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 California 
 
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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 
 
 111. 

 
 
 

 
 THE 
 
 SINNERS 
 G U I D E, 
 
 FROM 
 
 VICE to VIRTUE; 
 
 GIVING HIM 
 
 Inftrutions and Directions how 
 to become Virtuous. 
 
 Written originally in Spanifb, by the Reverend Father 
 
 LEWIS of Granada, Provincial of the Order of 
 
 St. Dominicki in the Province of Portugal. 
 
 The SECOND EDITION, 
 
 Carefully Rcvifcd and 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed For N. GIBSON in St. Alban's - Street, near 
 St. James's - Square, 1 7 60.
 
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 BX 
 
 THE 
 
 Author's Preface. 
 
 SAY /* thejuft man, that it is well, Ifa. iii. 10. This is a 
 Meffage from GOD, delivered by the Prophet Ifaiab 
 to all the Juft, it is the fhorteft in Words, and the mod 
 copious in Bounty, that could have been fent. Men 
 are ufually free in prorhifmg, but flow in performing; 
 GOD, on the contrary, is fo liberal and magnificent in 
 performing, that all the Expreflions of his Promifes are 
 infinitely fhort of his Actions. For what could be ex- 
 preffed fliorter than the aforefaid Sentence : Say tothejuft 
 man, that it is well. Yet how comprehenfive is this Word 
 Well? which I conceive, was therefore not enlarged upon, 
 or diftinguifhed* that Men might be fenfible no Words 
 were fufficient fully to exprefs it, nor any Diftinction re- 
 quifite tp declare what Sort of Bleflings were compre- 
 hended under this Word Well-, which includes all that 
 can be imagined. So that, as when Mofes afked of GOD* 
 what Name He had, the Anfwer was : He that is, with* 
 out adding any other Word ; to mow that his Being was 
 not limited and bounded, but that it comprehended 
 every Being and Perfection, which belongs to the faid 
 Being without Mixture of Imperfection ; fo here he de- 
 livered this fhort Word, Well^ without explaining of it, 
 to fignify, that all the Bleflings the Heart of Man is ca- 
 pable of defiring, are contained under this Promife, 
 GOD makes to the juft Man in Reward of his Virtue^ 
 expreffed by the fingle Monafyllable, Well. 
 
 2. This is the main Subject I defign, by the Help of 
 
 GOD, to treat of in this Book, adding fuch Rules and 
 
 Inftructions as are proper to make a Majn virtuous, 
 
 b Ac-
 
 x The AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 confider ferioufly upon this Matter, where there occurred 
 to him two diftinct Methods of Living : the one of Vir- 
 tue, the other of Pleafure, and after weighing both of 
 them maturely, he at lad refolved to follow the Way of 
 Virtue, and forfake that of Delight. If any Thing iri 
 this World requires good Advice, and a fteady Refolu- ' 
 tion, it is this fame ; for if we fo often make Reflections 
 on thofe Things which are for the Benefit of Life, how- 
 much more Application ought we to make for the Bufi- 
 nefs of Life itfelf, efpecially fince in the World, there are 
 fo many Guides and Ways of Living. 
 
 7. This is it, Chriftian Reader, I would have ^ou do* 
 and what I invite you to, viz. That laying afide for a 
 fhort Time, all the Cares and Bufmefs of the World, 
 you withdraw yourfelf into this fpiritual Solitude, and 
 diligently confider what Courfe of Life you had beft to 
 fleer. Remember, that among all worldly Concerns, 
 there is none requires more Sollicitude and a longer Study^ 
 than the Choice of what Life we are to follow, for if 
 this be rightly inftituted, all other Things will go right, 
 and on the contrary, if this be miftaken, every Thing 
 clfe will go wrong. So that to be right or wrong in other 
 Cafes, concerns only Particulars, this alone is Univerfal* 
 and comprehends all. For what can be built upon an ill 
 Foundation ? what will all other Profperities and pruden- 
 tial Acts fignify, if Life itfelf be diforderly ? or what 
 harm can all Adverfities and Miftakes do, if Life be 
 duly formed*? what does it avail a Man, fays our Sa- 
 viour, to gain the whole World, if he lofes his Soul ? 
 fo that there is not under the Sun any Bufmefs of more 
 Moment to be handled than this, nor is there any that 
 more nearly concerns Man, for it is not his Honour or 
 Fortune that lies at Stake here, but the Life of his Soul 
 and everlafting Blifs. Do not therefore read this cur- 
 forily, as you do other Things, turning over many 
 Leaves, and haftening to the End, but fit down like a 
 Judge on the Tribunal of your Heart, and give ear to 
 thefe Words with Silence and Attention. This is no 
 
 Bufmefs 
 * Luke, e. ix. v. 25.
 
 The AUTHOR'S PREFACE. xi 
 
 Bufmefs to be done with Precipitation, but require? 
 much Sedatenefs, as treating of the whole Bufmefs of 
 Life, and all that depends on it. Confider how nice you 
 are in examining worldly Affairs, fince you will not (land 
 to the Judgment of one Bench, but Appeal to higher 
 Courts and Judges, that they may not mifcarry. And 
 fince the Matter you have in Hand does not concern 
 Earth but Heaven , not the Things belonging to you, 
 but your own Perfon, remember this is not to be handled 
 negligently, as if you were half afleep, but with much 
 Application. If hitherto you have been in the Wrong, 
 reckon, yourself now New-born into the World, let us 
 now call ourfelves to an Account, let us wipe off all paft 
 Mifcarriages, and turn over a new Leaf. O that you 
 would now believe me, liften to me attentively, and like 
 an upright Judge, give Sentence according to what {hall 
 be alledged and made out ! How happy would your 
 Choice be, how fortunate my Labour ? 
 
 8. I am fenfible my Wifh is very great, and no Pen of 
 itfelf is able to bring it to Pafs, for which reafon I here 
 in the Beginning befeech him, who is the Virtue and 
 Wifdom of his Father, and who has the Keys of David 
 to open and fhut to whom he pleafes, that he will be 
 prefent with, and inftill himfelf into thefe Words, and 
 give them Spirit and Life to move fuch as mall Read 
 them. Yet if I reap no other Fruit of my Labour, but 
 the fatisfying my own Defire, in abundantly extolling fo- 
 commendable a Thing as Virtue is, which I have long 
 coveted ; I mall look upon this alone as a fuflicient Re- 
 ward for all my Labours. I have endeavoured in this, 
 as in all my other Works, to fuit myfelf to all Perfons, 
 either Spiritual or Carnal, that fince the Neceffity and 
 Caufe is Univerfal, my Writing may be fo too. For 
 good Men by reading this Book, will be more confirmed 
 in the Love of Virtue, and take deeper Root in it ; and 
 thofc who are not fo, will perhaps difcover how great 
 Lofers they are in deviating from it. According to this 
 Do&rine, good Parents may Educate their Children from 
 their Infancy, that from thofe tender Years it may be- 
 come
 
 xii The AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 come habitual to them, to honour, worfhip, and follow 
 Virtue, for a virtuous Child is one of the greateft Blef- 
 Jfings a Father can have. 
 
 9. This Work may be alfo of great Ufe to thofe whofe 
 Duty it is to inftruct the People, and preach up Virtue, 
 becaufe the principal Motives and Inducements to oblige 
 us to embrace it, are here orderly fet down, and what- 
 foevcr has been writ upon this Subject, may be reduced 
 to them as to common Places. And forafmuch as we 
 here fpeak of the prefent Advantages of Grace promifed 
 to Virtue, fpecifying twelve fingular Privileges it enjoys, 
 and that it is moft certain, all thefe Riches and Bleffings 
 were conferred on us through Jefus Cbrift^ therefore this 
 Doctrine is very beneficial for the better Understanding 
 thofe Books of Holy Writ, which particularly treat of 
 the Myfteries of Chrift, and the ineftimable Benefit of 
 our Redemption, fuch as the Prophet Ifaiab* the Canti* 
 ties, and the like. 
 
 * 
 
 <*> 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 Publifher rt? /^ Reader. 
 
 YO U have here> Chriftian . Reader, prefented 
 to you, the fecond edition of a moft excellent 
 and ufeful book, entitled 'The Sinners Guide, 
 a book which has defervedly gained the efteeni 
 of every one, and has been tranflated from the original 
 Spanifh into moft of the European languages. It was 
 publifhed in Englifh feveral years ago, and was fo well 
 received, that the firft edition being all fold, it has been 
 long defired to appear again in a fecond. The excellent 
 effects, in the converfion of many fmners, has abundantly 
 fhown the utility of it : and we may venture to defy any 
 (inner to read it ferioufly over, and not to own himfelf 
 convicted of the greateft folly and madnefs in .neglecting 
 the ftudy and practice of virtue , and in purfuing the 
 ways of fin. The neceflity of the former, and the ami- 
 ablenefs of it, are here painted in the flrongeft and moft 
 lively colours. The dreadful confequences of fin, and 
 the extreme ingratitude of fmners to GOD, with their 
 madnefs and folly are fet forth in the cleared light. To 
 read the powerful motives the pious author ufes to excite 
 to a love of virtue, and hatred to fm, muft make a deep 
 imprefTion on all who are not quite infenfible, and to- 
 tally regardlefs of their future (late. His method is clear, 
 juft, and convincing, and of which he gives an account 
 in his preface ; and it would be fuperfluous to add any- 
 thing to what he there fays. 
 
 In this fecond edition fome very fmall alterations have 
 been made in a few expreflions, to render it more con- 
 formable to the prefent manner of writing and fpeaking, 
 but the ftile and diction of the firft tranflator is ftrictly 
 adhered to : ir is fo very plain, moving, and full of 
 unction, as to attempt to change it would be a fault. 
 The ftile of the excellent author appears alfo to have 
 a 2 been
 
 iv The Publijber to tie Reader. 
 
 been plain, familiar, and yet nervous , the proper 
 flile for books of piety and inftruction : the more eafy 
 and natural, the more of unction and fpirit appear in 
 them, the more they affect the mind, and work upon 
 the will. It is the fimple and devout ftile which mould 
 be chiefly obferved in all writers and tranflators of fuch 
 books, and in which, the firft tranflator of this into 
 Englifh happily fucceeded. This determined the revi- 
 fers of it in this fecond edition, to adhere to, and pub- 
 lifh it in the fame ftile and expreflion. Flouriming 
 periods, beautiful cadencies, and rhetorical flights, are 
 not to be fought for, nor ufed in works of this nature* 
 defigned, not to tickle or pleafe the ear with pompous 
 founds of elegant fentences, but to touch and inflame 
 the heart ; to move the will efficacioufly to a fmcere 
 converfion from fin, and to love and ferve GOD in an 
 earneft purfuit of virtue. Never more neceffary to be 
 enforced then in tht-fe times of an almoft univerfal de- 
 generacy, of coldnefs and indifference in what regards 
 that imporant affair the falvation of our fouls. 
 
 It may be objected, by fome, that there are already 
 
 freat plenty aud a fufficient number of books of this 
 ind already printed, and that new books are only fay- 
 ing the fame thing over again, rather tedious than 
 agreeable. To this it may be anfwered, that while 
 the devil, by his inftruments, is daily publHhing books 
 of a contrary tendency in order to root out virtue and 
 piety, to furnifh antidotes againft the poifon of fuch 
 pernicious bocks, and to mew the fallacy and weak 
 reafoning of practical infidels and libertines will be always 
 neceffary. Can we fee religion xlaily attacked, and not 
 appear in defence of it ; can we tamely and without 
 concern, behold multitudes of fouls redeemed by the 
 facred blood of JESUS CHRIST, running headlong to 
 hell, and not to be moved with pity and endeavour to 
 flop them ? can we fee ourfelves in danger, and not 
 willingly accept of any thing that may preferve us ? 
 as to the multiplicity of books of devotion and inftruc- 
 tionj it may be confidered, that variety is not only 
 agreeable, but profitable likewife ; as one may more 
 
 affect
 
 The Publijher to tie Reader. r 
 
 affect and move us than another, and from this variety 
 every one's fpiritual tafte may be fitted. The different 
 thoughts and reafonings of fpiritual writers, are but as 
 fo many different ways and means to arrive at the fame 
 end, and are fo many various and agreeable paths 
 wherein we may walk, and, by them, be brought to 
 heaven, whether we ought to tend as to the great and 
 fole end of our being. This may fufHce, as to this 
 fecond edition of this excellent book. A word con- 
 cerning the pious author of it may not, perhaps, be 
 difagreeable. 
 
 Father Lewis of Granada, fo called from his being born 
 in that city, came into the world in the year 1504 or 1505. 
 His parents were poor and of low circumftances, but 
 a Spanim nobleman was fo charitable as to put him to 
 ichool, and take care of his education. Having made 
 a good progrefs in learning, and his early piety grow- 
 ing up with him, he foon difcovered the folly and dan- 
 ger of a worldly life, and therefore refolved to quit the 
 world, and to feek a proper fecurity againft its tempta- 
 tions, in a religious ftate, therein to confecrate himfelf 
 entirely to the fervice of GOD. For this end he entered 
 into the holy order of St. Dominick, and took the reli- 
 gious habit in the Dominican convent of Granada, in 
 the year 1524. In his novicefhip, and after his pro- 
 fefilon, he was remarkably edifying in his exact obfer- 
 vance of regular difcipline, and all the rules of the con- 
 vent j for his great mortification, and ardent love of 
 GOD His fmgular merits raifed him, by degrees, to 
 feveral offices of fuperiority, till he was chofen provin- 
 cial, or chief fuperior of his province. Having long 
 practifed and imprinted in his own foul the maxims of 
 Chriftian Perfection, he was called forth to preach the 
 fame to others ; nor was fuffered to hide, or only difplay 
 in private the excellent talents he was endued with, but 
 to exercife them in publick, which he did with incredi- 
 ble fruit by his fervent and zealous preaching, in Gra- 
 nada, Valladolid, and all other places, and became the 
 moil celebrated preacher in all Spain, and was looked 
 upon as one of the greateft mailers and directors in a 
 
 fpiritual
 
 2 *Tbe Sinners Guide. 
 
 begin with this principal part, (hewing how far we art 
 obliged to it, on account of the duty we owe to GOD, 
 who being gocrdrkfs itfelf, neither commands, requires, 
 nor afks any thing of us in this world but that we 
 be virtuous. Let us fee in the firft place, and ferioufly 
 confider on what grounds, and for what reafon, Almighty 
 GOD claims this duty of us. *., 
 
 2. But as thefe are innumerable, we mail here touch 
 upon only fix of the chiefeft of them, on account of 
 every one of which, man owes to him all he is, or can do : 
 the firft, greateft, and moft inexplicable of them, is the 
 very, being of GOD, which comprehends the greatnefs 
 of his infinite Majefty, and of all his perfections : that 
 is, the incomprerrenfible immenilty of his goodnefs and 
 mercy; of his juftice, his wifdom, his omnipotence, 
 his excellency, his beauty, his fidelity, his fweetnefs, 
 his truth, his felicity ; with the reft of thofe inexhauftible 
 riches and perfections, that are contained in his Divine 
 Efltnce. AH which are fo great, and wonderful, that, 
 according to St. Auguftin, if the whole world were full 
 of books, and each particular cfeature employed to write 
 in them , and all the fea turned into ink ; the books 
 would be fooner filled, the writers fooner tired, and the 
 lea fooner drained, than any one of his perfections could 
 be fully exprefs'd. The fame doctor fays farther ; that 
 Ihould GOD create a new man, with a heart, as large, 
 and as capacious as the hearts of all men together, and 
 lie fhouki, by the afliftance and favour of an extraordi 
 nary light, attain to the knowledge of any one of his in- 
 conceivable attributes , the pleafure and delight, this 
 muft caufe in him, would quite overwhelm and make 
 him burft with joy , unlefs GOD were to fupport and 
 ftrengthen him, in a very particular manner. 
 
 3. This, therefore, is the firft and chief reafon, that 
 obliges us to the love and fervice of GOD. 'Tis a point, 
 fo univerfally agreed upon, that the very Epicureans, 
 who by their denying of a Divine Providence, and the 
 immortality of the foul, have ruined all philofophy, never 
 went fo far, as to cut off all religion; which is nothing 
 dfe, but the worihip and adoration we owe to GOD. 
 
 For
 
 Tbe Sinners Guide. 3 
 
 $o? one of thefe philofophers, difcourfing upon this mat* 
 ter, in Cicero *, brings very {Iron g and undeniable ar- 
 guments, to prove that there is a GOD -, that this GOD is 
 infinite in all his perfections, and deferves therefore to 
 be reverenced and adored ; and that this duty would be 
 incumbent on us, though GOD had no other title to it. 
 If a king, even out of his own dominions, purely only for 
 the dignity of his perfon, is treated with refpect and 
 honour, when we have no expectations of any favour 
 from him , with how much more jullice, are we to pay 
 the fame duties to this King and Lord, who, as St. John 
 fays, has thefe words written upon his garment, and 
 upon his thighs, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 
 This is he, ivho with three fingers poifes the bulk of the 
 earth~\-. 'Tis he, that affigns the caufes of all things , 'tis 
 he that gives motion to the celeftial orbs, that changes 
 the feafons ; and that alters the elements. He it is, 
 that divides the waters, produces the winds, and creates 
 all things. 'Tis from him, that the planets receive their 
 force and influences. 'Tis he, in fine, that, as King and 
 Lord of the univerfe, gives every creature irs life and 
 nourimment. And, befides all this, the kingdom he is 
 in poflefiion of, neither came to him by fucceflion nor by 
 election, or inheritance, but by nature. And as man is 
 naturally greatly above an ant, fo this noble being, is in 
 fuch an eminent degree, above all created things whatfo- 
 ever, that they, and all the world together are icarce any 
 more, in regard of him, than any one of thefe infects. 
 If a philofopher, fo ill-principled, as the Epicureans were, 
 has acknowledged this truth ; what ought we to do, 
 who are brought up in the Chriftian religion ? a reli-r 
 gion, which teaches us, that notwithftanding the infinite 
 obligations we have to GOD , we are more indebted to 
 him, upon this account, than upon any other: fo that 
 if a man had a thoufand hearts and bodies, this reafon 
 alone would be enough to make him offer them all to 
 his honour and fervice. This is a point, which all the 
 faints who have had a fincere and difinterefted love for 
 him, have faithfully complied with. And therefore St. Ber- 
 nard, 
 * CIC. de Nat. Deortim. f Kai, xl. 12.
 
 4 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 nard, writing upon this fubject, fays: " True love is 
 neither increafed by hope, nor leflened by diftruft :" here- 
 by giving us to underftand, that it is not the reward 
 a Chriftian expects, that makes him ferve GOD ; but, 
 that he would go on ftill with the fame fervor, though 
 he were fure he fhould never have any thing for itj 
 foecaufe he is not influenced by intereft, nor wrought 
 upon by any other confideration, but that of the pure 
 love which is due to this infinite goodnefs. 
 
 4. But though this, of all obligations, is the greateft, 
 yet 'tis that which leaft of all, moves thofe who are not 
 perfect. Becaufe, the greater power felf-love has over 
 them, the more they are carried on, by their own in- 
 tereft ; and, being as yet, bu.t rude, and ignorant, they 
 are unable to conceive the beauty and excellence, of 
 this Supreme Goodnefs. Whereas, were they but a little 
 more enlightened, the very brightnefs of this Divine 
 Glory, would charm them, into a love of it, above all 
 other things. For which reafon, it will be very proper, 
 to inftruct them, upon this matter, that they may acquire 
 a more perfect knowledge, of the Majefty of GOD. All 
 I intend to make ufe of, for the effecting of this, fhall 
 be taken out of St. Denis, who wrote his treatife of myf- 
 tical divinity, with no other defign, but lo let us know, 
 ;how infinitely different GOD Almighty's excellencies and 
 perfections are from thofe of the creatures : that, by feeing 
 -this, we may learn, if we -have & mind to know what GOD 
 is, the neceflity of (hutting our eyes to the beauties, we 
 obferve in creatures, for fear of deceiving ourfelves, 
 whilft we Judge of GOD by thofe things that bear no pro- 
 portion at all with his greatnefs. We are to look upon them, 
 as mean and bafe; and to raife up our fouls to the con- 
 templation of a being that exceeds all beings; of a fub- 
 ftance above all fubftances ; of a light, that eclipfes all other 
 lights -, and of a beauty, which is fo far beyond all 'beau- 
 ties imaginable, that the greateft of them, and the moft 
 compleat, is but uglinefs and deformity, when fet by this. 
 This is what we are taught by the cloud*, Mofes entered 
 unto, for to difcourfe with GQDJ which removed every 
 
 thing 
 
 * Serm. 83. in Cantic.' -f Exod. xxiv. v. 16, 18.
 
 Sinners Guide. 5 
 
 thing but Gob from him, that he might by that means, 
 have a better knowledge of GOD. And Elias's * covering 
 his face with his 'cloak, when he faw the glory of GOD, 
 paffing before him, is a lively expreffion of the fame thing. 
 'Tis certain then, that a man, to contemplate the perfec- 
 tions and beauty of GOD, mould turn away his eyes from 
 all the things of this world, as too bafe and mean to be 
 regarded at the fame time with them. 
 
 5. We fhall underftand this much better, if we confi- 
 der the vaft difference betwixt this uncreated being, and 
 all that are created : that is to fay, betwixt the Creator 
 and his creatures. For all thefe we fee had a beginning, 
 and may have an end : but he is without a beginning, 
 and can have no end. They all acknowledge a fuperior 
 and depend upon another ; but he knows nothing above 
 himfelf, and therefore, is independent. The creatures 
 are variable and inconftant ; but the Creator is always 
 the fame and cannot change. The creatures are com- 
 pofed of different matters, but the Creator is a moft 
 pure Being, and free from all thofe mixtures which 
 bodies are made up of: for mould he confilr. of feveral 
 parts, there muft of neceffity have been fome being 
 above and before him, to have ordered thefe parts : a 
 thing altogether impoffible. The creatures can never 
 come to fuch a degree of perfection as not to admit of 
 a farther increafe : they may receive more than they 
 have already ; and know, what at prefent they are ig- 
 norant of; but GOD can never be better than now he 
 is, becaufe he contains within himfelf, the perfections of 
 all other beings : nor is it poflible that he who is the 
 fource of all riches, mould ever be richer. Nor can he 
 know more than he does already, becaufe his wifdom is 
 infinite, and his eternity, which has all things prefent 
 to it, fuffers nothing to be concealed from his know- 
 ledge. Ariftotle, the chief of all the heathen philo- 
 fophers, not ignorant of this, calls him, a Pure Act -, 
 which is a compleat and abfolute perfection, incapable 
 of any farther addition : there being nothing imaginable 
 above it, nor can we think of any thing it ftands in need 
 of. There is no creature in the world free from motion 
 * Reg.xix, 13. C ' and
 
 6 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 and change ; and, it is this that helps them in the find- 
 ing of what they want , for, they are all of them poor 
 and needy. GOD, on the contrary is fixed and im- 
 moveable ; becaufe he is never expofed to any kind of 
 nccefiity ; but is prefent in all places. There is in all 
 created things fome difference or other, by which, one 
 creature is to be eafily known and diftinguifhed from 
 another ; but the purity of GOD'S effence, allows of no 
 difference or diftinction. So that his being, is his ef- 
 fence ; his effence is his power , his power is his will j 
 his will is his underftanding , his underftanding is 
 his being ; his being is his wifdom ; his wifdom is 
 his juftice ; his juftice is his mercy. And though the 
 effects of the one, are contrary to thofe of the other $ 
 becaufe the duty of mercy is to pardon, and that of 
 juftice, to punifh ; they are notwithftanding, fo per- 
 fectly one and the fame thing in him ; that his mercy 
 is his juftice, and his juftice, his mercy. So that, al- 
 though in appearance, there are contrary perfections 
 and qualities, in. GOD , yet, as St. Auguftin obferves, 
 there is no fuch thing in effect : becaufe he is very re- 
 mote, and yet very prefent ; very beautiful and very 
 ftrong -, conftant and inconceivable ; confined to no 
 place, and in all places -, feen by none, and yet feeing 
 all ; who changes every thing, whilft he himfelf can 
 never change. He it is, who is always in action, and 
 yet always enjoys an eternal reft : it is he that fills all 
 things, but cannot himfelf be circumfcribed i who pro- 
 vides for all without any folicitude ; who is great with- 
 out quantity, and confequently immenfe ; who is good 
 without quality, and therefore truly and fovereignly 
 
 food ; nay, what is yet more, He only is gtod *}. In 
 ne, not to loie ourfelves in this abyfs, we may venture 
 to fay, that as all things are tied up to the bounds of a 
 limited being, fo they have a limited power, beyond 
 which they can never pafs. The works they are em* 
 ployed about, are limited ; the places they live in have 
 their bounds ; they have names to diftinguifh them by ; 
 and definitions by which we may know them; and are 
 reduceable to their particular kinds. But, as for this 
 * Medit. c. 19. & 29. f Matt. xix. v. 17. Supreme
 
 The Sinners Guide. 7 
 
 Supreme Subftance, it is as infinite in its power, and in 
 3!! its other attributes, as it is in its being. It is not 
 known by any definition, nor comprehended under any 
 kind ; not confined to any place ; nor diftinguifhed by 
 any name. On the contrary, according to St. Denis, 
 it has all its names, though it has no name, becaufe it 
 contains, within itfelf, all thofe perfections, which are 
 fignified by names. We may therefore fay, that all 
 creatures as they are limited, are to be comprehended ; 
 whilft this divine eflence, in as much as it is infinite, is 
 far above the reach of any underftand'ng. For, as Ari- 
 ftotle fays, fince that, which is infinite, has no end -, it is 
 not to be comprehended, but by him alone who com- 
 prehends all things. What elfe could be the meaning of 
 thofe two feraphims Ifaiah faw *, near the majefty of 
 GOD, feated upon a high throne, each of which had fix 
 wings, with two of thtm they covered their faces, and 
 with two, their feet ; was it not to teach us, that thefe, 
 which are of all the intellectual beings, the moft excel- 
 lent ; which poflefs the chief places in heaven, and are 
 feated the neareft to GOD, are not capable of knowing 
 perfectly, what he is, though they have the favour to fee 
 him clearly, in his very eflence, and in all his beauty ? 
 For as a man {landing on the more, fees the fea itfelf, 
 yet cannot difcover its depth or extent, fo thefe blefled 
 fpirits, with all the faints in Heaven, fee GOD truly and 
 really, but can neither fathom the abyfs of his greatnefs, 
 nor meafure the duration of his eternity. For this rea- 
 fon GOD is faid to be feated on the cherubims : and, tho* 
 they are filled with treafures of wifdom-, neverthelefs, 
 to mew how (hort they come of conceiving his majefty, or 
 of underftandinghis eflence, it is faid, that befits upon them. 
 
 6. This is the darknefs David fpeaks of, when he fays, 
 God has made his covert darknefs f: to give us to under- 
 ftand, what the apoftle has exprefled more clearly, 
 faying: that GOD inhabit eth light inacce$iUe\: the pro- 
 phet calls this light, darknefs , becaufe it dazzles our 
 eyes fo, that we cannot look againft it to fee GOD. And, 
 as according to one of the philofophers, there is nothing 
 C 2 more 
 
 * Ifa, vi, 12. f Pxxii. 12. J iTim.vi. 16.
 
 8 <The Sinners Guide. 
 
 more refplendent, or vifible than the fun ; and nothing, 
 at the fame time, which we can lefs look at, becaufe of 
 its extraordinary brightnefs and the weaknefs of our 
 fight ; in like manner there is nothing more intelligible 
 in itfelf, than GOD is, anp! yet nothing for the lame 
 reafon, that we underftand lefs in this life. 
 
 7. If therefore, any man defire to know what GOD is, 
 when arrived at the higheft degree of perfection he is 
 capable ot conceiving , he muft with humility, confefs 
 there is an infinite fpace ftill remains, that what he pro-r 
 pofed to himfelf is infinitely greater than he imagined 5 
 and that the more fenfible he is' of this incomprehenfibi- 
 lity, the farther advance he has made in this fublime 
 fcience. For this reafon, St. Gregory writing upon 
 thofe words of Job, Who doth great things and unfearchable 
 find wonderful things without number *, fays thus : We 
 never fpeak better of the works of Almighty GOD, than, 
 when furprized with aftonimment and ravimed with won- 
 der, we keep an awful filence. And, as thofe perfons 
 who defign to praife another, whofe deferts are above 
 all they are able to fay, think, they then bed dif- 
 charge their obligation, when they fay nothing at 
 all ; fo ought we, in St. Denis's opinion, to reve- 
 rence the wonders of this Supreme Deity, with a holy 
 and profound refpeft of our fouls ; and with a chafte and 
 devout filence. The Saint feems herein to allude to 
 thofe words of David, A hymn^ O God becometh thee in 
 Sion -f , which St. Jerome has tranflated thus ; 1'hon, 
 O God art praifed by filence, in Sion ; to fignify to us 
 that we cannot praife GOD in a more perfect manner, 
 than by faying nothing at all in praife of him ; ack- 
 nowledging the incapacity of our underftanding, own- 
 ing with humility, that this inexpreflible fubftance is too 
 high for us to conceive ; and confefling that his being 
 is above all beings ; his power, above all powers ; his. 
 greatnefs, above all greatneffes , and that his fubftance 
 infinitely excelh, and is inconceivably different from aU 
 other fubftances , whether material or fpiritual. Upon 
 which St. Auguftin fays J, excellently well : " When I 
 
 * Cap. v. v. 9. -j- Pf. Ixiv. 2. J L. iO. conf. c. 6. 
 
 c. 3 1 . feel$
 
 'The Sinners Guide. 9 
 
 feek my GOD, I feek not the beauty of the body, nor 
 the agreeablenefs of the feafons, nor the brightnefs of 
 the light , not the fweet charms of the voice ; nor the 
 odoriferous fmell of flowers, perfumes, and effences ; 
 it is neither manna nor honey, nor any other thing that 
 is pleafing to the flefh. I feek none of thefe things when 
 I feek my GOD ; and yet I feek a certain light not to be 
 feen by the eyes, and exceeding all light , a voice be- 
 yond all voices, yet not to be dilcerned by the ears ; a 
 fmell furpaffmg all fmells, which the noftrils are not ca- 
 pable of; a fweetnefs more delightful than all fweetnefs, 
 yet unknown to the tafte ; and a fatisfaction above all 
 fatisfactions, that is not to be felt. For this light mines 
 where there is no place, this voice founds, where the 
 air does not carry it away, this fmell is perceived, where 
 the wind does not difperfe it, this tafte delights, where 
 there is no palate to relifh it, and this fatisfaction is re- 
 ceived, where it is never loft." 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 8. If none of thefe reafons, as weighty as they arc^ 
 can give you the fatisfaction you expect, of having 
 fome idea of this unfpeakable majefty ; caft your eyes 
 upon the frame of this material world, the work of GOD'S 
 own hands ; that fo, the contemplation of fuch a noble 
 effect, may give you fome infight into the excellency of 
 the caufe. Prefuppofing in the firft place with St. Denis, 
 that in every thing there is a being, power, and action, 
 which bear fuch proportion to one another, that the 
 power is always fuitable to the being, and the action to 
 the power. This being prefuppoied, confider the beauty, 
 the order and the extent of this world , fmce, as aftro- 
 nomers tell us, there are ftars in heaven fourfcore times 
 as big as the earth and fra together. Confider again 
 how many different forts of creatures there are upon the 
 earth, in the water and in the air , you will fee every 
 thing fo compleat and perfect in its kind, monfters only 
 excepted, and yet as parts, they add to the beautv of 
 the whole, that you can wifh for nothing to be added or 
 fliftinguifhed, to make its being more compleat : and 
 
 yet
 
 io The Sinners Guide. 
 
 yet according to St. Auguftin, who grounds his opinion 
 on Ecclefiafticus *, GOD in one fmgle moment created 
 this world, as great and wonderful as it is , drew a being; 
 from no being ; and wrought this great work without 
 any matter to work upon, without any help and afiiit- 
 ance, without any outward draught or plat-form, with-r 
 out any tools or inftruments, without any limits of either 
 fpace or time, he created the whole earth and all that 
 is contained within the extent of the fame, by one fmgle 
 act of his will. Confider farther, that GOD could have 
 produced a thoufand worlds more, much fairer and 
 larger than this and much better peopled too, as eafily 
 as he created this ; and that if he had made them, he 
 could with as much eafe and without any kind of oppofi- 
 tion, reduce them to nothing again. 
 
 Now, if according to our fuppofition, taken from 
 St. Denis, by the effects and operations of things we 
 judge of their power and by their power of their being ; 
 how powerful muft that caufe be, which has produced 
 fuck wonderful effects ? And if this power be fo great, 
 what muft the being be, which we are to judge of by 
 this power? this doubtlefs furpafles all exprefHon or 
 imagination ; and yet we are farther to confider, that 
 all thefe great and perfect works, which are, or might 
 have been, are nothing at all in comparifon of the Di- 
 vine Power, but infinitely inferior to it. Who them 
 can reflect on, or contemplate the greatnefs of fo emi- 
 nent a Being and fo high a Power without furprize and 
 aftonimment ? and though we do not fee with our cor- 
 poreal eyes, we cannot chufe from what has been faid, 
 but conceive in fome meafure, how great and incom- 
 prehenfible this power is. 
 
 9. St. Thomas in his fum of divinity, explains this 
 infinite greatnefs very clearly, by this example : We fee, 
 fays he, that in material and corporeal things, that which 
 is the moft perfect, is the biggeft in quantity. Thus 
 the water is bigger than the earth, the air is bigger 
 than the water, and the fire bigger than the air. The 
 firft heaven is bigger than the element of fire , the 
 iecond heaven bigger than the firft ; the third than the 
 * C. xTiii. i. fecond ;
 
 Sinners Guide. U 
 
 fecond , and fo of the reft, till you come to the tenth 
 fphere or empyreal heaven, which is of unmeafureabld 
 greatncfs. This will appear much plainer yet, if we 
 confider but what proportion the fea and earth joined 
 together have with the heavens ; for, aftronomers tell 
 us, they are both but as a point in comparifon of them -, 
 which they prove by this demonftration : They divide 
 the heavens equally into twelve figns, through which 
 the fun performs its yearly courfe , and becaufe a mart 
 may always fee fix of thefe figns in whatfoever part of the 
 earth he be, they conclude the earth is but as a point, or 
 a meet of paper in the middle of the world; for, if its 
 extent could be, though never fo little, compared with 
 that of the heavens, we mould not be able to difcover 
 half of them at once, in any part of the earth what- 
 foever. Now, if the empyreal orb, the moft excellent 
 and moft noble of all material fubftances, is fo incom- 
 parably bigger than all the other orbs, we may from 
 thence infer, that GOD who is above all beings imagi- 
 nable, whether corporeal or fpiritual, as being the author 
 of them all, muft be infinitely greater than all of them 
 together ; not in quantity, for he is a pure fpirit, but 
 in the excellency and perfection of his being. 
 
 But to come more home to our fubject , you may, I 
 fay, by this means know in fome manner, what GOD'S 
 perfections are, becaufe they cannot but bear a pro- 
 portion to his being. The author of the book called 
 Ecclefiafticus, fpeaking of GOD'S mercy^ fays: Ac- 
 cording to bis greatnefs, fo alfo is bis mercy with him *. 
 Nor are any of his other attributes lefs. So that his 
 goodnefs, his mercy, his majefty, his meeknefs,' his 
 wifdom, his bounty, his excellency, his omnipotence, 
 and his juftice, are all intirely equal. Thus, he is 
 infinitely good, infinitely merciful, infinitely wife, 
 infinitely amiable ; and upon thefe confiderations, moft 
 infinitely worthy to be obeyed, refpecled, reverenced, 
 and feared by all creatures. Nay were man's heart capa- 
 ble of an infinite love and fear, juftice would oblige him 
 to give it all to GOD -, upon account of his infinite 
 greatnefs. For, if the greater quality a perfon is of, 
 * Ecclus ii. v, 23. the
 
 12 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 the more refpect we are to (hew him ; we ought to pa^ 
 GOD, an infinite refpect , becaufe his excellence is infi- 
 nite. Whatfoever therefore our love wants, of acquire- 
 Sng this degree, is wanting upon no other account, but 
 our inability of making GOD the returns his boundlefs 
 greatnefs deferves. 
 
 n. Since then it is certain, that were there no other 
 confideration, but that alone, it would be a fufficierit 
 motive to oblige us to the love of GOD ; what can he be 
 in love with, who does not love this goodhefs ? or what 
 can he be afraid of, who does not fear this infinite 
 majefty? whom will he lerve who will not ferve this 
 Lord ? what was our will given us for, but to love and 
 to embrace good ? if therefore this great GOD be the 
 Sovereign Good, why does not our will embrace it be- 
 fore all other goods ; if it is an unhappinefs and mifery 
 not to love him ; nay, and that too, above all things iri 
 the world; what can thofe perfons expect, who love 
 every thing elfe better than they do him ? who would 
 ever have thought that man could carry his ingratitude 
 and malice fo far ? and yet, what do they lefs, who are 
 continually offending this Sovereign Goodnefs, for a 
 beaftly pleafure, for a trifling punctilio of honour, or 
 for fome vile and fordid intereft ? what then mall we 
 think of them, who fin upon no motive at all, but either 
 out of mere malice or cuftom, and without the leaft 
 hope of advantage or profit ? O unparrelleled blindnefs 
 and folly ! O infenfibility, worfe than that of brutes ! 
 O the diabolical rafhnefs, and impudence of man ! what 
 punifhment does he not deferve, that lets himfelf be car- 
 ried away by fuch a crime as this ? what torments ought 
 not he to expect, who has the boldnefs to defpife fo 
 high a majefty? fuch an unhappy foul mall without 
 doubt, be condemned to thofe pains and torments that 
 have been prepared for it ; which are, to be burning with 
 the devils in hell for all eternity. A punifhment far lefs 
 than fuch offences deferve. 
 
 12. This is the firft and chiefeft reafon that obliges us 
 to the love and fervice of GOD. An obligation, fo clofe 
 and ftrict, that there is nothing in the world can oblige 
 
 us
 
 The Sinners Guide. 13 
 
 *as to love the creatures, becaufe of their perfections, 
 which is to be called an obligation, if we compare it 
 with this. For as the perfections of the creatures are 
 but mere imperfections, in comparifon with the perfec- 
 tions of Goo ; fo all the obligations that proceed from 
 thefe perfections and excellencies, cannot with any 
 juftice be called obligations, if you fet them againft 
 -thofe we owe to GOD : nor can the offences we commit 
 againft the creatures, be properly accounted fuch, if we 
 but confider thofe we are guilty of towards GOD. This 
 is the reafon why David in his penitential pfalm, cries 
 out ; To tbee only y meaning GOD, have I finned*. Tho* 
 at the fame time he had finned againft Urias, whom he 
 murthered ; againft Urias's wife, whom he debauched ; 
 and againft all his fubjects, in the fcandal his bad ex- 
 ample gave them ; and yet after all, he declared he had 
 finned againft GOD alone, looking upon all thofe other 
 offences, as nothing at all, if compared with thofe he had 
 committed againft the law of GOD. This crime fo af- 
 flicted him, that he took no notice of the reft. For as 
 GOD is infinitely greater than all the creatures , fo the 
 obligations we have to ferve him, and the offences we 
 commit againft his Divine Majefty, are infinitely greater 
 too -, there being no comparifon nor proportion between 
 finite and infinite. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Qfthefecond motive that obliges us to virtue and the ferries 
 of God y which is the benefit of our creation. 
 
 ANOTHER obligation we have to the purfuit of 
 virtue, and the keeping of GOD'S commandments, 
 befides his being in itfelf, is the confideration of what he 
 is towards ras , that is, of thofe innumerable favours we 
 have received from him, which though we have fpoke of 
 elfewhere upon other occafions, we will neverthelefs treat 
 D of 
 
 * Pfalm 1, v. 5.
 
 14 7& Sinners Guide.' 
 
 of them again, that fo we may the better underftand hovf 
 much we are obliged to this liberal benefactor. 
 
 2. The firft of thefe benefits is our creation, which be* 
 ing fo well known, I will only fay, that fuch a favour is 
 of itfelf, fufficient to oblige man to give himfelf up en- 
 tirely to the fervice of his Creator; becaufe in juftice he 
 {lands indebted for all he has received : and fince by this 
 benefit he has received his being ; that is, his body with 
 all its fenfes, and his foul, with all its faculties, it follows, 
 he is obliged to employ them all in the fervice of his 
 Creator, under the penalty of being looked upon as un- 
 grateful to fo bountiful a benefactor. For if a man builds 
 a houfe, who mould have the ufe or the rent of it, but 
 he that built it ? if a man plants a vine, who elfe mould 
 have the fruit of it ? but the planter. If a man has any 
 children, who are they obliged to ferve, but the father 
 that begot them ? This obligation is fo ftricl, that the 
 laws themfelves give every father a right and power to 
 fell his own children, if he mould be reduced to a very 
 preffing neceffity. For, his having given them their 
 being makes his authority over them fo abfolute, that he 
 may difpofe of them as he pleafes. What power then 
 and authority ought he to have, who is the fovereign 
 matter and author of all creatures, both in heaven and 
 on earth , fince the power a father has over his children 
 extends fo far ? and if thofe perfons who receive a fa- 
 Your, are according to Seneca, obliged to imitate a good 
 foil, which returns with intereft what it receives, how 
 fhall we be able to make Gop any fuch return, when 
 after having given him all we have, we can give no 
 more than what we have received from him ? and if he 
 who gives back but juft what he received, does not com- 
 ply with this precept of the philofopher, what mail we 
 fay of him that does not return fo much as the leaft part 
 of it ? Ariftotle tells us, 'tis impoflible for a man to make 
 equal returns to the favours, his father and the gods have 
 beftowed on him. How then can it be pofiible for us to 
 make any return to this Great GOD, who is the father of 
 all fathers, and from whom mankind has received infi- 
 nitely more than from all tijs fathers in the world to- 
 gether,
 
 Sinners Guide. i$ 
 
 Aether. If for a fon to difobey his father, is fo heinous a 
 Iin ; how grievous a crime muft our rebellion be againft 
 GOD, who has fo many titles to the name of father, that 
 in comparifon with him no father deferves to be fo called. 
 And therefore he with much reafon complains of this in- 
 gratitude by one of his prophets, in thefe words : If then 
 I be a father ', where is my honour ? and if I be a mafter, 
 where is my fear * ? *Tis upon account of the fame ingra- 
 titude, that he expreffes his indignation, in another 
 place, with much more feverity and anger : faying, Is 
 this the return thou makeft to the Lord, O foolijh and fenfelefs 
 people ? is not he thy Father^ that hath pojfeffed thee, and 
 made thee and created thee t ? Thefe are truly the un- 
 grateful creatures, that never lift up their eyes towards 
 heaven, to contemplate on it ; nor look down, to con- 
 fider themfelves. Did they but enter into this confide- 
 ration, they would foon inform themfelves what they are ; 
 and defire to have fome knowledge at leaft of their ori- 
 ginal. They would be willing to know by whom, and 
 for what end they have been created, that they might, 
 by this means, be acquainted with one part of their duty. 
 But having already neglected the one, they eafily neglect 
 the other, and live as if they had made and created them- 
 felves. This was the crime of that unfortunate king of 
 Egypt, whom GOD threatened fo feVerely, by his pro- 
 phet, when he fent him : Behold^ Pharoah king of 
 Egypt> 'tis to thee Ifpcak, thou great dragon^ that liefi down 
 in the midft of thy rivers and fay eft : the river is mine, and I 
 have made myfelf. Thefe words, if they are not in the 
 mouths, are at leaft in the hearts of thofe who think as 
 feldom of their Creator, as if they themfelves were the 
 authors of their own beings, and would acknowledge no 
 other. St. Auguftin's fentiments were quite different 
 from thefe men's ; for, the knowledge of his own origin, 
 brought him to the knowledge of Him, from whom he 
 had received it. Hear how he fpeaks in one of his Soli- 
 loquies : " I returned to myfelf and entered into myfelf, 
 faying ; What art thou ? and I anfwered myfelf, a ra- 
 tional and a mortal man. And I began to examine what 
 D 2 this 
 
 * Mai, i, 6. t Dent, xxxii. 6.
 
 16 . The Sinners Guide. 
 
 this was , and faid, O my Lord and my God, who is it 
 that has created fo noble a creature as this is ? who O' 
 Lord, but thou ? thou O my God, haft made me, and 
 not I myfelf. What art thou ? thou by whom I, and 
 all things live. Can any body create and make himfelf ? 
 can he receive his being and his life from any one elfe, 
 but from thee ? art not thou the chief being, from whom 
 every other being comes ? art not thou the fountain of 
 life, from which all lives flow ? for whatfoever has life, 
 lives by thee , becaufe nothing can live without thee. 
 *Tis thou, O Lord, that haft made me, and without thee 
 nothing is made. Thou art my Creator, and I am thy 
 creature. I thank thee, O my Lord and my God, be- 
 caufe thou haft created me : thou, by whom I live, and 
 by whom all things live. I thank thee, O my light, for 
 having enlightened and brought me to the knowledge of 
 what thou art, and what I am myfelf." 
 
 3. This is the firft favour we have received from GOD, 
 and the foundation of all the reft ; becaufe all other be- 
 nefits prefuppole a being, and this is firft given us at 
 our creation. Nay, there is no benefit but has as near 
 a relation to our being, as the accidents of a thing to the 
 fubftance of it ; by which you may fee, how great a be- 
 nefit this is, and how deeply you are indebted to GOD 
 for it. If then it is certain that GOD is very exact in re- 
 quiring fome acknowledgment for all the benefits he be- 
 llows on us ; not out of any intereft or advantage to him- 
 felf, but only for our good : what acknowledgment do 
 we think he will expect from us for that favour, upon 
 which all others are built ? for, GOD is no kfs rigorous 
 in exacting of our thanks, than he is liberal in confer- 
 ring of his graces : not that he gets any thing by it ; 
 but becaufe the performance of our duty is fo very ad- 
 vantageous to us. Thus we read in the Old Teftament, 
 that GOD no fooner beftowed any grace upon his people, 
 than he commanded them not to forget the fame. As 
 foon as he had brought the Ifraelites out of the flavery of 
 Egypt *, he immediately commanded them to keep a fo- 
 lemn feaft every year, in remembrance of that happy 
 
 day. 
 * Exod, xii.
 
 Ibe Sinners Guide. 17 
 
 day. He deftroyed all the firft-born of the Egyptians, 
 but at the fame time, to prevent his people's ingrati- 
 tude, he gave orders, that in return for fo fignal a fa- 
 vour, they mould offer up all their firft-born to him. A 
 little after their departure from Egypt *, when he firft 
 rained down the manna from heaven, a food with which, 
 he maintained them for forty years in the wildernefs, he 
 ordered immediately, that a certain quantity of it mould 
 be put into a veflel and kept in the fanctuary, as a re- 
 membrance to all their pofterity, of fo extraordinary a 
 mercy. After the victory which he gave them over the 
 Amelikites -f, he bids Mofes write it down in a book, 
 for a memorial, and deliver the fame to Jolhua. Now 
 if GOD has been fo exact in requiring that his people 
 mould never forget thofe temporal favours he had done 
 them , what will he not expect from us, for this his im- 
 mortal one ? for fmce the foul he has given, us is im- 
 mortal, the benefit we receive with it muft be fo too. 
 It was this that introduced the cuftom amongft the old 
 patriarchs, of erecting altars, as often as GOD had fa- 
 voured them in any particular manner J. Nay, the very 
 names they gave their children expreffed the favours they 
 had received ; that fo they might always be mindful of 
 them. Hence St. Auguftin took occafion to fay : That 
 man ought to think of GOD every time he fetches hi* 
 breath ; becaufe, as it is by the means of his being that 
 he lives, he mould be continually giving GOD thanks for 
 this immortal being, which, he has had from the Divine 
 Mercy. 
 
 4. We are fo ftrictly obliged to the performance of 
 fihis duty, that it is the advice even of worldly philofo- 
 phers, never to be ungrateful to GOD. Hear how Epic- 
 tetus, a very noted itoick, fpeaks upon this matter. 
 *' Have a care, fays he, O man, of being ungrateful to 
 that Sovereign Power, and forgetting to return thanks 
 not only for having given you all your fenfes, and life 
 itfelf, but for all thofe things that fupport it ; nor only 
 
 for 
 
 * Exod. xvl. 33. *f- Exol. xvii. 14. J Gen. xa. 7, 8. 
 c. xiii. 18. c, xxii, &C, Sclibq. c. xviii, ManuaJe, c. xxix. 
 Medit, c. vi.
 
 Sinners Guide. 
 
 for the pleafant fruits, for the wine, the oil, and for 
 whatever other advantages of fortune you have received 
 from him ; but praife him particularly for having endued 
 you with reafon, by which you may know how to make 
 that ufe of every thing, which it ought to be put to -, 
 and underftand the true Worth and excellency of all 
 things." If a heathen philofopher obliges us to fuch 
 acknowledgments, for thefe common and ordinary things, 
 what fentiments of gratitude (hould a Chriftian have, 
 who has befide all thefe, received the light of faith, 
 which is a moft ineftimable favour ? 
 
 5. But you will perhaps afk me, What obligations can 
 thefe benefits lay upon me, which are common to all, 
 and feem rather to be the ordinary graces of GOD ; fmce 
 they are nothing but the confequences and products of 
 fuch caufes, as work always after the fame manner ? 
 This objection is fo much below a Chriftian, that a hea- 
 then would be amamed to make it, and none but a beaft 
 can be guilty of fo much bafenefs. That you may the 
 more eafily believe me, hear how the fame philofopher 
 condemns it. " You will fay, perhaps, that you receive 
 all thefe benefits from nature. Senfelefs and ignorant 
 creatures that you are ! do not you fee then when you 
 fay fo, you only change the name of GOD ? for what is 
 nature, but GOD, who is the author of nature ? it is 
 therefore no excufe , ungrateful man to fay you owe this 
 obligation to nature, not to GOD , becaufe without GOD 
 there is no fuch thing as nature, Should you borrow a 
 fum of money of Lucius Seneca, and afterward, fay you 
 were obliged only to Lucius and not not to Seneca, that 
 would only change your creditor's name, but not your 
 creditor. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of another part of this motive, that obliges us to the fer- 
 vice of God, 'which is, that we are to receive our ptr- 
 fe&ion from him. 
 
 6. It is not juftice alone that obliges us to the fervice 
 of our creator : our own neceflities force us to addrefs 
 
 ourfelves
 
 The Sinners Guide. 19 
 
 ourfelves to him, if we defire to arrive at the happinefs 
 and perfection of our being, which is the end of our 
 creation. For the better underflanding hereof, you 
 muft conceive, that generally fpeaking, whatfoever is 
 born, is not born with all its perfections -, it has fome^ 
 thing, but it wants much more yet ; and none but he 
 that began the work can rightly finilh it. So that no 
 being can be perfected by any other caufe than that which 
 put the firft hand to it. This is the reafon, why all 
 effects have an inclination and tendency towards thofe 
 particular caufes which produced them , that they may 
 receive their laft ftroke and perfection from them. The 
 plants love the fun, and run as deep as they can into the 
 earth which {hot them forth. The fifties continue in the 
 waters where they were firft ingendered. A chicken 
 runs under the hen's wings as foon as it is hatched, and 
 follows her up and down for flicker. A lamb, as foon 
 as it is brought forth, runs after its ewe, and can diftin- 
 guifh her from a thoufand others of the fame colour. It 
 follows her without ever lofing fight of her, and feems 
 to fay , here it is I received whatfoever I have, and it is 
 here I will receive whatfoever I want. This is what 
 ufually happens in the works of nature , and if thofe of 
 art had any fenfe and motion, they would do the fame. 
 Should a painter draw a piece and leave out the eyes, 
 what would it do were it fenfible of its wants ? whither 
 would it go ? not to the palaces of kings or princes, 
 who as fuch could never be able to fupply its defects ; 
 but to the matter's houfe, that he who drew the firft 
 ftrokes, might give the laft, and finim it quite. Is not 
 this your own cafe, O rational creature ? you are not yet 
 finifhed , you have, 'tis true, received fomething, but 
 there is a great deal yet wanting, to make you as com- 
 pleat and perfect as you mould be. You are fcarce any 
 more than a rough-draught. You have received nothing 
 of the beauty and luftre you are to have, This you will 
 be very fenfible of, if you do but obferve the propenfion 
 of nature in itfelf, which being always in want, never 
 refts, but is continually craving and wifhing for more, 
 GOD thought fit to ftarve you out, that your own wants- 
 might
 
 ao he Sinners Guide. 
 
 might force you to have recourfe to him. For this 
 reafon it was, he left you at firft unfinifhed. His not 
 jgiving you, at your creation, all that you flood in need 
 <of, was an effect, not of covetoufnefs, but of love. 'Twas 
 not to leave you poor, but to make you humble. 'Twas 
 not to forfake you in your neceflities, but to oblige you 
 to addrefs yourfelf to him i for fince you are really poor 
 and blind, why do you not go to the Father that made 
 you, and to the painter that firft began to draw you, that 
 they may give you what you have not received ? confider 
 whether David did not understand this fecret, when he 
 faid : 'Thy hands have made me and formed me : give me un- 
 derftanding, and I will learn thy commandments*. As if he 
 fiad faid : All that is in me, is the work of thy hands, O 
 JLord, but thy work is not yet compleated. I am not 
 c[uite finished, O Lord, becaufe the yes of my foul are 
 not yet opened. I have not light enough to fee what is 
 convenient for me. Whom fhall I have recourfe to, for 
 the obtaining what I want, unlefs to him that has given 
 me what I have ? grant me, O Lord, that light which is 
 neceffary for me. Enlighten the eyes of this wretch that 
 has been born blind ; that he may fee thee, and that 
 thou O GOD, mayeft finifh what thou haft already begun, 
 in me. 
 
 7. As therefore there is none but this Great GOD, that 
 can perfect the underftanding , fo neither is there any 
 befide him, that can cornpleat and rectify the will, with 
 all the other faculties of the foul ; that fo he who firft be- 
 gan the work, may finifh it. It is this Lord alone who 
 fatisfies, without leaving any want ; who enlarges without 
 noife ; who enriches without vanity ; and gives a folid 
 contentment without poflefiing many things : with him 
 the creature lives though poor, yet content , tho' rich, 
 yet deftitute ; tho* alone, yet happy , though deprived 
 of all things, yet pofieflTmg all. J Tis upon this occafion 
 the wife man fays, with fo much reafon : One is as 
 it were rich, when he hath nothing ; another is as it were 
 poor, when he hath great riches -f. By this we are 
 $aught, that the poor man, who has GOD for his 
 
 inheritance, 
 * f. cxviii. 73. -f Prov, xiii. 7.
 
 *Tbe Sinners Guide. 21 
 
 inheritance, as St. Francis had, is truly rich, and that he 
 whom GOD takes no notice of, is very poor, let him be 
 never fo rich in worldly poffeflions. 
 
 What advantage have great and wealthy men by all 
 their riches, if they are neverthelefs racked with fuch 
 cares and difeafes, that all they have cannot give them 
 any eafe ? or, what comfort can rich cloaths, a plentiful 
 table, and chefts crammed with gold and treafures, bring 
 an unquiet and troubled mind ? how often, and with 
 what refllefsnefs, does the rich man turn and tofs about 
 every night in his down bed -, nor can all his wealth help 
 him to the leaft wink of fleep, or give any reft to his 
 difturbed confcience ? it follows, upon what has been 
 faid, that we are infinitely obliged to ferve GOD, not 
 only upon the account of this benefit -, but for whatfo- 
 ever elfe contributes towards the making of our hap- 
 pinefs compleat. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the third motive that abliges us to ferve God, which is 
 the benefit of our prefervation and direction. 
 
 i. A NOTHER obligation man has to GOD, befides 
 Ji\. that of his creation, is the care he takes to pre- 
 ferve him. He it is who gave you your being, and who 
 ftill continues the fame to you. So that you depend now 
 as much upon his power, for the preferving of it, as you 
 did before he gave it you, for the receiving of it -, and 
 'tis as impofHble for you to fubfift without him, as it was 
 before you were created, to create yourfelf. Nor is this 
 fecond obligation lefs than the firft, but rather greater ; 
 for that was laid upon you but once ; whereas this is con- 
 ferring on you every moment of your life. For, to be 
 continually preferving you after your creation, requires 
 no lefs love nor power, than it did to create you. If 
 therefore your obligation to him for having created you 
 in an inftant, be fo great , what do you not owe him, 
 for preferving you fo many moments, fo many hours j 
 E nay,
 
 22 ne Sinners Guide. 
 
 nay, fo many years ? you cannot go a ftep, unlefs he 
 gives you power to move. You cannot fo much as open 
 or fhut your eyes, without his will and afliftance. For 
 if you do not believe it is he that moves every joint 
 and member of your body, you are no Chriftian , but if 
 you believe it is from him you receive this favour, and 
 yet after all are fo impudent as to offend him, I cannot 
 tell what name to give you. If a man were (landing on 
 the top of a high tower with a fmall cord in his hand, 
 and another man hanging at the end of if, do you think 
 that he, who mould be fo near falling down headlong, 
 would dare to give any abufive language to the perfon 
 that held the cord ? imagine yourfelf to be in fuch a 
 condition. You depend on the will of GOD, as it were 
 on a thread , fo that, mould he forfake you, but for one 
 moment, you would be inftantly reduced to your firft 
 nothing. With what infolence then, can you dare to 
 provoke fo dreadful a Majefty, which is fo merciful, as 
 to fupport you, even then, when you fin againft it ? For, 
 as St. Denis fays, fuch is the virtue of the Sovereign 
 Good, as to give the creatures power to difobey and re- 
 bel, at the very moment they afe rebelling againft it. 
 Since there is no denying of this truth, how dare you 
 prcfume to make ufe of thofe fenfes and members, as 
 inftruments to offend him that preferves them. O in- 
 credible blind nefs and folly ! O unheard of rebellion and 
 difobedience ! was there ever fo horrid a confpiracy as 
 this is -, that the members mould rife up againft their 
 head, for which they ought to die a thoufand times ? 
 the day will come when this affront mail be moft feverely 
 punifhed. 'Tis then that GOD will hear thofe complaints, 
 which his own honour trampled under foot by you, mall 
 make to his Divine Juftice. Difloyal and ungrateful 
 man, is it not juft, fmce, you have confpired againft your 
 GOD, that the whole world mould rife up and rebel 
 againft you? that GOD mould arm all his creatures to 
 revenge the injuries you have offered him , and that the 
 whole earth fhould fight for him, againft the ungrateful. 
 Without doubt there is no greater juftice, than that 
 they, who would not open their eyes to fo many mercies, 
 
 whea
 
 The Sinners Guide. 23 
 
 when they might have done it, fhould be forced to it 
 now by feverity and rigour, without finding any remedy 
 or comfort. 
 
 2. If to all ttefe benefits we add the whole world, 
 which is as a rich and plentiful table, GOD has prepared 
 and fpread for your particular ufe ; how infinitely will 
 the obligation be increafed ? there is not any one thing 
 under the face of heaven, but what is intirely for man, 
 or for his fervice. And mould any one objecl:, that flies 
 are of no ufe to man, he may obferve, they are food for 
 birds, which are created for him. Though man does 
 not eat the grafs in the fields, it nourifhes the cattle, 
 which are necefTary for his fubfiftance. Caft your eye 
 about the world, and you will fee what rich lands, and 
 what large poflefiions you have ; and how great your 
 inheritance is. All that moves on the earth *, all that 
 fwims in the waters, that flies in the air, or that mines 
 in the heavens, is made for you. Thefe things are all 
 of them the effects of GOD*S bounty : the works of his 
 Providence ; the marks of his beauty ; the witnefles of 
 his mercy; the fparks of his charity; and the common 
 publimers of his greatnefs. Confider thefe are fo many 
 preachers GOD fends to you, that you may not want the 
 opportunity of knowing him. Every thing, fays St. Au- 
 guftin on earth, and in heaven, perpetually exhorts me, 
 O Lord, to love you. And, that no man may pretend 
 to a lawful excufe from fo juft a duty, they fpeak the 
 lame language to every body elfe. 
 
 3. O ! that you had but ears to hear the voices of the 
 creatures, you would eafily underftand how they all agree 
 in their inviting you to the love of GOD ; for they 
 filently declare, they have been created to ferve you : 
 that you may therefore love and adore this common Lord, 
 not only for yourfelf but for them. The fky fays, it is I 
 that by my ftars continually furnifh you with light, that 
 you may not walk in the dark. It is I that by my different 
 influences occafion the production of all things neceflary 
 for life. The air, on the other fide tells you, it is I who 
 E 2 give 
 
 * Pf. viii.
 
 24 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 give you breath , it is I who refrefh you with my gentle 
 blafts, and temper the heat of your vital fpirits, that you 
 may not be fcorched up by them ; it is I who maintain this 
 almoft infinite number of different kinds of birds, pleafing 
 your eyes with the beauty of their feathers , charming 
 your ears with the fweetnefs of their notes ; and fatif- 
 fying the nicenefs of your appetite with their delicious 
 tafte. The water fays, it is for you that I pour out my 
 feafonable and moderate rains: it is for you that my 
 flreams aud fountains are always running : it is for your 
 nourifhment that I engender fuch variety of fiih. I water 
 your lands and your gardens, that they may bring you 
 their fruits in due feafon. I make a fhort paflage for 
 you through the fea, that you may thereby have the 
 opportunity of making ufe of the whole world, and of 
 joining the riches of other countries with thofe of your 
 own. What mall I fay of the earth, the common mo- 
 ther of all things, and the univerfal mop as it were of 
 nature ; where all the different caufes produce their 
 feveral effects? me may with a great deal of reafon 
 fpeak to you, as the reft have done, and tell you, it 
 is me that like a mother carries you in her arms ; it is me 
 that fupplies you with all the neceffaries of life , it is 
 (he that maintains you with the variety of her products ; 
 that to ferve you, me holds a correfpondence with all 
 the other elements, and with the heavens themfelves, 
 for the procuring of their influences , and that (he, in 
 fhort, like a tender mother, neither forfakes you whilft 
 you are alive, nor leaves you at your death ; for (he it is 
 that nourifhes and fupports you during your life, and 
 takes you into her bofom when you are dead ; and there 
 gives you a refting place. To conclude, all the world 
 cries out aloud to you , behold, O mortal man, and con- 
 fider what a love your Creator has had for you ; fince it 
 is for your fake that he has made me, commanding me 
 at the fame time, for the love of him to ferve you*; that 
 fo you may love and ferve him, who has created me fp,r 
 you, and you for himlelf. 
 
 4. This O Chriftian, this is the general voice of all 
 the creatures ; and can you after this deny, that you 
 
 are
 
 Ihe Sinners Guide. 25 
 
 are mod ftrangely dull and ftupid -, if you have no ears 
 to hear the lame ? how can you choofe but confefs that 
 you are guilty of an unparralleled ingratitude -, if you 
 take no notice of fo many favours ? if you are not 
 alhamed to receive an obligation ; why do you refufe to 
 make a fimple acknowledgment of it, to the perfon from 
 whom you have received it ; that fo you may efcape the 
 the punimment your ingratitude will otherwife deferve ? 
 for, according to a famous writer*, there is no creature 
 in the world but what fpeaks thefe three words to man : 
 " Receive, give, take heed. That is to fay, receive the 
 benefit, give what is due, and take heed of the punifh- 
 ment which follows ingratitude, if you do not do fo." 
 
 5. And that you may have more caufe to admire, 
 confider how Epictetus, a heathen philofopher before- 
 mentioned, has been able to lift himfelf up to this fub- 
 lime divinity. He advifes us in thefe words, to make 
 the creatures ferve us as fo many memorials of the 
 Creator. 
 
 " When the raven crokes, fays he, and thereby gives 
 you notice of fome change of weather, it is GOD, not 
 the raven, that gives you this notice, If men mould by 
 their words and difcourfe advife you to any thing, is it 
 not GOD that has given them power to advife you thus , 
 thereby to let you underftand, that he exercifes his divine 
 power feveral ways, in order to bring about his defigns ; 
 for when GOD thinks fit to acquaint us with matters of 
 greater moment, he makes choice of more excellent and 
 more infpired men for this purpofe. Afterwards he adds 
 this : in fine, when you fhall have read my inftrudlions, 
 fay to yourfelf, it is not Epictetus, but GOD that has 
 given me this advice ; for whence could he have had 
 luch precepts and rules as thefe are, if GOD had not fug- 
 gelled them to him ?" thus far are the words of Epic- 
 tetus. Now is there any Chriftian in the world that will 
 not be alhamed and blu(h to be out done by a heathen ? 
 if there be, he may well be confounded to think, that 
 his eyes with the alfiftance of the light of faith, cannot 
 fee as far as thofe that were in the darknels of human 
 j-eafon. 
 
 * Rich, de St. Viol. SECT.
 
 rt6 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 From what has beenfaid is inferred, how unworthy a thing 
 it is not to feme God. 
 
 6. Since things are really juft as we have reprefented 
 them ; is it not a great ingratitude and neglect for a 
 man to be furrounded on all fides, by fo many benefits, 
 and yet to forget him from whom he has received them 
 all ? St. Paul lays *, Thai he who does his enemy a good 
 turn, heaps coals of fire on his head, by which he inflames 
 Jiis charity and love. Now if all the creatures in the 
 world are fo many benefits GOD beftows on you ; the 
 whole world can be nothing elfe but one fire, and all 
 the creatures fo much fewel to feed and increafe it. Is 
 it pofllble any heart mould be in the midft of fuch 
 flames as thefe, and not be intirely burnt, nor fo much 
 as warmed by them ? how comes it, that after receiving 
 fo many benefits and graces, you (hould neglect even to 
 call your eyes up towards heaven, to fee from whence 
 they come ? if you were to go a great journey, and 
 HI the way, being quite tired and almoft dead for hun- 
 ger, fhotild be forced to fit down at the bottom of a 
 fiigh tower, from the top of which fome charitable per- 
 fon mould take care to fupply you with whatsoever you 
 wanted; could you forbear looking up fometimes, if it 
 were but to have a fight of one that was fo kind and 
 charitable to you ? does GOD do any thing lefs for you, 
 than continually mower down from above, all forts of 
 ble/Tings upon you ? find me out if you can, but one 
 thing in the world that does not happen by a parti- 
 cular providence of his. And yet you never fo much 
 as look up to know, and by that means to love fo liberal 
 and conftant a benefactor. What can be faid of fuch 
 hard-heartednefs, but that man has dhrefted himfelf of 
 his own nature, and is grown more infenfible than 
 brutes ? It is a fliame to fay whom we refemble in this 
 particular, but it is fit man mould hear his own. We 
 are like an herd of fwine feeding under an oak, which 
 
 all 
 * Rom. xii. v. 20.
 
 The Sinners Guide. 27 
 
 all the while their keeper is lhaking down the acorns 
 from the top of the tree, do nothing elfe but grunt and 
 fight with one another for their meat, without ever 
 looking up to him that gives it them, or lifting up their 
 eyes to fee from whofe hands they receive fuch a benefit. 
 O ! the brutifh ingratitude of the children of Adam ! 
 who having received not only a rational foul, which 
 other creatures have not ; but alfo an upright body, and 
 eyes fet to look up toward heaven ; yet will not lift up 
 the eyes of their foul to behold him that beftows fuck 
 ble/Hngs on them. 
 
 7. 'Tis to be wifhed, that brutes and irrational crea- 
 tures did not outdo us in this point. For, this duty of 
 acknowledgment is in effedl, fo deeply engraved by the 
 finger of GOD, upon all his creatures, that the very 
 fierceft of them have not been deprived of fo noble an 
 inclination. There are a great many examples in hif- 
 tory to prove what we here afifert. Is there any beaft 
 more fierce than a lyon ? and yet Appian a Greek au- 
 thor, tells us of a man who having accidentally flickered 
 himfelf in a lion's cave, and there plucking a thorn out 
 of one of his feet, fhared with him every day in the 
 prey he got, as an acknowledgment of the favour, and 
 the cure he had wrought upon the beaft. This man was 
 taken up a confiderable time after for forne notorious 
 crime, and condemned to be expofed to the wild beads 
 in the amphitheatre at Rome, to be torn in pieces by 
 them. The fame lion, which had been taken fome days 
 before, being let loofe, eyed the man, and knowing him, 
 came up gently and fawned upon him, juft as a dog does 
 upon his mafter when he has been abroad, and ever 
 after followed him up and down without doing any 
 harm. We read of another lion, who having received 
 the fame favour from a feaman that had been caft by a 
 ttorm upon the coaft of Africa, brought him daily a 
 part of his booty, which maintained him and his com- 
 pany till fuch time as they put to fea again. Nor is that 
 lefs to be admired, which they tell us of another, who as 
 he was fighting one day with a ferpent, was fo put to it, 
 that in all appearance he would have loft his life, had not 
 
 a gen-
 
 28 be Sinners Guidt. 
 
 a gentleman, who was riding that way, accidentally 
 come in to his afliftance and killed the ferpent. The 
 lion to return the obligation, gave himfelf up entirely 
 to his deliverer, and followed him whitherfoeverhewent, 
 ferving him as a hound in hunting. The gentleman at 
 laft took fhipping, and left his lion a more , the beaft 
 was fo impatient and uneafy to flay behind, that he took 
 the water, and not being able to make the vefTel, was 
 drowned. What mall I fay of the gratitude and fidelity 
 of horfes ? Pliny gives us a relation of fome that have 
 had fuch a lively concern for the lofs of their matters, 
 as to Ihed tears for them ; and of others that have ftarved 
 themfelves to death for the fame reafon. Some there 
 are again that have revenged their mailer's death upon 
 thofe that murdered them, by tearing them in pieces, or 
 by trampling th~m under their feet. Nor is the grati- 
 tude of dogs lefs furprifmg, of whom the fame author 
 relates fuch ftrange things, as are almofl incredible, 
 Amongft the reft, he tells us of one that having fought 
 for his mailer, who was murdered by highwaymen, as 
 long as he was able, fat by the dead body, to keep off 
 the birds and beads from devouring of it. He fpeaks 
 of another that would neither eat nor drink after he had 
 feen his mailer Lucius dead. He relates another much 
 more remarkable paflage that happened at Rome in 
 his time, which is this : A certain man who was con- 
 demned to die, had a dog which he had kept very long, 
 and which never left him all the time he was in prifon ; 
 no, nor after his execution ; but on the contrary, flaying 
 always by him, made known his grief by his howling. 
 If any body flung him a piece of bread, he would take 
 it up and carry it immediately to his mailer, and put it 
 into his mouth. At laft, the body being thrown into 
 the Tiber, the dog leaped in and got under it to keep 
 it from finking. Can there be any thing in the world 
 more grateful than this was ? now if beafls who have 
 only a fpark of natural inflinft, whereby to acknowledge 
 a good turn, are yet fo ready to requite, ferve and attend 
 their benefadlors , how can man who has fo much more 
 light to know the good he receives, be fo forgetful of 
 
 him
 
 Sinners Guide. 29 
 
 him that beftows fo much 'upon him ? how comes he to 
 fuffer himfelf to be outdone by beads, in courtefy, fide- 
 lity and gratitude ? efpecially when the benefits which 
 man receives from GOD, are fo infinitely beyond thole 
 which beafts receive from men, when the benefactor is fo 
 excellent, his love fo fingular, and his intention fo fincere, 
 that he propofes no intereft to himfelf, but does all out of 
 mere charity and bounty. This is indeed a matter of no 
 fmall wonder and aftonimment ; and evidently mews there 
 are devils that blind our understandings, harden our 
 wills, and impair our memories, that we may not re- 
 member fo liberal a benefactor, 
 
 8. Now, if it be fo great a crime to forget this Lord, 
 what muft it be to affront him, and to convert his favours 
 into the inftruments of our offences againft him ? Seneca 
 fays, that not to pay back the benefits we have received, 
 is the firft degree of ingratitude ; the fecond is to forget 
 them ; the third is to render evil for good ; and this laft 
 is the higheft degree. But what is all this to the affront- 
 ing and abufing of your benefactor, with thofe very kind- 
 neffes he has mewed you ? I doubt whether there is any 
 man in the world, who has ever dealt with his fellow- 
 creatures, as we frequently deal with GOD. What man 
 would be fo inhuman as to go immediately and employ 
 a confiderabie fum of money he had received from his 
 prince, in raifmg an army agamft him. And yet you, 
 bafe and miferable wretch ! never ceafe to make war 
 upon GOD with thofe very bounties you have received 
 from him. What can a man think of more abominable 
 than this ? mould a hufband make a prefent to his wife 
 of a necklace of pearl, or a rich fet of diamonds to oblige 
 her to honour and love him the more ; what would you 
 fay of the perfidioufnefs of this woman, if me mould 
 throw all away immediately upon her gallant, to tie him 
 the more ftrongly to her, and make herfelf more the 
 miftrefs of his affection. Every body would certainly 
 look upon this, as the bafeft action any perfon could be 
 guilty of; and yet the offence here is only between 
 equals. How much more heinous then is this crime, 
 when the affront is offered to GOD ? and yet this it is 
 F "thole
 
 30 7/&* Sinners Guide. 
 
 thofe pcrfons are guilty of, who wafte all their ftrength, 
 fpend their eftates, and ruin their health in committing 
 of fmful actions. Their ftrength makes them proud, 
 their beauty makes them conceited, :and their health 
 unmindful of GOD. Their wealth enables them to de- 
 vour the poor, to vie with the great ones, to pamper 
 their flem, and to corrupt the chaftity of fome unthinking 
 maid, making her like Judas, fell what Chrift purchafed 
 with his blood, whilft they buy it for money like the 
 Jews ? What mail I fay of the abufe of other graces ? 
 the fea ferves but to fatisfy their gluttony-, and the 
 beauty of the creatures their luft. The fruits and pro- 
 duds of the earth ferve to feed their avarice , and their 
 wit and natural parts go to the increafing of their vanity. 
 They are puffed up in profperity, even to folly , and caft 
 down to defpair in adverfity. They chufe the darknefs 
 of the night to hide their thefts, and the light of the 
 day for the laying of their fnares^ as we read in holy 
 Job. In fhort, whatfoever GOD has created for his own 
 glory, they have devoted to fatisfy their inordinate paf- 
 fions. 
 
 ' 9. What mall I fay of their effences and perfumes, of 
 their ftately furniture, their fumptuous tables, the nice- 
 nefs and fuperfluity of their dimes, with their different 
 forts of fauces, and their feveral ways of cooking ? nay, 
 fenfuality and luxury are fo much in fafhion, that men 
 have made a trade of thefe fcandalous excefies ; and pub- 
 limed books to inftrucl: us how to fin in this matter. 
 They have corrupted all things, by their mifufing them, 
 and inftead of taking an occafion from them to praife 
 GOD, the end they were given them for ; they have 
 made ufe of them as the incentives to their debaucheries 
 and vanities ^ thus perverting the lawful ufe of the crea- 
 tures they have made thofe things help and affift them 
 in vice, which ought to have encouraged and excited 
 them to virtue. There is nothing, in fine, whiqh they 
 have not facrificed to the gratifying of their fenfes and 
 the pampering of their flem , whilft they have quite ne- 
 glected to relieve their neighbour, though GOD has fq 
 particularly recommended him to their care. They ne- 
 ve?
 
 The Sinners Guide. 31 
 
 ver complain that they are poor, but to thofe that are To 
 themfelves ; nor do they ever fo much as think of pay- 
 ing their debts, unlefs when any body comes to beg an 
 alms of them : take them at any other time, and you lhall 
 neither find them poor nor in debt, 
 
 IQ. Have a care this be not laid to your charge, at the 
 hour of your death. Do not fuffer fo heavy a burthen 
 as this, to be prefling upon you at that time. Consider, 
 that the greater the concern is, the more Uriel: account 
 you muft give of it. To have received much, and to 
 have made but fmall acknowledgment for it, is a kind 
 of judgment laid upon you already. 'Tis a great fign of 
 a man's reprobation, when he continues to abufe thofe 
 favours Goo beftows on him. Let us look upon it 
 as the utmoft difgrace, that brutes mould furpafs us 
 in this virtue j fmce they requite their benefactors 
 with gratitude, whilft we neglect to do it ? if the Nine- 
 vites are to rife up in judgment againft the Jews, and 
 condemn them for not entering into a Aate of penance, 
 after our Saviour's preaching , let us take care that the 
 fame Lord has no reafon at the laft day to condemn us, 
 upon the examples of beafts, for taking fo little notice 
 of our benefactors, when they have expreffed fo much 
 love to theirs. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of the fourth motive that obliges us to the furfuit of virtue, 
 which is ths ineftimable benefit of our redemption. 
 
 i. T E T us come now to the great work of our re- 
 
 -L/ demption ; a favour not to be comprehended by 
 
 either men or angels. A myftery, fb much above what- 
 
 foever I am able to fay, and myfelf fo unworthy at the 
 
 fame time to fpeak any thing of it, that I neither know 
 
 where to begin, nor where to leave off, what to take, 
 
 nor what to leave. Were not man fo ftupid as to (land 
 
 in need of thefe incentives to ftir him np to the love of 
 
 F A virtue,
 
 32 The Sinners Guide. 
 
 virtue, it would be much better to adore this profound 
 myftery in filence, than to eclipfe it as it were, by the 
 darknefs of our exprefllon. They tell us of a certain 
 famous painter who having drawn a picture reprefenting 
 the dea<h of a king's daughter, and painted her friends 
 and relations, Handing about her, with moft forrowful 
 countenances, and her mother, more melancholy than 
 any of the reft v when he came to draw the father's face, 
 he hid it under a (hade, to fignify that fo much grief was 
 not to be expreffed by art. Now if all we are able to 
 fay, fall mort of explaining the benefit of our creation, 
 what eloquence can defervedly extol that of our redem- 
 ption ? GOD created the whole univerfe by one fingle act 
 of his will, without fpending the leaft part of his trea- 
 fures, or weakening the ftrength of his Almighty Arm. 
 But to the redeeming of it, there went no lefs than 
 thirty- three years fweat and toil , with the effufion of his 
 blood to the very laft drop , and not one of his fenfes or 
 members was exempt from fuffering its particular pain 
 and anguifh. It looks like a leflening of fuch fublime 
 myfteries to attempt to explain them with a human 
 tongue. What mall I do then ? mail I fpeak, or mall I 
 hold my peace ? I am obliged not to be filent, and am 
 unfit to fpeak. How can I be filent of fuch wondrous 
 effects of GOD'S mercy ? and how mall I be able to dif- 
 courfe of fuch ineffable myfteries ? to be filent looks 
 like ingratitude, and to fpeak of it feems a rafhnefs. 
 Wherefore, I here proftrate myfelf before thee, O my 
 GOD, imploring thy divine affiftance and mercy, to the 
 end, that, whilft my ignorance detracts from thy glory, 
 inftead of extolling and difplaying it, thofe who are ca- 
 pable of doing it may praife and glorify thee in heaven, 
 that they may fupply what I am deficient in, and beau- 
 tify and adorn what a mortal man cannot but fpoil by 
 the meannefs of his capacity. 
 
 2. After GOD had created man, and with his own hand 
 feated him in a place of delights ^ inverting him with ho- 
 nour and glory-, that which ought to have engaged him the 
 more deeply in his Creator's fervice, emboldened him the 
 more to rebel againft him. Whereas the infinite favours 
 
 he
 
 Ibe Sinners Guide* 33 
 
 he had received mould have laid a ftricter obligation on 
 him, to love that Divine Goodnefs that beftowed them, 
 he made ufe of them as inftruments of his ingratitude. 
 This was the caufe of his being driven out ot paradife 
 into the banifhment of this world, and condemned to 
 the pains of hell ; that as he had been the devil's affociate 
 in fin, he might partake of his fufferings and torments. 
 When Giezi, Eliftia*s fervant, had received the prefent, 
 which Naaman the leper made him, the prophet faid to 
 him : Since tbou haft received Naaman's money ; the kprofy 
 therefore of Naaman Jhall alfojlick to thee and to thy feed for 
 ever *. GOD has pronounced a like fentence againft man, 
 judging it requifite, that fmce he has coveted the riches 
 of Lucifer, which are his guilt and his pride, he mould 
 in like manner be defiled with Lucifer's leprofy, which 
 is the punimment of his rebellion. Thus man, by imi- 
 tating the devil's fins, become like them, and mares with 
 them in their punimment, as well as in their guilt. 
 
 3. Man having brought fuch a difgrace upon himfelf, 
 this fame GOD, whofe mercy is as great as his majefty, 
 confidered not the affront, which was offered to his infi- 
 nite goodnefs, fo much as he did our mifery. He was 
 more concerned for the unhappy condition we were re- 
 duc'd to, than angry for the offences we had committed 
 againft himfelf, and therefore refolved to fuccour us by 
 the means of his only fon -, and to make him the Me- 
 diator of our reconciliation with himfelf. But what was 
 this reconciliation ? who is able to exprefs this mercy ? 
 he fettled fuch a clofe friendfliip betwixt GOD and man, 
 as to find out a way to make GOD not only pardon man, 
 receive him into his favour again, and make him one and 
 the fame thing with himfelf, by love ; but what is far be- 
 yond all expreflion, he united him to himfelf, in fuch a 
 manner, that there are no created beings in nature fo 
 clofe united as thefe two are now ; becaufe they are not 
 only one in love and in grace, but in perfon too. Who 
 could ever have thought that fuch a breach as this would 
 have been fo made up again ? who could have imagined 
 that thefe two things, which nature and fin had fet at 
 
 fuch 
 f 4 Kings, c, v. v. 26, 27.
 
 34 tt* Sinners Guide. 
 
 fuch a diflance, mould ever have been united together, 
 not in the fame houfe, at the fame table, in the fame 
 union of grace and love, but in the fame perfon ? are 
 there any two things in the world more different from 
 one another, than GOD and a fmner ? and yet, are there 
 any things more clofely united than GOD and man are 
 now ? there is nothing, fays St. Bernard, more high than 
 GOD, and nothing lower than the clay man was made of. 
 Yet has GOD with fo much humility defcended into this 
 clay, and this clay with fo much honour afcended to 
 GOD, that we may fay, the clay has done whatfoever 
 GOD has done ; and GOD has luffered all the clay has 
 fuffered. 
 
 4. When man, finding himfelf naked, and become an 
 enemy to GOD, endeavoured to hide himfelf in the moft 
 concealed parts of the terreftrial paradife, who would 
 have made him believe, a time would come when this 
 bafe and vile fubftance mould be united to GOD, in one 
 and the fame perfon ? this alliance was fo ftrict arid clofe, 
 that it could not be feparated even by death, which broke 
 the union between foul and body, but could never di- 
 vide the divinity from the humanity, becaufe GOD never 
 quitted what he had once taken on him for our fake. 
 
 Thus our peace was concluded ; this is the medicine 
 we have received at the hands of our Saviour and Me- 
 diator. And, though we are infinitely more indebted to 
 GOD for fo fovereign a cure, than we are any ways able 
 to exprefs, we are no lefs obliged to him, for the manner 
 of applying it, than for the remedy itfelf. I am infinitely 
 indebted to thee, O my GOD, for having redeemed me 
 from hell, and reftored me to thy favour , but I owe thae 
 much more for the manner of reftoring my liberty than 
 for the liberty itfelf. All thy works, O Lord, are to be 
 admired in every part of them : and though man may 
 feem to lofe himfelf in the contemplation of any one of 
 thy wonders ; the fame difappears, as foon as he lifts up 
 his eyes towards heaven, to reflccl: upon another. Nor 
 is this any difcredit to thy greatnefs, O Lord ; but an 
 argument of thy glory . 
 
 . What
 
 The Sinners Guide. 35 
 
 5. What courfe, O my GOD, haft thou taken to heal 
 me ? thou mighteft have procured my falvation an infi- 
 nite number of ways, without putting thyfelf to any 
 trouble or expence , but thy bounty was fo great and 
 furprifmg, that to give me a more manifeft proof of thy 
 goodnefs and mercy, thou haft chofe to relieve my mi- 
 feries by thy own pains and fufferings, which were fa 
 vehement that the very thoughts of them drew a bloody 
 fweat from thy veins, and thy undergoing of them rent 
 the very rocks with forrow. Let the heavens and the 
 angels praife thee, O my GOD, for ever ; and let them 
 never ceafe to publifh thy wondrous works ! what need 
 had'ft thou of our goods, or what damage were our mi- 
 feries to thee ? If thou Jin, fays Elihu to Job, whatjhalf 
 thou hurt him? and if thy iniquities be multiplied, what 
 Jhalt thou do againft him ? on the contrary ; and if thou do 
 juftly what Jhalt thou give him, or what Jhatt he receive of 
 thy hand* ? This great GOD, who is fo powerful, and fo 
 far above the reach of any misfortune ; he whofe riches, 
 whofe power, and whofe wifdom can neither be increafed 
 nor leflened , he who was neither greater nor lefs, after 
 he had created the world, than he was before; he, who 
 can receive no more glory from all the praifes men and 
 angels are able to give him, than what he has always 
 had from all eternity ; he who would be no lefs glorious, 
 though each particular mouth were to be employed ir* 
 curling and blafpheming him : this Lord, I fay, whofe 
 Majefty is fo great and infinite, notwithftanding our 
 infidelities and treacheries have been fuch, as deferve his 
 eternal anger and hatred, has vouchfafed even when he 
 had no need at all of us, and upon no other motive but 
 that of his exceflive love to us, to bow down the heavens 
 of his greatnefs, and to defcend into this place of banifh- 
 ment , to doath himfelf with our Mem, to undertake the 
 payment of our debts, and that he might difcharge us to 
 undergo the moft dreadful torments that ever were, or 
 that ever mall be undergone. It was for my fake, O my 
 GOD, that thou haft been born in a ftable, laid in a 
 manger, circumcifed the eighth day, and forced to fly 
 
 into 
 * Exod. c. xxv. v. 1 8.
 
 36 *The Sinners Guide. 
 
 into Egypt it was for the love of me that thou haft been 
 fo affronted and injured ; it was for me that thou haft 
 faded, watched, and wandered from place to place ; that 
 thou haft fweated, weaped, and fubjected thyfelf to all 
 thofe mileries, which my fins have deferved, notwith- 
 ftanding that thou wert fo far from being the offender, 
 as to be all this while the party offended. It was for me 
 that thou wert apprehended, forfaken, fold, denied, and 
 brought before feveral courts and judges ; it was for my 
 fake that thou wert accufed before them, that thou wert 
 affronted, buffered, fpit upon, whipped, blafphemed, 
 put to death, and buried. Thou haft, in fine, vouch- 
 iafed for the healing of my wounds, to die upon a crofs, 
 in the fight of thy moft holy mother, in fo great po- 
 verty, as not to have one drop of water at the hour of 
 thy death, and in fo ftupendous a manner forfaken by 
 all, that thy Heavenly Father himfelf feemcd to neglecl: 
 thee at that time. Can any thing enter into the heart o 
 man more lamentable than this, to fee a GOD of moft in- 
 finite majefty, come down upon earth to end his life 
 upon a crofs, like a notorious malefador. 
 
 6. If any maa, though of never fo mean a condition, 
 were to be executed for fome public crime he had com- 
 mited, there is nobody could, without fome kind of 
 concern, efpecially if he had known him before, confi- 
 der the deplorable ftate his mifery had reduced him to -, 
 and the unhappy end he was going to make. Now if it 
 be furprifing to fee a man but of an ordinary condition 
 brought to fuch difgrace; how ought we to be afto- 
 nifhed, when we fee the Lord of all created things in no 
 better circumftances ? what a fubjecl: of wonder, to fee a 
 GOD dealt with like a malefaftor ? and if it be true, that 
 the greater-quality a perfon is of, the more we are fur- 
 prized at his difgrace and fall -, what furprife muft have 
 feized you, O bleffed angels, who had fo full a know- 
 ledge of the greatnefs of this Lord ? what did you think, 
 when you faw him hanging upon a crofs ? GOD com- 
 pianded Mofes to put two cherubims at the fides of the 
 ark, with their faces turned toward the mercy-feat, and 
 Joojdng upon one another with admiration \ and for 
 
 what
 
 Parti. Ch.4. Of our Redemption. 37 
 
 what other end was all this, but to give us to nnder- 
 ftand, with what a holy aftonifhment thefe fupreme fpi- 
 rits muft be feized, when they confider the effect of fo 
 great a charity, and behold this Great GOD, who created 
 heaven and earth, nailed to the Holy Crofs to atone for 
 our crimes ? nature herfelf is amazed, and every creature 
 is aftonifhed. The principalities and powers of heaven 
 are ravifhed with this inestimable goodnefs, which they 
 behold in GOD. Is there any-body, after all this, that is 
 hot fwallowed up in the abyfs of fuch wonders ? who is 
 there that is not drowned in the ocean of fuch infinite 
 mercies ? who is there that can contain his admiration, 
 fo as not to cry out with Mofes, when GOD mewed him 
 the figure of the myftery upon the mount : O the Lord* 
 the Lord God^ merciful and gracious^ patient and of much 
 companion, and true* ! He was unable to do any thing 
 elfe but publifli aloud the infinite goodnefs GOD had 
 given him a fight of? who would not, like Elias, hide 
 his eyes -f, if he faw his GOD pafFing by ; not in the 
 brightnefs of his majefty ; but under the veil of his lit* 
 tlenefs : not overturning the mountains, or fplitting the 
 rocks in pieces by his omnipotence ; but delivered up 
 into the hands of the wicked -, and making the very 
 rocks grow foft, and burft afunder with companion ? 
 who is there that will not fhut the eyes of his under- 
 ftanding and open the bofom of his will, that at the 
 fight of fo boundlefs a love, it may be inflamed with 
 gratitude, and return all the love it is able to give, 
 without fetting any limits or meafure to its paffion ? O 
 height of charity ! O depth of humility ! O greatnefs of 
 mercy ! O abyfs of incomprehenfible goodnefs ! 
 
 7. If it be true, O Lord, that I am thus indebted to 
 thee, for having redeemed me; how great muft the 
 obligation be for thy having redeemed me in fuch a man- 
 ner ? for to redeem me, thou haft fuffered fuch torments 
 and fuch difgrace, as are above the reach of our imagi- 
 nation. Thou haft made thyfelf the fcorn of men and 
 the contempt of the world, for the love of me. To 
 procure me honour, thou haft difhonoured thyfelf ; and 
 G haft 
 
 * Exod. c, xxxiv. v, 6. f Swings, c.xix. v. 13,
 
 38 The Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 haft fuffered thyfelf to be accufed, that I might be ac- 
 quitted. Thou haft fhed thy blood, to warn away the 
 ftains of my guilt* Thou haft died, to raife me to life y 
 and by thy tears, haft delivered me from everlafting' 
 weeping and gnafhing of teeth. How truly doft thou 
 deferve the name of a kind father , fmce thou haft had 
 fo tender a love for thy children ? how juftly art thou 
 to be called a Good Shepherd, who haft given thyfelf 
 for the nourifhrnent of thy flock ? how truly faithful a 
 guardian art thou ; .fmce thou haft fo freely laid down 
 thy life, for thofe whom thou haft taken into thy care ? 
 what prefent mail I make thee, anfwerable to this pre- 
 fent ? with what tears lhall I return thefe tears ? with 
 what life (hall I repay this life ? what proportion is there 
 betwixt the life of a man, and the life of his GOD ; be- 
 twixt the tears of a creature, and thofe of its Creator ? 
 
 8. But if, O man, thou moulded perhaps imagine, 
 that his fuffering for every body elfe as well as for thee, 
 has leflened thy obligation, thou deceiveft thyfelf. For 
 though he fuffered for all mankind in general, it was in 
 fuch a manner, that he fuffered for each particular per- 
 Ibn. For his infinite wifdom gave him as clear and as 
 diftinct a reprefentation of all thofe, for whom he under- 
 went thofe torments, as if there had been but one fmgle 
 perfon ; and his immenfe charity, which made him fufFer 
 for all, has done no lefs for each one in particular. So 
 that he has med his blood for every fmgle man, as much 
 ats for all mankind together , and fo great has bee hins 
 mercy, that had there been but one finner in the whole 
 world, he would have fuffered as much for him alone, 
 as he has now done for all the world. Confider therefore, 
 how infinitely thou art obliged to this Lord, who has 
 done fo % much for thee ; and who would have done a 
 great deal more, if there had been any need of it, for 
 procuring thy happinefs. 
 
 SECT.
 
 Part f. Ch. 4. Of our 'Redemption. 39 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 We may gather front what has been hitherto faid, how 
 grievous a thing it is to of end God' : 
 
 9. I appeal now to all creatures, whether man can 
 poflibly think of any greater benefit, any more generous 
 favour, or any obligation more binding than this is. 
 Tell me, O all ye Choirs of Angels, whether GOD has 
 ever done fo much for you. Can any man then, after 
 all this, refufe to give himfelf up entirely to the fervice 
 of GOD ? I am indebted to thee, O Lord, fays St. An- 
 felm, for all that I am, upon three feveral accounts. 
 Becaufe thou haft created me, I owe thee all that is in 
 me , I owe thee the fame debt, and with more juftice, 
 becaufe thou haft redeemed me. And becaufe thou haft 
 promifed to reward me with the enjoyment of thyfelf, I 
 cannot but acknowledge I am wholly thine. Why then 
 do not I give myfelf once, once at leaft, to him to whom 
 I am fojuftly due ? O infup portable ingratitude! O in- 
 vincible hardnefs of man's heart, which is not to be fof- 
 tened by fo many favours 1 there is nothing in the world 
 fo hard, but it may by fome means or other be made 
 much fofter. Fire melts metals -, iron grows flexible in 
 the forge : the blood of certain animals will foften even 
 the diamond itfelf : but O more than ftony heart, what 
 iron, what diamond, is fo hard as thou art ; if neither the 
 flames of hell, nor the care of fo charitable a father, nor 
 the blood of the unfpotted Lamb, which has been fhed 
 for thee, can make thee foft and flexible. Since thou, 
 O Lord, haft (hewed fo much goodnefs, fo much mercy, 
 and fo much kindnefs to man, is it to be borne with 
 that any one mould not love thee -, that any one fliould 
 forget thy benefits, and that any one mould offend thee. 
 What can that man love, that is not in love with tkee ? 
 what favours can work upon him, that is not to be 
 wrought upon by thine ? how can I refufe to ferve him, 
 who has had fuch a love for me , who has fought after 
 me with fo much folicitude ; and who has done fo 
 much for the redeeming of me ? I, fays our Saviour, If 
 G 2 I h
 
 40 The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 / be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to tny- 
 felf*. With what force, O Lord, with what chains ? 
 with the force of* my love, with the chains of my mer- 
 cies. / will draw them, fays the Lord, with the cords of 
 Adam, with the lands of love f. Who is there that will 
 not be drawn with thefe cords ? who will not fuffer him- 
 felf to be bound with thefe chains ? or, who will not be 
 won by thefe mercies ? 
 
 10. Now, if it be fo heinous a crime, not to love this 
 Great GOD , what muft it be, to offend him and break 
 his commandments ? how can you dare to employ your 
 hands in injuring thcjfe hands, which have been fo li- 
 beral to you, as to fuffer themfelves to be nailed to a 
 crofs for your fake ? when the holy patriarch Jofeph was 
 folicited by his lewd miftrefs to defile his mafter Poti- 
 phar's bed ; the chafte and grateful young man, by no 
 means confenting to fo foul an action, made this reply : 
 Behold my matter hath delivered all things to me, and 
 knoweth not what he hath in his own houfe : neither is there 
 any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not de- 
 livered to me, but thee, who art his wife ; how then can I 
 do this wicked thing, and fin againft my God\ ? As if he 
 had faid : fince my mafter has been fo kind and generous 
 to mej fince he nas put all that he is worth into my 
 hands, and has done me fuch an honour, as to entruft 
 Hie with his whole eftate, how mail I, who am bound by 
 fo many obligations, dare to affront fo good a mafter. 
 We are to obferve here, that Jofeph did not fay : I ought 
 vot\ or, 'tis not juft that I Jhould offend him : but, how 
 then can I do this wicked thing ? To fignify that extraor- 
 <Jinary favours ought to deprive us not only of the will ; 
 tut in fome meafure, of the very power of offending our 
 benefactor. If therefore fo great an acknowledgment 
 was due to fuch benefits as thefe, what is it thofe favours 
 we have received from GOD do not deferve ? that mafter 
 who, was but a mortal man, had entrufted him with the 
 management of his eftate. GOD has delivered into 
 your hands alrnoft ajl he has ; cgnfider how much the 
 
 riches 
 
 * St. John, c. v. v. 32. f Qfee. c. xi. v. 4. 
 
 J Gen, c. *xxix. v. 8, 9.
 
