, 
Apoc. 2.  will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the mids of the Paradise of God. Wherefore God hath not either in heaven, or upon the earth so dear and faithful a familiar friend, whom he deadly hateth not, if he find deadly sin in him. Wherefore albeit Christ loved Saint Peter entirely, yet he had condemned him, if he had died in that sin, when thrice he denied his lord and Master.  
Secondly, God's hatred to sin hereby also appeareth, that he would have his only begotten Son die for the sins of men, as Esay testifieth, saying: For the transgression of my people have I strucken and plagued him. 
Esay, 53.  And certainly the Son of God himself, that he might destroy sin, 
Ibidem.  delivered his own soul into the hands of death, as the same Prophet saith. Who was ever found boiling with so great wrath against his enemies, who that he might destroy them, slew his only Son?  
Thirdly, 
God plagueth and punisheth sin every where.  God's detestation to sin is hereby also gathered, that he hath persecuted it even from the beginning of the world, to the end, not in one place, but wheresoever he found it. He found it in heaven, and thence he banished it; when he saw it remaining upon the earth, he came in his own person, that he might expel it thence, and at the last in the final judgement he will confine & include sin within the limits and bonds of hell, as in his natural place, as the Prophet testifieth, saying; And he will cast all our sins into the bottom of the Sea. 
Micah. 7.   
Fourthly, how greatly sin displeaseth God, this similitude argueth: 
A Simile.  without all doubt that fault is very odious and abominable, that causeth a Mother to cast her beloved Son into a burning furnace, and not once to assay to take him thence again: so certainly there must needs be some great matter in it, and exceedingly odious unto God, for which he should cast his children into eternal flames, if he find sin in them; whom notwithstanding he so loved, that he refused not to die for them. Thou seest here o sinful soul, how odious and abominable all sin is unto God. Wherefore if thou desirest to please God, it is necessary, that thou keep thyself free and clean from sin, so that it possess not the least place in thee. For she shall be accounted a very unfaithful woman, 
A Simile.  who admitteth into her bed an other man besides her husband, but especially, if she admit one, that is his enemy, and of whom he is to expect many discommodities and injuries: so also unfaithful is that soul, which of purpose and willingly giveth place unto sin, which Christ our Redeemer the true spouse of our souls hateth so deadly; which wrought him so many discommodities, so many losses, so many torments, and for which, he was hanged naked upon the Crosse. Wherefore here it pleaseth and liketh me well to imitate that regal Prophet and sweet singer of Israel, and say: Create in me a clean heart, 
Psal. 51.  o God, and renew a right spirit within me.  
We said that the second reason why sin was to be eschewed, 
Sin maketh the devil merry.  is, because it maketh merry our ancient enemy the devil: which is gathered by three signs and tokens. The first is, because he seeketh for nothing in the whole world so industriously: he hunteth not after gold, nor silver, nor precious stones, but after souls, as it is figured in Genesis, where the King of Sodom saith in the person of the devil; Give me the souls, 
Gen. 14.  and take the goods to thyself. Saint Gregory affirmeth the same thing: 
Gregory.  Persuade thyself, that the devil seeketh for none other thing, then to deceive and destroy souls: 
A Simile.  for as an Hawk desireth nothing so much, as the heart of that bird, which he pursueth: so the devil desireth nothing so much as the soul of a sinner.  
The second sign, whereby we know that the devil doth love sin is the continual temptation, by which he impugneth and molesteth men, neither is ever wearied in soliciting man unto sin. For there are almost now past six thousand years, in all which time he hath only applied himself to this study, that he might sin, and make man to sin: neither is he tired, yea he daily findeth and inventeth new kinds of sin, he is still nimbler and busier in his endeavours and temptations, & daily bringeth men into new errors, as we see in the book of job. For when as God asked him, whence he came? he answered: From compassing the earth to and fro, 
job, 1.  and from walking in it. He is so busied in preferring sin, that he hath not time to take any rest, as job testifieth: They that pierce me through, 
job, 30.  saith he, do not sleep.  
The third sign, that sin pleaseth the devil, is, that he can never be satisfied with sin. For although infinite thousands of men have descended to hell for their impiety and pollution of sin, of whom the devil is the ringleader, yet he is not satisfied, but always hungerly, Like a roaring Lion walketh about, 
1, Pet. 5.  seeking whom he may devour, as Saint Peter testifieth in his first Epistle general. He so hungereth and thirsteth, as it is said in the book of job, that he drinketh up the river, 
job, 40.  and hasteth not: and he trusteth that he can draw up Iorden into his mouth. His mouth is hell, and the river that runneth into his hellish mouth are sinners, who with great celerity, as swift rivers, hast into his jaws, whom he swalloweth up with great thirst and desire. It is reported in the lives of the Fathers, that the Prince of devils did commend and honour one of his train; yea, commanded him to sit in his chair of estate crowned, because he had brought a certain religious man to the sin of luxury, whom he had been enticing forty years, and could not bring him to nibble or bite at his bait.  
Therefore mourn and lament o sinful soul, very bitterly, seeing thou hast so often rejoiced thy mortal enemies, by sinning so mortally to thy great loss and danger, and in steed thereof yield repentance, and a pure conversion of heart unto God, that God and his Angels may in like manner rejoice. For there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God, 
Luke, 15.  for one sinner that converteth.  
The third principal reason, 
The damage and hurt that comes to the soul by sin.  for which sin is to be eschewed, is the great damage we reap by it. For first by sin we are estranged from God, and made his enemies. This is that, which Esay saith: Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, 
Esay. 59  and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. If all the blessed Citizens of that heavenly Country could either sin, or would sin, they should fall from heaven into the bottomless depth of hell, and should utterly lose the amity and friendship, which they have with God. Hereupon Augustine saith: 
Augustine.  If thy faithful friend offend thee, thou thinkest him worthy to be reprehended: how much more worthy art thou to be blamed, if thou sinnest against almighty God, thy most gracious and merciful Father?  
Secondly, sin maketh his Author guilty of infernal torments. And because the divine law doth not much differ from humane constitutions, that which man's law doth to the body, the same God's law inflicteth upon the soul. Therefore mark how the law of man maketh the transgressor of the King's commandment, and the contemner of his royal Majesty guilty of death; as it is written in Ezra, where it is remembered that King Darius, when he had promulgated his decree as concerning the re-edifying of the temple at jerusalem, added at the end of his letter Pattens: I have made a decree: 
Ezra. 6.  That who soever shall alter this sentence, the wood shall be pulled down from his house, and shall be set up, and he shall be hanged thereon, and his house shall be made a dunghill for this. This wood is our own consciences. We have the like example in Ester, 
Ester, 7.  where Assuerus commanded Haman to be hanged. This is the sentence of GOD, which he will pronounce at the last day against them, who shall be found to have lived in their sins; let them be hanged up in hell.  
The third loss is, sin spoileth man in this life of all spiritual graces, and in the world to come of everlasting glory: wherefore Solomon saith: Sin maketh men miserable. 
Prou. 19  Neither is a sinner only miserable, because he hath not; but also because he hath lost himself, and his liberty: he maketh himself the devils slave and captive, neither can he make any spiritual gain, nor do any thing in this state acceptable unto God. Neither doth he live, albeit his body breath a little. 
Lib. 3. de consol. Philoso. cap. 1.  For a wicked man, as saith Boethius, is not alive, but dead: for by sin he hath separated himself from the light; and is blind. The same testifieth Sophonias: 
Soph. 2.  They shall walk, saith he, as blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. And David saith: They have not known nor understood: 
Psal. 21.  they walk in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are out of square.  
Esay in the person of sinners doth more elegantly set them out in their colours: 
Esay, 59  We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as one without eyes: we stumble at the noon day as in the twilight: we are in solitary places, as dead men. Sin is the same in the soul, 
A simile.  that rottenness is in an apple: for as that doth corrupt the taste, smell, colour, and the whole beauty of the apple: so sin doth rob the soul of the dignity of grace, of the report of a good name, and of the comeliness of all her beauty. For this cause Esay doth compare sinners to the mire of the streets. 
Esay, 10.  Augustine also affirmeth, that a dead dog doth not stink so filthily in the nostrils of men, as a sinful soul doth before God and his Angels. 
August. Ser. 144. de tempt.  And the same Father in a certain Sermon desirous to call a man from the way of sinners, saith: What doth it profit thee, if all things be good in thine house, and thou thyself be not good? Tell me, I pray thee, why wouldst thou have any evil or naughtiness in thine actions, thoughts, or desires? & wouldst not have naughty grain; nor an evil tree, but a good one, a good horse, a good servant, a good friend, a good child, & a good wife? But why do I remember these great matters, when thou wilt not have a ragged, but a whole garment, & to be brief a good shoe, and not one that is torn? Or tell me of any thing, that thou wishest for, which is nought, or that thou desirest any thing, which is not good? I think that thou wouldst not have a ruinous house, but a good house: and wilt thou only have an evil soul? Wherein hast thou offended thyself? In what hast thou deserved ill of thyself? Wilt thou not have any thing evil among thy good things, but only thyself? Prefer I pray thee thy life before thy shoes.  
All things that are obvious unto thine eyes are good, beautiful, and elegant, and thou lovest them, and art delighted in them, and how can it be, that thou thyself wilt be evil, vile, impure, and abject? If all things, that are in thine house could speak, they would cry aloud, and say: If thou desirest that we should be good, we also desire a good Master: and they would exclaim against thee unto God, and say; O good God, thou hast given unto this man so many good things, and so much wealth, when as he himself is wicked and evil, what do those things profit him, which he hath, when as his understanding is blinded, and he possesseth not the Lord, that bestowed these things upon him?  
The fourth damage is, that sin maketh a man a brute beast. 
Lib. 4. de consola. Philos.  Therefore Boethius saith: If thou takest goodness from a good man he shall be a beast. And Aristotle saith in his Ethics, that such a man is worse than a beast. Neither doth the holy Scripture dissent from them, 
Psal. 49.  when it saith: Man being in honour, hath no understanding: but is compared un-the beasts that perish.  
The fift damage is, that sin maketh a man the child & servant of the devil: hence is that of john: 
1, john, 3.  He that committeth sin, is of the devil. And our Lord saith in the Gospel: Ye are of your father the devil. 
john, 8.  Therefore o thou sinner how unhappy art thou, that feelest so great losses and damages? take pity therefore on thine own soul, and do not burden and load it with sins.  
These things being thus, remember o man, and acknowledge these three main and huge mischiefs, which sin bringeth unto thee, that is, the offending of God, the rejoicing of the devil, and infernal torments. Consider furthermore the nobleness of thy soul, and how dangerous thy wounds be, which could not be healed but only by the blood, and wounds of the Son of God. Unless the wounds of thy soul had been everlastingly mortal and deadly, the Son of God, had not died for them. Therefore do not slightly prise or lightly weigh the concupiscences of thy soul, which that same supreme Majesty of God did so greatly and highly account of. He abundantly poured out tears for thee, every night wash thou thy bed with tears, & water thy couch with continual contrition. He shed his blood for thee: shed also thine by the daily affliction of thine heart, and continual tribulation of thy spirit. Do not regard what thy body desireth, but respect what thy soul willeth: for Saint Gregory saith: where the body liveth a while in delights, there the soul is tortured with perpetual torments. And by how much the body is afflicted in this life, by so much the spirit rejoiceth in the other. Therefore Saint Augustine admonisheth us very well: Let us deny our own wills for jesus Christ: for they must once be forsaken: neither doth it please God that for temporal things we should lose eternal blessings. If thou wast permitted certain years to live in the delights of this flesh, with this condition, that afterwards thine eyes should be plucked out, or that thou being deprived of all delicates, shouldest most miserably perish through hunger and thirst, and wretchedly contend with famine, affliction, & misery, I persuade myself, that thou wouldst never wish for such manner of delicates. What I pray thee is this life? In truth it is not the space of one month; what do I say of a month? Nay, it is not the space of one hour, not of a minute, no not of a moment, if it be compared to that eternal beatitude, or to those torments of hell, which have none end, and like which none can be thought of.   

The third Meditation for Wednesday: how dangerous it is to defer repentance.  
OUR Redeemer inviting us all unto repentance, saith: If any man will follow me, 
Math. 16.  let him forsake himself, 
Luke. 9  and take up his Cross, and follow me: for whosoever will save his life, shall lose it. It is necessary, that all sinners do take up this Cross, and carry it with perseverance, if they desire to reign with Christ jesus. Wherefore Saint Hierome writing to Susanna, saith: that repentance ought to be equal, or greater than the sins. 
Hier. in an Epistle to Susanna.  That repentance is necessary, saith he, which may either equalize the faults, or exceed them. And Saint Augustine saith: Whosoever will be saved, it is necesary that he be washed at the least with the tears of the contrition of his heart, being cleansed before by baptism from all those blemishes and pollutions, which sin had spotted and soiled him withal. But if thou shalt say, that this is a hard saying, and that thou canst not forsake the world, nor hate thy flesh, nor chastise thy body: hear what is said, not of me, but of Saint Hierome: 
Higher in an Epistle to juliana. cap.  It is a difficult thing, nay it is impossible, that any one should enjoy both present and future blessings: that he should fill his belly here, and his soul there: that from delicacies he should pass unto delights: that in both worlds he should be graced & carry his head aloft, and that he should appear glorious both in heaven, & in earth. Which sentence Saint Gregory confirmeth: Many, saith he do desire to fly out of the exile of this present life, unto celestial joy, who in the mean time will not forsake the pleasures of this world. The grace of Christ jesus doth call them, but the concupiscence of the world doth detain them. They desire to die the death of the righteous, but they will not live as they do: such shall everlastingly perish, because their works shall follow them. The austerity of holy john Baptists life, saith Saint Bernard, is a hard sentence of death unto sinners: who when there arose not a greater than he among those that are born of women, did so chastise, correct, and afflict his most innocent body: and ye hast to be clothed with silk, fine linen, and purple, and to far deliciously. O wicked man, this is not the King's high way unto heaven. Remember the rich glutton, who was the Lord of such great wealth, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, & fared well & delicately every day, who afterwards could not have one small drop of water to cool his tongue, being tormented in the midst of the flames of hell. Consider this o my friend, & repent, whilst thou hast time. Hear what Saint Gregory saith: Although God promiseth pardon unto the penitent, yet he hath not promised to morrow unto a sinner. 
True repentance.  It is repentance to deplore sins past, & not to commit any hereafter. Therefore it is very well said of S. Augustine: Vain is that repentance, 
August. in his Soliloquies.  which the future fault doth pollute: lamentations do nothing profit, if sins be multiplied: it nothing availeth to crave pardon for evils, if eftsoons thou renewest & reiteratest thy follies. 
