The dutifull advice of a loving sonne to his aged father Southwell, Robert, Saint, 1561?-1595. 1632 Approx. 16 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 28 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A05468 STC 156.3 ESTC S106406 34382638 ocm 34382638 29036 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A05468) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 29036) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 1886:3) The dutifull advice of a loving sonne to his aged father Southwell, Robert, Saint, 1561?-1595. [2], 57 p. Printed for Beniamin Fisher, dwelling in Aldersgate- street at the Talbot, London : 1632. Attributed to Robert Southwell by NUC pre-1956 imprints. An extract from Southwell's "An epistle of a religous priest unto his father", first printed in his "A short rule of a good life."--Cf. NUC pre-1956 imprints. Signatures: A-C⁸, D⁶. Imperfect: tightly bound, pages 37-40 lacking; best copy available for photographing. Reproduction of original in: Harvard University. Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. 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Conduct of life -- Catholic authors. 2002-11 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2002-12 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2003-01 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2003-01 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2003-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion The dutifull ADVICE of a loving SONNE To his aged FATHER . LONDON : Printed for Beniamin Fisher , dwelling in Aldersgate-street at the Talbot . 1632. THE DVTIFVLL ADVICE OF A LOVING SONNE TO HIS AGED FATER . SIR , I Humbly beseech you , both in respect of the honour of God , your duty to his Church , and the comfort of you● own soule , that you seriously consider in what tearmes you stand ; and weigh your selfe in a Christian Ballance , taking for your counterpoise the Iudgements of God : Take heede in time tha● the word Tekall written of olde against Balthazar , and interpreted by Daniell , be not verified in you , whose exposition was , You have beene poysed in the scale , and found of too lightweight . Remember , that you are now in the weining , and the date of your pilgrimage well nigh expired , and now th●● it behoveth you ●● looke towards yo●● Countrey , your fo●●ces languisheth , yo●● senses impaire , yo●● body droops , and 〈◊〉 every side the ●●●nous Cottage 〈◊〉 your faint , & feebl● flesh threatneth fall . And having many harbingers death to premoni●●● you of your end , how can you but prepare for so dreadfull a stranger . The young man may die quickly , but the old cannot live long : the young mans life by casualty may bee abridged , but the old mans by no Phisick can be long adiourned , and therefore if greene yeares should sometimes think● of the grave , th● thoughts of old ag● should continually dwell in the same . The prerogativ● of Infancie is innocencie ; of Childehoode , reverence of Man-hood , maturitie ; and of old age , wisedome . And seeing then that the chiefest properties of wisedome are to be mindefull of things past , carefull for things present , and provident for things to come ; Vse you now the privilege of natures tallent to the benefit of your owne soule , and procure hereafter to be wise in wel-doing , and watchfull in the foresight of future harm● To serve the wo●● you are now unabl● and though y●● were able , yet y●● have little cause 〈◊〉 bee willing , seei●● that it never ga●● you but an unhapp● welcome , a hurtf●● entertainment , an● now doth abando● you with an unfo●●tunate farewell . You have long sowed in a field of flint , which could bring you nothing forth but a crop of cares , and afflictions of spirit ; rewarding your labours with remorse , and affording for your gaine , eternall danger . It is now more than a seasonable time to alter the course of so unth●●●ving