 Part I. Ch. 4. Of our Redemption. 4 1 
 
 riches of GOD exceed thofe of Potiphar, for fo much 
 more have you received than he did. And to make this 
 out, what is it GOD poffeflfes, which he has not entrufted 
 you with. The fky *; the earth, the fun, the moon, 
 the ftars, the rivers, the birds, the fifties, the trees, the 
 beads ; whatfoever is under the heavens, is in your 
 power ; and not only what is under heaven, but evea 
 what is in heaven itfelf ; that is, the glory, the riches, and 
 the happinefs that is to be found there : For all things 
 are yours, fays the Apoftle, whether it be Paul or Apollo* 
 er Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent* 
 or things to come , for all are yours }-. For they all con- 
 tribute to your falvation. Nor is that which is in hea- 
 ven all we have, the very Lord of heaven himfelf is ours 
 too. He has given himfelf to us a thoufand ways, as 
 our father, our tutor, our faviour, our mafter, our phy- 
 fician, our price, our example, our food, our remedy, 
 and our reward. To conclude, the Father has given us 
 his Son ; the Son has made us worthy of the Holy Ghoft ; 
 and it is by the virtue of the Holy Ghoft, that we deferve 
 the Father and the Son, who are the very fources and 
 fountains, from whence all forts of riches flow. 
 
 n. If it be true, that GOD has thus given you the 
 pofTe/Tion of all, how can you find in your heart to of- 
 fend fo bountiful and fo generous a benefactor. If it 
 be a crime not to requite fuch great favours, what muft 
 it be to defpife and offend him that beftows them. If 
 young Jofeph thought himfelf unable to do an injury to 
 his mafter, becaufe he had committed the care of his 
 houfe to him ; with what face can you affront him, who 
 has delivered all heaven and earth ; nay himfelf too, 
 into your hands ? O miferable and unhappy man ! if you 
 are not fenfible of this evil, you are more ungrateful thaa 
 brutes are, more favage than the moft favage tigers, 
 and more fenfelels than any fenfelefs thing in nature. 
 For what lion or tiger is fo enraged, as to fly at him who 
 has done him a kindnefs. St. Ambrofe tells us of a dog, 
 that feeing his mafter killed by one of his enemies, con- 
 tinued all night by the body barking and howling. The 
 
 next 
 * Pfalm via. ( I Cor. c. iii. v. 22.
 
 4* The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 next day, amongft a great many people that crowded to 
 fee the corpfe, the dog fpied out the perfon that had 
 committed the murder, and immediately flew upon 
 him, and fo by his barking and biting difcovered the 
 malefactor, who otherwife might have probably efcaped. 
 If a dog (hewed fo much love and fidelity to his mafter, 
 for a morfel of bread, how can you be fo ungrateful, as 
 to let a dog outdo you in good nature and gratitude ? 
 and if this creature was in fuch a rage againft the man 
 that had murdered his mafter, how can you forbear be- 
 ing incenfed againft thofe who have put yours to death ? 
 and who do ye think are they, but your own fin's ? it 
 was they that apprehended and bound him, that fcourged 
 and crucified him. Your fins I fay were the caufe of all 
 this. For his executioners could never have had fo much 
 power, if your fins had not given it them. Why then 
 do not you rife up in arms againft thefe barbarous mur- 
 derers, who have taken away your Lord and Saviour's 
 life ? how can you behold him lying dead before you, 
 and for your fake, without increafmg your love for him, 
 and your averfion to fin, which has been the occafion of 
 his death ? efpecially, knowing that whatfoever he either 
 faid, did, or fuffered in this world, was for no other end, 
 but to excite in our hearts a horror and deteftation of 
 fin. He died to make fin die, and fuffered his hands 
 and his feet to be nailed, that he might bind up fin in 
 chains, and bring it under fubjection : why then will you 
 let your Saviour's toils, fweat and pains be loft to you ? 
 fmce he has with his blood delivered you from fetters ? why 
 will you (till remain a flave ? how can you forbear trem* 
 bling at the very name of fin, when GOD has done fuch ex- 
 traordinary things to ruin and deftroy it ? what could GOD 
 have done more, in order to bring men off from fin, than 
 to place himfelf upon a crofs, betwixt it and them ? if a 
 man were to fee heaven and hell open before him, would 
 he then dare to offend GOD ? and yet it is without 
 doubt a thing much ftranger and more furprifmg, to 
 fee a GOD nailed to an infamous crofs. If therefore fo 
 frightful a fpedlacle as this cannot work upon man, 
 there is nothing in nature will be able to move him. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 Parti. Ch. 5. Of our Vocation and Juftification. 43 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of theffth motive that obliges us to virtue, which is the 
 benefit of our juftification. 
 
 i. TQ U T what would the benefit of our redemption 
 D avail, were it not followed by that of juftifica- 
 tion, by which this extraordinary favour is applied to 
 us ? for as phyfic, though never fo well prepared, is 
 wholly ufelefs, if not applied to the diftemper ; fo this 
 heavenly medicine will work no cure upon us,' unlefs ap- 
 plied by means of this benefit we now treat of. This 
 application is peculiarly the work of the Holy Ghoft, to 
 whom the fanctification of man is attributed. He it is 
 who prevents the finner with his mercy ; who having 
 thus prevented, calls him ; who juftifies him when called j 
 who conducts him, when juftified, in the paths of juflice ; 
 and thus raifes him to perfection, by the gift of perfe- 
 verance; to crown him in the end with everlafting 
 glory. Thefe are the different degrees of grace,, con- 
 tained under the ineftimable favours of juftification. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 2. The firft of all thefe graces is that of our vocation. 
 When man by the force of this Divine Spirit, having 
 broken all the bands and fetters of his fins, is freed from 
 the tyrannical flavery of the devil, and raifed from death 
 to life ; when of a finner, he becomes a faint and a child 
 of GOD, from a child of wrath ; which is not to be done 
 without the fpecial help of the Divine Grace, as our Sa- 
 viour teftified to us by thefe words : No man can come to 
 me, except the Father, who hath fent me, draw him *. Sig- 
 nifying to us, that neither free-will, nor all the advan- 
 tages of human nature, are fufficient of themfelves to lift 
 a man out of the depth of fin, and raife him to the 
 ftate of grace, unlefs GOD lend him a helping- hand. 
 And St. Thomas explaining thefe very words, fays, That 
 as the ftone naturally tends downward, and cannot raife 
 
 itfelf 
 * St. John, c. vi. v, 44.
 
 44 ffi> e Sinners Guide, Book. I. 
 
 itfelf Up again without forne exterior afliftance. fo man 
 according to the bent of his nature, depraved by the 
 corruption of fin is always finking downward in the de- 
 fire of earthly things i fo that unlefs GOD lend a hand 
 to lift him up to a fupernatural love and defire of hea- 
 venly delights, he will never be able to rife. This fen- 
 tence very well deferves both our confideration and tears, 
 for by it man comes to know himfelf, grows fenfible of 
 the corruption of his nature, and of the neceflity he per- 
 petually lies under, of begging GOD Almighty's af* 
 fiftance. 
 
 3. But to come to the matter in hand. It is impof- 
 fible for man to return from fin to grace, unlefs the Al- 
 mighty-Hand of GOD raife him up. But this is a favour 
 of fuch value, that there is no exprefiing how many 
 graces are contained in it. For there being nothing 
 more certain, than that fin is by this means rooted out 
 of the foul, and that it is fin which is the caufe of all 
 its miferies ; how great a good muft this confequently 
 be, which expels and baniihes fo many evils ? but for- 
 afmuch as the confideration of this benefit is a powerful 
 motive to make us grateful for it, and excite us to the 
 purfuit of virtue, I will explain here in fhort, the vaft 
 riches this benefit brings along with it. 
 
 4. Firft then j it is by this that man is reconciled to 
 GOD, and reftored to his favour. For the greateft mi- 
 fery fin caufes in our fouls, is the rendering them odious 
 to GOD, who as he is goodnefs itfelf, bears fuch a ha- 
 tred to fin, as is proportioned to his goodnefs. For this 
 reafon the royal prophet fays : fhou^ O Lord, bat eft 
 all the workers of iniquity^ thou wilt deflroy all that fpeak 
 a lie : the bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor *. 
 It is this, which in effect is the greateft of all evils, and 
 the fource from whence all others flow j as the love of 
 GOD on the other fide is the greateft of all goods, and 
 the very fountain of all the reft. This therefore is the 
 evil we are freed from, by virtue of our j unification ; 
 fince by it we are reftored to GOD'S favour, and though 
 we were his enemies before, this reconciles us to his 
 
 love 
 * Pfalm v. v, 7, 8,
 
 Part I. Ch. 5. Of our Vocation and Juftification. 45 
 
 love again, and that not in any mean degree, but in the 
 higheft that may be, which is that of a father for his fon. 
 This is what the beloved Evangelift St. John fo much 
 extols when he fays, Behold, what manner of charity the 
 father hath bejlowed upon us-, that we fiould be called the 
 fons of God\ and be fo too *. He does not think it enough 
 to fay, that we are called the children of GOD ; he adds 
 farther, that we are really fo -, to the end, that our hu- 
 man intellect, which carries fo much weaknefs and im- 
 perfection along with it, might have a clearer and more 
 diftinct view of the liberality of GOD'S grace, and per- 
 ceive thafhe has truly and really enobled man by making 
 him his Son, and not given him the title only. If, as we 
 have faid, it is fo miferable a thing to be hated by GOD ; 
 what a happinefs muft it be to be loved by him ? philo- 
 fophers tell us, that the worfe any thing is, the better and 
 more excellent its contrary muft be. Whence we are to 
 conclude, that thing muft be fupremely good, whole op- 
 pofite is fupremely evil ; and fuch man is, when he is be- 
 come the object of GOD'S hatred. If men ufe fo much 
 caution in this world, not to lofe the love of their mafters, 
 fathers, princes, fuperiors, or kings ; how folicitous 
 mould we be to keep in favour with this Powerful King, 
 this Heavenly Prince, this Sovereign Lord and Father ; 
 in comparifon of whom, all earthly power and authority 
 is mere nothing ? this favour is the greater, by how 
 much it is more freely beftowed -, for as man could do 
 nothing before he was created to deferve his being, be- 
 caufe at that time he was not ; fo neither could he, after 
 having once fallen into fin, do any thing at all that 
 might deferve the gift of Juftification : not becaufe he 
 was not, but becaufe he was wicked and odious in the 
 fight of GOD. 
 
 5. Another benefit befides this is; that Juftification 
 
 takes off the fentence of everlafting torments, which 
 
 man's fins had condemned him to. For, whereas fin 
 
 makes a man the object of GOD'S hatred, and it is im- 
 
 pofiible that any one mould be hated by him, and not 
 
 at the fame time be in the greateft mifery imaginable 5 
 
 H it 
 
 * St, John, c. iii. v. I.
 
 46 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 it follows, that the wicked, having caft GOD off from 
 them, and ungratefully defpifed him, deferve very juftly 
 to be caft away by GOD, and to be defpifed and ne- 
 glected by him. They deferve to be banifhed for ever 
 from his prefence ; never to enjoy his company , never 
 to enter into his moft beautiful and glorious palace- 
 And, becaufe in feparating themfelves from him, they 
 have had an irregular love for the creatures, it is but juft 
 they mould be condemned for the fame to eternal pains 
 and torments, which are fo rigorous, that if we compare 
 all that men fuffer in this life to them, they will look 
 more like painted, than real torments. Let us add to 
 thefe miferies, the never-dying worm, which will conti- 
 nually gnaw the very bowels and tear the confciences of 
 the wicked ; add alfo the company which thefe unhappy 
 fouls muft always keep, which mall be no other than 
 that of all the damned. What mall I fay of their horrible 
 and melancholy habitation, full of darknefs and confu- 
 fion ; where there never mail be any order, joy, reft or 
 peace ; never any comfort, fatisfaction or hope : where 
 there mail be nothing but eternal weeping and gnafhing. 
 of teeth ; eternal rage and blafphemies. GOD delivers 
 thofe whom he juftifies from all thefe miferies, and having: 
 peftored them to his grace and favour, frees them en- 
 tirely ( frGm his wrath and vengeance. 
 
 6. There is another advantage yet more fpiritual than 
 the : fp'rmer ; which is, the reforming and renewing of 
 the inward man, all deformed and disfigured by fin. 
 Becaufe fin, in the firft place, deprives the foul, not only 
 of GOD, but of all its fupernatural force, and of all thofe 
 gifts and treafures of the Holy Ghoft, with which it was 
 enriched and adorned. So that being once robbed of 
 the riches of grace, it is immediately maimed and 
 wounded in all its natural powers and faculties : becaufe 
 man being a rational creature, and fin being an action- 
 againft reafon j as it is very natural for one contrary to 
 deftroy another, it follows of courfe, that the greater and 
 more numerous our fins are, the greater muft be the 
 ruin the faculties of the foul lie open to ; not in them- 
 felves, but in the natural inclination they have to do 
 
 good.
 
 Parti. Ch. 5. Of our Vocation and ^uflificatlon. 47 
 
 good. Thus fin makes the foul miferable, weak, floth- 
 ful, inconftant in the doing of what is good, and bent 
 upon all kind of evil ; unable to refift temptations, and 
 foon tired with walking in the way of GOD'S command- 
 ments. It alfo deprives the foul of true liberty and fo- 
 vereignty of the fpirit, and makes it a mere (lave to the 
 world, the flelh, the devil and its own inordinate appe- 
 tites ; bringing it under a harder and more unhappy fer- 
 vitude, than that of the Ifraelites in Egypt or Babylon. 
 Nor are thefe all the miferies which fin reduces the foul 
 to ; it opprefies it befides in fuch a manner, and fo de- 
 ftroys all its fpiritual motions and fenfes, that it can nei- 
 ther hear GOD fpeaking to it, nor perceive thofe dread- 
 ful calamities which it is threatened with -, it is quite 
 fenfelefs to that fweet fmell, which comes from the vir- 
 tues and examples of the faints : it cannot taftc how 
 fweet the Lord is ; nor feel the ftrokes of GOD'S haad, 
 any more than thofe graces which he pours into it, to 
 excite it to the love of him. Befides ail thefe ills, it 
 takes away the peace and jay of confcience, and fo by 
 degrees lefTens and cools the fervour of the fpirit, till it 
 leaves poor man in fuch a miferable condition, that he is 
 foul, deformed and abominable ia the fight of GOD, and 
 of all his faints. 
 
 7. The grace of juftification delivers us from all thefe 
 miferies. For GOD who is an infinite abyfs of mercy, 
 thinks it not enough to pardon our fins, and receive us 
 into his favour ; unlefs he does free our fouls from all 
 thofe diforders which fin had raifed in it, by reforming 
 and renewing our inward man. So that he heals our 
 wounds ; cleanfes us from our filth ; loofens our chains ; 
 eafes us of the burthen of our evil defires ; and frees us 
 from the flavery and captivity of the devil ; he mode- 
 rates the heat of our pafllons , he reftores us to a true li- 
 berty , he beautifies the foul anew , he fettles peace and 
 joy in our.confciences again ; he enlivens our inward mo- 
 tions ; he makes us forward to do what is good, and 
 backward to do that which is evil ; he ftrengthens us 
 againft temptations ; and, after all thefe benefits, he en- 
 riches us with a treafure of good works : in fine, he re- 
 H 2 pairs
 
 48 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 pairs our inward man with all its faculties, after fuch a 
 manner, that the apoftle does not flick at calling thofe 
 who are thus juftified, New men, and new creatures*. So 
 great is the grace of this renovation that when we re- 
 ceive it by baptifm, it is called a regeneration ; when by 
 penance, a refurre&ion ~f : not only becaufe the foul, by 
 virtue of it is raifed from the death of fin to the life of 
 grace , but becaufe it holds fome proportion with the 
 glory of the general refurre<5tion at the laft day. This 
 is fo certainly true, that no tongue is able to declare the 
 beauty of a juftified foul, but only that divine fpirit 
 which beautifies, and makes it his temple and dwelling- 
 place , fo that if we mould compare all the riches of the 
 earth, all the honours of the world, all the benefits of 
 nature, and all the virtues we are able to acquire, with 
 the beauty and riches of fuch a foul , they would all ap- 
 pear bafe and deformed before it. Becaufe the life of 
 grace has the fame advantages over that of nature ; the 
 beauty of the foul over that of the body ; inward riches 
 over the outward, and fpiritual ftrength over the corpo- 
 real , as heaven has over earth, a fpirit over a body, or 
 eternity over time. For all thefe things are tranfitory, 
 limited, and only beautiful to the eyes of the body , nor 
 have they need of any more than of a general afliftance 
 and fupport from GOD, whilft the others (land in need 
 of a peculiar and fupernatural help, and cannot be called 
 temporal, becaufe they lead us to eternity ; nor can we 
 fay they are altogether finite, becaufe they make us 
 worthy to partake of the infinity of GOD ; who has fuch 
 an efteem and love for them, that he is even enamoured 
 with their beauty. And though GOD could do all thefe 
 things, only by his will ; yet he was not fo fatisfied, but 
 would adorn the foul with infufed virtues, and the feven 
 gifts of the Holy Ghoft , by means whereof not only the 
 clfence but all the faculties of the foul are adorned and 
 beautified with thefe heavenly graces. 
 
 8. To all thefe extraordinary benefits, that infinite 
 
 goodnefs and boundlefs liberality has added another, 
 
 which is, the prefence of the Holy Ghoft, and of the 
 
 whole 
 * 2 Cor. iv. v, 1 6, f taalat, vi, v. 15.
 
 Parti. Ch. 5. Of our Vocation and Jitftifaation. 49 
 
 whole bleiTed Trinity, which defcends into the foul of 
 him that is juftified, to inftruct him what ufe to make of 
 all thefe riches : like a good father who not only leaves 
 his eftate to his fon, but provides him a guardian to look 
 after and manage it for him -, fo that as the foul of one 
 that is in fin, is a den for vipers, dragons and ferpents -, 
 that is to fay, a place where all forts of wicked fpirits 
 dwell, according to our Saviour in St. Matthew * : fo 
 the foul of a juftified man becomes the habitation of the 
 Holy Ghoft, and of the whole blefled Trinity, which 
 having expelled all thefe hellifti monfters and wild beafts, 
 make it their temple and place of abode, as our Saviour 
 has exprefly fignified by thefe words : If any one love me 
 he will keep my word^ and my father will love him, and we 
 will come to him and will make our abode with him -f\ From, 
 which words the holy fathers and the fchbolmen conclude, 
 that the Holy Ghoft dwells in a particular manner in the 
 foul of a juftified man, diftinguifhing the Holy Ghoft 
 and his gifts ; and declaring, that fuch perfons partake 
 not only of the gifts of the Holy Ghoft, but of the 
 Holy Ghoft himfelf ; who entering into every foul thus 
 dilpofed, make it his temple and dwelling place ? and to 
 this end he himfelf cleanfes, fanctifies and adorns it with 
 his gifts, that it may be a place worthy to entertain fuch 
 a gueft. 
 
 9. Add to all thefe benefits one more, which is, that 
 all thofe who are juftified become living members of 
 Jefus Chrift, whereas they were dead before and inca- 
 pable, whilft they remain in that condition of receiving 
 the influence of his grace, whence many other fingular 
 privileges and excellencies flow to it. For this reafon 
 the Son of GOD loves .and cherifhes thefe perfons as his 
 own members : and as their head is continually commu- 
 nicating force and vigour to them. And laftly, the Eter- 
 nal Father beholds them with eyes of affection, becaufe 
 he looks upon them as living members of his only Son, 
 united to, and incorporated with him by the participation 
 ' of the Holy Ghoft : and therefore their actions are pleafing 
 to him, and meritorious to thcmfelves inasmuch^ as they 
 
 are 
 * Matt, xiii. -j- St. John, c. xiv. v. 25;
 
 50 <n>e Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 are actions of the living members of his only Son Chrift 
 Jefus, who produces all that is good in them. This is 
 alfo the reafon why thofe perfons who are thus juftified, 
 whenfoever they beg any favour of Almighty GOB, ad- 
 drefs themfelves to him with a perfect confidence *, be- 
 caufe they fuppofe, that what they afk, is not fo much 
 for themfelves as for the Son of GOD, who is honoured 
 and glorified in them and with them. For fmce the 
 members cannot receive a benefit, but the head muft 
 partake of it : Chrift being their head, they conceive, 
 that when they afk for themfelves they afk for him. And 
 if what the Apoftles fay be true, that they who fin 
 againft the members of Jefus Chrift, fin againft Jefus 
 Chrift himfelf ; and that he looks upon any injury of- 
 fered to one of his members, upon his account, as done 
 to him, as he faid to the apoflJe himfelf, when he per- 
 fecuted the church ; w&at wonder is it, that the honour 
 done to thefe members mould be done to him ? this be- 
 ing fo, what confidence will not the juft man bring with 
 him to his prayers, when he confiders that in begging for 
 himlelf, he in forne meafure begs of the Heavenly Father 
 for his Beloved Son ? for when a favour is granted, at 
 the requeft of another, it may doubtlefs, rather be 
 laid to be beftowed on him that begs, than on him that 
 receives it : as we fee that he who ferves the Poor, for 
 the love of GOD, ferves GOD more than he does the 
 poor. 
 
 10. There remains another benefit to which the reft 
 teml and are directed, which is the right and title thofe 
 that are juftified have to eternal life. For GOD, who is 
 o lefs merciful than he is juft, as he on one fide con- 
 demns impenitent finners to everlafting torments , fo, on 
 the other fide, he rewards them who are truly penitent, 
 with everlafting happinefs. And though he could for- 
 give men their fins, and reftore them to his friendfhip 
 and favour, without raifing them fo high as to partake 
 of his glory , yet he would not do fo, but out of the 
 cxcefs of his mercy, juftifies thofe whom he has par- 
 doned, adopts thofe whom he has juftified, and makes 
 them his heirs, giving them a mare in his riches and 
 
 inheri-
 
 Part I. Ch. 5. Of our Vocation and Juftification. 5 1 
 
 inheritance with his only Son. Hence proceeds that 
 lively hope which comforts the juft in all their tribula- 
 tions ; becaufe they are allured before-hand of this in- 
 cftimable treafure. For, though they lee themfelves fur- 
 rounded with all the troubles, infirmities and miferies of 
 this life, they know very well, that all the evils they can 
 poflibly fuffer here, are nothing at all> in compa?rifon of 
 the glory which is prepared for them hereafter : nay, on 
 the contrary, they allure themfeives, that, For our prefent 
 tribulation, which is momentary and light, worketh for u$ 
 above meafure, exceedingly an eternal weight of glory *. 
 
 11. Thefe are the advantages comprehended under 
 that ineftimabk benefit of j unification, which St. Auguf- 
 tin, with a great deal of reafon prefers before the crea- 
 tion of the whole world : becaufe GOD created all the 
 world with one fingle word ; but the juftifying of man 
 after his fall, was at the expence of his blood, and of 
 thofe other moft grievous pains and torments he endured. 
 Now, if we are fo ftrictly obliged to GOD Almighty's 
 goodnefs for having created us , how much more do we 
 owe his mercy for juftifying us ; a favour we ftand fo 
 much the more indebted for, as it cofl him lo much. 
 more than the other I 
 
 12. And, though no man can certainly tell whether 
 he be juftified or no, yet may he give a probable guefsy 
 cfpecially by the change of his life; as for example, 
 when one that before never fcrupled at committing a. 
 thoufand mortal fins, would not now commit one, though 
 it were to gain the world. Let him that perceives he is- 
 in fuch a happy condition, confider what an obligation* 
 lies upon him to ferve his Lord, for having thus fanc- 
 tified him , and at the fame time delivered him from all 
 thofe miferies, and heaped all thofe favours upon him 
 which we have fpokerv of. But if he happen to be in 
 the flate of fin, I know nothing that can more efficaci- 
 oufly excite him to a defire of being freed from it, than 
 the confideration of thofe misfortunes which fin draw* 
 after it ; and of thofe treafures of blefllngs which go 
 along with the incomparable benefit of juftification. 
 
 SEC T, 
 * 2 Cor. iv. v. 1*
 
 S 2 ttc Sinners Guide. jBookL 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of fame other cffeffs that are wrought by the Holy Ghoft, iti 
 the foul of a juftified man\ and of the Sacrawnt of the 
 Eucharift. 
 
 13. Notwithftanding thofe effects we have faid are 
 produced by the Holy Ghoft, in the foul of one that is 
 fanctified, are very great : yet they do not end there. 
 This Divine Spirit thinks it not enough to put us in the 
 way of juftice , but, after having led us in, ftill helps 
 us forward, till all the ftorms of this world being wea- 
 thered, he brings us into the haven of our falvation ; 
 fo that when he has entered into a foul by the grace of 
 juftification, he does not remain idle there ; he not only 
 honours fuch a foul with his prefents, but alfo fanctifks 
 it with his virtue ; doing; in it and with it, whatfoever 
 is neceflary for the obtaining of its falvation. He be- 
 haves himfelf there, like a head of a family in his houfe; 
 looking after, and directing like a mafter in his fchool 
 teaching, like a gardiner in his garden cultivating, and 
 like a king in his kingdom ruling and governing it : he 
 further performs in the foul, what the fun does in the 
 world , that is, he gives light to it, and like the foul in 
 the body, animates and enlivens it; though he does not 
 act as the former does upon its matter, but as the head of 
 a family in his houfe. Can man defire any greater happinefs 
 in this world, than to have fuch a gueft, fuch a guardian, 
 fuch a companion, fuch a governor, fuch a tutor, and fuch 
 an afFiftant within himfelf: for he being all things, ex- 
 ercifes all capacites in the foul, with which he takes up 
 his habitation : thus we fee, that like a fire he enlightens 
 the underftanding, inflames the will, and raifes us from 
 earth to heaven. It is he, who like a dove makes us 
 fimple, peaceable, gentle and kind to one another : He 
 it is, who like a cloud defends us againft the burning 
 lufts of the flefh , who moderates the heat of our paf- 
 fions ; and in fine, like a violent wind forces and bends 
 down our will towards that which is good, and carries 
 them away from all fuch affections as may lead them to 
 
 evik
 
 Part I. Ch. 5. Of our Jujlijkatlon. 53 
 
 evil. Hence it is, that thofe who are juftified, conceive 
 fuch a horror of the vices they had fo great a love for 
 before their converfion, and fo great an efteem for the 
 virtues they fo much detefted before. This David very 
 lively reprefcnts to us, fpeaking himfelf in one of his 
 pfalms, where he fays, I have hated and abhorred iniquity *, 
 and in another place of the faid plafm, / have been de- 
 lighted in the way of thy teftimonies, as in all riches -f\ Who 
 was it, but the Holy Ghoft that occafioned this altera- 
 tion ? for he, like a loving mother, put wormwood upon 
 the breads of this world, and moft delicious honey into 
 the commandments of GOD. 
 
 This plainly (hows, that whatfoever good we do, what 
 progrefs foever we make, we are intirely obliged to the 
 Holy Ghoft for the fame. So that if we are converted 
 from fin, it is by his grace , if we embrace virtue, it is 
 he that brings us to it , if we perfevere in it, it is by his 
 afiiftance ; if in (hort, we one day receive the reward he 
 has promifed, it is he himfelf that gives it us: For 
 which reafon St. Auguftin fays very well, " GOD re- 
 wards his own benefits, when he rewards our fervices." 
 So that one favour purchafes us another, and one mercy 
 is only a ftep to the obtaining of another. The holy 
 patriarch Jofeph thought it not enough to give his bro- 
 thers the corn they went to buy in Egypt J, but ordered 
 his fervants to put the money they brought to pay for 
 it into the month of their facks. GOD in fome meafure 
 does the fame with his elect, for he gives them not only 
 eternal life, but grace, and a good life to purchafe ic 
 with. Whereupon Eufebius EmifTenus fays excellently 
 well, That he who is adored to the end that he may 
 (hew mercy, has fliewed mercy already when he gave us 
 grace to adore him. ^ 
 
 Let every man therefore confider how he has fpent his 
 life, and reflect upon all thofe favours GOD has beftowed 
 on him, and on all thofe crimes, as frauds, adulteries, 
 thefts and facrileges which he has preferved him from 
 falling into, and by this means he will fee upon how 
 I many 
 
 * Pfalm cxviii. V. 163. f Ibid, v, 14. J Gcnef. 
 
 c. xlii. v. 25.
 
 54 *Tbe Sinners Guide. ' Book I. 
 
 many accounts he ftands indebted to him ; becaufe ac- 
 cording to St. Auguftin, it is no lefs mercy to preferve 
 us from falling into fin ; than to pardon it when com- 
 mitted, but much greater, and therefore the fame faint 
 writing to a certain virgin, fays*, Man is to make account 
 that GOD has pardoned him all forts of fin, inafmuch 
 as he has given him grace not to commit them : let not 
 therefore your love be little, as if he had pardoned you 
 but a little, rather endeavour to love much, becaufe you 
 have received much. For if a man loves a creditor that 
 forgives a great debt, how much more reafon has he to 
 love a benefactor that beftows much on him to poffefs. 
 For he who has lived chaftly all his life-time, has there- 
 fore continued fo, becaufe he had GOD to direct and 
 guide him : he who of an impure perfon becomes pure, 
 has had GOD to correct him , and he who continues im- 
 pure to the end, is juftly forfaken by GOD Almighty. 
 This being a matter beyond all doubt, it only remains, 
 that we fay with the prophet, Let my mouth be filled with 
 fraife^ that I may fmg thy glory ; thy greatnefs all the day 
 long -f ; upon which words St. Auguftin fays, what means 
 all the day ? nothing elfe, but that I will praife thee for 
 ever, and without ceafing in my profperity, becaufe thou 
 comforteft me , in my adverfity, becaufe thou chaftifeft 
 rne , before I was made, becaufe thou haft made me ; 
 fmce I have had my being, becaufe it is from thee that 
 I have received it ; when I finned, becaufe thou for- 
 gaveft me ; when I returned to thee, becaufe thou re- 
 ceiveft me , and when I perfevered to the end, becaufe 
 thou rewardefl me. For this reafon my mouth mail be 
 filled with thy praife, O Lord, and I will fmg to thy 
 glory all the day. 
 
 14. It would be proper here to fpeak of the benefit of 
 the Sacraments, which are the inftruments of our juflt- 
 fication, and particularly of that of baptifm, as alfo of 
 the light of faith, and of the grace we receive with it. 
 But having handled this fubject elfewhere, I mail add no 
 jnore at prefent, yet I cannot pafs over in filence, that 
 grace of graces, that facrament of facraraejits, by virtue of 
 
 which 
 lib. ii. Conf. c. 7 ' t Pklm htf, v. 8.
 
 Parti. Ch. 5. Of our Jufttfication. 55 
 
 which GOD is pleafed to live with us on earth , to give him- 
 felf every day to us as our food, and as our ibvereign 
 remedy. He was facrificed on the crofs, but once for 
 our fakes : but here he is daily offered up to his father 
 on the altar, a propitiation for our fins. As often as you 
 jball do this ; da this, fays he, for a commemoration of me *. 
 O precious pledge for our falvation ! O divine facrifice ! 
 O moft acceptable victim ! bread of life ! moft delicious 
 nourishment ! food of kings ! O fweet manna which 
 contains whatfoever is pleafant and delightful ! who can 
 ever be able to praife you according to your deferts ? 
 who can worthily receive ? who can honour you with 
 the due refpect and reverence ? my foul quite lofes 
 itfelf when it thinks of you ; my tongue fails me, nor 
 am I able to exprefs the lead part of your wonders as I 
 defire to do it. 
 
 Had our Lord beftowed this favour upon none but 
 innocent and holy men, it would ftill have been ineili- 
 mable ; how great then muft this unparalleled chanty be, 
 which after having moved him to communicate himfelf 
 fo freely to thofe, has farther prevailed upon him, to 
 pafs through the impure hands of many wicked priefts, 
 whofe fouls are the habitations of devils ; whofe bodies 
 are vefiels of corruption, whofe lives are continual fa- 
 crileges, and fpent in nothing elfe but in fin and iniquity. 
 And yet that he may vifit and comfort his friends, he 
 fuffers himfelf to be touched by fuch polluted hands, to 
 be received into their prophane mouths, and to be buried 
 in their noifom and abominable breads. His body was 
 fold but once, but in this facrament he is fold a thou- 
 fand times. He was fcorned and defpifed but once in 
 paffion ; whereas thefe impious priefts offer him infinite 
 affronts aud injuries, at the very table of the altar. He 
 was once crucified between two thieves, but here he is 
 crucified millions of times in the hands of finners. 
 
 15. Who is there that will pretend, after all this, to 
 
 be able to pay a due refpecl and honour to a Lord that 
 
 has confuted our intereft, fo many feveral ways ? what 
 
 returns can we make him for fo wonderful a nourifh- 
 
 I 2 merit? 
 
 * Luke xxii. v.
 
 56 'The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 ment ? if fervants ferve their mafters for a poor lively- 
 hood ; if foldiers for their pay, expofe themfelves to 
 fire and fword ; what ought we to do for this Lord who 
 maintains us with this heavenly and immortal food ? If 
 GOD, in the old law, required fo great an acknowledge- 
 ment for the manna he fent from heaven, though it was 
 a corruptible food ; what returns will he expect for this, 
 which befide its being exempt from corruption, makes 
 all thofe who receive it worthily, incorruptible ; if the 
 Son of GOD thanks his Father in the Gofpel, for only 
 one meal of barley-bread , what kind of thanks, mould 
 we give him for this bread of life ? if we are fo much 
 indebted to him for the nourifhment he gives us, to pre- 
 ferve our being ; how much greater is our obligation for 
 that food which preferves in us the fupernatural being 
 of grace ? for we do not commend a horfe purely be- 
 caufe he is a horfe, but becaufe he is a good horfe , nor 
 wine, becaufe it is wine, but becaufe it is good wine ; 
 nor man, becaufe he is man, but becaufe he is a good 
 man. If you are fo much obliged to him, that made 
 you a man, how much greater is your obligation for hav- 
 ing made you a good man ? If the acknowledgement be fo 
 great upon the account of corporal benefits ; what mould 
 it be for the fpiritual ? if you are fo deeply indebted for 
 the gifts of nature, how much more do you owe for 
 thofe of grace ? and if, to conclude, his having made 
 you a fon of Adam, lays fo ftrict a tie of gratitude upon 
 you ; how much muft you be obliged to him for having 
 made you a Son of GOD himfelf ? for, it is certainly true, 
 as Eufebius Emiflens fays, that the day we are born to 
 eternity, is infinitely better than that which brought us 
 forth to the toils and dangers of this world. 
 
 This dear Chriftian, is another motive, and as it was 
 a new chain added to the others, to bind your heart the 
 fafter, and oblige you to the purfuit of virtue and fer- 
 vice of this Lord, 
 
 CHAP.
 
 Part I. Ch. 6. Of Predeflinatlon. $7 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Of the ftxth Motive that obliges us to the love of virtue* 
 which is the benefit of the Divine Predejlination. 
 
 i. A DD to all the benefits we have hitherto fpoken 
 zV. of, that of Ele&ion, which belongs to none but 
 thofe whom GOD has chofen from all eternity, to be par- 
 takers of his glory. It is for this ineftimable benefit the 
 Apoftle thanks GOD, in his own and in the name of all 
 the eled ; when in his Epiftle to the Ephefians, he fays, 
 Ble/ed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jefus Cbriji* 
 who bath ble/ed us with all fpiritual ble/mgs in heavenly 
 places in Chrift : as he hath chofen us in him before the foun- 
 dation of the ivorld> that we Jhould be holy and unfpotted 
 before him in charity. Who hath predeftinated us unto the 
 adoption of children through Jefus Chrift unto himfelf, ac- 
 cording to the purpofe of his will *. The royal prophet 
 highly extols this favour, when he fays, Ble/ed is he 
 whom thou haft chofen and taken to tbee ; he Jhall dwell in 
 thy courts f. This therefore we may juftly call the grace 
 of graces, and benefit of benefits-, inafmuch as GOD, 
 purely out of his own goodnefs, beftows it upon us be- 
 fore we deferve it. For he, like one who is the abfolute 
 mafter of his own riches, without wronging any man, 
 but rather affording every one furficient affiftance to 
 work his falvation , pours out the abundance of his 
 mercy on fome particular perfons, without any limits or 
 meafure. 
 
 2. It is alfo the benefit of benefits, not only becaufe 
 it is the greateft, but becaufe it is the very fource of all 
 the reft. For GOD having chofen man for his glory, 
 beftows on him through the means of this firft fa- 
 vour, whatfoever is neceflary for the obtaining of his 
 glory, as he teftifies by the mouth of one of his pro- 
 phets, in thefe words : Tea, I have loved thee with an 
 everlajling love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity 
 en tbee J. That is, I have called you to my grace, that 
 
 by 
 
 * Ephef. c. i. v. 3, 4, 5. f Pfalm Ixiv. v. 5. 
 
 J Jerem. c, xxxi. v. 3.
 
 58 *The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 by its help you may arrive at my glory. The Apoftle 
 exprefTes the fame thing to us in much clearer terms ; 
 For "whom be forknew, he alfo predeftinated to be made con- 
 fotmable to the image of his Son^ that he might be the firft- 
 lorn amongft my brethren. And whom he predeftinated, 
 them he alfo called ; them he alfo juftified, and whom he juf- 
 (ified, them he alfo glorified *. The reafon of this is, be- 
 caufe as GOD difpofes all things fweetly and regularly, 
 he has no fooner been pleafed to chufe a man for his 
 glory, but he beftows upon him on account of this grace 
 many others, and furnifhes him with a fufficient fupply 
 of all things necefifary for the obtaining of this firft grace. 
 So that as a father that has a defign to bring one of his 
 children up for the church or the bar, employs him whilft 
 he is but a child, about fuch things as have a regard to 
 the one or the other, and directs all the actions of his 
 life to this end ; fo the Eternal Father, when he has 
 chofe a man for his glory, to which the way of juftice 
 leads us, takes care always to keep him right in this 
 road, that fo he may attain the end he is defigned for. 
 
 It is fit, therefore, that thole who perceive in thern^ 
 felves any tokens of this favour, fhould thank Go 
 fincerely and heartily for it. For though it is a fecret 
 hid from human eyes, yet there are certain figns of our 
 election, as there are of our juftifkation. And as the 
 iureft mark of our juftifkation is the converfion of our 
 lives 9 fo the beft token of our election is our perfever 
 ranee in a good life -, for he who has lived many years IT\ 
 the fear of the Lord, and has been very careful not to 
 fall into any kind of fin, may pioufly believe, that ac- 
 cording to the Apoftle , GOD will alfo confirm him unto 
 the end without crime> in the day of the coming of our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift f. 
 
 3. It is true, no man ought to think himfelf fecure, 
 fince we fee, that Solomon after he had led a pious life 
 for feveral years, was feduced in his old age : but yet 
 this example is only as a particular exception from a 
 general rule ; which is the fame in effect with what the 
 Apoftle has taught us, which the fame Solomon 
 
 tells 
 
 * Rom. c. viii. v. 29, 30. f I Cor. c, i. r. 8.
 
 Part I. Ch. 6. Of Predejllnation. 59 
 
 tells us in his Proverb?, in thefe words, // is a proverb, 
 a young man according to his way, even when he is. old he 
 will not depart from it * ; fo that if he was virtuous in 
 his youth, he will be fo when he is old. By thefe or 
 fuch like conjectures, which are to be met with in the 
 writings of the faints, a man may humbly prefume, 
 that GOD out of his infinite goodnefs* has made him 
 one of the number of his elect. And as he hopes to 
 be faved through GOD'S mercy, fo may he with all 
 humility, conclude he is of the number of thofe that 
 are to be faved, fmce the one prefuppofes the other. 
 
 This principle once fettled, a man will foon fee how 
 ftrictly he is obliged to ferve GOD, for fo extraordinary a 
 favour, as is that of having his name written in that book, 
 whereof our Saviour fpeaking to his Apoitles fays : But 
 yet rejoice not in this, that fpirits are fubjett unto you : but 
 rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven, -f- For 
 what greater benefit can there be, than to have been be- 
 loved and chofen from all eternity, ever fmce Goo has 
 been GOD ; to have been lodged in hisbofom, and made 
 choice of by him for his adopted child, when he begot 
 his own Son according to nature in the glory of the faints, 
 who were then all really prefent in the divine under- 
 ftaading ? 
 
 Weigh therefore all circumftances of this election, and 
 you will find that each of them is an extraordinary fa- 
 vour, and a new obligation to ferve GOD. Confider the 
 dignity of him who has elected you ; it is GOD himfelf, 
 who as being infinitely rich and infinitely happy, had no 
 need of you, or of any body elfe in the world. Reflect 
 next upon the perfon elected, how unworthy he is of 
 fuch a grace ; fmce he is no better than a poor mortal 
 creature, expofed to aJl the necefllties, infirmities and 
 miferies of this life , and worthy for his fins to be con- 
 demned to eternal torments in the next. Obferve how 
 glorious an election this is ; fmce the end, for which you 
 have been elected is fo noble, that nothing can be above 
 it j for what can be greater than to become the fon of 
 GOD, the heir to his kingdom, and fharer with him ia 
 
 his 
 
 * Prov. c. xxii. v, 6. -\ Luke, c. x, v. 2O.
 
 60 *Tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 his glory ? examine in the next place, how gratuitous 
 this election was ; fmce it was before all merit whatfo- 
 ever, proceeding only from the good -will of Almighty 
 GOD, and according to the apoftle, unto the praife of the 
 glory of bis grace *. For the more generous and free 
 a favour is, the greater obligation it lays on him that 
 receives it. Confider alfo how antient this election is, 
 for it did not begin with the world, but was long before 
 it, for it is co-eternal with GOD, who being himfelf from 
 all eternity, has in like manner from all eternity, loved 
 his elect; has always had them in his Divine Prefence, 
 and has them there dill, beholding them with a fatherly 
 eye of love, and being always refolved to confer fo great 
 a favour on them. Confider after all, how particular this 
 benefit is, fince he has been pleafed to honour you with 
 fo infinite a blefllng, as is the admitting of you into the 
 number of his elect; whilft there are fo many nations 
 quite ignorant of him, and which he has rejected ; and 
 therefore he feparated you from the mafs of perdition, 
 to raife you to a holy union with his faints, making that 
 which was the leaven of corruption, become the bread of 
 angels. Such a grace may put a ftop to our pens and 
 tongues, that we may be wholly taken up in the ack- 
 nowledging and admiring of it, and in learning what re- 
 turns we are to make for it. But what mould give a 
 greater value to this favour, is the fmall number of the 
 elect, whilft that of the damned is fo great, that Solomon 
 calls it infinite : The number of fools ', that is, of the re- 
 probate, is infinite -f. But ir none of all thefe confide- 
 rations is able to make any imprefiion on you, be moved 
 at leaft by the excefllve price this fovereign elector has 
 given to purchafe you : it is no lefs than the life and 
 blood of his only begotten Son, whom he from all eter- 
 nity refolved to fend down into the world, to put this his 
 divine decree into execution. 
 
 5. If this be true, what time can fuffice to fpend in 
 humble reflections upon fo many mercies ? what tongue 
 can be eloquent enough to exprefs them ? what heart 
 capacious enough to conceive them ? what returns and 
 
 acknow- 
 * Ephef. c. i. v. 6, *f Eccl, c. i. v. 15.
 
 Parti. Ch. 6, Of Predeftination. 6 1 
 
 acknowledgments be made for them ? with what love 
 fliall a man be ever able to repay this eternal love ? can 
 any man be fo bafe as to defer loving of GOD to the end 
 of his life, when Goo has had fuch a love for him from 
 all eternity ? who will part with fuch a friend as this is, 
 for any friend in this world ? for if the fcripture fets fuch 
 a value upon an old friend, how much ought we to prize 
 that friendmip which is eternal. Forsake not an old friend^ 
 for the new will not be like to him *. If this advice holds 
 good in all cafes, who is there that will not prefer this 
 friend before all the friends in the world ? and if it be 
 true, that pofTeffion time out of mind, gives him a title 
 that had none before , what muft a poffeffion do that has 
 been everlafting : it is eternity that has intjtled GOD to 
 the poiTeiTion of us, that he might by this* means make 
 us his. 
 
 6. What riches or honour can there be in the world, 
 which a man mould not give, in exchange for this blef- 
 fmg ? what troubles or misfortunes, which we ought noc 
 to fuffer for purchafing of it ? is there any man though 
 ever fo wicked, that would not fall down and kifs the 
 ground a beggar trod on, were he allured by divine re- 
 velation, that the beggar was predeftinated to everlafting 
 happinefs, that would not run after him, and proftrating 
 himfelf at his feet, call him a thoufand times happy ? 
 who is there that would not cry out ; O bleffed foul, is 
 it poffible that you mould be one of this happy number 
 of the elect ? is it pofllble that GOD mould have made 
 choice of you, from all eternity, to fee him one day in 
 all his beauty and glory ? that he mould have chofen 
 you to be a companion and brother to the elect ? are you 
 one of thofe, who are to be feated amongft the choirs of 
 angels ? muft you hear the heavenly mufic ? and fliall 
 you behold the refplendent face of jefus Chrift, and of 
 his Holy Mother ? happy the day which firft brought you 
 into the world , but much happier that of your death, 
 becaufe then you mall begin to live for ever. Happy 
 the bread you eat, and the ground you tread on, fines 
 it bears fuch an ineftimable treafure ! but much more 
 K happy 
 
 * Ecclus, 9, v, 14
 
 6 2 be Sinners Guide. Book!. 
 
 happy thofe pain's you endure, fince they open you the 
 way to eternal eafe and reft ! for what clouds of afflic- 
 tions can there be which the afTurance of this happinefs 
 will not difperfe. 
 
 7. We Ihould doubtlefs break out into fuch tranfports 
 as thefe, did we behold a predeftinated perfon and knew 
 him to be fo. For if all people run out to fee a young 
 prince, that is heir to fome great kingdom, as he pafles 
 through the ftreet, admiring his good fortune, as the 
 world accounts it, to inherit large dominions, how much 
 more realon have we to admire the happinefs of a man-, 
 elected from his birth, without affy precedent merits on 
 his fide, not to a temporal kingdom in this world, but to 
 an eternal crown of glory in heaven. 
 
 8. Here you may learn how great thofe obligations are, 
 which the elect owe to GOD for fo unfpeakable a favour. 
 And yet, there is not one of us all, if we do what is re- 
 quired of us, that is to look upon himfeff as excluded 
 this number. On the contrary, every one mould ufe 
 his endeavours, according to St. Peter, to make his call- 
 ing and cleEfion fare, by good works*. For we are moft 
 certain that he, who does fo, {hall not mifs of his falva- 
 tion : and what is more, we know that GOD has never 
 yet refufed, nor ever will refufe, any man his grace and 
 afTiftance. It is therefore our main bufmefs, fmcewe arc 
 allured of thefe two points, to continue in the doing of 
 good works, that we may t^y that means be of the number 
 of thofe happy fouls, wh|>m GOD has chofen to be par- 
 takers of his glory for even 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Of thefcventh motive that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue, 
 'fsohich is death ; thefirft of the four loft things. 
 
 i. A NY one of the afore-mentioned motives, ought to 
 
 \. be fufficient to perfuade men to give themfelves 
 
 up entirely to the fervice of a mafter, that has obliged 
 
 * 2 Pet, c. i, v. 10. them
 
 Part I. Ch. 6. Of Predejllnation. 63 
 
 them with fo many favours. But becaufe duty and 
 juftice have lefs influence over the generality of mankind, 
 than profit and intereft ; I will therefore add thofe great 
 advantages which are propofed as the recompence and 
 reward of virtue, both in this life and in the next, and 
 fhall firft fpeak of the two greateft, viz. the glory we 
 fhall acquire, and the punilhrnent we fhaM avoid, by 
 faithfully adhering to it. Thefe are the two oars that are 
 fo ferviceable to us in this voyage , they are, as it were, 
 the compafs, by which we may fleer our courfe more 
 fteadily and fecurely. This is the reafon why St. Francis 
 and St. Dominick, In their rules, both of them moved 
 by the fame fpirit, and making ufe of the very fame 
 words, commanded the preachers of their orders, never 
 to take any other fubjedls of their fermons, but virtue 
 and vice, heaven and hell ; the one to inftru6l us how to 
 live well ; the other to incline us to it. This is a re- 
 ceived opinion amongfl philofophers, that reward a-Rd 
 punifhment, are as it were, the two fprings, which make 
 the wheels of a man's life turn round in a regular motion. 
 For fuch alas ! is our unhappinefs ; and fo great the cor- 
 ruption of our nature, that nobody can endure naked 
 virtue j that is to fay, if the fear of punimment does not 
 go along with it, or the hopes of a reward attend it. 
 But fmce there is no punifhment, nor reward, which can 
 fo juftly deferve our confideration, as thofe which are ne- 
 ver to have an end ; we will therefore fpeak kere of cver- 
 lafting glory and everlafting torments, together with 
 thofe other two things, that are to precede them, which 
 are death and judgment. For any one of thefe points, 
 confidered with attention may be infinitely advantageous 
 to the making us love virtue and hate vice, according 
 to that of the wife man, where he fays : In all that tho'u 
 under take ft ^ remember thy loft end, and thou /halt never Jin*. 
 He means here thofe four things, we have juft now men- 
 tioned j and which we are going to difcourfe upon. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 To begin with the firft, which is death : the reafon 
 
 why this of all the reft, works moft upon us, is its be- 
 
 * ccluf. c. 7. v. 40. K 2 ing
 
 64 *tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 ing the moft certain, the moft frequent, and the moft 
 familiar of them all ; efpecially if we reflect upon the 
 particular judgment that is to be given upon the whole 
 courfe of our lives, at that time which when once paflfed, 
 will not be reverfed at the general judgment day : but 
 whatfoever is then decreed (hall ftand good for ever. 
 But how rigorous this judgment will be, and how fevere 
 an account will be taken of all our actions, I do not de- 
 fire you mould believe upon my bare allegation, but 
 that you give credit to a paflage, related by St. John 
 Climachus upon this point, to which he himfelf was an 
 eye-witnefs, and is indeed one of the dreadfulleft I ever 
 read in my life. tc He tells us, there was a certain monk 
 in his time, called Hefychius, who lived in a cell upon 
 mount Horeb. Having led a very carelefs and negligent 
 fort of life, during the whole time of his retirement, 
 without fo much as ever thinking of his falvation ; he 
 was at laft taken very ill, and being paft all hopes of re- 
 covery, laid for about the fpace of an hour as if he had 
 been quite dead. But afterwards coming to himfelf 
 again, he earneftly defired that we would all go out of 
 his cell. As foon as ever we had left him, he walled up 
 his door, and remained thus Ihut up within his cell for 
 twelve years ; never fpeaking one word to any body 
 during all this time. He lived upon nothing but bread 
 and water , and continued always fitting, keeping his 
 whole thoughts, as if he had been in a perpetual extafy, 
 fo bent upon what he had feen in his vifion, that he ne- 
 ver fo much as once altered the pofture he was in, but 
 remaining as it were always out of his fenfes, and in a 
 deep filence, wept moft bitterly. A little before his 
 death we broke open his door and went into his cell, ear- 
 neftly defiring him to fpeak fome words of edification. 
 But all we could ever get from him was : Pardon me my 
 brethren^ if I have nothing elfe to fay to you, but this : That 
 Ipe who has -the thoughts of death deeply imprinted in his mind^ 
 can never fa" Thefe are St. John Climachus his own 
 words, who was prefent when this happened, and relates 
 nothing but what he faw ; fo that though the paffage 
 feem incredible, there is no caufe to miftruft the 
 
 truth
 
 Parti. Ch. 7. Of Death. 6$ 
 
 truth of it, fince we have it from fo grave and fo cre- 
 dible an author. There is nothing which we ought not 
 to fear, when we confider the life this holy man led ; 
 but much more if we enquire into the frightful vifion 
 that was the occafion of his long penance. This evi- 
 dently makes out the truth of that faying of the wife 
 man : In all thy works remember thy loft end^ and thoti 
 Jh alt never fin*. If then this confideration be of fuch 
 force to make us avoid fin, let us briefly reflect upon 
 the moft remarkable circumftances that attend it, to the 
 end we may by this means obtain fo great a benefit. 
 
 3. Remember therefore that you are a man, and a 
 Chriftian. As man you know you are to die , and as a 
 Chriftian you know you are to give an account of your 
 life, as foon as dead. Daily experience will not permit 
 us to doubt of the one, nor the faith we profefs let us 
 call the other in quetlion. Every one of us lies under 
 this neceflity. Kings and popes muft fubmit to it. The 
 day will come when you mail not live to fee night , or a 
 night when you mall not furvive till day. The day will 
 come, and you know not whether this very day, or to 
 morrow, when you yourfelf, who are now reading this 
 treatife, in perfect health, and who perhaps think, the 
 number of your days will be anfwerable to your bufinefs 
 and wifhes, (hall be ftretched out in your bed, expecting 
 the laft ftroke of death, and the execution of that fen- 
 tence, which is pafTed upon all mankind, and from which 
 there is no appeal. Conftder then the uncertainty of 
 this hour ; for generally it furprifes us when we leaft 
 think of it, and is therefore faid to come like a thief in 
 the night ; that is when men are fad afleep. A violent 
 and mortal ficknefs is the ufual forerunner of death, and 
 of all its accidents. Pains, aches, diffractions, griefs, 
 ravings, long and tedious nights, which quite tire and 
 wear us out, are but fo many ways and difpofitions to~ 
 wards it. And as we fee then an enemy before he can 
 force his entrance into a town, muft batter down the 
 walls ; fo the forerunner of death is fome raging dif- 
 temper, which fo furioufly without intermiflion, batters 
 
 down 
 * Ecclus. vii. v, 40.
 
 66 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 down our natural vigour, and breaks in upon the chief 
 parts of the body, that the foul, not able to hold out 
 any longer, is obliged to furrender. 
 
 4. But when the ficknefs grows defperate, and the 
 phyfician, or the diftemper itfelf undeceives us, by leav- 
 ing no hopes of life, how great is our anguifh at that 
 time ? then it is we begin with concern and forrow, to 
 think of departing this life, and of forfaking whatfoever 
 we held moil dear. Wife, children, friends, relations, 
 cftates, dignities, employs, all vanim when we die. Next 
 follow thole laft accidents that attend us juft upon our 
 going off, which are much more grievous than all the 
 reft: the feet grows cold, the nofe fhrinks in, the 
 tongue ftammers, and is incapable of performing its 
 duty : in fine, all the fenfes and members are in confu- 
 fion and diforder, upon fo fudden and hafty a departure. 
 Thus man at his going out of the world, by his own 
 fufferings, pays back thofe pains he put others to when 
 he came into it , fo that there is no greater difference as 
 to the matter of fuffering, betwixt his birth and his 
 death, fince they are both of them attended with grief, 
 the firft with that which his mother endured, and the 
 laft with what he endures himfelf. 
 
 5. Nor is this all that makes this kft pafTage fo ter- 
 rible j for after thefe violent fits and anguimes, there 
 appears before him the agony of death, the end of life, 
 the horror of the grave, the miferable condition of the 
 body, juft ready to be preyed upon by worms : but 
 what is more dreadful than all the reft, is the lamentable 
 ftate of the poor foul, as yet {hut up in the body, but 
 knows not where me mail be within two hours ; then 
 you will imagine yourfelf before the judgment feat of 
 Almighty GOD, and all your fins rifmg up againft you , 
 then unhappy man, you will be fenfible of the heinouf- 
 nefs of thole crimes you committed with fo little con- 
 cern , then you will curfe a thoufand times the day in 
 which you finned, and thofe pleafures which were the 
 occafions of your offences ; your condition will be fo 
 deplorable, that you will never be able fufficiently to 
 Admire your own blindnefs and folly, when you fhall 
 
 fee
 
 Parti. Ch. 7. Of Death. 67 
 
 fee for what trifles, for all you have fo foolifhly fet your 
 affection on, are no better j you have expofed yourfelf to 
 the danger of fuffering moft exquifite torments which 
 you will then be fenfible of : for the pleafures being 
 now all over, and the judgment that is to be patted upon 
 them beginning to draw on, that which of itfelf was 
 little, and now ceafes to be, feems nothing, and that which 
 of itfelf is of fo much weight and confequence, being 
 prefent, appears clearly juft as it is : thus will you become 
 fenfible of the danger you have expofed yourfelf to, of 
 lofing fo much blifs for the enjoyment of mere vanities, 
 and which way foever you turn your eyes, you will fee 
 you are furrounded with fubjefts of forrow and trouble ; 
 for you have no time left to do penance, the glafs of 
 your life is run out, nor muft you expect the leaft af-* 
 fiftance from your friends, or from thofe idols you have 
 hitherto adored ; nay, what you have had the moft af- 
 fection for, will be the greateft torment and affliction to 
 you then. Tell me now if you can, what your thoughts 
 will be at that time, when you mail fee yourfelf reduced 
 to fuch extremities ? whither will you run ? what will 
 you do ? or whom will you have recourie to ? to go 
 back is impoffible, to go forward intollerable, to con- 
 tinue as you are is not allowed ; what is it then you will 
 do ? then fays GOD by the mouth of his prophet, The 
 fun Jh all go down at mid- day ', and I will make the earth dark 
 in the day of light , and I will turn your feafts into mourning, 
 and all your fongs into lamentation ; and the latter end thereof 
 as a bitter day *. Is there any thing more dreadful 
 than thefe words ? GOD fays, the fun mail go down at 
 mid-day, becaufe then the wicked having the multitude 
 of their fins laid before them, and perceiving GOD'S 
 juftice is beginning to fhorten the courfe of their life, 
 many of them mail be feized with fuch dread and def- 
 pair, as to imagine, that GOD has intirely removed his 
 mercy from them. So that, though they are ftill in 
 broad day, that is within the bounds of life, a time to 
 merit good or evil, they mall perfuade themfelves, that 
 do what they can, it is loft, fince it is impofllble -for 
 
 them 
 * Amos, c. viii, v. 9, 10,
 
 68 *Tbe Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 them to obtain pardon. Fear is a very powerful paf- 
 fion ; it makes thofe things which are little, feem great ; 
 and gives us a near view of that which is fartheft from 
 us. If a light apprehenfion has been able fometimes 
 to do fo much, what muft a certain and real danger 
 do ? though they fee they have a little life left, and all 
 their friends about them, yet they fancy they already 
 begin to feel the torments of the damned in hell. They 
 look upon themfelves as between life and death, and 
 grieving at the lofs of the goods of this life, which they 
 are juft ready to part with, they begin to fuffer the 
 pains of the next, which they apprehended. They think 
 thofe men happy whom they leave behind them , and 
 envying the condition of others, increafe their own mi- 
 fery. It is then the fun lhall truly fet to them at noon- 
 day, when, which way foever they look, the way to hea- 
 ven, (hall feem to be blocked up againft them ; and they 
 fhall not fee fo much as the leaft glimmering of light. 
 If they look up towards GOD'S mercy, they think them- 
 felves unworthy of it, If they reflect upon his juftice, 
 they imagine it is now going to fall upon them, that till 
 then it has been their day, but now it is the day of GOD'S 
 wrath. If they confider their lives paft, there is fcarce 
 one moment but what rifes up in judgment againft them; 
 if they reflect upon the prefent time, they fee themfelves 
 upon their death beds : if they look forwards, they ima- 
 gine they fee the judge waiting for them. What can 
 they do, or whither can they fly from fo many objects of 
 fear and terror. 
 
 6. The prophet tells them, That GOD will darken the 
 earth in the clear day : which is, that " thofe things which 
 they have moft delighted in before, mail now become 
 the greateft occafions of their forrow. A man in per- 
 fect health, loves to fee his children, his friends, his 
 family, his riches, and whatfoever elfe lhall be any way 
 agreeable to him ; but this light (hall be then turned 
 into darknefs, becaufe all thefe things will be a great 
 affliction to a dying man : and there is nothing will be a 
 greater torment to him, than what he moft delighted in. 
 For as naturally we are pleafed in the pofiefiion of what 
 
 we
 
 Part I. Ch. 7. Of Death. 69 
 
 we love, fo are We equally troubled and concerned at 
 the lofs of it. This is the reafon, why they will not let 
 a man's children come near him when he is a dying; and 
 why women, that are unwilling to loole their hufbands, 
 keep from them at this time, for fear the fight of one 
 another mould increafe grief and forrow. And though 
 the journey is fo long and the time he is abfent fo tedious, 
 yet grief breaks through all the rules of good breading, 
 and icarce allows him that is departing, leafure to bid 
 his friends adieu. If you have ever been in this con- 
 dition, you cannot but acknowledge all I fay to be true. 
 But if you have never yet made the experiment, believe 
 thofe that have. Let them that fail on the feas, tell the 
 dangers thereof *. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 7. If the circumftances and accidents which go before 
 death are fo frightful, what muft thofe be which follow 
 it ? death has no fooner clofed the fick mans eyes, but 
 he is brought before the judgment-feat of Almighty 
 GOD, to give up his accounts to him, who will revenge 
 himfelf with feverity and terror of the crimes which have 
 been committed againil him. For the underftanding of 
 this, you are not to inquire of the men of the world, 
 who living in Egypt, that is, in darknefs and ignorance, 
 are always expofed to miftakes and errors. Afk the faints 
 who dwell in the land of JefTen, where the light of this 
 truth mines always in its full vigour. They will tell you, 
 not only by their words, but by their actions, how terri- 
 ble this account will be. 
 
 For David, though fo holy "a man, was fo prepofTerTed 
 
 with this fear, and with the juft apprehenfions of the 
 
 accounts he was to give that he begged of GOD, faying, 
 
 Enter not into judgment with thy fervant O Lord, for in thy 
 
 fight no man living /hall be juftified f-, Arfenius was a 
 
 great faint, and who had lived a very virtuous and rigid 
 
 life for feveral years in the defert ; and yet rinding he had 
 
 but a very little time to live, he was feized with fuch 
 
 L appre- 
 
 * Ecclus. c, xliii, v. 26. }* Pfalm, cxlii. v. 2.
 
 jo 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 apprehcnfions of this judgment, that his difciples, who 
 were all gathered together about him, perceiving it, 
 afked him this queftion, " Father are you afraid now . ? " 
 to which the holy man made anfwer : " This is no new 
 fear, which you obferve in me now my children ; it is 
 what I have been fenfible of all my life-time." They 
 write, that St. Agatho, when he was near his death, 
 was feized with the fame apprehenfions, and being afked 
 what he could be afraid of, who had lived fo virtuoufly, 
 he faid, " Becaufe the judgments of GOD are quite dif- 
 ferent from thofe of men." St. John Climachus gives 
 us another, no lefs dreadful example of a holy monk > 
 which being very remarkable, I will here relate in the 
 faint's own words. " There was a certain religious man, 
 fays he, called Stephen, that lived in this place, after 
 having fpcnt a great many years in a monaftery, where he 
 was very much in repute, upon account of his tears and 
 fafting, and where he had enriched his foul with feveral 
 other excellent virtues. But having an extreme defire 
 to lead a folitary and a retired life, he built himfelf a cell 
 at the bottom of Mount Horeb, where the prophet 
 Elias had the honour, in former times, to fee GOD. 
 This man, notwithstanding his great aufterity and rigour, 
 thinking that what he did was not enough, and afpired 
 to a more rigid and fevere way of living, went to ano- 
 ther place called Siden, where fome holy anchorets lived. 
 Here he continued for fome years in the fevereft and 
 ftrideft life imaginable, deftitute of all human comfort 
 and converfation ; having feated his hermitage about 
 threefcore and ten miles from any town. But the good 
 old man, towards the end of his life, came back again 
 to his firft cell, at the foot of Mount Horeb j having 
 there with him two difciples who were natives of Pa- 
 leftine, and had retired thither not long before he came 
 back. Within a few days after his return, he fell into 
 his laft ficknefs. The day before he died, being in a 
 kind of extacy, but with his eyes open, and gazing 
 firft on one fide of the bed, and then on the other, juft 
 as if he had feen fome perfons there, who made him give 
 an account of his life ; he anfwered fo loud that every 
 
 body
 
 Parti. Ch. 7. Of Death. 71 
 
 body there could here him ; fometlmes faying, Yes I con- 
 fe/s it : that is true\ but I have fajled fo many years in fa- 
 tisfaftion for the fin. Sometimes he was heard to lay. Tb*t 
 is falfe, you 'wrong me, I never did any fuch thing. Imme- 
 diately after : as to that, I acknowledge it , you are in the 
 right , but I have bewailed the fame, and have done penance 
 for it, by ferving my neighbour upon fuch and fucb occa- 
 fwns. Then again he cried out : that is not true, you are 
 allimpofters. But to other accufations he anfwered ; // is 
 true, and I have nothing to fay to this point, but that cur 
 GOD is a GOD of mercy. Certainly this invifible judg- 
 ment being fo fevere, could not but be frightful and 
 terrible. And, what ought to make it more dreadful, 
 they laid fuch crimes to his charge, as he had never been 
 guilty of. O my GOD ! if an hermit, after about forty 
 years fpent in a religious and folitary life, after having 
 obtained the gift of tears, declared that he had nothing to 
 fay for himfelf, as to fome fins that were brought againft him, 
 what will become of fuch a miferable and unhappy wretch 
 as I am ? nay, what is more, yet I have been very cre- 
 dibly informed by feveral, that while he lived in the de- 
 fert, he ufed to feed a leopard with his own hands. He 
 died as he was giving this account of himfelf, leaving 
 us in an intire uncertainty of the end of this judgment, 
 and of the fentence that was paired upon him." Thus 
 far St. John Climachus. By this we may plainly fee, 
 what apprehenfions and fears a man that has lived idly 
 and carelefly muft be in, when he comes to die, fmce 
 fuch great faints as thefe, have been fo hard put to it at 
 this' time. 
 
 8. Should you afk one what there is in death that can 
 fright fuch holy men, I will anfwer you out of St. Gregory's 
 fourth book of his morals *, where he fays, " The faints 
 ferioufly confidering how juft the judge is, to whom they 
 are to give an account of all their actions, are continu- 
 ally thinking upon the laft moment of their lives, and 
 carefully examining themfelves upon what anfwer they 
 fhall make to every queftion their judge (hall put to 
 them. But if they find themfelves free from all thofe 
 L 2 fmful 
 
 * Chap, xvi, xvii, xviii.
 
 72 The Sinners Guide. Book I 
 
 fmful actions which they might have committed , another 
 fubjeft of their apprehenfion is, leaft they fliould have 
 confented to thofe bad thoughts, which man's corruption 
 always expofes him to. For let us put the cafe, that the 
 overcoming of fuch temptations, as lead us to the per- 
 formance of fome fmful aftion, is no very hard matter, 
 yet you will not find it fo eafy to fecure yourfelf againft 
 the continual war, raifed by bad thoughts. And though 
 thefe holy men are always afraid of the fecret judgments 
 of fo juft a judge, yet they then particularly fear them 
 moil, when they are neareft the point of dilcharging the 
 common debt of nature : and when they perceive them- 
 felves advancing nigher to their fovereign matter. But 
 this fear of theirs is much greater at that time, when 
 the foul is juft going to leave the body. Then it is, 
 that the mind is no longer filled with idle thoughts, nor 
 the imagination drawn away by impertinent fancies. 
 Neither does he, that has now done with this world, 
 think of any thing at all that is in it. Dying men think 
 of nothing but themfelves, and GOD who is juft before 
 them. They look upon every thing elfe as no concern 
 of theirs. But, if whilft they are in this condition, they 
 cannot think of any good a6lion, which they have know- 
 ingly omitted; they are afraid, leaft they might have 
 omitted that which they did not know : becaufe they 
 cannot pafs a true judgment upon themfelves -, nor have 
 a perfedt knowledge of their own failings. This is the 
 reafon of their being feized at their death with fuch great 
 and fecret apprehenfions, becaufe they know they are 
 upon entering into a ftate, which they (hall never after- 
 wards be able to change." Thefe are St. Gregory's 
 own words ; which plainly mew us there is much more 
 to be feared in this judgment, and at this laft hour, 
 then worldly men imagine. 
 
 9. If this judgment is fo rigorous, and has been fo 
 much, and fo juftly dreaded by holy men, what appre- 
 henfions ought theirs to be, who are not fo ? they who 
 have fpent the greateft part of their lives in vanities and 
 trifles, who have fo frequently defpifed GOD and his 
 commandments i who have fcarce fo much as ever 
 
 thought
 
 Part I. Ch. 7 Of Death. 73 
 
 thought of their falvation , and have taken ib little pains 
 to prepare themfelves for this laft hour. If the juft man 
 be ready to fink under the weight of his fears, how mall 
 the fmner be able to keep up ? if the cedar of Libanus 
 be thus fhaken, what will become of the reed in the 
 wildernefs ? and in fhort, if as St. Peter fays, The juft 
 man Jhall fear cely be faved, where Jhdl the ungodly and the 
 fmner appear *? tell me now, after all this, what will be 
 your thoughts at that laft hour, when having left this 
 world, you appear before the divine tribunal, in a^ 
 lonely, poor and naked condition , without any other 
 affiftance but what your own good works will bring you; 
 without any other company but that of your own con- 
 fcience, there to be tried, not for a temporal life or 
 death, but an eternal. And if your accounts fall fhort, 
 how miferable will your condition be ? what fhame and 
 confufion will your paft neglects put you to ? the princes 
 of Judah were without doubt, very much furprized when 
 they faw the conqueror Sefach, king of Egypt, putting 
 all Jerufalem to the fword. Their prefent punimment 
 brought them to a fenfe of their former crimes, and yet 
 what was all this, in comparifon with the trouble and 
 diforder the wicked fhall be in, when they are near their 
 end? what fhall they do? whither mail they go? or what 
 defence (hall they be able to make ? their tears will be 
 then unprofitable to them , their repentance will not 
 avail; their prayers will not be taken notice of; nor 
 their promifes of a future amendment regarded : they 
 will have no more time given them to do penance , and 
 as for their riches, their honours, or the refpe<fl the 
 world gave them, they will fignify leaft of any thing ; 
 for according to the wife man, Riches Jhall not profit in the 
 day of revenge, but juftice Jhall deliver from death -\. What 
 will a poor foul do, when it fees itfelf furrounded with 
 fo many miferies ? what will it do but cry out with the 
 royal pfalmift; The forrows of death have compajfed me^ and 
 the perils of hell have found me J. Unhappy wretch that 
 I am ! what a miferable condition have my fins reduced 
 
 me 
 
 * I Peter, c. iv. v. 18. } Prov. c. xi. v, 4. 
 
 J Pfalm, cxiv. v. 3.
 
 74 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 me to ? how unexpectedly has this unfortunate hour 
 ftolen upon me ? how fuddenly has it furprized me, when 
 I leaft thought of it ? what good will all my former titles 
 and honours do me now ? all my friends and fervants, 
 thofe riches and revenues which I was once matter of j 
 what fervice can I expect from them now ? fix or feven feet 
 of land at the moft, with a poor winding -meet to bury me 
 in, is like to be my whole inheritance j and to compleat 
 rny milery, all that money I have been fo long raking 
 up with fo much pains and injuftice, I muft now leave 
 behind me to be fquandered away by an extravagant heir, 
 whilft the fins I have been guilty of in getting it, will 
 follow me into the next world, to condemn me to eternal 
 torments. Where is now the delight I took in all my 
 former recreations and pleafures ? they are now at an end 
 for ever, and nothing but the dregs of them remain ; 
 that is, the fcruples and remorfe of my guilty confcience, 
 the flings of which pierce my very heart, and will tor- 
 ment me for all eternity. Why did I not rather imploy 
 my time in preparing myfelf againft this laft hour ? how 
 often have I been forewarned of what 1 fuffer, but would 
 never give ear to the advice ? Why have I hated inftruffions, 
 and my heart consented not to reproof, and have not heard 
 the 'voice of them that taught me, and have not inclined my 
 ear to my maflcrs * ? I have committed all kinds of fins 
 and iniquities in the very bofom of the church, and in 
 the fight of all the world. 
 
 10. See here, what anxieties and difquiets the wicked 
 will be wrecked with. See here, what a burthen their own 
 thoughts will be to them, in this miferable condition. 
 But to preferve you from falling into the fame misfor- 
 tunes, I here advife you to gather from what has been 
 faid, thefe three considerations, and to keep them con- 
 tinually in your mind. The firft is that of the trouble 
 you will be in at the hour of your death, for all thofe fins 
 you have committed againft GOD, during the whole 
 courfe of your life. The fecond is, how you will wifli to 
 have ferved him, that he might be favourable to you at this 
 moment. The laft is, what a rigid penance you would 
 
 willingly 
 * Prov. c. v. v. 12, 13,
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Of Judgment. 75 
 
 willingly undergo in the world, if you could but obtain 
 the favour of returning thither, that you might begin 
 from that very moment to live as you will then defire to 
 have lived before. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Of the eight motives that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue ; 
 which is the loft judgment^ the fecond of the four loft 
 things. 
 
 i. AS foon as ever the foul has left the body, imme- 
 Ji\. diately follows its particular judgment-, and after 
 that, the genera] of all mankind together; at which time 
 fhall be accomplifhed what the Apoftle faid : We muft all 
 appear before the judgment-feat of Chrifl^ that every one 
 may receive the proper things of the body^ according as he has 
 done\ whether it be good or evil*. Having treated in 
 another place of thofe dreadful figns, which are to be 
 the fore-runners of the general judgment-day, I fhall 
 fpeak here of nothing but that fevere and exacl: account, 
 which will be then required from us , and of what is to 
 follow it, that this may teach man how much he is 
 obliged to the purfuit of virtue. 
 
 2. As to the firft, which is the ftrict inquiry GOD will 
 make into all our actions, it is fo frighful, that there was 
 fcarce any thing furprized holy Job more, than to confi- 
 der, that GOD whofe majefty is fo great, could fhew la 
 much rigour towards man, notwithstanding his being fa 
 frail a creature, as to fet down every word, every thought, 
 every motion of his, in his book of juftice, to require a 
 particular account thereof. After having faid a great zeal 
 to this purpofe, he goes on thus : Why hideft thou thy 
 facc^ and thinkeft me thy enemy ; againft a leaf that is car- 
 ried away with the windy thou/heweft thy power ^ and thou 
 purfueft a dry ftraw^ for thou ivriteft bitter things againft 
 me, and will confume me for the the fins of my youth. T'bou 
 baft put my feet in the ftocks^ and baft obferved all my paths ^ 
 
 and 
 * 2 Cor. c, v. v. i o,
 
 76 *rhe Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 and haft confidered the fteps of my feet ; 40b0 am to be con- 
 fumed as rottennefs, and as a garment that is moth-eaten *. 
 
 Immediately after, he adds, Man born of a woman liveth 
 for jbort time i is filled with many mif erics ^ who cometh forth 
 like a flower and is deftroyed^ and flecth as a jhadow^ and 
 never continueth the fame ft ate ^ and doft thou think it meet to 
 open thy eyes upon fuch a one, and to bring him into judg- 
 ment with thee ? who can make him clean that is conceived 
 of unclean feed ? is it not thou who only art f ? Thefe are 
 the terrible words which Job (poke, filled with furprize 
 and aftonifhment, at the feverity the divine juilice ex- 
 ercifes againft fo poor and helplefs a creature as man is. 
 Againft one fo bent upon any thing that is evil, and that 
 drinks up iniquity like water. For, if GOD mould be 
 fo fevere to the angels who are fpiritual and very perfect 
 creatures, it would not be a matter of fo much wonder. 
 But for his juflice to call men, whofe vicious inclina- 
 tions are numberlefs, to fo ftric"r. an account, as not to 
 pafs over any one circumftance of their whole lives, not 
 to leave out any one idle word, nor fo much as one mo- 
 ment of time that has been mif-imployed, without a 
 very narrow inquiry into it, is a fubject of the greateft 
 amazement. For who can hear thefe words of our Sa- 
 viour without aftonifhment ? But I fay unto you, that 
 every idle word that men Jhatt fpeak, they Jhall render an 
 acconut for it in the day of judgment^. If we are to give 
 an account of fuch words as thefe are that hurt nobody ; 
 what an examination will be made into lewd difcourfes, 
 unchalt thoughts, bloody hands, and lafcivious looks ? 
 what, in fhort, into all that time men have fpent in com- 
 mitting of fmful actions ? and if this be all true, as 
 doubtlefs it is, what can a man fay of the feverity of this 
 judgment, but will fall far mort of it ? what a fright 
 will poor man be in, to fee himfelf accufed before fo 
 venerable an affembly, of fome light word he fpoke in 
 his life-time, without any defign or intention ? who will 
 not be furprized at fo ftrange a charge ? or, who would 
 have dared to affirm this, had not GOD himfelf faid it ? 
 
 was 
 
 * Job, c. xiii. v. 24. 25, 26, 27, 28. ( Ibid, c, xiv. 
 v. i, 2, 3, 4, J Matt. c. xi. v. 36.
 
 Part I. Ch, 8. Of Judgment. 77 
 
 was there ever any prince that called his fervant to ac- 
 count for the lols of a pin or a needle ? O the excellency 
 of Chriflian religion ! what perfection and purity does it 
 teach, and how ftricl an account will be required of it ; 
 and with how rigorous a judgment will it be examined 
 into. 
 
 3. Now if this judgment day be fo great a fubjecl of 
 all mens aftonifhment, what fhame and confufion muft 
 fmners be then put to ? for all the wickednefs they have 
 ever committed, with fo much caution and privacy in 
 their moft fecret clofets, all the impurities they have ever 
 been defiled with, and all the evil that has lain hid in 
 the darkeft recedes of their fouls, mall be then made 
 public, and expofed to the view of all the world. Is 
 there any man now, whole confcience is fo clear as not 
 to begin to blufh and be afraid of this confufion ? we 
 fee how often it happens, that men; upon no other mo- 
 tive, but that of a fmful and criminal mame, will not 
 difcover their fecret fins to their confeflbrs, not even in 
 confeffion, where the obligation to privacy is fo inviola- 
 ble, and the tie fo facred. They for no other reafon but 
 this, chofe rather to let their fouls be preffed down under 
 the weight of their fins, than to undergo the mame of 
 revealing them. How great then will that fhame be, 
 which men (hall be put to before GOD, and in the fight 
 of all the angels and the whole world ? the prophet tells 
 us, this confufion will be fo extraordinary, that the 
 wicked jh all fay to the mountains^ cover us, and to the hills, 
 fall upon us *, that we may not be expofed to fuch mame. 
 
 4. But what horror will they be filled with, at the 
 hearing of this laft fentence thundered out againft them ; 
 Depart from me you curfed^ into everlafting fire, which was 
 prepared for the devil and his angels f. What will the 
 damned think at the found of thefe dreadful words ? If y 
 fays Job, We can fcarce endure a little drop of his word, 
 who /hall be able to behold the thunder of his greatnefs $? 
 this fentence will carry fuch terror and force along with 
 it, that it will make the earth open in a moment, 
 M to 
 
 * Hozee. c. x. v. 8. ) Matth. c. xxv. v. 41. 
 
 J Job G. xxvi. v, 14.
 
 7 8 *Tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 to (wallow up and bury in its bowels, thofe, who as the 
 fame Job fays, 'Take the timbrel and the harp, and rejoice 
 at the found of the organ *. St. John in his Revelation 
 defcribes this fall in thefe words , If aw another angel come 
 down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was 
 enlightened with his glory. And he cried out with a Jlrong 
 voice, faying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen and is 
 become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every unclean 
 fpirit, and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird -f. 
 In the fame place the holy Evangelift adds ; And a mighty 
 angel took tip a Jlone as it were a great mill-fione, and caft 
 it into the fea, faying, with fuch violence as this, Jhall Ba- 
 bylon that great city be thrown down, and Jhall be found no 
 more at all J. After the fame manner {hall the wicked, 
 u-ho are to be underftood here by Babylon, be flung into 
 the dungeons of everlafling darknefs and confufion. 
 
 5. But what tongue can be able to exprefs the multi- 
 tude of torments they are to fuffer there ? their bodies 
 lhall burn in fcorching flames, which {hall never be ex- 
 tinguiflied ; the worm of confcience {hall perpetually 
 gnaw and tear their very fouls in pieces, without ever 
 being tired or fatisfied. There, that weeping and wail- 
 ing, and gnafhing of teeth, we are fo often threatened 
 with in holy fcripture, {hall never ceafe. There the 
 damned carried on with rage and defpair, fhall vent their 
 fury upon GOD and themfelves, biting off their flefh, 
 burfling their hearts with fighs and grief, breaking their 
 teeth with grinning and vexation -, like mad men, pulling 
 their own limbs in pieces, and continually blafpheming 
 that juft GOD, who has condemned them to fuch tor- 
 ments. There every one of them will a thoufand times 
 curfe. the hour of his birth ; frequently repeating, tho' 
 with a different fpirit., thefe words of holy Job ; Let the 
 day peri/h wherein I was born, and the night in which it was 
 faid, a man child is conceived. Let that day be turned into dark- 
 ncfa let not GOD regard it from above, and let not the light 
 fbine upon it. Let darknefs and the /hadow of death cover 
 it, let a mifl overfpread it, and let it be wrapped up in bit- 
 ternefs -, let a darkfome whirlwind feize upon tbat night, let 
 
 it 
 * Job, c. xxi. v. 1 2. t Revel, c. Xviii, v. i, 2, J Ibid. v. 21.
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Of Judgment. 79 
 
 // not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in the 
 months. Why did I not die in the womb, why did I not 
 "perijh when I came out of the belly, why was I received upon 
 the knees, why was I fuckled at the breajls * ? Thefc are the 
 complaints the damned fhall.make in hell for all eternity. 
 O unhappy tongues which fhall never utter any thing 
 but blafphemies ! O wretched ears which fhall never hear 
 any thing but frightful fhrieks and groans ! O unfortu- 
 nate eyes which fhall never fee any thing but objects of 
 mifery ! O wretched bodies, which inftead of being re- 
 frelhed, fhall be eternally burning in hell flames ! what 
 a condition will thofe fenfual perfons be in then, who 
 have fpent all their days in fmful fports and delights ? O 
 for how fhort and how fleeting a pleafure have they 
 brought upon themfelves, an endlefs train of miferies ? 
 foolifh and fenfelefs creatures ! what do all your paftimes 
 which lafted fo fhort a time, avail you, when the confe- 
 quence is an eternity of pain and forrow ? what is now 
 become of all your riches and treafures ? where are now 
 your delights ? your feven fruitful years are now over, 
 and fee they are followed by feven years of fuch barren- 
 nefs, that your former abundance is all fwallowed up, 
 and not the leaft fign or memory of it remains. Your 
 honour is loft, and your happinefs drowned in that ocean 
 of forrow. You are reduced to fuch extremity, as not 
 to be allowed one fmgle drop of water to quench the 
 fcorching thirft which parches up your very bowels -, nay, 
 your pan: profperity is fo far from giving you any com- 
 fort now, that it is rather one of your greateft torments. 
 For then fhall be fulfilled this faying of Job ; Let mercy 
 forget him, may worms be his fweetnefs f. Which accord- 
 ing to St. Gregory, will happen, when the remembrance 
 of their paft pleafures fhall be an increafe of their pre- 
 fent torments ; when they fhall call to mind the days 
 they have -feen, and thofe they now fee ; thus unhappily 
 experiencing at their own coft, that for things of fo 
 fhort a continuance, they fuffer miferies which fhall never 
 have an end. Then they will plainly fee, how the enemy 
 has deceived them j and being now though too late, fen- 
 M 2 fible 
 
 * Job, c. iii. v. 3, 4, 5, 6, 1 1, 1 2. f Ibid. c. xxiv. v. 20.
 
 80 ^The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 fible of their folly, they will begin to make ufe of thefe 
 words in the book of Wifdom. Therefore we have erred 
 from the way of truth, and the light of juftice hath not 
 fiined unto us, and the fun of under/landing hath not rifen 
 upon us. We wearied ourfehes in the way of iniquity and 
 deftruttion, and have walked through hard ways, but the 
 way of the Lord we have not known *. Thefe are to be 
 the perpetual complaints of the damned j this their re- 
 pentance, this their forrow, but all to no purpofe, for 
 the time of improving is now pall. 
 
 6. The due confideration of thefe things cannot but 
 excite us to the love of virtue. And therefore St. Chry- 
 foftom often makes ufe of thefe arguments in his homi- 
 lies, to exhort us to it. In one of them he fays, That 
 you may prepare your foul in time, to be the temple and 
 abode of GOD ; call to mind the dreadful day when wd 
 are to appear before the throne of Jefus Chrift, to give 
 an account to him of all our actions. Confider in what 
 manner this Lord will come to judge the living and the 
 dead. Confider how many thoufands of angels will at- 
 tend him. Imagine you already hear the found of that 
 frightful, but irrevocable fentence, which Jefus Chrift 
 will pafs againft the world. Confider, that as foon as this 
 fentence (hall be given, fome will be tumbled headlong 
 into outward darknefs ; others, though they have taken 
 a great deal of pains for the preferving of their virginity, 
 fhall have the gates of heaven (hut upon them ; fome 
 ihall be tied up, like bundles of weeds and flung into 
 the fire ; others again mail be delivered up as a prey to 
 the worms, which will never die, and condemned to 
 everlafting wailing and gnafhing of teeth. We are all of 
 us convinced of the truth of thefe things : why then do 
 not we whilft we have time, cry out with the prophet ; 
 Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to 
 my eyes ? and I will weep day and night -}-. Let us there- 
 fore make hafte and endeavour before it is too late, to 
 prevent the judge by a confeflion of our fins, fince it is 
 written, And who jh all confefs to thee, Lord, in hell$. 
 
 7. Let 
 
 * Wifd. c, v. v. 6. 7. f Jerem. c. ix. ,v. I. J Pfalm vi. v. 6.
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Of Judgment. Si 
 
 7. Let us confider farther, that GOD has given us two 
 eyes, two ears, two feet, and two hands, that if we 
 mould happen to lofe the ufe of any one of thefe mem- 
 bers, the other may ftill ferve us. But he has given us 
 but one foul, fo that if we lofe that, we have no other 
 left us to enjoy eternal glory. Let it therefore be our 
 main concern to preferve it ; for this foul muft one day 
 be faved or damned with the body for ever ; and muft 
 appear before the tribunal of our great GOD, where if 
 you would excufe yourfelf, faying, you were dazzled with 
 the falfe glittering of money : the judge will anfwer, 
 that he forewarned you of this danger, where he faid, 
 For what doth it profit a man^ if he gain the whole world, 
 and lofe his own foul*? mould you fay, the devil fe- 
 duced me ; he will tell you -f , that Eve did not clear 
 herfelf, by faying, it was the ferpent that deceived her. 
 
 8. Look into the fcriptures, and confider the prophet 
 Jeremy's vifion J ; firft he faw a watching rod -, and then 
 a great cauldron boiling over a hot fire, to fignify how- 
 Go D dealt with men. Firft he threatens, and then if 
 that will not do, punifhes them. Nor is it to be doubted, 
 but that he who will not fubmit to the correction of the 
 rod, mall be made to undergo the torture of the cauldron. 
 Read but the gofpel, and you will fee, that nobody of- 
 fered to intercede for thofe unhappy wretches whom our 
 Saviour condemned. Brothers did not fpeak for their 
 brothers, nor friends for their friends : the father did 
 not ftand up for his fon, nor the fon for his father. But 
 what do I fpeak of thefe who were fmful men , fmce 
 neither Noah, Daniel nor Job, notwithftanding all their 
 virtue and piety, will be able to alter the fentence once 
 given by the judge. See whether any one || durft fo 
 much as open his month in favour of him, who was 
 turned away from the wedding-dinner. See whether 
 any body ever fpake one word for that fervant <f[, who 
 would not trade with the talent his mafter intruded him 
 with. Which of all thofe five virgins JJ, that could not 
 
 get 
 
 * Matt. c. xvi. v, 26. "f" Gen. c. iii. Jerem. c. i. 
 
 Ezech. c. xxvi. [| Matt. c. xxii. v. i r, 12, 13, 
 
 f Ibid. c. xxv. Jf Ibid.
 
 82 The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 get admittance into heaven, ever found any one that 
 undertook to plead her caufe. Jefus Chrift himfelf 
 called them fools, for manageing themfelves fo unwifely, 
 as after having defpifed the delights of the flem, and 
 extinguimed the fire of concupifcence -, nay, after having 
 obferved the great precept of virginity, to neglect the 
 command of humility, which feems to be much eafier-, 
 and to take a pride in their chaftity. Confider, whether 
 the rich man, who took no pity on Lazarus *, could 
 obtain one fingle drop of water, which he begged of 
 the holy patriarch Abraham, as poor a comfort as it was, 
 to mitigate thofe fcorching flames that fo tormented him. 
 "Why then will we not charitably afilft one another ? why 
 will we not praife and glorify GOD, before the fun of 
 his juftice is fet; and before he removes his light from 
 our eyes ? we had much better let our tongues be parched 
 up with fading, for the fhort remainder of this life, than 
 having fadsfied them in this world, to let them be re- 
 duced to the neceffity of begging for a drop of water 
 in the next, with no poflibility of obtaining it. If we 
 are fo nice and tender here, that we cannot fuffer the heat 
 of a light fever, the fpace of three days, how mail we 
 be able to endure thofe eternal burnings ? if the fentence 
 of death patted upon us by a mortal judge, who cannot 
 take away above forty or fifty years of our life, at fartheft, 
 be fo terrible to us, why do not we tremble at the fen- 
 tence that is to be given by a judge, in whofe power it 
 is to deprive us of life everlafting ? it terrifies us to fee 
 the punimments inflicted on malefactors here upon earth: 
 to fee the executioners drag them away by force , fcourge, 
 disjoint, quarter, tear or burn them. And, yet, what 
 is this but a mere dream or fhadow, in comparifon of 
 the pains of hell. For death puts an end to all theie 
 fufferings ; but there the worm of confcience never dies, 
 their life is never at an end , the tormentors are never 
 tired, and the fire never put out. Let us therefore fet 
 what we will againft this mifery, let it be fire or fword, 
 wild beafts, or any other torment whatfoever, to this it 
 
 will 
 
 * Luke, c. xvi.
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Of judgment. 83 
 
 will all appear, but as an imperfect draught or repre- 
 fentation. 
 
 9. What will thefe unhappy wretches do, when they 
 fhall fee themfelves deprived of fo many bleflings, and 
 condemned to differ fuch unfpeakable miferies ? what 
 will they fay ? how will they cry out againft themfelves ? 
 how horribly will they figh and groan, and yet to how 
 little purpofe ? for neither is the failor ufeful after he has 
 loft his veflel ; nor the phyfician when his patient is 
 dead. Then, but too late, alas ! they will begin to re- 
 flect upon their fins, and to fay, We fhould have looked 
 better to ourfelves, and not have fallen into this deplo- 
 rable ftate. Alas ! how often have we been told of this, 
 and would take no notice of it ? the Jews fhall then know 
 him, who came in the name of the Lord ; but it mail 
 not avail them, becaufe they would not know him, when 
 this knowledge might have been beneficial to them. 
 But what fhall we miferable creatures be able to fay for 
 ourfelves, when heaven and earth, the fun and moon, 
 night and day, nay the whole world (hall cry out againft 
 us, and be witnefles of the fins we have committed : but 
 mould every thing elfe be filent, we have ftill our own 
 confciences to rife up againft and accufe us ? this is almoft 
 all taken out of St. John Chryfoftom, and is fufficient 
 to fhew us how terrible the idea of this dreadful day 
 muft be to thofe perfons who have not governed them- 
 felves by the dictates of reafon and virtue. St. Ambrofe 
 gives us plainly to underftand, in his commentaries upon 
 St. Luke, that this was his fentiment; his words are 
 thefe : Woe be unto me, O Lord, if I do not bewail my 
 fms ; alas for me, if I do not rife at midnight to praife 
 thy holy name ; if I deceive my neighbour, or if I fpeak 
 againft the truth, becaufe the axe is now laid to the root 
 of the tree. Let him therefore who is in the ftate of 
 grace, endeavour to bring forth the fruits of juftice \ 
 and let him who is in the ftate of fin, endeavour to bring 
 forth the fruits of penance. For the Lord is nigh ac 
 hand, and comes to gather in his fruit, and will give 
 life to thofe who work faithfully and profitably -, and 
 death to them who are idle and unferviccablc. 
 
 C H A P.
 
 84 We Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the ninth motive that obliges us to virtue, which is 
 heaven ; the third of the four laft things. 
 
 i. A^Y one of thefe confiderations we have here pro- 
 \. pofed, fhould fuffice to perfuade us to the love 
 of virtue. But becaufe the heart of man is fo ftubborn, 
 that very often all of them together are not able to pre- 
 vail upon it. I will here add another motive no lefs 
 powerful than any of the others. That is, the happinefs 
 and reward promifed to a good life, which is the poffef- 
 fion of everlafting glory; wherein two things particu- 
 larly occur to be taken notice of-, one is the beauty of 
 the place itfelf, which is the empyreal heaven , the 
 other the glory and excellency of the king, who keeps 
 his refidence there with all his cleft. 
 
 As for the firft, though no tongue is able to exprefs 
 the beauty of this place, yet we will endeavour to ex- 
 prefs it as well as we can, and to difcover, as it were at a 
 diftance, fome part of it. The firft thing then to be 
 confidered, is the end for which GOD created this ex- 
 cellent frame -, for generally the beft way of knowing the 
 worth of a thing, is to enquire into the defign of it. 
 Now the defign of this place is to make known GOD'S 
 glory. For though, as Solomon fays : The Lord hath 
 made all things for himfelf\ , 'tis plain neverthelefs, that 
 he particularly made this place for this end, becaufe it is 
 here that he manifefls the greatnefs and fplendor of his 
 glory, in a more than ordinary manner. Therefore, as 
 the great King Ahafuerus, who reigned over an hundred 
 and feven and twenty provinces J, made a fumptuous 
 feail in the city of Sufa, the metropolis of his empire, 
 which lafted a hundred and fourfcore days, with all the 
 coft and ftate imaginable, to let his fubjects fee how 
 powerful and how rich he was : fo this Almighty King 
 is pleafed to make a noble feaft in heaven, not for an 
 
 hundred 
 
 t Prov. c. xvi. v. 4. J Either, c, i.
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Of Heaven. 85 
 
 hundred and fourfcore days only, but for all eternity, to 
 mew the infinite immenfity of his riches, his wifdom, his 
 bounty, and his goodnefs. This is the feaft Ifaiah fpeaks 
 of, when he fays : And the Lord of Hofts Jhatt make unto 
 fill people in this mountain^ a feaft of-' fat things, a feaft of 
 ivine, fat things full of marrow , of wine purified from the 
 lees *. That is to fay, of moft rich and delicious things. 
 If GOD has prepared this banquet to make the greatnefs 
 of his glory known j we muft needs imagine, that fince 
 this glory of his is fo great, the beauty of the place 
 where he refides is proportionable to it. 
 
 2. We fhall ftill better underftand this, if we but ex- 
 amine into the power and riches of the Lord, who has 
 chofen it for his refidence. As to his power, it is fo 
 great, that he created the whole world out of nothing, 
 with one word ; and with one word can deftroy it again 
 whenfoever he pleafes. Nay, it reaches fo far, that with 
 one fingle word he could have created, not only one 
 world, but millions of them, and reduced them to no- 
 thing with another. And what is more confiderable yet, 
 whatfoever he has made, has coft him no pains nor 
 trouble ; nor was it any harder to him to create the no- 
 bleft feraphim, than it was to create the lead pifmire ; 
 ;-becaufe this infinite power can do whatfoever it has a 
 mind to do, and whatfoever it has a mind to do, it does 
 purely by its own will -, and is neither tired by the greateft 
 works, nor eafed by the leaft. If this Lord is fo pow- 
 erful ; if the glory of his holy name is fo great, and if 
 he has fuch a love for his own glory ; how beautiful 
 muft that place or that banquet confequently be, which 
 he has prepared to mew us his glory. What is there 
 wanting towards the perfection of this great work ? there 
 can be no want of hands, becaufe the workman is infi- 
 nitely powerful. No want of fkill becaufe he is infinitely 
 wife ; no want of will, becaufe he is infinitely good ; no 
 want of wealth, becaufe he is infinitely rich. If then all 
 things be fo well difpofed to make it great, what muft 
 that work be, which is performed by the omnipotency of 
 the Father, by the wifdom of the Son, and by the good- 
 
 N nefs 
 
 * Ifaiah, c, xxv, v. 6.
 
 86 The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 nefs of the Holy Ghoft ? where goodnefs inclines, wif- 
 dom directs, and omni potency performs all that an in- 
 finite goodnefs defires, and an in&nite wifdom prefcribes , 
 though all theie things are the fame in the Divine 
 Perfons, 
 
 3. There is another remarkable thing further to be 
 confidered in this matter ; which is, that GOD has pre- 
 pared this ftately place, not only for his own honour,, 
 but alfo for the glory of all his elect. How felicitous 
 GOD is for them, and for the effecting of all he has pro- 
 mi fed in their behalf, when he faid : Whofoever Jhall glo- 
 rify me, him will I glorify *, plainly appears by his actions \ 
 fince he has put every thing in the world under their 
 command, even whilft they are in this life. How won- 
 derful was it to fee Jomua command the fun to ftand 
 ftill in the midft of its courfe -f, and to make it flop, as 
 if he had the direction of the whole world in his power ? 
 GOD, as the fcripture fays, obeying the voice of a man. 
 How ftrange was it to fee the Prophet IfaiahJ bid King 
 Ezechias, chufe whether he would have the fun go back 
 ten degrees upon the dial, or forward, for either mould 
 be performed ? how prodigious was it to fee the prophet 
 Elias , lock up the waters, and the clouds of heaven, 
 as long as he thought fit ; ami then command them, 
 virtue of his word and prayer, to pour down their 
 again ? nor is it during their life-time only, that GOD 
 has given his faints fuch a power ; he continues the fame 
 after their death, and confers it upon their very bones and 
 afhes ||. Who can forbear praifing GOD, when he reads 
 of the Prophet Elifha's bones raifing a dead man to life, 
 who was accidentally thrown by a band of highwaymen, 
 into the prophet's grave ? who will deny that GOD beftows 
 great favours upon his faints, when he has been pleafed 
 to infpire the whole church, to inftitute a feaft, in honour 
 of St. Peter's chains , and we may clearly fee the great 
 eftecm he has for the bodies of his faints, fince he has 
 commanded us to pay fuch a fbleinn refpect to the fetters 
 
 they 
 
 * I Kings, c. 2. v. 30. f Jofliua, c. 10. v. 14. 
 