Three parts of repentance.  We must note for the further manifestation of this matter, that true repentance doth consist of three parts, which are, contrition of heart, confession of mouth, & satisfaction of deed. For we have offended God three manner of ways, by delight of thought, by lapse of tongue, and by pride of works: and these three are to be cured by three contrary remedies, delight of thought by the sorrow and contrition of heart: the lapse of the tongue by the confession of the mouth: and the pride of works by upright and uncorupted satisfaction. Of these three parts therefore we will speak, 
Contrition what it is.  and first of contrition, which is a voluntary grief taken for sin committed, with a purpose of confession, satisfaction, and hereafter not to sin any more. Contrition must have four degrees according to Bernard: 
In his 16. Sermon upon the Cant.  Furthermore know, saith he, that thou hast wholly recovered thy wits and senses, if thou feelest thy conscience to be bitten with a fourfold compunction, with a double shamefastness, and with a double fear. Therefore in thy plangors and lamentations for thyself, think of God thy maker, think of thy father, think of him, who is bountiful & gracious, & think of thy Lord: and know that thou art guilty in each respect; deplore and lament each offence; thy fear doth make answer to the first and last, & thy shamefastness to the two in the midst. Be it that thy Father doth wink at thee, that he that is bountiful & gracious doth pardon thee: but thy Lord & Creator will not. He that spared not his Son, will not spare the workmanship of his hands, nor a wicked servant etc. We offend the Lord our God the Creator of all things: we more wickedly offend our heavenly father, being so gracious & bountiful; who doth support, & nourish us, in which thing we are worse than dogs, who do love & follow them, of whom they are nourished; but most vilely we offend God, by crucifying again by sin our Redeemer, as much as lieth in us, who hath redeemed us by his most precious blood, and hath delivered us from all the snarés & entrappings of sins, from the cruelty of devils, and from infernal punishments. We must be sorrowful for three things, for sin committed, for good omitted, & for time lost. 
August.  Augustin speaketh of the dignity of contrition. The contrition of the heart availeth more, then to go on pilgrimage throughout the world. And Cassianus upon the Psalm, 
Cassianus upon the 120. Psalm.  I called unto the Lord in my trouble, saith, the Lord doth not know how to put of him, whom he knoweth to entreat him with a broken and pierced heart. And Chrisostom saith: 
Chrysost. of the compunction of the heart.  It is only compunction, which maketh a man to abhor purple, to desire sackcloth, to work righteousness, to love tears, and to avoid laughter.  
Of Confession, 
Confession In his 30. Sermon to the brethren in the wilderness.  which is an other part of repentance, S. Augustin saith, that it is the health of souls, an expeller of vices, a restorer of virtue, an impugner of wicked spirits, a fear of hell, an impediment of the devil. O holy & admirable confession, thou shutest the mouth of hell, and openest the gate of Paradise. And in another place: He that accuseth himself of his sins the devil cannot accuse him at the day of judgement, 
In his 5●, Sermon de tempore.  if in confessing them he blot those things out by repentance, which he hath done: neither doth renew that again, which he hath committed. But woe be unto us, that when so many & so great blessings & benefits are found in repentance, & yet there are so few found, that do take it upon them.  
Hereupon God complaineth in jeremy, 
jerem. 8.  saying: I hearkened & heard, but none spoke right: no man repent him of his wickedness, saying; What have I done. Hear what S. Isidore saith: 
Isidor. lib. de Etym.  It is confession by which the lurking disease of the soul is opened to the praise of God, in hope to obtain pardon. Of which virtue Ambrose saith; When confession proceedeth from a man, than the vengeance of God ceaseth. And Cassiodorus saith; jesus Christ is not their judge, but their Advocate, who accuse themselves by their own confession. Leo also agreeth with these: 
Leo in a Sermon.  that is not to be condemned, saith he, in judgement, which was purged by confession. Go too therefore, my brother, & follow the council of Esay, & first recount thine iniquities, that thou mayst be justified. For the confession of sins is the beginning of righteousness.  
Of satisfaction, 
Satisfaction.  which is a third part of repentance, thus speaketh S. Augustine: 
Augustine in his Soliloquities.  Satisfaction is to cut of the causes of sin, and not to cherish by suggestions any entrance into them. Gregory saith thus: 
Gregory.  we do not satisfy, although we cease from iniquity, unless, on the contrary side we persecute by opposite bewailings, the pleasures, which we loved. Chrysostome consenteth unto this. The reconciliation, saith he, aught to be equal to the precedent offence: thou oughtest to be as ready to lament, as to offend, and as thine intent was to offend, such also ought thy devotion to be in repenting; for great sins do require also great grief and sorrow.  
Wherefore, Eusebius saith: A light and slight contrition, doth not effect, 
Hom 5, ad Monachos.  that those debts may be forgiven, to which everlasting death is due: neither is a transitory satisfaction, sufficient for those evils, for which eternal fire is prepared. There is need of much weeping, of much mourning, of great grief of heart, to heal the griefs and sorrows of the heart. We must endeavour with the whole contrition of the spirit, that those old evils, which as arrows stick in our consciences, may be pulled out. It is not sufficient, with the lips only to say; I have offended, spare me, & remit my sins. But we are presently weary, & look behind us, as Lot's wife did; wherefore we are diligently to consider the words of Bernard; He that perfectly knoweth, saith he, the burden of sin, & the plagues & grievances of his soul, he shall little or nothing at all feel the punishments & castigations of his body, neither shall they be troublesome unto him, certainly persuading himself that God will have respect unto him, & that he shall avoid those things, which he was disposed and prepared to commit. Hereupon S. Augustine saith, 
Augustine in Psal, 50,  writing upon the Psalm; Have mercy upon me, o God: Many there be, saith he, that are not ashamed to sin, but they are ashamed to repent. O incredible madness, art thou not ashamed of thy wound, & art thou ashamed of the binding up of thy wound? Is it not being naked more ugly? Run therefore to the Phision, repent, & say; I do confess mine iniquity, and my sin is always before me: against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil before thee.  
Satisfaction consisteth in three things; 
In what things satisfaction consists.  In prayer, Almsdeeds, & Fasting: which are as it were certain antidotes against so many capital vices, by which we offend GOD: and these three vices do arise from three principal enemies of our souls. Pride is engendered of the devil, covetousness of the world, & luxury of our own flesh: of which thus speaketh Saint john: All that is in the world, 
1, john, 2,  is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Prayer restraineth pride, Almsdeeds banisheth covetousness, and fasting bridleth lust. Furthermore, we always sin either against God, and so in like manner prayer is opposed against all that sin, & by it we are accepted of God, as as the Wiseman saith: The prayer of him that humbleth himself, 
Ecclus, 35,  goeth thorough the clouds, and coaseth not till it come near, and will not departed till the most High have respect thereunto: or we sin against ourselves, & against such a sin, fasting is effectual, according to that of Augustine: Restrain & bridle your flesh by fasting & abstinence: Or we sin against our neighbour, & here almsdeeds are of force; of which our Saviour speaketh in Luke, Give alms, 
Luke, 11,  and all things shall be clean to you. For as water extinguisheth fire, so almsdeeds quench sin. Almsdeeds are called the water of GOD, and a precept of mercy commanded unto us of the son of God.  
Wherefore for three causes we are bound to give alms, & to exercise the works of charity: 
The fruits of almsdeeds.  First, because by mercy sin is wiped away: Whereupon Solomon saith: By mercy and truth, 
Prou, 16,  iniquity shall be forgiven. The Scripture maketh mention of that poor widow, who having but a little oil, 
2, King. 4.  and exercising mercy, filled all her empty vessels, & the oil was so multiplied, that she had enough to pay her debts, and to satisfy all her creditors. These empty vessels are the poor, whom we must bring into our houses, 
Esay, 58.  according to that saying of Esay; Deal thy bread to the hungry, bring the poor that wander, home to thine house, when thou seest the naked, cover him, and hide not thyself from thine own flesh. Like unto this is the counsel of Tobias, saying unto his son; Give alms of thy substance; 
Tob, 4,  and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, lest God turn his face from thee. Give alms according to thy substance: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give a little alms. And so a little of this oil of mercy, shall more and more abound, being increased with the augmentation of grace.  
Furthermore, alms multiplieth our temporal goods, 
Lib. 18. Moral. c. 10  as Gregory testifieth, saying: we lose earthly things by keeping them and preserve them by giving them away; And in another place: whatsoever is given to the poor, if it be well considered, is not a gift, but alone, because that which is given, is received again without all hazard, or adventure with advantage: as for example, 
1, Kings, 1●  where the widows oil and meal is increased, who nourished Elias: whereby it is manifest, that the poor do rather feed than that give alms, then are fed of them.  
Thirdly, because alms is a work of mercy, which waiteth upon the soul to heaven, as S. Ambrose testifieth, who saith: They are not the goods of man, which he cannot carry with him. Only mercy is a companion of the dead. O how good and necessary a companion is alms for the dead? Therefore do not despise such a companion, which like an Advocate goeth before thee, and not followeth after; as those wretches do contemn it, who will not extend their alms in their life time, being not unlike to them that cause light to be carrryed behind them, whom the Wiseman reprehendeth, saying: Say not unto thy neighbour, 
Prou, 3,  Go and come again, and to morrow will I give thee, if thou now have it.  
He that is rich aught to consider three things in giving his alms, 
Three things to be considered in alms.  the first of the which is: that it is God that requireth the alms, & that he will have that mercy in the same account, as if it were done to himself, according to that, which Christ saith in the Gospel: 
Math, 25,  That which ye have done unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  
GOD doth beg of the rich money for the poor, of whom the rich daily desire the kingdom of heaven. He therefore that denieth alms to the poor, God requiring it, it is greatly to be feared, lest God in like manner deny unto him the kingdom of heaven, and that he will not hear him, when he crieth, according to that of Solomon in his Proverbs: 
Proverb, 21  He that stoppeth his ear at the crying of the poor, he shall also cry, and not be heard.  
The second thing that a rich man ought to think of, being about to give alms, is, that almighty GOD doth require that for the poor, which is his own, seeing that he is the Lord of all those things, which we possess; therefore he is without doubt most ingrateful, that denieth necessary alms unto the poor.  
David was far of from this ingratitude, when he said: Might, and power, and glory, and victory, and praise (o Lord) are thine. For all things that are in heaven, and in earth are thine: Thine is thy kingdom O Lord, and thou art above all Princes, Riches and honour are thine. All things are thine, and we give unto thee, that which we have received at thine hands.  
And this cogitation ought the more to move us unto alms, because GOD receiveth what we give, and doth repay us not only our principal, but an hundred fold. This is that, which Saint Augustine saith: 
Augustine in his Epistles.  If thou wilt be a good Merchant, and a gainful Usurer; give that which thou canst not keep, that thou mayst receive what thou canst not lose. give a little, that thou mayst receive an hundred fold, give a temporal & fading possession, that thou mayst receive an everlasting inhearitance.  
Therefore he is not only ingrateful, but also mad, who doth not give unto God his revenues, that he may receive them again with so great interest: when as both the jews, the Ethnics, and the Moors, willingly do it. Wherefore my dear Brother repent, and gather and lay up the treasuries of mercy in a safe place, in celestial security, and not among earthly dangers. Consider that the heart of a covetous man, is a pit without a bottom; the more it receiveth, the more it desireth, neither is at any time satisfied as the Wiseman saith: A covetous man is not satisfied with money. 
Eccles. 11.  Woe be unto them that lay up their treasures in the earth: for their hearts are afflicted, because they cannot enjoy their riches, and they keep them with danger, and will they, nill they, they must at the last part from them, and suffer punishment in hell.  
Lay up thy treasure my deer and good brother, in thine own Country, which is Heaven, where thou shalt live always, and never have hope to enjoy these, which are to be left in the earth: persuade thyself that those are thy goods, which thou hast laid out & bestowed on the poor; for those are not properly thy goods which thou canst not carry with thee. Hear what S. Ambrose saith: 
Ambrose in his offices.  Nothing doth so much commend a Christian, as commiseration, and charity. And saint Jerome saith: 
Hiero. to Nepotianus.  I do not remember that I have read, that any one died an evil death, who willingly exercised the works of charity. For they have the prayers of many, and it is impossible but that their prayers should be heard. And Leo commending this virtue, saith; He shall receive many great blessings at God's hands, 
Leo of the apparition of our lord.  who letteth not the poor depart from him without comfort.  
Mercy is of so great virtue, that without it, others do not any whit profit. Be it that thou art faithful, sober, & chaste, & adorned with worthier titles, yet if thou be'st not merciful, thou shalt find no mercy. And this may be enough to move the minds of men, that they may readily & cheerfully take upon them this third part of repentance, which is Satisfaction. Of this repentance, that we may return to our purpose, our Saviour saith; He that taketh not up his cross & followeth me, is not worthy of me. Which if it be true, we are to perform our repentance as speedily as may be, yea in our youth: for than it is more profitable unto us, & more acceptable to God, as the wise man teacheth, saying; 
Eccles, 12.  Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth, whiles the evil days come not, nor the years approach, wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. My son, defer not from day to day thy conversion unto the Lord, lest his anger come on a sudden, and condemn thee, & destroy thee in the time of vengeance. Be not deceived with the suggestions of that cursed serpent sathan, which suggesteth unto thee hope of a longer life, & that thou shalt repent thee enough a little before thou diest, that he unwares may oppress and subvert thee, as the Wise man saith: 
Ecclus, 20,  To promise unto thyself longer life, is great wickedness, & hath destroyed many, and hath removed them as the waves of the sea.  
It is evil, because it is contrary to reason and justice: 
It is wicked and nought, to promise unto thyself a longer life.  worse, because it is against the sinner himself: but it is most vile, ungodly, and cursed, because it warreth and fighteth against the divine will. That it is evil, & contrary to reason & justice, is proved by three examples.  
First, it is against justice, if any one having many horses, among which he may divide the weighty and heavy burden, will lay the whole weight upon one, which is the weakest and the oldest. Such an one is he, that reserveth for feeble old age the whole burden of repentance, & all the sins which he committed in his youth, which is unsufficient for the burden, and can by no means bear it. Of such Saint Isidore saith: They that misspend the time of repentance without fruit, in vain desire of the Lord, that the gate may be opened unto them. The Prophet Malachi denounceth a curse against such an one. 
Malach. 1,  Cursed be the deceiver, saith he, that hath in his flock a male, & voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.  
Secondly he seemeth unto me, more foolish and more unjust, who when he is strong and healthful, will not carry a small burden, but had rather stay, till his burden be greater, and himself weaker. Such an one is he, that doth not carry the burden of repentance in his youth, and so long as it is light and little: but putteth it of to old age, when as he himself shall be weaker, & his burden wayghtier. We have an example of this in the book of the Fathers: One cutting down wood, bound up a burden of it, and then made trial whether he could carry it, but seeing himself not able to carry the same, he cut down more wood, and made him a greater burden, and by how much he was less able to lift it up, by so much he augmented it. After the same manner do sinners, who deferring the time of repentance, do increase the burden of their sinners.  
For as S. Gregory saith: 
Gregory.  the sin that is not forthwith cleansed and purged by repentance, doth draw on another with his weight. Thirdly, is not he exceeding unjust and mad, that bestoweth & consumeth all the time of his life, all his cost, & all his diligence, in building of houses, in which notwithstanding he is not minded to dwell: but doth pull down with all his might and main the house, which he hath determined to inhabit? Certainly, this man altogether worketh against the judgement of reason, and is worthy to be counted both a fool & a mad man. This doth a sinner, who proroging his conversion to the hour of death, buildeth for himself a habitation in the depth of hell, where notwithstanding, he desireth not to dwell. Fear and dread therefore that ancient saying: He that doth any thing against his own conscience, buildeth in hell.  
