THE SEVEN TRUMPETS OF BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW SALUTHIUS OF THE holy Order of S. Francis; Exciting a sinner to repentance. A Work very profitable for the salvation of all such souls, as are bound with sin.  
NOW Lately translated out of the Latin, into the English tongue, by Br. G P. of the same order and observance.  
AT S. OMERS, FOR JOHN HEIGHAM, With permission of Superiors. Anno 1626.   

THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. TO HIS LOVING AND Dear Father, Master H. P. his obedient son wisheth health in jesus Christ.  
DEAR SIR,  
The intimacy of my ever and all bounden duty, which I acknowledge, as tributary due unto you, with the ardent zeal and desire, of your speedy aversion from these broken cisterns of heresy, and your penitential conversion unto the living waters of eternal life, which are no where contained but in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, have moved me often times, to commend some little treatise unto you, therein to lay open before your eyes the grievous threatenings of almighty God against sinners, and to admonish you in 〈◊〉, of the dangerous state wherein you live, hoping by th' s, to disburden myself of the obligatory duties which I acknowledge as bound by nature▪ but considering▪ that touching this subject, many books, have been learnedly written (thanks be given to God) by divers good Catholics, and faithfully translated into our English tongue, I desisted to proceed in so worthy an enterprise, till at length mine inflamed zeal & filial duty, it such sort burned a fresh within me, that I could no longer quench it, by the insurging waves of the seas, nor defer the adventuring with this present, to make the same known unto you.  
I am nor ignorant, how fare the mouths of many Gentlemen of your rank, and neighbourhood, are out of taste, and much more affected to the flesh parts of Egypt. (Exod. 16.3.) then to the bread of Angels; I mean rather to the reading of profane, then spiritual books, taking greater delight in perusing strange pleasant histories, therein to solace and recreate themselves, then in the pious works and wholesome exhortations of devout, and religious men, who intent nothing but the salvation of your poor sinful souls: But as the Prophet David. (Psal. 4.3.) sayeth. O ye sons of men, how long are ye of heavy hearts? why love ye vanities, and seek after lying? Did they but know what profit, and fruit they may reap thereby, doubtless they would paint every little sentence in the r hearts, and mediate upon them morning, and evening, and bind them for a sign on their hands, writing them in their entries, and on the doors of their houses, that so they might always have them in their sight, and remembrance. Deuteronom. 6.6.7.8.  
Truly Dear Sir, I have endeavoured in dressing this meat, to provoke your appetite. (Gen. 27.9.) and laboured, to set forth this doctrine in such a style, that it may move you, diligently to read the same, which if you do, I hope by the grace of God, you shall find that wonderful change in your soul, which others in former ages most happily have had, and as that, almost every day have, who by the means of spiritual books, have utterly detested their former licentious lives, and with great fervour and zeal, begun anew in God's holy service.  
Call to mind the treasurer of the Queen of Aethiopia, who was reading I say the Prophet in his chariot, when God almighty converted him, by Saint Philip; (Act. 8.30.) Remember likewise, that those so notable, and famous works, which King josias did in all his kingdom, proceeded from the reading of an holy book, which Helchias the Prophet, gave unto Saphan the scribe. (4. Regum 22.13.) and S. Augustine relateth. (confess. lib. 8.) how three noble courtiers walking abroad in the evening with Theodosius the Emperor into the fields, two of them went a little aside unto a Monks cell, and there finding a book, wherein was written the life of S. Anthony, one of them began to read it, & behold in a moment he felt his hart so enkindled with an holy love, and moved with such a religious shame, that he, together with his other companion, being in a great agony with themselves, put off their secular apparel in the very same place where they stood, and bidding farewell unto courtly pleasures, began to erect a spiritual building, and did forsake all things of this world, desiring nothing more than to follow their Lord and Saviour jesus Christ. Such admirable changes and notable alterations, have holy books procured, in these persons, who with due attention considered them.  
Accept then (Dear Sir) this small gift, and first fruits of my poor endeavours, which may be a means (as I hope) to call you into the path of a good life, and induce you forthwith (by God's grace) to make profession of the Catholic faith, which faith unless every one keep holy, and inviolable, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. (S. Atha. creed.) Come therefore speedily into the fold of Christ, if you will be preserved from the ravening wolves. (joh. 10.16.) Have recourse unto Noah's ark. (Gen. 6.18.) if you will be saved from drowning; Be a member of the Catholic, and universal church, which according to the Apostle is, Columna & firmamentum veritatis. (1. Tim. 3.15.) the pillar and ground of truth. And be no longer seduced by the fallacies and deceits, of death bringing heretics: Now at the last, as you tender your own soul's health, confess your sins with the Prophet David. (Psal. 50.) cry aloud unto God for mercy, with Saint Marie Magdalen. (Luc. 7.) wash the feet of our Saviour with tears of true contrition: Go out with S. Peter. (Math. 26.) and weep bitterly. For now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation: The night will come when it will be too late to work; (2. Cor. 6.2.) True it is, that the thief was saved, and found mercy at the last gasp, but God forbidden (as a right virtuous son said in the like case to his own Father) that we should use such preposterous policy, as, when our senses are astonished, our wits distracted, our understanding obscured, when both body and mind are tormented with the gripes of mortal sickness, that then we should begin to think of the weighty matters of our salvation, and of the sudden to become Saints, when we are fierce able to behave ourselves like reasonable creatures▪ No; no, deceive not yourself, take time while you may, when it is once past, it is impossible to recall it, according to the old proverb: post est occasio calua: fear not persecution, or l●sse of goods, fear not them, that kill the body, and are not able to prejudice the soul, but rather fear him, that can precipitate both body and soul, into the infernal abyss of hell. Math 10.28.  
Is it not a most lamentable case, that men who profess themselves to be Christians, should have a greater care of their worldly pelf, honours, and dignities, then of the health, and salvation of their own souls? We read in profane authors, that when Crates began to study philosophy, he cast all his money into the sea, saying; Malo te perdere, quam ut tu me perdas, I had rather cast thee away, than thou shouldest cast away me: intimatinge thereby, that riches are not to be esteemed, but utterliy to be renounced, and contemned, when they cannot be kept without the loss and hindrance of virtue. I omit to speak of Bias and Diogenes, the one whereof being admonished to save something for himself, his answer was, Omnia mea mecum porto, all my substance I carry with me; meaning his virtues: The other made choice of poverty, & rather to live in washing of roots, then with Aristippus to enjoy courtly pleasures, and by flattery to be in favour with Princes: Alas shall these heathen philosophers (which knew not God) despise treasures, contemn riches, and embrace poverty, only for the love of moral virtues, and shall we, which profess ourselves to be Christians, bought with the precious blood of jesus Christ, respect transitory vanities before the salvation of our souls? Shall the blessed Apostle S. Paul. (Phil. 3.8.) count all things detriment, and esteem them as dung, that he might gain Christ? And shall we like children be delighted with toys, and with Esop's cock prefer a barley corn, before a rich gem? shall we dissemble with our consciences for the world, for fear that otherwise we should lose our credit? Woe be unto us if we do so, seeing our Blessed Saviour hath said. (Math. 10.33.) He that shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my Father which is in heaven: And in an other place, he sayeth, If any man will come unto me, and hateth not his Father, and mother, wife, and children, Brother, and sister, yea and his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luc. 14.26.  
God forbidden that we should delay our conversion, and with the foolish Virgins have our oil to seek for our lamps, when the bridegroom cometh unto the marriage, left afterwards knocking and calling to be received in, we be sent back again with a, Nescio vos, I know you not, S. john Baptist, when he was in the wilderness, shown that his commission, and embassage was to preach penance unto the world, how that the axe was now laid to the root of the tree; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, to be cut down, and cast into the fire; And that his life might be conformable to his words; he executed in penance the greatest austerities, his meat was locust, and wild honey, the food which he found in the fields, his apparel a garment of camels hair, girt with a rough girdle, and his chamber and lodging, a cave of some craggic rock, his bolster, and bedde the hard ground, bearing with great patience, the cold, heat, hunger, and thirst, and other common injuries of the air: But why did this blessed and glorious forerunner of our Saviour Christ endure all this? not in punishment of his sins, he being sanctified from his Mother's womb, but to preserve himself the better, even from the least offences, to tame his flesh, and bring it in subjection to the spirit, and to dispose himself the better to receive the gifts of heaven, which are not ordinarily obtained, but by such painful austerities.  
Why then should not we imitate this Saint and conform ourselves unto him, wherein he is imitable? Why should not we embrace corporal austerities, as much as we may, chastising our flesh, and offering it as a lively host, holy and acceptable unto God almighty in satisfaction for our sinful lives passed? (Rom. 12.) This path have all these holy and just men of the old and new testament formerly trodden; For in the written law the Apostle affirmeth, how they went in sheep's skins, in goat's skins, wand'ring in deserts, in mountains, in dens, and caves of the earth: and in the law of grace, we plainly see, that the whole life of our Blessed Saviour, the most perfect mirror of all virtues, was nothing else but a continual act of penance, spent wholly in watching, praying, fasting, hunger, thirst, and cold, with other like necessities whereunto we are subject, suffering shameful ignominies, and reproaches, and all for our example, as witness his own words, saying. Ego dedi etc. (joan. 13.15.) I have given you example, as I have done so do you likewise: His prayers were so long, that S. Luke writeth, that he went forth into the mountain, and there passed the whole night in prayer. (Luc. 16.12.) and that the example of this virtue was not left us by our Lord for speculation only, but for our practice also, this place of scripture maketh it plain. (Marc. 13.33.) Take heed, watch, and pray, and again, watch ye therefore, for ye know not the hour in which the Lord of the house comes. He fasted forty days, and forty nights, in the desert. (Marc. 4.) and one Evangelist addeth. (Luc. 4.2.) that he did eat nothing in those days: neither do we ever read expressly, that he did ever eat any flesh in all his life, unless the Sacramental flesh of the old law, which was eaten for devotion, & not to satisfy hunger, whereas of fish, & bread made of barley, and of drinking of water, many testimonies are not wanting: Besides all this, he was derided▪ scorned, mocked, counted a fool, and when he did any wonderful miracles, they would presently say (Mat. 13.55.) Is not this the carpenters son? do we not know all his pedigree, how basely he is descended? a man that is a glutton, & wine-drinker (Math. 11.19.) a friend of publicans & sinners? After our Saviour Christ's most bitter death, and passion, consider how the Apostles passed their lives, in much fasting, long watchings, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, & nakedness? And since their time, all these which have safely passed the troublesome sea of this miserable world, and are now arrived at the thrice happy haven of eternal felicity, they have all done the like; To avoid prolixity, I refer you unto infinite examples in Egisippus & Eusebius and others; that have written the lives of Saints in those ages, as also in S. Athanasius, of the life of S. Paul the first Eremite, and of S. Hilarion & the like, you may see in joamnes Cassianus, Palladius, joamnes Climachus▪ & other holy & authentical authors, which have recorded things of admiration, in this behalf: all with most rigorous asperities of life in these ancient Christians, which intended only the mortifying of their bodies, the subduing of their flesh, and sensual tie, repressing the unlawful motions of their concupiscence, that they might stand more secure in this conflict of resisting sin.  
Is it possible then, that we, knowing and hearing these things, should, as holy job sayeth, drink up sin, as beasts do water? where are our wits, reason, and judgement? when we hear Christ saying. (Mat. 16.26.) what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer detriment of his soul? And we like swine, wallow ourselves in the filth, puddle, & sink of all iniquity? shall we be kindly invited to the marriage dinner. (Math. 22.4.) and refuse to come, for some base commodity, that is complacent unto our sensuality? Certainly such proceeding would argue want of faith in us, that we should not believe, that the divine justice will punish sin, with perpetual banishment, out of the celestial paradise of endless bliss, and with everlasting pains and torments, in the horrible fire of hell.  
Let us then (as the Apostle adviseth) (Heb. 12.12.) shake off from us, all weight and clog that may hinder us, let us by patience and long animity, run and make haste unto the combat offered unto us, with our eyes fixed upon the author of our faith, and principal cause thereof Christ jesus, who setting before him the joys of heaven, and contemning the confusion (or worldly shame that thereof might ensue) sustained the bitter death of the Cross, and thereby hath obtained to sit at the right hand of the seat of God his Father.  
Lastly, as Gods unworthy Legate, & your dutiful son, I admonish you with the Prophet. (Psal. 47.13.) that out of hand, you compass Zion (the Catholic Church, and embrace her) that you build in her towers (by considering her fortresses, the holy Doctors and Fathers, which watch, and defend her Walls) that you set your hart on her strength (resting assured of all matters of faith upon her (the pillar and foundation of truth) that you distribute her houses (by observing and marking diligently, how many particular churches were speedily founded into the world) th●t you may declare that, in another generation by teaching than to hold fast the same faith, or to return unto it, if they be relapsed; or to receive it, if they be estranged from it: Because this is God our God for ever, & ever; Christ God incarnate that worketh a●l this, is our very God and Saviour, not for a few years, as an hundred, six hundred, a thousand, or millions of thousands, but for ever and ever; He shall rule as a King, & consequently have a kingdom, his Catholic church, evermore to endure unto the end of the world: which church must be your Mother, if you will have God for your Father: For it is an infallible rule with S. Cyprian and S. Augustin. Non habebit Deum patrem, qui nolit habere Ecclesiam matrem. (Cypr. simp. prelate.) he shall not have God for his Father, who will not have the church for his mother.  
It may be you shall have your Scripturarum fures. (Origen. in 2. ad Rom.) thiefs of the scriptures, your presumptuous heretics fly through the whole bible, quoting the Psalms. Prophets, Gospel, Epistles, very readily unto you, as Vincentius Lirinensis saith such men's fashion is, but take heed of them, for they give you the bare text, without the true meaning, and as the Devil did unto our Saviour, they come unto you, with a, Scriptum est. (Math. 4.6.) covering themselves over head & ears with scripture as with the wool, and fleece of simple sheep: Beware of such f●lse Prophets which are inwardly rauening wolves. (Mat. 7.15.) work out your salvation with fear & trembling, remembering that none shall be crowned, which doth not lawfully fight. (2. Tim. 2.) Now therefore make joyful all the Angels, and court of heaven, with your conversion strike the stroke with God, say with the Prophet, Nunc cepi. (Mal. 7.6.) now I have begun in God's blessed service. Do you with S. Hierom, although your Mother much lamenting, should show you her breasts, with which she gave you suck, and your Father should weep on his knees before you, hereby to keep you from the sweet repose and tuition of the Catholic church, run over your Father, cast your Mother aside, and make haste to the standard of the Cross: Solum pietatis genus est in hac re, esse crudelem, this is the greatest kind of piety above all other in this point, to show yourself cruel: I humbly implore the divine Majesty, and lying prostrate at your feet, do beg with tears, that he would so move and mollify your hart, that at the sound of these summoning Trumpets, all impediments being incontinently cast aside, you may attentively hearken to their dreadful echo. Sweet jesus out of his infinite mercy, and by his bitter death and passion, bless, direct, and confirm you with his principal spirit. (Psal. 50.) that when he shall be pleased inwardly to move you with his divine inspirations, he may graciously invite you to taste of the heavenly waters of his most sweet, and our holy mother, the Catholic church. Contristate not any longer the holy Ghost. (Ephes. 4.30.) by hardening your heart, but thankfully receive and entertain the same, with submission, reverence & respect towards so great a majesty, and without delay make profession openly of the Catholic faith, and religion of our ancient holy Christian forefathers, that so you may reign with our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, and with them in heaven, participating there of such joys, as neither eye hath seen, ear hath heard, nor ever hath ascended into the hart of man to conceive. (Cor. 2.9.) to which, God of his infinite mercy bring us, who hath so dearly bought us, that we may there reign perpetually in glory with him, for ever.  
Amen.  
Your humble and dutiful son during life, G.P.   

TO THE WORSHIPFUL HIS DEAR MOTHER Mistress E. P. increase of all spiritual and temporal consolation.  
TO you dear Mother, do I offer these,  
My poor endeavours; which I do implore,  
And beg of God-allmightie, on my knees,  
At their arrival, may find , the door.  
Of your desires, What pity cannot move  
For its one sake, may enter by my love.  
Let me no longer, fruitless sacrifice,  
Upon the sacred Altar of sincere  
Devotion offe●… with tear-tricklinge eyes  
Dried up with sighs; redoubled are with fear  
Which wakes my thoughts, with a perpetual fright  
In the dead-silent hours of the night.  
To think, the womb wherein I was conceived;  
The loving Breasts, which first gave nourishment,  
Unto my tender years; whose arms received,  
Into the bosom of such sweet content,  
My Infancy; which tenderly to wrapp  
They took delight; laid prostrate on the lap,  
Of more than common-care; should: what? Alas  
Must I pronounce the sentence; Perish? o Noah,  
Heavens forbid the fatal hourglass,  
Is not yet run: Though itt draw too too low  
Return my dearest Sunamite, return,  
Let not in vain, thy holy offerings burn.  
'Twas no small grief you seemed for to express  
With pity moveinge plaints, and promises  
By which you did conjure me (no●-Lesse  
Dear to my soul than yours) to banish these  
Religious enterprises. What will be?  
The Grief, when we must part, and never see.  
Each other, think you? Nether is that all,  
For in the day of wrath and indignation  
Men shall rejoice to see their Parents fall,  
By the just judgement of God's ordination▪  
Thus much my filial duty forced me too  
The rest I leave to jesus Christ and you.  
Your most dutiful and obedient Son G. P.   

To the devout Reader.  
judicious reader if thou seek to please  
The fantasy, with Arguments of wit,  
Curious conceits; know such fond passages  
I do bequeath to lighter subjects fit  
To thy devotion therefore (as a Friend)  
My matter, not my Meathhoode I commend.  
Thine G. P.   

BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW UNWORTHY Servant of jesus Christ crucified, to his most endeared Sister, S. Marie Magdalen glorious spouse of blessed jesus in heaven.  
Behold my most dear Sister Magdalen, the spouse of Christ crucified, once as black as the tents of Cedar, (Cant. 1.) but afterwards as beautiful as the curtains of Solomon, portresse of love, and patroness of all sinners, now blessed with celestial glory, behold I say, I have finished a little book, entitled by me, The Seven Trumpets, exciting a sinner to repentance; And because I have written of thee, being assisted with thy holy prayers, not any that I could find, might with such equity challenge the patronage of this book, as thyself; For to whom might I with more convenience present this little work, out of which, proceedeth such a sound, that terrifieth the greatest malefactor, and awakneth the securest offender, them to S. Mary Magdalem a sinner? To whom, I say, rather than unto thee, should I the most abject and unworthiest of all sinners, dedicate this book, that treateth of the salvation of sinners? To thee therefore my sister Magdalen, I commend it, that thou being a daily assistant thereof, mightest cause it to bring forth its intended fruits, which is the safety, health, and happiness of all distressed, wretched, and sinful souls. Remember, oh blessed Magdalen, that thou wast once a lost sheep, fare strayed from the fold of Christ, and if our dear Saviour jesus the careful shepherd of thy soul, had not called thee unto him, thou hadst been devoured of the ravening wolf: thou knowest that our jesus did undergo death for the life of souls. Christas' venit in hunc mundum etc. (1. Tim. 1.15.) Christ jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief, and Christ himself saith, Non est opus valentibus medico, sed malè habentibus. (Math 9.12.) They that be well need not the physician, but they that be sick, and thou art not ignorant of that which is written of him, in the Gospel of Saint Luc. Hic peccatores recipit etc. (Luc. 15.2.) This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them: Oh therefore Magdalen, let thy eyes of pity be ever watchful over miserable sinners, intercede for the conversion, and salvation of so many souls, which are running headlong into the abyss of eternal perdition; Thou seest and knowest, most dear Magdalem, what a number of souls do daily and hourly descend into the bottomless pit of hell: succour, aid, and stretch forth thy helping hand therefore to the perishing & languishing souls: remember, oh Sister that all those souls were redeemed and bought with the precious blood of sweet jesus, the Saviour and Redeemer of us both: Thou knowest right well, the inexcogitable sufferings of our loving jesus upon mount Caluarie, for all us rebellious wretches: I am certain thou well remember'st that precious blood which whilst he hanged upon the cross, thou sawest distil and run down from his sacred body, upon the earth. Remember, oh Magdalen; the anxiety of his soul, when as thou didst behold him yielding up his spirit with such bitter pains upon the holy wood of the cross: procure by thy intercession, that these souls which were redeemed with the precious blood, which did so abundantly flow out of his divine head being pricked, and gored with an unheard-of crown of thorns, may be delivered from the power of sin, and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God: secure those poor souls, which are bought with such an abundance of blood, running like a torrent from the most sacred hands, and feet of thy Master jesus crucified, obtain by thy holy prayers that those souls may be presented pure before God, which were washed with that blood and water that issued out of thy jesus his side, even unto his most bitter death; Thy prayers, oh Magdalen which are inflamed with the burning love of thy dearest spouse, are of no small virtue to procure the help of the Angel of the covenant, to put the diseased souls of miserable sinners into the all curing waters of Bethsaida. joan. 5.4.  
To thee therefore in the name of our gracious jesus, & his blessed Mother, he a loving Father, she a tender Mother of all sinners, I present & offer this little work, which I acknowledge to be thine; In the name of the most holy Trinity, Father, Son and holy Ghost, in the virtue of the name of jesus, and the B. V Marie, together with thy help, oh Blessed Magdalen, these my Seven Trumpets are come to be sounded abroad, which by the efficacy of the blood, death, and passion of Christ, who is Son of God, and also himself true God and man I implore, beseech, and desire, that they terrify, convert and reduce to repentance an innumerable company of souls, which lie demerged, overwhelmed, and plunged in the pit, of sin, and iniquity: Amen: In the name of the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, Amen.  
Let thy benediction oh my Magdalen, descend upon the soul and body of me, and all other sinners, which shall peruse this book, by the virtue of the precious body and blood of our Blessed jesus which is contained in the most holy Sacrament of the altar,  
Amen: Pray for me:  
From Rome: our place of S. Fran. Transtib. jun. 14. 1612. Thy most devoted Brother in our Lord, Brother Bartholomew.   

IN THE NAME OF THE Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Amen:  
Here followeth the beginning of the Seven Trumpets of the B. F. B. Bartholomew Saluthius, of the holy order of the Friar Minars: of obseru. reform.  

THE PROLOGUE.  
ET septem Angeli qui habebant septem tubas etc. (Apoc. 8.) And the seven Angels which had the Seven Trumpets, prepared themselves to sound, saith S. john; after he had said in the same place; Et vidi septem Angelos etc. and I saw seven Angels standing in the presence of God, and there was given unto them Seven Trumpets: Oh Brethren sinners, I am not an Angel, but a sinner, not only like unto you, but worse than you, who being inflamed with the honour of almighty God, and also moved with the desire of all your soul's healths, I have presumed to bring to light this little book, entitled The Seven Trumpets, that they may found in your ears, and recall you to your most loving God & merciful Father, and reduce you into the way of salvation. Oh wretches, consider that you have strayed, and diverted from the true path, and do now run, and persist with a swift pace in the way that leadeth to perdition: ponder well, oh ye unhappy souls, how that ye stand upon the brim of hell, ready every moment to be cast down headlong into the abyss of perpetual darkness: whereupon I being stirred up with charity towards you, in this our convent of S. john Baptist at Font: Palumb now residing, God assisting me, together with the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God, and of all the Saints and Angels in heaven, but especially of S. john Baptist, and my glorious Father S. Francis, I do speak unto all sinners, crying out, and compelling them with these words, Oh ye sinners, sinners I say, turn ye to God, forsake your enemy the devil, amend & correct your evil lives, and depart from the pernicious, and dangerous way, wherein ye walk: turn oh brethren unto your benign creator, prepare the way by the which your sweet, and loving jesus, is to come to inhabit and make his mansion in your souls; Expel and drive out, oh ye wretches, those diabolical vices, which have prepared for themselves an habitation in your poor souls: Oh ye miserable sinners, do ye not yet perceive, that your souls are as so many caves full of inhuman serpents, and cruel dragons. Who are all ready to devour and tear you in pieces? These being expelled, and put to flight, let in your most loving jesus into the closet of your souls, who standeth knocking without, and like a tender Father, & merciful Saviour, commiserating your obduratnes, crieth out, open to me: open to me I say my dear children.  
Why do you therefore oh ye miscreants, admit your enemy, and deadly adversary into your souls, and exclude, and banish, your loving Saviour and benign redeemer? Open unto him, oh my Brethren, open unto him, and at last acknowledge that he alone is your creator, redeemer, & Saviour, turn to yourselves, and consider oh unworthy abjects, and know, that this is that jesus, which bought you with his most precious blood, and died for you upon the holy wood of the Cross. Contemplate oh sinner, the great love which thy most sweet jesus did and doth at this present bear to thee and be vigilant, and careful lest thou again offend him.  
Consider that for the love of thee, he hangeth contemned, & left of all upon the cross: behold him nailed, through his sacred hands and feet upon the rood, and for thy sake. Behold how for thee his divine head is girded about with sharp and cruel thorns, that pricked him even to the brains, look upon him how he is contemned, vilified, and crucified as a public malefactor, betwixt two thiefs, and only for thee: hear what opprobries, contumelies, and disgraceful terms he endured of the passers by, and that for thy sake, give ear unto him crying with a loud voice by reason of extreme thirst, Sitio, sitio, I thirst, I thirst, and only for thee: For this was that ardent thirst (besides the natural thirst which was most vehement) to wit, thy salvation: Hear him, not murmuring one jot, but most ardently praying for his persecutors, and malefactors, Pater ignosce illis etc. (Luc. 23.34.) Father forgive them, for they know not what they do: Oh the depth of the love and mercy of jesus, oh the Tigre-like cruelty, and obdurate malice of that diabolical & hellish crew that crucified him▪ oh ye ungrateful sinners who little esteeming of the unspeakable affection of jesus towards you, do accompany, and unite yourselves with devils, are slaves to devils, and do eat, drink, sleep, and live in the company of devils. who likewise at the last shall be damned with devils, unless ye turn to your blessed redeemer! This only thing, if ye yourselves did not resist, is of itself sufficient to reduce and convert you to your loving jesus; that is to say, the very remembrance of the fatherly compassion which our Blessed Saviour did bear towards you, which for you alone did suffer death, and shed his most precious blood: Fidelis sermo & omni acceptione dignus, (Tim. 1.15.) It is a faithful saving, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ jesus came into the world to save sinners, and in an other place, Empti enim estis pretio magno. Ye are bought with a great price, glorify therefore God in your bodies.  
But you wretches having no respect of him, do vilify, contemn, and trample him under your feet, he died for you, and ye live that ye might offend him, he laid down his soul for you, and you give your souls to your enemy the devil: he hath redeemed you from the hand of your adversary, and you do cast, and precipitate yourselves into his mouth: he freed your from the power of death, and you by your  conversation, bring death upon your souls, & throw yourselves into hell in despite of him: Oh ye unfortunate wretches, commiserate your own most woeful condition, and if that you will not be moved to serve him, for love, at least, begin awhile to serve him for fear, until at the last understanding your blind errors, you may serve him as it is fitting, for love alone. O my dear jesus, oh loving and sweet jesus, open thy bowels of compassion unto all sinners, regard not their madness; remember not their pertinacious malice, look upon the ignominies, & torments which thou hast sufsuffered for us, behold that lively, and hot blood which gushed out, and ran down from all parts of thy torn body, have pity upon that sinner, that taketh no pity upon himself, always providing that it may be done to the augmenting, and amplifying of thy honour & glory, here, and for ever hereafter.  
Amen.   

The division of the Seven Trumpets. THE I. CHAPTER.  
ET primus Angelus tubâ cecinit, & the first Angel sounded the trumpet sayeth S. john (Apoc. 8.) without all doubt oh ye sinners, if ye will use the benefit of your free will, together with the assistance of divine grace, and that little exhortation of my prologue, you may very easily as ye ought, abandon sin, fly your accustomed vices, and leave the servitude of Satan your deadly enemy, and turn to your sweet and loving jesus, the dear spouse of your souls; But being that you sleep so profoundly, and so securely, that ye do not, or will not hear the sweet sound of so grateful & acceptable music, I have determined to send forth a sound of a more shrill, and fearful trumpet, to make trial, whether I can awake you from the sleep, and lethargy of your sins, wherein you lie drowned, & overwhelmed, being mindful of that of the Prophet. Clama, ne cesses▪ quasi tuba exalta vocem tuam. (Isay 58.1.) cry out and cease not, exalt thy voice as a trumpet, that a sinner hearing it, he may be converted to repentance: But I entreat you my brethren, that. Hodie si audteritis etc. (Psal. 94.) if to day you will hear the voice of our Lord, you would not harden your hearts; Brethren, I say, in the interim, whilst you hear the sound of these trumpets, obdurate not your hearts, lest God be offended with you.  
Et primus Angelus tubâ cecinit: and the first Angel sounded the trumpet. That I may come to my intended purpose, I have determined with these Seven Trumpets set down in this little book to sound unto your ears, that at the last you being awaked with the terror of the same, you may begin to forsake your flagitious, and sinful life, and be reduced to the right way, which will guide and conduct you safe and secure, to the happy and heavenly port of perpetual happiness: but know for certain, that if you stop your ears at these sounding Trumpets, at the last point, and article of your death, you shall be called to a strict account for your so great contempt, and neglect, which God forbidden, should come to pass, but rather, that the love, and charity which did induce me to write this book for your salvation, may mollify your stony hearts and tame your unruly affections, that these trumpets sounding forth your eternal bliss, may penetrate and stir up your minds and souls. The first trumpet soundeth forth the great perverseness; and malice of a sinner wherewith he offendeth almighty God. The second, the filthiness of sin. The third the detriment that sin causeth in the soul of a sinner in this life. The fourth, the harm; and loss, that shall appear in the hour of death. The fift, the damage that it shall cause in the terrible day of judgement. The sixth, the ineffable punishment, that it doth procure in hell. The seaventh, the society, and combination which it draweth with it, in this life, in death, and after death.  
These, oh my brethren sinners, are the Seven Trumpets, which to the honour of God, and to your soul's health, and the confusion of the devil, I intend to sound in this little book: Therefore I beseech you, that when ye shall hear them, like well disciplined, and valiant soldiers, you do awake presently; to enter in battle, with your enemy, and permit not yourselves to be vanquished, & trampled under foot, but like horses well exercised, and trained up in military discipline, which at the sound of drums and trumpets, proudly shaking their lofty, and magnanimous necks, courageously neighing, and beating the earth with their feet, do stir up themselves, and animate their riders, heroically to march against the army, and affronts of the enemy. So behave yourselves, oh my Brethren, viriliter agite, take unto yourselves courage, and with an undaunted spirit oppose the world, the flesh, and the devil, necessity urgeth, Res nostra agitur, it is our cause that is in hand, here is matter of great importance, namely the salvation, and perdition of your souls: Therefore for jesus his sake, awake out of that lethargy of vices wherein you lie deprived of all spiritual sense, change your manners, and institutions, lead the life of good Christians, call to mind the promise, which you made unto your redeemer in your baptism; Surge qui dormis, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the spiritual death of sin, and Christ shall illuminate thee. Oh Brethren, Operamini dum dies est, work while the day of God's mercy appeareth, because the night of his judgement draweth near, wherein no man can work: let us do good to all while we have time, because every one shall be rewarded after his death▪ according to his works, and deeds: Now is the acceptable time, now is the time wherein we may buy oil for our lamps: be vigilant therefore with the wise Virgins, to ●…er in with the bridegroom, lest you be deprived of his presence for ever. It is time for us now, oh sinners, to awake and arise from sin. juxta est dies perditionis, the day of perdition is at hand, and the last night draweth near.  
Therefore my sinful brethren, seek our Lord while he may be found, for unless you will turn unto him, he will shake his sword, he will bend his bow, and prepare the arrows of death: Return therefore, oh return ye miserable and blinded sinners, to the sure refuge of penance. Nisi penitentiam egaritis, unless ye do penance, ye shall likewise perish: oh my Brethren, a vehement commination, a fearful threatening, denounced to that end, that every one might be vigilant, in matters concerning his salvation, & careful to prevent future dangers: Christ jesus which speaketh these words unto you, for his mercy's sake, infuse into your souls his divine grace, that ye may serve him as ye ought, not of constraint, but of a willing mind, not as servants for fear, but as dutiful children for love:  
Amen.   

