Christ with Nicodemus 
CHRISTUS LOGNITUR CUM NICODEMO. Jo: 3.  
Nicodemus rightly Informed. John. 3.  
P. Boucho oxcudit    

THE ACADEMY OF True Wisdom: OR, THE SCHOOL OF VIRTUE.  
WHEREIN, One is your Master even CHRIST, Matth. 23.10.  
A WORK lately Compiled, and brought to its Ultimate Perfection,  
By J. W.  Come ye Children, harken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord, Psal. 33.22. 
ROTTERDAM, Printed for the Author, 1694.   

To the most Virtuous, and Right Honourable Lord Henry Arundel, Baron of Warder, and Count of the Empire, etc.  
My Lord,  
IF any of the Critics of this Age should censure my Access to your Lordship's acquaintance now, being an absolute Stranger to you before; I hope he will be throughly satisfied when I shall tell him, the Perfumes of your Virtuous and Pious Life, were so sweet, the Commendations given me of your most Illustrious and Ancient Family, so great, and extraordinary Charming, that I soon was moved to purchase so great and blessed a Treasure; for a Man must not, nor can he (if he would) be a Stranger to Virtue wherever 'tis lodged; being it is that perfect good which makes the compliment of a happy life, and it also has an attractive power to draw all mortals, even the most wicked among 'em to its admiration and praise.  
It's allowed by all who pretend to a perfect knowledge of your Lordship's Pedigree, that Fortitude (which we call the contempt of all hazards agreeing with reason) was the raising of your first Progenitor, and a worthy Prerogative ever since entailed on all his Posterity. Tradition which alone gives life to the best of Histories, and which alone can revive in our thoughts the memory and bravery too, of passed Transactions; will tell you that He was one of the greatest Hero's of his Age, a daring man, who feared nothing more than the weakness of being affected with Popular Glory; yet did the World extol very much the greatness of his Courage, the Wisdom of his Conduct, and the famous Renown of all his glorious actions in Hungary; where He was employed by his Imperial Majesty against the Turks, against whom he often fought, and so often worsted, that their insulting Courage failed them in so great a measure, 
Egesyppus Polows in his Remarks of Hunga●y.  as his very name became as dreadful to them, as that of Talbot was formidable to the French; nay it was with them an effectual means to quiet their unruly Children, to threaten them with the great Arundels coming.  
His Valour purchased him so great an Estimate with his General, that he was the only person of all his Field Officers, he relied upon to manage the most perilous erterprises of War, and such Adventures as were sufficient to terrify the most expert in Martial Discipline. He was no less in His Imperial Majesty's favour, Who had on several Occasions made experiment of his wise Conduct, firm Resolution, and great Courage; 
Epran on the South side of the Danube was taken by Sir Thomas Arundel of Warder in the year 1595. for which brave Action the Emperor Rodolphus created him a Count of the Empire.  and therefore having resolved in Counsel to lay Siege to a strong City which the Turks had possessed for several years before, He appointed him chief Commander of a considerable Army with Orders to reduce it to his Obedience, which he most willingly accepted; for he was more ambitious of being reputed Loyal to his Master, than made happy with all the Riches and Treasures of the World; whereupon he took leave of His Majesty, and immediately marched towards the place; where he was no sooner arrived, after having drawn his Lines, and provided all other necessary things for the security and welfare of his Camp, but he raised his Batteries, planted his Cannons, and in a short time made a considerable breach in the Walls; and then resolving upon a general Assault, he called a Council of War, and spoke to them in this manner. Gentlemen, the War we have in hand is glorious because it is for our Religion, We fight against a People that are Gods enemies as well as ours; and the work we are upon is both honourable and meritorious, for we are certain that He is altogether as powerful to defend us from the annoyance of our enemies, 
Aeternum gloriae pondus operatur in nobis. 2 Cor. 4.17.  and bring us off safe without the least harm, as He is bountiful to reward our Souls with an eternal weight of Glory, if we die in so good a Quarrel; moreover our Blood spilt upon so Christian account, will undoubtedly move the Heavens to shower down the sweet influences of their continual Blessings upon all our respective Families.  
This short and efficacious Speech inflamed the hearts of all his Officers and Soldiers so extremely, that they all Vowed unanimously to follow him; though they should lose their lives in the action; which he immediately began, and marching in the Front of them, gave the first onset like a Thundering Jove in his greatest Storm; 
Ovid Meta.  or like an angry Hector in his sharp Conflicts and Bloody Slaughters of the Grecian Legions before the Walls of Troy; 
Ovid Epist:  or like a furious Hercules in the Lybian Forest beating down the lofty Cedars and the aspiring Oaks that came in his way, so did he beat down to the very ground as many proud Turks and unbelieving Heathens as came within the reach of his dreadful strokes. He was the very first Person that entered the Breach, Sealed the Walls, and with his own hands pulled down the Half Moon, and planted the Spread Eagle in its place.  
This no less brave than bold Attempt deprived the Enemy of Courage, made 'em quit their Posts confusedly, and brought so great a Consternation upon the Citizens that they all laid down their Arms, 
Parcere subjectis, & debellare superbos, are two worthy properties of a Christian Conqueror.  and begged for mercy, which he was as forward to grant, as they were desirous to obtain it; to let them know, that as he had the Courage to subdue them, he had also the Piety to spare their lives. O what unspeakable Joy did the News of the taking of this strong City create in the Emperor's Court, and indeed over all Europe, but especially in all true English hearts? What an extraordinary satisfaction was it to them to hear and see their Noble Countryman so highly extolled by all the World for so great and so renowned a Victory? His Imperial Majesty was no less joyful at the good success of his English Champion, neither was he remiss to gratify him for so famous an Action, for at his return to Court he created him with all the Solemnity imaginable Count of the Empire, and entailed the same Honour upon the Heirs of his Family for ever, with many other Privileges and special Favours, which are inseparable from that Illustrious Title.  
The eternal Wisdom of God declares openly that such will be the Fruit as was the Tree, 
A Fructibus eorum cognoscatis eos Math. 7.16  and the goodness of the one may be easily discerned by th'other. My Lord, I have given you a true and faithful description of your most renowned Progenitor's great Achievements, Martial Exploits, Loyalty, Valour and Courage; by which we may reasonably conclude, that the whole Series of his noble and numerous Race were much of the same temper when occasion was offered; witness your raising a Regiment of Horse upon your own Cost and Charges for the defence and supporting King Charles the First, and his Royal Prerogatives against the basest of Usurpers, 
Oliver Cromwell.  the most cruel of Tyrants, and the very worst of Subjects; The several and perilous hazards you have exposed yourself to in manifesting your Loyalty, as well in Battles and Skirmishes, as in Storming and taking of Towns and Castles with as much Bravery as could be performed by the most expert in the Stratagems of War, will be a convincing Argument to after-Ages of the greatness of your Courage, and also a perpetual Evidence of your unspotted Loyalty, which was always reputed to be the chief ground of your happy Rise, the main support of your Noble Family, and will be in the other World a most glorious Flower to complete the Beauty of your Eternal Crown.  
But as Brave Men must expect to be tofsed when they Steer their course against the Stream of Fortune, and work against Wind and Wether; Almighty God who disposes of all things to the best advantage of his beloved Servants has suffered your noble Family to be notably suppressed for a time, and to groan under the heavy weight of great Persecutions and Troubles which were, in a manner, equal in number to the afflictions of Holy Job, 
Job 1.  for your Children were taken violently from you, and made close Prisoners, your Virtuous Lady was confined another way, your Plentiful Stock of Cows, Horses and Sheep driven away by the Rabble, your Mansion house taken and plundered by the Enemy; your whole Estate exposed to Sale before your Face, and yourself after all was forced to Travel into Foreign Countries for a subsistence, yet in all these disasters you were never heard to repine at your ill Fortune, 
In omnibus his non peccavit Job labiis suis neque stult m quid locutus est contra Deum. Job 1.21.22. Pliny of the Property of the Swallows.  for you accounted all your worldly Substance to be only adventitious, and the temporal Blessings which you had from God, A Deo data, and therefore you were as willing to part with them as he was free to recall them, in order to exercise your Patience. How well the generous dispositions of your noble mind agree with the inbred inclinations of those innocent Creatures of your Coat of Arms, appears in this, that you have performed by the light of Grace what they do only by the instinct of nature, for when any of their little ones happen to be afflicted with Blindness, they fly with all speed into a certain Island of the Sea, whence they bring a little Stone which they know has the virtue of restoring their fight, and you my Lord, in all your afflictions, have made your most humble and earnest addresses to Jesus, 
Esay 28.16.  who is the tried and precious Corner Stone lodged in Zion for a foundation, and who alone has the power to make all our afflictions (tho' never so bitter) sweet and comfortable. The Swallows have another property no less remarkable, they seem to touch the Earth with their Wings, yet the least grain of its Dust can't stick to their Feathers, because they are no sooner down, than up in the Skies out of all men's sight, and this your Lordship has always performed, for though your Fortune be considerable, and that you have a competent share of the World's wealth, yet nothing of its fleeting dross comes near your heart, already possessed with the love of God who will not admit of a Rival, neither are you resolved to entertain any, and though your Body has endured a close and tedious Confinement for Justice, your Thoughts have been all the time sporting themselves within the enclosure of a vast Eternity, or taking a fore-taste of the everlasting Joys and Pleasures of Heaven. 'Tis true, the manifold Calamities of those sad times were so sharp and terrible that many Catholic Families fell from their Religion, and went to Church rather than be deprived of their Estates and Live, but yours my Lord, was tied fast to the Anchor of Faith, and stood firm on Peter's Rock, unmoved with any external violence, or otherwise, so little moved, that all the Commotions and Troubles, the Malice and Rage of their miscreant Foes could invent in order to remove their hearts from God, were no more to them than is a shower of Hail on the Roof of a House, that crackles and skips off again, without doing any damage to the Inhabitants.  
'Tis nothing my Lord, for a Man to hold up his head in a Calm, but to maintain his Post when others have quitted their ground, and there to stand upright where others are beaten down, this is Divine and praise worthy, and this is what you have vigorously performed in your days; induced to it as well by the good instructions as the rare examples of your Noble Parents and Ancestors; for the one with th'other is very powerful to stir us up to Heroic actions; nay the History alone of such large and masculine Souls is able to inspire any Man with generous Thoughts, and make him long to be in Action, and doing something that may be beneficial to the World, as protecting the innocent, upholding the weak, delivering th'oppressed, relieving the poor, clothing the naked, cherishing the distressed Widows and Orphans; 
Job. 1.16.17.18. Tob. 1 20.  this was the only thing that the holy Job and the righteous Tobias did value themselves upon; It was likewise the pious and constant practice of your renowned Ancestors, and the same is now settled in your Lordship's Breast where it shines to all men's admiration, and no wonder, for your Table was never seen without Strangers no more than your Door without a number of Poor, whose several Necessitys were copiously supplied in due time and good order; you have besides preserved Thousands of His Majesty's Subjects from Starving, and Hundreds of the Irish Nation are obliged to your Lordship for their lives; this is Praiseworthy indeed, and the rather that they are a people which their Loyalty and their Zeal of Religion have depressed to the deepest abyss of misfortune, for besides losing all their earthly substance upon so honourable an account, they are hated, reviled, and spit at, even by those, that should in all equity and Justice love, respect and cherish them, and bring others to do the same by their own Examples!  
But as Abraham's liberality to Lot, 
Gen. 22.16.  with the greatness of his Faith, gained him the powerful Protection of Heaven, and the promise of a numerous Issue, I hope the same favours will attend your Lordship, and be the reward as well of your Charitable Inclinations for the Poor in general, as of the rare examples of Piety and Devotion you give your Children, and which they are faithful to follow as well at home as abroad; 
Moribus & vita nobilitatur homo.  and the rather, that they know them to be the essential Ornaments of true Nobility, and that without them, a Gentleman born is no more, than he who is a Clown by his Extraction.  
They know full well my Lord, that whoever converses with the proud shall be puffed up, that a lustful acquaintance makes a Man lascivious, and the way to secure a man from wickedness is to withdraw from the examples of it, it is too much to have them near us, but more to have them in us. They know likewise that ill examples, pleasure, and ease, are without doubt, great corrupters of manners; and as an ill Air may endanger a good Constitution, so may a place of ill examples endanger a good Man. There be some even of the highest rank who ought to influence their Inferiors with Piety and Devotion, that take a Privilege to be licentious, so that the meaner sort are hurried on by their ill examples to all manner of dissolution. And this perfect knowledge of the present Corruption of this unhappy Land, prevents them from hankering after such places or persons; and makes them take more pleasure in their Closets than they can expect to find in their debauched Company.  
'Tis this virtuous and godly disposition of your noble heart and Family which moved me to bring this pious work newly modelled, under the shadow of your gracious Protection. The very Title of the Book is able to make your Lordship affect the perusing of it, and I am certain the substance thereof will give a further increase to your Devotion, and also contribute much to the reducing strayed Souls to the right understanding of their Duty to God, which will redound to your greater Glory, being it is by your means it appears to the World out of the obscurity of my Confinement, who am  
Your Lordship's most humble and most Obedient Servant Jo. Weldon. C.J.   

THE Preface.  
WHen God the grand Architect of the Universe had completed the vast Fabric of this visible World and brought out of nothing the Heavens, the Earth, the Seas, and all that is contained within their Prccincts, to exhibit as yet a more remarkable instance, and a more glorious evidence of his Eternal Wisdom, he did fully resolve to start out of the Bowels of the Earth with a Faciamus, that Microcosm Man, and give him an ascendent power to keep all other Creatures in Subjection: He was moulded indeed (as to his Body) not very unlike to Terrene and Bruit Animals; but as to his Soul, if not equal with the Heavens and heavenly Spirits, at least be was not much inferior to them; for its certain that in the whole Universe thore's nothing worthy any difference (if compared with the Soul.) Gold, Silver, Jewels, Pearls, Fire, Moon, Stars, and the very Sun itself, which with its resplendent Beams brings a solemn joy over the whole surface of the Earth, are of no Estimate in her regard; because that with a Word only God gave them all both their rise and their office, which was to serve Man, and give him all their attendance. The wonderful Structure of humane Body is a sufficient demonstration of his Excellency, for, where as God had created all other things with a sole Dixit, as David says, he must come himself in person to the Creation of this little great Masterpiece; 
Gen. 1 26.  first he prepares the necessary matter for this Construction, than he Breathes into it the Spirit of Life, and after he shapes him to the likeness of the primitive and principal Beauty: But to what end? It was, says Scripture, with an effectual resolution to devolve upon him an absolute Supremacy over all the Fishes of the Sea, 
Ibid. 28.  the Fowls of the Air, and the Beasts of the Earth; so that Man even before he was wafted over from Nothing to a Being, was openly declared Lord of the whole Universe, and was after introduced thereinto, at to his Royal Palace, already furnished with all Necessaries and Varieties both for his subsistence and pleasure. But you must conceive that all this Honour was exhibited to him only upon the account of his participated resemblance of the Divine Trinity, by which alone he does infinitely exceed all terrene Creatures; so that every mortal Man may be deservedly termed a petty Divinity (especially when the Grace of God resides in his Soul. 
Psal 81.6. ) For you must know that he does not bear this resemblance of God in his Body, but within his Soul, because that God is a pure Spirit without any terrene medley, and consequently can't be perfectly represented by any Corporeal Image.  
It's then within the faculties of his Soul that Man bears that resemblance which gives him an ascendent power over all other earthly Creatures, viz. in his Memory, Understanding, and Will, where God is still Precedent, and constantly present as in his Image and Throne; so steady, that he is more intimate to the Soul, than she is to her own Substance: For the Eternal Father does replenish her Memory with his Omnipotency, the Son does illustrate her Understanding with his Wisdom, and the Holy Ghost does inflame her Will with his Charity; and even as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are not Three, but One God in Three distinct Persons; so the Memory is the Soul, the Understanding is the Soul, the Will is the Soul; yet not three Souls, but one in each Body, bearing those three distinct Dignitys, wherein the Image and likeness of God does shine to admiration.  
'Tis true, our Sins may deface this Image within our Souls, however they can't utterly blast it; for it is an inherent property in the Wicked as well as in the Just; but with this distinction, that the Righteous are a lively Image of God, whereas the Wicked are indeed a sort of an Image of God, but a very obscure one: however the Divine Bounty is so much enamoured with the Soul he devoted to himself with the impression of his Image to be his dearly beloved Spouse, that he can't be removed thence, though the Devil should worm out her consent to debase his Image with all the enormity Imaginable.  
Moreover the Soul leans over, and tends towards God her Spouse, with so great a weight of natural inclination, that nothing in this World is able to replenish her capacity, or satisfy her mind but he alone, who of his own Nature is Infinite good, incircumscript, and Immense. The Dignity and Excellency of the Soul must therefore be truly great, that all th'alluring objects, and attracting pleasures of this World can't content her, though they may barter her affections for a tract of time, and may perhaps now and then provoke her to their earnest and hot pursuit, yet they will never make her happy; for when she thinks to possess them, they fly away, and leave her nothing but an everlasting displeasure to have settled her affections upon 'em, she is of so unsatiable a capacity that all the munificence of the Universe is not able to content her; none but her Heavenly Spouse can afford her true Consolation, perfect Tranquillity and Joy without any medley of displeasure. Whatever Species she receives within her besides that of her Creator, whatever object she embraces besides her God, is Seditious, Killing, Vain, and savours more of perfect Gall, than of the sweet Honey of real Comfort.  
As for the Body, who is able to express the wonderful Fabric thereof; let us consider how the wise and Heavenly Architect has united those two Natures (the Body and Soul) so contrary one to th'other in all respects, and has linked them together with so sure a knot of true friendship, that they can't be separated without a deal of Violence and Grief. Let us also consider how man (as if he were naturally aversed to the Earth) looks with his face Heaven-wards, whence he received his Creation and Dignity, and where he does expect his final repose. This favour he received from God above all other Creatures as a peculiar evidence of his good Will for him, 'tis also a memorial to him of his incumbent duty to God, that by his upright look he might conceive the weighty Obligation he lies under to think always of heavenly things, to tread under foot all earthly affairs, and never to harbour any vile or sordid thoughts in his mind.  
This was the happy State and Condition of Man before his dismal Fall; for then all his Senses, his Inclinations and Powers were perfectly united, far from the least motion of any Rebellion, and entirely submitted to th'Empire of the Will. Then Reason paid her humble Submission, perfect Obedience, and a complete Homage to her Creator alone; and that perfect submission of Man, together with his faithful concurrence to the Will of God, brought upon him the great Blessings of a profound Tranquillity, of a grateful Accord, of a firm Peace, of perfect Justice, of candid Innocency, of unspeakable Purity of heart; so that he was a plentiful Source of all good Qualities, of all Virtues, and of all kind of Happiness. But alas! no sooner did he expel from his heart the Love and Fear of God, to give ear, and obedience to the malicious dictates of the Infernal Serpent, no sooner did he forsake his Heavenly Spouse, to prostrate himself to his Rival and mortal Enemy the Devil, no sooner was he so impiously bold as to cancel the Divine Precept at the fatal request of his silly Wife, but he was miserably degraded of all those glorious Prerogatives, and suddenly dejected from that happy State into an Abyss of such Evil and Woe, that you would hardly believe him to be the same Man. His little Republic, which was before his Rebellion in a profound Peace, fell into so great a disorder, that no two were of one mind. the Will was contrary to the Understanding, and Reason was opposite to both; the Spirit repined at the Flesh, the Flesh rebelled against the Spirit, and gave him no Respect or Obedience, because he did the same to his Creator. Why should I aggravate his misfortune more than really it was? I will only say what is most deplorable, and likewise most true; all things happened to poor Man after his Rebellion quite contrary to his expectation, which was to be happy for ever. His Memory, which was (whilst he remained in the state of Innocency, and whilst he tugged at the Oar of Obedience) replenished with all good, and even with the Summum Bonum, had taken so great a draught of Oblivion (not out of the River Letheos') but from the Forbidden Apple, that he hardly knew or retained any thing but Wickedness and Vanity: The Understanding, which was a little before wonderfully Illuminated with the Knowledge of God, became so desperately involved in the darkness of a profound Ignorance, that he knew nothing in a manner of his Creator's Projects, and was altogether ignorant of his ways. The Will which was all in a Flame of Divine Love, became so perverse, that like a Blind Mole, she embraced Falsehood for Truth, Temporal for Eternal, Evil for Good, Carnal for Spiritual, and undervaluing those things which might make her happy for ever, she retained nothing of her Innate and Primitive Goodness; nay she followed such disordinate courses as were enough to carry poor man headlong to everlasting Perdition.  
Reason, which as a Monarch, should keep those petty Princes of Man's disjointed Republic in subjection, having abdicated his Sceptre, together with all his Royalties became Tributary, and paid Homage even to his Vassals, nay, he suffered himself to be ruled, and seduced by those who were created to pay him their constant and most humble submission and obedience.  
O sad Misfortune! What, Man that noble Creature who had from God (as due by his Creation) an absolute Supremacy over all terene Creatures, to be so deluded, and wormed out of all his Prerogatives by the Devil's craft, that he had not the full command of himself? He was, heretofore upright both of body and mind; and was looked upon as a divine Creature; But alas, he was soon after reduced to that low condition, as he might be very well compared (if not to a Brute) at least to a prodigal Child, who had revealed away all his Birthright. However, God of his infinite mercy was pleased to receive him again into favour; and after he had washed off his sinful spots with the sacred Blood of the New Testament, he Espoused him to Christ by Faith. This was an extraordinary Grace, and the wonderful product of a most merciful God: It was able to force Man's concurrence (though he were never so ungrateful) to love and serve him for ever. Nevertheless, this miserable Wretch, has been an Enemy to God even from his blooming years, and publicly forsook Jesus his gracious Redeemer; nay, he has impudently committed so many Adulteries with his Rival, and mortal Adversary the Devil, as were able to divert him from having any further compassion of his misery.  
What then must be done with Man? must he always persevere in so foul and horrid a Relapse? 
Nunquid qui cadit non adjiciet aliquando ut resurgat Aug.  Must not he that falls strive to rise again? If the Devil had the power and malice to debase him to that extreme misfortune; has not Jesus a far greater power to cancel his Contract with that mortal Enemy of mankind, and bring him again into his Flock, 
Rom. c. 5. v. 15, 16, 17, etc.  as a strayed Sheep? For St. Paul says, that Sin is not so powerful to destroy, as the gift of Grace is to repair: If the sin of one Man has been the fatal occasion of the loss of many Souls, the Grace of God through the Merits of one man Jesus Christ can procure the salvation of a far greater number: Man fell by his own fault, but can't rise again by his own strength; he wants one to help him out of the dunghill of Sin; he requires a God and man Redeemer to restore him with th' effusion of his most precious Blood to Righteousness, and this was mercifully performed to him.  
What remains to complete the grand work of his Salvation, is, that the same Redeemer may be graciously pleased to touch his heart with a true feeling of his sincere conversion; 
Jo. 1.5.  for he says himself that without him we can do nothing; and that if a man abide not in him, he is cast forth as a branch that is withered, and fit for no other use than to be cast into the fire, and burnt: But he says in the same place, that if we abide in him, and his words in us, we may ask what we will, and it shall be granted to us. Where upon the Sacred Council of Trent, 
Con. Tried Soss. 6. Can. 3.  and that of Nice thunders forth an Excommunication against all those who will believe, or teach that we can operate our Salvation, or be truly penitent without the precedent motion of Divine Grace. And St. Augustin says, that there's nothing more necessary for a man to live, and die happily, than to be upon good terms with God, who alone is able to create in our hearts the motions of a true Conversion. He alone can breed in us a hearty detestation of our sins, and a firm resolution to love him above all Creatures.  
Most gracious Saviour, thou art pleased to call thyself in several places of thy holy Writ, our Father, our Brother, our Shepherd, our Spouse, and hast graciously conversed with Sinners on Earth in order to their conversion; thou didst discourse a Samaritane, and a Harlot too, 
Matth. 23 10.  upon the very same Subject; thou didst overthrow a Saul to raise him up a Paul; and which is more, 
1 Cor. 4.1.  thou didst make him a Vessel of Election. Thou hast forbid us to have, or call any one our Master on Earth; for that thou alone art our Master; and therefore I presume to call thee our Divine Master, and to honour this Book with that specious Title of Academy, or School of Virtue, because what it contains, is either thy Doctrine, or grounded at least upon the solid foundation of thy Eternal Vereties. The most that I can glory of in this Work, is to be thy unworthy Minister, and Steward to make known thy sacred Will, and thy divine Mysteries to thy People, which I have performed to the utmost of my Endeavours; for here the Christian Reader shall find such deep Considerations, and powerful Meditations as will divert him from hankering after even the smallest Vices: They will tear all his ill habits up by the roots, that they may never shoot again, and will extricate his poor heart out of all the straits that commonly ensue a criminal and guilty Conscience. They will tease a man (though never so cold in Devotion) to grasp at all manner of Mortifications to satisfy for his sins, and appease the just Indignation of the Divine Justice. They will deliver us from all blindness, and preposterous Errors, enriching our darkness with light, and restoring all troubled souls to a profound peace. They will hinder us from descanting upon other men's lives and manners. They will make remote Foreigners, near Neighbours, and cement them in Christian Charity. They will bring us to pry into what ill abounds in our own hearts, and find there work enough to employ our pragmatical Spleen upon, without hunting after the sins and imperfections of others. They will bring Strangers to God's acquaintance, dissolve all discords. and make the Devil to despair of his aim, which is to blow the hellish fire of a perpetual dissension into our souls. They will conclude a League of everlasting Peace with God, and (if we believe St. Augustin) they are the compliment of a happy life, and th'only immortal thing that belong to Mortals. And no wonder, being that God himself is the first, and principal Author of this heavenly Exercise: For as soon as he had given the Law to his People, 
Deut. 6.  He declared it was his will and pleasure it should be the worthy Subject of their serious and constant Meditation, fix my words, says he, in your hearts, and in your minds; have them in your hands, and before your eyes, teach them to your Children, 
Deut. 9  that they may meditate on them: Meditate upon thy last end, says the Holy Ghost, and thou shalt never sin. 
Memorare novissima tua & in aeteraum non peccabis. Eccles. 7.40.  This is also the wholesome Instruction which the holy Fathers have left us; this is a beavenly Lesson which they would have us learn by all means. One while speak to God, says St. Jerome, and another while give ear to what God speaks to you. In speaking to God we beseech him to come to us with his Grace, in harkening to him we open our hearts to receive him. In speaking to God, says St. Ambrose, 
St. Ambr. I Offic. ●0.  we demand of him his Lights and Favours, in harkening to him, we receive them, and shut them up in our hearts, to conserve, and practise them upon all occasions. This is likewise my Friendly Advice to you, dear Reader; and I wish you with all my heart, the Grace of God to make good use of this Book, that your own Eternal Happiness may ensue.   

A Table of the Chief Matters contained in this Diological Treatise with a C or an M before the Numbers, which marks either a Subject of Consideration or Meditation.  
THat no exterior Agent without th' interior word of God is able to work the Conversion of a Sinner, C. Pag. 1.  
That God is more free to impart his Graces and Favours to Sinners than they are solicitous to improve them. C. p. 4.  
The manifold Obstacles which hinder the Sinners Conversion, and how strong and numerous are th'allurements to Sin, C. p. 9  
The motives to Virtue are far more pressing and more in number, C. p. 11.  
The humble acknowledgement of man's innate weakness, and the wonderful effects of Divine Love, C. p. 19  
The nature and properties of Divine Love, and how it may be obtained, C. p. 26.  
That Man can't so easily attain to Divine Love by reason of the manifold and great oppositions which are betwixt nature and grace. C. p. 32.  
The examples of Christ, and of his beloved Apostles on Earth, together with God's formal Precept, and th'assured promise of his grace; lays a weighty obligation on all men to lead a Virtuous and Godly Life, C. p. 42.  
Why Sinners do often and earnestly implore th'assistance of God's grace without obtaining their request, C. p. 50.  
That God never refuses any one the concurrence of his grace nor th'effects of his Prayers, if they be of decent and necessary things, and that he is firmly resolved to break off with Vice, C. P. 52.  
How a Sinner by his frequent relapse into Sin may reasonably fear he never was really contrite for his Sins, C. p. 56.  
That a Sinner must fix his hope in God of whose mercy he can't despair without a mortal offence, C. p. 57  
The nature and necessary conditions of a true and perfect contrition, p. 60.  
The fatal consequences of Venial Sins, and how by degrees they bring a Man to commit Mortals, C p. 65.  
The greatness of God's Love for Man is a most pressing motive to a sorrowful contrition, M. p 67.  
The means which God was pleased to take in order to redeem Mankind is another pressing motive to a sorrowful contrition, M. p. 71.  
What Christ has suffered from his Cradle to the Cross was only for the love of Man, M. p. 74.  
His Death and Passion should breed in our hearts a mortal hatred and abhorrence of Sin, M. p. 78.  
Several other Considerations upon the same subject, able to move even a Heart of Steel to love God above all Creatures, M. p. 82.  
The benefits of our Justification lays a weighty obligation on us to love God with all our hearts, p. 88  
Several other deep considerations of the same benefit, Mp. 91.  
The manifold disasters and miseries occasioned by Sin, and how we are happily delivered from 'em all by the benefit of our Justification, M. p. 95.  
The manifold and wonderful advantages of a Justified Soul. M. p. 99  
The benefit of our Justification exceeds that of our Creation and Redemption, M. p. 103.  
The certainty of Death, and th'unspeakable of the hour of Death with the several and dreadful circumstances thereof is a most pressing motive to detest Sin, M. p. 106.  
The particular Judgement which is given of the Soul at her departing the Body, M. p. 114.  
How dreadful will the sight of her Judge be to her, and what anguishs she shall suffer at her Trial, M. p. 120.  
Of the most strict account which will be taken of the Soul in this particular Judgement, M. p. 126.  
How remote is the Judgement of God from that of Man, and of the severity of his Chastisements even in this Life, by which we may easily conceive th'unspeakable rigour of his punishments in th'other, M. p. 133.  
Of the Torments which the Damned suffer in Hell, M. p. 140.  
Of the Glory of Heaven, in what it consists, of its great estimate, and what we ought to suffer for the everlasting purchase thereof, M. p. 148.  
Of th'everlasting happiness of the Saints in Heaven, and of their glorious Prerogatives, M. p. 162.  
The little value that Christians set upon Virtue, and how their dissolutions surpass the debauchery even of the worst of Heathens, M. p. 173.  
The Godly feelings and Heroic exploits of Heathen Philosophers will certainly confound the Christians in the Day of Judgement, M. p. 188.  
Of Hell, and of th'unspeakable and various Torments which the Damned shall suffer there for an Eternity, M. p. 201  
Of the severity of God's Justice, the rage and malice of the Devils, and the horrid confusion of the Damned, occasioned by the full Knowledge of their Vanities, main Folly and wilful neglect of their Salvation, M. p. 217.  
The wonderful Austerities of God's Servants as well in the Old as in the New Testament in order to avoid the Torments of Hell will be a main confusion to such Christians as live deliciously in this World, M. p. 226.  
If men be so outrageously cruel one to th'other, how excessive cruel must the Devil be to the Damned in Hell being a professed enemy to all mankind even from the Creation, M. p. 234.  
An habitual Sinner that puts off his Conversion to the hour of Death in expectation of a good Peccavi lies under a moral impossibility to be saved, M. p. 248.  
The Love of God should replenish our hearts to that degree to leave no place for any terrene or carnal affection, M. p. 266.  
An ample description of th'ingratitude, inconstancy, treachery, cruelty, and vanity of the World, with several precedents relating thereunto, M. p. 278.  
The Lust of the Flesh with its fatal attendance and branches, are most abominable in themselves, most odious to God, and the most destructive enemies of our Souls, M. p. 293.  
Th'only thing that the Nobility should value themselves upon is Virtue, how vain is the Wisdom of the World? Of Corporal Beauty and Rich Apparel, and how th'one as well as th'other has been the ruin of many Millions of Souls, M. p. 310.  
That the State of Poverty is far more advantageous to the Soul than that of Riches, though it may not be so pleasant to the mind, which is never content, M. p. 327.  
The Charming expressions of Christ, and the several employments he takes upon himself in order to save our Souls are able to withdraw all our scattered affections from the World, and settle them upon him alone, M. p. 346.  
That the World is both a Cheat and a Liar, for his Promises are false, his Honours are vain, his Pleasures are Poison, and his Treasures are Soulkilling Thorns, M. p. 368.  
That they who after all Gods sweet Inspirations, loving Invitations, and gracious Admonitions, do not love him reciprocally shall be in danger of eternal Destruction, M. p. 384.  
A Check to Man, p. 391.  
A Check to the Christian Man, p. 395.  
A Check to the Religious Man, p. 402.  
A Wholesome Advice to Mankind in general, p 410.   

Errata.  
P. 10. L. ult. R. remit. P. 26. M, N. R. hac. P. 249. L. 4. R. double. P. 254. M. N. R. transiit messis. P. 255. M. N. R. quo. P. 259. L. 12. R. axiom. P. 265. L. 27. R. Prophet. P. 271. L. 13. R. no more. P. 315. M. N. R. putredini. p. 329. L. 26. R. not. P. 336. L. 8. R. the. P. 344. L. 27. R. be. P. 352. L. 18. R. so P. 368. L. 22. R. doorkeeper. P. 371. L. 6. R. martial. P. 374. L. 17. R. Micheas. P. 376. L. 21. R. were P. 384. L. 6. R. as.   

A Dialogical Discourse betwixt the Saviour and Man, wherein all Souls desirous of the Love of God, are copiously supplied with means powerful to attain it, and to gain the happy accomplishment of their Salvation.  MAN. 
SPeak O Lord! for thy Servant hears thee, 
1. Reg. 3.  grant me a right Understanding to know thy ways, and lead my will to walk therein; let the sacred Dew of thy divine Inspirations flow down from thy heavenly Throne into my obdurate Heart: 
Psal. 118.  that I may more easily observe thy Commands, and steer my course directly without any Remora towards the Region of everlasting Bliss, 
Loquere t● nobis & audiemus: non loquatur nobis Dominus, ne ●orte moriamur. Exod. 20.  for which thou didst Create my Soul.  
Heretofore the Children of Israel would have Moses only speak to them, not thou O Lord! fearing thy words might strike such a terror to their Hearts as would occasion their death; but I am wholly an Alien to their feelings, and do choose rather to side with the Prophet Samuel, and in all humility do entreat, that thou O Lord, wilt be graciously pleased to speak to me; Not Moses, no, nor any of thy Prophets; for the instructions and lights they may give me, be but gifts and Rays borrowed of thy incomprehensible Splendour, thou alone without their Ministry canst perfectly instruct me; alas, their endeavours in my regard will signify just nothing, without thy gracious concurrence: They may indeed utter some words, but unless thou dost influence them, they'll never mollify my stony Heart, nor lodge thy Spirit within my bowels: Their words may be indeed placed to admiration; their Rhetoric Charming, their Eloquence exceeding that of the very best Orators, their Periods managed in extraordinary good order, but if they relish not of thy divine Spirit, my heart alas, will remain as cold as the very Ice.  
They may Cite Scripture fluently to confirm their discourse, and quote both Counsels and Fathers to the astonishment of their Hearers; but they cannot work so far on their understanding as to make 'em conceive the thing they aim at, nor bring their Will to the practice of it: that enterprise is out of their Province, 'tis a Prerogative pertaining alone to thee, O Lord, no mortal Man, no, the very Angels cannot pretend to it, unless they have thy Commission to that effect. They may entertain us with a learned and pleasant discourse of thy great and adorable Mysteries, but thou alone canst render our understanding capable to conceive them; they may tell us of thy Precepts and Counsels, but thou alone canst help us to fulfil them: They can show to us the ready road leading to Salvation, but thou alone canst comfort us in our failings, and give us then greater courage to walk therein, till we arrive at our journey's end.  
The most they can boast of, is to be thy Solicitors, and Agents which thou makest use of, to exhort us to the practice of this or that other Virtue, they may describe unto us the many evil consequences of a wicked & Licentious life, 
Ego plantavi, Apollo rigavit, Deus autem incrementum dedit. 1 Epist. Pauli ad C●rint●ios. c. 3. v. 6. Tanquam a fancy Colubri fuge peccatum Eccl. c. 21. v 2.  they may thunder from their Pulpits thy dreadful threaten, and the horrid effects of thy divine wrath, but 'tis thy Sanctifying Grace, that alone can soften, instruct, and illustrate our Hearts: They can exteriously water our barren and rebellious Souls, but thou alone canst give the increase & cause them happily to comply with the sweet Influences of thy holy Inspirations: They may cry out and warn us to fly from sin as from the venom of a Serpent, but thou alone makest our understanding, and will prompt to conceive and practise what they say. Let Moses then for bear speaking to me, 'tis from thee, my God, I do expect the word which can subdue, reform, & clear my heart from all terrene and sordid affections; If I only be outwardly admonished, and not inwardly inflamed with the ardent fire of thy divine Love, my Soul's death may ensue, or at best I shall be but a barren and withered tree. Let me then hear thee speak, O Lord and let thy word be no sooner heard, but put in execution by me; no sooner known but loved, no sooner pronounced but deeply fixed in the Centre of my heart; there to produce the worthy fruits of a sincere, sorrowful and constant repentance. 
1 Reg. 3. Verba enim vi●ae eternae habes. Jo. 6.  Speak then O Lord, for thy Servant hears thee, thy words are the happy seed of eternal life; let me then hear them to the comfort of my Soul, and to the reformation and perfect amendment of my whole life; this is a work that will really be for thy greater Glory, and my eternal Salvation.  SAVIOUR. 
HEar my words, O Man, they are most sweet, efficacious and vivifying, far exceeding the science of the Philosophers, and wise of this World; my words are both spirit and life, they are beyond the reach of humane understanding; they don't affect a vain complacency, but delight to be received rather in silence, with all humility, and with all the tenderness of love and affection, that can be expressed. My Servant David was throughly convinced of this undeniable assertion, when he sent forth these seraphical expressions to my heavenly Throne; 
Beatus, quem tu erudieris Domine, & de●ege tua eum docueris, ut mitiges ei a die bus malis, etc. Psal. 93. v. 12.  Blessed is the man, O Lord, whom thou shalt instruct in thy Law, and teach how he may in the evil days of his mortal life, heap up a vast treasure of merits for an Eternity. I am the Lord who have taught the Prophets from the beginning, and since have never ceased to speak unto all Men; but alas, few answer my expectation: Satan has so blinded their understanding, so perverted their will, & so benumbed their senses, that the most part of them make nothing of my words, take no notice of my corrections, and set no value on my most amorous invitations, in order to revive their poor Souls, and shelter them under the wings of my paternal and powerful protection, from the rage and fury of that infernal and devouring Dragon. The most of them are so infatuate as to be more inclined to give ear to the deluding Sirens of the world, then to the inspirations of their God; to the fatal persuasions of the flesh, then to the salutary dictates of the Holy Ghost; to the ruinous suggestions of the Devil, then to the amorous invitations of their Creator, and Redeemer. What the world does promise 'em is but temporal and of no 〈◊〉, and yet for that small satisfaction, they are content to become slaves to it; and to lose that glorious title of Children of God, and all pretensions to Heaven. What I promise 'em is of an unspeakable estimate, and of an everlasting continuance; yet their hearts are strangely averse to it; and seem to conceive as great an abhorrence of it, as the people of Israel had against that food, which I showered down upon them in the Desert. Their obedience to the world and their other mortal enemies, and their care of pleasing them, is more prompt, and far greater, than what they show in my service. 
Esay. 23.  Let Sidon blush; and why? because that for a small Salary, for a trifle, she will run a long way, but for the purchase of Heaven, for the gain of an everlasting and happy life, she will hardly raise up her foot from the ground. A man shall labour a whole day to get sixpence at night, and perhaps less, he will undertake the most vile work that can be named, and be at it both night and day, and weary himself so extremely as to be nigh breathing out his life, and all this to get the good will of his Master; but alas! to purchase a summum bonum, to be seated among the Saints and Angels in Heaven, to enjoy th'intuitive vision of God, and his interminable glory, he is so much a friend to his body, and so fond of his ease, that he will not undergo the least mortification. O slothful and peevish Creature! thou shouldst be ashamed to see Worldlings more ready to concur to their utter ruin, than thou to procure to thyself a Crown of Glory; that they take more pleasure in their vanities, than thou dost to hear and practise my Commandments, and Counsels. 
Rom. 1. Matt. 14. Apoc. 2.  They often fail of their expectation, and seldom enjoy perfectly what they propose to themselves; but what I promise is always fulfilled, and none was ever disappointed that placed his confidence in me; and whoever has my word for a favour, shall be sure to obtain it, if that he continues a faithful Servant to me, even to the very last respiration of his breath, for 'tis the end, not the beginning and progress, that crowns the work, 
Finis coronat opus. Matth. 5. & 25.  and makes the man be either a Saint, or a Devil. I do faithfully reward all, and the least of my servants good works; I am likewise a Touchstone to try their true and constant affection, I suffer them now and then to groan under the heavy load of many tribulations and Crosses, but 'tis with a design to cleanse their Souls of all earthly corruption, and make them fit to sit at my table in Heaven.  
Hear then O Man! my words, and print them in the midst of thy Heart, ruminate on them often, and with all possible Attention, for they will be most useful in time of temptation; and tho' thou dost not understand them at present, yet thou shalt comprehend their full meaning in the day of my visitation. Thou must know when, and after what manner I do visit my faithful Servants; first, I visit them with Temptations of all sorts, to train them up in that School of Heaven, in which I had the credit of being both Master, and Conqueror; I suffer temptations to teach my followers, they must expect the same; but I conquered also all my temptations, to show them how to behave themselves in the like occasion; but if I see them stagger and fail in courage, I visit them with the sweetness of my consolation, and enable them to stand firm, not to desert from my Colours. I am likewise a Teacher to my Elect, and read unto them every day two Lessons; th'one is a sharp reprehension, if I see them fail in their duty, in order to suppress their evil inclinations, and habits; and th'other is a potent exhortation to stir up their hearts to a fervent desire of a greater increase in virtue. In fine, whoever hears my words, and will not regard them, but rather deride and contemn them, he shall at the last day find me a severe Judge, from whom he is to expect no favour, but the same measure he gave me in his life, shall be exactly dealt him and worse, that is, to turn him off to the left hand, and there leave him as a prey to the Devil for all Eternity.  MAN. 
REmember O most merciful Lord, that we are of our own nature but misery, weakness, and in a word, as little to be regarded as the meanest of thy Creatures, for what are we in our greatest splendour, but so many vessels of nasty stuff, fit for no other use but to be cast out, & set so many foot under ground, lest the noisome smell of our rotten Carcases should infect the house, or family wherein we depart this life. Our frailty is so great that it cannot be paralleled in any other creature of whatever State or Condition; our vanity is no less, if not surpassing our frailty. What shall such a poor Creature do amidst so strong and so many allurements to sin; of one side the world solicits him to be of his faction, & taste of his pleasures at will, the Flesh inclines him another way, the Devil persuades him to slight his own proper interest, i. e. to be happy eternally by adhering to his Creator, and to side with him against God. Moreover he seethe that the wicked are the Darlings of Fortune, and have all earthly pleasures at command, but he beholds the righteous and faithful followers of God groaning under the weighty burden of great tribulations; nay, he verily thinks thee to look on the wicked with a pleasing aspect, and to frown on the Just; what confirms him in this opinion, is, the assurance thou givest them of pardon, whenever they shall with true repentance come to thee: this, they take as an encouragement for sinners to continue their licentious and wicked life; and even so it falls out with many; they spend their youth in all manner of unlawful pleasures, nay, they will entrench upon old age, rather than desist their long continued disorders; yet when by thy Decree a violent Sickness seizeth them and confines them to their bed, than they continually implore thee for mercy; Peccavi is their deplorable ditty, which they incessantly repeat till they expire; must we not piously believe that such are saved? notwithstanding the long Series of their wickedness and sins; yes, and this consideration holds us in our rambling & vicious humours; and likewise, it expels all thoughts of recanting from our mind; the frequent Precedents of thy mercy exhibited to far more wicked livers, retards our conversion; so doth the conceit of that narrow and craggy Passage, which (as thou sayest) can only lead us to Heaven: Moreover why should we impose that heavy yoke upon our younger days, seeing that Heaven is promised to us at any time, when we shall cry Peccavi, tho' we should omit it, even to our decrepit Age.  SAVIOUR. 
O' Man! the more frail thou art, and the more prone to sin, the more vigilant, & careful shouldst thou be and timorous, not to fall into sin, lest thou shouldst be foiled, overcomed, and fall from the state of Grace, into that of damnation; for it's a point of extreme folly, that a weak, unskilful and  man, should undertake to encounter such strong, cunning, expert and fierce Enemies, as thou haft to fight withal; whoever is so far over seen, will certainly be worsted, and lose his life to boot: This is thy case, O' Man! the Devil thy mortal enemy will easily get the better of thee, and soon o'erthrow thee, if thou art not well fortified with virtue, and shielded with God's grace and protection, and assisted by his holy Angels. The Prince of the Apostles was not ignorant of this truth; he experienced it in his own person, and therefore being highly interest'd in the welfare of his Master's flock, he leaves unto them this wholesome instruction; 
1. Pet. 5.8.  my Brethren, be Sober, be Vigilant, but why? because your Adversary the Devil, as a roaring Lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: I do grant that the allurements to sin are great, and numerous, but the motives that I lay before all mortals, to adhere to, & make use of, on all such occasions, are incomparably more in number, and of greater force to repulse all temptations; they are also very prevalent to induce 'em to lead a virtuous and godly life. The world thou sayest, invitest thee to unlawful and wicked actions, but God prohibits them, nay, he commands the contrary, and if thou dost obey him, he intails on thee a glorious and everlasting inheritance, but if thou hast so little regard of his commands, as to transgress them, he threatens thee with everlasting damnation, and torments. The flesh inclines thee to evil, but the spirit and reason too, bids thee resist manfully such base and rebellious motions: the one tells thee that the body is created to be a slave to the Soul, not the Soul to the body; th'other informs thee what a madness it is to forfeit an eternal happiness for a passing pleasure, which ever leaves a sting to pierce and gall thy heart. Sodom and Gomorrha were too much led by the flesh, but consider well, the terrible chastisement they suffered in this world; yet it is but a shadow, to what they shall suffer for an eternity. Moreover, that gnawing worm of a guilty Conscience should quell in thee all such foul and unlawful pleasures. Thou wilt plead, that Satan, with the rest of his infernal Confederates, never desist perplexing thee, with their frequent and strong suggestions; and art thou the only man that he assaults? no, no, his quarrel is with all mankind, and since that fatal overthrow which he gave our first Progonitors in the garden of Eden, he never ceased, neither will he ever leave off pestering and plaguing their descendants with suggestions to evil; 
Latrare potest, Sollicitare potest, sed mordere non potest nifi volentem. Aug. Angelis suis Deus, mandavit de te. Mat. 4.6.  for nothing makes them so furious and cruel, as to see men in a fair way of possessing their forfeited and glorious Seats; but thy chief comfort and security lies within thy own breast; he is like a Mastive-Dog at a chain, he may indeed bark at thee, but can never by't thee, unless thou dost come within his reach, and consent to thy own destruction. Moreover God has deputed an Angel even from thy Mother's womb, to protect and defend thee from all such accidents, and he will perform his charge, if thou wilt but obey him, and listen to his wholesome inspirations, and dictates; If Satan does spur thee on to the Precipice of Sin, thy good Angel will teach thee, 
Non coronabitur nisi qui legirtime certaverit. 2. Timo. 2.5.  how thou mayst in thy conflict secure thyself, either by a vigorous opposition, or an immediate flight to God for Sanctuary; He will also tell thee; that thou art created to fight the mortal enemy of mankind, and must foil him too, if thou hopest to gain a crown in Heaven.  
As for the wicked, whom thou thinkest to be of the number of God's happy favourites, because thou seest them prosper in all their ways, and that nothing crosseth them; that they have plenty of Gold and Silver; Horses and all other Cattle in abundance, no mortality visits them; 
Prosperitas Stultorum perdet ilios. Prov. 1. Non audivit populus mens vocem meam, & Israel non intendit mihi, & dimisi eos secundum desideria cordis eorum, ibunt, in adinventionibus suis. Psal. 80. Multae tribulationes Justorum. Psal. 7.20. Non sunt condig●ae passiones hujus temporis ad fu turam gloriam quae revelabitur in nobis. Rom. 8.18.  Rain, Wind, Storms Thunder, Lightnings, do pass by them, and by all they possess, as well abroad, as at home; but believe me says the wise Solomon, that this Prosperity of the wicked which thou dost so much extol, and make so great an estimate of, as to think them in that to be the Minnious of God, will at the cancelling of their life, hurry their Souls to the Abbiss of Hell. Let the Stiffnecked people of Israel serve for a precedent to convince thee, that I delight not in the wicked; They would not hearken to my voice, neither would they acknowledge me to be their God; and what was the effect of their disobedience and infidelity, I withdrew, and wholly left them to be guided by their own sensual appetites: and they took their self-pleasing courses, and followed the directions of their own Counsels. This is the greatest punishment that can be inflicted on a Nation, for then their reprobation is signed, never to be recalled.  
Many indeed, are the tribulations of the Just, but my worthy Apostle telleth thee from me, that the sufferings of this present time, are infinitely less, than the Glory which shall be revealed in my faithful and devoted Servants hereafter. I deal with them on earth as a skilful Physician with his Patients, I cleanse their Souls of all their sinful spots, by giving them to drink of that bitter Chalice of tribulations, by which they are disposed to partake of a more abundant grace, and brought to a nearer conformity with me, who exhausted the same Chalice of its very dregs; by this remedy they are secured from th' everlasting pains of hell, which are incomparably greater, and of a longer tract, than all the tribulations and crosses, that were suffered by all mankind in this world; and the same intitleth them my Associates in Heaven, to sit at my table, to enjoy my presence for ever, and all the happiness that my celestial Court can afford. 
Ego quos diligo arguo & castigo Apoc. 3.  Thou seest by this what unspeakable advantages the Just do reap by their tribulations, and how the tenderness of my love to them appears, even in the severity of my chastisements.  
No Father can be more indulgent to his Child then I am to the Sinner, for tho' the greatness and multitude of his heinous offences deserve no mercy at my hands, but rather the utter severity of my Justice, yet commonly I for bear with him, still expecting his amendment; but the longer I let him run in the way of iniquity, the more he should be terrified, for sins never escape without condign punishment, and the longer it is deferred, the heavier it will fall at last. 'tis true, the sinner has my parole for a pardon at any time when he comes to me with true repentance, 
Qui poenitenti veniam promisi Eundem de die crastino nequaquam certificavi. 12. Aug. Terra miseriae & terra tenebrarum, ubi nulius ordo, sed sempiternus horror inhabitat. Job. 10.12  that is a gift from God, and which he is not sure to receive, no more than he is certain to live till next day.  
That fatal delay of repentance has replenished the Dominion of Satan with millions of poor Souls, and if any should set them the question, what brought them to that Land of everlasting darkness and misery, where there is neither rest, union, comfort or order; but a perpetual toil, hatred, sorrow, confusion and horror? they all will unanimously answer, our procrastinate conversion, our delayed repentance, and our groundless hopes to have a peccavi at will, tho' Death should on a sudden surprise us with an Arrest, this was the fatal overture, through which we fell into this endless misery. And it stands with a great deal of reason, for the longer a man loiters in his vicious and wicked ways, the more obdurate his heart will be, and the less inclined to produce an act of Contrition; nay should his Confessarius break his brain to bring him to it, his answer will be that which David gave to Saul, when he was to encounter the Philistian Giant; Saul would have him to put on his own Armour, and to fight with his Sword, 
Usum non habeo. 1. Reg. 17.39.  but David made answer, that he was never accustomed to it, and therefore would not accept of his offer; it's the same with an inveterate Sinner, let his Confessor cry out, Sir, one Act of contrition, one sincere and hearty Peccavi, for God is merciful, and will be the same to thee, if thou wilt reclaim, and beg him most hearty pardon; Ah Sir! he will reply, I was never bred to that divine Art, 'tis a lesson I never learned; 'tis a strong weapon against the Devil, and all his power I must confess, yet I never made use of it, and therefore 'tis but a folly to pretend to it at present.  
Thou seest by this example, O Man! that the longer a sinner perseveres in sin, the farther he will be from any desire of a true Contrition; his heart will grow the more obdurate, his Conscience more blind, his Soul so oppressed with evil custom, even as with a huge and weighty Stone, that makes her wholly insensible of what concerns her Salvation.  
But if any of such like reprobates should seem to repent, 'tis to be feared, that his chief and only motive, is the fear of Hell-fire, not the real product of Justice, nor any true Contrition, 
Nolo mortem impii, sed ut convertatur impius a via sua, & vivat. Ezek. 33.11.  however I would not have any inveterate Sinner despair; neither would I have him be so careless of his Salvation, as to neglect it, whilst he has time and leisure to secure it, and a saving God who is so easily moved to compassionate him, and so ready to grant him so grateful a request, as is the remission of his Sins, and Life everlasting.  
For a resolve of thy last objection, that the way which leads to Heaven, is both narrow, difficult and craggy; consequently that thy nature, which is very fond of her own ease, can hardly be brought to walk therein; I answer, that it is a million of times more tolerable to strike into that road, (tho' never so irksome to thy corrupt nature) then to suffer the pains of Hell for an eternity; 
Quam areta est via, & angusta porta, quae ducit ad vitam, & pauci inveniunt eam. Mat. 7.14. Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, & onerati estis, & ego reficiam vos jugum enim meum suave est, & onus meum leve. Matt. 11.28.  nay, even the pains of Purgatory; which are but temporal. 'Tis true, I told thee, and am still of the same opinion, that Straight is the gate, and Narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few there be that find it; I told thee moreover, that from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. But thou didst likewise hear me say, Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and humble in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your Souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. For what is of itself burdensome to nature, is made easy by the assistance of my grace, and is sweetened by custom; for wherever the Love of God is lodged, and increased to the height and prime of its fervour, all Tribulations, Persecutions, Crosses, Losses, nay, Death itself, will be looked upon as the chiefest favours, and blessings of a most loving Father; so that there is nothing in the world more to be hated, and abhorred then Sin, which alone can cause the displeasure of God, and his fatal Separation from man.  MAN. 
O Lord my God thou art my Life, my Treasure, and all my happiness; but what am I, that I should prefume to speak to thee? what? but a poor and despicable servant, a most vile and abject worm, far more miserable and contemptible in thy sight, than I can or dare imagine. Remember therefore o' Lord! that I am nothing, have nothing, and am absolutely the most indigent, and sordid, of all thy Creatures. Thou alone art good, thou only art both just and holy. Thou alone canst do all, canst give all, canst fill all; and I poor Soul am void of all that can be called good; for nothing but misery is to be found where Sin predominates. Forget not then o' Lord! thy miserations to me, and vouchsafe to replenish my heart with thy grace, that I may carry my Cross cheerfully, and follow thy steps with all alacrity; whilst I continue my Pilgrimage in this tempestuous and miserable life. Thou knowest that of myself I can perform nothing, that may be grateful to thee, or any way meritorious, 
Psal. 142.  to my own Salvation; wherefore o' Lord! assist me with thy grace on all occasions; turn not away thy face from thy poor and wretched Creature; delay not thy gracious visit, withdraw not thy consolations from me, lest my Soul should remain a barren and dry Tree, and become fuel for that unquenchable fire of Hell.  
O' Lord! teach me how I may fulfil thy blessed will; instruct me in thy ways, that I may walk therein with safety, and in all humility. Thou hast indeed resolved all my objections, and hast broke all the chains which might detain both me, and all other Sinners in the bondage of Sin, and Slavery of the Devil: thou saidst as much of virtue and vice, as much of Satan's rage, and of thine own clemency to all poor Sinners; as much of the joys of Heaven, and of the torments of Hell, as are able to move the most obdurate hearts and hasten them out of hand to give an everlasting farewell to th' one, and to make their constant and happy choice of the other.  
But alas! I know by a fatal experience how weak I am in my resolutions, how far from the love of God, how much a stranger to virtue, and therefore have great need of comfort and strength from thee, to go through with what I resolve for the future. Thou art my heavenly Physician, from thee I do expect a cure for all my Spiritual diseases; nothing can be hid from thine eyes; thou knowest the evil passions that do predominate within my breast, deliver me therefore o' Lord, from their tyrannical government, cleanse my heart from all evil and inordinate affections, to the end that being inwardly healed, and purged, of all the sinful products of my corrupt nature, I may be the more apt to love thee, the more ready to suffer for thee, and the more stable to persevere in thy service.  
When I read in thy holy Writ, and hear what the learned Doctors of thy Church say of the love of God, I conceive an ardent desire to partake in some measure thereof; for to pretend to the full perfection of it, is a thing beyond my reach, unless thou givest thy helping hand to my poor endeavours. 'Tis absolutely the Summum bonum, 
Matt. 11.  that only can make the burdensome, & weighty things light; that can bear equally all unequal things, that can carry a burden without any toil; that can make sweet and pleasant, what of its own nature is bitter, and uneasy. The love of God presseth men on to perform great and heroic actions; and does excite them to aim always at what is most perfect, and pleasing to his divine Majesty. Love is never content to fix its tabernacle on earth, nor to be concerned with any terrene object; it must have a more noble Subject to entertain its flames: It must be totally free, and absolutely a stranger to all worldly affections, lest they should diminish its Lustre, & force it out of its natural Centure, to lodge with our blind and unruly passions.  
There's nothing more sweet, and attractive than the love of God, nothing more active and strong; nothing more eminent and generous, nothing can exceed it in latitude, extent and altitude, there is nothing more pleasant and affable; In fine, there is nothing in Heaven, or on Earth that can excel it in goodness, in beauty or perfection, and why? because it doth proceed from God, & that it can't repose in any created thing, but in God alone. A divine Lover will fly, run & rejoice, tho' he were condemned to lodge with Daniel among the hungry, & devouring Lions. He is free, and enjoys his liberty tho' he were in chains, and loaden with Irons as another Manasses.  
He gives with St. Francis, All for All; and finds his whole delight and comfort in that very All, which he makes choice of; And in that one supreme All the fountainhead of all goodness, he sweetly reposeth with the Spouse void of disturbance.  
A divine Lover never looks upon the gifts, tho' never so excellent, but has his eyes always fixed upon the giver, neither is he content with what graces and favours he receives from God, but will strive to purchase more, tho' it were even with the loss of his sweet life. For Love admits of no bounds, & its flames will rise above all limitation and measure. It feels no weight, values no labour, invents new ways of mortifications, and oftentimes affects to suffer for his beloved, more than flesh and blood is able to bear. The divine Lover will not regard impossibilities, for he thinks that all the Austerities, and rigours imaginable are both lawful and possible to him, he is able therefore in his own ardent and elevated conceit, to vanquish all difficulties, and does indeed perform more than can be expected from Nature alone; In fine, his good will never fails him, tho' his body should lie half dead upon the ground.  