Secondly, 
Hope of a longer life, is worse than the former circumstances in respect of the sinner himself.  in hope of a longer life, something worse seemeth to be, then that hath been spoken, when it is to the prejudice of the sinner himself. And this is proved by two examples.  
The first is, because if any man had rather be sick, then sound: a servant, then free: poor, then endued with some competent wealth: such an one should be opposite and contrary to himself. A sinner is like to this man, because he had rather live, nay lie dead in sin, which is a spiritual sickness & infirmity, them be whole, strong, and sound. Wherefore a sinner is more cruel against himself; for he had rather be dead then alive; sick, then sound; a servant, then free: as it is in S. john: 
john, 8,  Who soever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. And S. Augustine saith: 
August. in his 4. book of the city of God.  A good man, albeit he serve, yet he is free; but an evil man, although he reign, yet is he a servant: neither of one man alone, but (that which is more grievous) of so many masters as he hath vices. The second example is, he is a debtor, who taketh any sum of money upon usury; for by so much more doth his debt & usury increase, by how much he is longer in discharging it; and to be so much the more negligent in repaying it, by how much he is less sufficient to repay, certainly it is hurtful & unprofitable to himself: Such an one is a sinner, who persevering in his sins, the longer he continueth in them, the more he increaseth the usury of his fault: and so much the more punishment shall he at the length suffer for them. Hereupon S. john saith in his Revelation; 
Apoc, 18,  Inasmuch as she glorified herself, and lived in pleasure, so much give ye to her torment and sorrow.  
Thirdly, we said, that the persuasion of a longer life was most vile, 
The persuasion of a longer life, is most vile, and ungodly.  ungodly, and cursed, especially, because it directly fighteth against the goodness of our Lord jesus Christ: and this is manifested by three examples, the first of which is: If a servant be disobedient to his master, through the whole race and course of his life, whom notwithstanding he is bound to serve faithfully, having received many benefits of him: & should serve the greatest enemy that his master hath, and at the length at the end of his life, when his strength is decayed, should return unto his master, to wait upon him, to whom always heretofore he hath been immorigerous, dost thou think that this service would be accepted of his master? Such an one is a sinner, who after he hath offended his Lord God all his life time, and hath borne arms under the colours of his adversary, would at the last return to the service of God in his faint & feeble old age. Secondly, if any one had received money, or other great riches of his Lord, on this condition, that he should negotiate & traffic therewith, & by his diligence should increase the sum: and he in despite of his Lord consumeth the money vainly & prodigally; without doubt he offendeth both the goodness of his Lord, and hindereth his own profit, & should be counted very unthankful. A sinner is not unlike to such an one, who having received of God a soul & a body, with all the senses, powers, external goods, length of days, & many other benefits, doth unprofitably consume them all, and squander them abroad: and that to the reproach and injury of his Lord, Creator, and Redeemer: by sinning sundry and divers ways, by offending the goodness of GOD; and by making havoc of all his goods, but chiefly of his soul, which is committed and commended unto him, as a most precious treasure. Wherefore, S. Gregory said; Woe be unto me, if I shall negligently keep the talon committed to me of the Lord, that is, my soul, redeemed with the precious blood of that immaculate lamb, seeing also, that there is not any moment of time, which I am not to give an account of.  
The third example. If any one be a Steward, whose duty is, to dispose the goods of his Lord: if he should give the best bread, the best wine, and the best meats to strangers, & to the enemies of his Lord; & should set before his Lord musty bread, unsavoury meats, putrefied flesh, corrupted fishes, and dead wine: do you not think that this servant should badly fit the humour of his Lord? A wretched sinner is like to such an one, who offereth to the world, and to the devil, who are the enemies of Christ jesus his lord, the best and fairest flower of his youth and strength: and to his God and lord, the worst part of his life, barren and unprofitable old age. David did not so, who saith of himself; 
Psalms, 38,  I will keep my strength for thee o Lord. And the Wise man saith, that from his youth he sought for wisdom, 
Wised, 8.  which is true virtue. But of all them that defer repentance, 
Gregory in his morals.  Saint Gregory saith: He is far enough of from faith, who expecteth old age to repent in. For it is to be feared, lest while he hopeth for mercy, he fall into judgement. For not any day is within his power, & therefore every one ought to follow the counsel of Isidore, and convert himself with all the diligence and hast he can, unto the Lord; for if he linger and loiter, he shall at the length be willing, but not able to turn himself.  
Which things being so, repent my dear brother with all speed and celerity, and make no longer tarrying, lest thou be reprobated and shut out with the foolish virgins.   

The fourth Meditation, for Thursday: of the contempt of the world, and with what hatred, and diligence it is to be eschewed.  
THE glorious Apostle S. john saith; 
1, john, 2,  Brethren, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. For if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him: and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. Saint Augustine expounding this place, 
In his second tractate upon the Epistle of S. john.  saith: What wilt thou do? whether hadst thou rather love temporal things, and so pass away with the time, or Christ our Saviour, and live for ever? If thou shalt love this world, it will consume and destroy thee; for it cannot defend them that love it.  
This World is as an excommunicated man: 
The world is as a man excommunicated.  for as the Church doth not pray for him that is excommunicated: so jesus Christ doth not pray for the world, although he prayed for them that crucified him. O how great madness is it to serve such a lord, who at the end of thy service, is wont to give no other wages, but nakedness and desolation. 
A speech & fact of Saladine.  So Saladine that great Soldan of Babylon, the conqueror of Asia, being at the point of death, and seeing no hope of life to remain, commanded his standard-bearer to be called unto him, to whom he thus spoke, saying; Thou hadst wont to carry mine imperial ensign before me, when I went to war; now also carry the ensign of my death; which is this poor winding-sheete: carry it thorough all the streets of Damascus, and cry: Behold the king of all the East dieth, & of all his spoils & trophies, carries none other with him, but this worn threadbare winding-sheete. The like is read of a certain young king of Lothoringia, who being ready to give up the ghost, lying in a most magnificent palace, and in a rich sumptuous bed, cried out with a loud voice, that he might be heard of all; O lord jesus Christ, how worthily is this world to be condemned. See in what stately and royal buildings I have lived, & now wretched creature that I am, know not whither this night following I shall go, what Inn I shall have, or what manner of entertainment I shall find.  
Therefore o sinner fly from the world, fly I say, from the world, first, because it leaveth thee in so great need and misery. For as the Apostle Saint james saith; The amity of this world, 
james, 4,  is the enmity of God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himself the enemy of God. And Saint Gregory saith; A man is so much the nearer unto God, by how much he is further of from the love of the world. 
Gregory.  For this cause the Lord would be carried without the City, to signify, that he had no part in the World: and whosoever will be partaker of the fruits of his passion, he must renounce the world, and separate himself from all worldly conversation, if not in act, yet in desire: this is that which almighty GOD commandeth by his Prophet, saying; Get ye out of Babylon, that every one may save his own soul. Babylon, 
Upon the 7. chapter of Mich.  according to the exposition of Saint Hierome, is the house of confusion, which is this world, in which confusion reigneth every where, as well in the Clergy as in the laity, as well in old, as young, as well in men, as women. Therefore it is very well said of Saint john in his general Epistle; 
1, john, 5,  The whole world lieth in wickedness.  
Saint Bernard also counseleth us very well, 
Of conversion unto the Clergy. chap, 30,  saying: Fly out of Babylon, fly and save your souls. Fly to the Cities of refuge, where ye may both repent for sins past, and for the present find grace, and safely look for future glory. Let not the anguish and remorse of your sins hinder you, nor the austerity of repentance deter and affright you. For neither the passions of this time, nor the tribulation of this world are worthy, for the fault past, which is remitted; for the present grace of consolation which is bestowed; nor for the future glory, which is promised. To be brief, there is no bitterness so great, which the Prophet's meal will not sweeten, which the wisdom of the tree of life will not make savoury. We are to know, that the world is to be eschewed for four causes, the first of which is, 
The world is to be eschewed for 4 causes.  because wise and circumspect men, are wont to fly and avoid infectious and contagious places, especially if they be weak and sickly, or fear any infirmity. Such a place is the World, which hath in it many evils, & many diseases of sin, we see also much filthiness, & many blemishes in it, which contaminate & pollute our souls: for sin it self is a contagious disease, therefore not without cause we ought to eschew & avoid the society and company of wicked and ungodly men; for it is not meet, that the whole and sound should dwell with the leprous and diseased: for the Wise man saith: He that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled with it, and he that companieth with a proud man, shall put on pride.  
Certainly saith S. jerom, nothing doth so hurt a man as naughty company, 
Tom. 9 Epi. Euseb. ad Damasum de morte Hieron.  and evil society. For a man becomes such a one, as the company he keepeth. The Wolf doth never dwell with the lamb: & a chaste man doth fly the company of the luxurious. I think it impossible, that a man should long continued honest, who daily useth the society of wicked men. With the holy, thou shalt be holy, saith the Psalmist, with the innocent, thou shalt be innocent, and with the froward, thou shalt learn frowardness. For as evil company hurteth, so good company profiteth. Nothing can be compared to this treasure. He that findeth good society, findeth life, and aboundeth with wealth. I speak truly and confidently; a man is made very seldom either good or evil, but through company & society. The heart of a child, is said to be as a Table in which nothing is painted. Therefore that he receiveth from company, he keepeth till his old age, whether it be good or evil. These things spoke S. Jerome, being ready to yield up the ghost. Therefore seeing that the world is so evil, we ought to eschew and avoid it, as an ill neighbour, who can work us great mischief by his neighbourhood and vicinity, and hurt us very much by sins and sinners, of which it is full.  
The second cause why the world is to be eschewed, 
The second cause why the world is to be eschewed.  is, because wise and considerate men do avoid those places, in which they fear the intrappings and snares of their enemies, lest they fall into their hands: and this is the reward that the world rendereth unto her lovers, that she at the length delivereth them into the hands of the devils their deadly enemies. The words of the the traitor judas are to be referred hither, saying to them, to whom he sold and betrayed the Son of God: 
Math, 26,  Whomsoever I shall kiss, and say peace be unto thee, that is he, lay hold on him. Which words the world saith also to the devils: to whomsoever I shall give the kiss of peace, of riches, of pleasures and honours, lay hold on him, bind him hand & foot, and cast him into hell. Wherefore, S. Gregory saith not without good cause; 
Gregory in his morals.  It is a manifest sign of perdition, when the effect and event, doth favour affected iniquity, and no contrariety doth hinder, what the perverse mind hath conceived. And Saint Jerome saith: It is a manifest token of damnation, to be loved of the world, to enjoy prosperity, & to have all things, what the will desireth.  
Certain therefore it is, that they are exceedingly deceived in finding out the way to felicity, who think that they may enter into glory, and into the kingdom of heaven, by riches and pleasures.  
The third cause, 
The third cause.  why we ought to eschew the world, is this, because wise & wary men do fly & avoid dangerous places, such as the sea is, wherein we sail with fear. Whereupon the Wiseman saith; 
Ecclus, 9  They that sail over the sea, do tell of the dangers of it. David certifieth us, 
The world is a sea.  that this world is a great & spacious sea, in which the greater part of the mariners perish. This is manifest, because as Bernard saith, many do miscarry in it, and few are saved. The world is as an Ocean, in which of four ships, scarcely one is saved; as the Deluge, in which so many thousand men were drowned, and so few escaped: and as the Furnace of Babylon kindled with hell fire, in which a man is set on a light flame with one word of the fire of wrath, in which luxury doth burn, and covetousness is inflamed by the only look and aspect.  
The fourth cause, why we ought to forsake the world, 
The fourth cause,  is, because every man that is wise, being admonished, aught to eschew that place, in which his mortal & deadly enemy dwelleth. This place is the world, which the devil our capital enemy inhabiteth; he hath his signory and dominion in this world, who always threateneth destruction unto us, and thirsteth for our deaths. Therefore let us fly from the world, as from the devil, according to the counsel of the Wiseman, Keep thee far from the man that hath power to slay. 
Ecclus, 9,   
These reasons thus being set before our eyes, let us be wise: for we see manifestly by these things which have been spoken, that the world cannot be better overcome by any other way, then by flying from it. We have an example of this in the lives of the Fathers, of Achrimus, who being Emperor, & standing in his palace, prayed thus unto GOD. Lord I desire thee, show unto me the way of salvation. And behold, he heard a voice saying unto him; Achrimus, avoid the concourse and solemnities of the world, entangle not thyself in the snares of humane vanities, & thou shalt be safe. At the hearing of which voice, he betook himself forthwith to a strict solitary course of life. And saying an other time the same prayer, he heard a voice saying: Fly, overcome, be silent & at rest. And surely these be the roots, and the grounds not to sin. For by flying, the concupiscence of the flesh is overcome, by being silent, the pride of life, and by being of a peaceable and quiet mind, covetousness, & greediness of gain are subdued and overthrown.  
Saint Isidore admonishing us that we should contemn the world, saith: If thou desirest to live quietly, covet nothing that is in this world: cast from thee whatsoever may hinder thy holy purpose. Be dead to the world, and therefore being dead, do not thirst after glory, and thou shalt live in tranquillity and rest, being content with thine own. Despise that in thy life, which thou canst not keep in thy death. S. Augustine speaketh thus of this deceitful world: 
August. in his medita.  This life is a miserable life, a frail life, an uncertain life, a painful life, an impure life, a life Lady of enormities, & Queen of pride, full of miseries & errors: which is not to be called a life, but a death in which we die daily, through sundry defections of mutability, and by manifold kinds of death. A brickle life, an inconstant life, which the faster it goeth on, the nearer it approacheth to death, a deceitful and unsteady life, full of the snares of death. Although it be replenished with these, and other grievances, sorrows, and inconveniences, yet (o grief) how many doth it ensnare with vanities, and how many are deceived with false and deceitful promises? And albeit of itself it is so false and bitter, that it cannot conceal these inconveniences from her blind lovers, yet it maketh drunk an infinite multitude of fools with the golden cup, which she beareth in her hand. As they are happy, so are they rare, that refuse her familiarity; that despise her perfunctory joys: that contemn her society, lest with this perishing deceiver they be also forced to perish. This saith he. Behold, saith Bernard, 
Bernard.  the world crieth, I shall fail thee; and the flesh crieth, I shall infect thee: which then, o miserable sinner, wilt thou follow? the failing world, or the infecting flesh? Both of them are evil: therefore follow Christ, who will refresh thee. But if all these things, my Brother, which thou hast hitherto read of, do not move thee, hear what the same famous Doctor of the Church, Bernard saith, of the lovers of the world: 
In his meditations.  Woe be unto those unhappy and wretched ones, saith he, for whom is prepared intolerable sorrow, incomparable stinch, and horrible fear. Woe be to them, for whom is prepared that place, where nothing shall be heard but weeping and wailing, lamentation and howling, mourning & gnashing of teeth: where nothing shall be seen but the worm, ugly, deformed, and horrible tortures, and terrible & fearful devils: where they shall call & seek for death, but shall not find it: where there is no order, but where perpetual horror everlastingly abideth. How great fear, how great sorrow, how great mourning will there be, when sinners are separated from the righteous, & delivered to the power of devils, with whom they shall be cast headlong into the eternal torments of hell, without hope ever to see the face of the Lord, or heavenly glory: without any hope to be ever freed from those torments; where neither the torturers shall be wearied, nor the tortures have any end: where death shall never die, nor life bring any joy?  