 J Ifa. c. xxxiii. v. 8. 3 Kings, c. 17. v. I. Ibid* 
 
 c. xviii. v. 43, Sec. || 4 Kings, e. xiii. v. 21.
 
 Part I, Ch. 9. Of Heaven. 87 
 
 they wore. But what is all this, in companion with the 
 honour which GOD did not only to this apoftle's fetters; 
 not only to his bones or body, but to his very fhadow -, 
 which, as St. Luke affirms, in the Acts, cured all Tick 
 perfons of their diftempers, that could come within the 
 reach of it *. O GOD ! how infinitely art thou to be ad- 
 mired? O GOD! how infinitely good art thou, and with 
 what an infinite honour doft thou reward thy faints ? thou 
 haft given this man, a power which thou never macleft 
 ufe of thyfelf: for nobody ever law Jefus Chrift curing 
 the fick with his fhadow. Now if it be certain that GOD 
 has fuch a love for his faints, even at fuch a timr, and in 
 fuch a place too, as is defigned for them to toil and la- 
 bour in, and not to receive their rewards \ how great 
 muft that glory be, which he has prepared to honour 
 them with, and for which he will be honoured and praifed 
 in them ? What may we imagine he, who has fo great a 
 defire to glorify them, and who at the fame time, both 
 can, and knows beft how to do, whatfoever is capable of 
 contributing to their glory, has prepared and provided 
 for this end. 
 
 4. Confider farther how liberal GOD is in rewarding 
 the obedience of his faithful fervants. He commanded 
 Abraham to facrifice his fon, whom he loved fo ten- 
 derly -, and juft as the patriarch was upon the point of 
 complying with his command, his Divine Goodnefs 
 flopped him, and would not let him proceed any farther : 
 The angel of the Lord f aid to him \ lay not thy hand upon the 
 boy, neither do thou any thing to him : now I know that thou. 
 feareft God, and thou haft not fpared thy only begotten Son 
 for my fake. By my ownfelf have I fworn, faith the Lord ; 
 becaufe thou haft done this thing, and haft not fpared thy 
 only begotten Son for my fake, I will blefs thee, and I will 
 multiply thy feed as the ftars of heaven, and as the fand that 
 is by the fe a-Jhore -, and thy feed /hall pojfefs the gates of their 
 enemies -, and in thy feed /hall all the nations of the earth be 
 blejfed, becaufe thou haft obeyed my voice ['. Was not this 
 obedience well requited ? it was truly a return that be- 
 < ame GOD, who appears like himfelf in all things , as 
 N 2 we]/ 
 
 * A&s, c. v, v. 15. -j- Gen. c, xxii, v. 12, 1 6, 17, 1 8.
 
 88 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 well in the favours he beftows, as in the punimments he 
 inflicts. 
 
 David confidering that he had a houfe to dwell in him- 
 felf, and the ark of GOD had none, thereupon refolved 
 to build one for it. But GOD fent the Prophet Nathan 
 to him the next morning with this meflage : Becaufe thou 
 baft thought of building me a houfe, I fwear to thee, that I 
 'will build one for thee, and thy pofterity which /hall remain 
 for ever ; and I will give thee a kingdom which Jhall have 
 no end, nor will I ever remove my mercies from it *. This 
 was the promife GOD made David -, nor did he fail in 
 the performance of it , for the kingdom of lirael was 
 governed by princes of the houfe of David, down to the 
 coming of our Saviour ; who reigns there now and there 
 will reign for all eternity. What follows from this is, 
 that heaven is nothing elfe but the general reward, which 
 GOD gives his faints for all the fervices they have done 
 him : and would we but at the fame time confider, how 
 generous GOD is in the returns he makes, we might give 
 ibme kind of guefs, at leaft, at the qualities and condi- 
 tions of this glory. Though it is an abyfs too deep for 
 us to fathom. 
 
 5. Another way of pafTmg a judgment upon it, is, to 
 reflect upon the price GOD has thought fit it mould be 
 purchafed at for us. For fmce he has been fo liberal to 
 us, we muft not think he would fet a greater value upon 
 things than they are worth in themfelves. Yet that we 
 might, after we had finned, be made partakers of this 
 glory, nothing lefs than the blood and death of his only 
 Son could procure it for us. So that GOD has been 
 pleafed to die the death of a man, that man might live 
 the life of GOD. GOD has fuffered thofe afflictions and 
 tribulations which were due to man, that fo man mould 
 enjoy the reft and eafe that belongs to GOD. Nor would 
 man have ever been honoured with a place amongft the 
 choirs of angels, had not GOD been nailed upon the crofs, 
 betwixt two thieves. How great a favour then muft this 
 be, for the procuring of which, a GOD has fweated blood ; 
 has been taken prifoner ; has been fcourged, fpit upon, 
 
 and 
 * 2 Kings, c. vii. 3 Kings, c, viii. I Chronic, c, xvii.
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Of Heaven. 89 
 
 and buffeted , and after all fattened to a crofs ? what can 
 that be which GOD, who is fo generous, has purchafed at 
 fo great a rate ? could a man fathom this abyfs, he would 
 have no better way of finding out the greatnefs of eternal 
 glory. 
 
 But befides all this, GOD requires of us as much as 
 pofTibly can be required of man j which is, that we take 
 up our crofs and follow him ; that if our right eye of- 
 fend us, we pluck it out , that we have no concern for 
 father or mother, nor regard any thing in this world, be 
 it what it will, if it be inconfiftent with whatsoever GOD 
 mail command us. And after we have punctually com- 
 plied with all he enjoins, he tells us he beftows this glory 
 grafts. This is what he fays in St. John : / am Alpha and 
 Omega ; the beginning and the end : to him that thirfleth I 
 'will give of the fountain of the water of life *. How great 
 a favour muft this be, when GOD requires fo much of us 
 for it ; and yet when we have given him all we can, he 
 tells us himielf, he gives it us for nothing ? I fay, for 
 nothing, with refpect to what our actions are worth in 
 themfelves, when feparated from the value grace puts on 
 them. Tell me now, if this Lord is fo liberal in grant- 
 ing of his favours , if he has been fo good as to beftow 
 upon every-body, fo many feveral kinds of benefits, even 
 in this life ; if every creature, both in heaven and earth, 
 has been created for man's ufe in general , if he has 
 given the fmner, as well as the juft, the bad man as 
 well as the good, a free and common polTefllon of this 
 world ; how mall we be able to efteem rightly thofe in- 
 exhauftible riches which he has laid up for the juft ? how 
 will he who has been fo generous in conferring of his 
 favours upon thofe who have not deferved them, reward 
 thofe to whom his graces are in fome manner due ? how 
 noble muft he be in requiting fervices done him, who 
 has been always fo forward in beftowing of his mercies ? 
 and if he is fo bountiful in his gifts and prefents, how 
 magnificent will he be in the returns he makes ? it is 
 certain we can neither exprefs nor conceive the glory he 
 will beftow on the grateful, fmce he has here laid fo many 
 obligations upon the unthankful. 
 
 * Revelat. c, xxi. v. 6. SECT,
 
 O The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 6. Something of this glory may be farther made out 
 by the fituation and height of the place defigned for it, 
 which is not only the moft capacious, but the nobleft 
 and moft beautiful of all the reft. It is called in fcrip- 
 ture, The land of the living. Whence we are to infer, 
 that the land we now live in, is the land of the dying. 
 If therefore, it is certain there are fo many excellent and 
 curious things in this country of the dying, what muft 
 there be, where thofe perfons refide who are to live for 
 ever ? look into every quarter of the world, and confider 
 how many beautiful objects there are in it. Obferve the 
 greatnefs of the heavens, the brightnefs of the fun, 
 moon, and ftars ; the beauty of the earth, and of the 
 trees, of birds and other creatures. Confider how plea- 
 fant the plain and open fields are ; how delightful the 
 mountains with their unevennefs ; the vallies with their 
 greennefs, and how the fprings and rivers which arc dif- 
 perfed and fcattered like fo many veins throughout the 
 whole body of the earth, contribute with their frefhnefs 
 to its beauty. Reflect upon the vaft extent of the feas, 
 which have fuch a great variety of wonders in them. 
 What are the lakes and pools of pure water ? but as it 
 were the eyes of the earth, or the mirrours of the hea- 
 vens ? or, what can we think of the verdant meadows, 
 interwoven with rofes and other flowers, but that they 
 refemble the firmament all fpangled with ftars in a clear 
 night. What mail we fay of the mines of gold and 
 filver, and other rich metals ? of rubies, emeralds, dia- 
 monds, and other precious ftones, which feem to ftand 
 in competition with the ftars themfelves, for a glittering 
 luftre and beauty ? what mall we fay of that variety of 
 colours which are to be feen in birds, in beafts, in 
 flowers, and in an infinite number of other wonderful 
 objects ? befides all this, art has added to the perfections 
 of nature, ard improved the beauty of all things. Hence 
 come thofe works which are fo pleafing to the eye, glit- 
 tering with gold and precious ftones, noble paintings, 
 delightful gardens, royal garments, ftately ftructures 
 
 adorned
 
 Part I. Ch, 9. Of Heaven. 91 
 
 adorned with gold and marble, and innumerable things 
 of other forts. If then there are fo many and iuch de- 
 lights in this, which is the loweft of all the elements, and 
 the land of the dying , what muft there be in that fub- 
 lime place, which as far exceeds all the other heavens 
 and elements in riches, honour, beauty, and all kinds of 
 perfections, as it does in height ? if we confider how 
 much thofe beauties of the heavens, which are vifible to 
 our eyes, as the fun, moon and ftars furpafs thofe of this 
 lower world in brightnefs, in power, in form, and in 
 duration ; how glorious muft we imagine thofe of the 
 next world to be, which are only to be feen with immor- 
 tal eyes ? all we are able to conceive or think, will come 
 infinitely mort of them. 
 
 7. We know man muft have three different places of 
 habitation, anfwering the three different ftates of life. 
 His firft place of habitation is his mother's womb, after 
 his conception ; his fecond, is the world he lives in 
 after his birth , his third, is heaven, where he will be 
 placed after his death, if he has lived a good life. Thefe- 
 three feveral places bear fome fort of proportion to one 
 .another, fo that the third has in an infinite degree, all 
 thofe advantages over the fecond, which the fecond has 
 over the firft, as well in duration, greatnefs and beauty, 
 as in all other qualities whatfoever. As to the duration 
 it is vifible, for the length of life in the firft place, is- 
 nine months ; in the fecond, it fometimes extends to an 
 hundred years : but in the third, it lafts for all eternity. 
 The fame is to be faid of the largenefs of the firft place, 
 which has no greater an extent than that of a woman's 
 womb; the fecond is no narrower than the whole world 
 itfelf ; and as for the greatnefs of the third, the beft rule 
 we have, whereby to judge of it, is the wide difpropor- 
 tion which is between the firft and the fecond place ; nor 
 does it lefs excell thofe other places in beauty, riches, 
 and all other perfections and accomplimments, moft pro- 
 per to recommend it to us, than it does in extent and 
 duration. If therefore this world of ours be fo great and 
 glorious as we have reprefented it ; and if, notwithstand- 
 ing the other we have been fpeaking of, be as far above 
 
 it
 
 92 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 it as we have faid it is -, how charming muft its beauty 
 be, and how vaft and fpacious its extent ? this we may 
 difcover by the great difference there is between the in- 
 habitants of both places, becaufe the ftatelinefs of a 
 building mould hold a proportion with the quality of 
 the peribn that is to live in it. We are to confider then, 
 that the place we live in, is the land of the dying ; the 
 other of the living. The one is the habitation of fmners, 
 the other of faints. The one is the dwelling-place of 
 men, the other of angels. The one is a place for peni- 
 tents, the other for thofe who are juftifiec 1 . The one is 
 the field of battle, the other the city of triumph. In 
 the one, to conclude, there are enemies as well as friends ; 
 whilft there are none but friends in the other, and thole 
 no other, but the elect themfelves. The fame difference 
 that is between the inhabitants of thefe two places, is 
 betwixt the places themfelves. For GOD has created all 
 places fuitable to the quality of the perfons they are de- 
 figned for. Glorious things are faid of thee : O City of 
 GOD *. Thou art unmeafurable in thy extent , and moft 
 ftately in thy ftructure. The matter which thou art 
 made of, is moft precious ; the people that live in thee 
 are moft noble , all thy employments are delightful ; all 
 forts of goods abound in thee ; nor is there any kind of 
 mifery whatfoever, which thou art not entirely free and 
 fecure from. Thou art very great in every thing, be- 
 caufe he who made thee is very great -, becaufe the end 
 which he defigned thee for, is very noble-, and becaule 
 thofe citizens, for whofe fake he has created thee, are the 
 moil honourable of all mankind. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 8. All we have hitherto faid, relates only to the acci- 
 dental glory of the faints , befides which, there is ano- 
 ther fort called the effential glory, infinitely beyond the 
 accidental. This effential glory confifts in feeing and 
 enjoying GOD himfelf, which St. Auguftin fpeaks of, 
 when he fays, that virtue mail be rewarded with no lels 
 
 a price, 
 * Pf. Ixxxvi. v, 2.
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Of Heaven. 93 
 
 a price, than with GOD himfelf, the giver of all virtue, 
 whom we fhall fee for all eternity ; whom we fhall love 
 without ever being cloyed ; and whom we mall praife 
 without ever giving over. So that this is the greateft 
 reward we can receive; for it is neither heaven nor earth, 
 nor fea, nor any created being whatfoever ; but it is GOD 
 himfelf, who, riotwithftanding his being free from all 
 kind of mixture, contains within himfelf, all that is good 
 and perfect. For the underftanding of this point, you 
 muft conceive, that one of the greateft myfteries in this 
 divine fubftance is, that it comprehends within itfelf, in 
 an infinitely eminent degree, the perfections of all the 
 creatures, though at the fame time, it is a moil pure 
 being -, becaufe GOD having created them all, and di- 
 rected them to their laft end, he muft of neceflity pofTefs 
 what he gives to others. Whence it follows, that the 
 blefied fhall enjoy and behold all things in him, each in 
 proportion to the glory he mall be partaker of. For as 
 the creatures ferve us now inftead of a mirrour, in which 
 Xve may behold fome part of GOD'S beauty ; fo GOD him- 
 felf will at that time be the glafs, wherein we mail fee 
 -the beauty of the creatures, but in a much more perfect 
 manner, than if we faw them in themfelves. Thus GOD 
 will be the univerfal happinefs of all the faints ; he will be 
 their compleat felicity, and the accomplimment of all their 
 defires. He will then be a mirrour to our eyes, mufic 
 to our ears, fweetnefs to our tafte, and a moft pleafant 
 perfume to our noftrils. In him we mail behold all the 
 variety of the feveral times and feafons of the year , the 
 frefhnefs of the fpring ; the clearnefs of the fummer; 
 the plenty of the autumn , and the repofe of winter. 
 There is nothing, in mort, that can pleafe all the fenfes of 
 our bodies, or the faculties of our fouls, which we mail 
 not meet with in him. // is in him, fays St. Bernard, we 
 Jhallfind the f nine fs of light for our under/landing, the abun- 
 dance of peace for our wills; and the continuation of eternity 
 for our memories. There the wifdom of Solomon will ap- 
 pear but folly ; the beauty of Abfalom deformity ; the 
 ftrength of Sampfon weaknefs ; the Ion* lives of the old 
 O patriarchs
 
 94 *Ibe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 patriarchs a mort mortality ; and the riches of all the 
 kings of the earth mere poverty and want. 
 
 9. If, as moft certainly it is, all this be true, why do 
 you (lay to look for draws in Egypt, and to drink muddy 
 water in filthy puddles, when you mould be going on- 
 toward this fpring-head of happinefs, this fountain of 
 living waters ? why do you beg by parcels, what you 
 may find heaped up together, and more abundantly irt 
 this Great ALL ? if you aim at pleafures, raife up your 
 heart, and confider how delightful this Good muft be,. 
 which contains in itfelf all goods and pleafures. If you 
 are in love with this created life, how much greater fa- 
 tisfaftion will you take in that life, which has created 
 every thing ? if the health you enjoy be a pleafure to 
 you, how much more will you be pleafed with him, who 
 is himielf the author of health ? if you are taken with the 
 knowledge of the creatures, how much more will you be 
 with that of the Creator ? if beauty charms you, he it is 
 whofe beauty the fun and moon- admire. If nobility be 
 what you feek after, he is the very fource and original of 
 all that is noble , if you wifh for long life, he is life ever- 
 lafting. If plenty be your defire ; he is the fulnefs of 
 all riches. If you love mufick and charming voices ; the 
 angels are continually fmging in his prefence. If you 
 hunt after company and converfation , you will there 
 have the company of all the blefled, who have but one 
 heart and one foul. If you aim at honourable employs, 
 and covet riches ; they are both to be found in the houfe 
 of GOD. If, in fine, you would be freed from all kinds 
 of miferies and fufferings, 'tis there you will be happily 
 delivered from them ; and that for ever. GOD com- 
 manded his people, in the old law, to circumcife their 
 children on the eighth day ; giving us thereby to under- 
 Hand, that upon the eighth day, that is the day of the 
 general refurrection, which is to follow the week of this 
 life, he will circumcife and cut off all the miferies of thofe 
 perfons, who (hall have circumcifed themfelves, and have 
 put a (lop to all their inordinate defires ; who mail have 
 retrenched all their fuperfluities, and have overcome their 
 failings for his fake. What can be happier than fuch a 
 
 life
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Of Heaven. 95 
 
 life as this, which is free from all mifery and trouble ; 
 and which as St. Auguftin fays, fhall be never expoled 
 to any fear of poverty, indifpofition or ficknefs ; where 
 there never fhall be any anger or envy , where we fhall 
 never fland in need of eating and drinking ; never covet 
 worldly preferments and honours, never be afraid of de- 
 vils ; never dread the pains of hell, nor apprehend the 
 death, either of the body or of the foul. For, we fhall 
 live there with all manner of content and fatisfaction ; 
 enjoying the delights of immortality, which fhall never 
 be interrupted or difturbed with divifion and factions : 
 for there all things are in a perfect and perpetual peace 
 and concord. 
 
 10. To all thefe advantages muft be added that of 
 living in the company of angels , of enjoying the con- 
 verfation of all thofe fublime fpirits ; and of feeing thofe 
 noble troops of faints, who are more bright and glorious 
 than the ftars of heaven. There the patriarchs fhall ap- 
 pear with glory, for their perfect obedience, and the 
 prophets for their lively hope. There you fhall behold 
 the martyrs adorned with crowns, dyed in their own 
 blood, and the virgins cloathed in white robes, in token 
 of their chaftity. But what tongue fhall be able to ex- 
 prefs the majefty of the fovereign monarch, who refides 
 in the midft of them all ? were we every day to fuffer 
 frelh torments ; nay, mould we undergo for fome time 
 the pains of hell itlelf, that we might fee the Lord in 
 his glory, and enjoy the happy company of his elect, it 
 would certainly be worth our while to endure all this, 
 that we might arrive at fuch a heighth of happinefs. 
 Thus far St. Auguftin. 
 
 If therefore this be fo great a blefflng, how happy fhall 
 thofe eyes be, that are to be always fixed upon thefe ob- 
 jects ? what a happinefs muft it be to fee this ftately city ; 
 to behold thefe honourable citizens in all their glory -, to 
 have a fight of the face of this Creator , the magnificence 
 of thefe buildings -, the riches of thefe palaces, 'and tne 
 common joy of this heavenly country ? what muft it be 
 to behold all the orders of thefe bleffed fpirits , the au- 
 thority of this facred fenate j the majefty of thofe vene- 
 O 2
 
 96 The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 rable elders, whom St. John * faw fitting upon thrones 
 in the prefence of GOD ? what a pleafure muft it be to 
 hear thefe angelical voices, thefe charming fingers, and 
 this harmonious mufic, not in four parts as ours here is, 
 but in as many parts, and of as many different voices, as 
 there are blefled fouls in heaven ? how {hall we be charmed 
 when we hear them fmg this moft ravi(hing fong, which 
 the fame St. John once heard : Rlefling and glory > and wif- 
 4om^ and thank/giving, and honour ^ and power , andftrengtb, 
 be unto our God^ for ever and ever -f. Amen. And if it 
 be fo pleafant a thing to hear the harmony thefe voices 
 (hall make ; how much more delightful muft it be to fee 
 the unity and concord which there reigns ? to obferve 
 what a union there will be between men and angels ; 
 but more particularly betwixt man and GOD ? what a 
 happinefs mail it be to fee thefe fine fields, thefe fountains 
 of life, and thefe paftures upon the mountains of IfraelJ? 
 what a glorious thing will it be to fit down at this fum- 
 ptuous table , to have a place amongft the guefts, to 
 eat out of the fame dim with Jefus Chrift ; that is, to 
 jfhare with him in his glory ? there the bleffed (hall be at 
 reft, and have a full enjoyment of eternal blifs. It is 
 there that they mail fmg and praife, and be perpetually 
 entertained with moft delicious banquets. Since there- 
 fore faith tells us, that fuch great bleffings as thefe are 
 the rewards of virtue -, can any man ftand fo much in his 
 own light, as not to refolve upon an immediate purfuit 
 after it, in hope of fo large a recompence ? 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Of the tenth motive that obliges us to the love of virtue^ 
 which is the fourth of the four laft things, viz. 'The 
 fains of hell. 
 
 AN Y the leaft part of this great reward we have now 
 fpoken of, fhould be more than fufficient to inflame 
 pur hearts with the love of virtue. But if, to the ful- 
 * Revel, c. iv. v. 4. f Ibid. c. vii, v, 12. nef$ 
 
 J E?ek. c, xxxiv. v. 14.
 
 Parti. Ch. io. Of Hell. 97 
 
 nefs of that glory which is referved for the juft, we fur- 
 ther add the feverity of thofe torments that are prepared 
 for the wicked -, what an effect muft this have upon us ? 
 efpecially there being no middle ftate betwixt thefe two. 
 The wicked man cannot comfort himfelf, by faying; 
 All that can come of my living wickedly is, that I mail 
 never enjoy GOD -, as for the reft, I expect neither happinefs 
 nor mifery. The linful man mall not efcape thus. One of 
 thefe two oppofite conditions muft be his lot, he muft 
 either reign with GOD for all eternity, or burn for ever 
 with the devils in hell. Thefe are the two bafkets the 
 Lord in a vifion (hewed the Prophet Jeremiah *, before 
 the gates of the temple ; one of which had very good 
 figs, and the other very naughty ones, which could not 
 be eaten they were fo bad. GOD'S defign was by this, 
 to let the prophet know, that there were two forts of 
 perfons ; the one the object of mercy, the other of his 
 juftice. The firft cannot be in a more happy condition, 
 nor the latter in a more miferable ; becaufe the happinefs 
 of the firft confifts in feeing GOD, the perfection of all 
 goodnefs ; whilft the mifery of the others is to be deprived 
 of his fight, the greateft misfortune that can pofiibly 
 befall poor man. 
 
 This truth well confidered, would make fchofe men 
 who fin fo unconcernedly, fenfible, what a weight they 
 voluntarily lay upon themfelves. Thofe who get their 
 living by carrying of burthens, firft obferve what they 
 have to carry, and lift it up a little, to fee if it is not 
 too heavy for them. And will you, who are brought up 
 amidft' the delights and charms of fin, let your fenfual 
 defires draw you away fo far, in oppofition to the will of 
 GOD, as to oblige you to carry the heavy burthen of fin, 
 without any hope of eafe or reft ; and all this for the 
 enjoyment of a bafe infamous pleafure ? try firft its 
 weight, that is, confider the punimment attending it ; 
 that you may fee whether you are able to bear it : that 
 you may the better conceive how painful this torment 
 is, and how weighty a burthen you lay on your ihoulders 
 s often as you fin j I will propofe to you the following 
 
 confidera~ 
 * Jerem. c, xxiv. v. i, 2,
 
 98 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 confiderations. And though I have handled this matter 
 elfewhere, yet I cannot pals it over without faying Tome- 
 thing upon it again in this place , though quite different 
 from what I have faid before. For, the fubjedt is fo 
 copious, there is no wearing of it threadbare j or danger 
 of fpeaking too much upon it. 
 
 2. Confider firft the immenfe greatnefs of GOD, who 
 is to punifh fin. He is GOD in all his works j that is, 
 great and wonderful in them all ; not only in heaven, 
 earth, and fea, but even in hell, and all other places. 
 Now if he (hows himfelf GOD in all his actions, he will 
 certainly appear fo no lefs in his wrath, in his juftice, 
 and in the punimment he inflicts on fin. This is what 
 he means, when he fays by the Prophet Jeremiah ; Will 
 you not then fear me, faith the Lord-, and will you not repent 
 at my prefence ? I have fet the fand a bound for the fea, an 
 evcrlajling ordinance, which it Jhall not pafs over-, and the 
 waves* thereof Jhall tofs themfelves, and Jhall not prevail^ 
 they Jhall fwell, and Jhall not pafs over it *. As if he had 
 faid more plainly ; it is not highly requifite, that you 
 fhonld fear the (Irength of that arm which has wrought 
 fo great a miracle ? which will be neither lefs powerful, 
 nor lefs wonderful in the punimment it inflicts, than in 
 all its other works. So that we have as much reafon to 
 fear him infinitely, upon the account of the miferies he 
 can reduce us to, as we have to praife him for the fa- 
 vours he has beftowed upon us. It was this that made 
 the fame prophet, though innocent, and fanctified in his 
 mother's womb, to tremble, when he faid, Who flail not 
 fear thec, O king of nations, for thine is the glory f, and 
 in another place, / fat alone, becaufc thou haft filled me 
 'with threats J. The holy prophet knew very well, that 
 thefe threats did not touch him , yet, for all this, they 
 were fo dreadful as to make him tremble. Therefore it 
 is with reafon we fay, the pillars of heaven make before 
 the Majefty of GOD, and powers and principalities all 
 tremble in his prefence : Not that they are in doubt of 
 their own happinefs, but becaufe they are in continual 
 admiration of his Infinite Majefty. If thefe pure fpirits 
 
 are 
 * Jerem. c. v. v. 22. -f Jer. c. x. v. 7. JIbid. c. xv. v. 17,
 
 Parti. Ch. 10. Of Hell. 99 
 
 are not free from fear ; what apprehenfions fhould fin- 
 ners, and fuch as defpife GOD'S commandments be in, 
 as being the perfons upon whom he will thunder out the 
 dreadful effects of his vengeance ? this is without doubt, 
 one of the chief reafons which ought to ftir up in our 
 fouls, a fear of this puniihment, as St. John plainly 
 (hows us in his Revelation, where fpeaking of the pu- 
 nifhments which GOD will inflict; he fays, Babylon's 
 plagues Jhall come in one day, death, and mourning, and fa- 
 mine, and Jhe Jhatt be utterly burnt with the fire ; becaufe 
 GOD is Jirong, who Jhall judge her *. And St. Paul, who 
 very well knew his great itrength, fays, It is a fearful 
 thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD -f. It is no 
 dreadful thing to fall inio the hands of men, becaufe they 
 are not fo ftrong but that a man may break from them, 
 nor have they power enough to thruft a foul headlong 
 into hell. Our Saviour for this reafon, faid to his dif- 
 ciples . Be, not afraid of them that kill the body, and after 
 that have no more that they can do. Fear ye him, who after 
 he hath killed, hath power to cafl into hell ; yea, I fay unto 
 you, fear him . Thefe are the hands, the apoftle fays 
 it is a terrible thing to fall into. Thofe perfons were 
 furely very fenfible of the force of thefe hands, who 
 cried out in the Book of Ecclefiafticus, If we do not pe- 
 nance we Jhatt fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into 
 the hands of men J. All this plainly makes it appear, 
 that as GOD is great in his power, in his authority, and 
 in all his works ; fo will he be in his anger, in his juf- 
 tice, and in punifhing of the wicked. 
 
 3. This will be ftill more evident, if we confider the 
 greatnefs of the Divine Juftice, which inflicts this pu- 
 niihment -, and we may fee more of it in thofe dreadful 
 examples recorded in the holy fcriptures. How remark- 
 able did GOD punifh Dathan and Abiram ||, with all their 
 accomplices, by making the earth open to fwallow them 
 alive , and by finking them down into hell for rebelling 
 againft their fuperiors ? who has ever heard of any 
 threats or curfes like thofe that are to be read in Deute- 
 ronomy, 
 
 * Jerem. c. xviii. v. 9. -f- Heb. c. x. v. 31. Luke, c. xii. 
 v, 4. J Eccluj.-c. ii, v. 22. || Numb. c. xvi.
 
 100 The Sinners Guide. Book f* 
 
 ronomy, againft the tranfgreflbrs of the law ? thefe are 
 fome of thole many dreadful comminations. I will bring 
 upon thee, fays GOD, a moft info lent nation, that will con- 
 fume thee in all thy cities, and thy enemies Jhall dtjlrefs then 
 within all thy gates : the tender and delicate woman that 
 could not go upon the ground, nor let down her foot for over- 
 much nicenefs and tendernefs : and the filth of the after-births 
 that come from between her thighs, and the children that are 
 born the fame hour-, for they Jhall eat them fecretly for the 
 want of all things in the fiege and diftrefs, wherewith thy 
 enemy Jhall opfrefs thee within thy gates J; Thefe are 
 indeed moft terrible punifhments * and yet, neither arc 
 thefe nor any other whatfoever, that man can fuffer 
 in this life, any more than a mere fhaclow, or a faint 
 refemblance in comparifon of thofe which are referved 
 for the next. Then will be the time that the divine 
 juftice mail fignalize itfelf, againft thofe who have 
 here defpifed his mercy. If therefore the fhadow and 
 the refemblance be fo frightful, what muft we think of 
 the fubftanCe and original ? and if the chalice of the 
 Lord be fo unpalatable now, when there is water mixt 
 with it ; and when the feverity of juftice is leflened fo 
 much by the mildnefs of mercy ; how bitter muft the 
 portion be, when we mail be forced to drink it off with- 
 out any mixture at all ; and when thofe perfons who 
 would not accept of GOD'S mercy, mall feel nothing 
 but the effects of his judgments ? and yet thefe torments, 
 though fo great, are all infinitely lefs than what our fins 
 deferve. 
 
 4. Befides the confideration of the greatnefs of GOD'S 
 juftice , another way to make us underftand the rigour 
 of thefe pnnimments he will inflict, is to reflect on the 
 effects of his mercy, which fmners fo much prefume 
 upon. For what greater fubject of aftonimment can we 
 have, than to fee a GOD taking human flefh upon him, 
 and fuffering in his body, all the torments and difgraces 
 which he underwent, even to the dying upon a crofs ? 
 what greater mercy could he mew, than thus to humble 
 himfelf, to carry the burthen of all our fins, that he 
 
 might 
 J Deut. c. xxviii, v. 50, 55, 56, 57.
 
 Parti. Ch. 10. 'Of He!!. lo i 
 
 might thereby eafe us of the weight of them, and to 
 offer up his moft precious blood for the falvation of thofe 
 very wretches who med it ; now as the works of the 
 divine mercy are wonderful in themfelves, ib will the 
 effects of GOD'S juftice be. For fmce GOD is equal in 
 all his attributes, becaufe all that is in him, is GOD ; it 
 follows, that his juftice is no lefs in itfelf, than his mercy 
 is ; and as by the thicknefs of one arm, we may judge 
 how big the other is, fo we may know how great the 
 arm of GOD'S juftice is, by that of his mercy, fmce they 
 are both equal. 
 
 If GOD, when he was pleafed to make known his 
 mercy to the world, performed fuch wonderful, and 
 almoft incredible things, that the fame world looked upon 
 them as folly-, what do you think he will do at his fecond 
 coming, which is the time defigned for manifefting the 
 feverity of his juftice ? efpecially, fmce every fin that is 
 committed in the world, gives him a new occafion to 
 exercife it; whereas he never had any motive to mercy, 
 but that fame mercy itfelf; there being nothing at all in 
 human nature that deferves his favour : but as for his 
 juftice, he will have as many reafons to execute the ut- 
 moft rigour of it, as there have been crimes committed 
 by mankind. Judge by that how terrible it muft be. 
 
 5. St. Bernard in one of his fermons upon the coming 
 of our Saviour, has explained this very well in thefe 
 words ; " As our Lord at his firft coming into the world, 
 mewed himfelf very merciful and eafy in forgiving; fo at 
 his fecond, he will mew himfelf as rigid and fevere in 
 punifhing : and as there is nobody but may be reconciled 
 to his favour now, it will be impoflible for any one to 
 obtain it then : becaufe he is as infinite in his juftice, 
 as he is in his mercy ; and can punifh with as much 
 rigour, as he pardons with mildnefs. His mercy, it is 
 true, has the firft place, provided our behaviour has not 
 been fuch as may provoke the feverity of his juftice." 
 Thefe words give us to underftand, that the greatnefs 
 of GOD'S mercy is the ftandard we may go by, to guefs 
 at his juftice, The fame doctrine is held forth to us by 
 the royal prophet, faying, Our GOD is the GOD of fal- 
 p vation ;
 
 IO2 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 vation , and of the Lord, of the I^ord are the iffues from 
 death) but GOD jh all break the heads of his enemies; the 
 hairy crown of them that walk on in their fins *. This 
 mews how kind and merciful GOD is to thofe who return 
 to him ; and how fevere againft hardened and cbftinate 
 finners. 
 
 6. Another proof of this we have in the extraordinary 
 patience with which GOD bears ; not only with the whole 
 world in general, but with every fmner in particular. 
 How many do we daily fee, who from the very firft mo- 
 ment they came to the ufe of reafon, till their latter 
 days, have been employed in nothing but fin, without 
 ever regarding GOD'S promifes, or his threats ; his mer- 
 cies, or his commands ; or any other thing that tended 
 to their converfion ? and yet this fovereign goodnefs has 
 been all the while expecting them with patience, without 
 cutting off one minute of their unhappy lives, and has 
 not ceafed to make ufe of feveral means to bring them to 
 repentance, but all to no purpofe. What therefore will 
 he do, when after having exhaufted this long patience, 
 his anger which has been for fo long a time gathering in 
 the repofitory of his juftice, mall overflow the banks 
 which kept it in ? with how much force and violence 
 will it rufh in upon them ? this is what the apoflJe meant 
 when he faid : Doejl thou not know, O man, that the good- ' 
 nefs of GOD leadeth thee to -penance? but according to thy 
 hardnefs and impenitent heart, thou trcafureft up unto thyfelf 
 wrath, againft the day of wrath, and revelation of the juft 
 judgment of GOD, who will render to every man according 
 to his works -f. 
 
 What can he mean by, I'reafureji up unto thyfelf wrath* 
 but, that as they who hoard up riches, daily heap gold 
 upon gold, and filver upon filver, for the increafing of 
 their flock ; fo GOD daily adds to the treafure of his 
 anger, in proportion to the number of the finners crimes? 
 were a man to be altogether employed for fifty or fixty 
 years together, in heaping up treafure, fo as not to let 
 one day or hour pafs, without making fome addition to 
 it 5 what a mighty fum would he find at the end of this 
 
 time. 
 
 * Pfalm, Ixvii. v. 21, 22. f Rom. c. ii. v, 4, 5, 6.
 
 Parti, Ch. 10. Of Hell. 103 
 
 time. How miferable then muft your condition be, fmce 
 you fcarce fuffer one moment of your life to flip, with- 
 out adding fomething to the treafure of GOD'S wrath, 
 which is every minute increafed by the number of your 
 fins ? for though nothing elfe were to be put in but the 
 immodeft cafls of your eyes; the malice and vicious 
 defires of your heart ; the oaths and fcandalous words 
 which come from your mouth, thefe alone would fuffice 
 to fill a whole world. Then, if fo many other enormous 
 crimes as you are daily guilty of, be added to thefe ; 
 what a treafure of wrath and vengeance will you have 
 heaped againft yourfelf at the end of fo many years ? 
 
 7. If befides all this, we make a ferious reflection 
 upon the ingratitude and malice of the wicked; it will in 
 a great meafure (hew us, with what feverity and rigour 
 this punifliment will be inflicted. To pafs a true judg- 
 ment upon thi matter, we muft confider on one fide, 
 how mercifully GOD has dealt with men ; what he did 
 for them, whilft he was here upon earth ; and how much 
 he fuffered for them ; what helps and means he has 
 afforded them for their leading a virtuous life ; how 
 much he has pardoned, or feemed not to take notice of, 
 the benefits he has done them ; the evils he has deli- 
 vered them from, with infinite other graces he is always 
 bellowing upon them. Let us confider, on the other 
 fide, how forgetful men have been of GOD ; their ingra- 
 titude ; their treafons ; their infidelities ; their blafphe- 
 mies ; tne contempt they have had both of him and of 
 his commandments ; which has been carried fo far, that 
 they have trampled them under foot, not only for a tri- 
 vial intereft, but very often for nothing, and out of mere 
 malice : nay, many are come to fuch a degree of impu - 
 dence, that the laws of GOD are the frequent matter of 
 their pleafantry, ridicule, and drollery. What do you 
 think thofe perfons who have defpifed fo high a Majefty -, 
 thofe who as the apoftle fays : Have trodden under foot the 
 Son of God, and hath efteemed the blood of the covenant un- 
 clean, with which he was fanttified * ; can expeft, but to 
 be punifhed and tormented in that day, wherein they 
 P 2 muft 
 
 * Heb. c, x. v, 29.
 
 *Tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 muft render an account of themfelves, according to the 
 affronts and injuries they have offered ? for GOD being, a 
 moft equitable judge ; that is to fay, fuch a one as will 
 punifli the offender proportionably to the offence given ; 
 and being befides the party offended, how great muft 
 the torments be, which the body and foul of the criminal 
 delivered up to his juftice, mall fuffer ; fince they are to 
 equal the grievoufnefs of the crimes, by which the Divine 
 Majefiy has been affronted , and if it was neceffary that 
 the Son of GOD mould fhed his blood to fatisfy for thofe 
 fins which had been committed againft him 5 the merits 
 of the perfon fupplying what might be wanting to the 
 rigour of the punimment ; what muft follow, when this 
 fatisfa&ion is to be made by no other way, but by the 
 feverity of the punimment, without any confideration of 
 the perlon at all ? 
 
 8. If, as we have feen, the quality of the judge ought 
 to make us fo much afraid ; what mould that of the exe- 
 cutioner do ? for the fentence which GOD mail pafs 
 againft a foul, is to be put into execution by the devil ; 
 and what favour can be expected from fo cruel an enemy ? 
 that you may conceive fome thing of his fury and malice, 
 confider how he dealt with holy Job, when GOD had de- 
 livered him into his power. What cruelty and violence 
 did he not exercife upon this righteous man, without the 
 leaft tendernefs or pity ? he fent the Sabeans to drive 
 away his oxen and affes ; his fheep and his fervants he 
 deftroyed by fire ; he overthrew all his houfes ; he killed 
 his children , he covered his body all over with fores and 
 ulcers, leaving him no part of thofe vaft riches he pof- 
 fefled before, but a dunghill to fit on, and a tile to fcrape 
 off the corruption that ran from his fores. And to add 
 to his forrow he left him a wicked wife, and fuch friends, 
 as it had been more humanity to deftroy than fpare. 
 For they with their tongues, pierced and tormented his 
 heart more cruelly than the worms that preyed upon 
 his flefh. Thus he behaved himfelf towards Job. But 
 what was it he did, or rather, what was it he left undone 
 againft the Saviour of the world, in that dreadful night, 
 when he was delivered up to the powers of darknefs ? It 
 
 is
 
 Parti. Ch. io. Of Hell. 105 
 
 is more than can be comprized in a few words. If then 
 this enemy of mankind, and all his accomplices are fo 
 inhumane, fo bloody, fuch enemies to mankind, and fo 
 powerful to do harm, what will become of you miferablc 
 creature when you mail be delivered up into their hands, 
 with a full and abfolute authority to execute upon you, 
 all the cruelties they mall be able to invent ? and this, 
 not for a day, or for a night 5 not for a year only or for 
 an age ; but for all eternity. Do you think thefe mer- 
 cilefs devils, when they have you in their clutches, will 
 yfe you kindly? O! how dark and difmal will that 
 unhappy day be, when you fhall be delivered up to the 
 power of thefe ravenous wolves , thefe favage beafts ! 
 
 9. But that you may the better conceive what ufagc 
 is to be expected at their hands, I will here fet down a 
 notable example out of St. Gregory's dialogues *: " He 
 tells us, that there was a religious man in one of his mo- 
 nafteries, no riper in virtue than in years, who was ready- 
 to die of a violent ficknefs. The brothers being all met 
 together, according to their cuftom, to a/lift him in this 
 his dangerous pafiage, and kneeling about his bed, to pray 
 for him, the dying man cried out to them f : "Be gone, 
 be gone fathers, and leave me a prey to this dragon, that 
 he may fwallow me up, for my head is already in his fiery- 
 jaws, and he preffes me with his fcales, which are like the 
 teeth of a faw, fo that I am in a mod infupportable tor- 
 ment. I defire you therefore to go out of the room, and 
 leave me to him -, for not being able to make an end of 
 me whilft you are here, he puts me to fo much greater 
 pain." The religious advifed him to take courage, and 
 make the fign of the crofs : " How mail I do it, fays he, 
 when the dragon has fo twifted his tail about my hands 
 and feet, that I am not able to ftir ?" They not at all 
 difheartened at this, renewed their prayers with much 
 greater fervour than before ; and feconding them with 
 fighs and tears, obtained of the Father of Mercies his de- 
 liverance from this violent agony, which left him fo af- 
 tonimed and confounded, that he afterwards lived fuch a 
 virtuous life, as put him out of all danger of feeing him- 
 felf reduced to fuch circumftances again. 
 
 * L. iv. c. 33. ) c. ix, v. i. to v. io. io. TheJ
 
 io6 The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 10. Thefe are the wicked fpirits which St. John de- 
 fcribes in his Revelation*, under the moft frightful 
 forms we are able to conceive : Ifaw, fays he, a ft ar fall 
 from heaven upon the earth ; and there was given to him the 
 key of the bottomlefs pit. And he opened the bottomlefs pif 9 
 and the fmoke of tfte pit arofe, as the fmoke of a great fur- 
 nace, and the fun and the air were darkened -with the fmoke 
 of the pit. And from the fmoke of the pit there came out 
 locufts upon the earth , and power was given to them, as the 
 fcorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded 
 them that they Jhould not hurt the grafs of the earth, nor any 
 green thing, nor any tree ; but only thofe men who have not 
 the feal of God on their foreheads. And it was given to 
 them that they Jhould not kill them, but that they Jhould tar- 
 men t them five months : and their torment was as a torment of 
 a fcorpion, when he Jlriketh a man. And in thofe days Jhall 
 men feek death, and Jhall not find it, and they Jhall defire to 
 die, and death Jhall fly from them. And the Jhapes of the 
 iocufts were like unto horfes prepared for 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 breaft-plates, as it were breafl-plates of iron, and 
 the found of their wings was as the found of chariots of many 
 horfes running to battle. And they had tails like unto fcor- 
 pions, and there were ftings in their tails. Thus far are the 
 words of St. John. Now what was the defign of the 
 Holy Ghoft in mewing us the greatnefs of thefe tor- 
 ments, under fuch terrible reprefentations and figures ? 
 what other defign could he have, but to let us know by 
 thefe dreadful forms, how great the wrath of the Lord 
 will be ? what the inttruments of his juftice , what pu- 
 nimments are to fall upon fmners ; and what power our 
 enemies are like to have ; that the dread of thefe things 
 might deter us from offending GOD. For what ftar was 
 it that fell from heaven, and had the key of the bottom- 
 lefs pit delivered to it, but that bright angel who wa.s 
 flung headlong out of heaven into hell , and to whofe 
 power the kingdom of darknefs was committed ? and 
 
 what 
 * C. ix, v. i. to v, 10.
 
 Part I. Ch. io. Of Hell. Io? 
 
 what were thefe locufts fo fierce, and fo well armed, but 
 the devils, his accomplices, and the minifters of his 
 rage ? what were thefe green things which they were 
 commanded not to hurt, but the juft ; who flourim by 
 being watered with the heavenly dew of grace, and thus 
 bring forth the fruits of eternal life ? Who are thofe that 
 have not the feal of GOD ftamped upon them, but fuch 
 as are deftitute of his fpirit , the true and infallible 
 mark of his fervants, and of the innocent (heep of his 
 flock ? ic is againft thefe unhappy wretches the divine 
 juftice has railed fuch forces, that they may be tor- 
 mented, both in this life and in the next, by thofe very 
 devils, whofe fervice they have preferred before that of 
 their Creator , as the Egyptians once were by the flies 
 and gnats, which they adored. Add to all this, how 
 dreadful it will be, to behold in this fad place, thofe 
 hideous and frightful monfters ; this devouring dragon, 
 and this wreathing ferpent. What a horrible fight muft: 
 it be, to fee this huge and monftrous Behemoth, which 
 is faid in the book of Job to erect his tail like a cedar ; 
 to drink up whole rivers, and to devour mountains. 
 
 1 1. A thorough confideration of all thefe things is fuf- 
 ficient to make us underftand what torments the wicked 
 are to fuffer. For who can imagine from what has been 
 faid, but that thefe pains muft be very great ? what can 
 a man expect from the greatnefs of GOD himfelf ; from 
 the greatnefs of his juftice in puniming fin , from the 
 greatnefs of his patience to bear with finners ; from the 
 infinite multitude of favours and graces, by which he 
 has endeavoured to invite and draw them to himfelf ; 
 from the greatnefs of the hatred he bears to fin, which 
 deferves to be infinitely hated, becauie it offends an in- 
 finite Majefty ; and from the greatnefs of our enemies 
 cruelty and fury ? what can we, I fay, expe<5b from all 
 thefe things which are fo great, but that fin mould meet 
 with a moft fevere and terrible punifhment ? if therefore, 
 fo fevere a punimment is ordained for fin, and no doubt 
 can be made of it, fmce faith teftifies this truth, how 
 can they, who pretend to own and believe it, be fo in- 
 fenfible of the heavy weight, every fin they commit 
 
 throws
 
 The Sinners Guide. Book* I. 
 
 throws upon them , when by giving way to but oner 
 offence, they bring themfelves into the danger of incur - 
 ring a penalty, which on fo many accounts appears to be 
 fo terrible. 
 
 SECT I. 
 
 Of the duration of thefe torments. 
 
 12. But though all thefe confide rations are fufHcient, 
 without any farther addition, to make us tremble ; we- 
 fhall have much more reafon to be afraid, if we do but 
 reflect with ourfelves, upon the duration of the pains we 
 have now fpoken of. For if after feveral thoufands of 
 years, there fhould be any limit fet, or any eafe given to 
 thefe fufferings, it would be fome kind of comfort to the 
 wicked : But what mall I fay of their eternity, which has 
 no bounds, but will laft as long as GOD himfelf. This 
 eternity is fuch, that as a great doctor tells us, mould 
 one of the damned, at the end of every thoufand years, 
 fhed but one tear, he would fooner overflow the world, 
 than find any end to his miferies. Can any thing then 
 be more terrible ? this certainly is fo great an ill, that 
 though all the pains of hell were no fharper than the 
 prick of a pin, confidering they were to continue for 
 ever, man ought to undergo all the torments of this 
 world to avoid them. O ! that this eternity ; this ter- 
 rible word, For Ever, were deeply imprinted in your 
 heart, how great would be the benefit you would reap 
 by it. We read of a certain vain and worldly-minded 
 man, who confidering ferioufly one day upon this eternity 
 of torments, was frighted with the duration of them 
 into this reflection. No man in the world, in his right 
 fenfes, would be confined to a bed of rofes and violets, 
 for the fpace of thirty or forty years, though he were at 
 this price to purchafe the empire of all the earth. If fo, 
 faid he to himfelf, what a madman muft he be, that will, 
 for things of much lefs value, run the hazard of lying 
 infinite ages upon a bed of fire and flames ? this thought 
 alone wrought him up to fuch, and fo immediate a 
 change of life, that he became a great faint, and a 
 
 worthy
 
 Part I. Ch. 10. Of Hell. 109 
 
 worthy prelate of the church. What will thofe nice and 
 effeminate perfons fay to this, whofe whole night's Deep 
 is diilurbed and broken, if a fly be but buzzing in their 
 chamber? what wiil they fay, when they mall be ftretched 
 out upon a fire, and furrounded on all fides with fulphu- 
 reous flames, not for one fliort fummer's night, but for all 
 eternity. Thefe are the perfons to whom the Prophet 
 Ifaiah put this queftion : Which of you can dwell with de- 
 vouring fire ? which of you Jhall dwell with everlafting 
 "burnings * ? who can be able to bear fuch a fcorching 
 heat as this is, for fo long a time ? O foolifh and fenfe- 
 lefs man, lulled into a. lethargic deep by the charms of 
 this old deceiver of mankind ! can any thing be more 
 unreafonable, than to fee men fo bufy providing for this 
 mortal and corruptible life: and at the fame time, to 
 have no greater concern for the things which regard eter- 
 nity ? if we are blind to this miftake, what will our eyes 
 be open to ? what mall we be afraid of, if we have no 
 apprehenfion of this mifery ? or what fhall we ever pro- 
 vide againft, if not againft an evil of fuch importance ? 
 13. Since all this is undeniably true, why will we not 
 refolve to walk in the way of virtue, though never fo 
 troublefome, that we may avoid thofe punimments we 
 are threatened with, if we take the contrary way? mould 
 GOD leave it to any man's choice, either to be tormented 
 with the gout or tooth-ach in fuch' a violent manner, as 
 not to have any hopes of eafe, either day or night ; or 
 elfe to turn Carthufian or bare-foot Carmelite, and 
 undergo all the aufterities thofe religious men are obliged 
 to , it is not to be imagined any man would be fo (lupid, 
 as not to choofe either of thefe two ftates, though upon 
 the bare motive of felf-love, rather than fuffer fuch a 
 torture for fo long a time. Why then do we not ac- 
 cept of fo eafy a penance, to avoid fuch a lafting tor- 
 ment, fmce the pains of hell are fo much more infuffe- 
 rable, of fo much longer continuance, and GOD requires 
 fo much lefs of us, than the life of a Carthufian or Car- 
 melite ? why do we refufe to undergo fuch a little trou- 
 ble, when by it, we may efcape fo long and fo rigorous 
 Q^ a pu- 
 
 *Ifa;ah, c. *xxiii. V, 14.
 
 1 1 o The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 a punifhment? can any man be guilty of a greater folly 
 than this is ? but the punifhment of it mail be, that 
 fince man would not by a (hort penance done here, re- 
 deem h'mfelf from fo much mifery, he mall do penance 
 in hell for all eternity, without reaping any benefit by it, 
 The fiery furnace which Nebuchadnezzar * commanded 
 to be kindled in Babylon,, is a type hereof, for though 
 the flames mounted nine and forty cubits, they could 
 never reach to fifty, the number of years appointed for 
 folemnizing of the Jewifh Jubilee. To fignify to us, 
 that though the flames of this eternal furnace of Baby- 
 lon, which is hell, are continually cafting forth a moft 
 violent heat, and put thofe fouls which are thrown into 
 them, to moft exquifite pains and torments ; yet they 
 mall never purchafe them the grace and remiflion of the 
 year of jubilee. O unprofitable pains ! O fruitlefs tears ! 
 O penance fo much the more rigorous, as it is accom- 
 panied with perpetual defpair t how fmall a part of all 
 thofe evils you are now forced to fuffer, might have ob- 
 tained you a pardon, if you would but -willingly have 
 undergone it in this life. How eafily might we prevent 
 cur falling into fuch miferies, with but a little pains and 
 trouble ! let our eyes then burft out into fountains of 
 tears, and let our hearts break forth into continual fighs 
 without any intermifiion. For this, fays the prophet, 
 Therefore will I lament and howl, I will go Jlript and 
 naked : I will make a wailing like the dragons, and a mourn- 
 ing like tbe oftricbes^ becaufe her wound is defperate -}-. 
 
 14. If men had never been told of thefe truths, or 
 if they had not looked upon them as infallible, we mould 
 not wonder to fee them fall into that fupine negligence 
 they are fubjed to. But have we not a great deal of 
 reafon to be aftonifhed, when thofe very perfons who 
 hold what we here afierted, as an article of faith ; and 
 know, that as our Saviour has faid, heaven and earth 
 (hall pals away, but not his word j that is to fay, it mail 
 infallibly have its effect-, live fo inexcufably carelefs and 
 unconcerned ? tell me now, O man, blind in body, but 
 
 blinder 
 
 * Daniel, c. iii. v. 47. f Mich, e. i. v. 8, 9.
 
 Part II. Ch. I. Advantages of a Virtuous Life. 1 1 1 
 blinder much as to your foul and underftanding , what 
 pleafure can you find in all the advantages and riches of 
 the world, to counter ballance the hazard of your eter- 
 nal falvation ? " If, fays St. Jerome, you were as wife 
 as Solomon, as beautiful as Abfalom, as ftrong as Sam- 
 fon, as old as Enoch, as rich as Cnefus, and as powerful 
 as Casfar , what good would all this do you ; if when 
 you die, the worms mould prey upon your body, and 
 the devils feize upon your foul to torment it, as they do 
 the rich glutton's for all eternity." 
 
 Thus much for the firft part of the exhortation to vir- 
 tue. We will treat now of the extraordinary favours, 
 which are promifed it even in this life. 
 
 B O O K I. P A R T II. 
 
 Of the fpiritual and temporal Advantages promifed 
 
 to Virtue in this Life; and particularly of Twelve 
 
 extraordinary Privileges belonging to it. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the eleventh motive that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue, 
 which is the ineftimable advantages promifed to it in this life. 
 
 i. "Y" Know not what excufe men can plead for not fol- 
 
 lowing virtue, which is fupported by fuch power- 
 
 JL ful reafons , for in its behalf, may be urged, all 
 
 that GOD is in himfelf , whit he deferves, what favours 
 
 he has done us, what he {till promiles, and what punifh- 
 
 ments he threatens. And therefore we have caufe to 
 
 afk how there come to be fo few Chriftians that fcek after 
 
 virtue, fince they confefs and believe all that has been 
 
 faid. For, it is no wonder, that the heathens, who are 
 
 Q^ 2 ignorant
 
 1 1 2 The Sinner* Guide. Book I. 
 
 ignorant of its value, fhould not prize what they do not 
 know, like a delving peafant, who if he happen to find 
 a precious {lone, makes no account of it, becaufe he is 
 ignorant of its value. But for Chriftians who are very 
 well acquainted with thefe great truths, to live as i 
 they believed nothing at all of them, to be fo entirely 
 forgetful of GOD j to be fuch flaves to their vices, to 
 let their padions fo tyranize over them, to be fo wedded 
 to the things of this world, and fo little concerned 
 abcut thofe of the next; to give themfelves over to all 
 manner of crimes, as if there were neither death, judg- 
 ment, heaven or hell , this is what mould furprize the 
 whole world, and gives us ground enough toafk x whence 
 this blindnefs, this itupidity proceeds. 
 
 2. This mighty evil owes its rife to more caufes than 
 one. The chiefeft is the general prepofTefTion of world- 
 lings, that GOD referves to the next life, all the rewards 
 he promifes to virtue, without making it any recom- 
 pence in this. This is the reafon, why men, who con- 
 fult their own prefent intereft fo much, and are fo vio- 
 lently wrought upon by prefent objects, concern them.- 
 felves fo little about what is to come, as looking after 
 nothing that does not give them an immediate and pre- 
 ient fatisfaction. Nor is this miftake a new one ^ for it 
 is what was made in the days of the prophets. Thus 
 we fee, that whenever Ezeckiel either made any great 
 promifes, or threatened feverely in the name of GOD, 
 the people laughed at him, and faid to one another, 'The 
 I'ificn that this man feeth, is for many days to come, and this, 
 man prophefieth of times afar off*. They alfo jeared the 
 Prophet Ifaiah, and repeated thefe words, faying, Com- 
 mand and command again , command and command again + 
 fxpeft and expett again -, expeR and expeff again , a little 
 there,, a little there -f. This is one of the chief reafons 
 of men's not obferving the commandments of GOD. 
 They have nothing, they think, to hope for from his 
 mercy at prefent, but that all is to be put off till here- 
 after J. Solomon, as very fenfible of this common error, 
 
 took 
 
 * Ezech. c. xii. v. 27. -J- Ifaiah, c, xxviii. v. 1 3. 
 
 J Kccles. c.- ix. v. 2 3 &c,
 
 Part II. Ch. I. Advantages of a virtuous Life. 1 13 
 
 took occafion from hence to fay, " That the reafon why 
 men give themfelves over without any kind of confide- 
 ration to all manner of vice, is, becaufe the Tentence 
 pafl"ed againft the wicked, is not immediately put into 
 execution. And afterwards, he fays, that the greateft 
 mifery in this life, and what of all makes men fin moft, 
 is to fee, that the good and the bad j that thofe who 
 offer up facrifice, and thofe who contemn it, fare a like 
 in all things, in appearance at lead." And therefore the 
 hearts of men are filled with malice in this life, and they 
 are afterwards plunged into hell. What Solomon faid 
 concerning the wicked, is fufficiently confirmed by them- 
 felves in the Prophet Malachy, where they fay, He la- 
 bour eth in vain that fortieth GOD, and wbat r prfffit is it that 
 we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked far- 
 row ful before the Lord of Hefts ? wherefore now we call the 
 frond people happy, for they that have worked wickednefs 
 are built up, and they have tempted GOD and are preferved *. 
 This is the common talk of fmners, and one of the chief 
 motives of their continuing in their crimes. For, as 
 St. Ambrofe fays, " They think that to buy hopes with 
 danger is too hard a bargain, that is, to purchale future 
 goods with prefent evils ; and to let go what they have 
 in their hands, to feed themfelves up with an imaginary 
 pofieflion of things which they have no hold of yetf." 
 
 3. There is another better, in my opinion, to difabufe 
 us of this dangerous miftake, than thefe words of our 
 Saviour, interrupted with his tears, when confidering the 
 deplorable ftate of Jerufalem, he wept over it, faying, 
 If thou alfo haft known, and that in this thy day, the things 
 that are for thy peace , but now they are hid from thy eyes J. 
 Our Saviour confidered on one fide, what advantages 
 this people had received by his coming , for all the 
 treafures, and all the graces of heaven, were brought 
 down from thence with the Lord of heaven. On the 
 pther fide he faw that this fame people, defpifing the 
 poor and mean appearance which he made in his drefs, 
 and in his perfon, would neither receive nor own him 
 
 for 
 
 * Mala. c. iii. v. 14, 15. f L. vii. in Luc. c, 7. 
 
 J St. Luke, c. xix. v. 42.
 
 114. *The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 for what he was. He knew how great a lofs this nation 
 which he loved fo tenderly, would fuffer by their ig- 
 norance. For they were to lofe not only all thofe graces 
 which he brought with him for them ; but their tempo- 
 ral government and liberty. The Lord pufhed on by 
 the force of his grief, med thofe tears, and fpoke thofe 
 few words, which he brake off abruptly, though they 
 were as fignificant as they were fhort. Thefe fame words 
 may be well applied to our prefent purpofe ; becaufe if 
 on the one hand we confider the beauty of virtue, with 
 the extraordinary graces which go along with it ; and 
 how thefe graces on the other hand are hid from the 
 fight of carnal men, it is manifeft we have reafon to 
 weep, and to fay with our Saviour, haddeft thou but 
 known ! O unhappy fmner, how great a value would you 
 fet upon virtue ? how would you long after it, and what 
 would you not do for the obtaining of it : mould GOD 
 but open your eyes to let you fee what riches, what 
 pleafures, what peace, what liberty, what tranquility, 
 what light, what fweetnefs, and what other benefits are 
 its continual attendants ? but thefe are all hid from the 
 eyes of worldlings, who minding nothing but its hard 
 and bitter out-fide, imagine all within to be troublefome 
 and unpleafant, and that it may pafs for current in the 
 next life, but not in this. So that reafoning according 
 to the flefh, they fay they will not be at the charge of 
 certain dangers, for the purchafe of uncertain hopes ; 
 nor hazard their prefent happinefs for a flippery depen- 
 clance upon what is to come. This is the common dif- 
 courfe of thofe who are daunted by the outward appear- 
 ance of virtue. They do not know that Chriftian phi- 
 lofophy is like Chrift himfelf, who even under the form 
 of a poor and humble man, continued flill to be GOD, 
 and the fovereign Lord of all things. And for this rca- 
 fon it is faid of the faithful,' That they are dead to the 
 world, but their life is hid with Chrift in GOD *. For as 
 our Saviour's glory was concealed under this vail, fo 
 mould the glory of all fuch as imitate him. We read of 
 certain images that were called Silenes, courfe and rough 
 
 on 
 * ColofT. c. iii, v, 2.
 
 Part II. Ch I. Advantages of a Virtuous Life. 115 
 
 on the out-fide*, but very curious and artificial within; 
 fo that all the beauty and art lay hid, whilft that which 
 was but mean and ordinary was turned outward. Thus 
 the eyes of the ignorant were deceived by the appearance, 
 but the infide ingenuity attracted the wifer fort. Such 
 without doubt, have been the lives of the prophets and 
 the apoflles, and of all true and perfect Chriftians ; as 
 was the life of their Lord and mafter. 
 
 4. But if you flill find the practice of virtue hard, 
 reflect upon the means GOD has aflifted you with to 
 make it eafy. Such are the infufed graces, which the 
 gifts of the Holy Ghoft, the facraments of the new law, 
 and feveral other divine favours that ferves as oars and 
 fails to a (hip, or as wings to a bird. Confider what the 
 very name and being of virtue imports, which is effen- 
 tially a very noble and perfect habit ; and therefore, re- 
 gularly fpeaking, ought like all other habits to make us 
 act with facility and pleafure. Confider farther, that our 
 Saviour has promifed to his elect, not only the goods of 
 glory, but thofe of grace ; the latter for this life, and 
 the former for the life to come. As the royal prophet 
 aflures us, faying, 'The Lord iviU give grace and glory * : 
 which are like two rich veflels filled with all kinds of 
 good things ; the one for this life, and the other for the 
 next. By which we may fee there is fomething more in 
 virtue, than appears at firft fight. Confider again, that 
 fince GOD lets us want nothing that is neceflary, having 
 fo plentifully provided all creatures with whatfoever they 
 ftand in need of; it is not to be imagined, fince nothing 
 can be more necefTary, or of greater importance to mart 
 than virtue, that he would leave us intirely to the dif- 
 pofal of our own free-wills, which are fo weak and im- 
 potent, to the blindneis of our underftanding ; to the 
 inconftancy of our humours ; to our own defires which 
 are fo bent to evil ; to a nature fo depraved by fin, with- 
 out ftrengthening us with infufed habits, which are as 
 it were oars to help us over all thofe melves and fands, 
 that hinder us from making our way through the fea of 
 this life. For it is unreafonable to think, that the Di-- 
 
 vine 
 * Pfalm Ixxxiii. v. 12.
 
 1 1 6 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 vine Providence, which has taken fo much care for the 
 fly, the fpider, and the ant ; having fupplied them with 
 all things requifite for their fubfiftance , has left man, 
 the nobleft of ail creatures under heaven, without fuch 
 means as are neceflary for his acquiring of virtue. 
 
 5. To go farther yet, how can GOD poffibly be fo 
 fparing to his faithful fervants, as to leave them in their 
 neceflities, and forfake them in the midft of their fuf- 
 ierings, whilft the world and the devil, by fo many dif- 
 ferent falfe delights and pleafures, win the hearts of 
 thofe who ferve them ? how can you imagine the prac- 
 tice of virtues to be fo mean, and that of vice fo noble ? 
 can you perfuade yourfelf that Go k o would ever permit 
 this laft fo much to furpafs the other ? what do you think 
 GOD defigned to fignify to us, by the anfwer his Pro- 
 phet Malachy made in his name, to the complaints of 
 the wicked ? And you Jhall return and fee the difference 
 between the jttft and the wicked \ and between him that 
 Jerveth GOD, and him that ferveth him not *. This mows, 
 that GOD does not think it enough to propofe the advan- 
 tages of the next life, of which he treats afterwards, to 
 thofe who return to him , but he fays to them, be con- 
 verted and you fhall fee ; as if he had faid, it is not my 
 only defign you fhould wait till the other life, to know 
 the advantages you are to make, but return to me, and 
 you mall fee this very moment , what difference there is 
 between the good and the bad -, the riches of the one, 
 and the poverty of the other; the joy, peace and fatis- 
 faction the one enjoys, and the forrow, reftlefsnefs, and 
 difcontent that follows the other. The light the one 
 walks in, and the darknefs that furrounds the other. 
 Thus experience will mew you how many advantages 
 more than you imagined, the followers of virtue have 
 over thofe that follow vice. 
 
 6. GOD gives almoft the very fame anfwer over again 
 to fome other perfons, who had no better opinion of 
 virtue than the former. Thefe deceived by the fame ap- 
 pearance, laughed at thofe that were virtuous, and. faid 
 to them. Let the Lord be glorified^ and we Jball fee in 
 
 your 
 * Mala, c, iii, v. 18.
 
 Part II. Ch. i . Advantages of a Pirtuous Life. 1 1 J 
 
 your joy *. After thefe few words, the prophet giving 
 a large account of the torments prepared by GOD'S juf- 
 tice for the wicked , immediately tells us what joys are 
 laid up for the juft. Rtjoice, fays he, 'with Jerufalem, 
 'and be glad with her all you that love her : rejoice for joy 
 with her, all you that mourn for her : that you may fuck and 
 be filled with the breafls tf her consolations ; that you may 
 milk out, and flow with delights from the abundance of her 
 glory. For thus faith the Lord, behold I will bring upon 
 her as it were a river of peace, and as an overflowing torrent, 
 the glory of the Gentiles which you jhall fuck, fhen Jhall 
 you fuck, you Jhall be carried at the breaft, and upon the knees 
 they Jhall carefs you : as one whom the mother cnrejfeth ; fo 
 'will I comfort you, and you Jhall be comforted in Jernfalcm. 
 Tou Jhall fee, and Jhall rejoice, and your bones Jhall 
 flourijh like an herb, and the hand of the Lord fo all be known 
 to his fervants f. This is to fignify, that as men, by the 
 vaft extent of the heavens, earth and fea ; and by the 
 brightnefs of the fun, moon, and ftars, judge of the 
 omnipotence, and the infinite beauty of GOD, the au- 
 thor of thefe wondrous works ; fo the juft (hall difcovef 
 the greatnefs of his power, riches, and mercy, by thofe 
 infinite favours he will beftow on them, and the joy they 
 receive. So that as he mewed the world his feverity and 
 rigour towards the wicked, by the punimments he in- 
 flicted upon Pharaoh , he will in the fame manner mew 
 the greatnefs of his love to his elect, by the extraordi- 
 nary favours he will confer on them. Happy the foul 
 that mail receive favours from GOD, in token of his infi- 
 nite love ! and unhappy me, whole torments and fuf- 
 ferings (hall manifeft the rigour of his juflice ! for each 
 of thefe attributes being infinite, what effects muft fuch 
 infinite caufes produce ? 
 
 7. I muft further add, that if you mall think the way 
 of virtue uneafy and melancholy, you may look into 
 thofe words the Divine Wifdom utters of herfelf, as 
 follows ; / walk in the way 'of juflice, in the midfl of the 
 paths of judgment j that I may enrich them that love me, 
 R * and 
 
 *Ifaiah, c. Ixvi. V. 5. -f Ibid, v, IO, U, 12, 13, 14-
 
 1 1 8 The Sinners Guldi. Book I. 
 
 find may fill their treafures *. What are thefe riches, but 
 the riches of this heavenly wifdom , far more precious 
 than are the riches of the world, and beftowed upon the 
 lovers of juftice , which is the fame we have hitherto 
 called virtue ? for if her riches did not much better de- 
 ferve the name than all other riches, how could the 
 apoftle have thanked GOD for the Corinthians being rich 
 in all fpiritual things -j-. He calls them rich without any- 
 kind of limitation, whilft he ftiles others the rich of this 
 world only. 
 
 S E C T. I. 
 A gofpel authority for what has been fold. 
 
 8. For the farther proof of what I have faid, I wift 
 add this divine fentence of JESUS CHRIST. St. Mark 
 tells us, that when St. Peter afked our Saviour what re- 
 ward they mould have, who had quitted all fof the love 
 of him, he gives him this anfwer : Amen I fay to you y 
 there is no man who jhall ba'ue left houje, or brethren, or 
 fiftcrs, or father, or mother ; or children, or land for my fake p , 
 find for the go/pel, who Jhall not receive an hundred times as 
 much now in this time, and in the world to come, life ever- 
 lafting J. If you but weigh thefe words exactly , you 
 cannot in the firft place deny, but that JESUS CHRIST 
 makes a formal diftinction betwixt the rewards of vir- 
 tue in this life, and in the next ; the one being a pro- 
 mife of a future, and the other of a prefent happinefs. 
 You muft confefs too, that it is impoflible this promife 
 mould not be performed, fince heaven and earth are 
 fooner to pafs away, than one tittle of thefe words, how 
 harcj foever they appear, mail fail. And as we certainly 
 believe there is in GOD both Trinity and Unity, becaufe 
 he has faid fo, though this myftery is beyond the reach 
 of our reafons : fo are we to believe this other truth, 
 though it exceeds all human underftanding, fince it is 
 grounded upon the fame authority of GOD'S own word. 
 
 9. What then is this hundred fold which the juft re- 
 ceive, even in this life ? for we fee they are for the moft 
 
 part, 
 
 * Prov. c. viii. v. 20, 21. f I Cor. c. i, v. 5. 
 
 J St. Mark, c. x. v. 29, 30.
 
 Part II. Ch. i . Advantages of a Virtuous Life. 1 1 9 
 part, men of no very confiderable quality, nor very rich, 
 of no great employs in the ftate, nor enjoy any other 
 worldly advantages ; but on the contrary, many of them 
 live retired, obfcure, poor and neceflitous. How then 
 can this infallible word of GOD be proved to be true, 
 but by acknowledging, that GOD makes them fo fpiri- 
 tually rich, that they are more happy and quiet, than if 
 they were fovereign lords of the world ; and yet have 
 no need of any of the conveniencies of this life ? nor is 
 this to be wondered at ; becaufe, as GOD may preferve 
 mankind by other means, and not by bread alone ; fo it 
 is not necefTary he mould fatisfy thofe fouls he has fuch a 
 love for, with temporal goods, having better ways of 
 doing it. This we have feen in a particular manner juf- 
 tified in all the faints , whofe prayers, fadings, tears and 
 labours have given them a far greater delight and fatif- 
 faction, than all the joys and pleafures of the world could 
 ever have done ; which (hews us plainly, that what they 
 receive, was an hundred times better than what they left 
 for the love of GOD. For inftead of the falle and ap- 
 parent goods thay forfook, they received fuch as were 
 true and real, inftead of the uncertain ; thofe which were 
 certain, fpiritual inftead of corporal, eafe inftead of care, 
 quiet inftead of trouble, and for a vicious and unplea- 
 fant life, one virtuous and delightful , fo that if for the 
 love of GOD you have defpifed the bafe treafures of this 
 world, you (hall find in him fuch as are ineftimable. If 
 for his fake you have contemned falfe honours, you mall 
 meet with true ones in him. If you have forfaken a 
 mortal father upon his account, the eternal father will 
 fatisfy you with all kinds of delights. If, in fine, you 
 have bid adieu to hurtful pleafures for the love of him, 
 he will entertain you with fuch as mail be free from the 
 leaft tincture of bitternefs or allay. When you mail 
 arrive to fuch a degree of perfection as this is, you will 
 then abhor what you took the greateft pleafure in before. 
 For when our eyes are once cleared by this heavenly 
 brightnefs, we difcover a new light, which reprefents 
 things quite different from what they appeared to us at 
 firft. What we then thought fweet, taftes bitter to us 
 R 2 now,
 
 120 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 now j and what we looked upon as bitter then, we now 
 find to be fweet. We are pleafed now with that which 
 frighted us before ; and look upon that as hideous and 
 ghaftly, which once feemed beautiful and charming. 
 Thus we find our Saviour's words to be verified, by his 
 beftowing on us the incorruptible goods of the foul for 
 the corruptible ones of the body ; and for the goods of 
 fortune, thofe of grace which are incomparably better, 
 and more capable to fatisfy man than all earthly goods. 
 
 10. For the farther proof of this important truth, I 
 will give you an example taken out of the lives of the 
 famous men of the order of the Ciftercians. It is there 
 written, that as St. Bernard was preaching in Flanders, 
 full of zeal for the converfion of fouls to GOD ; amongft 
 thofe who were touched with a particular grace was a 
 certain perfon called Arnulphus, one of the chief men of 
 the country, and clofely tied to the things of this world. 
 But he at laft breaking through all, became a Ciftercian 
 Monk in the monaftery of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was 
 fo pleafed with this great change, that he ufed often to 
 fay, that GOD had manifefted his power as wonderfully 
 in converting of Arnulphus, as in raifing of Lazarus 
 from the dead ; having drawn him from fo many plea* 
 fures, which, like a grave he lay buried in, to raife him 
 to a new life, which was no lefs to be admired in its 
 procefs than it had been in his converfion. But becaufe 
 it would be -too tedious to give you a particular account 
 of this holy man's virtues, I mall orly make ufe of what 
 ferves our prefent purpofe. This good monk was very 
 fubjecl: to terrible fits of the cholic, which often put him 
 in a dying condition. One day it feized upon him fo 
 violently, that he loft both his fpeech and fenfes. ; Where- 
 upon the religious feeing but little hopes of life left, 
 gave him the Extreme Unction. Soon after, coming to 
 Himfelf, he began to praife GOD, and cried aloud, " All 
 that thoy haft ever faid, O moft merciful Jefus, is very 
 true.'* The religious fiirprized at his frequent repeating 
 of the fame words, afked him what he meant ; but he 
 made them no anfwer, continuing to cry out louder and 
 loxider, " All tjia,t thou haft ever fajd, rnoft merciful 
 
 Jefus,
 
 Part II. Ch. i . Advantages of a Virtuous Life. 121 
 Jefus, is very true." Some that were prefent fancied his 
 pains had put him befide himfelf; but he perceiving 
 their miftake, faid to them : " It is not fo my brothers, 
 it is not fo, for I never was better in my fenfes than now,, 
 whilft I tell you, That all that Jefus Chrift has faid is 
 very true." Hereupon the reft of the monks faid, it is 
 what we all of us believe , but why do you repeat it fo 
 often to us ) Becaufe, faid he, our Saviour has told us in 
 hisgofpel: That wbcfoever Jhall forfake bis friends and re- 
 lations for the love of tarn, Jhall receive an hundred times as 
 much, now in this time, and in the world to come^ life ever- 
 ing *. " This is what I find true by my own experience. 
 For I aflure you, I at this very moment receive that hun- 
 dred fold, the excefllve pains I endure, being fo pleafmg 
 to me, through the lively hope I have now given of my 
 falvation, that I would not exchange them for an hun- 
 dred times as much as I left, when I forfook the world. 
 And if fo great a fmner as I am, finds fo much fatisfac- 
 tion in what I fuffer, what confolations muft they who 
 are perfect be fenfible of? for the anticipated fruition of 
 thofe eternal pleafures which I enjoy now by hopes, is 
 not a hundred times only, but a hundred thoufand times 
 better than all thole delights the world could ever afford 
 me.'* They were all aftonimed to hear a man of no 
 learning at all talk fo pioufly and fublimely. But it 
 plainly appeared, that what he faid was dictated by the 
 Holy Ghoft. 
 
 ii. This is a demonflration that GOD can give thofe 
 who ferve him, more pleafure and delight than they for- 
 fook for his fake, and yet not enrich them with temporal 
 goods. And thus we fee how much in the wrong thofe 
 men have been, who could never perfuade themfelves, 
 that virtue had a reward in this life. The twelve follow- 
 ing chapters /hall ferve for the better undeceiving of fuch 
 perfons ; wherein we mall treat of twelve wonderful 
 fruits and privileges that attend virtue, even in this life. 
 By which they who have hitherto loved nothing but the 
 world, may underftand, that it is more delightful than 
 they imagine. And though it is in fome manner requi- 
 
 fite 
 * St. Mark, c. x, v. 30.
 
 122 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 fite for the perfect comprehending of this truth, that a 
 man fhould have had fome experience from the practice 
 of virtue, becaufe there is nobody knows her own worth 
 fo well as fhe herfclf does ; this defect may neverthelefs 
 be fupplied by faith, fmce by means of it we believe 
 the Holy Scriptures to be true, out of which I intend 
 to prove all I mail fay upon this fubject, that fo no one 
 may call the truth of it into queftion. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the twelfth motive that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue, 
 ivhich is the particular care the Divine Providence takes 
 of the good, in order to make them happy \ and the feverity 
 with ivhich the fame Providence punijhes the wicked. The. 
 firji privilege. 
 
 i. /^\F all thefe favours, the greateft certainly is the 
 \<J care GOD takes of thofe who ferve him. From 
 this, as from their fountain, flow all the other privileges 
 of virtue. For though Providence extends itfelf to all 
 creatures, yet we fee how particularly careful it is of 
 thofe whom GOD has chofen for himfelf. Becaufe they 
 being his children, and receiving as his gift an affection 
 truly filial for him, he on his fide loves them with a truly 
 fatherly love, and this love is the meafure of the care he 
 takes for them. Yet no man can conceive how great 
 this Providence is, unlefs he has either had experience 
 of it, or red the holy bible with much attention, and 
 obferved thofe pafiages there that treat of this matter ; 
 for there is fcarce any part of fcripture, but handles this 
 fubject. It runs all upon thofe two points, to afk and to 
 promiie, as the world turns round upon its poles. So 
 that whenever GOD on one fide requires our obfervance 
 of his commandments, he promifes a generous reward 
 to thofe who comply, and very feverely threatens fuch as 
 neglect to obey. This doctrine is fo diftributed, that 
 almoft all the moral books in it are, require and promife, 
 whilft the hiftorical verify the fulfilling of both, giving 
 
 to
 
 Part II, Ch. 2. GOD'S Care qf the Juft. 123 
 
 to us to underftand, how differently GOD deals with the 
 juft man and the finner. 
 
 But confidering how liberal he is, we muft needs find 
 a great difference betwixt what he requires and what he 
 gives. All he requires of us is, that love and obedience 
 which he himfelf has given us , and yet in return of that 
 little which we hold purely of his liberality , he offers us 
 ineftimable riches for this life, as well as for the next. 
 Of all which, the chiefeft is the fatherly love and pro- 
 vidence wherewith he aflifts thofe he looks upon as his 
 children, and this is infinitely beyond whatever affeclion 
 the moft tender father in the world can Ihow ; for never 
 was there any one yet who laid up fuch riches for his 
 children as GOD does, which is no lefs than the partici- 
 pation of his eternal glory. Never did any man undergo 
 fo much for his children, as GOD has done, having for 
 their fakes ftied the very laft drop of his blood. Nor 
 will ever any father take fo much care of them as GOD 
 does, fmce he always has them in his fight, and a/lifts 
 them in all their necefilties. This holy David acknow- 
 leges, when he fays, Thou haft received me into thy care, 
 by reafon of my innocence ; and haft eftablijhed me in thy fight 
 for ever *. Which is to fay, you have always watched fo 
 carefully over all my actions, as to keep your eyes con- 
 tinually fixed upon me. And in another pfalm he fays, 
 The eyes of the Lord are upon the juft, and his ears are 
 unto their prayers : but the countenance of the Lord is againft 
 them that do evil things ; to cut off the remembrance of them 
 from the earth ~\. 
 
 2. But becaufe this Divine Providence is the greateft 
 treafure aChriftian has, and upon his hopes and affurance 
 of being protected by it, depends the encreafe of his 
 confidence and joy, it will be to our purpofe here to 
 make ufe of fome paffages of fcripture, in proof of 
 -thofe immenfe riches with which GOD bleffes the juft. 
 In Ecclefiafticus it is faid, The eyes of the -Lord are upon 
 iloem that fear him ; he is their powerful protettor and ftron* 
 ft ay, a defence from the heat, and a cover from the fun and 
 moon, a prcfervation from ftumbling, and a help from falling* 
 
 he 
 * Pfalm. xl. v. 13. -f- Pfalm, xxxiii, v. 16, 17.
 
 124 tf* Sinners Guide. Book.!. 
 
 be raifeth up tie foul, and enligbtenetb the eyes, and givetb 
 health, and life, and blejjing *. The royal prophet fays, 
 With the Lord Jhatt the fteps of a man be direffed, and he 
 Jhall like well his way ; when he Jhall fall, he Jhall not be 
 bruifed, for the Lord putteth his hand under him -f. What 
 harm can he come to who falls fo foft, and is fupported 
 by the hand of God ? he fays again, in another place, 
 Many are the affiittions of the juft -, but cut of them all will 
 the Lord deliver them. The Lord keepeth all their bones , 
 mt dne of them Jhall be broken \. This Providence is 
 much more magnified in the gofpel; for our Saviour 
 himfelf, not only tells us that he takes care of all their 
 bones, but of their very hair [|, that not one of them may 
 be loft i to exprefs in how extraordinary a manner he 
 protects them. For what is there he will not look after, 
 who does not neglect the very hair of our heads ? if this 
 be a declaration of his great concern for us, what the 
 prophet Zachary tells us, exprefies it no lefs : For he 
 that touche th you toucheth the apple of my eye . It 
 were much, had he faid, For he that toucheth you, toucheth 
 me : but, For he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of 
 my eye, is ftill more. 
 
 3. Nor does he only look after us himfelf, but has alfo 
 committed us to the care of his angels; and therefore 
 David fays : He hath given his angels charge of thce ; to 
 keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they Jhall bear thee 
 up, left thoujhouldeft dajh thy foot againft a ft one (i}. Thus 
 our good angels, like elder brothers, carry the juft men 
 in their arms ; for not knowing how to walk by them- 
 felves, they have need of another to lead them. Nor 
 are the angels content to ferve them thus in this life 
 only , but even at their death, as appears by the poor 
 man in the gofpel, who after he was dead, Was carried by 
 angels into Abraham's bofom (2). We are told alfo in 
 another pfalm, that tbe angels of the Lord Jhall camp round 
 about thofe who fear him, and Jhall deliver them (3). Or 
 
 as 
 
 * Pfal. XxXiv. v. 19, 20. f Pfal. XXXvi. v. 23,24. 
 
 J PA xxxiii. v. 20, 21. II St Luke, c. xxi. v. 18. 
 
 Ibid. c. ii. v . 8. (i) Pf. xc. v. n, 12. (2) St, Luke 
 c. xvi. v, 22. (3) Pialm, xxxiii, v. 8.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. GOD'S Care of tie Ju/t. 125 
 
 as St. Jerome renders it more fignificantly : The angel 
 of the Ltrd has pitched his camp about thofe that live in his 
 fear, to preferve them. What king has fuch a guard 
 about his perfon as this is ? We fee it plainly in a paffage 
 out of the book of Kings, where we read *, that as the 
 king of Syria's army was marching toward Samaria, with 
 a defign to take the prophet Eliiha, the holy man took 
 notice of the concern his fervant was in, at the fight of fo 
 formidable an army, and prayed to GOD, that he would 
 be pleafed to open the young man's eyes, and let him fee 
 that there was a much greater army ready to defend 
 them, than that of their enemies. GOD heard the pro- 
 phet's prayer ; whereupon the young man faw the whole 
 mountain covered wiih horfes and fiery chariots, and 
 Elifha in the midft of them. We read of fuch another 
 guard in the Canticles, in thefe words : What fh alt than 
 fee in the Shulamite f , who is the figure of the church, 
 and of a foul in the ftate of grace, but the companies of 
 campS) which is compofed of angels ? the fame thing is 
 fignified by the fpoufe, under another figure in the 
 fame book, where it is faid : Behold threefcore valiant 
 ones of the moft valiant of Ifrael, furround the bed of Solo- 
 mon all holding fwords, and moft expert in war , every man's 
 fivord upon his thigh, becaufe of fearing in the night . What 
 is all this but a lively reprefentation made by the Holy 
 Ghoft, under thefe figures of that care the Divine Provi- 
 dence has over the fouls of the jtift ? for how can a man, 
 who is conceived in fin, who lives in a body fo naturally 
 inclined to evil ; and who is furrounded with fo many 
 dangers, preferve himfelf for feveral years, from commit- 
 ting any mortal crime, did not the Divine Providence 
 fecure and keep him from it. 
 
 4. This Providence is fo powerful, that it not only 
 delivers us from evil, and leads us to good, but what is 
 more, very often, by a wonderful effecl:, draws even 
 good out of evil, which fometimes GOD permits the 
 juft themfelves to fall into. This happens when repent- 
 ing for their fins, they thence take occafion to become 
 S more 
 
 * B. IV. c.vi. v. 15, 1 6, 17, f Ibid, c.vii, v. i, 
 
 Ibid, c. iii, v. 7, 8,
 
 126 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 more circumfpect, more humble, and more grateful to 
 GOD, for the mercies he hasfhewn them, in freeing them 
 from the danger they were in, and in pardoning them all 
 their faults. It is in this fenfe the apoftle fays : That to 
 them that love God, all things work together unto good *. 
 
 If therefore thefe favours fo highly deferve our admi- 
 ration , how much caufe have we to wonder at GOD'S 
 being fo careful of their children, of their whole pofte- 
 rity, and of all that belongs to them ? as himfelf has af- 
 fured us, when he faid : / am the Lord thy God, mighty 
 jealous, lifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the chil- 
 dren, upon the third and fourth generation to them that hate 
 me ; andjhewing mercy unto thoufands of them that love me 
 and keep my commandments f. "We find him as good as 
 his word to David J, whofe race he would not deftroy, 
 after a great many years, though feveral of them had 
 deferved it for their fins. Another example of his care we 
 have in Abraham, whofe pofterity he pardoned fo often for 
 their father's fakes. This care of his went fo far, as to 
 promife Abraham, that he would blefs his fon Ifmael, 
 though he were born of a flave : 'That he would make him 
 increafe and multiply exceedingly, and that he Jhould grow 
 into a great nation ( i ). And all this only becaufe he was 
 Abraham's Son. We have yet a farther proof hereof, 
 in GOD'S conducting Abraham's fervant through his 
 whole journey (2), and inftrueting him in his bufmefs, 
 when he went to feek a wife for Ifaac. Nor has he only 
 been merciful to a fervant, for the fake of a good mafter ; 
 but even to wicked matters, for their pious fervants fake. 
 Thus we fee he beftowed great favours upon Jo- 
 feph's mafter (3), though a heathen, in confideration of 
 the virtuous young man who lived with him. What 
 mercy can exceed this ? who will not ferve fuch a mafter, 
 who is fo liberal, and even fo thankful to thofe that do 
 him any fervice, and fo careful of every thing which be- 
 longs to them. 
 
 SECT, 
 
 * Rom. c. viii. v. 28. f Exod. c. XX. v. 5, 6. J 4 Kings, 
 c. viii. v 19. (i) Gen. c. xvii, v. 30. (2) Ibid. c. 24. 
 (3) Ibid. c. xxxiii. v. 22, 23.
 
 Part II. Ch. i. GOD'S Care of the Jujl. 1 27 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the titles given to Almighty God in Holy Writ, on account 
 of bis Providence. 
 
 5. On account of this Divine Providence producing fo 
 many different and wonderful effects ; GOD has a great 
 many different names given him in the Holy Scripture ; 
 but the moft ufual and moft remarkable is that of Father, 
 as his beloved Son calls him in the gofpel , and he has 
 been pleafed it mould be given him in feveral places of 
 the Old Teftament. And therefore David fays (i), As a 
 father hath companion on his, children, fo hath the Lord com- 
 pajjion on them that fear him* for he knoweth our frame. 
 Another prophet calling GOD Father, becaufe his care is 
 infinitely greater than that of an ordinary Father, fpeaks 
 thus to him : Thou, O Lord art our Father, and Abraham 
 bath not known us, and Ifrael hath been ignorant of us (2). 
 To give us to underftand, that thefe being only our 
 carnal fathers, deferved not that name, in companion of 
 GOD our heavenly Father. 
 
 6. But becaufe a mother's affection is generally fpeak- 
 ing more paflionate and tender than a Father's, GOD is 
 pleafed to call himfelf a Mother, nay, and more than a 
 mother. Can a woman, fays he in Ifaiah, forget her infant, 
 fo as not to have pity on the fon of her womb ? and if jhe 
 jhould forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have 
 graven thee in my hands, thy walls are always before me (3) 
 Can any thing be more tender than this ; or can any 
 man be blind to fuch proofs of love as thefe are ? 
 
 7. Did we but confider, that it is GOD who fpeaks ; 
 he whofe truth cannot deceive, whofe riches are inex- 
 hauftible, and whofe power has no limits; what joy 
 would fuch pleafmg words as thefe bring us ? but fuch is 
 the excefs of 600*8 mercy, that not content to compare 
 his affection with that of common mothers, he amongft 
 all others chofe the eagle, a creature the moft remar- 
 kable for this love, and compares his tendernefs to hers ; 
 
 S 2 faying, 
 
 (i) Pfalm, cii. v. 13. (2) Ifaiah, c. Ixiii. v. 16. 
 (3) Ibid, c, xlix. v. 15. 1 6.
 
 128 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 faying, by Mofes ( i ) : As the eagle enticeing her young to fie, 
 find hovering over them, he fpread his wings, and hath taken 
 him and carried on hisfhoulders. The fame prophet exprefled 
 this more lively to the people of Ifrael, when upon their 
 arrival at the land of promife, he tells them ( 2 ) : And in 
 the wildernefs as thou haft feen the Lord thy God hath carried 
 thee, as a man is wont to carry his little fon, all the way that 
 you have come, until you come to this place. As he does 
 not difdain to call himfelf our Father, he does us the 
 honour to call us his children. A proof of which we 
 have in the prophet Jeremy (3): Surely Ephraim is an 
 honourable fen to me, furely ht is a tender child : forfince I 
 /poke of him, I will fiill remember him : therefore are my 
 Jewels troubled for him , pitying I will pity him, faith the 
 Lord. Every word here mould be weighed with atten- 
 tion, as coming from GOD , and mould force from us a 
 tender affection for him, in return of his tender love to 
 us. 
 
 8. It is upon account of the fame Providence, that he 
 gives himfelf the name of a Shepherd as well as that of a 
 Father. And to let us fee how great this his paftoral care 
 is. He fays (4), 1 am the good Shepherd, and I know 
 mine, and mine know me. How is it, O Lord, that thou 
 knoweft them ? how doft thou look after them ? As the 
 Father knoweth me, and I know my Father. O bleffed care ! 
 O fovereign Providence ! what greater happinefs can a 
 man enjoy, than to be taken care of by the Son of GOD, 
 juft as his Father takes care of him ? the comparifon, it 
 is true, will not hold in all refpedts, becaufe a begotten 
 fon deferves much more, than one who is only adopted ; 
 but to be in any manner whatever compared with him, is 
 a very great honour. GOD acquaints us with the won-* 
 derful effects of this his Providence, very full and ele- 
 gantly by the mouth of the Prophet Ezekiel, faying (5) : 
 Behold, I myfelf will feek my Jheep, and will vifit them-, as 
 the Jhephcrd vifiteth his flock - % in the day when hejhall be in 
 the midft of his Jheep that were fcattered : fo will I vifit my 
 
 Jbtefr 
 
 (l) Deut. c. xxxii. v. n. (2) Ibid. c. i. v. 31. (3) Ibid. 
 c. xxxi, v. 20. (4) St. John, c. 10. v. 14, 15. (5) Ezekiel 
 c.xxxiv. v. n, 12, 13, 14, j 5 , IQ".
 
 Part II. Ch. i. GOD'J Care of the Juft. 
 
 Jheep, and 'will deliver them out of all the places, where they 
 have been fc altered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will 
 bring them out from the people, and will gather them out of 
 the countries, and will bring them to their own land : and I 
 will feed them in the moft fruitful paftures, and thiir paftures 
 Jhall be in the high mountains of Ifrael : there Jhall they reft 
 on the green grafs, and be fed in fat paftures upon the moun- 
 tains of Ifrael. I will feed my Jheep, and I will caufe them 
 to lie down, faith the Lord God. I will feek that which 
 was loft, and that which was driven away I will bring again ; 
 and I will bind up that which was broken, and I willftrengthen 
 that which was weak, and that which was fat and ftrong / 
 will preferve ; and I will feed them in judgment : that is 
 with great care, and with a particular providence. A 
 little lower he adds * : / will make a covenant of peace 
 with them, and will caufe the evil beaft to ceafe out of the 
 land-, and they that dwell in the wildernefs, Jhall Jleep 
 fecure in the for efts f And I will make them a blejjing round 
 about my hill, and I will fend down the rain in itsfeafon-, 
 there Jhall bejhowers of blejjing: that is to fay, wholefome 
 fhowers, and fuch as (hall do no hurt to the places which 
 my flock feeds in. What greater promifes can GOD 
 make us, or what more tender exprefilons can he give us 
 of his love ? for it is certain, that he does not fpeak here 
 of a material, but of a fpiritual flock, compofed of men 
 as the text itfelf plainly (hews. It is no lefs certain, 
 that he does not mean fat lands, or an abundance of 
 temporal goods, which are common to the bad as well 
 as the good, but, like a good fhepherd, he promifes to 
 aflift thofe that are his, with particular graces ; upon all 
 occafions. It is what he himfelf has explained by Ifaiah, 
 where he fays ; He Jhall feed his flock like a Jhepherd', he 
 Jhall gather together the lambs with his arm, and Jhall take 
 them up in his bofom, and he himfelf Jhall carry them that are 
 young ]-. Is there any tendernefs like this. The divine 
 pfalm which begins thus, The Lord is my Jhepherd J ; is 
 full of thefe charitable offices of a Shepherd, which GOD 
 performs to man. 
 
 9. As 
 
 * Ezekiel, c, xxxiv. v. 25, 26. t Ifaiah, c. Ix. v. 1 1. 
 
 J Pfalm, xxii.
 
 Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 9. As we call GOD our Shepherd becaufe he guides 
 us, fo we may call him our king becaufe he protects us 
 our mafter becaufe he inftructs us ; our phyfician becaufe 
 he heals us ; our fofter father becaufe he carries us in his 
 arms , and our guard becaufe of his watching fo care- 
 fully over all our actions. The Holy Scripture is full of 
 fuch names as thefe. But yet, there is none expreffes a 
 more tender love, or difcovers his providence more, than 
 that of Spoufe ; a title he often gives himfelf in the can- 
 ticles, and in other places of the bible. It is by this he 
 invites the finner to call upon him : Therefore at the leaft 
 from this time call to me\ thou art my father ', the guide of 
 my virginity *. Which name the apoftle mighty extols ; 
 for after thefe words f which Adam fpake to Eve , There- 
 fore a man jh all leave father and mother, and /hall cleave to 
 his wife, and they Jhall be two in one fiejh J ; he goes on 
 faying, This is a great facrament, but I fptak in Chrift and 
 in the Church, which is his fpoufe : and we may in fome 
 refpect, fay the fame of every one in the ftate of grace. 
 What then may we not hope from him, who goes by 
 fuch a name, and that with fo much reafon ? 
 
 But what need is there of turning over the bible to 
 feek for names, fmce there is not one that promifes us 
 any good, but may be applied to GOD ? for whofoever 
 loves and feeks him (hall in him find whatever he can 
 wifh. For this reafon St. Ambrofe fays, " We have all 
 things in Chriir, and Chrift is all to us. If you want a 
 cure for your wounds, he is a phyfician : if you are in 
 a burning fever, he is a fountain : if you are tired with 
 the burden of your fins, he is juftice : if you are afraid 
 of death, he is life in you : if you hate darknefs, he is 
 the light : if you would go to heaven, he is the way : 
 if you are hungry, he is your food ." See here how 
 many names GOD has wh in himfelf is but one-, for 
 though he is but one in himfelf, yet he is all things 
 for us, that he may relieVe all our neceflities which are 
 innumerable, 
 
 JO. It 
 
 * Jerem. c. Hi. v. 4. f Gen. c. ii. v. 4. J Ephes. 
 c. v. v. 31, 32. L. iii. de Virg.
 
 Part II. Ch, 2. GOD'J Care of the Juft. 13 ,' 
 
 i o. It would be tedious to reckon up all the authori- 
 ties of this kind in the Holy Scriptures. Thefe I have 
 taken notice of for the comfort and encouragement of all 
 that ferve GOD, and for the gaining of fuch as do not : 
 for it is certain there is no greater treafure under heaven 
 than this. As therefore thofe perfons who have ferved 
 their prince upon fome extraordinary occafions, and re- 
 ceived certificates under his hand, and promifes of confi- 
 derable rewards for their fervice, are very careful to fe- 
 cure thofe authentic papers comforting themfelves in the 
 midft of dangers, with the hopes of obtaining^ the re- 
 ward of their labours : fo GOD'S fervants lay up in their 
 hearts all thefe divine promifes, which are much more 
 fecurely to be relied on, than any that are made by mor- 
 tal kings. In thefe they place their hope ; thefe are 
 their fupport in all their toils ; their truft in all their 
 dangers ; and their comfort in all their miferies. To 
 thefe they have recourfe in all their necefEties. Thefe 
 inflame them with the love of fo good a mailer, and 
 oblige them wholly to his fervice ; for as he allures them, 
 he will give himfelf entirely up to the procuring of their 
 good ; for he is their All. Thus we fee that the main 
 foundation of a Chriftian Life, is the practical knowledge 
 of this truth. 
 