a husbandr● and to enter into t●● field of Gods chur●● in which , sowi●● the seed of repenta●●● sorrow , and wa●●●●ring them with 〈◊〉 teares of humb●● contrition , you ma● hereafter reape a more beneficial ha●●●vest , and gather th● fruits of everlasti●● comfort . Remember , I pray you , that your spring is spent , your summer overpast , you are now arrived at the fall of the leafe , yea , and winter colors have long since stained your hoarie head . Bee not carelesse , ( saith Saint Augustin ) though our loving Lord bear long with offenders ; for 〈◊〉 longer he stayes , 〈◊〉 finding amēdmen● the soarer hee 〈◊〉 scourge when 〈◊〉 comes to Iudg●●ment : And his p●●●tience in so long fo●●bearing , is onely 〈◊〉 lend us respit to ●●●pent , and not a●● wise to inlarge ●● leisure to sinne . Hee that is to 〈…〉 with varietie of stormes , and cannot come to his desired port , maketh not much way ; but is much tormoyled ; So hee that hath passed many yeares , and purchased little profit , hath had a long being , but a short life ; For , life is more to bee measured by wel doing , than by number of ye●●● Seeing that 〈◊〉 men by many 〈◊〉 do but procure ●●●ny deaths , & o 〈…〉 in short space 〈◊〉 to the life of inf 〈…〉 ages ; what is 〈◊〉 body without 〈◊〉 soule , but a co 〈…〉 carkasse ▪ And 〈◊〉 is the soule with●●● God , but a sepul●●●● of sinne ? If God bee the way , the life , and the truth ; he that goeth without him , strayeth ; and he that liveth without him , dyeth ; and he that is not taught by him , erreth . Well ( saith Saint Augustine ) God is our true , & chiefest life , from whom to revolt , is to fall ; to whom to returne to rise , and in wh●●● to stay , is to sta●● sure . God is hee fro● whom to depart 〈◊〉 to dye ; to whom 〈◊〉 repaire , is to reviv● and in whom 〈◊〉 dwel , is life for ever ▪ Bee not then of 〈◊〉 number of the●● that beginne not 〈◊〉 live , till they bee r●●●dy to dye : and then , after a foes desert , come to crave of God a friends entertainment . Some there be that thinke to snatch heaven in a moment , which the best can scarce attaine unto in the maintenāce of many years , and when they have glutted themselves with worldly ●●●lights , would j 〈…〉 from Dives dyet , 〈◊〉 Lazarus Crown●● from the service 〈◊〉 Satan , to the sol 〈…〉 of a Saint . But bee you w●●● assured , that God not 〈◊〉 so penurions 〈◊〉 friends , as to h●● himselfe and 〈◊〉 kingdome scaleab●● for the refuse a●● ●eversions of their ●ives , who have sa●rificed the princi●all thereof to his e●emies , and their ●wne brutish lust ; ●hen onely ceasing 〈◊〉 offend , when the ●bilitie of offending 〈◊〉 taken from them . True it is , that a ●hiefe may be saved ●pon the crosse , and mercie found at the last gaspe : But 〈◊〉 ( saith Saint Aug 〈…〉 though it bee p 〈…〉 ble , yet it is sc 〈…〉 credible , that 〈◊〉 death should 〈◊〉 favour , whose w 〈…〉 life deserved de●●● and that the rep●●●tance should bee ●●●cepted , that 〈◊〉 for feare of hell , 〈◊〉 love of himself , 〈◊〉 for the love of 〈◊〉 and loathsomnesse of sinne cryeth for mercie . Wherefore , good Sir , make no longer delayes ; but being so neer the breaking up of your mortall house , take time before extremitie , to pacifie Gods anger . Though you suffered the bud to bee blasted , though you permitted the 〈◊〉 to bee perished , 〈◊〉 the leaves to dry 〈◊〉 yea , though you 〈◊〉 the boughs to ●●ther , and the bo 〈…〉 of your tree to gr●● to decay ; yet ( ala 〈…〉 keep life in the ro 〈…〉 for feare lest 〈◊〉 whole tree becom● fewell for hell fire ▪ For surely where t●● tree falleth , there shall lye , whether towards the South , or to the North , to heaven , or to hell ; and such sap as it bringeth forth , such fruite shall it ever beare . Death hath already filed from you the better part of your naturall forces , and left you now to the Lees and remissals of your we 〈…〉 ish and dying day ▪ The remain 〈…〉 wherof as it can 〈…〉 bee long , so doth warne you