Tell me o sinner, 
jerom upon the 17, of Matthew.  saith S. Jerome, if we had the wisdom of Solomon, the beauty of Absalon, the strength of Samson, the long life of Enoch, the riches of Croesus, and the felicity of Octavian: what would these things profit us, when as our flesh at the length is to be given to the worms of the earth, and our souls to the devils, to be everlastingly tormented with the rich Glutton in hell?  
The shortness of time, the brevity of life, and the uncertainty of death ought to move thee to contemn the world, & those vain delights that be in the world. Wherefore Saint Gregory saith: 
Gregory.  Reprobates do many things wickedly, because they hope to live long here. Contrariwise, the righteous, whilst they consider the shortness of their life, they avoid the sins of pride and uncleanness. Of the brevity of this life S. james saith, 
james, 4.  What is your life? it is even as a vapour that appeareth for a little tyme.  
And Saint Augustine saith, 
August. upon the 56. psalm.  If thou hadst lived all that time, since Adam was expelled out of the garden of Paradise, even to this day, certainly thou shouldest well perceive, that thy life was not perpetual, which hath so passed away: but the life of one man what is it? add as many years as it pleaseth thee, add a very long and lasting old age, what then? Is it not yet morning? Be it that the day of judgement is far of; assuredly thy last day cannot be far of, therefore now prepare thyself; for as thou departest out of this life, so shalt thou be presented to the other life. This saith he. And in another place: All the time that we live here, is taken from life: so that the life present is none other thing, but a short way, by which we pass unto death, 
Seneca in his 59 epistle.  in which no man can long stay nor linger, or walk softly, and at leisure; but every day thou must finish by little and little some part of thy journey.  
All things pass away, saith Soneca, and are in continual diminution & augmentation. None of us is the same in old age, that we were in youth.  
Not any one of us is the same in the morning, that we were the day before. Our bodies pass away after the manner of running rivers: whatsoever thou seest, runneth away with the time. Nothing remaineth steady of all those things we see: behold they are changed, whilst I speak, and I also am changed. And in another place; 
In his book of consolation to Mat. chap. 22.  The Fates do ply their work, and do take away from us the sense and feeling of our death; and that death may creep upon us more easily, it lurketh under the very name of life. Childhood converts infancy into it, youth childhood, manly age youth, and old age takes away manly age. The very increases, if thou dost well account & think of them, will be found to be losses. If (my dear Brother) thou lettest these things into thine ears, and meditatest on them in thine heart, & well considerest them, thou wilt say, that thou rather runnest unto death, then that thou canst hope for long life.   

The fift Meditation, for Friday: of the vanity of the glory, and magnificence of this world.  
THE Prophet Baruch, detecting and laying open the great and intolerable mockery of vain glory and riches, and the subtle deceits of this world, in the third chapter of his prophecy saith; Where are the Princes of the Heathen, and such as ruled the beasts upon the Earth? 
Baruch, 3,  They that had their pastime with the fowls of heaven, and hoarded up silver and gold, wherein men trust, and made none end of their gathering? For they that coined silver, and were so careful of their work, and whose invention had none end, are come to nought, and gone down to hell, and other men are come up in their steads. Where are the invincible victors, and heroic conquerors of Coutries, who by their conquests purchased such triumphs, and by their riches prepared such magnificent feasts and banquets? Where are the Emperors and Captains of huge Armies? Where are the managers & tamers of horses and other creatures? where are the judges, tyrants, & great thieves of the world? they are now nothing but dust and ashes. Look and look again, look I say into their sepulchres, whether this is a rich man, or that a poor man? Whether this man is valiant, or that man faint-hearted? toss & turn over their bones, distinguish if thou canst a rich man from a poor man, a valiant man from a coward, a beautiful man from him that is deformed. Wherefore my brother, let us be wise at the last, being admonished by this Scripture: and let us assuredly persuade ourselves that all man's glory, whence soever it cometh, is to be avoided of us. 
Why worldly felicity is to be eschewed.  First: because of his own nature it is vile: secondly, because it is deceitful in his promises: thirdly, because it is vain, brickle, frail, fleeting and momentany: four, because it is evil and malicious in rendering a reward. First I say, that man's glory is to be eschewed, because of his own nature and condition is vile and base; as it is manifest in the first book of the Macchabees, where Mattathias dying saith to his Sons; Fear not ye the words of a sinful man; 
1, Macca. 2.  for his glory is but dung and worms. What in this world is more filthy than dung? What more vile than worms? Therefore if all man's glory consisteth in dung, it is not to be desired, but avoided. Man's glory, 
A simile.  as the Philosopher saith, is as corruption and the rottenness of wood. Which thing also experience teacheth us: for as the little worm Teredo, that eateth wood, in the night shineth, and maketh a crackling, but in the day time is known to be a worm & putrefaction: so also vain glory shineth and glittereth with great pomp in the night of this world to weak & dim eyes, which cannot judge but by outward appearances. But when that clear and bright day of judgement shall come, wherein God shall reveal the darkest and obscurest things of our souls, and shall manifest the secret counsels of our hearts: then those, that seemed happy and glorious, shall be known to be filthy, vile, and without any hope of salvation. Wherefore these mighty men are like unto Owls, which flying in the dark do seem to cast some light from them, but when the day ariseth they show black, as they are. If these gloriosoes had eyes to look into their most vile riches, and to behold the stinch and corruption of their own flesh, which shall be turned into ashes, they that are now swelled and puffed up, and do despise others, through the nobleness of their birth, their power and dignity, should well perceive how abject, base, black, and corrupt they are. Wherefore I cannot be induced, to think otherwise, but that if they would deeply consider and weigh these things, they would presently cast out of their hearts all the earthly glory of this world: 
In an Epistle to julia. chap. 4.  knowing, as Hierome saith, that it is impossible, that any one should be happy in both worlds, and appear glorious both in heaven, and in earth.  
Secondly, 
The glory of the world is unconstant.  the glory of this world (as we said) is to be eschewed, because it is frail, and without any constancy or foundation: therefore it is like unto a smoke, or a vapour, which the higher that it is lifted, the less it is seen: and to a flower of a good sent and fairness, which a little Sun-shyne doth dry up in a short time; is withered with a little blast of wind, and doth lose all the beauty and fragrancy. Such is the glory of the world, of which Esaias said: All flesh is grass, and all the grace and glory thereof is as the flower of the field. 
Esay, 40.  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, and the glory thereof passeth away. Such are the lovers of this temporal momentany glory: worthily compared to grass, which groweth on the tops of houses to day green, and to morrow not seen. Wherhfore the Wiseman saith: 
Ecclesiasticus, 10.  All power is of short continuance; and he that is a King to day, to morrow is dead. Tell me where is the power and glory of King Assuerus, who governed an hundred and twenty provinces? Where is the glory of great Alexander, at whose presence the whole earth was hushed, 
1, Maccha. 1  to whom all Kings and Tyrants paid tribute, as it is in the first Book of the Macchabees? Where is the glory of that great Empire, by which he conquered and subdued under him almost all the Kingdoms of the world? Where are all the Princes and Potentates of the world, who reigned over both man and beast? They are passed and gone away, as a stranger or a Soiournour that tarrieth but for one day. Truly not one of them remaineth, all their days were spent in vanity, and their years swiftly posted away.  
Death feareth no man: it sweepeth all away without any difference or partiality: it is a fierce cruel beast, that spareth not any body, it taketh away both the king and the beggar, and maketh all equal & alike.  
Thirdly, 
The glory of the world is deceitful.  the glory of this world is to be avoided, because it is deceitful, and doth perform none of those things it promiseth, but deceiveth all men in this life. Which of the Princes, and Emperors hath it not deluded, promising unto them long life, peaceable honours, a quiet empire, when as it cannot prolong man's life one hour? Who in earthly glory was like unto Alexander, who was never subdued in any war, who always triumphed over his enemies, who overthrew huge hosts with a little army, who never besieged City, but he took it, neither was there any province, which did not obey his Empire? But now when he seemed an absolute conqueror, and purposed to pass the rest of his time in peace and tranquillity, he was on a sudden poisoned. Tell me why dost thou follow and hunt after the glory of the world, which cannot secure thee in death?  
Fourthly (as I said) humane glory and applause is to be avoided and eschewed, 
The glory of the world is evil and malicious in retribution.  because it is a very evil and naughty paymayster: for it promiseth glory, and payeth everlasting perdition, and eternal confusion. Wherefore the Lord saith by the Prophet; I will turn their glory into shame. 
Ose, 4.  So their strength shall be turned into weakness, their wisdom into foolishness, and their pleasures into punishments. For according to the quantity of the fault, shall be the quantity of the punishment, which they shall be tormented with. Hereupon Saint Hierome speaketh thus to the lovers of this fleeting and deceitful world; Woe be unto you miserable wretches, who endeavour to go to heaven by the way of riches and pleasures, and understand not what our Saviour saith: That it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, 
Math. 19  then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Remember that this is a Divine sentence, and the words of him who saith; Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass. O miserable wretches, and more inconstant than any wind; howl & mourn; who are only great and noble by the benefit of fortune; but in deed are base, abject and blind with the smoke of vanity, with deceivable honours, and false dignities of this world. Do ye not see the shortness of time, how death perhaps this might shall cut off the thread of your lives, and that ye shall be tormented for ever in hell, where ye shall always live, dying without end, yea more dying, than all the men that die in the world? where no rest shall be given, but torments shall always live to revenge? Where ye shall not only be tortured with men, but also with devils? For so much the greater shall thy punishment be there, as thy glory was greater here, & as thou hast lived in greater delicacies and delights. See how our Saviour, that unchangeable truth, all whose deeds & words are one instruction, among his twelve apostles, whom he choose, would have but one Bartholomew a noble man, & one Matthew a rich man: he chose all the other poor men, and fishers: that he might signify that the noble and rich men of this world, can hardly be saved, and be made worthy of heaven. For if by one only sin man became guilty of hell fire: how shall a rich man be saved, desirous and greedy of popular applause, hunting after the frail and mortal glory of this life, which is none other thing, than a filthy & impure vessel and receipt for all sin, full of pride and luxury, full of covetousness in the rich, mighty and noble men of this world? These are thieves, that rob the poor of that they should live by, who eat up their labours, killing and treading them under their feet: when notwithstanding God hath blessed them with great abundance of wealth, that they thereby might nourish the poor, and religiously rule over them; who being drowned in riches, and delicates, and swollen with costly meats, seeing the poor before their Palace gates naked, and perrishing through hunger and cold, do not stretch out their hands unto them, neither are moved with any pity: but giving themselves wholly to plays, sport, gamings, feastings, and banquets, utterly forget the poor, the charge of whom is so often committed and commended unto them in the Scriptures▪ neither do they remember God at any time, except perhaps lightly and by the way cursorily & perfunctorily. Let them certainly persuade themselves, and remember these things, when they shall feel & try them, that a most strict and exact aceount shall be required of them, why they have not distributed to the poor those things, which were superfluous unto them: and if they cannot give an account, nor purge themselves, their souls shall suffer intolerable torments in the deepest pit of hell. O how easily do they offend, and how suddenly are they enwrapped in punishment, who do not consider, how they must die, or how God shall judge them? O how uncircumspect and unhappy are they, that do not remember these things, and do not resist the temptations of the devil: I dare boldly affirm, that if they did acknowledge God to be their judge, & think that they should die, that they would not sin, at the least with so great security, all fear set apart. But now they come to Church, not to hear the divine word, & to pray, but to see vanity, beauty, & the pride of women. This is their thought, this their intent, & this their sermon. There they talk & confer, how they may heap riches together: there they dispute of the sundry fashions of apparel: there they invite one another to feasts & banquets, & to the dishonest delights of gluttony: of whom S Bernard saith; O wretches what do ye, who before the time do slay your own souls, & corrupt and putrefy your bodies? Tell me, whence comes infirmity, whence groweth the sudden death of young men, but of great abundance of meats, & immoderate venery? Wretched are ye because ye think that ye can delude God, but in truth ye deceive yourselves▪ because ye neglect your souls that ye may pamper your bodies; & so ye destroy them both, before the time appointed. Your pleasure and rejoicing shall continue but that short time, ye live, but after death your bewailings and torments shall endure with devils in hell for ever and ever: there shall be everlasting shame and confusion: there shall neither be sumptuous banquets, nor delicate wines: there with the rich Glutton, who in this world fared delicately, ye shall crave a drop of cold water, and it shall not be given unto you: for there no man gathereth, or reapeth any thing, but that he hath sown in this world. What then o miserable man dost thou? Why dost thou not repent? Why dost thou not amend thy life? O heart harder than a rock, why dost thou linger? Why dost thou defer repentance for thy sins? Why dost thou prorogue thy conversion? Behold how death cometh, running swiftly to carry thee away: the devil standeth ready, to catch thy soul, and the worms greedily expect thy flesh, which thou hast fatted with so fine cates, that they may have more abundant and more toothsome food. Doth not that horrible and fearful day of judgement come into thy mind, in which thou shalt not only render a most strict account of thy pride, gluttony, luxury, vain glory, vanity, and of thy time unprofitably spent; but also of every idle word? Beware that thou fall not into that dreadful condemnation, which the Son of God not now a Lamb, but a Lion shall pronounce against the cursed, 
Math. 25.  saying: Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Behold, saith Bernard, o thou worldly sinner, how far thou wanderest out of the way, if in this world thou seekest for honours, pleasures, and glory: for thou shalt never find that here, which may satisfy thee. If thou desirest true joy and true glory, endeavour and labour to go to heaven by the right way; where the joys are truer and better, than ever eye hath seen, or ear hath heard, or hath at any time entered into the heart of man; I pray thee for those eternal and everlasting joys, neglect and basely account of these transitory and momentary pleasures.  
But what shall we say of them, who can neither be induced by the fear or love of GOD, nor by the terror of death, nor by the horror of hellish torments, to forsake their sins, yea, whom it repenteth that that they have not power and ability to live as wickedly as they would, that they might satisfy their lusts in all things? O miserable wretches, ye laugh in this world, but ye shall weep in the other. Woe be unto you, who desire momentany and fading pleasures, because ye shall suffer great and everlasting torments. A little time yet remaineth: fill up the measure of your iniquities and miseries, that the indignation of GOD may be more plentifully powered down upon you. Rejoice a little, give over yourselves to tryfling, to toys, fables, sport, lies, contentions, and enmities, and let no time pass you in vain. What do ye? Scrape together for your children riches, honours, and dominions: purchase nobility & renown for them, that they may do that, which ye left to do, and finish, what ye began: that ye together with them may be tortured with greater torments.  
But some man may say: 
An objection.  God is bountiful, gracious & merciful, he receiveth every sinner that turns to him with all his heart, and he pardoneth all their faults. 