Love is watchful; if Sleeping it's always awake, if harassed it's never weary, in dangers its never fearful, when frighted it's never troubled, but even as a fierce blaze, and a lively flame; it passes by all such events, and mounts up towards the very throne of God, where it lies safe from all disasters, & evil accidents. This language perhaps is unknown to many; but he who really loves God, will easily understand it. The fervent desire alone of a Seraphic Soul makes a pleasing noise in the hearing of God; 
Deus meus & omnia. S. Fr●n●. Deus meus amormeus Idem. In odororem unguenterum tuorum c●rrimus. Cant. 1.4. Hoc est praeceptum meum ut diligatis invicem. Jer. 15.12.  such was that of St. Francis. My God (says he) and my all; my God, and my Love; thou art all mine, and I am all thine; dilate my heart in thy love, that I may taste inwardly how sweet it is to love thee, and how pleasant it is to melt, and consume in thy love. Let thy love support me, when I surpass my ability, and when in the depth of my meditations, in the excess of my fervour, and in the serious consideration of thy great love for man, I am beyond my senses. Let my Soul praise thee for ever, o' Lord, and let me run with the Daughters of Zion after the odoriferous savour of thy sweet perfumes. Let me never love any creature, nay not myself, but for thee, let me also love in thee, all them that love thee sincerely & with their whole heart; this is a Christian devoir, which the law of true love requires, and which Jesus the perfect model and first promoter thereof, does absolutely require from all mankind, and under the penalty of forfieting an eternity of Joy, and the Vision of God for ever.  
Love, says thy belov'd Apostle, is swift, 
Qui non diligit fratrem suum non est ex Deo. Jen. 3.10.  sincere, pious, well disposed, and pleasant; It is strong, patiented, faithful, prudent, lasting, manly, and never fond of its self, nor its proper Interest; for when ever a man gins to touch that string, he immediately falls from the perfection of true love, and is become no better than a Heathen, who is totally a Stranger both to the love and laws of God. Love is always circumspect, humble, 
1 Cor. 15.  and righteous, not sluggish, nor light, nor addicted to foolish and idle things, neither does it busy itself about vain and frivolous employs; but is sober, chaste, Stable, quiet, watchful, and extraordinary well guarded in all its senses: 
1 Cor. 10. & Phil. 2.  Love is subject and obedient to its Prelates and Elders, but has no manner of esteem for itself, for it is both vile and despicable in its own eyes. Love is devout to God, full of trust and hopes in him, tho' he afford it not the least consolation, he knows full well that love can't appear in its full splendour, but where it meets with a mixture of sorrow; for St. Paul says, that whoever is not in a readiness to suffer all manner of Crosses, that God is pleased to afflict him with, in this world, is not at all worthy of the name of a true lover. In fine, 
Rom. 8.8.  a true Lover of God must embrace manfully, and with a cheerful heart and countenance, whatever comes upon him either by the commission, or permission of his divine will, let it be never so harsh, violent, or displeasing to nature, he must not in respect of any tribulation, decline from his beloved, but rather adhere closely to his colours, as well in the troubles of war, as in the prosperity, and pleasure of a joyful peace.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! Thou art well read I see, and to hear thee speak, 
Tues Magister in Israel, & hic ignoras Jo. 3 10.  thou mayst be taken for a Master in Israel; but I am certain thou art mistaken in the practice of thy knowledge. Thou speakest admirably of the love of God, but thou canst not perceive the motions and operations thereof within thy own heart, by reason of its predominate inclinations to the carnal, and fading objects of the world. Therefore, 
Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo. Matth. 22.37.  for thy better understanding, I will in the first place tell thee, that the principal and chief Command, is to love God with thy whole heart. Secondly, that to be a proficient, is to obtain a farther increase, as well in all virtues, as in the Seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. Thirdly, that without Charity, nothing can be meritorious, no, nor acceptable to God. Fourthly, that Charity, of all other virtues, is the most worthy; because it is the Primum mobile, the Life, the Queen, the first beginning, and end of them all; and that no other virtue, or thing whatever, can so efficaciously move a Soul to all acts of Piety, nor so speedily and powerfully withdraw her from sin, and vicious habits, as the Love of God. Fifthly, because the Intuitive vision of God, (which is th' essential reward of the Blessed) has a perfect reference to the highest degree, and sublimest perfection of Charity.  
Now to give thee a perfect demonstration of thy own weakness, and to let thee know how much thou art a stranger to the love of God; I must tell thee that this heavenly Charity, is a most resplendent and glorious Pearl; a most precious and charming gem; a most pure and noble Balm; a most sweet and fragrant herb; and consequently does require a most clean and spotless residence, and a Seat adorned with all the rarest & most precious ornaments, that can be imagined; I mean a Soul cleansed from all mortal spots, decked with all moral virtues, throughly lined with the gifts of the Holy-Ghost, and supported on each side with the Strong pillars of a firm and constant Hope, and Faith.  
I must tell thee likewise of the degrees of Charity, the first of them is infused into the Soul by her Baptismal grace, and this is not to be hid idly, but to be improved with a great deal of care, and brought to its ultimate perfection; O what a deal of care is to be taken in so great an enterprise the mind must be kept pure and clean, free from all mortal spots, and beautified with all the virtues and gifts aforesaid (as far as the condition and state of a new beginner will admit.) 'Tis an incumbent duty on all Mortals that are lodged within this inferior degree of Charity, to wish ardently for the sight and perfect enjoyment of the Summum bonum, to labour hardly for an utter extirpation of all their imperfections and vicious habits; to reclaim and utterly subdue their unruly passions; to be constantly employed in the painful exercise and worthy works of Penance; to keep their minds from all distractions in prayers; to reform the exterior man, and keep it still in a modest & decent posture in all their communications and conferences with God. To divert their eyes from all unclean and dishonest objects, to restrain their tongues from overmuch talking; 
Vir linguosus non derigetur in terra. Psal. 139.12.  for any man that gives himself the liberty of uttering words at random, and to no good intent, cannot be free from sin, neither is he in the right way to the land of promise, says my Prophet. In fine, they must decline from all evil, and fly from Sin, 
Tanquam a fancy Colubri fuge peccatum. Eccl. 21.  even as from the dangerous sight of an infernal Serpent.  
All these cleansing herbs, together with several others of the same nature, well seasoned with the fear and love of God, must be carefully handled, dextrously shifted, and exactly distilled into a Salutary compound for the happy compliment of a purgative life. All these Ingredients, I must confess, are extraordinary bitter, and irksome to thy corrupt nature, however thou must endeavour with all thy might to swallow down those ill-pallat-pleasing Pills, not for once, but so often, until thou dost acquire a habit of using them without any difficulty, and then thou shalt perceive the great benefit thy Soul will reap by the constant practice of so divine a remedy. Then thou wilt without any compulsion or contradiction from either the outward or inward man, freely and constantly bewail thy former sinful life; thou wilt earnestly dive into the most reclused and hidden corners of thy heart, to find out therein what may be displeasing to God, with a resolution either to smother them in their cradle by a contrite Confession, or to drown them all in the bitter tears of a sorrowful repentance. Thy daily entertainment will be to meditate on my bloody Passion, to think often of the dreadful day of Judgement, of Death, of the everlasting pains of Hell, and of the many favours and graces which thou hast received at the most liberal hands of thy most merciful God; firmly grounding thyself in a profound humility, in patience, in a full resignation to God's Decrees, in the fear and love of thy dearly beloved Maker. After this heavenly exercise, thou art to proceed to a farther increase in virtue, to a more accomplished Charity, to Spiritual exercises, and to devout meditations; thereby to fix thy heart in God alone, and to avoid Idleness which is the seat of iniquity; thou must give some time to thy Studies, some to Prayer, some to writing, some to the practice of charitable Deeds, as visiting the Sick, relieving Prisoners, comforting the Poor, and distressed, as well with thy good advices, as with a share of thy substance, but in all thy actions be sure to have thy mind always fixed upon God, for whose sake alone thou must begin, go on, and end all thy good works; thou must often raise up thy thoughts towards Heaven, that happy residence, for the enjoying of which thou wert created, and be never wearied with labour; or think the time long  you gain it. All this belongs to the illuminative life, to the State of Proficients, to the degree of purifying virtues, and to those private friends that do sweetly adhere unto their God, and embrace him with arms of Charity.  
Being perfectly grounded in this kind of life, thou must ascend to a higher School, where thou art to begin the rudiments of the perfective and unitive life; which are, pure contemplations, most ardent, most sweet, and most loving Embraces of thy beloved; the inseparable and continual unions with thy Spouse; the practice of mystical Theology; a Transformation into God; Raptures, Ecstasies, Acts of heroical virtue; the  quietness, and peace of the mind in God; then by a supreme degree of the gift of Wisdom, thou art made, as it were, one of God's Secretaries, and Cabinet-Councel, so that being come to this height, thou art made privy to all the hidden mysteries of his eternal Wisdom, and raised to that pitch of honour, as to lodge him sweetly within thy breast.  
Then thou shalt sincerely, and sweetly contemplate with a clear understanding what are of Faith, and the reasons for believing them. Thou shalt behold the glory, the Emanation, the inbred Communication, the mutual intuition, dilection, fruition, and eternal consistence of the ever Blessed and super-glorious Trinity. Then all creatures, compared to the infinite, and incomprehensible Majesty of God, will appear to thee as Pismires, nay, even as nothing. In fine, then will all thy comfort, all thy pleasure, all thy satisfaction and affection be lodged after a most solid manner in thy God alone. I leave thee now to judge whether this be not a most noble life, and worthy of so much pains taken to purchase it.  MAN. 
THy words o' Lord, are as dreadful to me, as Thunder and lightning are to the timorous and pregnant Hind. Thy Doctrine is so sublime, and surpasseth so much my understanding, that I cannot conceive it. Dost thou think that man in his frail, and mortal flesh can lead the life of an Angel? that a Pilgrim can pretend to the prerogatives of the Blessed? or that he can live on earth so conformable to the Rules and Rites of the Saints in Heaven. What man alive can pass over his mortal days without Sin. Thou knowst that there's nothing more unsettled, and more inconstant than the mind of man, and wilt thou require of him, as an incumbent duty, to be always in contemplation of heavenly things, to have his thoughts always fixed upon thee, to stand at all hours in the presence of God, and never to have the least correspondence with the world, or with any earthly affairs? I know that with the powerful assistance of thy Grace, he might easily comply with thy will in all these prescriptions; and I know likewise that Nature will never bear the rigour of such weighty impositions, so contrary to her inbred inclinations; for the motions of Grace and Nature, are directly opposite in operations; both tend to good, but the good that one aims at, is a great evil to the other, so that many may be deceived in their election of this, or that other good. Grace walks on innocently, and without any disguise; she is ignorant of all Quibbles, and fallacies, she declines from all things that bear, even the shadow of evil, & does all her actions purely for the love of God, whom she owns to be her bountiful head-spring, Prototype, & final end; this is very good in her thoughts; yet Nature looks upon it to be quite contrary, for she is subtle, politic, alluring, and with her charms, she draws, ensnares, and deceives many; as for her last end, she will admit of none, but of self-interest. Grace delights to mortify and pull down the Flesh, to curb, and utterly suppress all the Insurrections and Rebellious motions of the old man, to resist all sensuality, she loves to be kept under, to be Crossed in her inclinations, to be deprived of her proper will, and barred of her liberty; to be under correction, rather than have the command of others; to be always submissive to God, and for his sake to become an humble Servant, and even a slave to all mankind; but Nature is directly contrary in her temper, she is desirous of all manner of pleasure, and has an abhorrence for mortification, and hates to be curbed, to be oppressed, or debarred from her inclinations, she will command, rather than obey; for she detests discipline, and will not (if she can possibly avoid it) submit herself to any higher Power.  
Grace will rather choose to do what is beneficial to others, than what is profitable and convenient for herself; but nature will labour for her own advantage, and if she does any service to others she will expect to be accordingly rewarded. Grace will return faithfully all honour and glory to God (as being the Sovereign alone deserving of it) but Nature will thirst after honours and reverence, after Supremacy and dignities, and thinks that Cap and Knee is for her alone. Grace will rejoice to be debassed, and to suffer reproaches, and injuries for the name of Jesus, but Nature abhors the very thoughts of such sufferings, and will use all means possible she can to avoid them. Grace cannot endure to be idle, but ever thirsts after action, but Nature is so well pleased with ease, and quietness, that the conceit alone of toil, and disturbance, is to her as odious, as the Plague itself. Grace delights in low and sordid employments, and will not repine at a course and threadbare garment; but Nature does place her comfort, and whole satisfaction in curious and costly Apparel, & will be strangely disturbed, when humbled and brought to any mean exercise. Grace is absolutely for heavenly things, she passes by the temporal, she values not their loss, neither is she disturbed at evil accidents: because she hath placed all her treasure and pleasure in Heaven, where nothing can suffer any loss or detriment, but Nature has all her attention to temporal things, puts all her satisfaction in Earthly wealth, is sad for the loss of them, and cannot bear the least affront or injury.  
Grace is piously inclined, and free to communicate her favours to all, without any exception, but Nature is greedy, and covetous, she is wholly for proper and private interest; she cannot see the way to the poor man's house, but she is all eyes to find out the rich and liberal; she is not willing to stretch her hand to the needy, but she is pleasant when she is touched in the hand with a weighty gift. Grace draws all Creatures to God, not for her own Interest, for she is an absolute Enemy to the World, she abhors all sensual desires, excursions are odious to her, and blushes to appear in public; but Nature's delight, & greatest pleasure is to be conversant with the Creatures, to pamper her own flesh, to discourse of vain and idle matters, and if a heavy word casually fall in by the by of a neighbour, 
Quod ti by non vis fieri alteri non fecris.  she will enlarge upon it, contrary to that fundamental rule, of her own proper and positive law, what you would not be done to, don't do it to another.  
Grace seeks for her comfort in God alone, and finds in that Summum bonum more fatisfaction and pleasure, then in all visible and delightful objects of this world. Grace expects no temporal reward for what favours she exhibits, for God alone is her retribution, and of all temporal necessaries, she covets none, but what may exactly help her to the acquisition of eternal Bliss; but Nature does all her actions for lucre of future gain; for she can do nothing gratis, no, she must have a more ample, or at least an equal return for her work, & that must be paid her down in Specie; if that fails her, she will expect a large commendation, or the cast of a considerable favour on occasion.  
Grace loves even her mortal enemies, she becomes not proud of her rich, and well-qualified friends, she is nothing extolled with the height of her extraction, and noble blood of her Ancestors, if virtue do not accompany them; she favours more the poor, than she does the rich; and has more compassion of the innocent Criminal, then of the Potent Malefactor; she is a friend to truth, and an enemy to falsehood; she is never weary to exhort the good to a more eminent perfection, and to become the faithful followers of their gracious Redeemer; but Nature is overjoyed to see herself amongst an abundance of friends, and relations, she glories in her noble extraction, and speaks highly of the antiquity of her family; she is complesant to the powerful, flatters the Rich, applands her fellows in Iniquity, and bushes them on to a further acquisition of vice, she makes virtue to seem ridiculous to them, that she may the easier have a full Empire in their hearts, and sit the safer in her throne. Grace will be nothing surprised to see herself reduced from a high and plentiful State, to a low and indigent condition; but Nature will grumble, repine, and snarl at God's Providence for so great, and so unexpected a downfall.  
Grace attributes all goodness to God, as being the chief Source, and offspring thereof, she will brag of no good, that she can do of herself; she is content with the bare notion of God's packet-bearer, that brings his Commissions from Heaven, to the wicked and rebellious of the World, and to solicit them, to a new and speedy reform, both of their lives and manners; she is nothing arrogant, nothing clamorous, or contentiously given, but has her understanding, & senses submissive to the eternal Wisdom's examination, direction, and conduct; but Nature covets to be informed of all Secrets, to know all novelties, to be much abroad, to be present where the greatest resort is, her senses must all be at hot work, she must know all people, and all must be acquainted with her; Grace is quite contrary in her disposition; she is for a more sublime employment: she values not those Trifles, that Nature is so enamoured with, neither is she curious to know those silly intrigues, and foolish formalities of the World, because they are all the products of a long standing corruption, and therefore they cannot be grateful to her, for she will have us not to busy our senses with them; but to avoid all manner of ostentation, and vain complacency, nay she will have us abscond in all humility, what is really commendable, and worthy of all men's admiration, she is much of the nature of a Bee that gathers honey out of the most poisonous herbs, if she sees any thing praiseworthy in men (tho' never so wicked) she gathers it, into her hony-comb, and considering it to be a participation of God's goodness, she makes an oblation of it to his greater honour and glory: she abhors that herself, or any good work she does, should be published, or applauded, but that the Almighty should be ever blessed in all his gifts; and since we have nothing of our own that can be called good, if any good work we do, God must be the Promoter of it, consequently Grace will have us to refer it to him alone, and not boast of it, as of our own production.  
'Tis this great distance betwixt Nature & Grace, and their main opposition in matter of Government, that makes me, in a manner despair of ever getting the better of my depraved nature, prone to evil, even from her Cradle; for she had her downfall by Adam's Transgression, and the punishment thereof by a Decree from Heaven, was entailed upon all her Posterity, so that Nature, which (as first created) walked uprightly in all her ways, became vicious by his sin, and to that degree, that all her motions are bend to evil, and is herself so blind, that she leads her poor Pupils, I mean the poor Souls that are Lodged within her precincts, into the Precipice of eternal Damnation.  
The little strength that remained in her after this fatal overthrow, may be very well compared to a small sparkle, that lies glowing under the Cinders, and this I call natural Reason, which is altogether overclouded, notwithstanding she can discern what is true, and what is false; what is good, and what is evil; but has not the power to fulfil all that she approves, for she is both sick, and crazy, as well in all her Senses, as in all her affections.  
Wherefore O my most gracious Lord! 
Gen. 1.1.  who hast created me to thine own Image and likeness, grant me I beseech thee, that great grace of thine, so necessary to my Salvation, that I may overcome my poor, frail, and corrupt nature, which leads me to sin, and even to perdition. 
Rom. 7.23.  For I feel within my own flesh the law of sin, which does contradict, and control the law of my mind; and drives me on Captive to all manner of vice; Insomuch that I cannot resist its unruly Passions, unless thou dost infuse thy all-conquering grace into my heart. 'Tis true I find myself interiorly inclined towards the practice of thy divine Law; I know thy Commands to be good, just and holy; & that the evil of sin is to be avoided, above all the miseries imaginable; yet in myself, I am still an obedient slave to the law of Sin, & am more prone to obey the Dictates of Sensuality, than those of a right understanding and reason. I know the good but I want the will to practise it: I often purpose to do what is grateful to thee, and which may conduce to my own eternal Salvation, but alas! the least obstacle brings me off from my good resolutions. I know likewise the way to perfection, and do see full well what I ought to do for to attain it, but alas! I am so pressed down with the weight of of my corruptions, that I am not able to climb towards it. So that I see clearly how necessary is thy Grace, to begin a good work, to go on with the same, and to bring it to a complete end; for without thy Grace I can perform nothing, but I shall be able to do all, if I be assisted with the same. Thy Grace then O Lord, is our strength, our chief support, and the solid foundation of all our merits. From it alone, all gifts of nature receive their estimate, no human Arts, no Sciences, no Riches, no Beauty, no strength, no Wit, no Eloquence, (tho' never so charming) is of any value without it.  
The gifts of Nature are common, as well to the wicked, as to the Just; but Grace is the proper Prerogative of the Elect, which gives them an assured title to life everlasting. 'Tis so eminent a favour, that the gift of Prophecy, the operation of Miracles, and even the most eminent Speculation, is of no worth without it; nay, Faith, Hope, and all other Virtues can never be grateful to thee O Lord, unless they have Grace and Charity along with them; it makes the poor of Spirit, rich in virtues; and the most opulent in earthly Treasures, humble and low in heart. She is the Mistress of Truth, the Teacher of Discipline; the Light of our understanding, the Comfort of the afflicted, a deliverer from all Sadness, a remedy against fear, a nurse of Devotion, and a most powerful Instrument to draw sorrowful sighs, and bitter tears from our hearts, and eyes; What am I without thy Grace O Lord? what? but a dry land and a fruitless Tree, fit for no other use, then to be cast into the fire. Wherefore O Lord let thy grace prevent me always, and go with me, in all my ways, that I may be the more able to perform thy commands, and comply with thy blessed will.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man, 
Sancti esto te quoniam ego Sanetus sum Dominus Deus vester. Leu. 11.44.  wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayst be justified? wilt thou accuse me of too much rigour, and want of discretion, that thou mayst be excused of thy intolerable negligence, sloth, and transgressions? didst thou not hear me speak by my servant Moses to the People of Israel, 
Perfectus & absque macula eris cum Domino Deo tuo. Deu. 18.13 Estore perfecti sicut & Pater vester coelestis perfectus est. Matt. 5.48 Cum metu timore, & tremore, operamini salutem vestram. Phil. 2.12. Nostra conversatio in coelis est. Phil. 3.20. Ubi amor ibi oculus. St. Bern. Ubi Thesaurus tuus est ibi & Cor tuum erit. Matt. 6.21 Verius est anima ubi amat quam ubi animat. Aug.  that they should be all Saints, because that I the Lord their God am a Saint; that they should be all perfect and without the least Spot in my presence. The same command was often repeated to thee in the law of Grace; there thou shalt find what a weighty obligation thou liest under, to be perfect as thy Father in heaven is. 'Tis a tribute due to the Divine Justice, and as thou hast thy life from him with that obligation, to spend it wholly in virtue, and in his faithful Service, thou canst not do otherways, without incurring his great displeasure, my Apostle was ordered by me to warn thee, and all mankind, to work your Salvation with fear, apprehension, and trembling; never to cease praying, and to be always employed in some good work or other.  
Thou tellest me of being a frail man; was not Peter, was not Paul, and the rest of my Apostles made of the same stuff as thou art? yet they tell thee, that their daily and hourly conversation was in Heaven. Thou hast been often told, that he is accursed who will either say, or believe that God has commanded impossible things to Man. His very first Precept to him, is, that he must love God with all his heart; and wilt thou tell me that this is an impossible thing? thou beleivest, I suppose, this maxim, where the love is, there the eye is, & that other; where thy creasure, there thy heart is. I shall add another maxim, which is no less credible, that the Soul is more assuredly there where she loves, than where she animates; now lay thy hand on thy conscience, and tell me how often has that unruly and predominant love, which thou hast for a  Creature, obliged thee to pay her a visit with all humility, respect, patience, and with all the expressions imaginable of a most tender affection; how often hast thou entreated that object of thy lust to give thee a favourable admittance into her presence? didst thou ever think the time long in her company? no, tho' it were a whole day, it seemed but a moment to thy thoughts; wouldst thou not undergo all the fatigues imaginable, to be admitted into her favour? nay, to purchase a smile or an amorous glance of her eye; thou wouldst I am sure endanger, even thy sweet life. And wilt thou be backward to do as much for me? who came from my Father's breast, to my Servants womb, from my heavenly Palace to a dirty Stable; from a seat of Glory, to a Land of misery; from the company of Angels, to that of brute beasts; from a peaceable and well-settled government, 
E●●erat snbditus illis. Luke 2.51.  to be subject to, and under the command of a poor Carpenter, and all this was to retrieve thy lost Soul; wilt thou not, I say, do as much for me, who have sustained labour and toil the full space of thirty three years, being all that time needy and poor, as the Evangelists testify of me, going bear-headed and without Shoes, destitute of lodging or  to defend me against the Wether; All this I suffered to lodge thy Soul in Heaven for an eternity, or for me who have been betrayed by my own Disciple, delivered over into the hands of my Enemy's, Scourged, Crowned with thorns, condemned, and nailed to a shameful Cross, & thereon died to purchase for thee, as well as for all mankind, an Eternity of Glory. And shall I have no other return from thee, for all my aforesaid kindnesses, then to tell me that thou art a frail man, and not an Angel, as if the perfection which I require of thee, was rather to be expected from those heavenly Spirits, then from so weak and frail a creature as thou art. O ingratitude, beyond all expression, but alas! it is the common distemper of all mankind, for they do generally despise the bounties of their Maker; none is content with his State or condition, were he as strong as an Elephant, as swift as a Buck, as light as a Bird, he shall complain that he wants the Sagacity of Dogs; the sight of Eagles, the long life of Ravens, nay, he will repine that he is not immortal, endued with the knowledge of things to come; his ingratitude will not be content with the enjoyment of that neither; no, he takes it ill that he is not a God upon Earth. He never considers the advantages of his condition, much less the goodness and love of God to him in the benefits he enjoys. The benignity of Providence was so great in his regard, as to give him power to subdue the strongest of Creatures, overtake the fleetest, reclaim the fiercest, and outwit the craftiest. He is within one degree of Heaven itself, and yet he is not Satisfied, he would fain have Heaven for his inheritance, and the glory of Saints for his Patrimony, without any further trouble. O man, take notice of thy great folly; wilt thou pretend to have Heaven at a cheaper rate, than I have had it, who am the only & the undoubted Heir of that blessed Kingdom. No, that must not be; I have sufficiently suffered to come to the enjoyments of a crown of glory, and thou shalt enjoy it upon no other terms. Thou must labour for it, and if thou dost but begin the work, my grace shall help thee to bring it to its full accomplishment.  
Let not the frailty of thy nature overbalance thy courage, 
Angelus Domini Exercitium est. Mal. 2.7.  let not the difficulty which thou art to encounter, oblige thee to a shameful retreat, for I shall be present with thee in all thy conflicts, to cast dust in thine enemy's face, 
Constitui te Deum Pharaonis. Exod. 7. Ego dixi Dij estis. Psal. 48.  and to put them all to a shameful rout. Remember that thou art not only an Angel, but even a God upon Earth, for thou hast heard me say by my Prophet, of a Priest of the Levitical Law, that he was the Angel of the Lord of Hosts, and thou art satisfied that I did appoint Moses to be the God of Pharaoh. Who can deny but that Holy Men are Gods upon Earth, seeing that I have said it by one of my Prophets; the perfections of man therefore may, and aught to be proportionably suitable, to so great a dignity, and why shouldst thou think it strange that I should expect thee to lead an Angelical life on Earth, and to raise thyself by contemplation, and spiritual dilection, above thyself, 
Homo cum in honore effet non intellexit. Comparatus est in mentis infipientibus & similis factus est illis. Ps. 48. Si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus ipsi nos seducimus. Isa. 1.8.  wouldst thou have the words of my Prophet to be verified in thee? Man being in honour abideth not, he is like the beasts that perish. 'Tis certain that thou mayst, with the assistance of my grace, make so great a Progress in virtue, as to be equal with the very Angels, even in thy Pilgrimage, and to enjoy a more excellent crown of Glory, than some of them in heaven. In answer to thy Second objection, that it is impossible for man to live in the world without sin; 'tis true that thou hast Scripture for what thou sayest. For my beloved Disciple avers, that if mortals will say that they have no sin, they deceive themselves and that the truth is not in them; 
In multis offendimus omnes. Jac. 3. Quid est homo ut immaculatus fit, & ut justus appareat natus demuliere. Job. 15. Non est homo super terrum qui faciat bonum & non peccat. Eccl. 7. Justus septies cadit de die. Prov. 24.  the same James my beloved Apostle, and worthy Brother confirms. In many things, says he, we all offend; and Job, that perfect model of patience, and worthy object of all men's imitation, sets this question, what is man that he should be clean? and he which is born of a Woman, that he should be righteous. But thou must understand, that Sin is properly called a transgression, either of the divine, or of the natural, or of the positive law. A man by God's grace, may, and aught to be free from this, because it is a mortal sin, which he is commanded and bound to avoid, for as much as it doth give a deadly wound to his Soul. 'Tis not like to a venial Sin, for the Wise will tell thee, that there is not a just man upon Earth, that does good and sinneth not: no, for a just man falleth seven times a day, and riseth up again.  
As for the instableness of man's heart, thou mayst be very well satisfied with my Apostles answer; for I must allow him to be a better Judge in that case, than thou art; having had a far greater trial of the world, and more experience in the hearts of men, than thou canst pretend to. For he was first a grand Persecutor of my Church, and after a Vessel of Election, to bring my name and preach my Doctrine over all the World. If thou wilt ask him what it was that wrought that great alteration in him? he will tell thee, 
Stabiles & immobiles estote abundantes in opere Domini semper. 1 Cor. 15.  by the grace of God I am what I am; and his Grace which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain, wherefore my beloved Brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  
The wise Solomon is much of the same opinion, 
Justus ejus fundamentum aeternum. Prov. 10.  for he says that the Righteous is an everlasting foundation; take notice how my Servants all agree in their Doctrine, they all have it from the same spirit. Therefore I tell thee, that whosoever hears these say of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a Wise man which built his house upon a Rock: The rain descended, the Floods came, the winds blue, and beat upon that House: and it fell not, for it was founded upon a Rock: hence thou mayst conclude that the mind of man, which of her own nature, or rather by her own evil custom, is mighty instable, and turns every way like a Windmill, will with the help of my grace be easily made steadfast; fortified by the constant practice of virtue, 
Optimum est gratia stabilire Cor. Hebr. 13.  and by frequent Acts of Charity become as unmovable as a Rock: therefore my Apostle says, it's a good thing that the heart be established with Grace. Experience will give it further Evidence. Thou knowest that the more fervent love is, the more it settles the Lover in the Beloved; moreover Custom, being as it were a second nature; there is nothing so difficult but may be overcome, and made pleasant, and easy by continual practice: even, so thy mind, if it be once adorned with divine and spiritual exercises, it will not only with ease, but fervently also and with very great satisfaction adhere firmly to me, with more assurance & comfort, than ever the rich Glutton did delight in his unlawful pleasure and treasures. Thou hast as many, and as authentic Witnesses of this truth, as have been Saints and perfect men in the world.  MAN. 
O Most gracious Saviour, 
Quid est homo quod memores ejus, aut filius hominis quoniam visitas eum. Ps. 8.  the Eternal wisdom of God I return thee my hearty thanks for all thy favours, and for this wholesome instruction, which thou wert pleased to give me. O Lord, what is man that thou art so mindful of him, or what service dost thou expect from the Son of man, that thou dost vouchsafe to visit him so often with the sweetness of thy frequent consolations? what has he deserved that thou shouldst be so free to impart thy grace unto him. Nay, if thou shouldst deny him that great favour, and even abandon him, to his unruly passions, he would have no cause to complain of thee, for his Sins have justly deserved it. And if thou shouldst refuse to grant him thy protection, yet has he no reason to repine at it. But grant me leave O Lord, to make known my grievances unto thee; when I tell thee of my great difficulty to attain perfection, & the impossibility I lie under to depress my evilinclinations. Thou dost remit me to the powerful help of thy grace, as if it were even at hand, and in my power to make use of upon all occasions; whereas I am always imploring it, nay, and often with weeping eyes do I crave thy mercy; yet all my prayers are ineffectual, I still being what I was, an empty vessel, void of all grace, cold in my devotion, weak, frail, and as prone to vice, as ever I was; where is now thy promise O Lord? where are thy manifold & often reiterated protestations to give a favourable hearing to all poor Sinners at any time, when they make their Addresses to thee. Ask thou sayest, and it shall be given you. 
Mat. 7.  Seek and you shall find: Knock and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh, receiveth, and he that seeketh, findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.  
These are thy promises, here are thine own invitations; however, in all submission, I presume to say what the holy Job confessed in the height of his afflictions, and what he expressed in the bitterness of his sorrowful and troubled heart; 
Job. 30.  I cry unto thee, says he, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not. 
Jer. Lament. 3.  I may lament with the Prophet Jeremy, and say, that thou hast builded against me, and hedged thyself about with a thick cloud, so that when I cry and shout, 
Esai. 63.  thou hearest not my prayer. I may likewise complain with the Prophet Isaiah, that the multitude of thy mercies are restrained from me. O Lord! if what these great and holy men have said be true, how can I, poor sinful Soul, expect that my prayers will be heard; or that thou wilt comply with my earnest and humble request? I have more reason to apprehend the severity of thy Justice, then to expect the products of thy mercy, 
Esdr. 9  for I may well say with Esdras, O Lord! I am confounded & ashamed before thy face, for my Sins are multiplied above my head, and my iniquities have reached up to Heaven.  SAVIOUR. 
I Am the searcher of all Hearts, there can be nothing therein, that is not visible to my eyes. I have all their thoughts in my prospect, and all the actions of men are registered in my book of accounts, I know that thy fears and querelous complaints do proceed from a pious, and upright mind, and therefore am resolved to give a favourable answer to every particular objection of thine. I know thou dost not doubt of the truth of my words, but thou wouldst fain have the right meaning of them, and conceive at full how my words, and promises (which seem to be contradictory) may be justified in thee. Wherefore take it for a certain truth, and an infallible Rule, that none, who does what lies in him, shall perish, or ever be abandoned by God; no, He is so merciful a Creator, that He will refuse no body the concurrence of his grace, for he ardently desires the Salvation of all, without any exception of persons, as thou mayst easily conclude by that solemn invitation which he gives to all mankind; Come unto me, says he, all ye that are heavy, and I will give you rest; as also by that great care which he takes of every particular man, even from his Mother's womb, 
Mat. 11. Angelis suis mandavit de te ut custodiant te in omnibus vijs tuis. Mat. 4.6.  to dispatch one of his heavenly Courtiers, with express orders to keep, protect and defend him, as well from the rage of his insulting enemies, as from all other sinister accidents which poor Mortals are incident to. This and many more Instances I might produce, of the great tenderness that God has for man, so that none who is truly a Christian, has the least ground to doubt, but that he, and his only and dearly beloved Son also, who has suffered so much for men, and gave even his very Life to save them from Death everlasting, will be ready, not only to hear their prayers at all times, but also most free, to comply with their request.  
But I must give thee to understand that prayer is an act of virtue, and therefore it's called, Latria, so that it is not every petition that can be rightly termed a prayer, for this is an humble demand of decent and necessary things to Salvation. As thou art obliged to be firmly fixed in the constant practice of other virtues, thou must be the same in prayer, thou must never give over, but still continue upon the same subject with God. And withal if thou dost expect to be heard, and to obtain the effects of thy prayer from him, thou must add the following council to my former, that is, utterly to break off with vice, and fall into a virtuous life. For what a ridiculous thing it is to think, that God will remit thee thy Sins, whilst thou art resolved, not to forsake them, but rather to increase them daily. To hope for any mercy at his hands, whom thou dost dishonour, provoke and offend hourly, what dost thou think of it? is it not to laugh at the Almighty, and to ridicule the Omnipotent? If thou hadst dealt so with a terene King, or with one of an inferior degree, certainly he would be highly displeased with thee, and take it as a great affront, that thou shouldst crave his pardon for the wrong thou hast done him, and which thou art resolved not to repent; how much more should the God of infinite Justice, the Lord of unspeakable Majesty, and the Judge of illuminate Wisdom, be incensed against a poor, wretched creature, that would go so barefaced to affront him.  
By what is said thou mayst understand that the duty of a well-meaning Orator, is first to be inwardly grieved to have ever offended his God, secondly to make him condign satisfaction for all his past offences, thirdly to purpose firmly not only to avoid Sin, but also the occasion which may bring him to it. After this worthy preparation, he then must make a sorrowful, entire, and sincere confession of all his Sins, to his spiritual Father, & fulfil exactly what satisfaction he shall enjoin him. If thou dost perform this, and live ever after according to these dictates, thou shalt undoubtedly obtain from God the effect of thy prayer, let it be what thou wilt, either the remission of thy sins, or a further increase of Grace, or any other rational request. I must confess, that he does sometimes, even as a wise and provident Father, delay the performance thereof, but it is to try, the faith, and patience of his Orators, and to exercise his Elect, even the most holy among them, that they may be worthy Precedents to others; or it is to practise their virtue and perfect resignation to his holy will, in order to gratify them with a more eminent degree of glory.  MAN. 
O My most gracious Lord! thou hast now made a full and Satisfactory answer to all my complaints, objections, and Queries, but notwithstanding I am still so perplexed with anguishes, and so troubled in mind, that I do not know what to make of myself; or where I may be eased of this worm that gnaws my guilty conscience, and all my trouble proceeds from a well-grounded apprehension, that I was never really contrite for my Sins, never made a sincere & sorrowful confession of them, and that I never prayed to my God as I ought, or had that great care to amend my Life, and to avoid the occasion of Sin.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man be not at all dismayed, thou hast often heard that virtue does consist in the middle, nay 'tis the middle of too vicious extremes, even as liberality is a medium betwixt prodigality and tenacity, and therefore I would have thee to place thyself betwixt despair and presumption; betwixt an impertinent Security, and an immoderate fear; fix a firm hope in thy God, of whose mercy thou canst not despair without a mortal offence.  
However I do not disallow thy fear, when it is in a reasonable degree; for the wise man will fear upon all occasions, but especially where the matter is in doubt, whether it will go well or ill with him; as in this case, thou dost not know for certain, whether thou art worthy of God's love, or deserving of his hatred; whether thou art in the state of Grace, or in that of Sin; whether predestinate, or damned for ever.  MAN. 
O My Saviour, to consider seriously how straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads to Salvation! no rational man can choose but admire the blindness, the vanity, the great folly, or rather madness of wicked men; they know that they have a Soul which informs, and gives motion to their body; that this Soul is stamped with the likeness and Image of her Creator; that she is entailed to an eternity of glory, and yet they run like so many mad wild Boars, seeking where to satisfy their lustful, and evil inclinations, without the least thoughts of that ever-blessed Mansion, Heaven: of that radiant day of Eternity, of that day which never will admit of any darkness. But let the wicked (if they will be so obstinate) run their course; as for myself, I shall never desist sighing after that Land of Promise, whilst I remain in this vail of misery, where poor man is environed with so many afflictions, and crosses, tainted with so many Spots of Sin, pestered with so many brutal passions, plagued with so many fears and cares; disturbed with so many foolish and vain curiosities; subject to so many changes, and errors; consumed with so many labours and toils, liable to so many temptations & snares, sometimes sick with overmuch eating and drinking, & sometimes also famishing with hunger and thirst.  
O Lord! when shall I see an end put to all these evils? when shall I be freed from the intolerable slavery of vice; when shall I have thee for the sole object of all my thoughts? when shall I throughly rejoice in thee, 
Quis me liberabit de corpore morcis hujus. Rom. 7.24.  or when wilt thou deliver me out of this mortal prison, to enjoy the liberty of thy beloved in heaven? when shall I be blessed with a solid peace, void of all trouble, as well of mind, as of body.  
O Sweet Jesus! when shall I be so happy as to see thee, and to stand for ever in the deep contemplation of the glory of thy heavenly Court, and Kingdom? when shalt thou be to me all in all? when shall I sit at that magnificent table which thou hast prepared from all Eternity for thy beloved? Alas! here I am left a poor and banished creature in an enemy's land, where nothing is to be seen but constant mutinies, daily wars, and great miscarriages.  
O Lord! be graciously pleased to Comfort me in my banishment, and to lessen my sorrow; for all the pleasures of this world seem now a burden to me, and not any satisfaction; it's therefore that I long to be intimately united with thee, but my weakness will not admit of that great happiness. I would willingly hear, and think of heavenly things, but my worldly affairs will not allow it, no more will my immortified inclinations, and brutish passions: my mind would fain be above the World, and look with a disdaining eye on all its allurements, but my flesh depresses my Spirit, and keeps all my senses captive. Hasten then, O Lord, and set an end to this intestine War, take my Soul to thee her Creator, and my Body to its primitive nothing.  
Thus do I unfortunate man fight against myself, both night and day, the Spirit would fain have an absolute supremacy over the flesh, but the flesh does thwart her, and will dispute the matter with the dint of her furious and headstrong passions, and I poor Wretch must be the fatal field where these two mortal foes do fight hand to hand, but alas! the flesh always remains Conqueror, & marches off with displayed colours. There is no likelihood of a peace without thy grace: grant therefore O Lord, that these two adversaries may join in a right understanding, and come to thee with a true sense of their long and obstinate rebellion; with a sorrowful and contrite heart, and with a firm resolution to live submissive to thy divine laws, for the remainder of their mortal life.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! even as thou art obliged to love thy God with all thy heart, and to that degree, that thou wouldst sooner lose, even thy life, and suffer all the losses and afflictions imaginable, rather than to offend him by giving consent to the least of mortal Sins; so thou art bound to grieve more for the committing of one mortal Sin, then for any painful evil, or earthly damage, tho' it were the total destruction and ruin of thy Family. This is the grief which I call contrition, and which may be absolutely accounted the greatest in nature. 
Conc. Trent. Sess. 14. c. 4.  My Council of Trent gives thee a perfect Idea of this great and sorrowful Sacrifice, when it defines it to be a grief of mind; and detestation of Sin, with a resolution to avoid it for the future.  
It is a grief of mind, 
Sacrificium Deo Spiritus contribulatus. Psal. 50.19.  that is a great regret, and an inward displeasure, which is conceived in the heart of man, for having offended his God. 'Tis also a detestation, which is hatred, and an aversion which one has to Sin, when he considers it to be a most wicked thing, a mortal enemy to God, and destructive to his own Salvation. But there must be a firm resolution made to avoid Sin for the future, and likewise the occasion which leads to it, this is a necessary consequence of that grief & hatred of sin; for if thou beest hearty sorry for the evil committed; and dost truly detest it, thou wilt also have a will to avoid it, if not, 'tis most evident, that thou hast neither sorrow nor aversion.  
This contrition, to be perfect and effectual, must have four conditions, it must be interior, Supernatural, universal and Sovereign. It must be interior, I mean from the heart; for the outward expression of grief, is at best, but a compliment, and a mere illusion, whereby many poor Souls are basely deceived and utterly ruined. 
Deut. 4.  The heart must be sensibly touched with compunction, it must be an act of the will, thou must convert thyself to God with all thy heart, and seek for him with the sorrow and tribulation of thy Soul. See how I reprehended the Penance of the Jews, 
Scindite cordis vestra & non vestimenta vestra ait Dominus. Joel 2.  they made great exterior signs, even to rend their , but they were not at all moved in their hearts, and therefore I told them by my Prophet, that they should convert themselves to me with all their hearts, in tears and lamentations, and that they should tear their hearts, and not their garments. Both Scripture and Reason does manifest this truth, that this sorrow for thy Sins must be lodged in thy heart, and as thy will was the principal cause of thy Sin, so it must be the chief actor in thy sorrow. Thy heart must renounce the evil which it has wilfully committed, and detest the sin which it had formerly affected.  
Thy Grief must issue from a supernatural motive, and the reason of it is, that an action purely natural cannot be a condign satisfaction to me, for thy mortal transgression of my positive commandment, thou mayst see by the sorrow of Saul, who did not grieve for his sin, but for the loss of his Kingdom, which God had resolved to take from him, to give it to a more faithful, and obedient servant. Antiochus' sorrow was grounded upon the like motive; for he did not weep for his sins, but by reason of his great misfortunes. Afflictions may indeed stir up a Sinner to return to God, but they shall never be able to reclaim him from his wickedness without my Grace. To obtain which he must detest his sins, because they are infinitely offensive to God, and a great obstacle to his own Salvation; these are supernatural motives, without which thy contrition will signify nothing in order to receive the grace of God.  
Thy grief must be also sovereign, that is most powerful. And the reason for it is, that it's not enough to detest Sin upon a supernatural motive, but that this motive must overrule all other, that come into thy mind, and rather detest sin by reason of the damage it brings to thy Salvation, or the injury done to God thereby, then for any natural evils which it may produce, and be ready to suffer them all, rather than commit one mortal Sin. This is what Divines call detesting Sin, Supra omne detestabile, that is, to detest it more than all which in the world is capable to stir up thy hatred and detestation.  
In fine, 
Ezech. 18.  thy grief must be universal, as to all mortal sins, without excepting any; 'tis therefore I ordered my Prophet to tell my People, that they must do Penance for all the Sins which they had committed; and if the Sinner shall do Penance for all his Sins he shall live. The reason of it is, that mortal Sins cannot be remitted, but totally, not one without the rest, for if thou shouldst reserve an affection for one mortal Sin, tho' thou shouldst have an abhorrence against all the rest, thou art still an enemy to God, and a worthy object of his highest displeasure. By this thou mayst perceive how grossly they are mistaken, who pretend to be perfectly contrite, and yet refuse to pardon injuries, to be reconciled to their Enemies, to restore unlawful goods, to avoid the immediate occasions of Sin. In a word, all those that have any wilful tye, to any particular sin, shall have the same measure from my hands, as Antiochus had, for their Penance as well as his is but imaginary.  MAN 
O My most merciful Lord! have pity upon me, and let my poor Soul partake of the wonderful effects of thy great clemency. I acknowledge now the great evil which I have done; now I see the grievousness of my Sins, now I see how few have that true and perfect contrition which is so necessary to Salvation; seeing they relapse into their habitual offences so soon; and so easily, for had they that great sorrow for their Sins, they would be certainly more vigilant to avoid them, then to prevent the greatest of all misfortunes.  
They would be also more eager to set a stop to the dangerous currant of venial Sins, since they are the preludes of a vicious habit, and that by degrees they bring us to make nothing of mortals; for they do notably diminish the lights of our understanding, the sincerity of our mind is overclouded by them; our heart overruled; the strength of grace, and the vigour of virtue made weaker, our Soul disordered, and laid open to all evil impressions.  
'Tis true, they don't destroy sanctifying grace; but they dispose us very much to lose it. All together they don't make a mortal sin, but they dispose the Soul to fall into it. They don't directly cause death; but they create those spiritual weaknesses, & maladies which bring death with them. In a word, tho' venial Sins don't break the league and unity betwixt God and the Soul, which is grounded upon that happy foundation of grace, yet inperceptably they diminish it, and by this diminution Charity is weakened in us, and God by degrees withdraws from us, the chief favours of his assistance in all our spiritual necessities; consequently having less strength, we fall more easily into mortal Sin, when we are assaulted by any temptation.  
By this I may easily conclude, that whoever is careless to avoid venial sins, has not a sufficient abhorrence of mortals, for there is nothing so venial but may be, through an immoderate complacency, dissolution, or recreation, become of the number of mortals, and perhaps of the most capital Sins. How then is it possible, for those that continue whole hours, nay from morning till night in Taverns, and tippling-houses, Ranting, Drinking, 
Vae qui cogitatis inutile. Mich. 2. Vae vobis qui ridetis quia flebitis.  Dancing, and other such like dissolutions to be excused from mortal Sins, since that God threatens with a woe, even those who think of unprofitable things. He does the same to those that place all their consolation and felicity in Riches. As also to those that in any thing belonging to nature take pleasure to excess. Ah! 
Vae vobis divitibus qui habetis consolationem vestram. Et vae vobis qui saturati estis. Luk. 6  These are my familiars, O Lord, wherewith I have so often displeased thee; rebellious, ungrateful, and perfidious creature, as I am. I have been created to thy Image and likeness, but alas! by my Sins I have made my Soul most like unto the Devils, those monsters of ingratitude.  
By my Sins I have often renewed the bitter Death and Passion of Jesus thy beloved Son, 
Quis dabit Capitimeo aquam, & oculis meis fontem lachrimarum? & plorabo die ac nocte. Jer. 9.1  O how can I worthily deplore so great an evil! who will give water to my head, & a fountain of tears to my eyes, to lament both night and day my misery and malice? To have contributed to thy death O Lord, is of all other motives the most powerful to replenish my mind with grief and sorrow; and therefore do desire to hear from thyself the particulars of it.  SAVIOUR. 
KNow then, that after I had taken man out of the bowels of the Earth with a Faciamnus, and created him, to my own Image and likeness; in order to make him sole Lord and absolute Monarch of the whole Universe, with full power to take and taste of all things that a most pleasant paradise could afford, (the fruit of Life only excepted). He the ungrateful and rebellious creature, considering the great advantage of his condition, and the greatness of his dignity, which should be to him a sufficient motive to love, obey, respect and praise me for ever; took thence occasion to mutiny, rebel and desert me, and enter into a league against me with Lucifer, whom I had a little before expelled Heaven for his thoughts of Pride & Ambition; and who, from that very moment made a vow to deface and destroy my Picture, being that he could not annoy my Person. This so heinous an offence, deserved he should be immediately commanded out of that Terrestrial Paradise, where he was created and lived like a petty Prince, and where he had all other creatures, even the most furious among them, at his beck, to do with them as he thought fit. 
Accepisti argentum & vestes a Naaman sed & Lepra Naaman adhaerebit tibi, & semini tuo usque in sempiternum. 4 Reg. 5.   
He was therefore turned off as a vagabond, cast into exile, and made liable to suffer the punishment, even of the damned, for as he became an associate to the Devil in Sin, 'twas fit he should be his companion in torment. Thou hast heard of my Judgement inflicted on Gehazi my Prophet's servant, and how, for taking Naaman's money and , for the cure of his Leprosy; I ordered that for his covetous transgression, both he and all his generation to the world's end, should share in his Leprosy, as he did in his garments. Even so have I decreed against man, who had so much affected Lucifer's Pride and Ambition, that he should be likewise infected with his Leprosy, and as he was obedient to his suggestions, he should partake of his punishments also. Behold the fatal Metamorphosis of man, and how for imitating the Devil in his rebellion, he forfieted my resemblance, to put on that of this most horrid and hideous Monster of Hell.  
Man being made so abominable by sin, and so great an eyesore to my divine Essence, I in mercy was moved, not to reflect so much upon the injury done to my Supreme Majesty, as not to condole the greatness of his deplorable misery, & was more inclined to compassionate his weakness; then to be revenged of his crime. Whereupon to repair his loss, I undertook to mediate his peace with my heavenly Father, and in order to so great a work, I contracted with humane nature so strict an alliance, that I became both God and man, which was so grateful to my Father, that he not only forgave man all his past transgressions, but also received him into favour with all the demonstrations of joy that could be expressed. Who would ever expect that so large and so dangerous a breach should ever be repaired? who would ever imagine that two things so opposite one to the other, as is the divine, to humane nature; should come to subsist and remain together, not in one house, not at one table, nor in one bed, but in one and the selfsame person. This is a miracle beyond the expectation of man, and indeed beyond th'expression of an Angel, for there can't be any two more contrary than is God and the Sinner: yet now what two can be more firmly united, or have greater influence, than God and man. There is nothing more sublime than God, 
Pulvis es & in pulverem reverteris. Gen. 1.  and nothing more vile, and despicable then man. Notwithstanding, God with all humility descends from Heaven to man; and man ascends to Heaven with God; so that the action of man is the same with that of God, and whatever God is said to have done, may be justly imputed to man, because that I am both God and man.  
Who would ever believe that man, to see him naked after his dismal fall, and absconding in one corner or other in Paradise for to keep himself from God's indignation and wrath, who would believe I say, that such a fordid and contemptible substance, should be in time united to God in one and the same Person?  
This was a strange union indeed, and a true lover's knot, for when it was upon the dissolution at the time of my Passion, it did not in the least fail, but was rather violently separated, to show what an amorous inclination I had to be still united to humane nature. Death indeed might have taken my Soul from my body, and break off that union of nature which kept them together; 
Quod semel assumpsit nunquam dimisit. Aug.  but had not the power to withdraw my Godhead from either of them, for that was an union of the divine person, which I shall never relinquish, having once fixed upon it with all the tenderness of a most ardent love.  MAN. 
O Lord! I am so much obliged to thee, for this extraordinary great favour, that I am not able to return thee sufficient thanks, for the way and means which thou hast taken to redeem me, and my very redemption is so great a benefit, that no Angelical tongue is able to express it. All that I can say, is, that I am bound by all the ties both of nature and conscience to love thee, and stand submissive to thy laws for ever: Thou hast delivered my Soul out of the infernal Dragon's jaws: and without any merit of mine, but merely through the multitude of thy mercies, thou hast reconciled me to thyself, This is eternally worthy of praise. But if I consider how, and after what manner thou hast done me that unspeakable favour, I shall find that it does exceed even that great work of my redemption. Thy works are wonderful in all their circumstances; 
Mirabilis Deus in Sanctis suis  and tho' man when he considers one, does really believe that nothing can go beyond it, it's so prodigious in his eye, yet when he brings his mind to the serious contemplation of another of thy wonders, his former amazement is over, and his eyes are totally fixed upon this, 
Et Sanctus in omnibus operibus suis.  even to the annihilation of his senses. This his judgement of the matter does not at all diminish the greatness of thy glory, but rather gives it a more resplendent lustre, and makes appear how wonderful and holy thou art in all thy works.  
But by what means O Lord wert thou pleased to release me out of my bondage, 
Quis potest facere mnndum de immundo semine nonne tu qui solus es. Job.  to cleanse my Soul of all her iniquities? Thou mightst indeed have restored me several ways to a perfect health of Soul, even by a word of thy mouth, without any further labour or cost but thy liberality was so great, and so wonderful towards me, that to give me a perfect demonstration of the excess of thy goodness, and love, thou wert pleased to help me out of my misery, with such excessive pains and anguishs, that the very thoughts of them brought a bloody Sweat over all thy limbs: and thy bitter Passion, which did immediately follow, was of force to rent and split even the hardest Rocks with grief. Let the Heavens therefore praise thee O Lord! and all the Saints and Angels extol thy wonders and the greatness of thy mercy! Thou canst live of thyself independent of man, who is, at his best, but a handful of clay; and consequently could neither be a hindrance to thy glory, nor give it any further increase; and if the perpetual destruction of all mankind had ensued the dismal fall of Adam, 
Si peccaveris, quid eum nocebis. & si multiplicatae fuerin● iniquitates tuae quid facies contra eum, porro si justus eris quid donabis ei, aut quid de manu tua accipiet. Job. 35.  it could not have been in any respect prejudicial to thee; for as holy Job says, if thou Sinnest, what dost thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thou art O Lord, so rich, that thy wealth can't be increased; so potent, that thou canst not be more powerful; and so wise, that thou wantest not the counsel of any. Thou art neither greater nor lesser, before, nor after the Creation of the World. Tho' all the orders of Holy Angels should incessantly sing thy praises, and tho' all Sublunary creatures should be constantly employed in the like affair, thou canst not be more glorious, than thou art, nor less tho' they should all combine to curse, and Blaspheme thee. When we were all thy professed Enemies, thou wert pleased to debase thyself so low, as to descend from thy heavenly Throne, into this Land of misery; to put on the habit of our mortality, make thyself liable to all our debts, and for the satisfaction thereof, to suffer the greatest torments, that the malice and rage of Man or Devil could ever invent.  SAVIOUR. 
THou sayest true, O Man, for thy Love I was content to be born in a stable, laid in a manger, betwixt an Ox and an Ass, to receive a little heat by their breathing; wrapped up in clouts, and was eight days after my Nativity circumcised; so early did I make an effusion of part of my blood, and spent the remainder to the last drop on the Cross for thy Redemption. It was for the love of thee that I fled into Egypt, where I continued full Seven years in want and misery, and after my return what Persecutions and troubles I suffered from the hands of that ungrateful, and stiffnecked Nation of Israel, was merely for Love of thee. My fasting, my watching, my journeys from one place to another, and often disappointed (tho' weary and faint) of a place to shelter me from th' inconveniencies of foul weather, was wholly for thy sake. In Fine, all the miseries and tortures which thy Sins had deserved, were experienced by me solely upon th'account of thy Love. For I was innocent and without the least spot of Sin, free from all fallacies or circumventions, and never offensive to any, tho' I was wronged and highly injured by all.  
For thy sake, O man, was I betrayed by my own Disciple, apprehended by an unruly and Malignant Rabble, forsaken by my Friends, denied by the chief of my Apostles, sold to my Enemies for a trifle, Arraigned before a Judge; accused as a Criminal, Sentenced and condemned as a notorious Malefactor; exposed to the Scoffs and derisions of the Multitude: Before my Execution I was scourged with no less cruelty, than shame and disgrace: delivered over to th'integrity of insulting, and bloody Soldiers, who Crowned me with Thorns as a Mock-King, in derision and Scorn. In Fine, I was led to execution, nailed to a shameful Cross, exposed to the view of all the World between two Thiefs, as if I had been an Impostor, a Cheat, and the worst of Men. At last, O man, amidst these excessive pains of my Body, 
Pater in manus tuas commendo Spiritum meum. Ecce ego mitte me.  and far greater anguishes of my Soul, over whelmed with sorrow and confusion, I poured out my last Breath in th'arms of the Cross, recommending my Spirit into the hands of him that sent me, at my own request to purchase thy Redemption.  
Give ear, O man, to the sorrowful description which my Prophet gives thee, as well of my Person, as of the torments which I have suffered for thee. There was no beauty in him, says he, nor comeliness, and we have seen him despised, and made the most abject of Men; he was a man of sorrow, and knowing infirmities. We hide, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. He surely hath born our infirmities, and our sorrows he hath carried, 
Propter Scelus populi mei percussi eum. Isa 53  and we have thought him to be, as it were, a Leper and stricken of God, and humbled: and he was wounded for our iniquities, he was broken for our Sins: The discipline of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed: God, says he again, has laid on him all our iniquities, and hath stricken him for the Sins of his People.  
Acknowledge therefore, 
Agnosce homo quam gravia sunt vulnera pro quibus necesse fuit unigenitum Dei filium vulnerari. Sinon essent haec ad mortem, & ad mortem sempiternam, nunquam pro his filius Dei moreretur. Bern. Ser. 3. de nati. Dom. Pudet itaque dilectissimi propriam negligenter dissimulare passionem, cui rantum a Majestate tanta video exhiberi: Compassionem compatitur filius Dei & plorat, Homo patitur & ridebit. Bern. ibid.  O man, how great those thy evils were, that obliged me the only and dearly beloved Son of God to be thus wounded, mangled, and bruised to cure them. Certainly, if those Sores had not been mortal, and even the fatal causes of the eternal death of thy Soul, I had never suffered so cruel a death for her recovery. Can there be a more considerable or a pressing motive to lament and abhor thy Sins, then to remember that they were the only cause of all my sufferances, and even of my most bitter death upon the Cross. The Jews went once through Jerusalem, and bewailed the destruction of that Royal City, and the loss of their King: how much more reason hast thou to lament thy great misfortune, to have occasioned my death, who am thy King, thy Redeemer, and he only that can either pardon thee thy sins, or condemn thee for them to an eternity of pains.  
O man, let this consideration be the constant subject of thy serious meditations; it will pierce thy heart, unless it be harder and more obdurate than the very Stones. This very consideration made one of my faithful servants to say, that it is a shameful thing for Christians not to acknowledge the evils, which sin has brought upon them, when they consider, what so supreme a Majesty, as that of the Son of God, has been obliged to suffer for them. The Son of God says he, taketh compassion on the miseries of man, and weeps for sorrow; whilst insensible man, who is overwhelmed with his own sins, is not concerned at all.  MAN. 
O My dear Lord and Master, thou hast said enough to conquer my heart, and to bring also the whole universe to admire the greatness of thy love for man. For what can be more worthy of our admiration then to behold a God of so infinite a Majesty finish his life under the notion of a notorious malefactor, upon a shameful Cross, and betwixt two Thiefs. Had I seen a man (tho' he were the basest and most vile amongst the People) brought to that misfortune, as to be condemned (for his crime) to die so cruel a death, certainly I could not choose but compassionate his condition, and condole that his misdemeanours should have brought him to so great a distress. If it be then a subject worthy our compassion to see a man of that inferior rank and condition, for his own crimes in so deplorable a state, what will it be, I pray, to see, not a man, but the Lord of all created things, (for the Sins of his servants) reduced to that extremity? Can there be any thing more wonderful, then to see even God himself plunged into so great an abyss of anguishes and pains for the sins and wickedness of wretched Men? If the calamity, and misfortune suffered, must be retaliated with a trembling and astonishment, proportionable to the worth and dignity of the person that suffers, O ye Angels of Heaven! who have a perfect knowledge of the greatness, and excellency of my benign Jesus, our gracious Redeemer, and your Creator; tell me how great was your grief, how stupendious your astonishment, how excessive was your lamentation and trouble, when you have seen him hang on that hard and uneasy cross? The Cherubins, (whose figures) God had ordered in the old Law to be placed on each side of the ark of Alliance, looked then at each other with admiration, to behold this bloody Sacrifice of that innocent and immaculate Lamb for the redemption of mankind, Nature itself stood amazed, and all creatures were interdicted their inbred inclinations and functions. The Principalities, and Powers of Heaven trembled at the very consideration of the unspeakable goodness of God, tho' so intimately acquainted therewith. What then shall become of those that do not swim in the waves of so great an ocean of admiration? 