 1 1. Can there be any thing in the world, more pre- 
 cious or valuable, or that better deferves our efteem and 
 love ; or what greater happinefs can a man conceive in 
 this life, than to have GOD for his father, his mother, 
 his mepherd, his phyfician, his tutor, his mafter, his 
 mediator, his wall, his defence, and what is yet more, 
 for his fpoufe ; in fhort, for his all ? has the world any 
 thing comparable to this, to give to its lovers ? how 
 much reafon then have thofe, who enjoy fuch a benefit to 
 rejoice, to comfort, to encourage themfelves, and to 
 glory in him above all things ? Be glad in the Lord, and 
 rejoice ye juft and glory all ye right of beart [i]. As if he 
 had faid more clearly, let others rejoice in their worldly 
 riches and honour ; others again in their birth and qua- 
 lity j others in the favour and efteem, of their prince ; 
 
 others 
 [i] PfaJm.xXXi. v. ii.
 
 132 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 others in their great employs and dignities , but as for 
 you, who lay claim to GOD for your mare, do you more 
 truly rejoice in this inheritance, which as far exceeds all 
 other inheritances, as God himfelf does all other things. 
 This we may learn from the Royal Pfalmift, when he fays : 
 Deliver me O Lord and refcue me out of the bands of Jtrange 
 children, wbofe mouth bath fpoke vanity j and their rigbt 
 band is tbe rigbt band of iniquity. Wbofe fons are as new plants 
 in tbeir youth: their daughters are decked and adorned round 
 about after a Jimilitude of the temple. Their ftore-houfes full 
 flowing out of this into that. Their Jheep fruitful in young, 
 abounding in their goings forth. They have called tbe people 
 happy , that bath tbefe things : but happy is that people wbofe 
 God is tbe Lord [ i ]. The reafon why David delivers him- 
 felf thus is evident, becaufe in GOD alone we pofiefs 
 every good thing that is to be defired. Let others value 
 themfelves as much as they pleafe upon their riches ; but 
 as for me, though I am a rich and powerful king, in GOD 
 alone mail be all my glory. Thus another holy prophet 
 gloried, faying [2] : I will rejoice in tbe Lord, and I will joy 
 in God my Jefus. The Lord God is my firengtb, and he will 
 make my feet like tbe feet of harts ; that I may run with- 
 out Humbling, the courfe of this life : And be will lead 
 me upon my high places,Jingingpfalms. This is the treafure ; 
 this the glory, which he has prepared, even here, for 
 thofe that ferve him. This is a great reafon why all men 
 fhould defire to ferve him, and upon this will he ground 
 the greateft complaint he can make againft thofe who 
 ferve him not. Thus it was he complained, by the 
 Prophet Jeremy of his people [3] : What iniquity, fays 
 be, have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far 
 from me and have walked after vanity, and are become vain ? 
 And a little lower : Am 1 become a wildernefs to Ifrael, or 
 & late word fpringing land : As if he would have faid ; it 
 is plain it is not fo, fmce by my means they have been 
 fo fuccefsful and victorious. Why then have my people 
 faid : we are revolted, we will come to thee no more ? will a 
 virgin forget her ornament, or a bride berjlomacher ? but my 
 
 people 
 
 [i] Pf.cxliii. v. u, 12, 13, 15. [2] Habak. c, iii 
 
 1 8, 19. [3] Jerem. c. ii. v, 5, 31.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. GOD j Care of tie Jujl. 1 3 3 
 
 people hath forgot me days without number *, who am all 
 their ornament, their glory and their beauty. If GOD 
 complained thus in the time of the old law, when his fa- 
 vours were not fo great -, how much more reafon has he 
 to complain now, when they are fo much greater, as they 
 are more fpiritual and divine ? 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 12. If the mercy of this BlefTed Providence which the 
 good enjoy, has no influence on us -, let us at leaft be 
 moved with the fear of that Providence, if I may fo 
 call it, which GOD ufes againft the wicked, and which 
 meafures finners by their own meafure, and deals with 
 them according to their forge tf LI Inefs and contempt of 
 the Divine Majefty-, forgetting thofe by whom he is de- 
 fpifed. GOD to make this the plainer to us f , com- 
 manded the Prophet Hofea to marry an Adulterefs, to 
 fignify to his people, the fpiritual fornication they had 
 committed, in leaving their true fpoufe and Lord, and 
 ordered a child he had by this wife, to be called Lo- 
 arnmi, a Hebrew word, which means, not my people ; 
 to mew them, that fince they would not acknowledge 
 nor ferve him as GOD, he would not own nor deal with 
 them as his people. And that they might know him to 
 be in earneft, he fays to them, Judge your mother ', judge 
 her becaufe Jhe is not my wife, and am I not her hufband J ; 
 giving them to underftand, that fince me had not ob- 
 ferved the refped and duty of a good wife ; neither 
 would he mew her the love and kindnefs of a true huf- 
 band. Thus plainly GOD tells us, he will deal with us 
 as we deal with him. 
 
 They therefore who live and take no notice at all of 
 GOD, are abandoned by him, and left as a fchool with- 
 out a matter, a fhip without a rudder, as goods without 
 an owner, or as a flock that goes aftray for want of a 
 fhepherd, which never miffes falling among the wolves. 
 And therefore he tells them by the Prophet Zachary, / 
 T will 
 
 *Habak. c. ii. v. 31. -\ Ibid. c. i. v. 2. 
 
 Ibid. c. ii. v. 2.
 
 j 3 4 tte Sinners Guide. Book I 
 
 will not feed you: that which dieth let it die: and that 
 which is cut off, let it be cut of: and let the reft devour 
 every one the fe/h of another *. What he fays by Mofes 
 in his canticle, is to the fame purpofe ; I will hide my 
 face from them ; and will conjider what their laft end /hall 
 
 fct- 
 
 13. He acquaints us more at large with this kind of 
 
 Providence by the Prophet Ifaiah, fpeaking to his peo- 
 ple under the figure of a vine -, againft which, for not 
 yielding the fruit that was expected from it, after having 
 been fo carefully dreft and pruned, he pronounces this 
 fentence-, And now I will Jhew you what I will da to my 
 vineyard ; and I will take away the hedge thereof \ and it 
 /hall be wafted , and I will break down the wall thereof ^ and 
 it jhall be trodden down. And I -mil make it defolate, it 
 /hall not be pruned^ and it Jhall not be digged, but briars and 
 thorns /hall come up; and I will command the clouds that 
 they rain no rain upon it J. That is to fay, I will take 
 away all thofe efficacious helps and fuccours I had given 
 jt before , and then muft necefiarily follow its utter ruin 
 and deftruction. 
 
 14. Do not you think this fort of Providence is much 
 to be dreaded ? what greater mifery can a man fall into, 
 than to be deprived of the providential care of GOD, to 
 be expofed to all the accidents of the world, and to all 
 the. injuries and calamities this life lies open to? for 
 fince on the one hand, this world is like a tempeftuous 
 fea ; a defcrt full of fo many wild beafts and thieves j 
 fince there are luch a number of misfortunes and acci- 
 dents j fo many and fuch powerful enemies to encounter 
 with ; fo many fnares laid for us, and fo many dangers 
 furrounding us : and man on the other hand, is a crea- 
 ture fo frail, fo helplefs, fo blind, fo impotent, fo def- 
 titute of ftrength, and Hands fo much in need of ad- 
 vice -, what can he do if he wants the help and afllftance 
 of Gop ? what can he, who is a mere dwarf, do againft 
 fo many giants ? how can he who is fo blind, avoid fo 
 many fnares ? or alone and unarmed, how can he deal 
 with fo many enemies ? 
 
 15. How. 
 *Zacha.c.xi. v. 9, ) Deut. c. xxxii. v. 2Q. { Ifaiah, c.v.'v, 5,6,
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. GOD'S Care tf the Juft. 135 
 
 15. Nor does their punimment end here. For GOD 
 not only turns his eyes from the wicked, whence it fol- 
 lows, that they fall into fuch fins and miferies ; but does 
 himfelf procure and fend them thefe afflictions. So that 
 the eyes which watched for their advantages before, are 
 now open to their ruin : as the Prophet Amos teftifies, 
 faying, / will fet mine ey.es upon them for evil, and not for 
 good *: That is, I who before looked upon them, in 
 order to fecure them, will do in now to punifli them, 
 according to what their fins deferve. And the Prophet 
 Hofea tells us plainly, that GOD fays, I will be like a moth 
 to Ephraim, and like rottennefs to the Houfe of Judah -f*. 
 And becaufe this feemed too eafy a punifhment, and too 
 lingering, he immediately threatens them with another 
 more fpeedy and more fevere. For I will be like a lionefs 
 to Ephraim, and like a lion's whelp to the Houfe of Judah : 
 /, even I will catch and go away, and there is none that can 
 refcue J. Can any thing be more terrible than this ? 
 
 1 6. We have as clear a 'proof of this kind of Provi- 
 dence in the prophet Amos , who after telling us that 
 GOD would put all the wicked to the fword for the fins 
 of their covetoufnefs, goes on, and fays : They /hall 
 flee, and he that Jhall flee of them Jhatt not be delivered. 
 Though they go down even to hell, thence Jhall my hand bring 
 them out -, and though they climb up to heaven, thence will 1 
 bring them down. And though they be hid in the top of 
 Carmel, I will fearch and take them out thence j and though 
 they hide themjelves from my eyes in the depth of the fea, there 
 iv ill I command theferpent, and he Jhall bite them. And if 
 they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I com- 
 mand the fword, and it Jhall kill them : and I will fet my eyes 
 upon them for evil, and not for good. Thefe are the words 
 of the prophet. And what man, on the reading of them, 
 if he but confiders that they were fpoken by GOD him- 
 felf, and does but obferve what kind of providence he 
 exercifes againft fmners, can without trembling, fee how 
 powerful an enemy he has againft him ; and how clofely 
 he purfues him, having fecured all the avenues, and ly- 
 
 T 2 ing 
 
 * Amos, c. ix. v. 4. *f Hofea, c. v. v, 12. f Ibid. v. 14. 
 Amos, c, ix, v, 1,2, 3, 4.
 
 136 TZv Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 ing continually in wait to deftroy him ? what reft can a 
 man take that reflects upon this? what ftomach can he 
 have to his meat, who has the eyes of GOD red 'with in- 
 dignation and fury fixed upon his arm ? who has fuch a 
 pcrfecutor, and fuch an arm ftretched out againft him ? 
 for if it be fo great a misfortune to be deprived of GOD'S 
 favour and providence ; what muft it be to have armed 
 this fame Providence againft you, and to make him turn 
 that fword upon you, which was drawn in your defence ? 
 what an unhapp'-nefs muft it be, to have thofe eyes open 
 to your deftruction, which before watched for your fe- 
 curity ? to have that arm which was before ftretched out 
 to hold you up, extended now to caft you down ? to 
 have that heart, which thought of nothing for you once, 
 but of peace and love, have no other thoughts for you 
 now, but of affliction and forrow ? what a mifery is it, 
 that he who ought to fhade, (hield, and protect you, 
 mould be changed into a moth, to confume you ; and 
 into a lion to tear you to pieces ? how can that man 
 fleep fecurely, who knows that GOD all the while ftands 
 over him, like Jeremy's rod, to punifh and torment him ? 
 what means can he ufe to fruftrate the defigns of GOD ? 
 what arm can withftand his arm ? or what other Provi- 
 dence can refift his Providence ? Wbo y fays Job, hath 
 rcfifted kirn, and bath had peace *, 
 
 1 7. This evil, in fine, is of fuch a nature, that the 
 withdrawing of his fatherly providence from finners, is 
 one of the fevereft punifliments he either inflicts upon, 
 or threatens them with in this life, as he himfelf has de~ 
 clared, in feveral places of the holy fcripture. In one 
 of which he fays : But my people heard not my voice ; and 
 Ifrael hearkened not to me-\. For which reaibn I will not 
 take any notice of them, as I have done before : So I 
 let them go according to the deftres ef their heart, they Jh all 
 .walk in tkeir even inventions. Their condition muft there- 
 fore grow every day worfe and worfe. He fays alib by 
 the Prophet Hcfea : Tlou haft forgotten the law of thy 
 GW, I alfo will forget thy children. As there is no greater 
 misfortune can befal a woman, than to be divorced from 
 
 her 
 * Job, c. ix. v. 4. f Pfalm, Ixxx. v. 12, 13.
 
 Part II. Ch. 3; Grace of the Holy Gboft. 1 37 
 
 her hufband , nor a vine than to lie neglected and un- 
 pruned ; fo the greateft lofs a foul can undergo, is to 
 have GOD withdraw his hand from her. For, what is a 
 foul without GOD, but a vine without its pruner 5 a 
 garden without a gardiner ; a fliip without a pilot ; an 
 army without a general ; a commonwealth without a 
 ruler ; and, in fhort, a body without life ? fee here how 
 GOD encompafTes you on all fides, that the fear at lead 
 of being forfaken by him, may work upon you -, though 
 his providential love and concern do not move you -, for 
 fear and apprehenfion often influence thofe, whom fa- 
 vours and benefits can do no good with. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the fecond privilege of virtue, viz. the grace of the 
 Holy Gboft, beftowed upon virtuous men* 
 
 i.TT^ROM this fatherly providence, as from a fountain, 
 J[/ flow all the favours GOD beftows upon thofe who 
 ferve him, For it belongs to this Providence to fupply 
 them with all neceflaries for the obtaining of their end, 
 which is their laft perfection and happinefs, by aflifting 
 them in all their wants, and infufing into their fouls fuch. 
 virtues and habits, as are requifite for this end. Of all 
 which the chiefeft is the grace of the Holy Ghoft ; be- 
 caufe, next to this Divine Providence, it is the begin- 
 ning of all other heavenly gifts and privileges. It is the 
 garment which was firft given to the prodigal fon, upon 
 return to his father's houfe. And mould you afk me 
 what this grace is ? I anfwer, That grace, as divines de- 
 fine it, is a participation of the Divine Nature ; that is, 
 of GOD'S fanctity, purity, and greatnefs. By virtue of 
 which, a man rifes from the bafenefs and filth he re- 
 ceived from Adam, and partakes of the divine fan&ity 
 and beauty; diverting himfelf of himfelf, and putting on 
 Chrift Jefus. Holy writers explain this to us by this fa- 
 miliar example. When we take a piece of iron out of 
 the fire it fparkles and looks red, like fire itfelf, but con- 
 tinues
 
 138 The Sinners Guide. Book. f. 
 
 tinues ftill to be iron, retaining the fame name and fub- 
 fiance it had before, though the brightnefs, heat, and 
 other accidents belong to fire : fo grace, which is a hea- 
 venly quality, infufed by GOD into the foul, transforms 
 man into GOD, in fuch manner as to make him in fome 
 meafure partake of the virtues and purity of GOD, with- 
 out ceafing to be man. Thus was he transformed who 
 faid : And I live-, now not /, but Cbrift liveth in me *. 
 
 Grace is alfo a divine and fupernatural form, by means 
 whereof man lives fuitably to the original and fource, he 
 proceeds from ; which is fupernatural and divine. And 
 here it is the Providence of GOD fo glorioufly exerts itfelf. 
 For, it being his will, that man mould have two lives, 
 the one natural and the other fupernatural, he has to this 
 end given him two forms, which are as it were two 
 fouls, for each life one. Hence it follows, that as all 
 the powers and fenfation of the natural life fpring from 
 the foul the natural form ; fo from grace the fupernatural 
 form, flow all thofe virtues and gifts of the Holy Ghoft ? 
 that go to the fupport of the fupernatural life. As if 
 one man fhould furnifh another that underftands two 
 trades, with two fets of tools to work at them both. 
 
 2. Grace is moreover a fpiritual drefs and ornament 
 for the foul, made up by the hands of the Holy Ghoft, 
 which renders her fo acceptable to GOD, that he adopts 
 her for his daughter, and takes her for his bride. And 
 it was in this drefs the prophet glorified, when he faid : 
 1 will greatly rejoice in the Lord y and with the robe of juf- 
 tice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, 
 and as a bride adorned with her jewels -\ : which are the 
 feveral gifts of the Holy Ghoft, wherewith the foul of a 
 juft man is adorned and beautified by the hand of GOD. 
 This is the garment of divers colours J, 1 with which the 
 king's daughter feated at the right hand of her bride* 
 groom, was glorioufly arrayed. For, from grace come 
 the colours of the different virtues, and divine habits, 
 wherein their beauty confifts. 
 
 By what has been faid, we may judge what effects 
 grace works upon the foul it refides in. One of the 
 
 greateft 
 
 * Gala. c. ii. v. 20, f Ifaiah, c. Xvi, v. 10. J Pf. xliv.
 
 Part II. Ch. 3 . Grace of the Holy GhoJI. 1 39 
 greateft is, to make it look fo lovely and fair to the eyes 
 of GOD, that he chufes her as has been faid, for his 
 daughter, his fpoufe, his temple and his habitation, 
 where he takes his pleafure with the children of men. 
 Another effect is to ftrengthen the foul by means of thofe 
 virtues it brings with it, which like Sampfon's * hair, at 
 the fame time confer both force and beauty ; (he is com- 
 mended for both thefe qualities in the book of Canticles, 
 where the angels admiring her beauty, fay : Who isjbe 
 that cometh forth as the morning rifing^ fair as the moon^ 
 bright as the fun, terrible as an army fet in array? Grace 
 then is like a compleat fuit of armour, which fecures a 
 man from head to foot. It both beautifies and ftrength- 
 ens him in fuch a manner, that as St. Thomas fays, the 
 lead degree of grace fufHces to overcome all the devils, 
 and all forts of fin. 
 
 3. A third effect of it is, to make man fo pleafing to 
 GOD, and to give him fuch a power with him, that every 
 action deliberately performed, faving thofe that are fm- 
 ful, is acceptable to the deferving of eternal life. So 
 that not only acts of virtue, but even thofe actions that 
 are done in fubmiffion to the neceflities of nature, as 
 eating, drinking, fleeping, and the like, are grateful to 
 GOD, and merit fuch a favour. For, when the object 
 itfelf is fo agreeable and meritorious, whatever it does 
 that is not fin, muft be fo too. 
 
 Befides all this, grace makes man the adopted Son of 
 GOD, and heir to his kingdom. It caufes his name to 
 be written in the book of life, and gives him a claim to 
 the inheritance of heaven. This is the privilege our 
 Saviour fo highly commended to his difciples, when, ob- 
 ferving how pleafed they were, that the devils had obeyed 
 them in his name, he faid to them : Rejoice not in this, 
 that fpirits are fubjetJ unto you ; but rejoice in this^ that 
 your names are written in heaven -f. This therefore is the 
 greateft treafure a man can wilh for in this life. 
 
 4, To conclude; it is grace that qualifies men for all 
 kind of good, that makes the way to heaven fmooth 
 and eafy, and the yoke of Chrift light and pieafant : It 
 
 is 
 f Cant. vi. v. 9, St. Luke, c, x. v. 20.
 
 140 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 is this makes men run in the paths of virtue : It is this 
 that cures the infirmities of nature, and makes that 
 cafy and light, which, whilft me was weak, weighed 
 her down : It is this that by means of thofe virtues 
 which proceed from it, reforms and ftrengthens all the 
 faculties of our fouls, enlightning the underftanding, in- 
 flaming the mind, refremwg the memory, fortifying the 
 free-will, moderating the concupifcible appetite, that it 
 may not give way to evil, and rowzing up the irafcible, 
 that it may not be too backward in the purfuit of good. 
 And becaufe all the pafllorts of nature, which refide in 
 thefe two inferior parts, are like fo many hills that over- 
 look and command the fortrefs of virtue, or as fally- 
 ports through which the devils enter into our fouls ; to 
 remedy this, grace fets a centinel at thefe places, to fe- 
 cure the pafiage -, and this is fome infufed virtue, fent 
 down from heaven, and placed there to deliver us from 
 thofe dangers the heat of our paflions may expofe us to. 
 Thus temperance, for example, fecures us againft glut- 
 tony ; chaftity, againft impurity ; humility, againft pride i 
 and fo of the reft. 
 
 But what is yet above all this, grace brings down GOD 
 himfelf into our fouls, that he, by his prefence, may go- 
 vern, defend, and conduct them to heaven. There,,- he 
 is, like a king upon his throne ; like a general in his 
 army , like a houfekeeper in his family ; like a mafter in 
 his fchool -, and like a Ihepherd amidft his flock -, exerci- 
 fing, in a fpiritual manner, all their feveral offices. If 
 therefore fo precious a pearl as this is, which brings in 
 fuch vaft treafures, be the infeparable portion of virtue, 
 can any man refufe to imitate the direction of the wife 
 merchant in the gofpel *, who gave all he had for the 
 purchafe of this jewel? 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 St. Matt. c. xiii. r. 46.
 
 Part II, Ch-4. Supernatural Light. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 the third privilege of virtue-, viz. Supernatural light 
 and knowlede. 
 
 third privilege of virtue is a particular light 
 JL and wifdom GOD grants the juft j which, like all 
 the reft, comes from that grace we have fpoken of. 
 For as it is the bufmefs of grace, to cure nature and to 
 heal the infirmities occafioned by fin in the appetite and 
 will j fo it enlightens the uriderftanding, which was no 
 lefs obfcured by fin. To the end that man through 
 the one may know his duty ; and by the help of the 
 other, may put it in execution. It is on this account 
 St. Gregory fays in his morals , that, " As man's not 
 knowing his duty is a punimment for his fins, fo is his 
 not being able to perform it, when he does know it. f" 
 For the fame reafon the Pfalmift fo often repeats : The 
 Lord is my light^ againft ignorance : The Lord is my fal- 
 'vation^ againft the want of power. By the one we are 
 taught what we are to defire, and we are enabled by the 
 other, to bring our defires about ; but they both depend 
 on grace. And therefore, befides the habits of faith 
 and of infufed wifdom, which inftrufb us in what we are 
 to believe, and what we are to do, there are added the 
 gifts of the Holy Ghoft ; whereof four belong to the 
 underftanding; which are, that of wifdom, to give us 
 the knowledge of the fublimeft things ; that of know- 
 ledge, for thole things that are lower ; that of under- 
 Handing to dive into the divine myfteries, and fee how 
 beautiful they are, and how confonant to one another; 
 and that of counfel, to direct us how to behave ourfelves, 
 amidft the difficulties, fo frequent to be met with in this 
 life. 
 
 All thefe rays of the divine light are reflected upon us 
 
 by grace, which in the holy fcripture, is called an unc- 
 
 tion, or anointing ; but as this uncYion, fays St. John, 
 
 teacheth you in all things J. For as oil, above all other 
 
 U liquid 
 
 t L 'Xxv. c. 9. J Ep. i. c.ii. v.2;.
 
 142 *Tbe. Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 liquid things, is good both for the nou'rifhing of lignt 
 and for the curing of wounds, fo this divine unction 
 performs both , curing the wounds of our will and en- 
 lightning the darkneis of our underftanding. This is 
 the oil, more precious than any balfam, which holy 
 David gloried in when he faid * : 5T0, Lord^ haft 
 anointed my head with oil. It is plain he fpeaks not here 
 of a corporeal head, or of material oil , but of a fpiritual 
 head which is the nobleft part of our fouls, and accord- 
 ing to Didymus upon this place, the feat of the under- 
 ftanding ; and of the fpiritual oil, which is the light of 
 the Holy Ghoft that feeds this lamp and keeps it in-. 
 This holy King was fenfible of the light this oil gave, as 
 he himfelf confeffes in thefe words : The uncertain and 
 hidden things of thy ivifdom thou haft made manifeft to me -j~ . 
 
 2. Another reafon is, that fmce it is grace makes a 
 man virtuous ; and fmce it cannot do this without dif- 
 pofing him to a forrow for his paft life ; to a horror of 
 fin ; to a love of GOD ; to a defire of heavenly things, 
 and to a contempt of the earthly , the will can never be 
 excited to fuch affections unlefs the underftanding receive 
 a fufficient light and knowledge to produce them. For 
 the v/ill is a blind faculty, altogether unfit to act unlefs 
 the underftanding go before, and inform it what is good 
 or bad ; that fo it may accordingly fix or withdraw its 
 affection. St. Thomas to this purpofe fays J, That the 
 knowledge of GOD'S goodnefs and beauty increafes in the 
 fouls of the juft, proportionably to the love they have 
 for him. So that if the one advance an hundred degrees, 
 the other will advance as many ; beeaufe he that loves 
 much, muft know a great many qualities in the thing he 
 loves, which make it deferve his love : and fo on the 
 contrary. What we fay of the love of GOD, is alfo to 
 be underftood of fear, of hope, and of the horror of fin ; 
 which he can never have above all things, if he does not 
 know that it is fo great an evil, as to deferve fuch hatred. 
 For as the Holy Ghoft requires all thefe good affections 
 fhould be in the foul of a juft man ; he expects there 
 ftiould be caufe to occafion and produce them, even as 
 
 when 
 *Pfe!m, xxii. v.5 -f Pfalm,!. v.8. J S.Th, ii, q.2.ar.4.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Supernatural Light. 143 
 
 when he defigned to work different effects upon the 
 earth, he appointed there Ihould be different caufes and 
 influences in the heavens. 
 
 3. Moreover, fmce as we have faid before, grace makes 
 GOD dwell in the foul of a juft man, and GOD, according 
 to St. John *, is a light which enlighteneth every man that- 
 cometh into this world ; it is as certain the purer and 
 cleaner he finds this habitation, the rays of his divine 
 light will mine the brighter upon it; as a glafs, the 
 clearer it is, the brighter and the flronger it reflects the 
 fun. St. Auguftin therefore calls GOD -f, The wifdom of 
 a purified foul : for enlightening the foul, which is infuch 
 a ftate with the rays of his light, and inftructing it in 
 what is neceffary to its falvation. And what wonder 
 that GOD mould do this for man, fmce it is in fome 
 manner what he does for other creatures ? for they, by 
 a certain natural inftinct know all thofe that are neceffary 
 for the confervation of their being. Who has taught 
 the fheep among fo many different plants to avoid thofe 
 which are hurtful to them, and to browfe upon thofe 
 which are not ? from whom has it learned what creature 
 is its enemy, and what its friend, and by this means to 
 run from the wolf, and to follow the maftiff? Is it not 
 from GOD ? now, if GOD thus inftructs the brutes for 
 the prefervation of their natural life, how much more 
 reafon have we to think he will enlighten the juft with 
 fuch a knowledge, as mail be necelTary to the maintain- 
 ing of their fpiritual life ? confidering that man (lands 
 in no lefs need of thofe things that are above his nature 
 than brutes do of fuch as are fuitable to theirs. And if 
 the Divine Providence has been fo careful in providing 
 of what regards only nature, how much more folicitous 
 will it be in furnimino; us with fuch things as regard 
 grace, which are infinitely more excellent ; but at the 
 lame time, far above the reach and power of man. 
 
 4. This example teaches us not only that there is fuch 
 a knowledge, but what a kind of knowledge it is : 
 which confifts not fo much in the fpeculation as in the 
 practice ; fmce it is given us more for the directing of 
 
 U 2 our 
 
 * St. John, c. i, v. 9. f Lib > " de Lib ' Artit -
 
 144 7& Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 our' actions than for the improving of our underftand- 
 ing ; and is rather to inftruct us how to perform all we 
 do virtuoufly, than how to difcourfe learnedly. For this 
 reafon it flops not at the underftanding, as that know- 
 ledge we acquire in the fchools does, but communicates, 
 itfelf to the will and makes it ready in the performance 
 of whatever this knowledge inclines it to. This is the 
 property of the infpirations of the Holy Ghoft, who. 
 like an accomplilhed mafter perfectly inftructs thofe 
 under his care in all that is requifite for them to know. 
 And therefore the fpoufe in the Canticles fays ( i ) : Mp 
 fcul melted when he fpoke. Thus we may fee what diffe- 
 rence there is ' betwixt this and human learning. For 
 whereas the one does nothing elfe but increafe the un- 
 derftanding ; the other moreover governs and excites 
 the will; and by its virtue fearches into all the receffes 
 of our foul-, doing all that is neceffary for the reforma- 
 tion of each in particular. Whereupon the apoftle fays : 
 The word of God is living and ejfeffual, and more piercing 
 than any two edged fword (2). Becaufe it feparates the 
 fenfual part of a man from the fpiritual, cutting afunder 
 thofe unhappy knots, which generally tie the flem and 
 the fpirit together, when the fpirit, clofely contracted 
 with the wicked flem becomes one with it ? it is the 
 force and efficacy of the word of GOD that breaks this 
 knot, and makes man follow, flot the dictates, of the 
 fiefh, but of the fpirit. 
 
 SECT, I. 
 
 ^ 5. This is one of the chief effects of grace, and a par- 
 ticular privilege of virtuous men in this life. But, be- 
 caufe carnal and fenfual men perhaps, can neither un- 
 derftand,. nor will fo readily believe this truth , I will 
 make it plainly appear to them, by feveral paflages both 
 of the Old and New Teftament. In the New our Sa- 
 viour fays (3) : The Holy Qhoft, whom the Father will fend- 
 in my name, he will teach you all things? and bring all things 
 
 t-a 
 
 (i)C%nt. v. V. 6. (2) Heb. c. iv. v, 12. (3) St. John, 
 c, Xiv. v. 26.
 
 Part 1 1. Ch. 4 Supernatural Light. 14 ^ 
 
 to ycur mind, what fo ever I Jhall have faid to you. He tells 
 us in another place ( i ) : // is written in the prophets, and 
 they Jball all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of 
 the Father ; and hath learned, cometh unto me (2). He has 
 told us in like manner by his prophet Jeremy (3) : / w /// 
 give my law in their bowels, and write it in their hearts. 
 And they Jhall teach no more every man his brother, faying, 
 know the Lord, for all Jhall know me. In the Prophet 
 Ifaiah, the Lord fpeaking of the profperity of his church, 
 ufes thefe words : O poor little one, toffed with tempejt and 
 without comfort ; behold, I will lay thy ftones in order, and 
 will lay thy foundations with faphires. And I will make thy 
 bulwarks ofjafper, and thy gates of graven ft ones , and all thy 
 borders of lovely Jtones. All thy children Jhall be taught of 
 the Lord (4). He repeats the fame again elfewhere by the 
 fame prophet (5) : / am the Lord thy God which teachetb 
 thee profitable things, that govern thee in the way that thoit 
 walkeft. By thefe words are underftood two forts of know- 
 ledge ; that of faints, and that of wife men. It is that of 
 faints which Solomon fpeaks of when he fays (6) : 'The 
 knowledge of the holy is prudence. For bare knowledge 
 does but teach us to know ; but prudence inftructs us 
 how to act by what we know ; and this is the knowledge- 
 of holy men. 
 
 6. Befides, how often fhall we find this very fame 
 wifdom promifed to the juft in David's pfalms. In one 
 of them he fays (7) : The mouth of the juft Jhall meditate 
 wifdom -, and his tongue Jhall fpeak judgment. GOD, in 
 another makes the good man this promife(S): / will 
 give thee underftanding, aud I will inftrutt thee in this way, 
 in which thoujhalt go. In another, as if it were a bufmefs 
 of the greateft confequence, the Prophet puts the quef- 
 tion, faying (9) : Who is the man that feareth the Lord-, 
 he hath appointed him a law in the way he hath chofen. 
 And in the fame pfalm we have thefe words : The faha- 
 
 tion 
 
 (i) St. John, c. vi. v. 45. (2) Ifaiah, c. liv. v. 13. (3) Ibid. 
 C.xxxi. v. 33, 34. (4) Ibid. c. liv. v. 1 1, 12, 13. (5) Ibid. 
 c. Ixviii. v. 17. (6) Prov. ix. v. jo. (7) Pfalm xxxvi. v. 30* 
 (8) Pfalm xxxi. v. 8. (9) Pfalm xxiv. v. 12.
 
 146 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 tion of tie juft is of the Lord ; which St. Jerom renders 
 thus : The Lord dif covers his fecrets to thofe that fear him, 
 find he will Jhew them his covenant. That is, his holy 
 laws are made known to them. This knowledge is a 
 great light to the underftanding ; a delicious food to the 
 will, and the greateft pleafure man can enjoy. The fame 
 prophet calls it, a pafture in which GOD fed him , a wa- 
 ter with which he refrefhed his foulj and a table (i), 
 upon which were placed fuch meats, as might ftrengthen 
 him againft all the power of his enemies. For which 
 reafon the fame prophet, fo frequently begs for this in- 
 ward light, and for inward inftructions, in that divine 
 pfalm, which begins: Eleffed are the undefiled (2). To 
 this end he fays in another place : Lord I am thy fer* 
 want, give me under/landing that I may know thy tcjlimonies. 
 &i another place : Open thou my eyes, Lor^ and I will 
 confider the wondrous things of thy law -, and again : Give 
 me imderjlanding, and I Jha'U fearch thy law ; and I will 
 keep it with my whole heart. This is, in fine, the petition 
 he fo often makes in this pfalm. Nor would he have 
 clone it with fuch earneftnefs, had he not been very well 
 acquainted with its efficacy, and with the manner of 
 GOD'S communicating the fame. 
 
 7. All this being undeniably true, what greater ho- 
 nour can a man receive than to have fuch a mailer, and 
 ftich a fchool to go to -, where the Lord himfelf teaches 
 his elect this heavenly wifdom ? if, as St. Jerome fays, 
 men, in former times went as far as Rome, from the very 
 remoteft parts of France and Spain to fee I. ivy, a man 
 fo renowned for his eloquence (3). And if Apollonius, 
 who had the falfe reputation of one of the wife men of 
 his age, went to Mount Caucafus and rambled the 
 greateft part of the world to fee Hiarchas fitting amongft 
 few fcholars upon a golden throne, difputing with 
 them upon the motions of the heavens, and of the pla- 
 nets , what mould men do to hear GOD, feated on the 
 throne of their hearts, not to teach them how the hea- 
 vens move, but how they themfelves may move thither. 
 
 8. And 
 
 ,(i) Pfalmxxii. v. 5. (2)Pfalm, cxviii. v. 125^ v. 18, 
 ~" v - 34- (3) p- cxx - ad Paulin..
 
 Part II. Ch . 4. Supernatural Light. 
 
 8. And that you may not look upon this doctrine as 
 contemptible, hear the prophet's commendations of it : 
 / have underftood more than all my teachers \ becaufe thy 
 teftimonies are my meditation. 1 have had undcrftanding 
 above ancients -, becaufe 1 have fought continually thy coin- 
 mandments (i~). Nay the Lord promifes more than, all 
 this by his prophet Ifaiah, to thofe that ferve him : The 
 Lord, fays he, will give thee reft continually, and will fill 
 thy foul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou 
 (halt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of waters^ 
 tuhofe waters Jhould not fail (2). What brightnefs is this 
 wherewith GOD fills the fouls of his fervams, but the 
 knowledge he gives of things neceiTary to their falva- 
 tion ? for, it is he that (hews them, how beautiful virtue 
 is, and how deformed vice. He it is that tells them how 
 vain a thing the world is ; that informs them of the 
 worth of grace; the greatnefs of eternal glory; the fweet- 
 nefs of thofe confolations which the Holy Ghofb bellows, 
 the goodnefs of GOD, the malice of the devil, the fhort- 
 nefs of life, and the general miflake of moft men. GOD, 
 as the fame prophet obferves, by virtue of this know- 
 ledge, make his fervants dwell on high, That they foall 
 fee the king in his beauty, they Jhall fee the land afar off (3). 
 Therefore the things of this world are of fb little value with 
 them, becaufe befides their being really fo, they fee them 
 only at a diftance : but as to the riches of the other 
 world, they prize them at what they are worth, as hav- 
 ing a very near view of them. The wicked, on the 
 contrary, having a diftant profpect of heavenly things, 
 and {landing fo clofe by the earthly, undervalue thofe and 
 over-rate thefe. f his it is preferves fuch perfons as per- 
 fake of this heavenly gift, from being either puffed up 
 with profperity, or caft down by adverfity ; for they, by 
 the help of this life, fee how little what the world can 
 give them, is in comparifon of what they have from 
 GOD. And therefore Solomon fays, A holy man continueth 
 inwifdomas the fun-, but a fool is changed as the moon (4), 
 Upon which words St. Ambrofe fays : " That as for the 
 
 wife 
 
 (i) Pfalm cxviii. v. 99, 100. (2) Ifaiah, c. Iviii. v. n, 
 
 (3) Ibid, c. xxxiii. v, 17. (4) Ecclus. c, xxvii. v. 12. ,
 
 148 'The Sinners Guide. feook I. 
 
 wife man, neither can fear move him, nor power change 
 him : amidft his profperity he is never proud : nor me- 
 lancholy in the midft of troubles (i), becaufe virtue, 
 ftrength and courage are the perpetual attendants of 
 v/ifdom. Such a man's foul is always in an even temper, 
 no change makes him either greater or lefs, nor is he to 
 be carried away by the winds of new doclrine ? but 
 remains iVeady in Jefus Chrift ; immoveable in his cha- 
 rity ; and unmaken in his faith. 
 
 9. Nor are we to wonder at the force of this wifdom, 
 fince it is not earthly, but heavenly ; which does not 
 puff up, but edify; which does not only enlighten the 
 underftanding by its fpeculation, but inflames the will 
 with its heat. Thus wonderfully was St. Auguftin(2) 
 touched and moved, that, as is written of him, he never 
 heard the pfalms and hymns of the church fung but he 
 wept. The words entering in at his ears, funk down to 
 the very bottom of his heart, whilft the warmth of his 
 devotion fpread the truth of them throughout his whole 
 foul. This made him break out into tears, and accord- 
 ing to his own confeffion, gave him a great deal of joy 
 and comfort. O bleffed tears ! O divine fchool ! O 
 happy wifdom that bears fuch fruit as this ! is there any 
 thing in the world to be compared with this wifdom ? 
 Job fays : The fineft gold Jhall not pur chafe zY, neither Jhall 
 fil'ver be weighed in exchange for it. It Jhall not be compared 
 with the died colours of India, or with the moft precious 
 ftone fardonyx cr the faphire. High and eminent things Jhall 
 not be mentioned in comparifon of it ; but wifdom is drawn 
 cut of fecret places^ &c. ($). After all thefe commendations, 
 the holy man concludes : Behold the fear of the Lord that 
 is wifdom , and to depart from evil is under/landing. 
 
 10. This is is one of the greateft rewards that can be 
 offered to excite you to follow virtue. And Solomon 
 makes this propofal to encourage men to a good life (4) : 
 My fon, if thou wilt receive my words and wilt hide my com - 
 vnandments with thee, then Jhalt thou under/land the fear of 
 Ibe Lord, and Jhalt find the knowledge of God. Because the 
 
 Lord 
 
 (l) Epift. L. ii. Ep. vii. (2) Conf. i. ix. v. 24 (3) Job, 
 c. xxviii. v. 15, 1 6, &c. v, 28. (4) Prov. c, ix, v. 5, 6.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Supernatural Light 149 
 
 Lord giveth wifdom ; out of his mouth cometh prudence and 
 knowledge. This wifdom does not always continue in the 
 fame degree, but receives a daily increafe of light and 
 knowledge, as the fame wife man has hinted to us(i): 
 'The path of the juft, fays he, is as a Jhining light goetb 
 forwards and increafeth ever to perfect day : the day of this 
 bleffed eternity, wherein we fhall receive the divine in- 
 fpirations, I will not fay with Job's friends, by Health (2) ; 
 but mail have a full fight and knowledge of GOD himfelf. 
 1 1. Of this true wifdom the children of light partake j 
 whilft the wicked, on the contrary, live in fuch igno- 
 rance, that like the Egyptian darknefs, they may feel it 
 with their hands. We have a lively figure of the one, 
 in the land of JefTen, where the Ifraelites lived, which 
 always enjoyed the light j and of the other, in the land 
 of Egypt (3), which was quite covered over with dark- 
 nefs ; a true emblem of that horrible blindnefs in which 
 the wicked live, as they themfelves acknowledge in 
 Ifaiah, when they fay (4) : We looked for light, and behold 
 darknefs \ brightnefs, and we have walked in the dark. We 
 have groped for the wall, and like the blind we have groped as if 
 we had no eyes : we have ftumblcd at noon-day, as in dark- 
 nefs, we are in dark places as dead men. What greater 
 blindnefs than that which the wicked fall into every ftep 
 they take ? what greater Windnefs than for a man to 
 fell the folid joys of heaven for the vanities of the world ? 
 what greater blindnefs than for a man not to be afraid of 
 hell ; not to feek after heaven ; not to have a horror of 
 fin, nor to think of the laft judgment , not to regard 
 either the threats or promifes which GOD has made ; not 
 to be afraid of death, which may every moment fur- 
 prize him; not to prepare himfelf for the making up of 
 his accounts ; not to fee how fhort and momentary his de- 
 lights are here ; whilft the torments that mall follow them, 
 are to laft for Ever ? T'key have not known nor underftood y 
 fays the Royal Prophet (5), but walk on Jltll in darknefs ; 
 X fron 
 
 (l) Prov. c.iv. v. 18. (2) Job, c. iv. v. 12. (3) Exod. 
 c. x. v. 22, 23. (4) Ifa. c.lix. .9, 10. (5) Pf - lxxxi '
 
 150 The Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 from an inward darknefs to an outward one , from the 
 darknefs of this life to that of the next. 
 
 12. I lhall conclude this chapter with a word or two 
 of advice ; which is, that notwithftanding the truth of 
 all I have faid upon this matter-, a man, how juft fo- 
 ever he is, mould not upon this account,, withdraw him- 
 felf from the humble fubmifiion he owes to the opinion, 
 and counfel of thofe above him, efpecially of fuch as are 
 looked upon as the doctors of the church. For was 
 ever any man more enlightened than St. Paul or Mofes, 
 who talked with GOD face to face ? and yet one of them 
 goes to Jerufalem *, to confer with the apoftles upon the 
 gofpel he had learned in the third heaven : and the other 
 refufes not the advice of Jethro -j- his father- tn-law, tho r 
 a heathen. The reafon is, becaufe the inward helps of 
 grace do not exclude the outward afliftance of the 
 church ; fince the Divine Providence has been pleafed 
 to allow them both to fupply our weaknefs, which (lands 
 much in need of them. As therefore the outward heat 
 of the air maintains the inward natural heat ; and as na- 
 ture, after all its care to procure health of every particu- 
 lar, is affifted with fuch medicines, as have been created 
 for this end j fo is the light and doctrine of the church 
 a help to the inward lights and- afliftances of grace ; and 
 whofoever refufes with humility to fubmit to the autho- 
 rity of the one, is to be judged unworthy to receive the 
 favours and helps of the other. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the fourth privilege of virtue, viz. We confolatiom 
 'which good men receive from the Holy Ghojl. 
 
 i.T Might here very well, after having fpoken of the 
 
 A light of the Holy Ghoft, which enlightens the 
 
 darknefs of our underftandings, reckon charity, and the 
 
 love of GOD, with which our wills are inflamed, for the 
 
 fourth 
 * Galat. c. xii. v. I, 2. t Exod, c.
 
 Part II, Ch. 5. Confolatiom of tie Holy Ghoft. 15 1 
 
 fourth privilege of virtue ; efpecially as the apoflle 
 accounts it the firft fruit of the Holy Ghoft. But our 
 defign at prefent, being not fo much to treat of virtue 
 itfelf, as of the favours granted to it ; and charity being 
 not only a virtue, but of all virtues the nobleft, we (hall 
 forbear to treat of it here , not but that we might fpeak 
 of it in this place , though not as a virtue, yet as of a 
 gift which GOD beftows upon the virtuous, inflaming 
 their wills in an unfpeakable manner, and making them 
 4ove GOD above all things. The 1 more perfect this vir- 
 tue grows, the pleafanter it becomes -, fo that we may 
 therefore look upon it as the fruit and reward, not only 
 of other virtues, but of itfelf too. But not to be thought 
 ambitious of fpeaking too much in commendation of this 
 virtue, which gives us fo many other occafions of fpeak- 
 ing in its favour ; I will aflign the fourth place to the 
 joy and comfort of the Holy Ghoft ; it being the natura-i 
 property of charity itfelf, and one of the chief fruits of 
 this fame fpirit, as St. Paul tells us. 
 
 2. This privilege is a branch of the former; becaufe, 
 as we have faid before, this light, with which GOD en- 
 lightens his fervants, does not ftop at the underftanding, 
 tut defcends into the will, and there darts out the ray* 
 of its brightnefs, with which it entertains them, and 
 gives them a wonderful delight in GOD. So that from 
 this fpiritual light comes the fpiritual joy we fpeak of, as 
 the material light produces the heat we perceive by our 
 fenfes. This gave the royal prophet occafion to fay * : 
 Light is rifen to the juft> and joy to the right of heart. We 
 have handled this fubjecl: elfewhere, yet we may venture 
 to fpeak of it again, without any fear of repeating what 
 we faid before. 
 
 3. For the better purfuing the defign of this book, we 
 rnuft firft explain the greatnefs of this joy ; becaufe the 
 knowing of this, will go a great way towards making 
 men in love with virtue. We are every one of us to 
 know, that as all kinds of miferies are included in vice, 
 fo are all kinds of delights in virtue, even thofe which 
 the wicked complain it has not. For which reafon, man 
 
 X ^ being 
 
 * Pfalm xcvi. v. 1 1 .
 
 152 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 being naturally a friend to pleafure ; thefe perfons tell 
 us, by their actions at leaft, if not by word of mouth y 
 that they had rather enjoy what pleafes them, though at 
 the expence of their falvation, than not fatisfy their fenfuat 
 defires, though hell is to follow the contenting of them. 
 Lactantius writing upon this fubjeft, fays : " That men 
 are frighted into a flight from virtue, and charmed into 
 a purfuit of vice, becaufe virtue has no kind of fenfible 
 pleafure attending it* ". This being the rife of fo many 
 misfortunes, he who {hall difabufe men of this miftake, 
 and {how them plainly, that the way of virtue is much 
 more pleafant than that of vice, muft certainly be very 
 ferviceable to mankind in general. My defign therefore 
 is, to prove this to them by unqueftionable authorities, 
 drawn particularly from the holy fcripture , the beft 
 proof we can bring for matters of this nature ; fmce 
 heaven and earth fhall pafs away, but the words of GOD 
 fhall not f. 
 
 4. Tell me now, blind and deluded man ! if the way 
 to heaven be fo rough and fo unpleafant as you may- 
 imagine it is i what means the Prophet David, when he 
 fays, how great is the multitude of thy fweetnefs, O Lord y 
 which thou haft hidden for them that fear thee J ! here he 
 lets us fee what delights the virtuous enjoy, and why they 
 are unknown to the wicked, becaufe GOD hides them 
 from fuch. What likewife do thefe words of the fame 
 prophet fignify , My fouljhall rejoice in the Lord* and jh all 
 be delighted in his falvation. All my bones^ that is, all the 
 powers of my foul, Jhall fay, Lord, who is like to thee ? 
 This is to teach us, that the comfort the juft have is fo 
 great, that notwithftanding it is immediately received by 
 the fpirit, it rebounds in fuch a manner upon the flefh, 
 that though its chief delight is in carnal things, yet by 
 the communication of the fpirit, it is pleafed with the 
 fpiritual, and places its fatisfaftion in GOD, and that with 
 fuch tranfports of joy, that all the bones of the body 
 being ravifhed with this fweetnefs, men are forced to cry 
 out, Who is like to thee Lord ? what pleafures are to 
 
 be 
 
 * L. ii. deFalfa. Relic, c. I. f St. Mark, c. xiii, v, 31, 
 
 J Pfalmxxx. v.xx. Pfalm xxxiv, v 9, 10.
 
 Part II. Ch. 5. Confolatlons of the Holy Ghofl. 153 
 
 be compared with what we enjoy in thee ? what con- 
 tent ? what love, what peace, what delight can any 
 creature give us, like what we receive from thee ? what 
 is it again the lame prophet means by his faying, The- 
 voice of rejoicing and of fahation is in the tabernacles of the 
 juft * ? but to tell us, that true peace and pleafure are 
 no where to be met with, but in the dwelling of the 
 juft. He fays in another place, Let the juft feaft and 
 rejoice before GOD, and be delighted ivith gladness -f. 
 And this to {hew us, what fpiritual feafts GOD often 
 makes for the entertainment of his elect, by giving them 
 a tafte of heavenly things, for the refreshment of their 
 louls. 
 
 5. It is at thefe divine banquets they drink that deli- 
 cious wine, the fame prophet fo highly commends : They 
 Jhall be inebriated, fays he, Lord-, with the plenty of thy 
 houfe , and then fcall make them drink of the torrent of thy 
 pleafure J. Could the prophet have ufed more expreflive 
 words, to mew how thefe delights even force men to a 
 hearty love of GOD ? for, as one that has drank a great 
 deal of wine, lofes the ufe of his fenfes, and is, in that 
 point like a dead man j fo he that has once drank of this 
 celeftial liquor: dies to the world, and to the irregular 
 defires of what is in it. 
 
 6. We read again : Eleffed is the people that knew etb ju- 
 bilation . Others would perhaps have faid, happy they 
 who roll in riches, who are incloled with ftrong walls, and 
 have their foldiers to defend them ! but Holy David, 
 who had a good mare of thefe things, terms him only 
 happy, who by experience, knows what it is to rejoice 
 in GOD, and that not with an ordinary joy, but with 
 fuch a one as deferves the name of Jubilation || : which 
 according to St.. Gregory, is a joy of the fpirit, we can-, 
 neither exprefs by words, nor difcover by outward figns, 
 and actions. Happy they who have made fuch an ad- 
 vance in the love of GOD, as to experience this jubila- 
 tion. It is a knowledge which neither Plato with all his 
 wifdom, nor Demofthenes with his charming eloquence, 
 
 could 
 
 * Pfalm cxvii. v. 15. f Pfalm Ixvii. v. 4. J Pfalm, 
 xxxv. v.9. Pfalm Ixxxviii. v. 16. || L xxiv. Moral. 0.3.
 
 154 *The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 could ever arrive to. For GOD refides in none, but the 
 pure and humble heart. If then GOD be the author of 
 this joy, how great muft it be of courfe, fmce the com- 
 forts that come from him, are equally proportioned to 
 himfelf, as are the punimments he inflicts ? if then he 
 puniflies with fo much rigor, with what fweet delights 
 muft he fill the fouls of thofe that love him ? if his arms 
 is fo heavy when he holds it out to chaftife, how light 
 muft it be when ftretched out to carefs ? for he is gene- 
 rally more wonderful in his works of mercy, than he 
 is in thofe of juftice. 
 
 j. What cellar of rich wine is that which the fpoufe 
 in the Canticles *, boafts of her being carried into by 
 her beloved, and of being filled there with charity and 
 love ; what noble banquet is that which the fame fpoufe 
 invites us to ? Eat friends, drink and be inebriated my 
 dearly beloved f. We look upon a man to be drunk, 
 when having had more wine than his natural heat can 
 digeft , the vapors fly up into his head, and rendering 
 him incapable of governing himfelf, force him to follow 
 the impreflions they make upon his imagination. If 
 this be fo, what condition muft a foul be in, that has 
 drank fo much of this heavenly wine, and is fo full of 
 GOD and of his love, as to be overcharged with an excefs 
 of delights and pleafures, and to be made unable with 
 all its force, to bear up under fuch a weight of happi- 
 nefs ? fo it is written of St. Ephrem, that he was very 
 often fo over- powered with the ftrength of the wine of 
 this divine fweetnefs, that his body not being able to 
 iupport thefe delights, he was forced to cry out ; Retire 
 from me a little O Lord, becaufe my body is too weak to 
 tndure the force of thy fweetnefs any longer J. 
 
 8. O unfpeakable goodnefs ? O immenfe fweetnefs of 
 this fovereign Lord ! who communicates himfelf with 
 fuch profufion to his creatures, that their bodies are too 
 weak, and their hearts too narrow to endure and contain 
 the ftrength and fulnefs of fuch charms ! It is by this 
 celeftial wine the powers of the foul are lulled afleep : 
 
 it 
 
 * Cant. c. i. v. 3. -f Cant, c. v. v, i. J St, John, 
 
 Clim. deg. j 9.
 
 Part IL Ch. 5. Confolations of the Holy Ghojl. 155- 
 it is this that gives them a gentle (lumber of peace and 
 life : it is this that raifes the foul above herfelf : it is by 
 the virtue of this fhe knows and loves, and enjoys fuch 
 pleafures, as are far above the ftrength of her natural 
 faculties. Hence it follows, that as water over a fire, 
 when it has arrived to a certain degree of heat, forgetful 
 as it were of its own quality, which is to be heavy, and 
 confequently to tend downwards, mounts upwards, bor-^ 
 rowing the natural lightnefs of fire, which gives it this 
 extraordinary motion , fo the foul warned with- this hea- 
 venly fire, lifts herfelf up above herfeif, and endeavour- 
 ing to fly from earth to heaven, from whence this flame 
 was darted, is tranfported with the defire of enjoying 
 GOD ; runs after him with all the fpeed fhe can-, to em- 
 brace him, and ftretches out her hands to catch at him? 
 whom (he fo paflionately loves. But if me can neither 
 overtake him, nor cool the heat of her flames, fhe pines 
 and languifhes under the lofs of her with ; and all the 
 comfort fhe has, is to fend up her amorous fighs to hea- 
 ven, crying out with the fpoufe in the Canticles, 'Tell my 
 beloved that I languijb with love *. Holy writers informs 
 us, that thefe languifhings proceed from the oppofition the 
 foul meets with in the effecting of her defires. Where- 
 upon one of them fays, be not difcouraged O amorous 
 foul ; for Thyficknefs is not to death y but for the glory of GOD, 
 that the Son of GOD may be glorified by it ~f . But what 
 tongue can exprefs the charms and pleafures thefe happy 
 lovers enjoy, upon Solomon's flately bride-bed, Which 
 was made of the wood of Libanus, the pillars- thereof he 
 made of fifoer, and the feat of gold J ? Here it is the Spi- 
 ritual marriage-feaft is kept. It is called a bed, for its 
 being a place of reft and love, and where they enjoy fuch 
 pleafures, that as St. John lays in his Revelation, no 
 man can conceive how great they are, but he that has 
 experienced them. Though the knowledge of thefe 
 things be hid from us, we may neverthelefs frame to 
 ourfelves fome idea of them. For if a man does but 
 eonfider what an excefs of love the Son of GOD has 
 
 ftiowa 
 
 * Cant. c. ii. v. 5. f St, John, c, xi, v. 4. J Cant 
 c, iii. v. 9. io.
 
 156 We Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 fhown for him, in differing fuch unheard of injuries and 
 torments for his fake ; he cannot wonder at what we now 
 fay, fmce it is but little when compared to this. What 
 will he not do for the juft, who has undergone fo much 
 for fmners ? how will he carefs and make much of his 
 friends, who has endured fuch pains, as well for his 
 enemies, as for them ? we have a token of this in the 
 book of Canticles, where the heavenly bridegroom (hews 
 fuch a paffionate tendernefs to his bride, which is the 
 church, and every particular perfon in the ftate of grace. 
 Such amorous difcourle pafies there between them, that 
 no other eloquence or love can exprefs the like. 
 
 9. We may alfo conjecture at it from the juft them- 
 felves, GOD'S true friends -, for if you look into the hearts 
 of thofe perfons, you will find their greateft concern and 
 defire, and the perpetual employment of their thoughts 
 is the fervice of GOD, and the putting themfelves into a 
 condition of doing fomething for him, who has done, and 
 who continues every day to do fo much for them, treat- 
 ing them with fuch fweetnefs and love. If therefore 
 man of himfelf fo unfaithful, and fo unable to do any 
 good, can neverthelefs be fo faithful to GOD ; what is 
 there that GOD will not do for him ? GOD who is infinite 
 in his fidelity and love. If it is the property of a good 
 man, as the Pfalmift fays * : With the holy, tbou wilt be 
 holy ; and with the innocent man^ thou wilt be innocent , and 
 if man can arrive to fuch a degree of goodnefs, as we 
 have faid he can, how far will the goodnefs of GOD 
 reach ? if GOD mould vye with juft men upon this point, 
 how much will he outdo them in this glorious ftrife. If 
 therefore a good man is willing to do fo much to make 
 himfelf pleafing to GOD ; what will not GOD do in re- 
 turn to comfort and pleale him ? he will do more than we 
 can exprefs or conceive. For this reafon, the Prophet 
 Ifaiah fays, The ear hath not heard^ neither hath the eye 
 feen, what thou Q GOD haft prepared for them that wait 
 for thee f. This is to be underftood, not of the goods 
 of glory only, but, according to St. Paul, of thofe of 
 grace likewife J. 
 
 10. This 
 
 * Pfalm xvii. v, 26. f Ifaiah, c, Ixiv, v. 4. J i Cor. c. ii.
 
 J^artll. Ch. 5. Cenfofations cftbe Holy Ghoft. 157 
 
 10. This fure may fuffice to fliow us how pleafant the 
 way of virtue is ; and that the delights of this world are 
 not to be compared with what the juft enjoy : for what 
 companion is there betwixt light and darknefs, Chrift 
 and Belial ? between the pleafures of earth and thofe of 
 heaven ; the fatisfactions of the flefh, and thofe of the 
 fpirit , the delights which come from the creature, and 
 thofe from the creator ? it is as certain the more excellent 
 a thing is, the more capable it is of contenting us. What 
 could the prophet mean elfe, when he faid * ; Better is 
 a little to the juft) than great riches of the 'wicked. And in 
 another place -f : I have chofen to be an abjeft in the hoiife 
 of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacle of Jinners. 
 Thefe words of the fpoufe, in the Canticles, teach us the 
 fame lefTon J : 1%y breafts are better than wine , and a 
 little lower : We will be glad and rejoice in thec, remember- 
 ing thy breafts more than wine. That is to fay : we will 
 think of the mod delicious milk of comforts 'and ca- 
 refles, more fweet than wine, with which you feed your 
 fpiritual children at your breafts. It is as certain that 
 neither material wine nor material milk is meant here 5 
 for by thefe are underftood the pleafures of the world, 
 which the lewd women in the Apocalipfe , feated over 
 many waters, cloathedin fcarlet, and holding a golden cup 
 in her hand made the inhabitants of Babylon drunk 
 with -, thus drowning their fenfes, that they might be 
 carelefs of their ruin. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 // is particularly in prayer, that the virtuous enjoy thefe 
 Divine Confutations. 
 
 11. If upon farther enquiry into this matter, you 
 fliould afk me, where it is particularly the virtuous en- 
 joy thefe comforts -, GOD himfelf will anfwer the qiieftion 
 by the Prophet Ifaiah : <Tbe children of the Jiranger, fays 
 he, that adhere to the Lord, to worjhip him, and to love his 
 
 Y 
 
 *Pfalmxxxvi. v. 16, 
 Cant, c, i. v. 3. Ap, c. xvii.
 
 158 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 name, to be Ms fervants : every one that keepeth the fabbath 
 frcm prophaning it, and that holdeth forth my covenant } 
 I will bring them into my holy mount, and will make them 
 joyful in my houfe cf prayer *. So that it is in this holy 
 exercife particularly, that the Lord comforts his elect, in 
 fuch a manner. It was upon this occafion St. Laurence 
 Juftinian faid, " The hearts of the juft are inflamed with 
 the love of their creator, whilft they are at their prayers. 
 It is then they are fometimes raifed above themfelves, 
 and imagine they are amidft the choir of angels, fmging 
 with them in the prefence of their GOD ; it is then they 
 love and moan ; it is then they praife, weep, and rejoice ; 
 it is then they eat and are ftill hungry , they drink with- 
 out being fatisfied, and endeavour with all the force that 
 love can give them, to transform themfelves into you, 
 O Lord, whom they contemplate by faith ; whom they 
 adore with humility, whom they defire with pafFion, and 
 enjoy with the utmoft heat of love -f." It is then they, 
 by their own experience, find thefe words of yours to be 
 true ; This my joy therefore is fulfilled J. This joy, like a 
 gentle ftream, fpreads itfelf over all the faculties of the 
 foul. It enlightens the underilanding ; it pleafes the 
 will ; it refrefhes the memory, and makes them think of 
 nothing but GOD, and they lovingly embrace a thing 
 they are unacquainted with, and which yet they have 
 fuch a paflion for,, that they had rather die than Jbfe it, 
 Thus the heart, wreftlefs with this divine fweetnefs, for 
 fear it mould get away, being the only object of it's 
 wilhes, as the patriarch Jacob did with the angel . 
 And thus, like St. Peter upon the mountain, it cries out, 
 O Lord, it is good for us to be here \\. It is here the foul 
 has all that amorous difcourfe, which is in the Canticles 
 addrefTed to her ; whilft (he on her fide fmgs thefe charm- 
 ing airs of love , Stay me up with flowers, compafs me 
 about with apples -, becaufe I languifh with love, his left hand 
 is under my head, and his right hand jhall embrace me ( i ). 
 Then it is, the foul inflamed with thefe divine heats^ 
 
 defires 
 
 * Ifaiah, c. Ivi. v. 6, 7. f Traa. de Ord. in Lig. Vita;. 
 
 St. John, c. iii. v. 29. Gen. c. xxxii. v. 26. |[ St. Matt. 
 c. xvii. v. 4. ( i ) Cant. c. ii. v. 5, 6.
 
 Part IT. Ch . 5. Confolatlons of tie Holy Ghojl. 159 
 defires nothing more than to break out of the prifon of 
 her body, whilft her tears are her food both day and night, 
 becaufe the time of her enlargement is not yet come. 
 Life is the trial of her patience, but the objed of her 
 defires is death ; and therefore me is continually ufmg 
 thefe words of the fpoufe : Who Jhall give thee to me for 
 my brother, fucking the breafts of my mother^ that 1 may 
 fnd thee without. and kifs thee *. It is then me is aftonifhed 
 at herfelf, and wonders how fuch treafures could be hid 
 from "her fo .long : but finding it is a happinefs which 
 every man is capable of enjoying, (he longs to run up 
 and down in the ftreets and public places, and to cry 
 out j fools and mad men, whether do you run ? what is 
 it you are in fearch of? why do you not run to the pof- 
 feffion of fuch a treafure as this is ? tafte and fee that 
 the Lord is fweet, blejfed is the man that hopeth in him -f. 
 When the foul has once tailed thefe fpiritual pleafures, 
 no carnal delights will relim with her. Company is then 
 a reftraint upon her, whilft (he accounts upon folitude as 
 a paradife ; for all her defire and comfort is to be alone 
 with her GOD, whom me loves. Honours and prefer- 
 ments are but a burden to her, and an eftate and family 
 a torment. She would not, for all the world, no, not 
 for heaven itfclf, be deprived of her comfort ; and for 
 this reafon, all her endeavours are to difmgage herfelf 
 from the world. She has but one love, and one defire : 
 fo that whatfoever me loves, it is for the fake of one 
 alone, and this one me loves in all things : fhe knows 
 how to cry out with the Royal Prophet : What have I O 
 Lord in heaven ? and befides thee what do 1 defire upon earth? 
 for thee my flejh and my heart hath fainted away> thou art 
 fhe GOD of my heart, and the GOD that is my portion for 
 ever J- 
 
 12. The knowledge of holy things feems no longer 
 obfcure to a foul in this ftate : fhe fees them now with 
 other eyes, and feels fuch motions and changes within 
 her, as are ftrong proofs of every article of faith. She 
 thinks the day long and tedious ; and the management 
 
 Y 2 Of 
 
 * Cant. c. viii. v. I. "f Pfam xxxiii. v. 9. J Pfaln> 
 
 Ixxii. v. 25, 26.
 
 l6a The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 of her temporal concerns is troublefome to her, longing 
 till the night comes, that fhe may fpend it in the com- 
 pany of her GOD. She never looks upon the night as 
 too long , the longeft on the contrary, are thofe (he de- 
 fires moft. If they happen to be clear, with her eyes 
 caft up towards heaven, fhe admires its beauty, and the 
 brightnefs of the moon and ftars -, confidering them quite 
 differently from what fhe ufed to do and much more 
 chearfully. She looks upon them as fo many marks 
 of her creator's beauty, and fo many mirrors of his 
 glory -, as fo many meffengers that come to bring her 
 news of him ; as fo many lively draughts of his grace 
 and perfections, and as fo many prefents which the 
 bridegroom fends his bride, to indear and make her con- 
 ftant to him, till he himfelf fhall come and lead her by 
 the hand, to confummate this happy marriage for an 
 eternity in heaven. She looks upon the whole world as, 
 a book, that treats of nothing elfe but of Gop. She 
 regards it as a letter from her beloved, and a token of 
 his love. Thefe are the pleafures and delights they that 
 love GOD pafs the nights in. Thefe quiet the fleeps they 
 enjoy : for the regular motions all creatures obferve, are 
 like an harmonious confort to the foul, that makes her 
 {lumber a little, and lulls her into the gentle and foft; 
 fleep, of which it is faid, IJleep and my heart watcheth *. 
 And when her deareft fpouie perceives her thus at reft 
 within his arms, he takes care not to difturb her, and 
 gives orders that nobody prefume to wake her, faying, 
 / adjure you O ye daughters of Jerufalem, by the roes and 
 fhe harts cf the fields , that you fir not up^ nor make the 
 beloved to wake till ft <e pleafe -j-. 
 
 What do you think now of fuch nights as thefe ? 
 which do you imagine to be more pleafant, thefe, or 
 thofe of worldlings, who fpend this time, lying in wait 
 to defile innocent virgins, to rob them of their chaftity, 
 and to make them lofe their honour and their fouls. 
 Thus they miferably expofe themfelves to the hazard of 
 $heir own lives, heaping UJD for. themfe\ves a treafure of 
 
 vengeance 
 
 * Cant. c. y. v. a. } Cartf. c, ii, v. 7^
 
 Part II, Ch , 5. Confilathm of tbe Holy Ghofl. 1 6 \ 
 
 vengeance againft that day, ^wherein GOD will punilb, 
 them according to the heinoufnefs of their crimes *, 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Of the comforts they enjoy who begin to ferve GOD.' 
 
 13. Perhaps you will tell me fuch extraordinary favours 
 as thefe, are for none but thofe who have already advanced 
 far in perfection and virtue. It is true, they are for 
 them ? but yet GOD prevents even thofe who are but 
 juft entered into his fervice, with all the blefTmgs of his 
 confolations. He feeds them at firft like children with 
 milk, and brings them by degrees to eat more folid meats. 
 You fee how the prodigal fon was entertained at his re- 
 turn, and welcomed home with mufic and with feaft- 
 ing. This is but a reprefentation of the fpiritual joy *f- 
 which the foul conceives, when fhe fees herfelf efcaped 
 out of Egypt, and freed from the captivity of Pharaoh, 
 from the flavery of the devil. For how can a flave when 
 he has got his liberty, not be glad of fuch a benefit? 
 what can he do lefs than invite all creatures to thank his 
 deliverer with him ? Let us fing to the Lord, for he is glo- 
 rioujly magnified ; the horfe and the rider he hath thrown into 
 the fea J. 
 
 14. If this were not fo, where would be that Provi- 
 dence, which fupplies every creature fo fully, according 
 to its nature, ftrength, age, and capacity ? for it is cer- 
 tain carnal men could never be able to enter into this 
 new road, and trample the world underfoot, unlefs GOD 
 (hewed them fuch favours. To this end his Divine Pro- 
 vidence takes care as foon as ever it has determined to 
 difengage them from the world, fo to fmooth and plain 
 the way, that they meet with no rubs to make them 
 Humble. This is admirably reprefented to us by GOD'S 
 leading the children of Ifrael into the land of promife, 
 whereof Mofes gives us this relation : When Pharaoh 
 had fen t out the people, the Lord led them not the way of the 
 land of tbe Philiflims, which is near ; thinking leaft perhaps 
 
 they 
 
 *Rora. c.ii. v. 5. -j- St. Luke, c, xv. J Exod. c, XV. v. i. 
 Ibid. c. xiii, v. 1 7.
 
 1 62 *The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 they would repent , if they Jhould fee 'wars arife agalnfl them, 
 and would return into Egypt. The fame Lord who took 
 fuch care to conduct the Ifraelites into the land of pro- 
 mile, after he had brought them out of Egypt, takes no 
 lefs care' at prefent to brkig thofe to heaven, whom he 
 is pleafed to call to this happinefs, after having made 
 them quit the world. 
 
 15. But I would have you to conceive, that though 
 fuch as have arrived to perfection in virtue, are careffed 
 after a particular manner ; yet GOD is fo good to young 
 beginners, that confidering their poverty, he helps them 
 forward in the new way they have undertaken, and per- 
 ceiving they are ftill expofed to the temptations of fin, 
 and have paOions to overcome , he gives them imper- 
 fect as they are, fo much comfort, that their joy does 
 not come very fhort of that they pofTefs, who are ad- 
 vanced much farther. This he does for no other end, 
 but to give them an entire victory over all their inordi- 
 nate appetites, to make them break off with their own 
 flefh , to wean them from the milk -, that is, from the 
 weak delights of this world, and to tie them to him with 
 fach ftrong bands of love, that they may never be 
 *.ble to break loofe. If this does not convince you, 
 confider what GOD has been pleafed to fignify to us by 
 the fcafts of the Old Teftament, where he commanded 
 the firft and laft day to be obferved with an equal fo- 
 lemnity. As for the fix days which were between them, 
 they were no more than the ordinary days of the week, 
 but thefe two they always kept with a much greater ve- 
 neration. What can this be but a figure of what we 
 are now treating ? he ordered the firft day to be kept 
 folemnly, as well as the laft, to give us to underftand, 
 that he makes ufe of thofe that ferve him in the begin- 
 ning of their converfion, as well as of thofe who are 
 come to their utmoft perfection. This he does in confi- 
 deration of what thefe have deferved, and of w'hat thofe 
 (land in need of, dealing with the one according to the 
 rules of his juftice, by giving them what their virtue 
 has deferved ; and treating the other according to the 
 dictates of his grace and mercy j by beftowing on them 
 
 muck
 
 Part IL Ch. 5. Csnfotations of tie Holy Ghofl. 163 
 
 much more than they have deferved on account of their 
 nece/Tities. 
 
 1 6. We are never more taken with the fight of trees* 
 than when they are in their flourifhing condition, and 
 the fruit upon them is ripe. The day of betrothing, 
 and the wedding-day are always devoted to mirth and 
 jollity. Almighty GOD, upon the return of a foul to 
 him, betroths her to himfelf;. and when he marries her, 
 he is at all the charges of the wedding feaft,. which he 
 makes according to his eftate and ability, not according 
 to the deferts and quality of his fpoufe ; and to this pur- 
 pofe he fays * : Our fifter is little, and hath no. breafis \ 
 and therefore (he mufl live upon anothers milk. The 
 bride fpeaking to her bridegroom, tells him-f-: The 
 young maidem have loved thee. She does not fay, the 
 maidens^ which are thofe fouls that have made a confide- 
 rable progrefs in virtue ; but thofe who are not of fo 
 ripe an age ; that is, fuch as have but juft opened their 
 eyes to this new light. Thefe, fays me, have an ardent 
 love for thee. For young lovers do ufually exprefs their 
 paffion with the greateft force and heat. This is what 
 St. Thomas tells us in one of his Opufcula; where, 
 amongft feveral other reafons, he alledges this,, that the 
 newnefs of the ftate, of the love, of the light, and of 
 the knowledge of divine things, difcovers thofe beauties; 
 to them which they never perceived before ;. filling them 
 with a great deal of admiration, giving them at the fame 
 time a particular delight, and teaching them what re- 
 turns they are to make him, who has fo kindly reftored 
 them their fight, after they had been fo long blindfolded 
 and in the dark. When a man firft comes into any great 
 town or noble place, he walks up and down, for fome 
 time, and is pleated with what he fees ; but having fatif- 
 fied his curiofity with the frequent fight, he is lefs taken 
 with it than before, nor does he admire it fo mucrt. 
 Thus flands the cafe with thofe who firft come into, this 
 new country of grace, for they are furprized to find 
 fuch wonderful things. k So that it is not to be admired, 
 that young beginners in devotion mould feel more fer- 
 vour 
 * Cant, c, viii. v, 8, f Nd. c. i. v. 2*
 
 '164 52* Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 vour in their fouls than old practitioners ; for the hew- 
 nefs of the light, and of their underftanding divine myf- 
 teries, caufes a greater commotion in them. This, as 
 St. Bernard remarks *j-, is the reafons why the prodigal 
 fon's elder brother was not in the wrong, when he com- 
 plained to his father, and told him , that for liis fo many 
 years fervice, without ever difobeying the leaft of his 
 commahds, he had never mewed him fo much favour as 
 he had done this extravagant lewd foil of his, at his re- 
 turn home. Thus new love like new wine, ferments at 
 firft, and a"s water over a fire, boils up as foon as it feels 
 the heat it never felt before. The flame, after thefe 
 firft fallies, grows more ftrong and equal, though in the 
 beginning it is more violent and impetuous. 
 
 17. GOD entertains thofe that enter anew into his 
 houle, with a great deal of kindrtefs and love. He bears 
 all their charges at firft, and makes every thing feem 
 light and eafy. He deals with them as (hop-keepers do 
 with their cuftomers, who give famples of their wares 
 gratis, but will have their full price for what they fell. 
 The affection we mew little children, is ufnally more ten- 
 der, though perhaps not greater than what we (hew thofe 
 who are of riper years. We carry thofe up and down 
 in our arms, but let thefe go by themfelves ; and whilft 
 thefe are labouring and toiling, we lay thofe to deep, and 
 let them take their reft, without giving them the trou- 
 ble of afking for their meat, we feed them ourfelves, 
 and put their victuals into their very mouths. 
 
 It is this kind reception new beginners find with GOD$ 
 and the manifeft favours he mews them, which occafion 
 that fpiritual joy and comfort the Royal Prophet fpeaks 
 of, Fill up plentifully the ftreaihs thereof; Multiply its fruit s^ 
 it Jhall fpring up and rejoice in its Jhowers J. Now, what 
 is this plant, and what thefe drops, but the dew of the 
 Divine grace, with which GOD waters thefe fpiritual 
 young plants, which he has lately dug up from amoriglt 
 the wild brambles of the world, and fet in his own gar- 
 den? thefe are the plants which the prophet means, 
 when he fays, They Jhall rejoice in its flowers %. This mows 
 
 how 
 
 t Serai, xiv. in Cantic. J Pfalm Ixiv. v, 1 1 Ibid.
 
 Part II. Ch. 5. Cohfolations of the Holy Ghofl. 1 65 
 
 how great the joy of fuch perfons is, at their firft re- 
 ceiving of their new vifit. Nor are you to think, that 
 becaufe thefe favours are called but drops, they have no 
 more in them than their name feems to promife ; for as 
 St. Auguftin fays, he that drinks of the River of Para- 
 dife, one drop of which is more than all the ocean, is 
 fure, though he drink but one fingle drop, it will quench 
 his thirft for ever. 
 
 1 8. If when you think of GOD, you are not fenfible 
 of thefe comforts, it is no argument at all againft what 
 has been faid. For if the palate, when it is out of tafte, 
 by any bad humour, cannot diftinguifli what is bitter 
 from what is fweet, but judges what is fweet to be bit- 
 ter ; what wonder is it, if your foul corrupted with fo 
 many vices,and irregular affections, and which longs fo 
 earneftly after the flefh-pots and onions of Egypt, mould 
 not relifh the manna of heaven, and the bread of angels. 
 Waih your mouth firft clean with the tears of penance ; 
 and then you will be able fo tafte and fee that the Lord 
 is fweet *. 
 
 What I have faid being undeniably true, is there any 
 pleafure in the world to compare with thefe ? holy wri 
 ters tells us, there are two forts of happinefs ; the one, 
 a happinefs that is but begun ; the other, compleat and 
 perfect ; the latter the blefTed above enjoy, and jufl men 
 here on earth the former. What therefore can you de- 
 fire better, than from this very moment to begin to be 
 happy, and even in this life to receive the pledges of 
 that divine marriage, which is to be confummated per- 
 fonally in heaven ; though it be propofed here but by- 
 proxy, and at a diftance ? O mortal man ! whoibever 
 you are, fince it is in your own power to live in paradife, 
 and to enjoy fuch a treafure, go and fell all you are 
 worth to purchafe fo great an eftate, for fo fmall a fum. 
 Jefus Chrift will fell it, and he will let you have it in a 
 manner for nothing. Do not defer the opportunity any- 
 longer, for every moment loft is of more concern than 
 all the riches of the world. And though you may per- 
 haps meet with an occafion of purchafing it hereafter ; 
 Z yet 
 
 * Pfalm xxxiii, v. 9.
 
 1 66 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 yet allure yourfelf, the time you fhall have loft will be a 
 trouble to you, and will force you to cry out with tears, 
 as did St. Auguftin ; " O ancient goodnefs, too late I 
 have known thee ! *" The delay of this glorious faints 
 converfion, though he failed not of his crown, was the 
 perpetual fubject of his complaints and tears, before he 
 obtained it. Have a care therefore, leaft it mould be 
 your misfortune to deplore the lofs of both; if you 
 mould be deprived of the benefits of glory, the inheri- 
 tance of the faints in the next life, and of grace, the 
 reward of the juft in this. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Of the fifth privilege of virtue, viz. the peace of conscience 
 which the juft enjoy, and of the inward remorfe that tor- 
 ments the wicked. 
 
 i.TJESIDES the joy proceeding from the confola- 
 \j tions of the Holy Ghoft, there is another attends 
 the juft, which is the teftimony of a good confcience. 
 For the underftanding of the nature and value of thi* 
 privilege , you are to conceive, that the Divine Provi- 
 dence which has furnilhed all creatures with as much as 
 is neceffary for their prefervation and perfection, being 
 willing, that the rational creature mould be moft perfect, 
 has fupplied it with all that was requifite for this purpofe. 
 And becaufe the perfection of this creature confifts in 
 the perfection of its underftanding and will, which are 
 the two principal powers of the foul, the one made per- 
 fect by knowledge, and the other by virtue ; therefore 
 he created the principles of all fciences, from whence the 
 conclufions flows , and the feed of all virtues in the foul, 
 enduing it with a propenfion to good, and averfion to 
 evil , which inclination is fo natural and prevalent, that 
 though a long habit of ill life may weaken, yet it cart 
 "never totally deftroy it. Thus we read, that amidft all 
 holy Job's misfortunes, there was always a fervant ef- 
 
 capecl 
 * Solic. c. xxxi.
 
 Part II. Ch, 6. Peace of Conference, Sec, 167 
 
 caped to bring him the news ; even fo, he that fins is 
 never forfaken by that faithful fervant conlcience, who 
 flill efcapes alive and fafe, to fhow the wicked man what 
 he has loft by fin, and the miferable eftate he is reduced 
 to. 
 
 2. This plainly demonflrates how vigilant Divine Pro- 
 vidence is, and its love for virtue, fince it has furnifhed 
 us with a monitor, that never fleeps, and a continual 
 preacher that is never filent, and a mafter and tutor 
 that never ceafes guiding and directing us. Epicletus 
 the Hoick was very fenfible hereof, when he faid, That 
 as fathers are wont to commit their young children to 
 fome careful tutor, that will diligently divert them from 
 vice, and lead them to virtue , fo GOD, as our father, 
 after creating, put us into the hands of this natural vir- 
 tue, called confcience, as it were of a tutor, that it might 
 ilill put us forward in the way of goodnefs, and check us 
 in all wickednefs. 
 
 g. Now this confcience, as it is a mafter and tutor to 
 the good, fo is it an executioner and fcourge to the 
 wicked, inwardly accufmg them of, and punifhing them 
 for the ills they do, and mixing fuch bitternefs among 
 their delights, that they have no fooner tailed the 
 Egyptian onion, but their eyes prefently begin to water. 
 This is one of the punilhments wherewith GOD threatens 
 the wicked by the mouth of Ifaiah, faying : He will de- 
 liver Babylon into the power of the hedge-hog. For GOD'S 
 juftice delivers the heart of a wicked man, fignified by 
 Babylon, to the hedgehogs ; that is, the devils, and to 
 the pricks of confcience that attend fin, which like (harp 
 thorns pierce the heart. If you would know what thefe 
 thorns are, one is the deformity and hideoufnefs of fin, 
 which is fo abominable of itfelf, that a philofopher was 
 wont to fay : If I knew the gods would forgive me, and 
 men mould know nothing of it ; yet I could not dare 
 commit a fin, becaufe of its own deformity. Another 
 thorn is, when the fin is prejudicial to another, for then 
 it appears like that blood of Abel, which cried to Goo 
 for vengeance. Thus it is written in the firft book of 
 Maccabees, that King Antiochus had a full view of the 
 Z 2 mif-
 
 1 68 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 mifchiefs he had done in Jerufalem, which fo afflicted 
 him, that they haftened his death, and being ready to 
 expire, he faid * : I remember the evils that I did in Jeru- 
 falcm, from whence alfo / took away all the fpoils of gold 
 and of filler that were in it, and I fent to deftroy the inha- 
 bitants of Judea 'without caufe. I know therefore that for 
 this caufe thefe evils have found me ; and behold I perijh 
 with great grief in a Jlrange land. Another thorn is the 
 fhame that attends fin, which the fmner cannot be ig- 
 norant or infenfible of, becaufe it is natural for man to 
 defire to be beloved, and to be troubled at being hated ; 
 for, as a wife man faid, There is no greater torment in 
 the world, than the public hatred. Another thorn is the 
 inevitable fear of death, the continual uncertainty of 
 life, the apprehenfion of the ftric"t account that muft be 
 given of every action, and the dreadful horror of eternal 
 torments , for each of thefe things pricks and gores the 
 finner's heart in inch a manner, that he can never think 
 of this death, fo certain on one hand, and fo uncertain 
 on the other, without being extremely concerned, as 
 the book of Ecclefiafticus fays, becaufe he is fenfible 
 that day will take vengeance of all his crimes, and put 
 an end to all his fmful pleafures. It is impofiible for any 
 man to put this thought out of his mind, becaufe there 
 is nothing more natural to man than death is ; and there- 
 fore the leaft indifpofition fills him with a thoufand fears 
 and doubts whether he mail die or no ; for the excefs of 
 felf-love, added to fo violent a paffion as that of fear is, 
 makes him afraid of every fhadow, and puts him into a 
 concern and apprehenfion, where there is not the leaft 
 ground for it : fo that if any mortality mould happen, 
 any earthquakes, or thunder and lightning, the fmner 
 is immediately difturbed by his guilty confcience, and 
 fancies that GOD fends all this to punifh his iniquities. 
 
 4. All thefe thorns gore the wicked at once, as one 
 of holy Job's friends declares at large, whofe words, I 
 will add as a clearer proof of what I have aflerted -f : 
 The wicked man, fays he, is proud all his days, and the 
 number of tj?e years of his tyranny is uncertain, Tbe found 
 
 af 
 
 * \ Mac, c.vi, v, 12, 13, *f Jobj c, xv. v, 20, 21, 22.,
 
 Part II, Ch. 6. Peace of Confcience, &c. 169 
 
 of dread is always in his ears ; which are nothing but the 
 cries of his guilty confcience, accufmgand correcting him 
 every moment : And when there is peace he always fuf- 
 petteth treafon ; becaufe, let him live feemingly never fo 
 quiet, his wicked confcience never fails of putting him 
 into continual apprehenfions. He believeth not that he 
 may return from darknefs to light : that is to fay, he does 
 not believe there is any poffibility of his getting out of 
 the dreadful darknefs he lives in, to enjoy the tranquil- 
 lity of a good confcience ; which like a comfortable and 
 clear light rejoices and enlightens the moft fecret parts 
 of the foul ; for which way foever he turns himfelf, he 
 fancies he fees a naked fword pointed at him ; fo that, 
 when he movetb himfelf to feek bread *, which is generally 
 fpeaking a place of mirth and joy, he is wrecked with 
 all kinds of fears, diftrufts and jealoufies , he knowetb 
 that the day of ^darknefs is ready at his hand\ that is, the day 
 of death and judgment, and in which his laft fentence is 
 to be paffed upon him. Tribulation Jhall terrify him, and 
 diftrefs Jball furround him, as a king that is prepared for the 
 battle. This is the defcription which Job's friend gives 
 of the dreadful torments thofe unhappy wretches fuffer 
 within ; for to make ufe of the faying of a philofopher : 
 " GOD by his eternal law has ordained that fear fhould 
 be the conftant companion of the wicked;" which 
 agrees very well with a fentence of Solomon, who fays, 
 *That the wicked fieeth when no man purfueth ; but thejuft 
 Jhall be without dread as a lion -j-. St. Auguftin has the 
 fame thing, in mort, when he fays : " Thou, O Lord 
 haft commanded, that every foul that is irregular, mould 
 be its own executioner, and we find that it is foj." 
 There is nothing in nature that does not convince us of 
 this truth : for can you tell me of any thing in the 
 whole world, which is not difturbed when out of its or- 
 der ? what a fenfible pain, a man feels, if he has but a 
 bone out of joint ? what a violence does the element 
 fuffer, which is out of its center ; and what ficknefs 
 does not follow, when the humours of our bodies are 
 
 out 
 
 * lob, c. xv. v. 23.- Ibid. v. 24, ( Prov. c. xxviii. v. I. 
 
 J St. Aug. L. i, Conf, c, 12.
 
 170 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 out of their due proportion and temperament ? fince 
 therefore it is fo natural to a rational creature to live a 
 regular orderly life, how can its nature chufe but fuffcr 
 and be uneafy, when life is irregular and contrary to 
 reafon. Job had a great deal of reafon to fay * : Who 
 bath refifted him^ and hath had peace? Upon which words 
 St. Gregory fays f : " That the order in which GOD has 
 difpofed of all things for the continuing and preferving 
 of them in their being, is no lefs the matter of our ad- 
 miration, than the power with which he has created 
 them. Whence it follows, that no-body can difturb the 
 order of the Creator, without breaking that peace which 
 ke has intended mould be the effect of this order : be- 
 caufe it is impoffible for any thing to be at reft, when it 
 is out of the place where GOD had put it. And thus we 
 fee that thofe things which were undifturbed, whilft they 
 fubmitted to the order of GOD, no fooner broke off from 
 this fubjedion, than they lofe the peace they enjoyed 
 before. We have an example hereof in our firft parent, 
 and the fallen angels , who as foon as ever they difobeyed 
 the wUl of GOD, to- follow their own, and went out of 
 the order he had put them in, were deprived of their 
 former happinefs, and loft that content they had before. 
 And man, who whilft he continued obedient, was abfo- 
 lute over himfelf, when he caft off that obedience, found 
 a war and rebellion within himfelf. 
 
 6. This is the torment the wicked by GOD'S juft 
 judgment, are perpetually racked with ; and one of the 
 greateft miferies they can fuffer in this life, according 
 to the opinions of all the faints, amongft whom 
 St. Ambrofe in his book of offices, aiks J, " Is there 
 any greater torment in the world, than the inward re- 
 morfe of a man's own confcience. Is it not a mifery we 
 ought to fly more than death itfelf, or the lofs of our 
 cftates, our health, or our liberty. And St. Ifidore tells 
 jus, " There is nothing in nature which man cannot fly 
 from but himfelf: for, let him run where he will, he 
 will ftill carry the fting of his own wicked confcience 
 
 along 
 
 * Job, c. ix. v. 4. f St. Greg. Moral. L, ix, c. 12. 
 
 J L. iii. c. 4.
 
 Part II. Ch. 6. Peace of Confcience, Sec. 171 
 
 along with him *." The fame faint fays in another place, 
 " The greateft punifhment that can be inflicted, is that 
 of an evil confcience ; if therefore you defire to live in 
 peace, follow virtue and piety -f." This is fo undeni- 
 able a truth, that the very heathen philofophers them- 
 felves acknowledged it, though they neither knew nor 
 believed any thing of thofe pains, which our faith teaches 
 us the wicked are to fuffer ; and therefore Seneca afks, 
 " What avails it to fly from the converfation of others ? 
 a good confcience calls all the world in, to witnefs for it ; 
 whilft a bad one is always tormented, though in the 
 midfl of a defart. If what you do be good, you need 
 not be afhamed to let the whole world know it ; but if 
 on the contrary, it be bad, what matter is it whether 
 any body knows it or no, as long as you know it your- 
 felf ? your condition will be miferable if you take no 
 notice of fuch an evidence, fince every man's own con- 
 fcience is as good as a thoufand witneffes ." The fame 
 author tells us in another place -, " That the fevered pu- 
 nifhment which can be inflicled for any crime, is the 
 very committing of it :" And he repeats the fame 
 elfewhere, faying, " If you have been guilty of any 
 crime, you ought not to fear any witnefs that can come 
 in againtl you, fo much as your ownfelf, becaufe you 
 may find out fome means or other to fly from every body 
 elfe, but you will never be able to fly from yourfelf ; 
 for every wicked acYion you do, is its own executi- 
 oner ||." Cicero has fomething to the fame purpofe, in 
 one of his Orations , where he fays, " There is nobody 
 fo able as a man's own confcience is, either to caft or to 
 acquit him-, and therefore an innocent man is never 
 afraid, whilft the guilty lives always in apprehenfions (i)." 
 This therefore is one of thofe torments which the wicked 
 are never free from , it begins in this life, and will re- 
 main for all eternity in the next; it is the never-dying 
 worm, as Ifaiah calls it (2), that (hall never ceafe to gnaw 
 the confciences of the wicked. And it is in this fenfe 
 
 St. 
 
 * St. Ifid. in fent. L. ii. c. 36. f Idem. L. ii. Synon. c. 36. 
 Sen. Epift. 97. Epift. 98. || Epift. 45. (I) St. Ifid, 
 In feat. L, ii. c, 36. (2) Ifaiah, c. Ixvi. v. 24,
 
 172 'The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 St. Ifidore interprets thofe words of the pfalmift : Deep 
 calletb upon deep * ; that is, fays he, " The wicked fhall 
 be carried from the fentence, which their own confci- 
 cnces pafs againft them, to that of eternal damnation f." 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the peace of confcience which the virtuous enjoy. 
 
 Virtuous men are free from this plague, becaufe they 
 are never tormented with the flings of a bad confcience j 
 but on the contrary, enjoy the comforts they receive from 
 the fweet fruits of virtue, which the Holy Ghofb&has 
 planted in their fouls, as in an earthly paradife, and a 
 private garden in which -he delights. So St. Auguftin 
 terms it in his books upon Genefis, where he fays, " The 
 joy a good confcience gives a virtuous man, is a true 
 paradife J. And this* is the reafon why the church is 
 called a paradife full of all kinds of graces and innocent 
 pleafures, for thofe that live juflly, pioufly, and tempe- 
 rately. And the fame Saint in his method of inttructing 
 the ignorant, has thefe words ; " You who feek after 
 that true peace which is promifed to Chriftians after their 
 death, affure yourfelf, that it is to be found amongft the 
 bitter troubles and pains of this life, if you will but 
 love him that has made you this promife, and will keep 
 his commandments.; for you will foon find by your own 
 experience, that the fruits of juftice are much fweeter 
 than thofe of iniquity : and you will meet with a much 
 more folid fatisfaction from a good confcience, amidft 
 all your afflictions and tribulations, than a bad confcience 
 would ever let you take, though in the very midft of 
 delights and pleafures . Hitherto the words of the 
 faint,, which gave us to underftand, that this comfort is 
 of the nature of honey, which is not only fweet itfelf, 
 but makes thofe things fo, though of themfelves unfa- 
 vory that it is mixt with ; fo a good confcience brings fo 
 much peace along with it, that it makes the moft painful 
 like, fweet and eafy. And as we have faid, that the 
 
 foulnefs 
 
 * Pfalm xli. v. 8. f St - Md. n fent. L. ii. c. 26. J Tom. iii. 
 Lib. j 2! de Gen. ad. lit. c. 34. Lib. de Catech. rud.
 
 frirt II. Ch. 6. Peace of Confcience t &c. 173 
 
 foulnefs and enormity of fin are of themfelves a torment 
 to the wicked ; fo on the contrary, the beauty and worth 
 of virtue, without any thing elfe, are a comfort to the 
 good ; it is what the holy Prophet David exprefly teaches 
 us, when he fays, The judgments of the Lord are true y 
 juftified in themfelves ', more to be dejired than gold and preci- 
 ous ft ones -, and fleeter than honey and the honey- comb *. 
 This holy prophet, who had tafted how fweet they were, 
 took no greater pleafure in any thing, than in the ob- 
 fervance of them, as he tells us himfelf in another pfalm, 
 where he fays, / have been delighted in the way of thy 
 teftimonies, as in all riches -f-. His fon Solomon in his 
 book of Proverbs, is of the fame opinion, for he fays, 
 // it joy to the juft to do judgment J , that is, to aft virtu- 
 oufly, and to do his duty. Though there are feveral 
 caufes for this joy, yet it proceeds chiefly from the fplen- 
 dor and brightnefs of virtue, which according to Plato, 
 is moft incomparably fair and beautiful. In fine, the 
 advantages and delight which a good confcience brings, 
 are fuch that St. Ambrofe in his book of offices, makes 
 the happinefs of the juft in this life, depend upon it; 
 and therefore he fays, " The brightnefs of virtue is fo 
 great, that the peace of confcience, and the afliirance 
 of our own innocence are enough to make our lives plea- 
 fant and happy ." 
 
 The antient philofophefs were no lefs acquainted by 
 the light of nature, with the comfort that proceeds from 
 a good confcience, than they were with the difturbances 
 which attend a bad one -, as we may fee by Cicero, who 
 in his Tufculan queftions, fays thus, " That life which 
 which is fpent in actions of honour and virtue, is accom- 
 panied with fo much fatisfaction and pleafure, that they 
 who pafs away their time thus, either never feel any- 
 trouble at all, or if they do, it is very light and infig- 
 nificant ||." He repeats almoft the fame thing in another 
 place, and fays, " That virtue can find no theatre, either 
 more public or more honourable, than the teftimony of 
 A a a good 
 
 * Pfalm Xviii. v. TO, 1 1. f P( " alm cxvil1 ' v> ! 4 t ProV * 
 c. xxi. v. 15, St. Amb, L. ii, de Off, c. i. ft L, iii. 
 Tuf, cul,
 
 174 We Stnners Guide. Book.!. 
 
 a good conference *." Socrates being alked, who could 
 live free from paflion, immediately made anfwer, a vir- 
 tuous man. And Bias, another famous philofopher y 
 being afked, who in this world was free from fears and 
 apprehenfions, anfwered, a good confcience. Seneca in 
 one of his epiftles, writes thus, " A wife man is always 
 chearful, and this chearfulnefs comes from a good con- 
 fcience -}-." So that you fee how thefe philolbphers were 
 of the fame opinion in this matter with Solomon, wha 
 fays, All the days of the poor are evil J ; that is to fay, 
 tedious and troublefome , But a fecure mind like a conti- 
 nual feaft. It is impofllble for a man to fay more in a 
 few words ; by which we are to underftand, that as he 
 who is invited to a feaft, is pleafed with the variety of 
 dilhes, and with the company of his friends that are 
 invited ; fo the juft man is delighted with the teftimony 
 of a good confcience, and with the fweetnefs of the 
 divine prefence, having fuch good ground to believe, 
 that GOD is in his foul. But there is this difference be- 
 tween thefe delights, that the pleafure a man has in a- 
 feaft, is but earthly, fhort, and as it were beftial; 
 whereas this other is heavenly, eternal, and noble. The 
 one begins with hunger, and often ends with diftafte and 
 loathing ; but the other begins with a virtuous life, is 
 preferved and continued by perfever-anee, and ends with 
 eternal honour and glory. Now if the philofophers, 
 who had but a very imperfect notion of any reward after 
 this life, had fuch an efteem for the pleafure which a. 
 good confcience gives, at what rate ought a Chriftian to 
 value it, who knows very well what rewards GOD has 
 prepared for him in the next life, and with what favours 
 he honours him even in this ? and though this afiurance 
 ought not to be quite void of a holy and religious fear ; 
 yet this is fuch a fear, as does not difmay, but rather 
 ftrengthens him that has it, after a wonderful manner ; 
 becaufe it tells him inwardly, that his confidence is then 
 more fecure and profitable, when it is tempered with, 
 and kept in by this wholefome fear ; and that if he had 
 
 no 
 
 * I . Hi. Tuf. cul T Epift. 23. J Prov. c. xv. v. 15,
 
 Part II. Ch. 6. Peace of Confcience, &c. ' 175 
 
 no fear at all, it would no longer be a confidence, but a 
 falfe fecurity and prefumption. 
 
 9. there is another privilege which the virtuous enjoy, 
 of which the apoflle fpeaks, when he fays, Our glory is 
 this, the teflimony of our confcience *, that we have lived in 
 fimplicity, of heart, and in a true fmcerity, not accord- 
 ing to the wifdom of the world. 
 
 This is almoft all that is to be faid of the greatnefs of 
 this privilege , but neither what I have faid, nor what 
 I am able to fay, can difcover its excellency to him that 
 has never had any experience of it ; for how can any 
 one explain the delicioufnefs of a meat, to one that has 
 never tafted it ? this joy is in effect, fo great, that very 
 often when a virtuous man is afflicted, and can find no 
 eafe, which way foever he cafts his eyes ; yet if he but 
 reflect upon himfelf, he is immediately comforted with 
 the consideration of the peace and quiet he finds in his 
 confcience. For he knows, that as for all the reft, let 
 it go which way it will, it is no matter to him ; this is 
 the only thing he has to look after. And though, as I 
 have faid already, he cannot have an evident knowledge 
 of his innocence ; neverthelefs, as the fun in the morn- 
 ing enlightens the world before we fee it, by its advance 
 towards us-, fo the teftimony which a good confcience 
 gives a juft man, is a comfort to his foul ; though this 
 knowledge is not abfolutely clear and evident. This is 
 fo true, that St. Chryfoftom fpeaking of the fame thing, 
 fays, " Let a man be never fo melancholy, if he have 
 but a good confcience, all his troubles vanifhes like a 
 fpark of fire that is extinguifhed, when it falls into a 
 great river f ." 
 