The answer.  True it is my brother, he is more merciful, than thou supposest, when he so patiently suffereth sinners, and so mercifully granteth them space to repent in, that they may amend themselves: and if they return unto him, he graciously receiveth them.  
But I would have thee to know, that as he is merciful in suffering, expecting, and pardoning: so he is just in correcting and punishing. If thou shalt say: Albeit a man sin all his life time▪ neither do any good at all, if he repent at the very point & instance of death God will forgive him all his sins. O my brother, how vain is this comfort? 
How dangerous it is to defer repentance to the hour of death.  How false & deceitful is this cogitation? for of an hundred thousand sinners, that defer their repentance to the hour of death, scarcely one is saved, and obtaineth remission of his sins. A man borne in sin, never living according to the law of the Lord, without the knowledge of him, never willing to hear the word of God, not knowing what sin is or what repentance is, drowned in the businesses and cares of this world: afflicted with the love of his children, whom he leaveth: with the grief of his riches, which he forsaketh: tormented without hope ever to enjoy them again, what repentance can he make: who if any hope of longer life or recovery did appear unto him, would not be any whit careful for repentance? Of which I infer, that he that in his youth, and whilst he is whole and sound, neither feareth, nor blusheth to offend God, is unworthy to have his sins forgiven him in the agony of death. 
Late repentance seldom true.  For tell me what repentance is that, which a man maketh, when he plainly seethe, that he can live no longer? yea, who would live more dissolutly, than he did before, if he should recover his former health? Truly I myself have seen very few rich men, who have repent at the hour of death, and recovering again bodily health, have not afterwards been worse in their souls, than they were before. This I am assured and altogether persuaded of, and I have learned it by long experience and observation, that they that always sin without any fear, and never in health will set sin at defiance, nor renounce their pleasures, that they seldom and very hardly have an happy end, as saith Saint Hierome. Wherhfore my Brother, if thou hast any discretion, or if there be any light of reason within thee, despise and forsake the riches, honours, and glory of this world, for his sake who created thee, and who is ascended above all things. What shall it profit thee, if thou gainest the whole world, and losest thy soul? I know assuredly that the honours and glory of this world are impediments of grace, and that which is worse, hinderers of eternal salvation. For it is no where read, that ever any man passed unto eternal glory by the pleasures and delights of this world. O how vain and false is the glory, which men hunt after, and desire one of another, and not of God? He that desireth to be preferred before all men, it is to be feared, lest the higher he ascends, the greater will be his fall. That Angel, was a Citizen and an inhabitant of heaven, who said; I will ascend into heaven, 
Esay, 14.  & exalt my throne above beside the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the Congregation in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, and I will be like the most high: But he was made a devil, and fell into the deepest pit of hell. Therefore it is very well said of Saint Augustine; O how happy is he, whose heart only burneth with a desire of heavenly glory? Who is not puffed up in prosperity, nor cast down in adversity? Who as he hath nothing in the world, that he loveth, so he hath nothing that he feareth? What other thing is the glory of this world, but a tickling of the ears? O how cursed is he, saith Anselmus, and ingrateful, that seeketh for the glory of this world? No honour is got without trouble, no dignity without disturbance, no highness without vanity. Wherefore, my brother, if thou wouldst weightily consider of the great danger, that followeth worldly glory, without doubt thou wouldst shun and fly from all the vanity of this world: and thou wouldst only desire to enjoy that celestial beatitude, which all the Saints have obtained by so great labours and afflictions, and now do enjoy with greater rejoicing.   

The sixth Meditation for Saturday: how death is to be feared: and that a Christian ought so to live, that death may never find him unprepared.  
BE mindful, 
Ecclesi. 14.  saith the wiseman, for death doth not tarry: the remembrance of it is the mother of many good things: for the same Wiseman saith: 
Ecclesiast. 7.  Remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss. And Saint Bernard saith: Continual remembrance of death is a great blessing. 
Bernard.  Let a man always carry this about with him, and he shall never offend. And Saint Augustine saith: 
Augustine.  There is not any thing, that more forcibly holdeth a man from sin, than the continual remembrance of death. This maketh a man humble & lowly: this bringeth a contempt of earthly things, & induceth a man to take upon him the burden of repentance. S. Hierome also doth subscribe unto these, 
Hierome.  saying; He that persuadeth himself that he shall die, easily contemneth all things: he despiseth the pride of life, who remembreth that ere long he shall be cast into the earth: for he that knoweth that shortly, he must be put under all men's feet, & be trodden upon by every one, he will not desire to be extolled, or to be lifted above others: he that remembreth that he must leave all things by and by, contemneth the lust of his eyes; but especially he despiseth the concupiscence of the flesh, who considereth that after a short time his body shall be devoured of the worms of the earth. I would to God, saith S. Jerome, that the kings & Princes of the earth, and the possessors of the riches of this world, would consider, how after a short space of time they shall be carried out of their magnificent Palaces, and be enclosed & included in a very narrow corner of a room: how they shall be carried out of their glistering & famous buildings into a dark & obscure Sepulchre: out of their golden & gilded houses, painted with most beautiful & most pleasant flowers & pictures into a Sepulchre replenished with crawling worms, & intolerable stink: out of their Palaces full of all the fine furniture & riches of this world into an empty and hollow Sepulchre: out of Palaces, in which a company of children and a troop of servants daily attended, into a solitary, desert forsaken Sepulchre, separated from all society and resort of men. Tell me, where remaineth all that forepast glory and pomp? Where is the multitude of servants and attendants, that were wont to follow them? Where are their costly & delicate banquets? They joyed here a little time, and lived in their Palaces, in the midst of the delights of this world; and now worms in a Sepulchre do frolic and feed on them.  
Of this remembrance of death, 
Petrus Damianus to a Countess.  Petrus Damianus writeth unto a certain Countess, saying; O that we would remember, dear Lady, how the miserable soul is excruciated at the point of death with horrible fear, cruel remorse, and sharp piercings, it being now to departed out of the prison of the flesh. It shall remember vices and sins committed, which are so strictly forbidden: It shall behold the precepts of God, which it hath not observed partly through negligence, and partly through contempt; it shall lament the time spent without fruit, which was granted it to repent in: it shall mourn and bewail, because it hath so lately understood the inevitable and immutable vengeance of condemnation. It shall be compelled to forsake and leave the flesh, it shall desire to revoke and recall the time past, but it cannot, neither shall it be heard. Looking backwards, it shall see all her life time, as the tract and step of one pace. And looking forwards, seeing so everlasting an age of eternity, it shall howl and cry out, that in so short a time it did not purchase that great glory, which the Saints shall enjoy for ever and ever: it shall lament that for so small and momentany a pleasure, it hath lost the perpetual felicity of everlasting blessedness. It shall blush & be ashamed, that for the flesh, which shall be cast unto worms to eat, it neglected and despised itself, which should have lived in the society and fellowship of Angels. And lifting up the beams of her understanding, and considering of those immortal riches of heaven, and seeing that she hath changed them for the miseries of this life, she shall be exceedingly afflicted, and utterly confounded. When she shall turn her eyes to view the vanities of this world, and the darkness of the earth, she shall admire and wonder at the brightness of the light glistering above her, and shall manifestly know that this world is night and darkness. The breast shall begin to pant and beat, 
The forerunners of death.  the forehead shall wax stiff, whence cold sweat shall issue: the eyes shall grow dim, the ears deaf, the nose shall sink down, the nostrils shall be filled with filth and corruption, the countenance shall wax wan and pale, the mouth shall be distorted and pursed, the lips shall grow blue, the hands cold, the pulse shall faint and languish, now beating never a whit, now striking softly, and sometimes creeping like a worm or a pysmier: the feet shall wax cold, and the whole flesh shall turn to corruption.  
Those antecedent tokens of death nearly approaching, 
Who stand by him that is yielding up the ghost.  and these nearer signs being at hand, the evil works, which she hath done, the words, which she hath spoken, and the cogitations, which she hath thought upon, shall also approach: and both the works, words, and thoughts, shall be witnesses against a miserable sinner: they shall stand in his sight: & will he nill he, he shall be constrained to see them. At the one side of him there shall be devils present, and at the other Angels: these shall comfort him dying, the other shall accuse him, and both of them shall earnestly expect, which of them shall carry him away with them. If there be in him signs of piety and contrition, he shall be glad at the sight of the Angels, and he shall take courage to departed with this sweet and happy company. But if on the left side there shall be present so obscure and so hateful a multitude of sins, so unclean and stinking, that the judge cannot abide the smell of them, then the miserable soul shall forthwith faint for fear, it shall be disturbed with violence of perturbations, & shall be compelled to forsake the prison of the miserable flesh. Then the soul shall run to the mouth, to the eyes, to the ears, to the nostrils; seeking which way it may get forth, & finding all things shut up and closed, it shall break through, which when it hath so done, and shall look round about, casting her eyes on every side, and seeing herself condemned, she shall curse and ban herself, exclaiming, and crying out: O the cursed soul of one excomunicate of a thief, of a Church robber, of an adulterer, of an usurer. And when the wretched soul shall view the white and unspotted garment, that was given her in baptism, to be now blacker than pitch, she shall sigh and mourn with great lamentation and howling, saying: Woe is me, woe is me miserable wretch; who hath changed my garment? it was whiter than snow, and now it is blacker than pitch. Then the devil will presently step forth, who will mock thee, and say; O my soul do not marvel, behold it is I, that have prepared for thee this black garmeut: with which vesture the greater part of the world is invested: to which thou hast always been obsequious, which thou hast credited, which thou with me hast employed thyself in, always following mine advice and counsel: therefore with me thou shalt for ever devil in mine infernal kingdom: where there is sorrow without joy, hunger without meat, thirst without drink, darkness without light, stink without sweetness, grief without comfort, mourning without consolation, tears without ceasing, hideous noise without silence, howling without melody, burning fire without refreshing, a violent wind without calmness, heat without end, and all evil without any good. Therefore arise my love, & go with me; behold all the infernal spirits do come to meet thee. Then also shall be present the Angel of GOD, to whom the soul was committed, saying; Happy and blessed are they, who in this world have not spotted nor blemished their garments. O unhappy soul, o friend of devils, o the cursed creature of the omnipotent God. I always stood by thee, and thou sawest me not. I always admonished thee, and thou wouldst not hear me: I always suggested good counsels unto thee, and thou wouldst not believe me. Therefore now get thee gone to hell into the handling of devils: that is, to the place of torments, which are prepared for thee according to thy deserts.  
Who can express the multitude of hellish fiends, that with great fierceness shall run to catch the unhappy soul, and carry it to everlasting torments, who despitely insulting over it, and mocking it shall say; O how proud hast thou been heretofore? How delicately and sumptuously hast thou banqueted? How finely & curiously hast thou been clothed? How valiant and prosperous hast thou always been? Tell us, why dost thou not now eat, why dost thou not drink, why art thou not gallantly appareled? Why dost thou not now play and rejoice with thy wife, children, and friends? Then the miserable soul shall curse the body, 
The soul shall curse the body.  saying: O temple of the devil, whose works have polluted me: o cursed earth, o habitation of sathan, arise now and go with me, and thou shalt see the place of torments prepared for thee: in which I shall dwell without thee till the coming of the judge: and then also shalt thou come hither, and for ever shalt be tormented with me. Cursed be thine eyes, which would not see the light of truth, and the way of righteousness: cursed be thine ears, which refused to hear the words of eternal life: Cursed be thy nosethrills, which disdained to smell the most sweet savour of virtue. Cursed be thy lips and tongue, and cursed be thy mouth, that would neither taste the joy of glory, nor praise their Creator. Cursed be thy hands, which denied alms to the poor: Cursed be thine heart, which brought forth so many, and so unclean cogitations and counsels: Cursed be thy feet, which would not frequent the Church of Christ jesus: Cursed be thy members, which never brought forth the works of repentance: And cursed be all thy works, which have deserved so cruel, and so endless torments.  
Consider therefore my brother, from what great dangers and fears thou mayst now deliver thyself, if so now through the fear of death thou endevourest so to live, that when it cometh, thou mayst say with David: Into thy hands o Lord I commend my spirit. 
Psal. 7.  Learn now to die to the world, that thou mayest live with jesus Christ. Learn now to contemn all things, that thou mayst freely enter in with jesus Christ, and enjoy all the blessings of his glory. Chastise now thy body with repentance, that thou mayst then find most firm assurance. O how happy & prudent is that man, who laboureth now to be such an one, as he will desire to be in that doubtful and dreadful hour of death. Therefore now contend with all thy might to be such an one: for thou knowest not when thou shalt die, neither what will happen unto thee after death. Do not rely either upon thy friends, or thy children; for they will forget thee sooner, than thou thinkest: and unless now thou disposest of all things, who can or will hereafter dispose of them for thee? Be careful and provident: for it is better to foresee, and prevent that day with good preparation, then to look for help and aid of another. Therefore gather now immortal goods: give alms in this life, make those holy and blessed ones thy friends, that when thou departest hence they may receive thee into their everlasting habitations. 
Gregor. de diversis, cuius initi●m, dignum valde est.  For that glorious Doctor of the Church Saint Gregory saith; that those things are with great diligence to be considered of, and those works with many tears to be meditated upon, which the judge of the world shall exact of us, when that hour of death shall come. And Saint Bernard saith; O my soul, what fear shall there be, when all are sent away, whose presence was pleasant unto thee, whose sight acceptable, and whose neighbourhood so familiar and thou altogether alone interest into that unknown region, & shalt see those ugly & horrible monsters flocking to meet thee? Who will secure thee in a day of so great necessity? Who shall defend thee from those roaring Lions greedy of their prey? who shall comfort thee? who shall help thee? who shall conduct thee? But happy is that soul, which confidently and boldly shall speak to her enemies in the gate: why standest thou here thou cruel and bloody beast? Thou shalt find nothing deadly in me: which shall be entertained of Angels, defended from the rage & violence of devils, and shall be carried into the bosom of Abraham. Of death and the way of sinners in an other place also thus speaketh S. Bernard: The death of sinners is exceeding evil. 
Bernard in Epist 106.  And hear why it is exceeding evil: It is evil in the loss of the world: worse in the separation of the flesh: but worst of all in the double torment of the worm, and of fire. But of all it is exceeding evil, because the soul shall be separated from the Divine aspect, and with great confusion shall be for ever deprived of the sight of God. Consider, my dear brother, and mark, that no man can eschew death, neither know the hour, nor change the time appointed of God. But the death of the righteous is good, for they rest from their labours; better for the novelty of the life; but best of all for the assurance and security of eternity.   

The seventh Meditation for Sunday: of the joys of the blessed in heaven, and of the pains of the damned in hell.  