Dominator Domine Deus misericors & clemens patience & multae miserationis. Exod. 34.  or what of those that are not drowned in the Seas of so great a bounty? are not they deprived of their senses, even as Moses was on Mount Sinai? where the figure of this bloody sacrifice was so lively represented to him, that he cried out with a loud voice, the Lord; the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. So much Surprised was he at the view of thine excessive goodness, O Lord, that he could not forbear praising thy mercy in the hearing of all the multitude of Israel. The Prophet Helias covered his face as God passed by him in the splendour of his glory, much more than should all mortals cover theirs to behold Gods profound humility and annihilation. Now not overthrowing mountains, and splitting Rocks with his infinite power; but exposed to the view of a malignant and most wicked Nation, and in so terrible and dismal a posture, that even the Rocks and Temple were rend asunder with an excess of compassion. What man of Steel, what heart of brass will not relent, and open his breast to lodge therein the love of so charming, so gracious, and so bountiful a God. O height of charity! O profoundness of humility, never to be paralleled! O unspeakable mercy! O Abiss of incomprehensible bounty! O my most gracious Lord! If I be so much obliged to thee for redeeming me, how much more am I bound to thee for the means which thou hast taken to redeem me? Thou hast redeemed me with pains, with sorrow, with scorns, with reproaches, with nails and thorns, and hast been made the derision of men, and even the most vile of the whole world. However O Lord, by thy contumelies, thou hast honoured me; by thy false accusations thou hast defended me; with thy blood thou hast washed me, by thy death thou hast revived me: and by thy tears thou hast delivered me from a perpetual weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
O heavenly Father! how tenderly thou lovest thy Children: thou art indeed that good, and faithful Pastor, thou givest thyself as food to thy flock. O faithful keeper, who hast laid down even thy precious life for to protect and defend thy Sheep which thou hadst in thy keeping, what thanks, or what service can I return thee for so great a favour? with what tears can I recompense thy weeping, or what life shall I bestow upon thee, for that pure and holy one which thou hast given for me? Alas! there is no proportion betwixt the life of man, and that of God; betwixt the tears of a silly creature, and that of an omnipotent Creator. 'Tis true, thou hast not suffered for me alone, but for all the world; shall I therefore think my obligation the less to thee, no, no, for tho' thou sned'st thy most precious blood for all mankind, yet it was after such a manner, that every particular man received the benefit from thy sufferings. In fine, thou didst suffer thy bitter and bloody passion as well for me in particular, as thou hast for all in general. O my God, thy charity was so immense, that if but one alone of all mankind were criminal, even for that one man, thou wouldst have suffered what thou didst for all; how much then am I obliged to thee who hast bestowed so many, and such great favours upon me, and who wouldst have done far greater things to purchase my Salvation, if necessity had required it.  SAVIOUR. 
I Would have thee, and all other creatures of the same Species to tell me, whether there was, or can be any benefit, obligation or grace greater; then what I have conferred upon thee; let all the Choires of Angels declare, whether I had exhibited the like favours to them, or given them any such proofs of my excessive kindness, and of my ardent love, and after all, wilt thou refuse to consecrate thyself wholly unto me? wilt thou deny to sacrifice all thine actions, inclinations and passions to my divine will and pleasure? Thou canst not deny but that thou art wholly mine by three several titles. First, because I created thee, thou, with all that thou hast belongest to me: Secondly, because I redeemed thee, thou art mine as aforesaid, but by a more strict title: Thirdly, because thou hast promised in thy Baptism to be mine for ever; and therefore, without committing a Sacrilege, thou canst not dispose of thyself otherwise: why then dost thou delay to give thyself wholly to me, and without any reserve, being thou art mine already by so many just titles? O Ingratitude never to be paralleled! O hardness of neart never to be sufficiently admired! Thou art certainly more obdurate, then ever the most impenetrable Rocks, since that thou wilt not relent and suffer thyself to be gained by so many, and such extraordinary great favours. There is nothing so hard but may be mollified by some art or another; the most obdurate mettle is mollified by fire; Iron is made pliable by the same element; the hardness of an Adamant is overcome and made soft with the blood of a Buck; but thy heart, O man, is harder than any rock, harder than steel, harder than the very Adamant; being neither the fire of Hell, nor the charms of thy heavenly Father, no, nor the blood of the most immaculate Lamb can mollify it, and make it tractable and submissive to my commands. How dost thou think I can bear such horrid ingratitude? I loved thee, and thou dost hate me; I have laid several obligations on thee, and thou dost forget them all, being thou art not ashamed or afraid to offend me at all hours, and upon all occasions. O man! what canst thou love if thou dost not love me? what favour can move thee to a kind return, if my benefits can't prevail? how canst thou but love, serve and worship me, who am so much enamoured with thee, who have sought thee when thou wert lost, with so much care and diligence; and who have redeemed thee from all evil with so much labour and toil.  
Thou hast heard me say, 
Si exaltatus fuero a terra omnia traham ad me ipsum. Joa. 13. In funibus Adam traham vos. Osee. 1. Qui non diligit manet in morte. 1. Jea. 3.15.  if I be lifted up from the Earth, I will draw all men unto me; but with what chains, with what violence dost thou think? with the violence of my Superabundant charity, and with the chains of my manifold favours. Who will be so great an enemy to his own Salvation, as to refuse to be tied with those cords, and bound fast with those chains. If it be death for a man not to love me, what will his punishment be if he hates me, and makes nothing to transgress my commandments? Is it possible O man, that thou shouldst be so Tyger-like as to stretch thy hands to nail mine to the shameful cross of thy wicked passions; mine I say, which were so liberal to thee, and so accessary to thy Salvation, that they freely and without compulsion offered to be transpeirced to the wood of the Cross.  
A lascivious woman having solicited the Patriarch Joseph to dishonour his Master, by commiting adultery with her; was frustrated of her intention by his worthy defence, in these words, behold, 
Gen. 39  my Master knows not what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he hath to my charge; there is none greater in this house than I, neither has he kept any thing from me, but thee, because thou art his Wife: How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? as if he had said, seeing my Lord and Master was so good, and so liberal to me, since he has entrusted me with his affairs, and that he has so great an esteem for me as to make me his favourite, & sole overseer of his house, and fortune; how can I be so ungrateful to him, after so many great favours, as to defile his bed with so horrid a crime; no, I can't attempt it. If these terrene favours have deserved so worthy a return of gratitude, what love, what service, what submission should I expect from thee for thy Creation, for thy Redemption, for all the labours and toils I endured in the space of full thirty three years to procure thy Salvation. joseph's Master did intrust him only with what earthly substance he had, but I gave thee both myself, and all that I had, which is infinitely more than what Joseph received from his Master: Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, Seas, Floods, Fowls, Fishes, Trees, Beasts, of all kinds: In a word, all that is precious under or above the Heavens, are my free gifts to thee, says my beloved Apostle: 
Omnia vestra sunt, sive Paulus, five Apollos, sive Cephas, sive mundus five vita, sive mors sive presentia, sive futura●? omnia cnim vestra sunt. 1 Cor. 3.  All things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollo's, or Cephas, or the world, or life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours; that is to say, All have I created in order to thy Salvation, nay, to endear thee more to me, I have given myself to thee in several respects; for I am thy Father, thy Pastor, thy Saviour, thy Master, thy Physician, and the Price of thy Redemption.  
Since 'tis so certain that I have given all into thy hands, how canst thou have the hands or face to offend me? how canst thou be so impious to so good a Father? so ungrateful to so liberal a benefactor? and so obstinate a Rebel to so bountiful a God. O unhappy man! thou art more ungrateful than the very beasts, more headstrong than the most fierce among them, and more insensible than the very Stones. Is it possible that thou art not moved at all this? and that thou art resolved never to relinquish thy wickedness? what wild Boar, what Lion, what Tiger would be so unmindful of benefits, as to injure him from whom they received them? St. Ambrose will tell thee of a Dog that rambled a whole night barking and howling for the death of his Master who had been murdered in the Road; 
St. Ambr. lib. 6. Hexame.  next morning a multitude of People came to view the Corpse among which was the man who had killed his Master; this animal runs at him, and holds him fast, looking on the bystanders with such a mournful countenance, as if he had desired Justice, whereupon the murderer was apprehended, and forced to confess his crime, for which he was immediately sentenced to die. O man! If a Dog for a piece of bread, had so great a love for his master; and was so faithful to him, as to lament and vindicate his death, wilt thou not be displeased at thine ingratitude, and principally when a dumb beast reprehends it, and teacheth thee to be grateful? If that irrational creature was so much incensed against the murderer of his Master; why art thou not displeased with those that have slain thy gracious Lord and Master? and what are they but thy Sins? 'Tis true, O man! thy Sins have taken me, have tied me, have scourged me, have crowned me, have nailed me to the Cross, and were the sole occasion of my bitter death; for the Jews could never have the power to crucify me, but that thy Sins did both arm and encourage 'em to it. Wherefore then art thou not highly displeased with them? why dost thou not bend all thy wrath and fury against them, seeing thy divine Master crucified by them before thine eyes? and especially since my Death and Passion was designed to breed in thy heart an eternal hatred of Sin. It was in order to destroy Sin that I suffered death; It was to set a stop to thy feet and hands, which are so prone to evil even from thy very cradle, that mine (as an oblation for their evils) were nailed to the Cross. How art thou so impious, as to live after such a manner, that all my pains taken for thy Salvation, will signify nothing. Why dost thou not tremble at the very mention of Sin? seeing me suffer such cruel torments to destroy, and root it clean out of the world. How canst thou be so rash, and so great an enemy to thy poor Soul, as to dare to offend me, seeing Heaven open to cast forth its thunder bolts upon thy criminal head, and Hell with a dilated mouth ready to swallow thee both body and Soul?  MAN. 
O My God, my King, my Saviour, my Judge, and my only comfort! Thou art I confess the Eternal Wisdom, and thy words to me are Spirit and Life, for they have made me resolve to bid adieu for ever to Sin, and to plant virtue where vice was before in great request; but give me leave to ask thee what would the benefit of my redemption avail me, if that of my Justification had not ensued? for by this it is, that the virtue of the former is applied to the diseases of my Soul; and even as a plaster (tho' never so sovereign) will signify nothing except it be laid unto the wound, so that heavenly medicine would be of no use or advantage to me, if it had not been applied, by the mediation of this unspeakable benefit, to the bruises which I received in that fatal field of Eden, where all mankind were shamefully foiled, and quite overthrown in the Person of Adam. The Sanctification of man does chief appertain to the Holy Ghost: 'Tis his prerogative to prevent the Sinner with the sweetness of his mercy, then to call him, being called, to justify him, and being justified to direct him, and lead him on to the end of his course, and then to gratify him with a crown of glory: wherefore I may justly say, that this very benefit is the happy compliment of all others; for by this man is registered in the number of God's children, discharged of the main weight of his iniquities, delivered from the dominion and Tyranny of the Devil; revived from Death to Life, brought from the state of Sin, to that of Justice, and of a child of malediction and woe, he becomes the Son of God and Co-heir with thee in thy Glory. 
Nemo potest venire ad me nisi Pater meus traxerit illum. Joa. 44.  But this cannot be performed without the peculiar help and assistance of the holy Ghost; as thou hast declared to thy beloved Disciple in these words, No man can come to me, except the Father who has sent me, draw him: whereby I conceive that neither free will, nor the power of humane nature, can withdraw a man from Sin, and bring him to Grace, unless he be helped on by the virtue of thy divine power.  
The Angelical Doctor St. Thomas commenting upon these words, says, even as a Stone by its nature still falls downwards, and can never ascend without some exterior assistance; so man overpressed by the corruption of Sin, tends always downwards, and is powerfully hurried on by his inbred inclinations to the love and desire of terene, and transitory things; but if he be minded to aim higher, that is, at the love, and supernatural desire of heavenly things, he must implore the assistance of thy Divine Spirit, without which, he shall never be able to make any progress in virtue.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man thou sayest well, but I would have thee practise well what thou sayest, for 'tis the practice and not the discourse of good things that can make thee grateful to me; the serious consdieration of this unspeakable benefit, should indeed press thee to it, & make thee most diligent to achieve it, which is a matter of greatest moment to thee; for by this, thou art reconciled to me, and cleansed from Sin, which is the worst of all evils, and the only evil I most hate and abhor; it alone is able to bring my indignation and wrath upon thee, 
Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem; perdes omnes qui loquntur mendacium. Psal. 5.  as thou mayst unerstand by my Prophet who says of me; Thou art not a God which taketh pleasure in wickedness; neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foorish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. Thou seest by this that Sin is the greatest of all evils; nay, 'tis the very root and origine of them all. On the contrary, to be in my favour & the object of my most tender affection is a real happiness, the fountain of all goodness and the solid foundation of all other favours and virtues. Why dost thou then delay thy endeavours, & refuse to concur with my holy inspirations? If thou wouldst once firmly resolve an amendment, & employ all thy faculties to destroy Sin in thee, thou shouldst then receive the benefit of Justification, by which thou art delivered from that pernicious evil; and of a mortal enemy thou art made my friend, not in a common degree of friendship, but in the most supreme that can be thought of; which is that of a Father to his Son. 
Videte qualem charitatem nobis dedit pater, ut filii Dei nominemur & fimus. 1. Jo. 3.  My Evangelist extols this extraordinary favour very highly, where he says, behold what a manner of Love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God, and be so too.  
Take notice of this O man! and consider seriously how I am not content to give thee the bare denomination of my Son; for a man may belly his name, and act contrary to his qualification; and therefore I say thou art not only my Son by name, or by any other groundless title; but really and in truth thou art so when justified. This is a prime favour indeed, for if it is so great an evil to be a reprobate, and consequently odious to God, what an unspeakable happiness it is to be loved by him and confirmed in his grace. 'Tis a maxim of Philosophy that the more a thing partakes of goodness, the more its contrary will have of evil, the Love of God above all things is the Summum bonum of man, therefore the greatest evil must be Sin, which makes him odious to God, and the fatal object of his just indignation and wrath. It were a great happiness if thou wert a favourite to thy Superiors, to thy King, or to some other crowned head, thou wouldst think thyself made for ever, but 'tis a far greater happiness to be in my favour, who am the Ruler of all earthly Potentates, the best of Fathers, and the chiefest of Lords; for all the Powers, Principalitys and Dignitys of the world, in reference to me, are no more then just nothing. O Man, 
Cum Inimici effemus. Rom. 5.10.  thou shouldst therefore value thyself upon this account, and the more, because thou hast received it gratis, and when thou wert my mortal enemy. For as it is most certain that before thy Creation thou couldst do nothing that might induce me to create thee, 
Rudis indigesteque moles 〈◊〉  for than thou wert but a rude lump of clay, without any form or fashion, even so 'tis most evident, that after thy relapse into sin, thou couldst do nothing, which might move me to grant thee the benefit of thy Justification, not because thou wert nothing, but by reason thou wert an ill man, and therefore most odious, and abominable to me.  
O Man, consider seriously these evil consequences of Sin; by it thou art clear out of my favour, thou art vilified in my sight; and banished from my presence, thou art cast from the converse, and company of my Saints, and Angels; thou art forbidden my heavenly Palace, and because thou hast a far greater love for the Creatures then for me, who am thy Creator, 'tis just thou shouldst be dealt with accordingly; thou hast forsaken me to serve them and the Devil too, who is the worst of Masters, therefore he is licenced to torment thee for an Eternity, and 'tis but what thou hast deserved for offending so good, and so gracious a Lord as I have been to thee. To this great disaster may be added another altogether as dreadful if not more, which is the immortal worm which shall perpetually gnaw the consciences of those miserable and unfortunate wretches in Hell. 
Terra miserae & tenebrarum ubi nulius ordo, sed sempiternus horror in habiter. Job. 10.22.  A place full of woe, and misery, the Region of everlasting darkness and confusion, where there is no order, no rule, no union, no friendship, no joy, no comfort, no peace, no rest, no satisfaction, no hopes; but perpetual horror, lamentation, gnashing of teeth, rage, blasphemy, cursing and also all other cruelties imaginable; these are the fatal products and punishments of Sin; but of all these I discharge those whom I do Justify, for when they are reconciled to me, and whilst they remain in my favour, they are no more the Children of wrath, and perdition, no more Servants and Slaves to the Devil, no more inclined to obey the dictates of the world, and the flesh; In fine, they are under the wings of my protection, sheltered from the rage of Satan, and from the most dreadful rigour of his everlasting torments.  MAN 
O Most gracious Saviour! I am throughly convinced of the truth of thy words; I confess that Sin is the greatest of all evils, and that the greatest misfortune that can befall a poor man in this world, is to lie under the tyranny of so hellish a monster; for it does not only deprive his Soul of thy grace, but also robs her of all the supernatural treasures and gifts of the Holy Ghost, which she had received in her Baptism, and which brought her to that height of honour, as to become thy beautiful and dearly beloved Spouse. No sooner is she degraded thus, and forced out of that supereminent & glorious Station, but Sin sets on her again to finish what it had left undone, he wounds her even to death, and after he has taken the most precious of her goods, he plunders her of the least considerable, as are her natural gifts. For man being a rational creature, and Sin being an act contrary to reason, 'tis consonant to nature that one contrary should strive to destroy to ' there; consequently the oftener Sin is multiplied, the more it disturbs, and destroys the powers and faculties of the Soul, not in themselves, but in their operations. 'Tis by this means that Sin gets dominion of the Soul, and makes her run what course he pleases; if she has any remaining inclination to virtue; Alas, she is become so weak, so slothful, and so inconstant that she can't attain to the practice of it; 
Rursum crucifigentes Christum in cordibus vestris. Heb. 6.6. Faciamus hominem ad imaginem & similitudinem nostram. Gen. 2.6. Cecidit Babylon Civitas illa Sancta & facta est habitatio Daemonum. Isa. 21.9.  but if she be solicited to evil, she flies at it with as much eagerness, as we may see a Cat run at a mouse; If any temptation knocks at her door for her consent to a rebellion against thee O Lord, she likes of the proposal, and gives her assent to the evil (tho' she be convinced that it is the renewing of thy Passion) But Sin stops not here; it strips the Soul of her liberty to pay unto thee O Lord, the daily tribute of her submission, and holds her fast in a chain, to follow the beck of her mortal enemies, the world, the flesh and the Devil, and also to please the gust of her unruly Appetites. Thus that noble Princess which has her extraction from Heaven, and which was heretofore thy charming Spouse, the beautiful Daughter of thy eternal Father, and the faithful resemblance of the most Blessed Trinity; is now by Sin brought to a Babylonish Captivity worse by a thousand degrees, and more unsufferable than that of Egypt was to the Children of Israel. But alas, I find her condition to be yet worse, for all her spiritual senses are wholly Stupefied, and to that degree that they can't hear thy voice, nor see the radiant light of thy divine Inspirations: They can't smell the sulphurous scent of thy dreadful thunderbolts which are ready to drop down upon their criminal and guilty heads; the sweet perfumes of thy divine virtues, and the rare examples of thy Saints can't prevail with them; no, they can't taste of thy Chalice, nor feel thy scourges, nor acknowledge thy Benefits (tho' they are sufficient to melt a heart of Steel,) In fine, Sin, takes quite away the peace, the joy and the tranquillity of a good eonscience, it does extinguish the fervour of the Spirit, and leaves poor man sordid, maculate, deformed, and abominable in the sight of God, and of all his Saints. Yet by the benefit of thy Justification we are happily delivered from all these plagues, & evil consequences of Sin; and the abyss of thy divine mercies is not content to have forgiven us our offences, and receive us into favour; but does also expel all those evils which are inseparable from Sin, leaving our interior man, in the real possession of his former prerogatives, and likeness to God. Thou dost heal up our wounds, wash off our spots, break loof the fetters and chains of our iniquities, destroy the yoke of our evil desires; retrieve us from the slavery of Satan, qualify the fury of our unruly passions, and the heat of our vicious affections: Thou dost likewise restore to the Soul her former freedom, and beauty, revive her interior fences, dispose them to the exercise of all good works, and to the abhorrence of any that's bad. Thou givest strength to resist manfully all the temptations of the Devil, and to go through all the difficulties that might hinder the practice of virtue, and their increase of devotion. In fine, my Sweet Saviour, thou dost so absolutely revive, and repair our interior man, and all his faculties, that thy Apostle Scruples not to call such men, Justified Souls; metamorphosed natures, new modelled Spirits, & Creatures of another stamp. This innovation is so great, and so much to be admired, that it's worth our labour to find out how, and after what manner it is performed. O my Saviour, thou alone canst tell me truly the nature of it, and the only one that can impart so great a blessing to my poor and languishing Soul; wherefore let me hear thy solution to the matter.  SAVIOUR. 
THou must know then, O man! that this so great a renovation, when 'tis performed by the means of Baptism, may be called Regeneration; but if it be done by Contrition, and with the assistance of Penance, then 'tis called resurrection, not only because the Soul is raised from the Death of Sin, to the Life of Grace, but by reason it resembles so nearly the glorious beauty of future Resurrection. No mortal tongue is able to express the radiant Splendour, and supereminent beauty of a Justified Soul; 'tis a mystery reserved to my Holy Spirit, who made her so glorious, with a design she should be his own Temple and place of residence. Were all the wealth of the World, all the imaginable dignities and honours of this life, all the natural Graces and gifts, together with all the acquired virtues, and all other earthly advantages that can be thought of; conferred with the beauty and treasures of a Justified Soul; all, in comparison with her, is vile, obscure, ill-favoured, and of no value: No, for there is as much difference betwixt the life of Grace, and the life of Nature, betwixt the beauty of the Soul Justified, and that of the body; betwixt the interior Riches of such a Soul, and the exterior of the body, as there is betwixt Heaven & Earth, betwixt the Spirit and the body, or betwixt Time and Eternity. Because all these are circumscribed with certain limits, they are temporal, they appear handsome to corporal eyes, and require only my general concourse to support them, whereas the other depends on my particular and supernatural influence; and have no prefixed bounds, because I am their object, and they are so precious in my sight, and of so great an estimate, that they provoke even my divine Essence to be ardently enamoured with their beauty. I might have wrought all these wonders with my sole presence, yet I would not; but was pleased to adorn the Soul with my infused virtues, and the Seven gifts of my Holy Ghost, whereby not only her Essence, but even her very faculties are clothed and adorned with those habitual and heavenly dresses.  
Besides all these divine favours and benefits she is made happy with the constant presence of my divine Spirit, and of the most adorable Trinity, for all resides in a justified Soul to teach her how to manage so great a treasure to her best advantage; 
Matt. 12.  wherein I act the part of a most loving Father, who is not satisfied to have given Riches to his Son, but gives him withal a Futor that knows how to Administer them well. 
Luc. 11.  Thou knowst that a multitude of vipors, Serpents, and Dragons, I mean of evil Spirits, enter into the Soul of a Sinner, and makes her their habitation, as thou mayst read in my Gospel, but 'tis otherwise with a justified Soul, for I with my Father, and Holy Spirit dwell there, and having banished thence all evil, 
Si quis diligit me, Sermonem meum servabit, & Pater meus diliget eum, & ad eum veniomus, & mansionem apud eum faciemus. Joan. 14.  and Infernal Spirits, we make her our temple, our throne, and Garden of pleasure; as thou mayst find in St. John, where I say, if a man love me he will keep my words; & my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  
All the Doctors of my Holy Church, as well Ecclesiastic, as Scholastic, grounded upon these my words, do firmly believe that my Holy Ghost dwells in a justified Soul after a certain and peculiar manner, and say moreover that he does not only confer his Gifts upon her, but comes himself along with them, with a fixed resolution to cleanse, Sanctify and adorn her, as well with his constant presence, as with all his heavenly treasures.  
O man! if all these extraordinary favours be not able to mollify thy flinty heart, and force it to leave and forsake the paths of Sin, and to gather also all thy Scattered affections, and lead them towards me, who am the most deserving of them, I shall add more pressing motives to bring thee to so good, so gracious, and so beneficial a resolution.  
The First that occurs is, that all the justified are my living members, so that I love and cherish them as my own, and am no less careful to provide for them, to protect and comfort them, than were they all parts of my proper body; nay, without any intermission I influence them with my inspirations and graces, even as the head communicates his vital Spirits into all the rest of its members; moreover my Eternal Father beholds them with a gracious eye, as being my living members, united, & concorporate with me by the participation of his divine Spirit, and therefore all their deeds are grateful and meritorious to him, as being the worthy products of my lively loving and gracious Children, and because that all their virtue, and power of doing well, proceeds from me alone.  
This certainly is a great encouragement to all justified Souls to crave what favours they stand in need of, and to ask of my heavenly Father, with a great deal of confidence, and hopes to obtain their requests: being it is not only for themselves they ask it, but also for me, who am highly honoured in them, & with them; for no man will deny but what the members do, the head does the same, & what is conferred upon the one, is also conferred upon the other; consequently being that I am the head of the justified, what they ask for themselves, they ask the same for me.  
My Apostle says, 
Quam diu fecistis uni ex his fratribus meis miaimis, mihi fecisti. Matth. 25.40.  that whoever offends and wrongs my members, wrongs me likewise, & whoever persecutes them persecutes me also; & whoever honours them, or gives them any relief in their distress, I own the favour as done to myself; what a main comfort this is to a Just man? when he considers that what boon he begs from the Father of Heaven for himself, he begs the same for me, who am his dearly beloved Son; sure this is a principal ground for thee to hope that thou wilt not be refused what favour thou dost request of him. For when a kindness is exhibited to one for the love of another, the favour is chief done to him, for whose sake it was granted, and indeed thou oughtest to believe that when thou showest mercy to the poor for God's sake, thou art not only merciful to them, but even to God himself.  MAN. 
BLessed be thy holy name for ever, my dear Jesus, 
Capio dissoivi & esse cum Christo. Philip. 1.23.  for thou hast replenished my heart with unspeakable joy, and my Soul does thirst so much after thee, the Fountain of life, that she often desires with St. Paul, to be delivered from the Prison of her frail, ungrateful, and rebellious flesh, to stand in thy glorious presence for ever. This I know is the reward of all justified Souls; For as thou makest use of thy Justice against Sinners who depart this life without Penance, and dost cast them headlong into the extremity of Hell-fire: so thy mercy receives all true penitent Souls into life everlasting: And tho' thou canst forgive them their Sins, 
Non sunt condignae passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam quae revelabitu● in nobis. Rom 8.18. quod Momentaneum est in praesenti, ct leve tribulationis nostrae, supra modum in sublimitate aeternum gloriae pondus operat 2 Cor. 4.17.  and receive them into thy favour without communicating thy Glory; yet thou wouldst not deprive them of so great an advantage, for those that thy mercy does absolve of their Sins, thou dost Justify, and those whom thou dost justify, thou makest them thy Children, and those whom thou dost take for thy Children, thou makest them thy Heirs, and joint-heirs with thyself in thy Kingdom of Glory.  
This is the grand foundation of that lively hope, which does rejoice and comfort the just in all their tribulation, for when they see themselves oppressed with any disasters, loaden with afflictions, depressed with infirmities, reflected upon by their Neighbours, Persecuted by their Enemies: they consider seriously, and believe, that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them. They firmly believe also, that their light affliction, which is but for a moment, will work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. All these favours and graces they receive from thee by the means of their Justification, wherefore I must of necessity conclude with St. Augustin, that benefit is of a far greater estimate, then is that of our Creation; & the reason for it is, that thou hast Created both Heaven & Earth with one sole word, whereas to Sanctify man, thou hast suffered all the torments that the malice of men, and the fury of Hell could invent; thou hast spilt thy precious blood, & gavest even thy sweet life to purchase his Salvation. If we poor Mortals, be so much obliged to thee for our Creation; how much more are we thy Debtors for the benefit of our Justification, for the obligation must be the greater, by how much the purchase is dearer.  
I must confess, O Lord, 
Nemo scit utrum amore an odio dignus sit. Eccle 9.1.  that a man does not know for certain whether he be Justified or not, being he can't tell whether he be worthy of thy love or hatred; however he may have very probable marks of his Justification, whereof one and not the meanest, is, the reformation of ones life; If he who was accuftomed heretofore to commit several Sins in a day, now commits none; that man whoever he be, is obliged to thee O Lord, in a high measure, in as much as thou hast delivered him from so many, and such great evils, and also hast gratified him with all the eminent favours that We even now discoursed of. But if any should be so great an enemy to his own Salvation, as to continue his sinful and wicked life, notwithstanding these most pressing motives which should oblige the most obedurat of men to love, serve, and obey thee, 
Terribilium omnium terribilissimum mors. Aristot.  O Lord, I beg that thou wilt begin a discourse of Death, which is the most terrible of all terrible motives, in hopes it may retrieve such poor, wilful & obstinate sinners; and force them to comply with thy grace, which is never wanting to any that purpose to amend.  SAVIOUR. 
REmember, O man, that thou art a Christian, and done't forget that thou art a mortal man, and consequently that thou must surely die, for thy fate is already decreed, and the decree is unavoidable. The Sons of mortal Parents must expect a mortal Posterity; Death is the end of great and small: Thou art born helpless, and exposed to the injuries of all Creatures, and of all weathers. The very necessaries of life may procure thy death, for thou mayst meet with thy fate in thy dish, in thy cup, and in the very Air that refresheth thee; nay, thy very Birth is inauspicious, for thou cam'st into the world weeping; and in the middle of thy designs, while thou art meditating great matters, and stretching thy thoughts to after Ages, Death will cut thee off, and perhaps thy longest date is only the Revolution of a few days.  
Death is common to all Men, 'tis a tribute, 
Mors omnibus communis est. Senec. Testamentum hujus mundi, morte morietur. Eccle. 14.12.  that all mankind must pay to Nature (tho' not after the same manner) for one may die at his table, another in his sleep, a third in the heat of his unlawful pleasures; a fourth with a glass of wine in his hand, and Blasphemy in his mouth; another may be stabbed in a quarrel, another crushed with the fall of a horse: In fine, they have several ways to their end, but the end itself (which is Death,) is still the same. For whether they die by a sword, by a halter, by a potion, or by a disease, 'tis all but Death, which is so certain that thou canst not doubt of it, without a blemish to thy Faith; none is exempted from drinking of this Chalice; 
Regum Turres, pauperumque Tabernas aeque pede pulsat Mors. Vir.  Popes, Kings and Princes must taste of it. If there were any immunity, or privilege in the case, surely I might have been exempted from Death, as being the Lawmaker, and Promoter of that unavoidable sentence which I had pronounced against thy Progenitor for his transgression of my Commandment.  
No, the day shall come that thou wilt be alive in the morning and dead at night, It will come sometime, but when? whether this day or to morrow, 'tis uncertain. Thou art now in perfect health, strong of body, and found of mind, thou dost measure thy life by the length of thy desires, and by the multitude of thy business, but the day will come that thou shalt be stretched on a bed, candles lighted about thee, thy Relations and Friends lamenting and weeping, thy whole family in a great consternation, expecting thee to breath out thy Soul every moment; but when this day shall come, 'tis uncertain, perhaps when thou dost least expect it, perhaps when thou thinkest thyself secure from all dangers, and when all thy thoughts are busied about building of Houses, purchasing Lands, matching thy Children, settling their Fortunes; 'tis therefore said of Death, 
Thess. 5.23.  that it comes like a Thief, who takes that time to seize on his prey, when men are in their dead sleep, secure, and without the least apprehension of being robbed: The day of the Lord, says St. Paul, shall come as a Thief in the night, upon thee; and when thou shalt say, peace and security, then sudden destruction shall come upon thee, as Travail upon a Woman with Child, and thou shalt not escape.  
To consider seriously the preludes of death, with their attendants, which are a grievous sickness, Aches and pains over all thy Limbs, thy Stomach loaded with Apothecarys Stuffs, so many sorts of loathsome drugs on a table before thy face, which thou must of necessity swallow, because thy Physician has ordered it so; then art thou peevish and fretful, continually tumbling and tossing from one place to another, always restless; this with several other emergencies, weakens thy body, and opens the gate for Death to come in; even as when an enemy is resolved to Storm a City, he first batters down its walls with his great Cannons, and makes a breach large enough for a general assault; then he commands his forces to stand to their Arms, and he at the head of them marches on, and makes himself Master of the place. So before Death, a mortal infirmity leads the van, beats down thy natural Strength, dismounts all thy senses, gives thee no rest night or day, batters down thy body with its violent fits, so that the Soul is at last forced to withdraw from her old habitation to take up her quarters, the Lord knows where.  
But when the Infirmity is come to that height, that thy Physician and thyself too, have no hopes of further life, O what anguishs, what apprehensions, what grief, what trouble seizes thy poor heart; and tares it asunder, 
Videbunt quibus sacrificaverunt. Eccl.  than the whole series of thy former life comes into thy mind, and thy dearest objects will then become the subjects of thy greatest sorrow; thy Wife and Children, thy Friends, and Relations, thy Riches, thy Honours, thy Titles, thy Employments, with the rest which thou hast made thy Gods on Earth, shall come in a crowd to discompose thy Soul.  
Soon after this alteration of thy mind, comes another which is the forerunner of death; thy forehead is hardened and thy skin cleaves close to thy skull, a cold sweat trickles down thy face, thy eyestrings are already broken, and thy eyelids are fallen down, thy ears are deaf, thy nose grows thin and sharp, thy nostrils stuffed up with corruption, thy face turns to its original colour, which is that of clay; thy mouth is contracted, thy tongue is stupefied, and can no more perform its duty, thy taste is gone, thy lips are pale; thy breath sinks down to the bottom of thy breast, thy hands are cold, thy nails black, thy pulse slow and weak; sometimes at a stop, and now and then revives; thy feet have no more life, they have lost their natural heat; Infine, all thy flesh is in a short space to be turned into corruption. This is thy end O man, but as thou art a Christian, hear what shall enfue before the Separation of thy Soul from thy Body.  
Then thou shalt imagine the Judgement of God to be at hand, than thou shalt have a full view of all thy fins, both great and small, than all thy abominations and crimes shall come in a body to accuse thee before the dreadful Tribunal of my divine Justice: Then thou shalt acknowledge (tho' too late) how sordid, how heinous, and how horrid were the crimes which thou hadst so easily, & so desperately committed against me, without the least apprehension of my indignation & wrath. O what curses, what bitter imprecations wilt thou utter at that fatal hour against the day in which thou hast offended me; thou wilt curse even the place, the occasion, and complices of thy sins. Thou wilt curse and condemn thine own folly, and the wickedness of those which brought thee by their ill examples to forfeit the everlasting joys of Heaven for such trifles, as are all the false and treacherous pleasures of this world. 
pereat dies inqua natus sum etc. Job. 3.3.  The afflictions of Job were nothing to those that shall be heaped upon thee in that dreadful day of my visitation; yet he cries out, let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man-child conceived; and what will thy feeling be, when thou shalt see thyself deprived of all happiness, and excluded from Heaven for an Eternity, by the means of those vain, sordid, and transitory pleasures which thou hast taken in thy life-time? when thou shalt behold thyself surrounded on all sides with tribulations and anguishes, without any hopes of a longer life, when there shall be no place for penance, when the days of grace are past, when even those whom thou hast loved beyond all measure and reason can't afford unto thee the least comfort, but rather will kill thee with displeasure, because they were thy beloved Idols, and the only objects of thy adorations, but now they shall become the subject of thy Eternal confusion.  
Tell me, O man, when thou shalt see thyself brought to this deprorable state and condition, where wilt thou go? what wilt thou do? to whom will't thou call for help? To return to life, 'tis impossible, and to ease thyself thou wilt not be able; 
In illa die occidet Sol in meridie & tenebrescere faciam terram in die luminis etc. Amos. 8.  what shall become of thee, when I will cause the Sun to go down at noon, and when I will darken the Earth at midday? what wilt thou say, when I shall turn thy feasts into mourning, and all thy Songs into lamentation, when I will bring up Sackcloth upon all men's loins, and baldness upon every head, and when I shall make it as the morning for an only Son, and the end thereof as a bitter day? hast thou not therefore a far greater subject than Job to curse the day wherein thou wert born, for he was so just a man, that my eternal Father gloried in having so good, so gracious and faithful a Servant; nay, 
In omnibus his non peccavit Job labiis suis, etc. Job. 1.22.  the Holy Ghost avers that he sinned not in all what he had spoken in his troubles and calamities, which I had permitted to come upon him, not as a punishment for his Sins, but as a trial of his patience, to make him a worthy precedent to all mortals of virtue, of constancy, and of perfect resignation to my holy will in all their afflictions. He himself does protest that his conscience did not accuse him; yet he was so apprehensive of the strict judgement which a Soul is to undergo at her departing the body, that amazed at the severity of my Justice, he cries out, protect me, O Lord, 
Dionys. Rikel. Art. 16. de novis.  and hid me in hell, whilst thy fury passes. Whereupon one of my devout Servants affirms, that the instant, wherein I give judgement of a Soul, is not only more terrible than Death, but more terrible then to suffer even the pains of hell for a certain time, not only to those who are to be damned, but even unto my very Elect.  
O man! reflect seriously upon this, and Judge, what will become of a Sinner at the hour of his Death, and at the lively representation of all his offences and crimes, what a consternation he will be in? how he will tremble and shake every limb of him at the very sight of me, his Creator and Redeemer, whom he had so often offended and injured in the course of his sinful life; that very presence will be more dreadful to him then the suffering of the pains of hell itself.  MAN. 
O Most gracious Redeemer? I can't deny what thou sayest of a dying man, and of the anguishs which he shall suffer at the departing of the Soul from his body; she shall enter into Judgement alone, naked, poor, and without any to patronise her cause, except her good works, (if she has any to show;) her Conscience will be the Deponent, the Trial will be either for life, or death not temporal, but eternal, and thou an injured Judge, shall appear to her in a dreadful Throne to give sentence for her, or against her, either of Salvation, or of her everlasting damnation. If she be grievously indebted, and not able to balance her accounts, O what a horrible confusion she will be in, grief and sorrow, sighs and tears, dreadful lamentations and cries, will be her woeful entertainment, and the only motives she can produce to mollify thee O Lord, but all will be to no purpose, her repentance comes too late, 'tis totally fruitless at that hour; all her protestations of amendment will be in vain, no bills or bonds of performance will be accepted of, no bail shall be taken, her lease is out, she must remove: her nobility, her riches, her honours can't obtain for her a further respite of time; the sentence is pronounced, the decree is unavoidable; she must submit.  
O the unfortunate Sinner, what will he do? what will he say? how can he express the greatness of his misfortune, otherwise then by these words of thy Prophet. 
Psa. 18.4.5  The sorrows of Death have compassed me, and the floods of iniquity have made me afraid. The sorrows of hell have compassed me about, and the snares of Death have prevented me.  
O what a woeful circle is that into which his Sins have brought him, and unexpected too! when he had not the least thought of death; what will his friends avail him now, his dignities, his riches, his lands and all that he took most delight in? they will remain after him, to other Masters, that will soon waste and consume 'em, in a worse way perhaps then ever he gathered them, (tho' that perchance was bad enough.) The Sins which he had committed in heaping them up, are the only companions he is like to have along with him to another world, where he is to be tormented for them according to their enormity.  
If I should make my addresses to worldlings, in hopes to be farther instructed in this so necessary a matter to Salvation, Alas! they know nothing of it, and which is worse, they will not believe it, for they live, as if they had no account at all to give after death; and why should I think it strange, being they live in Egypt, that is in a land of darkness, in a wilful blindness, overwhelmed with all sorts of errors, where scarcely two are found of one opinion in matters of Faith and manners.  
I am then resolved to go farther off, and straight into the land of Geshen, where the light of verity is always in its full splendour, 
Non intres in Judicium cum servo tuo Domine, quia non justiflcabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens. Psa. 143.  and to consult with the Inhabitants thereof in this case; they will certainly teach me, not only by their words, but also by their examples, how much this dreadful day of so strict an account is to be feared. The first I meet with, is the holy'st man of his age, a man according to thine own heart, O Lord; yet he is so terrified, even at the very remembrance of this accounting day, that he begs thee with all the tenderness of a contrite heart, not to enter into Judgement with thy Servant: and the reason he gives for his request is, that in thy sight shall no man living be justified.  
The second that appears to me, 
In vitis Patrum. Sect. 2.153  is that most renowned and holy Arsenius, a man of wonderful austerity, a man always in prayer, always in contemplation, yet tho' he was so virtuous, and so great a Saint, tears were seen to trickle down his cheeks when he was a dying, and all his body to tremble in his deep consideration of this reckoning day: His Disciples that stood round his poor and hard bed, setting him the question why he cried, and whether he was afraid of death? he made answer; yes, my dearly beloved Children, I fear Death, and I tremble at the approach of my dreadful Judge, for tho' I can't say that I am guilty of any Sin that might deprive me of his grace; yet he will scearch so narrowly into the most hidden corners of men's hearts, at that departing day, that I have great reason to fear he may find some subject of his displeasure within my breast.  
Another no less commendable for the holiness of his life; tells me of a most dreadful example which was in his days exhibited on the Person of one Stephen a Monk, a great lover of a quiet and Solatary life; This holy man, after he had passed over several years in a monastical conflict, and adorned his Soul with extraordinary graces and virtues, by his continual fasting, weeping, and chastising his body, with St. Paul, lest it should bring his Soul to subjection, he went into the desert, and built a little cell for himself at the foot of that famous mountain, where the Prophet Helias had formerly a most Sacred and heavenly vision; a place remote from all worldly consolation, almost inaccessible to men, and very near a hundred miles distant from any human habitation; After he had continued there a long tract of time, in the height of all manner of mortification and Penance, and being in his declining Age, he returned to his former habitation, where in a few days he fell into a fit of sickness whereof he died; 
Joan. Climachus in Schola Parad. graduer.  but the day before his death, he awaked suddenly out of his slumber, and looking frightfully towards the right, & left side of his bed, he was heard by all that were about him, to say, (as if he were brought to an account for his past life) 'tis true that is so, but for that Sin, I have fasted so many years. To another objection he answered, that is true likewise, but for that fault, I often shed most bitter tears. To another he would reply, that's a grand lie, I am innocent of that crime. Again, he would answer, 'tis so indeed, I have nothing to say against it, but leave myself wholly to God's mercy. Certainly this was a spectacle able to terrify the hearts of all them that were by, and especially, for that the poor man was accused of what he never committed; so eager his mortal Enemies were to get possession of his Soul, by endeavouring to push him into despair. He was indeed a lover of retired and solitary places, and a Monk of forty years' approbation, endued with the gift of working miracles, yet he trembles at the hearing of his accounts, some he denys, and some he owns, but he relys upon Gods great mercy for a pardon; and in this conflict he dies without leaving any certainty of what became of him, or how favourable his Judge was to him at the end of his trial.  
O Saviour of mankind, if such great Saints were so much terrified at the sight of death, and so apprehensive of thy dreadful Judgements, what will become of Sinners at that hour? and of such Sinners as do spend their whole life in the vanities, and transitory pleasures of the world; of Sinners that make nothing to offend thee by all manner of wickedness; of Sinners that live in so great a neglect of their Salvation as if they had no Souls to be saved, and no account to be given after death. If the Just are seized with so great a terror at the hour of Death, what a deplorable condition will the habitual Sinner be in? what will become of the weak shrubs of the desert that have no shelter from the raging storms of Death and Judgement, when the tall Cedars of Liban are laid even with the ground. 
Si Justus vix salvabitur, Impius & peccator ubi ap●r●b●nt. 1 Pet. 4.3. & 18.  If the Righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungoldy and the Sinner appear; who walked all his life in Lasciviousness, Lust, excess of Wine, Revellings, Banquet, and all abominable Idolatries? what can be safe in Babylon, when there is so strict a search made in Jerusalem?  SAVIOUR. 
THou sayest well, O man! what will become of a Sinner indeed at the hour of death; when I, who am the spotless Lamb, was seized with so great an apprehension of it, 
Tristis est anima mea usque ad mortem Mar. 14.34.  that my Soul was sad even to death, and terrified to that degree, that my body was all in a bloody sweat. But what will become of a Sinner, when I shall appear to him, who am to be not only his Judge, but also a most irrefragable witness against him. St. Augustin will tell thee, he had rather suffer even the unspeakable torments of Hell, 
Chrys. hom. 24. in Matth.  then to behold the face of his angry Judge. And St. chrysostom declares, it were better for Sinners to be struck with as many thunderbolts as the magazine of Heaven can afford, then to see that countenance so meek and so full of sweetness heretofore, altogether estranged from them at that most dreadful hour. And if thou wilt give credit to the deposition of a learned Author; he will tell thee that even an Image, which was only my representation on the Cross, appeared with such wrathful and incensed eyes to a congregation of People, that they all fell unto the ground senseless & without any motion, and that they cuntinued in that amazement several hours. What a consternation than will Sinners be in, when they shall behold not my Image, (which is at best but a dead figure) but myself alive, not in the humility of my Cross, but seated on a Throne of Justice and Majesty; not in a time of mercy, but in the due season of a just vengeance; not with naked hands pierced through with nails, but armed against them with the Sword of Justice. Thus I shall come to Judge and revenge the injuries which they have done unto me: I am righteous in my Justice, as I am in my mercy, and as I have allotted a time for mercy, so I will for Justice; and as in this life the rigour of my justice is as it were repressed and suspended, so in that point of Death, when the Sinners are to receive their final Sentence, I will suffer it to break forth like an inundation, and drown them all in the deluge of my indignation and wrath.  
Imagine with thyself a great and rapid River that has had its current violently stopped these forty years, 
Dan. 7.  and now it were to have free passage, what a condition the Country round about would be in? with what a fury would it overrun the whole land, and beat down all before it. Cities, Towns, Villages, Castles, Trees, Walls, Houses, Men, Cattle and all without any resistance. Thou know'st that my Prophet Daniel compares my Justice not to an ordinary River, but to a River of fire, to express the greatness and severity of it; thou knowest likewise that the current of this River is frequently repressed thirty, forty years, nay, sometimes during the whole life of Man; O what an infinite deal of wrath will it have heaped together, with what an impetuous fury will it burst out upon a wretched sinner, at the point of his death? 
Tunc incipient dicere montibus cadite super nos. Luk. 23.50.  The same Prophet goes on with his description of this dreadful River which shall issue from my Countenance; and says, that it shall be so terrible, that the wicked will invite even the Rocks and Mountains to fall upon them, and shelter them from its scorching waves. The Prophet Isaiah sets forth my Justice in a more dreadful manner, 
Isa. 56.  he says, that I will come clothed in garments of vengeance, and covered with a Robe of zeal; and that I will give unto my Adversaries my Indignation, and that my Enemies shall have their reward.  
The Wiseman comes yet closer to the matter, for he says, that my zeal shall take up arms, and that I shall animate all creatures to revenge me of my Enemies: that I shall put on Justice as a breastplate, take the head-piece of righteous Judgement, and shall sharpen my wrath as a lance; nay I shall not only appear to Sinners at the hour of death as an enraged armed man, 
Ose. 13.  but as a Bear that has been robbed of her whelps; that I shall tear their entrails in pieces, and devour them as a Lyon.  
'Tis certain there is not among the Beasts a more fierce by nature then a Lion, or a more furious than a Bear, especially when she has lost her young ones; and that I who am by nature infinitely good, mild, and loving, should compare myself to such monsters of nature for fierceness, and cruelty, is to express sensibly the terrors of my Justice and rigour against Sinners in that day of wrath, full of calamity and misery, 
Dies irae dies illa calamitatis & miseriae dies magna & amara valde miss de req.  in that great, sorrowful and most bitter day. O man, take notice of this dreadful expression, 'tis able to terrify thy heart, and to bring a trembling over all thy body: Consider well how many poor Souls hast thou led astray from my paths, by thy poisonous doctrine, and evil examples, how many poor Souls are now in Hell-fire solely upon the account of the damnable principles which thou hast stilled into their ears and hearts, and which they carried along with them to their graves? How many innocent, and virtuous young Maids, and Women, hast thou forced out of my service to satisfy thy lustful desires; I say forced them, because that perceiving them in a wanting condition, thou hast wrought upon their necessity, and weakness both, by giving them what thou shouldst have kept for the maintenance of thy proper Wife and Children. Assure thyself, that in the hour of thy death, I shall appear unto thee as a Bear whom thou hast robbed of so many young ones, yea, and shall tear thy entrails in pieces, for all thy misdemeanours, extortions, and oppressions. I will devour thee as a Lion, as well for working the destruction of thy own Soul, as for contributing to the loss of many others by thy bad examples.  
'Tis by reason of the severity of my Justice against Sinners in the hour of their death that Daniel says, there shall proceed from my face a River of fire, because this Element of all others is the most active, and so pure that it will not admit of any mixture; whereas Earth will lodge in its bosom Mines of several metals, and Quarries of divers sorts of Stone; Water will entertain a pleasant variety of Fishes, the Air gives liberty to all sorts of Fowl to fly through all its region, and does also harbour a vast multitude of vapours, exhalations and several other bodies; but Fire endures nothing, it melts the hardest metals, reduces even stones into Cinders, consumes living Creatures, converts Trees into its own Substance, and turns all that is contrary to it, into its own nature. The same shall happen in that day of my wrath; all shall be rigour and Justice, without any mixture of mercy; nay, the very mercies which I have exhibited to sinners in their life time, shall then be both a motive to kindle my indignation, and fuel to blaze up my incensed Justice against them.  
O man! consider therefore whilst thou hast time to repent, nay, and seriouslytoo, what a sad condition thou shalt see thyself in, at that instant, when neither my blood shed for thee, nor myself crucified for thy sake, nor the powerful intercession of my most blessed Mother, nor the prayers of my Saints, no, nor my divine mercy itself, shall contribute any thing to thy safety. No, this life once past, thou art to expect no Patron, no Protector, but thy virtuous actions; thy Angel Guardian, and all the Saints thy Advocates shall abandon thee: thy vast riches, the greatness of thy Authority, thy numerous Servants, thy learned Counsels will not avail thee, nor defend thy Process; thy good works alone will defend thee from the rigour of my Justice, when the Treasures thou hast heaped up in the world, and been so careful to preserve, shall fail thee; Thine Alms bestowed upon the poor shall stick close to thee, and plead for thy pardon in a powerful manner. Thy Wife, thy Children, thy Kindred, Friends, and Followers, shall go no farther than the grave with thee; but the Strangers which thou hast lodged, the sick which thou hast visited, and the needy which thou hast succoured will bear thee company even before my dreadful Throne, and place thee at my right hand, among the number of my blessed for ever.  MAN. 
O My most gracious Saviour! withdraw thy hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid. 
Job. 13.  Wherefore hidest thou thy face, & holdest me for thy Enemy? wilt thou break a leaf that is driven to & fro with every little puff of wind? and wilt thou so rigorously pursue the dry stubble? for thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth: Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet, who am to be consumed as a rotten thing, and as a garment that is motheaten.  
Man that is born of a Woman, is of few days, and full of trouble; He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down; He vanisheth also as a shadow, and continues not; And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into Judgement with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? These are the words of the most afflicted of mortals, and Mirror of Patience, admiring the severity of thy Justice against Man, a creature so weak, so frail, and so prone to all manner of evil; against a wretch viciously inclined from his cradle, that drinks up iniquity with as much pleasure, and case, as he would a glass of Spring-water in his greatest drought on a hot Summer's day. It were a subject of less admiration hadst thou dealt so rigorously with Angels, that are spiritual creatures, and of a far more eminent perfection than men can ever attain to; To be so severe with poor man, who lies groaning under the weight of so many predominant passions, and such a number of evil inclinations, which do wholly estrange him from the desire and practise of virtue; To bring him, I say, to so strict an account of all his actions, that thou wilt not pass by, even the least idle word that ever he spoke, nor the least moment of time that he has misspent; O most gracious Saviour! give me leave to tell thee; that the rigour of thy Justice herein does transcend my admiration, 
Amen amen dico vobis, de omni verbo otioso quod locuti fuerint homines, reddent rationem in die Judicij. Mat. 12.36.  and the more abundantly, because I hear thyself say, every Idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgement.  
If that be so, (as without doubt it is) what a rigorous account must be taken of all dishonest, impertinent, and scurrilous words? what of lies, and perjuries, what of horrid and abominable oaths? what of all hellish imprecations, and blasphemies? what of all wanton and lascivious thoughts, and looks? what of Adulterers, murderers, and highway robbers? In fine, what a rigorous account must be given of the whole time of life spent in the works of iniquity? All that the best of Orators is able to say of the severity and rigour of thy Judgement, will be far short of what it will really be in that dreadful day of thy wrath; nay, it will not be so much as an empty shadow to the substance of the matter. O what a confusion poor man will be in, when he must appear before thy dreadful Throne, in the presence of that great assembly of all mankind, and give an exact account of the least idle word he had spoken at this or that time; who would not be astonished and totally stupefied at such a reckoning? who would dare speak of it, but that thou sayest it thyself? or who would presume to affirm it, but that thou dost thyself confirm it with an Amen, Amen? What King was ever heard of, that called his Servants to question for so slight an offence, as is an idle word? O Christian Religion, how sublime is thy perfection? how great is the purity of mind which thou dost require of thy Professors? how strict is the reckoning which thou dost exact from them, and with what severity dost thou chastise, even the very lest of their evil actions? how great will the shame and confusion of Sinners be, when all the abominations, and sins which they had committed even from their Cradle, to the hour of their death (were they never so privately acted, so carefully concealed, or so secretly kept) shall be discovered, and laid open to the eyes of the whole world?  
If we be so much ashamed to discover our imperfections to a Ghostly Father (who is obliged to secrecy under a penalty full as bad, if not worse then that of death) that sometimes we have not a word to say; 
Osee. 10.  how excessive great will our shame be in thy presence O Lord! and in the sight of all ages past, present and to come? O' it will be so intolerable! that the wicked shall entreat even the Mountains to cover them, and the hills to fall upon them. 
Psal. 89.  They shall say with thy prophet; We are dismayed O Lord! with thy wrath, and troubled with thy fury; but for what reason? because thou hast set our wickedness before thee, and hast placed them in thy sight.  
'Tis true, that in this life Sin does not appear so pernicious to our eyes, which makes us be the less concerned for it, but at the instant of death, when it shall show itself with all its deformity, 
Pereat dies inquo natus sum Job. ibid.  the very sight of it will confound us to such an exremity, that we shall curse the day that ever we were born. They seem in this life but light and trivial, and that makes us not scruple them much, but in the day of thy wrath, O Lord, we shall find them heavy, grievous, and insupportable. We know by experience that a piece of Timber, tho' never so great, when it floats in a deep water, may be moved, and drawn from place to place even by a Child; we know likewise that the most part of it lies under the water, and clear out of our sight, but when it is brought upon dry land, no less than half a dozen horses, will suffice to bring it off, than we may perceive perfectly the whole bulk of it. 'Tis even so with our Sins, in the tempestuous Seas of this unstable and transitory life, they are concealed from our eyes, but in the hour of death, in the day of Judgement, we shall clearly discover their bulk, number, and weight, and shall groan under so heavy and so unsupportable a burden. Then we shall find a number of our actions, which we thought very good, to be most grievous Sins, 'tis therefore thou sayest by thy Prophet, when I shall take a proper time, than I will Judge Righteousness. Who would imagine that the action of Oza, 
2 Reg. 6.6  when he upheld the Ark in danger of falling, was an offence; yet, O Lord, thou hast chastised it as a great Sin, with no less a punishment then that of a most disastrous death? who would ever believe that David's numbering of his People was an offence, 
2 Reg. 24.13.  but rather an act of discretion and Policy, yet thou hast punished him for it with a Pestilence never to be paralleled. 
1 Reg. 15.18.  Saul was urged by his approaching Enemies, and by Samuel's long delay, to offer Sacrifice, this was an act of Religion, which is the most heroic, and greatest of virtues, consequently he thought it should be most acceptable to thee, and of force to obtain him a victory against his Foes; yet it was a most grievous Sin in thy presence, since for that alone, thou hast reproved him, degraded him from his Royal Dignity, and cast him off as a lost Soul for an Eternity. Achabs' action might be looked upon as the worthy product of a masculine spirit, for what is more generous then to pardon an enemy, and what can be more divine then to spare his life, the chief ground of David's promotion to the Crown and Sceptre of Israel, 
Diligite Inimicos vestros. Mat. 5.44. Pater ignosce illis. Luc. 23.34.  was his Clemency to Saul; moreover, thou dost expressly command it thyself, and thou hast also earnestly prayed thy Eternal Father to pardon thine enemies. Achab, having conquered Benhadad, King of Syria, pardoned him, gave him his life, and took him up to sit by him in his Royal Chariot; yet this action which was so much praised, and so extolled by men, was so heinous, & so displeasing to thee, that thou didst send him word by thy Prophet, that he should die for it, and that He and all his People should suffer the punishment which was to fall upon the Syrians, and their King.  
O my Sweet Saviour! if thy judgement even in this life be so far distant from that of men, what shall it be in that dreadful hour, which thou hast reserved for the executing of thy divine Justice?  SAVIOUR. 
MY Judgement is indeed far remote, 
Vas electionis est iste mihi ut porter nomen meum coram Regibus & Gentibus. Act. 9.15.  not only from that of the common sort of men, but also from that of the holiest among them. Paul was a Saint upon Earth, he was a vessel of Election, and made privy to the Secrets of Heaven, yet he was deceived in his judgement of Timothy, for he thought him to be a Saint, and worthy of the character, and station of a Bishop, yet I found him otherwise, 
Apoc. 3.  and threatened to deprive him of his Church of Ephesus for falling from his former zeal, and would certainly take away his Chair, but that he repent and did Pennance. My dearly beloved Disciple had a great veneration for all the Seven Bishops of Asia; the whole Country looked upon them all as holy men, and great lovers of virtue; yet in my sight the Bishop of Sardis was so far from being a Saint, that his Soul was tainted with mortal Sin; the Bishop of Laodicia was a miser, poor, blind and naked of all virtue; the Bishop of Thiatira was indeed a faithful servant to me as to his own person, but in performing his duty to those under his charge, I found him guilty in several sins of omission. The Bishop of Philadelphia was not indeed fallen from his first zeal, 
Utinam frigidus esses, aut calidus, sed quia tepidus es, incipiam te evomere ex ore meo. Apo. 3.16.  yet I found wherewith to reprehend him, not for committing of evil, nor for the omitting of good, nor for being remiss in his former fervour; but only for his little virtue, and charity; with another I found fault, and told him, I would thou wert either hot or cold, but because thou art lukewarm, I shall begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.  
By this thou mayst see how far different my judgement is, from that of men in this life. As for the severity of my Judgement even in this life, wherein for the most part I make use of my mercy, 'tis very terrible as thou mayst well perceive by what I said to the People of Israel by the mouth of my Prophet, nay, 'tis able to drive thee, and even the most obstinate of Sinners, out of the ways of iniquity into the path of mortification and Penance, which alone can lead them to Salvation. Mark well my words, and lodge them within the closet of thy heart as a divine treasure, their efficacy is such that (if often minded) they will exempt thee from the following calamities: I will power out all my Rage upon thee, and will accomplish my fury in thee; I will Judge thee according to thy ways, and will lay forth all thy wickedness against thee; my eyes shall not pardon thee, neither will I have mercy on thee. I will charge thee with all thy misdeeds, and thy abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that smites.  