IN THE NAME OF THE Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Amen:  
The first Trumpet of God's grievous complaint of a sinner. THE II. CHAPTER.  
ET primus Angelus tubâ cecinit. (Apoc. 8.) and the first Angel sounded the Trumpet: I would to God, my dear Brethren, that the sound of this first Trumpet would suffice, and that by this he would so powerfully touch your hearts, that you might with internal compunction turn to your creator, and merciful Saviour: I have not the spirit of jonas the Prophet, who with five words only converted the great &  city Nineve. Adhuc quadraginta dies & Nineve subvertetur. (jon. 3.4.) yet forty days and Nineve shall be destroyed: jonas sounded with the shrill Trumpet of his voice, exclamations and threatenings, but I desire not, that at the first you should hear so fearful a sound, but that you might attend and give ear a while, to the pitiful complaints, of your merciful redeemer, for surely there is no soul so frozen in sin, whom these grievous complaints would not dissolve into tears, if they themselves did not make resistance.  
Give ear therefore I beseech you, & consider, with what great grief he bewaileth your ingratitude and unthankfulness: Obstupescite coeli, be astonished oh ye heavens, and be ye desolate oh ye gates thereof, for my people hath committed two evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no waters. (jerem. 2.12.) Oh wretched sinners penetrate, and weigh well your misery, and see how true it is, that you have forsaken Christ, the well of living water, and have drunk of the bitter waters of Mara. (Exod. 15.) Know ye not yet, that vices are cisterns, that can hold no spiritual water? do ye not perceive, that covetousness is a cistern that containeth not the water of true delight? because the covetous man is always sad, & never satiated? do ye not perceive that gluttony, and intemperancy, is a cistern that holdeth not the water of satiety, because it is never filled? perceive ye not that lust and concupiscence are cisterns, which receive not the water of complete delectation? for the pleasures thereof consume both body and soul: do ye not perceive, that ambition is a cistern, that containeth not the water of a satiated desire, for the ambitious man is continually wracked? Oh ambitio, ambitio erat, quomodo omnes torques, & omnibus places. (D. Bernard.) oh ambition, ambition the torture of ambitious persons, how dost thou torment all, and yet art received of all? Which your merciful and loving Father foreseeing, complaineth of your great folly in the precedent words of jeremy: and a little after by the mouth of the same Prophet, Scito & vide. (jerem. 2.19.) know and see, that it is an evil and bitter thing to have forsaken the Lord thy God: observe oh sinner; with what pitiful words full of commiseration the Lord speaketh unto thee: what Adamantine heart as there so hard, that these so merciful words can not mollify? With what pity & clemency doth he pronounce them? he seemeth to speak with his eyes standing full of tears; trickling down his sacred cheeks; Moses considering the love and clemency of God towards that wicked and ungrateful people of the Hebrews, reprehendeth them in these words, Haeccine reddis Domino, popule stulte & insipiens? (Deuter. 32.6.) dost thou render these things unto our Lord, thou foolish and unwise people? is not he thy Father, that hath possessed thee, and thy creator, that hath fashioned thee? oh charity, oh clemency of God towards a sinner! oh foolishness, oh stupidity of a sinner, towards so bountiful and loving a God  
Time will not permit me to revolve the old and new scripture, for the amplifying of this matter, which is full of the benignity of God towards a sinner, and the contempt of a sinner towards his creator: neither did I determine to treat of this at large, but only to insert some few things, concerning the health and salvation of souls, almost lost, which lie daily wallowing in the filth of of their accustomed vices: I will only say, that in the remembrance of the exceeding great love which God beareth towards a sinner, which the Evangelist declareth in the parable of the prodigal son, Et vidit illum à longè pater ipsius, and when his Father saw him a fare off, he was moved with pity towards him, and running unto him, he fell upon his neck and kissed him. (Luc. 15.20.) And which he sayeth else where of the city jerusalem: Videns civitatem, flevit super eam, looking upon the city, he wept over it, he did foresee the desolation that was to befall the city of jerusalem, the remembrance whereof so pierced his soul, that he wept bitterly, and seeing that prodigal son, straying, ragged, and almost famished with hunger, having consumed all his patrimony and substance in a riotous course of living, notwithstanding all this, seeing him a fare off, and scarce hearing him uttering these words, I will arise and go to my Father, forgetting all his former offences, he went joyfully to meet him, and gladly embraced him, fell upon his neck and kissed him: Oh sinners, sinners, turn unto our Lord with the sound of this only Trumpet, consider the great affection that Christ beareth unto you, who if it were lawful so to speak, is sick with love, & consumed with charity. (Cantic. 25.) Oh loving and dear jesus, seeing thou dost so infinitely love a sinner, mollify that obduratnes, wherewith his soul is oppressed, melt and dissolve his frozen heart. I beseech thee o jesus, by that lively blood, that thou shedst for us, by that surpassing love wherewith thou didst embrace us, by all the thoughts, words, and actions thou didst perform for us, to be merciful to sinners:  
Amen.   

Of the infinite wrong wherewith a sinner by sinning, doth offend the divine Majesty. THE III. CHAPTER.  
But what shall I say now of the great injury wherewith you sinners, do offend God? with what tongue shall it be related? with what style shall it be exaggerated? with what terms shall it be expressed? For many reasons; the offence is unspeakable by which God is dishonoured: The first is, in respect of the object against which it is committed, to wit God himself, who being infinite, it necessarily followeth, that sin also be infinite: which, although of its own nature, be not infinite, but nothing, as holy divines say, peccatum nihil est obiect●… tamen (that I may use the schoolmen's phrase) infinitum est, sin of itself is nothing, but in respect of the object, it is infinite: consider oh sinner, the greatness of sin, when as it is infinite, behold how great an evil thou committest quickly, even in a moment, ponder with thyself, what exceeding perversity, and malice it is, to oppose thyself against an infinite power, examine well how improbous and rebellious thou art, being that thou art adverse and opposite to God whose goodness is infinite: Oh malicious and perverse sinner, what is thy impudence, and audaciousness, that thou darest contest, and contend with thy God and creator? The second reason is, that God being by his nature, presence, and omnipotency, in all places, in thee which offendest, in the matter wherein thou offendest, in the members, whereby thou offendest him, behold how great the offence is, thou being so impudent, that in the divine presence of the infinite majesty of the Father, the Son and the holy Ghost, thou dost commit such undecent and heinous crimes, which thou desirest to be hidden from the eyes of so many celestial spirits, & of which thou thyself hereafter, wilt greatly repent: For whilst thou dost commit such filthy, and abominable crimes, seeking obscure places, that thou shouldest not be seen of men, thou liest open to the all-penetrating eye of God: In omni loco, oculi Domini contemplantur bonos & malos. (Prou. 15.3.) In every place, the eye of our Lord beholdeth the good & the bad: In a word, go whither thou wilt, hide thyself where thou canst, do what thou mayest, thou canst not avoid the all-seing eye of the divine majesty.  
Consider with thyself, if thou takest any thing, God is at hand in thy soul, in thy heart, in thy understanding in thy will, in thy hands and feet, in the thing itself which thou takest, in the house which thou interest, in the way wherein thou walkest: Weigh seriously with thyself, oh blinded sinner, how unheard of, the impudency o● offence is of lust, for whilst thou dost commit not only lascivious, and filthy crimes, but acts proper to beasts, which are unseemly to be named, God is in thee, in the thing, in the members wherewith thou offendest: Not by his grace, but by his general influence, and concourse, therefore thou sinnest, in whom God is, in the thing in which God is, and dost use those parts, and members, to be instruments of Satan, in which God dwelleth, and inhabiteth: Nescitis quia membra vestra, sunt templum Spiritus Sancti? (1. Corin. 6.19.) know ye not, that your members are the temple of the holy Ghost? How great therefore is thy madness, impudency, and wickedness oh sinner? How infinite the abuse, and wrong wherewith thou offendest, and displeasest thy God and creator? But oh thou angry and malicious sinner, while thou strikest, killest and murderest thy neighbour o● enemy, is not God in thee▪ is not God I say in the members of thee, of thy neighbour, and of thine enemy? nothing more certain, he is in thy hands wherewith thou killest, in the members of him whom thou killest, in the weapon wherewith thou killest, therefore oh wicked impious, and  wretch, which having no respect, or reverence to so great & infinite a majesty, darest commit such things in his presence, which thou wouldst fear, and be ashamed to commit in the presence of an earthly King or Prince, although of mean power and authority.  
The third reason is: Tell me, oh ye sinners, what punishment is he worthy of, who receiving many courtesies & favours from some noble man of worth, as a ●ouse, ornaments, and clothes, beseeming his quality, when before, he was ragged, torn, and meanly clothed, and being restored to his former dignity, when as before he was in great disgrace and misery, and having recovered his health, which before was sick & infirm, & by his means made rich and wealthy, which before was a beggar and in great want, lastly, promoted, and placed in the chiefest degree of honour who before was contemned, vilified, and despised of all, if this man who is thus infinitely obliged and bound to this his friend, should in stead of giving thankes, intent and meditate snares and deceits for the taking away of the goods, estimation, and honour, and laste of all, the life of so great a friend and charitable benefactor, and should associate himself in the company of his enemies, to the end that he might abuse, contemn, deride, and kill him? speak I beseech thee, what penalty shall this ungrateful wretch deserve? surely the greatest that can be invented. Tell me now, oh most wicked, rebellious, & adulterous sinner, what punishments, what torments art thou worthy of, when as thou dost disunite and separate thyself from thy God which made thee, which created thee, which gave thee thy soul and body, adorned thee with faculties, and senses correspondent, which produced thee out of nothing, when as thou wert nothing, and conserveth thee in this state in which thou now art, and for thy use & conservation, hath ordained an infinite number of creatures, visible, and invisible, the heavens, sun, moon, stars, elements, mixed, and composed bodies, for thy sake only, who also exceeding in love and charity, for thy sake was made man, visible, and mortal, exposing himself to all wrongs and difficulties, when as he was impassable: who last of all, did offer himself to be killed, and naked, like a public malefactor in the midst of two thiefs as their captain, crucified upon the wood of the cross, only that he might free thee from death, sin, the devil, and hell, and to bring thee to the eternal bliss of the celestial paradise: but thou on the contrary, dost oppose and resist with all thy forces this so benign a God, so indulgent a Father, so gentle, and mild a Lord, this I say so infinite, and great a majesty, thou dost study and endeavour with all thy faculties, and powers of body and soul with so odious and detestable crimes to offend, despise and dishonour.  
Oh miserable and sinful soul, what punishment can be thought upon, & ordained worthy of thy deserts? oh infinite patience, and clemency of God, which when as thou mightest precipitate, plunge, and cast these sinners into the bottomless pit of hell, and deliver them into the hand of the devil to be carried into the abyss of perpetual darkness, thou dost not only not do it, but favourably and patiently expect their return, calling them by thy divine inspirations, and heavenly suggestions unto amendment & repentance: And also hast conserved, protected, and defended such cruel, and malicious enemies, forso many years together, as well in things appertaining to the body, as the soul; thou callest them, thou goest to meet them, thou invitest them, and dost offer thyself unto them, as if thou wert ravished with love towards them, who art so infinitely offended, and greatly dishonoured by them. Oh immense love? oh patience, oh clemency, oh mercy of God, what great reason hadst thou, oh holy Prophet to say? Misericordias Domini in eternum cantabo. (Psal. 88.1.) Thy mercies oh Lord will I sing for ever, the earth is full of thy mercies oh Lord, & there is no end of thy goodness.  
Let us come to the fourth reason, which declareth the greatness of sin, wherewith a sinner offendeth God: What do you otherwise, oh sinners, when yea sin and offend, then balance in one scale, the infinite majesty power, and presence of God, and yourselves, your unlawful desires, and momentary pleasures in the other? therefore tell me, oh sinner, whither of these two, is of greater excellency, and worth, & rather to be chosen, God or thy little momentary pleasure? your opinion is, that this your transitory pleasure is of greater value, by which means, your Saviour being rejected, you make choice of his creature; God being left, in whom is the fullness of all things, you take that which is nothing; the chiefest good being contemned, ye do embrace that which beareth in itself no species, or sign of true good, but superficial, painted, and transitory: oh injury, oh offence, oh wrong, oh dishonour, wherewith you offend so loving a God, and benign and clement a Father!  
Let us now proceed to the gift of reason: what doth a miserable sinner, by sinning, but call in question and dispute, whether his or God's divine will is better? whither with more promptitude he should obey God, or his own base desire? He preferreth his own will before Gods, and presently concludeth, that it is more convenient to obey his own, making himself an other Lucifer, greater than God: Oh execrable Lucifers, oh wicked, and accursed sinners, who when as ye are base filth and dung, are so swollen, and puffed up with pride, that in as much as lieth in your powers, you exalt yourselves above God: what affliction therefore shall be imposed upon you in the world to come, when you shall be delivered, and given up into the hands of that proud Lucifer, of whom ye have been such diligent, sectatours, and vigilant servants? Oh my dear sinful Brethren, I will not be more prolix in this argument, because the disputation calleth me an other way, it sufficeth me, and also aught to suffice you, to have heard the sound of this our first Trumpet, which with a short blast I have sounded, that detesting, and abhorring sin, you may be disunited from Satan, and rejoined to your sweet creator, Lord, and redeemer, that hereafter ye may desist from offering him so great injuries, and make an end and period of so many foul and detractive contumelies, whereby ye have in no small measure offended him. Do this I beseech you brethren, which I beg, and implore of you by the precious wounds, and lively blood of our Saviour jesus Christ, lying prostrate at your feet upon the earth: I say unto you oh Brethrens, by the bitter passion of jesus crucified, offend him not so often with so many injuries, crucify him not any more with such heinous crimes: desist my Brethren, hereafter to contemn and tread under foot the blood of the covenant; And turning to thee oh my jesus, I say, oh jesus, my only love and joy, grant pardon and remission to a sinner,  
Amen.   

The second Trumpet of the deformity of sin. THE iv CHAPTER.  
ET secundus Angelus tubâ cecinit. (Apoc. 8.) And the second Angel sounded the trumpet: Give ear oh sinners unto the sound of this second trumpet, rousing & exciting you up, out of the sleep of sin: behold the second Angel soundeth, that he may quicken you, & put to flight all your inordinate dispositions, that you might attentively hear him; For what doth Angel signify in the Greek tongue, but a messenger, harbinger, and legate, in ours? who cometh and calleth you that ye may be converted to your creator, return home to your loving Father, and be reconciled to your merciful redeemer. Oh my Brethren, if the sound and call of the first trumpet, and counsel and admonition of the first Angel, will not any jot move you, when it plainly propoundeth unto you the offence whereby ye offend almighty God, which certainly should be a motive more than sufficient, at least, let the deformity and filthiness of sin, which this second Angel with a horrid sound denounceth unto you, be a powerful reason to induce you: without doubt brethren, if you would but comprehend in your minds, and ponder with yourselves, the uggelines of sin, it could not be, but that you would detest and loathe the deformity of it as you ought to do: for so great and infinite (oh Brethren) is the deformity of sin, that it is, ex diametro, directly opposite to the beauty and clarity of God: for what other thing is it in itself, or in its own nature, but an aversion from the divine will? sin in itself is nothing. Et sine ipso sactum est nihil. (joan. 1.3.) and without him was made nothing (saith S. john) that is sin, whose deformity is made without God: because he doth not concur to the inordination of it, although, as the most subtle Doc. Scotus saith, to the substance of the action God doth concur, yet not unto the malice of the same: for example's sake, man stealeth, and sinneth, here two things are to be considered, the one is the substance of the action, which is to extend, put out the hand, and apprehend the thing, to this God concurreth, for unless he did give power to the hands and feet, this act could not be performed: furthermore besides this action, there is an inordination which followeth this action, contrary to the divine will, and law, which contradicteth, & forbiddeth theft, the same happeneth, when adultery, or any other sin is committed: go to, consider well, how great the malice of sin is, that it is opposite, and contrary to the divine will: Furthermore it is the common opinion of the Doctors, that sin is an aversion from the creator, & conversion to the creature, in so much that so oft as ye commit sin, ye separate yourselves from your sweet God, and join yourselves to the base and corruptible creature, from whence it proceedeth that the eternal and infinite beauty being left, you turn yourselves to the extremest deformity and foulness: I beseech ye for God's sake, that ye do so no more, turn to yourselves, oh my my Brethren, being illuminated with the resplendent beams of the son of righteousness, behold your blindness, and misery, and separate not yourselves from this so infinite a good, lest you change the inestimable treasure and riches of the incomprehensible divinity, for the dross of things temporal, and transitory: Quem enim fructum habuistis etc. (Rom. 6.21.) what fruit had ye in those things of which ye are now ashamed. Furthermore if ye desire to see the foulness of execrable and detestable sin, give ear unto the sequel; the devil of himself was most fair, and of his own nature, next unto almighty God, excelling all other things created in beauty and comeliness: Duo fecisti Domine, unum propè te, & aliud propé nihil: Thou haste made (oh God) two things, one near unto thee, the other almost nothing: sayeth the holy Father S. Augustine: that which cometh nearest unto thee, and is more perfect than all the rest, is the nature of the Angels, the other which is almost nothing, is the first matter, whose entity & being is so small, that it hath given occasion to the philosophers to say, that it is entity only in possibility, from whence many have denied matter to be entity, although the subtle Doctor defendeth the contrary, contending that it is not placed only in possibility, but is an entity, yet so little and small, that take away one degree, and it is nothing: These I have said, not without reason, that I might intimate unto you, the nature of the devil, who was created of God, the most perfect and absolute of all things, notwithstanding with one only sin, he is made so fearful, loathsome, and detestable, that our holy Father S. Francis, being asked of his companion Brother Aegidius concerning this matter, was wont to answer, that it were impossible for any man to see the devil in his diabolical shape, and filthiness, but for the space of reciting the Pater noster, without loss of life. Therefore oh ye sinners, how great must needs the deformity of sin be? that hath so obfuscated that nature of so excellent a beauty, and made it so filthy and odious? oh my Brethren, gather your forces together, march with undaunted spirits, at the sound of this trumpet, against the violence of your enemy, cancel the bond wherein you have bound yourselves as slaves unto Satan, break the truce which ye have made with your adversary the devil: But let us proceed further, that we may more clearly behold the filthiness of sin: consider our first parents Adam, and Eve, who were created with complete stature, and comeliness of body, before they had sinned, because they were endued with original justice, they were so pure and simple, that like little children they were not ashamed of any thing that they did, but immediately after that they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and transgressed the commandment of God their Father, the holy scripture saith, that aperti sunt oculi eorum. (Gen. 3.7.) their eyes were opened, and they perceived them selues to be naked, & they sowed together fig leaves, to cover themselves: neither is this all, for the scripture sayeth in the same place, Cum audissent vocem Domini etc. hearing the voice of our Lord God, walking in paradise at the cool of the day, they hid themselves in the midst of the trees, for the fear of our Lord: And the shame was so great, that perceauing their nakedness, it did not suffice them to cover their members, with figtree leaves, but they hid themselves also in the midst of the trees, and upon this, God crying unto them, Adam ubi es? to whom Adam answered, Domine vocem tuam audius, oh Lord I heard thy voice, and was afraid, because I was naked; who did intimate unto thee, that thou wert naked, but the sin of disobedience, by eating of the forbidden fruit? oh execrable, and accursed sin? how great and infinite is thy deformity, filthiness, and malice?   

Here followeth the same matter of the deformity of sin. THE V CHAPTER.  
Such & so great (oh Brethren) is the deformity of sin, that if a sinner should see his soul in a deadly sin, he would be utterly confounded with fear and amazement. We read of an adulterer, who after that he had committed adultery, returned home, whose wife and children forthwith astonished at the sight of him, ram away; for he did appear unto them in the likeness of a devil, with fearful and huge horns, this man beholding himself in a glass, and seeing himself to be so deformed, being strooken with an horrible fear, with all expedition, and haste, went forth to confession, and to be reconciled to almighty God: the people that met him, yea the very brute beasts themselves being affrighted fled away, he seemed so terrible to them in shape and figure, and coming to the priest (who did stand at the gate of the church, saying his divine office) being espied of him to approach near unto the church, he did so astonish him, as that it caused him presently to shut the doors: The miserable soul coming to the door, intimated unto him, that he was a sinner, and was so deformed, and of so fearful aspect by reason of his sin, and desired him not to be afraid: this being related and manifested, the priest being possessed with no small fear, went out unto him, who having confessed, being penitent and reconciled, was restored to his ordinary & natural form. Oh soul, soul, oh unhappy and wretched soul, if thou couldst but see thyself being in a deadly sin, how exceedingly beyond all apprehension, wouldst thou be ashamed, astonished, & confounded at thyself? how great a terror would seize upon thee, if thou shouldest see thyself so deformed and uggly through sin, when as before thou wert most fair, & beautiful? Furthermore, when ye commit any sin, lest you should be seen of any one, you seek obscure places, for the performance of the same, and if by fortune you be apprehended in the act of your offence, presently you are most grievously ashamed, and perplexed, and although the sin be obscure, and not revealed, yet for many years you dare not appear in the presence of him who apprehended you. Oh blessed souls, who now rest in the favour of God, make known unto these sinners; what baseness and confusion ye perceive in sin, when as some time by the divine permission, endued with heavenly virtues, and illuminated with the celestial beams of divine grace, you know, understand, & apprehend, your former blemishes, and offences, and the multitude of so great injuries, whereby formerly you have displeased your most gracious God: I beseech you oh blessed souls, demonstrate this unto these sinners, and solicit your benign and clement spouse for them, that he would be pleased for his mercy's sake, to bestow some measure of those singular graces, wherewith ye your selves were endued, upon these distressed, desolate, and miserable wretches: effect this I beseech you, by the love of him who so dearly loveth you, and whom you likewise so much reverence, honour, and esteem: Do this, seeing there is nothing more acceptable unto God, then to intercead for poor sinners, for the pardoning and remission of their sins, who were redeemed and bought, with so dear a price as the precious blood, death, and passion of his dear son; obtain this therefore I entreat you, while I proceed further, to exaggerate the deformity of sin.  
Give ear oh my Brethren sinners, sin is so odious and abominable, that it compelled job to curse the hour, and day in which he was borne, with that fearful speech, saying, Pereat dies in qua natus sum. (job. 3.3.) let the day perish in which I was borne, & the night, in which it was said, a man child is conceived: let darkness, and the shadow of death obscure it, let a mist possess it, let it be wrapped up in bitterness, let a darksome whirlwind possess that night, let that day not be counted with the days of the year, nor numbered in the months: And a little after in the same chapter, he uttereth these words full of mysteries; Quare non in vuluâ mortuus sum, etc. why perished I not in the womb? why did the knees bear me, & the breasts give me suck? what do ye say to this, oh my Brethren, that such an holy, perfect, and just man, as job, should say these things? of whom God with his own mouth gave this testimony unto Satan, Numquid considerasti seruum meum (job? job. 2.3.) hast thou considered my servant job, that there is not the like unto him in the earth? a man simple, upright, fearing God, & retaining innocency? Wherefore then, and to what end should such fearful words as the literal sense giveth, proceed out of his mouth, as to curse the day, the night, and hour of his birth? surely it was only to intimate unto us, the grevous and detestable loathsomeness of sin, in which he was conceived. Oh this wonderful, and admirable exaggeration of sin? how fully doth it represent unto us, the filth and deformity, thereof? God grant that the terrible sound of this trumpet, may work in you an abhorring and detestation of vice, and kindle in your soul the fire of divine love, that you may die daily to sin here, & live with him perpetually hereafter,  
Amen.   

In what hatred sin is in the sight of almighty God. THE VI CHAPTER.  
O Dio sunt Deo impius, & impietas eius. (Wisdom. 14.9.) The wicked and his impiety, are abominable unto God. So great (Brethren) is the deformity of sin, that God who is nothing, but beauty, splendour, and goodness, hath it in great hatred, and detestation: and not sin only, but also the sinner. The wicked, and his impiety, are odious alike in the sight of God saith the holy scripture: By many things we may collect the deadly hatred that God hath towards sinners, but most especially by two. The first is, that he doth so suddenly, out of his severe justice punish it: Lucifer, and his associates sinned, but God by no means enduring that insolent pride, precipitated them from the height of their former felicity, into the abyss of eternal darkness, by Michael the Archangel, prime minister in the celestial paradise: Our first parents, Adam and Eve sinned, and God forthwith expelled them out of paradise. There are many examples in holy scripture, which do lively set before our eyes, the rigorous and sudden execution of the judgement, and severity of God upon sinners: The Israeliticall people sinned, adoring the golden Calf, presently the fire of God's wrath was kindled, and he said unto Moses. Dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus contra eos. (Exod. 32.20.) suffer, me that my fury may arise against them. The same people sinned, in demanding Quails in the wilderness. Adhuc escae erant in ore ipsorum. (Psal. 77.30.) Even when the meat was in their mouth, the judgements of God descended upon them.  
To be brief, the scripture is full of such examples, although on the contrary his divine mercy in expecting the conversion of a sinner, fare surpasseth his judgement: and the reason that there are so many examples extant of sinners in the scripture, not punished by God suddenly, is, that he might declare unto us the riches of his mercy, according to that saying of the Apostle. Deus auten qui diues est in misericordiâ. (Eph. 2.4.) God who is rich in mercy, would expect them, until they were converted: he expected the penitency of the old world an hundred years, before he would destroy it with the deluge, in the mean time, he commanded Noah to preach penance, although according to the custom of the world, they believed him not, who were wont very seldom to believe Prophets, who did denounce any destruction unto them, but rather did persecute and torment them with divers punishments: The Evangelist declareth this, where jesus Christ our Lord, threatening jerusalem, jerusalem (inquiens) jerusalem quae occidis Prophetas. (Math. 23.37.) jerusalem, jerusalem thou which puttest to death the Prophets, and stonnest them which are sent unto thee.  
But let us omit these, and declare how long time he expected before he would rain down fire and brimstone, upon that obscene & contaminated city of Sodom: and after that he had decreed to consume it, he was so clement, that he was compelled, & drawn unto it, as if it were by the ears, whereupon the holy scripture saith. Clamour Sodomorum, & Gomor: multiplicatus est. (Gen. 18.21.) The cry of Sodom & Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin aggravated exceedingly, I will descend and see, whether they have in acts accomplished the cry which is come unto me: Notwithstanding though he hath in so full a measure manifested his mercy, yet that he might demonstrate the hate & detestation which he hath towards sin, it appeareth by many wonderful examples, how severely and justly, he hath punished it, even so soon as it was committed, which is an infallible argument of the great deformity of sin.  
The second reason, by which we may understand the great displeasure which God conceiveth against sin, is, that for the subversion of the same, he would give his only begotten son to die a most ignominious death upon the cross, amidst two thiefs. Sic enim Deus dilexit mundum etc. (joh. 3.16.) so God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son for the redemption of it: Propter scelus populi mei percussi eum. (Isay. 53.8.) for the sin of my people, I have strooke him; and he hath laid upon him all our iniquities, sayeth the same holy Prophet. Oh thou sinner, consider well this place, and let it touch thee to the quick; if the eternal Father for the bannishing of sin, would that his own son should suffer death, who was not man only, but also God, and that so precious a life should be given for the death of sin, which was prized at so high a rate, that the holy Apostle sayeth. Empti enim estis pretio magn●. (1. Cor. 6.20.) for ye are bought with a great price, what an infinite then, and immense indignation, and wrath, must God needs conceive against sin? Furthermore, how odious and detestable, must execrable sin be, when jesus, Qui erat speciosus prae filijs hominum, who was the fairest among the sons of men, should so abase himself, that he made himself of no reputation, that the Prophet Isay, did say, Vidimus eum etc. (Isa. 53.2.) we have seen him, and there was more appearance of beauty in him▪ we were desirous of him, despised, and most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and knowing infirmity, whereupon, neither have we esteemed him, but counted him as a leper, and one stricken of God: oh ye Brethren sinners, if the eternal Father would not pardon and remit sin, without the death of his only son, how hateful must it needs be in his divine sight? and so much the more, that it did not satisfy his infinite, & inscrutable justice, that his dear son should only die, but that he should suffer upon the cross, a death most ignominious, that he should be so oppressed with grief and so tyrannically handled, that his countenance and shape could not be known.  
Oh sin be thou accursed, that wast the cause, that my sweet Saviour jesus suffered, and died so shameful, & unheard of a death. Oh jesus, my love and delight, commiserate and compassionate poor sinful and wretched souls, the which thou hast redeemed with so great a price, as thy prepretious blood. Neither can ye say, that dear jesus suffered and was crucified for the fall and sin of Adam only, when as truly he died for the sins of the whole world. Supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores. (Psal. 128.3.) sinners have builded upon my back, sayeth the Prophet David in the person of jesus Christ, what need we many words? jesus Christ our Lord died for the abolishing and abliterating of all sins and offences, generally and particularly, and he suffered no more for all, then for one, yea I say, he offered himself to be buffeted and massacred for one only soul, and if it were needful and necessary, he would do the same again for the most abject soul that liveth.  
Oh therefore ye sinners, sinne no more, by your so many offences, and execrable iniquities, crucify no more your sweet jesus, & indulgent Father: for what? of only the jews do ye say he was crucified? I will tell you brethren, that what time so ever ye commit any sin, in as much, as in your power lieth, you do crucify him again, and do cause him with every one of your mortal sins, (if his death and passion were not already sufficient) to undergo, and suffer the same again. Rursum crucifigentes sibimetipsis filium Dei. (Hebr. 6.6.) crucifying again unto themselves, the son of God: oh therefore Brethren abstain from such infinite & heinous offences, and offend not your loving God any more with such death-bringing injuries, which loveth you so exceedingly, & mercifully expecteth your penitency, and conversion, saying. Conuertimini ad me in toto corde vestro. (joel. 2.12.) turn to me with your whole heart: oh clemency, oh benignity, oh love of jesus, oh ingratitude, oh obduracy, oh malice of a sinner! Oh dear and loving jesus, have pity upon us, look not upon our iniquities, but remember that infinite mercy, wherewith thou didst embrace us, Et secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. (Psal. 50.) and according to the multitude of thy mercies, do away mine iniquity,  
Amen.   