O Sinful soul, if these earthly things seem vile unto thee, and of no price; lift up thine eyes, and behold heavenly things: consider with great diligence, what things they be, and how great, which GOD hath prepared for the Elect. For they be such, and so great, that, as Saint Paul saith, neither eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man. Therefore we must know, that the delights of a blessed life are so many and so great, that no Arithmetitian can number them, no Geomater can measure them, neither can any Grammarian, Logician, or rhetorician express them, either by words or reasons. Seeing neither eye hath seen their greatness, nor ear hath heard of them, neither at any time have they entered into man's heart. There the Saints shall joy, being circled and compassed with glory, beholding the Divine essence above them, seeing the beauty of the heavens, and of all creatures beneath them, viewing in themselves the dignity of their souls, and glory of their bodies; and to be brief, having about them the society and fellowship of all the Angels and blessed Spirits. Hence it is that Anselmus saith, 
In his book of Similitudes, from the 47, chapter, to the 74.  that there are fourteen parts of that felicity, which all the Elect shall perfectly have, when that general session is ended: 
Seven beatitudes appertaining to glorified bodies.  seven of the body, and as many of the soul: the first of which is beauty: for in that life, the beauty of the righteous shall be equal to the beauty of the Sun, which shall be seven fold brighter, 
Beauty.  than it now is. Whereupon it is written: That the just shall shine, 
Math. 13.  as the Sun in the Kingdom of God. The second shall be their agility, 
Agility.  which shall be like unto that of Angels: for they shall be moved from heaven to the earth, and from the earth to heaven, sooner than we can move one of our fingers up and down. 
A simile.  We may behold an example of this velocity in the beams of the Sun, which at the Sun rising in the East are in a moment carried to the West: that thereby we may consider, that it is not impossible, which we speak of this our future swiftness and celerity, especially, seeing that greater velocity is wont to be in all things living, them in those things that are lifeless. The third part of their beatitude is fortitude; 
Fortitude.  for whosoever shall be accounted worthy to be numbered with the celestial Citizens, shall excel in strength, so that no man shall be able to resist them. For their fortitude shall be as great as that of Angels, with whom they live in joy: for as their glory shall be a like, so their other gifts shall be a like. The fourth shall be free and secure liberty: 
Liberty.  for as nothing can hinder Angels, so nothing shall hinder the Saints, neither shall any element whatsoever be able to resist them.  
The fift part of their beatitude is health, 
Health.  which shall be without infirmity. Of this health of the righteous, what can be said better, then that which the sweet Singer of Israel speaketh; 
Psalms, 36,  saying: The health of the righteous is of the Lord. And to whom this sound and true health is given of the Lord, what infirmity can any way touch them, or come near them?  
The sixth gift of beatitude, is an ineffable delight, 
Delight.  which shall make drunk the righteous, & shall fill them full, and wholly replenish them with an unspeakable abundance of inestimable joy. What said I, shall fill them full, and wholly repleanish them? yea, their eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth, hands, throat, lungs, marrow, and their very entrails, and all and euey part and member of them shall be filled with such wonderful sense, and feeling of such exceeding & incomparable pleasure & delight, that the whole man shall quaff of the river of God's pleasure, and shall be made drunk with the plenty of his house; so that he shall stand amazed, and be altogether astonished; and those things that he shall enjoy, shall be so great, that he cannot desire greater.  
The seventh part, 
Perpetuity:  shall be length and perpetuity of life; for whosoever he be that liveth well now, than he shall live as long as God. Whereupon it is written by the Wiseman; 
Wise, 5,  The righteous shall live for ever, and their reward is with the Lord. Moreover, the soul shall also have seven beatitudes which are no less glorious, than those of the body. 
The seven beatitudes which the souls of the righteous enjoy in heaven.  The first is Wisdom, which in that glory shall be given unto it: for there the soul of a simple Artificer, or a plain Countryman, shall have more wisdom, 
Wisdom.  than all the Philosophers or Wise men of this world ever enjoyed here. The righteous shall have such abundance of wisdom in the life to come, that they shall be ignorant of nothing, which they ought or would know. They shall be filled with all perfect wisdom, and shall behold GOD face to face. Which when he shall see, he shall behold the nature of every creature, which consisteth better in GOD, then in itself.  
Then likewise the righteous shall know and understand all things, which God made to be known, as well those things that are past, as those things that are to come.  
There all shall be known of every one, and every one of all, neither shall any man be ignorant of what Country, of what Nation, or of what kindred any man is, or what he hath done in his life.  
The second beatitude of the soul, 
Friendship,  shall be the amity and friendship of one to another, as members of one body, whose head is Christ jesus the Lord. For God, and all other good men in that blessed society, shall so unfeignedly love every righteous man, that they can never hate him. As long and as well, as a man doth love himself, so long, and so well shall he love another that resteth in the same fellowship with him.  
But pass over these things, and contemplate him, by whom these blessings come unto thee, and thou shalt perceive, that he doth and will love thee more, than thou canst love thyself, or any other themselves: and thou wilt love him above thyself, and above all others.  
The third shall be concord: 
Concord.  for the body and the soul of every Saint, which disagreed in this life, shall then very well agree, and be at peace and unity; yea, all the righteous shall have such agreement and concord, as our eyes have in this present life. For as one eye cannot be turned about, 
A simile.  with out the other be also turned, but they are always turned together one way, even so the body and the soul, and the whole congregation of the righteous, shall will no contrarieties, but shall always have the same will. For we shall be one body, one Church, and the spouse of Christ. The will also of almighty GOD shall not be contrary to thine, but thou shalt will as he willeth, & he shall will in all things, as thou willest; for how is it possible that the head should disagree with his body?  
The fourth is Honour: 
Honour.  here we are borne of the corruption of the flesh, filled with many miseries, destitute of comfort, subject to many infirmities and passions, and full of the ulcers of sin, out of which GOD shall take us, and shall heal us, and restore us to perfect health, and shall adorn us with the ornament of absolute righteousness and immortality; shall adopt us for his sons and children, shall make us inhearitours of his kingdom, and coheirs with his only begotten Son, our Saviour, and shall make us to be called Gods by his own name. For he saith: I have said ye are Gods, 
Psalm▪ 82,  and ye all are children of the most High.  
The fift beatitude of the soul, 
Power,  is Power; for the righteous shall be able to do, what they will; because they shall have the almighty agreeable to their wills.  
The sixth beatitude, 
Security.  is security: For the righteous in that blessed estate, shall certainly have and enjoy, what soever they do desire, neither shall they have any fear to lose that they have, because neither they shall be willing to lose it, neither shall God take it from them being unwilling.  
The seventh and last beatitude of a glorified soul, 
Perfect joy.  is perfect joy, such as no man can comprehend; for there shallbe thousands of thousands, ten thousand thousands, and more than ten thousand hundred thousands of thousands of the righteous, whom none can number, and all shall enjoy and joy in the same blessedness: neither shall there be any, which shall not as much joy for an others felicity, as for his own.  
And above all this, they shall rejoice with an admirable joy; seeing almighty GOD, whom they entirely love, more than themselves, and whom God loveth, more than they can love themselves. Therefore their joy shall be unmeasurable joy shall be unto them both within and without, joy above, and joy beneath, joy all about them, on every side, and every where full of joy.  
But as the righteous shall rejoice by reason of so great joy and blessedness: so on the contrary part, sinners shall be tormented with unspeakable tortures. For as beauty, agility, fortitude, liberty, health, pleasure, and eternity, is matter of rejoicing unto the righteous: so on the contrary part, the ugliness of sin, the burden of it, imbecility, servitude, infirmity, anxiety, and everlasting death, shall with continual and most grievous torments afflict sinners. For that security of eternity, & the life which the righteous shall rejoice in, where they always enjoy the good blessings of God, shall doubtless be a very great and a perpetual punishment unto the wicked, in which they shall always find, that which they shall more and more hate. What shall we say of wisdom? which as it shall be a joy & an honour unto the righteous: so that, which the wicked have known, or shall know, shall be unto them grief and confusion: the friendship which is joined with mirth and rejoicing in the righteous, shall be great discord and affliction unto sinners: for they shall have great discord, especially with those creatures, which they heretofore loved in this world, and the creatures shall have the like with them. And in the place of the power, that the righteous shall have, the wicked shall have such impotency, that they shall be able to do nothing as they would; so that by the honour of the Saints they shall have eternal confusion.  
Furthermore, as the friends of GOD shall be secure, that they shall not lose their blessings, so the enemies of God shall lose all hope to be delivered from those torments in which they live; who being created to enjoy heavenly glory, are now for ever to live in the society of devils. To be brief, in stead of the eternal and ineffable joy of the righteous, the wicked shall be filled with exceeding sorrow, because they shall continually and without end, suffer inevitably all those miseries, which they shall feel themselves compassed with. This saith Anselmus, but much more copiously.  
In this blessedness, as S. Augustine saith, 
Augustine.  God shall fill and satisfy all the senses of the elect with inestimable joy and pleasure, for he himself shall be the object of them all: he shall be a glass unto their eyes; honey unto their mouths; music unto their ears; sweet Balsamum unto their noses; a most delicate flower unto their hands: for to this purpose God became man, that every man might receive by him internal blessedness for his soul, in the contemplation of his divinity, and external for his body, in beholding his humanity.  
Briefly, 
August. in his Manuel, chap, 15,  according to the saying both of Saint Augustine and Gregory, there shall be so great beauty of righteousness, and glory of everlasting light, that if we should suffer torments every day, if we should abide for a long time the pains and tortures of hell, that we might be admitted to see Christ in his glory, if it were but one day, and have fellowship with his Saints, certainly it were worth the suffering, that we might be made partakers of so great blessedness and glory. Therefore it is said not without reason of the Psalmographer, nor with a small desire; A day, o Lord in thy Courts, 
Psalms, 84,  is better than a thousand other where. And of Saint Bernard: Who can comprehend in this life, how great the glory of the Saints of GOD shall be in the life everlasting, who shall see God, and shall always be with him? who is all in all? who is the chiefest good? in whom is exceeding blessedness and unmeasurable joy? There is truth, liberty, love, & perfect charity: there shall be eternal society, constant amity, and perpetual security.  
Rightly therefore saith that reverend Doctor Saint Augustine; O joy above all joy, for a man to see the face of God, who hath created, redeemed, and glorified him: certainly this is the joy of the Angels, & of the Saints. For as Saint Gregory saith; GOD is of so admirable beauty, that the Angels, who sit upon the Sun, do still desire to see him.  
There as Saint Augustine saith, 
In the sixth chap. of his Manuel.  is neither wicked men nor any kind of wickedness: there is no adversary, nor any to resist; there is no manner of enticement unto sin, there is no want, no reproaching, no railing, no nicknaming, no accusation, no dissembling, no fear, no disquietness, no pain, no doubting, no violence, no discord; but there dwelleth abundance of peace, fullness of charity, eternal praise and thanks given unto God, secure rest without end, and always joy in the holy Ghost.  
Hast thou heard, o my soul, how surpassing be the joys, how infinite the mirth, & how incomparable and incomprehensible is the light of that heavenly City? O happy joy, o true rejoicing of the Saints, who do continually behold the face, and always possess the company of God himself. Therefore, o my soul, let us willingly relinquish the desire of these earthly things, let us banish out of our hearts, the joy of evil thoughts, and being inflamed with the love of that celestial and everlasting joy, let us return and travail towards the heavenly City, in which we are written and appointed Citizens, as of the household of GOD, heirs of his kingdom of glory, and fellow heirs with his beloved Son Christ jesus.  
If thou demandest how this may be, 
August. in the 16. chap. of his Manuel.  or by what means and help? Hear what I shall say unto thee: The matter is put in the power of the willer and doer. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence; the kingdom of heaven, o man, demandeth none other price, but thyself: for it is worth so much as thou art: give thyself, and thou shalt have it. Why art thou troubled about the price? Remember that Christ hath given himself, that he might purchase of GOD his Father a kingdom for thee, so in like manner give thou thyself, that thou mayst enjoy this kingdom, and let not sin reign in thy mortal body, but the spirit for the obtaining of life.  
O sinful soul, o soul full of misery; if these things do not yet move thee, which I have spoken of the excellency and immensity of that heavenly joy, which the elect of God do for ever enjoy, that thou mayst purchase it for thyself, both by repentance, and by divine grace: Consider, I pray thee, with great dread & fear, the most miserable estate, the intolerable pains, and the unspeakable torments of hell, that obscure and diabolical city, that by the horror and terror of this consideration, thou mayst be converted with all thine heart unto the Lord.  
Therefore we must first know, 
The pains of hell shall be divers.  that according to the diversity of sins, shall be the variety of punishments. For as Saint Gregory saith: We must know that there is but one fire in Hell, 
In his 4. book of dialog. cap. 43, and in the 9, book of his morals, cha. 27  but all sinners are not tormented in it after the same manner: for every one shall feel so much punishment there, as he hath sinned here.  
And as in this world we are all under one Sun, 
A Simile.  yet we do not feel the heat all alike, because one is more hot, and another less hot: so there in that fire, there is not one manner of burning, because here what the diversity of bodies doth (for after one manner the fire doth burn chaff, after another wood, and after another iron) that there doth the diversity of sins: they have the same fire, and yet it doth not burn all the damned that be therein alike.  
That fire shallbe kindled with the wrath of the judge, & shall burn everlastingly, neither shall it need to be kindled the second time: as job witnesseth who saith: The fire that is not blown, 
chap, 20,  or as Pagnine translateth it, the unquenchable fire shall devour him.  
Of the cruelty and torment of this fire, Sebastian saith: That there is as great a difference between material fire, and the fire of hell, as there is between painted fire on a wall, and natural fire.  
This fire shall somewhat shine, 
The fire of hell shall shine, to the greater torment of the damned.  but it shall be no comfort unto the damned, but rather a greater punishment. Whereupon Saint Isidore saith: In hell there shall be a certain obscure shining, by which the miserable damned shall be seen, not that they may rejoice in it, but that they may be more tormented, whilst one seethe another. 
See Gregory in the 9, book of his morals. chap, 49.  For then the wicked shall see those tormented with them, whom they have inordinately loved in this world, that they may now suffer punishment according to the quality of the fault, and that that carnal love which was preferred before the divine love, may be punishment with like vengeance in their sight. 
Whether the damned do see the Saints.  Thus also is a doubt resolved, by which it was wont to be demanded, whether the damned do see the glory of the Saints. To which question Saint Gregory answereth after this manner; 
In his 40. hom. upon the evang.  That sinners may be the more punished and tormented, they shall both see their glory whom they have despised, and shall be tormented with their pain whom they have unprofitably loved. For it is to be supposed, that till the last judgement, the wicked do see the righteous in glory and rest, that they seeing them in joy, may not only be tormented with their own pument, but with their blessedness. But the just shall always behold in torments the unjust, that hereby their joys may always increase, because they see the evil from which by mercy they are delivered: and by so much they shall render greater thanks unto their Redeemer, by how much they see themselves delivered from greater torments.  
Neither shall this sight of the reprobates miserable and intolerable punishment, any whit dim the clearness of the blessedness of the righteous: because where there shall be no compassion of misery, there (without doubt) shall be no diminution of the blesseds beatitude.  
What if it be no marvel, if the sight of the damneds torments be unto the righteous a cause of greater joy: seeing that in a picture, a black colour is laid underneath, that a white or a red colour, may be seen more manifestly, and bear the greater beauty? For as I said before, the joys of the righteous shall so much the more increase, as they see the pains of the damned increased, from which they have escaped. A saved Father shall not pity his damned Son, neither shall the wife be sorry for her reprobate husband. The damned shall see till the last judgement the glory of the righteous, not that they shall know what it is, but only that they shall understand, that it is an inestimable joy; & such an understanding shall be unto them both grief punishment, and envy: but after judgement for ever they shall be deprived of this sight: which shall be an exceeding grievous torment unto them, for they shall always remember that glory, which they before saw, and shall think themselves unworthy to behold so great happiness.  