Nay, my wrath shall be upon all the People, the Sword without, and Pestilence within, and Famine too, they who fly to save themselves, shall all remain in the mountains, as the Doves of the valleys trembling in their iniquities, their hands shall be disjointed, and their knees shall dissolve into water, for the great fear and amazement which I shall send upon them in my wrath. Consider seriously now, and conclude, if my Judgement be so severe, and so rigorous even in this life, which is the only time for mercy, what will it be when mercy is clear out of date, and when Justice will admit of no mixture of pity, of tenderness, or of compassion; when the books of all men's consciences shall be laid open to the view of the whole world, when the most secret Sins of their hearts, those sordid acts committed in the dark, those Sins which through shame were concealed in confession, or made less considerable with false and Sacrilegious excuses; when all crooked and sinister intentions, hidden and unknown Treacheries, counterfiet and dissembling virtues, feigned friends, adulterous Wives, unfaithful Husbands, deceitful Servants, false witnesses, and all such trash, shall be discovered to their great shame and confusion; when In fine, 
Ite maledicti in ignem aeternum, qui paratus est Di●boio & Angelis ejus. Mat. 25. Job. 26.11.12.  they shall behold me seated on a dreadful Throne with a countenance full of indignation and wrath, and hear from my mouth these dreadful words, depart from me ye cursed into eternal fire prepared for Satan and his Angels.  
This dreadful sentence shall overthrow them for ever, and cover them with eternal sorrow and confusion: The Pillars of Heaven, says Job, do tremble and are astonished at his reproofs. If we be not able to hear so few words from his mouth without amazement, 
& in puncto ad inferna descendent Job. 21.  how shall we withstand the thunder of his omnipotent power? This voice shall be horrible, and of so great a power, that the earth in the twinkling of an eye shall open and swallow them down into the bottomless pit of Hell.  
O Man! if Ananias and Saphira were struck dead only with hearing the angry voice of my Disciple, what a terror will my dreadful and angry voice strike into the hearts of the reprobate? 
Act. 5.1.2.3.4. etc.  S. Catharine of Sienna was reprehended by St. Paul for not employing her time to more advantage for her Soul, this was at most but a charitable advice, & givenprivately too: yet she said she had rather be disgraced before the whole world, than once more to suffer what she did by that reprehension: but what is this in reference to the horror and confusion which my dreadful words will bring upon the wicked in the day of my vengeance. If when I suffered myself to be taken and led to be judged with these two words, I am, I overthrew the astonished multitude of Soldiers, and Rabble to the ground, what will my words be when I come to Judge? what a terrible fall, and irrecoverable overthrow will these dreadful words give to all the wicked, depart from me ye cursed into eternal fire, prepared for Satan and his Angels; 
Psal. 54.  for at that very instant the fire of that general burning shall invest those misorable Creatures; the Earth shall open, and Hell shall enlarge his throat to swallow them to all eternity: 
Psal. 139.  Then they shall see the accomplishment of my malediction, let death come upon them, and let them sink alive into hell; Coals of fire shall fall upon them, 
Psal. 10.  and I shall cast them into a burning fire, where they shall not subfist in their miseries: nay, I shall pour down vengeance, fire, and sulphur upon them, fire, hail, snow, Ice, and the Spirit of tempests shall be but a small part of their chalice.  
This great misfortune of the wicked is perfectly represented by my beloved Disciple in his Revelations; where he says, 
Revel. 18.1.2.5.6.7.  After these things, I saw another Angel come down from Heaven, having great power; and the Earth was lightened with his glory; and he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen; and is become the habitation of Devils, and receptacle of every foul Spirit, and a Cage for every unclean and hateful Bird. Her Sins have reached unto Heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. He shall reward her even as she rewarded him, and double upon double unto her according to her works; the Cup which she has filled, he shall fill to her double. How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow he shall give her. Her Plagues shall come in one day upon her, death, mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burnt with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. After this a mighty Angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the Sea, saying, thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down, and shall be never found more.  
Thus the wicked (which are understood by Babylon) shall be cast into the precipice of hell, into that dark Dungeon overwhelmed with horror, and all manner of confusion. O what tongue is able to express the multitude of torments which they shall suffer there for an Eternity! their bodies shall burn with living flames, never to be extinguished; their Souls without any intermission shall be gnawed with the worm of conscience, which shall never give them the least respite of ease, there they shall continue perpetually weeping, sighing and gnashing their teeth, without any hopes of goaldelivery. In this woeful place of despair, those miserable damned wretches in a cruel fury full of rage, will send forth their invectives against me, and turn their anger against themselves, devouring their own flesh, tearing their bowels, incessantly blaspheming me, who had condemned them to those unspeakable torments. There every one of that damned crew will curse his grand misfortune, and the unhappy day of his birth, always repeating that mournful lamentation of Job: let the day perish wherein I was born, 
Job. 3.  and the night in which it was said, there is a manchild conceived, let that day be darkness, let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death slain it, let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it, As for that night, let darkness seize upon it, let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months; let that night be solatary, let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning; let the Stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the dawning of the day. Because it shut not the door of my Mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the Ghost when I came out of the belly? why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck? For now should I have lain still, and been quiet; I should have slept, then had I been at rest.  
This shall be the music, these the Canticles, these will be the Morning and Evening prayers of the damned for ever.  MAN. 
If it be so bad with the damned, (as without doubt it is, being thou sayest it O Lord,) I think they have sufficient reason to curse eternally the day that ever they were born, for as thou didst say of Judas, foreseeing his treachery, and his Damnation which was to ensue, it were better he had never come into the world; I think the same of those wretched Souls, it were better they had perished in their Mother's wombs, then to become by their own Sins the fatal object of thy just Indignation and wrath. O most unfortunate Souls, if it were lawful for me, or in the least available to you, I would commiserate your condition; but your sentence can never be recalled; there you are lodged among so many Legions of Devils, and there you are like to continue for an eternity. O unfortunate tongues that bolt out nothing but blasphemies! O unhappy Eyes that see nothing but miseries, calamities and new found torments at every moment! O sad Ears that hear nothing but horrid cries, woeful screeks, mournful lamentations, and constant gnashing of teeth; O deplorable bodies that have no other refreshment then scorching flames. Whilst you were dwellers in this world, you spent all your time in vanities, in sinful recreations, and pleasures, increasing your fortunes, and heaping up of earthly treasures, far from the least thought of heavenly things; but see now what is the end of all your actions; what an infinite deal of miseries you have brought upon yourselves? O foolish and infatuated wretches! what does all your unlawful, and transitory pleasures avail you now? for which you are condemned unto everlasting sorrow, and woe; what is become of all your wealth? where are your treasures? what is the end of all your joys and comforts? nothing but everlasting misery, woe, tribulations and sorrow.  
This is well illustrated in holy writ, by the great famine which came upon the People of Egypt, and which continued for the space of seven years; O what an extreme grief was it unto them that they did not in the seven former years of abundance, provide for the seven following years of Dearth, they were like men in despair for losing the benefit of so favourable an opportunity; and were vehemently troubled in mind for their misfortune and negligence herein; but alas! their grief is not to be compared to that of the damned, 'tis no more, than a shadow, that is compared with the truth: For the Famine of Egypt lasted no longer than seven years; but that of hell shall never be at an end: there was a remedy found for that of Egypt, tho' with vast expenses, but for this, there is no remedy at all to be expected: That was soon relieved by selling their Cattle, and lands to Joseph; but this can never be abated with any manner of exchange, this punishment can never be recalled, this pain will never be diminished. The People of Egypt after the seven years of Dearth were expired, began a little to respire, & to wade out of their miseries; but in hell, alas! the wicked shall never be quit of their misfortunes, they shall never come to the least rest, or ease; they shall be both night and day in torments, and tortures, and that for an Eternity. If the People of Egypt fell into despair before the expiration of the seven years, 
Ex Inferno nulla est redemptio. Facilis Descensus Averni, sed revocare gradum, hoc opus hic labor est. Varg.  being sure of a relief soon after; what despair will the wicked be in, having an assurance from thy mouth, O Lord, that their miseries shall never have an end! O what miserable and unfortunate wretches are we! they will cry, what time, what powerful means, what opportunities of working our eternal Salvation have we neglected! The time was that with one cup of cold water we might have purchased unto ourselves a Crown of glory: we might by relieving the poor, and other such like works of mercy, have merritted life everlasting; how great was our blindness, our madness, and folly to have neglected those favourable occasions of enriching ourselves for ever, and to suffer those fruitful years of such great abundance to pass away, without making any provision for our Souls.  
Had we been brought up amongst Infidels and Pagans, and believed that our Souls were mortal, as well as our bodies, that we were in the same Category with all brute animals, whose souls do perish at once with their bodies, we might have some kind of excuse, and plead, that we knew nothing of what was commanded, or what was forbidden by God; but being brought up Christians, and holding for an Article of our belief that the hour shall come, wherein we must give a strict account of all our transactions to God, we have been often told by Preachers, and Teachers, that the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and that we could not attain to it otherways then by the passport of Mortifications and Penance, that it was our incumbent duty to depress our unruly Passions, and never to be drawn away by our evil inclinations; yet unfortunate Souls! we were fond persuaded that Heaven was for us without any pains at all; that God was so merciful, that he would not condemn our Souls to everlasting torments, (' though we were never so wicked:) and therefore we have justly deserved that he should deal with us according to the full rigour of his Justice. Come then ye Infernal Furies, come and rend us in pieces, come and devour our unchristian bowels, for we have justly deserved to be so cruelly dealt with; we have deserved to be hunger-starved for ever, being we have neglected to provide for ourselves while we had both the means, the time, and conveniency of doing it; we deserve not to reap, because we have not sown. We deserve to suffer want and misery, being we never laid up any thing in store: we often refused the poor and needy their humble, and earnest request, and therefore we deserve to be denied ours. We often have closed ears to the sighs and groans of the poor and distressed, and therefore we deserve to sigh and lament for an eternity in vain. We deserve that the worm of our conscience should gnaw our entrails for ever by representing unto us our criminal and transitory pleasures, the great happiness which we have lost by them, 
Erravimus a via veritatis, & Justitiae lumen non illuxit nobis, & Sol intelligentiae non est ortus nobis; lassati sumus in via iniquitats & perditionis, & ambulavimus vias difficiles. viam autem Domini ignoravimus. Sap. 5.6, 7, 8.  the unspeakable torments which we are to suffer for them, and their long continuance which will be for an Eternity.  
We erred and wandered from the ways of truth, and the light of Justice was not with us, nor did the Sun of Wisdom shine upon us. We wearied ourselves in the ways of wickedness and perdition, and walked in paths of difficulty, and knew not the way of the Lord. What has our Pride profited us? and what has the pomp of our Riches availed us? all those things have passed like a shadow, or like a messenger who passes in haste, or like a Ship which cuts the instable waves, & leaves no mark where it went: even so we are now consumed in our wickedness.  
The cruel and bloody Tyrants, who have afflicted & put to death thy holy Martyrs, O Lord, shall be troubled with horrible fear when they shall behold them, whom they had so unhumanely treated in this life, to be so highly honoured in Heaven; they shall wonder at their unexpected Salvation, and say amongst themselves with great regret, with much grief and anguish of Spirit: These are the men who sometime were unto us matter of Scorn and laughter. We insipid wretches imagined their life to be madness, and that then end will be without nonour, but behold how they are counted amongst the children of God, and how their lot is amongst the Saints; such will be the amazement of those mercenary Judges also, who have trampled under foot the justice and right of thy poor servants on Earth; when they shall behold them Judges in Heaven, and themselves condemned to Hell-fire for their unjust Sentences. Solomon's words verifies this, 
Eccl. c. 3. & 10.  where he says, I saw a great evil beneath the Sun, that in the Throne of Judgement was Seated impiety, and wickedness in the place of Justice: And I said in my heart, God shall Judge the good and evil, and then shall be seen who every one is.  
Here on Earth the wicked sometimes are exalted, and the Godly depressed, but thou, O Lord, shalt in the day of thy visitation rectify those great disorders and grievances; thou shalt Separate the wheat from the tares; thoushalt place the good upon thy right hand, elevated in the Air, that all the world may honour and reverence them, as being thy favourites; whereas the wicked shall stand all in a confusion far off, at thy left, expecting their final Sentence, and the immediate execution thereof; O how they shall at that dreadful hour envy the happy state of the Just! seeing them so much honoured, and themselves so much despised: O how will the Potentates, and crowned heads of the Earth, be astonished! when they shall behold their Vassals in Glory, their Slaves amongst the Angels, and themselves in the same rank with the Devils.  
O my Sweet Saviour! 
St. Chrys. hom. 24. in Lucam. Armabit omnum creaturam ad ultronem inimicorum, & pugnabit pro●eo orbis terrarum contra insensatos.  what shall I think of myself? what shall I say, what shall I do, or how shall I be able to excuse myself in that day of thy wrath, when Heaven, Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, Night, and Day together with all that is contained within the precincts of the whole world, shall accuse me, bear witness of all my evil, and cry vengeance against me before thy dreadful Throne: nay, were they all silent, mine own conscience shall fly in my face, and accuse me of all my offences, even of the least idle word that ever I have spoken; Woe's me then, says St. Ambrose, 
St. Ambr. in Lucum.  if I do not weep and lament for my Sins while I have time, and conveniency; Woe's me, if I do not rise at midnight with the Prophet royal to confess unto thee O Lord, Woe is me, if ever I wrong, belly, or bring My neighbour into any evil inconvenience or trouble, woe's me if I do not speak truth at all times, or if ever I be found in a . For the Axe of Death is now perhaps at the root of my Tree of life, or at least will be ere long; 'tis the same case with every one, therefore it behoves us all to be watchful, to be constantly in the practice of Penance, and in the exercise of all good works, in hopes we may be one day of the number of thy beloved in Heaven.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! 
Omnia toleranda pro caelesti gloria. Aug.  hadst thou known what a Supreme happiness it is to be of the number of my beloved in Heaven, thou wouldst be of St. Augustins' opinion, and say with him, were I to suffer every day the greatest torments that the Rage and Malice of the most bloody Tyrants could invent, nay, were I to endure even the anguishs of Hell for a long time, to see Christ in his Glory, I would think myself extraordinary well rewarded; nay, I would freely, and with all my heart undergo all the afflictions imaginable, upon condition to be made Partaker of so great a blessing. Let the Devils therefore lie in Ambushes for me let them prepare as many temtations against me as they can contrive; let my body be even consumed with abstinence, and constant fasting, let haircloth, & chains of Iron depress my flesh; let labour and continual toil extenuate my body, let watching and lying on the hard ground whither it, and make it as dry as a rotten tree; let this man exclaim against me, and th'other pursue me to death; let the cold seize upon me, and make me stoop to the Earth, let my conscience murmur, let the scorching heat of the Sun parch me, let my body grieve, let my breast burn, let my stomach swell, let my countenance wax pale, let me from head to foot be full of ulcers, let my whole life, hours, days, years pass over in tears, in grief, and in sorrow; let the dust inter my bones, and cover me all over, so that I be sheltered in the day of Tribulation; and placed at thy right hand, O Lord, among the number of thy Elect. O how great will be the glory of the Just; and how infinite will be the joy of the Saints, when every one's face will shine as the Sun!  
But thou must know O man! that the principal joy of the blessed is the peaceable enjoyment and possession of me, whom they Behold clearly as I am in myself; and that, as, Honourable, profitable, and delectable are not divided in Heaven, so the blessed Souls have three gifts essential, and inseparable from that happy state, which correspond to those three kind of Blessings, which your Divines call vision, comprehension, and fruition. The first consists in the clear and perfect sight of me, 
Ego Protector tuus Sum. & merces tua magna nimis. Gen. 15.1.  which I give to the Just as a reward of their merits; and by this they receive an unspeakable honour, in as much as their works and virtues are rewarded in the presence of all my Archangels, Angels, and heavenly Spirits with no less a recompense then myself. The second is the full and ample possession which the Soul has of me, who am all her treasure, all her delight, and all inheritance. And the third is the ineffable joy which evermore accompanies this blessed sight, and ever-peaceable possession. This joy is adorned with two singular qualities, the first whereof makes it so vigorous and powerful, that it excludes all grief, all pain, and in a word, 
St. Aug. medita. 22.  all manner of evil; This is consonant to what St. Augustin says, where he cries on't: O Lord! the life which thou hast prepared for thy friends, is a blessed life, a secure life, a quiet life, a life that knows no death, a life without sadness, without labour, without grief, without trouble, without corruption, without fear, without variety, without alteration: A life replenished with all beauty and dignity, where there is neither Enemy that can offend, nor delight that can annoy; where love admits of no mixture of hatred, or disdain, where the day is everlasting, where the spirit of all is one, where God is seen face to face, who is the only meat whereupon they feed, without any nauseating; hitherto St. Augustin. 
Cicero de Fin. & 5. Tuscul.  Many of your ancient Philosphers were of opinion that the exemption from evil, pain and grief, was the chief felicity of man; it's therefore that the best of profane Orators, and Philosophers, did place the chief happiness of man in the freedom from grief; 
Jero. Rodius & Diodorus Philoso. Perip.  but here lies their error; they Judged that to be the Summumbonum, which was only the consequent and product thereof. For the love and joy which springs from the clear vision of my divine Essence is so powerful, that it's enough to convert even Hell into Heaven; in so much, as if to the most tormented Soul in hell were added all the torments of the rest of the damned both men and Devils, and that I should vovensafe him but one glimpse of my knowledge, that only vision, tho' in the lowest degree, were sufficient to free him from all those evils both of sin and pain; so that his Soul being ecstasied by that unspeakable beauty which he beheld, would not be sensible of any grief or pain whatever. By this thou mayst easily conceive the omnipotency of that joy which I confer upon my beloved in Heaven, which if I should impart to the most damned in hell, it would convert all his great torments into far greater consolations.  
The Second stupendious wonder which the greatness of my joy produces in the Souls of my belov'd, is the manifold pleasures which spring from it, as from a most fruitful root. Art thou not astonished to hear that the happiness of the Souls should cause so many and marvellous effects in the bodies of my Blessed, as St. Augustin relates, dost thou not wonder when he tells thee, that my beatifical vision carries so unspeakable a joy with it into their Souls, that it wholly changes their bodies, makes them as beautiful as so many Angels, resplendent as the Sun, immortal as a Spirit, and as impassable as even myself. What miracles and prodigies it works in their bodies by the redundancy of the unspeakable comfort which they feel in their spirits. Art thou not seized with admiration, when St. Anselme tells thee, that if the body of one of my Blessed, endowed with the four gifts of glory, full of clearness, splendour; and beauty, were placed in any part, or corner of the world, it would perfume the whole universe with a fragrancy infinitely more sweet unto their Senses, then that of Musk and Amber; dost thou not see how immense is that light and joy of the Blessed Souls in Heaven, which transmits' this so unspeakable a lustre and beauty unto their Bodies; and how can it be less, being it proceeds from my beatifical vision, and that it is the very same joy which I have myself, and which is sufficient to make me blessed with a blessedness equal to myself: It's therefore I say unto my beloved Servant; 
Euge serve bone & sidelis. quia super fuisti sidelis super pauca multa te constituum intra in gandium Domini tui. Mat. 25.21.  well done, thou good and faithful Servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee Ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Take notice, O man! that I do not simply say, enter into joy; but to show the greatness thereof, I call it my own joy, and that very joy whereby I myself become happy. Observe also that there is not a Creature in this world, which has not for his final end some manner of perfection, and that those Creatures which are endued with reason and knowledge, have in that perfection a particular joy and complacency, which is greater or lesser according as their end is more or less perfect; Now thou must of necessity acknowledge that my perfection infinitely exceeds that of all Creatures, consequently the joy which is in myself (for I have no end or perfection distinct from myself) is infinitely greater than the joy of all Creatures; and this infinite joy out of my infinite goodness I was pleased to impart as well to the Blessed Souls, as to the Angels, tho' so great, and so special a felicity was in no way due unto their humane nature; wherefore thou must confess that the joy of Saints, which is that of my beatifical vision, and wherein my joy and happiness does consist, is infinite, and that all the contents and pleasures of the world in comparison to it, are Aloes, Gall, and Wormwood. The Philosophers will tell thee, that by how much a delectable object closes nearer to the faculty, by so much greater is the joy and delight which it produces therein; natural reason will convince thee that of all objects I am the most excellent, and the most delightful, consequently being in the beatifical vision united to the Souls of my Saints in heaven with the most intimate union that can be in a pure creature, must of necessity cause an unspeakable joy, incomparably greater than all the joys real or imaginable, which can be produced by all the creatures that were, are at present, or will be extant to the end of the world: for as my Divine perfection contains within itself the perfections of all created things, possible, and imaginable, so the joy which it causes in the Souls of the Blessed, must be infinitely greater than all other joys, which either have or can be caused by the creature.  
O man! here I must reflect upon the main weakness, the great folly, and the wilful ignorance of Mortals; Helena the beauty of Greece did so inflame the heart of Paris, that he made a vow to have her for his wife, tho' it should cost the lives of millions of men, & utter destruction of his whole nation; Jacob was so enamoured of the fair Rachel, that he made nothing of fourteen years continual Slavery to purchase the happiness of her enjoyment. The People of Israel were so much taken with Absoloms' beauty, & so charmed with the sweetness of his discourse, that they all joined heart and hand with him to dethrone David his own Father, their lawful King, the best of Princes, a man according to my own heart, a Prince adorned with all virtues, a Prince so much extolled for his mildness to his Subjects and for his great care of preserving them in peace, with all foreign nations; A Prince that ventured his life to fight a Goliath for the honour and redemption of Israel from the tyrannical yoke of the Philistines: 
Non enim te abjecerunt, sed me, ne regnem super eos. 1 Reg. 8.7. Tulit Joab tres lanceas in manusua, & infixit eas in cord Absolem. 2 Reg. 18.14.  O that a whole nation should be so much infatuate! as to abdicate so worthy, and so gracious a King for the love of a mortal and fading beauty, for the sake of an ambitious, ungrateful, and deluding Absalon; but I account the injury is done to me, and not to David, they have not rejected him, but me, that I should no more rule over them; this is the height of ingratitude, and must have a punishment equal to its demerit, for Absalon shall die by the hands even of one of his greatest Admirers, and the chief of his favourits; as for the People of Israel, that gave their concurrence to so unhuman, and barbarous an act, they shall be ruled by Tyrants that shall keep them always in a curb: and make them absolute Slaves for ever: Let all those who find themselves conscious of so horrid a crime, tremble at the hearing of so dreadful a chastisement. 
Mulieres sedebant plangentes Adonidem. Ezec. 18.14.  The beauty of Adonis had no better success than that of Absalon, for tho' the very sight of him drew love and admiration from his beholders, yet at length he was to them a subject of great lamentation, and sorrow.  
O ye Sons of men! 
Filij hominum usque quo gravi cord? ut quid diligi is vanitatem & queritis mendacium. Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus Sanctum suum. Psal. 4.3.4.  how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after false things? But know ye, that the Lord has extolled the beauty of his Saints, and made it wonderful beyond the reach of humane understanding, and the expression even of the very Angels: for all the beauty of the world aggregated in one creature, falls infinitely short of that of my Saints in Heaven, how ravishing then must my beauty be which is accompanied with several other perfections, that will admit of no limits; as with infinite wisdom, omnipotence, holiness, liberality, bounty, and all that can be imagined good, beautiful and perfect; it's enough indeed to force even the hearts of mine enemies to love, serve, honour, and adore me.  
Thou art (I know) a great admirer of perfection; tell me then, if there were in the world a man as wise as an Angel, wouldst thou not be as earnest to see him, as the Queen of Sheba was to behold Solomon; but if to this great wisdom were added the strength of Hercules, or that of Samson, the victories of the Maccabees, or those of the greatest Conquerors that e'er appeared in this World, the courage, the devotion, the meekness and courtesy of David, the friendship of Jonathan, the liberality of all the Roman, and Assyrian Potentates, and the greatest beauties that ever appeared upon Earth, certainly thou wouldst be totally inflamed with love for so admirable a Creature, thou wouldst never be weary of his company, much less of his discourse; why then dost thou not love me with all thy heart, (as thou art commanded? 
Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo. Matth. 22.37. Cupio dissolvi & esse cum Christo. Phil. 1.23. ) why dost thou not often and ardently desire with St. Paul, to be delivered from that loathsome prison of thy body to enjoy my sight and company, who am really adorned with all those perfections and graces in an infinite degree above all earthly Creatures, and do confer the same upon all, and every one of my Saints in Heaven? why dost thou not despise the transitory and sordid pleasures of the world, to seek after those of my heavenly Court, which can beautify and embellish both thy body and Soul; and the rather because I am so free to impart them not only to thee, but also to all those that shall be faithful to observe my commands. For if I be so magnificent a Lord, and so free to confer my favours in this world upon all men, without any distinction, so that the wicked may partake of them as well as the Godly, is there any ground then to believe, that I have not far greater blessings in store for those alone, that are my favourits and dearest beloved? If I was so liberal as to bestow gratis such vast treasures, (as are the manifold benefits of nature) upon a People that I was not in the least obliged to, but on the contrary have suffered much at their hands; 
Nec oculus vidit, re● auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quae praeparavit Deus diligentibus se 1 Cor. 2.9.  how much more am I indebted to those that have served me faithfully, and with the loss of both their lives & fortunes. It's impossible for thee O man! to express the immensity of the glory which I shall confer upon my Elect in Heaven, since that even the benefits which I have imparted to my very Enemies here on Earth, are far beyond the reach of thy understanding; for my Apostle says, that the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.  
If that be so (as really it is) why dost thou loiter then in thy banishment, and dote so much upon the vaniteis of the world, and earthly affairs? why art thou so desirous to live any longer in the land of Egypt to gather straw, and drink muddy water out of its stinking Pits, despising the headspring of all felicities, and the fountain of living waters? why art thou content to beg and gather Alms at every door, rather than live in thy heavenly Father's house, where all manner of solid content, and pleasure is to be found? why dost thou starve with the prodigal Son, and feed with the Swine upon Acorns, whilst thou mayst fit at his table, and eat of the banquet which he has prepared for all his belov'd in glory; If thou beest inclined to pleasure, raise up thy heart towards my heavenly Residence, and there thou shalt behold that Supreme Good which contains within its self eminently all the pleasures and allurements of all things that can be called good or delectable. If this created life be pleasing to thee, how much more pleasing must that increated life be, which gave it a beginning, and without which it can't subsist one moment. If health be a comfort to thee, how much more comfort can I afford thee, who am alone the giver, the promoter, and powerful preserver thereof; If the knowledge of the creatures be sweet and acceptable to thee, how much more sweet and acceptable ought the knowledge of thy Creator be unto thee. 
Cujus pulchritudinem sol & luna mirantur. Job 38.7. Generationem ejus quis ennarrabit. Isa. 53.8.  If all thy delight be placed in beauty, I am he whose beauty the Sun and Moon does admire. If thou be'st taken with Nobility, I am the source and offspring of all that can be called noble, for my extraction goes far beyond the Creation of the world, and limits of time. If thou delightest in learning, here in my heavenly School thou shalt know all my mysteries, the profound sense of holy Scriptures; thou shalt know the exact number of all my Saints and Angels; thou shalt know the Secrets of my Divine providence, how many are damned, and for what, thou shalt understand the frame and making of the world, the whole artifice of nature, the motions of the Stars and Planets, the proprieties of Plants, Stones, Birds, & Beasts; thou shalt not only know all things created, but also many more things which I might have created; thou shalt not only know them altogether, and in the total, but clearly and distinctly without any confusion. The knowledge of the greatest wisemen and Philosophers of the world, even in things natural, is full of ignorance, deceit, and incertainty, because they know not the substance of things but through the shell and bark of accidents; whereas a poor and silly Servant kept all his life in Slavery, nay, were he a natural in the world, yet in heaven he shall be replenished with more learning, and knowledge (as well of natural, as of divine things) than Solomon, than Aristotle, than all the Mathematicians, Astrologers, Astronomers, Philosophers, Divines and Doctors that ever were, or will be to the world's end; for as St. Gregory says, it is not to be believed that the Saints, who behold within themselves the light of God, are ignorant of any thing without them.  
If thou be'st desirous of long life & health, here thou wilt enjoy life everlasting without any distemper, or malady, without any danger of death, or of any other evil, in the quiet and peaceable possession of all manner of pleasure and comfort; for there thou shalt rejoice in what is above thee, which is my beatifical vision; in what is below thee, which is the beauty of Heaven, and other corporal Creatures; in what is within thee, which is the glorification of thy body; in what is without thee, which is the company of so many blessed Angels, so many glorious Apostles, so many renowned Patriarches, so many famous Prophets, such an invincible army of Martyrs, a most renowned assembly of Confessors, a vast number of true and perfect religious, so many holy Virgins, which have overcome both the pleasures of the world, and the frailty of their own nature. Here I shall recreate and feast all thy spiritual Senses with an unspeakable delight, for I shall be both thy gracious and grateful object; I shall be a mirror to the sight, music to the ear, sweetness to the taste, balsom to the smell, flowers to the touch. Here In fine, there shall be the clear sight of Summer, the pleasantness of the Spring, the abundance of Autumn, and the repose of winter.  
But O man! 
Quem dicunthomines esse filium hominis. Mat. 16.14.  I long to hear what Worldlings say of me, and of my Kingdom, for I suppose that some of them are apt to believe I am John the Baptist, others will say perhaps that I am Elias; others that I am Jeremiah, or some one of the Prophets. 
Noli me tangere. Jo. 20.17. Vos autem quem me esse dicitis Ibid. v. 15.  Some will think that it's a folly for mortals to expect admittance to my Kingdom, because that after my Resurrection I refused the Magdalen leave to touch me, or to lay her hand upon any part of my garment. But what dost thou say of me, and of my glorious Residence?  MAN. 
I Say, 
Tu es Christus Filius Dei vivi. Jo. 6.70. Et regni ejus non erit finis. Luc. 1.33.  that thou art Christ Son of the living God, and that thy Kingdom will never have an end; it's therefore I believe that Scripture calls it the land of the living, to let us understand that this wherein we abide, deserves no better denomination then that of the dead; Alas, we know it by our woeful experience to be very true; for tho' Adam and his Descendants for a long time, lived each of them so many Ages, yet this fatal Epitaph, mortuus est, (which he has entailed upon all his posterity) came at last, to show that as the world is mortal, the inhabitants thereof must be of the same nature; but as for thy Kingdom O Lord, 'tis immortal and without any end; 'tis therefore St. Paul says, that this corruptible body of ours shall put on incorruption, and of mortal, become immortal. This flesh of ours which now is so burdensome, and does so depress our mind, which is now invested with so many inconveniences, subject to so many alterations, grieved with so many diseases, defiled with so many corruptions, overwhelmed with such an infinite deal of miseries, and calamities, shall in thy Kingdom O Lord, be made glorious, and advanced to the height of perfection. It shall be endued with Seven gifts suitable to thy liberality, and to the dignity of thy beloved Servants; which are Beauty, Agility, Fortitude, 
Justi fulgebant sicut sol in regno Patris eorum Mat. 13.43  Penetration, Health, Pleasure, and Perpetuity. As for the first gift, which is Beauty, thou hast thyself declared that the Just shall shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The second is Agility and this prerogative of the Just is no less than the former, for by this, their flesh is freed from that lumpish & heavy weight which kept their Spirits fettered whilst they remained in this life, and made as light even as the Angels themselves, who pass from one extremity of the world to the other in the twinkling of an eye; the third gift is Supernatural Strength, which does so abound in a glorified body, that he shall be able to move the whole globe of the Earth, at thy command, and give us a dry passage through the main Ocean, with as much ease as thy Angel did to the People of Israel through the red Seas, to avoid the Rage and fury of their pursuing Enemy's. The fourth is I enetration, whereby he shall be able to penetrate any other bodies tho'never so hard, or massy, and make nothing to pierce Walls, Doors, the Earth, and the very Firmament, tho' it were made of Brass; This thy glorified body has performed after thy Resurrection, for thou didst penetrate the house where thy Disciples were, the Doors being all shut, and at thy Ascension thou didst penetrate the Heavens also. The fifth prerogative is absolute Health free from all pains of this life, quit of all diseases, troubles, encumbrances, and all other infirmities incident to humane nature, and shall be perpetually fixed in a most perfect and flourishing state of health and felicity, in no way liable to the least alteration for ever. The sixth is Delight and Pleasure, which shall be heaped upon a glorified body to that degree, that all his senses shall find their peculiar and proper objects in a far more delicious manner then ever they could expect in this world; for his eyes shall be for ever recreated with the beatifical vision, and with the sight of the most glorious and beautiful bodies of all the Saints. One Sun is enough to bring a full joy over the whole continent of the Earth, as also to depress the raging waves of the main Ocean, in its greatest fury; it revives the mortified grain, and makes it appear with its green blades to assure the Labourer of its being alive, and sets at liberty all those varieties of flowers and simples, which the cold season of winter kept a long time in its prisons of Ice; what joy then shall a blessed Soul conceive when he beholds as many Suns as there are Saints? and when he sees himself to be one of them; when he sees his hands, his feet, and the rest of his members, to cast forth beams clearer than even the Sun in its full height.  
His ears shall be replenished with the most harmonious Songs and Music of so many Quires of Angels, of so many millions of Saints, and of so many hundred thousands of heavenly Spirits: as St. John in many several places of his Revelations makes mention of; O my Soul! here I would have thee stay a while, and consider seriously what a great satisfaction this is to the blessed: If the harp of David were so delightful to Saul, and had so great a power as to assuage the fury of his passion, and to recall him from that melancholy fit, of which the Devil made use to destroy his Soul. If the Lyre of Orpheus was able to operate such great prodigies in the World; and to win the hearts not only of men, but also of the Infernal Spirits (if we may believe Poets) who tell us that he recovered his Wife out of their clutches with the sweetness of his melodious instruments: If St. Francis thought himself already in Heaven hearing an Angel play on his instrument, what pleasure, what delight will a blessed Soul have when he hears the sweet harmony of so many thousands of Angels together? Tradition which gives life to the best of Histories, informs us that the singing of one little bird alone, ravished a devout Monk to that degree that three hundred years seemed no more to him then three hours, what a sweetness will it be to hear the melody of those Songs, which the innumerable citizens of that heavenly Jerusalem sing in praise of thee, their eternal King! his smell shall be recreated with the most odoriferous scent which comes from those beautiful bodies, infinitely more sweet than all the perfumes of the Indies. In fine, the whole glorified body shall be filled with abundance of all kind of consolation; the Eyes, the Ears, the Nose, the Mouth, the Hands, the Throat, the Lungs, the Heart, the Stomach, the Back, nay, the very entrails, and every part of the Body, 
Inebriabuntur ab ubertate Domus tuae, & torrente voluptatis tuae porabis eos. Ps. 35.9.  shall be replenished with such unspeakable sweetness and pleasure; that it may be really said, the whole man is made to drink of the River of thy divine delights, and made drunk with the abundance of thy most glorious and plentiful house.  
The Seventh and last prerogative of a glorified body is what the Divines call. Perpetuity, that is security of life, which agrees well with that place of Scripture, where 'tis said, the Just will live for ever; and St. Paul avers, 
Justi autem in perpetuum vivent. Sap 5.16. Mors illi ultra non dominabitur. Ro. 6.9.  that Death has no more dominion over him. And this is one of the chiefest prerogatives & most excellent Dignities of a glorified body; for by the great benefit of this unspeakable favour, he is freed from all care, all doubt, all fear, all danger, all hurt, all annoyance, and all manner of accidents that may cross him, or give any disturbance to his ever lasting peace and rest. O how sweet will the fruit of a virtuous life be then to his palate, how pleasant will all his mortifications and penance, all his persecutions and troubles, all the wrongs and injuries, all the aspersions & calumnies, which were heaped upon him by his apparent enemies, or by his counterfeit friends, and which he willingly suffered for thy sake, how pleasant, I say, they will appear to him, and he to them, how he will embrace them as being instrumental to his everlasting settlement in Glory! for tho' they seemed bitter to him in this life, yet in Heaven they will taste most sweet to him, and he will think himself highly honoured to have been so ill treated for Justice.  
Sweet is the cool evening after the hot summer's day, sweet is the fountain to the weary Traveller, sweet is the rest and sleep to the tired Servant; but much more sweet is it to the Saints in Heaven, to enjoy ease after their manifold troubles, tranquillity after their afflictions and crosses, peace after their long & tedious war; Security after all their dangers, and rest after all their pains and travels. For then all their grievances are at an end; then their Skirmishes, and conflicts with their Enemies are laid aside, there's no more talk of them, they lay down their Arms for ever, and remain in peace.  
The Children of Israel went forth armed towards the Land of promise, 
Exod. 13.  but when they had conquered it, they laid down their Arms, put off their Armour, 
3 Reg. 4.  and forgetting all fear, and the fatigues of War, every one of them under the shadow of his own Pavilion enjoyed the sweet advantage of a delightful peace. Now may the bodies of thy Saints, 
Abac. 3.  O Lord, which have been wearied with continual watching, take their rest: Now may the watchful Prophet come down from the Sentinels place, and take his sweet repose for ever: Now may all those brave champions that fought so courageously against the rage, the violence, and the craft of the Infernal Serpent, lay down their warlike weapons, and take their pleasures in as ample a manner as thy glorious Palace can afford, without the least apprehension of any further disturbance, or fear of any invasion from either the world, the Flesh, or the Devil. There's no place there for the subtle crafts of the lurking vipers, nor for the sight of the deadly Basilisk, neither shall the hissing of the ancient Serpent be heard there, but only the soft breathing air of the Holy Ghost. This is the Region of peace indeed, and the only place of security, situated above all the Elements, whereto the nauseous clouds, and stormy winds of the dark air of the world can have no access. 
Gloriosa dicta sunt de te civitas Dei. Psa. 86.  O City of God what glorious things have been said of thee! and no wonder, for besides all that is written of the Majesty of thy King, of the beauty and splendour of thy Inhabitants, of the peace and union of their hearts, of their unspeakable joy and comfort; the very description which is given of thee, is able to invite any one to be of the number of thy citizens; for thy gates are wrought with Saphires and Emeralds, thy walls are built with precious Stones, thy Streets are paved with white and polished marble; thy houses are likewise adorned with precious Stones, all lined through with Saphires, and covered above with massy gold. The light that shines in thee proceeds neither of Lamps, nor of the Moon, nor yet of the refulgent Stars, no, 'tis the light which issued from Light, that gives lustre to thee; 
Psa. 103.  'Tis thou, O Lord, that fills her with light, for in the midst of her thou keepest thy continual residence, and all the Saints do there reign with thee, 
Psa. 20.  adorned with light, which is their sumptuous apparel, and bear Crowns of transparent gems and precious stones upon their heads. O blessed Kingdom, says St. Austin, where thou art always present, O Lord! who art the hope of all Saints, and the Diadem of their everlasting glory, replenishing them with joy on every side, so that in thy Realm, O Lord, there is infinite joy without Sadness; health without sorrow, life without labour; light without darkness; felicity without vexation; all goodness without evil. There Youth flourishes, and never grows old, Life knows no end, beauty never fades, love never cools, health never diminishes, joy never ceases. There sorrow is never felt; complaint is never heard, matter of grief is never seen, nor ill success is never feared, because they enjoy thee, O Lord, whose glorious presence confers all these and many more blessings upon them. O my Soul what a main happiness will it be to see that holy Lamb! th●● sweet Jesus, thy gracious Redeemer invested with superexcellent Majesty Seated in his Chair of State. If the three Eastern Kings undertook a long journey to Bethlehem, and were so much overjoyed when they found him, tho' lying in a manger; how great must their joy be now to see him triumphing in his glory! If St. John the Baptist did leap with joy at his approaching towards him in his Mother's womb, what an ocean of joy will now or'ewhelm his heart, when he sees him face to face in his royal and eternal Kingdom? O says the same Saint! to be admitted into thy presence O Lord, and to receive the beams of glory from the splendour of thy Majesty, surpasses all other joy and felicity that the Saints possess in Heaven, and were I to suffer torments every day, yea, and the very pains of Hell for a time, thereby to gain thy vision in Heaven, and to be united in glory to the number of thy Saints; it were nothing to the greatness and excellency of the reward, but alas! how far am I from the feelings of this most learned and holy man.  
I am like a Child that longs and cries for an apple, but will not take the pains to come for it, or like a Ship that is bound for a certain harbour, and steers the quite contrary way, or like a Cat that loves fish, but will not wet her paw to fetch it out of the water: I love ●●ee O Lord! but will not surmount the least difficulty to purchase thy glory; I aim, and my desire is to land in the safe harbour of Heaven, but I run a quite contrary course; 
Tu●es miser & miserabilis, & pauper & caecus, & nudus Apoc. 3.17. Non coronabitur nisi qui legittime certaverit. 2 Tim. 2.5. Nun haec opportuit Christum pari & ita intrare in gloriam suam. Lu. 24.26.  I love a virtuous and godly life, but will not make use of the means which thou hast prescribed to attain it. I am created to trade in this world for the advantage of my Soul, and to bring my vessel laden with good works to the Land of Promise. But alas! this forty, nay, fifty years, I have bufied myself even about trifles, and now I find I am no better than that Bishop thou didst so severely reprehend in the revelations, for I may be very well called miser, miserable, poor, blind and naked as well as he was; so that I have great reason to fear thou wilt remove my candlestick out of its place, and turn me off with a nescio vos, unless I speedily resolve upon a better course of life, and fight more manlike for a Crown in Heaven, which I shall never obtain otherwise then by traceing the same paths which thou went'st into thy glory.  SAVIOUR. 
THe only way to be happy for ever, is to lead a virtuous life without any intermission, not in parts, or with intervals; for this is losing of ground. Thou art to press on, and persevere; for if thou dost discontinue thy course, when wilt thou come to pronounce these words? I am a Conqueror: not a Conqueror of barbarous Enemies, and Savage Nations; but of my own predominant and unruly passions, of my vicious and evil inclinations; of my Avarice, Ambition, and Lusts which have subjected even the greatest of Conquerors. Who was a greater than Alexander, that extended his Empire from Thracia, to the utmost bounds of the Earth? but yet he burned Persepolis at the request of a Prostitute, to gratify his Lust. 'Tis true he overcame Darius, and slew many thousands of the Persians; yet he has murdered Calisthenes: and that single blot has tarnished all the glory of his great and numerous victories. All the wishes of mortals, and all the benefits which they can either give or receive, are very little available to a happy life. Those things which the common People gape after are transitory and vain; whereas happiness is permanent; nor is it to be estimated by number, measure, or parts: for it is full, and perfect; this is Seneca the moral Philosopher's discourse; which should make thee, O Christian man! blush to set so slender an estimate upon my glory, and upon the everlasting happiness which I promise unto thee, if thou wilt resolve to lead a virtuous and godly life, and depress thy passions with the dint of mortification and Penance; but thou dost not answer my expectation, and yet wouldst fain be admitted into my glory at a cheaper rate than I had it myself.  
This Pagan Philosopher shall rise in Judgement against thee; and his following expressions will certainly condemn the little care thou hast of thy Salvation. I do not, says he, speak as if myself were arrived at that blessed state of repose: but yet it is something to be on the mending hand. It is with me, as with a man that's creeping out of a disease; he feels yet some grudge of it, he is every foot examining his pulse; and suspects every touch of heat to be a relic of his fever: Just at that rate, am I jealous of myself. The best remedy that I know in this case, is to go on with confidence, and not to be misled by the errors of other People. It is with our manners, as with our healths; 'tis a degree of virtue, the abating of vice, as it is a degree of health, the abating of a fit.  
Can a Christian speak better; or more to the purpose? could he take a more assured way to prevent the increase of vice, than what he prescribes? Hear him once more speak; some says he, will place their happiness in wealth; some in the liberty of the body; and others in the pleasure of the sense, and Palate. But what are metals, Tastes, Sounds, or colours, to the mind of a reasonable creature? he that sets his heart upon the riches of this world the very fear of poverty will be grievous to him. He that's ambitious, shall be galled with envy at a man that's preferred before him: For in that case, he that is not first, is last. I do not, says he, speak against Riches: for if they hurt a man 'tis his own folly: they may be indeed the cause of mischief; as they are a temptation to those that do it. Instead of courage they may inspire a man with arrogance; and instead of magnanimity, with insolence; which is in truth but the counterfiet of heroic minds, and where's the happiness of Luxury; when a man divides his life betwixt the Kitchen, and the stews; betwixt an anxious conscience, and a naufeous Stomach? Caliguia, was born to show the world what mischief might be done by a concurrence of great wickedness, and a great fortune: he spent near 10000 l. Sterling upon a Supper. The works and inventions of Luxury are indeed prodigious, not only in the counterfieting of nature, but even in surpassing it. The Romans had their brooks even in their very parlours, and found their dinners under their Tables. The Mullet was reckoned stolen unless it died in the hand of the Guiest, And they had their glasses to put them into, that they might the better observe all the changes, and motions of them in the last Agony betwixt life and Death. So that they fed their eyes, before their bodies. These people would not have given themselves half this trouble with a dying friend; nay, they would leave a Father or a Brother at his last hour, to entertain themselves with the barbarous spectacle of an expiring Fish.  
O man! thou art a Christian, and one that pretends to the height of perfection, which is to follow me, and ground thy life as well upon my counsels, as upon my examples; thou hast in thy Baptism made a solemn oath to have an everlasting abhorrence of the world, the flesh and the Devil, thou hast renounced them for ever; thou hast declared thyself an Enemy to all sorts of vice, yet thou art more a slave to them then ever the Romans were to their bellies, so that I verily believe, had this Pagan Philosopher been now alive, and seen the liberty that Christians take to run headlong into disorders, and debauchery, he would conclude their Religion to be far worse than that of the Romans, which was no other than to indulge their bodies in all that might be pleasing to their Palate. Let him yet speak more of his mind to the Romans, and thou shalt find that what enormities he lays to their charge, is now adays the common practice of Christians. That says he, which enhances the esteem of every thing, is the price of it: In so much, that water itself, which ought to be gratuitous, is exposed to sale, in their Conservatories of Ice, and Snow. Nay, we are troubled that we can't buy breath, light, and that we have the Air itself gratis. And if our conditions be evil, our trouble is, that nature has left something to us in common: But Luxury contrives ways to set a price upon the most necessary and communicable benefits in nature: even those benefits, which are free to Birds, and Beasts, as well as to men; and serve indifferently for the use of the most Sluggish Creatures.  
But how chances it, that fountainwater is not cool enough to serve us, unless it be bound up in Ice? So long as the Stomach is moderately satisfied, Nature discharges her functions without trouble: but when the blood comes to be inflamed with excess of wine, or the Stomach overcharged with meat, simple water is not cool enough to Allay its heat; then we are forced to make use of remedies, which remedies themselves are vices. And this is the product of heaping Suppers upon Dinners, and Dinners upon Suppers without intermission.  
The natural thirst, (be it never so vehement, and not derived from libidinous actions) is easily quenched with a draught of water, tho' it be of the River it will suffice; but, when the palate is grown squeemish, we taste nothing; & that which we take for thirst, is only the rage of a Fever, or some other distemper acquired by disorder: Even the very Women are in some measure guilty of this extravagance, for tho' they have not altered their natures, they have changed the course of their lives; and by taking the liberties of men, they partake as well of their diseases, as of their wickedness. They sit up late, drink as much, nay, in their very Appetites they are as masculine too; in a word, they have lost the modesty, and other advantages of their Sex, by their vices.  
O man! are not these the abominations and Crimes now in vogue, in that corrupt and licentious Age thou liv'st in? What this good moral Philosopher blames in the Romans, is it not the common practice of Christians now a days, nay, they are guilty of far greater crimes; for they do not only pamper their Lusts, but provoke them; as if they were to learn the very art of voluptuousness. And wherein is their corrupt nature depressed all this while? for I see nothing denied to their craving Appetites, no violence used to their sensuality, no bounds set to their womanish desires. They give all the best entertainment they can to their bodies, and take no care at all of their Souls. It is with them as with an innocent that a certain Nobleman had in his Family; She became blind on a Sudden, and no body could persuade her she was blind; she could not endure the house (she said) it was so dark, and was still calling to go abroad. That which the people laughed at in her, is found to be true in the greatest part of mankind: They are Covetous, Luxurious, Ambitious, and what not? but the world shall never bring them to acknowledge it. Nay, they are the worst of the two; for that blind fool called for a guide, and they wander about without any, and which is worse, they will have none, It's a hard matter to cure those that will not believe they are sick. This is thy case O man! thou hast been told often of thy desperate condition; and how thy Soul is in danger to be lost for ever; unless that thou dost comply with my instructions, and break off that sinful yoke of Satan, that brings thee by one evil to make way for another. Thou wert told that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, & that to become an Inhabitant thereof, thou must of necessity struggle with thy Passions, and overcome them too, which is to destroy a numerous company of Monsters, and the most glorious action that can be undertaken. Horatius Cocles opposed his single body to a whole Army, till the Bridge was cut down behind him, and then leaped into the River, with his Sword in his hand, and came off safe to his own party; this was a generous act indeed; but it is a more noble exploit to subdue thy corrupt nature, thou dost signalise thyself, when thou art become thine own Master, and triumphs over thy passions, which have vanquished the greatest Conquerors of the world; when thou shalt stand like another Hercules and beat down those inbred monsters of thy old man, with as much courage, as he did subdue the Hidra's, and Minotaures, than thou wilt arrive at the highest piteh of felicity. Be not surprised that I call thy Passions Monsters of nature, for they are not only monstrous in themselves, but they make the mind that is harassed with them very deformed and most miserable to boot; for they leave no place either for Council or friendship, honesty or good manners; no place either for the exercise of reason, or for the Offices of life. If I were to describe the Passion of anger, which is the common distemper of all mankind, I would draw a Tiger bathed in blood, sharp set, and ready to take a leap at his prey, or dress it up as the Poets represent their furies, with whips, Snakes, and flames: It should be sour, livid, full of Scars, and wallowing in gore, raging up and down, destroying, grinning, bellowing, and pursuing; sick of all other things, and most of all of itself. It turns beauty into deformity, and the calmest counsels into fierceness; It disorders the very garments of those that are slaves to it, and fills their minds with horror: How abominable must it be in the Soul then, when it appears so hideous even through the bones, the skin, and so many impediments. Is he not a monster of a man that has lost the government of himself; and is tossed hither and thither by his Raging fury, as by a tempest? He is the executioner of his own revenge, both with his heart and hand; and the murderer of his nearest friends. The smallest matter will blow him up to that degree that he is altogether insociable, and inaccessible; He does all things by violence as well upon himself, as others. It may be then very well called the master of all Passions, being 'tis the most hard to be surmounted. Yet Heathens without the assistance of my grace, or knowledge of my glory, have wholly subdued this predominate Passion, encouraged thereunto only by a popular applause, and to get the esteem of being perfect Philosophers. Plato was about to strike his Servant, and while his hand was in the Air, he checked himself, but still held it in that menacing posture; being taken notice of, and asked what he meant: I am now, says he, punishing of an angry man. Another time his Servant having committed a great fault; pray says he to his friend, do you beat that fellow, for I am angry; for he did not think it fit that a Servant should be in his power; that is not his own master.  
Socrates when he was angry, would take himself in it, and speak low, in opposition to the motions of his displeasure. O man! thou art promised a crown of glory in Heaven if thou wilt subdue thy passions on Earth; Thou art assured to sit at my Table, and to enjoy my presence for ever, so be, that thou dost subdue thy evil inclinations, and keep them always in subjection, yet these powerful motives are not sufficient to Stir up thy drooping courage to so glorious an action, and so much to thine own advantage; whereas these Heathens have got the better of them all, only for to be applauded by the people, and to obtain the credit of being perfect Philosophers; I tell thee for a certain truth that they shall rise in Judgement with this generation of cow-hearted Christians, 
Mat. 12.41, 42.  and shall condemn them, because they have subdued their Passions and evil inclinations only upon the bare account of vanity, which they will not perform tho' they be promised the reward of an Eternal weight of Glory. The Queen of the South shall also rise in Judgement against them, and shall condemn them; for she came from the uttermost parts of the Earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, whereas they will not make the least progress in virtue to pleasure me, who am the Fountain of wisdom, and who went so many steps to find out their strayed Souls, when they were in danger to be lost for ever.  
The Histories are full of perilous and desperate erterprises, and all for temporal rewards. In the beginning of the civil wars which the Senate of Rome carried on against Cajus and Fulvius Gracchuus, the Consul Opimus by public Edict promised, that whosoever should bring him the head of Cajus Gracchus, should receive for reward its weight in gold. Setimuleyus undertakes the work, and cuts of the head of Gracchus with the manifest danger of his own life, and fills the hollow places thereof with melted lead to have the more weight of Gold. But my promises far exceed this, being I give for less labour, and for a trouble as light as a feather, an eternal weight of glory, nay, for a draught of water; for that which is but vile, and lasts but for a moment: I give that which is of inestimable price, and is to continue for all Eternity. With that which is no more worth than a Straw, thou mayst purchase my glory, for all the felicities, all the riches, and Earthly delights are no more than a Straw compared to it. Certainly thou wouldst look upon him to be a mere fool, that would not give a chip for an hundred weight of Gold; This is thy great folly O man! thou wilt not go through the least of difficulties, nor give a small share of thy worldly Substance to the poor and distressed for the purchase of Heaven.  
Cyrus to encourage his Soldiers in his war against the Medes made them a Sumptuous Banquet, with a promise to give them Gold and Silver in abundance, if they had subdued that effeminate Nation; if this motive was sufficient to make a barbarous People prefer a doubtful reward before a certain and hazardous labour; why should not a certain reward and infinitely greater than the labour provoke thee, and all mankind to the conquest of Heaven? Compare the banquet which I am to to exhibit to all my belov'd in Heaven, unto that which Cyrus gave unto his whole Army, the pleasures of my Kingdom with the troubles, and displeasures of this life, the joys above with the sorrows below, the riches and treasures of Paradise, with the little labour and pains which thou dost take in my Service, and for which thou art promised eternal glory as a reward, thou shalt find as much difference as there is betwixt a dead body full of worms, stench, and corruption, and a glorious body, exceeding the Sun in brightness, the Heavens in beauty, and in sweetness the most odoriferous and purest Roses, or Lilies. It's therefore my Apostle says, that all which men can suffer in this life, is no way worthy of the glory which is entailed upon my Elect. No, the Stupendious mortifications and pennances of St. Simon Stylites, the Austeritys of St. Romualdus, the poverty and nakedness of St. Francis, the manifold torments and tortures of all the martyrs, are no more in comparison of my glory then is the taking up of a Straw for the gaining of an Earthly Empire.  
David declares that the first man that should encowter the Jebuseans, as being the most daring and warlike of all his enemies, should be made General, Joab hears of it, and exposed his life to obtain that honour at the price of his blood. Saul offers his Daughter in marriage to him that should overcome the Giant Goliath; David embraces the motion, & slights all danger to purchase so great a reward. Seneca wondered at what Soldiers did, and suffered for so short and transitory Kingdoms as are those of the world, and that not for themselves neither, but for another, much more might he wonder that the sufferings & labours of this life by which Christians are to gain the Kingdom of Heaven, not for strangers, but for themselves, should seem so great and so grievous unto them, as they make appear by their unwillingness to undergo the least trouble for so great a purchase. But I must attribute their failings herein to their little estimate of so precious a Jewel; 
Proposito sibi gaudio sustinuit crucem. Heb. 12. Matth. 13 Philip. 3.  for had they known the value of it as well as others have done, they would bid for it, as they did; or at least they would not pass by so carelessly a thing which they sought after so carefully. Saint Paul says of me, that laying the joys of Heaven before my eyes, I sustained the Cross; this should be to all Christians a main argument of my great estimate of the matter, seeing I would buy it at so dear a rate, and invite all men to go and sell all they have to purchase this treasure. St. Paul is much of my opinion, for he esteems all the World as dung to the purchase of this precious gem; and imparted the same feeling to his worthy Disciple, and glorious martyr St. Ignatius. Hear what he is willing to give for the purchase thereof: Fire, Gallows, Beasts, breaking of my bones, quartering of my members, crushing of my body, all the torments of the Devil together let them come upon me, so I may enjoy this inestimable treasure. St. 
Chryso. Tom. 5. Hom. 19  Vincent Martyr was nothing inferior to him either in love, courage, greatness of mind, and fervour of spirit, hear how daring he speaks to Dacianus the Precedent, and see with what joy, and Patience he suffers his torments. The Tyrant order him to be hoist up high upon a Rack, and after a jeering way asked him where he was, to which he answered with a smiling countenance; I am aloft, and thence do despise thee, who art insolent and puffed up with the power thou hast upon Earth; Being after menaced with more torments far exceeding the cruelty of the former, he said, me thinks Dacianus, thou dost not threaten, but court me with what I desire with all the powers and faculties of my Soul. And when they tore his flesh with hooks and pinchers, and burned him with firebrands, and flaming torches, he cried out with joy, in vain thou weariest rhy self Dacianus, thou canst not imagine torments so horrid which I could not suffer. Know then O man! that Prisons, Pinchers, burning plates of Iron, and death itself are unto good Christians recreations, rather than torments, and if thou be'st of the number of them, thou wilt be likewise of the same opinion.  MAN. 
I am as much perplexed, O Lord! at thy discourse as was the man of the Gospel to hear his Master accuse him of injustice, and threaten to turn him out of his Stewardship; what shall I do, 
Fodere non valeo & mendicare erubesco. Luc. 16.3.  says he, I am ashamed to beg, and I am not able to labour. This is my case; I am ashamed to see myself so remiss in my duty to thee, so unwilling to undergo the least trouble to purchase thy glory, and so heedless of my own salvation, when I see Heathens perform such great and heroic exploits even for the bare applause of the world, and for the blind approbation of their fantastical Sect. I am ashamed to see myself so remote from virtue, so cold in devotion, so prone to vice, so inconstant in my good resolutions, so averssed to afflictions and crosses, when I hear a Pagan-Philosopher that knows nothing of thy glory, nothing of the everlasting happiness of thy Kingdom, nothing of the unspeakable reward of thy Blessed, and nothing of the eternal punishments which thou hast decreed for the wicked, tell me that there is not in the scale of nature a more inseparable connexion of cause and effect, then in the case of happiness and virtue: nor any thing that more naturally produces the one, or more necessarily presupposes the other. For, what is it to be happy, but for a man to content himself with his lot, in a cheerful and quiet resignation to the appointments of God? All the actions of our lives ought to be governed with a respect to good, and evil: and it is only Reason that distinguishes: by which reason we are in such manner influenced as if a Ray of the Divinity were dipped in a mortal body; and that's the perfection of mankind. 'Tis true, we have not the eyes of Eagles nor the Sagacity of hounds, nor if we had, could we pretend to esteem ourselves for any thing which we have in common with Brutes. What are we the better for that which is foreign to us, and may be given, and taken away? As the Beams of the Sun irradiate the Earth, and yet remain where they were, so is it in some proportion with a holy mind, that illustrates all our actions, and yet adheres to its Original. Why do we not as well commend a Horse for his glorious trappings, as a man for his pompous additions? how much a braver Creature is a Lion (which by nature ought to be fierce, and terrible) how much braver (I say) he is in his natural horror, then in his chains? So that every thing in its pure nature pleases us best. It is not Health, Nobility, Riches, that can justify a wicked man; nor is it the want of all these can discredit a good one. That's the Sovereign Blessing, which makes the Professor of it valuable without any thing else, and him that wants it contemptible, tho' he had all the world besides. 'Tis not the painting, gild, or carving that makes a good Ship; but if she be a nimble Sailer, tied, and strong, to endure the Seas, that's her excellency. 'Tis the Edge and temper of the blade that makes a good Sword; not the richness of the Scabbard: 'Tis even the same with man, 'tis not money, or vast possessions, or eminent places, or great dignities that makes him considerable, but his virtue alone.  