 Aa 2 CHAP. 
 
 * 2 Cor. c. i. v. 12. f Hoa I0 - in 2> ad Corinth - c ' 3 
 Hon. 54. in Matt. c. 16.
 
 176 <The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Of ibffaib privilege of virtue, viz. 'The lopes thejuft have 
 in GOD'J Mercy i and of the vain confidence of the wicked. 
 
 i. fTTMIE comfort of a good confcience is always ac- 
 companied with that particular hope virtuous 
 men live in. Of which the apoftle fays, Rejoice in hope ; 
 patient in tribulation *. Advifmg us to make our hope 
 the fubject of our joy ; and in virtue of the fame, to 
 fuffer with patience whatever crofles may happen: af- 
 furing us, that GOD himfelf is our afliftance, and the 
 reward of our fuffering. This is one of the greateft 
 treafures of a Chriftian life : thefe are the riches, this the 
 inheritance of the Children of GOD , it is the common 
 haven in all the ftorms of this life, and the beft remedy 
 we have againft all our mileries. 
 
 2. But not to deceive ourfelves, we muft obferve here, 
 that as there are two forts of faith, the one a dead faith, 
 which performs no actions of life, and is that which bad 
 Chriftians have ; the other a lively one, the effect of 
 charity, by which the juft perform the actions of life ; 
 fo there are two forts of hope, the one a dead hope, 
 which neither enlivens the foul, nor aflifts her in her 
 operations, nor comforts her in her trouble; fuch a 
 hope as the wicked have ; the other is a lively hope, as 
 St. Peter calls it -f-, becaufe it produces the effects of life 
 as thofe things do which have life in them, that is, it 
 encourages, enlivens, and ftrengthens us in our way to 
 heaven, and gives us breath and confidence, amidft all 
 the dangers and troubles of this world. Such a hope a,? 
 this, the chafte Sufanna had, of whom we read J, that 
 after (he was condemned to die, and as they were lead- 
 ing her through the ftreets to be ftoned to death, yet 
 her heart trufted and confided in GOD : David had fuch 
 a confidence, when he faid, Be thou mindful O Lord of thy 
 word to thy fervant, in which thou haft given me hope. 'This 
 
 hath 
 
 * Rom. c. xii. v. i2. -f i P$ter a c. i, v, 3. | Dan, 
 c. xiii, v, 42, 43.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Hopes cfthe Jnjl. 
 
 hath comforted me in my humiliation^ becaufe thy word hath 
 enlivened me *. 
 
 3. This hope works many, and very wonderful effects, 
 in the foul of thofe who are filled with it j and that in 
 a greater meafure, and by much the more it partakes 
 of chanty and the love of GOD, which gives it life. The 
 firft of thefe effects is to encourage man to continue in 
 the way of virtue, in hopes of the reward he is to re- 
 ceive -, for as all the faints teftify, the furer man is of his 
 reward, the more willing he is to run through all the 
 miferies of this world. St. Gregory fays, " Hope is fo 
 flrong as to be able to lift up our hearts to the joys of 
 heaven, and to make us quite infenfible to the miferies 
 of this mortal life -f." Origin fays, "The hope of fu- 
 ture glory gives thofe perfons much eafe, who are toiling 
 in this life for the obtaining of it ; as we fee the hopes 
 of victory, and of a reward, mitigates the pain of the 
 wounds the foldier receives in war." St. Ambrofe fays, 
 " An allured hope of reward makes toils feem lefs, and 
 leffens the apprehenfion of dangers J." St. Jerome fays, 
 " Any labour feems light and eafy, when we put a value 
 upon the reward ; becaufe the hopes of what we are to 
 receive, makes us think there is no trouble in what we 
 have undertaken ." St. Chryfoftom is much fuller 
 upon this matter. If, fays he, " A tempeftuous fea is 
 not able to frighten feamen , if the hard frofts and violent 
 rains of winter are no difcouragement to the hufband- 
 man ; if neither wounds nor death itfelf can daunt the 
 foldier-, and if neither falls nor blows can difhearthen 
 the wreftler, whilft they think of the deceitful hopes of 
 what they propofe to themfelves for the reward of their 
 toils and labour : how much lefs ought they who afpire 
 to the kingdom of heaven, to take any notice of the 
 difficulties they may meet with in their journey thither. 
 Therefore, O Chriftian ! confider not that the way of 
 virtue is rugged and uneven, but reflect upon what it 
 will lead you to , and do not on the contrary, falfely per- 
 fwade yourfelf, that the path of vice is fmooth and plea- 
 fan t, 
 
 tPfalm cxviii. v. 45, 50. "f Moral. L. 16. Cap. 13. 
 
 { St. Ambr. in Pfal. 12, Epift. ad Demetri. c. 9.
 
 178 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 {ant, but think of the precipice it will bring you to ( i )." 
 
 how true is every word this great faint fpeaks , for 
 will any man be fo mad as willingly to follow a path that 
 
 1 s ftrewed with flowers, if he is to die when he comes to 
 the end of it ? and who is there that will refufe to take 
 another that is rugged and uneafy, if it leads to life and 
 happinefs ? 
 
 4. Nor does this hope ferve only for the attaining of fo 
 happy an end, but affifts us in the means that tend to it, 
 and in bearing with all the miferies and neceflities of this 
 life. For it is this that fupports a man in tribulation, 
 that defends him in danger, that comforts him in afflic- 
 tions, that aflifts him in ficknefs, and fupplies all his ne- 
 cefTities and wants ; becaufe it is by the means of this 
 virtue that he obtains mercy from GOD, who helps us 
 upon all occafions. We have evident proofs of this 
 throughout the holy fcripture, but particularly in the 
 Pfalms : fo that there is fcarce any of them wherein the 
 royal prophet does not highly commend this virtue, and 
 fpeak of the wonderful effe&s and advantages of it, as 
 being without doubt one of the greateft treafures and 
 comforts the virtuous can poffibly enjoy in this life. 
 To prove this, I will make ufe of a few paffages of the 
 fcriptures , but mall be forced to pafs by many more 
 than I am able to quote. The prophet Hanani tells 
 King Afa (2) : 'The eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and 
 give fir ength to them that with a perfett heart truft in him. 
 The Prophet Jeremy fays (3), The Lord is good to thofe 
 that hope in him, and to the foul that feeks after him. And 
 in another place it is faid (4), That the Lord is good, and 
 giveth Jtrength in the day of trouble; and knotveth them 
 (hat hope in him ; that is, he takes care to relieve and 
 aflift them. Ifaiah fays (5): If you return and be quiet, 
 you Jhall be fayed: injilence and hope Jhall your Jlrength be. 
 By filence, is to be underftood here, the inward reft 
 which the foul enjoys amidft all her troubles ; now this 
 reft is nothing elfe but the particular effect of this hope, 
 
 which 
 
 (i) St. Chryft. Horn. 18. inGenef. (2) 2 Paral. c. xvi. v. 9. 
 (3) Thren. c. iii. v. 25. (4) Nahum. c. i. v. 7. (5) Ifaiah, 
 
 C. XXX. V. 12.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7, Hopes of tie ^uft. 
 
 which baniflies all kind of folicitude and immoderate 
 trouble, by the favour it expefts from the mercy of GOD. 
 The book of Eccluf. fays ( i ) : Tc that fear the Lord be- 
 lieve him , and your reward Jhall not be made void. Te 
 that fear the Lord hope in him \ and mercy Jhall come to you 
 for your delight. My children, behold the generations of 
 men \ and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord and 
 hath been confounded. Solomon's advice to us in his 
 Proverbs is this (2) : In all thy ways think of the Lord? 
 and he will direct thy jleps. The Prophet David fays in 
 one of his pfalms (g) : Let them trujl in thee who know 
 thy name ; for thou haft not forfaken them that feek thce O 
 Lord. And in another pfalm (4) : But I have hoped in 
 the Lord; I will rejoice and be glad in thy mercy. And in 
 another place he fays (5) : Mercy Jhall encompafs him that 
 hopeth in the Lord. He has much reafon to fay, Jhall en- 
 sompafs, to let us know, that he fhall be furrounded or* 
 all fides with this mercy, as a king is with his guards, 
 for the fecurity of his perfon. He handles this fubjeft 
 more at large in another pfalm, where he fays (6) : With 
 sxpeftation 1 have waited for the Lord, and he was at- 
 tentive to me. And he heard my prayers, and brought me 
 eut of the pit of mifery, and the mire of dregs. And he fet 
 my feet upon a rock, and directed my Jleps. And he put a 
 new canticle into my mouth, a fong to our God. Many 
 Jhall fee this, and Jhall fear, and they Jhall hope in the Lord. 
 Eleffed is the man whofe truft is in the name of the Lord ; and 
 who hath not had regard to vanities and lying follies. From 
 thefe words you may learn another extraordinary effect 
 of this virtue ; which is, to open a man's mouth and 
 eyes, that he may be fenfible, by his own experience, of 
 the fatherly tendernefs of GOD ; and may fing a new 
 fong, with frefh delight for the new favour he has re- 
 ceived ; to wit, the affiftance he hoped for. If we were 
 to cite all the verfes in the Pfalms that treat of this 
 fubject, we mould never have done , for the whole pfalm 
 which begins (7) : >ui confidant in Domino ficut mons 
 
 Sion : 
 
 (l) Ecclus. c. ii. v, 8, 9, II. (2) Prov. c. iii. v. 6. 
 
 (g)Pfalmix. v.n. (4) Pfalmxxx. v.8. (5) Pfalm xxxi.v. 10. 
 (6) Pfalm xxxix. v, i. to 6. (7} Pfalm cxxiv. Heb, cxxv.
 
 t8o ffie Sinners Guide. feook \. 
 
 Sion : They who truft in the Lord Jball be as Mount Sion 
 is to this purpofe, and fo is the pfalm which begins (i) : 
 Qui habitat in adjutorio altijfimi : He who dwelleth in the 
 aid of the Moft High. They neither of them fpeak of 
 any thing elfe, but the extraordinary advantages of thofe 
 who put their truft in GOD, and live under his protection. 
 For this reafon St. Bernard, writing upon thefe words of 
 the pfalm : Lord thou art my refuge ', fpeaks thus (2) : 
 " Whatever I am to do, or whatever I am to omit ; 
 whatever I am to fufFer, or whatever I am to defire, you 
 
 Lord, are my hope. It is this hope that makes you 
 perform every thing you have promifed , and it is you 
 that are the chief caufe of this hope of mine. Let ano- 
 ther alledge the good works he has done, and pleafe 
 himfelf with having undergone all the heat and burthen 
 of the day. Let him fay with the Pharifee, that he ha$ 
 fafted twice a week, and that he is not as other men are ; 
 
 1 for my part, will cry out with the Prophet (3) : It is 
 good for me to flick clofe to my God, and to put my hope in 
 the Lord God. If any one promifes me a reward, it is 
 by your mercy alone that I mall hope to obtain it ; if 
 any-body mould make war againft me, my hopes of 
 overcoming mall be in you. Should the world fet upon 
 me, mould the devil roar at me, mould the flefh rebel 
 againft the fpirit, I will hope in none but you. Since 
 therefore the Lord is the only one that is able to affift 
 us, why do we not immediately banifh out of our hearts 
 all thefe vain and deceitful hopes ? and why do we not 
 with fervour and devotion ftick to fo fecure a hope as 
 this is ?" The faint immediately after has thefe words : 
 " Faith, fays GOD, has laid up ineftimable benefits for 
 thofe that ferve him faithfully : but hope fays, it is for 
 me that he keeps them ; and as if this were not enough 
 charity cries out, I will make hafte and take pofleflion 
 of them." 
 
 Behold how advantageous this virtue is, and how ne- 
 ceflary upon feveral occafions. It is like a fecure haven 
 whicji the juft put in at in bad weather. It is like a 
 
 ftrong 
 
 ( i ) Pfalm xc. Heb. xci. (2) St. Bern, Serin. 9. Pfalm 
 xc. v. 2. (3) Pfalm Ixxii, v. 28,
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Hopes of the Jujl. 1 8 1 
 
 ftrong fhield, to keep off the attempts of the world. It 
 is like a magazine of corn, in time of famine, whither the 
 poor refort to relieve their wants. It is the tent and 
 lhade which GOD promifes his elect by the Prophet 
 Ifaiah, to fhelter them from the burning heats of fum- 
 mer, and from the ftorms and tempefls of winter , that 
 is, from the profperity and adverfity of this world. To 
 conclude, k is an univerfal remedy for all our evils, 
 becaufe it is certain that whatfoever we hope with juftice, 
 faith and prudence, to receive from GOD, we lhall not 
 fail of obtaining it, provided it is for our good. For 
 which reafon St. Cyprian fays, that GOD'S mercy is a 
 fountain of healing waters, that hope is a veflel to re- 
 ceive them, and that the cure will be proportioned to 
 the largenefs of the veflel ; for if we confider the foun- 
 tain, it is impoflible it mould ever be dried up. So 
 that as GOD himfelf told the children of Ifrael (i), that 
 whatever place they did but fo much as fet their feet 
 upon, it mould be theirs ; fo as much mercy as a man 
 lhall put his confidence in, mall be his own. According 
 to this, he who infpired by GOD, mall hope for all things, 
 mall accordingly obtain all things. Thus this hope feerhs 
 to be a refemblance of the divine virtue and power, which 
 redounds to the honour of GOD. For as St. Bernard very- 
 well obferves (2) : " Nothing fo much difcovers the om- 
 nipotence of GOD, as that we fee he is not only Almighty 
 himfelf, but that he in fome meafure makes all thole fo 
 who hope in him.'* Did not Jomua partake of that om- 
 nipotence, who from the earth commanded the fun to 
 ftand ftill in the firmament (3) ? Nor was his power lefs, 
 who bid King Ezechias choofe which he would, either to 
 have the fun go back, or advance fo many degrees (4). 
 It is his giving his fervants fuch power as this, that pro- 
 motes the greatnefs of his glory, in a particular manner. 
 For if Nabuchadnezzar, that great king of the AfTyrians, 
 valued himfelf upon having fo many princes to obey and 
 ferve him, that were kings as well as he , how much 
 more reafon has GOD Almighty to glorify himfelf, and 
 B b fay, 
 
 (l) Jofu. c. i. v. 3. (2) Serm. Ixxxv. in Cant. (3) Jofu. 
 C. x. v, xiii. (4) 4 Reg. c. xx, v. 9, 1 1. Ifa, c. xxxviii. v. 8.
 
 182 The Sinners Guide. Book f. 
 
 fay, That thofe who ferve him, are in fome meafure 
 GOD'S, in refpect he communicates fo much of his power 
 to them. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 Of the vain hope of the wicked. 
 
 You fee here what a vaft treafflre the virtuous enjoyv 
 whilft the wicked have no benefit of it, becaufe though 
 they have not entirely loft all hope , yet what they have 
 is only a dead one ; as it is deprived "of its life, fo that 
 it cannot work any of thofe effects on them which we 
 have fpoken of. For as nothing enlivens hope, fo much; 
 as a good confcience, fo nothing ruins it more than a 
 bad one , becaufe it generally walks in dread and fear, 
 as being fenfible how unworthy it is of God Almighty's 
 grace. So that diftruft and fear are the infeparable com- 
 panions of a bat! confcience, as the ftiadow is of the 
 body. By which it appears, that fuch as is man's hap- 
 pinefs, fuch is his confidence ; for as he places his hap- 
 pinefs in worldly treafures, fo his truft is in them, be- 
 caufe all his glory is in them, and it is to them he has 
 recourfe in time of affliction. The book of wifdom takes 
 notice of this kind of hope ; where it is faid * : For the 
 hope of the wicked is as duft, which is blown away with the 
 wind; and as a thin froth which is difperfed by the Jtorm ; 
 and that is fcattered abroad by the wind as fmoak. Judge 
 by this, how vain fuch a hope muft muft be. 
 
 7. Nor is this all , for it is not only an unprofitable, 
 but a prejudicial and deceitful hope ; as GOD himfelf 
 has declared to us by the Prophet Ifaiah, faying -f- : Woe 
 to you apoflate children, faith the Lord, that you would take 
 counfel, and not of me ; and would begin a web, and not by 
 my fpirit, that you might add Jin upon Jin. Who walk to go 
 down into Egypt, and have not ajked at my mouth, hoping 
 for help in theftrength of Pharaoh, and truft ing in the jhadow 
 of Egypt. But the Jlrength of Pharaoh Jhall be to your con- 
 fvjlon, and the confidence of the Jhadow of Egypt toyourjhame. 
 7'hcy were all confounded at a people that could not profit 
 them : they were no help^ nor to any profit, , but to confujion 
 
 and 
 
 * Cap. c. v. v. 15. f Ifaiah, c. XXX. V. *, 2, 3, ^ "
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Vain Hope of the Wicked. 1 83 
 and reproach. Thefe are the prophet's own words, who 
 not thinking that he has faid enough yet, continues in 
 the next chapter, to make the fame reproach to them 
 again j faying * : Woe to them that go down to Egypt for 
 help) trujling in horfes, and putting their confidence in their 
 chariots, becaufe they are many ; and in horfemm, becaufe 
 they are 'very flrong ; and have not trufted in the Holy One 
 of Ifrael, and have not fought after the Lord. Egypt is man, 
 and not God ; and their horfes, flejh, not fpirit ; and the 
 Lord will put down his hand, aud the helper Jhall fall, and 
 be that is helped Jhall fall, and they Jhall all be confounded 
 together. 
 
 8. See here the difference between the hope of the 
 juft, and that of the wicked, for the hope the wicked 
 have, is the flem, but the fpirit that of the juft. Or, if 
 this does not thoroughly exprefs it, man is the hope of 
 the wicked, whilft the hope of the juft is GOD. By 
 which it appears, that there is the fame difference be- 
 tween thefe two hopes, that there is between GOD and 
 man. It is upon this account that the Pfalmift, with a 
 great deal of reafon, advifes us to beware of the one, and 
 invites us to the other ? with thefe words -f" : Put not your 
 trufl in princes ; in the children of men, in whom there is no 
 falvation. His fpirit Jhall go forth, and he Jhall return into 
 his earth : in that day all their thoughts Jhall perijh. BleJJed 
 is he who hath the God of Jacob for his helper ; whofe hope 
 is in the Lord his God; who made heaven and earth, the fea 
 .and all things that are in them. Here you plainly fee how 
 different thefe two hopes are. The fame prophet ex- 
 preffes it again in another pfalm, where he fays J : Some 
 trufl in chariots and fome in horfes, but we will fall upon 
 the name of the Lord our God. They are bound and are 
 fallen -, but we are rifen and are fet upright. Confider 
 now, how the effeds of their hopes are proportioned, 
 to what they are founded upon -, fmce ruin and deftruc- 
 tion are the confequences of the one, and viftory and 
 honour of the other. 
 
 Bb 2 9- For 
 
 * Ifaiah, c. xxxl. v. i, 3. f Pfalm cxlv. v. 3.4, 5. 
 J Pfalm xc. v. 8, 9.
 
 184 The Sinners Guide. Book T. 
 
 9. For this reafon thofe that rely upon the firft of thefe 
 hopes, are rightly compared to the man in the gofpel, 
 that built his houfe upon the fand, which was beat down 
 by the firft ftorm that arofe : but they who rely on the 
 other, are like him that built his houfe upon a firm rock ; 
 fo that neither winds nor waves, nor any tempefts what- 
 ever were able to (hake it *. The Prophet Jeremy ex- 
 plains this fame difference, by a very proper compa- 
 rifon -J- : Curfed be the man that trufleth in man -, and maketh 
 fejh bis arm, and whofe heart departeth from the Lord. For 
 he /hall be like amarick in the defart, and he Jhall not fee 
 when good Jhall ccme : but he Jhall dwell in drinefs in the de- 
 fart, }n a fait land and not inhabited. But fpeaking im- 
 mediately after of the juft, he fays J : Blejfed be the man 
 that trufleth in the Lord, and the Lord Jhall be his confidence. 
 He Jhall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that 
 fprec.deth cut its roots towards moifture, and it (hall not fear 
 when the heat cometh ; and the leaf thereof Jhall be green, 
 and in the time of drought it Jhall not be follicitous, neither 
 Jhall it ceafe at any time to bring forth fruit. Now what 
 more need be faid, were men in their right fenfes, to 
 Ihow how different the condition of the virtuous is from 
 that of the wicked, and how much more happy they are 
 than thefe, upon the bare account of hope itfelf. Is it 
 poffible for a tree to fiourifh better in any place than in 
 fuch a one as the prophet has here reprefented ? it fares 
 exactly after the fame manner with a virtuous man , for 
 there is nothing but what goes well with him, becaufe 
 he is planted near the ftreams of the waters of divine 
 grace. But on the other hand, it is impoffible for a tree 
 to be in a worfe condition, than to branch all out into 
 wood and to bear no fruit, becaufe of its^being fet in a 
 bad ground, and in a place where no-body can come to 
 lop it. This may convince the wicked, that it is their 
 greateft mifery to turn away their eyes and hearts from 
 GOD, who is the fountain of living waters, to fix them, 
 upon the creatures, and to rely upon their affiftance, who 
 are themfelves fo weak and fo deceitful , and may be 
 
 truly 
 
 * Matt. c. vii. v. 24, 25, 26, 27. f Jer, c. xvii, v. 5, 6, 
 J Ibid. v. 7, 8.
 
 Part II, Ch. 7. Vain Hope of the Wicked. 
 
 truly called a dry, barren, and inhabitable land. By this 
 you may fee, how much the world deferves our tears, 
 being planted in fo bad a foil, as having placed its hope 
 in things that are fo unable to affill it ; if that may be 
 called a hope, which is in itfelf fo far from being fo, that 
 it is on the contrary, nothing but deceit and confufion. 
 10. What mifery is to be compared with this ? can 
 there be any greater poverty than to live without this 
 hope. For, if fin has reduced man to fuch a low con- 
 dition, that he can find no relief, but from the hope he 
 has in GOD'S mercy, what will become of him, if this 
 anchor, which is the only fupport left him, mould fail ? 
 we fee all other creatures are in their way perfeft at their 
 birth, and provided with all things neceffary for the 
 prefervation of their being. Man, on the contrary, by 
 reafon of fin, comes in fuch an imperfect manner into the 
 world, that he has fcarce any thing in himfelf that he 
 flands in need of, but requires every thing mould be 
 brought to him , and lives upon the alms which GOD 
 Almighty's mercy diftributes. If therefore he is defti- 
 tute of this means, what kind of life muft his be, but 
 an imperfecl: and defective one, fubjecl: to a thoufand mi- 
 feries and wants. What is it elfe, to live without hope, 
 but to live without GOD ? what therefore has man left 
 him of his ancient patrimony to live upon, if this fup- 
 port be taken from him ? is there any nation in the 
 world fo barbarous, as not to have knowledge of a GOD, 
 as not to pay fome kind of honour and worfhip to him, 
 or to hope for fome favour from his providential care ? 
 when Mofes had been abfent but for a little while from 
 the Children of Ifrael, they imagined they were without 
 their GOD , apd being as yet very raw and ignorant, 
 they immediately cried out to Aaron to make them a 
 GOD: becaufe they were afraid to go on any farther with- 
 out one. By which it appears, that man is taught by 
 nature, that there muft of necefiity be a GOD, though 
 he is not always fo happy as to know the true j and that 
 he is fenfible of his own weaknefs, though he is at the 
 fame time ignorant of the caufe of it ; and therefore 
 runs naturally to GOD for a remedy againft it. So that 
 
 as
 
 184 tte Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 jas the ivy feeks fome tree to fupport it, that it may- 
 creep upward, not being able to fupport itfelf ; and wo- 
 man naturally has recourfe to the affiflance and protec- 
 of man ; her own imperfection telling her me wants his 
 help , fo human nature being reduced to the utmoft ex- 
 tremity, feeks after GOD to defend and protect her. 
 And fmce nothing is more evident than this, what kind 
 of life muft thofe men live who are unhappily neglected 
 and forfaken by GOD. 
 
 n. I would willingly know of thofe who are in fuch 
 a condition, what it is that comforts them in their afflic- 
 tions ? to whom they have reconrfe in dangers ? who 
 looks after them when they are fick ? to whom they cara 
 difcover their ailments ? whom they confult in their dif- 
 ficult affairs ? with whom they hold a correfpondence, 
 with whom they converfe, and whom they defire to aflift 
 them in all their neceffities ? with whom they difcourfe, 
 lie down and rife ? in fhort, how can they who are de- 
 prived of this help, get out of the confufion and diflur- 
 bances of this life ? if a body cannot live without a foul, 
 how is it poflible for a foul to live without GOD, who is 
 as abfolutely neceffary for preferving of the life of the 
 foul, as the foul is for preferving that of the body ? and 
 if, as we have faid before, a lively hope is the anchor of 
 our life, what man will be fo ram as to venture out into 
 the flormy fea of this world, without carrying this anchor 
 along with him ? if hope is the fhield, with which we 
 are to defend ourfelves againft our enemies ; how can 
 men dare go without that fhield into the very midft of fo 
 many foes ? if hope is the flaff that has fupported human 
 nature ever fmce the general diftemper, wherewith our 
 firft parent infected it , where will feeble and impotent 
 jnan be, if he has not this flaff to keep him up. 
 
 12. We have here fufficiently explained the difference 
 there is between the hope of the good, and that of the 
 bad ; and confequently between the condition of the one 
 and the other ; for the one has GOD to protect and de- 
 fend him : whilft the other puts his truft in the flaff of 
 Egypt, which if he venture to lean upon, will break and 
 run into his hand : becaufe the very fin man commits in 
 
 placing
 
 Part II. Ch. 8; Liberty of tie Ju/!. 
 
 placing his confidence, is enough to make Goo let him 
 know, by his own fall, how foolifhly he has deceived 
 himfelf : as he has declared by the Prophet Jeremy, who 
 foretelling the definition of the kingdom of Moab, and 
 the occafion of it, ufes thefe words * : Becaufe thou haft 
 trujled in thy bulwarks, and in thy treafure, thou alfo Jhall be 
 taken -, and Chamos, which is the god in whom you have 
 trufted, Jhall go into captivity, his priefts and his princes to- 
 gether. Confider now what a kind of fuccour this muft 
 be, fince the very feeking and trufting in it, is certains 
 ruin and deftruction. 
 
 This mall fuffice to (hew how great a privilege this of 
 hope is : and though it may feem to be the fame with 
 the particular Providence we have treated of already, 
 which GOD extends towards thofe that ferve and love 
 him ; there is yet as much difference between them as 
 is between the effect and its caufe. For, though there 
 are feveral caufes and beginnings of this hope, as the 
 goodnefs and veracity of GOD, the merits of our Saviour, 
 and the reft; however his paternal Providence, from 
 which this confidence proceeds, is one of the chiefeft > 
 becaufe the knowledge that GOD has fuch particular care 
 over him is the caufe of this confidence in man. 
 
 Of the feventh privilege of virtue, viz. The t 
 
 which the virtuous enjoy, and of the mifefable and unae 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 true liberty 
 
 countable Jlavery the wicked live in. 
 
 FROM all the above-mentioned privileges, but parti- 
 cularly from the fecond and fourth, which are the 
 grace of the Holy Ghoft, and the divine confolations, 
 there arifes another extraordinary one, which virtuous 
 men enjoy, and is the true liberty of the foul. It is 
 what the Son of GOD brought into the world with him 5 
 and it is upon this account that he is called the Redeemer 
 
 * Jerem. c. xlviii. v. 7.
 
 I 6 *The Sinners Gtiide. Book L 
 
 of mankind, for having delivered it out of that real and 
 miferable bondage, it had fo long lived under, and having 
 reflored it to perfect liberty. This is one of the greateft 
 favours our Saviour has beftowed on us -, one of the moft 
 remarkable advantages of the gofpel, and one of the chief 
 effefts of the Holy Ghoft. For, as the apoftle fays * : 
 Where the fpirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. It is, in.- 
 fine, one of the nobleft rewards GOD promifes thofe who 
 ferve him in this life. And it was this our Saviour him- 
 felf promifed to fome perfons, who had a mind to enter 
 into his fervice ; when he faid to them -f- : If you continue 
 in my word, you Jhall be my difciples indeed, and you Jhalt 
 know the truth; and the truth Jhall make you free: that is 
 to Jay, fhall give you true liberty. To which they an- 
 fwered : We are the feed of Abraham, and we never have 
 beenjlaves to any man : how fay eft thou, we Jhall be free ? 
 Jefus anfwered them : Amen, amen, I fay unto you, that 
 whofoever committeth Jin, is the fervant of Jin. Now the 
 fervant abideth not in the houfe for ever. If therefore the 
 Son Jhall make you free, you Jhall.be free indeed. 
 
 2. Our Saviour by thefe words, gives us plainly to 
 underftand, that there are two forts of liberty , the one 
 falfe, which though it looks like liberty, is not fo j the 
 other true, which is what it appears to be. As for the 
 falfe one, it belongs to thofe perfons, who though their 
 bodies are free, have put their fouls under the arbitrary 
 goverment of every paflion ; like Alexander the great, 
 who, after having made himfelf matter of the whole 
 world, was a flave to his own vices. But the true li- 
 berty is enjoyed by them alone whofe fouls are free from 
 the yoke of fuch tyrants, though their bodies may fome- 
 times perhaps be prifoners, and fometimes at large, as 
 was St. Paul's ; who notwithftanding his imprifonment, 
 foared up to heaven in fpirit, and by his preaching and 
 do&rine, fet the whole world free. 
 
 The reafon why we with fo much freedom call this, 
 Liberty, and not the other, is, becaufe, fmce of thofe 
 two parts which compofe man, to wit, the body and 
 foul, the foul is beyond all comparifon, the moft noble, 
 
 and 
 
 *2Cor.c.iii. v.i;. John,c.viii, ^31,32,33,34,35,36.
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Slavery of the Wicked. 187 
 
 and as it were man's all ; whereas the body is nothing 
 but the matter and fubject, or the cafe the foul is fhut 
 Up in, it neceffarily follows, that he who has the beft 
 part of him at liberty, may be faid to be truly free ; 
 whilft he, whofe better part is under confinement, en- 
 joys but a falfe liberty, though he has the free difpofal 
 of his body, and may carry it where he pleafes. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of tie Jlavery of the wicked: 
 
 Should you afk me whofe (lave he is who is under fuck 
 a confinement ? I anfwer, he is a {lave to the moft hi- 
 deous tyrant we can pofTibly reprefeht to ourfelves ; I 
 mean to fin. For hell torments being deeply abomina- 
 ble, fin muil of necefiity be yet more abominable ; in- 
 afmuch as thefe torments are but the effe&s of it. It is 
 to this the wicked pay their flavim homage, as appears 
 plainly from the words of our Saviour, fo lately cited j 
 wkofoeoer commit ctb Jin^ is the fervant of fin *. And can 
 a man pofiibly be oppreffed with a more deplorable 
 flavery than this is ? 
 
 Nor is he a (lave to fin oiily, but what is ftill worfe, 
 to thofe that incite him to it, that is, to the world, the 
 devil, and his own flem, depraved by fin, and to every 
 diforderly appetite the flefli is the occafion of: for he 
 who is a flave to the fori, milft be a flave to his parents; 
 Now there are none of us but know that thefe three are 
 the parents of fin, and upon this account, they are ftil'd 
 the enemies of the foul, becaufe they take it prifoner, 
 and put it under the power of this cruel tyrant fin. 
 
 4. But though thefe three agree in this point, yet 
 there is fome kind of difference in their manner of pro- 
 ceeding. For the two firft make ufe of the thircl; whi \\ 
 is the flefli, like another Eve for the deceiving of Adam ; 
 or like a fpur to drive him on to all manner of milchief. 
 For this reafon the apoftle calls it fin, as it were by ex- 
 cellence, giving the name of the effecl: to the caufe ; 
 becaufe there is no kind of fin whatever, which it does 
 C c toi 
 
 * Joan ; c, via- V; 34,
 
 1 88 *Tbt Sinnen Gfiuk.- Book f, 
 
 not tempt us to. The divines upon the fame account, 
 term it, Femes pecati, that is, 'The bait and nourijhment of 
 fm, becaufe it ierves inftead of wood and oil, to keep iri 
 and increafe the fire of fin. But the name we generally 
 call it by, is fenfuality, flefh, or concupifcence, which 
 to fpeak more plainly, is nothing elfe but our fenfuai 
 appetite, the caufe of all our paffions, as it is fpoiled 
 and corrupted by fin, it being the incentive and provo- 
 cative, and the very fource of all manner of vices. This 
 it is particularly, that makes our other two enemies em-^ 
 ploy our fenfuai appetite as their inftrument, for carrying' 
 on the war againft us. It was this that gave St. Bafil 1 
 occafion to fay ; " That our own defires are the chief 
 arms with which the devil fights againft us : becaufe the 
 immoderate affection we have for whatever we defire, 
 makes us endeavour to poflefs it right or wrong, and 
 break through all that lies in our way, though forbid by 
 the law of GOD. And from hence all fins take their rife 
 and origin. 
 
 5. This appetite is one of the greateft tyrants the 
 wicked are fubject too, and by which the apoftle fays, 
 they are made flaves ; and though he calls them flaves r 
 he does not mean that they have loft that free-will with 
 which they were created ; becaufe this never was, nor 
 ever will be toft, as to its efience, though man commit 
 never fo many fins ; but that fin on the one fide has fo 
 weakened this free-will, and on the other, lent fuel* 
 forces to the appetite, that the ftronger, generally fpeak- 
 ing, prevails over the weaker. Befides, what greater 
 fubject of grief can we have, than to fee man, whofe 
 foul is created according to GOD'S own image; who 
 is enlightened from heaven, and has an underftanding 
 fo fubtle as to fly above all created beings, and ta 
 contemplate GOD himfelf ; It is a deplorable thing to 
 confider, that this foul mould take no notice of all 
 thefe noble qualities, but let herfelf be governed by 
 the blind impulfe of her beaftly appetite, which has 
 been corrupted by fin, and hurried on by the devil? 
 what muft a man expect from fuch a government; 
 
 from- 
 
 * St. Baf. Horn. 23 . de non ad her. rcb. faecularibus.
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Slavery of the Wicked. 189 
 
 from fuch directions, but dangers, calamities, and all 
 .kinds of unparalleled misfortunes ? 
 
 I will give you a clearer .profpecl: of the deformity of 
 this flavery, by an example which comes home to our 
 prefent bufmefs. Reprefent to yourfelf a man married 
 to a woman, as noble, as beautiful, and as prudent as 
 poffibly woman can be ; and that this fortunate man, 
 mould at the fame time have a fervant a moft deformed 
 creature, and a mere forcerefe -, who envying her matter's 
 happinefs, mould give him a potion, fo to pervert all 
 his femes ; that deipifing his wife, and mutting her up 
 in fome corner of the houfe, he mould give himfelf over 
 to this lewd fervant of his, make her the companion of 
 his bed, and of all his pleafure ; mould confult her upon 
 the management of his affairs and family, and follow 
 'her advice in all things ; nay, to pleafe her, mould at 
 lier command fquander away his whole eftate, in enter- 
 tainment, feafting, revelling, and fuch kinds of delights ; 
 and mould befides all this, come to fuch a pitch of mad- 
 Jiefs, as to oblige his wife to wait upon this wicked wo- 
 man, and to obey all her commands. Can any one per- 
 iuade himfelf, a man mould ever be guilty of fuch folly ? 
 who would not be aftoniftied at fo great a madnefs? 
 what indignation would he be in againft: this wicked 
 woman, what pity would he have for the poor injured 
 lady , and how would he cry out againft this blind and 
 fenfelefs hufband ? we mould look upon fuch an aflion 
 as bafe and infamous to the laft degree ; and yet, it is 
 nothing in companion of what we are now treating of. 
 For you are to underftand, that we ourfelves have thefe 
 two different women, to wit. the fpirit and the flelh, 
 t/ithin our own fouls, which the divines, in other terms, 
 call the fuperior and the inferior part -, the fuperior part 
 of our foul is that in which refide the will and reafon, 
 which is that natural light GOD beftowed on us at our 
 creation. This reafon is fo beautiful and noble, that it 
 makes man like GOD, capable of enjoying him, and 
 unites him by a brotherly love to the very angels. It is 
 the noble woman to whom GOD has married man, that 
 they may live together, and that he may follow its 
 C c 2 couniel
 
 190 tfhe Sinners Guide^ Book I. 
 
 counfel and dictates in all things ; that is to fay, that he 
 may let himfelf be guided by that cekftial light, which 
 is reafon. But for the inferior part of the foul, it is 
 taken up by the feniual appetite, which we have already 
 fpoken of, and which has been given us for no other 
 end, but the defiring of things neceffary for the fupport 
 of our lives, and for the coniervation of mankind. But 
 this is to be done according to the rules which reafon 
 prefcribes ; as a good fteward would do, who makes no 
 provifion but what his matter bids him. This appetite 
 therefore is the flave we have all this while been talking 
 of; nor is it fit to be a guide, becaufe it wants the light 
 of reafon, and upon that account muft itfelf be directed 
 by another. But man on the contrary, has been fo un- 
 happy, as to place fuch an immoderate affection upon, 
 and to give himfelf over entirely to the fatisfying of this 
 wicked woman's lufts, that he has taken no notice of 
 the fuggeftions of reafon, which he mould have guided 
 himfelf by, but has in all things followed the directions 
 of his appetite, and made it is whole bufinefs to fatisfy 
 every irregular defire. For we fee, there are fome men 
 fo fenfual, fo unruly, and fo abandoned to the defires of 
 their own hearts, that there is fcarce any thing they 
 propofe, but immediately like beads they purfue it, 
 without any refpect either to the laws of juftice or of 
 jreafon. And what is this but giving themfelves up to 
 the fiefli, which is the deformed loathfome (lave, and 
 following all thofe delights and paftimes fhe has any in- 
 clination to, and defpifmg the advice of that noble and 
 lawful wife, which is our reafon. 
 
 7. But what is flill more intolerable, they are not fa- 
 tisfied with ufmg this lady fo bafely, but will force her 
 to ferve this wretched Have, and to make it her whole 
 bufinefs, day and night, to think of, and to procure what- 
 ever may ferve for the fatisfying of her bafe defires. For 
 when a man employs all his wit and fenfes about nothing 
 jn the world, but inventing new faftiions in his drefs, in 
 his buildings, in his table and diet, for the pleafing of 
 Jiis palate, with new fauces and pickles ; in the furniture 
 of his hpuje, and in continually thinking of new meajis
 
 Part II. Ch, 8. Slavery of the Wicked. 1 9 1 
 
 and devices, for raking up of money, to compafs all thefe 
 things , what does he elfe, but take the foul off from 
 thole fpiritual exercifes which are more fuitable to the 
 excellency of her nature, and make her a mere drudge to 
 that creature, who ought to have done the fame offices 
 for her ? When a man, that is paffionately in love with 
 a woman, ufes all the wit he has in writing love-letters, 
 and in compofing fongs and poems, and fuch other prac- 
 tices as are ufual in tfrofe cafes : what does he in all this, 
 but make the miftrefs wait upon the maid, by employing 
 this divine light, in contriving means to fatisfy the im- 
 pure defires of the flefh * ? When King David ufed fo 
 many flights to cover the fin he had committed in fecret 
 with Bathfheba , fending for her hufhand out of the 
 camp; inviting him to fupper; making him drunk j 
 and afterwards giving him letters to the camp, with 
 private orders to Joab, to put him in the very heat of the 
 engagement, that fo the innocent man might be taken 
 put of the way. Who was contriver of this chain of 
 wickednefs, but reafon and the underflanding ? and who 
 was it that urged them to it, but the wicked flefli, to 
 cloak her fault, and to enjoy her delights with the more 
 fecurity ? Seneca though a heathen and a philofopher, 
 blufhed at thefe things, and therefore ufed to fay-{-: " It 
 is beneath me who have been born to fomething that is 
 great, to be a flave to my own flem." If we fliould be 
 aftonimed at the ftupidity of that man fo bewitched, how 
 much more reafon have we to be concerned at this dif- 
 order, which is the occafion of our being deprived of 
 much greater benefits, and of our falling into more de- 
 plorable misfortunes ? 
 
 8. Now though this be fo frequent, and fo monftrous 
 a diforder, we take little notice of it, and no-body is fur- 
 prized at it, becaufe the world is fo diforderly. For as 
 St. Bernard fays J, We are not fenfible of the flench of 
 our crimes, becaufe the number of them is fo great. 
 For as no-body is affronted to be called a blackamoor in 
 thofe countries, where every-body is as black as himfelf ; 
 
 and 
 
 * 2 Reg. c. xi. -f Sen, Ep, 65. J St. Bern. Ep. ad 
 Fratres de Mon^e Dei.
 
 Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 and as no one thinks it a difgrace to be drunk (notwith- 
 flanding the filthinefs of the. fin) where drunkennefs is in 
 fafhion ; fo this diforder being general, there is fcarce 
 any one that looks upon it as he ought to do. From 
 what has been faid we may fee how unhappy a flavery 
 this is , and not only that, but what dreadful torments 
 man muft expect in punilhment of his fins, which have 
 delivered up fo noble a creature into the hands of fo 
 cruel a tyrant. The author of Ecclefiafticus looked 
 upon it as fuch when he prayed to GOD *, That he would 
 take frwn me the greedinefs of my belly > and let not the lufts 
 of the flejh take bold of me , and give me not over to ajhame- 
 iefs and fooli/h mind. As if he had begged not to be de- 
 livered into the hands of fome cruel tyrant or execu- 
 tioner -, looking upon his irregular appetite as fuch. 
 
 SECT. H. 
 
 9. If you would now be acquainted with the power 
 of thi$ tyrant, you may eafily gather it, by obferving 
 what effects he has wrought in the world in all ages. I 
 vrill not to this purpofe reprefent to you the fictions of 
 the poets, or fet before you the example of their famous 
 Hercules, who after having killed or tamed all the 
 monfters in the world, was himfelf at laft fo fubdued by 
 the unchafte love of a woman, as to lay down his club 
 for a diftaff, and to leave his adventures to fit and fpin 
 amongft a company of maids, in compliance to his 
 haughty miftrefies commands. It is a pretty invention 
 of the poets, to mow yhat arbitrary power this paffion 
 cxercifes over us. Nor will I alledge the authority of 
 the holy fcripture in proof of this truth , nor bring the 
 example of Solomon f, a man of fuch extraordinary 
 wifdom and fanftity on one fide, whilft on the other, he 
 was proftrating himfelf before his idols and building 
 temples to them, in compliance to his concubines. It is 
 an example indeed that comes very home to our prefent 
 purpofe ; but we will only take notice of thofe inftances 
 that occur to us daily. Confider therefore, what dan- 
 gers an adultereTs expofes herfelf to, for the fatisfying 
 
 of 
 * Eccl. c. xxiii. v. 6. t S Re S? c> xi -
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Slavery of the Wicked. 193 
 
 of an inordinate appetite. ^ I choofe this pa/lion before 
 any of the reft, that by this you may difcover the force 
 of the others. She knows, that Ihould her hufband 
 furprize her in the crime, me is a dead woman, and that 
 me mall in one moment loofe her life, her honour, her 
 riches, and her foul, nay, and whatever elfe flic is ca- 
 pable of loofing, either in this world or ia the next, 
 which is the greateft k>fs can be fuftained. She knows, 
 that befides all this, (he (hall difgrace her children and her 
 whole family , and that me mall herfelf find fubjeft of 
 eternal forrow , and yet fuch is the force of this pafiion, 
 or rather, fuch is the tyrant, that it makes her break 
 through all thefe difficulties, and fwallow down fo many- 
 bitter draughts, fo eafily, for the executing of all that 
 it commands her. Was there ever any mafter fo cruel, 
 as to expofe even his (lave to fo much danger, for the 
 performance of his orders ? can you think of any flavery 
 more hard and miferable than this ? 
 
 10, This is the ftate the wicked generally live in, ac- 
 cording to the royal prophets remark, when he fays, Such 
 ar are fet in darkwfs, and the Jhadaw of death, bound in 
 want and in iron -\. What can the prophet mean by this 
 darknefs, but the dark blindnefs the wicked live in, who 
 neither know themfelves nor GOD as they ought to do-, 
 nor underftand what it is they live for, or what is tire 
 end of their creation. They are unacquainted with the 
 vanity of what they love, and are not fenfibk of the 
 flavery they are oppreft with. And what are the chains 
 that bind them down, but the force of thofe irregular 
 affections, by whkh their hearts are fo clofe linked to 
 thofe thin-gs, they have fo unlawful a love for ? and what 
 can this hunger fignify, but the infatiable defire they 
 have of a great many things, which there is no pofli- 
 bility of obtaining ? is there any flavery fo troubiefomc 
 as this ? 
 
 1 1. Let ws take another example of this fame pa-flion. 
 Caft your eyes on David's eldeft fon Ammon, who as 
 foon as ever he beheld his fitter Thamar with a wanton 
 eye, was fo blinded, fb fettered* and fo- tormented with 
 
 this 
 f Pfalrncvi* v. 10.
 
 196 *Tke Sinners GuUe. Book I. 
 
 ttndants, his pofture, his gate, his mien, his difcourfe, 
 his looks , in fine, all he does tends this way , becaufe, 
 it is done fo as it may gain him moft efteem, and procure 
 him the empty puff and blaft of honour : fo that if you 
 look narrowly into him you will find, that what he does 
 or fays, is a bait for popular applaufe and commendation. 
 If we wonder at the folly of Domitian the Emperor, for 
 hunting after flies with a bodkin, when he had nothing elfe 
 to do. How much more mould we admire the folly of 
 the wretched ambitious man, who not only fpends fome 
 fpare time, but runs out his whole life in hunting after 
 the fmoke of worldly vanity ? it is this makes the unhappy 
 man do nothing he has a mifld to do ; he neither dreffes 
 himfelf according to his own fancy, nor goes where he 
 himfelf would go : fince he very often neglects even go- 
 ing to church, and does not care to converfe with vir- 
 tuous perfons, for fear the world, whofe flave he is, 
 mould reflect upon him. And what is yet worfe, this 
 vice makes him live above what he has, and by that 
 means reduce himfelf to a thoufand necefiities, which, 
 ruin his foul, and are very often the deftruction of his 
 poilerity, who have no other inheritance left them by 
 him, but his debts to difcharge, and his follies to imi- 
 tate. Can fuch perfons as thefe deferve any eafier punifh- 
 ment than that, a certain king inflicted on an ambitious 
 man , which was, to be ftifled with fmoke, faying, it 
 was no more than juftice that he mould be condemned to 
 die by fmoke, for having fpent all his life in feeking after 
 fmoke and wind.. What mifery can be greater than this ? 
 j 4. What mall I fay of the greedy covetous man, who 
 is not only a (lave too, but even an idolater of his money ? 
 while he lerves, adores, and obeys it in every thing it 
 commands him : for this he fafts fo rigoroufly, as fcarce 
 to allow himfelf a morfel of bread ; this treafure, in 
 fine, he loves more than he does GOD ; whom he makes 
 no fcruple to offend for the leait profit. This is his 
 comfort, his glory, his hope, the continual fubject of 
 all his thoughts, and the object of his love : with it he 
 goes to (leep, with it he rifes, employs his whole life 
 about it, and is continually finding out new ways to im- 
 prove
 
 Part II, Ch. 8. Slavery of the Wicked. ~ 197 
 
 prove it ; negleding at the fame time, and forgetting 
 himfelf and every thing elfe. Can we call fuch a man 
 the mafter of his money, to difpofe of it as he has a 
 mind ; or ought we not rather to fay, that inftead of his 
 money being a flave to him, he becomes a flave to his 
 money, confidering himfelf as it were made for his mo- 
 ney, and not his money for him ? neglecting his belly 
 and his very foul, to give himfelf entirely to it ? 
 
 1 5. Can there be a harder flavery than this ? for if we 
 .call that man a prifoner, who is clapt up into a dungeon, 
 or loaden with chains and irons ; what better name can 
 we give him, who has his foul oppreffed and charged 
 with the diforderly affection of what he loves ? for 
 when a man is once come to this degree, he has not 
 any one power of his foul that enjoys a perfect liberty -, 
 ne is not his own mafter, but his flave, whom he has fo 
 paffionate a love for. For wherefoever his love is, there 
 his heart will be, though ftill he does not lofe his free-will. 
 Nor does it fignify any thing what chains you are tied 
 down with, if the nobler part of you is made a prifoner ; 
 nor does your confenting to your imprifonment make 
 your confinement lefs , nay, on the contrary, if it be a 
 true prifon, the more voluntary it is, the more dangerous 
 it will be ; as we fee in poifon, which if pure, is no lefs 
 hurtful, becaufe it is fweet : certainly there can be no 
 ftraighter prifon than that you are thus confined too, 
 which makes you turn your eyes away from GOD, 
 truth, honefty, and the laws of juftice; and lords it over 
 you at fuch a rate, that as a drunken man is not his 
 own mafter, but a flave to his liquor, fo he that is op- 
 preffed with this flavery, is no longer in his own power, 
 but at the command of his pafflon, though his free-will 
 is yet remaining. Now if imprifonment be a torment, 
 what greater torment can there be, than that which one 
 of thefe miferable men endures ; by continually defiring 
 what he knows he can never obtain -, and yet he cannot 
 forbear or curb his defires, fo that he is reduced to fuch 
 circumftances, that he knows not which way to turn 
 himfelf. And being in this perplexity and trouble, he 
 is forced to make ufe of the words of a certain poet to 
 Dd 2 an
 
 198 tte Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 an ill-natured lewd woman : " I love you, and I hate 
 you at the fame time, and if you afk me the reafon of it, 
 it is becaufe I can neither live with you, nor without you. 9 ' 
 But if at any time he endeavours to break thefe chains, 
 and to overcome his paffions, he immediately finds fuch 
 refiftance, that he very often defpairs of obtaining the 
 victory, and returns to his chains and flavery again. 
 Do not you think after all this, that we may very well 
 be allowed to call this ftate, a torment and captivity ? 
 
 1 6. If thefe prifoners had but one chain to hold them, 
 their miferies would be much lefs, for there were fome 
 hope of breaking a fingle bond, or overcoming one 
 enemy alone. But how miferable muft we imagine their 
 condition to be, when we confider what a great number 
 of other paffions, like fo many fetters, keep down thefe 
 unhappy creatures ? for man's life lying open to fo many 
 neceffities, and every neceffity exciting fome new defire, 
 and adding as it were, another link to the chain , it fol- 
 lows, that he who has a great many paflions, muft have 
 but very little command of his own heart ; but (till this 
 is mere in fome perfons than in others , for fome mens 
 apprehenfion is naturally fo tenacious, that they can fcarce 
 ever put from them any thing, that has once taken pof- 
 feflion of their imagination. Others are of a melancholy 
 temper, which makes them conceited and violent in their 
 clefires. Others are mean fpirited, who look upon all 
 things, though never fo inconfideyable, as great and 
 worthy to be coveted, for every little thing feems great 
 to a poor foul. Others are naturally violent in whatever 
 they defire, as generally women are , who as a philofo- 
 pher obferves, paflionately love, or hate, becaufe there 
 is no medium in their affections. All thefe paffions ex- 
 ercife continual cruelties upon thofe that are fubject t;o 
 them ; now if the mifery of being bound with but one 
 chain, and of ferving only one mafter be fo great, how 
 miferable muft that man's condition be who is held by 
 fo many chains, and has fuch a great number of mafters 
 to command him, as the wicked man has ; for every 
 pafTion and vice he is fubject too, is a diftind mafter, an,d 
 Requires his obedience and fubmifHon.
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Slavery of the Wicked. 
 
 Can there be any greater mifery than this ? for if the 
 dignity of man, as man depends on two things, viz, 
 reafon and free-will ; what can be more oppofite, either 
 to the one, or the other, than pafiion is, which at the 
 fame time blinds the reafon, and drags away the free-will 
 along with it ? by which you may perceive what preju- 
 dice we receive from the leaft irregular affection, fmce it 
 turns a man out of his throne by obfcuring his reafon, 
 and perverting his free-will, without which two, man is 
 no longer a reafonable creature, but a mere brute. See 
 here the unhappy flavery the wicked are reduced to ; as 
 men that will neither take notice of the laws, or infpira- 
 tions of GOD, nor the dictates of their own reafon, but 
 are hurried away by the impulfe of their own paffions 
 and appetites. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Of the liberty virtuous men here enjoy, 
 
 17. This is the cruel flavery the Son of GOD came 
 down from heaven, to deliver us from ; and it is this 
 liberty and victory Ifaiah fo highly commends, when he 
 fays , Thofe whom thou haft redeemed, they jhall rejoice be- 
 fore thee, O Lord, as they that rejoice in the harveft, as 
 conquerors rejoice after taking a prey, when they divide the 
 fpoils. For the yoke of their burthens, and the rod of their 
 Jhoulder, and the fceptre of their opprejfor, thou haft over- 
 come , as in the day of Median *. All thefe names, of 
 yoke, of rod, and fceptre, agree very well with the ty- 
 rannical power of our paflions and appetites; becaufe 
 the devil, who is the prince of this world, makes ufe of 
 them as very proper inflruments to work us under his 
 tyranny, and into fubjection to fin. From this tyranny 
 and fubjection, the Son of GOD has delivered us by the 
 fuperabundance of his grace, which the facrifice he made 
 of himfelf on the crofs, has purchafed for us. For 
 which reafon the apoftle fays, 'That our old man is cruci- 
 fied with him -f ; meaning here, by The old man, our fen- 
 fitive appetite, which became diforderly by the fin of 
 our firft parent. And the reafon why our old man has 
 
 been 
 c. ix. v, 3, 4, f R om, c, vi. v. 6.
 
 2oo he Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 been crucified with him, is becaufe he by the merit of 
 his pa/lion, has obtained grace for us, whereby we may 
 fubdue this tyrant, and make him fuffer the fame punifh- 
 ment he has caufed us to fuffer; thus crucifying him 
 who before crucified us, and bringing him into flavery, 
 under whofe (lavery we have been To long groaning, 
 Thus, what the Prophet Ifaiah foretold in another place, 
 has come to pafs : They Jhall make them captives that had 
 taken them, and Jhatt fubdue their opprefors *. For our 
 fenfual appetite, before the reign of grace, tyrannized 
 over our underftanding, and made it a flave to all its 
 unlawful defires ; but as foon as ever grace came into its 
 fuccour, it grew fo ftrong, as to prevail againft this 
 tyrant, and make it fubmit to what reafon prefcribed. 
 
 1 8. This fubduing of the appetite to reafon, has been 
 in a particular manner reprefented to us by the death of 
 Adonibefech king of Jerufalem, who was put to death 
 by the Children of Ifrael, after they had firft cut off his 
 fingers and toes. This unhappy prince feeing himfelf 
 in this condition, and calling to mind the cruelties he 
 had before exercifed upon others, was heard to fay, 
 Seventy kings, having their fingers and toes cut off, gathered 
 up the leavings of the meat under my table -, as I have done, 
 fo hath GOD requited me -^. After which the fcripture adds, 
 that he was carried in this condition to Jerufalem, and died 
 there. This cruel tyrant is a figure of this world, which 
 before the Son of GOD came down from heaven, cut off the 
 hands and feet of almoft all men in general, by this 
 means maiming and putting them out of the capacity of 
 ferving GOD ; cutting off their hands to hinder them 
 from doing any good ; and their feet to prevent them 
 from fo much as defiring it; and befides all this, reducing 
 them to the neceffity of living upon the poor fcraps that 
 fell under his table, that is, the fenfual pleasures of the 
 world, wherewith this wicked prince maintains his fer- 
 vants. There is much reafon for calling them fcraps, 
 and not pieces of bread, becaufe this tyrant is fo niggardly 
 in diftributing of thefe crumbs and fragments, that he 
 
 never 
 
 * Ifa'ah, c. xiv. v. 2. f Judu. c. i. v. 7.
 
 Part II. Ch. S. Liberty of tie Jujt. 50 1 
 
 never gives enough to fotisfy their appetite. But after 
 our Saviour came into the world, he made this tyrant 
 undergo the fame torments he had put others to before, 
 cutting off his hands and feet, that is, defeating all his 
 forces. The fcripture exprefsly declares, that Adoni- 
 befech died in Jerufalem ; becaufe this was the place where 
 our Saviour by his death, deftroyed the prince of this 
 world, and where dying upon the crofs, he crucified this 
 tyrant, binding him hand and foot, and taking all his 
 power from him. And therefore immediately after his 
 moft facred pafilon, men began to triumph and infulc 
 over this tyrant, and fo to lord it over the word, the 
 devil, and the flefh, with all its concupifcences, that 
 neither all the tortures they could be threatened with or* 
 one fide, nor all the pleafures that could be propofed to 
 them on the other, were able to make them commit any 
 mortal fin. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 Of the canfes whence this liberty proceeds. 
 
 19. You will afk perhaps whence this great victory 
 and liberty proceeds ? to whk h I anfwer, that next to 
 GOD, it proceeds immediately, as I have faid already 
 from this grace, which by the means of thofe virtues it 
 infpires, fo moderates the heat of our paflions, as not to 
 let them get the better of reafon. So that as forcerers 
 can by certain fpells enchant fnakes, that they mail do 
 no hurt, without killing them or taking away their ve- 
 nom -, fo the grace of GOD charms all the venomous fer- 
 pents of our paflions ; and though it ftill leaves them 
 their natural being in perfect vigor, yet they can do us 
 no hurt with their poifon, becaufe they are not capable 
 as they were before, to infect our lives. This was meant 
 by the Prophet Ifaiah, when he faid, We faking child 
 fiallplay on the hole of the afp, and the weaned child Jhall 
 thrujl his band into the den of the bafdijk. They Jhall not 
 hurt, nor Jhdl they kill in all thy holy mountain, for the 
 earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the cover- 
 ing waters of the fea *. It is plain the prophet does not 
 
 fpeak 
 * Ifaiah, c. xi, v, 8,9,
 
 202 The Sinners Guide. Book t; 
 
 fpeak here of vifible, but of invifible ferpents, which 
 are nothing but our own paffions and bad inclinations, 
 which when once they break out, are enough to corrupt 
 the whole world. Nor does he fpeak of corporal chil- 
 dren, but of fpiritual, and thofe he calls fucking children, 
 as fuch as are but juft beginning to ferve GOD, and there- 
 fore mufl be fed with milk ; but thofe that are wean'd, are 
 fuch as have made a greater progrefs, and can go alone, 
 and eat bread and ftronger meats. The prophet there- 
 fore fpeaking of both, fays of the former, that they 
 fhall be glad to fee, how notwithftanding they are per- 
 petually in the very midft of thefe invifible ferpents -, yet 
 the grace of GOD will fecure them from receiving any 
 confiderable hurt, by not permitting them to confent in 
 any manner to fin. As for the latter, thofe I mean, that 
 are already weane d, and have advanced farther in the 
 way of GOD, he fays, they mail put their hands into 
 the very dens of bafilifks ; which is as much as to fay, 
 that GOD will preferve them, even in their greateft dan- 
 gers -, fo that we fee thefe words of the pfalmift verified 
 in them. Thou Jhall walk upon the afp and the bajilijk^ 
 thou Jhall trample under foot the lion and the dragon *: 
 Thefe are they that (hall receive no harm at all, though 
 they put their hands into a bafilifk's den, becaufe thefe 
 ferpents mail be fo charmed by the abundance of GOD'S 
 grace, fp read ing itfelf over the whole face of the earth, 
 that they fhall not do any hurt to the children of GOD. 
 
 20. St. Paul explains this much more clearly, and 
 without any kind of metaphor ; for after having dif- 
 courfed very fully of the tyranny our irregular affections 
 and our flefh exercife over us, he crys out at laft, Un- 
 happy man that I am, who Jhall deliver me from the body of 
 this death-\? but he himfelf immediately anfwers his 
 own queftion in fhort, and fays, The grace of GOD which 
 is given us by Jefus Chrijl our Lord J. What he means 
 here by The body of death, is not this body of ours, that 
 is fubject to a natural death, which we all of us look 
 for -, but what he himfelf in another place calls The body 
 
 rf 
 
 *Pfalm xc, v. 13. -j- Rom, c. vii. v, 24* J Ibid. y. 25*
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Liberty of the Jujl. 223 
 
 cfSin*-, that is, our depraved appetite, from which pro- 
 ceed all inordinate affections, which are continually en- 
 ticing us to fin, juft as the members do from the body ; 
 and this is the body the apoftle fays, the grace that 'is 
 given us through Jefus Chrift delivers us from; as from 
 a cruel tyrant. 
 
 21. The fecond, and that a main caufe of this liberty, 
 is the greatnefs of that joy, and of thofe fpiritual con- 
 ifolations which the virtuous enjoy, as we have proved 
 already. By thefe all their defires are fo fully fatisfied, 
 that they eafily overcome and difmifs all their irregular 
 appetites ; and having found out this fource of all that 
 is good and pleafant, they covet no other happinefs, as 
 our Saviour himfelf declared to the Samaritan woman, 
 when he told her ; But be that Jhall drink of the waters 
 which I Jhall give him, (which is the grace of GOD] Jhall 
 not thirft for ever -f-. St. Gregory allures us of the fame 
 thing in one of his Homilies, in thefe words, " He who 
 is once thoroughly acquainted with the fweetnefs of a 
 heavenly life, immediately bids adieu to all thofe things 
 he had a fenfual love for before. He forfakes all he is 
 in pofleflion of; he diftributes liberally all his treafures; 
 his heart is enflamed with the defire of heaven ; there is 
 nothing upon earth can pleafe him , and whatfoever he 
 before thought beautiful and lovely, he now accounts 
 deformed and hideous ; becaufe this precious jewel is the 
 only thing that mines and glitters to the eyes of his foul." 
 for when the veffel of our heart is full of this liquor* 
 and the thirft of our foul is quenched with the fame ; 
 it has no occafion to run after the fleeting and vain plea- 
 iures of this life ; but live free from the flavery of all 
 thofe affections, which bafe earthly pleafures excited in 
 ner , becaufe where there is no love for them, there can 
 be no flavery to them , and thus the heart that has found 
 him who is the Lord of all things, finds itfelf to be in 
 fome meafure Lord of all things ; there beirjg ho other" 
 folid good which it does not meet with iri this one good. 
 22. Add to thefe two divine favours, which aflift Us 
 fo much in the regaining of our liberty, the pains vir- 
 E e tuows 
 
 * Rom, e k vi. v, 6* f St - M n c ' iv - v> J 3-
 
 224 2fo Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 tuous men take to fubdue the flelh to the fpirit, and to 
 make the pafiions fubmit to reafon. By this means they 
 gradually mortify their pafiions, obtain a habit of virtue, 
 and lay afide that heat and violence which ufed to difturb 
 them before. For if, as St. Chryfoftom fays, " The 
 wildeft beads that are, by living amongft men, come in 
 time to lofe their .natural fiercenefs, and to grow tame 
 and gentle, by obferving the fame qualities in men.'* 
 Which gave a poet occafion to fay, that time and cuftom 
 bring lions under obedience , what wonder is it, that 
 our paflions, if we but accuftom them to fubmit to rea- 
 fon, mould by degrees become tame and rational, that 
 is, mould in fome manner partake of the quality of the 
 fpirit and of reafon ; and love nothing more than to do 
 as they do ? now if this may be done only by ufe and 
 cuftom, how much fooner and more efficaciously muft it 
 of necefllty be effected, when ufe and cuftom are afiifted 
 by grace. 
 
 23. Hence it is, that thofe who ferve GOD, very often 
 feel a more fenfible pleafure and fatisfaction, if I may fo 
 term it, in their recollection, filence, reading, prayers, 
 meditations, and in all their other exercifes, than they 
 could find in hunting, hawking, gaming, and converfa- 
 tion, or in any other worldly recreations and diverfions^ 
 which they look upon as mere torments, infomuch, 
 that the flem itfelf begins now to hate what it loved be- 
 fore, and to be pleafed with what it formerly loathed. 
 All this is fo true, that the inferior part of our fouls, as 
 St. Bonaventure obferves in the preface of his Incentive to 
 the Love of God, is very often fo delighted in prayer, and 
 in converting with GOD , that it is no fmall torment to 
 it, when there is any, though never fo juft caufe, that 
 obliges it to break off thefe exercifes. And this is what 
 the Royal Prophet meant, when he faid*: I will blefs the 
 Lord, who hath given me under/landing : moreover my rein* 
 alfo have ccrrefled me even till night ; or as another tranf- 
 lation has it : Have inftrufted me all the night-long. This 
 is without doubt a particular favour of GOD'S grace ;, 
 becaufe the expofitors of the holy fcriptures underftand 
 
 in 
 * Pfaltn xv. v. 7.
 
 Part II. Ch. 8. Liberty of tie Jujt. 225 
 
 in this place by the reins, all the inward affections and 
 motions of man ; which as we have faid already, are the 
 general incentives to fin. But yet by virtue of this 
 grace, they are very often fo far from ftirring us up to 
 fin, as they ufed to do, or from fighting for the devil, 
 whofe fervice they were engaged in before -, that on the 
 contrary, they forward us in virtue, and running over to 
 Jefus Chrift, turn their arms againft the common enemy : 
 though this may be feen in all the exercifes of a fpiritual 
 life, it appears much more plainly in our forrow and con- 
 trition for our fins; wherein the inferior part of our 
 foul has its (hare, afflicting itfelf, and (hedding tears for 
 them. This is the reafon of David's faying : "That his 
 reins reproved him in the night-time -, becaufe then the 
 day being ended, the juft are ufed to examine their con- 
 fciences, and to bewail whatever they have offended in ; 
 and then it was, that he himfelf, as he fays in another 
 place: Swept his fpirit* by this exercife. It was in the 
 night, I fay, that his reins reproved him, becaufe the 
 forrow which he felt in this part of his foul, for having 
 offended GOD, was a continual correction, to keep him 
 from falling into thofe fins again, which had troubled 
 him fo much. Upon which account, he with a great 
 deal of juftice thanks GOD , becaufe, not only the fupe- 
 rior part of his foul, which is the feat of reafon, invited 
 him to do good, but even the inferior part too, which is 
 ufed for the moft part, to encourage us to evil. Though 
 all this be really true, and one of the greateft benefits we 
 receive from Chrift's redemption, who redeemed us moft 
 fully, and gave us perfect liberty ; yet we ought not to 
 take occafion from hence, te be negligent, nor truft too 
 much to our fle.fh, be it never fo mortified, during the 
 courfe of this mortal life. 
 
 24. Thefe therefore are the chief caufes of this extra- 
 ordinary liberty. And amongft feveral other effects it 
 produces, one is the new knowledge we have of GOD, 
 and the confirming of us in the faith and religion we pro- 
 fefs, as GOD himfelf openly declares to us by the Prophet 
 Ezekiel, faying : Vbey Jhall know that I atn the Lord, 
 E e 2 when 
 
 * Pfalrolxxvi. v. 7.
 
 Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 when they Jh&ll have broken the bonds of their yoke , and 
 Jkall have delivered them out of the hands of thofe that ride 
 'ever them -f. We have faid already, that this yoke was 
 our fenfuality, or our inordinate affedlion for fin, which 
 dwells within our flefh, and which oppreffes us, and 
 makes us fubject to fin. The chains ot this yoke are 
 all thofe bad inclinations by which the devil catches hold 
 of us, and draws us after him -, now thefe bad inclinations 
 are fo much the more efficacious, as they have been for- 
 tified by a longer habit. St. Auguftin, by his own con- 
 fefTion, had fufficient experience of this, for he fays : " I 
 was bound, not with anothers fetters, but thofe of my 
 own -hard and iron will, which the enemy had in his 
 power, and of which he made a chain for me, and tied 
 me down with the fame. For my perverfe will has been 
 the caufe of my vicious defire -, and whilft I followed my 
 vicious defires I contracted a vicious habit, which for 
 want of being refilled, grew into a necefiity ; with all 
 which, as with fo many links, that have gone towards the 
 making up of the chain, I have been tied down and re- 
 duced to the utmoft hardfhip -J-." When a man finds 
 himfelf as this faint did, to have been groaning for 
 fome time under flavery, and after having made feveral 
 attempts to get out of it, perceives his efcape fo diffi- 
 cult-, yet when he addrefies himfelf to GOD, fees all his 
 chains broken, his paffions mortified, himfelf at liberty, 
 and mafter of his own appetites, with the yoke that had 
 preffed fo heavily upon his fhoulders, lying now under 
 his feet: who, but GOD can he imagine has broken his 
 fetters, and eafed him of the weight that had fo long 
 galled his neck ? what has he to do, but to praife GOD 
 with the Royal Prophet, and to cry out with him J: O 
 Lcrd, thou heft broken my chains ; I will offer up a facrijict 
 of praife to thec, and will call upon thy holy name. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 * Ezech. c . xxxiv. v. 27. f Conf. L. viii. c, 5. 
 Pfaiir, cxv. v. 8.
 
 Par 1 1 1. Ch , 9 . Inward Peace of the Jit/}. 227 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the eighth privilege of virtue^ viz. The inward peace 
 and calm the virtuous enjoy ; and of the miserable reftlefs- 
 nefs and difturbance the wicked feel within themfelves. 
 
 j.TT^ROM this privilege above-mentioned, which is 
 JP the liberty of the Sons of GOD, flows another in- 
 ferior to it, which is the inward peace and tranquility 
 they enjoy. For the better underftanding whereof it is 
 to be obferved, there are three forts of peace ; one with 
 our neighbour, another with GOD, and the third with 
 ourfelves. Peace with our neighbours confifts in fuch a 
 friendly and civil correfpondence with them, as baniihes 
 all defign or defire of doing any man a prejudice. This 
 peace David had, when he fays, With them that hated peace 
 I was peaceable \ when 1 fpoke to them, they fought again/I me 
 without caufe *. St. Paul recommends this fame peace 
 to us, when he advifes us, If it be pojfible, as much as is 
 in you> have peace with all men -f. The fecond peace, 
 which is that with GOD, confifts in his friendfhip and fa- 
 vour, and is to be obtained by the means of juftification, 
 which reconciles man to GOD, and makes them both love 
 one another, without any difturbance or contradiction on 
 either fide. The apoftle fpeaking of this peace, fays, 
 Therefore being juftifad by faith ', let u< have peace with GOD 
 thro* our Lordjefus Chrift J. The laft peace is that which 
 a man has with himfelf ; nor ought any body wonder at 
 this kind of peace, fince we know very well, that there 
 are in the very felf fame man, two oppofite to one ano- 
 ther, as are the outward and the inward man, the flefti 
 and the fpirit, the pafTions and reafon. For the flem and 
 the pafllons are not only at perpetual variance with the 
 fpirit, but befides difturb the whole man with their irre- 
 
 fular appetites, and trouble his inward peace which con- 
 fts in tranquility of mind. 
 
 SECT. 
 * Pfalm cxix. v. 7. f Rom.[xii, v, 18. J Rom. c. v. v. x.
 
 228 The Sinners Guide* Book I, 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the inward rcftle/nefs and difauiet of the wicked. 
 
 2. Wicked men, and fuch as hearken to the perfua- 
 fions of the flefh, are never free from fuch difturbances 
 as thefe. For being on the one hand deprived of GOD'S 
 grace, which is the curb to keep their pafllons in awe, 
 and on the other, their defires being fo active and unruly, 
 that they are fcarce able to refift them in the lead thing 
 imaginable ; it neceffarily follows, that they muft be car- 
 ried away by an infinite number of oppofite defires ; 
 fome by the defire of honour, others of great employs, 
 others of converfation and friendlhip, others of great 
 and honourable titles, others of riches, others again of 
 iuccefs in marriage, and others of recreations and plea- 
 fures. For thefe appetites are like a devouring fire, that 
 confumes whatever it catches hold of; or like a ravenous 
 bead, that is never fatisfied , or like the leech that is 
 perpetually thirfting after blood ; and which as Solomon 
 fays, Hath two daughters, that fay, bring, bring *. This 
 leech is nothing but the infatiable defire of our heart ; 
 and her two children are necefiity and concupifcence. 
 The firft of them feems to be a true thirft, but the laft 
 is only a falfe one, though they are both of them equally 
 troublefome, notwithftanding our fuppofing one to be a 
 real, the other but a pretended necefllty. This is the 
 reafon why no wicked man, whether he be rich or poor, 
 can ever enjoy any content. For if he be poor, then 
 want is continually difturbing his heart, and crying out, 
 more yet, more yet; whilft concupifcence never ceafes 
 to break the rich man's reft with the fame noife. How 
 then can man enjoy any eafe, that has two fuch impor- 
 tunate beggers always making a noife at his door, and 
 craving many things he is not able to give them ? what 
 trouble muft a poor mother be in, that has ten or a dozen 
 children hanging' about her, continually bawling for 
 bread, if fhe has not a morfel to give them ? this is one 
 of the greateft miferies the wicked endure: T'hey perijh, 
 fays the plalmift, with hunger and thirft , and their fouls 
 * Prov. c. xxx. v. 15. fall
 
 Part II. Ch. 9. Inward Dijlurb. of the Wicked. 229 
 
 fail within them *. For felf-love, the caufe of all thefe 
 defires, having got fo much power over them, and they 
 placing all their happinefs in earthly riches andpleafures : 
 it is impofllble they mould not, with greedinefs, hunger 
 and thirft after thofe things, upon which they imagine 
 all their happinefs depends. And becaufe they cannot 
 always obtain what they long for, being prevented by 
 others, more covetous and powerful than they ; they dif- 
 turb themfelves like a froward child, that longs for every 
 thing it fees, and grows fullen if denied it. For as the 
 obtaining of our wifa is according to the wife man, 
 The tree of life f, fo there is nothing in the world tor- 
 ments us worfe, than to be difappointed of what we have 
 a mind for. It is like being ready to die for hunger, 
 and having nothing to eat. But what is word of all, 
 the more they are hindered from obtaining their defires, 
 the more their defire increafes, and as they find they 
 have lefs hopes left, they are more vexed and troubled ; 
 fo that they are continually turned about like awheel 
 that is in perpetual motion. 
 
 3. This is the miferabie condition our Saviour ex- 
 prefled, fo much to the life, by the parable of the pro- 
 digal fon, of whom he fays J; that leaving his father's 
 houfe, he travelled into a far country, and there fquan- 
 dered away his fubftance in riot and debauchery : and 
 when he had fpent all, there happened to be a great fa- 
 mine in thofe parts, during which, he was reduced to 
 that extremity, as to be obliged to look after fwine, and 
 what is dill more, he was pufhed to fuch ftreights, as to 
 defire to fill his belly with what the hogs themfelves lived 
 on, and yet nobody would give him even that. Could 
 any one lay out the whole courfe of a wicked man's life, 
 with all the miferies that attend it, in more lively colours 
 than thefe ? who can this prodigal fon be that leaves his 
 father's houfe, but the unhappy finner, who feparates 
 himfelf from Almighty GOD, gives himfelf over to all 
 forts of vices, and abufes all GOD'S favours and mercies? 
 what is this country, where there is fo great a famine, 
 but this miferable world, where worldly men are fo in- 
 
 fatiable 
 * Pfalm cxxxvi. v. 5. f Pfalm xiii. v. 12. St. Luke, v. i j..
 
 The Sinners Guide. JBook I. 
 
 fatiable in their defires, as never to be fatlsfied with 
 what they have , but are perpetually running up and 
 down like ravenous wolves, ftill feeking after more ? 
 and what can you imagine is the employ of their whole 
 life ; but feeding of hogs ; that is, labouring how td 
 content their own fwinim appetites ? if you are not con- 
 vinced of this truth, obferve a young man, who is wholly 
 intent upon the world from morning till night, and you 
 will fee that all his bufiriefs is, beaft-like, to find out new 
 ways to pleafe and delight fome one or more of his 
 fenfes , as the fight, the tafle, the hearing, or the reft \ 
 as if he were one of Epicure's followers, and not a difciple 
 of Jefus Chrift , as if he had nothing die to look after, 
 but a body like a beaft ; as if he believed that fenfual 
 pleafures were his only end. Thus his whole entertain- 
 ment is to run from place to place, here to-day and 
 there to-morrow, in purfuit of frefh delights for the 
 feeding of his corporal fenfes. What other end can he 
 have in his gallantry, in his feafting, and banquetting, 
 in his foft beds, in his mufic, in his converfations, in 
 his vifits, in his walks, but to look after meat for this 
 fort of fwine ? you may give all this what name you 
 pJeafe, call it gentility, or grandeur, or good breeding, 
 if you will but know, that in the language of GOD, and 
 of the gofpel, it is nothing but feeding of fwine, be- 
 caufe as hogs love to be wallowing in dirt and mire, fo 
 the hearts of fuch men love nothing but the filth of car- 
 nal pleafures. 
 
 4. But the greateft rhifery is, to fee that the fon of 
 fuch a noble father, born to be fed with the bread of 
 angels, at GOD'S own table, cannot fatisfy his hunger 
 with fuch vile food, fo great is the fcarcity of it. Be- 
 caufe there being fo many buyers of this commodity they 
 hinder one another, and fo they all go away unfatisfied. 
 My meaning is, that whilft fo many are catching at it, 
 there muft needs be much ftrife, as it is impoffible for 
 fwine to feed under an oak without grunting and biting 
 one another, to get the better (hare of the acorns that 
 fall. 
 
 This
 
 fart II. Ch. 9. Inward Dtflurb. cftbe Wicked. 236 
 
 This is the dreadful hunger holy David defcribes, 
 where he fays * : They wandered in a wildernefs in a dry 
 -place without water , they were hungry and thirfty ; their 
 foul fainted in them. What can this extreme hunger 
 and third be, but the inordinate defire of the things of 
 this world the wicked are inflamed with ? this appetite 
 of theirs is fuch, that the more they give it, the greedier 
 it grows , the more it drinks the drier it is , and the 
 more wood they lay on, the more violently it burns. 
 O unhappy creatures, what can be the caufe of your be- 
 ing parched up with fuch a burning thirft as this is : 
 They have for faken me the fountain of living water, and have 
 digged to themfelves ciflerns^ that can hold no water -f . You 
 have miftaken the ftream of true happinefs, and for this 
 reafon you run up and down, till you lofe yourfelves 
 through wild and defart places, in fearch of the muddy 
 ponds and lakes of the perifhable goods of this world, 
 in hopes they will quench your thirft. This was cruel 
 Holofernes's policy when he befieged Bethulia , for as 
 foon as ever he fat down before the city, he commanded 
 his men to cut off all the pipes and channels that con- 
 veyed water to the town, fo that the poor befieged had 
 but a few little fprings left, juft by the walls where they 
 ufed to drink now and then by ftealth, rather wetting 
 their lips than quenching their thirft. Is not this youi 4 
 cafe, you who are always feeking after pleafures ; you 
 who are perpetually in purfuit of honour, and who are 
 fuch friends to every thing that pleafes the appetite, 
 for having miffed of the fountain of living waters -, what 
 elfe do you do, but run to the little fprings of creatures 
 that come in your way, and rather ferve to wet your 
 lips and increafe your thirft than to quench it. O un- 
 fortunate man ! What haft thou to do in the way of Egypt 
 to drink the troubled water $ ? What water can be more 
 troubled than fenfual pleafure, which is not to be drank 
 without perceiving an ungrateful tafte and fmell ? for 
 what worfe fmell than the flench of fin ; and what more 
 unpalatable, than the remorfe of confcience* occafioned 
 Ff by 
 
 * Pfalmcvi. Vi 4, 5* f Jerein, c. ii. V. 13. % Jefenu 
 c, a, V. 184
 
 231 he Sinners Guide. BookL 
 
 by it ? which, as we are told, even by a philofopher, is 
 the infeparable companion of carnal pleafures. 
 
 5. Befides this appetite being blind, and unable to 
 diftinguifh between what it can obtain, and what it can- 
 not : and the eagernefs of defire, making that appear 
 very eafy, which is in itfelf moft difficult; thofe things are 
 often moft coveted that cannot be obtained , for there 
 is nothing worth coveting, but what is much fought 
 after and defired by many lovers. Now the appetite 
 being deprived of what it longs for, being hungry, and 
 wanting whereon to feed , often ftretching out its arms, 
 and yet grafping nothing but the air, and ufing all en- 
 deavours without any fuccefs ; therefore it frets inwardly, 
 waftes and confumes to fee itfelf fo far from what it de- 
 fires. For thofe two chief faculties of our fouls the 
 irafcible and concupifcible, being fo clofely united to- 
 gether, as never to be wanting to one another ; it is cer- 
 tain that whenever the concupifcible is fruftrated of its 
 defire, the irafcible comes in immediately to relieve 
 it, expofing itfelf to all accidents and dangers, that 
 it may give the other fatisfaction. From this con- 
 fufion of defires, proceeds the inward difturbance we 
 are now fpeaking of, which St. James calls a war ; when 
 he fays (- : From whence are wars and contentions among 
 you ? come they not hence ? from your concupifcences^ which 
 war in your members ? ye covet and have not^ &c. The 
 natural contradiction that is between the flelh and the 
 fpirit, and between the defires of each, has given the 
 apoftle a great deal of reafon to call it a war. 
 
 6. There is ftill another thing of this nature much to 
 be lamented, which is, that very often men obtain all 
 that feemed to fuffice, to put them into the ftate of fa- 
 tisfactSon they aimed at ; and when they are in fuch a 
 condition., that if they pleafed, they might live happy, 
 they then conceit they ought to afpire to fome other 
 honour, preferment, dignity, or the like ; which if they- 
 fail of, they are more perplexed for the mifs of that 
 nothing they want, than pleafed with the enjoyment of 
 all they poflefs. Thus they pafs their life with this 
 
 f Jam. c. iv. v. i, 2.
 
 Part II, Ch . 9 . Inward Dijturb. of the Wicked. 232 
 
 thorn, perpetually pricking, or rather with this fcourge 
 continually chaftifing them, which palls all their happi- 
 nefs, and turns their pleafure into fmoke and vapour. 
 This is what I call nailing up the cannon, as enemies do 
 in time of war; for a little nail driven into the biggeft 
 piece of artillery is enough to make it unfit for fervice. 
 The cannon is ftill as big and as found as it was before ; 
 and yet fuch a little thing makes it lofe all its force. GOD 
 deals after the fame manner with the wicked. They 
 might fee plainly, if they would but open their eyes, 
 that, joy of heart is a free gift of Almighty GOD, who 
 beftows it upon whom he pleafes, and when he pleafes, 
 without making any preparation before-hand, as we do ; 
 and that he can take it away again whenever he thinks 
 fit, only by nailing up -the cannon ; that is, by permit- 
 ting fome unhappy turn, or change of their profperity 
 and fortune. And then, this fingle misfortune, tho* 
 unknown to any-body, is fufficient to make them as un- 
 eafy and melancholy, as if they had nothing in the world 
 to live on, though at the fame time they may be very 
 rich and happy in all appearance. GOD himfelf tells us 
 as much, when fpeaking by the Prophet Ifaiah, again ft 
 -the pride and power of the King of Aflyria , he fays *: 
 And under his glvry Jhall be kindled a burning, as it 
 'were the burning of a fire : To mew us that GOD can 
 fink a veflel when it fails with the faireft wind, can 
 weaken the greateft ftrength, and make a man miferable 
 in the midft of his profperity. The fame is fignified to 
 xis again in the book of Job, where it is faid J : The 
 giants groan under the waters , to let us know, that GOD 
 has his deep places and his punimments for the great 
 as well as for the little ones , though thefe feem to lie 
 more open to the misfortunes and injuries of the world. 
 But Solomon has expreffed the fame thing much plainer, 
 when counting up all the notable miferies in the world, 
 he reckons this one of the greateft of them : There is alfo 
 another evil, fays he, which I have feen under t he fan, and 
 that frequent among men. A man to whom God hath given riches, 
 and fubftance, and honour, and his foul wanteth nothing of 
 F f 2 ail 
 
 * Ifaiah, c. x. v. 16. -f Job, c. xxvi. v. 5.
 
 233 We Sinners Guide. Book I 
 
 all that he defireth ; yet God doth not give him power to eat 
 thereof-, but a jirangcr Jhall eat it arpf. What does he 
 mean by thefe words, God doth not give him power to eat 
 thereof i but that he mall not enjoy even what is his own, 
 nor take the fatisfadion and pleafure which his pofleflions 
 might give him, becauie GOD had ordained that this 
 happineis fhall be difturbed and ruined. And here we 
 are given to underftand, that as true wifdom is not to 
 be learnt by dead letters, but that it is GOD who 
 teaches it ; fo neither does true content depend vipon, 
 the goods of this world, but upon GOD alone. 
 
 7. But to come home to our fubje<5t, how unhappy 
 muft thofe poor creatures be, who have nothing, if 
 even thole who enjoy all they can wifh are fo uneafy, 
 becaufe they do not enjoy Goo ? for the want of every 
 one of thefe things is a particular hunger and thirft that 
 torments them ; and a thorn that is perpetually pricking 
 their hearts : what peace, what quiet is it poflible for a 
 foul to have, when all its thoughts and defires are 
 continually fo importunate and rebellious ? the Pro- 
 phet fays very well of fuch fort of people J : But the 
 nicked are like the raging fea> which cannot reft. And 
 indeed, what fea, what waves, or what winds can 
 be more boifterous and ftormy, than the paflions and 
 defires of the wicked, which very often diflurb, not 
 only the fea, but all the world. But there often ftart 
 up contrary winds in this fea, -which is another more 
 violent fort of ftorm. For the fame defires, like op- 
 pofite winds, frequently refift one another-, fo thai; 
 what pleafes the flefh does not pleafe honour ; what 
 honour loves, riches does not care for ; reputation does 
 not covet that, which is agreeable to wealth ; nor does 
 floth or luxury defire what reputation does. So that by 
 this means it often happens, that the wicked, whilft 
 they defire all things, do not know what they would 
 have ; and fo are ignorant what to take, and what to 
 leave, becaufe their defires contradicl one another , juft 
 as bad humours do in diftempers which proceed from 
 different caufes, where the phyficians are puzzled what 
 
 remedy 
 \ E?ql. 9. yi. v. i. J Ifaiah, c. Ivii, v. 2o.
 
 Par t II . Ch . 9 . Inward Difturb. of the Wicked. 234 
 
 remedy to prefcribe, becaufe that which is good for the 
 expelling of one humour, may be apt to nourifh another. 
 Such was the confufion of languages at Babel ( i ) and 
 fuch was that, for preventing of which the Royal Pro- 
 phet prayed to GOD, faying (2) : Caft down O Lord, and 
 divide their tongues^ for I have feen iniquity and contradic- 
 tion in the city. What therefore can this divifion of 
 tongues, this iniquity, and this contradiction be, but 
 the diflurbance which different paffions make in the 
 hearts of worldly-minded men, when they oppofe one 
 another, and one defires that which is againft the incli- 
 nation and defire of another. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Of the inward peace and fatisfaftion good men enjoy. 
 
 8. Thus you fee what the condition of the wicked is ; 
 whilft the juft on the contrary, becaufe they know how 
 with prudence to moderate their defires ; how to mortify 
 their paflions ; how to make GOD, (and not the peri- 
 fhable goods of this life,) the only object of their happi- 
 nefs and the center of their repofe ; how to aim at no- 
 thing, but the acquiring of thofe eternal goods which 
 no- body can deprive them off; how to be in a per- 
 petual war with felf-love, with their own flelh, and with 
 the whole train of their irregular appetites ; and be- 
 caufe, in fine, they know how to refign their will to 
 GOD'S, to conform theirs to his, and to throw them- 
 felves entirely into his arms, are never molefted by any 
 fuch cares, fo as to have their inward peace loft, or fo 
 much as interrupted. 
 
 ^This amongft feveral others, is one of the rewards 
 GOD Almighty promifes to thofe who love him ; as we 
 may fee almoft every where in the Holy Scriptures. 
 Holy David fays, Much peace have they that love thy law, 
 and to them there is no ftumbling block (3). GOD himfelf 
 fays by the Prophet Ifaiah ; O that thou hadft hearkened 
 to my commandments \ thy peace had been as a river ; and thy 
 
 jtiftice 
 
 (i) Gen. c. xi. (2) Pfalm liv. v. IQ. (3) 
 
 ptviii. v. 165.
 
 235 7& Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 jujtice as the waves of the fea -f. The reafon of his call- 
 ing this peace a river, is becaufe it is able to extinguiili 
 the flames of our defires, to appeafe the burning heat 
 of our lufts, to water the dry and barren veins of our 
 hearts, and to comfort and refrefh our fouls. Solomon 
 aflures us of the fame truth in a divine manner, though 
 in a few words : faying, When the ways of a man Jhall 
 fleafe the Lord^ he will convert even his enemies to 
 peace J. What enemies are thefe that are at war with 
 man, but his own paffions, and the evil inclinations of 
 his flelh, which are perpetually fighting with the fpirit ? 
 GOD therefore fays, that he will make the flefh and the 
 fpirit live peaceable together, when by the virtue of his 
 grace, and of good habits, the flefti with all its defires, 
 fhall accuftom itfelf to the works of the fpirit; and by 
 that means live quietly with it ; whereas before, it was 
 in continual oppofition. For though virtue at the be- 
 ginning, meets with a great deal of oppofition from the 
 pafTions ; yet when it comes to its perfection, it acts with 
 a great deal of fweetnefs and eafe, and with much lefs 
 contradiction. It is this peace, in fine, which Holy 
 David, by another name calls The enlarging of my heart; 
 when he lays, Thou haft enlarged my fteps under me-> and 
 my feet are not weakened . The prophet by thefe words 
 intends to (hew us how different the way of the virtuous 
 is, from that of the wicked-, becaufe, whilft the one 
 walk with their hearts oppreft and ftreightened by con- 
 tinual fears, folitudes and apprehenfions, like a traveller 
 that is going through a narrow path, with fleep rocks 
 and precipices on both fides of him , the others on the 
 contrary, walk with a great deal of fecurity and joy, 
 like a man in a plain and ope-n way, that is in no appre- 
 henfion of falling. The juft underftand this better by 
 practice than by theory, as being fenfible by their own ex- 
 perience, and the alteration they find in their own hearts, 
 of the vaft difference there is between the time they em- 
 ployed in the fervice of the world, and what they fpend now 
 in the fervice of GOD : for whilft they ferved the world, 
 
 they 
 
 f Ifaiah,r. xlviii. v. jg. J Prov.c. xvi. v. 7. 
 
 4 Pfalm xvii. v. 37.
 
 Part II. Ch. 9. Inward Peace of the Juft. 236 
 
 they were upon all occafions, full of troubles, folitudes, 
 jealoufies, fears, and narrownefs of heart -, but now 
 they have forfaken the world, and have fixed their affec- 
 tions upon eternal goods, and placed all their happinefs 
 and confidence in GOD, they are out of the reach of all 
 thefe things, with a heart fo open, ib free, and fo re- 
 figned to the will of GOD, that they are often aftonifhed 
 at fuch a change, and cannot think themfelves the fame 
 they were before - 7 or at leaft, they imagine they have 
 new hearts, becaufe they find fuch a change in them. 
 And we may with truth affirm, that they are, and are 
 not the fame perfons ^ for though they be the fame irf 
 nature, they are not the fame as to grace, which works 
 this change, though no man can be allured of it. 
 
 9. This is what GOD himfelf promifed by his Prophet! 
 Ifaiah, when he faid, When thou Jhall pafs through tht 
 wafers, I will be with thee, and the rivers Jhall not cover 
 tbee;. when thou jh&lt walk in the fire, thou Jhalt not bs 
 burnt, and the flame Jhall not burn in thee *. Now what 
 are thefe waters, but the rivers of tribulations we fuffer 
 in this life, and the deluge of innumerable miferies we 
 meet with here every day ? and what is this fire, but the 
 heat of our flefh, which is the fiery furnace of Babylon, 
 heatened by Nebuchodonofor's fervants -j-, that is, by 
 the devils from whence the flames of inordinate paffion* 
 and appetites, are continually breaking out ? how can 
 any man live in the midit of this fire and water, which 
 the whole world is perpetually in danger of, without 
 receiving any hurt, and not be fenfible at the fame time, 
 that it was the prefence of the Holy Ghoft, and the alli- 
 ance of GOD'S grace that preferved him ? this is the peace 
 which as the apoftle fays, Surpajfes all under/landing J, be- 
 eaufe it is fo noble, fuch a fupernatural gift of GOD, that 
 it is impofftble for man's weak underflanding to conceive 
 of itfelf, by what means a heart of flefh mould come to 
 enjoy fuch content, fuch quiet;, and fuch a calm, amidft 
 the ftorms and tempefts of the world. 
 
 jo. But he who enjoys this favour acknowledges and 
 praifes the author of thefe wonders, crying out with the 
 
 Pro- 
 
 * I&iah, c, xHii. v, 2. f Dan. c "* $ Philip, c. iv. v. 7,
 
 23? ^ e Sinners Guide. Book f. 
 
 Prophet -j- : Come and behold ye the works of the Lord j 
 what wonders he hath done upon the earth -, making wars to 
 ceafe even to the end of the earth. He jhall deftroy the bow, 
 and break the weapons, and the jhields he jhall burn in the 
 fre. Be ftill and fee that I am God: I will be exalted 
 among the nations, and 1 will be exalted in the earth. This 
 being fo, what can there be in the world, more rich, 
 more delightful, and more defirable than this reft, this 
 repofe, this effufion and extenfion of heart, and this 
 moft happy peace ? 
 
 ii. But if you will go a little farther, and would know 
 from what caufe this heavenly gift proceeds ; I anfwer, 
 it proceeds from all thofe other privileges and advan- 
 tages of virtue we have before-mentioned , for as in the 
 chain of vice, the links are all one within another ; fo in 
 the ladder of virtue they have all a dependance on and 
 connection with one another, in fuch a manner, that the 
 higheft, as it produces moft fruit, fo it has moft roots 
 to fpring from* And thus this happy peace, which is 
 one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghoft, takes its 
 rife from thofe other privileges we have before fpoken of; 
 but particularly from virtue itfelf, whofe infeparable com- 
 panion it is. For as an outward reverence is naturally 
 due to virtue, fo is an inward tranquility, being at the 
 fame time its effed and its reward. For fmce inward 
 war, according to what we have already faid, is begun 
 by the pride and difturbance of the paffions, as foon as 
 ever they are weakened by thofe virtues, whofe duty it 
 is to fubdue them ; the very occafions of thefe tumults 
 and feditions are moved. And this is one of the three 
 things, by means whereof we partake of the happinefs 
 of the kingdom of heaven, even here upon earth. The 
 apoftle fpeaking of them, fays, 'The kingdom of GOD is 
 not meat and drink, but juftice, and peace, and joy in the 
 Holy Gboft J. Where, by juftice, according to the He- 
 brew way of fpeaking, is to be underftood, the very 
 fame virtue we are talking of; in which, together with 
 thefe two admirable fruits, Peace and joy in the Holy Ghoft, 
 confifts the felicity which virtuous men enjoy, by advance 
 
 in 
 
 fr Pfalm xly v. 9 I0 X i % Rom, c. xiv* v* 17.
 
 fart II. Ch. 9. Inward Peace of the Juft. 238 
 in this life. And to prove that this peace is an effect 
 of virtue, God himfelf fays exprefsly by Ifaiah * : 
 The work of juftice Jball be peace, and the fer vice of juftice y 
 quietnefs and fecurity jor ever , my people Jhall fit in the 
 beauty of peace, and in the tabernacles of confidence, and in 
 a wealthy reft. What he calls here juftice, is nothing 
 elfe but this fame inward peace ; that is, the repofe o 
 the paffions which difturb the filence of the foul, by the 
 perpetual clamours of their irregular lufts. 
 
 12. The fecond caufe this peace proceeds from, is the 
 liberty of the foul, and the dominion it has over the 
 paflions above fpoken of. For juft as when any country 
 is brought under a foreign fubjec~tion> as foon as ever the 
 inhabitants furrender themfelves, there is a general peace 
 immediately, and every one fits under his own fig-tree 
 and under his own vine, without any fear of the ertemy ; 
 fo after the paffions of the foul, which are the canfes of 
 all its difquiet's, are fubjected to reafon, there immedi- 
 ately follows in the foul an inward filertce or peace, which 
 makes it live free from all difturbances imaginable. So 
 that man being now free from their tyranny, and what is 
 more, keeping them in fubjection to him, there is nothing 
 to difturb the peace he enjoys ; though on the contrary, 
 whilft the paffions had the rule and maftery, every thing 
 was tolTed up and down, and the whole man in a ge- 
 neral confufion and diforder. 
 
 13. The third caufe of this peace is the greatnefs of 
 fpiritual confolations, that lull afleep all the affections of 
 our appetites, which during that tirrie are content with 
 "what the fuperior part of the foul is pleafed to give, them ; 
 becaufe the concupifcible appetite, after having (rfjfij 
 how fovereignly fweet and delightful GOD IF, makes him 
 the objecl: of all its wifties, and the irafcible is quiet, be- 
 caufe its companion is fatisfied. And thus the whole 
 man enjoys an entire peace and happinefs, on account 
 of his tailing the fovereign good. 
 
 14. In the fourth place, this peace proceeds from the 
 teftimony and inward joy of a good confcience , which 
 makes the foul of a juft man eafy and quiet, though it 
 
 G g - - does 
 
 * Jfaiah, c. xxxiu v. 17, 18,
 
 239 3%* Sinners Guide. Book,!, 
 
 does not give him any perfect afiurance, for fear of 
 making him negligent, and putting him in danger of 
 lofing that holy fear, which puts him forward. 
 
