A RIGHT FRVITfull admonition, concerning the order of a good Christian man's life, very profitable for all manner of Estates, and other to behold and look upon. Made by the famous Doctor Colete, sometime deane of Paul's.  
¶ Imprinted at London for Gabriel Cawood. 1577.   

A fruitful monition, concerning the order of a good Christian man's life, very profitable for all manner of Estates, and other to behold and look upon.  
REmember first of all (virtuous reder) that it is high wisdom and great perfection, thyself to know, and then thyself to despise. Thou must know that thou haste no thing that good is of thyself, but of god: For the gifts of nature, and all other temporal gifts of this world, which been lawfully and truly obtained, well considered, been come to thee by the infinite goodness and grace of God, & not of thyself. But in especial it is necessary for thee to know that God of his great grace hath made thee his Image, having regard to thy memory, understanding, and free will, and that God is thy maker, & thou his wretched creature, & that thou art redeemed of God by the passion of Christ jesus, and that God is thy helper, thy refuge, and thy deliverer from all evil, and to consider and know the goodly order which god of his infinite wisdom hath ordained thee to be ordered by. As to have these temporal goods for the necessity of thy body: the body and sensual appetites to be ordered by thy soul: thy soul to be ordered by reason and grace: by reason and grace to know thy duty to God and to thy neighbour, & by all common reason if thou keep this convenient order to god & his creatures, they shall keep their order to thee: But if thou break thine order to them, of likelihood they shall break their order to thee. For how should thy wife, children, servants, and other creatures, with the which thou hast doings, do their duty, and keep their order to thee, if thou dost not so to God and to them? And also think thou of a surety, that if thy sensual appetite be not ordered by reason & grace, thou art worse ordered than a beast: for than thou livest out of order, and so doth not a beast, which is a great shame and rebuke to thee a reasonable creature, and without the great mercy of god, it shallbe to thine eternal damnation. And therefore think and thank God, and utterly despise thyself, and think thyself a great wretch, in that god hath done so much for thee, and thou hast so often offended his highness, and also done him so little service. Surely it is also great wisdom to think, that if it had pleased god for to have given to all other men (aswell beggars as other) like grace as he hath given to thee, that they would have served his goodness better than thyself hast done: Wherefore think thyself a wretch of all wretches, except the mercy of God: And therefore by his infinite mercy and grace, call unto thy remembrance the degree or dignity which almighty God of his goodness hath called thee unto, and according thereunto yield thy debt, and do thy duty.  
¶ First and principally, honour God as thy maker, love him as thy redeemer, fear him as thy judge. Secondarily, thy neighbour which is thy superior, obey: Have concord and peace with them which be even with thee in degree: & have mercy and pity on thine inferiors. Thirdly, provide thee to have a clean heart, and a good custody of thy tongue. Pray and take labour, by grace to have wisdom & cunning to do thy duty to God and to thy neighbour. And in all thy words & deeds have ever in mind, that god and his angels heareth and seeth every thing, and that nothing is so privily done, but it shall be made open. And in especial have in mind that thou shalt die shortly, & how Christ died for thee, the subtlety and falseness of this temporal world, the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell. And every morning, among other thy meditations and prayers, pray unto thy Lord God, that the day following, thou (according to the degree which he of his infinite goodness and mercy hath called thee unto) mayst use this temporal wretched world in thy thoughts, words, and deeds, that by them and the merit of Christ's passion, thou mayst eschew the pains of hell, and come to the joy everlasting. And in executing thereof keep truth in words and deeds. Defend no man, nor no matter, against the truth. In all things think and trust in God, and he shall direct thy ways. Trust not to thine own wit, but fear God, and he will keep thee from evil. If thou trust more in thine own wit than in the grace of God, thy policy shall be soon subverted. Be content to hear good counsel, though it be contrary to thy will: For he is a very fool that will hear nothing gladly, but that is according to his mind. Do thou no man harm, lest thou sufferest the same. As thou wouldst be done unto, so do thou unto other. Be such to other, as thou desirest they should be to thee. If thou be religious, remember that the due execution of true religion is not in wearing of the habit, but with a clean mind in very deed to execute the rules and ordinances of religion: For so it is, that to wear the habit and not to execute the rule and order of religion, is rather to be deemed hypocrisy, or apostatasie, than otherwise. If thou be lay and unmarried, keep thee clean unto the time thou be married. And remember the sore and terrible punishment of noah's stood, and of the terrible fire and brimstone