I am a Christian, 
Cor. 9.19, 20, 21, 22.  and by my profession am bound to be serviceable to all people as far as my ability can extend, and their necessity requires it; it's therefore St. Paul says, tho' I be free from all men, yet have I made myself Servant unto all, that I might gain the more. Unto the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; In fine, I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. This is my incumbent duty, but alas! I am far short of it, and this brings a bl●s● on my face; when I see a Pagan-Philosopher preach and practise the same. 'Tis every man's duty, says Seneca, to make himself profitable to mankind, if he can, to many; if not, to fewer; if not so neither, to his neighbours, but however to himself.  
There are two Republics, a great one, which is humane nature; and a less, which is the place where we are born: some serve both at a time; some only the greater; and some again only the less: The greater may be served in privacy, Solitude, contemplation, & perchance that way better than any other: But it was th'intent of nature however, that we should serve both. A good man may serve the Public, his friend, and himself too, in any Station: If he be not for the Sword, let him take the Gown; if the Bar does not agree with him, let him try the Pulpit; If he be silenced abroad, let him give Counsel at home; and discharge the part of a faithful friend, and a Temperate companion. When he is no longer a Citizen, he is yet a man; the whole world is his Country, and humane nature never wants matter to work upon: But, if nothing will serve a man in the civil Government, unless he be prime Minister; or in the Field, but to command in Chief, 'tis his own fault. The common Soldier, where he can't use his hands, fights with his very looks; his example, his encouragement, his voice: and stands his ground even when he has lost his hands: and does service too with his very clamour; so that in any condition whatsoever, he still discharges the duty of a good Patriot. Nay, he that spends his time well, even in a retirement, gives a great example: we may enlarge indeed, or contract, according to the circumstances of time, place, or abilities; but above all things, we must be sure to keep ourselves in action; for he that is slothful is dead even while he lives. All this is most consonant to St. Paul's doctrine, and to the feelings of all good Christians, but alas! 'tis quite contrary to what I practise (to my shame be it spoken) and I much fear it will appear in judgement against me in that dreadful day of thy just indignation and wrath.  
O Lord! thou hast made me a watchman unto the house of Israel, & hast laid a strict obligation on me to depress vice, and hinder the growth thereof, within the precincts, of my Jurisdiction, as well by word, as by good examples; but alas! unfaithful, and cow-hearted wretch as I am, for fear of losing a Benefice, or incurring the displeasure of great Persons, of whom I depend for a livelihood, I silence their faults, and wink at their debaucheries, which certainly will redound to my grand confusion, and the rather, because that Pagans have acted otherwise. Was there ever so desperate a state, as that of Athens under the thirty Tyrants; where it was capital to be honest; and the Senate-house turned into a College of Hangmen; never was government so wretched, and so hopeless; and yet Socrates at the same time preached Temperance to the Tyrants, and courage to the rest: and afterwards died an eminent example of manliness and resolution, and a Sacrifice for the common good.  
'Tis not the part of a wiseman, says another pagan, to stand shifting, and fencing with fortune, but to oppose her barefaced; for he is sufficiently convinced, that she can do him no hurt: she may take away his Servants, Possessions, Dignities, etc. She may assault his body, put out his eyes, cut off his hands, & strip him of all external comforts of life. But what does all this amount to, more than the recalling of a Trust, which he has received, with condition to deliver it up again upon demand? He looks upon himself as precarious, and only lent to himself, and yet he does not value himself ever the less, because he is not his own; but takes such care as an honest man should do of a thing that is committed to him in Trust. Whensoever He that lent me myself, and what I have, shall call for all back again, 'tis not a loss, but a restitution; and I must willingly deliver up what most undeservedly was bestowed upon me; and it will become me to return my mind better than I received it. O my Soul! wouldst thou not take this discourse to be the products of a patiented Job on his dunghill, in his mournful Addresses to God; or the expressions of some eminent and illuminate Saint in the desert, rather than the words of an heathen Philosopher; but what if thou seest this supereminent doctrine practised by another of the same Sect? will it not confound thy insatiate desire of Earthly riches, thy great neglect of thy own Salvation, and the little value thou putst upon Heaven, and it's everlasting pleasures?  
Demetrius upon the taking of Megara, asked Stilpo the Philosopher what he had lost: nothing says he, for I had all that I could call my own about me. And yet the enemy had then made himself the master of his Patrimony, his Children, and his Country: But these he looked upon only as adventitious goods, and under the command of Fortune: Now he that neither lost any thing, nor feared any thing in a public ruin, but was safe, and at peace, in the middle of the flames, and in the heat of a military intemperance and fury; what violence, or provocation imaginable, can put such a man as this out of the possession of himself? Walls, and Castles may be mined and battered; but there is no art, or Engine, that can subvert a steady mind: I have made my way (says Stilpo) through fire, and blood; what is become of my Wife and Children, I know not; but they are transitory blessings & Servants likewise that are accustomed to change their masters; what was my own before, is my own still; some have lost their Estates; others their dear bought Mistresses; their Commissions and Offices; the Usurers have lost their Bonds and securities; but, Demetrius, for my part, I have saved all: & do not imagine after all this, either that Demetrius is a conqueror, or that Stilpo is overcome. 'Tis only thy fortune has been too hard for mine. Alexander took Babylon; Scipio took Carthage; the Capitol was burnt: but there's no fire or violence that can discompose a generous mind: Some perhaps will take this Character for a Chimaera; but they are grossly mistaken, for all ages afford some, though not so many instances of this elevated virtue. A good man will do his duty let it be never so painful, so hazardous, or never so great a loss to him; and it is not all the money, the power; and the pleasure in the world; no not any force, or necessity, that can make him wicked; Hear what the noble and daring Mathathias says in the open Streets of Maden, 
1 Mach. 2.  tho' all should act contrary to the law of their Ancestors to obey the King Antiochus, and comply with his commands, yet I, with my Children, and Brothers, will continue faithful and obedient to our Forefathers Law, even to the loss of our Estates, and Lives; he considered what he was to do, not what he was to suffer, and kept on his course, tho' there should be nothing but Gibbits, and Torments in the way.  
The Philosopher I but now spoke of, is another instance of it; I mean Stilpo, who, when he had lost his Country, his Wife, his Children, the Town on fire above his head, himself scaping very hardly, and naked out of the flames, I have saved my Goods says he, which are, my Justice, my Courage, my Temperance, my Prudence; showing by this how much easier it was to overcome a Nation, than one Wise man. It is a certain mark of a brave mind (says another Pagan Philosopher) not to be moved by any Accidents, and brings this Precedent to make good his argument: The upper Region of the Air admits neither clouds, nor Tempest,; the Thunder, Storms, and Meteors, are framed below; and this is the difference betwixt a mean, and an exalted mind: The former is rude, and tumultuary; the latter is modest, venerable, composed, and always quiet in his station. In a word, it is the conscience that pronounces upon the man whether he be happy or miserable. Sacrilege and Adultery are generally condemned, yet how many are there still that do not so much as blush at the one; and in truth, that take a glory in the other? There is nothing more common, then for great Thiefs to ride in triumph, when the little ones are punished. But let wickedness scape as it may at the Bar, it never fails of doing Justice upon itself; for every guilty person is his own hangman.  
O most gracious Saviour! the Godly feelings, and the heroic exploits of these Heathen Philosophers have already so confounded me that I have not a word to say in my own defence, and do very much apprehend that my confusion will be far greater in the day of thy wrath, when they shall all appear as evidences against me, and Judge me worthy to be their footstool in Hell for an Eternity, and to be trampled on, 
Ponet illum inconculcationem quasi lutum plarearum. Isa. 10.6. Castigo Corpus meum & in servitutem redigo: ne forte cum aliis predicaverim, ipse reprobus efficiam. 1 Cor. 9.27.  like the mire of the streets, because they did better things ass; isted only by the feeble light of nature, than I have performed having the powerful assistance of thy Grace. St. Paul offers me the same means that himself took to prevent so horrid a confusion, I keep my body under, and bring it to subjection: lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway; but alas! this remedy is in a manner as hard to me as the disease, for certainly it would shorten my days to be always in prayer, still weeping, constantly watching, lying perpetually upon the ground, wearing of haircloth night und day: And besides St. Augustin tells me, 
Aug. Hom. ult. ex 50.5.  it is not enough to do all this, to change my life, and to desist hankering after vice, but I must of necessity make atonement to God for my past Sins by the constant and daily practice of sorrowful Penance, humble sighs, contrition of heart, and of giving Alms. 
St. Cypr. l. de lap. & l. 5. Epist. ad Cornel.  And the reason St. Cyprian gives for it, is, that a prevalent and tedious medicine must be applied to a desperate and deep sore, and that the Penance must be of as long continuance as was the fault. St. Hierom is much of the fame opinion, for he will have our long and sinful pastime to be expiated with as long lamentations and sorrow, 
Epist. 7. ad Eustoch.  he will have our soft linen, and silk apparel, to be changed into a sharp haircloth, And St. Ambrose says positively that as a great malady requires a long course of Physic, 
Ambr. ad Virg. lapsum 8.  so great offences must of necessity be cleansed with a long contained Penance, and often reiterated acts of Contrition.  
What shall I do in this case, 
Quid faciam fodere non valeo, mendicare erubesco. Luc. 16.3.  my dear Saviour! I know the remedies, which thy Holy Doctors prescribe, are most wholesome for my Soul, but I am not able to swallow such bitter Pills; & on the other side I am in a strange confusion, to see my  outdone by Pagans even in the most essential parts of Christianity; for they have more love for virtue, and a far greater abhorrence of Sin than I have. Aristotle declares, it were better to die, 
Aristot. 3. Eth.  then do any thing against the good of virtue.  
Seneca, and Peregrinus are more resolute in the matter; Tho' I were certain, says the former, that men should never know it, and that God would pardon me: yet I would not offend him for the filthiness of sin; no, says the latter; for there is nothing can happen unto man more horrible, and more destructive of his fame and fortune then to commit a Sin. Nay even those Philosophers, 
Plato in Demetrio.  who denied the immortality of the Soul, and the Providence of God, were of opinion that nothing, no not even the loss of his life should oblige a man to commit it. And there have been some, who have suffered great extremities to decline a vicious act: Democles was one of them, for he choosed, to be boiled in scalding water rather than give his consent to Sin. Verterius conceived so great a horror against uncleanness, that he suffered Prison, whips and other most rigorous torments rather than he would sin against chastity. O my Soul! if the manifold and rare examples of Heathens, the Masculine courage, and great exploits of Pagans, the powerful and zealous exhortations of Saints be not able to move thee to a speedy resolution of amendment, to labour hardly for an eternal weight of glory, whilst thou hast time, 
Descendant in Infernum viventes. Ps. 54.16.  and to secure thyself from falling into the everlasting and insufferable torments of Hell by making a plentiful provision of good works in the days of thy life; let the Holy Ghost at least persuade thee to undertake so good and so beneficial a work, he exhorts thee to learn of the Emmet how to provide in the heat of Summer against the cold of Winter: 
Pro. 20.  Run about, says he, make haste, stir up thyself, give no sleep unto thy eyes, let not thy eyelids slumber; Skip out as a Do from the hands of him that holds her; and as a Bird out of the hand of the Fouler: Go unto the Emmet (thou slothful man) and consider her do, and learn to be wise; she having no guide, no teacher, or Captain, provides meat for herself in the Summer; and heaps together in the Harvest, that which may serve her to feed upon in the winter.  
The slothful man, says he again, will not sow in the winter; for that is cold, & therefore shall beg in the Summer, and no man shall take pity of him. O my Soul! this is the very misfortune that came upon the rich Glutton, he forgot to provide for his Soul in this world, he fed himself with all the varieties that Gold and Silver could purchase, and had no compassion of the poor: but now he starves in Hell with hunger, and dies with thirst and none has compassion of him. O my Saviour! give us I beseech thee a full discourse upon this Subject, for that or nothing will do the work with me.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! 
Me non timebitis, & a fancy mea non dolebitis, qui posui arenam terminum mari praeceptum sempiternum quod non praeteribit? & intumescent fluctus ejus, & non transibunt illud. Jer. 5.22.  thou must know that I am great and wonderful in all my works, great in the creation of man, great in submitting all creatures to his disposition & power, to be used by him at will, great in bringing out of nothing what wonders of nature thou seest daily before thy eyes, great in suppressing the raging waves of the Seas, and setting bounds to that tumultuary and aspiring Element, which these so many thousand years have withstood its frequent and furious attacks, I am great and wonderful also in ordering a Hell and an Eternity of torments for all those that die in my displeasure. I am an Omnipotent God in all my actions, omnipotent in my wrath, omnipotent in my Justice, and omnipotent likewise in the punishment which I do inflict upon the wicked. It's therefore the Prophet says, O man! fear ye not the Lord, and wilt thou not tremble in his presence who has placed the land for the bound of the Sea, by a perpetual decree that it can't pass it; and tho' the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; tho' they roar, yet can they not pass over it: as if he had said, hast thou not a great deal of reason to dread the Arm of so powerful a God, whose omnipotency is sufficiently discovered by this prodigious work. And if he be so great in all his works, thou must likewise acknowledge him to be great in the chastisement of Sinners. The same Prophet was Innocent and free from the least spot of Sin, being Sanctified in his Mother's womb, yet he trembles at the very noise of my Severity to Sinners, and says, there is none like unto thee, O Lord, thou art great, and thy name is great in might; Who would not fear thee O King of Nations, for to thee does it appertain: For as much as among all the wisemen of the Nations, and in all their Kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. My heart is replenished with the fear of thy wrath, and therefore have sequestered my  from the converse of all men, into a remote wilderness to prevent thy fury, and appease thy Anger with sorrow, with Sighs, and with a continual flood of tears. 
Respicit Terram, & facit eam tremere, tangit montes, & fumigant. Psa. 105. Stellae & Columnae Coeli pavent, & contremiscuntad nutum ejus Job. 26.11 Ideo sn uno die venient plagaeejus, mors & luctus, & fames, & igne comburetur, quia fortis est Dominus Deus qui Jndicabit illam Ap. c. 18.8.  Tho' this holy man was certain that my Indignation and wrath was not against him, yet seeing it so great, and ready to fall with all its weight upon the criminal and guilty heads of Sinners, he had no less than cause to tremble, being that even my looks put the Earth in a quaking fit, and make the Mountain's groan, nay, they make the Stars, and even the Pillars of Heaven to tremble; they are astonished at my reproof; and why not, being that the Angels, and Archangels, the Cherubins and Seraphins, the Principalities and Powers of Heaven, are all Struck into an amazement at the very aspect of my most dreadful Majesty and angry countenance; not that they fear to be deprived of their glory, but because the greatness of my indignation is such, that they can't but be astonished at the very sight of me. By this thou mayst Judge, in what a deplorable condition the Damned will be, for these are the unhappy wretches which are to feel the weight of my wrath; all their plagues shall come upon them in one day, everlasting death, mourning and famine, shall be their inheritance for ever; they shall be utterly burnt with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth them.  
My Apostle had a sufficient trial of my Strength when I forced him out of the way of iniquity, 
Horrendum est incidere in manus Dei viventis. Heb. 10.31.  and of a Persecutor of Christians, made him the Defender, and powerful promoter of Christianity; therefore, he says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, not into the hands of men, for they are not so powerful, but criminals may fly from their violence, and decline from their anger, moreover they have not the authority to cast a Soul into the Dungeon of Hell; It's therefore I had warned my Disciples not to fear them which kill the Body, 
Mat. 10.28  and are not able to kill the Soul, but rather to fear him which is able to destroy both Soul and body in Hell; And these are the hands which my Apostle calls dreadful; they are them also that the wise man speaks of, where he says, unless ye do penance, and give that slender atonement of tears, and of a hearty grief to God for your sins, ye shall undoubtedly fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men. By what is already said, thou mayst easily conclude, that as I am omnipotent, and great in my power, in my Majesty, and in all my works, I am the same in my wrath, in my Justice, and in the punishment which I have decreed for the Damned.  
If thou wilt examine Scripture thou shalt find there such dreadful effects of my Justice upon the wicked, even in this life, which is the only season for mercy, that thou shalt be forced to confess that the pains of Hell must be as intolerable as they are unspeakable, and that it were better for the dam'd they had never been born, then to endure them for an Eternity without any hopes of redemption, or of the least abatement. What a terrible punishment was that of Dathan, and Abiram, and of all their Complices, in the sight of that numerous People of Israel, at the request of my Servant Moses, to vindicate his innocency, and punish the wrong which was intended to him by those People's rising in Rebellion against him, I commanded the Earth to open its bowels and to swallow them alive, together with all their Earthly substance down into the bottomless pit of Hell, which was no sooner commanded, then put in execution. The punishment of Sodom and Gomorah, (if well considered) is able to terify the stoutest Bully that ever appeared on the Stage of this world, to mollify his obdurate heart, and force from his mouth (Lord what wilt thou have me do) They were so much addicted to that brutish pleasure, 
Domine quid me vis facere. Act. 9.6.  and sordid Sin of the flesh, that they must attempt even upon my very Angels, and strive to make them the subject of their Lust; this was a general corruption, and therefore required a general chastisement, their Sins cried for vengeance, 
Gen. 19.24.  and tho' I was solicited by my Servant Abraham to spare their lives for the sake of ten Just men, (knowing there was none but Lot) who was already secured, and under the safeguard of my Angels; I poured down wildfire, and brimstone upon them, and cast them headlong into Hell-fire, there to increase the fatal number of the damned, and to become partakers of their torments, as they had been of their crimes on Earth. Didst thou ever hear such terrible menaces as are set down in Deuteronomy, 
Deut. 28.16, 17. etc.  and which were exactly put in execution against the transgressors of my Law. Hear how the Prophet speaks to them in my behalf? Cursed shalt thou be in the City, and Cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, & enrfed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation & rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly, because of the wickedness of thy do, whereby thou hast forsaken me. The Lord shall smite thee with a Consumption, and with a Fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. Thy Carcase shall be meat unto all Fowls of the Air, and unto the Beasts of the Earth, and no man shall fray them away. The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the Emerods', and with the Scab, and with the Itch, whereof thou shalt not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart. Thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be oppressed, and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. Thou shalt serve thine Enemies, which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of Iron about thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a Nation against thee from far, from the end of the Earth, as swift as the Eagle flies, and shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenc'd-walls come down, wherein thou trustest; and thou shalt eat the fruit of thy own body, the flesh of thy Sons, and of thy Daughters (which the Lord thy God has given thee) in the Siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine Enemies shall distress thee: so that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil towards his Brother; and towards the Wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his Children which he shall leave: so that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his Children whom he shall eat: because he has nothing left him in the Siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine Enemy's shall distress thee in all thy gates. The tender and delicate Woman among you, which would not adventure to set the Sole of her foot upon the ground, for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil towards the Husband of her bosom, and towards her Son, & towards her Daughter, and towards her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and towards her Children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the Siege, and straitness wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.  
Certainly these are most horrible & dreadful punishments, yet they, and many more such like chastisements, which I have heaped upon the wicked; even in this life, for their Sins, are no more than a very imperfect shadow, and figure of what the damned do suffer in Hell, for there my Justice shall act to its full extent, and rigour against those that made nothing of my mercy in this life. If the shadow be so dreadful, what will the reality be? If now my Justice, having a mixture of mercy with it, and if the Chalice of my wrath tempered with the water of my Grace, seems notwithstanding, so intolerable bitter, what will it be when it shall come violently those unfortunate Souls without any mixture at all of my mercy? 
Esa. 27.  When I shall Judge in measure, against measure, as the Prophet says, 
Jer. 25.  when I shall exercise Judgement in weight, in Justice, and measure, 
Apoc. 20. & 22.  when I shall pay them home according to their particular works, and according to the inventions of their depraved and rebellious hearts; 
Psal. 27. & 61.  when I shall command the Infernal Spirits to chastise all, and each of them according to their demerits? 
Apoc. 18.  when I shall give them this charge of Babylon, now thrown down into the Lake: Look how much she has glorified herself, and how long she has lived in delights, so much torments and afflictions give her, and continue her the same entertainment for ever, without affording her the least comfort, or respite of ease.  
The Holy Fathers, and Doctors of my Church, grounded upon my word, believe a variety of torments in Hell for the Damned, according to the variety of the Sins, which they had committed in their Life; for the Adulterer shall have one kind of torment, the Murderer another, the Thief another; the Drunkard another, the Liar another; and the rest accordingly. The Proud shall be trodden under the feet of Devils, and boxed by every one that meets him, with a Sirrah to boot, thou hast damned thy Soul for a point of Honour. And thou Lady of pleasure, for a Paint and a wash for thy face and hands forsooth, to make them look white, plump, and smooth to the view of thy Gallants, hast made thy Soul as black as even our master Devil. O what a kill reproach will this be! The Glutton shall have for his morning and evening drink, 
Ps. 148.8.  fire, hail, snow, froft, the spirit of Tempest, seasoned with the unsufferable Stench of so many Millions of damned rotten roasted Carcases; St. Bonaventure will tell thee, that if one only body of the damned were brought into the world, and laid in any part or corner thereof, it were sufficient to infect the whole Earth. Thou mayst Judge by this what a dreadful potion the Glutton is to have in Hell; the Drunkard also shall have a full share of the same Cup. The delicious mouth shall be filled up with Gall, and the delicate body feared with hot-burning Irons. O man! take notice how well the Doctrine of my Church agrees with the Dictates of the Holy Ghost, for speaking of the wicked, he says, the bread in his belly shall be turned into the Gall of Serpents: 
Job. 20.  He shall be constrained to vomit out again the Riches which he had devoured: God shall pull them forth of his belly: He shall be constrained to suck the galls of Cockatrices, and the tongues of Adders shall slay him: He shall bear the smart of all that ever he has done: and yet shall he not be consumed, but shall suffer according to the multitude of all his devices. These words show plainly that wicked men shall suffer particular torments for their particular crimes, as Gluttony, Extortion, Oppression, etc. And that these torments shall be far beyond the expression of any mortal tongue; what shall I say of the continuance, and length thereof, which is another circumstance no less terrible than the former, for their torments shall be of the same extent with Eternity, which has no end, and withal there shall be no possibility of any jot of help, ease, intermission, relaxation, respiration, or comfort; And this is signified by my words so often repeated. 
Ligatis manibus & pedibus projicite eum in tenebras exteriores. Matth. 12.  The Damned shall be cast into Hell, bound hand and foot: that is without all ability of resistance or struggling against their torments. The dreadful shutting up of the gate, which I foretell in a doleful manner, and with a heavy heart, is a sufficient evidence of it: Clausa est Januae; The gate is shut up, and made fast for ever: that is to say, in Hell, the gate of all mercy, 
Matth. 25.  of all pardon, of all ease, of all intermission, of all comfort, is shut up for ever; There is none to be expected from Heaven, none from Earth, none from the Creator; and none from all the Creatures, no, were they thy dearest friends, and nearest relations, there is no consolation to be hoped for, but extreme desolation for all Eternity. 
Luc. 16.  Thou hast a lively expression hereof in that dreadful Parable of the rich Glutton in Hell; see to what an extreme necessity he was driven, to desire after so pitiful a manner that Lazarus might dip the top only of his finger in water to cool his tongue therewith, in the midst of that scorching fire wherein he was tormented, and yet this small favour, this slender request would not be granted to him. O ye rich of the world, that make your Gods your treasures, consider seriously the severity of my Justice; 
Red rationem villicationis tuae. Luc. 16.2.  what a strict account you are to give me of all your expenses, how and after what manner you have spent the least sarthing: consider also what torments you shall suffer in Hell, if you have employed your wealth, as this unfortunate glutton had done, to pamper up your bodies, without any regard to your Souls. And let this consideration move you to the perfect amendment of your lives, now while you do live, and the gate of my mercy is open to you: This is the only time wherein you may avoid all those everlasting misfortunes; now is the only season to prevent my indignation & wrath; if you be wise, you will not delay a matter of such great importance, for you do not know what will become of you to morrow, no, nor what you may be an hour hence: 
Noli te obdurate corda vestra etc. Psal. 94.8.  Do not harden your hearts, as the people of Israel did in the provocation, & as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, jest I swear in my wrath that you shall not enter into my rest. If Pharaoh had resolved an amendment while Moses was with him, how fortunate a Creature had he been? If the rich Glutton had taken the time while Lazarus lay at his door, how blessed a man had he made himself? He was foretold his misery (as you are now) by Moses and other Prophets according to my directions; but he would not take notice of their words, he gave no ear to their exhortations; but soon after he fell into such detestation of his own folly, that he would needs have Lazarus sent from Abraham's bosom unto his Brethren in the world, to warn them of his error, and evil consequences thereof. But Abraham answered, it was to no purpose; in as much as they would give no credit to Lazarus, but rather stone him to death for disgracing their honoured deceased Brother by revealing his torments. The wicked men now alive would do no less to any that should tell them of their Parents and Friends being tormented in Hell for such offences as themselves are guilty of. What could I do more to save their Souls, then to send them Preachers and Teachers to give them necessary instructions to work their Salvation. They were often told that leading the life they do, they can't avoid the misfortune of this unhappy wretch; they know, or aught to know that many before them have been damned for less matters, They can't choose but know, that they must shortly die, and receive themselves, as they received living as they did, or rather worse. They are often told that the pains prepared for the wicked are intolerable and eternal too. They do acknowledge them to be most unfortunate, that for any pleasure, or interest of this world have run the hazard of their own Salvation, and have made themselves the worthy objects of my everlasting indignation; and yet they continue their wicked course of life, 
An divitias bonitatis ejus & longanimi atem contemnis ignorans quoniam benignitas Dei ad paenitentiam te adducit? secundum autem duritiam tuam & impaenitens cor tuum thesanrirasti iram in die irae & revalationis justi Judicy Dei, qui reddet unicuique secundum opera ejus Rom. 2.4, 5, 6.  despising the riches of my goodness and forbearance, & long suffering, not knowing that my goodness leads them to repentance; but after their hardened and impenitent hearts, they treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of my righteous Judgement, who will render to them according to their deeds.  
Tell me O man! who ever would be so earnest to heap up a treasure, as not to let one day pass without adding something to it, and that for the space of fifty or threescore years, sure he would then at the opening of his trunks, find a vast treasure; this is thy case, O unfortunate wretch! dost thou not know that there is not a day, or an hour that passes wherein thou dost not increase the treasure of my wrath, which is reserved for thy destruction; and which is augmented by every Sin thou dost commit; every lascivious look thou givest, every unclean thought, every impure desire, thy hatred, thy revenge, thy great oaths, thy perjuries, thy blasphemies, with the rest of thy wicked do, which are enough to fill up a vast volume, and going on thus for the space of so many years; how immense must be the treasure of my wrath against thee, if thou diest impenitent? Thou must know that I am thy God, and thy Judge too, consequently that my duty is to take care that the punishment be equal to the offence, 
Hebr. 10.29. Rursum crucifi gentes sibimet ipsis filium Dei, & ostentui habentes Hebr. 6.6. Memorare novissima tua, & in aeternum non peccabis. Eccl. 7.40.  and satisfactory to the person offended; Thou hast trodden me under foot, and hast counted the blood of the covenant wherewith thou wert sanctified, an unholy thing, and hast done despite unto the spirit of my grace; nay, thou hast often crucified me to thyself, and put me to an open shame, wherefore as I am infinite in all my Attributes, and in all respects, thy pains must be likewise infinite in all manner of rigour.  
O man! thou hast given me hitherto a reasonable account of matters belonging to thy Salvation, and as this point is one of the chiefest conducing to it, and besides is a main obstacle to the increase of vice, I do not doubt but thou art sufficiently instructed herein: let me therefore hear from thee what the holy Fathers, and Doctors of my Church say of the Damned, and of the rigour of their punishments.  MAN. 

Infandum, Jehova, Jubes renovare dolores  
Inferni, & poenas, quas detestabile Regnum  
Ditis habet; quarum pars magna est faetor & ignis.  
Add quod aeterno privantur lumine Solis  
Cunctipotentis; ibi torquentur corpora miris  
Nocte diuque modis. Nulli patet exitus ex hoc  
Ignivoment Lacn. Densa in caligine pressi  
Damnati stabunt, manibus pedibusque ligatis.  
Discite Mortales! facilis descensus Aucrni;  
Sed revocare gradum, superûmque evadere ad orbem,  
Hoc opus, hic labor est; Solis quos Christus amavit  
Arbiter, aut ardens evexit ad Athera virtus,  
Tantus erit concessus honour; Jesuque potiri  
Perpetuo Aspectu; Sanctis simul annumerari,  
Angelicisque choris, sine fine dicentibus hymnum,  
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus omni-  
Potens qui est; & qui erat, & qui venturus est.   
MOst Gracious Saviour, in order to comply with thy command, I must premit these two considerations; First, that there is nothing happens to mortals in this life, or in the other, but by thy permission. Secondly, that the Devil, who is the mortal Enemy of all mankind, is to be the Executioner of thy Justice in Hell, and sometimes on Earth; as appears by what St. John says in his Revelations. I saw, says he, 
Apoc. 9  a Star fall from heaven unto the Earth: And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great Furnace; and the Sun and the Air were darkened, by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke Locusts upon the Earth; and unto them was given power, 
Adescription of the power of hell.  as the Scorpions of the Earth have power. And it was commanded them, that they should not hurt the grass of the Earth, neither any green thing, neither any Tree; but only those men which have not the Seal of God in their foreheads. And to them was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five Months; and their torment was as the torment of a Scorpion, when he strikes a Man. And in those days shall a man seek Death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and Death shall fly from them. And the shapes of the Locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were Crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men; And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of Lions: And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of Iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of Chariots of many horses running to battle, and they had tails like unto Scorpions, and there were Stings in their tails: St. Augustin says, that the meaning of the holy Ghost, who is the undoubted Author of this Scripture, was to represent unto us under so formidable and dreadful a figure the severity of thy Justice, & the greatness of thy chastisements, thereby to frighten the wicked, & debar them from ever offending so powerful, and so dreadful a Judge. He understands by that Star which fell from Heaven unto the Earth, and to whom the key of that bottomless pit was given, 
Exod. 8.  Lucifer, a most beautiful and resplendent Angel indeed, who for his Pride was cast down from Heaven to assume the fatal Government of that Region of everlasting darkness; and by those Locusts like unto horses armed and ready for a battle, the infernal Spirits, which were the associates of his rebellon in Heaven, and now are become his Ministers, and the tyrannical executioners of his inbred rage and malice against men; by that grass, and green plants which they are prohibited to hurt, he understands the Just, whose Souls being moistened with the waters of thy divine grace, do sprout out the green leaves, the flourishing branches, and the most odoriferous fruit of life everlasting. But what are those that have not the Seal of God in their foreheads, which is the glorious character, and distinctive mark of thy faithful Servants, O Lord! what, but the wicked, 'tis then against them only that this great Army of Devils are to fight, these are the People which they are to torment according to their demerits, and the Services which they had exhibited unto them in their life, even as the People of Egypt were punished by the very flies, and frogs, which they had adored as their Gods a little before. What a horror will it be to them, to behold in that most obscure and nasty dungeon of Hell so many thousands of hideous and ill shaped Monsters? what a fearful thing will it be to stand in full view of that hungry Dragon, bursting with rage, and fury against those unfortunate Slaves, of that Behemoth, that Job speaks of, who eats grass as an Ox, 
Job. 40.  who has his strength in his loins, and his force in the navel of his belly, who moves his tail like a Cedar; who devours the mountains, & drinks up the rivers, who makes nothing to draw Jordan into his mouth and eyes. This dreadful Monster is to execute thy Sentence, O Lord, against the damned, what favour, what mercy can they expect at his hands, being he deals so cruelly even with those who are not his slaves, but are only delivered to his power in order to exercise their patience. Behold how cruelly he treats that Innocent and harmless Job, after he had consumed by fire all his sheep, and his Servants, after he had taken away all his Cows, his Camels & Asses, and slain their keepers, after he had beat down his houses and Smothered all his Children under their ruins, he covered his body from head to foot with so loathsome an Ulcer, that he was an eyesore to his whole family, and cast out upon a dunghill where he lay without any comfort, relief, or assistance from any friend or relation; so that he was forced himself to scrape off the worms and corruption that came from his wounds with a potsherd. His poor body was so far consumed, and left so lean, that only so much flesh remained about his lips, as might enable him to speak and make answer: The night which brings some refreshment and ease to the afflictions of others, augmented his misery, and increased his pains with most dreadful apparitions; his Wife which should be a great comfort to him in his deplorable state and condition, was one of his greatest plagues, for she did both rail, and vilify him to that degree, as to tell him to his face that she could not endure the noisomeness of his putrified body, and bid him to curse God, and die, like a rotten dog as he was. His friends were no less cruel to him upon the same account, for in seven days they did not speak a word to condole his misfortune. O most gracious Saviour! if thou hast permitted that cruel and devouring Dragon to handle so roughly the simple, pious, obedient, pure, and Saintlike Job, only to exercise his patience, and convince the Devil that thou hadst a faithful Servant upon Earth; what a large commission, and full liberty wilt thou give him to torment in Hell, Adulterers, Murderers, Highway robbers, Usurers, Drunkards, Cheats, Knights of the Post, Lascivious companions, cruel Parents, Disloyal and stiffnecked Children, and all other wicked livers? If Job was brought to so great a distress by the sole touch of thy hands, (as the Scripture terms it) attributing to thee what the Devil did, as we commonly attribute to the Judge what torments are executed by the hangman: What will it be when thou shalt discharge thy whole wrath upon the damned? 
Jere. 1.11.  when thou shalt employ that pot of boiling fire, and that Iron rod of Jeremy to Scald their bodies therein, & whip them after by as many hands as there are Devils in Hell; 
Pro. 19  when thou shalt crush them with those smiting hammers which thou hast prepared for the bodies of fools? So Scripture calls the damned, and so they are indeed, because they neglected to purchase thy glory at so cheap a rate as thou didst offer it, for an Act of Contrition, for a visit to the Prisoners, for an Alms to the poor, for clothing the naked, nay, they might have had it even for a cup of water given for thy sake, and in thy name; are they not mere fools then, to have slieghted so great an advantage, and to have plunged themselves headlong in those everlasting torments for a momentary pleasure. Esau having understood that his Brother Jacob had obtained his Father's Benediction, whilst he was taking his pleasure in the Fields, 
Irrugiit clamore magno. Gen. 27.34. Nos in sensati vitam illorum aestimabamus insaniam etc. Ecce quomodo computati sunt inter filios Dei, & inter sanctos sors illorum est. Sapient. 5.4.  and hunting after his prey; roared like a Lion, and made such great lamentation that he consumed himself to nothing, with excess of resentment and Horror; by this we may easily conclude what great consternation the damned will be in when they shall see themselves deprived for ever of thy benediction, O Lord, and that they lost it by their own neglect, and for hunting so much after the vain pleasures, and trifles of this World. O how they shall cry out, and roar, not for a day, or a month, or a year, but for an Eternity, which will never have an end. When a man possessed with the opinion of proper merit, aims earnestly at some eminent and vacant Dignity, and at length sees himself neglected, and put off with shame, his Indignation and grief swells him up above measure; It is the same with those damned Wretches, or rather worse, for they shall be far more afflicted by the very Consideration of those unspeakable goods, and Eternal Felicities which they see themselves have lost, & those to enjoy them, whom they reputed to be fools and madmen, and far inferior to them in wit, in learning, and merit; It's therefore St. Augustine says, that their memory shall be one of their greatest tormentors, for it will represent unto them all they have done good or bad in their lives; and both will equally perplex them: The good because they have lost their reward, and the bad, because they have deserved their punishment. It will likewise set before their eyes the delights and pleasures which they had enjoyed in this life, and for which they fell into that unspeakable misery; These Considerations shall be to them, says St. Bernard, a sharp Sword that shall pierce their hearts through, and make them burst with grief when they shall compare the shortness of their past pleasures with the Eternity of their present torments. What Mathematician (tho' never so learned) can perfectly confer the few, short, and evil days of this life, with the eternal years, and Ages of the other; alas! the former is no more than a fleeting shadow to the latter; what groans, what sighs then will they belch out, when they see that those delights, and pleasures have continued but an instant, and that the pains they suffer for them shall be for Eternity; when they shall remember how easily they might have purchased Heaven, and avoided the grand misfortune & anguishs of the damned. Then they will say with an heavy heart, what favourable occasions and leisure had we to pray to God for a happy end of our lives, but alas, it was the least of our thoughts, we have spent that precious time in play and vanities, but now we pay dear for it; how often have we been courted to fast for our sins, and to appease thereby the just indignation of God against us, but we have made nothing of such good advices, being so earnest to satisfy our greedy appetites. We had a competent Fortune and money to spare, but never had the least thought to share thereof with the poor; and to redeem our Sins by giving them alms; no, we accounted our means as our Gods, and judged them better employed, to spend them in Debauchery. We often refused to pardon our Enemies, but thought it a great piece of Gallantry to be revenged of them in a Duel. We often forbore frequenting the Sacraments, lest we should be obliged to forsake the occasion of sin; We never wanted the means and conveniency of serving God, but we never made use of either, and therefore we now justly pay for all our omissions and commissions. 
Nunquid non dixi vobis, nolite peccare in puerum: & non audistis me, ensanguis ejus exquiritur. Gen. 42.22  We were often told that by Sinning we trampled under foot the blood of Jesus, our Redeemer; our Brother, Blood and Flesh by his Incarnation, nevertheless we never gave over our sins, and therefore now the same blood cries for vengeance against us, and has sent us here into everlasting banishment.  
The greatest affliction that can come upon a man in this world is that of exile. Ovid (tho' he thought himself fully resigned to Providence) yet when he was banished into Pontus, his grief was so great, that he could not forbear lamenting his misfortune, nor desist sighing after his native Country. Cicero was so overjoyed when he was recalled from his Exile, that he gladly tripped these words of admiration, O what beauty is this of Italy! what civility of People! what rich Fields! what Plentiful Vines and crops of Corn! what decency of the City! what humanity of the Citizens! what Dignity of the Commonwealth! 
Terra miseriae & tenebrarum, ubi nullus ordo sed sempiternus horror inhabitat. Job. 10.   
How great then must be the affliction of the damned, being they are banished into the bottomless pit of Hell, which is called by Job a Land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of Death and no order, but everlasting horror inhabits.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man thou speakest extraordinary well of the excessive calamities which the damned do suffer in Hell! and thy words are sufficient to move the most obdurate hearts, to embrace the most severe and rigid austerities that ever was practised by men in this world; for whoever considers seriously the Eternity of those torments which the wicked do suffer in Hell, will never murmur at the pains of this short life let them be never so bitter. There is no State or Condition upon Earth, how necessitous, how poor, how miserable soever, which the damned would not most willingly endure, nay, they would think themselves most happy were they permitted so favourable an Exchange. This very Consideration wrought so much upon several of my Saints, that there was no course of life so austere but they would undergo. My beloved Disciple, after he had discoursed of the smoke, which ascended from the torments of the damned, world without end, 
Hic patientia sanctorum est, qui custodiunt mandata Dei. Apoc. 14.12.  and how they had no rest, night or day, immediately adds, here is the patience of the Saints, meaning, that seeing all the troubles of this life were only temporal, and the torments of the other eternal, nothing that they endured seemed too much for them.  
See what a penitent posture Manasses had put himself in after his conversion, behold how he groans under the burden of his Sins, and how he laments his iniquities with such a sorrow, that he acknowledged himself unworthy even to lift up his eyes towards Heaven; so great, he confessed were his offences, that he was rather deserving of Hell, than any favour at my hands; hear his words, and thou shalt believe them to be the products of a truly penitent Soul? 'Tis true says he, O Lord! I have infinitely offended thee, and my Sins are more in number then the Sand of the Sea; I am unworthy to lift up my eyes towards Heaven to demand thy mercy. I have Sinned, O my God, I have Sinned: I acknowledge all the evil I have done, pardon, O Lord pardon, I beg of thee, and earnestly beseech thee, do not destroy me with my iniquities; do not reserve me to the utmost rigour of the Justice, do not condemn me for ever unto the fire of Hell: Remember that thou art my God; the God of Penitents; and thy immense bounty will best appear in me, whilst it makes thee to save a miserable Sinner unworthy of thy Grace, and gives me occasion to praise thee eternally for thy infinite goodness. Behold how the Israelites in their babylon Captivity after the taking of Jerusalem, covered with haircloth all their heads and bodies, laid over with ashes, prostrate on the ground, cry out to me from the bottom of their hearts, we have Sinned against thee O Lord, in not obeying thy word. To thee O Lord, belongs Justice and uprightness, but to us nothing but shame and confusion, which our iniquities have deserved: We have Sinned, we have done evil, we have dealt unjustly, O Lord our God, in all thy commandments. Turn from us thy anger; hear O Lord, our prayers, and our petitions; open thy eyes and consider that the dead praise thee not, but the Soul which is sensible and afflicted with the greatness of the evils done, and performs due penance for them. 
Psal. 6.  How full of inward grief and trouble was David for the Sins he had committed. O Lord! says he, rebuke me not in thine anger, chastise me not in thy hot displeasure: Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me for my bones are vexed: But thou O Lord, how long? Return O Lord, deliver my Soul: Save me for thy mercy's sake. For in Death there's no remembrance of thee: In the grave who shall give thee thanks? I am weary with my groaning, all the night make I my bed to swim: I water my Couch with my tears, mine eyes are consumed with grief. 
Psal. 51.  Have mercy upon me O Lord, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions; and my Sin is ever before me. Against thee only have I Sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, wherefore contemn not the Sacrifice which I offer unto thee of an afflicted mind, and of an humble and contrite heart. Behold O man! what these great Saints have done to make mean atonement for their Sins, and to avoid the everlasting torments of Hell! See how they laboured to mortify their Passions, to depress their evil affections, and to destroy all their sinister inclinations proceeding from the infection of their sensual concupiscences; they knew this to be the only means to weaken the forces of their enemies, and that nothing was more effectual to dismount their batteries against them then to chastise their bodies, and keep them in subjection by a long and earnest practice of corporal afflictions; 
In Jejunijs multis, in multis vigilijs, in fame, siti, frigore, & nuditate &c. 2 Co● 11.27.  this is the powerful remedy that all my Saints made use of, and even my Apostles came to Heaven by the same means, for they spent their whole lives in much fasting, much watching, hunger, thirst, cold and nakedness.  
My beloved Apostle and Brother St. James, tho' he was a man of extraordinary great Sanctity, and was therefore Surnamed the Just, yet besides other austerities of apparel, diet, and all other mortifications, his exercise of praying on his bare knees was so continual, that the skin of them was as hard as the brawn of a Camel's knee.  
Philo the learned Jew and famous Philosopher, giving an account of the first Christians in Alexandria under St. Mark the Evangelist, sent thither from Rome by St. Peter to give a beginning to that Church; which he performed, says he, with such exemplary Piety, Sanctity of life, Simplicity, abstinence, and mortification, that he, and his followers moved their Adversaries to extreme admiration: But to what did all this rigour tend, or what might be the end of all these extraordinary mortifications practised so exactly, and for so many Ages, as well, by Monks, Anachorites, and Hermits, as by the Founders of Holy Orders, and by their Disciples to this very present Age; and will continue (with my assistance) to the world's end? St. 
St. Aug. L. 1. Confess. 5.  Augustin will tell thee in these few words, the prime motive thereof, Moriar, ne moriar, that is to say, I will die, to the end that I may not die for ever, I will mortify my body in this Life, lest I should be of the unhappy number of the damned for ever.  
St. Hierom is much upon the same point, for being in the Desert of Syria, he was set upon by the Devil who plagued him (as he did St. Paul) with suggestions of the Flesh; but what weapons did he make use of to obtain the victory over so dangerous an enemy? the fear of God, and of the fire of Hell, was an Armour of proof to him against all the temptations & snares of so powerful an adversary. Hear the relation he makes himself of his several conflicts, and brave defence. How often says he, being in the Wilderness was I burnt up and scorched with the extreme heat of the Sun? & how oft likewise was I tempted with the Roman delights? tho' I was so far distant from those objects, and so low brought that I was but skin and bone. I sat alone with a heavy heart, in sorrow and bitterness. The whole compound of my body was at this time so deform, and ugly with the continual wearing of my Sackcloth, and my skin so black, that any man might take me for a perfect Ethiopian. I wept daily, and passed my time continually in groaning, and when at length sleep came upon me against my will, I lay down, and began a labouring my bare bones that scarce hung together, sometimes against the ground, and sometimes with as great a Stone as I was able to manage well with my hand. Of my meat and drink I will say nothing, for in this place we Monks, use only cold water even in our greatest infirmities, & think it a great delicacy to taste of any thing that savours of the fire. But what was all this mortification of S. Jerom for? It was says he, for fear of Hell, that I brought myself to this extremity, and retired myself to this Wilderness, where I have for companions only Scorpions and wild Beasts; It was to avoid Sin that I wore out my body with continual fasting, that I cried unto thee, O Lord, whole days and nights together; that I never ceased to beat and knock my breast; that I persevered in prayer for so many years in that forlorn and savage Desert; and this I thought myself obliged to do for to avoid the scorching flames of Hell, remembering what council thou givest me, and all mortals, 
Pro Justitia agonizare pro anima tua & usque ad mortem cetta pro Justitia. Eccl. 4.33.  to fight valiantly for our Souls, and strive unto Death for the maintaining of Justice.  
O man consider seriously how remiss and careless thou, and the rest of mortals are in the practice of this heavenly Doctrine; what do you do, or what pains do you take to secure your Souls from Hell? what care do you take to depress your passions & evil inclinations? what resistance do you make to Sin? which of you all takes that great care to fly from the occasion of evil? there's none now adays that mortifies his flesh, but will rather cherish and pamper it to wickedness; there's none found that takes the pains to repress his unruly appetites, that withstands his sensual suggestions; nay, the whole World run after their own concupiscences; they presently yield themselves slaves to every temptation that comes upon them, to every assault that the Enemy makes; they devour every hook that the Devil lays to entrap them, and swallow down every poisoned bait that he casts for their destruction. 
Prove. 7.6, 7, 8.  Behold how perfectly the careless and sensual man is described by the Holy Ghost in the Proverbs; At the window of my house, says he, I looked through my casement, and beheld among the simple ones a young man void of understanding, walking in the dark night, he met with a Woman dressed like a Harlot, prepared to deceive Souls, She invited him with many alluring speeches to go with her home to her house, and immediately he followed her, as an Ox led unto the Slaughter, and as a wanton skipping Lamb that is carried to the Shambles; like a Bird that makes haste to the Snare, so follows he, not knowing (silly sot) that he is drawn to fetters, and that the danger of his Soul depends thereon, until his heart be stricken through, etc. This description the Holy Ghost makes, to set out the deplorable state of dissolute and foolish Christians, who take no care to resist temptations, but follow every suggestion of the Devil, until at last he brings them into his Slaughter-house, and there ties them up fast in the bands and chains of their own wickedness, banished from Heaven for an Eternity. Now O man! I leave thee to give them a description of the calamities, and anguishs which they are to meet with in this their unfortunate and woeful Exile.  MAN. 
MOst merciful Redeemer, that it is an unfortunate Place replenished with miseries, none can doubt, because thou O God hast said it. And it is in the opinion of the chiefest of thy Prophets, a Land of Sulphur, and burning pitch, a Land of Pestilence and corruption: a Land of uncleanness and misery; and no wonder it should be called so, being the Angelical Doctor St. Thomas avers, that all the most nasty dross and dregs, as well of the Earth, as of the other elements shall be cast down into Hell, for the greater punishment of the Damned, and the reason he gives for it, is, that as every Creature does contribute to the joy of the Blessed, so every creature likewise shall add unto the torments of the damned; and as they have separated themselves by sin from thee, who art One, and placed their happiness only in the Creatures, they shall also receive their punishment from the Creatures in this common shore, & Laystal of all the Elements; O what a dreadful Dungeon! what a lamentable place of Banishment will this be to those Damned Wretches! What I have to say of Cicero's joyful admiration, is, If men be thus transported with the difference betwixt some Countries and others, betwixt the humours of some Men, and those of others, what difference shall the damned Souls find betwixt Heaven and Hell, betwixt the joy of the one, and the torments of the other, and betwixt the conversation of Angels, and that of the Devils? What grief will it be to them to behold themselves everlastingly banished from Heaven, deprived of thy vision, ejected from the company of Angels, from the society of Saints, and out of that happy Land of the living, where all is in peace, quietness, Charity, Joy; where all shines, all pleases, and all parts resound with Alleluia's. I am now to consider with what cruelty the Devil treats those wretches in that woeful land of their Banishment; but before I enter upon this matter, it will not be amiss to entertain you with the cruelty of Mortals one to another, by which we may easily conclude how outrageously cruel the Devil will be to all men, that shall be so unhappy as to fall into his Clutches, for he is their professed Enemy even from their Creation.  
It would be more than sufficient matter for a larger Volume than this, to treat of the miserable consequences, & sanguinary effects of men's Rage and malice one to th'other; from hence proceed slaughters, poisons, Wars, Desolation, rasing, and burning of Cities; unpeopling of Nations, turning of populous Countries into Deserts; public Massacres, Regicids, Kings abdicated, Princes led in Triumph; some murdered in their bedchambers; others Stabbed in the Senate, or cut off in the security of their spectacles, and pleasures. Some were that took their passion for a Princely quality; as Darius, who in his expedition against the Scythians, being desired by a Nobleman, that had three Sons, that he would vouchsafe to accept of two of them into his Service, and leave the third at home for a comfort to his Father. I will do more for you then that, says Darius, for you shall have them all three again: So he ordered them to be slain before his face and left him their bodies. Xerxes' dealt not much better with Pythius, who had five Sons and desired only one of them for himself. Xerxes' bad him to take his choice, and he claimed the Eldest, whom he immediately commanded to be cut in halves; and one half of the body to be laid on each side of the way where his Army was to pass, that they might march betwixt them: undoubtedly a most inauspicious Sacrifice, for He came to the end that he deserved, and lived to see that prodigious Power Scattered, and broken, and instead of Military and victorious Troops, to be compassed with dead Carcases.  
But these you'll say, were only barbarous Princes, that knew neither civility, nor letters: And these Savage cruelties will be imputed perchance to their rudeness of manners, and want of Discipline. But what if Alexander the great, that was trained up under the institution even of the Prince of Philosophers, should be guilty of an action altogether as barbarous? did he not kill Clitus his Favourite and School-fellow with his own hand, under his own Roof, and over the freedom of a Cup of Wine? And what was his Crime? He was loath to degenerate from a Macedonian liberty into a Persian-Slavery, that is to say, He could not flatter. Lysimacus, another of his friends he exposed to a Lion, and glad would he have been to have had nails and teeth to have devoured him himself. It would have too much derogated he thought, from the dignity of his wrath, to have appointed a man for the execution of his friend. And this very Lysimacus after he had escaped this danger; was never the more merciful, when he came to reign himself; for he cut off the ears and nose of his friend. Telesphorus, and when he had so disfigured him, that he had no longer the face of a man, he threw him into a Dungeon, and there kept him to be showed for a Monster, & as a strange sight. The place was so low, that he was fain to creep upon all four, and his sides were galled too with the straitness of it. In this misery he lay half famished in his own filth: so odious, so terrible, and so loathsome a spectacle, that the horror of his condition had even extinguished all pity for him. Nothing was ever so unlike a man, as the poor wretch that suffered this, saving the cruel Tryant that acted it. But what is all this to the cruelty and Tyranny which the Devil shall exercise upon the Souls and Bodies of his infernal Caitiss. 
August. l. 1. de civet. c. 10.  St. Augustin says, that he will fasten them to malign Spirits which shall be all inflamed with fire; that he shall manicle and bolt them with other fiery bodies, so that they shall not be able to remove from one place to another; that they shall have perpetually before their eyes such terrible, and hideous shapes proportionable to their offences, as shall be able to frighten them out of their lives. The holy Scripture says, that the damned shall be so straitened and crowded together in that infernal Dungeon that they may be very well compared to grapes in the wine-press, which do press one another until they burst; That their Souls shall swim in the middle of a most dreadful Lake of fire like fishes in the Sea, 
V Lesle. de perfect. Divin. l. 13 c. 30.  and that this fire shall enter into their very substance even as the water comes into the mouth, nose, and ears of a drowned body.  
Telesphorus was cast into a deep Dungeon without , exposed to the inclemency of the cold and moisture of the place where he could not see the light of Heaven, or have any thing to feed upon, but once in four and twenty hours a little piece of hard barley bread, and a little water to drink, where he was to continue all his life without speaking, or seeing any body, and no other beel to sleep upon but the cold, noisome, and nasty ground, up to his navel in his own dung; O what a misery this was! certainly one week's lodging there, would appear longer than a hundred years elsewhere. Yet if we compare this with that banishment and prison of Hell, we shall find the misery of this man to be a main happiness in regard of that which the damned suffer in their dark and dreadful habitation: In his troubles he met with none so hardhearted as to Scoff and jest at his misfortunes, none to torment and whip him, but in Hell they shall find both; for the Devils shall never cease to deride, whip, and torment them most cruelly. There he had no horrid sights, no fearful noises of howl, groan, & lamentations; but in Hell the eyes and ears of the damned shall never be free from all those distasters. There he had no flames of fire to scorch him, but in Hell they shall burn even into the very bowels. There he might move and turn from one side to the other; But in Hell they are not permitted to stir out of the place, nor change their posture to give themselves the least ease. There he might breathe now and then some little fresh Air; but in hell they shall suck in nothing but flames, stink and Sulphur. There he might have some hopes of release after the Tyrant's death, but in Hell they have no expectation of goaldelivery, no hope of being ever redeemed. There the least piece of hard bread would seem to him every day a fine Regale, but in Hell for an Eternity they shall not behold a crumb of bread, nor a drop of water, but shall eternally rage's with a doglike hunger, and a burning thirst. This is the grand calamity of that Land of darkness: barren of all things, but of the brambles and thorns of grief and torments.  
Caesar would commonly, for exercise and pleasure, put Senators, and Roman Knights to the torture: and whip several of them like slaves, or put them to death with the most accurate torments, merely for the satisfaction of his cruelty. That Caesar who wished the People of Rome had all but one neck, that he might cut it off at one blow. Cruelty was the employment, the Study, and the Joy of his life. He would not so much as give the expiring leave to groan, but caused their mouths to be stopped with sponges, or for want of them with rags of their own , that they might not breathe out so much as their last Agonies at liberty; nay, he was so impatient of delay, that he would frequently rise from Supper to have men killed by torchlight; as if his life and death had depended upon their dispatch before the next morning. To say nothing how many Fathers were put to death by him in the same night with their Sons (which was a kind of mercy, in the preventing of their mourning.) And was not Sylla's cruelty prodigious too, which was only stopped for want of Enemies? He caused seven thousand Citizens of Rome to be slaughtered at once; and some of the Senators being startled at their cries that were heard in the Senate-house: let us mind our business, says Sylla, this is nothing but a few Mutineers that I have ordered to be sent out of the way. A glorious Spectacle! says Hannibal, when he saw the Trenches flowing with humane blood; and if the rivers had run blood too, would have liked it so much the better.  
O most gracious Saviour! how couldst thou suffer such monsters of nature to live upon Earth, or how came it that the ground did not swallow them into its bowels? But alas! why should I admire such cruelty among men, being they were set on by the Devil, who has been always a most cruel Tyrant to Mankind, but especially when they are delivered over into his power: We are amazed to hear of such unhumame and barbarous actions; we are astonished to think of that hellish invention of Phalaris, to roast men alive in his brazen Bull; But alas! all these torments, and bloody slaughters are mere toys in respect of what is exercised in Hell; for the torments there are so great that they can't be expressed, and no wonder; being that the only pain of fire comprizes as many torments as the body of man has Limbs, Joints, Sinews, Arteries, etc. and especially being caused by so penetrating a fire; in respect of which our temporal fire (tho' it were made of all the combustible matter in the world) is no more than a painted fire: And in those flames of Hell the Souls of the damned must burn not for an hour, nor a year, 
De cadaveribus eorum ascendet faetor, Isa. 34.3. Famem patientur ut canes Psa. 5.7, 8.  nor an Age, but for an Eternity, and have the Pestilential vapours of so many damned bodies, perpetually at their noses: and all that time suffer hunger as dogs, which is one of the greatest torments in Hell.  
Quintilian says, that Famine is the most pressing of all necessities, and the most dreadful of all evils; that Plagues and Wars are felicities compared with this affliction, If then a famine of so many months, or of a shorter time; as that which the Inhabitants of Jerusalem suffered, when they were brought to that distress as to eat their Children, be the greatest of temporal evils, what must we believe of the famine which the damned shall suffer in Hell for an Eternity? O Epicures, and ye that make your Gods of your bells! give ear unto what the Son of God foretells of you, you shall find it in St. Luke. Woe says he, unto you who make it your work to pamper your bodies, and fill your paunches with the most delicious viands & wine that can be purchased for Silver or Gold, for the day shall come that you shall be hunger-starved, and with a hunger that shall continue for an Eternity. A Temporal hunger may bring men to such extremities as to eat Dogs, Cats, Rats, Mice, Snakes, Toads, Leather and Dung; nay it has already brought several Countries, and whole Cities to that calamity, and forced Mothers to devour their own Children; and men to eat the flesh of their own arms, as it happened to Zeno the Emperor. If hunger be so great a chastisement in this life; how will it afflict the damned in the other, where they shall tear one another to pieces, not for a year, or an Age, 
Apoc. 18.  but for an Eternity? Consider my Soul, how the Devil measures his torments to the damned by their offences, and how God commands him as the Executioner of his Justice in-Hell, to make them suffer their pains proportionable to the pleasures they took in this life, this puts me in mind of a very Remarkable passage of a Nobleman, who took all his pleasure in Tilting and running at the Ring, this was his constant exercise which he preferred even before the practice of devotion, and piety, so that he was a perfect Worldling without any care of his Soul, or the least apprehension of Hell, and in this neglect of his Salvation he died; his Lady being otherways inclined, and very much addicted to contemplation, always earnestly imploring of God the favour to let her understand, the State and condition her Husband was in, which was at last granted, and he was represented unto her in the same shape as she had seen him alive, but not attended by the same company, for he was now encompassed with a multitude of Devils: the chief commander of them in her hearing, gave orders, they should fit their new Guest with a pair of fiery shoes, whose flames might reach his very head, than he commanded they should put him on a red-hot coat of Male made full of sharp Spikes, 
Camtip. l. 2.9.2. Joan. major. v. Inf. Exemp. 6. Werm. Mon. Carthu. in fasci. morum.  which might pierce his body in all parts, & to accouter him like a complete Champion, he commanded a helmet to be put on him with a pointed nail that might pierce his head, and be clenched below his feet, and after this a Target was Put about his neck of so great a weight that it might crush all the bones in his body. All this being punctually, and speedily performed, the Prince of darkness made a speech to his Officers, to let them know that this worthy Person, after he had entertained himself in Tilting, and the like achievements of valour, and gallantry, was accustomed to refresh his wearied limbs with sweet Baths, and then to retire to some soft bed, where he usually sported with other dalliances of sensuality; wherefore let him now have somewhat of those refreshments, which our Palace does afford to welcome so deserving a Person who has been in his life so faithful to serve us, and so obedient to our Suggestions; whereupon they presently hurled him into a fire which was prepared for him: then forsooth, to ease him, they placed with him in a bed warmed red hot a Toad of a huge size with most dreadful eyes, which clipped the noble Spark very closely, kissing & embracing him in so rufual a manner that he roared out like a furious Lion: and brought him even to the pangs of death. Another man she saw seated in a chair of fire, and certain women thrusting into his mouth burning torches, and drawing them out at other parts of his body; these Women she was told were his accomplices, and the instruments of his Sins.  