speed 〈…〉 to ransom your fo●●mer losses ; for wh●● is age , but the 〈…〉 lends of death , a●● what import●●● your present weak●●nesse , but a nearne 〈…〉 of your approchi●● dissolution , you are now imbarked in your finall voyage , and not farre from the stint and period of your course . Bee not therefore unprovided of such appurtenances as are behoovefull in so perplexed and perilous a journy ; death it selfe is very fearefull , but much more terrible in respect 〈◊〉 the judgment i● summoneth us un●to . If you were no● laid upon your departing bed , burthened with the heavi● load of your forme● trespasses , and gore● with the sting and pricke of a festered Conscience ; if yo● felt the crampe of death wresting your heart-strings , and ready to make the rufull divorce betweene bodie and soule : If you lay panting for breath , and swimming in a cold and pale sweat wearied with strugling against your deadly pangs , O what would you give for an houres repentance ; at w●●● rate would you 〈…〉 lue a dayes contri●●●on : Then wor 〈…〉 would bee wo 〈…〉 lesse in respect of little respite , a sh 〈…〉 truce would see 〈…〉 more precious t●●● the trersures of 〈◊〉 Empire , nothi●● would bee so muc● esteemed as a sh 〈…〉 trice of time , whi●● now by dayes , and moneths ; and years , is most lavishly mis-spent . Oh how deepely would it wound your woefull heart , when looking back into your former life , you considered many hainous , and horrible offences cōmitted , many pious workes , and godly deeds omitted , 〈◊〉 neither of both ●●●pented , your ser 〈…〉 to God promis 〈…〉 and not perform 〈…〉 Oh how un 〈…〉 solably were 〈◊〉 case , your frie●● being fled , your ●●●●ses affrighted , y●●● thoughts ama●● yor memory d●●cayed , and y●●● whole mind ag 〈…〉 and no part able to performe what it should ; but onely your guilty Conscience pestered with sinne , that would continually upbraid you with many bitter accusations . Oh what would you thinke then , being stripped out of this mortall weede , and turned out both of service , and h 〈…〉 room of this wic 〈…〉 world , you are 〈…〉 ced to enter into ●●●couth and stra●●● pathes , and 〈◊〉 unknowne and 〈…〉 ly company to 〈◊〉 convented befo●● most severe Iudg● carrying in y●●● conscience your ●●●ditement , writ●●● in a perfect Regist●● of all your misdeeds , when you shall see him prepared to give sentence upon you , against whom you have so often transgressed , and the same to bee your Vmpire , whom by so many offences you have made your enemies , when not onely the Divel , but even the Angels would plead agai●●● you , and your ow●● selfe , in despight 〈◊〉 your selfe , bee y●●● owne most shar●● appeacher . Oh what wou●● you doe in th●● dreadfull exige●● when you saw 〈◊〉 gastly Dragon , a●● huge gulph of he●● breaking out wi●● most fearfull flam●● when you heard the weeping , wailing , and gnashing of teeth ; the rage of those hellish monsters , the horror of the place , the terror of the company , and the eternity of all those torments . Would you then thinke them wise that should delay in so weighty matters , and idlely play a●●● the time alotted , 〈◊〉 preuent these into●lerable calamitie●● Would you thē c 〈…〉 it secure to nurse your bosomes many Serpents sinnes ? and to fo●●●● in your souls so ●●●ny malitious ace●●sors , as mortall 〈◊〉 horrible offence ▪ Would you 〈◊〉 ●●●● ●hant , whose traf●ique is toyle , whose wealth is trash , and whose gaine is mi●erie : what interest haue you reaped , that might equall your detriment in grace and vertue ? or what could you find in the vale of teares , that was answerable to the favour of God , with losse whereof , you 〈◊〉 contented to 〈◊〉 it . You cannot 〈◊〉 be inveigled 〈◊〉 the passiōs of yo●● which making a 〈…〉 tialitie of things , 〈◊〉 no distance betw●●● counterfeit and ●●rant , for these 〈◊〉 now worne out 〈…〉 force , by tract 〈◊〉 time are fallen i 〈…〉 reproofe by triall of their folly . Oh let not the