 15. Laftly, this peace proceeds from the confidence 
 juft men have in Almighty God. It is this particularly 
 that gives them the greateft joy and comfort imaginable, 
 even amidft the 'miferies of this life j becaufe it is the 
 very anchor they truft to ; that is to fay, becaufe they 
 allure themfelves, that they have GOD for their father, 
 their deliverer, their defender, and their fhield ; under 
 \vhofe protection they live in peace and happinefs ; and 
 have all the reafon that can be to fing with the Prophet *, 
 In peace in the felffame I will Jleep, and I will reft ; for 
 thou O Lord> fmgularly haft fettled me in hope. It is from 
 this hope that the peace of the juft fprings ; and in this 
 they find a remedy for all their evils. How then can 
 any man be troubled, that has fo powerful a protector as 
 GOD is ? 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 Of the ninth privilege of 'virtue) viz. That God hears the 
 prayers of 'the ju/t, and rejects thofe of the wicked. 
 
 ANother extraordinary privilege virtuous men enjoy, 
 is, that GOD hears their prayers, which is a fove- 
 reign remedy againfl all the necefllties and miferies of 
 this life. To make this the plainer, you are to under- 
 ftand, that there have been two univerfal deluges in the 
 world ; the one material, the other fpiritual, but both 
 of them caufed by fin. The material deluge which hap- 
 pened in Noah's time, deftroyed every thing in the world, 
 but the ark and what was within it ; for every thing elfe 
 was conlumed by the waters ; fo that all the labours and 
 riches of mankind, together with the whole earth itfelf 
 was fwallowed up by the fea. But the other deluge, 
 which was before this, and which arofe from the firft fm 
 that ever was committed, was much more terrible, and 
 
 much, 
 * Pfalm iv. v. , io. '
 
 Part II. Ch. i o. Prayers of tie Jufl t &c. 240 
 
 much greater than this was -, becaufe it was the ruin, 
 not only of thofe perfons who were alive at that time, 
 but even of all ages paft, prefent, and to come. Nor is 
 the hurt it does to the body, to be compared with what it 
 does to the foul ; which it ftrips and robs of all thofe 
 graces that were bellowed on the whole world, in the 
 perfon of our firft parent ; as we may fee in a young in- 
 fant newly born, who comes into the world, as bare of 
 all thefe goods, as it is of cloaths to cover it. 
 
 2. From this firft deluge flowed all thofe miferies and 
 wants this mortal life is expofed to, which are lb many, 
 and fo great, that they have furnimed a famous pope 
 and doctor * with matter to compofe a book on this only 
 fubjecT:. And feveral eminent philofophers confidering 
 on the one fide, the excellency of man above all other 
 creatures , and on the other, the infinite number of mi- 
 feries and vices he is fubjecl to, could not but wonder to 
 fee fo much cliforder in the world, though they were not 
 capable of finding out the caufe of all thefe miferies, 
 which is nothing elfe but fin. For they faw that man 
 was the only creature in the world, that had fuch an in- 
 finite variety of carnal delights and pleafures; that none 
 but he was oppreffed with avarice, with ambition, and 
 infatiable defire of life i but moft of all, with a concern 
 for that which muft follow. They obferved that no 
 other creature had a more frail and uncertain life than 
 man has -, that none had a more inflamed luft ; none 
 more fubject to fear, and that without any ground ; nor 
 any one more cruelly angry or enraged than he. They 
 took notice, that other creatures fpent the greateft part 
 of their lives, without any ficknefles, or without being 
 troubled with phyficians and medicines. They faw them 
 provided with all neceflTaries, without taking any pains or 
 care : but as for unhappy miserable man, they faw him ex- 
 pofed to a thoufand forts of infirmities, accidents, necefil- 
 lies, misfortunes and pains, not only of the body, but of the 
 foul -, and as much difturbed at the miferies of his friends, 
 as at his own. They faw him forry for what was paft, 
 afflicted with the prefent, and painfully felicitous about 
 G g 2 * what 
 
 * Innocentius de Vilitate condkionis humanae.
 
 34* We Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 what was to come ; nay very often toiling and fweating 
 all his life-time for the poor fuftenance of a little bread 
 and water. 
 
 3. If we were to reckon up all the miferies of human 
 life, we (hould never have done. Holy Job fays, The. 
 life of man is a warfare , and bis days are like the days of 
 a hireling, who looketh for the end of his work *. Several 
 of the old philofophers had fuch a lively fenfe of this, 
 truth, that fome of them faid, they could not tell whe- 
 ther to call nature a mother, or a ftep -mother, becaufe 
 Ihe has fubjected us to fo many miferies. Others again 
 ufed to fay, it were better never to be born, or at leaft 
 to die as loon as we are born : nay, fome of them have 
 gone fo far, as to fay, there are but few perfons that 
 would accept of life, after having made an experiment 
 of it -, that is* if it were pofiible to make a trial of it 
 beforehand. 
 
 4. Since therefore life has been reduced to this mife- 
 rable condition by fin, and fince we have loft our whole 
 {lock and fubftance in this firft deluge , what remedy can 
 we expect from him, who has punifhed us fo feverely ? 
 if a man that is fick and wounded, were to be upon the 
 fea in a great ftorm, and there lofe all he is worth, what 
 could he look for afterwards, having loft both his goods 
 and his health, but beggary and want -, every man muft 
 make this cafe his own : for fince there is nobody but 
 what has loft all he was worth, in this univsrfal deluge, 
 and is left fo poor and naked : how can he help himfelf, 
 but by crying like a poor beggar, at the gates of GOD, 
 for relief and afliftance ? the Holy King Jofaphat taught 
 us this, when we faid, As we know not what to do, we can 
 only turn- cur eyes to thee -f. The good King Ezechias has 
 instructed us fully upon the fame, point, when he faid, 
 from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me. I 
 will cry like a young fivallow> I will meditate like a dove J. 
 As if he had faid, I am fo poor O Lord, and have fuch 
 a dependance upon your mercy and providence, that I 
 Cannot give myfelf any affurance of one day's life ; and 
 
 therefore, 
 
 *Job, c. vii. v. i, 2. f iParal. c. x*. * 12. J Ifaiah, 
 ?. xxxyiii. v. 13. 14.
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Prayers of the Jit/i, &c, 242 
 therefore, all I have to truft to, is to be always bemoan- 
 ing mylelf before you like a dove, and to cry out to you 
 as the young fwallow does to its dam. Thus faid this 
 holy man, though he was a great king, and King David 
 his father, though he was much greater, made ufe of 
 this fame remedy in all his neceflities ; and therefore in- 
 fpired by the fame fpirit, and enlightened with the fame 
 knowledge, he fays, / cried to the Lord with my voice, to 
 GOD with my voice, and he gave ear to me* In the day of 
 my trouble I fought GOD, with my hands lifted up to him 
 in the night, and I was not deceived , my foul refufed to be 
 comforted *. That is to fay, when I look round about 
 me and fee all the pafTages of hope Jhut up -, when no- 
 thing upon earth can give me any eafe, I immediately 
 feek for a remedy from heaven, by the help of prayer ; 
 which is that fovereign cure GOD has given me for all 
 my ills. 
 
 5. You will a{k me perhaps, whether this is a certain, 
 and univerfal cure for all the neceffities of life, or no ? 
 this being a fecret which depends entirely upon the will 
 of GOD, there is nobody can anfwer it but thofe whom 
 he has made choice of to difcover his will, which are 
 the apoftles and prophets. One of them fays, Neither 
 is there any other nation fo great, that hath gods fo nigh 
 them, as our God, if prefent to all our petitions -f . They 
 are the words of GOD himfelf, though delivered by the 
 mouth of a man -, and they aflure us with all the cer- 
 tainty imaginable, that as often as we pray, though we 
 we fee nobody, and though nobody anfwers us, that we 
 do not fpeak to the walls, or talk to the air ; but that 
 GOD is prefent with us, and hears all we fay ; that he 
 afiifts us in our prayers, that he pities our miferies, and 
 prepares the remedy we afk for, in cafe it be proper for 
 us. What greater comfort can a man have, when he is 
 at his prayers, than fuch a certain pledge of Almighty 
 GOD'S affiftance ? and if this alone is fufficient to encou- 
 rage and comfort us, how much more will the words of 
 our Saviour be, and thofe aflurances he has given us in 
 his gofpel, where he fays ; AJk and it jball be given you; 
 
 feek 
 * Pfalro Ixxvi. v. I, 2, 3. } Deut. c. iv. v. 7.
 
 243 Th? Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 feek and you Jhall find; knock and it Jhall be opened to you *. 
 Can we have a furer token than this is ? can any man 
 doubt of the truth of thefe words ? who is there that 
 as often as he goes to his prayers, is not comforted with 
 the hope of this divine promife ? 
 
 6. This therefore is one of the greatefr. privileges the 
 virtuous enjoy in this life, to know that thefe promifes 
 are made particularly for them. For one of the greateft 
 favours GOD beftows on them, in reward of their obedi- 
 ence and loyalty, is, that he wiM be near them, and hear 
 the prayers they addrefs to him. David aflures us of it, 
 when he fays, The eyes of the Lord are upon the jujt, and 
 his ears are open to their prayers -f. And GOD himfelf 
 promifes the fame by Ifaiah, laying, Then, that is to fay, 
 when you mall have kept my commandments, then Jh alt 
 thou call, and the Lord Jhall hear : thoujhalt cry, and hefoall 
 fay, here I am\\ that is, I am ready to grant whatever 
 you (hail defire. Nay, more than this, he promifes them 
 by the fame prophet to hear them, not only when they 
 call upon him, but even long before. And yet, after 
 all, none of thefe promifes come any thing near that, 
 which/we read in St. John, where our Saviour fays, If 
 you abide in me, and my word abide in you ; you Jhall ajk 
 whatever you will, and it Jhall be done to you. But for 
 fear this promife, as being fo noble, mould be more 
 than any man could believe, he repeats it a fecond time, 
 and affirms it more pofitively, faying, Amen, Amen, I 
 fay unto you ; if you ajk the Father any thing in my name* 
 he will give it you ||. Can there be any greater favour, 
 any greater riches, or a-ny more fovereign command than 
 this is ? you {hall afk me, fays he, for whatever you 
 pleafe, and it fhall be granted you. Could any expref- 
 fion better become the perfon that promifes, than this 
 does ? Who, but GOD, could ever have made fuch a 
 promife ? is there any body, befides GOD, that is able 
 to do fuch great things as thefe are ? or is there any one, 
 but him that has fo much goodnefs, as to oblige himfelf 
 
 to 
 
 * St. Matt. c. vii. v. 7. St. Luke, c. xi. v. 9. -j- Pfalm 
 xxxvi. v. 1 6. J Ifaiah, c. Iviii. v. 9. St. John, c, Xv, v. 7. 
 j] St. John, c. xvi. v. 23.
 
 Part II. Ch. i o. Prayers of tie Jtift, &c. 244 
 
 to grant fuch favours ? what elfe is this but to mak* 
 man, in fome meafure, lord of all things , and to entruft 
 him with the keys of the divine treafuries ? all the other 
 favours of GOD have their bounds fet them , but this 
 above all the reft, as being the royal gift of an infinite 
 Lord, carries fome degree of infinity along with it. For 
 our Saviour does not determine either this, or that, 07 
 any particular thing, but whatever you fhall defire, pro- 
 vided it be for your eternal good, mail be granted you. 
 Could men but fet a juft value upon things, and giv 
 them their true eftimate, how great a rate would thej 
 efteem this at ? how happy would a man think himfelf, 
 to have fo great an intereft with his king, as to obtain 
 his grant for every thing he mould defire ? now if a 
 man would look upon- it as fo great a- happinefs, to be fo 
 much in favour with an earthly king ; what muft he think 
 it is, to have fo much intereft with the King of heaven ? 
 7. And that you may not think thefe are only bare 
 promifes, without performance ; do but look into the 
 lives of the faints, and confider what great things they 
 have done, by the virtue of prayer. What did Mofes in 
 Egypt, and during all the time of his travels through 
 the wildernefs-? what did not Elias and Elifeus his dif- 
 eiple ? what miracles were not wrought by the apoftles, 
 and all by prayer ? This was the weapon the faints fought 
 with ; with this they overcame the devil ; with this thejr 
 triumphed over the world, with this they fubdued na- 
 ture, with this they turned the moft violent flames into a 
 gentle dew ; with rhis-, in fine, they appeafed and qui- 
 eted the wrath of GOD, and obtained of him whatever 
 they afked. It is written of our holy father St. Domi- 
 nick, that he told- a certain friend of hisj he was never 
 in his life denied any thing he had begged of GOD , his 
 friend defired him to pray that one Dr. Reginald, a man 
 famous at that time, might become a religious man of 
 his order. The holy man fpent the night in prayer for 
 him, and the next day early in the morning, as he was 
 beginning the hymn of the firft hour, Jam lucis orto 
 (idere. This new morning-ftar came into the choir, and 
 there proftrating himfelf at the faint's feet, defired, with 
 
 a great
 
 12 4 5 ^ Sinners Guide* ook t k 
 
 a great deal of humility, that he would give him the ha- 
 bit of his order. This therefore is the reward that is 
 promifed to the obedience of the juft ; and it is their 
 faithful obferving the voice of GOD, that makes him in 
 fome manner obedient to their prayers i and becaufe 
 they anfwer to the call of GOD, be fays them again, ac- 
 cording to the proverb, in the fame coin, by anfwering 
 them whenever they call upon him. And for this reafon 
 Solomon fays (i) : An obedient man Jhall fpeak of viftoriei : 
 as it is juft that GOD comply with the will of man, when 
 man complies with the will of GOD. 
 
 8. But it happens quite otherwife in the prayers of the 
 wicked; for GOD tells them by Ifaiah(2): When y oil 
 fir etch forth your hands, twill turn away my eyes from you , 
 and when you multiply prayer, I will not hear. He threatens 
 them in like manner by his Prophet Jeremy, faying (3) : 
 In the time of their affliction they will fay, arife, and deliver 
 us. And he will afk them ; Where are the gods, which 
 thou haft made thee : let them arife and deliver thee, in the 
 time of thy affliction. In the book of Job we read thefe 
 words (4) : What is the hope of the hypocrite, if through 
 covetoufnefs he take by violence, and God deliver not his foul ? 
 will God bear Ins cry, when diflrefs Jhall come upon him ? 
 And St. John in his epiftle fays (5) : Dearly beloved, if 
 our heart do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards 
 God -, and whatfoever we Jhall ajk^ we Jhall receive of him ; 
 becaufe we keep his commandments, and do thofe things that 
 are pleafmg in his fight. What the Holy Pfalmift fays, is 
 to the fame effect, If I have looked at iniquity, in my heart 
 the Lord will not hear me : therefore hath God heard me, 
 and hath at tended to the voice of my fupplicatiou (6). 
 
 9. There are infinite examples of this fort in Holy 
 "Writ, to mow you what vaft difference there is, between 
 the prayers of the juft, and thofe of the wicked ; and 
 confequendy, the extraordinary advantages which the 
 one have over the other: becaufe the juft are heard and 
 dealt with as true children of GOD, whilft the wicked 
 
 are 
 
 (l)Prov.c. xxi. v. 28. (2) Ifaiah, c* i. v. 15. (3) Jer. 
 c. ii. v. 7.7. (4) Job, c. xxvii. v. 8, 9. (<j) St.Johnj c, iii* 
 T. 21, 22* (6) Pfalmlxv. v. 18, 19.
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Prayers of the Juft, &c, 246 
 
 are treated as enemies. And what wonder is it that their 
 prayers mould not be heard ; fince there are no good 
 works, no devotion, no fervour of fpirit, no humility to 
 accompany them? for, according to St. Cyprian (i): 
 *' It is impofiible that a petition mould be efficacious, 
 when prayer is barren." Though this is generally true , 
 GOD'S goodnefs is yet fo great, that he fometimes vouch- 
 fafes to hear the prayers of the wicked, which notwith- 
 flanding their want of merit, do not ceafe to obtain their 
 end ; becaufe, as St. Thomas fays (2), merit proceeds 
 from charity, but the grant of the petition comes from 
 the infinite goodnefs and mercy of GOD, which fome- 
 times hears the prayers of fuch perfons. 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 Of the tenth privilege of virtue, which is the ajjiftance good 
 mm receive from God in their afflictions ; and, of the im- 
 patience, en the contrary, with which the wicked fuffer 
 theirs. 
 
 i. \ Nother extraordinary privilege granted to virtue, 
 jfj^ is the great encouragement it gives to its fol- 
 lowers to bear up againft the tribulations, they cannot 
 but meet with in this life. For we know that there is 
 no fea fo tempeftuous and inconftant as this life is -, be- 
 caufe a man is never fo fecure of the felicity he enjoys, as 
 not to be expofed to an infinite number of fuch accidents 
 and misfortunes as he never thought of, and which he is 
 neverthelels every moment in danger of falling into. It 
 is therefore a matter of great confequence to obferve, 
 with what difference the wicked and the good behave 
 themfelves in all thefe changes : for the good confidering 
 they have GOD for their father, that it is he who fends 
 them this cup, as a potion prescribed them by a mod 
 experienced phyfician for their cure , that tribulation is 
 like a file, which fetches off the ruft of fin cleaner, and 
 Hh poliflies 
 
 (i) St. Cypr. &c, Orat. Dominica. (2) St. Tho. 2. q. 83. 
 art 15. & 16.
 
 247 *ft> e Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 polishes it brighter, the rougher it is. They confider 
 that affliction makes man more humble in his thoughts, 
 more devout in his prayers, and gives him a purer con- 
 fcience. Thefe confiderations make them bow down 
 their heads, and humble themfelves with chearfulnefs in 
 the time of their tribulation. They put water into the 
 chalice of the crofs ; or, to fpeak plainer, GOD himlelf 
 puts it in: for, he, as the Holy Ffalmift fays(i): 
 Gives them tears to drink by meafure. And there is no 
 phyfician fo careful in the mixture of his drugs, accord- 
 ing to the conftitutinn of his patient, as this heavenly 
 phyfician is, in the tempering of tribulations, which he 
 fends the juft, according to the ftrength every one has 
 to bear them : and if at any time the burden mould be 
 increafed, he increafes the afiiilance he gives them for 
 bearing of it ; that fo the tribulation any man lies under, 
 may make him fo much the better, as it is the more 
 painful and troublefome. Nay, when his afflictions are 
 tempered thus, he is fo far from endeavouring to get 
 rid of them, as things prejudicial ; that on the contrary, 
 defires them, as very advantageous and profitable. 
 So that by the help of thefe confiderations good men 
 very often bear their neceflities, not only with patience, 
 but v.'ith pleafure, becaufe they look upon the reward, 
 and not the labour ; upon the crown, and not the jfuf- 
 fering ; upon the health, their phyfic will reftore them 
 to, and not upon the potion itfelf ; not upon the fmart of 
 the ilroke, but upon the love of him that lays it on, 
 who has laid (2) : that he loves tbofe whom he chaftifes. 
 
 2. To all thefe confiderations muft be added Almighty 
 GOD'S grace, which as we have mown already, is never 
 wanting to a juft man, in the time of his tribulation. 
 For GOD being fo true a friend to thofe that love him, 
 he is never nearer to them, than when they are in af- 
 fliction, though he feems then to be fartheft from them. 
 If you doubt of the truth hereof, do but look into the 
 holy fcriptures, and you will fee nothing fo frequently 
 repeated, or fo often promifed. Who does the Royal 
 Prophet mean but Goo, when he fays (3) : 'That he is a 
 
 helper 
 ( i) Pfalm xcvii. v. 6. (2) Heb. c. iii. v. 19, (3) Pf. ix. v, icx
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 1. Patience of tie Jufl. 248 
 
 helper in due time in tribulation. Has not he himfdf com- 
 manded all perfons to call upon him, during the time of 
 their affliction, faying (i): Call upon me in the day of 
 trouble, and I will deliver tbee, and tbou Jhall glorify me ? 
 Has not the prophet teftified this, upon his own ex- 
 perience, when he fays (2}: When 1 called upon him, the 
 God of my juftice heard me-, when I was in diftrefs, thou, 
 haft enlarged me ? Is not this the Lord, in whom the pro- 
 phet placed all his truft, faying (3) : I waited for him that 
 hath fa*ved me from pujillanimity of fpirit, and ftorm? It is 
 certain that he does not fpeak here of any ftorm at 
 fea, but of that ftorm, which the heart of a negligent 
 end weak man, that is in tribulation, is to/Ted with; and 
 the more a man's heart is confined, the more boifteroufly 
 this ftorm rages ; which the prophet often repeats, for 
 the greater confirmation of this truth, and for the 
 ftrengthening of our weaknefs. 'The falvation of the juft^ 
 fays he (4), is from the Lord , and he is their proteftcr in 
 the time of trouble ; and the Lord wit! kelp them, and will 
 refcue them from the wicked ; and fave them, becaufe they 
 have hoped in him. 
 
 3. In another place the fame Prophet fpeaks yet 
 plainer thus (5) ; How great is the multitude of thy fwect- 
 nefs, Lord, thou haft hidden for them that fear thee ! which 
 thou baft wrought for them that hope in tbee, in the fight of 
 the fons of men ? thou Jhalt hide them in the fecret of thy 
 face from the dijlurbance of men. Thou Jhalt hide them in 
 thy tabernacle, from the contradiRian of tongues. Eleffed be 
 the Lord, for he bath Jhewed his wonderful, mercy to me in a 
 fortified city. But If aid in the excefs cf my mind, I am 
 cafl away from before thy eyes. See here how plainly this 
 holy prophet has taught us, that GOD affifts the juft, in 
 their moft preffing neceflities. But you muft here take 
 particular notice of thefe words: Thou /halt hide them in 
 fecret of thy face : for by this, according to a certain in- 
 terpreter, we are given to underftand, that as the kings 
 of the earth, when they have a mind to protect any per- 
 H h 2 fon, 
 
 (l) Pfalm xlix. v. 15. (2) Pfalm iv. v. i. (3) Pfalm liv. 
 v. 9. (4) Pfalm xxxvi, v. 39, 40. (5) Pralm xxx. v. 20, 
 21, 22, 23.
 
 249 We Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 fon, with a more than ordinary care, keep him within 
 their own palaces , that fo, not only the royal walls, may 
 fecure him from his enemies, but that the king's conti- 
 nual prefence, and the watchful eye he has over him may 
 be his fecurity, than which none can be greater , in like 
 manner this fovereign king ufes the fame care for the fe- 
 curing of thofe he loves. In confirmation of this, we 
 both fee and read that holy men, even in the midft of 
 the greateft dangers and temptations, ftill kept the 
 fame calmnefs and evennefs of fpirit, as they had before, 
 without mewing the leaft concern or trouble in their 
 looks ; becaufe they knew for certain, that he who pro- 
 tected them would be fo faithful as not to forfake them ; 
 nay, on the contrary, that he would ftand nearer to them, 
 if he mould fee them in greater danger. Juft as he did 
 to the three young men, whom Nabuchodonofor com- 
 manded to be flung into the fiery furnace of Babylon * : 
 for the Angel of the Lord was feen walking in the midft 
 of them, and changed the violent flames into a cool and 
 refrelhing air. At which the tyrant being aftonifhed, 
 began to fay: Did we not caft three men bound into the midft 
 of the fire? behold, I fee four men loo fed, and walking in 
 the midft of the fire, and there is no hurt in them, and the 
 form of the fourth is like the Son of God -j-. Do not you 
 fee by this, how certain ,it is, that Almighty God is with 
 the juft, whenever they are in any tribulation ? nor is 
 the care he took of young Jofeph, after his brothers had 
 fold him, a lefs proof of this truth. For as we may read 
 in the book of Wifdom, She went down with him into the 
 fits, and in bands fl^e left him not, till Jhe brought him the 
 fceptre of the kingdom, and power again/I thofe that opprej/ed 
 him : Andjhewed them to be liars that had accufed him ; and 
 gave him everlafting glory J. Thefe examples evince the 
 truth of GOD'S promife made to us by the pfalmift, when, 
 he fays, / am with him in his trouble, I will deliver him y 
 and I will glorify him . O how truly happy muft afflic- 
 tion be, that makes us worthy of the company of our 
 GOD ! let us all cry out with St. Bernard ; " Jf thefe are 
 
 the 
 
 *Dan.c.iii. f Ibid, v. 91, 92. J Wifd. c. x. v. 13, 14. 
 Pfalm xc. v. 15,
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Patience of the Jujl. 250 
 
 the effects of tribulations ; grant, O Lord, that I may 
 never be free from them, that fo you may be always 
 with me V 
 
 4. Add to this the relief and afliftance of all virtues, 
 which upon fuch occafions, come in ready armed, to 
 fuccour the afflicted heart. For, whenever the foul is 
 ilreightened, or in any kind of danger from tribulation, 
 all the virtues immediately run into her, with what forces 
 they can make ; juft as the blood does towards the heart 
 whenever it is oppreft. In the firft place, in comes 
 faith, with a certain knowledge of the happinefs and mi- 
 feries of the next life, compared to which, all we can 
 pofTibly fuffer here, is but a mere trifle. Next comes 
 hope, which makes man bear all his troubles with pati- 
 ence, in expectation of the reward that is to follow. 
 After her, comes charity, which makes them even defire 
 to be afflicted in this world, that they may thereby ex- 
 prefs their affection for GOD, Then follows obedience 
 and conformity to the divine will, which helps them to 
 receive whatever GOD fends them, with chearfulnefs, 
 and without grumbling. Patience repairs thither, and 
 it is her bufmefs to keep their moulders up, for fear they 
 mould bend beneath the weight. Then humanity bows 
 down their hearts like young trees, by the ftormy wind 
 of affliction, teaching them to humble under the power- 
 ful hand of GOD, and to acknowledge, that what they 
 fuffer, is infinitely lefs than their fins deferve. Another 
 virtue that affifts them, is the confideration of what 
 Jefus Chrift fuffered upon the crofs, and of what all the 
 faints have endured, which is far more fevere and painful 
 than what they fuftain. 
 
 5. Thus all virtues officioufly affift us in fuch dange- 
 rous encounters , nor do they afilft us in their fervice 
 only, but with their words, if I may be allowed to term 
 it fo. For firft of all, faith tells us, That the fufcrings 
 of this prefent time, are not worthy to be conrpaired with the 
 glory to come, that Jhall be revealed in us in the next -f. 
 Charity comforts us, faying, it is but reaibnable we 
 fhould fuffer fomething for his fake, who has had fuch as 
 
 love 
 * Serin, 17. in Pfelm xc, -f Rom, c, viii. v. 18.
 
 251 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 love for us. Gratitude tells us, with Holy Job, If we 
 have received good things at the hand of God, wbyjhouldwe 
 not receive evil* ? penance fays, it is no more than juf- 
 tice, that he who has done fo much againft GOD'S will, 
 Ihould undergo fomething now againft his own. Loyalty 
 fays, it is requifite that we mould, once at lead in our 
 life, give fome token of our fidelity to him, who has 
 been beftowing his favours upon us ever fince we were 
 born. Patience tells us, 'That tribulation worketh pati- 
 ence ; and -patience trial; and trial hope; and hope con- 
 foundeth not f- Obedience fays, the higheft degree of 
 fanctity a man can arrive to, and the molt plcafing fa- 
 crifice he can offer up to GOD, is to conform in all his 
 fufferings to his will. 
 
 6. But that which of all thefe virtues helps us moft 
 upon fuch occafions, and which makes us moft refolute 
 in the very midft of tribulations, is a lively hope. It is 
 what St. Paul teaches us ; for he has no fooner faid Re- 
 joicing in hope : than he adds , Being patient in tribulation. 
 He knew very well, that one is a confequence of the 
 other ; that is to fay, that the ftrength we get by pati- 
 ence, proceeds from the joy hope gives us. For which 
 reafon the apoftle very elegantly calls this hope an an- 
 chor J; becaufe, this lively hope being fattened very 
 ftrongly to the promifes of heaven, it keeps the foul of 
 the juft man firm and conftant, in the midft of the 
 waves and ftorms of this world; and makes it flight the 
 violence of its winds and tempefts ; juft as an anchor, 
 when it is ftruck into the ground, makes the fhip ride 
 fecurely upon the water ; and keeps it fteady, though 
 the winds and waves are continually beating againft it. 
 This, they fay, was the practice of a certain faint, who 
 whenever he was in any kind of affliction, ufed to fay, 
 " The happinefs I hope for is fo great, that all I can 
 fuffer is delightful to me. 
 
 7. Thus it is, that all virtues meet and agree together 
 for the fortifying of a juft man's heart, whenever he is 
 in any tribulation. And if at any time he mould lofe 
 
 courage, 
 
 * Job, c. ii , v. 10. ) Rom, c. v. v. 3, 4, 5, J Heb. 
 c. vi. v. 1.
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Patience of the Juft. 252 
 
 courage, they come up to him again with much more 
 vigour, and addrefs him in this manner: how now, 
 what is become of that lively faith and confidence you 
 ought to have in Almighty God, if you begin to Ihrink, 
 at the very time that he is going to make a trial of you, 
 and to fee what you are ? where is your charity, your 
 courage, your obedience, your patience, your loyalty, 
 and the fervour of your hope ? is it for this, that you 
 have fo often prepared yourfelf, and made fo many re- 
 folutions ? is this all you have defired fo earneftly of GOD, 
 and prayed fo often to him for ? confider a little, that 
 the duty and perfection of a good Chriftian, does not 
 confift, in faying a few prayers, in fafting and in hearing 
 mafs: it is neceflary, befides all this, that GOD mould 
 find you as faithful, as another Job or Abraham, in the 
 time of tribulation. Such considerations as thefe, and 
 the virtues a juft man is endowed with, together with 
 GOD'S never-failing grace, makes him ftrong enough to 
 bear thofe burthens, not only with patience, but very 
 often with thankfulnefs and pleafure. Holy Tobias's 
 example will fuffice at prefent, to make this out : we 
 read of him, " That GOD having permitted that he 
 mould lofe his fight, after having fuffered a great many 
 other afflictions," for an example of patience to men in 
 all ages, he was not troubled, nor did he lofe the leaft 
 part of that fidelity, and obedience he paid to GOD, 
 before thefe misfortunes happened to him. Whereupon 
 the fcripture immediately gives the reafon of it ; faying, 
 For whereas he had always feared GOD from his infancy, and 
 kept his commandments, he repined not againft GOD, becaufe 
 the evil of blindnefs had befallen him, but continued immove- 
 able in the fear of GOD, giving thanks to GOD all the days 
 of his life J*. You fee now by this, how plainly the Holy 
 Ghoft attributes the patience, with which a man fufTers 
 afflictions, to virtue, and the fear of GOD \ which as the 
 fcripture has declared, this holy man was fo famous for. 
 I could bring feverai remarkable inftances of holy men 
 and women, even in our days, who have undergone all 
 the troubles GOD has fent them, with a great deal of 
 
 chear 
 f Tob. c.ii, v. 13, 14,
 
 253 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 chearfulnefs and love ; who have found out honey even 
 in gall, who in a ftorm had a calm, and have been re- 
 frefhed and cooled in the very midft of the flames of 
 Babylon. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 Of the impatience and rage of the 'wicked in their affatJions, 
 
 But on the contrary, how dreadful a thing is it, to fee 
 the wicked in any trouble ? to fee them without charity, 
 patience, courage, hope, or any fuch virtue ? to fee 
 how all their miferies come upon them, unarmed and 
 unprepared ? to fee how blind they are, and how unable 
 to behold that which the juft fee by a fteady faith ? to 
 confider they have no lively hope to embrace what GOD 
 fends them j nor have ever had any experience of his 
 fatherly providence to thofe that ferve him ? it is a la- 
 mentable thing, to fee how they are fwallowed up in this 
 gulf, without finding any place to reft upon, or lay hold 
 of. What better hopes can a man have of them, than 
 that they mould perifh in the ftorm, or be killed in the 
 battle ; fince they have no kind of afliftance to truft to, 
 becaufe they fail without a rudder, and fight without 
 weapons ? what can a man expect, but that the fury of 
 the winds, and the tempeft of their afflictions, mould 
 dam them againft the rocks of anger, pride, dejection, 
 impatience, blafphemy, and defpair ? fome there are, 
 who through the excefs of their miferies, have loft either 
 their fenfes, their health, or their life, or at leaft their 
 fight by their continual tears. So that the juft remain 
 found and entire in the fire of adverfity, like fine filver ; 
 \vhilft the wicked like lead, melt and are diflblved as foon 
 as they feel the heat. Thus, whilft the one cry, the 
 others fing , whilft the one are finking, the others pafs 
 over dry-mod. The one like frail earthen veffels crack 
 in the fire, whilft the others, like pure gold, are the 
 more refined. So that The voice of rejoicing and offaha- 
 tion is in the tabernacles of the juft -f ; whilft there is no- 
 thing to be heard in the habitations of the wicked, but 
 {he voices of forrow and confufion, 
 
 9. If 
 j* Ffalm cxvii. v. 15.
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 1 . Impatienct of the Wicked. 
 
 9. If you would more fully comprehend what I fay, 
 do but obferve what extravagances feveral ladies daily 
 commit upon the death of their children or hufbands, 
 and you will find fome of them hiding themlelves in 
 dark places, where they may never fee the light again. 
 Others fhut themfelves up in cages like wild beafts. 
 Some have thrown themfelves headlong into the 1 midft of 
 the flames. Others, out of madnefs and rage, and the 
 horror they have of this life, dafh out their brains againft 
 the walls. Others that foon end their days with im- 
 patience and fury, caufed by their grief : and thus a fa- 
 mily is ruined and deftroyed in a moment. And whac 
 is worft of all, they are not only in a paflion with, and 
 cruel to themfelves, but pour out horrible execrations 
 againft Almighty GOD , accufmg his providence, con- 
 demning his juftice, blafpheming his mercy, and open- 
 ing their facrilegious mouths againft heaven, nay, and 
 againft GOD himielf i till at length all their curfes fall on 
 their own heads, with many other calamities much more 
 dreadful, wherewith Almighty GOD puniihes them for 
 fuch horrible blafphemies. This is the reward he de- 
 ferves, who is fo impudent, as tofpit at heaven itfelf, and 
 to kick againft the fpur. Sometimes this proves a very 
 compleat cure, wrought by the hand of GOD i who thus 
 diverts their hearts from fome extraordinary afflictions, 
 by fending them others that are greater. 
 
 10. Thus thefe miferable creatures, wanting the rud- 
 der of virtue to fteer their veiTels, are caft away in the 
 ftorm, for blafpheming and curfmg him they ought to 
 praife and blefs : for being puft up with pride, when 
 they ought to humble themfelves, for being ftubborn 
 when they are chaftifed ; and growing worfe upon thofe 
 remedies, which were applied to make them better ; 
 which feems to be a beginning of their hell, and a refem- 
 blance of that they are to fuffer in the next world. For, 
 if hell be nothing but a place of fin and punimmerrt, 
 why mould we not look upon this ftate, as a hell, fmce 
 it has fo great a (hare of both. 
 
 11. But what pity is it, that ftill thefe troubles muft 
 be endured, and that if they were borne with patience, 
 
 I i they
 
 255 1%' Sinners Guidt. Book I. 
 
 they would become more tolerable, and at the fame time 
 more meritorious -, and yet, in ipite of all this, wretched 
 man is refolved to deprive himfelf of the ineftimable 
 fruit of patience; and to increafe the weight of his- 
 burthen, by adding that of impatience, which alone is 
 much heavier than all the reft of the load. It is a great 
 trouble to labour and toil, and to receive no reward, nor 
 know whofe account to place it to, but it is much worfe 
 to loie all that is got, and after travelling all night, to be 
 further from the journey's end in the morning. 
 
 1 2. By what has been faid, we may perceive the diffe- 
 rence there is between the ufe the good and the bad 
 make of their afflictions. With what peace, what joy, 
 and what courage do the good bear theirs ; whilft the 
 wicked are quite overwhelmed with grief and trouble ? 
 this was reprefented to the life by the great lamentations 
 and complaints, which were heard throughout the land of 
 Egypt *, when GOD deftroyed all their firft-born in one 
 night : for, there was not a houfe free from grief and 
 forrow : and yet there was no cry heard in the land of 
 Jefien, where the Children of Ifrael lived. 
 
 13. Befides this peace, what (hall I fay of the advan- 
 tage the juft make of tribulations, which are fo preju- 
 dicial to the wicked ? St. Chryfoftom fays f, that as 
 gold is refined by the fame fire which confumes wood ; 
 fo the juft man, like gold, becomes more pure in the 
 fire of tribulation, whilft the wicked, like dr^ wood, is 
 burnt to afties. St. Cyprian has fomething to the fame 
 purpofe : he fays J, that as the wind in harveft time 
 blows away the light chaff, but cleans the corn ; fo the 
 wind of tribulation blows away the wicked like light 
 ftraw, but purges the juft, and gathers them together 
 like good wheat. The lame is reprefented to us by the 
 waters of the Red-Sea, which were fo far from drown- 
 ing the children of Ilrael as they pafled through them, 
 that on the contrary they ferved them for a wall on the 
 right hand and on the left. Whereas they broke down 
 upon, and drowned the Egyptian's chariots and all Pha- 
 raoh's 
 
 Exod. c. xii. -j- St. Chryf. 14. in Matt, to I. J St. Cyprv 
 de imitate Ecclefiae.
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 1. Impatience cf tie Wicked. 256 
 
 raoh's army. The waters of tribulation, after the fame 
 manner, are a greater fecurity to virtuous men, and ferve 
 as prefervatives, and trials of their humanity and pati- 
 ence, but are like a tempeftuous fea to the wicked, which 
 drowns and buries them in the abifs of impatience, blaf- 
 phemy and defpair. 
 
 14. This therefore is another very confiderable advan- 
 tage virtue has over vice ; and it was on this account, 
 that the philofophers cried up philoiophy fo much ; ima- 
 gining, that the making of a man conftant and refolute 
 in all kind of adverfities, belonged only to it. But they 
 deceived themfelves in this point, as they did in many 
 others -, for neither true virtue nor true refolution and 
 conftancy are to be found among the philofophers, but 
 in the fchool of that matter, who, being nailed to a crofs, 
 comforted us by his example ; and reigning now in hea- 
 ven, ftrengthens us by his fpirit; and encourages us 
 with the hopes of the glory, he has promifed us ; all 
 which human philofophy is incapable of. 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 The eleventh privilege of virtue^ which confifls in the care 
 GOD takes to fupply the temporal nccejjilies of the Juft. 
 
 i. A LL we have hitherto treated of, are the fpiri- 
 JL\L tual favours which are beftowed upon the fol- 
 lowers of virtue in this life, befides the everlafting glory 
 which is laid up for them in the next. Thefe benefits 
 were all promifed them at our Saviour's coming into the 
 world, as all the prophefies in the Holy Scriptures teftify, 
 for which reafon he is juftly ftiled the Saviour of the 
 world; bec.aufe it is by him we obtain true falvation, 
 which is grace, wifdom, peace, victory, and dominion 
 over our paffions ; the confolations of the Holy Ghoft, 
 the riches of hope, and, in fine, all other benefits re- 
 quifite for the obtaining of this falvation, of which the 
 prophet has faid : Jfrael is faved in the Lord with an eter- 
 nal falvation *. 
 
 li a But 
 
 * Ifaiah, c. xlr. v. 1 7
 
 257 tt* Sinners Guide. Bcok I. 
 
 But if there be any perfon fo carnal as to have a 
 greater love for the goods of the flem, than for thofe of 
 the fpirit, as the Jews had, even he fhall herein find 
 more fatisfadion, as to this part, than he can pofiibly 
 \vifh. For what elfe could the wife man mean, when 
 fpeaking of true wifdom, in which the perfection of vir-> 
 tue confifls, he fays, Length of days is in her right kand\ 
 and in her left hand, riches and glory *. So that (he holds 
 thefe two forts of goods in her hands ; inviting men, 
 with one of them, to the enjoyment of eternal bleffings ; 
 and with the other, to a fearch after temporal. Do not 
 imagine, that GOD ftarves thofe who ferve him, or that 
 he is fo carelels, as to feed the very ant and worms of 
 the earth, and fuffer them to want. If you will not be- 
 lieve me, read the fixth chapter of St. Matthew, and 
 there you will fee what earneft and fecurity he has given 
 you. Behold the birds cf the air., fays our Saviour, for 
 they neither fow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns : 
 yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are not you of much 
 more value than they -f- ? A little after he concludes thus : 
 Be net felicitous, therefore faying ; what jhall we eat, or 
 what Jh all we drink, or wherewith Jhall we be cloathed? for 
 after all thefe things do the heathens feek. Seek you, therefore-, 
 frft, the kingdom of GOD, and all thefe things Jhall be ' 
 added unto you J. It is for this reafon, particularly, that 
 the Holy Pfalmift obferving, that this alone was a fu- 
 ficient motive to make men fubmit to one another, in- 
 vites us to ferve GOD, faying, Fear the Lord all ye his 
 faints, for there is no want to them that fear him. 'The 
 rich have wanted and have fuffer ed hunger, but they that 
 feck the Lord Jhall not be deprived of any good . This is 
 fo certain, that the fame prophet adds in another pfalm -, 
 / have been young, but now am old-, and I have not feen the 
 iuft fcrfaken, nor his feed feeking bread \\, 
 
 2. If you would be better informed of the mare 
 the juft have in this promife, hear what GOD him^ 
 felf fays in the book of Deuteronomy, to thofe that 
 
 keep 
 
 * Prov. c. iii. v. 16. -f St. Matth. c. vi. v. 26. J Ibid, 
 V- v. 31, 32, 23. J Pfalm XXXiii. v, 10, j i. Pfaln\
 
 Part II. Ch. 12. GOD'S Core of tie Juji. 258 
 keep his commandments *. " Now if thou wilt hear 
 " the voice of the Lord thy GOD, to do and keep all 
 " his commandments which I command thee this day, 
 <c the Lord thy GOD will make thee higher than all the 
 " nations that are on the earth. And all thefe bleffings 
 " mail come upon thee, and overtake thee, yet fo if 
 <c thou hear his precepts. BlefTed mail thou be in the 
 " city, and blefTed in the field. Bleffed mall be the fruit 
 " of thy womb, and the fruit of thy ground, and the 
 " fruit of thy cattle, the droves of thy herds, and the 
 " folds of thy fheep. Bleffed mall be thy barns, and 
 " blefTed thy ftores. Bleffed fhall thou be coming in and 
 " going out. The Lord mall caufe thy enemies that 
 " rife up againft thee, to fall down before thy face : one 
 *' way mail they come out againft thee, and feven ways 
 " mall they flee before thee. The Lord will fend forth 
 *' a bleffmg upon thy ftorehoufes, and upon all the works 
 " of thy hands : and will blefs thee in the land that thou 
 " malt receive. The Lord will raife thee up to be a 
 ' holy people to himfelf, as he fwore to thee, if thou 
 " keep the commandments of the Lord thy GOD, and 
 " walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth, 
 " fhall fee, that the name of the Lord is invocated upon 
 " thee, and they fhall fear thee. The Lord will make 
 " thee abound with all goods, with the fruit of thy 
 *' womb, and the fruit of thy cattle, with the fruit of 
 ' thy land, which the Lord fwore to thy fathers that he 
 " would give thee. The Lord will open his excellent 
 <c treafure the heaven, that it may give rain in due fea^ 
 " fon ; and he will blefs all the works of thy hands.'* 
 Thefe are the words of GOD himfelf, delivered by his 
 prophet. Tell me now after all this, are the treafures 
 of both the Indies to be compared with fuch infinite, 
 bleffings as thefe are ? 
 
 3. But, fuppofing the promife of temporal bleffings, 
 was made to the Jews, rather than to Chriftians, becaufe 
 Almighty GOD, by Ezechiel *, promifes to enrich thefe 
 with other kind of goods of greater value, to wit, thofe 
 of grace and glory ; yet as GOD in the carnal law did not 
 
 ceafe 
 
 Deut, c. xxviii. v, I. to v. 13. f Ezec, c. xxxiv, & xxxvi,
 
 a 59 ^ e S timers Guidt. Book. I. 
 
 ceafe to give fpiritual goods, to thofe Jews that were 
 virtuous ; fo neither will he refufe to give temporal blef- 
 fings to good Chriftians, in the fpiritual law, and that, 
 with the addition of two extraordinary advantages, which 
 the wicked have not the leaft knowledge of. The one is, 
 that he gives them thefe forts of bleffings like an experi- 
 enced phyfician, according to their feveral necefTities ; 
 that fo they may ferve to fupport, and not puff them up. 
 The wicked know nothing at all of this, for they heap 
 up all they can, without confidering, that fuperfluity of 
 temporal goods is no lefs prejudicial to the welfare of the 
 foul, than fuperfluity of meats is to the health of the 
 body. For, though a man cannot naturally live without 
 eating, yet to eat too much impairs the health ; and tho* 
 man's life is in his blood, yet too much of it quite choaks 
 him up. The other advantage is, that with lefs noife, 
 he gives them much more content and fatisfaftion, 
 which is the end of mens feeking after temporal riches, 
 than the others can purchafe with all their {lores. Be- 
 caufe, whatfoever GOD can do by the means of fecond 
 caufes, he can do by himfelf and much more perfectly. 
 It is what he has done to all the faints, in whofe names 
 St. Paul fpake, when he faid t : As having nothing and 
 poffefling all things : becaufe we are as content with the 
 little we have, as if we were lords of all the world. 
 Travellers endeavour to carry what money they have, in 
 gold, becaufe they can carry much more, and with lefs 
 burthen. So GOD provides for thofe that love him ; 
 by giving them a lighter burthen, but much more 
 of joy, eafe and fatisfaction. Thus the juft travel in 
 this lite, naked, and contented , poor, and rich : whilft 
 the wicked wallow in the ir riches, and yet die for hun- 
 ger. And though like Tantalus, they are up to the 
 very chin in water, yet they cannot quench their third. 
 
 4. For this, and fuch like reafons, Mofes fo earneflly 
 recommended the keeping of the law of GOD, defiring 
 it mould be our whole ftudy and care, as well knowing 
 that all happineis confiited in the fulfilling thereof. And 
 thefe words which I command thee this day> fays he, Jhall be 
 
 in 
 t 2 Cor. c. vi. v. 10.
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 2. GOD'S Care of the Juji. 26$ 
 
 in thy heart; and thoujhalt tell them to thy children, and thoa 
 jhalt meditate upon them fitting in thy houfe, and walking on 
 thy journey, Jleeping, and rifeng. And thoujhalt bind theln as 
 a fign on thy hand, and they Jhall be andjhall move between 
 thy eyes, and thou Jbalt write them in the entry and on the 
 doors of thy houfe ; that by this means thy days may be mul- 
 tiplied, and tho/e of thy poftcrity, in the land which God /hall 
 give thee *. What was it O holy prophet, that you faw, 
 what did you find in the keeping of GOD'S command- 
 ments, that mould make you recommend them fo ear- 
 neftly to others ? you without doubt underftood the inef- 
 timable value of this good, as being fo great a prophet, 
 and privy to the divine counfels. You knew that all 
 kind of goods whatever, prefent and to come, temporal 
 and eternal, fpiritual and corporal, were contained in, 
 and depended on this : and that, if we complied with; 
 this obligation, we mould fatisfy all the reft. You knew 
 very well, that he who made it his bufmefs to do the 
 will of GOD, mould never lofe his labour, becaufe the 
 doing of this, was pruning his vine y watering of his 
 garden, increafing his eftate, and looking after all his 
 affairs, much better than he could do it himfelf, becaufe 
 it layed an obligation on GOD to do it for him. For 
 the condition of the treaty which GOD has made with 
 man, is , that whilft man- is bufy about keeping of GOD'S 
 law -, GOD will be bufy about looking after marc's con- 
 cerns. And there is no fear of the contract being broken 
 en GOD'S fide. On the contrary, if mart prove a faithful 
 fervant, GOD will ftill mow himfelf a better matter. 
 This is that one thing, which our Saviour faid was ne- 
 ceffary ; to wit, the knowing and loving of GOD- -f. 
 For he that knows how to pteafe GOD, is fecure of all 
 the reft. Godlinefs, fays St. Paul J, is profitable to all 
 things, having promifes ef the life that n-ow is, and of that 
 which is now to come. You- fee here how plainly the 
 apoftle promifes to piety, which is the worfhip of GOD, 
 not only the goods of the next, but thofe of this life too, 
 as far as they contribute to the gaining of eternal hap- 
 
 pinefs j 
 
 * Deut, c. vi. v. &, 7, 8 r &c. f St. Luc. c. x. v. 4Z. 
 I Tim. c. iv. v. 8,
 
 26 1 'The Sinners Guide. Book L 
 
 pinefs ; and yet man is not excufed upon this account, 
 from labour, or from complying with the obligations of 
 his ftate and calling, as far as he is able. 
 
 SECT, I. 
 
 Of the poverty of the Wicked. 
 
 I. If any-body defires to know what poverty, what 
 afflictions and calamities are laid up for the wicked, let 
 him but read the twenty-eighth chapter of Deuterono- 
 my, and he will there fee fuch things as will aftonilh and 
 frighten him, where amongft many other dreadful threats, 
 Mofes delivers thefe moft terrifying words from the 
 mouth of GOD * : " But if thou wilt not hear the 
 " voice of the Lord thy GOD, to keep, and to do all his 
 " commandments and ceremonies, which 1 command 
 " thee this day, all thefe curfes mall come upon thee, 
 " and overtake thee* Curfed malt thou be in the city, 
 " curfed in the field ; curfed mall be thy barn, and curfed 
 " thy (lores ; curfed mail be the fruit of thy womb, and 
 *' the fruit of thy ground, the herds of thy oxen, and 
 " the flocks of thy fheep , curfed malt thou be coming 
 " in, and curfed going out. The Lord mail fend upon 
 " thee famine and hunger, and a rebuke upon all the 
 " works which thou malt do : until he confume and de- 
 " ftroy thee quickly, for thy moft wicked inventions, by 
 *' which thou haft forfaken me. May the Lord let the 
 *' peftilence upon thee, until he confume thee out of the 
 *' land, which thou (halt go in to pofTefs. May the 
 " Lord afflid thee with miferable want, with the fever 
 ** and with cold, with burning and with heat, and with 
 " corrupted air and with blafting, and purfue thee till 
 " thou perifh , be the heaven that is over thee of brafs, 
 " and the ground thou treddeft on of iron. The Lord 
 <c give thee duft for rain upon thy land, and let aflies 
 " come down from heaven upon thee, till thou be con- 
 " fumed. The Lord make thee to fall down before 
 *' thy enemies ; one way mayeft thou go out againft 
 " them, and flee feven ways, and be fcattered through- 
 out 
 * Deut. c. xxviii. v. 1.5, to v, 18.
 
 tart II. Ch. 12. Poverty of the tricked. 264 
 " out all kingdoms of the earth ; and be thy carcafs* 
 *' meat for all the fowls of the air, and the beads of the 
 "earth, and be there none to drive them away. The 
 * c Lord ftrike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and the part 
 tl of thy body by which thy dung is caft out, with the 
 tc fcab, and with the itch , fo that thou canft not be" 
 " healed : the Lord ftrike thee with madrtefs and blind- 
 " nefs and fury of mind, and mayeft thou grope at mid- 
 " day as the blind is wont to grope in the dark, and not 
 " make ftrait thy ways ; and mayeft thou at all times 
 " fuffer wrong, and be oppreffed with violence, and mayeft 
 " thou have no one to deliver thee. Mayeft thou take a 
 *' wife and another deep with her j mayeft thou build a 
 " houfe and not dwell therein ; mayeft thou plant a 
 " vineyard, and not gather the vintage thereof. Mayeft 
 *' thy ox be (lain before thee, and thou not eat thereof. 
 " May thy afs be taken away in thy fight, arid not re- 
 *' llored to thee ; may thy (heep be given to thy enemies^ 
 " and may there be none to help thee. May thy fons 
 " and thy daughters be given to another people, thy 
 " eyes looking on, and languifliing at the fight of then! 
 " all the day , and may there be no ftrength in thy handi 
 tc Thou (halt be loft, as a proverb and a bye-word to all 
 " people, among whom the Lord (hall bring thee in." 
 In fine, after a great many other curies, and thofe very 
 dreadful ones, he adds farther (i) : " And all thefe 
 " curfes (hall come upon thee, artd (hall purfue and over- 
 " take thee, till thou perifh ; becaufe thou heardeft not 
 *' the voice of the Lord thy GOD, and didft not keep his 
 " commandments and ceremonies which he commanded 
 " thee, and they (hall be as figns and wonders on thee 
 " and on thy feed for ever ; becaufe thou didft not ferve 
 " the Lord thy Gor> with joy artd gladnefs of heart for 
 " the abundance of all things. Thou (halt ferve thy 
 l enemy, whom the Lord will fend upon thee in hun- 
 " ger, and thirll, and nakednefs, and in want of all 
 " things ; and he (hall put an iron yoke upon thy neck, 
 " till he confume thee. The Lord will bring upon thee 
 " a nation from afar, and from the uttermoft ends of the 
 K k " earth* 
 
 (i) Deut c. xxviii. Vi 45. to 54*
 
 263 tte Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 *' earth, like an eagle that flieth fwiftlf ; wftofe tongue 
 " thou canit not underftand ; a moft infolent nation, that 
 *' will (hew no regard to the ancient, nor have pity on 5 
 " the infant , and will devour the fruit of thy cattle, and 
 " the fruits of thy land, until thou be deftroyed. And 
 " will leave thee no wheat, nor wine, nor oil, nor herds 
 c< of oxen, nor flocks of ftieep , until he deftroy thee, 
 " and confume thee in all thy cities, and thy ftrong and 
 *' high-walls be brought down, wherein thou truftedft irr 
 " all thy land. Thou fhalt be befieged within thy gates 
 *' in all thy land, which the Lord thy GOD will give thee r 
 " and thou fhalt eat the fruit of thy womb, and the flefh 
 " of thy fons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy 
 *' GOD lhall give thee, in the diftrefs and extremity where- 
 " with thy enemy mall opprefs thee," Thefe threats 
 and curfes are all taken out of the holy fcriptures, where 
 you may find 5 many more which I here omit to relate ;> 
 but whoever reads them with attention, will meet with 
 fuch dreadful things, as cannot but aftonrm him. Then,, 
 perhaps, he will open his eyes, and begin to have fome 
 knowledge of the rigour of GOD'S juftice, and of the 
 malice of fin, together with the extreme hatred he bears 
 to it, as appears by the terrible pUBifhments He inflicts on 
 it in this life ; by which men may conjecture, what a 
 finner is to expect in the next. Befides, he will pity the 
 infenfibility and mifery of the wicked, who are fo blind; 
 as not to fee the dreadful punifhments that are referved 
 for them. 
 
 2. Do not perfuade yourfelf that thefe threats are 
 only empty words ; but confider that they are a true pro- 
 phecy of thofe misfortunes, which have fmce happened 
 to that people. For, during the reign of Achab king of 
 Ifrael, the king of Syria's army having befieged them in 
 Samaria, we read that men were forced to eat pidgeon's 
 dung, which was fold at a great price -fv Nay, they were 
 reduced, at laft, to fuch extremities, that mothers de- 
 voured their own children. And Jofephus tell&us, they 
 were brought to the fame mifery again in the fiege of 
 Jerufalem J. There is fcarce any-body but has heard of 
 
 the 
 .vi. .JJof.t.7.
 
 Part IT. Ch. 1 2, Poverty of the Wicked. 264 
 
 <he captivity of this people, with tfie utter fubverfion of 
 the whole kingdom. For ten tribes of them were car- 
 ried away into perpetual captivity by the King of Afly- 
 xia, and never returned home again ; and the two which 
 remained were quite deftroyed a great while after by tbe 
 Roman army : who took many of them prifoners -, but 
 the number of thofe that were flain, or died during the 
 fiege, was far greater, according to the relation of the 
 feme hiftorian. 
 
 3. But let no man deceive himfelf by imagining, that 
 all thefe calamities, concerned none but this people. 
 For, they belong to all thofe in general, who profeffing 
 to ferve GOD, neverthelefs contemn and violate his law : 
 It is what he himfelf allures us of by his Prophet Amos ; 
 faying * : Did not I bring up Ifrael out of the land of Egypt , 
 and tbe Paleflines out of Cappadocia^ and the Syrians out of 
 Cyrene? Behold the eyes of the Lord God are<upon thejinful 
 kingdom^ and I will deflroy it from the face of the earth. 
 By this he gives us to underftand, that all changes of 
 'kingdoms and ftates , as the deftroying of fome, and 
 the eftabliftiing of others, are the effects of fin. And 
 if any one doubts whether this concerns us or no, let 
 him fearch into the hiftories of paft ages, and he will 
 find that GOD deals after the fame manner with all the 
 wicked, but particularly with thofe, who have known the 
 true law, and yet have not obferved it. He will there 
 fee, that a great part of Europe, Africa, and Afia, which 
 were formerly full of Chriftian churches, are now in the 
 hands of heathens and barbarians. He will fee, what ca- 
 lamities the church has fuffered from the Goths, the 
 Hunns and the Vandals, who in St. Auguflin's time, 
 laid all the countries of Africa wade, fparing neither 
 man, woman, nor child, old, nor young. And at the 
 fame time all the country of Dalmatia, and the neigh- 
 bouring towns, were fo ruined by thefe barbarians, that, 
 as St. Jerome who was himfelf of that country, fays ; 
 whofoever patted through it, could fee nothing but 
 heaven and earth ; fo univerfalwas the defolationf. All 
 this ferves to inform us, that virtue and true devotion, 
 Kk 2 not 
 
 * Amos, c. ix. v. 7, 8. f St. Hieron in chap. i. Sophon
 
 $6$ The Sinners Guide. Book I, 
 
 not only affift us, in order to obtain the eternal goods, 
 but alib to fettle us in the pofifefTion of the temporal. 
 "Wherefore, let the confideration of this and all thofe 
 Other advantages virtue has, ferve to make an impreflion 
 on our hearts, and excite them to the love of that which 
 delivers us from fo great evijs, and procures us fuch 
 mighty benefits, 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 tfhe twelfth privilege of virtue, which is the quiet and happy, 
 death of the 'virtuous , and on the contrary ', the deplorable 
 end of the wicked. 
 
 l. A DD to thefe privileges the glorious and happy 
 Jr\ death of good men, to which all the others are 
 directed. For if, as we commonly fay, It is the end that 
 Browns the work; what can better deferve a crown, or 
 what can be more glorious than the end of good men ; 
 and what more miferable than that of the wicked ? The 
 4eath of the faints^ fays the pfalmift, is precious in the 
 fight of the Lord^ but the death of the wicked is very evil *. 
 Becaufe it is the greateft of all miferies, either of thp 
 body or foul. And therefore St. Barnard writing upon 
 thefe words -f, " The death of finners is the worft, fays : 
 that firft of all it is bad, becaufe it takes them away from 
 the world ; worfe yet, becaufe it feparates the foul from 
 the body \ but worft of all, becaufe of thofe two eternal 
 torments, fire everlafting, and the worm that never dies, 
 which immediately follow it." It cannot but be a great 
 affliction to fuch perfons to leave the world ; a much 
 greater to forfake their own flefh ; but the greateft of all 
 will be hell torments, which they are to be for ever con- 
 demned to. Thefe therefore, and feveral other miferies 
 put together, will difturb the wicked at this time. Be- 
 caufe then they will be fenfible of the fymptoms and ac- 
 cidents of their diftemper, the racking pains they erv 
 
 dure 
 
 * Pfalm cxv. v. 15. Pfalm Xxxjii. v. 22. f St, Bern. 
 inter pervos.
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 3. Unhappy End of tie Wicked. 266 
 dure all over their bodies , the frights and terrors of 
 their fouls, the anguifh their preftrnt condition caufes, 
 their apprehenfions of what muft follow, the remem- 
 brance of what is pad ; the reflexion on the accounts 
 they are going to give in, the dread they have of the 
 fentence to be paft againft them , the horrours of the 
 grave-, their being feparated from all they had an inor- 
 dinate affection for; that is, from their riches, their 
 friends, their wives, their children, nay, from the very 
 light and common air which they enjoy, and even from 
 life kfelf. The greater love they have had for any of 
 thefe things, the more unwilling will they be to leave 
 them. For, according to the great St Auguftin, " What 
 we poflefs with love, we can never lofe without grief*." 
 Conformable to which, was the faying of a philolbpher ; 
 The fewer pleafures a man has enjoyed, the lefs afraid 
 he is of death. 
 
 2. But the greateft torment they fuffer at this time, 
 is that of an evil confcience ; with the confideration and 
 <dread of thofe pains which are prepared for them. Be- 
 cauie man being then alarmed at the approach of death, 
 begins to open his eyes, and to confider what he never 
 thought of in all his life before. Eufebius EmifTenus 
 gives us a very good reafon for this in one of his homi- 
 lies, where he fays -j- ; " Becaufe, at this time, man lays 
 afide all the folicitnde with which he ufed to feek for, 
 and procure all that was neceffary for life ; and does not 
 trouble his head any more, either about working or 
 fighting, or any other employ whatever; it follows 
 from hence, that the foul being free from every thing 
 elfe, thinks of nothing but the account (he muft make, 
 and all her powers are overcharged with the weight of 
 the Divine Juftice, and of God Almighty's judgments. 
 Man therefore lying in this miferable condition, with 
 life behind his back, and death before his eyes, he eafily 
 forgets the prefent which he is going to leave, and begins 
 to think of the future, which he is in continual expecta- 
 tion of. There he fees, that his pleafures and delights 
 are now at an end, and that he has nothing left him, 
 
 but 
 
 * J3e. Civit. Dei. -f St. Eucher. Homil, i. ad Monachos.
 
 267 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 but his fins to appear againft him before the tribunal of 
 GOD.** The fame doctor difcourfing again upon this 
 fubject in another homily, fays, " Let us confider what 
 complaints a negligent foul will make at its departure 
 out of this life ; what tribulation and anguifh will me 
 be filled with ? what clouds and darknefs will me lie 
 tinder, when among thofe enemies that furround her, 
 (he mail fee her own conference, attended by a multitude 
 of fins, the forwardeft to appear againft her. For me 
 alone, without any other witnefs, will appear before us, 
 to convince us by her evidence, and confound us by her 
 knowledge. It will be impoffible to hide any thing 
 from her, or to deny any thing me mall charge us with, 
 fince there will be no need of going any farther than 
 ourfelves for a witnefs. 
 
 3. Peter Damianus handles this matter much better, 
 and more at large *. " Let us confider, fays he, with 
 attention, what dreadful fears and apprehenfions the foul 
 of a finner will be oppreft with, when me is upon the 
 point of leaving the prifon of the flefh ; and how the 
 flings of a guilty confcience will prick and torment her. 
 Then me calls to mind the fins me has committed, and 
 fees how fhe has defpifed and broken the commandments 
 of GOD. Then fhe is troubled to have loft fo much 
 time, in which me might have done penance j and with 
 affliction, fees that the account fhe muft unavoidably 
 give, and the time of divine vengeance is juft at hand. 
 She would willingly (lay, but is forced to go ; fhe 
 would fain recover what fhe has loft, but cannot obtain 
 leave to do it. If fhe cafts her eyes behind her, and 
 confiders the whole courfe of her life, it feems no more 
 to her than a fhort moment ; if fhe looks forward, fhe 
 fees there the fpace of an infinite eternity that expects 
 her. She weeps when (he confiders the everlafting hap- 
 pinefs me has loft, which fhe might have gained in the 
 fhort time of this life -, and to be deprived of this un- 
 fpeakable fwe-etnefs of eternal delight, for a fleeting car- 
 nal latisfaction, is a great affliction to her. She is filled 
 
 with 
 
 * Peter Damian. c. vi. in Inftitut Monial. ad Blancam Co- 
 muifTam.
 
 Part II. Ch. 13. Unhappy End of tie Wicked. 268 
 
 with confufion to confider, that for the pleafing of this 
 miferable body, which mud be the food of worms ; {he 
 has negle&ed herfelf, who ought to have taken her place 
 amongft the choirs of angels. When- fhe reflects upon 
 the brightnefs and glory of immortal riches, fhe is 
 alhamed to fee herfelf deprived of therrv, for having 
 fought after fuch as were bafe and perifhable. But when 
 fhe has done looking upward, and cafts her eyes down 
 upon the dark and frightful valley of this world, and 
 at the fame time fees the glory of eternal light above her, 
 me is fully convinced, that all (he loved in this world, 
 was nothing but night and darknefs, O if fhe could 
 but then obtain a little time to do penance in, what 
 aufterities and mortifications would fhe not undergo ? 
 what is it fhe would not do ? what vows would fhe not 
 make and what prayers would fhe not be continually offer- 
 ing up ? but whilft man is revolving, thefe things in his 
 mind, behold the mefTengers and fore-runners of death 
 are juft at hand; his eyes become dark and hollow, his 
 breaft heaves, his voice grows hoarfe, he rattles in the 
 throat, his limbs wax cold, his teeth turn black, he foams 
 at the mouth, and his face grows wan and pale , whilft 
 thefe things which ferve as fo many preparations to ap- 
 proaching death, orderly fall out ; the miferable foul fees 
 before her aH the works, words, and thoughts of her 
 fate wicked life, which give in a lamentable teftimony 
 againft her, as being the author of them all; and tho* 
 fhe would willingly turn her eyes away from them, fhe 
 cannot, but is forced to fee them. Let us add to all 
 this, the horrible prefenee of the devils on one fide, and 
 that of virtue and of the blefled angels on the other; and 
 we foon guefs which of the two parties this prey is like 
 to fall to. Becaufe, if the dying man carries any works 
 of piety and virtue with him,, he is immediately com- 
 forted by the invitations and carefTes of the angels : but, 
 if the foulnefs of his fins, and of his wicked pafl life, 
 require that he fhould be treated after another manner, 
 immediately he trembles every joint of him for fear, 
 falls into defpair ; and in this condition, is fnatcht, rent, 
 and torn away from this miferable ikm, and thrown 
 
 hea<I-
 
 269 The Sinners Guide'. Book L 
 
 headlong into everlafling torments." Thus far Peter 
 Damianus. 
 
 4. If all this be true, what need of any more, if a 
 man has not loft his fenfes, to make him fee how mife- 
 rable the condition of the wicked is, and how carefully 
 to be avoided, fmce their end is like to be fo wretched 
 and deplorable. 
 
 5. If the goods of this world could do any fervice at 
 that time, as they do all the other part of life, their mi- 
 fery would be much eafier , but there is none of them 
 that can give the leaft afllftance. For, neither can ho- 
 nours profit a man, nor riches fecure him, nor friends 
 help him ; he can have no fervants to attend him ; he 
 muft expect no favour, becaufe of his quality, no fuc- 
 cour from his eftate, nor any fervice from any thing 
 whatever, but from virtue and innocence of life. For 
 as the wife man fays, Riches Jhall not -profit in the day of 
 revenge, but juftice, that is, , virtue, Jhall deliver from death *i, 
 How therefore can the wicked man, finding himfelf fo 
 poor and deftitute of all kind of help, forbear trembling 
 to fee himfelf thus forfaken and neglected at the judg- 
 ment feat of Almighty GOD ? 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the death of the juft, 
 
 6. But on the contrary, how fecure are the juft: againft 
 all thefe miferies, when they come to die. For, as the 
 wicked at this time receive the punimment of their fins, 
 the juft receive the reward of their virtue. According 
 to Ecclefiafticus, who fays -f- : // Jhall go well 'with him 
 that fear eth the Lord, and in the days of his end, he Jhall be 
 llefled -, that is, he mail have the rich reward of his la-; 
 hours. St. John in his Revelations declares the fame 
 thing to us more exprefsly, when he tells us J : That he 
 heard a voice from heaven, which commanded him to write j 
 an d the words which it diflated, were thefe : BleJJed are the 
 dead who die in the Lord ; becaufe the Holy Ghoft tells them, 
 
 tht 
 
 * Prov. c. xi. v, 4. *f Ecclus, c. i, v. 19. J Apoc,, 
 c* xiv. v, 13.
 
 Part K. Ch. 15. tfapfy Death of the Jitft. 270 
 
 the time is come that they may reft from their labours ; for 
 their works follow them. How is it poffible then for a 
 juft man, that has received fuch a promife as this, from 
 Almighty GOD himfelf, to be frightened at the hour of 
 his death, when he fees himfelf juft upon the point of 
 receiving what he has been labouring for all his life-time ? 
 for this reafon one of holy Job's pretended friends tells 
 him (i ) : If thou wilt put away from thee the iniquity that 
 is in thy hand, and let not injuftice remain in thy tabernacle : 
 bright nefs like that of the noon- day , Jhall rife to thee at even- 
 ing : and when thou Jhalt think thyfelf ton/timed, thou Jhalt 
 rife as the day-ftar. St. Gregory writing upon thefe 
 words, fays : " That the reafon why this morning-bright- 
 nefs fhines upon the juft in the evening, is becaufe he 
 perceives fome glimmerings at the hour of his death, of 
 that glory which GOD has prepared for him ; and there- 
 fore, when others are the moft dejected, he is then moft 
 chearful (2).'* ' Solomon in his Proverbs teftifies the fame, 
 when he fays (3) : The wicked man Jhall be driven out in 
 his wickednefs ; but the juft hath hope in his death. 
 
 7. To prove this by an example , could any man have 
 better hopes, or more courage than the glorious St. Mar- 
 tin had upon his death- bed , who, feeing the devil by 
 him, afked him : " What doeft thou here, cruel beaft ; 
 thou wilt find no mortal fin in me to glut thyfelf with, 
 and therefore I fhall be received into Abraham's bofom 
 in peace." Again, what greater confidence can be, than, 
 that St. Dominick had* when he was in the fame circum- 
 ftances : for feeing the religious brothers all about him, 
 bemoaning themfelves for his departure, and the want 
 they mould have in the lofs of him, he comforted them, 
 with thefe words : " Let nothing trouble or afflict you, 
 my children, for I (hall do you much more fervice where 
 I am going, than I mail be able to do you here.*' Ho\v 
 can a man lofe courage in this combat, or be afraid of 
 death, who looked upon eternal glory to be fo much his 
 own, as to be in hopes of obtaining it, not only for him- 
 felf, but for his children too ? 
 
 LI 8. It 
 
 (i) Job, c. xi. v. 14, 17. (2) St. Greg.L. 10. Moral, c. I, 
 
 (3) Prov. e> xiv, v, 32,
 
 27 l *Ihe Sinners Guide. Beok I. 
 
 8. It is upon this account the juft have To little reafon 
 to be afraid of death, that they praife GOD, when they 
 are dying ; and thank him for having brought them to 
 their end ; looking upon death as a cefTation from their 
 labours, and the beginning of their happinefs and glory. 
 Whereupon St. Auguftine, on St. John's Epiftle, fays * : 
 *' It is not to be faid of him that dies in peace, but of 
 him that lives in peace, and dies with joy, that he defires 
 to be diffolved and be with Chrift." Thus we fee the juft 
 man has no reafon to be troubled at death ; but we may, 
 with juftice, fay of him, that, like the fwan, he goes fing- 
 ingoutofthe world, praifing and glorifying GOD, for 
 calling him to himfelf. He is not afraid of death, be- 
 caufe he has feared GOD ; and whofoever has done that, 
 has nothing elfe to be afraid of. He is not afraid of 
 death, becaufe he has been afraid of a wicked life ; the 
 fear a man has of death, being only the effect of a bad 
 life. He is hot afraid of death, becaufe he has fpent all 
 his life in learning how to die, and in preparing himfelf 
 againft death , and he that ftands always upon his guard, 
 has no need to fear his enemies. He is not afraid of 
 death, becaufe the whole employ of his life has been, to 
 feek after thofe that might affift and Hand by him at this 
 hour ; that is, virtue and good works. He is not afraid 
 of death, becaufe the many fer vices he has done his judge, 
 will make him kind and favourable at that time. He is 
 not, in fine, afraid of death, becaufe death is no death, 
 but only a (lumber, to a juft man : it is no death; it is 
 but a change : it is no death ; it is but the laft day of his 
 toils and labours , it is no death ; but only the way that 
 leads to life, and the ftep by which he muft mount to 
 immortality ; for he knows that when death has pafled 
 through the veins of life, it lofes the bitternefs it had 
 before, and takes up the fweetnefs of life. 
 
 9. Nor can any other of thofe accidents, which ufually 
 happen at this time, terrify him. For, he knows they 
 are nothing but childbed pangs, which give him birth to 
 that eternity, the love of which has made him continu- 
 ity long for death, and fuffer life with patience. He is 
 
 not 
 * St. Aug. 9. in Ep. B. Joan.
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 3. Happy Death of the Jujl 272 
 
 is not frightened with the remembrance of his fins, be- 
 caufe he has Jefus Chrift for his Redeemer, whom he 
 has always been acceptable to ; nor does the rigour of 
 GOD'S judgments dimearten him, becaufe his Redeemer 
 is his advocate -, neither does he fhrink at the fight of the 
 devils, becaufe Jefus Chrift is his captain -, nor can the 
 horror of the grave make any impreffion upon him, be- 
 caufe he knows, that he muft foiu a fiejhy and corruptible 
 body in the earth, that it may after-wards fyring up incor- 
 ruptible and fpiritual* . If it be true that the end crowns 
 the work , and if, as Seneca fays f : " We mull judge of 
 all the reft, by the laft day ; and accordingly pafs fen- 
 tence upon the whole life paft -, becaufe all that is paft is 
 condemned or juftified by it." And if the death of good 
 men be fo peaceable and quiet, and that of the wicked, 
 on the contrary, fo difturbed and painful, what need 
 have we of any other motive, than barely this difference, 
 which is between the death of the one and of the other, 
 to make us refolve againft a bad life, and to live a good 
 one. 
 
 10. Where is the benefit of all the pleafures, profpe- 
 rity, riches, and all the titles and honours in the world,- 
 if after all I mould be plunged headlong into hell-fire ? 
 and on the other fide, what hurt can all the miferies of 
 this life dp me, if by means of them, I can make a 
 happy end, and carry along with me the pledges of eter- 
 nal glory. Let the wicked man manage his point in the 
 world with as much cunning as he pleafes, what will he 
 get by all his craft, but juft to know, how to acquire 
 fuch things, as will ferve to make him more proud, more 
 vain, more fenfual, more able to fin, more unable to do 
 good, and to make death fo much the more bitter and 
 unwelcome, as life was the more pleafant and delightful ? 
 if there is any fenfe and wit in the world, certainly there 
 can be none greater, than to know how to order life well, 
 againft this laft hour-, fmce a wife man's chief bufinefs is 
 to underftand, what means are the moft proper for him 
 to ufe, in order to arrive at his end. If therefore we 
 look upon him, as a fkilful phyfician, who knows what 
 L 1 2 remedies 
 
 * z Cor. c, xiii. v. 44. *f Senec. Ep. 12.
 
 273 The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 remedies to prefcribe for the recovery of health, which is 
 the end of this fcience ; we muft of necefiity think him 
 truly wife, who knows how to govern his life, in order- 
 to death ; that is, in order to the making up of his ac- 
 counts well, when death, to which he is to direct all hia 
 life, (hall come. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 % be foregoing feflion proved by feme examples *. 
 
 11. For the better explaining and confirming of what 
 I have faid, and to give the reader a little fpiritual re- 
 creation, I think fit to add here a few famous examples 
 of the glorious deaths of fome faints, taken out of 
 Holy Pope Gregory's fourth book of dialogues; by 
 which we may plainly perceive, how pleafant and how 
 happy a thing death is to the juft. If I enlarge a little 
 upon this point, I (hall not think my time ill fpent, be- 
 caufe the faint, at the fame time as he relates thefe 
 paffages, gives a great deal of wholefome advice and 
 inftru<5tion. 
 
 12. "He tells us, that during the time the Goths 
 were in Italy, there was a certain lady called Galla, of 
 very confiderable quality, in Rome, daughter to one 
 Symmachus, a conful. She was married very young, 
 and became both wife and widow in one year. She had 
 all the invitations imaginable from the world, her youth 
 and her fortune to take a fecond huiband ^ but me chofe 
 to be the fpoufe of Chrift, and to celebrate a marriage 
 with him, that begins with forrow, but ends with joy -, 
 rather than with the world, where it begins in joy, but 
 ends in forrow. This lady was of a very hot conftitution, 
 and the phyficians told her, that if fhe did not marry 
 again, (he would certainly have a beard like a man, which 
 accordingly happened. Yet the holy woman, charmed 
 with the inward beauty of her new bridegroom, was not 
 troubled at her outward deformity, well knowing it 
 would not be offenfive to her heavenly fpoufe. There- 
 fore, laying afide her worldly drefs, fhe gave herfelf en- 
 tirely up to the fervice of GOD, a.nd entered into a mo-r 
 
 naflerv 
 * Greg, 4. L. Dial c. 13
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 3. Happy Death of the Jujl. 274, 
 
 nailery near St. Peter's church, where (he lived for fe^- 
 veral years in great fimplicity of heart, and in the fre- 
 quent exercife of prayer and chanty to the poor. Al- 
 mighty GOD being refolved 'at length, to reward the 
 labours of his fervant with eternal glory -, fhe was trour 
 bled with a cancer in the breaft, which grew to fuch a 
 height, that fhe was forced to keep her bed, where, as 
 me lay, fhe had always two lamps burning by her, being 
 fo great a lover of light j as to have a horror, not only 
 of fpiritual, but even of corporal darknefs. Finding 
 herfelf one night very much out of order, fhe faw the 
 blefied Apoftle St. Peter Handing between the two lamps; 
 not at all difturbed at the vifion, but her love on the 
 contrary emboldening and encouraging her, fhe with a 
 deal of chearfulnefs and joy, afked him : great Apoftle, 
 are my fins pardoned yet ? to which he anfwered, with 
 a fmiling countenance, and bowing down his head, yes, 
 they are pardoned you, come along with me. But the 
 holy woman having contracted a ftricr, tie of friendship 
 with another religious woman of the fame monaftery, 
 called Benedicta ; replied immediately, I beg that fifter 
 Benedicta may go along with me ; the apoftle told her, 
 fhe was not to come yet, but that another fifter whom 
 he named, mould bear her company, and that fifter Be- 
 nedicla mould follow her within thirty days. After 
 which he vaniflied, and the fick lady fending for the 
 priorefs, gave her an account of all that had happened, 
 and both fhe herfelf and the other whom St. Peter named, 
 died within three days after, and at the end of thirty 
 days, the other (he had afked for. The memory of this 
 paflage is ftiil preferved in that monaftery, and the 
 younger religious women, who received it from their 
 mothers, recount it with as much fervour and devotion, 
 as if they themfelves had been eye-witnefies to it." 
 This is St. Gregory's own relation ; the reader may ob- 
 ferve how glorious an end this was. 
 
 13. After this the fame faint gives us an account of 
 another example no lefs wonderful -f-. " There was a cer- 
 tain man, fays he, at Rome, called Servulqs, very poop 
 
 a* 
 
 f Greg. 4, L. Dial c. 14,
 
 275 ffi* Sinners Guide. Book I P 
 
 as to the world, but very rich in merits. His ufual fta- 
 tion was under a perch before St. Clement's church* 
 where he begged, being fo lame with the palfy, that he 
 could not rife nor fit up in his bed, nor fo much as lift 
 his hand to his mouth, or turn from one fide to the other. 
 His mother and a brother always kept him company, 
 and affifted him, and all the alms he could conveniently 
 jpare, he defired his mother or his brother to diftribute 
 among the poor. He could not read, yet he bought 
 fome books of the fcripture, and when any devout per- 
 fon came to fee him, would defire them to read to him, 
 and by this means he got fome infight into Holy Writ, 
 Befides, he always ufed to blefs GOD in the midft of his 
 
 freat pains, and to employ himfelf day and night in 
 nging of hymns. But the time drawing nigh when the 
 Lord intended to reward his great patience, the holy 
 man fell extreme fick ; and when he perceived he was 
 going out of the world, he called together all the 
 ilrangers thereabout, defiring them to join with him in 
 praifmg GOD, for the hopes he had given him of his 
 being at the end of his labours. 
 
 14. But as he was finging amongft the reft, he inter- 
 rupted them on a fudden, crying out with a loud voice, 
 Silence, do not you hear the fongs and hymns of praifes 
 and thankfgivings which fill the heavens ? and liftening 
 thus, with the ear of his heart, to the voices he heard 
 within himfelf, he died. And as foon as he had given 
 up the ghoft fuch an extraordinary fragrancy was fmelt 
 all over the place, that all thofe prefent were delighted 
 with its fweetnefs, by which they underftood that he re^ 
 ally had heard the fongs of praile and joy, with which he 
 was received into heaven. A religious man of our con- 
 vent, who is ftill living, and who was prefent when this 
 happened, often, with tears, tells me, that thofe who 
 were there when he died, never loft the fweet fmell, till 
 his body was buried." 
 
 15. 1 will add another memorable example out of the 
 fame faint, whereof he gives a faithful teftimony, as be- 
 ing himfelf nearly concerned in it(?). " My father, 
 
 fays 
 (i).Greg. 4. L.Dial c. 16.
 
 Part II. Ch. 13. Happy Death of the Jujl. 276 
 fays he, had three fitters, who all confecrated their virgi- 
 nity to GOD : the^ eldeft was called Tarfilla, the fecond, 
 Gordiana, and the youngeft, Emiliana. They all three 
 offered themfelves up to GOD at the fame time, with 
 an equal fervour, devotion, and refignation ; living to- 
 gether at their own houfe, under the obfervance of a 
 very rigorous rule. After they had lived thus for a con- 
 fiderable time, Tarfilla and Emiliana began to increafe 
 every day more and more in the love of their Creator ; 
 and arrived to fuch a degree of perfection, that though 
 their bodies remained upon earth, their fouls were con- 
 tinually converfant in heaven. But Gordiana, on the 
 contrary, growing every day more and more cold in her 
 affection for GOD, was proportionably inflamed with the 
 love of the world. Tarfilla ufed frequently to tell her 
 fitter Emiliana, with a great deal of forrow ; I fee our 
 fitter Gordiana is not well pleafed \vith our way of living. 
 I perceive me is wholly bent upon outward things, and 
 that me does not obferve, in her heart, the vows of her 
 religion. Whereupon the other two fitters often advifed 
 her, with all the fweetnefs and tendernefs they could, to 
 lay afide her light behaviour, and be modeft and grave 
 as became her habit. Thus (he fpent her time in idle 
 difcourfe, delighted in the company of worldly women ; 
 nor could fhe endure to converfe with any others. One 
 night, my great grandfather Felix, who had been Pope, 
 appeared to Tarfilla, who had made a much greater pro- 
 grefs than her fitters, in continual prayer, corporal au- 
 fterities and fafts, in modefty, in gravity, and in all 
 kind of piety, and mewing her a habitation of eternal 
 brightnefs, faid to her : " Come hither to me ; for I am 
 " to receive you into this habitation of light/* Within 
 a few days after, Tarfilla fell fick of a burning fever, 
 and was paft all recovery : and, as it is the cuttom for 
 much company to vifit a perfon of quality that lies a 
 dying, to comfort their kindred and relations ; at that 
 time feveral perfons of note were there, and amongft the 
 reft, my mother, Then the fick lady lifting up her eyes 
 towards heaven, faw her Saviour coming to her ; and 
 ftruck with admiration, began to cry cut, ftand afide, for 
 
 Jefus
 
 Sinners Guide. Bobk 1* 
 
 Jefus Chrift is coming. And having fixed her eyes very 
 fteadily upon her Saviour, whom me faw, me foon after 
 breathed out her blerTed foul -, and immediately fuch a 
 fragrancy was fmelt by all there prefent, as fuftkiently 
 .evinced, that the author of all fweetnefs had really been 
 among them. When they uncovered her to warn her 
 body, as is ufually done with the dead, they found her 
 knees and elbows as hard as a camel's, with continual 
 proftrating at her prayers : fo that her dead flefh gave a 
 fufficient teflimony of the employ of her fpirit, during 
 her life. This happened before Chriftmas ; and as foon 
 as Chrift mas-day was over, Tarfilla appeared to her fifter 
 Emiliana in the night time, and faid to her : come my 
 dear filler, and let us keep the feaft of the Epiphany 
 together, fmce I have kept that of Chriftmas without 
 you. But Emiliana being concerned at the danger her 
 fifter Gordiana would be expofed to if (he were left alone, 
 anfwered, if I go along with you, to whofe care fhall I 
 recommend our fifter Gordiana ? Tarfilla, with a heavy 
 countenance replied ; Do you come with me ; as for 
 Gordiana, {he is reckoned amongft the people of the 
 world. Immediately after this vifion, Emiliana fell fick, 
 and growing every hour worfe and worfe, died before 
 the day her fifter had named. Gordiana feeing herfelf 
 now left alone, became more and more wicked every 
 day , and by degrees, quite lofing the fear of GOD, and 
 neglecting her modefty, her devotion, and the vows by 
 which (he had confecrated herfelf to GOD, went and 
 married a man who farmed her eftate of her." This is 
 all taken out of St. Gregory, who by the examples of 
 thofe <sf his own family and blood, mows us how happy* 
 and profperous the end of virtue is, s and how forrowful 
 and mean that of light and inconftant perlbrts. I will 
 conclude with one example more upon this fubjedl out 
 of the fame faint, which happened in his time, and which 
 he delivers after this manner* 
 
 1 6. "About the time when I entered into a monaf- 
 tery , there was an ancient woman at Rome^ called Re- 
 dempta, who wore a religious habit, and lived juft by 
 our blefied Lady's. She had been formerly under the 
 
 care
 
 Part II. Ch. 1 3 . Happy Death of the Juft. 278 
 
 :Care of a certain holy virgin, called Hirundina, who, fay 
 they, was in great efteem for her virtue ; having led a 
 Solitary life upon the Preneftine Mountains. This fame 
 Redempta had two other young virgins that came to her 
 to be her difciples, the name of one of them was Ro- 
 jnula, as for the other, who is ftill living, I know her by 
 fight, but cannot tell her name. Thefe three virgins 
 Jived a very poor but holy life, all in the fame houfe. 
 But Romula out-ftript her other companion in all kinds 
 of virtues and graces, as being a woman of wonderful 
 patience, of a moil perfect obedience, of an extraordi- 
 nary recollection, a very Uriel obferver of filence, and 
 very much given to prayer and contemplation. But, 
 fometimes thofe who appear perfect in the eyes of men, 
 &re not without imperfections before GOD ; as we often 
 fee unfkilful perfons commend a ftatue before it is 
 finifhed, as a complete work ; and yet the mafter who 
 knows there *s much more to be done to it, does not lay 
 it afide, becaufe of their extolling it, nor neglect to 
 finifh it, becaufe of their commendation. Almighty 
 GOD dealt after the fame manner with Romula, whom 
 he thought fit to refine and perfect, by afflicting her fe- 
 verely with the palfy, which obliged her to keep her 
 bed for feveral years, without any ufe of her limbs. 
 All her pains and fufferings could never move her to the 
 leaft impatience ; on the contrary, the want of the ufe 
 of her limbs, made her increafe more and more in vir- 
 tue ; fo that the lefs able me was to do any thing elfe, 
 the more (he exercifed herfelf in her devotions and 
 prayers. At length fhe called her mother Redempta to 
 her, who had brought up thefe two difciples of hers, as 
 if they had been her own children, and faid to her; 
 come hither my dear mother, come hither. Redempta 
 immediately went to her with her other difciple, accord- 
 ing to the relation which they have both fmce made to 
 feveral perfons, fo that the thing is now become public, 
 and I myfelf had an account of it at the fame time it 
 happened. As they were fitting about midnight by her 
 bedfide, there appeared a light from heaven on a fudden, 
 which filled the whole chamber. The brightnefs of it 
 M m was
 
 279 Tke Sinner* Guide. Book \ 
 
 v/as fo great that they were aftonimed at it, Afterward^ 
 they heard a nolle, as if a great many perfons were 
 coming into the cell; fo that the door cracked as if it 
 were preffed by the throng. Then they heard many; 
 come in, but through fear and the extraorninary bright- 
 nefs, could fee nothing; for their hearts were no lefs 
 clamped with fear, than their eyes were dazzled by the 
 \ight. After this there followed a fweet fmell, which 
 comforted and refrefhed them, as much as the light had 
 frighted them before. They being no longer able t6. 
 bear with the extraordinary brightnefs of that light, the 
 lick woman began to comfort her miftrefs, who fat there 
 trembling and fhaking, and faid, " Be not afraid my 
 dear mother, for I am not dying yet.'* And as me often 
 repeated thefe words, the light leflened by degrees, till 
 it was quite gone , but the fweet fmell continued ftill, 
 for the fpace of three days, as frefh as when they firft 
 fmelt it. The third day being over, me called her 
 miftrefs again, and defired the Viaticum, that is, the 
 Bleffed Sacrament: which after me had received, Re- 
 dempta and her other companion were no fooner gone 
 from her bedfide, but they began to hear two choirs of 
 muficians at the entrance of the door , which as near as 
 they could judge by their voices, confifting of men and 
 women ; the men fung pfalms, and the women anfwerecj. 
 them. And whilft they were thus performing the rites 
 of this celeftial funeral, this holy foul, leaving the prifon 
 of her body, began her journey heavenward, the divine 
 mufic and fragrancy going away with her, fo that the 
 higher me mounted, the lefs they were perceived below, 
 till fuch time as they were both quite loft." Hitherto are 
 ^'the words of St. Gregory. 
 
 17. Many more examples might be brought to this 
 purpofe , but thefe will fuffice to mow us, how quiet, 
 how fweet, and how eafy the death of good men gene- 
 rally is. For, though fuch evident tokens as thefe are, 
 do not always appear, yet inafmuch as they are all the 
 children of GOD, and fince death is the end of all their 
 miferies, and the beginning of that happinefs they ex- 
 *9 he rewarded with, they aje always in this extre-
 
 art il. Ch. 13. tiappy Death of the Ju/l. 280 
 tnity, {lengthened and encouraged by the help of GOD'S 
 grace, and by the evidence their own good confciences 
 give in favour of them. Thus the glorious St. Ambrofe 
 comforted himfelf upon his death-bed, faying, " I have 
 hot lived fo, as to have any reafon to be forry that I was 
 ever born , nor can I be afraid to die, becaufe I know I 
 have a favourable mailer *." But if any man imagine 
 thefe favours and graces are incredible, let him reflect 
 Upon the incomprehenfible immenfity of GOD'S good- 
 nefs, the erFedl of which is to love, honour, and favour 
 the good* and he will acknowledge, that all I have here 
 atferted is but little, in comparifon with what the thing 
 itfeJf is. For, if the infinite goodnefs iloopt fo low 
 as to take our flefh, and to die upon a crofs for the fal- 
 vation of man ; what great matter is it, to comfort 
 and honour the good when they are dying, fmce their 
 redemption has coft him fo dear ? and what wonder is 
 it, that he mould beilow fuch graces upon thofe perfons, 
 when they are dying, whom he is to receive into his own 
 houfe, and to make partakers of his glory when they are 
 dead ? 
 
 SECT. lit. 
 The conclufion of this Second Pdrt. 
 
 18. Thefe we have mentioned, are the twelve privi- 
 leges, granted to virtue in this life-, and are like the 
 twelve fruits of that moil beautiful tree St. John, in his 
 Apocalypfe, faw, planted by a river fide, which brought 
 forth twelve fruits every year, according to the number 
 of the months. For, next to the Son of GOD, what other 
 tree could bear fuch fruit but virtue, which is the tree 
 that brings forth fruits of holinefs, and of life ? and what 
 fruits can be more precious, than thofe, we have here 
 given an account of? What more delicious fruit, than 
 the fatherly care and providence, which GOD has over 
 thofe that ferve him ? what more pleafant than his di- 
 vine grace ; than the light of wifdom , the confolations 
 of the Holy Ghoft ; the joy of a good confcience , the 
 help of a fecure confidence in him ; the true liberty of 
 M m a the 
 
 ? In vita D. Ambrofy.
 
 We Sinners Guide. Book 1. 
 
 the foul ; the inward peace of the heart ; the being heard 
 by him in our prayers ; the being aflifted by him in our 
 tribulations ; the having of our temporal neceffities fup- 
 plied ; and, in fine, the comfort of a fweet and quiet 
 death at laft ? any of thefe privileges, is doubtlefs fo 
 great in itfelf, that, were a man but thoroughly acquainted 
 with it, he would need no other motive to embrace vir- 
 tue, -and make a change of life. This alone would fuf- 
 ficiently convince him of the truth of that faying of our 
 Saviour * : That whofoever /hall leave the werld for the 
 love of him, Jhall receive even in this life a hundred-fold, 
 and hereafter life everlafting -, as has been fhewn above. 
 
 19. Confider ferioufly what good this is we invite you 
 to. Think whether you would have any caufe to repent, 
 mould you quit all the things of this world for it, The 
 only reafon why it is not valued by the wicked is, becaufe 
 they know not its value. Therefore the Saviour of the 
 world faid f : That the kingdom of heaven was like unto a 
 treasure hiddep in the field. For it is a real treafure, hid 
 from others, but not from the owner. The prophet un- 
 derftood the value of this treafure when he faid J : My 
 fecret to myfelf^ my fecret to tnyfelf. He did not much 
 care whether others knew of his happinefs. For this 
 is not like other goods, which are not goods, unlefs they 
 are known ; becaufe being in themfelves, no longer 
 goods than whilfl the opinion of the world makes them 
 fuch , it is requifite the world mould know them, or 
 elfe they will never have fo much as the name of goods. 
 But this good, on the contrary, makes him good and 
 happy that poflelTes it ; and though none, but himfelf, 
 knows of it, yet he has as much true comfort and fatif- 
 faction with it, as if all the world knew it. 
 
 20. But neither my tongue, nor all that has hitherto 
 been faid, is fufficient to unfold this fecret : becaufe all 
 that the tongue of man is able to exprefs, falls far more 
 of what it truly is. The only key therefore to explain 
 it, is the divine light, and the long experience, and the 
 ufe of virtue. Beg this light of our Lord, and you will 
 
 foon 
 
 * St. Mark, c. x. v. -f- Matt. c. xiii. v, 44. J Ifaiah, 
 c. xxiv. v. 1 6.
 
 Part Ii. Ch. 1 3. Happy Deafb of tie Ju/t. ' 2 82 
 
 foon find this treafure and GOD himfelf, in whom you 
 will find all things : and you will fee with how much 
 reafon the prophet faid* : Happy is the people whofe God 
 is the Lord; for what can he want, that is in poflefTion of 
 this good ? we read, in the book of the Kings, that Heb- 
 canah, Samuel's father, feeing- his wife Anne troubled be- 
 caufe me had no children ; faid to her : Anna, why weepeft 
 thou ? and why doft thou afflift thy heart ? am not 1 letter to 
 thee> than ten children -j- ? Now if a loving hulband, who 
 to-day is and to-morrow is not, be worth more to his 
 wife than ten children , how much more muft GOD be 
 worth, do you think to the foul that truly pofleffes him. 
 Blind and fenfelefs men ; what is it you do ? what is it 
 you are about ? what is it you feek after ? why do you 
 leave the fountain- of paradife, for the muddy lakes of 
 this world ? why do you not take the advice of the pro*, 
 phet along with you, when he fays J : Tajlc and fee that 
 the Lord is fweet ? Why will you not once at leaft, try 
 this food ? why will you not tafte of this meat ? do but 
 believe what GOD has faid ; do but once begin, and you 
 will find yourfelves undeceived of all your errors, as foon 
 as ever you enter into this path , as foon as ever you. 
 take this bufmefs JIT hand. The ferpent Mofes's rod 
 was turned into, looked frightful at a diflance ; but as 
 foon as he touched it with his hand, it became a harm>- 
 kfs rod again. It was not without reafon, that Solomon 
 faid : // is naught* it is naught, faith every buyer ; and 
 when he is gone away, then will he boaft he is glad of the 
 bargain ||. Thi-s happens every day to men, in this fort 
 of purchafe ; for they, through their want of fkill in fpi- 
 ritual affairs, are at firft ignorant of the value of this 
 commodity ; and therefore think it is fet at too great a 
 price, becaufe they are carnal. But when once they have 
 tailed how fweet the Lord is, they are immediately pleafed 
 with their purchafe, and confefs a man can never give too 
 much for fo great a treafure : how glad was the man in the 
 gofpel f , that he fold all his eftate, to purchafe that piece 
 
 of 
 
 * Pfalm cxliii. v. 15. f i Reg. c. i. v. 8. J ?falrn, 
 xxxiii. v. Exod. c. vii* (J Fror. <?, XX. v. 14. 
 
 ^ Matt, c, xiii, v.
 
 283 %be &nnirs Gillie. Book t; 
 
 of ground in which he found a treafure ? cart a Chriftiari 
 then, who has heard of the name of this good, not fo much 
 as try what it is ? It is ftrange, that if a merry companion 
 Ihould affirm to you, that a great treafure was hid in 
 lome part of your houfe, you would not fail to dig there, 
 to difcover the truth ; and yet, when you are afTuredi 
 by the infallible word of Almighty GOD himfelf, that 
 you may find an ineftimable treafure within your own 
 breaft, you have not courage^ or will not take pains to 
 look for it. O that you did but know how much truer 
 this news is, and how much greater this treafure ! O that 
 you did but know with how little trouble you might find 
 it ! O that you did but fee, 1 he Lord is nigh unto all them 
 that call upon him , /b all that call upon him in truth * ! 
 how many men have there been in the world, who by a 
 true forrow for their fins, and begging pardon for them* 
 have, in lefs than a week's time, difcovered land ; or, 
 rather have found out a new heaven, and a new earth, 
 and have begun to perceive the kingdom of GOD within 
 themfelves ? and what wonder is it, that the Lord who 
 has faid, In what fo ever hour the finner /hall be forry for his 
 fins, I will remember it no longer -f , mould work fuch art 
 effect as this is ? what wonder is it to fee him do this, 
 who fcarce gave the prodigal fon leave to make an end 
 of the fhort prayer he had ftudied, before he fell about 
 his neck, embraced and received him with fo much joy 
 and welcome ? return therefore to this tender father ; rife 
 a little in the morning, and continue for fome days to 
 beg and cry at the gate of his mercy , and aflure your- 
 felf, that if you perievere with humility, he will anfwer 
 you at laft, and difcover the hidden treafure of his love 
 to you : and after having had fome proof of it, you 
 will immediately cry out with the fpoufe in the Canti- 
 cles ; If a man Jhould give all that he is worth for love 
 olone, he would think what he had given as nothing J. 
 