Hear also an other question ariseth, 
Whether the damned do see what is done in this world.  whether the damned do see what is done in this world? To which S. Gregory answereth in his Morals, saying; They know not whether their children be noble, or ignoble. As neither the living do know, what torments the damned have. They know not what they are, whom they have left in this world, for the life of their soul is separated from their body.  
Thirdly, it is doubted, whether the damned do wish, 
Whether the damned do wish that all might be damned with them.  that all may come into hell to them? to which doubt it is answered: As the Saints have perfect love and charity, so the damned do burn against all with spite and hatred. Wherefore as the Saints do rejoice at another's good, so the damned do repine at it, neither is there any thing found at which they more grieve, then at the glory of the Saints: and therefore they wish that all might be damned, and they boil with so great envy, that also they envy the glory of their own parents, although less, than they envy other men's glory: 
For this cause that rich glutton would not have his brethren damned.  for they know, that the nearer they are unto them, who are damned, that their own punishment is so much the more increased. Which albeit they know, yet so great is their hatred & malice, that they had rather suffer great torments with many, then small discruciatements with a few.  
Fourthly, it is wont to be demanded, 
Whether the damned shall remember what they have done in this life.  whether the damned shall be mindful of those things, which they have done in this life, to which S. Bernard answereth affirmatively, & saith; that this remembrance shall more torment than, whilst they remember the evils, which they have committed, for which they are now afflicted, and the good things, which they have omitted, by which they might have purchased the kingdom of heaven. Hence it is apparent that there are two kinds of punishment in hell: 
Two punishments in hell.  one of loss, & the other of sense, as the Divines speak. Christ remembreth the first, when he saith; Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down. And the latter, when he addeth; And shall be cast into the fire. Of the punishment of sense Gregory speaketh, saying; In hell there shall be intolerable cold, unquenchable fire, an immortal worm, insufferable stink, palpable darkness, torments with scourges, an horrible sight of devils, confusion of sinners, & endless desperation of any good. Therefore the damned shall be full of all misery, affliction, & grief: for they shall have tears in their eyes, gnashing in their teeth, stink in their nostrils, howling in their mouths, mourning in their throats, terrors in their ears, bonds and manacles upon their hands & feet, & eternal fire burning all their parts & members. Wherefore not without cause S. Augustine calleth hell a den, full of all kind of punishments and miseries. For this cause the Prophet saith; Every one shall be astonished at his neighbour, their countenances shall be black with burning: And Baruch saith, That their faces shall be pitchy and black, through the smoke that is in the house. The greatness of the punishments in hell may be also gathered, by the continual mourning and lamentation, which groweth through a desire of death, which shall not come at them, nor near them, wherefore they shall bite their tongues, and blaspheme their Creator, as Saint john testifieth, 
Apoc. 16.  saying; They gnewe their tongues for sorrow, & blasphemed the God of heaven for their pains, and for their sores. The rigour of their torments shall be so great, that despising life, which all so greatly love, they shall desire death, which all men hate, and that very earnestly, as the same john witnesseth, when he saith; In those days shall men seek death, 
Apoc. 9  and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, & death shall flee from them. What then shall we do saith Chrysostome. For there shall be none other thing, but mourning, trembling, and lamentation: there all repentance shall be too late, help shall be wanting, punishments shall increase, neither is any comfort or consolation ever to be looked for. O what terrors, what gripings, what weariness, and what torments shall afflict them, that are boiled in this purgatory? No tongue can express, what punishment it is, saith Chrysostome, to be deprived of the Divine sight. There be some of an absurd judgement, 
〈◊〉 reparat. lapsi ad Theod.  who only are glad to think, that they shall escape hell. But I think it a greater torment than hell, not to have attained so great glory. I do not think that we are so much to sorrow for the pains of hell, as we are to lament our loss, in that we are fallen from heaven; which is a torment in my judgement above all torments. Hell, and the plagues of hell are intolerable: yet if one should say, that innumerable hells were to be suffered, he should say nothing, in respect of the loss of that heavenly glory, to be hated of Christ, & to hear; 
Hom. 47. ad pop. Antioch.  I know you not. For it is better to be pierced through with infinite thunderbolts, then to have that mild face turned against us, and that peaceable eye disdaining to behold us. O let us never suffer this, o thou only begotten son of God, and of the blessed Virgin; o let us never have experience of this irrecuperable loss, and intolerable punishment. But woe is unto us, in that we do not foresee this imminent danger: yea as secure, impure, negligent, and without any regard we hasten with great celerity, to find out this insufferable and importable evil.  
But some man will say: 
Whether it be justice, to punish a finite sin with an infinite torment.  a finite sin ought not to be punished with an infinite torment. Almighty GOD is just, and that which is finitely committed, ought not to be infinitely plagued. 
Lib. 4 Moral. cap. 12.  To which Saint Gregory answereth; that he should say well, if the just and strict judge should recompense & punish only the deeds, and not the hearts of men. For the wicked did therefore offend finitely, because their life was finite. But they would have lived without end, that they might have continued in sin without end. For they more desire to sin, then to live: and therefore they always desire to live here, that whilst they live they may never cease to sin. Therefore it belongeth to the justice of the strict judge, that they never want punishment, who were minded in this life never to have wanted sin: and that no end of vengeance should be allotted unto them, who would make no end of sinning, while they were able to offend. This saith he. Another reason is this: The greater the person is, who is offended, the greater is the injury and offence, and deserveth the greater punishment, as both Aristotle and Chrysostome aver. 
Arist. 7, Ethicorum.  For so great is the injury, as the person is great, against whom the injury is committed. If the person be noble, a small injury becomes great; and if the person be base and vulgar, a great offence, is accounted burr smally of. Therefore because God is infinite in power and in goodness, the injury which is offered unto him, is also infinite: and therefore it is requisite and meet, that it be punished with an infinite and eternal torment. Wherefore, my dear brother, thou seeing & understanding these things, & considering of them daily & diligently in thy mind, be, I pray thee careful for the salvation of thy soul. Let thine eyes always behold the cruelty, sharpness, and greatness of the torments in hell: always meditate upon those things, which are profitable and wholesome for thy soul. For it is much better for thee, here without intermission to lament thy sins, and in this world with fruit to crave pardon and forgiveness of God, then hereafter for ever to bewail them in the unquenchable flames of hell, without any profit or remedy. In this short course and pilgrimage of thy life, thou mayst by tears and repentance obtain remission of thy sins, and blot out the handwryting▪ that God hath against thee. Therefore mourn and lament a little in this world, lest hereafter thou mourn and lament without end: humble thyself a little here, lest hereafter thou be'st cast down into utter darkness, and into the everlasting flames of hell. Blessed is he that watcheth and laboureth in this world, that he may be found worthy in the day of judgement, of the society & fellowship of the just. But wretched and miserable is he, that through his own fault and negligence depriveth himself of this glory. For than shall God in the clouds take the righteous, and shall carry them with him into everlasting joy. But sinners shall be haled of devils in to ever-during and everburning fire. Who will give rivers of water to my head, and fountains of tears flowing night and day from mine eyes, that I may weep for my sins, and bewail myself, and that I may entreat my Saviour, that he would vouchsafe me his grace, that I may not be found unworthy, when he shall come to judgement; lest I hear that fearful and dreadful sentence; Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire: I know ye not: But that I may be worthy to hear that happy & most sweet voice; Come ye blessed of my Father; inherit ye the kingdom prepared for you? To the which my Lord jesus Christ bring me, through the merits of his most sacred passion. Amen.  
Laus tri-vni Deo.  
FINIS.   

AN Exposition upon the one and fifty Psalm. Have mercy upon me o God.  
Written in Spanish, by the reverend and learned Divine, F. Lewes of Granada.  
Since translated into Latin, Italian, and French.  
AND NOW ENGLISHED by Francis Meres Master of Arts of both Universities, and Student in Divinity.  
AT LONDON, Printed by james robart's, Anno Dom. 1598.   

TO THE RELIgious and devout Lady, the Lady judith Kinaston, F. M. heartily wisheth the fruition of all blessings both of grace in this life, and of glory in the other.  
TWo motives, right worshipful and virtuous Lady, have induced me to dedicate this short, but sound and divine exposition upon the one and fifty Psalm unto your most Christian Ladyship. The first is, your tender care, & loving regard extended to my Love, my dear and espoused Second self. The other is, your mindfulness of my preferment, which if your Ladyship shall effect, I shall continue my Thankfulness for all courtesies, in more spacious & ample manner. In the mean season, let me entreat your Worship, courteously to accept this small Present.  
The Lord jesus, in whose hand is the length of days, grant unto your Ladyship a long, peaceable, and quiet life upon earth, replenished with affluence of the best things, especially of that one thing, that our Saviour in the 10 of Luke told Martha was needful; 
Luke, 10.  that you may instruct my Mary to choose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her: that you with all the elect of God, may be partaker of that everlasting joy, 
Esay, 64. 1, Cor. 2.  which neither eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, neither hath entered into man's heart. From your ladyships house near Dowgate in London this 24, of November. 1598.  
Your ladyships devout Orator, Francis Meres.   

AN EXPOsition upon the one and fifty Psalm. Have mercy upon me o God.  
O Lord, 
divers names of God.  thou that art the Creator and Maker of all this words frame, and all things are thine, and the work of thine hands; yet nevertheless thou wouldst only be called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, of whom thy chosen people Israel were to spring, although most ingrateful: In favour of whom thou didst show thy power, and didst work great and marvelous things, as well in subduing and subverting their enemies, which victories were full of all admiration, as in staying the course of the Sun, and subjecting the raging Sea; relentless stones, and mighty rivers to their obedience, who warred under thy banners; whereupon thou also art called a valiant and strong GOD, the God of armies, and the Lord of hosts. But when this people grew rebellious and of a stiff neck, than also thou didst show thyself terrible and fierce, and didst govern them with an iron rod, with fear and trembling: and those that would not be ruled by love & gentleness, & by fair means would not walk in their duties, thou didst punish by most swift and horrible plagues, & didst reign vengeance upon them, that durst presume to offend thy Majesty; so that thou didst begin to be also called a GOD of vengeance: so that at the hearing of thy name not only men, but also the Sea and the elements trembled.  
And so long as thy fury was not pacified by thy only begotten Son, the gates of heaven were so shut up, that the justest man alive might not pass through them. Neither durst sinners, considering their unwoorthynesse, and their grievous sins, and seeing no other gates open in all this world, besides those of justice and vengeance, venture to come near thee: for by custom they had learned that coming unto thee for remedy, they found damnation: approaching for salvation, they tasted death; because thou wast called a consuming fire.  
Many o Lord being daunted with this fear, did wander up and down sinking under the burden of desperation, having no hope to find any mercy. Others being separated from thee by ignorance, did go astray as sheep without a shepherd, bleating up and down in this world. Therefore said David; Say unto my soul I am thy salvation; as if he should say: My ears are full of terrible names and fearful titles, let the time come, in which by a new name thou thyself mayst promise salvation to my soul. And this shall be, when thou shalt be called jesus, that is, a Saviour. This in times past said David in the person of all men.  
But after that thou didst remember thy mercy, and the promises made unto the Fathers, that is, that the time should come, that thou thyself wouldst put on our humanity and misery, when I say, thou goest out of the hall of thy power and justice, & coming unto us didst enter into the Palace of thy mercy and benignity, thou didst abundantly fulfil to all, whatsoever thou hadst promised to any. But that great follower and Apostle of thy Son jesus Christ our Lord, 
2, Cor. 1.  first began to call thee the Father of mercy, and the GOD of all consolation.  
A Father, that he might signify, that like a Father thou wouldst help us: A God, because thou canst help whom thou pleasest.  
So that sinners seeing thee to have gone out of the hall of thy severity, and to have come into the Palace of thy mercies and consolations, seeing thee clothed on every side with their vestments, & made one of their household; they would no more wander and vage up and down, but being united to thy most holy Church, they come to thy throne with sincere faith, and firm hope, desiring remission of their sins.  
Thou hast done o Lord, as hunters use to do, who that they may not fear the wild beast, do clothe themselves after the colour of the mountain: so also thou tookest upon thee an earthen vesture, like us, that thou mightest take whom thou wouldst. For as thou didst show thine omnipotency in times past, by power and revengement: so thou now wouldst show thy mercy by pardoning and forgyving. For to remit an offered injury, is no lesser glory, then to revenge it, yea it is greater glory to forgive it. Therefore there is not, neither can there be a sin so great, which thou dost not forgive to him that is penitent.  
If a sinner had been so unhappy, that considering the greatness of his sins, he had not seen thy power and goodness, he had despaired of pardon, & had said that, which in times past our first brother Cain said, and after him judas, that is, My sin is greater than can be pardoned, and had laid violent hands upon himself.  
Therefore let him now rejoice, and life up his eyes to heaven, whence cometh aid and help to all them, that are found in the tribulations and miseries of this world. Let him open the eyes of his soul by faith, & let him behold round about him ensigns and banners displayed; not banners of war, of vengeance, or of justice: but of pity, of mercy, of pardon, of friendship, and of reconciliation to all them, that desire it in truth. Let him behold those honoured and graced in this Palace, who were wont to be his adversaries and enemies.  
There he shall see that great and famous sinner Magdalen received into favour. There he shall see those humbled, and brought low, who supposed themselves wise and holy men; and them exalted, who confessed themselves sinners, and of no merit. There he shall see that sinner S. Peter, who was a perjured denier of his Master, to be made a pillar of the Church. There he shall see Saint Paul, that wolf and persecuter of the flock, to be made a vessel of election.  
Therefore let all sinners come, let them come I say to this palace of mercy; and let them constantly and assuredly believe, that no man in the world doth hereafter so sin, or can sin, that he cannot or may not obtain remission at God's hands for all his misdeeds: neither that any enmities, or quarrels can arise to that height and pass, which can utterly shut up the gates of friendship and reconciliation.  
Wherefore, I feeling myself burdened with the weight of my sins, & swallowed up in the gulf of misery, & desiring especially the sight of the eyes of my soul, which errors and foul enormous sins have shut up and blinded, and with greater desire and thirst desiring & thirsting for thy grace, and favour, than the Hart or the Hunter doth the water brooks, I come to the throne of thy grace, entreating & beseeching thee o Lord, with that humility, which the greatest sinner can come withal, knowing his unworthiness, and his enormities done and committed before his eyes, who once gave him both being and life, and after he had lost it by sin, and returned again by repentance, eftsoons restored it: before his Majesty, who with his only Word, that is, with his Wisdom, created & made all things of nothing: before him, in whose power it is, not only to create a thousand other world's, but also to do those things, which can neither enter into the thought of Angel, or any other creature. Before him, I say, I come, and say,  
Have mercy upon me, o Lord. And because, o my Lord, I have no merits, by which I may boldly presume to come unto thee, (for I am not only unworthy of this thy great mercy, but have also justly deserved damnation & destruction in hell) I desire this.  