The third Trumpet, of the detriment that sin bringeth to a soul in this life. THE VII. CHAPTER.  
ET tertius Angelus tubâ cecinit. &. (Apoc. 8.) and the third Angel sounded the trumpet. Draw near my sinful Brother, and attentively give ear unto the sound of this trumpet, if thou canst not be moved to the abhorring of sin, by that deformity which the former trumpet hath sounded unto thee, at least decree, and resolve with thyself to fly from it, for the exceeding detriment that the soul suffereth by it, even in this world: O wretch that thou art, if thou didst but know what prejudice thou receauest, when thou committest any sin, I am most certain, thou wouldst fly from it as from a serpent: Quasi a fancy colubri fuge peccata. Fly sin, as from the face of a Serpent, the teeth of it, are as the teeth of a Lion, killing the souls of men. All iniquity is as a two-edged sword, the wound thereof is incurable, saith the wise man. (Eccles. 21.3.) Oh Brethren what a fearful speech is this, to terrify you from sinning, and to draw you from offending your God and Redeemer? how evidently doth it demonstrate, how great, and infinite the detriment is, and how passed cure, the ulcer of sin is? how true is it, that sin is a sting of a venomous serpent, which causeth such a wound in the soul of man, as that without great difficulty it cannot be cured? Nam perversi difficulter corriguntur, perverse men are not easily reform, and brought to amendment: And, Impius cum in profundum venerit peccatorum contemnit. (Prou. 18.3.) the wicked when he cometh to the height of ungodliness, contemneth: How much violence must a covetous, intemperate, malicious, or angry man, or any sinner, use to be truly, and cordially converted, which for a long time, hath been inueterated in his accustomed vices? how true is it, that sins are lions teeth, mortally wounding the souls of men? Lions at one stroke, and moment, kill and devour beasts: sin likewise in one instant butchereth souls: In so much that it perverteth, and molesteth all the internal, and external powers, it darkneth and blindeth the understanding, it congealeth the affections, it debillitateth all the faculties, that they are made weak to resist and withstand all oppositions.  
I would to God that ye could perceive, what wounds you give your souls, every time that you sin. I wish from my heart, you could see, how grievously, and deadly, you strike, stab, and murder them, so often as you offend: Therefore the holy scripture sayeth very properly, Quasi romphea bis acuta, omnis iniquitas. (Eccles. 21.4.) all iniquity is a two-edged sword, which may be understood, because it killeth both body and soul; or therefore it is spoken, to exaggerate, and make known unto us, the deadly wounds, that it doth inflict upon a soul. Neither is the scripture content with this, but it goeth farther, and sayeth. Illius non est sanitas, there is no remedy for the hurt thereof: neither truly is there found a natural balm against the wound of sin, but we must seek one supernatural and divine: Quis potest remittere peccatum, nisi solus Deus? who can forgive sin but God alone? (Luc. 5.21.) this blemish cannot be taken away, nor this wound cured, unless God himself, the heavenly physician of souls, apply the salve: Magnus de coelo descendit medicus, quia magnus iacebat egrotus: it was necessary that a great physician should come from heaven, because there was a dangerous wound to be cured upon earth: In a word, it is only the precious blood of Christ, that can effect this, Et sine sanguinis effusione, non fit remissio peccatorum. (Heb. 9.22.) and without the effusion of blood, there is no remission of sin: Blind & old Tobias, that he might recover his lost sight, was compelled to apply the gall of a fish, taken out of the river Tigris: and thou inueterated sinner in vices, to receive thy spiritual sight again, hast need to apply the bitter gall, of the sacred fish Christ jesus, taken out of the torrent of his passion, according to that of jonas. Protecisti me in profundum, in cord maris, & flumen circumdedit me. (jon. 2.) Thou hast cast me into the deep, and the river hath compassed me, about, which truly may be understood of the passion of Christ. Passio Christi est mare propter penalitatis amaritudinem: flumen propter charitatis dulcedinem, S. Bon. proemio sentent.  
And therefore if thou desirest to be made whole, thou must have recourse to the wounds of Christ, & that precious blood which was poured forth, and distilled from his sacred body, hanging upon the wood of the cross: run with all speed to the whips, and nails, blows & ignominies, which our dear jesus suffered: to those torments, and sufferings which he endured: to the pains which he did undergo: to the disgraceful crown which was set upon his head: to the spittings, buffet, opprobries, accursed maledictions, and blasphemies, with which thy sweet jesus was oppressed: In a word Brethren, that you may be awakened from the lethargy of sin, and abandon the society of the devil, of necessity you must make haste to prostrate yourselves at the feet of jesus Christ crucified, there to beg the balm, electuary, and potion, which may cure your inveterate wounds, poisoned sores, and apostemes: To conclude it is necessary, to cast all our cogitation, into the immense abyss of the passion of jesus Christ, and that we should assure ourselves, that whatsoever he hath suffered, hath been for us, and that our sin hath been the only cause thereof: Last of all, that we may recover our former health, & change our lives & conversations, let our Lord illuminate us, & take pity, and commiseration upon us for his mercy's sake,  
Amen.   

Other damages and losses which a soul receiveth by reason of sin. THE VIII. CHAPTER.  
SVrge qui dormis. (Ephes. 5.14.) Arise thou that sleepest, and come from amongst the dead, and Christ will illuminate thee: Mark I beseech you, and give ear to this saying of the Apostle, if ye desire to know more detriments of sin, whereby your souls are prejudiced: The Apostle doth demonstrate three harms in this place, which sin procureth: The first is, that it dulleth the soul, that it cannot well perform her function: therefore it is said. Surge qui dormis, arise thou that sleepest: The second is, that it killeth the soul: therefore it is said. Surge à mortuis. The third is, that it blindeth it, therefore the Apostle saith. Et illuminabit te Christus, and Christ shall give thee light: oh ye drowsy and sluggish sinners, how true is it, that you are a sleep, and possessed with the lethargy of sin? Et Ionas descendebat ad interiora navis, & dormiebat sopore gravi. (jon. 1.5.) jonas descended into the innermost parts of the ship, & slept a sound sleep, he perceived not the roaring of the sea, nor the violent encountering of the foaming waves, nor the great danger to which he was exposed, nor did he hear the cry, and lamentation of the mariners, nor had he awaked, had not the Master of the ship, stirred him up, saying unto him. Quid tu sopore deprimeris? what dost thou sleep? arise and call upon the name of thy God.  
Oh sinner, how hast thou descended into the interior part of the ship, our holy Mother the church? thou liest there lulled a sleep in vices, & iniquities, neither wretch that thou art, dost thou take notice of the troubled state of the ship, the church, exposed to the danger of shipwreck for thy sins, on all sides tossed with turbulent winds, and storms of most cruel enemies. Arise unhappy soul, I say, not the Master, or pilot of the ship, but thy poor Brother, who being touched with a desire of the health of thy soul, and of all other sinners, for the love of him who shown such great mercy towards me, that called me from the sleep in which I did lie, I say unto thee, wherefore dost thou lie oppressed with sleep? sleep no longer, awake oh sinful, and wicked wretch, now is the time, to think with thyself, what miseries are imminent, now implore the divine aid and mercy, Si fort● recogitet de nobis, ut non pereamus. (jon. 1.6.) if perhaps he will think of us, that we may not perish. Arise now with the holy Prophet David, saying. Illumina oculos meos. (Psal. 12.5.) lighten mine eyes, lest I should sleep in death, lest that mine enemies should say, I have prevailed against him.  
There are some which snort & are sound a sleep in their sins, and there be some which be half awake: they of the first sort, be such as daily sin mortally, and they are in continual enmity with God, because as they that snort, sleep sound, neither are they awaked of the sudden, so they that are in mortal sin, are not easily raised out of the depth thereof: But they of the second sort, sometimes they fall, sometimes they rise again out of their sins, even as he that slumbereth, often sleepeth, and often awaketh again, and this is the lesser evil, although sometimes they are punished with no lesser penalty, than they that are soundlie a sleep: God almighty illuminate you that you may not sleep, slumber, nor snort in the depth of sin, as you have done until now.  
The Apostle prosecuteth this matter further, saying. Et exurge à mortuis, and arise from the dead; Behold a greater danger, whereby the soul is endamaged by sinning? for after that a soul for some time hath slept in sin, it is more negligent in the exercise of good works, and is so dulled, and in disposed, that it seemeth to be dead: For as the body without the soul is dead: so a soul is dead without God; as the soul is the life of the body, so God is the life of the soul: know ye (dear Brethren) that there is no dead carcase so stinking, or hath a more loathsome smell in the sense of man, as a soul dead in sin hath, in the nostrils of almighty God. There is an example at hand in the lives of the holy Fathers, of an Angel that did accompany an Anachoret, to make him understand something of the divine judgements: These in the way as they journeyed, found a dead body, the Angel passing by, made no sign of any offensive smell, but proceeding further, they met with a certain comely young man, richly invested, & bearing about him strong parfumes, at the sight of whom, the Angel forthwith stopped his nostrils, at which thing the Anchoret wondering, he demanded the reason, wherefore he should stop his nose, at that comely young man, well clothed, and sending forth acceptable smells, and immediately before, made no such sign at the dead body: because said the Angel, youth loaden with sin stinketh more odiously, than a putrified body: I am fetet, now he stinketh saith Martha of her Brother Lazarus, (joan. 11.39.) oh my my Brother sinner how grievously dost thou stink in the nostrils of God, the Angels, & the Saints in heaven?  
Et illuminabit te Christus, & Christ shall enlighten thee, behold another grievous effect, and detriment that sin bringeth upon the soul: Oh blinded sinners which perceive not the resplendent lustre and light of divine grace: Et confestim ceciderunt ab oculis eius tanquam squamae, & visum recepit. (Act. 9.18) and presently there fell from his eyes, as it were scales, and he received his sight, sayeth S. Luke in the acts of the Apostles, speaking of the conversion of Saul. Oh sinner, persecutor of jesus Christ, I would to God, thou couldst see with what great scales, thy eyes are covered, which do hinder, & blind thy sight: Oculos suos statuerunt declinare in terram. (Psal. 16.11.) they have determined to decline their eyes towards the earth: sinners have made a compact with the devil, to have their eyes always fastened upon the earth.  
Oh blinded sinners, that jesus might illuminate your eyes, he would permit his divine eyes to be ridiculously covered, & shamefully blindfolded: How ignorant, and blind art thou, oh ambitious man, which dost so steadfastly fix thine eyes upon the vanishing shadow of vain glory? Oh thou covetous man, how blind art thou, to whom a lump of dust & earth, seemeth an incomparable treasure? How blind art thou, oh luxurious man, to whom a stinking carcase, seemeth so precious a thing? Oh intemperate man, how blind art thou, to whom transitory pleasures seem so sweet, and inestimable? Oh all ye sinners how blind are you, that you cannot perceive and see your great detriment, and eminent danger? oh my jesus, illuminate I beseech thee these blinded sinners, that they may take notice of their errors, in which they are so miserable involved: grant them to repent for their crimes and offences, and to turn unto thee, with all their hearts, the sweet fountain of eternal life, and happiness,  
Amen.   

That a soul by sin, looseth the friendship of God. THE IX. CHAPTER.  
SI consideremus (fratres charissimi) qua & quanta sunt, quae nobis promittuntur in coelis, vilescerent animo omnia quae habentur in terris. Oh dear Brethren, if you would truly consider, what, and how great things are promised, and provided for you in heaven, all things upon earth would seem contemptible, and base unto you: saith S. Gregory: I am not determined at this present to speak of the great loss, which sin bringeth upon the soul in the life to come, seeing that I purpose hereafter to take a more opportune occasion, but now I will intimate only, what, and how great a thing it is, that a soul looseth by sin in this life: In malevolam animam non intrabit sapientia, wisdom shall not enter into a malignant soul, sayeth the scripture. (Wisd. 1.4.) behold, the first shipwreck of a sinful soul, is the want of the taste of true knowledge, for although a sinful soul is endued with an excellent understanding, yet is it deprived of the comfortable taste of the scriptures, and never hath the gust of the sweetness thereof. But this is nothing in respect of that which it looseth, for the soul of a sinner is deprived of the friendship, and amity of God, which fare exceedeth all other things.  
Be wife now therefore, oh ye sinners, and know how precious a jewel you lose; hear me I beseech you: So long as a soul is void of sin it is a friend & companion of God, by how much it is intense in his worship, praise, and honour, by so much it is gracious and acceptable unto him: from whence it cometh to pass, that these great holy men when they were living in the world, they were called the friends of God: Loquebatur Deus ad Moysen. (Exod. 13.11.) God spoke unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend: and jesus Christ sayeth to his disciples. jam non dicam vos seruos. (joan. 15.15.) now I will call you no more servants, for the servant knoweth not the mind of his Master, but you have I called friends, because whatsoever I have heard of my Father, that I have manifested unto you: Behold by what means a soul is made a friend and darling of God? to wit, by obeying his holy will, and observing his divine precepts; now a sinner refuseth to do that which is always commanded by God, and in neglect of this, & performing the contrary, he witnesseth his malice, and contempt of so omnipotent, and infinite a majesty: if God sayeth unto him, Non assumes nomen Domini tus in vanum. (Exod. 20.7.) thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, he is presently breathing forth blasphemies: If God sayeth, Obserua diem Sabath, keep holy the Saboth day, he will little esteem the profanation of it: if God sayeth, Honora Patrem, honour thy Father, and thy Mother, he will be disobedient to them: hence therefore ariseth a capital enmity betwixt the soul & God, Iniquitates vestrae diviserunt inter vos, & Deum vestrum. (Isay. 59.2.) your iniquities have made a division betwixt you and your God.  
Oh unfortunate soul, what an inexcogitable prejudice hast thou procured, which is the loss of God's friendship, and to appear no other ways in his divine aspect, than an abject? Reprobate, and wretched enemy, perhaps thou thinkest with thyself, that thou hast lost but the favour of some ignoble and unworthy man or Prince: Oh no, no it is no less, than the friendship of almighty God, the creator, and conserver of all things, and redeemer of all mankind. Oh miserable soul, if thou wouldst but duly consider, and equally balance thy unheard of detriment, what could there be invented so pleasant, or delightful, which might retain thee in the snares of sin? what fetters, and chains of sin so strong, that thou wouldst not shake off, and break in sunder? oh what damage do you sinners suffer, when as you lose the love, favour, and friendship of so omnipotent, clement, and merciful a God? The holy Prophet David considering only that he could not be present at the solemnity of the temple, bewailing, and lamenting, he sayeth. Fuerunt mihi lachrimae meae etc. (Psal. 41.4.) my tears have been my bread day, and night, whilst they do say unto me, where is thy God? Quenadmodum desiderat ceruus even as the heart panteth after the fountains of waters, so my soul desireth after thee, oh God, my soul hath thirsted after God the living water, when shall I come and appear before the face of God? Si ergo inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo, etc. If therefore I have found favour in thy eyes, show me thy favourable contenance, saith Moses to God. Exod. 33.13.  
This is that, that caused the Saints to be so vigilant, and industrious in their prayers, so austere in their fastings, mortifications, and resignations of their proper wills, and that to no other end, but that they might be counted worthy to be friends of God: for truly, what other is the end, centre, or repose of our soul, but God? As fire of its own nature is carried upward, & as every ponderous and heavy thing of its nature falleth downwards, even so the soul is directed towards God, and even as the waters run into the sea, so have our soul's recourse unto almighty God; now truly from this centre, from this end, and from this sweet repose, is the soul hindered by the obstacle of sin, & no other thing: Oh therefore sinners, enemies of God, where will you be secure? To what place will you fly for refuge? Where will you hide yourselves, from the presence of God? Quò ibo à spiritu tuo? (Psal. 138.7.) whether shall I go from thy spirit? or whether shall I fly from thy face? It was the misery of sin that made cain cry out. Ecce hodie eijcis me à facie terrae, (Gen. 4.14.) behold thou dost cast me this day from the face of the earth, and I shall be hid from thy face, therefore every man that seethe me, may kill me: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, saith S. Paul: But do ye not tremble, oh you sinners, when your adversary is so powerful, & your enemy so potent? woe be unto us, if he were not clement, who is so mighty: Return therefore, now oh Brethren, unto him, which so lovingly expecteth you. Humiliamini igitur sub potenti manu Dei. (1. Pet. 5.6.) humble your souls under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you in the time of his visitation, reconcile your selves unto him, and agree with your adversary, whilst you are in the way, that when he shall see you at the point and laste article of your death, taking your farewell of the world, he may not condemn you with the damned souls, and execrable devils in hell, but of his mercy, extol and place you in heaven,  
Amen.   

That a soul by sin doth lose the grace of God. THE X. CHAPTER.  
GRatiam & gloriam dabit Dominus. (Psal. 83.4.) Our Lord will give grace and glory: That I may comprehend the matter in few words, our Lord is he that in this life, giveth grace, and in the next, glory: But you, so long as ye are in mortal sin, are deprived of that grace, and dying in sin, shall never attain to that glory (which God forbidden:) therefore rather turn from your wicked ways, and learn to live unto God, for our Lord sayeth: Nolo mortem peccatoris impij etc. (Ezech. 33.11.) I will not the death of a wicked sinner, but had rather that the unjust man would leave his iniquity and live. Therefore Brethren, consider I beseech you, the exceeding great detriment and loss, that you suffer by the deprivation of grace: which that with fruit, and profit, I may intimate, & demonstrate unto you, I beseech you, and implore this thing of you, that you would attentively hear and with diligence read this that followeth.  
I have formerly declared, how a sinner looseth the friendship of God, and now my intent is to make known unto you, how he looseth his divine grace, which grace is as it were, an intermediat thing betwixt the soul and God, causing it to be acceptable, and grateful unto him: for the grace of God is no other thing, than a certain ornament, garment, or spiritual vestment of the soul, by which she is made glorious & appeareth beautiful in the eyes and presence of her beloved spouse Christ jesus. Queen Hester when she would present herself unto the King her husband, the scripture sayeth. Circundata est gloriâ suâ. (Ester. 15.4.) she was adorned with all her glory, that she might find favour in the fight of the King her spouse: So likewise a soul, that it may become acceptable, in the divine eyes of the King of heaven and earth, had need be adorned with that rich garment of divers colours. (Psal. 44.) which is the variety of spiritual gifts, and graces.  
But before I shall declare what this grace is, it will be needful to speak of the common division of grace, which all Doctors affirm, saying, that grace is two fold. The one is, Gratia gratis data, grace given gratis, and for no precedent merit: the other, Gratum faciens, making the party acceptable, upon whom it is bestowed. Graces of the first sort, are the fovours, and spiritual gifts which are bestowed upon men, of which the Apostle speaketh of, when be he sayeth, Alij quidem per spiritum datur sermo sapientia etc. (1. Cor. 12.8.) to one is given by the spirit, the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another the grace of doing cures, to another the working of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, the discerning of spirits, to another diversity of tongues, to another interpretation of languages, and all these, worketh one, and the same spirit, dividing unto every one, according as he will: Grace of the other kind, is a certain spiritual quality, created of God alone, and infused into the soul, which filleth and purifieth her essence: as the subtle Scotus affirmeth, afterwards redoundeth into the powers and faculties, as the angelical Doctor teacheth: It is not our purpose to dispute of this matter, it will be sufficient for you to know, what you lose by your sins.  
Now the grace of God being thus understood, that it is a certain spiritual quality created, and infused into the soul, which of its own nature, is opposite to mortal sin, in so much that grace by no means, can stand together with mortal sin, I say mortal sin: for grace is not excluded by venial sin, although a soul should be blemished with a thousand venial sins, yet notwithstanding it might obtains love, and favour in the sight of God, but it is true, that when the soul is thus stained with the blemishes of venial sins, that the mutual love and amity, which intercedeth between God & the soul, waxeth more cold and tepidd, that it cannot be elevated with that ardent fervour of love towards God, as it was wont, neither with that zeal doth she seek his honour, and glory, as is requisite: but so soon as one mortal sin seizeth upon the soul, the grace of God immediately, upon, that instant, departeth, and leaveth that unhappy soul, which becometh thereby, an enemy unto God, and appeareth abominable in his sight.  
Behold now (Brethren) your infinite detriment, penetrate your great loss, ponder well with yourselves, in what a state you are, when as you are hateful to almighty God: It is no small thing to be deprived of the favour of some earthly King, or to purchase the displeasure of a worldly Prince, but it is a fare greater thing, to be destitute of the grace of God, and to incur the wrath of the King of Kings: And yet this wretched world, vilifying, and despising this, seemeth to esteem of it as a matter of small moment. Oh unwise, oh foolish, oh blind world, which folowest butterflies, and fearest the stings of flies, and gnats, but tremblest not to think of the ever gnawing worm of conscience, and quakest not at the eternal fury, and consuming wrath of God. Oh (Brethren sinners) fear God, fear God I say, and remember the saying of our B. Saviour, pronounced with his own most sacred mouth. Nolite timere etc. (Math. 10.28.) fear not those that kill the body, but cannot hurt the soul, but rather fear him, that can cast both body and soul into hell fire. Christ jesus our Lord God, for his mercy's sake, vouchsafe to infuse into your souls, the holy fear of him, for fear is the beginning & original of all our good works: Beatus homo qui semper est pavidus. (Prou. 28.14.) blessed is the man that always feareth, saith the wise man: give us therefore (sweet jesus) this holy fear of thee, and illuminate, and burn us in the furnace of divine love,  
Amen.   

Of the terrible sentence which is given upon a soul, at the instant that it sinneth. THE XI. CHAPTER.  
ANima quae peccaverit ipsa morietur. (Ezech. 18.20.) the soul that sinneth, shall die. Oh ye sinners, how fearful is the sound of this third Trumpet? It seemeth like unto the sound of those trumpets, which at the laste leave behind them, a fearful, broken, and terrible note: Oh how horrid, and unpleasant is it? give ear; The soul that sinneth shall die. Oh fearful sentence: but who pronounceth it? the holy scripture, the mistress of truth, in the person of God the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost. But that you may with more attention, give ear to the sound of this trumpet, know ye, that so soon as ye commit mortal sin, in the consistory of heaven, by the mouth of the most holy and blessed Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost, your sentence is denounced in these words. Let this soul be accursed, condemned, and adjudged to death, that she may be tormented, and burned in the everlasting flames of hell fire, in the company of ugglie and terrible devils, in that detestable & odious place of perdition; And then all hope and means being taken away of ever returning, if she die in this state, without penance, contrition, and it may be confession, she is given into the hands, and authority of diabolical, and hellish furies, for ever to be consumed in not consuming flames. Oh that fearful and most terrible sentence, yet most right and just!  
But give ear a little further, oh you sinners, for every mortal sin that you commit, the same sentence, in the same heaven, of the same God, Father, Son, & holy Ghost, in the presence of the B. V Marie, Mother of God, and the whole celestial court of heaven, is again pronounced against your souls, and all the Saints and Angels in that celestial paradise, say Amen. Oh dear Brethren, take this council of me, turn unto almighty God, neither be diffident, or call into doubt, the divine clemency, and mercy, for though you were ten thousand times by sentence condemned unto hell, notwithstanding, so long as ye live, you have time to change the sentence: Si autem impius egerit penitentiam etc. (Ezec 18.21.) if the sinner do penance for all his sins, which he hath wrought, all his iniquities shall be done away which he hath committed, saith God by the mouth of his holy Prophet Ezechiel: thus thou seest, oh sinful soul, that God can & will change his sentence, if thou please to change thy wicked course and  manner of living.  
There be two things (sinners) that God do●h not remember: to wit, sins, and good works: if one hath lived well, thirty or forty years, and hath served God with much fervour of spirit, and maceration of his body, with fastings, watchings, disciplines, or other such acts, and at last should sinne, and decline from his former institution, and manner of living, God blotteth out of his memory, all his former good works, and meritorious acts, and if he die in such a state, he is for ever plunged into the pit of perdition: On the other side, if any one hath lived, thirty or forty years, in sins, be they never so great, and at the last should be penitent, and sorrowful for them, God will forget them all, & were they as red as scarlet, he will make them as white as snow, and dying in that estate, without all doubt, he should be made participant of the perpetual joys of heaven: The former aught to strike great fear, trembling, and terror into the good, but the latter, much confidence, hope, & trust into the wicked.  
Therefore I beseech you, and entreat you (dear Brethren sinners) for God's sake, and the honour and love of him, that died for you, that you would leave sinning, & be converted unto your clement Redeemer; not any longer to abuse his mercies, but to give his divine majesty, infinite thankes, for his long suffering, & expecting, even until this instant, of your amendment, and conversion, and who is always prepared fatherly to receive you, if ever by amendment of life you shall return home unto him: Dixi confitebor adversum me iniustitiam meam. (Psal. 31.6.) I said, I will confess against myself, mine injustice unto our Lord, and thou hast forgiven the impiety of my sin, sayeth the holy Prophet David: who is he (oh Brethrens) that would abuse this so great benignity of God? do it not, do it not, do it not, for jesus Christ his love, and bitter passion, who died upon the cross for you, but turn your selves unto so loving, and fatherly a God, which doth not only expect, but also draw you, that he might pardon, free, and redeem you from sin, death and hell. A lass, oh ye fools, wherefore do you any longer defer it? Sweet jesus Christ, look down upon these blinded wretches, and infuse into their souls, the light of grace, which may bring them to the participation of thy glory, which (for thy mercy, and much suffering) vouchsafe to make them capable of, that they may die, to live with thee eternally,  
Amen.   

That man may easily sin, but cannot of himself rise from thence. THE XII. CHAPTER.  
Fine me nihil potestis facere. (joan. 15.5.) without me ye can do nothing, and in another place. Nemo potest venire ad me, etc. (joan. 6.44.) no man can come unto me, unless my Father who hath sent me, shall draw him: therefore the spouse in the canticles cried out. Draw me after thee. (Cantic. 1.3.) Now therefore, oh sinner, it is no small evil, that thou dost incur by sinning, seeing thou hast power to fall, and that it is in thy free will to sin, or not, but being once fallen, canst not of thy own forces rise again, without the assistance of divine grace. Tell me I pray thee (speaking of thy body) that by all probability, immediately after foot set upon ground, thou shouldest fall, how careful wouldst thou be in walking, what diligence wouldst thou use, for the placing of thy feet, for the avoiding of danger, and if thou chance to fall, how willingly wouldst thou imitate the ass, which with great difficulty i● drawn that way, where he formerly received any hurt: The case is the same, oh sinner, in respect of thy soul, in the next moment thou art ready to fall dangerously, in so much that thou hast not power and ability to rise again, what care oughtest thou to have then, in ordering thy footsteps? what unwillingness to walk in that path again, in which formerly thou hast received so great hurt and danger?  
But thou neglecting this, perhaps wilt say, God will help me: True it is, thou mayest hope, and it is good that thou trust, & confide in his divine assistance, but with this hope, there must be joined an holy fear to offend, or sin against so great a majesty, for otherwise thou shalt much aggravate thy crime, and delict, and procure the displeasure of so benign, and loving a Father. But who hath, or can assure thee, that the effectual help of God, will always be at hand to assist thee? He can do, or omit this, as it shall be thought fit by his divine providence: and therefore thou hast great reason carefully, and prudently to institute thy life, & to shun, and abandon all objects and occasions, that may any way distract or hinder thee, from the union of so mighty, & powerful a Lord.  
Furthermore, when as God hath administered unto thee oftentimes his divine help, and raised thee up again, but thou continuing in vices, and still with the dog, returning to thy former vomit, it may be (I say) than he will leave thee, as long as that sentence of thy damnation may be pronounced in heaven, thou art never secure; why therefore dost thou study (as I may say) to sin, and to provoke the divine goodness? Leave therefore, Brother, leave I beseech thee, by that life and precious blood, which jesus Christ our Lord poured out for us, hanging upon the holy wood of the cross: Brother, sinne no more, for assure thyself, that so long as thou art polluted with the blemish of sin, thou art no other than an adulterate person, and liable to eternal perdition. Behold unfortunate soul, if thou shouldest be in danger to fall into some deep lake, or into the sea, or any other depth, or into the jaws of some cruel wild beasts, how vigilant, and careful wouldst thou be, for the avoiding of so great, and imminent a peril? and yet thou seemest nothing at all, to fear or care for falling into hell, out of which there is no redemption.   

How good works, done in sin, do perish and are of no merit. THE XIII. CHAPTER.  
WHat? dost thou not know, that all thy good, and meritorious acts, and deeds, shall not avail thee any thing, if thou but once sin? This only thing truly, aught to be a sufficient motive, if thou wouldst admit it to thy serious cogitation, to excite & rouse thee up, to amendment, and correction of thy life & manners. Understand how great and ineffable, the love and benignity of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ is, towards us ungrateful souls, who hath ordained & decreed, for the least thing soever, done in the honour of him, to give, and make us capable of heaven: for one fasting, for one mortification of the body, for one alms, for one penny given for the love of him, for one submission, and inflexion of the body, proceeding and tending to his glory, for pronouncing only of the blessed name of jesus, if it be done with due reverence, he will make us partakers of his celestial kingdom.  
Consider now poor wretch, that so long as thou art blemished, & polluted with the spot and contagion of sin, what soever thou dost (were it to die) it would not be imputed meritorious, for the obtaining of eternal salvation, and from hence it cometh, that whatsoever thou dost, it doth all perish, although thou shouldest do so much penance, so austerlie macerate thy body, so often fast, as often as the whole world: if thou shouldest distribute all thy goods to the poor, and give thy body to be consumed in flames of fire, & perform what soever can be done or said, it doth not any way profit or avail thee, for the obtaining of eternal life, so long as thou art in mortal sin: These good works do profit thee, but to other ends, as to conserving of thy health, and procuring and obtaining of temporal goods, & riches, in this life: because God out of his infinite goodness and justice, letteth pass no evil unpunished, and no good thing unrewarded: Therefore abstain thou not, hereafter from doing well, & performing those good moral acts, although thou be'st guilty of mortal sin, because besides that they conduce to that which I have formerly intimated, it may be also that they avail so much, that thou being freed from the guilt of sin, thou mayest be made more fit and apt, that God may more freely concur with thy soul, and cause in thee penitency, and satisfaction for thy former sins, although of themselues they avail not to obtain heaven.  
I will here demonstrate unto thee, a certain manner of proceeding, that although thou art guilty of mortal sin, notwithstanding, God may accept of thy good works, to thy salvation, which is very profitable, and I earnestly desire thee to attend & give ear unto it. When thou art about to give an alms, to fast, to say the Rosary, to hear Mass, or a sermon, or to do any good work, being then in mortal sin, if then thou hast not opportunity, or leisure, to go to confession, I will that thou endeavour to gain that sorrow and penitency for thy sins, that is requisite, with a purpose never to sinne more, and confess them, when there shall be convenient time, and occasion: which thing being so done, thy good works shall be grateful, meritorious, and capable of eternal retribution: But if thou observest not this, & remainest guilty of deadly sin, there is no hope, that thou shalt ever gain heaven, for all thy good deeds, although they were innumerable.  
Here I also tell thee, that not a few are deceived, who suppose, & believe, that those good acts, that they do in mortal sin, after confession, and reconciliation with God, shall be restored unto them again, and by their merits they may gain heaven, which is is most untrue: But that thou mayest fully, and truly understand this opinion, I will that thou know (o sinner) according to all the Doctors, that there are three kinds of works: which are, live works, dead works, mortified works: Live works are those, which are done in grace, and these are meritorious of eternal life: Dead works are called those, which are done in sin, which are altogether dead, neither are capable of merit: Mortified works, are these which are done in the state of grace of any one, but afterwards, he sinneth, and thereby, so mortifieth, & obscureth them, that if he should die in mortal sin, the works which before were meritorious and lively, shall perish, and be abolished, because their virtue and force was so debilitated, and weakened by sin.  
Again these mortified works, when thou shalt be received into grace, they shall have their former nature, and that mortification being removed, they shall be revived, and of no less merit, than they were formerly: But these which were done in sin, which had no vigour, or life, although thou art admitted into grace, not withstanding, they shall obtain nothing, unless, as I have formerly explicated. jesus Christ for his mercy's sake, grant that he would impress, the horrible sound of this fearful trumpet, in your ears, and hearts, and thereby so awake you, that you may be always fit instruments of his divine grace, and at last to reign with him, and his eternal Father, in the kingdom of eternal glory, in bliss and happiness, for ever and ever,  
Amen.   