But what are all these torments to the eternal loss of the fruition and sight of thee, my Saviour! wherein our Divines do place the everlasting beatitude and Supreme felicity of mankind in the next life; 
St Thom. part 1.7. 1 art. 4 & 7.12. art. 1. & 7.6. art 3. etc.  for the angelical Doctor says, the sight of God, or to see God in his own nature or Essence, is the whole substance of our everlasting happiness in the life to come; what a deplorable loss then will it be to the damned to be deprived of this unspeakable comfort for an Eternity, 'tis so deplorable that Scripture does place it in the first rank of all other losses, damages, torments, & miseries that can befall a damned Soul; let the wicked man be taken away, 
Tollatur Impius ne videat gloriam Dei. Esai. 16.  to the end he may not see the glory of God says the Prophet. From this loss proceeds that great and general torment so often repeated in Scripture by the name of the worm of Conscience, so called, because as a worm lies eating & gnawing the wood wherein she abides, so shall the remorse of their Consciences lie within the damned, griping and tormenting them for ever; it shall be to them a remembrancer to put them in mind of the means and causes of their everlasting damnation, which will make them to fret and rage, and admire their own folly to have hankered so much after the vanities of the World, and neglected the grand work of their Salvation. Hear how they exclaim in Hell; what has our Pride, 
Sap. 5.  or what has the glory of our Riches profited us? they are all now vanished like a shadow: We have wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and perdition, and the way of our Lord we have not known. This shall be their everlasting ditty, thus shall their tormented Conscience rave in Hell.  
O most gracious Saviour! when I see (to my great sorrow) in this sad Age we live in, poor Mortals so far blinded with their worldly interest, so deeply engaged in the mire of iniquity, so much taken with their sinful recreations and pastimes, so deaf to thy Inspirations and callings, so aversed to the practice of piety and devotion, such great enemies to mortification and penance; I despair in a manner, of their Salvation, and the rather that these so powerful motives can't prevail with them, or make them desist lusting after those poisonous baits which the Deull presents unto them daily, and at every moment; and which they with as much ease swallow, as he takes pleasure to destroy their Souls. Their common discourse is, 'tis time enough to think of Penance, when we come to old Age, for than we shall be fit for no other thing. O most Sacred Saviour! thou sayest thou wilt not the death of a Sinner, wherefore be pleased to let them know the danger of delaying their conversion, and of deferring their repentance until their latter days.  SAVIOUR. 
THere is a kind of People in the World, 
Rom. 16. Tit. 1.  says my Apostle, that do exteriorly and by words confess God, and profess themselves to be as good Christians as the rest, yet interiorly, and by the products of their double & dissembling hearts, they don't believe there is a God, at least with those Attributes, that are as essential to him, as his divine Nature, and which I call infinite knowledge, Providence, Care, and disposition of humane affairs, Justice, Judgement, Punishment and the like; These, they do not indeed believe, because their life and actions are quite contrary to a well-grounded belief; Scripture avers it with a woe unto the dissolute and careless in heart, who do not believe God. 
Vae dissolutis corde qui non credunt Deo. Eccl. 2. Deut. 22.  These are the men whom I do hate, and detest with all my heart, because they blow with an Ox and an Ass together, because they sow their ground with mingled Seed, and their Apparel is made of flax and wool together. These are them I spoke of in the Revelations, 
Apoc. 3.  I would thou wert either cold or hot: but for that thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, therefore will I begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. These are they who can accord all Religions together, and take up all Controversys, by only saying, that either they are differences of small importance, or else that they are out of their Province, and belong only to learned men to dispute of, but not unto them; moreover they are of opinion that both parts do err in somewhat, or may be agreed, and go both to Heaven. These are the men who can apply themselves to any company, to any time, to any Government, to any Prince's pleasure, to any Religion, but will not admit of any discourse of Devotion in their presence, only they will have men eat, drink and be merry with them; tell news of the Court and affairs abroad, Sing, Dance, Laugh, and play at Cards, and dice; and so they spend their lives in their Sinful recreations without any thoughts of God, without any care of Salvation, without any apprehension of Death, depending only upon a good Peccavi, in their extremity, and when God shall Summon them to another World; but alas! they shall find themselves sadly mistaken, 
Vae Impio in malum Esai. 3. Ipsi videntes sic admirati sunt, conturbati sunt, commoti sunt: tremor apprehendet eos. Psal. 47.6.  for I shall turn them off with a woe to the wicked, and then shall set before their eyes all their abominations, and crimes; their Usury, their Drunkenness, their whoredom, their treacheries, their false Oaths, their Extortions, and Oppressions of the poor, their blasphemies, and the rest of their wicked actions, shall come in a crowd to confound their Souls; their Gold and Silver; their Estates, and Fortunes which they had so unjustly acquired, their pleasures & treasures now the only object of their adoration, shall then become the fatal Subject of their confusion, and my Justice shall take delight to batter, and break their understanding, 
Conteret Dominus scelestos simul & Peccatores Esa. 1.28.  and memory with the full knowledge of all their Sins, and how often they had slieghted my Inspirations, my Callings, my amorous invitations, & other innumerable effects of my mercy.  
O silly Souls! says St. Paul, be not deceived, be not so far overseen as to lead a licentious life, in hopes to die a good Death, 
Nolite orrare quae enim seminaverit homo haec & metet. Qui seminat in carne, de carne metet corruptionem. Gala. 6.7. Mat. 7.16.  for in that dreadful hour you shall reap no better grain than what you have sown, if you have been such bad Husbands of your Salvation as to sow, and plant nothing else in the Soil & ground of your Souls, but carnal works, you can't pretend to no better Harvest, than corruption, and everlasting Damnation. Do Men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? even so every good Tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt Tree brings forth evil fruit: A good Tree can't bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt Tree, bring forth good fruit. Every Tree that brings not forth good fruit, is hewn down, & cast into the fire. These are my words, 'tis I, the Eternal verity, that speaks them, 
Dicite justo quoniam bene, fructum adinventionum suarum commedent. Esai. 3.10.  and therefore they can't be contradicted, or falsified; let all men lay their hands on their breasts, and examine their own life and conversation, if they find themselves to be good Christians, upright & honest in all their ways, it shall be well with them in the hour of their Death; for they shall eat the fruit of their well-doing; but if they be viciously given, and found void of all good works, they must expect no better welcome from me, than an order to cut them all down with the Axe of Death, and to cast them headlong into hellfire.  
Thou shalt find several proofs to confirm this assertion in the first Sermon I preached immediately after I was baptised, there shalt thou hear me recommend, 
Matth. 5.4  and extol the great advantages of a virtuous life, of Poverty, Meekness, Justice, Purity, Sorrow for Sin, patience in suffering, contempt of Riches, forgiving of injuries, Fasting, Prayer, Pennance, Entering by the strait gate, and also of perfection, Holiness, Integrity of life and conversation, and of the exact fulfilling of every particular of my Heavenly Father's Laws, and Commandments. There thou shalt hear me say, I came not to the World to break the Law, but to fulfil the same; and whosoever shall offer to break the least of them, and bring others either by his ill example, or by his erroneous doctrine to do the like, should have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. There thou mayst hear me say to all Christians, except their Justice did exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, (which was altogether in words, and outward appearance) they could not be saved. That they might not serve two Masters in this life, but either must forsake God, or abandon Mammon. That they should decline from false Prophets that usually come in sheep's clothing, but are no better then ravenous Wolves in their hearts; and that all men should seek to enter by the strait gate; but the conclusion of my long Sermon is, that the only sign and token of a good Tree, is the good fruit which it bears, and without this fruit, let the Tree be never so fair or pleasant to the eye, yet it is to be cut down and burnt; that 'tis not every one that shall cry Lord, Lord, at the last day, shall be saved, or enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only such as did execute really, and in Deeds, the Will and commandments of my Father in this life. Where is there any encouragement here for the wicked to delay their conversion, or to put it off till the hour of death, in hopes of a good Peccavi? I see none, for they are all most pressing motives to force them rather out of their iniquity into a virtuous and godly life. To be the better convinced of this undeniable truth, thou must know that life is a time, and season of sowing, and planting the seed of virtue, and the bitter roots of mortifications and penance; and that Death is Harvest time to reap the main profit of that happy Seed, and the wonderful sweetness of those bitter roots; It's therefore my Prophet (speaking of the manifold tribulations and anguishes of the Just, 
Euntes Ibant & flebant mittentes semina sua, venientes autem venient cum exultatione portantes manipulos suos. Ps. 126.6. Tromsijt mesus, finita est aestas, & nos salvati non sumus Jer. 8.20. Non potest male mori qui bene vixit & vix bene moritur qui male vixit. Aug. Venite bene dicti Patris mei posside te paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi. Matth. 25.34. ) says, they were going on weeping, and sowing the precious seed of their eternal Salvation, and that without any doubt, they shall come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them; and my Prophet Jeremy declares how the wicked shall say in the hour of Death, and with tears in their eyes, the Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not saved. This was the lamentation of the Jews seeing themselves oppressed under the slavish, and heavy yoke of the Chaldeans, without any hopes of being relieved; but it may be likewise taken for the sad moan which the wicked shall make in the hour of Death, seeing themselves void of all good works, and groaning under the heavy weight of their evil actions: then indeed they may cry, the Summer is ended, the time of our life is now expired, wherein we might have gathered a plentiful stock of all virtues, and good works: but We unfortunate Souls! We have spent that precious season in all manner of vices, and now that the Harvest is past, we must appear naked, as we are, of all good works, replenished with evil ones, before a dreadful Judge, to be sentenced to Eternal Death, which We have justly deserved for abusing his mercy, by flattering ourselves with a good Peccavi, at our last farewell to the World, and to all its deceitful pleasures. The Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not saved; What can be more terrible? How should any Man dare delay his conversion, hearing these words, and having as many Precedents hereof, as there have been Sinners surprised by death, even in the heat of their wickedness. O ye Blessed Souls, says St. Augustin, who have spent your days in the constant practice of virtue, still submissive to the Laws of God, always obedient to his commands, thirsting after righteousness and justice, great lovers of mortification and penance, hear what comfortable news I bring you, and what is that? You cannot die an ill death; no, 'tis impossible, 
Orabat scelestus ad Dominum ad quo non erat misericordiam con secuturus. 2 Machab. 9.13. De Centum Millibus quorum maia fuit vita, vix unus salvabitur. Aug.  for God will assist you in that dreadful hour, and will receive your Souls, at their departing your bodies, into the perfect enjoyment of my everlasting Glory. Whereas the wicked, tho' they should make as great a show of an apparent repentance as Antiochus did, yet will they hardly come to a better end, for of a hundred thousand, that lead a bad life continually to the hour of death, scarce one shall be saved, says the same St. Augustin, and his doctrine is grounded upon my words; because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; and as ye have made naught of all my Counsels, and been deaf to my reproof: I also will laugh at your Calamity, I will mock when your fear comes: When it comes as desolation, and when your destruction comes as a Whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you, then shall ye call upon me, but I will not answer; ye shall seek me early, but ye shall not find me; because ye hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the lord 
Prov. 1.24.  They would not accept of my Counsel: they despised all my reproofs, therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. The devout St. Bernard confirms this truth by two similitudes, whereof the first is, that as a man could not be dead in Rome who never was in Rome, so no man can die in God who never was in God, 
More bestiali incubuit terrenis, more bestiali excedet terrenis. Tert.  no, says Tertullian, Friend, thou hast led a life more like unto that of a Beast, then of a Christian, plunge over head and ears like a mould in terrene and sordid concerns: Thou hast been in thy family as furious as a Lion, in thy behaviour as wild as a Boar, in thy employments as Subtle and as crafty as a Fox, in Taverns and in Company as greedy as a Dog, in thy conversation as silly, 
Formr vivendi est norma moriendi. Idem.  and as light-brained as a Hare; therefore since thou hast constantly led the life of a Beast, rather than that of a good Christian, thou deserv'st to die the death of a Beast. 'Tis a maxim received among ye, that the Copy must be like unto the Original; what is life? It's an Original, and what is Death? It's a Copy; why then such must be the Copy, as was the Original; if the Original was a good and virtuous life, the Copy must be a penitent and Godly Death; but if the Original was totally a Scandalous, vicious, and debauched life, by all means the Copy must be the death of a Reprobate. Thou mayst be convinced hereof even by very nature, for if thou speakest aloud near any Rock, or hollow-place, the Echo will sound distinctly every word thou hast said; If I set the same Tertullian the question, what is life; he will answer, that it is a voice, and that death is the Echo thereof; than whatever the life pronounces, death will repeat it; If virtue, virtue; If vice, vice; If the fear of God, the fear of God; If the neglect of Salvation, and the contempt of God's Commands, certainly death will repeat the self same thing, so that it is the greatest folly in nature to lead a wicked life, in expectation of a good Peccavi in the hour of death, which is as seldom granted to such persons as a Phoenix is seen in the World. There's another maxim in great request among your Philosophers which I do mightily approve of, by reason of its truth, that a part is of the same nature with the thing whereof it is a part; 
Pars est ejusdem naturae cum toto cujus est pars. Arist.  If I set St. Thomas the Question, What is Life? his answer will be, that it is a compound of young and old days, and that Death is the latter part thereof, than it must be according to this undoubted maxim, of the same nature with the Life; If this was good and virtuous, that must be the same; but if it was a cursed and wicked Life, even unto the last point, Death must certainly be no better.  
The second Similitude upon which St. 
Quo vero casura sit arbour, ramos ejus attend, unde major est copia Ramorum & ponderosior inde casuram non dubites. St. Ber. Video homines tanquam arbores ambulantes. Mar. 8.24. Conteret Dominus scelestos simul & peccatores Esai. 1.28.  Bernard grounds this truth, is certainly very remarkable; look says he, upon a Tree when it's cut, and ready to drop down; if thou wouldst fain know to what side it will fall, take notice of its boughs and branches, where thou seest them thicker, and more inclined by their weight, thou mayst very well conclude, it will fall to that side; What is Man? the blind man of the Gospel whom I had cured by putting my hands upon him, looking up, said, I see Men as Trees, walking. If thou beest desirous to know to what side will this Tree fall, look upon his boughs and branches, I mean his passions and inclinations, if thou seest them altogether bend to good works, and inclined to Devotion and virtue, thou mayst reasonably conclude he will fall towards Heaven: but if by their weight he is carried to evil, and debauchery, that man so blindly led by his unruly passions, will undoubtedly fall upon the Rocks of Hell, 
Tert. l. de vera & falsa paeni.  there to be crushed for an Eternity. Tertullian speaks of two sorts of Death, ordinary, and extraordinary, ordinary death he calls that which is occasioned by sickness, and by extraordinary he means that which comes by some sudden mischance, or accident; but whatever death the wicked dies of, he is in a most evident danger to miss of his long expected Peccavi; If he dies of the latter, the case is very clear, for it is grounded upon this warantable Axim of Philosophy, In repentinis agimus Secundum habitum; that is, in things which happen of a sudden, men act always according to the custom which they have acquired, let it be good or bad. Saul was a desperate, and bloody man, how often did he attempt upon David's life? he was cruel to others, he must be the same to himself, for after losing the battle, and being not able to get off from his pursuing Enemies, 
Sta super me, & Interfice me. 2 Reg. 1.9.  he commanded one of his Soldiers to run him through with his Lance, and to make an end of his Life.  
Who could be more proud, more sanguinary, and more ambitious of honour than was Abimelech, for to be King of Israel, He murdered all his Brethren, which were in number threescore and ten, whereat his Father Jerubbaal took so much grief that he soon after died; 
Evagina gladium tuum, & percute me ne forte dicatur qu●d a Faemina interfectus sim. Jud. 9.54.  what dost thou think will be the end of this so cruel a Prince? will he cry Peccavi, in the hour of his death? believe me 'twill be far from his thoughts. He went to besiege the strong City of Thebes, and after he had taken it, he beset the Tower, where most part of the Citizens were retired for security; but he boldly went to set fire to the gate thereof, & a Woman taking notice of him, cast a piece of millstone upon his head, & broke his Skull, whereupon he called hastily unto the young Man his Armour-bearer, and said unto him, draw thy sword & slay me, that men say not of me, a Woman slew him: and his young Man thrust him through with his weapon, and he died.  
Julian the Apostate acted much like him, for he aimed at an Empire, and to come to it, he thought it the best way, to feign himself a friend to the Christians, so that he appeared to them most zealous for Christianity, and pretended to further the increase thereof were he in the power of doing it, which made the Christians to use all means to promote him to the Empire, but no sooner was he invested with that imperial dignity, than he began to discover what he was to them in his heart, for none was ever so great an enemy to my name, or showed so great an abhorrence of Christians, than he did; so great was his animosity to both, that he murdered very many thousands of them, and destroyed all their Altars and Churches which were erected and dedicated to my worship and Service; will this most wicked and disssembling Prince cry Peccavi in the hour of his death? no, he will continue his impiety to his last breath, which will be the perfect Echo of his most ambitious and abominable life, for receiving a mortal wound in the siege of a Town in the Kingdom of Persia, he took a handful of his blood, & fling it up, as it were into my face, with this horrid expression, vicisti Nazarene, vicisti, O Nazarean? 
Cum mens inclinata fugrit ad aliquid non se jam haber aequali●er ad utrum que oppositorum, sed ad illud ad quod magis. inclinatur fertur, nisi per rationis discussionem ab eo quadam solicitudine abducatur. St. Tho.  thou hast indeed overcome me at last; after this, he commanded his Gentlemen to put his Corpse into a Coffin of lead, and cast it into the Sea, that his subjects finding not his body on Earth might believe it was carried by the hands of Angels into Heaven, and seated there amongst the Gods. Thou seest by these precedents what a foolish mistake the wicked  under; when they put off their conversion to the very last hour of their life, in hopes to have then a hearty Peccavi, which may be to me a sufficient Atonement for all their offences, and breaches of both my Laws and commandments.  
The Angelical Doctor St. Thomas seems to be much astonished at their folly herein, for says he, when men are viciously inclined, and taken with a surprise in their evil habits, it is out of their jurisdiction to conceive an abhorrence against them, and have a love and esteem for a virtuous life, unless they make use of their reason to find out the manifold advantages of the one, and the several evil consequences of the other; but how can a wicked man, that is seized on by Death as he walks in the streets by a tile falling from the top of a house, or some other such like unexpected accident, make use of his reason in that ample manner; 'tis impossible, and consequently, 
Hac animadversione percutitur percator ut moriens obliviscatur sui, qui dum viveret oblitus est Dei. St. Amb. Arist.  whoever neglects his Salvation so far as to put it to such perilous events, deserves no mercy at my hands. But set the case that an old habitual Sinner should die of a long and languishing sickness, 'tis very probable, he will never think of me in his latter hour; nor have the least feeling of a Peccavi, being he forgot to call to me for mercy in his healthful days, and this indeed is the usual punishment which I do inflict upon such persons. Moreover 'tis grounded upon this other Maxim of Philosophy altogether as undeniaable as the former, Ab assuetis non fit passio, That is to say, things which men have daily before their eyes, make no impression upon their hearts; the Sun which is the most resplendent, and the most glorious Creature that ever was wrought by my hands for the use of men, is daily seen without the least admiration, whereas if a Comet appears, they are all eyes to behold it; A Chirurgeon will handle and dress the nastiest wound that ever man had, without the least grudge, or loathing, because he is accustomed to it. A new raised Soldier will tremble at the noise of a bullet, whereas an old, and well-trained Soldier will never shrink, or give ground, tho' even Cannons were roaring about him, and their bullets flying on every side of him, because he is acquainted with such warlike entertainment. 'Tis even so with a wicked liver in the hour of his death, tho' his Ghostly Father, his Wife, his Children, and all his friends were round his bed, breaking their hearts, and bursting their lungs, calling and crying unto him to produce one act of Contrition, one sorrowful Peccavi, one, have mercy on me O Lord, he will take no notice of what they say, all their exhortations to him intended to bring him to die a good death, will be to no effect, he had often heard the like, or rather more pressing motives from Teachers and Preachers in their Pulpits, yet his heart was Steel-proof to all their fiery words, they could never make him think on his Salvation, and therefore 'tis but in vain to expect he will be solicitous for it now, when the Devil has him fast fettered, when his heart is overclouded with the darkness of his manifold and grievous Sins, when his understanding is blinded, his will altogether corrupted, his senses decayed, and the whole commonwealth of his Body and Soul clear out of order, by reason of their approaching and dismal separation: Thou hast a very remarkable precedent of this in the old Testament; there thou mayst read, what wonders I had done in order to mollify the heart of Pharaoh, 
Exod. 9.10  and bring him to a right understanding of his obedience, and duty to me, who am the powerful and mighty Jehovah, who depress at will, and make subject the greatest Potentates of the whole World. How I had slain his firstborn for refusing to let go the People of Israel out of his Land; how I made all the Rivers, Streams, Fountains, & Springs within his Dominions run with blood for the same reason; how I covered all his Realm with darkness and Frogs, which were so numerous that they came in Swarms upon his Table, and even into his Bed; how I sent a grievous Swarm of Flies into his house, and into all the houses of Egypt; how I had plagued all the Inhabitants of the Land, as also their Cattle, which pestiferous Ulcers & Boils, of which they all died, how I had reigned down such a stupendious shower of Hail upon them, as was never seen before or since in the world; how I had spread over the whole Land of Egypt Locusts, that devoured and destroyed all that the hail had left; yet all these prodigies could not mollify the obdurate and rebellious heart of Pharaoh, till at last my Justice took him to task, and drowned both him and his whole Army in the Red-Seas, which was a passage they were to go through, to take up their quarters in the unquenchable fire of Hell, where they shall repent for an Eternity, but to no advantage for their Souls.  
If this discourse so well grounded upon Scripture, Fathers, and Reason, 
Hos. 13.9.  as also upon so many precedents out of Holy Writ, will not prevail with Sinners, not to delay their conversion, or put it off to their crazy years, I have only this to say, Perditio tua ex te Israel; let their eternal ruin, and the fatal loss of their Souls lie at their own doors. However, to let them know how much I thirst after their Salvation, I will have thee to convince them of their extreme folly, to serve so faithfully such bad Masters, as the World and the Devil; who for every pleasure they allow them, give them a thousand mortal Stings, even in this life, besides the unspeakable misery which they shall make them suffer in the other; on the contrary my pleasures are solid, permanent, and bring excessive comfort to the consciences of those that receive them; so that, as the Prophet says, 
Psa. 84.10  one day spent in my service, brings more advantage to their Souls, than a thousand years employed in that of the world, and it were-better be a doorkeeper in my house, then to dwell in the Tents of wickedness. Let them know likewise, the tenderness of my affection for them, and how earnestly I court them to serve me, and not to take example by the prodigal Child, who had spent all his substance idly, & was forced at last to feed with the swine, and was very glad too to be admitted into their company: When in reality he might sit at my Table, & feed with my Saints and Angels in Heaven, if he had served me with as much care and diligence as he did the World.  MAN. 
NO man can be grateful to thee O Lord! without contemning those things that put the common People out of their wits. We must go into banishment they cry, we must lay down our lives; hate the World, and all its allurements; beggar, and expose ourselves to reproaches; nay 'tis often seen, that gratitude suffers the punishment due to Malefactors; and that Ingratitude receives the rewards of fidelity. As thy benefits are many, and great, so are the hazards of gratitude, which is the case, more or less, of all other virtues; and it were hard, if this, above all the rest, should be both painful and fruitless: So that tho' we may go currently on with it in smooth way, we must yet prepare, and resolve (if need be) to force through all to't, even if the way were covered with thorns, and Serpents; and, fall back, fall edge, we must be grateful still. Grateful for thy sake, O Lord, and grateful likewise for our own peculiar Interest, for it preserves thy favours, and gains us a new addition of greater.  
When I speak in the praise of gratitude, I plead the cause both of God and man, for, without it, we can neither be Sociable, nor religious. There's a strange delight in the very purpose, and contemplation of it, as well as in the action; when I can say to myself, I love my Benefactor; what is there in this world that I would not do to oblige & serve him? Where I have not the means of a requital, the very meditation of it is sufficient. A man is never the less an Artist, for not having his tools about him; or a musician, because he wants his Fiddle: nor is he the less brave, because his hands are bound; or the worse Pilot, for being upon dry ground. If I have only a will to be grateful, and the heart to persever, I am so, and that's all thou requirest O Lord! Let me be upon the wheel; or under the hand of the Executioner; let me be burnt limb by limb, and my whole body dropping in the flames, a good Conscience supports me in all extremes: nay, it is comfortable even in death itself: for when we come to approach that point, what care do we take to summon, and call to mind all our Benefactors, and the good offices they have done us, that we may leave the world fairly, and set our minds in order, this is the bare duty of good nature, and what common civility requires of us, how much greater than must our care be to remember all the graces, and favours which We have received at thy hands O Lord, and to be grateful to thee accordingly; or if we can't return thee thanks equal to the benefits which thou wert pleased to confer upon us, let us at least be grateful to thee so far, as not to serve another Master, for whom thou hast an abhorrence, as being quite contrary to thy divine Maxims.  
I have already produced sufficient motives, and reasons to breed in our hearts a contempt of the World, so odious to God, and so destructive of our own Salvation; I have endeavoured as much as I could, to wean our affections from it, and from all its pelf, as well for being in themselves vile, transitory, mutable, inconsiderable, and dangerous; as for the frequent Instructions we have had from thee, O Lord! to hate, despise, and consider them as the mortal Enemy's of our Salvation. I will now add this one reason, that tho' the World and all its pleasures and treasures were real indeed, and of that great estimate (as we make them) yet we should not love them, because that thy love O God, should replenish our hearts to that degree, as to leave no place for any terrene or carnal affection.  
It was thy command, O Lord! to the People of Israel that they should love thee with all their heart, with all their Soul, and with all their powers, tho' they were not so much obliged to thee, as we are, having received more favours and graces at thy hands then ever they did; and having also more knowledge of thy goodness than they could ever attain to; how then can we in gratitude admit of any other love? How can we cast our eyes, or set our hearts upon the creature, when, (had each of us a million of hearts) we should in justice consecrate 'em all unto thee? There's not a motive for which thou art amiable but deserves a thousand wills, a thousand loves, a thousand lives, all what we are, and all what we have, or can prtend to in this World; But if we look upon all the titles and motives of love which I have already spoke of, and for which we are indespensably obliged to love thee, how can we in good Conscience, love any thing besides thee? If we consider seriously the multitude of thy benefits, and the products of thy infinite love, and goodness to us, we shall be obliged to confess that, had we as many hearts as there are grains of Sand upon the Seashore, or Atoms in the air, all would not be capable to contain that great love which we own unto thee; how then can I divide this one heart, which I have from thee, amongst so many Creatures? and yet this is a plague that follows all mankind, 'tis an evil that runs in the blood of all mortals, 'tis the highest of Ingratitude, which is the common distemper of this corrupt Age we live in; for some are ungrateful to their Country, and their Country no less ungrateful to others; so that the complaint of Ingratitude reaches all Men: Does not the Son wish for the death of his Father? the Husband for that of his Wife? etc. But who can expect to find gratitude in an age of so many gaping, and craving Appetites, where all People take, and none give? In an Age of licence to all sorts of vanity, and wickedness; as Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Envy, Ambition, Sloth, Insolence, Levity, Contumacy, Fear, Rashness, private Discords, and public Evils, extravagant and groundless wishes, vain Confidence, sickly affections, shameless Impiety, Rapine authorised, and the violation of all things Sacred, and profane Obligations are pursued with Sword and Poison: Benefits are turned into Crimes; and that blood most seditiously spilt, for which every honest man should expose his own. Those that should be the preservers of their Country, are the destroyers of it; and 'tis matter of dignity to trample upon the Government; the Sword gives the Law, and Mercenaries take up arms against their Masters. Among these turbulent, and unruly motions, what hope is there of finding honesty, or good Faith, which is the life of all virtues? there is not a more lively Image of humane life, then that of a conquered City: There is neither Mercy, Modesty, nor Religion; and if we forget our lives, we may well forget the obligations we have to thee and all thy benefits too.  
But let us consider seriously the multitude and greatness of thy divine blessings, & deal with thee even as one man does with another. The wise man says, that gifts break Rocks, 
Victoriam & honorem acquirit qui dat munera; animam autem aufert accipientium. Prov. 22.9.  and shall not thy divine benefits move a heart of flesh? and if they can steal the hearts of the receivers (according to Solomon) how come we not to be robbed of our Souls by thee O Lord! For thou dost not only give us thy gifts, but also dost bestow thyself upon us as a most precious treasure. If we consider the benefits which we have received from thee in our Creation, they are as many as we have members of our bodies, and faculties of our Souls; If those of our Conservation, they are equal in number to the distinct natures in Heaven and on Earth. The Elements, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the whole World were created for our preservation, for without them we could not subsist; If we look upon the benefits of our Redemption, We shall be easily convinced, that they are as many as there are evils in Hell, from which we are happily delivered by thy Passion, and total effusion of thy most precious blood. Those of our Justification are no less in number then are the Sacraments, which thou hast instituted to increase our Merits, and work the Sanctification of our Souls; then the Graces and Inspirations which thou dost shower down into our hearts, and the divine Examples which thou hast left us, 
Nun haec opportuit Christum pati & ita intrare in gloriam suam. Luc. 24.26.  & which should invite us all to tread with a masculine courage in the same paths which brought thee O Lord, into thine own glory. All these with thousands of other benefits and obligations which we have received from thee, and by thy Creatures, cry out unto us to love thee with all our heart, with all our Soul, with all our Powers, and to trample under our feet this false World, with all its vanities, trifles, & transitory pleasures. But alas! We make nothing of all thy benefits, We give no ear to all their cries, but rather, will love the World and taste of its pleasures in as ample a measure as our fortunes will afford us, wherein we seem to be worse than even the very Heathens; for Aristides, tho' he was reputed to be one of the greatest Men of Athens, yet he was so aversed to the Pomp and toys of the World, and so affected to poverty, that he always wore a course broken garment, suffered Hunger, Cold, and Thirst, not for any want of means, or friends to relieve him, but merely for his own fancy; Zeno was nothing concerned when news was brought to him, that he had lost all what he had in the World; When An xagoras received the like news, he said no more then, if my Goods had not perished, I had been undone. Crates fling his whole substance into the Sea, with this expression, It is better I drown you, than you me. Diogenes bid adieu to all he had in the World, and took nothing with him but a wooden dish, and seeing by chance one drink out of the hollow of his hand, broke that also. And shall we refuse to do in obedience to thy Commands, O Lord, & for the purchase of an eternal weight of glory, what they freely, and gladly performed to pleasure their own fancies, and gain the repute of being Philosophers? O madness! O ingratitude never to be paralleled! 
Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi. Ps. 115.12.  Tho' We are thine by so many just titles, and thou hast given thyself, and all what thou hast unto us, yet we never think of what We ought to do for thee, nor how We shall express our thankfulness for such and so great benefits. This was the greatest care that David took, and the sole subject of his most serious consideration, what shall I return unto the Lord for all the favours which he has confirmed upon me? But O blessed King and Prophet give me leave to ask thee what are those favours? 'Tis true he has raised thee from the Station of a Shepherd to the dignity of a King, He has enabled thee to encounter a Giant, and to get the better of him too, He has often protected thee against the evil Spirit of Saul, and has preserved thy life from all the wicked and treacherous attempts he made to destroy thee; these are great obligations indeed, and deserve thy grateful return; but are nothing to the benefits which we have received at his hands; his love for us was so great that he suffered death to bring us to life everlasting; and left unto us for food to our Souls, his most precious body and blood; certainly these obligations are unspeakable, and deserve at least that small atonement of returning back unto him our Souls, hearts, and bodies; for as we had them from him, 'tis our weighty obligation to let him have them again entirely, and free from any loveto the World, or affection to the Creatures; so that We are to account ourselves now and evermore, as only his, and not our own; consequently, We are not to debase our love by placing it upon any worldly object, but to settle it wholly upon him alone.  
And really if we consider seriously the infinite love which thou hast for us, O Lord, We shall find that we have no love left to bestow either upon the World, or any terrene object, no, nor upon ourselves; for We must know that love consists in action, and the more it acts or suffers, the greater is the perfection thereof; how great then must thy love be O Lord, being thou hast wrought such Stupendious works for our Salvation, & still dost continue to work the like for our preservation; the Sun, the Moon, 
Omnia subjecisti sub pedibus ejus, over & boves universns insuper & peccora Campi; Volucres Coeli & Pisces maris. Psa. 8.8.  and the Stars have their being from thee O Lord, upon our account, it was merely for our sake thou hast created them. It was for our love thou hast brought out of nothing what wonders of nature we see daily before our eyes; that so great, and so beautiful a diversity of odoriferous flowers, of sweet herbs, of delicate fruit, of fine Trees, and all other varieties which the Earth produces; It was by thy orders, and for our entertainment and comfort: Do we not see how the Corn grows for to feed us, how the wool increases for our clothing, and all Beasts are left to our disposing? thou hast also ordered the very Rocks to open their bosoms and refresh us with their Springs; and not only the Earth supplies us with all its productions; but also all other Elements are so many storehouses to supply our wants, the Sea, the Rivers & Brooks have orders from thee to supply us with fish, the Air with fowl, and the fire with heat. Nay, the very Angels have their understanding from thee with that obligation to preserve and protect us from all disasters both at home and abroad. 
Angelis suis mandavit de te ut custodiant te in omnibus vijs tuis. Psa. 90.13.  If patience be a trial of love, where shall we find so great an example of that heavenly virtue, as thou hast shown to the World in thy most bloody passion and cruel death for us poor, miserable, and wretched Sinners, and also in thy most gracious for bearance with us, as often as we transgress thy Laws, and rebel against thyself. If a King, after his Vassals had a thousand times attempted to murder him, should not only pardon them, but also continue still to heap his favours & treasures upon them, 
Rursum crucifigertes Christum in Cordibus vestris. Heb. 6: 6.  certainly We would conclude that his love for them was excessive great, what ought We then to say of thy love, O Lord, who sufferest us incessantly to crucify thee, our Creator, our Redeemer, and glorious King, yet thou art still silent, and the excess of thy love sets a stop to the current of thy Justice. O Lord says the Prophet royal, what is man that thou art mindful of him: but I may add, Lord, 
Quid est homo quod memor es ejus. Ps. 8.5  what is man that the Holy Trinity must have so great a love for him? The Eternal Father delivers up into the hands of his mortal enemies his only and dearly beloved Son to suffer the most bitter death of the Cross for our Redemption. The Son leaves unto us his Real Body and Blood under the species of Bread and Wine to comfort, and strengthen our Souls against all the temptations and snares of the Devil; and the Father and the Son together send us the Holy Ghost, by whose grace We are made partakers of thy divine nature: 
Divinae narurae consortes efficimur. 2 Pet. 1.4.  can there be imagined a more intense, more real, or more tender love then this? If the right payment of love, must be love, and that in an equal measure too, how shall we be able to requite thy love; it's altogether out of our power, unless thou wilt be pleased to accept of our offer to have no more love but for thee, no will but thine, and to requite thy great love with an ardent love hereafter for all good works, and a virtuous life; for thou art not content we should only love thee with our tongues, no, thou dost reprehend those, who cry unto thee, Lord, Lord, and do not what thou commandest: We must therefore love thee in all fincerity, we must suffer for thee, and make thee partake of all what we have that is good, or may be pleasing unto thee, We must love thee truly, who so much loved us; we must resolve to trample the world under our feet, and also (if occasion be) to lose honour, wealth, and pleasures, rather than decline from thy love; but that we may the better perform our resolution, let us know from thee, O Lord what the World is; and how dangerous it is to bestow our affections upon it.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! thou must never repute him happy that depends upon the World for his happiness; for nothing can be more preposterous then to place the good of a reasonable Creature in unreasonable things, and yet as it is a common mistake to account those necessary that are superfluous, so it is altogether as common with men to depend upon the World for the felicity of life, which arises only from virtue. There is no trusting to its smiles, no more than there is to a calm at Sea, which will swell and rage's in a moment, so that the Ships are swallowed up at night, in the very place where they sported themselves in the morning. The world has the same power over Princes, that it has over Empires; over Nations, that it has over Cities; and the same power over Cities, that it has over private men. Where's that Estate that may not be followed upon the heel with Famine, and Beggary? That Dignity, which the next moment may not be laid in the dust? that Kingdom that is secure from desolation and ruin.  
The burning of Lions may serve as a Precedent to show that nothing can be safe, or stable in this World, it may likewise teach men to stand upon their guard, and arm themselves against all surprises. The terror of it must needs be great, for the calamity is almost without example. If it had been fired by an Enemy, the flame would have left some farther mischief to be done by the Soldiers; but to be wholly consumed, was a prodigious accident! and perhaps an Earthquake so pernicious as that, was never heard of: so many rarities to be destroyed in one night; and in a profound peace to suffer an outrage beyond the extremity of war, who would believe it? but twelve hours betwixt of fair a City and none at all: It was laid in ashes in less time than it would require to tell the story. That the Inhabitants should stand unshaken in such a calamity is hardly to be expected; and their wonder could not but be equal to their grief. This dismal accident should teach all men to provide against the possibilities, that fall within the Power of so cruel an Enemy, as is the World; for this Tyrant having all external things under his dominion will sometimes smile at poor Silly Mortals, & invite them to taste of his pleasures, and another while, he will turn them off with a frown, and destroy them with mischiefs whereof they are to seek for the Author. No time, place, or condition is excepted from his Tyranny; he makes their very pleasures painful to them, and makes War upon them in the depth of Peace; he turns the means of their Security into an occasion of fear: he turns a Friend into an Enemy, and makes a mortal Foe of a dear Companion: his Slaves shall be sure to suffer the effects of War without any Adversary; and rather than fail, even their felicity shall be the fatal cause of their utter destruction.  
Lest they should either forget, or neglect his power; every day produces something extraordinary. He persecutes the most temperate with sickness; the strongest constitution with the Ptisick; he brings the Innocent to punishment, and the most retired he assaults with tumults. Those Glories which have grown up with many Ages, with infinite labour, and expense, and under the favour of many Auspicious providences, one day scatters, and brings to nothing. He that pronounced a day, nay an hour sufficient for the destruction of the greatest Empire, might have fallen to a moment. It were some comfort yet to the frailty of mankind, and of humane affairs, if things might but decay as slowly as they rise, but they grow by degrees, and they fall to ruin in an Instant. There is no true felicity to be expected from the World in either private or public affairs. Men, Nations, and Cities have all their fates, and periods: Their very entertainments are not without terror, and their calamity rises where they lest expected it. Those Kingdoms which stood the shock both of Foreign Wars, and Civil, come to destruction without the sight of an Enemy. A man may be safe to day, and happy in the love of his Country, but to morrow he may be in trouble, and cast either into Prison, or Banishment: To day, in pleasure, peace, health; to morrow broken upon the wheel; led in Triumph one day, and the next in the Agony of a mortal Sickness. What the World gives this day, he may take the next; and he that trusts to his favours, shall either find himself deceived or if he be not, he will at least be troubled because he has but fallible means to depend upon. He throws his gifts among his slaves, and they (silly Souls) sweat and scuffle for them; never considering how few are the better for that which was expected by all. Some are transported with what they get; others tormented for what they miss, and many times there's a Leg or an Arm broken, or a man killed in a contest for a thing of no more value than a counter. He gives them Honours, Riches, & Favours, only to take them away again; either by violence, or treachery, so that they frequently return to the damage of the receivers. He throws out baits for them, and sets traps, as they do for Birds and Beasts; his bounties are snares, and Limetwigs to them; They (poor Souls) think they have taken a great prize, but they are themselves taken. If what Riches, Pleasures, or Dignitys the World gives had any thing in them that were substantial, they would some time or other fill, and quiet the receivers; but they serve only to provoke their Appetite, without any thing to allay it, unless Pomp, and ostentation. In fine, this I conclude upon; that the Empire of the World is but imaginary, and that whosoever serves it, makes himself a voluntary slave; the best, and safest course that men can take to exempt themselves from the tyranny and slavery thereof, is to be neither dejected with his injuries, nor dazzled with his flattery, and favours. When Zeno was told that all his substance was drowned; why then, says he, the World has a mind to make me a Philosopher. 'Tis a great matter for a man to advance his mind above his threats, or flatteries; for he that has once gotten the better of him, is safo for ever; and to come to this point, all mortals should follow the dictates of the Wise, for the things that are always contemned by them, are really despicable, and vain in themselves.  
Solomon was absolutely the wisest Prince that ever appeared upon the Stage of this World, and the most experienced in the Peace, 
2 Parab.  Prosperity, Riches and Glory thereof. All the Potentates and crowned Heads of the Earth thought themselves happy for ever, had they but the Honour to behold his Face, to hear him speak, and be eye-witnesses of his wisdom and renowned felicity. The Riches, the Pleasures, & treasures of all other Princes, (were they all collected in a heap) would be nothing to his: for he had yearly Six hundred Sixty Six Talents of Gold, beside what Tribute he had paid unto him anually by the Kings of Arabia, and other Princes: As for Silver, it was as plentiful with him, 
3 Reg. 4.  as Stones are with the Mountaineers: his Plate and Jewels were without number: His Throne was supported with several figures of Lions, and other Beasts, all made of massive gold. His Apparel and Armour were as precious, as they were numerous; he had all the Kings, from the Philistines River unto Egypt at his beck to serve him when ever he had occasion to command them. He had forty thousand Saddle-horses in his Stables, 
3 Reg. 11.  and twelve thousand Chariots, and threescore thousand horses with double their number of furniture to use upon occasion. He had two hundred Spears all of Gold, each valued at six hundred Crowns in gold, and three hundred bucklers guilt each with three hundred crowns of gold. He had every day spent in his house one thousand nine hundred thirty and seven Quarters of Meal and Flower; thirty Oxen with an hundred Weathers, besides all sorts of Foul and Venison to a vast quantity, He had seven hundred Wives that were his Queens, and three hundred Concubines besides: yet after all this Earthly Wealth, Pleasures, Treasures, and even what his heart could desire, this was his feeling of them, vanitas vanitatum, & omnia vanitas: 
Eccles. 1.  vanity of vanities, and all is but vanity, by which S. Jerome understands the greatness of his vanity, which was indeed above all vanities that may be devised. And Solomon himself confirms it by several Examples, 
In c. 1. Ecc. Ibid.  and by his own experiment too: I have, says he, been King in Jerulalem, and determined by my wisdom to seek out the nature of all things, and have seen, that all under the Sun, are mere vanities and affliction of Spirit. I said in my heart, 
Cap. 21.  I will go and abound in all delights, and in every pleasure that can be had, or thought of; and I saw that this was also vanity. 
Ibid.  I took great works in hand, made great Palaces, Sumptuous Houses, costly Stables, Strong Towers, Pleasant Ramparts, vast Vineyards, delicate Gardens full of fine Flours and all sorts of herbs that can be named, great Orchards planted with all kind of Trees: I made my Fishponds to water my Trees: I had a great train of Servants Men and Women, and a numerous Family, great herds of Cattle far beyond all that ever my Predecessors were masters of in Jerusalem. I brought into my own Treasury the Gold and Silver, the Riches and Jewels of all my neighbouring Kings and Princes. I had a vast number of Musicians and Singers, both of Men and Women, wherein the Children of men do place their chiefest delight. I had a great many artificial curious and costly Cups to drink Wine; In fine whatever things my Eyes and Heart could fancy, it was out of hand provided for them, I did never restrain them from taking their pleafures: But when I came to reflect seriously with myself upon all my actions, and works wherein I had taken so much labour and toil both in mind and body; I made this conclusion and firmly believe that all was vanity, and affliction of mind. Job was likewise a most wise and holy man, 
Job 1.2, 3, 4. etc.  he was perfect and upright in all his ways, He was a man that feared God, & eschewed all evil, there were born unto him seven Sons and three Daughters whom he had educated in the fear and love of God. His substance was seven thousand sheep, three hundred Camels, five hundred yoke of Oxen, five hundred she-Asses, a vast treasure of Gold and Silver, abundance of Plate, and Householdstuff, a numeroms Family; In fine, he was the richest and most powerful of all the Men of the East, yet in a moment he was made the poorest, and the most afflicted of all mankind. He was reduced to that extremity, that his dearest Friends would not abide the sight of him; thus was he cast out of doors, and forced to lie upon a dunghill; where he makes this sad complaint, which is enough to breed in the hearts of all mankind a continual abhorrence of the World, and all its allurements. How long, says he, to his false and dissembling Friends, will ye vex my Soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: You are not ashamed that you make yourselves strange to me. And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remains with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach: Know now that God has permitted the World, and the Devil to overthrow me, and compass me with their nets. Behold I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; I cry out aloud, but there's no Judgement. They have fenced up my way that I can't pass, and have set darkness in my paths. They have stripped me of all my substance wherein I gloried, and have taken the Crown from my head; They have also destroyed me on every side, and have put my Brethren far from me, and made my acquaintance even estranged from me; so that my Relations have failed me, and my familiar Friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in my house Ridicule me, and my maids count me for a Stranger, I am an Alien in their sight. I called my Servant, and he gave me no answer; I entreated him with as much humility as possible, and he rebuked me. My Breath is loathsome to my Wife, and tho' I entreated her for the children's sake begotten of my body, yet she would not come near me. Nay, even young Children despise me; I arose and they spoke against me. All my inward Friends abhorred me; and they whom I loved, are turned against me. O man! can there be a greater motive to hate and abhor the World, to despise its pleasures, to make nothing of its allurements, and never to confide, or place any trust in its false and dissembling friendship, then to see how Tyger-like, they all combine together to work the utter destruction of this poor, innocent, and harmless Prince who was seen one day to be the most opulent, the most famous, and the most respected of all Men, of his Age, and on the fame day to be made a poor, loathsome, crazy and despicable creature, cast out of doors, and laid upon a dunghill all full of Ulcers from head to foot, abandoned by his Wife, by all his Friends, by his Servants, and even by those friends who made up their fortunes under him, and for whom he had as great a kindness, as a Father could have for his Children.  
But alas! to see Friends and Favourites so much estranged, and so ungrateful to their chief Benefactors is no novelty, 'tis of as ancient a date as is, in a manner, the Creation of the World; was not Cain so ungrateful and treacherous to his Brother Abel, as to invite him into the Fields under the notion of kindness, but really, and with an absolute design to murder him, as it fell out, for being jealous of his prosperity, and of his being more in my favour then himself, he made an end of his life in that very place, where Abel thought to meet with his pleasure, And was not this same Cain murdered by his own Grandchild Lamech, 
Septuplum ultio dabitur de Cain, de Lamech, vero septuagies septies. Gen 4, 24. Per quae quis peccat per haec & punietur. St. Amb. Maledictus Chanaan servus servorum erit fratribus suis. Gen. 9.25.  to let all people know that such treacherous proceed will have their due punishment at last, and that they shall be chastised in the same manner as they have offended me. If the ingratitude of Brothers and Friends be so displeasing to me as to deserve my indignation and wrath in so high a measure, what severe punishment must Children expect that are ungrateful, and cruel to their Parents. Read in the book of Genesis what afflictions were heaped upon Cham for being so ungrateful to Noah the Just, who was his Father; and the Saviour of all mankind too, After the Deluge was over; he planted a Vineyard, and he drank of the Wine to that Excess that he lay uncovered within his Tent, and when this Cham his younger Son beheld his nakedness, he laughed, & ridiculed the good old Man; who no sooner was a wake (and discerning what Cham had done) but was extremely moved, and in the bitterness of his heart, he gave him his malediction, which fell soon after upon him, and continued successively to his whole generation.  
Absalon came to be so great a Monster to his Father; that he rebelled against him, brought the greatest part of the Nation into his faction, and marched towards him with a resolution to deprive him both of his Life and Sceptre; what a deplorable condition was the Father brought to, when he saw his own dearly beloved Son, and all his subjects in arms against him: Himself left alone with a few Friends that stood by him, banished from his Palace, reviled by his Subjects, called a thousand Rogues, Stones fling at his head. Shall this affliction from a Son to so good a Father, 
Tulit Joab tres lanceas in manu sna, & infixit eas in cord Absolom. 2 Reg. 18.14. Three lances for the three times he disturbed the Nation  remain without punishment? no, Absolon's heart shall be pierced through with as many lances as he created disturbances in the Kingdom, and sorrow to his Father; and this punishment shall be performed by the dearest of all his friends, which of necessity must be an extreme addition to his great misfortune. Augustus was a most gracious Prince when he had the power in his own hand; and so careful of the welfare of his Subjects, that they had, no less, than reason, to think themselves most happy under his Government, for he kept them in peace with all the World, so that they could trade both far and near without any fear of being molested, or their Ships in danger of being taken by any Enemy, in their voyages abroad, or coming home; he gave them as much of their Liberty as they could reasonably expect, and as much freedom, and Privilege as their hearts could desire, but they (ungrateful Wretches) kicked at all his kindness, and resolved inhumanely to rebel against him; and who must be the chief head of their Faction, but Cinna, a man so much indebted to Augustus for his manifold favours conferred upon him, and above all other kindnesses, for giving him his life, which he had before forfeited upon such another wicked action: The design was laid, and ordered that Cinna with two more of his Confederates should invite Augustus into his Chariot, and when he was therein, to deliver him unto his mortal Enemies, or murder him in the very place, If he had made any resistance: but another circumstance which does aggravate his ingratitude to the highest pitch, is, that when he had one hand extended to subscribe unto this horrid Plot against his life, he had another ready to receive more of his favours, for at the same time Augustus made him a Consul, which was an honour (as he confessed himself) he durst not so much as desire. What shall I say of the monstrous ingratitude of Brutus against so good a friend, and Father too, as Julius Caesar was to him, for he was not only content to heap honours and dignities upon him, but did adopt him for his own Son, and Heir apparent to all his worldly wealth, this so extraordinary a kindness should move the heart even of the greatest of Tyrants to lay down his life in defence of so good a friend, yet it was not able to mollify the stony heart of Brutus, for he was the very first that approached him with his naked dagger to give him his mortal wound in the very Senate-house. These and several other such miscarriages tarnished the Lustre of their glorious actions, and forced me to remove their Empire into another Nation, which is already come to be as treacherous & ungrateful, in a manner to me as the Romans have been one to another: for I see they have combined with my Enemies to afflict and oppress my Members upon Earth, and lessen the beauty and immunity of my Church-militant: These are crimes far exceeding the falsehood, and treachery of the Romans, because they were Heathens, without any knowledge of my infinite Attributes, of my Supreme Majesty, of my omnipotent power, and also were deprived of the light of grace, which are the eminent favours I have imparted to them; but I see they turn them all to the wrong use; which certainly will rise in Judgement against them in the dreadful day of my visitation. But alas! Interest is the only friendship of the World; and where it is not to be had, there's no favour, no, nor common civility to be shown. O Ungrateful World! Woe is he that will settle his affections upon thee after all these convincing Precedents of thy most horrid baseness. Now, Man! let me hear thee discourse of its falsehood, and vanities: and give me an account of what my Doctors and able Divines say of it.  MAN. 
O Most Gracious Saviour! thou hast throughly convinced me of the falsehood and vanities of the World, and hast said as much of its transitory pleasures as is able to breed in the hearts of all men an everlasting abhorrence of them, but because thou desirest to hear what the Doctors, and the able Divines of thy Church speak of 'em, I will begin to relate thy beloved Disciples opinion of them; he tells me in the first place, 
1 Joan. 2.10, 11. &c  that whosoever hates his Brother is in Darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not whether he goes, because that darkness has blinded his eyes; and this I think is sufficient to restrain the malice, hatred, and mortal animosities, which Christians have one against another: In the second place, he earnestly entreats us all not to love the World, neither the things that are in great esteem with the World, and the reason he gives for it, is, that if any love the world, or its allurements, the love of thy Celestial Father is not in his heart; for all that is in the World, is the Lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, with their attendants, and several branches, which thy Father hates mortally, and therefore if We pretend to be of the happy number of his Children, We must be of his mind; and declare by our actions the mortal hatred we bear them; and especially because the World passes away, and the lust thereof; but he that does thy will, (which is the same with that of thy Father) abides for ever.  
To begin with the lust of the flesh, I must speak of the pleasures of the Palate, which is one of the most dangerous branches thereof; for it deals with us like the Egyptian Thiefs, that Strangle those they embrace. I must confess that I am amazed to hear of the Luxury of Nomentanus and Apicius, that entertained their very Souls in the Kitchen; they had the choicest music for their ears, the most diverting spectacles for their eyes; the choicest variety of meats, and drinks for their Palates, and what was all that but a merry madness? 'Tis true they had their delights but not without heavy and anxious thoughts, even in their very enjoyments; besides that, they are followed with repentance, and their very frolieks are little more than the laughter of so many people out of their Wits. Their felicities are full of disquiet, and neither sincere, nor well grounded; but they have need of one pleasure to support another. and of new prayers to forgive the errors of their former. Their life must needs be wretched, that get with great pains, what they keep with greater. One diversion overtakes another: hope excites hope: Ambition begets ambition; so that they only change the matter of their miseries, without feeling any end of them, and shall never be without prosperous, or unhappy causes of disquiet. What if a body might have all the pleasures in the world for the ask? who would so much unman himself, as by accepting of them, to desert his Soul, and become a perpetual Slave to his Senses? Those false and miserable Palates that Judge of meats by the price and difficulty, not by the healthfulness, and taste, they vomit, that they may eat, and they eat that they may fetch it up again. They cross the Seas for rarities, and when they have swallowed them, they will not so much as give them leave to digest.  
But what was the end of that Apicius? of that corrupter of youth, and plague of the Age he lived in? after he had spent a prodigious fortune upon his belly, he poisoned himself for fear of starving, when he had 250000. Crowns in his Coffers; which may serve to show us, that it is the mind, and not the Sum that makes any man rich. But why do I call that poison, which was the wholsomest draught of his life? his daily gluttony was poison rather, both to himself and others. His ostentation of it was intolerable; and so was the infinite pains he took to misled others by his example, who went fast enough of themselves without driving.  
It is indeed a horrid shame for a reasonable man to place his felicity in those entertainments, and appetites that are stronger in Brutes. Do not Beasts eat with a far better stomach? have they not more satisfaction in their Lusts? and they have not only a quicker relish of their pleasures, but they enjoy them without either scandal or remorse. If sensuality were happiness, Beasts were happier than Men; but humane felicity is lodged in the Soul, not in the Flesh. They that deliver themselves up to Luxury, are still either tormented with too little, or glutted with too much; and equally miserable, by being either deserted, or overwhelmed: They are like men in a dangerous Sea; one while cast dry upon a Rock, and another while swallowed up in a whirl-pool; and all this from the mistake of not distinguishing good from evil. The Huntsman that with much labour, and hazard takes a wild beast, runs as great a risk afterwards in the keeping of him; for many times he tears out the throat of his Master; and 'tis the same thing with inordinate pleasures; the more in number, and the greater they are, the more general and absolute a Slave is the Servant of them. Let Mortals say what they will of him, and let the common People pronounce him as happy as they please, he pays his liberty for his delights, and sells himself for what he buys. But who must be the Purchaser? Who? but the Devil that plays the Host in this world, 
Amos 1. Tob. 2.  and will serve them at an inch with what delights or pleasures they desire, but will be sure to write up all in his black book, and take an exact account thereof at the day of their death, than he will not fail to bring in the whole reckoning, and charge them with all; their mirth shall be then changed into mourning and lamentation, and if they be not able to make atonement, and discharge their accounts, they shall hear, to their eternal sorrow, this thy dreadful Sentence, 
Quantum in deliciis fuit, tantum date illi tormentum. Apoc. 18.  look how much they have taken of their delights, so much torment do you lay upon them.  
A wise and discreet Traveller, when he comes into an Inn, tho' his Host should set before him most rare and delicate meats, to banquet at his pleasure; yet he will forbear, and restrain his appetite merely in consideration of the price, and of the journey he has to go; and takes nothing but so much as he knows well how to discharge the next morning at his departure; on the contrary a fool will lay hands on every delicate bit that is presented to his sight, he will act the Prince for a night or two: but next day when it comes to be discharged, he is sorry for what he had done, and would wish he had lived only upon bread and water, rather than be put to that vexation and disgrace too, as to part with all his money for his belly. The custom of thy Church O Lord, is to fast the eve of every great feast, and then to recreate their Spirits the next day, which is the Festival itself. This represents very well the abstinent life of thy good Servants in this World, for which they deserve to be nobly treated, and made much of in the World to come: but the custom of this World is quite opposite, for they will eat and drink merrily, let the Host bring in what reckoning he will; but when payment is demanded, and that they can't get off without the Sum laid in his hand, 
Risus dolore miscebitur, & extrema gaudii luctus occupat. Pro. 14  O then all their mirth is forgot, and as much ashamed they are at their laughing and ranting, as is a dog when his tail is cut off. This is the character that Holy Scripture gives of the pleasures of the World; laughter shall be mingled with sorrow, 
Melius est ire ad domum luctus, quam ad domum convivii. Ecc. 7 Ubi tristitia ibi cor sapientis & ubi gaudium ibi cor stultorum. Pr. 28 Beatus homo qui semper est panidus. Ibid.  and mourning shall come at the latter end of mirth. It is for this very reason that the Wise holds it better to go to the house of sorrow, then to the house of feasting: and the cause why, is, that where sadness appears, there the heart of the wise man is lodged: but where mirth is, there is the heart of fools; and for conclusion, he gives me this wholesome document, happy is the man that is always fearful, which is the same thing that the Holy Ghost recommends to every man; to walk carefully and upright with God, thinking upon his commandments, how we keep and observe them; how we resist temptations, how we mortify our flesh, how we bestow our time, talents, and riches which he was pleased to lend us; how we labour to make up a plentiful harvest of good works for the obtaining of Heaven, what account we could give him, if he had summoned us at this very moment to appear before him. O that, We were so happy as to make of these good thoughts our frequent meditation, I am certain We should have no time to spend in the idle pleasures and pastimes of this World, but alas! our grand misfortune is, that we never trouble our brains with 'em, we will rather think of what our Kitchens can afford. To see what a number of Cooks, what a variety of meats a nobleman will have, 'tis to be wondered that so much provision should be made for one belly, and that so many people should be employed to bring up the Luxury of all tastes in one dish, which is rather like a vomit then a soup; but they have their punishment even in this World, for from their compound dishes, arise compounded diseases, which require compound Medicines. 'Tis the same thing with their mind, that it is with their Tables; simple vices are curable by simple Counsels, but a general dissolution of manners is hardly overcome: They are overrun with a public, as well as with a private madness. The Physicians of old understood little more than the virtue of some herbs to stop blood, or heal a wound, and their firm and healthy bodies needed little more, before they were corrupted with Luxury and pleasure: And when it once came to that, their business was not to lay hunger, but to provoke it, by a thousand inventions, and sauces. That which was aliment to a craving Stomach, is become a burden to a full one. So that Luxury may be looked upon as the offspring of all their diseases, as paleness in the face, trembling over all their body, a weakness in all their joints, their bells stretched, 
Multa flagella peccatoris. Psa. 31.10.  a suffusion of choler; the torpor of the nerves; and a palpitation of the heart, migraines, torments of the eyes, and ears, headache, Gout, Scurvy, several kind of Fevers, and putrid Ulcers: with many other diseases, that are but the just punishment of Luxury.  