 * Pfalm cxliv. v. 28. "j* Luc. c. 15. J Cant, c. viii. 
 
 End of tfa Second Part. 
 
 THE
 
 fart I II. Ch. i. Delay of Repent once Dangerous. 284 
 THE 
 
 SINNERS GUIDE. 
 
 BOOK I. PART III. 
 
 Wherein are anfwered all thofe Excufes Men 
 generally mal^e for not following Virtue. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 dgainjl. tkefirft excufe of thofe who defer changing their lives \ 
 and advancing in virtue, till another time. 
 
 j. fTT^HERE is no doubt, but what we have hitherto 
 faid, is more than enough for the obtaining; 
 JL of that end we have propofed to ourfelves, 
 which is, to excite men to a fincere love of virtue, 
 GOD'S aflifting grace co-operating. But though 
 this be true, yet the malice of man, is not without its 
 excufes, and apparent reafons, either to defend or com- 
 fort itfelf when it does amifs ; as Ecclefiafticus affirms in 
 in thefe words * : A Jinful man will flee reproof, and will 
 fnd an excufe according to his will. And Solomon fays to 
 the fame purpofe -f- : He that bath a mind to depart from a 
 friend, feeketh occc.fions to do it. So the wicked, that de- 
 fire to feparate themfelves from GOD, have always fome 
 excufe or other ready. Some there are, that put off this 
 bufmefs of their falvation to another time ; others again 
 defer it till their death ; others fay, they are afraid of 
 fetting upon an undertaking fo hard and laborious ; 
 fome again there are that comfort themfelves with hope 
 of GOD'S mercy, whilft they perfuade themfelves, that 
 without charity, they may be faved by faith and hope ; 
 ?nd others, in fine, enamoured with this world, cannot 
 
 * Eccl. c. xxxii. v. 21. -f Prov. 9. xviii. v. I.
 
 85 he Sinners Guide. Book I % 
 
 quit the happinefs they have in it, though for the ob- 
 taining of that which GOD has promifed them. Thefe 
 are the moft frequent deceits and amufements the enemy 
 of ^mankind makes ufe of to infatuate men, that he n?ay 
 keep them all their life-time under the flavery of fin, 
 that death may furprize them in that miferable ftate. We 
 (hall now expofe thefe frauds in t^his laftpart of the book, 
 and firft anfwer thofe who put off this grand concern till 
 Another time, which is the rnoft frequent practice of this 
 fort. 
 
 2. Some there are, who own all that has been faid to 
 be true ; and that there is no way fo fecure as that of 
 virtue, which they defign to follow, though they cannot 
 do it at prefent, but mall have time enough hereafter; to 
 do it better and with more eafe. St. Auguftin tells us, 
 k was thus he anfwered vGoo before -his coiwerfion .: 
 " Stay but a little longer, ..O Lord ; juft jiow, juft now I 
 will leave the world ( i )", Thus the wicked deal conti- 
 nually with GOD, firft appointing one day, and then ano- 
 ther, ftiH mifting the time of *heir corwejfion. 
 
 3. It will be no hard matter to prove, that this is a 
 manifeft artifice of the old ferpent, who has been very 
 well ufed to lying, and deceiving of men ; and this once 
 made out and granted, all the controversy ceafes. For 
 we are already convinced, there is nothing in this world 
 y/hich every Chriftian ought -to defire more, than his fal- 
 vation , and that for the obtaining of it, a fincere conver- 
 fion, and a perfed amendment of life is abfolutely necef- 
 lary , for, without thefe, there is no falvation to be ex- 
 peeled. What we have therefore to do, is, to fee when 
 this converfion ought to be. All >the bufmefs at prefent, 
 is the appointing of the time , as to the reft, it is what 
 every- body agrees upon. You fay, you will begin your 
 converfion very fhortly , I fay, you are to begin it at this 
 very moment. You fay, it will be eafier for you to do it 
 hereafter , I fay, it will be eafier to do it now ; let us fee 
 whether of us two is in the right. 
 
 4. But, before we fpeak of the eafmefs of a conver- 
 iion, I defire you would tell me, who it is, that has giveo 
 
 you. 
 (i)St, Aug. L. 8. Conf. c. 5.
 
 Part III. Ch. i . Delay of Repentance Dangerous. 286 
 you fecurity for an after converfion ? how many, do ye 
 think, have been deceived by this hope ? St. Gregory 
 tells us*: " That GOD, who has promifed to pardon a 
 finner, if he does penance, has not promifed that he Ihall 
 live till to-morrow." St. Csefarius has fomething to the 
 fame purpofe f : " Some-body will perhaps fay, when I 
 come to be old, then I will make ufe of the phyfic of 
 penance. How an human weaknefs have the impudence 
 to prefume fo far of itfelf, when it has not fo much as 
 the promife of one day ?" As for my part, I cannot 
 but think that the number of thofe fouls, that have been 
 loft by this means, is infinite. It was thus the rich man 
 in the gofpel was damned for ever. St. Luke fays of him, 
 that feeing, he had as good a crop one year, as he could 
 have defired J : He thought within himfelf, faying ; What 
 ft all I do, b'ecaufe 1 have no room to lay my fruits ? This will 
 I do : I will pull down my barns, and will build greater ; 
 and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, 
 and my goods -, and I will fay to my foul : foul, thou haft 
 much goods laid up for many years. Take thy reft, eat, drink, 
 and make good cheer. But as this unfortunate wretch 
 was computing what he was worth, he heard a voice 
 which faid to him : Fool, this night do they require thy 
 foul of thee ; and whofe Jhall thofe things be which thou haft 
 provided? What greater folly then, can there be, than 
 for a man to difpofe of Hereafter, with as much autho- 
 rity, as if he had time itfelf in his own hands ; whereas, 
 there is none but GOD that can difpofe of it ? St. John 
 fays of the Son of GOD : He had the keys of death and life y 
 for to open and to (hut them when, and upon whom 
 he thought fit. With what face then can a vile worm 
 dare to ufurp fuch a power ? this infolence alone, de- 
 ferves, for its punimment, never to have an opportunity 
 of doing penance for the future, that fo the fool may 
 pay for his folly, in not making his advantage of the 
 time GOD gave him. 
 
 5. And fince the number of perfons that meet with 
 
 this kind of punidiment, is fo great, it will be prudent 
 
 N n to 
 
 * Homil. 12. in Evang. -f St. Csefar. Horn. 13. Tom. 2. 
 Biblioth. Patr. f Lvc.c.xii. v. 17, 18, 19, 20.
 
 287 The Sinners Guide. Book, I. 
 
 to leara to be wife at other men's expences, and to let 
 their misfortunes teach us, how to fecure ourfelves pur- 
 fuant to this wholefome advice of Ecclefiafticus -, Delay 
 not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to 
 day. For his wrath jh all come on a fitdden, and in the time 
 of vengeance he will deftroy thee *. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 6. But, after all, fuppofe you mould live as long as you 
 imagine; do you think it will be the eafier to begin from 
 this very moment to amend your life, or to defer it till 
 another time ? for the clear underftanding of this point, 
 let us confider the chief reaibns which make a prefent 
 converfion feem fo difficult. This difficulty does not 
 proceed from thofe obftacles which men fancy, but from 
 the bad habit of their wicked lives paft, which they had 
 rather die in, than change. For this reafon St. Jerom 
 faid : " That which makes the way of virtue fo hard and 
 narrow, is the long cuftom of finning ; becaufe, cuftom 
 being a fecond nature, there is no overcoming it, with- 
 out overcoming nature herfelf, which is the greateft vic- 
 tory a man can poflibly gain f." And St. Barnard tells 
 us, " That when once any vice is well rooted by a cuf- 
 tom of many years {landing, there is no overcoming of 
 it without a very extraordinary, nay, even miraculous 
 aOHlance of GOD'S grace J.. M So that a Chriftian ought, 
 upon this confideration, to be afraid of nothing, more than 
 of a bad habit in any vice -, becaufe vices in fome manner, 
 claim prefcription, as well as the atTair.^of the world, and 
 when once they have got fo far as this , you will find it 
 no eafy matter to overcome them, unleis as St. Barnard 
 fays, GOD afiift you by his particular grace. 
 
 7. Another caufe of this difficulty is the power of 
 the devil-, who has an abfolute command over a foul in 
 fin. He is the ftrong man the gofpel fpeaks of, that 
 keeps all he has in his power with care and fecurity . 
 This difficulty alfo proceeds from GOD'S withdrawing 
 
 him- 
 
 * Eccl. c. v. v. 8, 9r f Epift. 1 4. ad. Celentian. J Sr 
 0.47. de modo bene vivendi. Luc. 15.
 
 Part III. Ch. i . Delay of Repentance Dangerous 28$ 
 himfelf from the foul, polluted with fin. For, though 
 he Hands centinel.upon the walls of Jerufalem ; vet lie 
 retires ftill farther from a foul in fin, as the number of 
 its fins increafes. And what miferies and afflictions a foul is 
 opprefTed with, on account of this feparation ; we may 
 learn from GOD himfelf, who has declared it by the 
 mouth of one of his prophets ; Wo be to them* jor they 
 have departed from me *. And in another chapter he 
 fays j Tea^ and wo to them, when 1 /hall depart from 
 them -j- ; which is the fecond wo St. John fpeaks of in 
 his ApocalipJe J. 
 
 8. The laft caufe of this difficulty is the corruption 
 of the faculties of our foul, which are very much im- 
 paired by fin, not indeed in themfelves, but in their 
 operations and effects. For, as vinegar corrupts and 
 fowers wine, as worms rot the fruit, and, as in fine, one 
 contrary fpoils another; juft fois fin, the greateft enemy 
 the foul has, and the thing which is moft directly oppo- 
 fite to her, fpoils and ruins all her powers and faculties. 
 For, fin -darkens the underftanding, weakens the will, 
 diforders the appetite, and makes the free-will more in- 
 firm, and lefs able to govern itfelf, and the operations 
 that belong to it; though it can never entirely lofe ei- 
 ther its being or its liberty. Now thefe faculties of the 
 foul being the inftruments for the doing of any good, 
 and the wheels of the clock, winch is a virtuous and re- 
 gular life ; if thefe wheels and inftruments are out of 
 order, what can be expected from them but diforder and 
 trouble ? thefe therefore are the chief caufes of this 
 'difficulty ; and they all of them originally fpring from 
 /in, and increafe in proportion to the crimes we commit. 
 
 9. The cafe being thus, how can you pofiibly imagine, 
 that your converfion, and the reformation of your life, 
 will be eafier to you , when the continual increafe of 
 your fins (hall have increafed the occafion of thefe dif- 
 .ficulties ? it is certain, the greater the number of your 
 ,fms mall be, the lefs you will be difpofed to leave them. 
 Nay, your deferring will but give the devil a greater 
 
 N n 2 power 
 
 * Ofeah. c. vii. v. 1 3. f Ibid, c' ix. v. 1 2. J Apoc, c. xj.
 
 289 7& 1 Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 power over you, and oblige GOD to withdraw himfelf fa 
 much the farther from you. Hereafter your foul will be 
 more depraved with all its powers and faculties. Now, 
 if this difficulty arifes from thefe caufes, what man of 
 found judgment will ever fancy, that when the caufes of 
 it increafe on all fides, it will be lefs troublefome to re^ 
 move them, than when they were fewer? 
 
 10. For, it is evident, that if you continue every day 
 to commit new fins, you will, in time, add other knots 
 to thofe you were tied down by before ; you will increafe 
 the chains that bound you, by adding new ones to them i 
 and make the weight you gfoaned under before, much 
 more heavy : hereafter the habit of fin will blind the 
 underflanding, make the will lefs able to do any thing 
 that is good -, ftrengthen the appetite in its defire of 
 evil, and render the free-will more weak in defending 
 itfelf. Since therefore things Hand thus, how ean you 
 perfwade yourfelf, you (hall find lefs trouble in this bu- 
 finefs hereafter ? if you fay you cannot pafs over this 
 ford till it . grows deeper, how will you be able to 
 get over, when it is fwelled to a rapid dream ? if you 
 find it fo hard a matter to pluck up the plants of your 
 vices, when they are but newly fet , how much more 
 troublefome will it be to remove them, when they 
 mall have taken very deep root ? that is, if now, whilft 
 your vices have but little force, you fay you cannot 
 overcome them, how mail you be able to get the better 
 of them when they are more fixed and ftrengthened ? 
 you have now perhaps an hundred vices to fight with, 
 and fome time hence you may have a thoufand. Now 
 perhaps you refift bad habits of a year or two {landing, 
 hereafter perhaps they will be of ten. Who tells you, 
 that you may with more eafe carry your burthen here- 
 after, when you have added a great deal more weight to 
 it ; fmce you are not able to carry it without ftooping 
 now ? how can you be fo blind, as not to fee, that all 
 thefe are the artifices and deceits of an ill pay-mafter, 
 who puts you off from time to time, becaufe he has no 
 mind to difcharge the debt ? how can you chufe, but 
 fee, that thefe are the impoftors of the old ferment, who 
 
 by
 
 Part III. Ch, i. Delay ofRepentance Danperous. 290 
 by his lies feduced our firft parent, and is continually en- 
 deavouring to put the lame trick up en us ? 
 
 11. If this be true, how can you imagine that the r e 
 difficulties, which feem impoilible for you to break 
 through now, fhauld become much eafier when their 
 ftrength and number is increafed ? How can a man thiir-:, 
 that the more his crimes are, the eafier it will be for h ; i 
 to get his pardon ? or that the cure will be the eafr % 
 when the difeafe is grown more defperate ? have yea 
 never read in Ecclefiafticus : d long ficknejs is troubhfime 
 to the phyfician \ the phyfician cutteih off a jhort Jickmfs j. 
 This kind of cheat was difcovered by an angel, to one 
 of the holy fathers of the defart, as we read in their 
 Jives ; for, taking him by the hand, he led him into a 
 field, and there (hewed him a man that was making 
 faggots , after he had made up a great bundle, he en- 
 deavoured to carry it away upon his moulders, and find- 
 ing it too heavy for him, he fell to cutting again to make 
 his bundle ftill bigger ; but, perceiving himlelf lefs able 
 to carry it now than he was before, he went on nevcr- 
 thelefs, a third time to increafe his former bundle, ima- 
 gining, that adding of more to it, was the way to make 
 it lighter. The holy man wondering at what he faw, the 
 angel told him, that thofe men were guilty of no lefs 
 folly, who, finding themlelves unable to bear up under 
 the weight of their fins, which prefs fo heavily upon 
 them, yet increafe their load every day, by heaping fin 
 upon fin, fuppofing they fhall be better able to carry the 
 load hereafter, when it fhall be much bigger, though 
 they cannot carry it now. 
 
 12. Amongft all thefe things, which are fuch hin- 
 drances to our converfion, what fhall I fay of the force 
 of ill cuftom in particular, and of the power it has to 
 keep us in our fins ? for, it is certain, that as a man when 
 he is knocking in a nail, drives it the farther every ftroke 
 he gives, and that the deeper it goes, the harder it is to 
 be plucked out again ; in the fame manner, every bad 
 action we do, is like a frefh ftroke with a hammer, that 
 drives our vices deeper into our fouls, and, by degrees, 
 
 | Eccl. c. x, v, II, 12,
 
 zgi <Tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 fixes them fo faft there, that it is as much as a man can 
 do to get them out again. This is the reafon why f<? 
 many perfons, who fpend their youth in debauchery and 
 vice, are frequently fubjecT: to the fame fins, even in their 
 old age, though their years, and the weaknefs of nature 
 itfelf, have caft them off. So that when nature is quite 
 tired and worn out with fin, cuftom ftill runs on in the 
 fame track, and makes this fort of men feek after thofe 
 pleafures, which they are out of all pofflbility of enjoy- 
 ing , fo tyrannical and arbitrary is the power, which evil 
 .cuftora alone exercifes over thofe that are carried away 
 -by it. For this reafon we read in the book of Job; 
 <T-hat ike bones of a wicked man jh all be filled with the vices 
 cf his youth y and -they Jhall Jlecp with him in the duft *. By 
 this we fee, that fuch kinds of vices as thefe have no 
 other end but death, the common end of all things; 
 -nor do they end here, but continue for all eternity; and 
 therefore it is faid, they 'Sleep with him in the duft^ For 
 an old cuftom which is changed into nature, imprints 
 the very inclinations to vice; fo deep in the bones and 
 marrow, that, Jike a flow fever, in a phthifical man, it 
 ifets the <very bowels in a flame, and makes him quite 
 ^defpair of any eafe or comfort. This is what our Sa- 
 viour himfelf has taught us by his raifing of Lazarus 
 no. life again, after he had been dead four days; it 
 <was with cries, and a great many tears, that he raifed 
 vhim, notwithftanding he had with fo much eafe re- 
 *ilored feveral dead to life before. This was to give 
 rtjs.to underftand, what a miraculous work it was for 
 GOD to raife a man to life that had been four days 
 .dead, and almoft corrupted. That is, who has been 
 va long time accuftomed to fin, and habituated in it. 
 vFor, according to St. Auguftin's expofition, the firft of 
 .thefe four days, is the pleafure of fin ; the fecond, is the 
 ^c'onfent given to it ; the committing of it the third ; and 
 the fourth is the cuftom of finning ; and he that is once 
 .arrived to this degree, is the Lazarus that has been four 
 jdays dead ; that cannot be reftored to life again, but by 
 cur Saviour's fighs .and tears. 
 
 ij. This 
 * Job,c. xx. v, n-
 
 Part III. Ch. i. Delay of Repentance dangerous. 292 
 
 13. This plainly demonftrates, how difficult that man 
 makes his conversion, who puts it off from time to time, 
 and how the longer he defers, the more uneafy- he makes 
 it. It is therefore a very great folly and deceit in thofe 
 men, who fay, it will be much eafier for them to amend 
 their lives hereafter, than it is at prefent. 
 
 SEC T. II. 
 
 14. But let us put the cafe now, that all falls out as 
 you imagine, and that your hopes meet with no difap- 
 pointment -, yet what will you fay to all the time you 
 lofe before your converfion, in which you might merit 
 fuch mighty treafures ? what folly would it be, to fpeak 
 according to the world, for a man, when a town was 
 taken by florm, and all the reft of the foldiers plunder- 
 ing up and down, and loading themfelves with wealth, 
 to be playing in the market among the ; children : your 
 folly is much greater, for whilft the juft are bufying 
 themfelves on good works, that they may, byr virtue of 
 them purchafe the kingdom of heaven, you lofe this opi. 
 portunity, and fpend your time, in mere follies and,trifle-s 
 of the world. 
 
 15. And what will you fay, not only to thofe goods 
 you lofe, but to the evils you commit in the mean time? 
 is it not certain, as St. Auguftin fays-f : " That a man 
 ought not, for the whole world, to commit one venial 
 fin ?" How can you then conlent fo eafily, to commit fo 
 many mortal ones during all this time , when you ought 
 not to commit any fin whatfoever, though it were for 
 the falvation of a thoufand worlds. How can you dare 
 to fin againft, and to provoke him to wrath, at whofe 
 gates you muft knock ? at whofe feet you are to fall? 
 from whofe hands you are to expe6l your eternal loc^ 
 whofe mercy you pretend to obtain at laft, by your 
 fighs and tears ? how can you dare, with fo much trea- 
 chery, to offend him, whom you will one day (land in 
 fo much need of: an.d whom you muft expeft to find fo 
 much the lefs favourable to you, as you (hall have of- 
 fended him the more ? againft fuch perfons as the& 
 
 St.Ber- 
 f Lib, 4, Samendaciad. c. i ,
 
 293 Tt> e Sinners Guide. BookL 
 
 St. Bernard reafons excellently well, when he fays : " Tell 
 me now, you who reckon fo falfely continuing (till irt 
 your evil courfes, whether you think that GOD will par- 
 don you your {in 5 or no. If you imagine he will not ; 
 what greater folly than to fin on without hopes of par- 
 don ? and if you perfuade yourfelf he is fo good and 
 merciful as to pardon you, notwithftanding you have 
 fo frequently offended him, tell me, what greater ingra- 
 titude and malice can there be, than to make that the 
 occafion of offending, which ought to excite you the 
 more ftrongly to love him ?" How can a man anfwer 
 this argument ? What will you fay of the tears, the fins, 
 you now commit, will coft you hereafter (and your con- 
 dition will be very miferable if he does not) be aflfuredj, 
 that every mouthful you eat now, will be more bitter to 
 you than gall ; that every fin you have committed, will 
 coft you continual tears , and that you will, one day, with 
 you had fuffered a thoufand deaths, rather than have of- 
 fended fo good a GOD. The time King David fpent in 
 unlawful pleafures, was but very fhort, and yet his grief 
 and forrow for it was fuch, that he himfelf tells us ( i ) : 
 Every night I will wafh my bed and I will water my couck 
 <with my tears. His tears flowed from him with fuch ex- 
 cefs, that St. Jerom's tranllation inftead of faying, Iwill 
 luajk my bed\ renders it : I will make my bed fwim in my 
 tears-, to give us a lively reprefentation of thofe ftreams 
 that flowed from his eyes, becaufe they had not obferved 
 the law of GOD. Why then will you fpend your time in 
 fowing fuch feed, as can never bring you any other fruit 
 but tears ? 
 
 1 6. You ought farther to confider that yon do not 
 only fow tears for the future, but raife difficulties to ob- 
 ilruct a good life, through the fettled habit of living ill. 
 For as a lingering dillemper is fcarce ever fo perfectly- 
 cured, but that it leaves fome of its ill fymptoms behind, 
 even fo does the habit of fm, which is of a long continu- 
 ance, weaken a man, on that fide, and expofe him the 
 more to the attacks of his mortal enemy. Mofes made 
 the children of Ifrael drink the very afhes of the calf (2) 
 
 they 
 (i) Pf. vi. v. 7. (2) Exod. c, xxxii. v. 20.
 
 Fart III. Ch. i. Delay vf Repentance Dangerous. 293 
 they had adored in punifhment of their crime. The 
 ordinary punifhment GOD inflicts for fome kinds of fins ; 
 is, to permit them, by a juft judgment, to remain in 
 our very bones, as if we had drank them up; and to 
 let thofe become our executioners, which were the idols 
 we adored before. 
 
 17. Add to all this, the bad choice and diftribution 
 you make, in letting apart old age to do penance, and 
 fuffering the prime and flower of your years to flip away, 
 without making any advantage of it. What a folly 
 would it be, for a man, who has many beads of burden, 
 and feveral loads to put on them, to lay all upon the 
 weakeft bead, and to let the reft go light ? fuch is the 
 folly of thofe who leave the whole burthen of penance 
 for old age to carry, and let their youth and vigorous 
 days pafs away, without laying any weight upon them ; 
 whereas youth is fitter to bear this load than old age is, 
 which is fcarce able to fupport itfelf. It was a good fay- 
 ing of the great philofopher Seneca : " That whofoever 
 defers his being virtuous, till he comes to be old, does 
 as good as tell us, he will fpend no other time upon 
 virtue, but that which is fit for nothing elfe *. Confider 
 farther, how great the fatisfaction is which the Divine 
 Majefty requires for thofe offences committed againft it. 
 This fatisfa&ion is fo great, as St. John of Climachus 
 tells us, : That man can fcarce fatisfy to day for the fins 
 of to day, and fo ballance his daily account. Why then 
 will you be all your life-time, increafing your debts, and 
 refer the payment of them to old age, which will have 
 enough to do, to wipe off its own fcores. This crime 
 is fo heinous, that St. Gregory looks upon it as a fort of 
 treafon : " That man fays he, comes very fhort of the 
 allegiance he owes to GOD, who expects old age to do 
 penance in. Nay, he has a great deal of reafon to fear 
 his falling into the hands of juftice, for having prefumed 
 fo rafhly upon mercy f. 
 
 Oo SECT. 
 
 * Sen. Lib. de Crevitate vita c. 15. | Grad. 5,
 
 294 fb* Sinners Gmde. Book I. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 1 8. But let us fuppofe that nothing, of what we have 
 faid, happen : yet if there be any honefty, any reafon or 
 juflice in the world, is not the greatnefs of the benefits 
 you have received, and of the glory you have a promife 
 of, a fufficient motive to make you careful to fpend 
 your time in the fervice of him, who will be fo li- 
 beral in rewarding you ? It was with a great deal of reafon 
 Ecclefiaflicus faid * : Let nothing binder you from praying 
 always, and be not afraid to be juftified even to death ; for 
 the reward of God continueth for ever. If therefore the 
 continuance of the reward be fo long, why mould you 
 defire your fervice to end fo foon ? if the reward is to 
 remain as long as Goo mail reign in heaven, why mould 
 not your fervice continue, as long as you live upon earth ? 
 Your whole life at beft, is but one fmall point, and yet 
 you will cut off the two thirds of it, and leave GOD 
 no more than a mere puff, or breath. 
 
 19. Befides all this, if you have any hopes of your 
 falvation, you are to fuppofe, that GOD has predeftinated 
 you from all eternity for this falvation. If then GOD 
 has been fo good as to love you from all eternity ; to 
 make you a Chriftian j to adopt you for one of his chil- 
 dren ; and to make you an heir of his kingdom ; how 
 can you negleft to love him, till the eiid of your days, 
 who has loved you from all eternity, which has no be- 
 ginning ? how can you refolve to do him fo little fervice, 
 who has refolved to confer fo many favours on you ? it 
 is but reafonable, that fince the reward is to laft for ever, 
 the fervice mould do fo to, if it be poffible. But fince it 
 can laft no longer than life, why will you, out of fo (hort 
 a fpace, take fo much time for the world, which mould 
 have been fpent in GOD'S fervice ; leaving him fo little, 
 and that the worft part of it. For, as Seneca fays: " The 
 little that is left at the bottom of a vefTel is nothing but 
 dregs." Thus you fee how fmall a mare you give to GOD. 
 Curfed is the deceitful man, fays GOD by his Prophet Ma~ 
 lachy, that hath in his flock a male> and making a vow of- 
 
 feretb 
 * Eccl, c. xviii. v. 2 2*
 
 Part III. Ch. r. De'Iay of Repentance Dangerous. 295 
 
 fereth in facrifice that which is feeble to the Lord : for I 
 am a great King^ faith the Lord of Hofts^ and my name is 
 .dreadful among the Gentiles *. As if he had faid more 
 plainly , there are none but great fervices due to fo great 
 a Lord as I am : and it is an affront to fuch a Majefty, to 
 offer it the refufe of any thing. Why therefore do you 
 referve the better, and the more beautiful part of your 
 life, for the fervice of the devil, and are willing to give 
 GOD no other, but what the world will not accept of? 
 GOD has faid -j- : Neither Jh all there be in thy houfe a greater 
 iu/hel and a lefs : thou jhalt have a juft and a true weight. 
 And yet in contradiction to this law, you will keep two 
 unequal meafures, a great one for the devil, whom you 
 treat as your friend, and another very- little one for 
 GOD, whom you deal with as an enemy. 
 
 20. Above all this, I earneftly defire, that if thefe 
 benefits cannot move, you would at leaft reflect a little 
 .upon the ineftimable favour, the Eternal Father has con- 
 ferred upon you, in giving you his only begotten fon to 
 redeem your foul, by laying down that life, which was 
 worth infinitely more than all the lives of men and angels 
 together : fo that, had you all thofe lives in yourfelf, 
 and infinite number more, you ought to give them all 
 to him that has given you his life, and yet all this would 
 be too fmall a return for it. Upon what account, with 
 what face, and by what privilege can you refufe him, 
 who has laid down fo precious a life for fuch a poor and 
 miferable one as yours is ? what is worfe, you take away 
 the beft and moft noble part of it j and leave him nothing 
 but the lees and dregs. 
 
 21. We will conclude this chapter as Solomon ends 
 Ecclefiaftes, where he exhorts man to be mindful of his 
 creator in his youth, and not to put off a bufmefs of 
 fuch concern, till old age comes on, which is unfit for 
 any kind of corporal labours; and whofe infirmities and 
 inabilities he describes under obfcure and wonderful pa- 
 rables J. Remember^ fays he, thy creator in the days of 
 thy youth, before the time of affliction comes, and the yean 
 O o 2 draw 
 
 * Mal.c. i. v. 14. f Deut. c. xxv. v. 14, 15. J Eccl. 
 cxii. from v. i to v, 8. w
 
 296 ke Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 draw nigh, of which thcujhalt fay, they plea fe me not, be- 
 fore the fun, ar,d the light, and the moon, and the Jlars be 
 darkened, and the clouds return after the rain, when the 
 keepers of the hcufe, that is to fay, the hands Jball tremble^ 
 when the ftrong men frail ft agger*, that is to fay, the legs 
 which bear all the weight of this building; and the 
 grindtrs Jhall be idle in a fmall number, and they that look 
 through the holes Jball be darkened, and they Jhall Jhut the 
 doors in the ftreet; becaufe the organs and inftruments of 
 all the other fenfes will fail too, when the grinder's voice 
 Jhall be low, and they Jhall rife up at the voice of the bird, 
 by reafon of the little Deep men generally take when they 
 are at this age ; and all the daughters of mufic Jhall grow 
 deaf, becanle all the veffels which form the voice fhrink 
 up and grow narrower; and they Jhall fear high things, and 
 they Jhall be afraid in the way, the almond tree Jhall flourijh, 
 that is, when the head (hall be covered with grey hairs j 
 the locuft Jhall be made fat, and the caper-tree Jhall be de- 
 firoyed; becaufe the faculties of the foul, where the feat 
 of the appetites is, grow weaker and weaker every day * 
 lecaufe man Jhall go into the houfe of his eternity, which is 
 the grave, and the mourners Jhall go round about in the 
 ftreet : when, in fine, the duji returns into its earth, from 
 whence it was, and the fpirit return to Cod who gave it* 
 Thus far Solomon. 
 
 22. Follow therefore this advice; remember your 
 creator whilft you are young, and do not put off doing 
 penance, to thofe heavy years when nature itfelf fails, 
 and the vigor of all the fenfes weakens and decays, and 
 man is fitter to fupply the defects of nature, by making 
 much of himfelf, than to embrace the toils and hardfhips 
 of penance ; when virtue feems rather a necefilty than a 
 choice; and when vices quit us fooner than we quit 
 them ; though for the moft part we are the fame when 
 we grow old, as we were when young, according to the 
 faying of Ecclefiafticus ; The things that thou hajl not 
 gathered in thy yontb y how Jhalt thou find them in thy old 
 *j?f. 
 
 23. This is the wholefome advice we have from Solo- 
 mon, and in Ecclefiaftieus he gives us the fame, when 
 
 f Eccl. c, xxv, v. 5, h
 
 Part III. Ch. i. Delay of Repentance Dangerous. 297 
 he fays : Give thanks ivhilft thou art living, whilfl thou art 
 alive and in health, thou Jhalt give thanks, and Jhalt praife 
 God, and Jhalt glory in his mercies *. It is a very mifte- 
 rious thing, that of all the fick that were near the pool -j-, 
 he who firft went in after the motion of the waters, 
 found a moft certain cure : to give us to underftand, 
 that all our falvation depends on our ready compliance 
 with, and fubmifilon to GOD Almighty's inward motions. 
 Run therefore, and make all the hafte you can -, And if, 
 as the prophet fays, Tou Jhould hear the voice of GOD to 
 day J, do not put off your anfwer till tomorrow, but 
 begin from this very moment, the work of your falva- 
 tion, which you will find fo much the eafier to finilh, as 
 you mail begin the fooner to labour for it. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Againft thofe perfom who defer their penance till the hour 
 
 of death. 
 
 
 
 THERE is another fort of men who put off their 
 penance to the hour of their death ; but what we 
 have faid in the foregoing chapter,- might ferve to make 
 them afliamed of their folly. For, if it be fo dangerous 
 to defer it but for a fhort time, what muft be the con- 
 fequence of deferring it, till the very moment that a 
 man is going to leave the world ? this being fo univerfal 
 an error, and many fouls being loft by it, it is neceflary 
 we mould treat of it in a more particular manner. And 
 though it is to be feared, that the handling of this fub- 
 ject may be an occafion to fome weak perfons of dif- 
 couragement ; yet the confequence is much worfe, if 
 men mould remain ignorant of the danger they expofe 
 themfelves to, by deferring their converfion to the hour 
 of their death. So that, if we weigh thefe two dangers 
 together, we mail find the latter far the greater, becaule 
 there are fo many more fouls which perifli through an 
 jndifcreet confidence, than an immoderate fear. It is 
 
 therefore 
 * Eccl. c. xvii. v. 27. . t Joan, c.v, v.4 J Pf. xciv. v. 8.
 
 298 tte Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 therefore requifite, that we, who are placed on Ezechiel's 
 watch tower, mould forewarn them of thefe dangers ; 
 that fo they who will follow our advice, may not be drawn 
 headlong into this error ; and that they, who are refolved 
 to deflroy thernfelves, may not lay their blood at our 
 doors. But, becaufe all the light and truth we are ca- 
 pable of in this life, can be no other than that we receive 
 from the fcripture, the holy fathers and doctors ; let us 
 fee what they fay upon this point, for, I do not think 
 any man will be fo rafti as to prefer his opinion before 
 theirs. To proceed then in this method, we will firft 
 deliver what the faints of ancient times, and then what 
 the fcripture teaches upon this fubject. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 be opinions of the ancient fathers concerning death-bed 
 repentance. 
 
 2. Before we enter upon this point, we muft prefup- 
 pofe, what St. Auguftin, and all other doctors fay : that 
 as true penance is the work of GOD ; fo it is in his 
 power to infpire it whenever he pleafes ; and therefore, 
 whenfoever we are touched with a true forrow for our 
 fins, it has force and power enough for the working out 
 of falvation, though we were lying upon our death-beds. 
 But to let you fee how rarely we have any examples 
 hereof, there is no need of believing either yourfelf or 
 me , do but believe the faints , for it is by their mouths, 
 that the Holy Ghoft has fpoken ; and it is highly rea- 
 fonable we mould give credit to their words and tefti- 
 mony. In the firft piace then, hear what St. Auguftin 
 fays to this purpofe, in his book of true and falfe pe- 
 nance (i) : " Let no-body defer his doing of penance, 
 till fuch time as he is able to fin no longer ; becaufe GOD 
 requires we mould perform this action with chearfulnefs 
 and freedom , not with reftraint, and of necefllty: and 
 therefore, he that lets his' fins leave him, before he will 
 get rid of them, does not feem to leave them fo much 
 out of choice, and freely, as out of a mere necefiity. 
 
 This 
 (i) Aug. <le falfa & vcra Penit.
 
 Part III. Ch. 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 
 This is the reafon why thdfe perfons, who would not re- 
 turn to GOD, when they had the power of doing it, and 
 yet confefs their fins when they are out of the capacity of 
 finning any more, will not fo ealily obtain their defires, 
 as they imagine "they mail.'* And a little lower fpeaking 
 of the nature of this converfion, he fays : " That man is 
 truly converted to GOD that returns to him with his 
 whole heart , who is not only afraid of punifhment, but 
 ufes his utmoft endeavours to obtain God Almighty's 
 graces and favours. Should any-body, though at the 
 end of his life, be converted to GOD, after this manner, 
 we fhould have no reafon to defpair of his pardon. But 
 becaufe we fcarce ever, or at leaft, but very feldom, meet 
 with fuch a perfect converfion as this is, in thefe days, we 
 have a great deal of reafon to be afraid for him, who 
 flays fo long before he returns to GOD becaufe it is 
 very hard for a man to make a true fatisfaftion, when 
 he finds himfelf overcharged with the pains his ficknefs 
 puts him to ; and frighted with the apprehenfion of pu- 
 nifhment : and this efpecially, if he fees his children, 
 and his wife before him, for whom he has had fuch irre- 
 gular love, and reflects upon the world, which he is juft 
 going to be taken out of. Now, becaufe there are a 
 great many things, which hinder a man from doing pe- 
 nance at this time, it is certain there can be nothing 
 more dangerous, nor which expofes him more to ruin, 
 than his deferring, till death, the feeking of proper re- 
 medies to cure him. What is more yet, I make bold 
 to fay, that in cafe fuch a man mould obtain pardon for 
 his fins, he would not therefore be acquitted from the 
 punifhment due to them ; for he muft be purged and 
 cleanfed, firft by the fire of purgatory, for having rc- 
 ferved the fruits of fatisfa&ion for the next world ; and 
 though this fire is not to laft for ever, as that of hell 
 is, it is notwithftanding extremely great, and far beyond 
 all the torments one can poflibly fuffer in this world ; 
 fince never any man endured fo much in this life; no, 
 not even the martyrs themfelves, notwithftanding the 
 exquifite pains they have undergone , nor any criminals 
 whatfoever, that haye been put to the greateit tortures, 
 
 that
 
 300 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 that either human wit or cruelty could invent. Let him 
 therefore omit no opportunity of returning from his 
 wicked life, that he may, by this means, eicape thofe 
 dreadful torments, which he muft otherwife expect, to 
 fuffer after death." 
 
 3. Thefe are St. Auguftin's own words \> by which 
 you may fee what danger that man expofes himfelf to, 
 that defers, on purpofe, doing penance till his dying 
 day. 
 
 4. St. Ambrofe alfo in his book of penance, which 
 fome attribute to St. Auguftin ( i ), is very copious upon 
 this matter. And amongft many other things, has thefe 
 words : " If any man defire the facrament of penance as 
 he lies upon his death-bed, and receives it and dies, I 
 own we do not refufe him what he afks, but I dare not 
 give you any aflurance of his going the right way. I 
 tell you again, it is more than I dare affirm, nor will I 
 give you any promife of it, becaufe I will not deceive 
 you. Will you then have this doubt cleared ? do you 
 defire to avoid fuch an uncertainty as this is ? do pe- 
 nance for your fins, whilft you are in good health, and 
 able to do it, and then I will give you my word for it, 
 that you are in a good way, becaufe you have done pe- 
 nance for your fins, when you might have increafed the 
 number and quality of them : But if, on the contrary, 
 you defer your penance, till fuch time as you are able 
 to fin no longer ; it is not you that leave your fins, but 
 your fins leave you. 
 
 5. St. Ifidore has almoft the fame thing, though in 
 other words (2) : " Let that man that has a mind at his 
 death to be certain of having his fins pardoned him, do 
 penance for them, whilft he is well and able ; let him 
 bewail and deplore offences : but, if having lived wick- 
 edly all his life-time, he expects to obtain his pardon, 
 when he is dying, he runs a great hazard ; becaufe, tho* 
 he is not fure he {hall be damned, he has a great deal of 
 reafon to doubt of his being faved. 
 
 6. Thefe authorities of the faints are fufficient to make 
 us fear-, but, what Eufebius tells us of St. Jerome his 
 
 mafter, 
 (i) St. Aug. 50. Horn, 4. 52. (2) St. Ifid. L. 2. fent.c. 13.
 
 Part lit . Ch . 2 . Of Death-Best Repentance. 3 o r 
 mafter, a little before he died, as he lay proftrate upon 
 the ground, and covered with fackcloth, will put us into 
 a greater apprehenfion and fright. But becaufe it is fo 
 terrible, that I dare not relate it with all the rigour and 
 feverity that the faint fpoke iu I will refer fuch as defire 
 to read it, to an epiftle of Eufebius's to Damalus a 
 biflhop, upon the death of this glorious doftor. They 
 will find it in the fourth tome of the faint's works ; after 
 a great many other things he fays : " He that has per-* 
 fevered all his life-time in his fin, may fay : when I am 
 ready to die, I will do penance and be converted ; O ! 
 what a melancholy comfort is this ? for, he that has Jpent 
 his whole life wickedly, without fo much as ever thinking 
 of penance, unlefs as it were in a dream, will be very 
 uncertain of its fuccefs at that time. For, being at this 
 time entangled with worldly affairs, afflicted with the 
 pains of his diftemper, and diftracted with the thoughts 
 qf his children he muft part with, and with the love he 
 has for the goods of this life, which he has no hopes to 
 enjoy any longer j how is it pofHble he mould be in a 
 difpofition to raife up his heart towards GOD, and to do 
 true penance, when he is furrounded by fo many afflic- 
 tions and troubles ? it is what he never did as long as he 
 had any hopes of living ; nor would he do it now, if he 
 thought he mould recover again. Befides, what kind 
 of penance muft that be, which a man performs, when 
 life itfelf is going to leave him ? I know fome of the 
 rich men of this world, who have recovered the health 
 of their bodies after dangerous ficknefies, but have 
 grown worfe and worfe, in that of their fouls. I believe 
 therefore, and am of opinion, (for it is what I have had 
 fufficient experience of,) that for a man that has always 
 led a wicked life, that has never been afraid of com- 
 mitting any fin whatever, and that has always been a 
 flave to pride and vanity, after all this to make a happy 
 end, is no lefs than an extraordinary miracle." You 
 may fee by thefe words of Eufebius, how this holy doc- 
 tor feared and doubted of the penance, which a man 
 that had never done any all his life-time before, began 
 to do upon his death bed, 
 
 P p 7- Nor.
 
 302 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 7. Nor was St. Gregory lefs afraid of what generally 
 happens in this conjuncture; for writing upon thefe 
 words of Job, For what is the hope of the hypocrite, if, 
 through covetoufnefs, he take by violence, and God deliver 
 not his foul? will God hear his cry, when diflrefs Jhall come 
 upon him ( i ) ? he fpeaks thus : if a man does not hear 
 GOD'S voice, when in profperity, GOD will not hear him 
 in the time of his adverfity ; for it is written, He that 
 turnefh away his ears from hearing the law, his prayer Jhall 
 be an abomination (2). Holy Job confidering how all 
 thofe who neglect now to do good, when they are ready 
 to die, turn themfelves towards GOD, and beg pardon of 
 him for their crimes, fays, what will GOD hear the cries 
 of fuch a people ? which words of his come very near 
 thofe of our Saviour, But at laft come alfo the other vir- 
 gins, faying. Lord, Lord open to us (3). But immediately 
 anfwer was given, Amen I fay unto you, I know you not (4); 
 becaufe, the greater mercy GOD (hews now, the greater 
 fever ity he will exercife then ; and the rigor with which 
 he will punifli then, will be fo much the heavier, as his 
 goodnefs is the fweeter and more merciful now Thus 
 much St. Gregory. And Hugh of St. Viftor mews us, 
 that he is of the fame opinion with thefe faints, when 
 he tells us in his fecond book of the facraments ; " It is 
 very hard for that penance to be true which comes late, 
 and we have a great deal of reafon to fufpecT; it, when 
 it is forced (5). Every man can witnefs for himfelf, 
 that he has no defire to do that which is out of his power 
 
 'to do. For, we may eafily judge of the will, by the 
 power; fo that if you do not do penance when you are 
 able, it is a fign you have no mind to do it. 
 
 8. This is the opinion of the mafter of the fentences, 
 when he fays (6)-, "Since true penance is the work of 
 GOD, he can infpire it when he (hall think fit, and re- 
 
 . ward' out of his mercy, thofe, whom he might have 
 condemned by his juftice. But, becaufe there are a great 
 many things at that time, which divert men from this 
 
 bufmefs ^ 
 
 (i) Job, c. xxvii. v. 8. (2) Prov. c.xxviii. v. 9. (3)81. 
 Matt. c. xxv. v. 1 1. (4) Ibid. v. 12. (5) Lib. 2 de Sacr. 
 Part 14. c. 5. (6) Lib. 4. dift. 20.
 
 Part III. Ch 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 303* 
 bufinefsj it is very dangerous, nay, even mortal, to 
 defer the applying of the remedy of penance, till the 
 very utmoft extremity, Neverthelefs, it is an extraor- 
 dinary grace of GOD to infpire a man with thefe difpo- 
 fitions, as he lies upon his death bed, if there be any fo 
 infpired." Obfcrve how dreadful thefe words are. What 
 a madnefs is it then to expofe the greateft treafure to the 
 moil imminent dangers. Is there any thing in the world, 
 of greater confequence to you, than your falvation ?. 
 what madnefs is it then to hazard fo precious a jewel. 
 
 9. This is the fentiment of all thefe great doctors, 
 by which you may judge, what a madnefs it is to be fo. 
 fecure, where fo many fkilful pilots have mown fo much 
 concern. The art of dying well ought to be the ftudy 
 of our whole life, for at the hour of death, we have fo 
 much to do to die, that we then mall have no time to 
 learn to die well. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Vbe opinions of the fchoolmen upon the fame matter. 
 
 10. For the farther confirmation of this truth, let us 
 fee what have been the opinions of the fchool-men upon 
 this matter. But above all the reft, Scotus in his fourth 
 book of fentences, handles this queftion the moft to our 
 prefent purpofe, which he concludes thus : " The great 
 difficulty a man has to do penance, at the hour of death, 
 makes the penance he does then, to be hardly a true pe- 
 nance *." This he proves by four reafons. 
 
 1 1. The firft is the great hindrance the pain his diftem- 
 per puts him to, and the prefence of death are to him, 
 from lifting up his heart to GOD, and from exercifing 
 himfelf in the duties and obligations of a fincere pe- 
 nance. To make this the plainer, you are to under- 
 ftand, that all the paflions of our foul have a great deal 
 of force to draw man's reafon and free-will, which way, 
 they pleafe. And, according to the maxims of the phi- 
 lofophers-, the paflions that excite forrow, are much 
 ftronger than thofe that are the caufes of joy. So thrt 
 
 P p 2 ,. the 
 
 * Scot. 9. 4. dift. 20. art, I.
 
 304 tte Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 the pafllons and affeftions of a man ready to die, are 
 ftronger , becaufe, as Ariftotle fays *, " Death is of all 
 terrible things, the moft terrible-," by the reafon of the 
 pains and torments the body is in ; or the difquiets and 
 troubles of the foul, which are numerous ; of the grief 
 and forrow which the thoughts of leaving children, wife, 
 and the world then wrack a man with. Now, whilft the 
 paflions are fo ftrong and turbulent, where muft the 
 dying man's thoughts and reafon be, but where fuch 
 violent griefs and paflions, as thefe carry it ? 
 
 12. We fee by experience, that, even a virtuous man, 
 if he be troubled with a violent fit of the cholic, or 
 with any other fharp pain whatever, whilft he is in this 
 condition, he can fcarce have his thought fixed entirely 
 upon GOD ; but, generally fpeaking, lets them go where- 
 foever his pain carries them. If it be thus with a good 
 and juft man, what will become of him that never knew 
 what it was to think of GOD ; and who being always ac- 
 cuftomed to love his body better than his foul, is the 
 more eafily inclined to run to his greater friend, than to 
 his lets, for help and fuccour when he is in any danger ? 
 one of thofe four things, which St. Bernard fays are im- 
 pediments to contemplation -f, is the indilpofition of 
 the body, becaufe the foul is, at that time, fo taken up 
 with the thoughts of what the flefti fuffers, that me can 
 hardly think of any thing elfe. If this be true, what 
 folly is it to expect the greatell indifpofition of body,. 
 in order to treat of the greateft affairs of the foul ? 
 
 13. I knew a perfon myfelf, who, being ready to die, 
 and advifed to prepare himfelf as well as he could for 
 death, was fo furprized and troubled at the nearnefs of 
 it, that, all his bufinefs was to defire, with the more 
 esgernefs and folicitude, fuch remedies as were the moft 
 proper for keeping off the flroke, if it were poffible ; 
 as if he had imagined he could have pulhed death away 
 with his hsnds, when it was fo near him. A prieil that 
 was by, feeing him fo forgetful of what ought to have 
 been, at that time his chief concern, and advifing him tor 
 lay afide thofe cares and folicitudes, and to call upon 
 
 GOD : 
 * Ariftotle, -f Serm, 5. de Afium,
 
 Part III. Ch. i. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 305 
 
 GOD : the Tick man looking upon this good advice as 
 troublefome to him, anfwered the prieft after fuch a 
 manner, as lead of all became one in that condition, 
 and at fuch a time ; immediately afterwards he died, and 
 yet this fame perfon had patted for a man of virtue all 
 nis life-time. From hence you may fee, how trouble- 
 fome the nearnefs of death will be to men, that have 
 loved this life too well, fince it has been fo unwelcome to 
 thofe, who, whilft they lived, feemed not to have any 
 extraordinary affection for it. 
 
 14. I heard of another perfon, who being very ill, 
 and imagining he had not long to live, defired to enter- 
 tain himfelf before he died, with none but GOD, and 
 prevent his judge by the fervour of his devotion -, but 
 the violent and continual pains he was in, gave him no 
 kind of eafe or refpite, for the accomplifhing of his 
 defire. What man then will be fo mad, as to defer the 
 reform of his whole life, till fuch a time, when he lhal.l 
 find himfelf fo ill-difpofed for this bufinefs ? 
 
 15. The fecond reafon this doctor brings is, that true 
 penance ought to be voluntary, that is, to proceed from 
 a free motion of the will, and not to be done purely out 
 of necefllty. And therefore St Auguftin fays, " That 
 a man Ihould not only fear his judge, but love him too 5 
 and do what he has to do, freely and willingly, not out 
 of neceffity *." So that according to this, he that 
 never did true penance all his life, but has put off doing 
 of it till he is ready to die, feems to do it only out or 
 neceffity, not freely and willingly. And if this be the. 
 only reafon of his doing it, it is certain his penance is 
 not purely voluntary. 
 
 1 6. It was fuch a penance as this, that Semei did for 
 the offence he had committed againil David, when he 
 fled from his fon Abfalom -}- : for feeing him return home 
 with victory, after his flight, and being fenfible of the 
 misfortune that might befall him on that account, he 
 went out at the head of a great many men, to receive 
 the king, and with fubmiffion to beg pardon for what 
 he had done. Whereupon Abilai, one of David's rela- 
 tions 
 
 * De Civit Dei L. 14. c, 39. f 2 Reg. c. 16, v. 19.
 
 306 *rhe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 tions feeing him, cried out -, " What fliall Semei for 
 thefe words, not be put to death, becaufe he curfed the 
 Lord's anointed*?" but David who knew better than 
 Abifai, that this fubmiflion would do Semei but little 
 good, prudently diflembling his difpleafure for that 
 time, did not let the crime go unpunimed , for, as he 
 lay upon his death bed, out of the zeal he had for juf- 
 tice, not out of revenge, he commanded his fon Solo- 
 mon f, as if it had been his laft will, to deal with the 
 traitor, according to his deferts. It is fuch a penance 
 as this, feveral Chriftians may be faid to perform, who, 
 after having without any interruption, offered the Ma- 
 jefty of GOD during their whole life, when the time of 
 giving up their accounts comes, feeing death juft before 
 them, with the grave open, and themfelves juft ready to 
 appear before their judge, and at the fame time under- 
 ftanding that there is no force that can refift this fu- 
 preme power, and that the moment is juft come, which 
 is to determine nothing lefs than eternity, they proftrate 
 themfelves before their judge, begging and entreating 
 him with all kind of humility, and making all the pro- 
 teftations imaginable, which, fuppofing them to be 
 fincere, would be profitable, but we may guefs what 
 they are, by the fuccefs they commonly meet with. For 
 we have feen by experience, that feveral of thefe perfons, 
 after having efcaped the danger they were in, have im- 
 mediately neglected all their former promifes, have taken 
 up all their ill courfes again, and put themfelves a fe- 
 cond time under the yoke, which they feemed before to 
 have been freed from, as if they did nothing out of a 
 motive of virtue, and for the love of GOD, but only 
 becaufe they faw themfelves in danger, which was no 
 fooner over, than the good effedls which were caufed by 
 it ceafed. 
 
 17. By which it appears, that this kind of penance is 
 juft like that of feamen, when they are in a ftorm ; for 
 every one then makes a great many promifes, and good 
 purpofes of changing his life, and of labouring for folid 
 virtue , but as foon as ever the ftorm is paft, and they 
 
 qut 
 * 2 Reg. c. 19". v, 22. f 3 Reg. c. 2. v. 8, 9.
 
 Part III. Ch. 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 307 
 out of ail danger, they fall to curfing and gaming again 
 juft as they did before ; and trouble their heads no more 
 about what is paft , as if all their promifes had been 
 nothing but mere talk and paftime. 
 
 1 8. The third reafon is, becaufe the evil cuftom of fin- 
 ning, which a wicked man has lived in all his days, gene- 
 rally fpeaking, is his conftant companion till his death, as 
 the fliadow is that of the body ; for, cuftom is like a 
 1 fecond nature, which it is very hard to conquer. Thus 
 we fee, though with grief, feveral perfons fo entirely 
 forgetful of their fouls at that time ; fo covetous, not- 
 withftanding they are dying ; fo charmed with the love 
 of life, that they would give any thing in the world, to 
 recover it again , as much flaves to the world, and to 
 every thing in it they had any affection for, as if they 
 were not reduced to the miferable extremity they un- 
 happily find themfelves in. Have you never feen, even 
 old men, fometimes as greedy and as covetous, as bufy 
 about the fecuring of every little infignificant trifle, and 
 as proof againft charity, as ever they were before ? nay, 
 have they not as great a defire of thofe things, they 
 know they cannot carry away, with them? this is a fort 
 of punimment, which GOD frequently inflicts upon fin, 
 permitting it to go along with its author to the very 
 grave, as St. Gregory exprefles thus*, " GOD punilhes 
 a finner after this manner, permitting him to forget him- 
 felf at his death, becaufe he never thought of GOD, 
 during his whole life , fo that one forgetfulnefs is pu- 
 nimed by another , that which has all along been a fin, 
 is punilhed by that which is at the fame time, both a 
 punimment and a fin." This is what we have daily 
 proofs of; and we have often heard of feveral who have 
 died in the very arms of lewd women, whom they loved 
 to their own ruin -, and would not quit the company of 
 them, not even at the very moment of their death, be- 
 caufe, by a juft judgment of GOD, they have neither 
 been mindful of themfelves, nor of their own fouls. 
 
 19. The fourth reafon is grounded upon the worth of 
 thole actions, that are done at this time, for it is plain, 
 
 at 
 * Homil. 2.inEvang, andinEzech.Iiem.Lib. 20. Moral. 0.15.
 
 308 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 at leaft to one that has any knowledge of Goo, that he 
 is much lefs pleafed with the fervice done him at this 
 time, than with that we do him at another. " Becaufe 
 it is no great matter, as the Holy Virgin and Martyr 
 St. Lucy faid, to be profufe of that which you will be 
 forced to leave behind *." What is it for a man to for- 
 give an affront, when it would be a difhonour not to 
 pardon it. What is it to turn away his miftrefs, when a 
 man can keep her no longer. 
 
 20. From thefe reafons this doctor concludes, that it 
 is very hard to perform a fmcere penance at that time, 
 nay, he adds more yet, and fays, That the Chriftian who 
 defignedly defers his penance till he is ready to die, com- 
 mits a mortal fin ; becaufe he does a great injuftice to 
 his own foul, and expofes himfelf to the danger of lofmg 
 his falvation. Is there any thing then in the world, we 
 have more reafon to be afraid of, than of this ? 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 he fame thing proved by the authority of the holy fcripturt* 
 
 But, becaufe the decifion of this queftion depends 
 chiefly upon the word of GOD, from which there is no 
 appealing, nor any exception to be brought againil; 
 hear now what it fays upon this point. Solomon, in 
 the firft chapter of his Proverbs, after fetting down the 
 words which the eternal Wifdom makes ufe of, for call- 
 ing of men to repentance, immediately adds thofe which 
 it will pronounce againft fuch perfons as (hut their ears 
 to this call, thus, Becaufe I called^ and you refufed\ .1 
 Jlretched out my hand, and there 'was none that regarded, 
 you have defpifed all my counfel, and have neglefted my repre- 
 benjions, I alfo will laugh in your deftrutlion, and will mock 
 when that Jbatl come to you, which you feared : when fudden 
 calamity Jhall fall on you, and deftruftion as a temp eft Jhall be 
 at hand : when tribulation and diftrefs Jhall come upon you : 
 then Jhall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they 
 Jhall rife in the morning, and Jhall not find me : becaufe they 
 have hated injlruftion, and received net the fear of the 
 
 Lord, 
 * Surius. Dec. 13.
 
 Part III. Ch. 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 309 
 
 Lord, nor confented to my counfel, but dffpifed all my reproof*. 
 Thefe are Solomon's words, or rather the words of GOD 
 himielf; which St. Gregory in the book of his morals, 
 cited before, turns to our prefent matter. What anfwer 
 can you make to all this ? will not thefe threats, as com- 
 ing from GOD himielf, be of force to make you afraid 
 of falling into fuch a danger, and to prepare yourfelf in 
 time againft this dreadful moment ? 
 
 22. If this will not fuffice, give ear to another autho- 
 rity, no lefs clear than this. Our Saviour in the gofpel, 
 fpeaking of his coming at the day of judgment, with 
 much earneftnefs advifes, his dilciples to be ready againft 
 that day, and. to this purpofe brings feveral comparifons, 
 to make them underftand how important a concern this 
 was. BleJJed, fay< he, is that few ant, whom when his lord 
 Jh all come, he foall find watching; but if that evil fervant 
 Jhall fay in his heart : my lord is long a coming : and Jhall 
 begin to jlrike his fellow-fervants, and Jhall eat and drink 
 with drunkards, 'The lord of that fervant Jhall come in a 
 day that he looketh not for him, and at an hour that he 
 knoweth not : And Jhall fepar ate him, and appoint his portion 
 with the hypocrites : there Jhall be weeping and gnajhing of 
 teeth -f. By this you may fee that our Saviour was ac- 
 . quainted with the defigns of the wicked, and the ways 
 they ufe to cloak their crimes. And, for this reafon, he 
 meets them as it were, and tells them what mail befall 
 them, and what are like to be the effects of their vain 
 confidence. Now, what is it we are treating of, but 
 this very bufmefs -, and what do I fay, but what our Sa- 
 viour himfelf faid ? you are this bad fervant, who are 
 conceiving the fame defigns in your heart; and have a 
 mind to take hold of this delay of your matter, as an 
 opportunity of fpending your time in eating and drink- 
 ing, and of continuing ftill in your fins. How comes it 
 you do not dread this threat, which is made by GOD, 
 who is as able to put every thing he fays in execution, 
 as he is to fay it. It is to you he fpeaks ; It is you he 
 treats with ; it is to you he directs his voice ; awake 
 Q^q then, 
 
 * Prov. c. i. v. 23 to v. 31. "f St, Matt. c. xxiv. v. 46, 
 48,49, 50, 51.
 
 The Sinners Guide. Book!, 
 
 then, unhappy man., and amend your life while you 
 have time, for fear of being torn to pieces, when the 
 hour of this dreadful judgment mall come. 
 
 23. Methinks I fpend too much time about a thing fo 
 clear ; but what mall I do, when, notwithilanding all 
 this, I fee the greateft part of the world make ufe of this 
 unhappy pretence ? that you may therefore have a clearer 
 fight of the greatnefs of this danger, hear what our Sa- 
 viour fays to this purpofe, in another place. He had rio 
 fooner made an end of the above-mentioned words, but 
 he adds thefe which follow * : 'Then Jhall the kingdom of 
 heaven be like to ten virgins, jive of which were -wife, and 
 fve were foolijh ones. He fays, then ; and when will this 
 Then be ? when the judge comes -, when the hour of 
 judgment {hall draw nigh ; and not only the general* 
 but each particular judgment ; as St. Auguftin explains 
 this pafiage -f : .becaufe the fame fentence that mail be 
 palled at the particular judgment, will ftand good at the 
 general. This is the time, when what happened to the 
 ten virgins, fays our Lord, mall happen to you. There 
 wercf.ve wife and five foolijh virgins, that were waiting for 
 ihe bridegroom -, the wife ones furnijhed their lamps with oil, 
 betimes, to go out to receive him \ but the foolijk ones ne- 
 glefled to do it. At midnight, the time of the deepen: 
 ileep ; that is, when men are not at all felicitous, and 
 think lead of death, a noife was heard, The bridegroom is 
 coming, let us go out and receive him. Immediately thefe 
 virgins all rofe up, and they that had prepared their lamps 
 entered with him to the marriage, and the door was jhut : 
 but thofe that had not got their lamps ready, began then to 
 drefs, and to fdl them ; and to call upon the bridegroom, fay- 
 ing, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he anfwering, faid, amen 
 I fay unto you, I know you not. With thefe words the evangelift 
 ends the parable, and immediately after tells us the meaning 
 of it, faying : Watch ye therefore, becaufe you knew not 
 the day nor the hour. As if he had faid : you have feen 
 how thofe virgins profpered, who had got all things 
 ready, and how unhappy on the contrary, they were, 
 who had not. Therefore, fmce you neither know the 
 
 day 
 
 *Matl."c. xxv. v. I. t Aug. Ep. 80. ad Aefychium.
 
 Part III. Ch, 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 3 1 1 
 day nor the hour of his coming ; and fmce the bufineis 
 of your falvation depends on your being ready , watch, 
 and be always prepared, for fear of being taken before 
 you are aware, like thefe foolifh virgins, and of perifh- 
 ing as they did. This is the literal fenfe of the parable, 
 according to Cajetan, upon this place, where he fays : 
 That from this example alone, we may draw this con-' 
 fequence ; that penance which is deferred to the very 
 hour of a man's death, when he hears theie words ; be- 
 hold the bridegroom is coming, is not fecure. On the 
 contrary, it is looked upon in this parable, as falfe ; be- 
 caufe, generally fpeaking, it is fo. And at the end he 
 makes this the refult of the whole parable, faying: The 
 moral of this doctrine is to let us know, that the five 
 foolifh virgins were rejected, becaufe they were not pre- 
 pared when the bridegroom came ; whillt the others, 
 being ready, were admitted. And therefore it is re- 
 quifite we mould be always fo, fmce we a*e ignorant 
 both of the day and hour, when he will come. What 
 could be better expre'fied than this is. I admire there- 
 fore, that after fo plain a proof of this truth, men dare 
 comfort themfelves with fo vain a hope. Were cot this 
 truth fo clear, I mould not wonder if they believed the 
 contrary, or endeavoured to deceive thernfelves. But 
 after our great Matter has decided this bufmefs, after 
 the Judge himfelf has explained his laws and.juJgments, 
 by fo many examples, and has told us how we are to 
 be judged, who can be fo fenfelefs as to think this bu- 
 fmefs will fall out quite otherwife, than he who is to 
 pronounce the fentence has declared it (hall. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Some objections anfwereL 
 
 24. But perhaps in anfwer to all this, you will (ay, 
 What ? was not the good thief faved by one word fpeak- 
 ing at the hour of death ? St. Auguftine anfwers this 
 queftion for me in the book above-cited, where he lays : 
 " That the confefTion the good chief ^made was, all at 
 once, the hour of his converfion of his baptifm, and of 
 
 2 his
 
 312 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 his death : whence it follow?, that as he who dies, im- 
 mediately after being baptized, goes directly to heaven, 
 as has happened to leveral perions ; fo it fared with this 
 happy thief, becaufe the hour of his death, was the fame 
 to him as that of his baptifm (i). 
 
 25. We may anlwer this query another way ; which is, 
 that fo wonderful an action as this, like all other miracles 
 of the fame nature, was referved to the coming of the 
 Son of GOD into the world, for a teftimony of his glory : 
 and therefore it was requifite that, at the time of our 
 Saviour's paffion, the heavens mould be darkened, the 
 earth quake, the graves be opened, and the dead arife, 
 becauie thefe prodigies were all kept againft this time, 
 as fo many proofs of the glory of him that fuffered ; 
 and amongft them we may reckon the falvation of the 
 good thief: but we mud here take notice that this man's 
 confefHon was no lefs wonderful, than his falvation -, for, 
 he confeffed the kingdom of heaven, even upon the 
 crofs , he publickly preached the faith of Chrift prefent, 
 when the apoftles had almoft loft all theirs ; and praifed 
 and glorified our Saviour when all the world was blaf- 
 pheming and curfing him. Since therefore this miracle, 
 as well as the reft was for the manifefting of our Srviour's 
 dignity and glory at his death, it is a folly to expect 
 that fhould generally be done at all times i which was 
 particularly referved for that. 
 
 26. Befides, we fee in all governments there are ordi- 
 nary and extraordinary methods and ways of proceeding; 
 the ordinary are common to all, the extraordinary for 
 fome peculiar perfons. The fame is practiled in the 
 divine government of GOD'S church , for that is a regular 
 and common method, which the apoftle fpeaks of, that 
 the end of the wicked {hall be anfwerable to their works -, 
 to fignify, that generally, a good death follows a good 
 life, and an ill death, an ill life. The ordinary way of 
 proceeding, that thofe who have done good works, mail 
 go into life everlafting, and thofe who have done evil, 
 {hall be condemned to eternal flames (2). This is what 
 we find frequently repeated in the holy fcriptures. It is 
 
 fung 
 (i) Devera& falfa penit, (2) 2 Cor. c. xi.
 
 Part III. Ch. 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance. 313 
 fung by the pfalmift, declared by the prophets, pub-, 
 limed by the apoftles, and preached by the evangelifts. 
 This is what David has explained in a few words, when 
 he faid (i) : God hath fpoken once, tbefe two things have I 
 beard, that power belongeth to God; and mercy to thee O 
 Lord ; for thou wilt render to every man according to his. 
 work. This is the fum of all Chriftian philofophy. Now 
 according to this, we fay, it is ufual for the wicked, as 
 well as for the juft, to be rewarded at the end of this 
 life, according to their deferts, which are to be meafured 
 by their works. Not that this law is fo univerfal, but 
 that GOD can {hew a particular favour to fome perfons, 
 for his own glory j and grant thofe the happinefs of dy- 
 ing the death of the juft, who have lived the lives of 
 finners , as it can on the contrary happen, that a man 
 may, by a fecret judgment of GOD, die the death of a fin^: 
 ner, that has lived all his life-time, like a juft man. As 
 a merchant after a profperous voyage, may be loft as 
 he is entering the port. For which reafon Solomon (2). 
 faid : Who knoweth if the fpirit of the children of Adam 
 goeth upward^ and if the fpirit of the beafts goeth down- 
 ward? Becaufe, though it generally happens, that the 
 fouls of thofe men, who live like beafts, go down to hell, 
 and that the fouls of thofe who live like rational creatures, 
 mount up to heaven : yet by fome fpecial judgment of 
 GOD, the contrary may fall out in both reipects ; but 
 notwithstanding all this, the fecure and general docTrine 
 is, that whofoever lives well, (hall die happily. For this 
 reafon, no-body ought to rely on the examples of parti- 
 cular graces, fmce they do not make any general rule, 
 nor belong to all indifferently ; but to a very few indeed, 
 and thofe unknown ; fo that you can have no afiurance 
 of your being of this number. 
 
 27. Others make ufe of another pretence, and fay, 
 the facraments of the new law make contrition, of attri- 
 tion, and that they (hall be in this difpofition, at leaft 
 when they are dying, which joined to the virtue of the 
 facraments, will fuffice for the obtaining of their falva- 
 tion. My anfwer is, that it is not any fort of forrow 
 
 that 
 (j)Pfalmlxi. v. 12, 13. (a) Eccl.c. iii. r, 21,
 
 314 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 that will fuffice for that kind of attrition, which joined 
 to facraments, produces grace in thofe perfons that re- 
 ceive them. For it is certain there are feveral forts of 
 attrition and forrow, and that not any kind of it that 
 changes a man's attrition into contrition, but only that 
 which is known by no one, but by him who is the giver 
 of all grace. 
 
 28. The holy doctors have not been unacquainted with 
 this truth, and therefore it is, that they have fpoken of pe- 
 nance, with fo much fear and apprehenfion, as we have 
 ihewn already. And St. Auguftin, in the firft authority, 
 cited in confirmation of this doctrine, fpeaking of him 
 that receives penance, and is reconciled by the facraments 
 of the church, faysexprefsly, " We adminifter the facra- 
 ment of penace to the fmner , but we give 'him no af- 
 furance (i) .'" 
 
 29. But if after this, you mould urge farther, and ob- 
 ject the penance of the Ninivites to me, which proceeded 
 from the apprehenfion they were in, of being deftroyed 
 within forty days. I would have you reflect not only on 
 the rigorous penance they performed, but the change of 
 their lives: and do you change your life, as they did 
 theirs ? and you will not fail of finding the fame mercy 
 they did. But when I fee you have no fooner recovered 
 your health, than you return to your former evil courfes, 
 and neglect all the good refolutions you had made, dur- 
 ing your ficknefs , what would you have me think of 
 uch penance as this is ? 
 
 The conclufion of this chapter. 
 
 30. All we have faid here, has not been to thut the 
 gates, either of falvation or hope againft any one, which 
 the faints have not done ; nor ought any of us to da 
 Our only defign is to turn the wicked out of this flrong 
 hold, in which they always take fhelter, that they may 
 continue in their fins with the 'more fecurity. Tell me 
 now, I befeech you by the love of GOD, how dare you 
 cxpofe yourfelf to fo imminent a ruin, when you have all 
 
 the 
 (i) De 50. Horn 42.
 
 Part III. Ch. 2. Of Death-Bed Repentance 
 
 the doctors and faints of the church, when you have rea- 
 fon itfelf, and the holy fcriptures continually admonifb- 
 ing you of the danger of this penance ? what is it you 
 have to truft to at that laft hour ? is it to the legacies 
 you bequeath in your will for pious ufes ? is it to the 
 prayers and mafTes you order to be faid for you ? alas- f 
 you have feen how felicitous the foolifh virgins were, to 
 lupply themfelves with what was requifite, and what in- 
 treaties they ufed at the door with the bridegroom, but 
 all to no purpofe becaufe nothing of all this proceeded 
 from a true penance. Do you truft in the tears yau 
 fhall flied then ? tears, it is true, have a great force at 
 all times, and happy is the man that weeps without hy- 
 pocrify and conftraint, but confider what floods of tears 
 it coft him, who fold his birth-right to fatisfy his glut- 
 tony, and yet the apoftle tells us, For be found no -place 
 of repentance, although with tears he had fought it *. For 
 it was not for GOD'S fake that he wept, but for the lofs 
 he had fuffered. You, perhaps, rely upon the good re- 
 folutions you fhall make at that time. Thefe go a great 
 way when they are fmcere, but call to mind the good 
 defigns which king Antiochus propofed to himfelf, for, 
 as he lay upon his death-bed. He made fuch great pro- 
 mifes to GOD, that we cannot fo much as read them 
 without admiration and aftonifhmcnt, and yet after all 
 the fcripture fays : Then this wicked man prayed to the Lord* 
 of whom he was not like to obtain mercy -f . And why, 
 but becaufe all he promifed was not out of a motive of 
 love, but of fervile fear ; which though it is good, is not 
 yet Sufficient of itfelf, for the gaining of the kingdom 
 of heaven : for to be afraid of hell torments is what may 
 proceed from the natural love and affection every man 
 has for himfelf. But for a man to love himfelf, is not 
 a means whereby he can pofllbly arrive at this kingdom. 
 So that as nobody had admittance into king Afllierus's 
 palace , that was cloathed in fackcloth j fo nobody can 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven, in the drefs of .a 
 flave, that is, by the means of this fervile fear alone, 
 
 unlefs 
 
 * Heb. c. xii. v. 17. -f 2 Macch. c. ix v. 1 3. J Either, 
 < c. iv. v. 2.
 
 316 Tfhe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 vmlefs he be cloathed with his wedding garment, which 
 is love. 
 
 31. Confider therefore, ferioufly, now whilft you have 
 time before you, that you mufl without doubt, be one 
 day or other in this condition ; nay, the time cannot be 
 far off; for you fee what hafte the heavens make to finifh 
 their courfes. This mortal life of our-, which is no 
 more than a fmall flock of wool will be foon fpun out, 
 whilft the wheel is perpetually turning round with fo 
 fwift a motion. For this reafon Mofes fays ( i ) : 'That the 
 day of deftruttion is at hand^ and the time makes hafte to 
 come. When you have run this fhort courfe, will follow 
 the fulfilling of thefe prophecies, and then you will fee 
 how true a prophet I have been, in all I have foretold 
 you ; then you will find yourfelf furrounded with pains, 
 diflurbed by cares, tormented by the prefence of death, 
 and in continual expectation of the lot, which is imme- 
 diately to befall yon. O doubtful lot ! O dreadful paT- 
 fage ! O terrible trial, in which is to be palled the fentence, 
 either of eternal life, or of eternal death ! who will be able 
 then to change their lots, Who will put a flop to this fen- 
 tence ? it is at prefent in your own power to do it, do not 
 neglect the opportunity. You have now a convenient time 
 to make your judge your friend ; now you may gain his 
 favour. Take therefore the advice of the prophet along 
 with you, who fays, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found , 
 call upon him while he is near (2), He is now near to hear 
 us, though we cannot fee him ; when we are to be judged, 
 we fhall fee him-, but he will not hearken to us, unlefs 
 we now do fomething to deferve it. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Againft thofe who continue in their fms^ confiding in the 
 mercy of GOD. 
 
 f A HERE are others who continue in their wicked 
 JL lives, confiding in GOD'S mercies, and in the me- 
 rits of our Saviour's paffion, whom it is requifite to 
 
 undeceive, 
 (i) Deut. c. xxxii. v. 35. (2) Ifaiah, c, Iv. v. 6.
 
 Par till. Ch. 3. Agamjl Prefumption. 317 
 
 undeceive, as well as the reft. You fay the mercy of 
 GOD is great, fince he died upon the crofs for the falva- 
 tion of finners. I confefs it is very great, fmce it bears 
 with fo great a blafphemy, as is making his goodnefs 
 the motive of your wickednefs, and turning the crofs, 
 which he made ufe of as his inftrument for the deftroy- 
 ing the kingdom of fin, into an inftrument for eftablifhing 
 and promoting it -, and whereas you are obliged to lay 
 down a thoufand lives, if you had them, in return of 
 that which he laid down for you , you take occafion 
 from thence to deny him that fmgle life you have re- 
 ceived from him ? this crime was a greater affliction to 
 our Saviour, than the death he fuffered : for though he 
 never complained of his fufferings, yet he does of this 
 injury, by the prophet, faying (i): The wicked have 
 'wrought upon my back : they have lengthened their iniquity. 
 Who is it that taught you to deduce this confequence ; 
 that becaufe GOD is good, you will take the liberty of. 
 finning, and efcape without being punifhed. The Holy 
 Ghoft doe* not teach us to argue after that manner, but 
 thus : Becaufe GOD is good, he deferves to be honoured, 
 obeyed and loved above all things. Becaufe GOD is 
 good, it is j uft I mould be fo too ; and that I mould hope 
 in his mercy, for the pardon of fins, though they are 
 never fo great, if I do but return to him with my whole 
 heart. Becaufe GOD is good, and infinitely good, it will 
 be the greater crime in me, to offend fo much goodnefs : 
 and for this reaibn, the greater you fuppofe this mercy, 
 which you put your truft in, fo much the more heinous 
 is evrery fin you commit againft it. Nor is it juft that 
 fuch a crime fhould go unpunifhed. Nay, it belongs to 
 the divine juftice to take care it mould not ; neither is 
 this juftice, as you falfely perfuade yourfelf, oppofite to 
 the divine goodnefs , but is its fifter and proteclrefs, and 
 cannot by any means confent, that fuch a crime fhould 
 pafs unpunifhed. 
 
 2. This fort of excufe is not new, but has been long 
 
 ufed in the world. This was the difpute between the 
 
 true and falfe prophets ; for thofe coming from Almighty 
 
 R r GOD 
 
 (j) PuJra cxxviii, v. 3.
 
 318 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 GOD, threatened the people with the execution of his 
 juftice ; thefe fpeaking of their own head, promifed them 
 a falle peace and mercy. And as foon as ever GOD'S 
 heavy judgments had difcovered the truth of the one, 
 and the lies of the others, the true prophets faid ( i ) : 
 Where are your prof bets that prophejied to you^ and faid : 
 the king of Babylon ; that /j, Nabuchodonafor Jhall not corns 
 Ggainjl you. 
 
 3. You fay, GOD is very merciful , but believe me* 
 whofoever you are, that fay fo, he has not opened your 
 eyes yet, to let you fee how'great his juftice is ; for if he 
 had, you will cry out with the Prophet (2) : Who know- 
 eth the power of thy anger : and for fear can number thy 
 wrath ? 
 
 4. That you may the more clearly perceive the danger 
 of this miftake, let us go hand in hand together a-while* 
 Neither you nor I have ever feen GOD'S juftice, as it is 
 in itfelf, to know how far it reaches ; nor have we any 
 other way of knowing GOD, in this world, but by his 
 works. Let us then go now into this fpirvtual world 
 of the holy fcriptures, and when we have been there a 
 little while, we will come into this corporeal world we 
 live in, to take a view in each of them, of the effects of 
 the divine juftice y that we may be the better able to 
 know what it is. 
 
 5. This journey will be very advantageous to us ; far 
 befides the end we propofe to ourfelves, we fhall receive 
 another very confiderable benefit, which is the exciting 
 and nourifhing of the fear of GOD in our hearts, which 
 the faints tell us, is the treafure, the defence, and the 
 ballaft of our foul. So that as a veflel is not fafe, unlefs 
 it be well poifed and ballafted, becaufe any guft of wind 
 may overlet her ; fo neither can the foul be fecure, if it 
 wants the weight of this fear. It is fear keeps her from 
 being carried away and overturned by the winds, either 
 of human or divine favours : whereas, let her be never 
 fo richly fraught, the is perpetually in danger of being 
 caft away, whilft me wants this ballaft. It is necefTary 
 then, that not only thofe who are juft entered into the 
 
 fervice 
 ( i ) Jer. c, xxxvii. y. 18. (2) Pfalm Ixxxix. v. n.
 
 Part III. Ch. 3. Againft Prefumption. 319 
 
 fervice of GOD, hut even thofe who have been a long 
 time in his family, fhould live continually in fear; nor is 
 this virtue required in finners only, who have motives 
 .enough to excite them to it ; but alfo in the juft, who 
 have not done fo much as the others have, to be afraid 
 of: the fubject of thofe perfons fear is, becaufe they 
 have fallen already ; the motive thefe have is, lead they 
 mould fall. The one ought to be afraid becaufe of their 
 paft fins ; and the others, upon the account of the dan- 
 gers they may probably be expofed to. 
 
 6. If you would know how this holy fear is to be pro- 
 duced within you -, I tell you, that when it is once infufed 
 into your foul by grace, it is preferved and increafed 
 there, by frequent reflections on the effects of GOD'S 
 juftice, which we are now going to treat of. Let thefe 
 be the frequent entertainment of your thoughts, and you 
 will find this fear will, by degrees, be formed in you. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the effefls of the divine juftice^ mentioned in the 
 Holy Scriptures. 
 
 7. The firft effect of GOD'S juftice, which the Holy 
 Scripture fpeaks of, is the reprobation of the angels. 
 The beginning of the ways of GOD, was firft (hewn upon 
 the prince of the devils, as we find it in the book of 
 Job ( i ) : All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth (2 ) ; 
 his juftice, till this firft crime, had never manifefted it- 
 felf. It was fhut up in the boforn of GOD, like a fword 
 -in its fcabbard ; which the prophet Ezechiel was frighted 
 at, when he confidered what deftruction it would make (3). 
 This firft fin made GOD draw the fword, and confider 
 what a terrible blow the firft was. Do but look up, and 
 you will fee what a great deal of hurt it has done : you 
 will fee one of the richeft jewels of GOD'S houfe, one 
 of the greateft ornaments of heaven, a draught which 
 gives fo lively a representation of the divine fplendour 
 ;and beauty, fall down from heaven like a fla/h of light- 
 
 Rr 2 nin% 
 
 (i)Job, c.xl. v. 14, (2)Pfahnxxiv. (3) Eze. c, xxi.
 
 320 The Sinners Guide. Book!. 
 
 ning(i\ for one proud thought. He that was before 
 the prince of angels, was made the chief of devils , he 
 that was before fo very beautiful and glorious, became 
 as oppoTitely deformed and ugly ; he that was crowned 
 before with the greateft glory, was condemned to the 
 fevereft torments , he, that was before GOD'S greateft fa- 
 vourite, was changed into his greateft enemy ; and fo 
 will continue for all eternity. "What a fubject of admira- 
 tion muft this be to thole heavenly fpirits, who very well 
 know from whence and whither that fo noble a creature 
 fell ? with what aftonimment will they repeat thefe words 
 of Ifaiah (2) : Hew are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer , 
 thou who didjl rife in the morning ? 
 
 8. Defcend from heaven to the terreftrial paradife, and 
 you will there fee another fall, no lefs terrible than the 
 former, had it not been retrieved (3). For, if the angels 
 fell, every one of them had committed an actual fin, 
 which was the occafion of his fall. But what actual fin 
 has an infant been guilty of, to deferve to be fent into 
 the world a child of wrath and indignation ? there is no 
 need of any actual fin for this, it is enough to be def- 
 cended from one that finned, and by finning, infected the 
 very root of all human nature, which was in him ; that 
 fo the child may be born with that fin : fo great is the 
 glory and majefty of GOD, that a creature, for one of- 
 fence committed againft it, deferves no lefs a punifnment 
 than this is. If Ainan, Afluerus's creature (4), did not 
 look upon himfelf as fatisfied, when he was revenged on 
 Mordocheus, whom he imagined to be the man that had 
 injured and abufed him , but, on the contrary, thought 
 his greatnefs obliged him to deftroy all the Jews for 
 the affront, which one fingle man had offered him. What 
 great matter then is it, for GOD'S glory and infinite 
 
 treatnefs, to exact fuch a punimment ? confider then the 
 rft man turned out of paradife, for eating of one morfel, 
 for which the whole world has been, ever fince, con- 
 demned to hunger and want. After the revolution of 
 fo many ages, the infant- child carries the mark of his 
 
 father's 
 
 (i)Luc.c.x. v. 18. (2) Ifaiah, c.xiv. v. 12. (3) Gen.c. iii. 
 (4) Either, c. iii.
 
 Part III. Ch. 3. Agalnft Prefumptlon. 321 
 
 father's wound along with him, and is made a child 
 of wrath , not only before he is capable of committing 
 any fin, but even before he is born. This injury is not 
 put up yet, though it is fo long fmce it was done ; tho* 
 it has been divided amongft fo many millions of men, 
 and has been fo often and fo feverely punimed. On the 
 contrary, all thofe torments that have been fuffered in 
 the world, to this very day , all the deaths that have 
 been hitherto, and all the fouls that have been burning 
 in hell-fire, fmce the fall of the angels, or that .(hall burn 
 there for all eternity, are nothing but fo many effects of 
 this firft crime, and fo many proofs of the divine juftice. 
 Nay, what is more dill to be admired, it continues not- 
 withftanding the redemption of the world by the blood 
 of Jefus Chrift. And yet if man had not had this re- 
 medy applied to him, there would have been no dif- 
 ference at all betwixt him and a devil ; becaufe the one 
 would have had as great a probability of obtaining his 
 falvation, as the- other. Are not thefe proofs of the di- 
 vine juftice ftrong enough to convince you ? 
 
 9. But as if this yoke which the fons of Adam have 
 fo long groaned under, were not heavy enough, there 
 have been from that time new additions of punifhments 
 upon punifhments for new fins, which have taken their 
 rife from this firft fin ( \ ). The whole world was drowned 
 by the deluge. GOD rained down fire and brimftone 
 from heaven, upon five lewd cities (2). The earth 
 opened and (wallowed up Dathan and Abiron alive for 
 contending with Mofes (3). Aaron's two fons, Nadab 
 and Abiu (4), were burnt on a fudden by the fire of the 
 fanctuary, without finding any mercy, either upon the 
 confideration of their own dignity, as priefts, or their 
 fathers's fanclity, or the familiarity which Mofes their 
 uncle had with GOD. We read in the new taftament, 
 that Ananias and Saphira (5), for lying to St. Peter, in 
 a matter which did not feem to be of any very great 
 moment, fell down dead both of them upon the fpot. 
 
 10. What 
 
 (i)Gen. c. vii. (2) Gen. c. ix. (3) Numb. c. x. 
 (4) Levit. c. x. (5) A&s, c. v.
 
 322 *The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 10. What (hall I fay of GOD'S dreadful judgments ? 
 Solomon the wifeft amongft the children of men, for 
 whom GOD had fuch a tender love, that he commanded 
 him to be called the " Beloved of the Lord (i)," came 
 at laft by GOD'S unfearchable judgments, to fall into the 
 word and greateft of all (ins, viz. the adoring of idols (2). 
 Can there be any thing more dreadful than this is ? and 
 yet, if you did but know, how many judgments of the 
 lame nature happen every day in the church, you would 
 perhaps be no lefs furprized at them, than at all that 
 has been faid. For, you would fee a great many liars 
 fallen from heaven, you would fee feveral perfons that 
 have been invited to GOD'S table (3), and have been fed 
 with the bread of angels, brought into fuch a miferable 
 condition, as to long after the food of fwine to fatisfy 
 their hunger. You would fee a great number of chafte 
 fouls, more beautiful and more glorious than the fun, 
 fullied all over, and darker than the mid-night fky , all 
 which was occafioned by the fins and offences they fell 
 into. For GOD'S decrees and judgments lay no neceflity 
 tipon mens actions, nor deprive them of their free-will. 
 
 ii. But, what is ftill more, could there be a greater 
 proof of this juftice, than that GOD mould not be fatisfied 
 with any lefs fatisfadtion than the death of his only be- 
 gotten fon, to purchafe pardon for mankind. Can any 
 words be more moving than thofe of our Saviour to the 
 women that followed him, when he went to be crucified : 
 Daughters of Jerufakm, weep not over we* but weep for 
 yourfehes, and for your children : for behold the days Jhali 
 come, wherein they will fay r , bleffed are the barren, and the 
 wombs that have not born, and the paps that have not given 
 fuck. Then /jail they begin to fay to the mountains, fall 
 -upon us , and to the hills cover us : for if in the green wood 
 they do thefe things, what Jhall be done in the dry (4). As 
 if he had faid more clearly, if this tree of life and of 
 innocence ; upon which there has never been any worm, 
 or ruft of fin, burns thus by the flames of the divine 
 *juftice, for the fins of other perfons ; what will become 
 
 of 
 
 (l) 2 Reg. c. xit v. 24. (2) 3 Reg. c. xi. ($) St. Luc, C..V. 
 
 (4) St. Luc. c. xxiii. v. 28, 29, 30, 31.
 
 Part III. Ch. 3. Again/I Prefufnptwn. 
 
 of the barren and dry tree , which, not charity, but 
 malice has over-loaded with its own crimes. How rt- 
 gorous therefore muft GOD'S juftice be, in thofe other 
 works of his, in which mercy does not exert itfelf, fince 
 it is fo fevere in this which is the effect of an infinite 
 goodnefs ? 
 
 12. But if you are fo dull, as not to fee the force of 
 thefe arguments reflect upon the eternity of hell tor- 
 ments, and confider how terrible this juftice is, which, 
 for a fin of but one moment, condemns the foul to no- 
 thing lefs than pains everkfting* This dreadful juftice 
 fuits very well with the merey you fo highly commend. 
 Can any thing be fo dreadful as to fee how this great 
 GOD feated upon the throne of his glory, will from 
 thence look down upon a foul after it has been tormented 
 millions of years, in fuch a terrible manner, without 
 being moved to the leaft pity and companion ? on the 
 contrary, he will take a pleafure in fuch a foul's fuffer- 
 ings, and will never put any end or limit to them, nor 
 give it any hopes of ever rinding eafe. O wonders of 
 the divine juftice ! O fubject of our aftonifhment and 
 admiration ! O the unfathomable depth of this abyfs ! 
 who is there fo unreafonable and fenfelefs, as not to trem- 
 ble at the thoughts of fo dreadful a punithment. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Of tie effeffs of the divine juftice which are fo be feen in 
 this world. 
 
 ig. Let us now leave the holy feripture, and come to 
 this vifible world, and we mail there rind other effects of 
 a moft terrible and moft fevere juftice. They who are 
 never fo little enlightened with the knowledge of GOD, 
 live whihl they are in this world, in fuch fear and appre- 
 henfion of thefe effects of juftice, that, though they 
 are able to conceive in fome meafure, all the reft of 
 GOD'S works, yet in refpect of this, they are at a lofs, 
 forced to content themfelves with a fincere and humble 
 act of faith. Who is* there that is not furprized to fee 
 the whole face of the earth covered over with infidelity ? 
 
 to
 
 324 7/?tf Sinners Guide. Book T. 
 
 to fee what nurfery the devil has here to people hell ? 
 to fee that the greateft part of the world has been as 
 much overfhadowed with the darknefs of its errors, even 
 fmce our Saviour's death, as it was before ? what is all 
 the Chriftian world in comparifon to what the infidels 
 pofTefs, and to what has in latter times been difcovered ; 
 how great a part of the world is under the tyranny of 
 the prince of darknefs, without the leaft glimmering of 
 the fun of juftice ? where the light of truth has never 
 fhone out. There no more rain or dew falls down from 
 heaven, than ufed to do upon the mountains of Gelboe 
 (i). From thence the devils ftill continue to carry off 
 a great number of fouls every day to everlafting flames, 
 as they have done ever fmce the beginning of the world. 
 For as in the time of the deluge (2), no one efcaped 
 that was not in Noah's ark ; as none of the inhabitants 
 of Jericho were faved (3), but Rahab and her family, 
 fo neither can any body be faved but thofc of the houfe 
 of GOD, that is the church (4). 
 
 14. Confider again in this little fpot of the world, 
 \vhich the Chriftians pofiefs, how every body behaves 
 himfelf, and you will fee, that in all this myftical body, 
 there is fcarce one found part from the fole of the feet, 
 to the crown of the head (5). Lay afide but a very few 
 of the chief cities, where you may fee fome marks of 
 found doctrine, and run over all the other towns and 
 countries, where they have no notion of the true worfhip, 
 and you will find many places of which we may truly 
 fay, what GOD faid once of Jerufalem ; Go about through 
 the ftreets of Jerufalem., and fee ', and confider, and fcek in 
 the broad places thereof^ if you can find a man that executetb 
 judgments, and feeketh faith : and I will be merciful unto 
 him (6) , I do not defire you to run up and down the 
 market places, or to public houfes, which are for the 
 moil part full of nothing but lying and deceit. Do but 
 confider, what parTes in your neighbour's families, and as 
 Jeremy fays (7), do but give an ear to what they fay, 
 
 and 
 
 ( I ) 2 Reg. c. iii. (2) Gen. c. vii. (3) Jofu. c. vi. 
 
 (4) 2 Pet. c. ii. (5) Ifaiah, c. i. (6) Jerem. c, v. v, 6. 
 
 {7) Jerem. c. viii. v. 6.
 
 Part III, Ch. 3. dgainji Prefumptlon. 
 
 and you will fcarce hear any one good word amongft 
 them. Go where you will, and you will hear nothing 
 but murmuring, detracting, fwearing, blafpheming, 
 quarrelling, coveting and righting. In fine, the tongue 
 and the heart entertain themfelves every where with the 
 things of this world, and with the ways of promoting 
 their interefts; whilft, at the fame time, GOD, and hea- 
 venly things, are what they trouble themfelves about but 
 little, unlefs it be in blafpheming and fwearing by his 
 holy name. Such a remembrance as this, GOD himfelf 
 complained of by his prophet, faying (i) : Ton whofwear 
 by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of 
 Ifrael, but not in truth, no? in juftice. So that, a man can, 
 hardly tell, at leaft by what he fees, whether thefe perfons 
 are Chriltians or heathens, except perhaps by the high 
 towers and fteeples he fees at a diftance, and by the oaths 
 and perjuries he hears when he comes nearer. What 
 pretence then have fuch perfons to reckon themfelves in 
 the number of thofe, of whom Ifaiah faid (2) : All that 
 Jhall fee them,Jhall know them , that thefe are the feed which 
 the Lord has blejfed. If therefore the life of a Chriftian 
 ought to be fuch, that every-body that fees, fhall ack- 
 nowledge him to be a child of GOD ; what rank fhall we 
 put thofe in, who rather feem to defpife and laugh at 
 Jefus Chrift, than live as become Chriftians ? 
 
 15. How can you chufe but fee by this, the effects of 
 GOD'S juftice, fince the crimes of the world are fo many, 
 and fo great ? for, that the permitting men to fall into 
 fin, is one of the greateft punifhments, and one of the 
 moft manifeft figns of GOD'S anger, is a truth as unde- 
 niable, as that the preferving him from fin, is one of the 
 greateft favours he is capable of receiving from GOD. 
 Thus we read, in the book of Kings, that GOD*S anger 
 was kindled againfl the children of Ifrael (3), and there- 
 fore he permitted David to fall into that fin of pride, of 
 ordering Joab to go number the people. We read in 
 Ecclefiaiticus, that God will preferve the merciful men 
 from all evil, and they Juatt not wallow in their fins (4) : 
 S f for 
 
 (i) Ifaiah. c. xl.viii. v. i. Zach.c.v. (2)Ifaiah, c. Ixi. v, 9, 
 (3) 2 Reg. c. xxiv, (4) Eccl, c. xxiii. v, 16.
 
 326 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 for, as one part of the reward due to virtue is the in- 
 creafe of virtue itfelf-, fo it frequently happens that the 
 punifhment of one fin, is the permifiion to fall into 
 another. Thus we fee, the fevered punifliments inflicted 
 for the moft heinous fin that ever was committed in the 
 world ; to wit, the putting of the Son of GOD to death, 
 was that which the prophet threatened the authors of 
 this crime with, when he faid*: Add thou iniquity upon 
 their iniquity : and let them not come into thy jujlice , that 
 is to fay, permit them not to keep and obey thy com- 
 mandments ? And what follows from all this ? the fame 
 prophet tells us himfelf, in the next verfe, where he fays f : 
 Let them be blotted out of the bock of the living -, and with 
 the jitft let them not be written. 
 
 1 6. If therefore GOD'S punifhing of one fin by per- 
 mitting another, be fo fevere a punimment, and fo great 
 a proof of his anger, how is it poflible you mould not 
 fee the marks of the divine juftice, amongft fuch a num- 
 ber of fins as are even in vogue and reputation in the 
 world ? turn your eyes which way you pleafe, and you 
 fhall fcarce fee any thing but fins, like men in the midft 
 of the fea, that have no other object but fky and water. 
 And can you fee all thefe fins, without feeing juftice too ? 
 can you be in the middle of the ocean, and lee no water? 
 and, if all this world is nothing but an ocean of fin, it 
 muft needs be an ocean of juftice? there is no need of 
 going down into hell, to fee how the divine juftice mani- 
 tefts itfelf there j we may fee it plainly enough in this 
 world. 
 
 i~. But if you can fee nothing beyond yourfelf, at 
 leaft look into yourfelf; confidcr that, if you are in the 
 flate of fin, you are under the ftroke of this juftice, and 
 are then moft expofed to it, when you think you are 
 rnoft fecure. St. Auguftin was once in this condition, 
 as he himfelf acknowledges, when he fays J : " I was 
 drowned in the depth of fin, your anger was provoked 
 againft me, and I knew nothing of it ; I was quite deaf 
 to the noife, which the chains of my mortality made, 
 and this ignorance of your anger, and of my fault was a 
 
 punifh- 
 * TYalm Ixviii. v. 28. -f- Ibid. v. 29. J Conf, L. ii. c. 2.
 
 Part III Ch. 3. Agalnjl Prefumption. 327 
 
 punimment of the pride of my foul." Now, if GOD has 
 inflicted this kind of punifhment upon you, and has per- 
 mitted you to remain blind, for fo long a time, and to be 
 drowned in your iniquities ; how can you falfly imagine 
 yourfelf to be in fo happy a condition, when all things, 
 go fo ill with you ? let him, that is in favour with GOD 
 talk of his graces and mercies , but he, that fufFers the 
 rigour of his juftice mould talk of nothing but his juftice. 
 Will GOD, out of his mercy, permit you to live fo long in 
 your fins, and not permit you for abufmg his mercy, to 
 run headlong into hell, out of his juftice ? O that you 
 did but know how fmall the diftance is betwixt fin and 
 the punifhment, and betwixt grace and glory. When a 
 man is in the ftate of grace, what great matter is it to 
 make him partaker of glory , or to punifh him, when he 
 has committed any fin ? grace is the beginning and pur- 
 chafe of glory, fo fin is an introduction and high-way to 
 hell. 
 
 1 8. Befides, what can be more terrible, than to fee, 
 that though the pains of hell are fo dreadful, as we have 
 defcribed them, GOD mould permit fo great a number to 
 be damned and fo few to be faved. But that you may 
 not think I defign to impofe upon you, when I fay that 
 this number is fo very fmall , He who tdleth the number 
 ef the ftars ; and calleth them all by their names *, will tell 
 you the fame. Can any man, without aftonifhment and 
 fright, hear thefe words of our Saviour, which are fo 
 well known, and yet fo little underflood and regarded ; 
 they are his words to his difciples, when he anfwered 
 them the queftion, whether the number of the elect was 
 fmall, or no -f : Enter, fays he, at the narrow gate ; for- 
 wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to de- 
 ftruRion, and many there are who go in thereat. O how 
 narrow is the gate, and fir ait is the way, which leads to 
 life, and few there are that find it. Who can imagine how 
 our Saviour was moved, when he cried out, not in a 
 cold and indifferent manner, but with fuch an emphatic 
 S f 2 excla- 
 
 * Pfalm cxlvi, v. 4. f St. Matt, c. vii. v. 13, 14. Luc. c.
 