The fourth Trumpet, of the loss that a sinner suffereth through sin at his death. THE XIV. CHAPTER.  
ET quartus Angelus tubâ cecivit. (Apoc. 8.) and the fourth Angel sounded the trumpet: Come ye now (o sinners) to the hearing of the fourth trumpet, attend and mark how terrible and fearful it is: O wretched and blinded souls that you are, consider with yourselves, that you must once die; Dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou return, said God to Adam, when he was penitent for his offence. (Gen. 3.) By the envy, and malice of the devil, sin entered into the world, and those that are of his combination, strive to imitate him. The holy scripture sayeth. It is decreed, once for men to die: according to the Apostle, Alas (oh ye sinners) what reason can you have, to be so prone and facile to sin, when as it must needs be, that you are not ignorant of the necessity of your deaths? Oh ye harlots, which make your own bodies nets of the devil, to deceive, and entrap yourselves, and make your souls a prey for the fury of the devil, with them to be burned perpetually in hell? how can it be (I say) that being mindful of death, you do not desist from such malignant offences, and crimes?  
O death, how cometh it to pass, that at the remembrance of thee, sinners are not astonished? In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin, saith the wise man. (Eccles. 7.40.) But which are your last and final ends, oh ye sinners? do you know? They are Death, judgement, Hell, & Heaven, we will at this present proceed to treat, and say something of death, and hereafter of the other. O happy soul which now bearest in mind, and appliest to thy heart, the last hour and moment of death. Mors est ultimum terribilium. Death is the last thing of all that are to be feared, saith the philosopher: There can nothing be feigned, or thought upon, more fearful than death, but thou thinking not upon this matter, studiest continually how to sin, saying with the impious man. Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they whither, let there be no pleasant meadow, which our riot shall not pass through. (Wisd. 2.8.) Thus thou spendest ten, twenty, thirty, perhaps forty years, living in this irreligious, and  course of life: But tell me I beseech thee sinner, what will all this profit thee? at last thy life shall draw to an end, at length thy last day shall come, at length whether thou wilt or not, thou must depart, at last, thou must leave all thy treasures, delights, recreationes, and pleasures, I say to all these thou must once die.  
Thy magnificent glory must have an end, thy splendour, beauty, and comeliness must decay, and thy flesh whither: that body of thine must turn to dust, and ashes: thou shalt die, shalt be consumed, and departed this present life: But which is most to be lamented, at last thy miserable, and execrable soul (if thou repent not) shall departed out of thy filthy and putrified body, to a place of greater misery, then can be expressed: But when shall this be? when thou thinkest least of it, when thou art least of all prepared, when thou shalt be strangely bound with the chains, and fetters of thy sins, by the devil: The cords of my sins have bound me, saith the Prophet. (Psal. 118.) taking upon him the person of a sinner: Man knoweth not his end, sayeth Ecclesiastes, but as fishes are taken with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them. Eccles. 9  
O wretched sinner, give ear, & receive the sound of this fearful trumpet; Thou must once die, o sinner, and thou, oh harlot, must one day be dissolved: But when, wilt thou say! The time is uncertain, the time is concealed from thee, the time is only known unto God himself, and it may be, when thou not so much, as thinkest of it: There is nothing more certain than death, and there is nothing more uncertain than the hour of death, saith S. Bernard: This year, this month, this week, this day, this hour and moment, thou mayest die, and yield up the Ghost: They spend their days in mirth, and in an instant they descend into hell. (job. 2.) men shall be indulgent to their sensualities, sport, laugh, and be merry, and in a moment shall die, and go to hell: For when they shall say peace, and security, then shall suddenly destruction come upon them, as the pain to a woman in childbirth, and they shall not escape, saith the holy Apostle. 1. Thessa. 5.4.   

Of the last and deadly disease, and damage of the soul, and that after this life there is no recovery. THE XV. CHAPTER.  
MIserere mei etc. (Psal. 6.3.) have mercy upon me oh Lord, because I am weak, heal me oh Lord, because my bones are sore troubled, saith the Prophet David. Consider a while (o sinner) that a little before thy soul departed out of thy unclean & polluted body, thou shalt be vexed & tormented with some cruel disease or other, unless thou be killed, or die suddenly (which God forbidden) from sudden & unprovided death oh Lord deliver us, as our holy Mother the church teacheth us often to repeat. Tell me I pray thee, who hath made thee certain, that thou shalt not fall down dead as thou art eating? who hath secured thee, that thou shalt not depart this life, having now the bread in thy mouth, and the cup in thy hand? who can tell thee for a certain, that when thou art in the highest degree of delights, pleasures, and worldly contentments, that then even in the midst of these thou shalt not be dissolved, and descend into the abyss of perpetual darkness? o wretched, and unhappy sinners, call to mind, and foresee what you do, and have respect unto the end, which most certainly shall come, but when you know not.  
Be it, that God, out of his infinite mercy and clemency, will not deal with thee according to thy merits, nor take thee away with a sudden & unforseene, but with a common, & ordinary kind of death: In what an astonishment wilt thou then be, when thou shalt see the last messenger of thy life, which shall be an ordinary disease, but deadly, even in thy flourishing years, beauty, strength, or in whatsoever gift and endowmen of nature, belonging to a complete and perfect man? consider unfortunate wretch, that thou shalt not departed this life, on a sudden, without some vehement fever, or the like disease, which through heat or cold, shall one while, cause thy teeth to chatter, & shake, an other while, with heat & burning, shalt not only be inflamed, & molested with the grief of thy stomach and head, but thy very heart will tremble, and quake within thee, that all thy nerves, sinews, iunctures, arturies, and veins, shall be moved, & tremble, and all this through thy intolerable pain and anguish, neither shalt thou have sleep, or appetite: last of all, thou shalt take no rest, night, nor day.  
What wilt thou do then, miserable soul, loaden with sins, which for the space of so many months or years lost, hast not confessed, nor been reconciled to God, and thy neighbours, nor agreed with thy adversary? who like an other Sardanapalus, hast run a most libidinous course, and lastly seest thyself to be defiled, and contaminated with the spot and filth, of thy sins and offences? Tell me, I beseech thee, how great will that anguish be, and how intolerable that affliction, which then thy sins shall cause, and bring upon thee? how infinite shall thy dolors be, which shall cruciate thee, when thou shalt call to mind the injuries wherewith so many years together, thou hast offended almighty God? Tell me, whether of these griefs will be more vehement, the torments of the body, or the sorrow of thy soul? For when thou shalt begin to fear death, and to receive a remuneration according to thy sins, which is death, what a present hell will it be to all the powers, and faculties of thy soul, when as for the hardness of thy heart, thou canest not repent? Induraverunt facies suas etc. (jerem. 5.3.) They have hardened their faces more than the rock, and would not return, saith the Prophet jeremy.  
Be thou converted, oh sinner, and turn with all expedition unto thy God; expect not (blinded soul) the last hour, in which that unwelcome messenger of death shall come & intimate unto thee, thy dissolution; It is your cause that is now in hand, therefore be well advised what you do: it is your suit that is now in action, therefore take counsel, prevent the future, and expect not that latter and perilous time. What? shall you then be confessed, and brought into the state of grace? who can make you certain of that, or promise you that then God will forgive your crimes & offences, and admit you into his favour, who have all your life time, so exceedingly offended him? But if God should then assist you, notwithstanding it will be very painful and laborious to remember your so innumerable sins. By what means shall you call to mind so many wrongs, whereby you have dishonoured God, when as you shall be circumvented with so many griefs, and oppressed with so many diseases, and torments? It may be, you shall not be capable of sense or reason: Last of all, how shall it be manifest unto you, that you shall be of power, and ability, to make a true confession? or speak or pronounce the words, when you shall be dried up with heat and debilitated with extremity of sickness?  
Alas (blind, and miserable wretches) why provide you not now for your necessities? why leave you not your pernicious and wicked course of life? why desist you not from offending your gracious God? why cry you not out with the Prophet David? Have mercy upon me, oh God, according to thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of thy mercies, do away mine iniquities? If you will now implore the divine assistance, your dangerous wounds may be cured, and you may find grace and mercy, at the hands of God, which at the hour of death it may be, you shall not obtain; for than you will with fear, but now you may with love, invocate & crave his divine clemency; than you leave not your sins, but your sins leave you.  
Wherefore (Brethren sinners) be now vigilant and careful for your souls, beg at this instant with importunity, pardon for your so many heinous offences, and odious delinquences. Turn you to your Lord God with all your hearts, he is exceedingly clement, and his mercies are many, and you shall find rest unto your souls: Return to him with the saying of the prodigal son in your mouths. Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son, which if you shall so do, he being moved with compassion towards you, will go out to meet you, and fall upon your necks, and lovingly embrace you, pardoning all your former injuries whereby you have offended him, even as a Father taketh pity of his children, so hath our Lord compassion upon them that fear him, because he knoweth our making, he remembreth that we are but dust. (Psal. 102.13.) Our Lord is nothing but clemency and goodness, the earth is filled with his mercy, & there is no end thereof. (Psa. 32.5.) Break forth therefore ye sinners into these words, saying, oh sweet jesus, our God & Redeemer, grant pardon, mercy, and remission: help, aid, succour, and assist us, perishing souls, for thy bitter passions sake,  
Amen: have mercy upon me, oh Lord, have mercy upon me, because my soul hath trusted in thee.   

Of the separation of the soul from God, in the article of death. THE XVI. CHAPTER.  
INiquitates vestrae diviserunt etc. (Isay. 59.2.) your iniquities have divided between you and your God, saith the holy Prophet Isay: consider now (obdurate sinner) that thou must approach to the last moment of thy death: persuade thyself, that thou must come to that terrible and fearful instant, in which thy soul shall be separated from thy body: oh misery and calamity, what wilt thou then say or do, when as by no means thou canst hinder thy soul's departure; Thy spirit must be then disjoined from thy flesh, which I wish may not be separated from God: Alas, alas, wretched and miserable sinner, when thou shalt see thy soul to departed from thy body, and eternally to be separated from God, what wilt thou then do? oh miserable separation of the soul from the body, but oh fare more miserable, the separation of the same from God? What wilt thou conjecture, when thou shalt see thyself to be excluded the presence of God thy Creator? unfortunate soul, consider what a severe judgement there will be of thee at thy death, which the holy Apostle considering, sayeth. For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of his body, according as he h●th done, either good or evil. (2. Corin. 5.10.) Then, of all thy deeds, even thy least actions, of all thy vain words, and cogitations, which ever came into thy mind, thou art to give and yield, a strict and severe account. Then shalt thou be constrained to answer, not only for thy lost time, but for all thy time il spent: Then shalt thou understand, how profitable it would have been for thee, to follow the counsel of the wise man, who sayeth. Make use of time, and decline from evil. (Eccles. 4.23.) O miserable humane nature, which runneth to death, as the rivers to the sea. You shall all die and fall as the waters upon the earth, which do not return.  
Enter therefore into the closet of thy heart, and consider, that thou art not to answer for thy own crimes only, but also for those, which are committed either by thy fault, consent, counsel, or connivency, or not hindering them when it was in thy power: Then thou shalt not excuse thyself, nor say with Cain. Am I my brother's keeper? (Gen. 4.9.) for truly he hath commanded to every one, the care and charity of his neighbour. Be vigilant therefore, thou sinner, for there will be a great and difficult matter handled at the moment of thy death. Well, wilt thou then know, how great an offence it is, to use jests, taunts, scoffs, sports, and other merry passages, even although without prejudice, or detriment of thy neighbour? How perspicuously shalt thou then perceive, what it is to be distracted in time of divine office, Mass, and other holy Ceremonies, and to be negligent, and indisposed in the church, or in other holy places? If every sin, be it never so small, for its object which is God, is most great, therefore also the least injury offered to God who is infinite, is likewise infinite.  
Now therefore, oh sinner, see how preposterously, and perversely, thou dost, when thou wilt not always elevate, and fix thine eyes upon God: Be circumspect, lest thou displease him, even in the least thing, because things seeming of no moment, are in his divine presence very great: from little and mean things of no account, we easily fall into greater, and more enormous, as the scripture saith. He that despiseth small things, by little, and little falleth, sayeth the wise man. How truly did Solomon say. The number of fools is infinite? because every sinner is a fool, who for a little vain, and transitory pleasure, feareth not to lose an infinite treasure, permanent, and immutable? Oh sinners turn into yourselves, live in the fear of God, who created you, for this is true wisdom, and solidd prudence. The beginning of wisdom, is the fear of God. Psal. 110.10.  
Oh ye obdurate, and blinded wretches, look into the state of your souls, & foresee what griefs you shall conceive, when your souls must depart your bodies, with whom they have been with so great affection, conjoined and united. Consider that unwilling, and most doleful departure, and separation; no man ever hated his flesh, saith the Apostle. (Ephes. 5.29.) but loveth it with a most vehement love, and affection; whereupon, the philosopher understanding this natural love of the soul, said, that, death is the last of terrible, and fearful things. Know now sinner, that this fear & terror is to invade thee, but when this horror shall seize upon thee, the time is uncertain.  
Oh my Trumpet, send forth thy sound, that thou mayest be heard in the extremest, and furthest parts of the world, let thy echo enter into the ears of the wretched sinner, that he may know himself, & knowing, may turn unto himself, and see the infinite loss & detriment, which sin bringeth into his soul, at the hour of death, and abhor it, following the counsel of the wise man; fly from the face of sin, as from the face of a serpent, the teeth thereof, are the teeth of lions, killing the souls of men.  
O Brethren sinners, by the sacred wounds of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, I beseech you, earnestly, and entreat you, that you would not imitate the deaf Adder, which that she may not hear the melodious tune of the enchanter, stoppeth her ears, the one, by covering it with her tail, the other, by laying it, on the ground: do you not the same, but hearken and attend to the sound of this Trumpet, with open & diligent ears, that hereby the devil's stratagems, and diabolical invasions, being put to flight, there may be free access for the divine concourse into your souls,  
Amen.   

Of the terror which the devil striketh into a soul, in the moment of death. THE XVII. CHAPTER.  
THe Dragon whom thou hast made to deceive him, sayeth the Prophet. (Psal. 103.26.) I would to God, thou couldst sufficiently weigh and consider, the intolerable terror and fear, which the sight of most detestable devils shall present unto thee, or that thou couldst comprehend, what an astonishment it will be to behold a devil, I am certain thou wouldst change the course of thy life, and arise out of the lethargy of thy sins, if not for fear of God, yet for fear of the devilish and hellish crew. For if the sight of a Wolf, a Bear, a Lion, a Dragon, a Serpent, or any loathsome Toad doth strike such terror, into us, and do so astonish, and affright us, what will the aspect of the devils do, at the point of death?  
Oh you doting, and miserable sinners, if you would with due consideration think of these fearful forms, and sights, which the devils will lay before your eyes, at the very instant of your deaths, without doubt you would fly sin: For if when thou art well in health, strong, and of a good courage, any one of the devils should appear unto thee, in the form of some cruel and ravenous beast, thou couldst not but tremble, and quake, through all the parts of thy body, what wilt thou do then unhappy soul, when thou shalt be debilitated, and oppressed with sickness? destitute, and deprived of all power and strength? when thou canst neither move, nor help thyself? when thou are scarce able to speak? or hardly to intimate and make known thy necessities, by signs, and tokens? When, last of all, the powers and faculties of thy body, shall be weakened? What? when thou art complete in perfect strength, endued with all the ornaments of nature, which are required to the full perfection of a man, if then thou canest not endure the sight of a fearful devil, nor of a devil appearing in some common shape, as of a dog, horse, or the like, what will become of thee, when thou shalt behold the devil, not in the shape of some cruel beast, but in a form fare more horrible, and that, at the instant of thy death?  
Our holy Father S. Francis, was wont to say, that it were impossible for any one, to see the devil in his own proper form and shape which he hath in hell, but for the space of the reciting of the Pater, or Aue (although he were in perfect health) without present death: what then (oh sinner) will become of thee, yielding up thy spirit, when thou shalt plainly see & perceive, that execrable enemy of thine, in his detestable shape and form? Turn and direct all the forces, & powers, of the supreme and intellectual part of thy soul, to this reason, abandon thy lascivious & sinful life, now begin to fear, that hereafter thou mayest not tremble, when it can no way avail thee. Consider that, not only one devil (to thee then tormented with the pains of death) but many, yea thousands shall appear, every one striving and endeavouring with their diabolical actions and gestures, to molest, affright, and astonish thee: whether then wilt thou fly for secure? or who then will relieve thee? will S. Marry, whom thou hast despised? Will jesus, whom thou hast blasphemed? Will the Saints and Angels, whom thou hast dishonoured? Lastly, will God, whom thou hast vilified, & contemned? Alas miserable wretch, who will assist thee? or what Saint wilt thou invocate? to whom will't thou fly? for in the deluge of many waters, none of them will approach, or draw near unto thee. (Psal 31.) no man shall plead thy cause, or recite thy necessities: Oh in what a depth of miseries art thou in, at the hour of death? when thou canst not so much as commend thy soul, so agonizing in infirmities, to almighty God, when thou canst not so much as call upon thy good Angel, or any of the Saints, which in time of thy health, thou didst honour with particular devotion, that they intercede for thee.  
Oh sinners, be you now converted unto your God, now importune your sweet jesus, now salute the Virgin Mary, our blessed Lady, now it is time to implore the aid of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Raphaell, and of thy Angel keeper, and all the celestial spirits; Now it is time to crave the assistance of S. john Baptist, S. Peter, S. Paul, S. john. S. Bartholomew, and of the other Apostles; now it is time to request the help of S. Stephen, S. Laurence, S. George and all the other Martyrs, now it is time to commend thyself, to S. Benedict, S. Dominike, S. Francis, and the rest of the holy confessors: Lastly, it is now time to cry out, and call, upon S. Mary Magdalen, who in time past was a sinner, S. Clare, S. Agnes, S. Catharine, S. Lucy, and the rest of the blessed Virgins, Widows, and Martyrs, now Saints in heaven.  
Dost thou not remember, that thou hast read, or heard, how often the devils have presented themselues, to sick men, in their chambers, lying upon their deathbeds, even them drawing their last breath, & yielding up the Ghost, sometimes in the forms of Dogs, Cats, Hogs, or such like? one while in one manner, an other while, in an other, always in different forms, when they are not able to help themselves? O wretched, & unfortunate sinner, how much do I lament thy case, who leadest so detestable a life, as without repentance, infallibly, rendeth to the pit of hell? consider that when thou shalt come to that accursed place, no man can help thee, not thy Father, not thy Mother, not thy kindred, not thy friends, not thy wife, not any of them which stand by thee, are of power, to afford thee any relief, or assistance, only God in the time of thy death, can comfort and secure thee, only S. Marry his blessed Mother, and her son jesus, only the Angels, & the Saints in heaven: in these, amidst thine extreme agonies, thou mayest find relief, comfort, and consolation.  
Therefore why dost thou now offend them? wherefore dost thou dishonour them? why dost thou inveigh against the glorious Saints of God, with thy pernicious maledictions? why blaspheamest thou thy God? why contemnest thou thy jesus, and his blessed Mother S. Marry, and dost not rather commend thyself unto them? change now the institution, and manner of thy life: Dost thou think, that thou shalt live perpetually? that thou art immortal? that death shall be afraid of thee? canst thou be persuaded, that death which exerciseth her fatal function upon all men, and seized upon God himself, that it will pass by, or exempt, thee? Alas wretch, knowest thou not, what the scripture saith. It is decreed, that all must once die. (Heb. 9.27.) Remember therefore thy last end, and turn unto thy God: Give ear unto the sound of this trumpet, if thou intendest, when thou art come to the hour of death, to triumph over the devil: have confidence in thy God, for in thy name (sayeth the Prophet David) we will despise those that rise up against us: and the same, in the person of thy God, sayeth. Super aspidem, & basilicum ambulabis, etc. (Psal. 90.) thou shalt walk upon the Asp and Basilisk, and shalt tread upon the Lion and Dragon, because he hath given his Angels charge of thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. There be three ways (oh sinner) in which the Angels do protect, & guard thee; The first, in thy birth and nativity: the second, from thy birth, until thy death: the third, from death, to the obtaining of eternal life; God of his infinite mercy, keep thee in all these ways, that thou mayest come to reign with him eternally,  
Amen.   

Of the fearful presence of the judge in the instant of death. THE XVIII. CHAPTER.  
ALas wicked and miserable sinner, what terror & fear of necessity must possess thy soul, when as thou now dying, must behold the angry countenance of that great judge, God almighty, whose glorious and pleasing aspect, holy men could not behold? for no man shall see me and live, sayeth God to Moses. (Exod. 20.19.) speak thou to us, and we will hear thee, let not our Lord speak to us, lest perhaps we die, said the children of Israel to Moses: Saint Peter who loved Christ so dearly, and was likewise so well beloved, & esteemed of him, that he delivered his church to him, to be governed & directed, and would that it should rely upon him as a firm foundation. He (I say) upon a certain time, when he saw Christ in presence, astonished cried out. Exi à me, quia homo peccator sum, go from me, oh Lord, because I am a sinful man; what then wilt thou do in the day of thy death, when thou shalt behold the angry countenance of jesus, burning with the fire of divine justice? Oh worm what will then become of thee? where wilt thou hide thyself? whether wilt thou fly? Non intres in iudicium cum seruo tuo etc. Enter not into judgement with thy servant, because no man living shall be justified in thy sight, crieth out the Prophet, in the person of a soul, striving with death.  
Give ear (I beseech thee) to that which holy job sayeth, of the presence of the judge, verè quod ita sit etc. I know indeed it is so, that man cannot be justified, compared with God, if he contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand. (job. 9.2.) notwithstanding, job was of that integrity and sanctity of life, that God himself speaking of him said. Vir erat in terra Hus, etc. There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was job, that was simple, and right, and fearing God, departing from evil (job. 1.) And in the same chapter, God speaking of job unto the devil, he said. Hast thou considered my servant job, that there is not the like unto him in the earth, a man simple, and right, fearing God, and departing from evil, and keeping innocence? Alas how terrible, and horrible a thing is it, at the time of death to fall into the hands of the just judge? Truly it would seem a dreadful thing, if one should be circumvented, and beset. with a multitude of Serpents, Bears, Dragons, Lions, or other such like devouring creatures, yet all the terror which would proceed from these things created, compared with the terror, and astonishment that the countenance and majesty of the angry and just judge, shall strike into a soul, in the instant of death, it is light and nothing.  
O miserable soul, commiserate and pity thine own case, meditate upon thine own necessities, consider what must at last befall thee, consider the last end, and thou shalt not sin for ever, sayeth the wiseman, to forewarn thee: o how much shouldest thou, and indeed oughtest to fear, and tremble, to think upon that last instant of thy life, in which thy soul must be dissolved, and presented before the majesty of the angry, and offended judge? The judge (miserable wretch) will say unto thee, give an account of thy stewardship, render a reason of thy soul, which thou receivedst immaculate, pure and undefiled, of me, and which being defiled, and blemished with the contraction and spot of original sin, I have washed, and made clean with my most precious blood. Give an account of thy Reason, Understanding, Memory, and Will, which thou hast received of me: thou wast endued with understanding, that thou shouldest know me, with thy Will, that thou shouldest love me, with a Memory, that thou shouldest be ever mindful of me; but thou, ungrateful soul hast abused these faculties, by which thou wert like unto God; let us make man after our own Image, sayeth God. (Gen. 1.) These endowments, more than divine, thou hast occupied, and busied about base, humane, transitory, and vain subjects, for so much, as thou dost always think of them, love, and embrace them, and exercise thy memory with them.  
Bewail now and lament thou sinner, for the time will come, in which it will repent thee, that thou hast been no more sorrowful; forget not God now, for there will come a time, when all thy sayings, deeds, cogitations and counsels, shall be reduced to memory. Now endeavour to love, and honour God, with all thy force, as he hath commanded thee in these words. Love the Lord thy God, with all thy soul, and with all thy heart, all thy neighbour, as thy self. (Math. 22.38.) Oh miserable, mortal men, who so inconsiderately, upon the sudden run into death: My days have passed more swiftly, than the web that is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without hope. job. 7.6.  
Give us we beseech thee, thy grace, oh Lord, pardon and remit, oh benign, and bountiful God, our delictes, crimes, and offences; Remember that thou art our Father, look not upon our ingratitude, but upon thy mercy, have respect to me, and behold me with the eyes of pity and compassion, for I am alone and poor, the tribulations of my heart are multiplied, deliver me, from my necessities. (Psal. 24.16) Oh Marry Mother of indulgent jesus, by whom I am to be judged, pray for me, and for all sinners, that we may so dispose of all our actions in this world, and so direct the course of our lives, according to his holy and divine law, that so at the last he may show us, not his severe, and angry, but pleasing, and amiable countenance.  
Oh Marry, look to the souls of poor distressed sinners, leave us not, oh sweet Mary, thou art our Queen, our Patroness, our Mistress, our Mother: Marry Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, do thou defend us from our enemies, and receive us, at the hour of our death; By the love of the blessed soul of thy dear Son, I beseech, and humbly beg, that thou wouldst be pleased, to accept my poor soul, and the distressed souls of all sinners, unto thy careful, and motherly tuition: by the precious blood of thy dear Son, have compassion upon sinful souls: Remember Marie, that thou art a Mother, and that our souls were redeemed and bought with the sacred blood of thy son jesus. O jesus be thou now propitious unto us, that we may not commit any thing, whereby we may deserve thy angry countenance. Oh jesus our Father, oh Marry our Mother, grant that we may be your true children, grant oh divine majesty, that we may amend and correct our manners, & end our lives in the holy fear of thy omnipotent deity; That at the hour of our death, we may behold thee as a loving and merciful Father, & avoid the great terror, of thy angry countenance,  
Amen.   

Of the gnawing of the conscience, which after a terrible manner shall molest a sinner dying. THE XIX. CHAPTER.  
AS if a man should fly from the face of a Lion, & a Bear should meet him, and enter into his house, and lean his hand upon the wall, and a Serpent should bite him. (Amos. 5.19.) Behold the similitude of Amos the Prophet, very fit for this matter; Oh wretch, what wilt thou do therefore at the time of thy death? which way wilt thou fly? which way wilt thou turn thyself? there will be imminent danger on all sides, thou shalt find no place where to hide or secure thyself, in every way, thou shalt be circumvented, and surprised with terrors, & molestations. If thou wouldst eschew, and fly the fury of the Lion, thou shalt be exposed to the danger of the Bear: and in flying from the Bear, taking house of some seeming refuge, thou shalt be stung with a venomous Serpent: for truly what is meant by the Lion, but jesus Christ the angry judge, the Lion of the tribe of juda? (Apoc. 5.5.) what doth the Bear signify, but the devil? nothing else is meant by the Serpent, but the conscience.  
Behold therefore, unworthy wretch, what danger is to befall thee, at the time of thy death: dost thou desire to avoid the Lion, the angry judge, jesus offended? then the Bear, the devil will meet thee, and with his diabolical inventions, infernal forces, and hideous roaringes, will confound, astonishe, and affright thee, and when thou presumest of thy security within thyself, and interest thine own house to take rest, there thou shalt find the Serpent, thy conscience, which will permit thee to have no peace, rest, or quietness: then thou shalt see in it, as in a glass, all thy sins, & offences, which thou in thy life time, hast thought, said, or done: neither will it only suggest, what thou hast thought, said, or committed amiss, but it will also represent unto thee, all thy good deeds, and actions, which thou hast omitted: then (oh sinner) this Serpent, shall bite, and deadly sting thee, arguing, and accusing thee of all thy crimes, threatening hell, perpetual death, and damnation unto thee.  
Alas miserable soul, than what a , and profound sea of misery, shalt thou be plunged in, Omnes persecutores eius etc. all the persecutors apprehended her in the midst of her tribulations: these words of the Prophet jeremy in his lamentations, may be truly spoken of thee, when thou art departing, and at the instant when thy soul shall be separated from thy body; all thine enemies shall then compass thee, and in the extremest of thy miseries, and difficulties, thou shalt be environed with all thine adversaries: God, the Devil, and thine own Conscience, the Devil will be at hand, and call to mind all the sins which thou hast committed, and will cry out unto the judge, for justice, according to thy merit, and use all his forces to bring thee to desperation. Thy Conscience shall sting thee, and leave no part unwounded: all thy sins shall present themselves unto thy memory, in the very same manner, and kind, as thou didst commit them. The Devil will delineate and draw them out, in a fare more great and heinous manner, than thou coniecturest, thou didst commit them. The judge will demand, an exact a just account of all things, saying, Render to me an account of thy stewardship; then thou mayest truly cry out with the Prophet David, I am afflicted, and humbled exceedingly, I have roared for the groan of my heart. Psal. 37.9.  
O wretched sinners, why do you not now at this instant amend your lives, and manners? O rebellious miscreants, why are you so prompt and ready to sin and offend, your loving and merciful Father? Do you think that you are immortal, that you shall never taste of death? Do you think that the time will never come, when you shall give an account of your whole lives so evilly spent? you deceive yourselves (o wretches.) Amend yourselves therefore (o my Brethren) forsake your former crimes, and offences, lest you be like the Horse and Mule, which have no understanding. (Psal. 31.9.) O that my words were so ardent, and of such efficacy, that they might burn out, all the offences from the hearts of sinful men? To jesus, o you sinners, to jesus: Are you ignorant, that he is your God, Creator, and Father? know you not that blessed jesus, for you was made man? For you he shed his most precious blood upon the holy wood of the cross, and burning with the love of you, was willing to undergo all kinds of punishments? Are you ignorant that he offered him self, to die such a bitter death, & only for the love of you? Christ came into the world to save sinners. (1. Tim. 1.15.) jesus came not for them that were well, and have no infirmity, but for those that are ill and diseased.  
Consider sinner, that Christ is thy brother. Go too, my Brethren, remember that jesus for you was made man, and the word was made flesh, and dwelled in us. (joan. 1.14.) cease therefore (oh sinners) to be any longer offensive to jesus your brother: wicked Saul for ten years did pursue David, but you by your wicked lives, and unheard of offences, for these many years, have persecuted and pursued your afflicted jesus: fear at last, poor wretches, to offend so loving a redeemer: behold that infinite injury and wrong, wherewith you have afflicted him, mark and duly penetrate I entreat you the manifold injuries, which you have committed, in neglecting, and contemning so dear a Brother, so faithful a Friend, so loving a Father, so good a God, that God who hath created you, & redeemed you with his own blood.  
O you wretches, behold in what a blindness you walk and live, in so much that you persecute your dearest friend, even God himself: if it were to molest, or vex, some creature, the fault would be more tolerable, but you persecute and blaspheme, even almighty God himself, never ceasing to quench the spirit of God, and to resist his sacred inspirations, which if you would know how great an evil it is, give ear; I say to you (saith our blessed Saviour) that all sin, & blasphemy shall be forgiven men, and who so shall speak a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but he that shall speak against the holy Ghost, he shall not be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come. (Math. 12.) If you should cast or spit out your malice, against the face of one of your enemies, which by some heinous crime had offended you, if against one which beareth an adverse mind, or affection towards you, you might find, some excuse or evasion; but you offend God, who of his great bounty, hath bestowed such ample benefits upon you, which created and redeemed you, which preserveth, and sustaineth you, who last of all is ready to give you eternal life: what an infinite, & heinous crime is this? how loathsome, & detestable an offence is this? (Oh my Brethren) so much, as that nature itself abhorreth, and detesteth it.  
I would to God, unworthy sinner, that thou couldst but see that indignation, with which, so often as thou offendest thy God, the elements, fire, air, water, and earth, heaven, stars, sun, and moon, are inflamed, and moved against thee? O that thou couldst but perceive, how much the very brute beasts, void of reason, are molested, and troubled. I would to God, thou couldst behold, and with due consideration, ponder, how things even without sense, as herbs, plants, stones themselves, do stand armed against thee, so often, as they see thee offending their God, and Creator: know therefore thou sinner, and persuade thyself, that if it were not for the clemency and benignity of thy God, after thou hast sinned & prevaricated, the earth itself would open her mouth, and swallow thee, the waters submerge thee, the air infect & choke thee, the fire burne and consume thee, the heavens send forth lightning's, and fearful tempests to kill and destroy thee; and last of all, what thing soever is created, would rise up against thee, to revenge the wrong done to their God, and Creator.  
O you sinners, know that, for a certain, all living Creatures, as wild beasts, Serpents, Dragons, also ravening birds, all trees, & such like, would oppose, & make war against you, if it were so permitted by your God: What? dost not thou think, that the house, in which thou sinnest, could fall down upon thee, in the very act wherein thou offendest, if it were not upholden by God? What? dost thou not persuade thyself, that the very bed, wherein thou committest adultery, and dishonourest thy Creator, would be consumed under thee, if it were not hindered by the divine providence? What dost thou not firmly believe, that the bread which thou eatest, the meat, whereby thou art nourished, the wine that thou drinkest, would presently choke thee, and poison thee, so that it might cause thy death, did not the goodness of thy God withstand it?  
Consider therefore (o sinner) that if God would permit it, thou shouldest not live one moment longer, whereby to offend him any more, because all creatures would rise up in arms against thee, but he reserveth this, until the last day of judgement, although he permitted many particular sins, to be revenged, and punished, by divers creatures, that he might give an example to other offenders: God grant that we may take example at such, & so soon as may be, amend our lives, and be in his grace and favour so great, that we may be no more enemies to him & his creatures,  
Amen.   