What shall I say of drunkenness, which is a voluntary madness; it emboldens men to act all kind of mischief; it both irritates wickedness, and discovers the same; was it not in his drunken fit that Alexander took the life of Clitus upon the point of his Sword, tho' he was the dearest of his Friends, and the chief of his Favourits? It makes them that are insolent, prouder, and those that are cruel by nature put on the fierceness of an angered Bear; it takes away all shame. 
Eece caput Holofernis, qui in contemptu superbiae suae Deum Israel contempsit, & tibi interitum mina. batur. Judith. 13.28  He that is peevish breaks out presently into ill words, and blows too, and values not to strike even his Wife and Children. A drunken man's tongue trips, his head runs round, he staggers in his pace, but the next morning he will certainly meet with those diseases which usually follow this vice. How many public mischiefs it has done, how many warlike nations, and strong Cities, that have stood invincible to several attaques, and Seiges, has drunkenness overcome? how many great Arms has it defeated. Did not the drunkenness of Holofernes bring a total destruction upon the Assyrians, and at the same time an exceeding joy to the people of Israel, when they beheld his head cut off by the hands of a Woman which was of a masculine courage. Yet we may see many in the World that hold it to be a piece of gallantry to drink the company dead? a magnificent Virtue indeed, to swallow more wine than the rest, and yet at last to be outdone by a hogshead.  
But there's yet another piece of gallantry, that is as brutish as th'other, and what is that? 'tis to invert the offices of day, and night: as if their eyes were only given them to make use of in the dark: Is it day, they will cry, O then 'tis time to go to bed. Is it night? why then 'tis time for us to rise. They will Sup in the morning, and Dine at midnight. In fine, I must conclude that they are the most miserable of all mortals, that deliver themselves up to their palates, or to their Lusts: For the pleasure is short, and the end of it is either eternal shame, or a speedy, and hearty Repentance.  
What shall I say of vainglory, which is a disordinate desire to be well thought of, to be in the esteem of the World, receive the applause, and good word of all people, to be praised and glorified of Men; this indeed is a great vanity, yet, 'tis the common distemper of all men, and creeps into the breasts, even of the most religious among them; had I seen a man run up and down the streets after a feather, which is tossed to and fro with the wind, certainly I would imagine him to be either a perfect fool, or a little maddish, I can have no better opinion of a man that is carried away with the wavering blast of several mouths, for as this man might weary himself out before he got the thing which he foe earnestly followed, and when he had it, it is at best but a feather, so a vainglorious man may labour a long time, before he attain to his aim, which is a popular applause, and when he has it, it's not worth to him a pin's head, being but the breath of a few men's mouths, that does alter upon every light occasion, and now makes him great, now little, now good, now bad, and at another time nothing at all.  
O Lord! 
Matth. 27. Joan. 8. Joan. 9 Matth. 21. Mar. 27. Luc. 23.  thou art a sufficient Evidence to prove this truth, for thou hast been tossed to and fro in the opinion of men; some have said that thou wert a Samaritan, and had a Devil in thee; others, that thou couldst not be a Prophet, no, nor a man sent from God, being thou didst not keep the Sabbath-day, others, to the contrary, alleging that if thou hadst not thy commission from above, thou couldst not work so many and such stupendious Miracles; so that there was a strange division among them upon the whole matter: In fine, the conclusion of the dispute is a main argument of the World's vanity, for upon Palm-Sunday they received thee into Jerusalem with the Solemnity of Hosanna, casting green branches, and even their apparel under thy feet; but on Thursday and Friday following, they all cried out Crucify against thee, and preferred the life of a Barrabas, of a wicked Murderer, before that of a pure, spotless, and most innocent Lamb, who came to wash off our sinful spots with the effusion of his most precious blood.  
Understand this ye brutish among the People; 
Inteliigite haec insipientes in populo & stulti aliquando sapite. Psa. 94.8.  and ye fools, when will ye be wise to consider, if they dealt thus with the Saviour of the World, who was the holiest that ever trod upon the Earth, and wrought more miracles than all the books of the World are able to contain, which in all reason might have purchased him a glorious Name, Fame, and Honour among the people; why will you overlabour and toil yourselves for an unsettled blast of vainglory? Why do you cast your labours into the wind of men's mouths? 
Mihi au●em pro minimo est ut a vobis Judicer, aut ab humano die. 1 Cor. 4.3.  Why do you place your Riches in the lips of wavering and unstable men, where every Flatterer may rob you of them, have you no surer Coffer to lock them up in? St. Paul was of another mind when he said, I esteem it little to be judged of you, or of the day of man, And he had a deal of reason; for what cares he that runs at the Tilt, if the ignorant People that stand by, do give Sentence against him, so the Judges be of his side. 
Jesus filii David misereremei. Luc. 18.38.  Had the blind man in the road to Jericho, depended on the approbation and liking of those that were going by, he had never received from thee O Lord, the benefit of his sight, for they would not have him to run after thee, no, nor cry out to thee for a cure.  
If we believe St. Ambrose, he will tell us, that a vain man is no better than a windmill, for he will run on, if he be praised; but if he feels not the gale of a popular applause to blow up his Sails, he is presently daunted, & quite out of heart; no more will the windmill grind nor make any meal, but according as the blast shall hold favourable, & blow into its ribs: 
Dan. 31.  so that I may very well compare him to the Babylonians, who with a little sweet music, were made to adore any thing whatsoever. 'Tis therefore I believe that Holy Scripture says, As Silver is tried in the fire by blowing it, so is a vain man tried in the mouth of him that praises, and the similitude is very true, for as Silver, if it be good, suffers no detriment thereby, but if it be otherwise, it goes off like a shadow, and leaves nothing behind it but nasty dross; It's even so with a vain man, he is overjoyed when he is praised, but if he hears nothing said to his commendation, he is heartsick: How many have we seen put beside themselves with joy of their praises, and afterwards brought down with a contrary wind of contempt, and driven even upon the very borders of despair? how many do we see daily extolled in their Sins, and cried up in their wickedness? how many palpable and intolerable flatteries do we hear both used, and accepted of daily, for I see none give it a repulse, as David did, Away says he, with this Oil and Ointment of Sinners, let it not come upon my head. We are all created for Heaven, and why should we not rather imitate the Citizens thereof, than those of this World that are so much enamoured with its vanities, and so far engaged in the follies thereof. The Angels and Saints seek for no honour to themselves, but leave all to God, and shall We poor silly wretches desire so ardently to be glorified? for what? 
Psa. 9  is it for our dignities, for our honours, for our vast Estates? These I must confess are great matters in the fight of silly Mortals, they are Jewels of an extraordinary price, and to purchase them, they don't scruple to lay down even their Souls in exchange to the Devil for them; the Christians in Jewry were so much enamoured with them, 
Joan. 11. Toan 19  that they would not confess thee O Lord, in public, nor make open profession of thy Faith. This brought an everlasting remorse upon Pilat's injustice, 
Act. 26.  for tho' he knew thou wert innocent, yet to keep in favour with the Jews, and to continue his place under Caesar, he condemned thee to die the death even of the greatest Malefactors. Agrippa and Festus were convinced of th'mountain and truth of St. Paul's doctrine, yet these Remora's diverted them from making profession thereof. And does not the same consideration withhold Millions of Souls in this corrupt Age we live in from embracing the means of working their Eternal Salvation? O! 
Nollite esse Pueri sensibus. 1 Cor. 14.  says St. Paul to such silly Souls, be you not Children in understanding; and why? because it is usual with children to set a far greater value upon a painted table, then upon a precious Jewel; what are all the honours, dignities, and treasures of this world but painted stuff, acquired with a deal of labour, preserved with abundance of fear and care, and lost with as much grief and sorrow. I remember in my own days, that Monsieur Fouket, the greatest Favourite the King of France had, was invested with the chiefest honours and dignities that a subject could pretend to, and his heart was so swelled up with Pride, that he choosed for a mot, Quo non Ascendam, but I remember also that all his ambition and glory vanished in one night, for the King being informed of his design to make bimself absolute Master of the Isle of Rae, seized upon his earthly substance both at home and abroad, and condemned his Person to a Prison during his life, whereupon this Jest was made of him, and writ under his Coat of Arms, Quo non descendam; for certainly it was a prodigious toss, to be thrown down from the height of prosperity, to the depth of Adversity, and in one night.  
Now let us consider any state or dignity that we most affect, and reason thus, many have already mounted up so high, but they were forced to descend again, by the appointment either of Death or of Fortune, and which was the greater, either the joy of getting, or the sorrow in losing it? where are now all those Emperors, 
Potentes potenter tormenta patientur. Sap. 6.7.  those Kings, those Princes, those Popes and Prelates, who rejoiced so much in their days at their own advancement? There's not a word of them now, they are clear out of men's memory, & long since rotten in their graves. Now every mecanick fellow may boldly walk over their heads, whose faces heretofore might not be seen without a ticket for admittance into their inner chamber of Presence, and what does their dignities avail them now, only that they are the more taken notice of in Hell (if they be gone down so low) and the far more tormented by the Devils.  
I can't better compare the vanity of this World, then to a man's own shadow, which the more he runs after, 
Omnia arbitror ut stercora ut Christum lucrifaciam. Phil. 3.8.  the more it flies from him, but if he flies from it, it will approach him; the only way to catch it, is to fall down on the ground upon it. So We see that those who gaped after honour in this World, are now so far from having any honour exhibited to their Persons, that their very memory is clear out of date; whereas those who have most fled from it, and have debased themselves to the very lowest degree of mankind through an excess of humility; are now the most honoured, even by those that were their enemies in this life. St. Paul made no more of the World and of all its honours and treasures, then of common dung, and who is more honoured now then he, even in this World? who is more commended, and remembered in this life, than he, and all others that have followed his examples. We may conclude by this what a main folly it is to have so great an estimate for worldly honours, as to endanger our Souls in the vain and foolish pursuit of them. There are several other vanities in the World, which do entangle the poor Children of Adam, in a thousand follies, which are so many baits the Devil flings among them to draw their Souls into his most dark and dreadful Dominion. Some will value themselves upon the antiquity of their Families, some upon their Wisdom, others upon their beauty and rich apparel, etc. most gracious Saviour thou hast copiously instructed me hitherto in all matters relating to my Salvation, as far as I have proposed, I hope thou wilt be mercifully pleased to let me hear thy sentiments touching the premises, and how dangerous it is to hanker after such toys, and amusements of Children.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man! If mortals could trace their descents, they should find all Slaves to come from Princes, and all Princes from Slaves, and therefore I think they are not their crafts-master, when they murmur against nature, and fortune, as if 'twere their unkindeness that makes them inconsiderable in the World, when it is only by their own weakness that they make themselves so: for it is virtue, not pedigree that renders a man either valuable, or happy. It was never heard that I did either reject, or choose any man for his quality, contrariwise, to confound this vanity, when I came down from my Heavenly Father's Palace upon Earth, to become man for the Redemption of mankind; I called myself by the name of the Son of man, 
Matth. 8.20.24.26.  and chose to be born of a poor Virgin, for, otherwise I was no Son of man; 
Joan. 10.  and to debase myself the more, I went under the notion of a Shepherd, and was called so too, 
1 Reg. 9 1 Reg. 26.  which is a name of contempt in the World. Moreover when I was to constitute the first King in Israel, I did not seek for one of the most ancient blood, but fixed upon Saul, who was absolutely of the most contemptible, and basest Tribe of the Jews; and after him I selected David, who was a Shepherd too, and the poorest of all his Brethren. 
Matth. 4.  And when I came into the World as aforesaid, with a design to reform it, and spread my Doctrine over all its Dominions, 
Psa. 49. Quae stulta sunt mundi elegit Deus ut confundat sapientes, & ignobilia mundi & contemptibilia elegit Deus & ea quae non sunt ut ea quae sunt destrucret. 1 Cor. 1.27, 28.  I did not pitch upon the noblest men to give them my commission, and make them my Patentees, to bring that work to perfection; but even upon the poorest, and simplest, and those too, that had their lively hood only by fishing, I made my Apostles, and Princes of all the Earth, thereby to confound the foolish vanity of this World, that makes so great and estimable, the preeminence of a little flesh and blood in this life, where there's no merit or virtue to be found. 'Tis certain the original of all mankind was the same, and, it is only a virtuous life, and a clear conscience, that makes any man noble; for that derives even from Heaven it self, which is so bountiful as to cast those favours, and blessings, even upon the very Heathens, when they give their concurrence to receive them; for Socrates was no Patrician born, no more was Cleanthes, tho' he came to that dignity from that low and contemptible Station of an under-Gardiner; neither did Plato attain to that great dignity, wherein the World had seen him, by his birth, but by his goodness. 'Tis most certain also that the beginning of the Nobility of this Age, as well as of all other past Centurys, had nothing before it: so that of all their Ancestors, some were splendid, others sordid, as it happened, thou mayst very well Judge by David, and his Brethren, what their Father's condition was, that could afford his Sons no higher fortune, then to be private Sentinels in saul's Army, and of saul's Father too, by his sending him with a piece of bread in his pocket to seek, both far and near, for his strayed Asses: Look upon the Nobility of this present Age, and read the memorial of their Extraction, thou shalt find some good, some bad, some virtuous, and some godly, some in an eminent, and others in a very low condition; nor is it any more to their honour, the glory of their Predecessors, than it is to their shame, the wickedness of their Posterity. They are all composed of the same element, and therefore they should not value themselves upon their Nobility of blood, as if they were not all of them equal, when their primitive Progenitor is unknown, and that they can carry it no farther, the Herald provides some Hero to supply the place of an illustrious Original; & there's the rise of Arms, and Families. O, what a grand folly it is to spend one's life in pursuit of a title, that serves only when he dies to furnish out an Epitaph; yet Nobility of flesh and blood is a most precious pearl in the eye of the World, and indeed it is to be highly esteemed, when it is joined with virtue, and accompanied with the fear and love of God; They are the men whom I esteem most in the World, 
Job 1.8.  and have so great a veneration for them, that I call them my own Servants, as also the glory and renown of my whole Flock, as thou mayst see by the commendations I gave of Job to the mortal Enemy of all mankind, when he came to give me an account of his travels, and of his walking up and down the World; hast thou considered (said I to him) my Servant Job, that there's none like him on Earth; he is a true Nobleman indeed, for he is a perfect and upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil; a man that (were he stripped of all his means, of all his Children, of his health, and all his earthly wealth, reduced to lie upon a dunghill) will be notwithstanding loyal, and obedient to my commands.  
Mattathias was no less a Nobleman, 
Machab. 2.  for tho' Antiochus had deprived him of all his great Estate, and issued out his warrants to take him, and put him to death, unless he had adored his Idols, and offered them Sacrifice; yet he made an open, and public protestation that he, his Children, and his Brethren would never obey so wicked an order, and so contrary to the law of his Forefathers, adding, that it was neither profitable nor honourable to his Noble Family, to relinquish the law and righteousness of God, to fulfil the will and command of a frail, mortal and sinful man, tho' he were even a King. Eleazarus a Nobleman of great Age, 
Machab. 2.  but of a far greater courage and of a comely aspect, was sentenced to die unless he had complied with the same King's Proclamation, to eat Pork, which was forbidden them by the law; answered, that he would rather choose a glorious death, than an odious & sinful life: whereupon his neighbours and friends out of a natural compassion, would fain persuade him to eat whatsoever he had a fancy to, and that they would tell the King of his compliance with his command; but he considering the eminent dignity of his old Age, and of his ancient extraction, answered, no, the Lord forbidden that Eleazarus now ninety years old should dissemble, and give that great occasion of Scandal to young folks, for tho' I should save my life by that sinful means, yet I can't escape the hands of the Almighty, either dead, or alive. By what is said, thou mayst conclude that where true Nobility is, there virtue must be lodged, which is the only ornament that can make them grateful to me, and give them a true title to a glorious Crown in Heaven; but where this is wanting, Nobility is in itself; and in my sight, a mere trifle, and perfect vanity; he can only brag that he is of the same substance with the rest of mortals, and say unto rottenness, thou art my Father, 
Pistredinidixi, pater meus es tu mater mea & soror mea vermi bus. Job 6.  and unto worms you are my Mother and Sisters. He that will behold the Nobility of his Ancestors, let him look into their graves, there he shall find the truth of what Job speaks. True nobility was never begun otherwise then by virtue; and therefore as it is a testimony of valour and virtue in the Predecessors; so ought it to be a forceable inducement to the same in the Successors. And whoever holds the rank and name thereof by descent only, without the Substance of virtue, is altogether an Alien to his Ancestors, being he can produce nothing of their merits, and has nothing to show for his extraction, but an old piece of parchment, these are the men I speak of by my Prophet; They are made abominable even as the things which they love; their glory is from their birth, from the belly, and from their conception only, that is to say, they brag and glory of their Ancestors, Progenitors, and Noble birth, whereas, having no virtue answerable to their extraction, but following their sensual appetites, and bestowing their affections upon wicked and abominable delights, they are made in like manner abominable as well to me, as to all honest and Godly men. And in my judgement, it is a most foolish vanity in such persons to beg credit of dead men, that deserve none themselves; to seek for old titles of honour from their Ancestors, they being themselves utterly incapable of any, by reason of their base manners, and rustical behaviour.  
As for the Wisdom of the world, alas! 'tis but mere folly with me, as thou mayst conceive by what I replied to the most wise and the most learned men of Israel, 
Luk. 24.25 Stultissimus sum virorum & sapientia hominum non est mecum Prov. 30.2.  who were in doubt of my Resurrection; O Fools and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken. Solomon was absolutely the wisest man that ever-appeared upon Earth, yet he owns himself to be more brutish than any man, nay he complains that he has not even the understanding of a man, 
Eccl. 2.12.  and I really believe him, for had he any understanding at all, he would not act the Fool to that desperate degree of madness, as to give his Soul to the Devil for a transitory and brutish pleasure; hear how he speaks of himself, I was King over all Israel, in Jerusalem, and turned myself to behold Wisdom, and errors, and folly, but what is man that he should pretend to strive with his King, and Creator too, whose wisdom excels my folly, as far as light excels darkness. The World's wisdom is laughed at by my Prophet, where he says, surely the Princes of Zoan are all Fools, 
Isa. 19.11.  the counsel of the wise Councillor of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the Son of the wise, the Son of ancient Kings? where are they now, where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of Hosts has purposed against Egypt. The Princes of Zoan are become Fools indeed, the Princes of Noph are deceived, they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the Tribes thereof.  
My great Apostle, and Vessel of election gives an excellent description of the World's folly, where he says, 
1 Cor. 1.18, 19, 20.  the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the Wisdom of the Wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the Wise? where is the Scribe? Where is the Disputer of this World? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this World? for after that, in the wisdom of God, the World by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power and wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than Men; For ye see your calling, Brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of this world, to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence.  
If the Wisdom of the World be so great a folly with me, as St. Paul says, is it not an intolerable vanity to delight and boast in it, so much as men do, and to value themselves more upon it, then upon my wisdom, which was that of my Saints. 'Tis a wonderful thing to see how contrary my Judgement is to that of Man; some will thrust themselves into an Ecclesiastical State, & will conceit themselves to be most fit to do the Service of God, because they have the repute of Wise men in the World, but St. 
Non multi sapientes secundum carnem. 1 Cor. 1.  Paul will let them understand that it is not usual with me to choose many Wise men according to the flesh; He will tell them also that it is not every worldly wise man that makes a wise Christian; no says he, but if any man seem wise among you, 
Stultus fiat ut fit sapiens. 1 Cor. 3.8.  let him become a fool to the end he may be made wise. Vain therefore, and of no account is the wisdom of the world, unless it be subordinate, and subject to that of God. And whosoever, (let him be never so wise in his own judgement) will condemn those that have no esteem for the world, and are resolved to desert it, and slight all its allurements, to serve me: his wisdom herein is a main folly, and his prudence mere vanity, as he will himself confess one day, when he shall come to cry with those, who were also wise in this world, 
Nos insensati vitam illorum aestimabamus Insaniam, etc. Sap. 5.  but are now  wretches in the other. We senseless and foolish worldly wise men did esteem the life of Saints to be a perfect madness; but now our eyes are opened to see that they were the wise men indeed, and We the only fools.  
I can say no less of corporal Beauty, 
Prov. 31.  for it is vain, and the grace of a fair countenance is deceivable. 'Tis the fatal cause of the loss, and utter destruction of many Millions of Souls; it was the vain complacency that Lucifer took in his fading beauty, which gave him that irrecoverable overthrow from the height of Heaven to the bottomless pit of Hell; hear how my Prophet speaks to him; how art thou fallen from Heaven, 
Isa. 14.12.  O Lucifer, Sun of the morning! How art thou cast down to the ground, which didst weaken the Nations? for thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God: I will sit also upon the Mount of the Congregation, in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the height of the Clouds, I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to Hell, to the sides of the Pit. They that see thee, shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, is this the Angel of light far surpassing that of the Stars whose beauty did exceed that of all other Angels, but alas! it is now changed into deformity far greater than that of all the Devils in Hell. This gave occasion of David's most humble request to me, turn away my eyes, O Lord, that they behold not vanity. 'Tis a singular vanity indeed, which is both dangerous and deceitful. O! had mortals duly considered what infinite ruins and destructions beauty has caused in the World, 
Psa. 4. Psa. 118. Favus distillans labiam erecricis, ne attendas fallaciae ejus, long fac a muliere viam tuam & ne appropinques foribus domus ejus. Noviffima autem illius amara sunt quasi absynthiam, & accuta quasi gladius biceps. etc. Pr. 5.3.4.8.  they would be altogether of David's mind, and fly from it as from the aspect of a most poisonous Serpent. Was it not the beauty of the fair Helena that laid the famous Troy in ashes, and put the pious Aeneas to the straight of carrying his old Father Anchises upon his shoulders through the flames; did not the most, valiant Champions of their Age, Hector, and Achilles die upon the same account, were not all the Inhabitants of that unfortunate City, Men, Women, and Children killed, and most barbarously cut in pieces by the Grecians, to take a full revenge for the affront which Paris had done to their King, by taking his Queen away? I might have produced as many Precedents of this nature, as would be sufficient to fill a larger volume than this; but, for brevity's sake, I will only lay down before thee, this single consideration; how many Souls are daily hurried headlong to Hell for doting upon this fading and deceitful Beauty, how many challenges, and Duels, how many Jealousies, and private animosities, how many Strifes, and great uproars about this, and that other beauty? and all this noise is but for a painted Snake, (so the holy Fathers call it) which is fair without, and inwardly replenished with mortal poison; add to this the remedy which a most learned Doctor prescribes against the temptation of a beautiful Woman, consider says he, what foul dross lies under that fair Skin; for when the fairest face in the world is either scratched, or scared, it will be rather a subject of contempt then of any love. An Ague of some four or five days will bring a great alteration upon the fairest beauty, but half an hours absence of the Soul from the body will make the loveliest face that ever was a most hideous and frightful sight to be looked upon; Issabella Clara was the rarest beauty of her Age, but when she died, and was in her coffin but two days, one of the Grandees of Spain that esteemed very much her beauty when living, desired to have a prospect of her face, which was then the ngliest that ever man could behold, all covered with worms, and two ill-shaped ones starting out of her eyes; this indeed made the good Nobleman with no less horror, than admiration to utter these words, haec ne est illa Issabella Clara; is this that fair Issabella, whose resplendent beauty had ravished the hearts, and dazied the eyes of all her beholders, adieu then to the World, and all its vanities; this was a Christian Resolution, and worthy to be taken notice of by all those who bestow so much labour in procuring, or preserving their corporal beauty, as tho' all their happiness consisted therein; nay, many are detained even by that only consideration from taking a resolution to serve me, so that this precious Jewel (as they call it) is a great obstacle to their Salvation, as it is often the fatal Subject of many a poor creatures eternal damnation.  
But the basest of all Prostitutes are those that dedicate themselves wholly to the extravagance of Embroideries, rich Apparel, Paint, 
Gen. 3.  Wash, Patches, perfumes, Tire-women, etc. They have passed even the limits of Nature, for if Adam had never fallen, Men, and Women should never have known what belonged to Apparel; It is only a conveniency devised to cover the shame of nakedness, and other infirmities contracted by his dismal overthrow: They are lashed out into superfluities, insomuch, that it is now adays only for Beggars, and Clowns to content themselves with what is sufficient. Their Luxury makes them Insolent, and mad, They take upon themselves like Princes and Queens, and will fly out for every trifle, as if there were life & death in the case. What a madness is it for a man to lay out an Estate upon a Table, or a Cabinet, a hundred pound for a pair of pendants to his Lady, and a far greater Sum for garments that will neither defend her body, nor her modesty; so thin that one would make a conscience of swearing, she were not naked. This is the common distemper of all mankind, for they take pride and glory in apparel, which is as much, as if a Beggar should glory and take pride in his old clouts that do cover his sores. St. Paul seems to be aversed to this Superfluity of apparel, for, writing to his Disciple Timothy, and setting down a Rule whereby Christians should order their lives, 
Hab●●tes autem alimenta & quibus tegamur his contenti fimus. 1 Tim. 6.8.  he says, if we have wherewithal to cover ourselves, let us be content; my very dictates and the holy maxims, with the rare examples which I have left unto all mortals should condemn their nicety, and variety of apparel, for I was pleased to be content with one only garment during the whole course of my mortal life, without Shoes, Stockings, or a Hat, nor even a shirt to my back, not for any want, (for I might have had all the most precious ornaments of the World to adorn my body, 
Qui mollibus vestiuntur in domibus Regum sunt. Luc. 7 Mart. 3.11. Induebatur purpura & bysso. Luc. 16.19  with one fiat,) but it was my pleasure to appear otherwise, to condemn the World's vanity. I premitted my Prophet also with a course and austere attire, to demonstrate the abhorrence. I had against so great, and so common an abuse; & said plainly that such as are not like my Precursor in their attire, but will go clothed in soft & delicate apparel, are fit to live in the Courts of earthly Kings, then in my heavenly Palace. I said also in my description of the rich man damned, that he was apparelled in purple and Silk; meaning thereby that this was also a main step towards his everlasting damnation; even as to set forth the extraordinary holiness of my Prophet Elias, I said of him, 
Vir pilosus & Zona pellicea accinctus renibus. 4 Reg. 1.8.  that his reins were covered with hair cloth.  
It is a thing worthy thy daily admiration to consider how far asunder I & my Saints are from the humour & behaviour of Worldlings in this very matter. I was the very first Tailor that ever made up a garment in this World, and made it for the most noble of all thy Ancestors in Paradise, but of what did I make it? was it of cloth of Gold, or Silver, 
Gen. 3.  of cloth thirty, forty shillings the yard, was it of a most precious and costly silk? no, it was only of beasts skins; and St. 
Circui erunt in meloris, in pellibus caprinis egenter, angustiati, afflicti, quibus dignus non erat mundus. Heb. 11.37.  Paul avers of the greatest and noblest Saints of the old Testament that they were covered only with goat's skins, and with the hair of Camels. Does not this condemn the unspeakable vanity of mortals that are so extraordinary curious, and rich in their apparel, and take so much pride therein that they must have the spoil of all the Creatures upon Earth, to cover their backs, and adorn their bodies. From one they take his wool; from another his skin, from another his hair and fur, and from others their very excrements, as the Silk, which is nothing else but the excrement of worms. Neither are they content with all these robberies upon Earth; they must ransack the very Sea for Pearls to beautify their necks, and turn up its Sands for precious Stones to adorn their ears. They will enter into the very bowels of the Earth to find out Gold and Silver, and having borrowed all these curiosities of other Creatures for more vile than themselves, they are not content to enjoy them in private, but they must show their finery abroad, and provoke people to look upon them, as if all were of their own Stock. What an idle complacency do they take to see Diamonds Sparkle upon their singers? and how foolishly are they conceited, to think the lustre thereof come from themselves. When Silver, Gold and Silks do glister on their bodies, they look sumptuously, as if all that beauty came from them. When Catsdung does smell in their garments they would have People believe that those sweet odours proceed from their own bodies. And thus, (says my Prophet) they spend their lives in vanity without any serious care of their Salvation; nay, they take such great delight in their rich Apparel, and other vanities, that they will bring them to Church too, that men may take the more notice of them, and whilst they are running over a few prayers, their hearts are taken up with their sine garments, and their eyes are glanced on all sides, as if they were craving the applause, and admiration of the whole Assembly. I hope O man! thou art now convinced of the truth of the premises; if thou canst tell me any more of the World's vanity, let me hear it at large, and thou shalt know what my Judgement will be concerning them.  MAN. 
It was a Question among the Heathen Philosophers, whether it is better for a Man to have much, or to have enough, and the ground of their debate was, that he who has much desires more, which shows, that he has not yet enough; but he that has enough, is at rest; and the conclusion was, that he is the richest man that is content with what he has; for why should a man be reputed the less rich, for not having that, for which he shall be banished, for which his very Wife or Son shall poison him: That which gives him security in War, and quiet in Peace; which he possesses without danger, and disposes of without trouble, deserves indeed the name of Riches, which alone can make a man happy in this World: for no man can be poor, that has enough; nor rich, that covets more than he has. Alexander, after all his Conquests, complained that he wanted more Worlds; he desired something more, even when he had gotten all: And that which was sufficient for humane nature, was not enough for one man.  
I am very apt to believe that money never made any man Rich; for the more he had, the more he still coveted. The richest man that ever lived is poor in my opinion, and should be so in any reasonable man's judgement: But he that keeps himself to the limits of nature, does neither feel Poverty, nor fear it; whereas those which the World calls happy, their felicity is a false splendour, that dazzles the eyes of the vulgar, but our rich man is glorious, and happy within himself. There's no ambition in hunger, or thirst: let there be food; and no matter for the table, the dish, and the Servants; nor with what meats nature is satisfied. Those are the torments of Luxury, that rather stuff the stomach, then fill it: It studies rather to cause an appetite, then to allay it. 'Tis not for us to say, this is not hand some, that's common; the other offends my eye. Nature provides for health, not delicacy. When the Trumpet sounds a charge, the poor man knows he is not aimed at; when they cry out fire, his body is all he has to look after; If he be to take a journey, there's no blocking up of Streets, and thronging of passages for a parting compliment: a small matter fills his belly, and contents his mind; he lives from hand to mouth, without carking or fearing for to morrow. He that would know the worst of Poverty, let him but compare the looks of the rich, and the poor; and he shall find the poor man to have the smother brow, and to be more merry at the heart; or if any trouble befalls him, it passes over like a Cloud, whereas the other, either his good humour is counter fiet, or his melancholy deep, and ulcerated, and the worse because he dares not publicly own his misfortune, but he is forced to play the part of a happy man, even with a Cancer in his heart. His felicity is but personated, and if he were but stripped of his ornaments, he would be contempitble. In buying of a horse, we take off his  and his trappings, and examine his shape and body, for fear of being cozened: And shall we put an estimate upon a man for being set off by his fortune, and quality? nay, if we see any thing of ornament about him, we are to suspect him the more for some infirmity under it.  
He that is content in Poverty, would not be so neither in Plenty; for the fault is not in the thing, but in the mind. It's therefore thy Apostle writing to Timothy, says, command the Rich of this World not to be highminded, nor place their confidence in the uncertainty of their Riches; 

Divitibus hujus mundi praecipe non sublime sapere, neque sperare in incerto divitiarum.  
1 Tim. 17. Non proderunt divitiae indie ultionis.  
Pro. 11.4, Divitiarumjactantia quid nobis contulit. Sap. 5. Dormierunt somnum suum & nihil in venerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis. Psa. 75.6.   and the ground of his Precept, is, that Riches, shall not profit a man in the day of revenge, nor rescue him from the rigour of thy Justice in the day of his death, if his sins have put him out of thy favour; this the wicked Rich themselves confess, tho' too late, being already condemned to live in torments for an Eternity; what has the bravery of our Riches availed us? nothing at all; but have rather increased our misery, because we made thereof our Gods upon Earth, tho' we were often told of their vanity, and how they could never afford their Masters any comfort, or ease, when they were in most need of their help. The Royal Prophet seems to commiserate their deplorable condition where he says, Alas! the Rich men have slept out their sleep, and have found nothing in their hands; People in their sleep will dream of Mountains of Gold and Silver, and think themselves rich for ever, but when they awake, they find they are altogether in as bare a condition as before; this is the case with the rich, whilst they are in this life, they do imagine themselves Rich for ever, and that their vast treasures will bear them up in all necessities that shall occur; but when they open their eyes in the hour of death, they see then that they must departed for another World with as little provision as the poorest beggar in nature, I can't but smile to hear the Prophet Baruch laugh at such People; where are they now, says he, those great Estated men, those mercenary Judges, those deluding Lawyers, those fly Attornys, those greedy and covetous Merchants, those insatiable Usurers that heaped up such a vast deal of gold & silver, and that never desisted gathering together? Alas! they are rooted out of the World, & cast down into Hell-sire; And therefore says St James, now ye rich men weep, and wail, 
Jacob. 5.1, 2, 3. etc.  and howl, for your miseries that come upon you; now your riches are rotten, and your gold and silver is rusty; and the rust thereof shall be in testimony against you: It shall feed upon your flesh, as if it were fire; you have hoarded up wrath to your own selves in the last day. Tho' he is an Apostle that speaks, yet his words are the very dictates of the holy Ghost, whereby we may easily conceive the dangerous consequence of worldly wealth and the main folly of them that labour so much to procure the same, by injustice, and other indirect means, and when they are masters of them, do not employ them to the advantage of their Souls, but lay out all to support their grandeur, and satisfy their Lust.  
I am certain, that if an Assembly of the most able physicians of the World had met to determine whether such or such meats were dangerous to feed upon, and that they should all conclude they were absolute poison to the body, few, or none at all would hazard his health to eat thereof, tho' otherwise in sight, smell, and taste, they appeared sweet, and most pleasant; And shall not the unanimous votes of all the Saints in Heaven, and of all the Catholic Doctors on Earth, together with thy most holy and urgent admonitions, O Lord, be able to remove the disordinate love which mortals bear to this most dangerous, & Soulkilling vanity? Thou sayest by thy Prophet to all mankind, 
Divitiae si affluant nolite cor apponere. Psa. 61. Qui diligit aurum non justificabitur. Eccl. 31. Zacha. 1.  set not your hearts upon the love of Riches; and why? the wise make them this answer, because whoever loves Gold (that is beyond the precept) shall never be justified; and thou sayest thyself; that thy indignation and wrath shall fall very heavy upon rich nations. There's nothing so often repeated in Scripture as a Woe to the Rich; and thou dost confirm it thyself with that usual affirmation, Amen, Amen, I say unto you, that a Rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 
Matth. 19  What an extreme folly it is then to seek so much after so poisonous a bait, as are Earthly Riches, which may perhaps afford some little comfort to their owners in this World, but with an absolute exclusion from the everlasting pleasures of thy kingdom, Woe be to you Rich men for that you have received your consolation in this life, so that in the other you are not to expect any: Sad news indeed for the Rich, and able to settle in their hearts a perpetual abhorrence against so fatal an enemy to the Salvation of their Souls. This expression, I fear, will not at all relish with many of our Worldlings, who account Riches, to be their dearest, and only Friend, nay, had I said, their God, it would not be contrary to truth, for their hearts are more enamoured with them, than they are with thee, O Lord, tho' thou hast deposited thy sweet life to ransom their Souls from the power of Hell, 
Qui volunt divites fieri, incident in tettuionem, & in laqueum Diaboli, & defideria malta inutilia & nociva quae mergunt homines in interitum & perdidonem. 1 Tim. 6.9.  and Death everlasting. And yet if St. Paul may be credited, they are grossly mistaken, and wide from the mark they aim at, for where they expect their consolation and pleasure, they meet with their eternal destruction and sorrow, for He says, that they which will be rich do fall into temptations, and into the Snares of Satan, as also into many unprofitable & hurtful desires, which do drown them in the Abiss of destruction and Woe.  
Their main objection to this doctrine, is, what shall become of our Wives and Children, if we be not careful to provide a maintenance for them, that they may live in the World with as much splendour, as the dignity of their condition requires. But the Wife man gives them a satisfactory answer, in my mind, and a notable check to boot, for he calls them fools, and besides, he tells them in plain terms, that their great care, and labour which they take to provide so amply for their Wives and Children is sinful, and therefore will create an eternal displeasure to their poor Souls: This is confirmed by the Parable which thou didst rehearse of the Richman, who said, what must I do, for I have no place vacant wherein to bestow my Fruits? and he said this will I do; 
Lac. 12.20.  I will demolish my Barns, and erect greater, and in them will I bestow all my Fruits, and my Goods. And then I will say to my Soul; Soul, thou hast much wealth laid up for many years; take now thine ease, Eat, Drink and be merry. And did not God say unto him? thou Fool, this night thy Soul, shall be required of thee: than whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So He that impiously, or immoderately lays up treasure for himself, his Wife, and Family, expecting to enjoy it many years, deserves the same title, and may as suddenly be disappointed, because he had improved his own Stock, and robbed God, his heavenly King of his Custom, that is, He never according to his capacity bestowed any part of his treasure in pious works, as God's law doth require; And indeed, if this be well considered, We shall find it an excessive folly, and maddness too: What can it be termed else? to damn one's Soul to leave one's Wife and Children rich in the world? This is certainly the height of madness, and a mere delusion of the Devil; for one moment after We are dead, We shall care no more for all our Kindred then we shall for strangers; and one penny given in Alms while we lived for thy sake, O Lord, shall bring us more comfort at that day, than thousands of pounds bestowed even upon our nearest Relations to make them rich. It is of such People that the Prophet Royal speaks, 
Universa vanitas omnis homo vive●s. Psal. 39  where he says, that all their actions are nothing but mere vanity, for what greater vanity is there then to bequeath such vast Sums of Gold and Silver to their own kindred, and leave in a manner nothing for the good of their immortal Souls: 
Vae vobis qui trahitis iniquitatem in funiculis vanitatis. Esai. 56.  Were we to go a long journey, We would be sure to carry some provision with us for to support our bodies, and We shall take no care for our Souls when they are in their departing Agony, ready to begin that painful, and frightful voyage of Eternity? Surely such men walk unprofitably; certainly they are disquieted in vain; they heap up Riches, and know not who shall enjoy them; their life is a gathering of all kind of vansty; vanity in ambition, vanity in Riches, vanity in pleasures, vanity in their corporal beauty, vanity in their Apparel; vanity in all things which they most esteem; vanity in all their life, vanity in their death, In fine, vanity in their last Will and Testament, wherein their noblest part the Soul has the least share. Woe be unto you, says the Prophet, 
Psal. 3.  that do draw wickedness in the ropes of vanity, of promotion, of dignity, of Nobility, etc. these are the ropes he means, and which do always drag with them a vast crowd of iniqnity and Sin. Thou hast O Lord, a mortal hatred for the observers of superfluous vanities, 
1 Reg. 17.  and thou hast utterly destroyed the whole Family and Lineage of Baasa, King of Israel, for no other reason, but because they had provoked thee in their vanity. Blessed then is that man who has not suffered his heart to be seduced with the vanity and false madness of this World, 
Beatus vir qui non respexit in vanitates, & insanias falsas. Psal.  of this Vale of tears, of this deplorable banishment, of this boisterous Sea, so full of disasters, that there's not a day, nor an hour; nor a moment of our life but is attended with some misfortune, or another, the best Arithmetician that ever took pen in hand cannot exactly set down, or calculate mileries that are incident to humane nature, no tongue is able to express the manifold infirmities of our bodies, the passions of our Souls, all the affronts and injuries we receive as well from Friends, as from our Foes, all the tribulations and crosses that are laid upon us daily both at home and abroad; This Man commences a Lawsuit against us without either Equity, or Justice, but merely for spite and Malice; another lys in wait for us to take away our lives; a third man will make it his study to blast our reputation. Some are in open wars one with th'other; others, more subtle, will bear their neighbours a mortal grudge, but will make no show of it, until they meet with a favourable occasion to execute their malice; 
Da mihi in disco caput Joannis Baptistae. Matt. 14.8.  the hatred of Herodias against St. John the Baptist was not publicly known to the world until she had persuaded her Daughter to ask no greater favour of Herod then to give her in a dish the head of so renowned a Prophet, and of so glorious a Martyr. Some, to be revenged of their Brothers, (if they can't annoy their Persons,) will not scruple to produce false witness to criminate them, and be themselves of the number too; others will make it their whole business to troth up and down, like so many infernal Emissaries, and publish wherever they go, as well the private, as the public imperfections of this or that other body, even as they do maliciously and falsely surmise; and will never revoke what they had taxed him with, tho' they were even upon the borders of Hell, ready to be cast therein both Soul and body; so great is the malice of such desperate and unchristian Sonls. There are besides thief usual calamities, an infinite number of others, that are nameless, because they be sudden, and unexpected chances; one loses an eye in a Skirmish, another his arm, one gets a fall from his horse, and breaks his neck, another in a frantic fit flings himself out of a Window and is bruised to death; a Third man falls into a Pool, or a River, and is drowned.  
If all the Writers of this Sinful Age We live in had taken an exact account from every particular man within the same Century, of what distasters had happened to him in his life, they would certainly have matter enough to fill as many volumes as they have hairs on their heads, and if all the merry passages, & sad rencounters that every individual man had met with in his days, were put in a balance, the latter would much overweigh the former, so he would visibly see that for one hour of pleasure, & true content he had in his life, he met with a hundred of misery, of tribulation, and anguishs; now if the life of Man, which is so short, be intermixed with fuch a vast deal of sorrow, what a small parcel thereof can pretend to any real felicity (if such a thing may be expected in this World.)  
But all those calamities I now have mentioned, are common, as well, to the good, as to the bad, 
Lassati sumus in via iniquitatis & perditionis & ambulavimus vias difficiles: viam autem domini ignoravimus. Sap. 5.  because they both sail in the same Sea, and are both likewise exposed to the selfsame fortune; yet I can demonstrate many other miseries which are peculiar to the wicked alone, and these are not improperly termed the Daughters of iniquity, whose description will be much to our present purpose, because they render the life of the wicked most abominable, and their body and mind, both subject to a multitude of miseries. Hear, what they themselves do confess of them: Alas! say they, we have wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and perdition, We have walked in most difficult and sinister paths during our whole lives, for We know nothing of the way of the Lord; by this their own discourse we may very well conclude, that even as the Just enjoy a kind of Paradise here upon Earth, and do expect a far more happy one in the other life; so the wicked have in this World their Hell, to which a far more intolerable shall succeed in th'other, for evil Consciences proceed from Hell without doubt, and they steer their course directly to the same Haven, where they shall be tormented eternally. And their products have proportionable evils derived from several causes, some of them are the effects of thy Justice O Lord, for thou art a most just Judge in all thy proceed, sometimes thou dost order the sin to be punished as soon as committed, and tho' thou dost usually reserve the punishment thereof to the other life, yet the wicked are very often afflicted even in this life for the same. 'Tis most certain that as thou dost govern the whole World with a general providence, thou dost also moderate every particular therein with a peculiar Providence, so that, as the number of our Sins does increase, our Punishments shall be multiplied to the same degree. This we know by our many and fatal experiences, for what were all our disasters hitherto, as so many Revolutions of Government, such vast alterations and changes in matters of State and Religion, the various fortune of so many Kings, and Princes, Such horrid disloialty in Subjects to their lawful Sovereigns, so many stupendious and destructive Famines and Conflagrations, such inhuman and bloody Wars, so many pestilential Distempers, such cruel Murders; so many private and public dissensions and jars? They were certainly the just punishments of our manifold and most grievous offences: to make good what I say, that the punishment immediately follows the sin, I produce what thou O Lord, saidst to Cain for a confirmation, 
Nun si bene egeris recipies: si autem male, statim in foribus peccatum aderit. Gen. 7. Deut. 7.  If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted, but If thou dost ill, Sin lieth at thy door; that is to say, the pain and punishment of the Sin is at hand, and Moses in thy name says as much to the People of Israel; know then, that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps Covenant and Mercy with them that love him, and keep his Commandments, to a thousand Generations; and repays them that hate him, to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him that hates him, he will repay him to his face. This word Statim, so often repeated in Scripture, and which signifies a quick return, assures me that besides the punishments thou hast reserved for the wicked in th'other World, thou hast also some in store whereby to chastise them, even in this life, & immediately after the transgression of thy Law; So that as often as they fall into Sin, so often they feel the heavy weight of thy just indignation, they are tossed from one misery into another; from one tribulation they fall into another; this day brought to the bar for their misdemeanours, to morrow condemned to die, and the next day shamefully put to death without making any reflection upon what might be the fatal cause of their great misfortune: For they do not believe the goods of nature to be thy benefits, and consequently not deserving their thanksgiving for them, neither do they impute their punishment to thy Wrath, nor as laid upon them by thy appointment, and this blindness it is which prevents the amendment of their lives.  
If there were no other evil in the World than the afflictions and miseries which attend our bodies, it were not so much to be hated, neither should our fear be so great to trade, and converse therein; but seeing our correspondence and freedom with it, is so pernitions to our Souls also, which ought to be the subject of our greatest care, as being the principal part of our essence, 
Pluet super peccatores laqueos. Psal. 10.6.  and a precious depositum, whereof We must give a strict account to thee, O Lord, We are necessarily, & in all reason obliged to estrange ourselves from it, and more especially, for fear to be entangled in its Snares, which are so numerous, that the Prophet says of thee, upon the wicked thou shalt rain Snares. O what an unspeakable number of snares must be in the world then, since they are compared to the drops of Rain that fall from Heaven; and they must fall upon Sinners too, because they, of all men, have the least care of their hearts, of their senses, and consciences, they are the least solicitons to avoid the occasions of Sin, and the least concerned for Spiritual Remedys, so that being intimately acquainted with the World they can't avoid falling into these Snares which come like Rain upon Sinners. O Lord! thou dost pour down Snares upon Youth, Snares upon old Age, there are Snares in every state and condition; Snares in Riches, Snares in Poverty, Snares in Honours, Snares in opprobries, Snares in Friendship, Snares in the Society of Men, as well as in the company of Women, Snares in the Solitary Wilderness; Snares in Prosperity, Snares in Adversity, Snares in all our senses; In fine, the Prophet cries out, Snares upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth. O Lord! hadst thou vouchsafed to open our eyes, as thou didst those of blessed St. Anthony, 
Athanas. in vita St. Antony.  We should see how the whole World is spread over with Snares, and so close, that they touch one another; and we would also admire as he did, that any one should escape: what wonder is it then that so many Souls should perish daily, and that St. Bernard should faith, of ten Souls that float upon the tempestuous Sea of this World, scarce one shall be sav'd; and who shall not hate so dangerous a World, who should not fear to live in so dreadful a place, who will not strive with all his might, and skill to avoid those Snares? who will dare go barefoot among so many Serpents, and without Arms among so many Enemies; who will believe himself secure among so many occasions of Sin, or who will be so desperate as to cohabit with so many mortal infirmities without a Doctor, or his prescription to preserve him from falling into one, or several of those distempers? who will not use all his Endeavours to get out of this Egypt, out of this land of darkness, out of this Babilonish Slavery, who will not ardently desire to be set at liberty out of the scorching flames of this World, which do as often provoke thee O Lord, to resolve upon our utter destruction, as the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrha did solicit thee to so dreadful a chastisement, as theirs was? Since that the World is so replenished with dangerous Snares, designed to entangle our poor Souls therein, and send them Prisoners to the dark dungeon of Hell, and withal, We meet every where with a Precipiece, the very flames of vice have in a great measure deformed though beauty of our Souls already, who will then think himself safe to live any longer in a place so thronged with mortal Enemies?  
The Wise man sets us this Question, 
Prov. 6.  can a man take fire in his bosom, and his  not by ? or can one go upon hot Coals, and his feet not be burnt? He that will handle Pitch, 
Eccle. 13.  says another can't be free from a spot; no more can a Man that is always conversant with the Proud be exempt from Pride; and this is the case of all us poor Mortals, for We can't expect to live in the World among so many Snares, 
Aliquando incidam una die in manum Sauli nun melius est ut sugiam & salver. 1 Reg. 27.1.  and Ambushes without falling into them frequently. David was cruelly persecuted by Saul, and often in danger of his sweet life, which made him take a firm resolution to avoid his company, and never to come into his sight; for says he, if I do not take this course, and secure my life by flying from the danger; I shall certainly one time or other fall into his hands; let us make use of the same means to secure our Souls from the World, and from all it's false allurements; let us fly from them, or at least, (if We be so far engaged therein that we can't avoid it,) let us be sure to give it no place in our hearts, which ought to be wholly consecrated to thee O Lord, who alone deservest it entirely to thyself, without any Rival; for thou dost love us still (tho' We continue to be thy Enemies,) and desires only a grateful return of love from us, that we may be made happy for ever. In our Baptism We gave thee admittance into our hearts, with a promise to be faithful to thee hereafter; thou art ready to take possession thereof, and to adorn it with all thy holy Graces and favours; certainly we must be hardhearted indeed, if we refuse so favourable a motion from so good and so gracious a Saviour. I am confident thy endearing words, and most loving expressions will even force our consent to so charming a request, and the rather that it is to our great advantage, and the eternal Salvation of our Souls; Speak then O Lord, for We shall all hear thee, and will (by the assistance of thy Grace) perform what ever thou wilt command us to do.  SAVIOUR. 
O Man the greatness of my Paternal Providence for mankind in general, and the excess of my love for those among them that are my faithful Servants, should win the hearts even of the most obstinate, and most rebellious that ever were heard of, nay, it should force them to pay me that small tribute, I only require at their hands which is to love me with all their hearts, and to fulfil my commands, with the most tender affection of a most dutiful and obedient Servant. For the love I bear them, does far exceed that of all worldly Fathers to their Children; and the care I take to provide for them is altogether as great as my love; What Father was ever known to shed his blood for his children, as I have done for mine; or give that attendance to his Children, as I give to mine: I am both day and night present with them to protect and defend them from all accidents, I stand by them in all their tribulations to comfort them, and so temper their afflictions that their extremity make them not despair; the Prophet Royal was sensible of the great care I take of my Children in their afflictions; by this I know, 
Psal. 40.11, 12.  says he that thou favourest me, because thou dost not suffer mine Enemy to triumph over me; thou upholdest me in my integrity, and settest me in thy sight for ever. So great is my love for my beloved Children that I never remove my eyes from off them.  
There's no better testimony then that of a man, who knows what is said to be true by his own experience; my Prophet can give thee a true account of my ardent love for those that are so happy as to be of the number of my Children, and Favourites, and therefore I would have thee to hear what he says of me, and to fix thyself upon his undeniable deposition; behold, says he, the eyes of the Lord is upon them that fear him, and upon them that hope in his mercy, to deliver their Souls from Death. The eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the Earth. The Righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: and saves such as be of a contrite Spirit. Many are th'afflictions of the Righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all: 
Psa. 30.18. Psa. 34.15.  But evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the Righteous shall be desolate. Whereas the Lord shall redeem the Souls of his own true Servants, and Children; and none of all them that place their trust, and put their confidence in him shall ever perish.  
The greatest treasure that a Christian Man should wish to enjoy in this World is the love and Providence of God, the more he knows them, and the surer he is of their enjoyment, the greater should be his comfort, and confidence in the same God. Thou must know O man! that the testimonies of Scripture relating to the promises I give unto the Faithful of my love; 
Eccle. 15, 20.34, 19  my care and protection of them are so many authentic Evidences, and ratifications of the same, that they are no more to be questioned then is the last Will and Testament of a dying man, which none ought to mistrust of falsehood: Hear then, and take great notice of what the wise say of my great love and care for Men. The eyes of the Lord are constantly fixed upon those that fear him, there's not a step they go, nor an action they do, nor a word they speak but he takes an account of; He is the powerful Protector of the godly, the upholder of the virtuous, the Defender of the zealous, a comfort to the afflicted, a refuge to the Just from the Scorching heat of Lust, and all other vices, a Preserver from all mortal offences, their main help in all their adversities, exalting their Souls, illuminating their eyes, giving them life, health, and his everlasting blessings; O how many kinds of employments do I take upon me for the welfare and preservation of man! 
Apud Dominum gressus hominis dirigentur, & viam ejus volet, cum ceciderit non collidetur, quia Dominus supponit manum suam. Psal. 36.23, 24.  The Prophet Royal gives me another office, which ought mightily to encourage all Christians to put themselves entirely under my protection, which likewise adds very much lustre to my divine love for my faithful and loving Servants. The steps of a good man, says he, are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. Tho' he should fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Consider seriously this amorous expression, & see what hurt can come to a man that falls upon so sweet, and easy, and so gracious a cushion, as are my sacred hands? none at all; for I will preserve them so carefully, that not even the least harm shall come upon 'em; and if any should be so peremptory as to afflict, or wrong any that is under my protection, I shall take it for an injury done to myself; 
Qui vos tangit, tangit pupillam oculi mei. Zacha. 2.  for He that touches them, touches the apple of mine eye. Certainly this special care I take to protect the Righteous, is a most convincing argument of my great love for them; and the command I lay upon my Angels to keep and preserve them in all their ways, is altogether as great a proof of my tender kindness, and especially, 
Psal. 90.  the strict charge I give them to bear men up in their hands, lest they should dash their feet against the Stones; O Man consider how highly the Righteous are honoured by me, in that I have appointed my Angelical Spirits to bear them up in their Arms; What Pope, what Emperor, what Monarch in the World was ever so well supported? Beasts or men's shoulders at most are enough to carry them, but my Angels from Heaven are ordered to bear my Children even in their hands, wherever they go.  
It's usual with Elder-Brothers (if they be not of a moross nature indeed) to carry their younger-Brothers in their arms when they are not able to go themselves, and this kindness my Angels do faithfully perform to the just (as being their Elder Brothers) not only in their life time, but also in their death, as thou mayst read in Scripture, 
Luc. 16. Psal. 33.  where Lazarus after he died, was carried by the hands of Angels into Abraham's bosom. And my Prophet avers that they surround the Righteous in this life, lest any hurt should befall them from any side; and I keep a vigilant eye over them myself that no evil may annoy them; In fine they shall tread upon the Lion, 
Psa. 91.13, 14, 15, 16.  and Adder: The young Lion and the Dragon shall they trample under their feet, because they have fixed their love upon me, therefore will I deliver them: I will set them on high, because they have known my name. They shall call upon me, and I will answer them: I will be with them in all their troubles, I will also deliver them, and honour them too; I will bless them with a long life, and show them my Salvation at the hour of their death. When the King of Syria came with a numerous Army to take my Prophet Eliseus' Prisoner, his Servant felt so great an Agony of trembling, and was so terrified at the sight of so dreadful a power, 
4 Reg. 6.17  that my Prophet prayed hearty I should open his eyes, to let him see the far greater number of Angels which were on his side, to beat down that vast multitude which came to annoy him; whereupon the Servant was animated, and seemed to dare his Adversaries, or at least to make slight of them; had I opened thine eyes likewise, and set thee the question, what dost thou see in Sunamite, that is my Church, or every Soul that lives in the state of Grace, thou wouldst answer; I see great Armies of Angels on every side of her; O what a puissant Guard is this! sure there's no danger of any disaster falling upon my faithful Servants whilst they are so extraordinary well protected? 
Quid videbis in sunamite nisi choros castrorum. Cant. 7.   
Solomon's Couch was environed with sixty Men of the Strongest and stoutest of all Israel, with their drawn Swords in their hands and were all expert in Martial discipline, each one well Armed at all points for fear of any nocturnal incursions, 
Cant. 3.  or insurrections. This is only a figure, but a perfect representative of the great care which I take to preserve, & protect the Righteous, otherwise how could they, (being conceived in sin, & living in a frail & corrupt flesh, prone to all evil, & among so many snares, and powerful allurements to evil) pass over as many years without the least mortal Sin? this is the wonderful effect and chief benefit of my Divine Providence and Protection, which is so extraordinary great that it does not only preserve them from evil, but changes the very evil which they had carelessly committed into a subject of greater good, 
Diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28.  because that by this little stumble they got, they become more wary, more humble and more thankful to me: who have withdrawn them from so great a danger, and forgiven them an offence against my infinite Majesty. This was an occasion of St. Paul's saying. 
Diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28.  We know all things work together for good, to them that love God. If this great favour be worthy of all men's admiration, how much more astonishing will it be, that I show this great Mercy not only to my beloved Servants, but also to their Children, and to their Child's Children after them, as I do solemnly declare in these words. I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, 
Exod. 20.5  visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments. David is a sufficient Precedent hereof, for I did not reject his Children for many Ages; and tho' their sins have often deserved my abandoning them, yet I had patience with them for the love and esteem I bore to David their worthy Father, and my faithful Servant.  
When Abraham sent his Servant to find out a competent, 
Gen. 17.  and virtuous Wife for his dearly beloved Son Isaac, I had a special care to direct him the safest and best way, and also to bring his business to a most prosperous conclusion, and all was for the great love & kindness I had for his Master; 
Gen. 39  I would do as much to a bad Master for the sake of a good Servant, and have already done it to Potiphar the Egyptian, for the sake of my Patriarch Joseph, for I have multiplied all his substance as well in his house, as in the Fields, not upon his own account, being an unbelieving Heathen, but merely for the love I had for his chaste and godly Servant. What mercy, what care, what Providence can be greater than this? and is he not a mad man indeed that will refuse to serve so good, so liberal, and so bountiful a Lord as I am to all those that serve me, and who am so careful of themselves, 
Capillus de capite vestro non peribit. Luc. 21.28.  and of all that concerns them, that, I can't suffer so much as one hair of their head to be lost.  
The effects of my Providence are so many, and so wonderful, that I am commonly called in Scripture the Father of the Righteous, 
Psal. 103.  and I likewise call them my dearly beloved Children: my Providence promoted the Prophet royal, and was favourable to him upon all occasions, neither was he ungrateful, or unmindeful of my benefits, for He gives me this Atonement of his grateful acknowledgement, Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his benefits, Who forgives all thine iniquities, who heals all thy diseases; who redeems thy life from destruction, who crowns thee with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies thy mouth with good things: by him thy youth is renewed like the Eagles. The Lord executes righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, and all his actions unto the Children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and prone to mercy. He will not always chide us, neither will he keep his anger for ever; He has not dealt with us as our sins have deserved: nor has he rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the Heaven is High above the Earth, so great is his mercy towards them that fear him. As far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us, even as a Father doth pity his Children, So the Lord pitties them that fear him, for he knows our frame, and he remembers that we are nothing but dust. 
Esa. 63.16.   