According to thy great goodness. According to which, if we well consider, how thou hast always used it towards sinners, I believe, and am verily persuaded, that thou art more easy to be entreated, and readier to forgive, than I through my weakness and infirmity am prone unto sin. And because my sins have so increased, & risen to that height, that they are come into the presence of thy divine Majesty, behold it was in my power to fall, and through mine own fault have I gone astray: but to rise again, and come home is not in my power, except thou succourest and releevest me with thy singular & especial grace: therefore I humbly desire thee to have mercy on me, According to the multitude of thy mercies. Thee I say, I most humbly do beseech, who hast been so pitiful and merciful towards sinners, that of unclean & filthy wretches, thou hast made them holy and righteous men, that with the fire of thy love, which (as the Prophet saith) thou thyself art, calling thee a fire, which doth consume, thou wouldst purge, burn up, and utterly consume, all mine iniquities and imperfections: making me of a stone-cold sinner, a most ardent lover, and fervent follower of thee, and of thy precepts and commandments. Neither only purge me from my sins past, but Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin. Wash me so, o Lord, and so cleanse all mine inward parts, that there may not any thing remain in me, that may solicit me to sin again. Give me strength and fortitude, to overcome the world, the devil, and the flesh, lest I return to mine old ways & former errors. And because I know, o Lord, that no man doth live, that of himself can be justified in thy sight and presence: and that thou dost only will this, that he that desireth to have forgiveness of his sins, do acknowledge and confess himself a sinner, and that he lament and bewail his misdeeds; I being such a one, do say: For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me. I do acknowledge, I say, my faults, and confess them not only outwardly, but also inwardly. For although there are some, that being spotted and polluted with vain hypocrisy, and with some other vice do deceive men under a shadow of piety, yet Lord no man living can possibly deceive thee with a show of outward sanctity, if inwardly he be not so indeed.  
I have learned by experience, that the inward sin is opposite and contrary to every one, which accuseth without intermission, and gnaweth the conscience like a worm: by the gnawing of which, that horrible voice of the damned ariseth, 
Wised, 5,  who say: We have wearied ourselves in the way of wickedness and destruction, and we have gone through dangerous ways: but we have not known the way of the Lord.  
The Heathen in times past, did confess their errors and offences to Mars, Venus, jupiter, Mercury, and to other vain Gods, & fictions of Poets: and many at this day do offend, because they have riches, honours, and the glory of this world, & do confess that they have offended against all these, because they have erred, & by the means of them, have not attained unto their desires. But I o lord do contemn all these, & do confess my sins unto thee, because Against thee only have I sinned, & done evil in thy sight. For all my sins are against thee, as against the Lord, the maker, and preserver of all things, from whom they cannot be hid, but are open to the eyes of thy divinity, as all other things are, whether they be in heaven, in earth, or in the depth of the Sea. And truly my sins & transgressions be so many and so great, that some being in the same state of damnation with me, and not considering of thine omnipotency, but measuring thee according to their own frailty and weakness, have in their perverse cogitations, descended into judgement against thee, saying; My sins are greater than can be forgiven. And giving no credit to thy words & promises, suppose that thou art angry and cruel, and dost think upon punishment and vengeance, and not upon pardon and forgiveness. And such when they shall see, that thou, o my Lord, dost forgive me my sins, will be of another mind, and be confounded in their judgements, & shall confess that which thou spakest by thy Prophet, 
Esay, 55,  saying; As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts. Therefore have mercy upon me, o Lord, and blot out mine offences; That thou mayst be justified in thy sayings: and clear when thou art judged. But if a greater acknowledgement of them be necessary for the remission of my sins, or if it carry any show of excuse to repeat them from the first beginning and original, I say, o lord, and plainly confess, that I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin hath my Mother conceived me. And that through that old transgression of our Father Adam, which he hath traduced and conveyed to all his posterity, which hath made us subject first to bodily death, and then to spiritual: to both which deaths we had still been subject, unless the second heavenly Adam, Christ our Lord and thy beloved son, had freed and delivered us from them by his most precious blood, and had instructed us by his doctrine and examples, and had showed unto us the true way, by which we might again return to that first estate of innocency, in which we were created in the garden of Paradise. 
Gone, 3.  For thou lovest truth in the inward affections, and shalt make me to understand wisdom in the secret of mine heart. For seeing that thou art that ineffable & unspeakable truth, which thou lovest, and which is acceptable to all thine: by observing it according to thine own promises, thou gavest him who is the desired of Nations, and promised in thy law, that is, thyself, that we being delivered from the fear of our enemies, might serve thee, not with that old servile love, which was for fear of punishment and vengeance: but with a filial love, as a Lord and Father, who never ceaseth to shower down his benefits upon us his children. Which love and name of children we have obtained by jesus Christ, thy Son our lord: for by the virtue of his merits, & because he would be our brother in this world, he hath given us boldness, that we dare with confidence call thee Father, & thou also callest us sons: not natural Sons: for Christ alone is thy only begotten and natural Son, and of one substance with thee; but we are adopted sons, by which adoption, if we do our duties, we come to the inhearitance of thy kingdom with him, therefore to us being such Thou hast manifested the sescrete and hidden things of thy wisdom. That is, the mysteries of our redemption, which neither Socrates', nor Aristotle, nor Plato, nor any other of the Grecian or Roman Philosophers, could ever find out by all their immeasurable study and long searching: yea thou hast showed, that all those things, in which they placed the last end and chiefest felicity, to be mere foolishness, & extreme vanity; and that which they supposed foolishness, thou hast shown to be true wisdom, that thou mightest declare, & manifest, how little man's strength can prevail without thy help, and that thou mightest give an example, that none hereafter should trust to his own wit or power: but thou dost give joy and strength to them, that with humility offer unto thee their misery and weakness: and him thou fillest with thy wisdom, that with a sincere mind offereth unto thee his ignorance: and to be brief, him thou justifiest, that yieldeth up himself unto thee humbled as a sinner. Which seeing it is so, I desire thee, O Lord, That thou wouldst purge me with hyssop, & I shallbe clean: that thou wouldst wash me, and I shall be whither then snow. Wash me, o Lord with the water of that fountain, which floweth to eternal life, which thou didst promise to the woman of Samaria, and purge me with the hyssop of thy grace: and with the fire of thy love & charity, burn away all the errors of my frailty, and all my wickedness, and then I shall be cleansed from all my sins: then I shall return unto the state of innocency, than I shall be more pure, and whiter than the whitest snow. Then Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Then all my senses, which hitherto served the world, the flesh, and the devil; that lay drowned in pleasures & world lie delights which are rather to be called sorrows, miseries, afflictions, and confusions, shall receive of thee joy, gladness and rest: and they shall begin to hear and taste, how good and sweet, o lord, thy Spirit is to them, that serve thee with humility. I having tasted of thy Spirit, my flesh and bones which are now broken, because they served earthly and vile things, shall return with gladness to the obedience of thy Spirit: They shall taste of the high mysteries of thy works, & shall know a great part of thy goodness & graciousness, which both heretofore thou hast used, and still usest daily to all the nations of the world: wherefore they shall persecute those things with a deadly hate, which they have passed thorough, and that which heretofore was sweet & pleasant unto them, now they shall esteem it bitter: & that which they refused as bitter, now they shall desire it as most sweet, & shall give thee immortal thanks, because thou hast delivered them out of the depth of misery, in which they wallowed, being deciued with a false vizard of pleasure & gladness: & because now o lord, through thy gracious goodness I am come to the knowledge & detestation of my sins, being the ready way to salvation, O Lord I pray thee, Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds. Turn thy divine face, I say, the beholding and contemplating of which is eternal life: deal not with me after my deserts, but look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy, and take from me all my wickedness. Purge me, o lord, and cleanse me, not only from sins past, but from all those, that may happen to me hereafter. Create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me. Take from me my stony heart, which hitherto hath delighted itself with the love and contemplation of abject and unclean things, and therefore it is unclean and polluted, I pray thee o lord take this from me, and vouchsafe to create another in me, clean, pure, and chaste. Take from me the spirit of pride, of vainglory, of covetousness, of luxury, and of many other vices and slaveries, which hath reigned in me, & renew within me a right, mild, and humble spirit, which may thirst after all righteousness. Thou knowest, o lord, that we are earth, and a mass of iniquity, and that unless thou dost support us with thine hand, we cannot do any thing, but that which is earthly, there-I pray thee; Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me. But always direct me & preserve me with thy right hand, that I may say as the Prophet said in times past; The Lord is my Shepherd, 
Psalms, 23,  I shall not want. Take not from me thy holy Spirit, the true comforter of the afflicted who is the way of truth to all them, that as wanderers, lost, and desolate, do enter into the blind Labyrinth of this world, yea rather Lord Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and 'stablish me with thy free spirit. Give me grace, that by meditating on those things, which thou hast wrought for our salvation, and workest daily, & in beholding thy will, who desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live, I may enjoy that true joy, and rest, which they enjoy, who being guilty of eternal death, do hear that their sins are forgiven them; not of them, that have no power to do it, but of him that is omnipotent, who can neither deceive nor be deceived: who as he cannot die, so he cannot fail in his promise.  
Take from me o lord, the spirit of bondage, which I have hitherto obeyed, and strengthen me in thy love and grace, with thy royal and free spirit, not subject to the world, the flesh, or the devil, that we may serve thee with joy, in the perfection of the works of righteousness, in the liberty of the Gospel, to the which we are restored by thy Son Christ our lord and Saviour.  
And then, o lord, I being strengthened by thy mercy, I shall not only be free, & clean from all sin: but I shall march into the field as a courageous warrior, & valiant captain, & I shall teach thy ways unto the wicked, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Who seeing me to be made of wicked just, of weak mighty, of a servant free, of a subject thine adopted son, and considering this to be done not by man's strength, but by divine power, they will be converted unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul. But I pray thee, o my lord, and the GOD of my salvation, whilst I am conversant with wicked, perverse, and ungodly men, do not suffer me to sin with them, or to pollute myself with their blemishes. But Deliver me from bloodgiltinesse, O God, thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness. As the sun with his beams doth pierce and penetrate all things, 
A Simile.  both pure & impure, and is not only not polluted, but also doth purge those things that are infected & corrupted: so I being clothed with the beams and heat of thy charity and love, may with out spot and blemish be conversant among the impure & unclean. This if thou wilt grant me, my tongue being directed and guided by thy grace and aid, shall plant thy righteousness in their hearts, and they shall be deceived, when they shall think that it is my work, seeing that it is thine. For of myself I am not sufficient to do it, nay I am not able to speak a word without thy help & grace. That therefore they may acknowledge this, and yield thee thy due praise, and not bestow it on me, Open thou my lips, o Lord, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. And now o lord, I offer thee my spirit afflicted & troubled, because I have offended thee, to which I add a purpose of amendment. Which sacrifice I know doth please thee, & to be that, which thou requirest. For thou desirest no sacrifice, though I would give it, thou delightest not in burnt offerings. For now is the time, in which no burnt offerings nor ceremonial sacrifices do please thee, or shall at any time hereafter content thee: for thou art a Spirit, and wilt be worshipped in Spirit. And therefore The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart (o God) shalt thou not despise. And because I know that no man in this world, so long as he liveth, doth come too late to desire mercy and favour at thy hands: but that he shall always find thee ready to give it unto us, therefore I desire thee again; O be favourable and gracious unto Zion: build thou the walls of jerusalem. Deal with me o Lord graciously & mercifully, according unto thy good will and pleasure, and give me grace, that the decayed and ruinous walls of my soul, which are able to hold out no force of the enemy, may again be inwardly re-edified, that I may offer unto thee the true works of inward righteousness, which presently shall follow the outward, being signs of the inward. From whence afterwards as from a lively fountain, shall flow the edifying of my neighbour, from which duplicity of works shall arise a sweet harmony, acceptable unto thy divine Majesty, and a sacrifice joined to that, with which thou thyself saidst, that thou art well pleased; For then shalt thou accept the sacrifices of righteousness, even the burnt offering and oblation: then shall they offer calves upon thine Altar. All these things, I say, o Lord shall they offer upon thine Altar as a new sacrifice, of which the Prophet spoke; This shall please the Lord better than a young bullock, 
Psal 69.  that hath horns and hooves, that is, the humanity of Christ our Redeemer thy Son, and his sacrifice; by whose merits our works before unworthy, & of no value, are made grateful and acceptable in thy sight.  
After this manner therefore o Lord, both I, and others with me, who have been sinners, living now in thy worship and service, will say: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, etc. We will praise and glorify thee always both in this world, and in the other, as the Father, Creator & maker of all things; and thy Son, the Divine Wisdom, as him, by whom we alone are worthy to be called, and to be in deed thy Sons; and the holy Ghost, as the Doctor & Teacher of grace, the Comforter, Patron, and Leader to all good purposes. Who in the distinction of persons, in a perfect Trinity, in the unity of substance, and in Majesty do live and reign, without beginning, without end, for ever and ever, world without end. Amen.   

A most devout Prayer of the name of jesus.  
O Good jesus, o sweet jesus, o jesus the Son of the virgin Mary, full of pity and mercy. O sweet jesus have mercy upon me, according to thine infinite goodness. O bountiful jesus, I an unworthy sinner do pray thee, by that thy precious blood, which thou dist shed upon the Cross, for sinners & ungodly men, that thou wouldst wash me from all my sins, & that thou wouldst not despise thy servant, who humbly prayeth, and calleth upon this most holy name of jesus. This thy name jesus is a sweet name, yea it is sweeter than any Nectar or Ambrosia; this thy name jesus is a saving name. For what is jesus, but a Saviour? Therefore o good jesus, who of thy goodness hast created me, and with thy precious blood hast redeemed me, do not suffer my soul to be haled down to hell, by reason of my many and great transgressions. Let not mine iniquities, o good jesus, condemn my soul, created of thine infinite goodness. Acknowledge in me, o good jesus, and challenge, what is thine; that is, my soul: and take from me that which is another's, that is, all my sins and enormities. O good jesus have mercy upon me, as long as I am in this world, lest I be condemned in that fearful day of judgement. O good jesus, if I a perverse sinner shall deserve according to thy justice to be damned, by reason of my grievous and enormous sins, I humbly appeal from thy severe justice, to thy gracious & pitiful mercy: assuredly trusting, that thou my Lord jesus wilt be gracious and merciful to my soul, as a gracious Father, and a merciful God. What profit, o good jesus, will there be in my flesh, if my soul go down to hell?  
For it is certain o Lord, that no man in hell, shall yield praise to thy holy name jesus. O most merciful jesus, be merciful to us. O most sweet jesus, deliver us from all our tribulations and anguishes. O good jesus, be gentle and kind to us wretched sinners. O most holy jesus, associate our souls with thine elect in heaven. O most pitiful jesus, the salvation of all them, that hope in thee, comfort us. O jesus the Son of the most holy virgin Mary, bestow on us thy mercy, grace, wisdom, charity, chastity, humility, and patience in all our adversities and extremities, that we may always bless, glorify, honour, and praise jesus. Amen.  
Laus tri-vni Deo.  
FINIS.