Of the separation of the soul from the body, and of the great dolours and afflictions, which follow at that time and instant. THE XX. CHAPTER.  
LEt us proceed further, and go forward to consider now, the anguishs, dolours, & griefs, which the soul shall feel in the instant, and time of her separation from the body. O poor soul, if thou wouldst seriously examine this, I doubt not, but that thou wouldst give such charge to thy Will, that it should never consent to the sensual pleasures of the flesh. Consider, o sinner, that jesus Christ himself, who was God, when he knew he was to approach and draw nigh to his death, he did sweat blood, and being in an agony, he prayed until his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the earth. (Luc. 22.44.) O wicked wretch, if God considering, that his blessed soul should depart out of his sacred body, did so much fear death, that such an anguish & sorrow did possess his soul, what will become of thee?  
Consider obdurate sinner, the great grief and sorrow that one friend taketh at another's departure, and separation, they depart, weeping, sighing, and lamenting their separation, neither are able scarce to speak, or take leave each of the other; How incomparably will then that grief be, which the soul feeleth at the separation from the body, unto which it hath been united, with such intimate and natural love and affection? O miserable soul how great will thy grief be? how intolerable thy anguish and sorrow, when thou shalt be separated from this thy flesh, which thou hast so naturally loved, and never denied it any thing? All the things which my eyes desired, I have given them, sayeth Solomon: O unfortunate soul what a penalty, and punishment will it be unto thee, to be disunited from thy flesh, which so dearly thou lovest, and so highly esteemest of, as that thou wouldst not disobey it in any thing? No man hath ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and succoureth it, sayeth the holy Apostle.  
Harken unto me, o sinner, and at this instant, consider, that the time shall come, when the bonds wherewith thy soul is so strictly bound & conjoined with thy body, shall be violated, and dissolved; It shall come, o ungrateful sinner, that most horrible time, I say, shall come, o, it shall come (accursed soul) I say that rueful, and dismal moment and instant shall come? O sinner commiserate and take pity on thyself, and on thy poor soul, by serving and pleasing God. What will it profit a man (sayeth the holy scripture) to gain the whole world, and to lose his own soul? Consider therefore (o thou improbous sinner) which art so indulgent, to that flesh of thine, and desistest not to pity, feed, and nourish it, consider, that thou must be disjoined from it, when thou art to departed this life. Consider that when thou shalt approach and draw ne'er unto thy last end, thou shalt be tormented, and afflicted with some disease, that thou shalt not be able to receive meat, when sweet sleep shall be wanting unto thee, when all things shall be distasteful unto thee, when thou canst not endure to hear the voice, words, or speech, of thy Wife, Children, Father, or Mother, or of thy most dear friends, when thou thyself shalt be distasteful unto thyself: O sinner what wilt thou then do, oppressed on every side with so many infirmities, dolours, and vexations? when thou mayest truly say with the Prophet; The sorrows of death have compassed me about, the torments of iniquity have troubled me, the sorrows of hell have overtaken me, the snares of death have prevented me. Psal. 17.5.  
O wretch, be thou converted now unto thy God, now amend and correct thy life, implore, and crave with all submission, pardon, for thy sins past: O you sinners give an attentive ear unto your God, who at this instant calleth you, saying; Be you converted unto me with all your hearts. (joel. 2.13.) O my sweet & loving jesus, which didst vouchsafe for the salvation of miserable sinners to come into this world, bestow such efficacy, and force upon my words, that offenders thereby, knowing themselves, may be converted unto thee. Remember, blessed jesus, at what a price thou hast bought their souls. Remember what thou hast suffered for the redemption of them. Grant that the found of these my (or rather thy) Trumpets, may awaken the souls of sinners, and stir up their minds and affections to the embracing of thee, and the seeking of their own salvation: O Clement jesus, I know with how great love thou didst hasten to the ignominious death of the Cross, for the redemption of sinners, forget not therefore them which thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood: permit not, o jesus, that those souls which thou hast so dearly bought, do perish, but rather grant that they may be raised up from death, and live. Deliver my soul (o God) from the sword, and mine only one from the hand of the Dog, save me from the Lion's mouth, and my humility from the horns of the Unicorn. Psal. 21.21.  
Invocate thy jesus (o poor soul) with these words of the Prophet, placing all thy trust and confidence in him, who desireth nothing more than thy repentance, and health: I thirst, I thirst, cried he, in the time of his bitter passion, which although it may be understood of a corporal thirst, yet more especially is it meant of the spiritual thirst, and ardent desire, which he had for the salvation of souls: O afflicted soul, would to God, thou couldst perceive that infinite love, by which thy jesus is inflamed towards thee, would to God, thou couldst comprehend that special care which thy jesus from thy first being, hath had over thee: O therefore my loving jesus, how cometh it to pass, that a miserable sinner can be so ingrateful, and unmindful of thee, his so clement, merciful and loving God? O my God, can it be, that the devil should possess the heart of a sinner, that he should become the vassal of Satan, thy chiefest, and most opposite enemy.  
Alas miserable soul, at thy death, thou shalt perceive & experience, the devil's plot, and intent, the end of his allurements, and fair proffers, which he hath presented unto thee, inviting thee to offend thy God, and to follow him so impious and cruel an enemy of thy Saviour: Then thou shalt see, o wretched soul, how maliciously, and treacherously the devil will handle thee; In these thy extreme agonies, and afflictions, when thou mayest truly say; Tribulations are on all sides of me: Thou shalt stand in the presence of the devil, and all his execrable companions, who so soon as thy soul is departed from thy body, shall carry it into the infernal abyss of hell, there to live with the damned souls, in perpetual torments, and flames of fire. God of his mercy (o sinners) open your eyes, that you may provide for your soul's health, and avoid those horrible punishments: Hear now (o sinner) I heartily beseech thee, set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live. (Isay. 38.2.) for, it is appointed for all men to die once. (Heb. 9.27.) Thou shalt die, but to live in perpetual torments: God grant that we die, to live a spiritual and eternal life with jesus in glory,  
Amen.   

Of the place whether the soul goeth, so soon as it departeth out of the body. THE XXI. CHAPTER.  
Behold the Timbrel, & the Harp, and rejoice at the sound of the Organ, they lead their days in wealth and prosperity, and in a moment they go down into hell. (job. 21.12.) It is time now, o sinner, to draw ne'er to the consideration and contemplation of thy future estate, and being; Tell me I beseech thee, what shall become of thee, when thy soul shall departed thy body? To what place shall she betake herself, when she shall be exiled and banished from this flesh, with which, so long as they were conjoined, she committed such execrable sins, and so heinously offended thy God and redeemer? Hear what shall be said: Behold miserable sinners your end: Behold the reward of your delights, the hire of your pleasures, the event of your desires: Behold the end of all your goods, riches, and honours, in a moment you shall forsake them, and go down into hell: O sad and heavy news, for your delights must perish, your pleasures shall be expired, your sensual desires shall for ever cease. Last of all; your estate shall be taken away by death: Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die, said they in the persons of all sinners. (Isay. 22.11.) O miserable sinners, fix your cogitations upon that dreadful time, when your souls shall bid adieu, & take their last farewell of your corrupted, and loathsome bodies.  
There be three places, in which our souls so soon as they are separated from our bodies, may have their beings, which be these, heaven, hell, purgatory: Think therefore with thyself o sinner, that thou art to departed into one of these places, according to thy merit, or demerit, for our just Lord hath loved justice: Et equitatem vidit vultus eius, and his countenance hath seen equity. (Psal. 10.8.) and therefore he rewardeth every man according to his works, good or evil: Mine hire is with me to give unto every one according to his works. (Rom. 2.6.) Those which have done good works, shall go into life everlasting, and they which have done evil, shall go into everlasting fire, sayeth S. Athanasius.  
Consider (o sinner) that when thou art striving and contending with death, thy soul shall by little and little withdraw it from the inferior parts of thy body, and shall betake herself to the heart, where she hath her principal residence; last of all, when she can find no place in the body, where she may be received, she presently flieth away, and leaveth that dead carcase of thine. But above all this, consider with thyself, what shall become of her, after her departure: for so soon as she is departed from thy body, she presently is received by the Angels, to go to heaven, or purgatory, or otherwise the devils with their infernal acclamations, shall take and carry her into hell, there to remain in perpetual punishements, and torments: think with thyself (o thou miserable sinner) in what a miserable straight will thy soul be, when she shall see heaven on this side, and hell on the other, and the devils prepared, suddenly to carry her away by violence, to perpetual torments.  
Alas o wretched soul, what an alteration is this? o thou accursed, dost thou see now that there is an hell? o thou malignant Heretic, which hast denied that there is a purgatory, what sayest thou now, being dimerged, and plunged in the abisseall gulf of infernal, and endless flames and torments? hadst thou not rather be in purgatory even until the judgement day, or the last moment? what sayest thou, O jew, which hadst the holy scripture to demonstrate, and intimate unto thee, the promised Messiah; but thou out of obstinacy, and hardness of hart, wouldst neither acknowledge, nor retain him? dost thou perceive the scripture to be true in this sense? dost thou see now, o Turk, the vanity of thy law, the deceipfulnes of thy wicked Prophet Mahomet? o sinner, and false Christian, dost thou acknowledge that God can punish? dost thou understand how much thou wert deceived, in saying, to excuse thy sin, God is merciful, and will pardon me? I can not believe that he will the death of my soul, which hath redeemed me at so great a price, as his precious blood, I will afterwards amend the course of my life, I will sinne no more after this year, month, week, or day, deceiving thyself with such like persuasions?  
The days of man are short, the number of his months is with thee, sayeth job, speaking to God. (job. 14.5.) here thou mayest mark, o sinner, that he sayeth not, the number of his years are with thee, neither doth he say the years of man are short, but his days and months: Behold sinner how much thou deceivest thyself, measuring thy life by years? saying so many years I shall live: enter into due consideration with yourselves, bear in mind the last end of your lives, consider the short computation, of most wise and holy ●ob, which is in months and days, persuade yourselves, that you may every day and hour, yea, every moment, and instant, fall down dead; Be ye watchful, for you know not when the time shall be, sayeth our Lord. Think therefore that the last moment of thy li●e is already come, and 〈…〉 at this instant, thy miserable soul may take her last farewell of thy stinking body, and consider, to what place she must go. Think with thyself, o man, although thou shouldest be the most holy, and sanctified man in the world, that thou art not always certain of thy salvation. They are just men, and wise, and their works are in the hands of God, and yet man knoweth not, whether he be worthy of love or hatred. (Eccles. 9.2.) Accursed be that night, when the soul of a miserable sinner departing without penitency of her sins, shall be given into the hands of a thousand devils, to the dreadful l●ke that burneth with fire, and brimstone, to be perpetually tormented with the hellish crew: miserable soul, thinkest thou nothing of this matter? or thinking of it, why dost thou not amend thy life, why permittest thou thyself, to be deceived by the allurements of the flesh?  
Truly that soul shall be most happy, when departing out of her body, she shall be embraced by the hands of Angels, and carried with iubilations, & hymns, unto the celestial paradise: O unspeakable felicity! O most blessed, and fortunate soul! Precious is the death of the Saints in the sight of our Lord. (Psal. 115.5.) Consider o soul) that it is the only felicity and beatitude, which the Saints did hope for, and attend (I beseech thee) what the psalmist sayeth of thy end, and destruction. The death of sinners is most ill. (Psal. 33.22.) mark what words the holy Prophet useth, he doth not say, it is ill, but most ill, in the highest degree, because it is so ill, that it cannot be worse; deservedly (o sinner) is thy death most ill, for if thou shouldest die now presently, the miseries that would accompany thee, would demonstrate the same, for thou shouldest die guilty of mortal sin, and dying guilty of mortal sin, thou shouldest die hateful to God, and dying hateful to God, thou diest an enemy to God, them the which, there can be nothing more grievous for thee, or more abominable in his sight.  
Therefore (o sinner) seriously ponder, and duly consider (I beseech thee) thine imminent danger, and great peril, accepting the counsel of S. Peter the Apostle, who sayeth, Be vigilant, & careful, that by your good works you may make certain your vocation and election, for doing these things, you shall not sin. (2. Pet. 1.10.) Marry, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, protect thou us from our enemies, and receive us at the hour of death; To thee we fly, most pious Queen, Advocate, and Mother, we implore thine aid, and assistance, even until that last terrible moment; Help us gracious Mother, defend us most sweet, & clement Mary; Remember o most blessed Virgin, that thou art the patroness of all sinners; Therefore I (the most wicked, & chief of all offenders) do in the name of all, desire and crave thy succour and intercession for us, but especially at the last instant, when our souls are to departed out of this world: Help us Mary, and defend us perishing souls; thou art our Mother, we thy children, therefore we wretched and afflicted, commend ourselves to thy care, for thou art our guide in our last conflict: Hail Marry full of grace, our Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus, holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death,  
Amen.   

Of the dead body, and carcase of man, and of the misery of the same, after the separation of the soul. THE XXII. CHAPTER.  
ANd it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the Angels, into Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died, and was buried in hell. (Luc. 16.22.) Dost thou hear (o sinner) whither the soul of Lazarus the beggar was carried? and where the soul of the rich Epicure was buried? The poor beggar, by the hands of Angels, was placed in Abraham's bosom, a place of perpetual rest, and tranquillity: the rich man, was precipitated into the infernal lake of hell, a place of weeping, and perpetual misery. Consider now, that the same shall be fall thee, if thou diest not in the favour, and grace of almighty God: And dying in his favour, having not satisfied for the temporal punishments, which thy sins do deserve, thou shalt be carried into purgatory, and there remain until thou hast paid the last farthing; But if thou shalt be dissolved, and die in the favour of God, and hast satisfied for thy temporal punishment, thou shalt be assumed with troops of Angels, into heaven, there perpetually to enjoy the heatificall vision, and ineffable delights of paradise: But if thou shalt departed without penance for thy sins, without confession, or at least contrition, and desire of confession, and reconciliation, when thou canst attain to the act of confession, thy soul then, at the instant of her departure out of thy body, presently being seized upon, by a company of devils, shall be thrust into the loathsome dungeon of perpetual darkness.  
Think now, o miserable, and unhappy sinner, of the misery of the body, which shall be left destitute of a soul, from which it received its form, beauty, and comeliness, and being deprived of this conjunction and union, it shall be deformed, loathsome, pale, and won: Think with thyself, it began to be filthy, and putrified, even then when it was first taken with a fever, consumption, imposthume, or any other disease, and from that time, to wax most filthy, & loathsome: Think that it doth agonize and sweat, even until the departure of the soul, and continually doth excreate, & spit forth, fleam, and other corrupted filth, and in this state, and condition, weeping, languisheth, and decayeth: consider, that after the departure of the soul, the eyes will remain distorted, thy teeth grinning, thy mouth, gaping, and thy countenance which before was fair, beautiful and comely, shall afterwards become most hideous, and fearful to behold: consider, what loathsome excrements it will cast forth, and of the sudden, most odiously will stink: I have said to rottenness, thou art my Father: my Mother, and sister to the worms. (job. 17.14.) O extreme folly of man, which careth for nothing but to polish, nourish, adorn, and make much of this putrified flesh, which (whether thou wilt or no) must be eaten, and devoured up by worms!  
We read of a certain philosopher, that out of curiosity, did visit the tomb of Alexander the great, which being opened, he found it, stinking, filled, and covered with worms, and two Serpents, eating, & tearing his eyes; whereupon he cried out, saying, O Alexander, how lately is it, since the world could not satisfy, and fill thy desire, but now thou art content with three cubits of earth, and a little tomb! Yesterday, thou didst triumph and boast of the number of thy subjects, & dominions, to day thou art filled with filthiness, & worms! Yesterday, thou wert worshipped, and honoured of the world, this day thou art of the same world, left, and forsaken! yesterday thou didst feed upon exquisite meats, & delicate dainties, this day, thou thyself art become meat for worms!  
Alas (o you sinners) and especially you, which are given to the sensual desires, & unlawful pleasures of the flesh) set before your eyes, the last misery of your dead, putrified, and corrupted bodies, go, and consider with your selves, the misery, and deformity of those dead carcases, and persuade yourselves, that you must be like unto them, and more abominable, it may be: Behold o you harlotts, how Queens, Ladies, and Mistresses do die, see o you sinners, how Kings, Lords, and Masters without exception, perish: and consider that the same, ye it may be, worse shall befall you: Behold how men and women, are buried (sinners, and harlots) behold I say, in what state they are, which are now buried, & what they were within these few days, and be you astonished, absolutely persuading yourselves, that the same, it may be worse, shall happen unto you: And say to yourselves, woe Alas to me miserable: N. O wretched: G. O unhappy: E. Behold into what state we must also one day come? Hear you, what the dead man saith unto you. To me yesterday, to thee to day: woe unto thee, which beholdest me, sayeth the dead man, to every one that looketh on him.  
Behold (o woman) the miseries of this dead body, which in former times, was thy associate: Behold the mouth, nose, and countenance of it, contemplate the breasts, and golden hairs, of which she did so greatly, as thou dost, at this present, boast and glory, consider what an alteration there is. Behold thou proud, and intemperate wretch, & whosoever, thou art immersed in the pleasures of the body, smell how odiously and grievously this dead body stinketh. Behold that woman, o lascivious wanton, and tell me if thou knowest her: Alas, o ye mad and pertinacious sinners, what is there that can mollify your minds, & cleave in sunder your obdurate and stony hearts, if the misery of your own bodies, and consideration of the loathsome & hateful stinch of the same, can no? Lord he stinketh, for he is now of four days, sayeth Martha of her dead brother. (joan. 11.39.) O sinner, what smell can be compared to that of an humane dead carcase? To what end therefore, such diligence? and such curiosity? to what end such cost? odours, paintings, and ornaments? To what end, so many delights, pleasures, fancies, or whatsoever may seem delectable to so corrupted, and deformed a body? I have seen the offenders, and have pined away, because they have not kept thy law, sayeth the Prophet. Psal. 118.  
O my Brethren and sisters sinners, you compel me to pine away with David, for the extremity of grief, when I consider the opprobries, offences, and ignominies whereby you offend your God, and the irrecuperable detriment and damage, which you procure unto your own souls: How long shall sinners, o Lord, how long shall sinners glory? they shall manifest, and declare their iniquity: Let God arise, and let his enemies be dispersed, and let them that hate him, fly from his face. As smoke vanisheth, let them vanish away, as wax melteth at the presence of the fire, so let sinners perish at the presence of God, and let the just make merry, and rejoice in the sight of God, and let them be delighted in mirth. (Psal. 67.2.) Break the arm of the sinner, and malignant, his sin shall be sought, and he shall not be found: sayeth the holy Prophet. (Psal. 10.15.) being moved with an infinite zeal of the honour of God, and salvation of souls.  
O good Lord, I am not David, but of all sinners the most wretched, of all heinous offenders the greatest, of all wicked malefactors, the most pernicious: notwithstanding, o my God, & dear jesus, I am incited, and moved, with such a desire of thine honour, & the salvation of my poor brethren, that from the bowels of my heart, or rather of thine, I implore thy clemency and mercy, in these words. Have mercy upon us o Lord, have mercy upon us, for we are much filled with contempt, because our soul is much filled, and is made a reproach to the wealthy, and despection to the proud. O God have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, for we are all thy children, thy servants, and creatures.  
Remember, sweet jesus, my dear Lord, that all poor miserable sinners are thy creatures, thy servants, thy children, thy brothers, thy sisters, therefore my jesus, take compassion, and commiseration upon thy children, and brethren, and show mercy upon thy daughters and sisters: we do confess, and humbly acknowledge, that we have all offended thy divine, and infinite majesty, we do all desire to amend, and to reform our lives, and actions, we do confess, o my Lord jesus, that thine ineffable clemency, & benignity hath been wronged, and abused, by us all; we confess our dullness, and negligence, in cooperating with the divine concourse of thy grace, and last of all, we confess, that in all things we have been most unprofitable, negligent, and unworthy servants, and most undeserving of such a clement, loving, and bountiful Father, Lord, and Master.  
And therefore we cast ourselves down prostrate at thy feet, submissively imploringe thy goodness, that thou wouldst not have respect unto our iniquities, but unto thy fatherly mercy, & most gracious compassion. Even as a Father hath mercy upon his son, so God is merciful unto those that fear him, because he hath known our making; He hath remembered us, because we are but dust. (Psal. 102 15.) Man is as the hay, his day's decay, as the flower of the field: Remember therefore my jesus, that thou art our Father: correct, and instruct us, as a Father, that we, being moved with thy so great, beniguity, clemency, and charity, may fly and have recourse unto thee, like good children, and abandoning all vices, may faithfully serve thee, and love, honour, and obey thee, as our loving, clement, merciful, and omnipotent Father, for ever, and ever, world without end,  
Amen.   

The fift Trumpet, of the loss that sin bringeth at the day of judgement. THE XXIII. CHAPTER.  
ANd the fift Angel sounded the Trumpet: Draw near, and with attention give ear unto the terrible sound of the fift Trumpet, for, there must come a revolting first, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, which is an adversary, and is extolled above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself, as if he were God, and then that wicked one shall be revealed, whom our Lord jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the manifestation of his coming, him, whose coming is according to the operation of Satan, in all power, and lying signs, and wonders, and with all, seducing to iniquity those that perish, because they have not received the truth, according to charity, that they might be saved. 2. Thess. 2.  
Hear, o you sinners, the terrible, and fearful sound of this Trumpet, be astonished, with all expedition, arise from the sink of sin, think seriously with yourselves, what exceeding great detriment & damage, it bringeth with it. Alas thou unhappy soul, if thou couldst but penetrate the greatness of the loss, that sin procureth, how vigilant wouldst thou be, for being ensnared in it, and if thou being deprived of the grace of God, shouldest fall, how diligently wouldst thou rise again? Miserable sinner, if thou wouldst be throughly moved with the horror of sin, weigh well in thy mind, what things shall befall thee, at the last day of judgement.  
And first of all consider that, Antichrist, polluted, and defiled with all kind of sin, and vices, must then appear, who is the chiefest enemy of God, who shall strive by all means to seduce the faithful, & believing Christians, affirming that he is true God: If thou desirest more particularly to know the conditions, and affections, of this hellish and diabolical usurper, consider diligently the forementioned words; There shall come revolt first, and the man of sin, shall be revealed etc. Turn your cogitations (Brethren) to the names which are attributed unto him, by S. Paul: A man of sin; The son of perdition, that wicked man, whose coming is according to this operation of Satan: O, wretched, and unhappy shall they be, which live at this time, for many of them, shall either be seduced, by his false doctrine, or compelled with the extremity of his torments, and tortures, to follow his devilish inventions: contrarily, most happy are they, which shall follow blessed jesus, keeping his holy law, with purity and integrity of mind, for although they shall be tormented with the divers, and many kinds of torments & punishments; yet they shall be saved, and receive a crown of eternal happiness.  
Time will not permit, or suffer me, o sinners, to insist any longer upon the improbous impiety of Antichrist, neither did I at the first, intent it, but this, I ardently desire, that you, considering the greatness, and multitude of eville wherewith your souls are blemished, and deformed, may avoid them, with great detestation abhor, and loathe them: for what other cause is there, wherefore Antichrist should be so impudent, and so wicked, but sin? He shall be a most false liar, borne by the operation of the devil, who shall have a show of sanctity, when he is most wicked: what maketh him be so cruelly minded, against the professors of Christianity, which are the servants of God, but sin? what other reason shall there be, wherefore so many poor souls, shall be seduced by him, but sin? wherefore the holy Apostle sayeth; In all seduction of iniquity, unto them that perish, for that they have not received the truth in charity, that they might be saved: Therefore God will send them the opinion of error, to believe a lie.  
But who hath secured us that, that dreadful day shall not come, even in our time? Certain it is, that, Antichrist shall come, but when, there is nothing more uncertain. O you unfortunate and wretched souls, what if he should come now? what would you do? which way would you dispose of yourselves? without all doubt, should not God most extraordinarily preserve you, you would unite, and join yourselves unto him: for because you have rejected, and refused the truth, which so often hath been ministered unto you, by sermons, and other spiritual exercises, and not only, refused it, but in some sort have scorned, vilified, and contemned it, how just would it be with God, if he should permit you to be seduced with the hellish doctrine of that enemy of God? that you should hear him, obey him, worship him, honour, & follow him, and eternally perish, and be damned with him?  
Consider, o you blinded sinners, with fear and trembling, what, David the holy Prophet sayeth of the divine majesty, in these words. He is terrible in his divine counsels, upon the sons of men, how hidden and profound are the divine judgements? Blessed are they which run the race of their lives with fear, blessed is that man, sayeth the wiseman, which is always fearful. Consider also, o you wretches, what the holy Prophet speaketh of the righteous, and such as are inflamed with the love of God. Serve, sayeth he, your God in fear, and rejoice in him, with trembling: as if he should have said, you which worship God with all your souls, serve him with all fear and reverence him, & when soever you desire inward exultation, do it with fear and trembling: But you, o wicked sinners who incessantly serve your enemy the devil, lying plunged in the filth of sin, living so inconsiderately, securely, and confidently, as you do, think, and verily persuade yourselves (making no doubt) that the divine wrath & judgement, shall descend from heaven, upon the sudden, unlooked for, and more swift than the lightning: Alas how many upon the sudden have fallen down dead, which could not so much as say, jesus help me? Alas how many by negligence, and sloth, have perished, which never thinking of their ends, have lived in all kind of concupiscence, and voluptuous delights? when they said, peace and security, there came a sudden destruction upon them, sayeth S. Paul. (1. Tim. 3.) Man knoweth not his end, but as fishes, are taken with the hook, and birds with the net, so are men taken in the time of persecution when there shall come, upon them a sudden destruction. Eccl. 9  
O you my Brethren, and sister's sinners, looking into your souls, and beholding the imminency of your present danger, think some thing of your ends: consider, o you unfortunate, and miserable wretches, the uncertainty of your lives: consider the perpetual torments which are prepared for sinners in hell: consider, o you lost souls, that you must once come to the point of death: consider that your delights shall have an end, your pomps, honours, glory, and whatsoever else, wherein you took sensual delight, and you yourselves, shall perish, die, and become as nothing, and your souls themselves shall be drawn and separated from your, impure, filthy, & loathsome bodies, whereby you have so heinously, & impiously offended your God.  
To Christ therefore, o ye sinners, to jesus Christ, o ye obdurate souls, draw near, and have recourse to him: God calleth you by my pen, by that lively blood of Christ: O sinners by the virtue, and force of the love, and mercy of God, I beseech you, and speak unto you in these words: Come o you sinners, death draweth ne'er, but jesus Christ died for you, that you might live for ever: Come o you sinners unto jesus, for the devil, is at hand to throw you into hell: Turn you to Christ, who calleth you, by the sound of my Trumpet, lest he reject, and utterly condemn you with the sound of his severe, and bitter sentence at the day of judgement. Woe to you o sinners, woe I say unto you, if you refuse to hear the sound of this Trumpet, whereby the divine clemency calleth you from sin and perdition, unto repentance and salvation. O you my Brethren sinners, how cometh it to pass, that your hearts are not mollified, but are deaf, & dumb at this sound? God grant that you be not of the number of those, of whom it is written, they have obdurated their faces more hard than the rock, and they would not be converted.   