The Prophet Esaiah, thinking the name of Father did not sufficiently express the tenderness of my love, because it has been never yet paralleled by any mortal Parents, says, Lord! thou art our Father indeed, Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. Thou O Lord art our Father, our Redeemer, and thy name is from everlasting; and tho' they be our Father according to the flesh, yet they don't deserve the name thereof; 'tis a qualification due to thee alone, for their love for us is no more than a shadow to that which thou hast expressed to us upon all occasions, my love rather resembles that which a good natured Mother bears to her child, and therefore I compare myself to the most passionate of the Sex. Can a Mother forget her sucking Child, that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me. 
Esa. 49.15.  Can any Mother speak with a more tender expression of love; who will be so blind, so stupid, and so far from good nature as not to rejoice at the very sound of these superamourous words, which are able to revive the deadest heart that ever was to all motions of love, or devotion? what man (tho' never so great a drone) hearing me give him this extraordinary assurance of my most ardent love, and paternal Providence, will not run with the spouse in the Canticles after the sweet scent of my perfumes. I am a God that speaks to thee, and the eternal verity too, which was never guilty of the least falsehood, whose riches have no limits, and whose power is of the same nature with the rest of my attributes, which are all infinite, I am therefore him only thou shouldst fear to offend, and in whom thou shouldst place all thy hopes and confidence: my words should comfort and rejoice thy heart, the title of honour I confer upon thee, should unman thee so far as to take on the heart and spirit of a child of God, and the assured demonstrations I give thee of my great Love and Providence should breed in thee an everlasting abhorrence of the World, and all its allurements.  
What more shall I say? 
Deut. 32.11. Deut. 1.31.  or to what shall I compare the love which I bear unto thee; the Eagle of all Mothers, is the most tender of her little ones, and it's therefore the Prophet says of me, as an Eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, and bears them on her wings, so the Lord has dealt with thee, nay, thou hast seen how the Lord thy God bears thee, as a man does bear his young child in his arms, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. What could I do; that I have not done to my People to wean their affections from the World, and settle them totally upon so good, and so Cordial a Father as I am to them? I call them my beloved Children, and so they are indeed, for thou shalt find as many authentic testimonies as there have been Prophets in the World from the beginning, that they are my Children in effect as well by their Creation as by their preservation from all dangers. The Prophet Jeremy will tell thee that I have loved them with an everlasting love, 
Jerem. 31.  and that with loving kindness I have drawn them out of nothing to what they are at present, and have preserved them as well from their temporal, as from their Spiritual Enemies, whilst they remained submissive to my Laws, and gave me the reverence which is expected from dutiful Children to their Parents; O ye Nations! says the same Prophet, hear the word of the Lord, & declare it in the Isles afar off, & say, the Lord that has Scattered the People of Israel for their Sins, will gather them again, if they will cry to him for mercy, and if they continue obedient to his commands, he will keep them, as a Shepherd does his flock. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and has ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger then Herald The same Prophet will tell thee also how ready, and willing I am to be reconciled to my Children when they repent, He represents me, as if I were overjoyed at the very hearing of their mournful voice; I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repent; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my Thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth: thou has heard the repentance of a sorrowful Sinner; & his firm resolution to lead a better life for the future. Now observe well my joyful expressions to him. Yea Ephraim my dear Son? He is a pleasant Child indeed? for since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still: Therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, says the Lord. All these properties exercised by me upon my beloved, deserve to be seriously considered, for they are certainly able to inflame the most obstinate hearts with my love, and why not, being I am so much enamoured of them, tho' they be so refractory to my laws, and such great enemies to their own welfare, that they do not regard my earnest, and charming invitations.  
But to oblige them the more to their duty to me, 
Joan. 14.15.  I tell them that I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine: But how dost thou know them, O Lord? with what eyes dost thou behold them? As my Father knows me, even so know I my Father, and with the same eyes that I behold my Father, and my Father beholds me; I behold my sheep. O most blessed Eyes! O most happy aspect! O wonderful Providence! What greater glory, what richer treasure, or what greater Riches can any Man desire, then to be the worthy object of my divine Aspect, and to be looked upon with the same eyes that my Father beholds me? 
Ezech. 34, 11, 12, 13.14. etc.  What! an adopted Son only to enjoy the privilege, & chief prerogative of the only and dearly beloved Son of God? O the main advantage! O the unspeakable favour! Hear how the holy Ghost extols the superexcellent benefit of this peculiar Providence by the mouth of my Prophet: Behold, I, even I will both search my sheep, and seek them out, as a Shepherd seeks at night for the sheep which are strayed or scattered from his Flock in the day; so will I seek out my Sheep, and will deliver them out of the places, where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the People, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own Land, and feed them upon the Mountains of Israel by the Rivers, 
Ezech. 34. ult.  and in all the inhabited places of the Country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high Mountains of Israel, shall their food be: there shall they lie in a good Fold, and in a Fat Pasture shall they feed upon the Mountains of Israel. I will feed my Flock, and I will cause them to lie down says the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, & bring back again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken? and will strengthen that which was sick: But I will keep the fat and the strong, and will feed them with judgement. I will make with them a Covenant of peace, and will cause the evil Beasts to cease out of the Land, and they shall dwell safely in the Wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make the places round about my hill a blessing, and I will cause the shower to come down in his Season, and there shall be showers of blessing.  
Tell me, O man! what greater care could be expected from a watchful Shepherd, or what sweeter words could I make choice of to express my unspeakable kindness for all mankind, for they are the Sheep that I have taken so much labour and care to preserve, they are that dear Flock for which I have spilt my blood, and lost my life, and therefore thou must not understand the words of the Holy Ghost of any material or brutish Flock; No, no, He means thee and the rest of mortals, and therefore He concludes, 
Esai. 40.11  ye are my Flock, the Flock of my Pasture are Men. They are my Sheep, and I am their Shepherd; neither is it a common Pasture I promise unto them, nor the abundance of Earthly wealth, but my own Flesh and Blood which contains a vast treasure of spiritual graces, and of a peculiar Providence, whereby, as a gracious and bountiful Lord I do rule and protect my Spiritual Flock. All this is consonant to what another Prophet says of my great care and tender love for ungrateful mortals; He shall, says he, feed his Flock like a true Shepherd indeed; 
Esa. 40.11.  for he shall gather the young and the weary Lambs, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead the sheep that are heavy with young ones, and carry them in his arms too, if they be not able to go, what can be said more charming? The words of the Prophet Royal are indeed no less, for they seem to proceed from a heart throughly inflamed with my love: The Lord says he, is my Shepherd, & therefore 'tis impossible that I should want; having so good, and so bountiful a Keeper; He makes me to lie down in green Pastures: He leads me besides the still-waters, and (which is a far greater benefit than all the rest) he has converted my Soul, and has restored unto her, her former beauty which was wholly lost by Sin; and now He leads me in the Paths of Righteousness for his holy names sake; I might tell thee of several other properties which are given to me in Scripture; as that of King, because I govern, and defend my People; that of Master, because I teach, and instruct them how they are to decline iniquity, and keep always within the ways of Righteousness? a Physician, because I cure them of all their distempers, as well Spiritual as temporal; but the sweetest name of all, and that which pleases me most, is that of Spouse, because it represents my love, and Providence to mankind more amply and of greater importance to them, for being their Spouse. 
Gen. 2.  I must forsake Father and all, to adhere unto them, and put on their nature too, so that they and I shall be henceforth as two in one flesh: O says St. Paul, 
Ephes. 5.32.  this is a great Mystery: But I speak concerning Christ and the Church. 
Jere. 3.4.  'Tis so great a mystery that thou and all mankind have reason to love me above all creatures in the World, and to cry unto me, Thou art our Father indeed, our powerful protector, the Guide of our youth, and the only keeper of our integrity; nay says St. Ambrose, 
St. Ambr. de Virg.  thou art all things unto us, if we be wounded, thou art a Physician to cure us; if We be in a Feverish heat, thou art a fountain to quench our drought; if We be laden with iniquity, thou art the Lamb that came from heaven to take away the Sins of the World; if We be in need of help, thou art of an omnipotent power, and thou hast the Will to assist us in all our necessities: if We fear Death, thou art life everlasting: if We desire Heaven, thou art the way to it: if We be willing to avoid darkness, thou art the Light; if We want Food, thou art the lifegiving bread. Tell me O Man, canst thou imagine any thing in this World more glorious, more precious, more lovely, more honourable, or more advantageous to thy Soul then to enjoy me, who am thy Creator, thy Redeemer, thy preserver, thy Lord, thy Father, thy Shepherd, thy Physician, thy Master, thy Keeper, thy Bearer, thy Strong wall, thy Defender, thy Castle, thy Spouse, and thy All in All; What treasure can any man have in this World to confer upon his Friend that is to be compared to the least of all these benefits. 
Laetamini in Domino & exultate justi & gloriamini omnes recti cord Ps. 32.11.  The consideration hereof makes the Prophet Royal invite all the Righteous to rejoice, and to be glad in the Lord, and all those that are upright in heart to shout for joy, as if He would say, let others rejoice in the Riches and Honours of the World, others in the Nobility of their blood, and high extraction, others in the Friendship and favour of Kings and Princes, others in the excellency and preeminency of their Stations and Dignitys; but ye that have God for your Lord, for your possession, for your everlasting Inheritance, rejoice in good earnest, & glory in the peaceable fruition of so great a treasure, for your happiness is greater than theirs, by how much God is more excellent than his Creatures, 
Psal. 143.11, 12, 13, 14, 15.  as my Prophet declares in these words; Quit me O Lord, and deliver me from the hand of strange Children, whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our Sons may be as Plants grown up in their youth; that our Daughters may be as corner Stones polished after the similitude of a Palace; that our Gardens may be full, affording all manner of store; that our Sheep may bring forth thousands & ten-thousand in our Fields, that our Oxen may be strong to labour, that there be no breaking in nor going out; that there be no complaining in our Streets, Happy is the People that be in such a case: 
Beatus Populus cui Dominus Deus ejus. Psal. 143.15.  But He said from the very intrinsic part of his Soul, that happy, and ten thousand times happier is that People, whose God is the Lord; and he gives this reason for it; He that enjoys him, is in possession of that one good, which comprehends all goodness that can be desired, or thought of. Let who will glory in those terene and transitory blessings, as for my part says he, I will (whilst I breath,) glory in the Lord my God alone; and so says the Prophet Habacuk too; 
Have— 17, 18, 19  Tho' the figtree should not blossom, tho' there should be no fruit in the Vines, tho' the labour of the Olive should fail, and the fields should yield no meat, tho' the flock should be cut off from the Fold, and there should be no herd in the Stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like Hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high Places: To the chief singer on my stringed Instruments.  
These are the treasures, this is the glory which I have prepared even in this life for those that serve me, and I think them sufficient motives for all mortals to love, adore, & reverence me, who am so good and so gracious a Lord to them. But on the other side, 'tis a subject of great displeasure to me to see them, after all my goodness, so prone to neglect my Service, and run after the false and fatal pleasures of the World, as tho' I were not worthy their constant affections; But alas! It was ever so with mortals; their Ingratitude is as ancient, in a manner, as the very Creation of the World, for the same abomination I found among the Israelites, and have taxed them with it too, by my Prophet Jeremy; Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 
Jer. 25.31.  Thus says the Lord, what iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Be astonished, O ye Heavens, at this horrid ingratitude! and what is it? 'Tis that my People have committed two great evils; they have forsaken me in the first place, who am the plentiful fountain of living waters; and in the next place, they have hewed out for themselves broken Cisterns that can hold no water. O ungrateful Generation, hear the word of the Lord! Have I been a Wilderness unto Israel, or a land of darkness. Have they already forgotten the several victories I gave them of their enemies, and the manifold blessings I have conferred upon themselves for so many Ages? Is this the return they make me of all my kindness, to tell me confidently they will come no more unto me. Can a Maid forget her ornaments, or a Bride her Attire? yet my People have forgotten me, days without number, notwithstanding I am all their ornament, their glory, their beauty, and all that can be thought of to make a People happy. O man! If I did so much lament and grieve to see the People of Israel prove so ungrateful to me, as to disown me, after all the favours I heaped upon them, which I must confess, were but temporal Blessings: how much more reason have I to be displeased with Christians, who have received from me so many, and such great blessings as well temporal, as spiritual, and for whom I have suffered the most cruel death that ever was heard of; and after all these extraordinary great favours to be slighted by them every day more than other, nay, they every moment crucify me anew with their wilful wickedness, 
Non hunc sed Barrabam. Joan. 18.40. Nollumus hunc regnare super nos. Luc. 18.14. Jugum enim meum suave est, & onus meum leve. Matth. 11.30.  they willingly postpone me to a Barrabas, and tell me plainly they are better pleased to have the world for their Lord and Master (tho' never so deceitful and cruel,) then to be ruled by me, whose yoke is sweet and whose burden is both light and pleasant.  MAN. 
O Most gracious Saviour! Thou hast reason to be displeased with us indeed, hadst thou cast us off, and absolutely given us over into a reprobate Sense, 
Video meliora, proboque; deteriora sequor. Ovid.  our ingratitude has deserved it; We have often experienced the tenderness of thy love to us, and there is not a day, nor an hour, no, nor a moment of our life but receives the bountiful influences of thy Paternal Providence; We know likewise that thy yoke is sweet and that thy burden is both light and pleasant: 
Psa. 83.11.  We are also convinced that a day in thy Court is better than a thousand spent in the World, and that it were more for our Soul's advantage to be a Door-peeper in thy house, then to dwell in the Tents of wickedness, yet notwithstanding all our knowledge of thy goodness, and of the World's falsehood, baseness, and horrid deceits; We blind and graceless Wretches will forsake thee to serve so cruel a Master, who will undoubtedly deal with us after all his ample promises of great Fortunes, vast Treasures, rare Pleasures, just as the ungrateful Laban did with poor Jacob, he made him to slave full Seven years to purchase the fair Rachel, 
Gen. 19  and in the conclusion He gave him for all his extraordinary pains and labour but a blind, deformed and ill shaped Leah. To this Man the World will promise long life and health, and cuts him off in the flower of his Age; to another, He will promise Wealth and promotion, and after a deal of slavery to attain it, he is still in the same station no better than a beggar: He inspires another with great designs, he will push him on to struggle for a Crown, and when he comes to it, he throws him into a precipiece with more haste and worse luck, and breaks his neck into the bargain. To another He will promise a great fortune by Marriage, but when he is possessed of the Lady, and thinks himself happy for ever; he finds himself more unfortunate than before, for in lieu of getting Wealth by her, he loses what he had of his own, and is clapped into prison to boot, for her debts. If I should traverse the circuit of the World, behold Countries, view Provinces, look into Cities, enter into private Houses, and to the Palaces of Princes, I shall hear nothing else but lamentable complaints of the World's deceits; one will deplore the loss of his plentiful Estate, another the sudden death of his Eldest Son contracted, and ready to be married to a great Fortune. Another mourns for the loss of his Daughter and of her great Portion too, whereof he can't avoid the payment, and that adds mainly to his great sorrow. Another will tell me that he spent much money in courting a rich Widow, in hopes, to purchase a good Estate with the products of her considerable Jointure, and that (to his utter destruction) she died as soon as he was married to her: This Lady will lament that she was deprived of her first love; another, that she has very bad success in her Lovers, for they do all slight her. The Merchant will complain of a great loss he had at Sea; The Soldier, that he is not preferred according to his deserts, and withal, that he is like to starve for want of his pay. The Usurer will tune up his pipes to the loss of ten per Cent. and of his principal too, which was very considerable. In fine, there's no state or condition but will have something, or another to say of the World's deceits.  
Can there be a greater deceit than what We see daily before our eyes? The World does promise renown, and everlasting fame to all his Followers; yet we see they are no sooner dead than forgotten. There's not one, of a hundred thousand of those gallant sparks (which have made a great figure in this World when living) now remembered: no, nor once named. What is become of all those renowned Heroes, those famous Generals, those superior Officers, those marshial Captains those stout and desperate Soldiers, those learned and wise Counsellors, those Eminent Dukes, those great Princes, those powerful Kings, and Emperors, those excellent Queens, those worthy Lords and Ladies? who remembers them now? or who once thinks of them? not one, their memory has perished with their life, to fulfil the Prophet's prediction of 'em; and to accomplish the words of Job, 
Perijt memoria corum cum sonitu. Psal. 9.8. Job. 20.8. Psal. 1.4.  their remembrance shall be as Ashes trodden under foot; and those of holy David; they shall be as dust blown abroad with the wind. Paul one of the first Hermits, lived fourscore and ten years in a Wilderness, and during so long a time he never conversed with Men, nor knew any of the World's intrigues, He made himself altogether an Alien to it, yet the World remembers him still and honours his memory too; whereas all those great Persons, I but now mentioned, that made it their chief business to know, and to be known to the World, are now clearly forgotten; so that I may very well compare it to a covetous and forgetful Host, who if he sees his old Acquaintance pass by his Inn in a poor condition, He takes no notice of him, and if the old Cavalier should repine at his strangeness to him, and tell him that he was formerly a very good Customer to his house, his reply will be, that he believes so, but so many comes that way, that he does not take notice of all; such an Innkeeper must be dealt with, as St. Paul, and others of the same Spirit, dealt with the World, We must use him ill, and take no notice of him, but pass by him without giving him so much as a bare salute, this is the only way to oblige him to remember us, and make him speak of us too, very often, tho' We should be in another Country, or perhaps rotten in our graves.  
The World was never better set forth in its own colours, then by a certain learned Author who tells me, that it seems to the eye noble, goodly, fair, friendly, free, and gorgeous; but when it comes to the proof, We find its qualities quite contrary, and are experimentally convinced, that it is a mere shadow, a perfect smoke, and a fine Image of plaister-work, that is full of old rags and patches within side. And this makes St. Augnstin cry out, 
Aug. 13. Medit.  O most miserable and deceitful World! Thy grief is true, but thy delight is false; thy sorrow is certain, but thy pleasures are much of thy own nature, fading, failing, vain, and altogether uncertain: Thy pains are permanent, but thy repose false, & transitory: Thy toils are intolerable, & thy rewards are most contemptible: Thy promises are great and Princely, but thy payments are beggarly: Thy miseries are void of consolation, and thy happiness is mingled with all kind of misery.  
A man will easily discover the manifold miseries of the World, if he stands above it, or far off from it, even as a mist is better seen at a distance, then close by it; It's therefore that virtuous and godly men have an absolute abhorrence of it, because that in their eminent Station, they have a full prospect of all its vanities; but whosoever has any commerce with it, the first entertainment he is to expect, is to be led blindfold with the prosperity thereof, that he may not see the misery of his own condition, nor the way to better himself; & in this case the world deals with his silly followers, even as the Raven does with the poor innocent Sheep, the first thing he does before he tramples on his back, is, to strike out his eyes, that he may not see the way to escape his tyranny.  
This is exactly the world's practice; no sooner has he bereft his poor & wretched Citizen of his Spiritual Sight, 
Matth. 4.  and put him in that distressed condition, that he knows not how to judge between good and evil, vanity and verity, true and false pleasures, but he works him asleep, binds him sweetly, and deceives him pleasantly, torments him in great peace and rest; gives him a Proud Spirit, which shall place him upon the Pinnacle of greedy Ambition, and thence shows him all his alluring dignities, and charming Preferments. The World's projects do not end thus, He has his deceitful Merchants, that when they make sale of their Cloth and other goods, show the first and last part of them, but will not admit the buyer to view, search and see throughly, lest he should discover the cheat. He has several hundreds of false Prophets at his command to flatter, and divert him, (as they did Achab) from hearing Michael's counsel, 
1 Reg. 22.  or taking any notice of the torments of his Conscience, that tells him of the dangerous state of his deluded Soul. He has a thousand sly and cunning fishers that will lay pleasant baits to draw him into further mischief. He has a thousand times more Strumpets of Babylon at his pleasure then Solomon had of Queens and Concubines, 
Apoc. 17.  and these he employs to present him provoking liquours out of their golden Cups. But alas! 'tis a draught of deadly poison to their Souls. 
Jud. 4.  He has at every door of his enchanted Palace, an alluring Jael to entice him to take off his fatal delights and pleasures; each of them having their hammer & nails, to drive through his brains when he is in a fast sleep. 
2. Reg. 1.  He has also a flattering Joab in every corner ready to embrace him with one arm, and murder him with the other, 
Matth. 24.  and a false Judas likewise, to give him a kiss, & betray him at the same time to such enemies, as will take delight to torment him. O my Soul! 
Jo. 21.  let us fly with all speed from so perfidious, so pernicious, and so dangerous an Enemy, for if We should love him, he will hate us, if we should put our confidence in him, he will certainly deceive us: If we should serve him, he will afflict us: if we should honour him, he will debase us: if we should be of his faction, he will undoubtedly damn us: In fine, if We should be so enamoured with the World, as to love, and adore it more than God himself, & should we make ourselves his absolute slaves to be the more in his favour, he will certainly prove another Nabal to us at the fag end of our mortal life, and give us the same answer, and the same entertainment as he gave to David, and to his Servants, that is, 
1 Reg. 25.  to send us into the next world with a surly kick for all our pains taken in his Service, and with a who is David, or who is the Son of Jesse, that I should know him. Let us therefore my Soul! take notice of David's advice to all mortals, and look upon the World hereafter not only as a liar, but a mere Impostor, let us then fly from all its pleasures and treasures, and principally, because thou hast O Lord, 
Psal. 4. Matth. 3. Grego. hom 5 in Evang.  called them thorns, as indeed they are; for even as a Man when he is cast naked among thorns, can't choose but have his body rend, and torn, and made bloody: So any worldly man's Soul harassed with the manifold cares and thoughts of heaping up wealth, must be strangely perplexed with the restless pricking of the same, neither can she be free from mortal wounds, having so many strong temptations and pressing allurements to bring her to Sin. We have a vulgar story whose moral part shows that Riches cannot be possessed without anxiety and great care, A certain man of a mecanick calling, having nothing to support himself and family but what he purchased by his honest labour, lived notwithstanding very merrily; and urtered daily so many pleasant strains, as evidently avere the products of a mind not only easy, & contented, but void of all tormenting care. This being observed by an Usurer, (a daily witness of his poor but happy life) that was not a little amazed to see him so necessitous, and withal so merry; he resolved to try whether money would allay, or increase his mirth. And thereupon conveyed a hundred pound into his homely habitation, really thinking, that Sum would augment the poor man's mirth to excess; but the conclusion was directly opposite to his expectation, the man quits his business, is employed in counting his newfound treasure; he sung no more that day, nor did the night give him any rest, only the opportunity to muse more deliberately how he should dispose of his Cash, a thousand projects present themselves: either to enlarge his shop, or to take a whole house and to improve his wealth by letting of lodgings; now he was for purchasing a spot of ground to build upon, and immediately for putting it to interest in order to prefer his Children; in the morning he returns to his usual business, but 'twas so heavily and with so dejected a countenance, that his neighbours admired at the sudden change of the man, and asked him what he ailed, and what the cause might be that interrupted them the hearing his delightful and merry voice that morning above all others: among the rest the Usurer came to see him, & hearing what moan his neighbours made for his so sudden melancholiness, he begged their excuse expressing himself sorry that the man had lost his mirth, that was so recreative and pleasant to them, demanding withal his bag of money, which he left there the day before; what said the poor man, does that treasure belong to you? why then take it in God's name, for had it stayed longer with me, I should certainly have run mad: No sooner was he quit of his Mammon, but he cleared his brows, tuned his voice, and returned to his business & merry notes.  
This is an argument that Riches bring trouble and affliction with them, 
Eccl. 1, 2, 3, 4. Phil. 4.  and Solomon the wisest of men confirms it; and St. Paul avers that where the love of Riches is once settled, the peace of God is utterly excluded; and this is a greater loss than our understanding can comprehend; in a word that man who puts his heart in his treasure has a restless Soul, and this is the greatest misfortune incident to mankind. He is like a Clock, (which when wound up) will never leave its motion till the weights be down, 'tis the same with him; his mind will never be at rest whilst so many cares, and anxieties possess it, which are to it, as weights to a clock that keep it always going; so when others are in their sweet repose, he is breaking his brains contriving how to manage his money to the best advantage.  
Of all the Plagues that God was pleased to impose upon the Egyptians for their many and grievous sins; 
Exod. 8.  that of the flies was most intolerable because they were so cruelly tormented by the very creatures they had adored for Gods; I may say the same of worldly men, that of all the Miseries and troubles which God lays upon 'em for their offences, this is one of the greatest, to be tormented and grievously perplexed with the cares even of that thing, which they adore as their God, and in which they place their chiefest felicity: And let them use all their skill to forget these cares, they can't possibly expel them; and this adds much to their great disaster: no, they will assault them in the morning, and shall bear them company all day, neither shall they leave them at night, no, they will enter the bed with 'em, and deprive them of rest, they shall be the subject of their dreams; 
Qui nocte nec die non dabunt requiem. Jer. 16. Quia abstuli pacem a populo isto, dicit Dominus, & misericordiam, & miserationes. Jer. 16.  so that I may well compare them to those unmerciful Tyrants, wherewith thou O Lord, dost threaten the wicked by thy prophet, which shall allow them no comfort or ease, either night, or day. This is a very great affliction I confess, and the only reason hereof, is, that thou hast taken away thy peace from so terrene a People, plunged so extremely in their pleasures, without the least care of their Souls, or thought of heaven; and therefore have they merited a divorce from thy mercy, and a continuance of their deplorable state even without hopes of thy commiseration.  
And really (if I give credit to what the Prophet Esay says of them) their condition is so bad; 
Esai. 59  that it can't be better expressed then by his own words. They put their trust in things of nothing says he, and do talk of vanities: They conceive labour and bring forth iniquity: They break the eggs of Serpents, and wove the webs of Spiders: He that shall eat of their eggs shall die; and that which is hatched thence shall be a Cockatrice. Their webs shall not make cloth to cover them, for that their works are unprofitable: and the work of iniquity is in their hands. There's not a word in all this, the Prophet's description of the Rich of this World, but contains a mystery: by the first, that they put their trust in things of nothing, we may very well conceive the vanity of Riches, which if enjoyed to day, to morrow they may be snatched from us, and perhaps our lives too, for lucre of them: And he who takes them from us, may likewise lose them soon after with the same damage, if not a greater, I mean his Soul's loss for ever. They conceive labour, O what a deal of toil do poor worldlings take to heap up treasures, how many perilous voyages to the East, and West-Indies, how many tedious journeys by land, to this and that other Fair, how many dangers of being robbed, and of losing their lives too? Day and night they are afraid of Thiefs; nay, they dare not trust their own Servants, no, nor their Wives, with the keys of their treasures for fear they should rob them of their money; and if any thereof be taken away, O what an angry countenance will he put on! what curses, what Imprecations will he make? What a consternation will the whole Family be in? every one striving to clear himself, will make his earnest Address to the Conjurer; and as he is apt to tell lies, being so great a familiar with Lucifer, he may make the innocent criminal, and the criminal innocent; for with him favour goes by bribing, and he that gives him most, shall have his best word, tho' he were the greatest Knave in the whole Pack: this is the labour, now let us hear th'Iniquity it brings forth, is there not a woe pronounced to them, which draw iniquity with the ropes of vanity? The same Prophet says that they break the Eggs of Serpents. Pliny the naturalist tells us, (and our own experience confirms it,) that the bird which sits upon the eggs of a Serpent, by breaking and hatching them, brings forth a venomous brood that will most certainly be the utter destruction of herself. 'Tis even so with a man that sits (as it were) in brood upon his Riches, and does affect them overmuch; they will certainly be the death of his Soul, and in the interim will make him a most miserable wretch whilst he lives in this World, always in fear of losing them; for they are as apt to change Masters, as the Spider's web is to be broken with the least puff of Wind: this wants no confirmation, for the man in the Gospel ratifys it, who with excessive care and labour had gathered so vast a quantity of Riches, that he was forced to pull down his old barns and build new to lay them in: and when that was done, he bids his Soul enjoy herself, being really persuaded he should live splendidly and far sumptuously upon them many years; but his Soul was snatched that very night from him, and all his great preparations were useless to him. This inconstancy of Worldly wealth occasioned the said prophet to say, that the webs of those weavers shall not make cloth to cover them withal, nor shall their works be profitable to them, and that none but the works of Iniquity should remain in their hands: whereby he lets us know that whoever loves, and follows these vanities, shall certainly load his Soul with so great a burden of iniquity, that he will sink into the very lowest Hell, where those who had glutted themselves with the World's pleasures & delights shall be grievously tormented, and then they will know that their riches were thorns indeed, that not only rend their hearts in this World, but will wound their Souls eternally in the other. These thoughts are now far from their minds, but when their glass is spent, & that grim Death appears unto them, O how bitter will the remembrance thereof be unto those men that have placed all their happiness in Riches? What a grief was it to Alexander the great, 
O Mors quam amara est memoria tua homini habenti pacem indivitijs suis. Eccl. 41.  that had conquered most part of the World in less than twelve years, to see himself seized on by Death, and Summoned to appear before thy most dreadful Tribunal, when he desired most to live, and taste of the joy and delight of all his victories? What a heart-breaking will it be to those that employ all their time in building of houses, purchasing estates, increasing riches, procuring dignities, making up matches, laying out vast sums to use, when they shall see themselves, even as so many Prince's Mules, discharged of their treasure, and turned off with backs gauled into some nasty stable, nay, it will be far worse with them, for after their long travelling in this World, loaden with gold and Silver; which had extremely galled their wretched Souls, they shall be disburdened at the day of death, and sent away with their wounded consciences to the dark and loathsome Stable of Hell, there to continue for an Eternity. O my Saviour? these considerations well meditated, are able to mollify a heart of Steel, to move any man to a true repentance of his past follies, to breed in him an abhorrence of the world, and of all its vanities, and make him resolve to employ the remainder of his days in thy Service, that art absolutely the best of Masters, and whose rewards to thy faithful Servants are far surpassing the pleasures & treasures of this deluding world, as thou dost exceed the creatures, Eternity, the Time, & the eternal joys of thy heavenly Court, the short and transitory joys and delights of this Land.  SAVIOUR. 
HE must be a most perverse and hard hearted man indeed, that will not love me after all the several benefits, and manifold favours which I have conferred even in this life upon the generality of mankind, which are in a manner nothing to what I have prepared for my Elect in the other, for these are so incomprehensibly glorious, that eye has never seen, nor ear has ever heard, neither is man's understanding capable of conceiving their excessive greatness; for I am by nature infinitely good, amiable, and liberal, consequently what I have promised, prepared, and decreed from all Eternity to bestow upon my Elect, must be no less than myself (objective) as your Divines call it and (formaliter) the most clear, the most delicious, the most pleasant, the most blessed union, and fruition of my divine Essence for all Eternity. O the Immense, the inestimable, the glorious, the Interminable felicity of a blessed Soul! that shall live and reign with God who is infinite in beauty, in glory, in power, in wisdom, and in finite in all his Attributes, that shall enjoy clearly, and without any interruption his blessed Vision, so unspeakably comfortable, & satisfactory to all her senses, and this too for an Eternity! A God likewise, that is the abundant headspring of all delights, the inexhaustible fountain of all goodness, the most opulent treasury of all riches, pleasures, Joy, Perfection, and of all things desirable, or necessary to complete her everlasting happiness! This is the essential and principal reward of the Blessed. But besides these, there are other innumerable joys, which I call Secundary rewards, and these are also so great, and so many, that they do absolutely transcend all measure, and number, and wilt thou not O man! love a God, who has loved thee gratis, and to that excess, as to give thee himself, & all that's in his power. A God that most mercifully loved thee, when thou wert in actual rebellion against him; wilt thou not love the Eternal Father who in the excess of his love for thee did not spare his only and dearly beloved Son, but delivered him into the power of most cruel Enemies that crucified him; & this was for thy sins alone, as well as for those of all mankind? wilt thou not love him that has by the effusion of his most precious blood freed thee from the power, and unspeakable anguishes of Hell, and it's eternal torments, to place thee in the most happy company of his beloved in glory? wilt thou not love him who has chosen thee even before the world's Creation, who has called thee by his Grace, and has predestinated thee in Christ from all Eternity? wilt thou not love me who am the only Son of God, in whose Faith, and Grace thou liv'st, who has loved thee, who has suffered for thee, who has called thee to his Service, who has redeemed thee from the intolerable burden of the Old Law, from the damnable yoke of Sin, and from the everlasting thraldom of Hell. O man! Wilt thou not love me who am so fervent a lover as to purchase thy lost Soul, not with the World's contemptible Coin, Gold or Silver, but with the most precious and Sacred blood of my whole body. Wilt thou not love me who am thy Creator, thy Saviour, and Judge, and who was in mercy pleased to become thy Brother and Advocate too; nay, I am so much in love with thee, that the day before I departed the world, I bequeathed unto thee my most precious body and blood to seed thy Soul, as a perpetual monument of my tender affection to all mankind. In fine, wilt thou not love me, who besides the aforesaid Mercys, Benefits and Blessings, have given thee so compassionate, and so potent a Mediatrix in Heaven, as is my most dear and Superexcellent Mother; Saluted before my conception in these very words by my Angel, 
Ave gratia plena. Luc. 1.28.  Hail Marry full of Grace, the Lord is with thee, Blessed art thou among Women, Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb. Since I the Essential truth do affirm this, they must be impertinent and reprobately Wicked, who deny her that Special Prerogative.  
Thou shouldst love as much the Holy Ghost, for by his Wisdom thou wert Created, and by his Providence thou wert governed, in so much, that thou canst not produce one meritorious act without his divine Inspiration, or actual motion. Therefore 'tis his gracious goodness which gives thee the Will, and the Power to perform any good thing, 'tis He that is pleased to inhabit, illnstrate, and inflame thy heart with an ardent desire of thy eternal Salvation. In a word, thy Obligation to love and honour the most glorious Trinity, is the very same, as thou hast to each Sacred Person therein contained; It being the sole Source and cause of thy eternal Happiness. For what the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost have done, the very same thing has the Blessed Trinity done; being but one & the same God in those three distinct persons.  
O Man! shall not all these powerful motives replenish thy Soul with divine love, even as the Dew of Heaven doth fill the Vegetives with vivifying juice, or shall not this make my grace shine in thy Soul, as David's burning Lamps of affection, 
Psa 63.5.  which no terene waters could ever extinguish! I say in thy Soul, that it may disperse those filthy vapours of carnal affections, which have in a manner lulled her into a Lethargy; And as thou wert created to enjoy the fellowship of Angels, let these demonstrations of all my Favours to mankind in general, and to thee in particular, kindle such a fire of divine love in thy Soul, as when she departs thy body, she may ascend to Heaven in its aspiring flames. 
Nolite voeare vobis Patrem super terram, unus est enim Pater vester in caelis. Mat. 23.  Hast thou not heard what I say in the Gospel to thee, and to all men; that ye should not rely upon them ye call Father on Earth; for you have but one only Father, who is in Heaven, and is really so in a far more eminent degree, then is either Carnal, or Spiritual Father whatever: For from him thou didst receive thy Soul by his immediate creation; and whatever advantage thou hast of nature, from thy Parents, or from the Concurrence of any celestial and Second causes, thou receivedst the same eminently from Him, who is the Principal Author of all things, (Sin only excepted.) Thy Philosophers confirm this, for they tell thee that every prime and Original cause does influence the effect more than any second cause whatever. 
Omnis causa prima plus influit quam quaecunque causa secunda. Arist. Ex quo omnis paternitas in Caelis & in terra nominatur Ephes. 3.15.   
If thou by all Laws, Natural, Divine, and Positive art strictly commanded to love, reverence, honour and obey with all submission thy carnal Parents, how much more oughtest thou to love, honour, adore and obey thy Heavenly Father, who is the Original of all Paternitys, as well in Heaven, as on Earth, and from whom all causes have their action, their motion, and their Fecundity. The remissness and frequent failings of all mortals in this their incumbent duty, gave me occasion to make this sorrowful complaint; 
Malac. 1.6.  the Son does hear his Father, and the Servant does both fear and obey his Lord, and Master; If I be then the Father of mankind, where's their love, their respect, and obedience to me? And if I be their chief Lord, and Master, where's their fear and dread of displeasing me, and transgressing my commandments? My Apostle seems to admire, so great a neglect; we have had says he, 
Hebr. 12.9.  for our Tutor's Fathers of the Flesh, and to those We have paid all submission and reverence; and shall not We give a far greater respect to our Father in Heaven, by whom, and from whom. We have our being, and preservation? If even the very Heathens accounted it a most abominable crime in Children not to obey their Parents, or to despise them, and not regard their commands and counsels; and if in the old Law I have ordered all contumacious, 
Levit. 20.9  rebellious, and Avaricious Children to be even stoned to death without any further Process, how much more nefarious a crime it is, to be refactory to the omnipotent God and Father, and to be so great, and so cruel a rebel to him, as to crucify him every moment in his dearly beloved Son? This is so heinous an offence that I can't but resent it, and say by my Prophet, will a man rob God of his honour, and of all his Prerogatives; this is the common injury which the generality of mankind has done unto me, for they have indeed robbed me, even the whole generation of them.  
Hear, O Heavens, and give ear, O Earth: I have nourished & brought up Children, & they have rebelled against me The Ox knows his owner, 
Esai. 1, 2, 3, 4.23. etc.  and the Ass his Master's crib: But Israel does not know me, neither does my People consider me. Ah! Sinful nation that they are, a people laden with iniquity; a seed of evil doers, Children that are corrupted themselves, and greater corrupters of others; they have all forsaken the Lord, they have all provoked the holy one of Israel unto Anger. Their Princes are rebellious, and the companions of Thiefs: Every one loves gifts, and follows after rewards; they judge not the Fatherless, nor does the cause of the Widow come unto them. But I will ease me of my Adversaries, and revenge me of mine Enemies; then shall come the utter destruction, and ruin of all Transgressor's, and Sinners; and they that have forsaken me to follow the World and its unlawful pleasures, shall be wholly consumed. They shall be as an Oak whose leaf fades, 
Psal. 20, 9  and as a garden that has no water; They shall be as Tow and Fire; and shall both burn together, and none shall be able to quench their flames, & to fulfil the words of my Prophet, I shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of my Anger; I shall swallow them up in my wrath, and the fire shall devour them.  

A Check to MAN.  
O Ungrateful man! 
Gen. 2.7.  hast thou not justly deserved these dreadful effects of my heavy indignation and Wrath? for in the very exordium of the World I created thee to my own Image and likeness; I have instructed thee in the Law of nature which thou wert to observe, and to regulate thy actions by the dictates and Maxims thereof. I have also printed the dictamen of Reason in thy Soul, that thou mightst thereby discern betwixt good and evil, truth and falsehood, the Creature and thy Creator: But thou ungrateful Wretch, and most unworthy of such extraordinary favours, hast from the very beginning shaken off my Yoke, broke my Chains, and hast declared openly that thou wouldst not longer live submissive to my decrees, no longer obey my Commands, neither wouldst thou serve so good and so bountiful a Master, but be a Tenant at will, to embrace whatever was most pleasant to thy brutish passions, and most charming to thy rebellious inclinations; wherein thou hast transgressed the agreement that had passed betwixt us, broken the Contract, violated the Law, and hast cancelled thy bonds wherewith thou hadst bound thyself; and thy Descendants to the World's end, to live upright, faithful, and obedient to my Will, and to my Commands for ever: And what was it that engaged thee to incur the guilt of so horrid a crime? the fear only of displeasing thy silly Wife, O ingratitude never to be paralleled! What, must a foolish and fantastical creature be honoured and obeyed? rather than I, who am thy Omnipotent God, and Creator. I produced thee with (a faciamus only) out of the bowels of the Earth, to make thee happy for an Eternity with the perpetual fruition and vision of my divine Essence; but thou hast perferr'd before so immense and unspeakable a blessing, a created Good, vile in its self, tho' pleasant to the eye, and sweet to the taste, and what was it? 'Tis an eternal shame, and an infinite disgrace for all mankind to hear in mentioned; 'twas no less, then to postpone me, the Fountain of life, and all my Glory, for a Trifle, an Apple. Heavens are you not astonished! that a reasonable man should make so unreasonable and silly a choice. Thy incumbent duty, and indispensable obligation was to adhere unto me all thy life, and to place all thy happiness in me, who am, and aught to be, thy first and last end; but thou instead thereof, hast scattered thy affections amongst vain, frail and transitory things, and to complete thy misfortune, thou hast plunged thyself into many several, and most abominable Idolatries. I gave thee express orders, to deal with thy Neighbour as thou wouldst thyself be dealt with, and to do him no more injury then to thyself; yet thou hast done the contrary a thousand times, and hast been refractory to that, as well as to all the rest of my commands. And alas! 'tis too common a distemper with all mortals, for they deceive one another in weight, measure, rule, signs, words, and tokens. I have commanded thee to practise those famous precepts of the Decalogue, which are binding as well by the Law of Nature, as by the very dictates of natural reason, and thou hast transgressed them all without the least Scruple, or remorse of conscience, so that thou hast corrupted thy Soul in all thy ways, and hast made thyself abominable by thy manifold iniquities, by thy hatred, by thy thieving, by thy highway robbing, thy extortion, and oppression of the poor; thou makest nothing of murdering thy Neighbours, & depriving them as well of their worldly substance, as of their reputation, and good name; Adultery, and even Sins against nature, are no more with thee, then venial Sins; so that being by thy Creation the best, and the most noble of all animals; thou hast made thyself a Beast, and more vile than the worst of Brutes, by submitting thyself wholly to the most unruly passions of thy Sensualitys, & lustful desires; In fine, all Creatures cry out against thee for revenge of so many, and such great injuries, which thou hast done to thy Creator.   

A Check to the Christian MAN.  
ANd thou, O Christian Man! hast more dishonoured me, than even the very Pagans, and Infidels. I told the Jews a while before my Passion, that had I not come myself, and spoke to them, their Sins would not have been altogether so grievous. How much more reason have I to say the same to thee, ungrateful, and disobedient Christian? I have myself instructed thee, (or to speak more properly) the Primitive Church in its very Infancy, and left my Apostles also, to teach and confirm them in my Precepts, and Evangelical Counsels, which they firmly believed, and faithfully observed for several years, but especially during the time of their greatest troubles, and grievous persecutions, wherein Millions of thousands of 'em have suffered death courageously rather than deny their Faith, and have wrought so many, and such stupendious Miracles that many more Souls were converted by them, than had been by all the Preach & Instructions of either th'Apostles, or their Disciples; so that in a very short time all the Potentates, Sublimitys, and Dignitys of the World, all the Subtilitys of Philosophers, all the magic Arts, and illusions of Wizards and Witches, all the power of mankind, and their Earthly Kingdoms, were wholly subdued and brought under my obedience. But alas! soon after I had conferred the Blessing of a profound Peace upon my Church, and had utterly destroyed all her Enemy's, and heaped upon her Honours, Riches, Dignitys, and all prosperity imaginable, and that her glory shined through all the World, her devotion began to diminish, her Charity to grow cold, and she made of those very Ornaments, which were given her by me to set forth the lustre of her glory and the greatness of my renown, the subject of her Pride and Vanity: and her Clergy too, have changed that which ought to be spiritual, and only for the maintenance of the poor, into their own temporal Emoluments, and have spent it to entertain their carnal Friends and Relations, and to increase their own Ambition and Lust; so that the wonderful beauty of her grace, the splendour of her exquisite virtues, the glory of her heavenly wisdom, the excellent gifts of the Holy Ghost, the lustre of the eight Beatitudes, of the twelve Fruits, and the rest of the manifold graces and favours which I conferred upon her, in order to make her an accomplished Spouse to myself, is in a manner totally decayed in her, and is herself so much altered from what she was in her Primitive time, that of a powerful Queen which had formerly the whole Universe at her command, without any Adversaries to disturb her, she is become a poor handmaid disrobed by her Enemy's, and by them confined to live in one small corner of the Earth; neither is she there free from persecutions and troubles, but laments both day and night the sinful and ruinous state of her incorrigible and rebellious Children. 
Quomodo obscuratum est aurum mutatus est color optimus etc. Lament. Jere. 4.1.  Have I not great reason then to bewail her condition, and say, Alas! how is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the Sanctuary are cast out into the streets. The precious Sons of Zion comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers. They that did feed delicately, are now even hunger-starved, and they that were brought up in Scarlet do embrace the dunghills. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, and even more glorious than the most glistering Rubys, for their Souls were adorned with grace, which gave them a far greater lustre than the most polished Saphires: But alas! now their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaves to their bones: nay 'tis withered, and become as dry, and as black as a rotten stick. Thou O Christian People! hast with thy iniquities; brought all these distasters & horrid confusions upon my Church; thou art the fatal cause of all her deformity; thou art the unfortunate instrument of all her dejections, oppressions and slaveries, thou art likewise the sole promoter, and Actor of thine own temporal, and eternal calamities; and therefore the punishment of thy iniquity shall be far greater than that which I have inflicted upon Sodom and Gomorrah; for all their abominations and crimes, (tho' extraordinary great) were nothing so heinous in my sight as are thy Sins; neither are the unbelieving Nations so wicked and viciously given as are many thousands of Christians in this wicked Age; So that, the Infidels who were so much enamoured with the Christians of the Primitive Church (by reason of their unspotted life, godly behaviour, and pious conversation,) that thousands of them forsook their Idolatries to embrace my Faith; had they known, and seen their sordid, their wicked, their Scandalous life and conversation,) in these latter corrupt centurys (tho' they were ne'er so much inclined to be of the same belief) they would neither be of their profession, nor would they so much as converse with so Scandalous a generation, for they live, as if they were under no Law, and do Sin even against the Law of Nature; whereas the Heathens have a veneration for modesty and honesty, and for all other moral virtues, which are now adays totally neglected by Christians, nay, they are so much aversed from them, that the description which my Prophet Ezechiel gives of the Synagogues, abominations and villanies, may be very well applied to their enormous crimes & offences.  
This general dissolution, and sinful liberty of Christians gave occasion to several virtuous and zealous men to shed many bitter tears; and induced them to believe that the generality of Christians had conspired even with all the Devils of Hell to dishonour, and despise me, and that so publicly, and with so much impudence, that even the very Heathens abhor their impieties, and are opinionated that God has forsaken, and delivered them up into their power to chastise them for their abominations, and wickedness, even as the People of Israel were exposed to the rage and fury of Nebuzardan chief Commander of the King of Babylon's Army; He himself tells Jeremy, 
Jerem. 41.2.  that he had his commission from me to destroy them. The Lord thy God says he, has pronounced this evil upon this place, and all its Inhabitants, and now the Lord has brought it upon them, and has done according as he has said: 
Psal 21●8.  because they have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice. The Prophet Royal is no less dreadful in his description of my Anger against the Wicked, thy hands says he, shall find out thy enemies; thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee, Thou shalt make them as a fiery open in the time of thine Anger: The Lord shall swallow them up in his Wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the Earth, and their Seed from among the Children of men; for they intended evil against thee; they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. 
Job. 20, 22.  Nay holy Job says, that the wicked in the fullness of their sufficiency shall be in straits; that every hand of the wicked shall come upon them; that when the wicked is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and it shall come upon him while he is eating. The Heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the Earth shall rise up against him: the increase of his house shall departed, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his Wrath: this is says he, the portion of a wicked man from God, and the Inheritance appointed unto him by God.  
Thou wilt tell me perhaps, that Christians would not be so very prone to vice and wickedness, but that their Rulers and Superiors do spur them on by their ill examples; and that I am rather to be blamed, because I had committed my Flock to such mercenaries, & ravenous Wolves, who could not be ignorant of what might follow in so scandalous a government, and chief for that I have said, according as the Judge is, so the people will be, and that such will be the Inhabitants of the City, as are the Magistrates; That the Pastors and Rulers, which I have set over my Flock have acted rather like Tigers than Pastors to them: for the whole generality of Christians are so miss by them, that they fix their affections only upon such terene objects, as are most pleasing to their criminal inclinations. But what is thy intention by making this objection? Wouldst thou indeed make me the Author of thy Wickedness? That is not possible, for thou knowst that I am just in all my ways, & holy in all my Works. Thou canst not be ignorant, but that my choosing such scandalous Pastors is an evident sign of my anger against the People, nay, 
Dabo Regem in furore meo & Principes in indignatione mea. Ose. 13.11. Esa. 3.4.  thou hast heard me say by one of my Prophets, I will give thee a King in my anger, and Rulers in my indignation; and by another, I will give Children to be their Princes, and Babes shall rule over them; And the People shall be oppressed one by another, and every one by his Neighbour: The Child shall behave himself proudly against the Ancient, and the base against the honourable. Nay, 
Job. 34.30.  I will make the Hypocrite to reign for the sins of the People. By this thou mayst infer, that if I withdraw the assistance of my grace from the wicked, the fault is their own, and not mine, for I am always ready to comply with Sinners, 
Prov. 1.26.  when they answer my expectation, and call; otherwise I will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear shall come. As for those Superiors and Rulers that do by their ill examples bring their Inferiors and Subjects to utter destruction and loss of their Souls, I will certainly require them at their hands, and they shall answer to me Soul for Soul; 
Ezec. 3.17.  for tho' I make use of them in this life to chastise my Flock, yet after all, I shall condemn them to Hell, even as a compassionate Father does cast the rod into the fire after he has whipped his dearly belov'd Child therewith.   

A Check to the Religious Man.  
ANd thou O religious Man! (in naming thee I mean all those of thy profession) whom I have chosen amongst all nations to be a peculiar People to myself, to adhere unto me alone in all sincerity, to love me with all thy heart, and to serve me with all the purity, perfection, and fervour imaginable. Wilt thou also be of the number of those ungrateful Christians that combine with the World to persecute me? hast thou not declared thyself a mortal Enemy to it as well by thy Solemn vows, as by thy Baptismal protestation? The three fatal Armies the World brings into the field to fight poor Souls, and worst them too (if they can) are the concupiscence of the Flesh, concupiscence of the Eyes, and Pride of Life; to these three thou hast declared thyself an implacable Enemy; by thy vow of Chastity thou hast depressed, or at least hast sworn to destroy the concupiscence of the flesh; by thy vow of Poverty thou hast utterly renounced the concupiscence of the Eyes, and by thy vow of Obedience thou hast made thyself an absolute stranger, and a professed Enemy to the Pride of Life; And besides, thou hast solemnly in the presence of God and his Angels protested to renounce all proper love, as the only offspring, and fatal source of all manner of vice. I call proper love that whereby a rational creature loves himself in himself, and another for his own advantage, honour, and pleasure, without any reference to God, or his last end. This is a monstrous crime, and a Soulkilling sin: but the only way to destroy it, is to love thyself, and all things whatsoever, purely in God, and for God alone; and to love God sincerely for himself more than all; by so doing thou shalt reign with God in his eternal felicity. But if thou dost really aim at so glorious a conquest of thyself, thou must make use of the means to attain it, which are poverty, frugality, mortification, penance, Fasting, and humiliation, thou must joyfully suffer derision, injuries, tribulation, persecution, Adversity, Infirmitys, Subjection, and all things that are able to debase, and depress thy old depraved man. This is the only way to conform thyself to me, who have suffered all that's here rehearsed, & more too for thy love; this is the way also to destroy thy proper love, and to become a proficient in all sorts of virtue, in humility, patience, meekness, sobriety, and Chastity, in the love of God, and that of thy Neighbour, in penance, interior peace, and in all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost. In fine, there's nothing contributes more to the utter destruction of that cursed and proper love, than the continual mortification of thy sinful appetite and passions, and the powerful hatred of thyself; for he that hates his life in this World, shall keep it to life Eternal. The perfect abnegation of thyself together with the lively and cruciform imitation of me, is a most exquisite and powerful means to expel it entirely from thy heart. 
Jo. 12.15.  If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily, 
Luc. 11.23.  and follow me, for the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 
Mat. 11.12  If thou wilt but learn to love thyself thus in God, thou wilt be truly learned and wise; but Alas! the folly and perverseness of men is so great that they will not study this holy science, they neglect this heavenly lesson, and trifle away their time in riding, or discoursing of terrene, sordid, and impertinent matters contrary to this good advice of the Wife, 
Eccle. 3.  think always of those things which God has commanded thee.  
O Religious Man! hadst thou employed thy time faithfully in the serious consideration of thy incumbent duty to God, and of thy main obligation to quit thyself entirely of that private and proper love, which prevents thy increase in virtue, and which is also the fatal fource of all disasters and crosses incident to thee in this World, thou wouldst certainly enjoy plenty of ease and comfort in thy own mind; and thy Soul would swim in the pleasant waters of my Grace; thou wouldst also secure thyself from the eternal torments of Hell, and purchase a most glorious Crown in Heaven. Moreover thou must know that a Religious life, is a state of perfection, 
Non progredi, regredi est.  and not to go forward therein is to go backward, which is the utter perdition of thy Soul; nay, the Holy Fathers are of opinion that it is the highway to sempiternal damnation. Now lay thy hand to thy breast, and examine what progress thou hast made in this School of virtue; if after so many years in Religion, thou dost find thyself as prone to Pride, 
Psa. 26.12.  to Vanity, to Anger, to impatience, to foolish and idle words. etc. as thou wert before thy entering into it, where's thy glory? where's the fruit of all thy labours? where's the faithful performance of thy Vows? Does not iniquity belly itself, thinking thou art a Religious man, when indeed thou art none at all; thou only hast the name of one. Thou appearest to be living, 
Devisum est cor eorum, nunc interibunti. Osee. 10.  but really thou art dead; Thy heart is divided, and the World has the greater share thereof; but what will follow? thou shalt undoubtedly perish, unless thou dost amend thy life. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, 
Apocal. 3.15, 16, 17.  nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot, but because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth: And because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, poor, and blind, and naked. Such men do commonly think themselves to be upon very good terms with God, and therefore are cocksure of heaven; but alas! in the hour of Death they shall find themselves grossly mistaken.  
'Tis a crime of the deepest die in a Christian, 
Pro. 29.20. Ibid. 21.23.  but 'tis much more abominable in a Religious Person, to be incessantly prating, and uttering words at random; it's therefore the wise man says; seest thou a man that is hasty in his words, there's no more hope of his correction then of a Fool's, he says in another place, whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps his Soul from troubles. But St. 
Jac. 1.26.  James is more plain in the case, for he says, if any man among you seem to be Religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's Religion is vain. 'Tis not the habit that makes the monk, neither is it the transporting of thy Body out of the World into a Monastery, that makes thee Religious, as it is not thy being in the World, that makes thee a worldling; 'Tis the heart that does it, if that be fixed upon God alone, thou art a perfect religious man, but if thy affections be settled upon terrene and transitory objects, thou canst lay no claim to the title of Religious, nor to the least share of God's glory. Another touchstone whereby thou mayst easily know whether thou art really a Religious Man, 
Jo. 13.35.  or not, is, if thou be'st in Charity with all the World, by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another: Moreover this is my precept, and it alone, is enough to work thy Salvation, 
Rom. 13. Pet. 4.  If punctually observed, because that all other Precepts are virtually contained therein: It's therefore St. Paul says, 
Eph. 5.1, 2.  whoever loves his Neighbour, fulfils the law, and my supreme Vicar on Earth exhorts all mortals to have a mutual love one for th' other, because Charity covers a multitude of Sins, And the same S. Paul after his return from his sweet and mysterious conference with God in the third Heaven, says, be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and has given himself for us, an offering, and a Sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling Savour; so ye ought to expose your lives for your Brethren. And St. Jerome in his Monastical Rule, says, 
St. Jerome in his Monastical Rule.  that Charity revives a man in God; she alone completes the Religious man, and the Monk too; without her Monasteries are Hells upon Earth, and th' Inhabitants are Devils, but with her, they are Paradises, and the Dwellers are all Angels.  
By the Premises thou mayst see that Fraternal Charity is the fundamental Virtue of a Religious state, and of Christianity too; but alas! if I judge of thy Charity, by thy behaviour to thy Christian & Religious Brethren, I shall find thee altogether an Alien to it; for 'tis said in Scripture, 
1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3, 4. etc.  tho' I speak with the tongues of Men and Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as sounding Brass, or a tinkling Symbal. And tho' I have the gift of Prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tho' I have all Faith, so as to remove Mountains, and have no Charity, I am nothing. And tho' I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor, and tho' I give my body to be burnt, and have no Charity, it profits nothing. Charity suffers long, and is kind; Charity Envys not; Charity extols not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks not evil, rejoices not in Iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is a rule which St. Paul leaves unto all mortals whereby they may easily conceive whether they be in Charity with all men, or not; And St. James says if one fulfils the whole Law, and yet offends in one point, 
Jacob. 2.10  he is guilty of all. This is thy case O man! if thou hast Charity for all, and withdraws it from one Brother, thou hast none either for God, or for thy Neighbour, no, nor for thyself; for thou art void of Charity in all respects; and as it is impossible thou shouldst be grateful to God without Faith, so it is altogether impossible thou shouldst be pleasing to him whilst thou art not in Charity with thy Christian, or Religious Brother; St. 
St. Augu. Ser. 20. de verb Dom.  Augustin gives this reason for it; as the Church of God is grounded by Faith, and raised by hope; so she receives her perfection, and compliment by Charity alone.   

A wholesome Advise to all Mankind.  
O Man entertain thyself frequently with these Considerations, 
The Conclusion.  and with the good Instructions which I have given thee in this Book, for they are sufficient to move the most obstinate, and the most Rebellious of Sinners to a true repentance. Remember, that it is not enough to be well grounded in thy Faith, no, thou must be also well versed in the Maxims and practices of a Christian life. Suffer not thy Mind to be corrupted with the fallacies of the World, which will easily deprave as well all thy Actions, as thy whole life. This was the charge which the Prophet gave to the Jews in their Babilonish captivity. 
Baruch. 6.3  You will see, says he, in Babylon Idols of Gold and Silver, carried upon men's shoulders, to cause a terror and respect in their Spectators, but beware you do not adore them with others. When you shall see multitudes of People coming in great troops from all parts to adore them, say in your heart, O Lord, thou alone art he who ought to be adored. I say the same unto thee. O man! Thou wilt see many in the World adoring Idols, that is, Pleasures, Vanitys, Riches, Gold, and Silver, the Flesh, and their Passions; thou wilt see there, that Vice is in great request, and highly honoured: and that Virtue is depressed, nay, 'tis a ridiculous thing in the opinion of Worldlings: Thou wilt hear there such Maxims as were never taught in any University, but that of the Reprobates, whose chief Precedent is the Devil that sits night and day in the chair of pestilence, uttering his infernal dictates, and dispatching his hellish Agents to disperse them in the World; but be thou careful whom thou conversest with, and be more wary in choosing thy Company, than thy victuals, for the worst of this can but annoy thy Body; whereas the worst of that will certainly destroy thy Soul. But to animate thyself against all evil occurrences, let the true Maxims of Christianity be always in thy memory, and let the Eternal Veritys thou hast heard from me in this Treatise be the daily subject of thy serious Meditations, have recourse to them when thou art assaulted with the World's nefarious Allurements, and to the end they may serve as certain Rules for the future conduct of thy life and conversation, peruse them very often, and with the greatest devotion, and attention possible. If thou shalt faithfully observe what I here prescribe unto thee, thou wilt move me to give thee further Instructions in the Second part of this Book. In the mean time the Grace of God shall not be wanting to assist thee in performing thy duty to me, as well as to thy Neighbours in as ample a manner as it is here set down. Thy immediate compliance will contribute largely to the eternal happiness of thy Soul, and therefore I give thee the same advice that I gave St. Augustin, which was a happy beginning to his most happy Conversion. Tolle, Lege, Perfice. Take, Read, and practise punctually what thou readest.   
Soli Deo honour & gloria.  
FINIS.