and sore punishment of Sodom and Gomor, done to man for misusing of the flesh. And in especial call to remembrance the marvelous and horrible punishment of that abominable great pocks daily appearing to our sights, growing in and upon man's flesh, the which sore punishment (every thing well remembered) can not be thought, but principally for the inordinate misuse of the flesh. And if thou intend to marry, or be married, and hast a good wife, thank our Lord therefore, for she is of his sending. And remember that three things in especial been pleasant to the spirit of God, that is to say, concord between brethren, love and charity between neighbours, and a man and his wife well agreeing. And if thou have an evil wife, take patience, and thank God, for all is for the best, well taken: Howbeit thou art bound to do and pray for her amendment, lest she go to the devil, from whom she came. And have in remembrance, that the intent of marriage is not in the beastly appetite or pleasure in the thing, but the intent thereof is, to eschew the sin of the flesh, or else to have children. And if thou have children, as much as thou mayest bring them up in virtue, to be the servants of God: for it is better for thee and them not to be borne, than to be otherwise. In thine authority, busy thee rather to be beloved of thine inferiors, than to be dreaded. Let thy subjects and servants rather serve and obey thee for love, than for dread or need: With such a sovereign goodness govern thy subjects, that they may be glad to serve thee both in punishing and in cherishing. Keep a mannerly mean. Be not to strait. Forgive not to soon. Keep a convenient measure in all thy works. Go not to meat as a beast, but as a reasonable man, say thy grace, and then remember that more be sick and die by superfluities of meats, than otherwise. Wherefore eat with measure, to live in health▪ At thy meat have none other but honest communication, and such as is according to thy cunning. backbite not man. Be merry in honesty: For sorrow and care hath killed many, and no profit therein. In no wise swear, without compulsion of the law: For where as is great swearing, from thence is never the plague of God. In no wise brawl, ne chide without an urgent cause: For Solomon saith, better is a little with joy, than a house full of victual with brawling. Also he saith, An evil person is ever chiding, and therefore the Angel of God shall be sent against him. Be content at thy dinner, and also at other times, to give part of that which God hath sent thee: For he that will not hear the cry of a poor man, he shall cry to God, and not be heard. After thy meat thank God of that he hath sent thee, or else thou dost not as a reasonable man, but like a beast, which in eating remembreth nothing but his meat. With good providence and discretion see the time where, when, how, why, or wherefore thou speakest, dost, or biddest any thing to be done. When thou deemest or judgest any, be he poor or rich, behold and consider the cause, and not the person. Be as meek in other men's causes and offences, as in thine own. Sat never in doom and judgement without pity or mercy. For while thou hast pity, and art merciful to other men's offences, thou hast mercy on thyself: For in what measure thou measurest, it shall be measured to thee. Yet thou must execute judgement, but it must be with pity or mercy: For (of a surety) to do mercy and justice, is more pleasant to God, than to pray or to do sacrifice unto him. Deem no man by light suspections. First prove, and then deem. In doubts, reserve the sentence to God's might. That thou knowest not, commit it to God. Have little or none affection and love to these earthly and temporal things: For blessed is the rich man that trusteth not in his money and treasure. Remember, as a man loveth, so he is: For the lover is in the thing loved more properly, than in himself. Wherefore, if a man love earthly things, he may be called, An earthly man. And if he love principally heavenly things or God, he may be called, An heavenly or a godly man. And therefore love God and heavenly things, for undoubtedly that is best and most assured love, for they be, and ever shall be permanent, and all earthly things be soon vanished and ended, and so the love of them is in vain. Also it is wisdom to fear God: For as he sayeth himself, Fear not him that may kill the body, and can not hurt the soul: but fear him that can kill the body and also the soul, and commit them to everlasting pain, Wherefore, every evening ere thou go to bed, call to remembrance (as much as thou canst) thy thoughts, words, and deeds, said and done that day. And if any have been to thine own profit and to the pleasure of God, heartily thank him, for by his grace it was done. And if any have been contrary to his pleasure, ask heartily mercy, and reconcile thyself shortly by repentance, to eschew the everlasting and terrible pains of hell, For (as Saint Austin saith) there is not a greater madness, than for a little temporal delectation (which is soon done) to lose the eternal joy, and to be bound to everlasting pain: from the which the almighty Father of heaven by his infinite power and mercy, and bitter passion and infinite wisdom of jesus Christ, and by the infinite goodness and charity of the holy Ghost, keep us. Amen. Deo gratias.  
Use well temporal things.  
Desire eternal things.