Of the fearful signs which shall appear before the day of judgement: by the consideration whereof, many sinful souls may be saved, which otherwise might perish. THE XXIV. CHAPTER.  
ANd there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, in the earth distress of nations, for the confused sound of the waves of the sea, men's hearts failing them for fear and expectation of those things which shall come upon the whole world. (Luc. 21.25.) And I will make wonders in heaven and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke, the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great, and terrible day of the Lord doth come. (joel. 2.30.) O unhappy sinners, if you would but settle your cogitations upon these horrible things, and prodigious signs, I do not doubt but that with fear and terror, at the very consideration of them, your stony hearts would cleave a Sunder: What? when you shall see the sun obscured, the moon turned into blood, the stars obfuscated, and seeming to fall from heaven, the earth to be moved and tremble, the sea to rage, mountains to break, and fall a sunder, and to be leveled with the valleys, dumb creatures so affrighted as to run here and there; Lions to roar, Bears to make a hideous noise, Wolves to howl, and other wild beasts, terrible to sight, by the motion of the earth, to come out of their dens and caves, Dragons and Birds to fly up and down the air: who would not be astonished for fear, and dissolved with horror?  
O humane misery, what shall be come of thee? What a terror will it be, to see and hear in the fearful day of judgement, these strange signs, and unheard of wonders? And there shall be a great tribulation, such, as was not since the beginning of the world, even to this day, sayeth our Lord by S. Matthew. (Math. 24.21.) I will not omit (o sinners) to sound my Trumpet in your ears, that I may rouse you, out of the deep sleep of your sins, being moved with a vehement desire of your salvation, and incited by the love of my dear Saviour jesus: woe be unto you, if you stop your ears at the sound thereof, but most happy if you attend, and give ear unto it, which is sent forth for the salvation of your poor, distressed souls. Many signs there are, which shall go before the day of judgement, but fifteen only are remembered by S. Hierom.  
The 1. sign is, that the sea shall transcend the mountains, forty cubits. The 2. sign: the same sea shall descend in such a lowness, as that it shall hardly be perceived. The 3. sign: All the unreasonable creatures, especially they that live in the sea, shall be gathered together into lakes and pools, there to lament their desolation. The 4. sign: The sea, and all waters shall burn. The 5. sign: All trees and herbs shall drop blood. The 6. sign: All the fowls of the air shall be gathered together, sending forth cries, and lamentations, and abstaining from their usual meat & drink. The 7. sign: All houses, & stately buildings which are in the world, shall be ruinated to the ground. The 8. sign: Lightnings, and fiery darts, shall fly from the west towards the east, threatening the heavens, and striking fear, and astonishment into the whole world. The 9 sign: The stones shall contend amongst them selves, and in their conflict, shall be broken. The 10. sign: Earthquakes throughout all parts of the world shall be so great, that neither man, nor beast shall be able to stand on their feet. The 11. sign: All the mountains shall be turned into dust. The 12. sign: All creatures shall leave their caves & dens, and being possessed with a kind of madness, shall wander abroad. The 13. sign, in all places the graves and tombs shall be opened, and the bones of all the dead, shall stand upright upon their graves. The 14. sign: The stars shall fall from heaven. The 15. sign: Every thing that is endued with life, shall be changed, as well beasts, as men, as upon the sudden; those men that now die, together with them, that have died since the creation of the world, shall be revived and live again: Fearful signs they be (o sinner) which I relate unto thee, receive them for thy instruction, and enrich thy soul thereby, for thy salvation.  
1. The sea shall transcend the mountains, to contemn thy pride and insolency (o arrogant, and fastidious wretch.) The wicked are as a raging sea, sayeth the scripture. (Isay. 57.20.) But the sea shall ascend in such a height, as that it shall excel the mountains, and wash away the arrogancy of the proud.  
2. The sea shall be depressed to that lowness, that it shall hardly appear: whereby, o proud wretch, it shall be declared unto thee, that at last, thou must be deposed, and plucked down by God. Every man that exalteth himself, sayeth our Lord, shall be humbled. (Luc. 14.) and humility, sayeth the wiseman, followeth the proud.  
3. The lamentation of the beasts, which is the third sign, what should it demonstrate unto thee (o sinner) but that they, who have taken much delight in vain, sensual, and lascivious complacencies, shall then be punished, and tormented, with fearful execrations, and ululations: Speak unto the earth, and it shall show thee, and the fishes of the sea, and they shall declare unto thee, sayeth holy joh.  
4. The fourth sign shall be, that of the sea and waters, in that they shall consume with heat, which may instruct thee, o luxurious sinner: for even as thou hast burned in this world with the fire of filthy concupiscence, luxurious desires, and adulterous actions, even so must thou burn in hell with fire, and brimstone; their part shall be in fire and brimstone, sayeth S. john in his Apocalypse. (Apoc. 21) and by this means, so much as thou hast abounded in the impious desires of the flesh, so much shalt thou receive of this punishment in this next world; How much she hath delighted herself in pleasures, so much punishment give you unto her, sayeth the judge in the Apocalypse Apoc. 18.6.  
5. What meaneth that sweat of the herbs and trees, which is the fift sign? O wretch, that blood, which thou hast shed with thy cruel and unmerciful hands: Because that murder is one of those capital crimes which cry unto heaven for revenge: The voice of thy brother's blood, crieth out of the earth to me, sayeth God to Cain.  
6. That mourning and lamentation with abstinency from meat and drink of the birds, what other thing (o thou glutton) doth it signify, than the pains & torments, which shall be inflicted upon thee in hell, for thine intemperancy, and ebriety? for they that are given unto this vice, shall be fed in hell with hunger, and dearth; The portion of drunkards, shall be fire and brimstone, and the spirit of tempest, is part of their chalice. Psal. 10.7.  
7. The ruin and destruction of all buildings throughout the world, what else doth it demonstrate, but the folly and vanity of those, which placed all their delight, and chiefest felicity, in building sumptuous and spacious pallacies? Alas how many are there found of these times, which have more respect of the houses in which their bodies dwell for a time, then of heaven in which their souls should perpetually remain? woe be unto you, which join house to house, & field to field: O miserable wretches how much better would it be for you, if you would study to polish, and adorn the celestial palaces of your souls for heaven, where there are so many beautiful, and glorious habitations? In my Father's house, there are many mansions. (joan. 14.2.) sayeth our Lord: O extreme vanity, and madness of the world!  
8. What do those flaming, and burning darts, those lighninges running from east to west, what, do they signify, but the wrath & indignation of the angry judge against sinners, and those which have molested or wronged their neighbours, or brothers? Every man that is angry with his brother, sayeth jesus Christ, shall be guilty of judgement. Math. 5.22.  
9 The conflict of the stones, signifieth your Adamantine, and obdurate hearts, which shall be broken a sunder with the judgements of God, because they are not mollified by repentance: Heaven and spiritual things nothing profit you, the promises of Christ will not allure you, the fearful judgements of the latter day, the intolerable punishments of hell set before you, do not any thing move you: O sinners more obdurate than stones, the stones clavae a sunder at Christ's passion, but you more hard than they, remain still in obduracy.  
10. The great earthquakes (o sinner) which shall be so terrible, as that S. john sayeth in his Apocalypse; There is made a great earthquake, such an one, as hath not been since the beginning of the world; it signifieth this, that you cannot be sustained any longer by the same, and therefore it trembleth, and shaketh, that it may swallow you up: Or the earth (as S. Gregory sayeth) therefore quaketh, because it will not receive sinners any longer, before they have heard the sentence of the judge, pronounced against their crimes, and offences: Alas into how great a straight shall sinners be brought? if they look up, they shall behold the angry countenance of the judge offended: if they look down, they shall see hell gaping, prepared to receive them: upon their right hand, they shall behold their sins & misdeeds accusing them: upon the left hand, innumerable devils in readiness to carry them into everlasting flames: Inwardly, the worm of the conscience gnaweth them, outwardly the fire and torments scorch them, and terrify them. Which way then shall a sinner fly or turn himself? then shall they cry out, O you mountains fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb.  
11. The leavelling of hills with valleys, what do you think it signifies (o sinners) but the overthrow of proud, great, and rich men, which have trampled the poor and needy under their feet? and then all shall be made a like and equal, every valley, sayeth the Prophet Isay, shall be exalted, and every mountain, and hill, shall be brought low.  
12. All creatures shall forsake their caves and dens, & being possessed with a kind of madness, shall wander abroad: what meaneth it, thinkest thou? nothing else, but that no secret corner, no excuse shall be found of any: all succour and relief shall be taken away from poor sinners, and no place or part left, whereby they may be relieved. Not any Saint, not any Angel, not the B. V Saint Mary Mother of God, shall assist them, because God himself will be so exceedingly offended with them: Alas o you wretched, and accursed sinners, what will you then do? what will you say, o miserable souls? you shall walk, and wander here, & there, outrageous, mad, furious, not knowing what to say, or what to do. Now therefore, now I say, even at this instant, whilst it is time, do that, which then (unfortunate souls that you are) you shall not be able to do.  
13. The graves shall be opened, and the dead bones standing upon them: which shall be the thirteenth sign. Behold I shall open your tombs, sayeth the Prophet Ezechiel: whereby it is intimated unto thee, o sinner, that then all the filth and corruption of thy sepulchre (to wit) of thy defiled, and polluted heart, shall be manifested, and brought to light. There is nothing hid, but it shall be revealed, and nothing so secret, but shall appear, sayeth our lord (Luc. 12.2.) Then all thy hidden and secret sins (o thou adulterate sinner) shall be laid open to the eyes of the whole world: what therefore wilt thou do, o wretch? which way will thine unfortunate soul turn itself?  
14. The stars shall fall from heaven, sayeth our Lord: that it may strike a fear, and terror into all sinners, which have made themselves unworthy of that celestial kingdom.  
15. Last of all, all men shall be changed. To signify unto thee, o sinner, that then all pleasures must have an end, and that thyself shalt cease to offend, injury, and wrong thy God, and dear Saviour jesus Christ.  
To conclude: no man doth walk safe, amongst Serpents, & Scorpions: we are here, environed with troops of enemies: wherefore as often as I think, of the danger of the time now present, and the fearful signs of the time of the last judgement, I cannot but tremble, throughout all the parts of my body; for whether I eat or drink, or whatsoever else I do, I think I always hear that terrible trumpet sounding in mine ears. Arise you dead and come to judgement: for we must all be manifested before the tribunal seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of his body, as he hath done, either good or evil. (S. Hieron. ad Eustoc. de cast. Virgin.) Consider diligently therefore now o you obdurate & stiffnecked sinners, and contemplate all these wonders, and prodigies, breaking your hard, and sturdy minds, and affections, with the consideration thereof unto your eternal salvations,  
Amen.   

Of the resurrection of the dead, and how that all men which are dead from the beginning of the world, do die, and shall die unto the end of the same, shall be revived again. THE XXV. CHAPTER.  
ANd he shall send (to wit) the son of man, jesus Christ at the day of judgement, his Angel with a Trumpet, and a great voice, to call the dead to judgement. (Math. 24.31.) Alas o you sinners, what will you do, at that time, when even the dead in their graves shall hear this terrible sound, arise you dead and come to judgement? what will you do, when the Angel shall gather you to judgement? you cannot then withdraw yourselves, or steal away: you cannot say, we will not: for will you or no you must come: Alas miserable souls of condemned sinners, which from the bottomless pit of obscure hell shall hear this fearful sound, for as soon as the Angel shall have sounded the Trumpet, the full time of your torments being come, you shall be most miserably ranked with the execrable devils your associates, whilst other diabolical spirits go about to apprehend other accursed souls, saying, come you reprobate, and damned souls, come you with us, that you may receive the terrible sentence of condemnation: come and receive the full measure of your punishment due unto body, & soul, and for ever live with us in the eternal pains of hell: O fearful spectacle! the devils shall break forth out of hell, with outrageous clamours and roaringes, drawing, and dragging these damned souls along with them, which they shall beat with many stripes, and excruciate with divers kinds of punishments, crying out blaspheming, and detesting God: O how great, fearful, and lamentable a spectacle will it be, to see such a troop and multitude of devils, and damned souls, coming out of secret dens, and caves of the earth, filling heaven and earth with their hideous out-cries.  
Consider o sinner, that all these devils, and condemned souls, the number of the which, for the greatness thereof, cannot be recounted, shall cause a terror to the whole world, by reason of the fearful lamentations of souls, and roaring of devils, which shall be heard in all parts of the world: Alas sinful men and women, what will you then do? Tide and bound to no place you are, and yet you cannot hide yourselves, nor fly away, but of necessity upon that day, must appear before the judge, to receive your sentence of condemnation: At that day, all the reprobate souls shall go weeping and wailing to their graves, to receive their stinking, and loathsome bodies, and to be joined again with them, and to live with them perpetually in hell.  
Consider, o sinner, that when those accursed souls shall stand at their graves, every one of them shall cry out unto their bodies, in this manner: O detestable, and execrable body, thou my associate, and companion, come with me, to be burned in perpetual flames, hitherto thou hast slept, and taken thine ease, and I alone have been swallowed up in the depth of misery, it is necessary now, that thou also, come to be rewarded, according to thy merits. Come, o cursed body, for I was alured by thy polluted desires, to offend the angry judge of heaven and earth. Come filthy, and loathsome body, which hast so often procured vomit by thine excess: thou must now be damned with the innumerable curses of him that created thee, & gave thee to me: come you cruel and wicked hands, which have been embrued in your neighbour's blood, that you may receive the reward of so many murders, thefts, roberies, and other heinous offences committed by you. Come you execrable feet, that you may receive the recompense of so many mischiefs, which with great speediness, and celerity, you have run to commit. Come my polluted mouth and tongue, that you may receive the wages of so many blasphemies, dishonest and obscene words, which you have uttered. Come my devowringe throat, which never couldst be satisfied with excess, and druncknesse: The time is now come in which thou must now pay the old score, for thy intemperancy in eating and drinking. Come you curious, and gazing eyes, which would not be satisfied with any good sight, come you accursed ears, whom nothing, but dishonest words and lascivious songs and speeches would delight. In a a word, come hither, all you filthy, and loathsome members, which, because I took care to content you, have now for ever destroyed me: come for the hire of your beastly excess, to be burned with me in the darksome lake of fire and brimstone without hope of ever returning from thence again: Lastly come hither detestable body, which as thou hast been my companion in committing of vices, so now in like manner, thou must be partaker, with me, of all my hellish torments, and that in continual howling and weeping; for we shall for ever live together without hope of returning from this damnable dungeon of hell.  
In this manner shall all the souls of the reprobat speak to their bodies in the day of judgement: In like manner shall your souls o sinners, speak to your bodies, if you die, burdened with deadly sins, and offences, and you shall be also cast into the burning Tophet, if you be not careful in time to prevent. Such like words shall the damned souls utter, when by the divine power, all the dispersed ashes of their bodies shall be gathered together, and rising out of their loathsome graves, shall be reunited, to their accursed souls. This being done, they shall be presented before the judge, by the tormenting devils, that so they may be accursed, and condemned together.  
But now sinners, to leave so pitiful, and horrible considerations, let us come to the contemplation of the blessed souls in paradise, the very cogitation whereof is sufficient, to stir up your minds and affections to embrace, & practice virtues, and to shun, and forsake vices: O how delectable and pleasant a sight shall it be, to behold so many blessed souls, descending from heaven, as glorious as the sun in his full beauty, that upon the earth, they may receive their bodies: O joyful spectacle: There shall appear the soul of the great precursor, S. john Baptist, most resplendent with the beams of glory, that it may receive her dispersed, and scattered ashes. There shall appear S. Peter, and S. Paul, the two chief pillars of holy church, with all the other blessed Apostles. Here shall be seen the souls of the Patriarches, there of holy Martyrs, and Confessors, as so many suns, & stars, shining in their glory: who singing praises, to almighty God, shall fill the air with heavenly Alleluiahs, and shall come to their sepulchres, in divers places and Countries of the earth, to receive their bodies, endued with comeliness and glory: O worthy sight! those blessed souls shall come accompanied with Angels: as contrariwise, the damned souls with devils, but especially with their Angel Guardians, who having defended, and protected them in this life, at their happy state and condition, are filled with all joy, and heavenly delight.  
Every one then of these blessed Angels, shall speak unto his most happy soul which he hath protected. Come (o soul) blessed of the most holy Trinity, whom with all thy power thou hast served, come and take again this thy body, that together with it thou mayst be made partaker of celestial joys; O what a sight shall it be to see at Rome, the two most beautiful souls of S. Peter, and S. Paul, coming to their sepulchres, that they may resume their most famous relics, with a company of so many blessed Angels? Then shall the Angels, & happy souls themselves speak unto their bodies, in these words, or the like.  
Alas poor bodies of ours, which have lain so long time in the dust, without your reward, arise, for now is the time, that you must be reunited unto us, and receive the reward of so many molestations, griefs, and labours, which you have suffered: come hither my feet, which have gone bare so many journeys for the love of God: come hither my hands, which for the love of jesus Christ, have performed so many good deeds: come hither my tongue, which hast been daily preaching of the praises of God, and teaching others, to conform themselves to his most holy will: come my belly which hast so often fasted, and abstained from meats: come my loins which have borne cords, & chains for the love of jesus: come my whole body which divers times, hast mortified, and subdued thyself, with hayr-cloaths, whip, & scourges, and other soar torments, for the love of thy Saviour, for now is the time, wherein thou must receive the recompense of these labours, and sufferings.  
O what a glorious sight will it be, to behold, throughout the whole world, especially at Rome, so great a number of Saints bodies, arising in such wonderful splendour, & brightness? O thrice happy than are they, which have run the race of their life, in the path of virtue: And if perhaps through humane frailty they did fall, without delay, they rose again, doing also, penance for the same: These shall be of that most blessed, and glorious number.  
What sayest thou now, o sinner, wilt thou any longer harden thy hart, and stop thine ears at the sound of my Trumpet? wilt thou still persist in thy lewd, and  courses? woe, woe be unto thee, if thou dost so, for by these means, thou shalt come to be of the number of those miserable, & damned souls, from which God of his infinite goodness, and mercy deliver thee,  
Amen.   

Of the coming of the judge to judgement, and of the great fear which his coming will strike into the hearts of sinners. THE XXVI. CHAPTER.  
WHen the son of man, shall come in his majesty, and all his Angels with him: Then shall he sit upon his throne of majesty, and all nations shall be gathered together before him. (Math. 25.31.) Alas sinners, return, forsake your sins and accustomed vices: remember that you must be judged of almighty God, whom by your lewd lives you have offended: consider now at length that, after that the angels shall come to call together all the dead with the sound of a Trumpet, the dead shall rise, and shall be gathered together, in the valley of josaphat; and in the near adjoining places: the damned standing on the earth, but the elect remaining in the air, in excellent clarity, and brightness: And last of all, the judge shall appear in the same air, who shall descend from heaven, accompanied with his most dear and loving mother, attended of all the celestial choir of Angels. Consider, the ensign of the holy Cross that shall go before him, with all the other trophies of his victorious death and passion, which shall be carried by the holy Angels, partly that they may be an evident testimony against all sinners, and partly that they show the lawfulness of the sentence which the judge shall pronounce against the damned: and partly to encourage, and comfort all good men, which by their force & virtue shall be saved: And then (sayeth our Lord) shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven: and our holy mother, the church singeth; this sign of the Cross shall be in heaven, when our Lord shall come to judgement.  
O wonderful spectacle, never seen in the world before: this most holy sign of the Cross, shall shine fare more bright than six hundred suns, adorned with an innumerable company of celestial colours: o happy, and thrice happy are they, who shall behold that cross, with joyful countenance, but contrariwise, most miserable shall be the reprobate, which against their wills, shall be forced to see the same to their great grief and sorrow: O what joy and pleasure, shall virtuous men have at the presence thereof? and what excessive lamentations, shall wicked and sinful men make, when they see the same? with what alacrity shall S. john Baptist, S. Peter, S. Paul S. Bartholomew, and all the holy Apostles look upon that glorious wood of the cross: S. Benedict: S. Charles, S. Dominicke. S. Francis, S. Clare, saint Cecilie, sainte Catharine, Marie Magdalen, and all the other holy Virgins, and Matrons, with what gladness will they behold it?  
Alas, o wicked and cruel Pilate, which condemnedst our Saviour to death, how shalt thou be able to look upon this cross? O Caiphas, and you Scribes, & Pharises, that moved the people to cry out with an exceeding great clamour to Pilate, away with him, away with him, crucify him him, crucify him: what grief shall you conceive at the sight of this holy Cross? What fury and madness shall posesse you at the beholding of it? O ungodly Christians, who still remain in the filth of your sins, who have trampled under foot, the precious blood of jesus, what will you then say and do? Thou proud man, who rejecting all others, wouldst submit thyself to no body, with what dejection wilt thou cast thy eyes downwards, lest thou shouldest behold that triumphant sign? Alas, o lascivious man, who wallowing in the mire of all uncleanness, hast lived in the filth, and mire thereof, hast lived in contempt of the blood and death of Christ, how then darest thou look upon that sacred sign? Alas thou angry man, who wilt forgive nothing, wherein thou art offended, though in the smallest matter, although thou shouldest be asked pardon for Christ's sake, in remembrance of his most bitter death and passion, what then shall become of thee? how wilt thou look upon that sign, when thou shalt see, all hope of obtaining mercy to be shut up from thee? Alas thou covetous man, who for Christ's sake wouldst not give one morsel of bread to the poor, what shall become of thee, when thou shalt see thyself destitute of all celestial and terrestrial things? Alas thou wicked woman, that hast killed so many souls, and injuried the blood, and cross of Christ, with thy lewd, and dishonest life, what shall then become of thee? Thou perverse and obstinate heretic, who daily revilest Christ, and his holy church, thou shalt then be brought to the acknowledgement of thine errors: Alas damned souls, than you shall behold the fruit of your sinful life passed, when all hope of mercy which you have despised here upon earth, shall be taken away: what will you do, when, after the cross, and other signs of the passion, Christ jesus crucified, shall appear in his majesty?  
O happy are they, who shall be able then to look upon him: O most sweet wounds of my beloved jesus, bestow that grace upon me, that I may be worthy to be of the number of them, which shall behold you with cheerfulness of hart: O most amiable jesus, grant me thy grace, that I may be one of them, who with joy and gladness may glory in thy wounds, with these or the like words; Behold my most loving jesꝰ, who hath shown so great mercy unto me, as to draw me out of the abyss of so many sins, and freely pardoned all mine iniquities: Behold those wounds, and precious blood, by virtue whereof I am saved: Be you blessed o glorious wounds, full of love: Be thou blessed o my most amiable jesus, who hast vouchsafed to beestow so great favours upon me. To thee, and to thy sacred wounds, be attributed, all praise, honour, glory, and benediction: Let all the Angels, and Saints in heaven, sing praises unto thee: let all faithful people upon earth daily worship thee: let the whole fabric of heaven and earth, with all creatures contained therein, set forth thy praise: God forbidden that I should glory in any thing, but in the cross of jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.  
Now Brethren and sisters sinners, turn yourselves to Christ the judge, coming in the clouds with his divine majesty, most glorious to behold to the Angels, and all good men, but terrible, and fearful to the devils, and all reprobate souls, indeed all shall look upon him, shining with his resplendent glory, but with different affections, the damned shall be forced to behold him, to the greater augmentation of their grief, but the elect to their greater comfort and consolation: jerusalem wash thy heart from malice, that thou mayest be saved. (jer. 4.14.) Sinners purge your souls, and consciences, look into your selves, with a serious consideration of your estate, delay not, until the terrible day of judgement shall approach, for than it will be too late to provide yourselves, to enter into the place of eternal happiness.  
Consider now sinner what helps are prepared for thee, so many teachers to direct thee, so many confessors to instruct thee, so many books to call and admonish thee, so many divine inspirations to move and excite thee, so many prayers of the holy Church, so many suffragies of the blessed Saints: thou hast thine Angel keeper to protect & defend thee. Call to mind the manifold helps, which thy loving jesus, out of his fatherly care, hath provided for thee: He daily teacheth, and instructeth thee, continually prayeth to his heavenly Father for thee, we have an advocate with the Father, sayeth S. john, jesus Christ the just. (1. joan. 2.1.) Consider what help the B. V Marie, Mother of mercy, patroness of sinners, procureth for thee, who never ceaseth to pray for all, before her son in heaven.  
Consider, on the otherside, if thou continuest, and diest in thy sins, thou shalt be destitute of all help thou shalt not find any to plead for thee, not the Saints not the church, nor the Blessed Virgin Mary; for then the gate of mercy will be shut up, and no entrance shall be found: sinners look to yourselves, have recourse to Christ, the fountain of living waters, whilst it standeth open: knock at the gate of mercy, before it be shut, so you shall receive pardon, and remission of all your sins and offences; Which God of his mercy grant that we may all obtain,  
Amen.   

Of the great shame, wherewith all the damned shall be confounded, in the day of judgement, before almighty God, and the whole world. THE XXVII. CHAPTER.  
ANd all nations shall be gathered together, before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separateth his sheep from the kids, and shall place his sheep on the right hand, and the kids on the left. (Mat. 25.32.) O sinners, what torments and vexations shall you have in your troubled souls, when you shall stand in the presence of God & the whole world, to be condemned for your iniquities? what shame will it be to thee, when all thy misdeeds shall appear, and be manifested unto all. And I will reveal thy secrets before thee, and will show thy nakedness to the nations, and thine ignominy to the kingdoms, saith the Prophet Naun. (Naum. 3.6.) No means can be used to cover thy sins, which thou hast committed so closely; then what vices soever thou didst in secret, endeavouring to hide them, from the eyes of men and Angels, shall be brought to light: Then traitor, all thy treacherous, and bloody plots shall be revealed: Then deceitful companion, all thy crafty plots, & fallaces, shall be detected: o wonderful, and marvellous thing, then shall they read one another's sins, in their foreheads, as in books; The husband shall see all the dishonest behaviours of his wife: the wife, all the faults of her husband, every one shall have his vices, and disordered affections plainly known: O the justice of almighty God, which will discover that, which a sinner thought would have been for ever concealed?  
Call to mind, sinner, what shame that will be for thee, to be set before the eyes of the whole world, to be seen of all both within and without? Alas how many shall there be, who whilst they lived in this world, were reputed Saints, were reverenced of all for such, but then shall be known to be fare otherwise? How many treacherous and devilish plots, how many adulteries, and robberies, shall openly be declared to the eyes of the whole world? O my sweet jesus, which seest all things, that descriest whatsoever is committed in private, pardon sinners, jesus help them, that doing penance, they may not be confounded with that last and great shame; jesus remember that thou art our Father, our Lord, & God, therefore forsake us not, but turn thine anger from us: suffer not the fire of thy wrath to consume us; Let not that perish, Lord, which is altogether thine. Have mercy upon us, crying out unto thee. I have strayed, as a sheep that is lost seek thy servant, because I have not forgotten thy law: He hath forsaken me, and there is none that seeketh after my soul. Psal. 118.  
Many poor afflicted souls of sinners, make such lamentations, relieve and secure them Lord, leave them not, who are thine, they wholly give up themselves unto thee, they fly to thee for refuge, they crave, and look for help of thee alone: Alas sinners, men and women, without doubt, our case is most miserable unless we live well, and honestly, and be converted unto our Lord God, seeing we yet receive help, wherupon if we perish, it is our own faults. The Saints, the Angels, the church, yea, heaven & earth, and every thing else, is ready to help us, the Blessed Virgin Mary is ready to secure us: our sweet jesus to relieve us, and in a word the Blessed Trinity, is prepared to defend us, whose we are, of whom we are created, and preserved: God doth lift us up, but we cast ourselves down, procuring to ourselves our own damage, and withal, the infernal pit of hell: God would have us be saved, & our Lord jesus Christ died for us all, he is the propitiation for our sins, saith S. john, not only for ours, but for the sins of the whole world. (1. john. 2.) Therefore sinners if we be damned, we can give no lawful excuse, it is our own mischief, and we are the cause & beginning of our own destruction.  
Alas therefore brethren & sisters, let us shun and detest our former vices, which if we cannot do at the first for the love of God, (which we ought to bear towards him, as a Father) yet at the least, let us do it, to avoid the shame, which will otherwise befall us, before the whole world in the day of judgement; And thus doing, I hope at last, we shall be brought to forsake them for the love of God: o heavenly consideration, o fruitful and profitable contemplation, I could wish that thou wert engraven in the hearts of all men, for surely thou wouldst be then a great help to miserable, and wretched souls, which now are like to be damned by their own foolish madness. O sinful man, what dost thou? what thinkest thou? whither goest thou? why dost thou hasten with such speed unto thy destruction, ruin, and damnation? show them a way o Lord, that so great a number of them may not perish; preserve Christian souls from destruction, seeing that so many Turks, heretics, and other infidels are daily damned, who obstinately refuse to acknowledge the truth of the holy Catholic church: But there is a means found out already (Christian Brothers and sisters) which still remain in your sins: If you will enter into life, keep the commandments. (Math. 19.17.) you know, you are commanded of God, to lead a life worthy, and beseeming Christian profession: to abstain from sin, and fly the apearance of evil, to love virtue, and embrace godliness: God almighty grant that we all may perform this, that our souls in the day of account may be saved,  
Amen.   

Of the fearful sentence which jesus Christ will pronounce at the day of judgement, blessed and happy are they who seriously ponder it in their hearts, and souls, for this is the most compendious way to forsake sin, and to turn unto God. THE XXVIII. CHAPTER.  
THen shall the King say to those that are on his right hand. Come ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. (Math. 25.34.) There are two things, which may move, and excite you (sinners) to forsake your enormous crimes, and vices, and with an unfeigned repentance to return to your God. One is, the consideration of the blessing which the good shall have: the other is, the pondering of the fearful sentence, that jesus Christ shall pronounce against the damned: to the good he shall say. Come ye blessed of my Father, inheritt the kingdom, prepared for you from the beginning of the world: But to the wicked, Go into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his Angels: the one shall be called to a paradise of pleasures, the other shall be sent into a lake of torments: Nothing is more glorious, or beautiful, than paradise, nor any thing more horrible, and loathsome than hell: nothing more delightsome, than heaven, nothing more detestable, than hell: therefore sinner consider well of these two, such contrary places: Think of heaven, that forsaking sin and doing penance, thou mayest come to enjoy the unspeakable pleasures of it: Think of hell, and learn so to order thy life, that desisting from thy former courses, thou mayest escape the grievous punishments of the same.  
Wise sinners, and blessed, are they, who change their ill manners, forsake their lewd courses, and satisfy for their misdeeds, for at their death, they shall be saved: but miserable are those, who give themselves over to the filthy lusts of the flesh; and with greediness do commit all sin; for they after this life, shall find no redress: Happy are those who strive here to adorn their souls with virtues, for in the day of judgement, they shall find mercy, and obtain everlasting joys: but wretched are they, who following the pleasures of this world, die in their sins, for in the great day of their visitation, they shall be perpetually damned: And they that have done good sayeth S. Athanasius, shall go into life everlasting, they that have done ill into everlasting fire: Happy are the good, to whom God of his bounty, will give the treasures of heaven: miserable the wicked, whose portion shall be with the devils, in torments of hell.  
O hard hart, which art not moved with these things! O impiety of a sinner, who doth not think of these things, and by hearty contrition return unto God thou hast but one poor soul sinner, and that in the day of judgement, shall either be cursed, or blessed of God, shall either ascend into heaven, to live for ever in the company of Saints & Angels, or else descend into hell, to be punished for all eternity with the company of the damned spirits: If thou be wise, thou wilt be wise for thyself, saith Solomon. (Prou. 9.10.) Thou wilt be wise (sinner) if thou detest, and hate sin, and turn to God; Thou wilt be foolish, and worse than mad, if, in continuing in thy wickedness, thou forget thy Creator. Alas what a number of perverse and mad fools are there, who are hardly corrected? There is an infinite number of fools. (Eccles. 1.15.) Wretched sinners, how sottish have you been, and yet still remain so, which for a small temporal pleasure, like a shadow quickly vanishing, you lose so great a substance of eternal good?  
Consider (sinners) that there is no day, nor hour, nor moment of time passeth, but many millions of souls, such as yours are, descend thick into hell: The sinner hath given up himself, to a spiritual kind of sluggishness, not taking any care for his salvation, he considereth not that death is present, every hour and moment, to give him a mortal stroke: Alas how many have gone to bed at night, and never arose again in the morning: consider, consider, sinners, your last, ends, which are not fare from you: How fareth it with thee (o sinner?) in what case is thy poor soul? full of vices, and heinous crimes, covered over with darkness, in the devil's possession, fast bound with many strong chains, that now thou mayest cry out with the Prophet. I am wrapped round about with the cords of sinners. (Psal. 118.) although thou canst not say that which followeth, and I have not forgotten thy law.  
But let us return to the terrible, and fearful sentence, which Christ jesus will pronounce against the damned, ponder and seriously consider it, imprint it in your hearts, that it may be a spur and incitement unto you, for the following of virtue, and avoiding of vice: meditate upon that saying of worthy S. Hierome, a man admirable in sanctity, and holiness of life. Whether I sleep sayeth he, or wake whether I eat, or drink, writ, or read, sit, or walk, that terrible speech always seemeth to sound in my ears, arise ye dead, and come to judgement: if men of such innocency and integrity of life, so much feared that horrible day, what will you do, miserable and blind sinners, against whom the sentence of condemnation is to be pronounced?  
My God & sweet Saviour give that power to my pen, seeing it is wanting to my tongue, that this short and rude work of mine, written without elegancy of words, and that the sound of these my Trumpets, may so move the hearts and minds, of those that shall read and hear them, that at length they may forsake their former courses, and fully resolve with themselves to turn to their Creator, and Redeemer. My God, and sweet Saviour, since it hath pleased thee to inspire me with thy heavenly grace, to set forth this my poor labour, for the salvation of poor souls, redeemed with thy most precious blood, grant me that favour, that I may awake sinners, by this my writing, and sound of my Trumpets, from the lethargy of vices, to the glory of thy name, and salvation of their souls: My God and sweet Saviour, for thy mercy's sake, suffer not I beseech thee, this my labour to be read, or these my shrill Trumpets to be heard of any sinner, without profit, and commodity, but that the noise of them, may force the devil to tremble, and the powers of hell to shake.  
Brothers sinners, if you shall perceive your hearts to be moved with their sound, I pray you despise, contemn, or resist it not, but thankfully acknowledge that motion, and heavenly inspiration to be from God, who calleth you out of his tender mercy: Return to God, sinners, men, and women, death is at hand, and yet God, as a kind and loving Father, by the sound of these Trumpets, gently calleth you: Awake out of your deep sleep of sins, wherein you have been buried so many years, and make him an answer. Sinners, our most merciful Lord sendeth forth, this sound both pleasant, and harsh of mine, or rather his Trumpets, that it may be for the good, and salvation of your souls, I pray God it may obtain the end, for which it was intended: Pray for me, and I will not cease to be mindful of you all,  
Amen.   