crazy cowardnesse of flesh and bloud daunt the prowesse of an intelligent person , who by his wisedome cannot but discerne how much more cause there is , and how much more needefull it is to serve God then this wic●●● world . But if it bee 〈◊〉 ungrounded ●●●●sumption of 〈◊〉 mercie of God , 〈◊〉 the hope of his ●●●stance at the 〈◊〉 plunge ( which ●●●deede is the ordi●●●ry lure of the div●●● to reclaime sin●●●● from the pursuit 〈◊〉 Repentance . Al●● ●hat is too palpable a collusion to mislead a sound and serviceable man , howsoever it may prevaile with sicke and 〈◊〉 affected iudgements : who would relye upon eternall affaires upon the gliding slippernesse , and rūning streames of our uncertaine life ? who , but one of of distempered 〈◊〉 would offer 〈◊〉 to the discipher 〈…〉 all thoughts ; 〈◊〉 whom dissembl 〈…〉 may to our cost 〈…〉 to deceive him unpossible . Shall we estee● it cunning to r 〈…〉 the time from 〈◊〉 and bestow it o 〈…〉 enemies , who 〈…〉 peth tale of the 〈◊〉 minutes , and will examine in the end how every moment hath beene imployed . It is a preposterous kinde of pollicy in any wise conceit to fight against God , till our weapons be blunted , our forces consumed , our limbs impotent , and our best time spent ; & then when we fal for faintness● and have fou●● our selves alm●●● dead to presume 〈◊〉 his mercy . Oh! no , no , 〈◊〉 wounds of his m 〈…〉 sacred body so 〈◊〉 rubbed , and ren●ed by your sinnes , 〈◊〉 every part and ●●●●cell of our bodies divers , and sim●●●● waies abused , 〈◊〉 be then as so many wherstones & incentives to edge & exasperate his most just revenge against vs. It is a strange peece of Art , and a very exorbitant course , when the ship is sound , the Pylot well , the Marriners strong , the gale fauourable , & the Sea calme to lye idlely at the road , burni●● so seasonable w●●●ther ; And when 〈◊〉 Ship leaketh , the ●●●lott sicke , the ma●●●●ners faint , the sto 〈…〉 boysterous , and 〈◊〉 Seas a turmoyle 〈…〉 outragious surg 〈…〉 then to launch 〈◊〉 ( hoise up saile ) 〈◊〉 set out for a l●●● voyage into a 〈◊〉 Countrey . Yet such is the skil of these evening Repenters , who though in the soūdnesse of their health , and perfect use of their reason ; they cannot resolve to cut the Cables , & weigh the Anchor that with-holds thē from God. Nevertheles , they feed themselves with a strong perswas●●● that when they 〈◊〉 astonied , their 〈◊〉 distracted , the ●●●derstanding dus●● and the bodies 〈◊〉 soules wracked , 〈◊〉 tormented with 〈◊〉 throbs , and grip●● a mortall sickn 〈…〉 then forsooth 〈◊〉 will begin to thi 〈…〉 of their weigh 〈…〉 matters , and bec●●● sudden Saints , when they are scarce able to behave themselves like reasonable creatures . No , no if neither the Cannon , Civill , nor the Common Law will allow that man ( perished in judgement ) should make any testament of his temporal substance , 〈…〉 ow 〈◊〉 hee that is anima●●● with inward 〈◊〉 boyles of an u●●●led Conscience , ●●●●strained with 〈◊〉 ringing fits of 〈◊〉 dying flesh , mai 〈…〉 in all his abilitie , 〈◊〉 circled in on ev●●● side with many 〈◊〉 strange incombar●●●ces be thought 〈…〉 due discretion to ●●●●spose of his chiefest Iewell , which is his Soule , and to dispatch the whole mannage of all eternity , and of the treasures of heaven in so short a spurt . No , no , they that will loyter in seede-time , and begin to sow when others reape ; they that will ryot out their health , and beginne to 〈◊〉 their accounts 〈◊〉 they are scarce 〈◊〉 to speake . They 〈◊〉 will slumber 〈◊〉 the day , and 〈◊〉 their journey w●●●● the light doth 〈◊〉 them , let th●● blame their o●●● folly if they dye 〈…〉 debt and ete●●●● beggers , and 〈◊〉 headlong into 〈◊〉 lap of endlesse perdition . Let such listen to Saint Cyprians lesson , Let , saith he , the grievousnesse of our sore be the measure of our sorrow ; let a deepe wound have a deepe and diligent cure ; Let no mans contrition be lesse then his crime . FINIS .