Of the going, and departure of the damned to hell in the company of all the devils. THE XXIX. CHAPTER.  
ANd they shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life. (Math. 25.46.) They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, they that have done ill, to the resurrection of judgement, sayeth S. john. (joh. 5.29.) Sinners stay here awhile, and fasten your souls upon the cogitation of that horrible spectacle, and seriously consider how the damned persons go down into the dark pit of destruction, with fearful howling and lamentation, in the company of innumerable forlorn devils: O fearful thing, whose terror is able to break, and cleave in pieces the hardest marbles; yet nothing at all moveth the heart of man! O the misery of humane nature, which is not rend a sunder with so pitiful a spectacle?  
Sinner, consider that as soon as those wretched souls, shall have the sentence of condemnation pronounced against them, the earth shall cleave in sunder, and all the devils, and damned spirits, shall be swallowed up in one gulf, and be thrown down into the obscure abyss of hell: O terrible, and mournful night, when weeping, and gnashing of teeth, and woeful lamentations of forlorn souls (now reunited to their bodies) shall continue for ever? O miserable disjunction, and division, the husband shall be separated from the wife, the daughter from the mother, when the one shall go to heaven, a place replenished with all good, the other into hell, a place of all torments!  
O God of all mercy, open the eyes of blind and obstinate sinners, who never trouble their minds with thinking of either heaven or hell, but only device how to wallow still in the filth of sin. Surge, surge, quidormis, arise, arise, thou that sleepest: Neglect not thine own salvation, that Christ may help thee: Behold he calleth now by my pen, he desireth to awake thee out of thy sleep, by the loud sound of my Trumpets: Qui fecit te, sine te, non saluabit te, sine te, sayeth S. Augustine, he that made thee without thee, will not save thee without thee, but will, that thou labour to thy power, to dispose, & prepare thyself, to entertain those wholesome counsels, and exhortations, which he of his mercy offereth unto thee.  
Hereupon it is, that God provideth, that his truth should be made known unto thee by teachers, that thou shouldest be admonished by confessors, & ghostly Fathers, hereupon he speaketh unto thee by spiritual books, and by the scripture, that thou mayest hearken, and give diligent ear unto him: This if thou do, in his good time, he will bestow that grace upon thee, if thou refuse not to receive it, which will enable the to forsake thy lewd course of living: take heed sinner, how thou behavest thyself, for if thou stop thine ears at his call, and running away from him, contemn his vocation, he will turn away from thee, and suffer thee, to continue in thy miserable estate, and condition, and in that shalt thou die, and so dying, shalt be damned.  
Alas who is there, which would not be moved at this, and willingly forsake a thousand worlds, that he might not lose God? which if he would not do for the love of God, at least he would, that he might not incur the loss of so great a good as heaven, or procure unto himself so great a mischief, as is the obtaining of held: The loss of heaven is no trifling matter, or to go into hell, is not of a small moment, that a man should not regard whither he come thither, or no: The damned shall go, yea, be cast down headlong into hell, with the accursed crew of infernal spirits: and ye sinners, unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish: the blessed shall be taken into paradise, and if you amend your lives, you shall be in the number of them. The Saints shall enjoy all kind of good, and you also, if you will, shall be made partakers with them: The damned shall be cast into hell to be tormented, in everlasting flames, & you except you altar your purposes, and course of living, shall be in the same number.  
Good Lord, what gladness shall the blessed have, when they shall enter into heaven, exulting and rejoicing in the delightful company of sweet jesus, and his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the Saints, men and women! Stay here a while (sinners) and behold this most beautiful company, and society: See how the heavens shine with light: Hear the harmony of celestial hymns: give care to the music of Angelical voices; behold the Saints leaping for joy and gladness about the throne of God: see how jesus Christ, and his blessed Mother, embrace, and kindly receive all the Saints: Behold the Angels triumphing: Hearken to the choir of heaven singing most sweetly, to the honour of jesus, and his Mother, the B. Virgin: O jubilee, o gladness, o mirth, such as shall never be ended! O excessive joy, which shall never cease to be in the inhabitants of this paradise? o happy are you, and happy again, you which are there all ready, and you which hasten to come thither: pray for us, you that have your souls there, that we may be made capable of your unspeakable joy, and gladness.  
O heavenly Queen, Mother of God. O Marry, my Lady, and Patroness, pray for me and all sinners, that we by thy merits, and intercession, may deserve to be reckoned in that blessed number, praising and extolling thy God, and ours, for all eternity: O powerful God, who hast created us, despise not our prayers, graciously hear our petitions, and give us that grace, that to thy honour and glory, we may refrain from the filthiness of sin: look not upon our manifold misdeeds, which we have committed, nor upon the innumerable injuries wherewith we have offended thy sacred Majesty.  
Go to sinners, and be of good courage, Dulcis & rectus est Dominus, our Lord is sweet and righteous, sayeth the Psalmist: Bonus est Dominus, our God is God, to them that trust in him, to a soul that seeketh after him: Endeavour (sinners) strive and labour so much as lieth in you, that you may be assured of the mercies of God: Misericordia Domini plena est terra: the earth is full of the mercy of our God: there is no created thing on the earth, under heaven wherein the most gracious benignity of God doth not appear, and except we ourselves be in fault, we may be sure of salvation, because of his part, he is willing to receive all: Deus vult omnes homines saluos fieri, God will have all men to be saved. 1. Tim. 2. ●  
Alas sinners, purpose, and resolve to forsake the world, with all your hearts; worship God, who loveth you so dearly, bestoweth so many benefits upon you, and still desireth to bestow fare greater upon you. Be not faint hearted, doubt not any thing, have recourse unto Christ so soon as you can: I dare be your surety, to make you all which are obnoxious to sin, secure, and safe, if you desire indeed to come to Christ jesus; Come hither Brethren and sisters, be not dismayed, come to the most sweet & amiable wounds of sweet jesus, come to crucified jesus: Do you not see, how he standeth with his arms stretched out, to embrace you? To jesus Brethren sinners, to jesus sister sinners: have recourse to jesus, who never refuseth, or rejecteth any: come to jesus, full of love, who expecteth all, calleth all, thirsteth after all: Hic peccatores recipit, this jesus receiveth sinners. (Luc. 15.2.) Christ jesus came to the world to save sinners, saith S. Paul.  
O loving jesus, who wholly givest thyself for sinners: O unthankful sinner, who belongest wholly to jesus: how great is thy mercy o jesus? how great is thy benefit o sinner? Propter scelus populi mei, percussi cum, for the wickedness of my people, have I smitten him, sayeth the eternal Father of his son. (Isay. 53.9.) He bore our sins in his body upon the wood, sayeth the same Prophet: If then jesus hath bestowed so many great benefits upon a sinner, and loveth him so tenderly, whence is it sinners, that you fear jesus, who is become your friend? do him therefore no wrong sinner, come forth to thy jesus: behold how he expecteth thee upon the holy wood of the cross, his hands and feet being pierced through with sharp nails, that he might give thee hope and confidence to come unto him. Let this crucified jesus, be engraven in my heart, and in the soul of every sinner, that so we may change our lives, and reform our conversations, to our salvation, and to the honour and glory, of the most holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, & the holy Ghost,  
Amen.   

The sixth Trumpet: Of the damage that sin bringeth to a soul in hell, and of the most grievous punishments wherewith the damned are there tormented. THE XXX. CHAPTER.  
ET sextus Angelus tubâ cecivit. And the sixth Angel blew his Trumpet. (Apoc. 8.) Sinners give care unto the fearful and terrible sound of this Trumpet, and see whither it be of power to move your souls. O the misery of man's hart, which destroyeth itself, by its obstinacy and hardness, and extolleth itself to the highest degree of mischief, from whence there is no hope of returning safe! Behold in this world, there is nothing more pleasing and delightsome to our fight, than the light of the sunne, so in the other world, and in all the celestial orbs: yea if there were so many worlds, that they should pass numbering, there would be nothing more glorious or amiable to behold, than God almighty. O exceeding delight to behold God, the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost: to behold the divine essence, which is one and the same in every one of the three persons, in which, all sweetness, and comeliness, all treasures, and riches, are to be had in abundant manner. Behold God is a thing so sweet, and pleasant to the taste, that the Prophet David when he had lost it, or at least seemed to lose it, cried out, saying. Fuerunt mihi lachrimae meae panes die ac nocte, etc. My tears were unto me bread, day and night, whilst they said daily unto me, where is now thy God? The spouse losing her beloved, can find no place, wherein to rest, whereupon she sayeth. In lectulo meo, per noctes quaesius, quem diligit anima mea. In my bed by night, I sought him, whom my soul loveth, I will arise and go about the city: by the streets & high ways I will seek him, whom my soul loveth: have you seen him, whom my soul loveth? Cant. 3. All Gods servants and friends, did exceedingly lament, if in this world, at any time, they have felt the spirit and soul to become dry, and not to have the accustomed consolations, & usual sweetness of their beloved: yea they did languish and pine away with desire to find him again, pitifully wearying themselves, in weep, watchings, and prayers, supposing themselves to be most unfortunate for this loss.  
The misery of the state of a damned soul is, that it looseth God, not for a small time, not for a day, a year, or a thousand years, but for all eternity, so that if the damned souls should be asked in these words, what shall you never see God? they would all answer, never, never, never; And if they should be asked, shall you never then see that thing which is, not only most beautiful to behold, but also the best that can be desired, or sought after? They would presently with one consent, answer, no, no, no. If they should be demanded, what is the cause of this their loss? they would with lamentable crying and howling, tell you, sin, sin, sin: But if you should go further with them, and ask them, with how many sins they have lost, so infinite a good, & are deprived of so beautiful a sight, one would say, with a hundred, an other with a thousand, another, with ten thousand, and lastly, another with innumerable sins: But how terrible, and fearful would it be to you, if one should say, amongst the rest. Alas most miserable, and forlorn wretch that I am, who with one, only deadly sin, which endured but for a moment, have deprived myself of all the celestial benefits! Alas then unfortunate caitiff, art thou deprived of the vision of almighty God, for one only transgression? his answer would be, I am, I am, I am: Moreover.  
Consider sinner, that there be two kinds of punishments which the damned suffer in hell, the one is, that which we call, pena damni, the punishment of loss: the other is, pena sensus, the punishment of senses we will speak hereafter of the latter, and now something of the first: This, pena damni, punishment of loss, is the greatest evil, of all evils, and the greatest loss of all losses, the greatest privation that can be imagined, to lose God, and never to have the sight of him: To live without God, is the most grievous punishment which the damned can suffer: who do not so much as hope once to see him, because they be certain never to behold him: O intolerable punishment! God will send in to the hearts of the damned a desire, and wonderful thirst of those things, whereof they cannot be partakers, he will cause in them, that they shall know and understand the admirable good which is contained in him, and the great sweetness and delight, which ariseth from the contemplation of his divine majesty: they shall know that they have lost all these things by their sins, having no hope at all, ever to enjoy him; He shall make them understand, how the blessed live in perpetual pleasures which shall never fail them; whereupon the damned shall fret, and pine away with grief, they shall know how they might have obtained the same if they had exercised themselves in virtuous actions, and had refrained from sinner & vices; whereupon they shall run mad for grief and pain, seeing they can never recover their great damage, which by their negligence they have incurred.  
O sweetness flowing from the divine sight! The holy Prophet, when in this life, he did but call to mind his God, languished with a wonderful kind of sweetness, which thereby he did conceive, Memor fui Dei, etc. I have been mindful, sayeth he, of my God, and have exercised myself, and my spirit failed me. (Psal. 76.4.) The ●…ouse in the canticles cried out for this sweetness of love. Fulcite me floribus; Stay me up with flowers, comfort me with apples, because I languish with love. (Cantic. 2.5.) O most sweet and pleasant God, how delightful art thou? Blessed are they, that dwell in thy house, they will always be praising thee: O forlorn, damned wretches; but most happy they which live in heaven, because they always behold the face of God. Videbimus eum sicuti est (peccatores) we shall see him as he is, sinners, in the other life, in heaven, even as the Angels, and all the blessed Saints do now behold him: But the damned see him in no sort, & have no hope, at all, ever to see him: Videbimus eum sicuti est, we shall see him as he is. If any one in this world could look upon the sun, and see clearly how it runneth in his orb and sphere, & not have his eyes dimmed with the exceeding light and splendour thereof, he would count himself in a manner happy; But if we lead our lives, as it beseemeth Christians, we shall see our God, who in splendour & brightness passeth without comparison a thousand, yea innumerable suns: Nec oculus vidit etc. Neither eye hath seen, nor care hath heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, what things God hath promised them that love him, sayeth the holy Apostle. (1. Corin. 2.9.) & before the Prophet Isayas: Beati oculi qui vident, etc. Blessed are the eyes which see those things which you see, sayeth jesus Christ to his Apostles, when they saw him but in the flesh, subject to labours, travails, pains, and death itself: what blessedness will you think it now to behold him, resplendent in all his glory? What joy to see him, not only as man, but also as true God, endued with such beauty and brightness, as that no man is able to express with words, and that in the company of all the Saints, attended with an infinite multitude of Angels?  
I altogether faint and languish in my heart & soul, when I have but only a bare thought of these things: Brothers, do you not likewise perceive, a great delight & comfort when you think upon God? do you not consider, when you meditate upon terrestrial, and created things, referring them to God their creator, and efficient cause, that you receive a wonderful sweet content from them? O what a meditation is here for you, to contemplate the fairness, and largeness of the Imperial heaven? O Israel, Magna est domus Domini, & ingens locus possessionis eius etc. O Israel: sayeth the Prophet, great is the house of our Lord, and large is the place of his possession, he is great, and having no end, high and mighty. (Baruch. 3.25.) In domo Patris mei mansiones multa sunt. In my Father's house, there are many mansions, sayeth our Lord jesus. (joh. 14.2.) O how many divers places and seats are there in heaven? which the Saints enjoy. What is it then that now hindereth your will? what letteth you that you cannot be inhabitants of that heavenly city? I am non estis hospites & advenae &c. (Ephes. 2.19.) You are not now pilgrims and strangers, but you are the citizens with the Saints, and domestickes with God: Our merciful Lord jesus Christ (sinners) hath reckoned us amongst the citizens of heaven, by his bitter death, and passion, he hath made us heirs, and coheirs, of a kingdom, haeredes quidem Dei, cohaeredes autem Christi, heirs truly of God, but as coheirs of Christ.  
Alas miserable wretches, what mischief is it, that depriveth you of so large, and fair an inheritance? sin: some small puff, or blast of pride, some little delight of your polluted bodies, some greedy desire, or thirsting after humane affairs, some light passion of hatred, some foolish plots to be revenged, accursed be all those sins, which procure such loss and damage unto us, as to deprive us of heaven, and of the beatifical vision of the almighty: of the most pleasant sight of God the Father, and of our Lord jesus Christ: and this is the portion, which befalleth all the damned in hell: O most loving Father, O blessed Son of God, and holy Ghost the comforter, full of love and charity, for thy mercy's sake suffer us not to be deprived of those thy great and large promises: permit not, Lord God, our merciful Father, Son, and holy Ghost, permit us not to lose the joyful sight of that glory in the life to come, and the comfort of thy grace in this life present,  
Amen.   

Of the fire of hell, and the pains of sense which the damned do suffer in the company of devils. THE XXXI. CHAPTER.  
PRaeparata est enim ab heri Tophet, etc. for Tophet is prepared since yesterday of the King, deep, and wide, the nourishment thereof is fire & much wood, the breath of our Lord as a torrent of brimstone kindling it. (Isay. 30.33.) Go to now sinner, call to thy remembrance those grievous punishments, which thou shalt endure in hell, unless thou amend thy life; And first of all consider, that in hell, there is a wonderful denowring fire, ever burning, and yet never consumeth those miserable damned: Praeparata est ab heri: It is prepared since yesterday, that is from the beginning of the foundation of the world, there is a place prepared which is called Tophet, which signifieth a misleading, or beguiling, that is hell: whither all the souls misled, and beguiled by the world, the flesh, and the devil, presently resort.  
This Tophet, and this hell, God the King of Kings hath prepared, to revenge and punish those execrable devils, & all sinners together with them: Prosundata etc. It is deep and : hell is large & of great compass, saith the holy Prophet I say: Nutrimentum eius etc. the fuel of this place is fire, & wood▪ and God with his breath doth continually kindle and set it on fire. Whereupon (sinners) it is most clear, that hell is a very dark place, in the most inward, & deepest parts of the earth, broad and wide, and so ample, that although souls should fall down therein, as fast as the rain upon the earth, yet would it never be filled: In this place, the fire always burneth, and without ceasing or intermission, cruelly torments the devils & damned persons, and will so torment and woefully burn them for ever.  
The holy Doctors do hold, that this fire is corporal: Ignem infernalem corporalem esse non ambigo, sayeth Saint Gregory. I do not doubt, but that the fire of hell is corporal: And although no corporal thing hath power to work on a spiritual thing, naturally, yet notwithstanding, by the divine power, that fire which is corporal, & of the same nature with ours, never ceaseth after a wonderful manner, to torment all the devils, which are pure spirits, and all the damned souls, which likewise are without their bodies, until the day of judgement, & then their bodies also shall burn with them, for all eternity.  
Alas miserable sinners, this is the place appointed, and prepared for you, where you shall burn with all the accursed crew of devils for ever, except you amend your lives, and by repentance turn unto God: That fire shall burn for ever, and never be extinguished: Nutrimenta eius ignis, etc. The nutriment thereof is fire and much wood, neither shall there want, one daily to blow it, for the breath of our Lord, like a torrent of brimstone doth kindle it: But you must by no means suppose, or think that there is wood in hell, necessary to increase the fire: but the sacred scripture, speaketh so, to this end, that it may be presented more lively unto our understanding, which better comprehends, and perceiveth natural things; neither can we but say, the devils, and souls before judgement, and the bodies of the damned after judgement, be understood by wood: for even as the wood shall be cast into the fire, so the devils and the damned spirits before the day of judgement, and their bodies after, shall be cast into the same: O wonderful misery, and calamity, whereinto a sinner falleth, seeing that he must go down into hell, where he shall burn for ever and ever, and never be consumed!  
Think with thyself, that thou cannest not without marvelous pain, hold thy fingar in this our fire, for the space of one Aue Maria: but according to the opinion of the Doctors, this our fire being compared with the fire of hell, is like a painted fire: O ineffable misery! Put thy fingar a while to a painted fire, and thou shalt perceive no sensible pain, but thrust it into a real fire, and thou shalt not be able to endure the same; So truly standeth the case here, for so mighty, and so forcible is the fire of hell, and tormenteth the soul in such sort and so intolerably, as that, suppose any one could deliver, and take a soul out of hell fire, and cast it into some burning furnace of our fire, the soul would imagine it to be, no other thing, than a recreation, or some sweet cooling air, in respect of the intolerable burning heat, which before, it did suffer in hell. What sayest thou sinner, if thou deny it to be true, thou art much deceived, and deluded, neither dost give ear to that which the scripture affirmeth in many places: And beside, thou shalt altogether gainsay what we before have produced out of the Prophet Isay.  
But if this doth not satisfy you, how will you give credit to that, which the holy Evangelist citeth in the parable of the rich glutton? Mortuus est autem & diues, & sepultus est in inferno: the rich man also died, and was buried in hell. And being in torments, he saw Abraham a fare off, and Lazarus in his bosom, to whom he cried out saying, Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dipp the tipp of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, because I am pitifully tormented in this flame. (Luc. 16.22.) dost thou hear wicked sinner, what the holy gospel sayeth, wouldst thou know by what name he calleth that fire, Crucior in hâc flammâ, I am tormented in this fl●me, therefore Christ himself sayeth in an other place, speaking of hell. Ibi erit flecus, & stridor dentium, there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. (Math. 8.12.) Our Lord in these words declareth and setteth down, two very terrible punishments of hell, when he sayeth, fletus, & stridor dentium, weeping, and gnashing of teeth: by weeping, he showeth that there is fire in hell, for the fire hath always smoke mixed with it, which hurteth, and offendeth the eyes, & so consequently procureth weeping: but when he sayeth, stridor dentium, gnashing of teeth: he manifesteth unto us, that there is a most vehement cold in hell, of such efficacy, as it forceth them, who suffer it, to gnash with the teeth. job also setteth down these two kinds of punishments: Ad nimium calorem, transeat ab aquis nivium, etc. Let him pass from the waters of the snow, to excessive heat. job. 24.19.  
Alas wretched sinners, what woeful punishments do expect you? your poor wretched souls shall be tossed from one place to another, from cold to heat and scorching, & from thence again into cold, from flames into snow, from ice and frost in to fire, and all this with ineffable torture, and unspeakable pain: Herupon you may easily conjecture, what torment, grief and sorrow it is to be in hell, by going our of fire & heat, into frost and cold, neither is there any of you ignorant, if, upon some occasion, your hands should become nummed with cold, and afterwards should put them to the fire to warm them, what pain you should feel thereby; For the marvellous force of the ●eate, which violently piercinge the fingers, endeuoureth to expel and drive out the cold: O the miserable state, and condition of mankind: what grief and torment shouldest thou feel, sinner, if in the height of summer, when thou art sweeting and burning with heat, thou shouldest be cast into a cistern full of snow and cold water? without question thou couldst not long endure in this affliction.  
Alas, think, therefore seriously with thyself, of those horrible, and intolerable pains of cold, and heat, and fiery flames, which thou shalt suffer in hell: Discedite à me maledicti, in ignem etc. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire. (Math. 25.41.) will jesus Christ say to the damned, sitting upon his tribunal seat of judgement; whereupon it is manifest, that there is fire in hell; Discedite à me, depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, not at the first prepared for you, but for the devils, but seeing that now by your sins you have deserved the same punishment, discedite à me, depart from me, with the company of all the damned spirits, that together with them, you may be punished in everlasting torments: Sinner, what wilt thou now say? wilt thou derogate from the credit of the holy gospel, the words of truth, the words of Christ, who is truth itself? if thou dost so, thou art in the number of heretics; if an heretic, thou shalt have the punishment of heretics, and of all them, who will not give credit to the Catholic faith.   

Of the diversity of punishments wherewith the damned souls are tormented, without any hope of intermission or mitigation. THE XXXII. CHAPTER.  
QVantum glorificavit se etc. As much at she hath glorified herself, and hath abounded with delights, so much give her of torments; sayeth S. john in his Apocalypse. (Apocal. 18.7.) These words the divine justice will use to you, sinners, in hell: The justice of God will cry against you, and command the devils to torture you, according to the measure of your sins, and iniquities. Hearken, sinners, what diversity of punishments is kept for you, understand wretched souls, those manifold torments which are reserved for your transgressions, you shall be sure, never to come out from thence, never to obtain the least rest and repose, that can be imagined, never to be freed from any one kind of these punishments: Pater Abraham, etc. Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his fingar in water, to cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame: these be the words of the rich glutton.  
Many and sundry punishments are there ordained in hell, and all of them very cruel, you shall be continually, & swiftly tossed from one to another; This, wretched sinners, shall be your recreation, rest and repose: These innumerable punishments, which are prepared for you, forlorn souls, are reduced by the sacred scripture, and holy Doctors of the church, unto ten heads: Of the first we have already spoken, which is the fire of hell, wanting all comfortable light, stinking and burning, and the greater your affection was in this world to commit sin, so much will God, use the more, his severity and justice against you: This fire is provided especially for you, who have followed the pleasures, and lusts of the flesh: for seeing that you have given way to your sensual appetites, and have been polluted with all manner of uncleanness, therefore this loathsome fire, and stinking pits of brimstone, are prepared for you: Quantum hasit amor, tantum affligit dolour. (S. August.) how much love and delight you have had in sinning, so much sorrow and pain shall you have to recompense the same.  
Think with yourselves, if you must suffer and endure, such intolerable pains for every deadly sin, how miserable will your case be, who all your life time, have defiled your souls with the filth of concupiscence? what will become of you Epicures, who for so many years have made Gods of your bellies? what will become of thee harlot, which for so long time hast had familiarity with concubines? what will become of thee, impudent whore, which hast so many years together, alured, enticed, & drawn all passengers, by signs, laughings, gay attire, and deceitful paintings, to the unlawful use of thy body? what will become of thee silly woman, which hast stolen away many souls from Christ, and cast them down headlong into the pit of destruction? Alas voluptuous persons, men, and women, where will you be hereafter, who now daily heap sin upon sin, without remorse of conscience, without shame of men, or fear of God? what do you think of your selves, who have done acts against the common course of nature? what punishments? what torments? what miseries do wait for you in hell? who is able (I will not say to number) but to think of the innumerable pains, which are appointed for you?  
Consider sinners, you especially, who follow with great delight and diligence, the pleasures, and lusts of the flesh, consider what I am to tell you further, of the fire of hell? Although in hell, there is but one common fire to torment the devils, and damned souls, yet in divers places, and parts of hell, there shall also be divers fires, whereof some shall be greater, than others, burning more, stinking worse, that there, sinners may be punished, according to the diversity of their offences: But let us come now to the second kind of punishment.  
Ponder with thyself, that besides this fire, there is a wonderful intense cold, which some shall feel more, some less, according as they be loaden with the burden of their iniquities: Alas you slothful, sluggish, and cold Christians, in holy religion, and in God his divine service, this extreme cold, these unspeakable tortures, and torments, will he inflict upon you; congealing you like ice, and causing you to gnash with your teeth, as our Lord sayeth, Ibi erit fletus, & stridor dentium, there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth.  
The third kind of punishment, is, the ugly shape and deformity of worms which shall be continually biting, and gnawing of you: vermis eorum non morietur: their their worm shall not die, sayeth the Prophet Isay. (Isay. 66.24.) Vindicta carnis impij, ignis & vermis, the revenge of the flesh, of the wicked, is fire, and the worm, sayeth the wise man. (Eccles. 7.19.) Dominus dabit vermes & carnes eorum, the all powerful Lord, sayeth judith, will give worms to their flesh. (jud. 16.21.) The more that sinners have delighted them selves in foul, filthy, and enormous vices and crimes, the more shall they be tormented in hell, with strange uggely monsters, of serpents, toads, dragons, and such like, which indeed are nothing else but devils, in the form and shape of these living creatures, although some Doctors affirm such creatures to be really there, that the torments of the damned souls may be more cruel, and intolerable.  
woe to thee then wretched woman, which placest thy felicity, in carnal impurity, think how thou shalt be often times compassed about with serpents, dragons, toads, or other some uggely & deformed creatures, worse than the former, all which shall bite thee with their venomous teeth, and tear those parts of thy body, wherein thou tookest greatest pleasure & contentment, with incredible torture: O misery, and calamity! O thing unheard of! yet for all this, the woeful sinner doth not consider them: The dainty damsel, and brave citizens wife, do not trouble their thoughts with these things: Alas how many are there, which have wholly given themselves to the sinful lusts and sensual delights of the flesh: and in a moment, when they have the least thought of it, have descended into the bottomless pit: Ducunt in bonis, dies suos: they lead (saith holy job) their lives in good things, but in an instant go down into hell: O the calamity, of the blind and foolish world, which after such a manner, utterly overthroweth itself?  
The fourth punishment is, that intolerable stinch which shall fill the nostrils of the damned, with ineffable vexation: This stinch, of the holy scripture is called. Fetor sulphureus, a stinch mixed with brimstone: ignis & sulphur etc. Fire and brimstone, and the blast of storms, is the portion of their cup, saith the psalmist. (Psal. 10.7.) pars iniquorum etc. the portion of the wicked shall be in a lake, or pool burning with fire, & brimstone: The reason wherefore the fire, the cold, and the stinch of hell, are so excessive, and so insupportable, is, because they can never vent forth, but are shut up, & kept close within the hollow parts of the earth; even as fire in a furnace kept in on every side, is of greater force to burn, then if it had compass to dilate itself, that the flame and heat thereof might evaporate.  
Weigh the matter exactly, and consider awhile, sinner, what an ill savour thou shouldest smell, if thou wert shut up close in a sink, full of all filthiness, and corruption, where no air can come in, in the which dead carcases lie, where pitch & brimstone is burning: Out of this gather, what ill savour thou shalt find in hell, where the damned bodies shall stink fare worse (without comparison) than the carcases of dogs, or of any other filthy carrion: But contrariwise, the bodies of God's servants, and blessed in heaven, shall send forth, throughout every part of the same, most delightsome savours. Consider sinner, what a stinch, that will be of hell, where so many bodies of damned persons, of men and women, shall be, not for one day, but for eternity: All the damned shall be there kept close prisoners together, one lying upon another, and one infecting another with his stinch and loathsome savour. Sicut oves in inferno etc. as sheep, they are put in hell, death shall feed upon them, sayeth the Prophet. Psal. 48.15.   

Of the fift, sixth, and other above mentioned punishments which the damned suffer in hell. THE XXXIII. CHAPTER.  
THE fift punishment of hell, shall be the fearful sight of devils, and damned persons, who all very deformed, shall appear with foul and uggely visages to behold, because the damned, both men and women, shall be like the devils themselves. Ponder a while sinner, how loathsome dead bodies seem to be in their graves. Consider with what horror and dread, the dead body of any man or woman doth affright thee, so soon as the soul is departed from it: think what an ill smell proceedeth from it, when it remaineth but one day without burying. Weigh with thyself, how horribly stinking are the bodies of those that be dead, which have been buried three or four days in their graves: Domine iam fetet, quatriduanus est. Lord now he stinketh, he hath been four days in the grave, sayeth Martha of her brother Lazarus.  
Alas miserable mortal men, what do you do, being cruel, outrageous, and unnatural against yourselves? Why do you condemn yourselves after such a lamentable manner, and that for just nothing? O consider wretched sinners, if the sight of one devil, striketh such terror into you, that although he appear in the shape and likeness of no uggely creature, you are not able to endure him long, what will become of you then, when you shall see in hell so many devils, so many men, so many women, all alike in one ill favorednesse, and horrible aspect? O Alas miserable sinners, what sight will it be to see in hell, innumerable devils, foul & uggely, running about hell, with woeful noise, and clamours, who with whips and scourges, shall now vex this man, another while that woman, and so grievously torment all, that Dionysius, an approved author sayeth. Teterrima quaedam in daemonibus phrenesis & furoris amentia inest: There is a most mischievous franticness, and madness of raging anger, in the devils.  
The sixth punishment of the damned, shall be in an insatiable, and most vehement hunger, wherewith gluttons, and all those shall be tormented, who like brute beasts, place their felicity in banquets, iunketts, and merry meetings, without any fear of God, or remorse of conscience, who break the fasts instituted by our holy Mother the church, neither do they regard Lent, and other times of penance, which she hath carefully ordained for their soul's health & salvation. They eat often, devour and consume not only their goods and estate, but that also which should maintain and relieve poor widows, and fatherless children: Herupon our B. Saviour threatneth them in the Gospel, in these words: Va vobis qui saturati estis, etc. Woe be to you that are now filled, because you shall be hungry. (Luc. 6.23.) In like manner God speaketh by the mouth of the Prophet Isaias, saying. Serui mei comedent, & vos esurietis etc. Behold my servants shall eat, and you shall be hungry. (Isai. 65.) Behold my servants shall drink, and you shall be thirsty, my servants shall rejoice, and you shall be confounded, my servants shall praise with joyfulness of heart, & you shall cry for sorrow, and for contrition of spirit you shall howl: And the wise man giveth us this counsel: Ante obitum tuum, operare bonum, etc. Before death, work thy good, because thou shalt find no meat with them in hell. Eccl. 14.  
Alas thou gluttonous companion, consider that extreme hunger, and thirst, which thou shalt endure in hell, where thou shalt have nothing, but thine own flesh to feed upon, Vnusquisque carnem brachij sui vorabit, etc. (Isay. 9) Every one shall devour the flesh of his own arm, saith the Prophet Isay. Speaking of the damned: Dost thou know miserable glutton, what thy fare shall be in hell? wormwood and gall: Ecce ego cibabo vos absynthio etc. Behold I will feed you with wormwood, and will give you gall to drink: saith the Prophet jeremy. (jerem. 23.15.) Dost thou know sinner, for whom thou shalt be meat? for death itself: Sicut oves in inferno etc. They are put in hell like sheep, death shalt feed upon them. (Psal. 48.) Alas foolish and mad gluttons, what will you do then, when having nothing to refresh yourselves with all, you shall perish for hunger, but although you might have all the dainty dishes, which the world could afford you, they would in no wise, satisfy your appetite.  
The seaventh punishment, shall be an intolerable thirst: As we read, the rich glutton was her with cruelly tormented, when he cried out; Father Abraham etc. (Luc. 16.) And it followeth; that I may cool my tongue, for I am tormented grievously in this flame: Vae qui consurgitis ad ebrietatem etc. Woe to you that rise up early to follow drunkenness, and to drink, even until evening, that you may be inflamed with wine. (Isay. 5.) and Solomon saith. Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their meetings, which take flesh together to eat, for they that are given to drinking, and that pay shotts, shall be consumed: Alas wretched and covetous persons, which would never give so much as a cup of cold water to him that was thirsty, nor a small morsel of bread to the poor, needy, and hungry: this hunger, and thirst shall molest, vex and torment you, above all others, Fili recordare etc. Son remember, that thou hast received good things in thy life time, and Lazarus evil things: Thus doth Abraham speak to the rich glutton: The same I may say to you rich covetous men, who will not show pity or commiseration to any: Alas, how woefully shall all those pine away with hunger, who in this world have gorged themselves with wine and sugared sops, and have enlarged their possessions with the goods of the needy, and distressed, with the rents and living belonging to te church? Fumus tormentorum etc. The smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever, and they shall have no rest day or night, sayeth S. john in his Apocalypse. (Apoc. 14.11.) And the Psalmist sayeth. Laborabit in eternum, he shall labour for all eternity, and shall live yet unto the end. Psal. 48.9.  
The eight punishment of the damned shall be, to be fast bound and chained: Our Lord affirmeth it in the Gospel: Ligatis manibus: Bind him hands, and feet, and cast him into utter darkness: Iniquitates capient impium, his own iniquities shall overtake the wicked, and he shall be linked with the cords of his sins, sayeth Solomon. (Prou. 5.22.) Congregabuntur congregatione unius fascis: They shall be gathered together, in the gathering of one bundle, and shall be shut there in prison. (Isay. 24.22.) Alligate eos in fasciculos, etc. Bind them into bundles to burn, saith our Lord, speaking of the Tares of the field, (Math. 13.30.) whereby the damned & reprobate are understood: Consider sinner what a multitude of bundles of men and women, shall be in hell, for they that have been participant of the same crimes, and defiled themselves in the like offences, shall be gathered together, into the same bundle, to receive most cruel torments▪ woe to you, who will not pardon, nor so much as look upon your enemies, what will you do then, when you shall be fast chained to those, to whom in this world, you did bear deadly malice and hatred?  
The ninth punishment, shall be obscure darkness, and thick smoke: Terra miseriae, & tenebraerum: A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death is, and no order, but everlasting horror inhabiteth. Although indeed there shall be great darkness, yet the divine justice hath so ordained, that one damned shall clearly see another: That of this mutual beholding of one another, their torments may be the more increased and augmented.  
The tenth punishment is, an intolerable filthiness of that foul, horrible, and stinking hell, that nothing can possibly be compa-with it: Go to now sinner, consider how thou shalt be shut up and bound fast, in this place, having no hope at all, ever to come out again: O the calamity, and misery of mortal men? who cast themselves headlong down thither, for just nothing: Quae videntur temporalia sunt, quae non videntur eterna. The things that are seen, are temporal, and transitory: but those things that are not seen, are eternal, and everlasting, saith the holy Apostle. (2. Corin. 4.18.) Your delights, and pleasures (sinners) are very short: but the torments of hell, to which you hasten, are of long continuance: your pasttimes vanish away, like smoke, but your punishments shall be permanent: your sports & merry conceits, quickly consume, and pass away like a cloud, but your troubles & afflictions, shall never have an end.  
Alas therefore, sinners, return at length to God, why do you not forsake your iniquities, and transgressions? why do you not fly the devil, your cruel, and deadly enemy? woe to you sinners, men, and women, who live as if you should never die? who take no care for the time to come, but pursue your wicked and sinful course of life, even as if you had no souls to save, neither were there any hell to torment you: Sweet jesus, for his clemency, and tender mercy, open your eyes: Sweet jesus for his most bitter death and passion sake, change and turn your hearts: jesus the true son of almighty God, and the B.U. Marie, his dear beloved Mother, bring you back again into the right path of salvation, that you may not be damned in the bottomless pit of destruction,  
Amen.   

The Seventh Trumpet, of the society, and company, which a sinner draweth with him, in life, death, and after death. THE XXXIV. CHAPTER.  
ET septimus Angelus tubâ cecinit. And the seventh Angel sounded the Trumpet. (Apoc. 8.) Hear now at length, the last Trumpet sounding, which if it shall nothing, move thee, thou givest me but small hope of thy salvation: Consider a while, sinner, whose companion thou shalt be, so long as thou livest: Afterwards we will speak of thy company in death, and after death: Et societas nostra etc. And our society is with the Father, and the Son, sayeth S. john, speaking of good men. (1. john. 1.3) O happy and fortunate men, wheresoever they go, they have the Angels, and God himself, in their company, for where two or three, are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, (Math. 18.20.) But sinner, who shall associate thee? Alas wretch, the devil, shall be thy daily companion, and attendant; For what end and purpose? That he may tumble, & fling thee down headlong, that he may kill, and murder thee, that he may enforce thee to commit all kinds of vices, and lastly, that he may carry thee with him into hell: The Doctors affirm, a certain devil to be assigned to every man, who doth continually watch, and follow him, nor ever leaveth him while he liveth, that he may entrap and ensnare his soul: What then sinners do you? can you for all this, sleep, and short, seeing, that the devil every day watcheth so narrowly for your destruction? Can you so carelessly neglect your own salvation, and suffer the devil always to busy himself in the work of your damnation? will you not yet take any thought upon this matter? Are you still delighted with so mischievous a companion? Mad men, and cruel against your own sinful souls! O wicked and senseless creatures, which are so in humane against yourselves.  
Ponder, sinner, that whithersoever thou walkest, there is a devil ready to be thy lackey: Think how sometimes, he goeth before, sometimes he followeth, one time on the right hand, another time on the left hand, now he goeth before to overthrew thee, now he followeth, providing snares to catch thee, now he standeth at thy left hand, by calamities, and distresses, to bring thee to despair: and by, and by, he is on thy right hand, by honours, and dignities to puff thee up with pride, and arrogancy, thereby to give thee a greater fall. Consider when thou eatest, he is about thee, to make thee exceed by gluttony. When thou speakest, that thou mayest stumble, & falter in thy speech: Think that when thou awakest, he causeth thee to be drowsy, when thou sleepest, he deludeth thee by strange visions, and deceits, many subtle devices, many deceits, and crafty sleights doth he imagine: How many nets, how many snares doth that tyrant lay for the miserable souls of sinful men? In how many ways and comers, doth that enemy sit lurking, to spoil, rob, and murder all passengers? Fratres sobrij estote &c Brethren be you sober and watch, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour, sayeth the holy Apostle S. Peter. (1. Pet. 5.8.) which worthy sentence, our holy Mother the church, hath appointed to be daily sung at Compline in all places, where the divine office is said: Circuivi terram, etc. I have compassed about the earth, and walked along through it, sayeth the devil to God, ask of him, from whence he came. job. 2.2.  
What is the reason, why the devil so vieweth the world? why he walketh through the earth so diligently? for your souls, for your souls I say; God & his Angels, seek to save your souls, the devil with all greediness thirsteth after your damnation: Da mihi animas etc. Give me the souls, take thou the rest, saith Abraham. (Gen. 14.21.) The devil saith the like to man; the true servants and worshippers of God, are inflamed with desire to win souls: so likewise all the devils hate them with extreme indignation, never ceasing until they have brought them, as low as hell: The Angels and good men, and the devils are merchants of souls, but after a different manner. For the first, by all means endeavour to conduct them into heaven, but the latter to make shipwreck of them, in the bottomless pit of hell: That soul maketh an ill, and an unlucky journey, which taketh the devil for her companion, serving him daily by sin, contemning God, and rejecting his most sacred law: But on the other side, that soul maketh a prosperous journey, which followeth the Angels, and Gods servants, for they will assuredly lead her into paradise, show her the way which they have trodden, namely the keeping, and true observing of the divine precepts, & commandments. Thine Angel Guardian (sinner) will never forsake thee, so long as thy soul remaineth in thy body, exciting thee to shun evil, and to choose that which is good: The devil a most cruel tyrant, thy companion, will not be idle about thee, but will provoke thee unto all sorts of wickedness, & tragression.  
Now then (sinner) how dost thou behave thyself towards thy good Angel? how dost entertain this thy most faithful, and loving keeper? Alas silly miscreant thou refusest thy good Angel, and thy blessed Saviour, to join thyself to the infernal Prince of darkness, whom thou servest with all homage, diligence, and industry. Consider (sinner) with what straight obligation thou art bound to God, and thy good Angel, who continually defendeth, and accompanieth thee, & keepeth thee from the assaults, and snares of innumerable damned spirits: Think how many years are passed, wherein thou hast lived in the sure custody of infernal enemies, offending, dishonouring, and despising thy God, who all this time hath expected thee, ready to embrace thee in his arms stretched out upon the cross, there manifesting his benignity, mercy, love, and charity towards thee: It is not long since, sinners, that the devil would have quite destroyed you, and have carried you hence, had not the goodness and clemency of our most sweet, and mild jesus, hindered, & withstood him, who gently preserved you alive, expecting, & looking that you should do penance, calling you by inward motions, and inspirations, and admonishing you, by wholesome instructions of devout preachers, and spiritual books.  
Consider wicked, and forlorn sinner, how great thine ingratitude hath been against God, who so earnestly desireth thy conversion, saying. Conuertimini ad me, turn to me, in your whole heart. (joel. 2.) Turn to me, and I will turn unto you, sayeth God. (Zach 1.) Turn then speedily unto him, as to your loving God, sinners, seeing that his tender mercy so kindly invites you. Wilt thou leave him (sinner) to take the devil? take heed what thou dost. Nunquid non ipse est Pater tuus? Is not he thy Father, that hath possessed thee? hath not he made thee, and created thee? It is a nation without counsel, and wisdom: O that they were wise, and would provide for their last end, sayeth the holy scripture. (Deut. 32.) O the blindness of man! O the madness of a sinner! who forsaketh his God to follow a most terrible devil. Remember well, and call to mind, sinner, that he is thy God, that hath created thee, that alone hath redeemed thee, with his most precious blood.  
Tell me I pray thee (sinner) whose air is this wherewith thou breathest? Whose earth is this which sustaineth thee, and holdeth thee up? The water which washeth thee, the fire which warmeth thee, whose I say, are all these, but Gods? who gave thee clothing, wherewith thou coveredst thy nakedness? hadst thou not it from God? from thy jesus? Who giveth thee bread to eat, water to drink, but only thy God? wilt thou then be unthankful unto him, who bestoweth so liberally these benefits upon thee? who affordeth thee health? Who maintaineth thy life? is it not God that gave the same unto thee? My God and sweet Saviour, my benign, clement, merciful, & loving God, what justice, and equity is it, that we should all be converted unto thee? It is good for me to cleave to God, to put my hope in our Lord my God, said the holy Prophet, who knew how many great good things proceeded to him from his God. (Psal. 72.) but you, forlorn sinners, and silly miscreants, are so fare from desiring to come to God, who is willing & able to purge and sanctify you, that willingly, and with free consents, you associate your selves with the devil, who will make you devilish, like unto himself, when as otherwise you might be made one with God by the ardour of love and charity: Deus charitas, est etc. (joan. 4.) God is charity, and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him, sayeth S. john: If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our mansion with him. (joan. 14.) Delitiae meae etc. My delight is to be with the sons of men. Behold here the inexcogitable felicity of the good, & the ineffable misery and calamity of the wicked: for the good shall remain in the blessed company of almighty God, but the wicked, and transgressors, shall for ever be shut up amongst the damned crew of infernal devils.  
To conclude, assure thyself (sinner) that whether thou eatest, or drinkest, whether thou sit, or walk, whether thou sleep, or wake, or what thing soever thou dost, thou art always in the company of innumerable devils, who daily stand attending thee, ready to carry thee along with them into hell. And again, persuade thyself, that they would not be long without the prey of thy poor soul, if God's clemency, and the custody of Angels were not present to defend it from them: Our Lord by the merits of S. Marie Magdalen (in remembrance of whose conversion, the church every year solemnly celebrateth her festival day) so change the minds of sinners, but especially, of those, who are to read this little work, that, utterly forsaking the familiarity of the wretched devils, and damned spirits, they may obtain a heavenly society, and friendship, with jesus Christ, their God, their Father & Creator, world without end, Amen. And I humbly beseech every one, that shall read this book, that he would pray for me miserable sinner, living or dead: Sweet jesus bless us all:  
Amen.   

IN THE NAME OF THE Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Amen:  
Of the society which sinners have in their death, and how dangerous their state is about the hour of their death. THE XXXV. CHAPTER.  
IT is an old Proverb (sinner) well known unto thee. Qui malè vivit, malè moritur. He that life's ill, dieth ill: What then dost thou suppose will become of thee, who hast lead so wicked a life so many years? It may be, thou wilt say, with S. Paul, diues est in misericordia etc. (Ephes. 2.) God is rich in mercy, and will show singular clemency unto me in death: But this befalleth but to very few, for although some sinners have been saved at the last gasp, as it happened to the good thief, yet woe to them who sin, presuming upon such a confidence; Paenitentiam in extremis nec damnamus, nec approbamus, we neither approve of, nor condemn repentance deferred to the last end, sayeth S. Augustin: It is only known to God, what such men's cases shall be: This is most certain, that all sinners, that are saved, must have an exceeding great, and perfect sorrow for all their offences, and injuries, whereby they have offended his divine Majesty: But who is he that shall be assured to have this consideration with himself, how he hath formerly lived, in sin and iniquity, to have a sufficient contrition & sorrow for offending God, at the time of his death? Let no man seduce you by idle, and frivolous words, sayeth S. Paul. Ephes. 5.  
What then sinner, canst thou be so foolish, as once to harbour such a thought in thy mind, that the devil, thine adversary, who hath been thy companion all the course of thy life, will leave and forsake thee at thy death? be wiser than so, for otherwise thou wilt be fare deceived, yea rather, at that time he will show all his malice, and use the greatest care and diligence that he can, to obtain the victory, so long desired of him: Then shalt thou behold the uggely shape of thy infernal companion, then shalt thou clearly see, how horrible his countenance is, for then God will permit thee to discern him whom thou hast served, and to whom thou hast bound thyself as slave for so many years.  
Alas (sinner) what will't thou say, when the devil, boasting & exulting over thee, will terrify thee with his fearful deformed face? If happily thou purpose to go from him, and to return to Christ by doing penance for thy former lewed life, than he will demonstrate, and lay open before thine eyes, some subtle deceits, and fallacies which before he kept secret: Alas wretch, with how many difficulties will he then circumvent thee? and the more, because thou shalt not know what to answer in thine own behalf: thou shalt be sore beset on every side, and prevail nothing at all, thou shalt be cast headlong into the gulf of eternal perdition: Alas miserable, unfortunate, and forlorn sinners, you will then have no time to take an inward hatred of your heinous crimes, and misdeeds: The devil will stand in your presence, alleging, and reciting all your enormous faults, and offences, declaring them to the full: to the which you will not know what to answer, or to make any excuse, for yourselves.  
Hearken (sinners) to a terrible example, which maketh for our purpose, and is related of john Climachus, in the eight sermon of his book of sermons, the history is thus: A certain Monk called Stephen, dwelling in mount Sinai, was wonderfully delighted with the tranquillity of a solitary life, who (as this author reporteth) was adorned with rare virtues, learning for many years together, to become a valiant soldier of jesus Christ: This religious man, the day before he died, would some times look on the right side, other times on the left side of his bed, as though there were some present, that demanded a very strict account of all the things which ever he had done: We indeed, saw no body sayeth he, to talk thus with him, yet sometimes he would say, Truly so it is, again he would say, I grant it, but this I have confessed, and for the same, I have fasted, & lamented so long a time: Another while, he would say, it is true, and presently after, you belie me, it is not so, I never committed any such crime, them shortly after, he would tell them, verily, you accuse me unjustly, and lay this infamy undeservedly upon me; But this most of all amazed us, when he said, I yield, that it is true, neither do I know what to reply, or answer for myself: yet I put my trust in God who is merciful: so that this obscure judgement which none there present did understand, was most terrible to relate, but especially in this, that the devils should accuse him of things which he never did: O wretch, that I am, to what straight was that Anachoret brought into, a true lover of a solitary, and an heremitical life! who after that he had continued a monk for forty years, and had shed forth many profitable tears, yet after all this, he affirmed that he could not say any thing for himself, or give a sufficient answer to excuse his offences: Woe, woe then to us: where was that large promise which almighty God had made by the mouth of his holy Prophet Ezechiell? Si impius egerit paenitentiam. (Ezech. 18.27.) If the wicked shall do penance for all the sins which he hath wrought; all his iniquities which he hath done, I will not remember: He could answer nothing, nor allege this in his behalf, whereupon, God is only to be praised and extolled, who knoweth the cause and reason of all things: And so much the more, for that some monks affirmed, that this Stephen so long as he lived in the desert, fed and nourished a Leopard with his own hands: yet this Heremit, of such fame, and note in the world, being called to give an account of his life, left no certainty behind him, what sentence passed on him, whither he was accepted before God or no. This history Climachus relateth.  
Have you given ear to this, sinners? how is it then, that you live so securely, being contaminated with vices and loathsome sins, supposing that you shall die well enough, when Alas you hear that so famous an Heremit, a man of such notable sanctity, who did great penance full forty years, now dying, had nothing to answer, when a reckoning was to be made? O how narrowly shall our life be discussed, and examined, when we shall be summoned by death, to appear before the tribunal seat of almighty God, to render a strict account of the same?  
We read in the Chronicles of our sacred order, that when a certain brother died, who had lived well, and devoutly, and given good example to all the comunitie, a Doctor of divinity being slack in performing his office, which was, to say Mass for this dead brother, according to his obligation, thinking indeed, that seeing he had lived so virtuously, he did not stand in any need thereof; Hereupon, one day, betimes in the morning, this deceased religious, appeared unto him, and said. Salue Magister, ubi est illa charitas, quâ te sacrificium pro me facturum promiseras? God save you Sir, what is become of your charity, in that you promised to offer, the holy sacrifice of the Mass for my soul? I thought (replied the divine) you had no need thereof; No need of it, said the other? utinam scires quàm severé negotium in morte transigatur. I would to God thou knewest how severely our business is handled after death? Know thou, that I am punished in purgatory, with most grievous pains and torments, for which if thou wilt offer this holy sacrifice for me, forthwith I shall be freed: when he had said this, he departed, and the Doctor fulfilled his promise.  
Alas therefore sinners, take heed what you do, refrain from your mischievous acts, do penance for your former offences, delay not, diligently to cast up your account: Lord God almighty, cleave in sunder the stony hearts of wandering sinners, that thou mayest be worshipped, and poor souls redeemed with thy most precious blood, may be saved: Take away Lord jesus, and utterly destroy the power of Satan, which he so long hath exercised with all cruelty, against the miserable souls of men, that so this damned spirit may be put to utter shame, and confusion: thy holy name be praised and glorified, and sinful souls delivered,  
Amen.   

Of the society which the soul of a sinner hath after death. THE XXXVI. CHAPTER.  
ITe maledicti etc. Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels: Is not this the sentence (sinners) which jesus Christ the judge, will pronounce in the last judgement, against the reprobate, who have died in mortal sin? go ye cursed into everlasting fire, in the company of all the devils: Consider therefore what associates you shall have after death, think that you shall be amongst the most cruel enemies of your souls: But how long shall you tarry with that cursed crew? for one? ten? or a thousand years? yea for ever, miscreants, and for all eternity: Alas what misery? Alas what torments and pain will you have to continue, imprisoned in that infernal dark dungeon? Ponder that after death thou shalt be wholly in the devil's custody, where thou mayest be sure, that these deadly enemies of God, and of mankind, will use all cruelty to afflict thee, which possibly they can device: When, I pray thee will the devil begin his dominion over thee, in respect of thy soul? In the very day of thy death, and departure out of this life: for so soon as thy soul shall leave thy stinking and vile body, presently will these cruel fiends lay hold upon her, and entertain her with store of tortures: Consider with what fury, and madness, they will take possession of thy soul: Think what strange kinds of torments they will invent to punish her? O there is nothing which we can excogitate so horrible as this: Know for certain, that after death & judgement, the devil may dispose of thee, as he listeth, as well for thy body, as thy soul.  
Alas obdurate sinner, cannest thou imagine, that thou hast no need to do penance, seeing that thou hast delighted thyself with all carnal pleasures, and lasciviousness, even to the full? Thou art deceived wretch, if thou suppose, that thy body, which for so many years together, hath been exposed to all abominable vices, shall not at last receive recompense for its former lewednes: Thou greedy glutton which Epicure-like, makest a God of thy belly, dost thou not expect the wages which thou hast deserved? Thou bloody companion, which desirest nothing more than to be revenged of thine enemies, mangling their bodies at thy pleasure, dost thou think to go unpunished, or that, infernal fiends, shall not in the same sort, dilacerate and disjoint all the parts, and members of thy body? O the madness, and blindness of mankind? which unawares, casteth itself down headlong into hell? what wilt thou do wretched sinner, when thou shalt be brought from one company of devils to another, fare worse, and more furious? What wilt thou say, lascivious maid, when thou shalt be tortured in one part of hell, and from thence in a sudden be thrust into another, where an infinite multitude of executioners expecteth thee? What course will you take sinful men and women, when you shall see your selves daily to be punished with new, and strange devised punishments?  
Consider sinner, that thy pleasures and pastimes are but transitory: call to mind, wanton woman, how that beauty will decay, thy comely countenance be consumed, and thy body become a prey for devils: Tell me I pray thee lewed woman, hast thou never seen any one possessed in all thy life? dost thou remember how the damned spirits toss those miserable creatures, & torture their bodies in most pitiful manner? Go to then, and consider, how they will deal with thee, when they shall get thee, in their regiment, when by the divine justice, thou shalt be delivered up into their hands, to be afflicted both in body and soul: Consider seriously, if those which the devils possess, are handled of them, in this sort, upon whom as yet, they have no power at all, but only so fare as God doth give them leave, for they have power over the body alone, but nothing to do with the soul: what will then become of thee, when both in body, and soul, thou shalt be wholly delivered up to their cruelty? which is not the same case with possessed persons, because they are very seldom tormented of more devils than one at the same time: woe to you men and women, which now disquiet not your thoughts with these things? for afterwards you will feel the smart, for your negligence.  
What (sinner) dost thou think, that it will profit thee any thing, if thou complain and say; Alas you afflict me, leave off, punish me no longer, and commiserate my poor case? No, Noah, it is otherwise, yea the more thou shalt bewail, the greater blows shall they lay upon thee. What canst thou reply, that thy grief and torments might be diminished? The time will never come in which these grievous pains shall cease: Ite in ignem, etc. go (sayeth our Saviour) into eternal fire, who shall reject thee with terrible sentence, and adjudge thee to these perpetual flames. What punishment will it be unto thee, when thou shalt call to mind the angry countenance of Christ jesus, whom after death thou didst behold in judgement? Good God; Numquid qui cadit, non resurget? Shall not he that falleth, rise again? and he that is turned away, shall he not turn again? why then is this people turned away with a contentious revolting (sayeth the Prophet jeremy 8.4.)? It is man's frailty to fall, angelical purity to amend, and devilish malice to persevere in sin, as a certain Doctor affirmeth.  
Alas Brethren and sisters, sinners, be not so careless of the time to come, return to your God, be sorry for your offences committed, & earnestly beg pardon for them of the divine clemency, whose property, is to forgive sinners; Deus cui proprium est misereri etc. God whose propriety, is, to have mercy, and to spare, sayeth our holy Mother the church, receive our humble petitions, that the pittifulnes of thy mercy, may gently absolve us, and all thy servants, whom the chains of their offences have fast bound: Return to your Lord God, and get again into favour with your sweet jesus: Are you afraid (sinners) that he will not receive you? think not so sinners: Misericordia Domini plena est terra, the earth is full of the mercy of our Lord, and his tender compassions are over all his works, saith the holy Prophet David; Fidelis sermo, etc. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. (1. Tim. 1.15.) Meditate a while upon the great love wherewith thy God was moved to come down from heaven, and to dwell upon the earth for thee, he was made man for thee, and for thy sake after thirtie-three years spent in austerities, contempts and reproaches, he shed his most precious blood upon the cross: Alas this alone aught to be sufficient, to break in pieces your stony hearts, to bring you back again into the right path.  
O jesus my love, through virtue of thy holy name, convert sinners and those that go astray, take commiseration of their sinful state: pardon them, and be reconciled with them, that they may avoid and shun the tyranny of the devil; Grant this, my sweet jesus I humbly beseech thee, through the merits of thy death, and passion, through thy most precious blood, which thou didst shed for me, and for all sinners upon the holy wood of the cross: Grant this I beseech thee, for the love of thy most sacred passion, for the love of thy most dear, and pure Mother: Grant this mercy, my beloved jesus, to all sinners, for thy exceeding great clemency, give them pardon, and forgiveness, in honour of thy Angels and blessed Saints,  
Amen.   
IN THE NAME OF THE Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Amen:  
FINIS.   

A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS.  
THE 1. CHAPTER. 
THE division of the Seven Trumpets.  The 2. Chapter. 
The first Trumpet of God's grievous complaint of a sinner.  The 3. Chapter. 
Of the infinite wrong wherewith a sinner by sinning, doth offend the divine Majesty.  The 4. Chapter. 
The second Trumpet of the deformity of sin.  The 5. Chapter. 
Here followeth the same matter of the deformity of sin.  The 6. Chapter. 
In what hatred sin is, in the sight of almighty God.  The 7. Chapter. 
The third Trumpet, of the detriment that sin bringeth to a soul in this life.  The 8. Chapter. 
Other damages and losses, which a soul receiveth by reason of sin.  The 9 Chapter. 
That a soul by sin, looseth the friendship of God.  The 10. Chapter. 
That a soul by sin, doth lose the grace of God.  The 11. Chapter. 
Of the terrible sentence which is given upon a soul, at the instant that it sinneth.  The 12. Chapter. 
That man may easily sin, but cannot of himself rise from thence.  The 13. Chapter. 
How good works, done in sin, do perish and are of no merit.  The 14. Chapter. 
The fourth Trumpet, of the loss that a sinner suffereth through sin at his death.  The 15. Chapter. 
Of the last and deadly disease, and damage of the soul, and that after this life, there is no recovery.  The 16. Chapter. 
Of the separation of the soul from God, in the article of death.  The 17. Chapter. 
Of the terror which the devil striketh into a soul, in the moment of death.  The 18. Chapter. 
Of the fearful presence of the judge in the instant of death.  The 19 Chapter: 
Of the gnawing of the conscience, which after a terrible manner shall molest a sinner dying.  The 20. Chapter. 
Of the separation of the soul from the body, and of the great dolours and afflictions, which follow at that time and instant.  The 21. Chapter. 
Of the place whether the soul goeth, so soon as it departeth out of the body.  The 22. Chapter. 
Of the dead body, & carcase of man, and of the misery of the same, after the separation of the soul.  The 23. Chapter. 
The fift Trumpet, of the loss that sin bringeth at the day of judgement.  The 24. Chapter. 
Of the fearful signs which shall appear before the day of judgement: by the consideration whereof, many sinful souls may be saved, which otherwise might perish.  The 25. Chapter. 
Of the resurrection of the dead, and how that all men which are dead from the beginning of the world, do die, and shall die unto the end of the same, shall be revived again.  The 26. Chapter. 
Of the coming of the judge to judgement, and of the great fear which his coming will strike into the hearts of sinners.  The 27. Chapter. 
Of the great shame, wherewith all the damned shall be confounded, in the day of judgement, before almighty God, and the whole world.  The 28. Chapter. 
Of the fearful sentence which jesus Christ will pronounce at the day of judgement, blessed and happy are they who seriously ponder it in their hearts, and souls, for this is the most compendious way to forsake sin, and to turn unto God.  The 29. Chapter. 
Of the going, and departure of the damned to hell, in the company of all the devils.  The 30. Chapter. 
The sixth Trumpet: Of the damage that sin bringeth to a soul in hell, and of the most grievous punishments wherewith the damned are there tormented.  The 31. Chapter. 
Of the fire of hell, and the pains of sense which the damned do suffer in the company of devils.  The 32. Chapter. 
Of the diversity of punishments, wherewith the damned souls are tormented, without any hope of intermission or mitigation.  The 33. Chapter. 
Of the fift, sixth, and other above mentioned punishments, which the damned suffer in hell.  The 34. Chapter. 
The Seventh Trumpet, of the society, and company, which a sinner draweth with him, in life, death, and after death.  The 35. Chapter. 
Of the society which sinners have in their death: and how dangerous their state is about the hour of their death.  The 36. Chapter. 
Of the society which the soul of a sinner hath after death.    


APPROBATIO.  

EX mandato Reverendi admodum Patris nistri Fatris joannis Genings, Provincia Angliae satrum Minorum Ministri Custodis, diligentius perlegi has septem Tubas, Reverendi Patris Frat. Bartholomei Saluthij, è lingua Latina in Anglicam fideliter transpositam, quas peccatorum auribus insufflandas iudico.  
Datum Duaci 23. Novemb. 1625. Fr. Franciscus à S. Clara Sacrae Theol. Lector, & Conuentus Duaceni Guard. indig.   

VIsa approbatione Reverendi Patris Fratris Francisci à S. Clara Sacrae Theol. Lector, obseruatis obseruandis secundum institutionem sacrorum canonum, per me imprimi liceat, in Collegio nostro,  
Duac. S. Bonaventura 23. Novemb. 1625. Fr. joannis Genings Provinciae Angliae Min. Custos.    

The Approbation.  

BY command of our Reverend Father, Brother john Geninges, Superior of the Province of England, of the holy Order of S. Francis, I have diligently perused these Seven Trumpets, of the Re. Fa. Bro. Saluthius, translated out of Latin into English; which I judge most necessary, to excite sinners to repentance.  
Bro. Francis of S. Clare Reader of Divinity.   

Having seen the Approbation of the Reverend Father Bro. Francis of S. Clare, Reader of Divinity, supposing that the ordinations of the holy Canons be observed, I give my leave for the Impression.  
Bro. john Geninges, Minister Custos of the English Province.