 328 *n>e Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 exclamation ( i ) : O how narrow is the gate? and howftraight 
 is the way. 
 
 19-. All the world was deftroyed by the waters of the 
 deluge (2), and only eight fouls were preferved in Noah's 
 ark ; which according to St. Peter, reprefents the fmall 
 number of the elect, in companion of the reprobate (3). 
 GOD brought fix hundred thoufand men out of Egypt (4), 
 without counting their wives and children, to lead them 
 into the land of promile , and for this end he afiifted 
 and favoured them in feveral refpects, in a peculiar man^ 
 ner; yet, after all, they, by their own fault, loft the 
 land which GOD of his grace had offered them (5), and 
 only two men out of this great number, had the happi- 
 nefs to go into it. From whence all the holy fathers una- 
 nimou/ly conclude, that this is a figure of the great 
 number of thofe that are damned, and of the few that 
 are faved j which is the meaning of thefe words, That 
 many are called, but few are chofen (6). For this reafon 
 the juft in feveral places of holy fcriptures, are called 
 precious ftones; to give us to underftand, that juft men 
 are as rarely to be found in the world, as precious ftones, 
 and that the number of the wicked as far exceeds that 
 of the good, as the number of the ordinary ftones doth 
 that of the precious : as Solomon declared to us, when 
 he faid, T'he number of fools is infinite (7). If therefore the 
 number of the elect is fo fmall, and fo foon reckoned 
 up as the figure reprefents it to us, and as truth itfelf 
 tells us-, for you fee how many perfons were by a juft 
 judgment of GOD, deprived of the happinefs they were 
 called to ; how can you ftand fo unconcerned in this com- 
 mon danger and univerfal deluge ? if the number of 
 the elect were equal to that of the damned, you would 
 ftill have fufEcient reafons to fear for yourfelf : but what 
 do I talk of being equal ? for to be damned to hell for 
 all eternity, is a mifery fo great, that though there were 
 but one perfon out of the whole race of mankind, to be 
 fent thither, each particular man ought to tremble foj 
 
 fear 
 
 ( i ) Luc. c. v. 14. (2) Gen. c. vii. (3) 2 Pet c. ii. v. 5. 
 (4)Exod.c.xH. (5)Nyni,c,xiv, V.JO. (6)Matt.c.xx. v.i6, 
 (7) Eccl, c, i. v, 13.
 
 Part III. Ctu 3. Againft Prefumption. 329 
 
 fear of himfelf. When our Saviour told his difciples, 
 as he was at fupper with them, That one amongfl them was 
 to betray him *, they all began to be afraid, though their 
 own confciences told them, they were innocent , becaufe 
 when a crime is very heinous, though it touch but few, 
 every one is afraid leaft he fhould have fome (hare in it. 
 If a great army of men were ftanding in a field, and 
 fhould underftand by Divine Revelation, that a thunder- 
 bolt was to fall and take one of them off, none know- 
 ing who it was to be; every one would be afraid, leafi; 
 he fhould be the perfon, and look upon the danger as 
 his own. What then would their apprehenfion be, if 
 half the army, or the greater part were to be deflroyed 
 by this thunder-bolt. Tell me now, you that are fo wife 
 in all worldly affairs, but a mere fool to what regards 
 your falvation, fince GOD here reveals to you, that the 
 thunder of his divine juftice will fall upon fo great a 
 number of perfons, and fo few mall efcape it; how can 
 you live fo unconcerned and fearlefs, when you know 
 not which of the two parties you belong to ? is hell to 
 be dreaded lefs than thunder ? has GOD given you any 
 fecurity for your falvation ? there is nothing that can 
 give you any certainty of it. Your own works condemn 
 you, and as the cafe now flands, unlefs you turn over a 
 new leaf, you are one of the reprobates ; and can you 
 ftill be unconcerned at your danger. 
 
 20. You fay, GOD'S mercy encourages you ; this is 
 no anfwer to what has been faid ; on the contrary, if the 
 permitting of fo many perfons to be damned, be not 
 incompatible with his mercy, why may it not as well 
 fuffer you to be one of that number, if you live as they 
 have done ? do not you perceive, unhappy creature, that 
 felf-iove deludes you, making you think better of youn- 
 felf, than of all the world befides ? what privilege have 
 you above the reft of the children of Adam, not to go 
 where all thofe whofe works you imitate, have been fcnt 
 before you ? 
 
 21. If, as I have proved already, GOD is to be known 
 t>y his works ; I may fafely fay, that, though we may 
 
 make 
 * Joa. c. xiii. v. 21,
 
 330 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 make a great many comparifons betwixt his mercy and 
 his juftice, in which his mercy will always be fuperior, 
 yet we fhall find at laft, that there are more vefiels of 
 wrath in the race of Adam, from which you defcend, 
 than there are of mercy * -, becaufe the number of the 
 damned, is fo far greater than that of the elect. Now 
 this does not happen for want of GOD'S grace and af- 
 fiftance (for he, as the apoflle tells us, would have all 
 men to be faved, and come to the knowledge of truth) 
 but through the fault of the wicked, who will not make 
 their advantage of GOD'S mercies. 
 
 22. All I have hitherto faid, has been to convince you, 
 that if it is not incompatible with that infinite mercy 
 of GOD you talk of, to permit fo many infidels in the 
 world, and fo many bad Chriftians in the church, and to 
 fuffer all thefe infidels ; and fo great a number of thefe 
 Chriftians to be loft for ever, it will be no lefs agreeable 
 to it, that you mould perifh with them, if you behave 
 yourfelf like them. Did the heavens fo far fmile upon 
 you at your birth : or were the decrees of GOD, and the 
 Jaws of the gofpel changed in favour ofyou,thatyou fhould 
 expect to be fingular in the world. If it be no prejudice 
 to this great mercy, that hell fhould enlarge its womb, 
 and that fo many thoufands of fouls fhould be fwallowed 
 up amongft them ? and leaft you mould fay, that GOD 
 was fevere and rigorous then, but is mild and merciful 
 now, confider, that notwithftanding all his mildnefs, 
 there is nothing of what you have heard, which he does 
 not permit to this very day ', fo that you will have juft 
 caufe to fear punifhment, though you be a Chriftian, if 
 you are a bad one. 
 
 23. Will it be any leffening to GOD'S glory, if you 
 alone mould fair of being admitted to it. Have you 
 any extraordinary qualities which GOD ftands particularly 
 jn need of, to make him bear with you and all your 
 faults. Or have you any particular privilege above other 
 men, which fecures you from being damned, as well as 
 they, if you are as wicked ? fince David's children who 
 were favoured in confideration of their father's deferts, 
 
 were 
 * 2 Tim. c. ii. v. 20. Rom. c. ix. v, 22, 23.
 
 Part III. Ch. 3. Againjl Prefumption. 331 
 
 were punifhed by GOD *, according to their crimes, 
 when ever they did wickedly ; and feveral of them came 
 to unfortunate ends ; can you be puffed up with a vain 
 confidence, and imagine yourfelf to be fecure ? you de- 
 ceive yourfelf unhappy man, you deceive yourfelf, if 
 you think this is hoping in GOD. This is not hope but 
 prefumption ; for hope is a confidence that GOD will for- 
 give all your fins, though never fo many, or fo great, 
 if you repent and amend. But it is prefumption to be- 
 lieve, that though you perfift in a wicked life, your fal- 
 vation is fecure. And do not think this is an indifferent 
 fort of fin, for it is accounted one of thofe againft the 
 Holy Ghoft ; becaufe it is an abufe and affront to the 
 goodnefs of GOD, which is particularly attributed to the 
 Holy Ghoft, which fins our Saviour has told us, are not 
 forgiven in this world, nor in the next ; to fignify, that 
 they are very hard to be forgiven, becaufe they as much 
 as in them lies, (hut the gates of grace, and offend the 
 phyfician that is to heal us. 
 
 The Condufwn. 
 
 24. We will conclude this matter with the difcovery 
 which the author of Ecclefiafticus makes us of this 
 error-, in thefe words, Be not without fear about Jin for- 
 given, and add not Jin upon Jin, and fay not-, the mercy of the 
 Lord is great, be will have mercy on the multitude of my fins : 
 for mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketb 
 uponfmners f. If we are commanded to be afraid, even 
 for thefe fins which have been pardoned already ; tell me 
 how is it poffible you mould be free from fear, who daily 
 increafe the number of your fins ? reflect well upon thefe 
 words - 'The wrath of the Lord looketb upon finners, be- 
 caufe the underftanding of this whole difcourfs depends 
 upon it. To this end you are to know, that though the 
 mercy of GOD extends itfelf to finners, as well as to 
 thejuft; and that every man partakes of it, either by 
 
 being 
 
 * 3 Reg. c. ii. 4 Reg. c. xiv, Abfalon, Amon. Adonias. 
 , v. v. 5, 6, 7.
 
 332 The Sinners Guide. Book It 
 
 being preferred by it, as fome are, from falling into 
 fin , or by being reclaimed from fin, as others are, and 
 expected to do penance ; notwithflanding all this, thofe 
 extraordinary favours which GOD promiles in his fcrip- 
 tures, belong particularly to the juft ; to whom he is in 
 every point, as good as his word ; becaufe they have not 
 failed in their promife to him, which was to obferve his 
 commandments with all the exactnefs and fidelity imagi- 
 nable : and becaufe they have been obedient and dutiful 
 children to him, therefore he fhews himfelf a loving and 
 tender father to them. But as for all thofe threats and 
 curies which you may read in the holy fcripture, and all 
 thofe rigours and feverities of the Divine Juftice, per- 
 fuade yourfelf they are aimed at you, and all fuch as are 
 like you. How great then muft your blindnefs be, if 
 you are not afraid of thofe threats which are addre(Ted 
 immediately to you : but on the contrary, feed yourfelf 
 up with the hopes of thofe favours which were not pro- 
 mifed you ? take you what falls to your mare, and let 
 the juft have what belongs to him. Anger is for you ; 
 therefore fear, love and friendmip is for the juft, let 
 him therefore rejoice. Would you have this made out 
 to you ? confider what David fays -, The eyes of the Lord 
 are upon the juft ; and his ears unto their prayers. But the 
 countenance of the Lord is aga'mft them that do evil things, 
 to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth * k And 
 in the Book of Efdras you will find thefe words ; 1'he 
 hand of God, that is, his fatherly providence, Is upon 
 them that feek him in goodnefs : and his power ', andftrength, 
 and wrath upon all them that for fake him }*. 
 
 25. If all we have faid here be true, how can you go 
 on thus, deceiving yourfelf; unhappy wretch who con- 
 tinue ftill in your fins ? how can you ftand thus idly with 
 your arms a-crofs ? why do you change and confound 
 the order of things ? thofe words are not directed to 
 you. It is not to you that the fweetnefs of the divine 
 love and friendmip is promifed, whilft you continue thus 
 in the ftate of anger and enmity. This belongs to 
 Jacob, not to Efau. This inheritance is for the good, 
 
 what 
 
 * Pfalm xxxiii. v. 16, 17. -\ Efdr. c. viii, v. 22.
 
 Part III. Ch. 3. dgainft Preemption. 333 
 
 what pretence therefore can you, who are wicked, have 
 to it ? ceafe to be fo, and it is yours ? ceafe to be fo, 
 and GOD will direct his love and his paternal pro- 
 vidence to you. But hitherto, you have only ufurped 
 what is another man's right, and defired to enter into 
 the poffefFion of what you have nothing to do with. 
 Truft in the Lord, fays David, and do good *. And in 
 another pfalm, Offer up the facrifice of jujiice^ 1 and truft In 
 the Lord *f . This is the right way of hoping, and not 
 to continue in your fin, and think of gaining heaven by 
 jefting with God Almighty's mercy. True hope is to 
 forfake your fins, and to have recourfe to GOD. But if 
 you remain obflinately in them, it is then no longer hope 
 but prefumption. This is not to hope, and by hopeing 
 to deferve mercy ; it is rather offending mercy, to be- 
 come unworthy of ever obtaining it. For, as being a 
 member of the church, is no advantage to him, who 
 relying upon her, takes no notice of her precepts, but 
 lives wickedly; fo it is but juft, that he mould reap no 
 benefit of GOD'S mercy, who lays hold of it to do evil. 
 
 26. This ought to be duly confidered by the minifters 
 of the word of GOD, who very often not regarding to 
 whom their difcourfe is directed, give wicked men en- 
 couragement to continue in their fins. They ought to 
 confider, that as the more you let a fick man eat, the 
 more hurt you do him , fo the more you encourage and 
 exhort thofe perfons in their fins, to this kind of confi- 
 dence; the more you encourage them to continue in 
 their evil courfes. 
 
 27. I will end this difcourfe with an excellent fentence 
 out of St. Auguftin, who fays, " That men go to hell 
 by hope, as well as by defpair ; by hopeing ill whilft they 
 lived, and by defpairing worfe at their death J." I ad- 
 vife you therefore, O finner, whofoever you are, to lay 
 afide this prefumptious confidence, and to remember, 
 that GOD has his juftice as well as his mercy; fo that as 
 you confider his mercy, to encourage your hope; you 
 are likewife to reflect upon his juftice, for the exciting 
 
 Tt of 
 
 * Pfalm xxxvi. v. 3, f P fajm iv - v & J Serm. 147. 
 Dte verb. Dom.
 
 334 ffl* Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 of yonr fear. For as St. Bernard fays *, GOD has two 
 feet, the one of mercy, and the other of juftice, and 
 nobody ought to embrace either of them, without tak- 
 ing hold of the other-, that fo juftice alone without 
 mercy, may not fright us into defpair; nor mercy with- 
 dut juftice flatter us into preemption. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Againft thofe perfons who excufe themfelves from following 
 virtue, by Jay ing the way to it is rough and uneafy. 
 
 THERE is another excufe worldly men make ufe 
 of, for not following of virtue; which is, that fhe 
 is difficult and uneafy -, though they know, this does not 
 proceed from virtue itfelf, becaufe, being a friend to 
 reafon, fhe is fuitable to the nature of a rational crea- 
 ture, out from the evil inclination of our flem and ap- 
 petite, derived from fin. This it was that made the 
 apoftle lay, For the flejh lufteth again/} the fpirit, and the 
 fpirit againft the flejh\ for thefe are contrary one to ano- 
 ther^. And in another place he fays-, 1 am delighted 
 Kith the law of GOD, according to the inward man: but 
 I fee another law in my members, fighting againft the law of 
 my mind, and captivating me in the law offing. The apoftle 
 by thefe words, gives us to underftand, that virtue and 
 the law of GOD, agree well with, and are conformable 
 to the fuperior part of our foul, which is all fpiritual, as 
 being the place where the understanding and the will re- 
 fide ; but we are hindered from obferving this law, by 
 the law, of our members, that is, by the evil inclination 
 and corruption of our appetite, with all its pafilons : 
 which rebelled againft the fuperior part of the foul, at 
 the fame time that rebelled againft GOD ; which rebellion 
 is the caufe of all this difficulty. Therefore it is, that 
 fo many perfons rejeci virtue, though they have a' great 
 efteem for it, like fick men, who, though they defire to 
 
 recover 
 
 * Serm. 80. in Cantic, *f Galat. c. v. v. 17. J Rom. vii. 
 V. 22, 23.
 
 Part III. Ch 4. Way to Virtue Eafy. 335- 
 
 recover their health, yet hate the medicines becaufe they 
 are unpleafant. If we could clifabufe men of this mil- 
 take, it would be a great work; for, it is this that 
 chiefly drives them from virtue, in which every thing 
 elfe is to be eiteemed and valued. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 That the grace which is given us through Jefus Chrifl^ makes 
 the way of virtue fmootb andcafy. 
 
 2, You muft underftand, that the chief caufe of this 
 miftake, is men's confidering nothing but the difficulty 
 that is in virtue, without fo much as ever reflecting upon 
 the affiftance GOD gives us, for the overcoming of it. 
 It was luch an error as this, the Prophet Elifeus's fervant 
 was in. For feeing his mafter'8 houfe befet with the Sy- 
 rian army, but not perceiving the forces which GOD had 
 prepared to fuccour the prophet, lie was quite difmayed 
 till fuch time as GOD, at the prophet's interceffion, 
 opened his eyes, and let him fee there were more forces 
 on his fide than on the enemies. Thofe we here treat of, 
 are deceived after the fame manner ; for finding in them- 
 felves the difficulty there is in virtue, without having had 
 any proof of the favours and affiftance they may receive 
 from GOD, in order to acquire the fame, they look upon 
 the enterprife as very hard, and therefore lay it quite 
 afide. 
 
 3. But if the way of virtue be fo difficult, what can the 
 prophet mean, when he fays * : / have been delighted in 
 the way of thy teftimonies^ as in all riches. And in another 
 place T , Thy commandments O Lord are more to be defired 
 than gold and many precious ft ones , and facet er thdn honey 
 and the honeycomb. So that he not only allows virtue, 
 what we all of us grant it -, that is, its extraordinary 
 worth and excellence ; but that which almoft all the 
 world denies it, that is, pleafure and fweetnefs : whence 
 you may conclude, that thofe who reprefent this as a 
 heavy load, though they be Chriftians, and live under the 
 law of grace, have not fo much as tafted of this myftery. 
 
 T t 2 Unhappy 
 
 * Pfalmcxviii. v, 14. \ Pfalm xviii. v, M.
 
 The Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 Unhappy creature that you are, who talk fo much of be- 
 ing a Chriftian ! for what did Chrift come into the world ? 
 what was the end of his fhedding his blood ? what did 
 he defign by inftituting the facraments ? why did he fend 
 down the Holy Ghoft ? what fignifies the gofpel ? what 
 fignifies the word grace ? what means the name Jefus ? 
 what can this moft Holy name of that fame Lord, whom 
 you adore, fignify ? if you are ignorant of this, afk the 
 evangelift, who fays * : And thou /halt call his name JE sus : 
 for hefoallfave bis people Jrom their Jins. What is it then 
 to deliver us from our fins, but to deferve pardon for us 
 for paft fins, and to obtain grace for us, whereby we may 
 be able to avoid fin for the future. What therefore was 
 the end of our Saviour's coming into the world, but to 
 help us in the work of our falvation ? for what reafon 
 did he die upon the crofs, but that he might thereby de- 
 ftroy fin ? why did he rife again afterwards from the 
 dead, but only to make you rife again to this new kind 
 of life ? what did he pour out his blood for , but to 
 make a medicine of the fame, for the healing of your 
 wounds ? why did he ordain the facraments ? It was for a 
 remedy and affiftance, againft your fins. What is one of 
 the chief advantages of his paflion and of his coming, but 
 the making that way, which before was rough and dif- 
 ficult, fmooth and eafy for us ? Ifaiah told us as much, 
 when he faid -j- : That at the coming of the MeJJias, the 
 crooked jhall become ftrait^ and the rough ways plain. For 
 what reafon, in fine, did he fend down the Holy Ghoft, 
 but to change you from flefh into fpirit ? and why did he 
 come in the form of fire, but to kindle, enlighten, and 
 enliven you ; to transform you into himfelf, and make 
 you mount up towards heaven from this earth of ours ? 
 what is the ufe of ^rae, with the infufed virtues which 
 proceed from it, but to make the yoke of Chrift fweet 
 and delightful ? to make the practice of virtue eafy ; to 
 make you hope in your dangers ; and to give you a vic- 
 tory over all your temptations ? this is the whole defign 
 of the gofpel, viz. That as a earthly and finful man, to 
 wit, Adam made us earthly and finners j fo another man 
 
 that 
 * St. Matt. c. i. v. 31. t Ifaiah, c. xl. v. 4.
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way of Virtue Eafy. 3 37 
 
 that was heavenly and juft, to wit, Chrift Jefus has made 
 us become fo too. What elfe do the evangelifts treat 
 of ? what elfe have the apoftle preached to us -, this is 
 the fum of all Chriftian divinity. This is the word 
 which GOD fpake upon earth. This is the accomplifli- 
 ment and abridgment which the Prophet Ifaiah fays He 
 had from the mouth of GOD -f, from whence fuch vaft 
 treafures, fo many virtues, and fo much juftice imme- 
 diately flowed into the world. 
 
 4. To make this the plainer, I afk you what is the 
 caufe of that difficulty which we meet with in virtue ? 
 you will tell me the evil inclinations of our hearts, and 
 the flefh that is conceived in fin J , becaufe the flefh 
 refifts the fpirit, and the fpirit the flefh, as things con- 
 trary to one another. Let us put the cafe that GOD fays 
 to you : come hither, O man, I will take away this wicked 
 heart of yours, and will give you another new heart, 
 and withal ftrength to mortify your inclinations and 
 appetites. Should GOD make you that promife, would 
 the way of virtue be then difficult to you ? it is certain 
 it would not. What is it lefs than this, that GOD has fo 
 often promifed in his holy fcriptures ? hear what he fays 
 by the Prophet Ezechiel, addreiling himfelf particularly 
 to thofe who live under the law of grace. And I will 
 give them one heart, and will put a new fpirit in their 
 bowels : and I will take away the Jlony heart out of their flejh, 
 and will give them a heart of fiejh ; that they may walk in 
 my commandments, and keep my judgments, and do them : 
 and that they may be my people, and I may be their God . 
 Thefe are the words of the prophet. What can you 
 doubt of after fuch a promife ? can you be afraid that 
 GOD will not be as good as his word ? or can you doubt 
 of your being able to obferve his 'law, if he (lands to 
 his promife of a/lifting you ? if you affirm the firft, you 
 make GOD a liar, which is one of the greateft blafphe- 
 mies you can poflibly be guilty of. If you fay you can- 
 not obferve his laws, even with his affiftance -, you make 
 him unable to provide for us, as our neceflities require, 
 
 becaufe 
 
 j- Ifaiah, c. ii. v. 2, 3. J Gal. c. v. v. 17 Pvom. c. vii. 
 
 Ezec.c. xi. v. 19, 20.
 
 338 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 becaufe having intended to cure man, he has applied fuch 
 a remedy as was not fit to do it. 
 
 5. Befides all this,* GOD will give you power to mor- 
 tify thefe evil inclinations which rife up againft you, and 
 make this way fo hard. This is one of the chief effects 
 of the tree of life, which our Saviour has fanctified by 
 his blood, according to the apoftles confeflion, when he 
 lays, Our old man is crucified with Jefus Chriji, that 
 the body of Jin may be dejlroyed, and that we may ferve Jin 
 no longer \. The apoftle calls here The old man, and the 
 body of Jin, our fenfual appetite, with all the vicious in- 
 clinations that proceed from it. He fays, that he was 
 crucified upon the crofs with Jefus Chrift, becaufe our 
 Saviour has by this moft auguft facrifice, obtained for 
 us grace and ftrength, as may enable us to overcome 
 this tyrant, and free ourfelves from the oppreffion of our 
 own evil inclinations, and from the flavery of fin, as we 
 have faid elfewhere. This is the victory and the extra- 
 ordinary favour which the fame Lord promifed us by 
 Ifaiah, faying; Fear not, for lam with thee\ turn not 
 afide for I am thy God. 1 have ftrengthencd thee, and have 
 /yelped thee, and the right hand of my juft one, which is the 
 Son of GOD himfelf, hath upheld thee. Behold all that 
 fight again ft thee Jhall be confounded and ajhamed, they Jh all 
 
 be as nothing^ and the men fnall perijh that ftrive againft 
 thee. 'Thou (halt feek them and Jhalt not find; the men that 
 refift thee, they Jhall be as nothing, and as a thing confumed 
 the men that 'war againft thee. For I am the Lord thy God, 
 'who take thee by the hand, and fay to thee : fear not, I have 
 helped ibee J. Thefe are GOD'S words by the Prophet 
 Ifaiah. Will any man therefore be difcouraged, when 
 he is fo ftrong ? will any man now fink under the fear of 
 his own vicious inclinations, when grace gets fuch a 
 glorious victory over them ? 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Some objections anfojered. 
 
 6. You tell me perhaps that, after all this, the juft are 
 never without their private failings, which are the 
 
 wrinkles 
 f Rom. c. vi. v. 6. J Ifaiah, c. xli. v. 10, 1 1, f2, 13.
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way to Virtue Eafy. 
 wrinkles that, as Job fays (i), accufe and bear witnefs 
 ngainft them. The fame prophet, whole authority we 
 have juft cited, anfwers this in mort, faying (2): That 
 they Jhall be as nothing. Becaufe, if they remain, it 
 is only to keep us in continual exercife, and to 
 prove us, not to hinder, or to (hock us: they remain 
 to excite and roufe us, not to lord it over us : they re- 
 main to give us perpetual occafions of merit, not to 
 draw us into the fnares of fin : they remain for us to 
 triumph over them, not that they may overcome us. 
 They remain, in fine, for thofe ends that are moft proper 
 and convenient for our trial, for our humiliation, for the 
 knowledge of our weaknefs ; for GOD'S glory, and the 
 honour of his grace : fo that their continuing thus turns 
 to our intereft. For as wild beads, let them be never 
 fo fierce, and of their nature fo great enemies to man, 
 when once they have been tamed, are ferviceable to him 
 fo our pafiions, after having been moderated and fubdued, 
 affift us very much in our improvement in virtue. 
 
 7. Tell me now, if GOD fupport, who will be able to 
 overturn you (3) ? If God be for you^ who will be againft 
 you ; The Lord, fays David, is my light and my fahation, 
 whom Jhall I fear? The Lord is the protestor of my life: of whom 
 fiattlbe afraid ? if armies in camp JJoouldftand together againft 
 . me, my heart Jhall fear not. If a battlejhould rife up againft 
 me, in this 1 will be confident. You muft needs be a o-reat 
 coward if fuch promifes do not encourage you to lerve 
 GOD , if you will not rely upon thofe words, it is a fign 
 you are very faithlefs. It is GOD that fays, he will give 
 you a new being (4) : 'That he will change your heart of 
 ft one i and give you another of fiejh for it. That he will 
 mortify your pafiions, and bring you to fuch a pafs, that 
 you mall not know yourfelf; that you mail look for your 
 evil inclinations, and mall not find them, becaufe, he will 
 weaken all their forces. What can you defire more ? 
 what do you want, but a lively faith and hope, that you 
 may place all your confidence in GOD, and cad yourfelf 
 entirely into his arms ? 
 
 8. All 
 
 (l) Job.c.xvi. v. 9. (2)Ifaiah,c. xli. v. 12. (3) Rom. 
 c. viii. v. 31. Pialm xxvi, v. 3. (4) Ezec, c, xi. v. 19.
 
 34 & e Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 8. All the objeftion I imagine you can make to this is, 
 that your fins are very great, and therefore it is likely they 
 will be the occafion of GOD'S refufing you this grace. To 
 which I anfwer, that this is one of the greateft affronts 
 you can offer to GOD : becaufe, by this, you perfuade 
 yourfelf, either that GOD cannot or will not affift his crea- 
 tures, when they return to him, and beg his help. I do 
 not defire you mould believe me in this particular, do 
 but believe the holy prophet, who feems to have thought 
 upon you, and as it were, to have prevented you, when 
 he wrote thefe words ( i ). If, jays he, all thefe curfcs Jhall 
 become upon thee, which I have fet forth before thee, and 
 thoujhalt be touched with repentance, and Jhall return with 
 all thy heart, and with all thy foul: the Lord thy God will 
 bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee. 
 If thou be driven as far as the poles of heaven, the Lord thy 
 Cod will fetch thee back from thence, and will take thee to 
 limfelf, and bring thee into the land which thy fathers pof- 
 fejjed, and thoujhalt po/efs it. He adds further, 'The Lord 
 thy God will circumcife thy heart, and the heart of thy feed ; 
 that thou mayeft love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, 
 end with all thy foul, that thou mayeft live. O that this 
 Lord would at prefent circumcife your eyes, and re- 
 move the mift that is before them, that you might fee 
 plainly what kind of a circumcifion this is ! you can- 
 not be fo dull as to take it for a corporal circumcifion, 
 becaufe the heart is not capable of it , what fort of cir- 
 cumcifion is it then, that the Lord promifes in this place ; 
 it is without doubt, the retrenching of that fuperfluity 
 of paffions and evil inclinations which flow from the 
 heart, and which hinder it from placing its love where it 
 ought. Thefe are the fuperfluous and hurtful branches 
 which he promifes to lop off with the knife of his grace, 
 that the heart being thus pruned and circumcifed, may 
 fhoot forth all its virtue, by this only branch of the love 
 of GOD (2). Then it is that you will be an Ifraelite in- 
 deed , it is then you will be truly circumcifed, when he 
 (hall fee the love of the world cut off from your foul, and 
 no other love remaining in it but the love of him. 
 
 9- ! 
 (i) Deut. c. xxx. v, i, 6. (2) Joan. c. i. v. 47.
 
 Part III. Ch. 4 . Way to Virtue Eafy. 341 
 
 9. I could wifli you would confider with attention, how 
 GOD in another place commands you to do that yourfelf, 
 which he promifes here he will do for you, if you will but 
 return to him. His words are thefe ( r ) : Be circumcifed 
 to the Lord^ and take away the fore/kins of your hearts. 
 Why, O Lord, do you command me to do what you your- 
 felf promife to do for me? if you muft do it, why do 
 you command me to do it ? if I mud do it, why do you 
 promife that you will ? the glorious St. Auguftin clears 
 this difficulty, by thefe words : " Give me grace, fays he, 
 O Lord, to do whatever you pleafe (2)." S^ that it is he 
 commands me all that I am obliged to do, and will aflift 
 me with his grace to do it. Thus the command and 
 the promife, meet here both together, and GOD and man 
 produce the fame effect; GOD as the principal caufe, and 
 man as the lefs principal. Thus it is that GOD deals 
 with men, as a painter that fhould guide the pencil in 
 his fcholar's hand ; and he, by this means, comes to draw 
 a fine piece , that thef both made it, is clear ; but it 
 would not therefore follow, that they both deferved the 
 fame honour, or that one had as good a hand as the other. 
 It is juft fo GOD does in our prefent cafe, and that with- 
 out prejudice to the liberty of free-will, that man may 
 have nothing to take a pride in, when the work is done, 
 but may give all the glory of it to the Lord, and fay 
 with the prophet (3) : 'Thou Lord haft wrought all our 
 works for us. 
 
 10. Reflect therefore upon this fentence, and by the 
 means of it, you will come to have a perfect underfland- 
 ing of the commandments of GOD, becaufe he promifes 
 to be with you in doing of all he commands you. And 
 thus, as he fays, when he bids you circumcife your heart, 
 that he will circumcife it for you , fo when he bids you 
 love him above all things, he will give you grace to do 
 it. This is the reafon why it is faid (4), 'That God's yoke 
 is fweet, becaufe there are two to carry it ; that is, GOD 
 and man : fo that by this means, GOD'S grace makes 
 that eafy, which nature by itfelf made very difficult. 
 
 U u And 
 
 (l) Jerem. c. iv. v. 4. (2). Conf. L. x. c. 31. 
 
 (3) Ifaiah, c. XXvi. v. 12 (4) Matt. c.xi. v. 30.
 
 342 The Sinners Guide* Book 1 
 
 And therefore Mofes immediately after the words above- 
 ciLcd, goes on Nius * : 'This commandment, that I command 
 thee this day, is not above thee, nor far from thee, nor is it 
 in heaven that thcu foouldeft fay : wkicb of us can go up to 
 heaven to bring it to us, and we may hear and fulfill it in 
 wcrks. Nor is it beyond the fea ; th%t thou mayeft excufe 
 thyfelf, and fay : which of us can crofs the fea, and bring it 
 unto us : that we may hear, and do that which is commanded. 
 But the word is very nigh to thee, in thy mouth, and in thy 
 heart, that thou mayeft do it. By which words the holy 
 prophet defigned to remove thofe difficulties and impedi- 
 ments, which fenfual men find in the law of GOD ; be- 
 caufe confidering the law barely, without the gofpel ; that 
 is to fay, looking on what is commanded, without re- 
 garding the grace which is given to enable them to per- 
 form it, they "reflect upon the law of GOD as hard and 
 unpleafant, without confidering they flatly contradict 
 St. John in this point, who faysf : 'True charity ccnjifls in 
 our keeping of God's commandment and his commandments 
 are not heavy. For whatfoever is born of God overcometh 
 the world ; meaning, that thofe, who have received the 
 fpirit of GOD in their fouls, by the means of which they 
 have been regenerated, and made the children of him, 
 whole fpirit they have received, have GOD within them, 
 who dwells in them by grace, and enables them to do 
 much more, than all the world could befides. So that, 
 neither the world, nor the devil, nor all the power of 
 hell can prevail againft them. Whence it follows, that 
 though GOD'S commandments were very heavy, the new 
 force furnifhed by grace, would make them light. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 tfhat the love of God makes the way to heaven eafy 
 and pleafant. 
 
 ii. If to all that has been faid, we add the afiiftance 
 we receive from charity, how light and eafy will virtue 
 be then ? for it is evident, that one of the^ chief qualities 
 t)f charity is to make the yoak of GOD'S laws very de- 
 lightful ; 
 
 * Deut. c. xxx. v. 1 1, 12, 13, 14, f St, John, c. v. v. 3, 4*
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way to Virtue Eafy. 343 
 
 Jightful , becaufe as St. Auguflin fays *: Thofe who love 
 think no labours painful ; nay they delight in them, as 
 men that love fiPning, hunting, or hawking, do in the 
 toils and fatigues of thofe fports. What is it that makes 
 a mother not regard the pains me takes in bringing up 
 her children, but love ? what is it, but love, that makes 
 a virtuous wife tend her fick hufband, day and night, 
 without any intermiffion ? what is it that makes even 
 beafts and birds take fo much pains for the nouriming of 
 their young ones -, fo as almoft to ftarve themfelves to 
 feed them 9 to labour hard, that they may take their 
 reft ; and to expoie themfelves to danger, with a great 
 deal of courage, to defend and fecure them ? It is no- 
 thing but love. What elfe was it that made the apoftle 
 St. Paul, fpeak thefe generous words which we read in 
 his epiftle to the Romans + : Who then Jhali feparate us 
 frcm the love of Chrijt ? Jhall tribulation f or diftruft ? or 
 famine ? or n'akednefs '( or danger ? or persecution ? or the 
 fword ? for I am fure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, 
 nor -principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things 
 to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, ncr any creature 
 Jhall be able to feparate us from the love of God. What was 
 it elfe, but the force of this love, that made holy St. Do- 
 minick thirft fo ardently after martyrdom ? what was it 
 that made St. Lawrence fo chearful, whilft he was broil- 
 ing upon the gridiron, as to cry out that thefe very 
 Barnes refrefned him, but the exceflive defire he had of 
 martyrdom, kindled in him by this love. For the true 
 love of GOD, as St. Chryfologus fays J, thinks nothing 
 hard, nothing bitter, nothing heavy. What iron, what 
 wounds, what pains,' what death is there which true love 
 cannot overcome ? love is armour proof, it turns the ar- 
 rows, repels the darts, defpifes dangers, and laughs a 
 .death. In fine, love carries all before it. 
 
 12. Nor is perfect love fatisfied with overcoming fuch 
 
 labours and difficulties as occur, but defires to meet with 
 
 more for his fake, that is beloved. Hence proceeds that 
 
 ager thirfting of perfect men after martyrdom ! that is, 
 
 U u 2 to 
 
 * St. Aug. Tree. 48. in Joan, -j- Rom. c. viii. -v. 35538,39. 
 
 J St. Chryfologus's Serm. 144. de locarnat.
 
 344 We Sinners Guide. Book 1. 
 
 to fhed their blood for him, who firft med his for them. 
 And becaufe they cannot obtain their defires, they are 
 enraged, as it were, againft themfclves, and become in 
 fome meafure their own executioners. Therefore they 
 afflict their bodies, and make them fuffer hunger, thirft* 
 cold, heat, and many other mortifications; and find a 
 great deal of comfort in their fufferings, becaufe they in, 
 lome meafure obtain what they defired. 
 
 13. This language thofe that love the world do not 
 underftand, nor can they conceive how any man can 
 love, what they fo much abhor , or have a horror for that, 
 they fo paflionately love. "We read in the holy fcrip* 
 tures, that the Egyptians had brute beads for their gods, 
 and as fuch adored and worfhipped them. But the chil- 
 dren of Ifrael (i) called thofe tilings abominations, which 
 the Egyptians- ftiled gods, and facrificed fuch creatures, 
 as they adored for gods, in honour of the true GOD* 
 The juft, in the fame manner, like true Ifraelites, call 
 thofe abominations, which the world worfhips as its 
 gods , fuch are, honours, pleafures, and riches, which it 
 adores and offers facrifice to ; they defpife and make a 
 facrifice of thofe falfe gods, as of fo many abominations, 
 to the glory of the true GOD. So let him that would of- 
 fer an acceptable facrifice to GOD, obferve what the world 
 adores, and offer that : on the contrary, let him embrace, 
 for the love of GOD, whatibever he fees the world deteft 
 and abhor. Did not they do fo, who after receiving the 
 firft fruits of the Holy Ghoft, were glad to have been car- 
 ried before the council, and to have fuffered injuries for 
 the name of Chrift. Is it pofilble then, that what made 
 prifons (2), fcourges, gridirons and flames delightful, 
 fhall not be able to make the keeping of GOD'S com- 
 mandments, fweet and pleafant to you ? Can that which 
 is every day powerful enough to make the juft bear, not 
 only the burden of the law, but the additional weight of 
 their fafts, their watchings, their difciplines, their hair- 
 fhirts, their nakednefs and their poverty, want force to 
 make you carry the bare burden of the law of GOD, and 
 of his church ? alas ! how much you are deluded ? alas I 
 
 how 
 (l) Exod. c. viii. v. $6, 27, (2) Afts,c.v,
 
 Part IF. Ch. 4. Way to Virtue Eafy. 345 
 
 how ignorant you are of the force of charity, and of the 
 grace of GOD ? 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Of ferns other things which make the way of virtue plea* 
 Jant to us. 
 
 What has been faid might fuffice to remove this ob- 
 jection fo many make ufe of. But fuppofmg there were 
 nothing of what we have urged, fuppofmg the re were 
 many hardlhips in this road ; what wonder were it, you 
 mould for the falvation of your foul, do fome part of 
 what you do for the health of your body. What mighty 
 matter would it be to do fomething to efcape eternal 
 torments? what do you think the covetous rich man, 
 who is now burning in hell fire, would not do, if he 
 were to have the liberty of returning to the world, to 
 do penance for his paft fins ? there is no reafon but you 
 fhould do as much now, as he would do, were it in his 
 power ; becaufe if you are wicked, the fame torment is 
 prepared for you, and therefore you ought to have the 
 fame defire. 
 
 15. Befides,* if you ferioufly confider how much GOD 
 has done for you, and how much more he promifes you, 
 if you did reflect upon thofe many crimes you have com- 
 mitted againft him, upon the toils and hardmips which the 
 faints have undergone, but particularly upon thofe which 
 the faint of faints has endured for your fake : you could 
 not but be alhamed and blufh, not to fuffer fomething 
 for the love of GOD j nay, you would even be afraid 
 and jealous of every thing that pleafed you. This it 
 was that made St. Bernard fay ; " That all the tribula- 
 tions and torments we can potfibly fuffer in this life, bear 
 no proportion with either the glory we hope for, or the 
 torments we fear, or the fins we have committed, or the 
 benefits GOD has beftowed on us." Any one of thefe 
 confiderations ought to fuffice to make us undertake this 
 life, though never fo laborious and troublefome. 
 
 1 6. But to deal ingenuoufly with you, though there be 
 troubles and difficulties in all places, and in ail forts of 
 
 lives,
 
 346 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 lives, yet the hardfliips that occur in the way of the 
 wicked, are incomparably more than in the way of the 
 juft. For, though it is troublefome to go a long journey 
 a foot, pick your way out as well as you can, becaufe 
 you will be tired before you get to your journies end ; 
 yet it is certain, that a blind man who Humbles every 
 ftep he takes, will find it much more troublefome than 
 he that walks with his eyes open, and minds where he 
 treads. Since therefore this life of ours is but a jour-* 
 ey, it is impoflible to avoid all thofe troubles that are 
 in it, till we arrive at our refting place. But the wicked 
 man, not guiding himfelf by the rules of reafon, but 
 -according to the impulfe and bent of his paflions, it is 
 a plain cafe that he walks on, as if he were blind, fince 
 there is nothing in nature fo blind as pafTion. On the 
 contrary, the good and virtuous man following in all 
 .things, the dictates of reafon difcovers thefe precipices 
 at a diftance, and avoids the fame, continuing on his 
 journey, by this means with lefs trouble, and much more 
 iecurity. Solomon the wile was fenfible of this, and 
 acknowledges it to be fo, when he fays, But the path of 
 the juft, as a fanning light , goeth forwards and increafeth^ even 
 to perfeft day. The way of the wicked is darkfome^ fo they 
 know not where they fall *. It is not only dark, as Solo- 
 .mon fays -f-, but flippery too according to David, fo that 
 by this you may fee, how often that man muft of ne- 
 Hceffity fall, who walks in fuch a way as this is ; in the 
 -dark, and himfelf quite blind ; and by thefe comparifons 
 you may perceive, what vaft difference there is betwixt 
 the two ways of the wicked, and the juft ; and betwixt 
 the difficulties both parties meet with. 
 
 17. And what is yet more, the juft have a thoufand 
 iielps, that leffen and eafe this little trouble they are at, 
 as has been obferv'd before. For firft they have the af- 
 fiftance of GOD'S fatherly providence, which directs and 
 guides them , they have the grace of the Holy Ghoft, 
 that ftrengthens and encourages them j they have the 
 virtue of the facraments which fanctifies them ; they have 
 the divine confolations which refrefh them ; they have 
 
 the 
 * Prov. c. iv. v. 18, 1C). *}" Pfalm xxxiv, v. .
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way to Virtue Eafy. 347 
 
 the examples of good men to excite them ; they have 
 the writings of the faints to inftruft them , they have 
 the joy of a good confcience to comfort them ; they have 
 the hope of everlafting glory to nourim them ; with a 
 thoufand other favours and afMances which Almighty 
 GOD gives them, by the means of which this way be- 
 comes fo pleafant to them, that they come at laft to cry 
 out with the prophet : How fweet are thy words Lord, 
 to my mouth ; they are finest er than honey. 
 
 1 8. "Whofoever will but reflect upon this, will imme- 
 diately fee how feveral paffages of the holy fcriptures, 
 fome of which make the way of virtue rough and trou- 
 blefome, and others again fmooth and eafy, are to be 
 reconciled together. For the royal prophet fays in one 
 place ; For the fake of the words of thy lips, I have kept 
 hard ivays *. And in another, / bave been delighted in the 
 "jo ay of thy tejtimomes^ as in all riches f. For it is true 
 to fay, that thefe things, to wit, difficulty and eafe are 
 in this way ; the firft comes from nature, and the other 
 from the virtue of grace ; and thus what was difficult, 
 on account of the one becomes eafy by means of the 
 other. Our Saviour himfelf fignified as much to us, bj 
 thefe words : My yoke is fweet and my burthen light J ; 
 for by giving it the name of a yoke, he expreffed the 
 heavy weight, and by calling it fweet, he mewed us with 
 how much eafe we might carry it, by the help of grace. 
 
 19. But if you mould afk me, how it is poffible this 
 can be a yoke, and at the fame fweet too , it being the 
 nature of a yoke to be heavy : I anfwer, it is becaufe 
 GOD makes it light, according to his promife by the 
 Prophet Ofea : And I will be to them as one that taketb 
 of the yoke on their jaws. What wonder is it then that 
 this yoke mould be eafy when GOD makes it fo, and 
 when he himfelf helps us to carry it ? if the bufh was 
 on fire without being burnt, becaufe GOD was in it, 
 why fhould we be aftonilhed at a burden*s being light, 
 when GOD himfelf is under it|l? Would you fee them 
 
 both 
 
 Pfalmxvi. v. iv. -f Pfalm cxviii. v. 14. J St. Matt. 
 c. xi. v. 30. Olea, c. xi, v. 4. g Exod. c. iii. v. 2.
 
 348 The Sinners Gnide. Book T> 
 
 both in the fame perfon ? hear what St. Paul fays * : In 
 all things we fuffer tribulation, but are not dijlreffcd : we 
 areftraitned, but are not dejlitute: we fuffer per fee ution, but 
 tire not for Jake n : we are caft down, but we peri/h not. Con- 
 fider here, on the one fide, the weight of theie labours, 
 and on the other, how light Goo ufed to make them. 
 
 20. Ifaiah fignified this more exprefsly to us, when he 
 faid f : But they that hope in the Lord /hall renew their 
 Jlrength, they Jhall take wings as eagles, they /hall run, and 
 not be weary: they /hall walk, and not faint. You fee 
 here the yoke flung off, by the virtue of grace , you fee 
 the ftrength of the flem changed into that of the fpirit, 
 or rather, the ftrength of man turned into that of Goo. 
 You fee the holy prophet did not pafs over in filence, 
 either the labour, the reft," or the advantage which one 
 has over the other, when he faid : They Jhall run, and /hall 
 not be weary ', they Jhall walk, and /hall not faint. So that 
 you ought not to go out of this road, becaufe it is 
 rugged and troublefome, fince there are fo many things 
 in it, which make it fmooth and eafy. 
 
 SECT V. 
 
 Some examples to prove what has been faid. 
 
 If all thefe reafons cannot convince you, and your in* 
 credulity remains, like that of St. Thomas, who would 
 not believe any thing, but what he faw with his own 
 eyes, I will comply with you in this point too, not fear- 
 ing that fuch a good caufe as this is, can want a defence. 
 Let us for example, take a man that has run through all 
 the courfes of this life, that has been for fome time very 
 vicious and worldly, and has afterwards, through the 
 pure mercy of GOD, changed thefe evil practices and be- 
 come quite another thing , fuch a man as this is a proper 
 judge, becaufe he has not only heard, but feen and had 
 the experience of both thefe conditions. You may de- 
 fire this man to tell you, whether of thefe two he found 
 to be thefweeteft? feveral of thofewhofe bufmefs it is to 
 examine into the confciences of others, will give you 
 
 good 
 - * 2 Cor. c. iv. v. 8, 9. } Ifaiah, c. xl. v. 31.
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way cf Virtue Eaft. 349 
 
 good teftimonies of this truth : They that go down to the 
 fea in Jbips> doing bujincfs in the great waters ; thzfe have 
 feen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep * ; 
 which are nothing elfe but the effect of his grace, and 
 thofe extraordinary changes which are wrought everjf 
 day by virtue thereof, and which are without doubt, fub* 
 jecis of a more than common wonder. For, it is cer- 
 tain, there is nothing in the world which better deferves 
 our admiration, if a man would but confider it well, 
 than to fee the effects which grace produces in the foul of a 
 juil man ; to fee how it transforms him ; how it beats 
 nim up ; how it flrengthens him , how it comforts him ; 
 how it compofes him all over both within and without; 
 how it makes him change the cufloms of the old man ; 
 how it alters all his affections and pleafures ; how it 
 makes him love that which he hated before, and hate 
 that which he had before a love for; how it makes him 
 relifh that, which before he looked upon as unfavoury ; 
 whilft at the fame time he loaths that which he fought fo 
 much after before. Who can conceive what flrength it 
 gives him for fighting ? what joy ? what peace ? what 
 light for the knowing of the will of GOD, the vanity of 
 the world, and the true value of fpiritual things which 
 he ufed to defpife. But what is yet more wonderful than 
 all the reft, is to fee in how fhort a time all thefe things 
 are performed ; for there is no neceflity of fpending fe- 
 veral years in the fchools of the philofophcrs, nor of 
 flaying till we are old men, that age may help us to re* 
 cover our fenfes, and the mortifying our paffions : a man 
 may be changed in the very heat and vigor of his youth, 
 and in the fpace of a few days, fo as to be fcarce able to 
 know himfelf. Therefore it was St. Cyprian faid, " That 
 this is a thing which may fooner be felt than learned ; 
 and that it is not to be gained by many years ftudy, but 
 by a turn of grace which produces it all in a very little 
 time -f." We may therefore call grace a kind of fpiri- 
 tual charm, by which GOD changes mens hearts, to 
 make them have a pafllonate love for thofe things which 
 before they had a horror of; as for example, the practice 
 Xx of 
 
 *Pfalm cvi. v, 23, 24- t St - C 7P ri - E P' ad Donat -
 
 350 Tike Sinners Guide. Book. I. 
 
 of the feveral virtues ; and the greateft averfion imagi- 
 nable to thofe they defired fo eagerly before, to wit, the 
 delights and pleafure that are in fin. 
 
 22. This is one of the mofl confiderable advantages 
 thofe confefTors gain by their employ, who difcharge it 
 with a right fp'rit and devotion ; for they daily fee feveral 
 of thefe miracles by \vhich GOD feems to requite the 
 trouble they undergo, in doing him that piece of fervicc. 
 And this return which GOD makes them is fo generous, 
 that we have feen feveral confeffors changed themfelves, 
 by feeing fuch changes in others : and thefe frequent 
 examples have been the occafions of their advancing iri 
 the way of virtue. So that thefe perfons, whilfl they are 
 Blent, like another Jacob, hear Jofeph's myfterious words, 
 and value the fame at their juft rate, whilft the fimple 
 infant that relates, does not know what price to fet 
 upon them. 
 
 27. But for the greater confirmation of what I have 
 faid, I will here add the examples of two great faints, 
 who lived in this fame error for fome time, but after- 
 ward difcovered the deceit. GOD has thought fit, that 
 they fhculd both of them leave us in writing, an account 
 of the lame for our inftruction and example. The glo- 
 ricus martyr St. Cyprian, writing to his dear friend Do- 
 natus, to acquaint him with the beginning and manner 
 cf his converfion, delivered himfelf thus. 
 
 2^. " * During the time in which I walked in darknefs, 
 and in an obfcure night , when I was tofTed up and down, 
 like one in a ftorm, by the inconftant waves of this 
 world, and was funk very deep into the mire, knowing 
 nothing at all of my own courfe of life, and deprived of 
 the light of truth, I looked upon all that as very hard 
 to be effected, which GOD had promifed me in order to 
 my falvation -f , which is, that a man could be born 
 again, and by the virtue of baptifm, receive a new life, 
 fo as to be changed from what he was before, and be 
 made a new man within, though the fubflance without 
 remained ftill the fame. How, faid I, is it poffible, that 
 fuch a converfion mould happen, as that we mould im- 
 mediately 
 * St. Cypri. Ep. ii. L, 2. *f Joan. c. iii. v. 3.
 
 Part III. Ch 4. Way to Virtus Eajy. 3-1 
 
 mediately, and on a fudclen fhake off, that which has 
 been a long time rooted in us, either by the corruption 
 of our nature, or by a long ufe and cuftom ? how can 
 he live fparingly, who has been ufed to keep a great 
 table ? when will he wear a plain drefs, who has been 
 always cloathed in filks and fcarlet ? he that has always 
 carried a great retinue with him, and has been attended 
 by a train of lackeys, will never endure to go by him- 
 felf. He that has placed all his delights in great employ- 
 ments, can never live like a private man. He cannot 
 but be always wrought upon by thofe things he ufed to 
 be charmed with j intemperance will folicit him, pride 
 will puff him up, anger will inflame him, covetoufnefs 
 torment him, cruelty prefs him, ambition pleafe him, 
 and luft hurry him blindly away. I frequently reflected 
 upon thefe things with myfelf, for being engaged in fo 
 many different fins of my pad life, which I thought I 
 mould never be freed from ; I myfelf encouraged the 
 vices which {luck faft to me, and defpairing of ever 
 growing better, I favoured my crimes, as if they had 
 been of my own houfe and family. Bqt as foon as the 
 ftains and filth of my former life was warned off by the 
 water of baptifm, a heavenly light flione down upon my 
 foul, now cleaned and purged from all its fins. As foon 
 as I had received the Holy Ghoft, I was by the means 
 of a fecond birth, fo changed into a new man, that 
 what I before doubted of, I immediately looked upon as 
 moft certain j what was fhut up againft me before, was 
 immediately opened ; that which was dark became light, 
 I thought thofe things eafy which before feemed to be 
 fo hard ; .and what ufed to feem impofllble, I looked 
 upon as quite contrary ; I faw clearly that what was born 
 of the ftem, and liable to frequent failings, was earthly, 
 and that what the Holy Ghoft had animated, came from 
 GOD, and not from man. You know very well, my 
 dear Donatus, what this holy fpirit has taken from me, 
 and what he has beftowed on me : he who is the death of 
 fin, and the life of all kinds of virtues. You know all - 
 this, nor do I boaft of any thing now : it is odious to 
 boaft of fuch things, for to get praife and commenda- 
 Xx 2 tion ;
 
 35 2 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 tion , though for a man to talk of what he has receive^ 
 from the pure mercy of GOD, and what he cannot by any 
 means afcribe to himfelf, is fo far from boafting, that on 
 the contrary, it is but juftice and gratitude j for it is 
 pkin, that the forfaking of fin is no lefs the effect of. 
 divine grace, than the committing of it is the effect of 
 human trailty. 
 
 25. Thefe are the words of St. Cyprian, which plainly 
 difcover the miftake you and many more are under, who 
 meafuring the difficulty of virtue by their own flrength, 
 look upon the acquiring of it as not only difficult but 
 jmpoflible, and never fo much as confider that, if they 
 will but caft themfelves into the arms of GOD, and re-, 
 folve fully to forfake their fins, he will receive them into 
 his grace, which makes this way fo fmooth, as appears by 
 this example. For it is certain there is no falihood in 
 all this, nor will that grace be denied you, which was 
 granted to this faint, if you will return to GOD as fincerely 
 as he did. 
 
 26. Hear another example no lefs wonderful than the 
 former. St. Auguftin in the eighth book of his con- 
 feffions, tells us, that he had no fooner begun to think 
 ferioufly with himfelf of leaving the world, but a great 
 many difficulties offered themlelves to him, in this 
 change, whilft at the fame time he thought on the one 
 fide, that all his former pleafures came and flood before 
 him, and faid to hini ; " What ? will you part with us ? 
 and Ihall we, from this moment, never fee you again for 
 all eternity* ?" On the other fide, he fays, That virtue 
 appeared to him with a ferene and chearful countenance, 
 accompanied with a great many good examples of vir- 
 gins and widows, and of other perfons, who had lived 
 chaflly in all kinds of dates and ages j and that they faid 
 to him -j-. ' Cannot you do as much as thefe men and 
 women have done ? have they done any thing of them* 
 felves ! is it not GOD that has done all in them ? whilft 
 you rely upon yourfelf, you mufl of neceffity fall. Caft 
 yourfelf upon him x be, not afraid, he w,Ul not go away 
 
 from 
 
 * Conf. L, viii. c, xi,
 
 Part III. Ch. 4. Way to Virtue Eajy. 3 53. 
 
 from you, and let you fall ; caft yourfelf upon him with 
 confidence, he will receive and cure you." 
 
 27. This great faint fays, that as he was in the heat of 
 this combat, he began to weep bitterly, and going a little 
 afide, laid himfelf down under a fig-tree, and there giv- 
 ing way to his tears, cried out from the bottom of his 
 heart, faying.: " And thou O Lord, how long ?" How 
 long O Lord wilt then forget me ? Remember net our former 
 iniquities: How long O Lord, how long will this. tomorrow, 
 tomorrow laft ? Why not now ? why /ball there not be an end 
 of my diforders this very hour * ? 
 
 28. As foon as the faint had made an end of thefe and 
 fuch complaints, he fays, his heart was fo changed on a 
 fudden, that from the very moment, he never had any 
 farther affection for the fins of the fiefh, nor for the de- 
 lights and pleafures of the world. On the contrary, he 
 perceived his heart entirely freed from all his former 
 irregular defires. And having recovered his liberty, he 
 begins in his following book to thank his deliverer, 
 faying, O Lord, lam thy fervant, 1 am thy fern ant and 
 the [on of thy handmaid. Thou haft broken my bonds afunder* 
 I will facrifice to thee the facrif.ce of praife. Let my heart 
 and my tongue praife thee, and let all my bones Jay, who is 
 Kke unto thee, O Lord f ? " Where has my free-will been 
 for fo many years, O Jefus Chrift my helper and my re- 
 deemer, fince it has not returned to thee ? from what 
 deep abyfs haft thou drawn it in a moment, that I might 
 put my neck under thy eafy yoak, and my moulders 
 under thy light burthen ? how am I on a fudden de- 
 lighted with being deprived of the trifling pleafures 1 have 
 fo long run after, and what a fatisfaction is it to me to 
 part with thofe follies I was afraid of lofmg before * 
 thou O folid and chief delight haft driven all thofe other 
 falie ones from me , thou haft driven them away, and 
 haft taken up their places-, thou art more delightful 
 than all other delights, and more beautiful than all other 
 beauties together J." Thus far St. Auguftin. 
 
 29. Tell 
 
 * Conf. L. viii. c. 12. Pfalm Ixiv. Pfalm xii. v. i. 
 Pfalm Ixxviii. v. 8. Ifaiah, c. Jxiv. v. 2. t 
 
 V. 16, 17. Pfalmlxxxiv. v, 2. J L. ix. c. j.
 
 354 ffi* Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 29. Tell me now, fince the cafe ftands thus, and fince 
 the power and efficacy of GOD'S grace is fo great, what 
 is there can ftill enflave, and keep you from doing as 
 much as this glorious faint has done ? if you believe 
 that what I have here related is true, that it is in the 
 power of grace to work fuch a change, as this of St. Au- 
 guftin's -, and that this grace is denied to no man that 
 fhall feek after it with his whole heart, GOD being the 
 fame now, that he was then, without any refpeft of 
 perfons, what hinders you from getting out of this mi- 
 ferable llavery, and from embracing this fovereign good, 
 which is fo freely offered you ? why had you rather gain 
 one hell by another, than one paradife by another ? be 
 not dejected nor difcouraged : try once at leaft, whether 
 this be true or no, and put your confidence in GOD, 
 that as foon as ever you begin, he will come and meet 
 you with open arms, as he did the prodigal fon -f-. It 
 is a ftrange thing, that if a notorious cheat mould pro- 
 mife to teach you the art of finding out the philofopher's 
 ilone, or of turning brafs into gold, you mould endea- 
 vour to learn it, whatfoever it coft you, and yet God 
 Almighty here gives you his word, that he will teach 
 you, how you may change yourfelf from earth into hea- 
 ven, from flem into fpirit, from a man into an angel, 
 and you will not fo much as try the experiment. 
 
 30. In fine, fince you muft of neceflity, either fooner 
 or later, either in this life or in the next, acknowledge 
 this truth -, I beg of you, that you would confider feri- 
 oufly how you will find yourfelf deceived at the making 
 up of your accounts, when you mall fee yourfelf damned 
 for all eternity, for leaving the path of virtue, becaufe 
 you falfely imagined, that it was uneven and difficult; 
 you will then, but alas too late, perceive that it was a 
 much more pleafant way than that of fin j and the only 
 road that led to everlafting delight. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 f kuc. c. xv.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love- of the World. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Againft thofe who refufe to walk in the way of virtue ', lecanfs 
 they love the world, 
 
 i. TF we did examine all thofe who refufe to walk in the 
 J[ way of virtue, we fhould perhaps find the deceitful 
 love of this world to be one of the chief caufes of their 
 faint- heartednefs. I call that love of the world deceitful, 
 becaufe it is grounded on a falfe, imaginary and apparent 
 good, which feems to be in the things of the world, and 
 makes ignorant perfons fet fo great a value upon them. 
 For as creatures, that are naturally timorous, always 
 avoid fome particular objects, imagining there is dan- 
 ger in them, even when they are fartheft from them; 
 fo thefe men, on the contrary, love and run after the 
 things of the world, becaufe they fancy they are pleafant 
 and delightful, though in reality they are not fo. And 
 therefore, as thofe who would break fuch creatures of 
 that imperfection make them go clofe by thofe things 
 they were afraid of, that they may fee they were fright- 
 ened at nothing but a fhadow ; fo it is requifite now we 
 fhould lead thefe perfons through the mere fhadows of 
 worldly things they fo pafllonately affect, that they may 
 look on them with other eyes, and perceive how they 
 have placed all their love upon a mere vanity, and ack- 
 nowledge that thefe falfe goods no more deferve to be 
 beloved, than thofe dangers we have fpoken of deferve to 
 be feared. 
 
 2. If we therefore ferioufly reflect on the world and its 
 happinefs, we mail find thefe fix kinds of evil in it : to 
 wit, mortnefs, mifery, danger, blindnefs, fin, and deceit. 
 Thefe are the infeparable companions of all the world's 
 felicity , which plainly mow what it is : we will fpeak 
 here briefly of each of thefe evils according to their 
 order. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 How Jhort the bappinefs of this wsrld is. 
 
 3. To begin with the fhortnefs ; you cannot deny, but 
 that all the happinefs of this world, though never fo 
 
 great
 
 356 , The Sinners Guide. Book l> 
 
 great, is but of fhort continuance. For man's felicity- 
 can lafl no longer than this life. Now, how long this 
 life is, we all know , fmce the longeft fcarce ever arrives 
 to the hundredth year. But how few are there that ever 
 reach to this ? 1 have feen bifhops that have not lived 
 above two months, popes that have not outlived one, 
 and new-married couples that have died within a week 
 after their marriage. We read of a great many fuch ex- 
 amples in former times j and fee as many at prefent 
 every day. Put the cafe, your life may be one of the 
 longeft , let us grant, fays St. Chryfoftom, that a man 
 may have a hundred years to fpend in the pleafures of the 
 world. To this let us add another hundred, nay two 
 hundred more, if you will, what is all this in refpect of 
 eternity? If, fays Solomon *, a man live many years, and 
 have rejoiced in them all, he muft remember the darkfomt 
 time, and the many days -, which when they come, the things 
 faffed Jhall be accufed of vanity. For all happinefs what- 
 ever, let it be never fo great, will appear to be but vanity, 
 as it really is, when compared with eternity. This is 
 what even the wicked themfelves confefs, in the book of 
 "Wifdom, where they fay f : So we alfo being born, forth- 
 with ccafed to be. Confider how fhort all the time of this 
 life will feem then to the wicked , they will imagine they 
 have fcarce lived one day , they will think they were hur* 
 ried away immediately from the womb to the grave. 
 Whence it follows, that all the pleafures of this world 
 will then feem to be only imaginary, and thofe things 
 which appeared to be pleafures, were not fo. The pro- 
 phet Ifaiah has given us an excellent defcription of this 
 in thefe words J : And as he that is hungry dreameth, and 
 eateth, but when he is awake, his foul is empty : and as he 
 that is thirjly dreameth, and drinketh, and after he is awake, 
 is yet faint with thirft, and his foul is empty : fo Jball be 
 the multitude of all the Gentiles that (ought agamft Mount 
 Sicn. Their profperity mall be fo (hort, that as foon as 
 ever they {hall open their eyes, and this little time (hall 
 pafs away, they mail find that all their joys were nothing 
 but mere dreams. For what other name will you give 
 
 to 
 *Eccl.c, xi. v.8. -fSap.c. v. v, 13. J Ifaiah, c. xxix. v. 8,
 
 Part III. Ch . 5. Love of the World. 3 57 
 
 to the glory of as many princes and emperors as have 
 ever lived in the world ? Where, fays the prophet *, are 
 the princes of the nations, and they that rule over the beafls 
 that are upon the earth ? that take their pa/time with the 
 birds of the air ? Where are thole who have piled up 
 mountains of filver and gold, in which they place their 
 .confidence ? where are all thofe, who have taken fo much 
 pains in making rich veiTels of gold and filver, that its 
 almoft impoffible to reckon up all their different defigns 
 and inventions ? what is become now of all thefe per- 
 fons ? where is it that they live ? they are now turned out 
 of their palaces, they are thrown down into hell, and 
 others have taken their places : what is become of the 
 wife man ? what is become of the fcholar ? what is be- 
 come of him that ufed to fearch into the fecrets of na- 
 ture ? what is become of all Solomon's glory ? where is 
 now the mighty Alexander, and the glorious Afluerus ? 
 where are all the famous Roman Casfars ? where all the 
 -other princes and kings of the earth ! what have they got 
 by their vain -glory ? by the power they had in this world ? 
 by the great number of attendants ? by their falfe riches ? 
 by their mighty armies ? by thofe crowds of buffoons, 
 of fawning parafites and flatterers, which were perpe- 
 tually about them ? all this has been nothing but, a mere 
 fhadow, a mere dream, a fleeting happinefs of but a 
 moment's continuance, confider then how more the hap- 
 pinefs of this worjd is. 
 
 SECT. H. 
 
 Of the great miferies, worldly delights are mixf with. 
 
 i. This happinefs, befides its being fo mort, has ano- 
 
 t;her evil, which is, that it is always attended by a thou- 
 
 fand miferies, not to be avoided in this life ; or to fpeak 
 
 plainer in this vale of tears, in this place of banifliment, 
 
 in this tempeftuous fea. For the miferies which man 
 
 perpetually lies open too, are in truth many more than 
 
 the days, nay than even the hours of his life : becaufe 
 
 C very-day ufliers in frefh cares an-d folicitudes, and he is 
 
 Y y every 
 
 f Bar. c, iii. v. 16, i;.
 
 35 8 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 every hour threatened with new mifcries, which no 
 tongue can be able to exprefs. Who can reckon up 
 all the infirmities of our bodies, all the pafllons of our 
 fouls, all the afflictions caufed by our very friends, with 
 all the other difafters of our lives ? one goes to law with 
 you for your eftate *, another endeavours to take away 
 your life ; a third robs you of your reputation and ho^ 
 nour : fome men purfue with hatred, fome with envy, 
 fome with fraud, fome with defigns of revenge, fome 
 with calumnies, fome with arms, and others, in fine, 
 wound you mortally with their tongues, more dangerous 
 and more hurtful far than even arms are. Befides all 
 thefe miferies, there is an infinity of others, for which 
 we have no names, becaufe they are unexpected acci- 
 dents. One man has an eye thruft out, another has an 
 arm cut off, another falls down out of a window, another 
 off his horfe j another is drowned in a river, another lofes 
 his eftate, another is ruined by being bound for friends, 
 If you would know more of thefe miferies, a(k the 
 worldly man, to give you a true account of the pleafures 
 and difpleafures, he has had in his way of living. If they 
 were both put into equal fcales, you will fee now much 
 the one would outweigh the other, and how, for one 
 jnoment of pleafure, there are an hundred hours of trou- 
 ble and difcontent. If therefore man's whole life is fa 
 fhort, and fo great a part of it filled with fuch miferies 
 what room can there be for true happinefs ? 
 
 2. But, as for thefe miferies which I have here reck- 
 oned up, they are fuch as happen to the good, as well as 
 to the bad , for fince they are all aboard the fame vefTel, 
 and failing in the fame fea, they muft needs be expofed 
 to the lame ftorms. There are other miferies, which are 
 more fenfible than thefe, and particularly belonging to 
 the wicked, as being the effects of their fins. The 
 knowledge of thefe will be much more to our purpofe, 
 inafmuch as it makes the lives of fuch men as tire ex-* 
 pofed to them more abominable. The wicked them- 
 felves inform us of the greatnefs of them in the book of 
 Wfdom, faying, We weaned ourfehes in the 'way of ini- 
 ytity and tftftt&Wb <wd walked through bard ways, but 
 
 tbc
 
 Part III. Ch. J. Love of the World 359 
 
 the way of the Lord we have not known *. So that, as the 
 good \have a paradife, even in this life, and hope for 
 another in the next, and go from one fabbath to another, 
 that is, from one joy to another; fo on the contrary, the 
 wicked have a hell iri this lite, and exped another in the 
 next, becaufe they go from the hell of a bad conicience, 
 to that of everlafting torments. 
 
 3. Thefe calamities happen to the wicked feveral ways. 
 GOD fends them to fome, for he, as being a juft judge, will 
 not permit the evil of the crime to pals over, without 
 the due punifhment, which though it be generally 
 referved for the next life, yet often begins in this. For 
 it is certain, that GOD'S providence, as it is over the 
 world in general, fo is it over each perfon in particular. 
 And therefore we fee, that when there are more than 
 ordinary fins committed in the world, they are followed 
 by more than ordinary punifliments, as famine, wars, 
 plagues, herefies, and fuch other calamities ? it fre- 
 quently happens too, that GOD punimes man according 
 to his fins which he is guilty of. For this reafon he faid 
 to Cain , If thou do well, jhali thou not receive ? but if ;'//> 
 Jhall not fin forthwith be prefent at the door t, That is, the 
 punifhment which your fins deferves; and in Deutero- 
 nomy, Mofes told the people of Ifrael, Thoufoah know) 
 that the Lord thy God, he is a jtrong and faithful God, 
 keeping his covenant, and mercy to them that love him, and 
 to them that keep his commandments, unto a thoufand genera- 
 tions : and repaying forthwith them that hate him, fo as to 
 deftroy them without further delay, immediately rendering to 
 them what they deferve J. Confider how many times in 
 this place he repeats the word immediately , by which 
 we may underftand, that befides the punifhment due to 
 the wicked in the next life, they are often punifhed in 
 this, fince the fcripturein this place fo often repeats, that 
 they (hall be punifhed immediately. This is the caufe of 
 thofe many calamities and torments they endure, ftill 
 rov/ling in a perpetual wheel of difquiets, fatigues, ne* 
 ceflities and hardfhips : now fuppofmg that they are fert- 
 fible of them, yet they do not know from whence they 
 Y^ 2* Come 
 
 ? Sap.c.v, v./. f Gen, c. iv. v.?. J Deut. evii. ,9,10.
 
 360 . , 'The Sinners Guide. Book 1. 
 
 come. So that they look upon them rather as the ne- 
 ceflary conditions of nature, than as punifhments inflicted 
 on them for their crimes. For as they do not reckon the 
 common benefits as the effects of GOD'S mercy, and 
 therefore do not thank him for them, fo neither do they 
 account the calamities he fends them, as the ftroaks of 
 his anger, nor are they any thing the better for them. 
 
 4. Other miferies befal them which come from GOD'S 
 vicegerents the minifters of his juftice, who often meet 
 with the wicked, and punifh them with imprifonments, 
 banifhments, fines, infamies, forfeiture of eftates, and 
 other kinds of torments, which make the pleafure of 
 their fins prove bitter, and dearly bought, even in this 
 fife. 
 
 5. Other pains and rniferies are brought upon therrr 
 by their inordinate appetites and paflions of their hearts ; 
 for what can be expected from an immoderate affection, 
 from a vain fear, from a doubtful hope, from an irre- 
 gular defire, from a folicitous forrow, but a thoufand 
 cares and perplexities, which deprive them of the peace 
 and liberty of heart, which make their whole life uneafy^ 
 which excite them to fin, which hinder them from pray- 
 ing, which difturb their reft in the night, and which 
 make them melancholy and unhappy all the days of their 
 life. Man himfelf, that is, the irregularity of his paffionSj 
 is the caufe of alJ thefe miferies. You may judge by 
 this what he has to hope for from any thing elfe, who 
 has fuch a harvefl of his own as this is, and with whom 
 he can be at peace, who is fo hotly at war with himfelf? 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Of the great fnares and dangers of the world. 
 
 If there was none but pains and torments of the body 
 in the world, there would not be fo much reafon to fear ; 
 but alas ! there are dangers of the foul much more to 
 be apprehended, and ought to touch us more to the 
 quick. Thefe dangers are fo great, that the royal pro- 
 phet fays : God jhall rain fnares upon finners f . What a 
 
 vaft 
 P/a!mx. v. , . .
 
 . Ch. $. Love of the World. 361 
 
 vaft number of fnares muft he fee in the world, to com- 
 pare them to drops of rain ? he fays exprefly upon fin- 
 ners, becaufe being fo little watchful over their hearts, 
 and their thoughts fo unconcerned about avoiding 
 the occafions of fin, and thinking fo little of providing 
 themfelves with fpiritual remedies, and what is worfe than 
 all this, walking continually in the midft of the flames of 
 the world, how can they chufe but walk among infinite 
 dangers ? it is upon the account of thefe many dangers 
 the prophet faid, That God foall rain fnares uponfmners* 
 Snares in youth, and fnares in old age ; fnares in riches, 
 and fnares in poverty ; fnares in honour, and fnares in 
 diflionour; fnares in company* and fnares when a man 
 is alone-, fnares in adverfity, and fnares in profperity; 
 in fine, every one of a man's fenfes, as the eyes, the 
 tars, the tongue, arid the reft, lay fnares in the way* 
 There are fo many, in fhort, of thefe fnares, that the 
 prophet cries out aloud, faying, Snares upon you inha- 
 bitants of the earth *. Would GOD but open our eyes a 
 little, as he did St. Antony's, we mould fee all the world 
 full of fnares entangled one in ariother, and mould cry 
 out with him ; O who mall be able to avoid them all ! 
 this is the deftrucEtiori of fo many fouls as perim every 
 day, and therefore St. Bernard fays with tears, that there 
 is fcarce one (hip in ten caft away in the fea of Mar- 
 feilles , whilft on the contrary, there is fcarce one foul 
 in ten, that is not loft in the fea of this world. Who 
 will not endeavour to avoid fo many fnares ? who can, 
 without trembling, go barefoot amongft fo many fer- 
 f>ent: ? who will run unarmed among!! fo many mortal 
 difeafes. Who will not endeavour to get out of this 
 Egypt -j- ? who will not fly from this Babylon J ? who 
 will not endeavour to be delivered from thefe flames of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah , and to fave himfelf in the 
 mountain of a good life ? fince this world is full of fo 
 many fnares and precipices-, and burns in the flames of fo 
 many vices, who will think himfelf fecure ? Can a man 
 fays the Wife man, hide fire in his bofom^ and his garments 
 
 not 
 
 * Jerem. c. xlviii, v. 43. f Exod. c. xii, J Jerem. c. li. 
 Gen. c, xxix.
 
 362 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 toot burn ? or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not 
 be burnt*? He that toucheth pitch^ fays Ecclefiafticus, 
 Jhall be defiled with it ; and he that hath fellow/hip with the 
 proud, Jhall put on pride -j% 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Of the blindnefs and darknefs of the world. 
 
 To this infinite number of fnares and dangers, add 
 another evil, which makes them greater , and is the blind* 
 fiefs and darknefs of worldly men, excellently reprefented 
 to us by the Egyptian darknefs J, which was fo thick, 
 that they could feel it with their hands ; and, during the 
 three days it continued, no-body ftirred out of the 
 place he was in, nor could fee his neighbour, though he 
 flood juft by him. Such as this, and much more if pof- 
 iible, is the darknefs" that covers the world. For what 
 greater blindnefs, than for men to believe, and yet live 
 as they do ? to make fuch account of their fellow-crea- 
 tures, and to take fo little notice of GOD ? to be fo care- 
 ful of obferving the laws of the world, and fo negligent 
 in keeping of GOD'S commandments ? to take fo much 
 pains about the body, which is at the beft, but a brute 
 beaft, and to be fo little concerned for the foul, which is 
 no lefs than the image of the Divine Majefty ? to lay 
 up fo much {tore for this life, which will perhaps, be at 
 an end to-morrow, and to provide nothing for the next, 
 which muft laft for all eternity ? to be fo folicitous about 
 raifing a fortune upon earth, and not to move fo much 
 as one ftep, for the acquiring of heavenly good : what 
 greater blindnefs than to live fo negligently, as if life 
 were never to end, when we know we are to die, and that 
 moment to decide what mail be for ever ? for, what is 
 it fmners, who are to die to-morrow, do lefs than if 
 they were never to die at all ? what greater blindnefs than 
 to lofe the inheritance of heaven, for the fatisfying of a 
 hungry appetite ? to be fo careful about an eftate, and 
 to have fo little regard for confcience ? to defire that 
 all things mould be good, except only a man's own 
 
 life ? 
 
 * Prov. c. vi. v, 2 7, 2 8., f Ecd, c, xiii. r, I , J Exgd. e, x,
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of tie World. 363 
 
 life ? you will find the world fo full of fuch blindnefies, 
 that you will believe almoft all mankind is enchanted and 
 bewitched, fo as not to fee, though they have eyes ; nor 
 hear though they have ears ; and though they are as 
 fharp-fighted as eagles, to difcover the things of the earth, 
 yet they are as blind as beetles to thofe of heaven ? thus 
 it happened with St. Paul, when he went to perfecute 
 the church: for as foon as ever he was. thrown down 
 upon the ground, he could fee nothing at all, though 
 ke had his eyes open. This is what happens to all thofe 
 unhappy wretches, who having their eyes wide open to 
 the things of the world, yet keep them fhut to all that 
 is of GOD. 
 
 S E C T V. 
 
 Qf the multitude of fins that are in tbe world. 
 
 Since therefore there are fo many fnares in the 
 world, and fo much darknefs, what can a man expect 
 here, but to be continually {tumbling and falling ? of all 
 the miferies in the world this is the greateit, and that 
 which ought to give us a moft averfion to it. This was 
 the only argument St. Cyprian * made ufe of, to per- 
 fuade his friend to a contempt of the world. He fup- 
 pofes to this end that they were both of them on the 
 top of a very high mountain, from whence he had a 
 profped of all the world ; pointed out to his friend, as 
 it were with his finger s all the feas and all the countries, 
 all the markets and all the courts of judicature, full of 
 thofe feveral fins and injuftices which are to be found in 
 all parts ; that fo beholding, as it were with his eyes, fo 
 many and fo great evils, as there are in the world, he 
 might underftand what a horror and dread he ought to 
 have of it, and how much he was obliged to Almighty 
 GOD, for having withdrawn him from them all. Do 
 you in imitation of this proceeding, get up to the top 
 of this fame mountain, caft your eyes a little upon all the 
 . market-places, all the palaces, all the courts, and all the 
 mops in the world, you will there fee fo many forts of 
 ns, fo much corruption, fo many diffractions, fo many- 
 cheats. 
 * L, 2. Ep. 2. ad Donat,
 
 364 The Sinners Guide. Book I f 
 
 cheats, fo many perjuries, fo many robberies, fo much 
 envy, fo much flattery, fo much vanity, and above alj 
 fuch an entire forgetfulnefs of GOD, and fo great a ne- 
 glect of a man's own falvation, that you cannot but be 
 amazed at fo much diforder. You will fee the greater 
 part of men living like brute beafts, following the bent 
 and impulfe of their own pafllons, without having any 
 more regard to the laws, either of juftice or of reafon, 
 than heathens, who have no knowledge at all of GOD, 
 and who think man has nothing elfe to do, but to live 
 and die. You will fee the innocent opprefled, the guilty 
 acquitted, the virtuous condemned, and finners honoured 
 and promoted. You will fee the poor and humble 
 trampled upon, whilft favour and intereft get the better 
 in all things of virtue. You will fee juftice fold, truth 
 flighted, fhame loft, arts ruined, offices abufed, and all 
 ibrts of employs for the -moft part corrupted. You will 
 fee many knaves that deferve to be feverely punifhed, 
 for their villanies become rich, honoured and courted by 
 every body , and all this by their thefts, their cheats, 
 and a thoufand other unlawful means. You will fee 
 thefe and many others who have fcarce any more than 
 the fhape of man, filling the greateft places, and pre- 
 ferred to the moft honourable employs. You will fee, 
 in fine, that men love and adore their money more than 
 they do GOD -, whilft all laws, both divine and human, 
 are corrupted by avarice, and aim oft all the world over, 
 there is nothing of juftice to be feen, but the mere name 
 and fhadow of it. When you have feen all thefe things, 
 you will underftand how much reafon the prophet had for 
 laying : Ibe Lord bath looked down from heaven upon the 
 children of men, to fee if there be any that underjland find 
 feek God. 'They are all gone afide, they are become unprofi- 
 table together : there is none that doth good, no, not one *. 
 Nor does GOD complain any lefs by his Prophet Ofea, 
 when he fays ; 'There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and 
 there is no knowledge of God in the land. But on the contrary,, 
 curfing and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery, have 
 ever -flowed, and blood hath touched blood -f-. 
 
 u. In 
 
 * Pfalmxiii, v. 2, 3. t Ofea,c. iv. v. i, 2.
 
 fart III. Ch. 5. Love of tie World. 3 6$ 
 
 8. In fine, that you may the better fee what the world 
 is, caft your eyes upon the head that governs it; and by 
 this means you will perceive the condition of the thing 
 fo governed. For, if it be true, as Jefus Chrift faid, 
 that the devil is the prince of this world, that is, of 
 wicked men, what muft we expect from a body, that 
 has fuch a head, and from a commonwealth that has fuch 
 a ruler ? this alone is enough to let you underftand, that 
 the world itfelf muft be like thofe who are lovers of it* 
 What kind of a place then muft it be, but a den of 
 thieves ; an army of cut-throat?, a ftye full of fvvine, a 
 lake full of ferpents arid bafilifks ? now, if the world be 
 fuch a thing as this, why, fays a philofopher, (hall not I 
 leave fuch a filthy place, fo full of treacheries, deceits, 
 and fins, that there is fcarce any room left for honefty, 
 piety, -or juftice ? a place where all kinds of vices reign, 
 where one brother takes up arms againft another, where 
 a fon wifhes for the death of his father, a hufband for 
 the death of his wife, and the wife for that of her huf- 
 band. Where there are fo few perfons that do not either 
 fteal or cheat ; fince great men, as well as little ones, 
 have their ways of robbing and cozening, though under 
 fpecious pretences ? where in fhort there are fo many 
 fires of lu ft, of impurity, of anger, ambition, and many 
 Other vices, continually burning ? who will not defire to 
 fly from fuch a world ? it was, without doubt, the defire 
 of the prophet who cried out: Who will give me in the 
 uuildernefs a lodging place of wayfaring men, and 1 will leave 
 my people, and depart from them ? becaufe they are all adul- 
 terers^ an affembly of tranfgreffors *. All that has been 
 faid of this matter hitherto, belongs to the wicked in 
 general ; though nobody can deny but there are feveral 
 good men in the world, of all ftates and conditions, and 
 it is for their fakes that GOD bears with the reft. 
 
 9. When you have weighed all thefe things, confider 
 how reafonable it is, to abhor and deteft fo great an evil; 
 in which had GOD opened your eyes, you might have 
 feen more devils and more fins, than there are atoms in 
 the rays of the fun j and with this confide ration, nourifh 
 
 Z z and 
 
 * Jerem. c. ix. v. 2.
 
 366 , jfZtf Sinners Guide. .^~. Book I. 
 
 and encreafe in your fouls, the defire of leaving this 
 world, in fpirit at leaft; fighing with the royal pro- 
 phet, and faying with him : Who will give me wings like 
 a dove, and Iwillfy and be at reft-f ? 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 
 How deceitful the bappinefs of the world is. 
 
 10. Thefe and many more like them are the difap- 
 pointments and croffes that attend the wretched felicities 
 of this world, by which you may perceive, how much 
 more gall there is than honey, and how much more 
 wormwood than fugar. I forbear to take notice of fe- 
 veral other miferies. This happinefs and delight, befide* 
 being fo fliort and miferable, is alfo filthy, becaufe il 
 makes men carnal and impure : it is brutifh, inafmuch 
 as it makes men brutilh ; it is foolifh, becaufe it makes 
 men fools, and very often deprives them of their fenfe 
 and reafon -, it is inconftant, becaufe it never continues 
 in the fame ftate : it is, in fine, treacherous and falfe, 
 becaufe when we feem to want it moll, it leaves us and 
 vanifhes into air. But I will not omit fpeaking of one 
 evil that attends it, which perhaps is worfe than all the 
 reft, viz. its being fraudulent and deceitful, for it appears 
 to be what it is not, and promifes what it has not to 
 give , fo that by this means it draws moft men after it 
 to their eternal ruin. For as there is true and falfe gold, 
 as there are true and counterfeit jewels, which look as 
 if they were of value and are not ; fo there are true and 
 falfe goods ; a true happinefs and a falfe one, which has 
 nothing at all of happinefs but the bare appearance. 
 Such is the happinefs of this world, which deceives and 
 cheats us with its outfide glofs and colour. For as ac- 
 cording to Ariftotle, it often happens, that lies, not- 
 withftanding their falfhood, have a greater appearance of 
 truth, than even truth itfelf , fo it is worth our obfe'rv- 
 ing, that there are fome evils, which though they are 
 real evils, look more like good than even fome things 
 that are really good. Such is the happinefs of the world, 
 
 and 
 f Pfdm liv. v. 7.
 
 Part HI. Ch. 5. Love of the World. 367 
 
 sand therefore ignorant perfons are eafily deluded by it, 
 as birds are decoyed, and as fifties caught with a bait. 
 It is the nature of worldly things to prefent themfelves 
 to us under a pleafant appearance, and with a flattering 
 and deceitful look, which promifes a great deal of joy 
 and fatisfaction -, but as foon as experience has undeceived 
 us, we perceive a hook was hid under the bait, and fee 
 clearly, that all is not gold that glitters. This you will 
 find by experience, happens in all worldly things. Do 
 but confider the pleafures of a new married couple, you 
 will fee their happinefs generally lad but a few days, and 
 then follow difcontents, troubles, and cares. They foon 
 find afflictions from children, difeafes, abfence, jealoufy, 
 difcord, mifcarriages, misfortunes, grief, and, in fine, 
 from death itfelf, which is inevitable, and fometimes 
 furprifes them early, and changes their wedding-joys not 
 yet compleated, into the tears of widow-hood. What 
 greater deceit and hypocrify than this ? how contentedly 
 does a young woman go to the marriage-bed, becaufe 
 her eyes are only open to that which appears outward : 
 but alas ! how much more reafon would fhe have to cry 
 than laugh, if fhe did but fee the train of miferies that 
 follow her ? Rebecca defired to have children, but when 
 Ihe found herfelf big, and perceived the contention that 
 was between the two infants in her womb, fhe faid, If 
 it were to be fo with me, what need was there to conceive * ? 
 O how many have been thus deceived, when having ob- 
 tained what they wifhed for, they find it to be quite 
 another thing than what they expected. 
 
 1 1. What fliall I fay of employments, of honours, pre- 
 ferments and dignities ? how delightful they appear at 
 firft fight, yet when the falfe luftre is worn off, what 
 trains of palTions and folicitudes, what envy, what hard- 
 fhips then difcover themfelves ? what mall I fay again of 
 thofe, who are engaged in unlawful love ? how pleafant 
 do they find the entrance into this dark labyrinth, at the 
 beginning ? but when once they have got in, what hard- 
 fhips are they to undergo ? how many unhappy nights 
 tnuft they endure ? how many dangers muft they expofc 
 Zz 2 thernr- 
 
 * Gen. c, xxv. v. 22.
 
 368 *tbe Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 themfelves to ? becaufe the fruit of this forbidden tree is 
 guarded by the fury of a venomous dragon ;, that is, by 
 the cruel iword, either of a parent, or of a jealous hui- 
 band, in which action a man often lofes his life, his ho- 
 nour, his eilate, and his ibul, all in a moment. Yoq. 
 may in like manner take a view of the lives of covetous 
 and cf worldly men, of thofe who aim at glory, either by 
 their arms or by favour ; and you will find, in all thefe, 
 the tragical effects of fortunate and pleafant beginnings, 
 which have been followed by unhappy ends. For the 
 nature of this cup of Babylon *, is to be gilt without, 
 but to be full of poifcn within. 
 
 12. What then is all the glory of the world, but 3 
 fyren's fong which lulls us afleep j a fweet poifon, that 
 carries "death along with it, a viper finely party-coloured 
 without, and full of venom within ? if it delights, it is 
 only to deceive us ; if it raifes up, it is to caft us down 
 again , if it diverts us, it is to make us melancholy. It 
 expects an unreafonable intereft for whatever it bellows. 
 If you have a child born, and it mould happen to die, 
 you would be ten times more troubled at its death, than 
 you were pleafed at its birth. Any lofs is always the oc- 
 cafion of much more grief than gain is of joy. Sicknefs 
 is much more afflicting than health is comforting ; an 
 affront difcontents a man more than honour pleafes, or ' 
 charms him. For nature has been fo unequal in dif- 
 pofing of pains and pleafures, that thofe are more able 
 to torment us than thefe are to give us any eafe and 
 comfort. A thorough confideration of all this, will make 
 Us plainly fee, how falfe and deceitful this happinefs is, 
 
 SECT, VII. 
 
 The (ondufion sf all that has been f aid* 
 
 13. Here we may behold the true figure of the world, 
 which, notwithflanding its outward appearance, is no-^ 
 thing lefs than what feems to be. Confider what its 
 happinefs is. It is fhort, miferable, dangerous, blind, 
 and deceitful. If fo, what can the world be but a ma- 
 gazine of labours, as a philofopher wifely terms it ; a 
 * Ajjtoc, q. xvii, v. 4. fcjiooj
 
 Part II!. Ch. 5. Love cf the World. 369 
 
 fchool of vanities, a market of deceit, a labyrinth of er- 
 rors, a prifon of darknefs, a high-way full of robbers, a 
 muddy lake, and a fea, that is perpetually ftormy ? what 
 is this world, but a barren foil, a field full of ftones, a 
 wood full of thorns, a green meadow full of lhakes and 
 ferpents ; a garden that has flowers, but no fruit : a 
 river of tears, a fountain of cares, a fweet poifon, a ferious 
 comedy, and a pleafmg phrenfy. Are there any delights 
 in it, which are not falfe ; or any miferies which are not 
 real ? its eafe is full of trouble , its fecurity has no 
 grounds to build upon ; its fear is without reafon ; its 
 labours without any advantage , its tears without any 
 effect ; its defigns without fuccefs - y its hopes vain ; its 
 joy counterfeit , and its grief true. 
 
 14. You fee how lively a reprefentation this world is 
 of hell , for if hell be nothing but a place of torments 
 and of fins, what is there in the world abounds with 
 more ? the Royal Prophet was of this opinion, when he 
 faid * : Day and night Jhall iniquity furround it upon its 
 iff alls : in the midft thereof are labour and injuftice. This 
 is the fruit the world produces, this the merchandife that 
 is fold in it, this the trade that is fettled in every corner 
 of it , to wit, labour and injuftice, which produce the 
 evils of pain, and the evils of guilt. If hell is nothing 
 but a place of torment and of guilt ; why do we not 
 call this world, in fome meafure at leaft, a hell, fmce we : 
 fee fo much of both in it ? St. Bernard looked upon it as 
 fuch, when he faid -f- : This world would appear to be 
 aimoft as miferable as hell, if it were not for the hopes 
 we have, whilfl we are in this life, of obtaining a better, 
 
 SECT VIII. 
 
 tfhat true felicity and content are to be found no where 
 but in God> 
 
 15. Having hitherto taken fo clear a view of the mi- 
 fery and deceit of worldly happinefs, our next bnfmefs 
 will be to confider, that the true happinefs and reft, 
 which the world cannot give us, is to be found in GOD, 
 "\Vere worldly men but thoroughly convinced of this, 
 v. ii. -fSerm. 4. de Afceus, they
 
 370 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 they would not as they do now, take fo much pains in 
 the purfuit of worldly pleafures. In fhort, my defign 
 now is to prove the importance of this truth, not by the 
 authorities and teftirnonies of faith, but purely by the 
 force of reafon. 
 
 16. For the effe&ing of this you are to underftand, 
 that no creature whatever can enjoy a compleat and 
 
 Eerfect happinefs, till it obtains its laft end ; that is, the 
 ift perfection, which is proportioned to its being and 
 nature. For, as long as it is without this, k cannot but 
 be unquiet and difiatisfkd^ becaufe it is fenfible it wants 
 fomething that is neceffary for it. I put the queftion 
 now, what, man's laft end is, upon the poflefTion of which 
 all his felicity depends, which divines call liis formal 
 beatitude r that this isGao, is undeniable : who, as he is 
 his firft beginning, fo is he his laft end. Now, as it is 
 impoflible for a man to have two firft beginnings, it is 
 no lefs to have two laft ends ; becaufe this would be to 
 have two GOD'S. If therefore GOD alone is man's laft 
 end, and ultimate happinefs, and if it is impoflible for 
 him to have two laft ends, there is confequently the fame 
 impofiibility of his finding any happinefs, but in GOD, 
 For as the glove is made for the hand, and the fcabbard 
 for the fword, fo there is no putting them to any other 
 ufe , in like manner man's heart having been created for 
 GOD, cannot find any reft but in him. It is with hin\ 
 alone that he is content and fatisfied, and without him 
 very poor and miferable. The reafon of it is, becaufe 
 the undcrfbnding and the will, which are the two nobleft 
 faculties, being the principal feat of blife, whilft they 
 are difturbed and uneafy, man cannot pofiibly enjoy 
 any peace and quiet. And it is a plain cafe, that thefe 
 two faculties cannot be at reft- but in the enjoyment of 
 GOD. For as St. Thomas fays -f, our underftanding 
 cannot know or understand fo much, as not to be capable 
 and dcfirous of knowing more, if there be more to be 
 known -, fo our will can never love or enjoy, fo many 
 goods as not to be capable . of more, if mOre be given 
 it. Therefore thefe two powers will never be fatisfied, 
 till they fhall find an univerfal object, in which all things 
 t St. Thorn, jj 2, Qu. 2, Ait. 8. are
 
 Fart III. Ch. 5. Love of the World. 371 
 
 are contained , and which as foon a> ever it is knov/n and 
 loved, there remains no more truths to be known, nor 
 any more goods to be enjoyed. Hence it follows, that 
 no created being whatibever, though it were the pofTef- 
 fion of all the world, is able to fill and fatisfy man's 
 heart : there is none but GOD, for whom he was created, 
 can do this. Thus Plutarch writes of a private foldier, 
 who from one thing to another, came to be emperor, 
 and feeing himfelf raifed to this honour he had fo long 
 defired, and yet wanting the fati&facYion he expected, he 
 faid : I have lived in all itates and conditions, and have 
 found no fatisfaction in any of them : by which we may 
 perceive, it is impoffible for man to find any reft but in 
 GOD, as he has been created for none but GOD. 
 
 1 7. That you may underftand this the better, look 
 upon the needle of the compafs, and there you will fee 
 a lively figure of this neceflary doctrine. The nature 
 pf this needle is to point always to the North, when it 
 has been once touched by the Joadftone. GOD, who 
 created this ftone, gave it fuch a natural inclination to 
 turn always that way : and you may fee by experience, 
 what a violent motion it is in, and how refllefs till it 
 points exactly thither, and then it immediately flops and 
 remains fixt. It is not to be doubted, but that GOD has 
 created man with the fame natural inclination and ten- 
 dency toward him, as toward his pole, his center, and 
 his laft end , and therefore it is that, like the needle, he 
 is continually difturbed and unquiet, as long as he is 
 turned from GOD, though he (hould enjoy all the riches 
 in the world : but as foon as like the needle, he returns 
 to him, he ceafes from his violent motion, and enjoys 
 perfect and entire reft ; becaufe it is in GOD he is to find 
 his peace : whence we infer, that he alone is happy who 
 poflefTes GOD ; and that the nearer a man is to GOD, the 
 nearer he is to this happinefs. And therefore the juft, 
 though the world is unacquainted with their happinefs, 
 are the only happy men, becaufe, whilft they are in this 
 life, they draw as nigh as they can to Almighty GOD. 
 
 1 3. The reafon is, becaufe true felicity does not confift 
 in fenfible and corporal pleafures, as the Epicurean phi- 
 
 lofophers
 
 372 The Sinners Guide* Book I* 
 
 lofophers would have it, and after them the Mahometans) 
 and laftly, the followers of both thefe feels -, that is, 
 wicked Chriftians who in words renounce the law of Ma* 
 hornet, but follow it in their action s, and in this world * 
 feek no other paradife than his. For, what is it the great 
 and rich men of the world fpend their time in, but in 
 hunting after all manner of pleafures and divertifcments * 
 and what is this but to make Epicure's pleafure our la(l 
 end, and to look for Mahomet's paradife in this world ? 
 O unhappy fcholars of fuch matters ! If you deleft the 
 names of thefe men, why do you not hate their life and 
 manners ? if you will enjoy Mahomet's paradife in this 
 life, you muft expect to lofe our Saviour's in the next. 
 Man's happinefs does not con fift either in the body, or 4 
 in the goods of it, as the Turks pretend , but in the 
 fpirit, and in fpiritual and invifible goods, as was the 
 opinion of the great philofophers of old, and it is what 
 Chriftians ftill hold, though after quite another manner. 
 The royal prophet fignified the fame to us by thefe 
 words ; All the glory of the kings daughter is within in golden 
 border s^ doathed round about with varieties-^: and where 
 (he enjoys fo much peace and comfort, as all the kings 
 of the earth never have had, or are ever like to have 5 
 unlefs we will fay, that they have more fatisfaction than the 
 friends of GOD, which many of them will deny, who very 
 chearfully quitted great kingdoms and riches, as foon as 
 they tailed of GOD. Pope Gregory the Great will alfo 
 deny it, who had fufficient experience of both ftates, and 
 was placed by force in St. Peter's chair, on which he 
 always fighed and wept for the poor cell he left in his 
 monaftry, as a flave in Barbary fighs after his country 
 and liberty. 
 
 SECT. IX. 
 Examples to prove all that has been faid. 
 
 19. But becaufe this miftake is fo great and fo univer- 
 fal, I will add one reafon more, as convincing as the 
 former, that the lovers of the world may difcover by it, 
 how impoflible it is to find that happinefs they look for 
 in the world. To this purpofe you are to prefuppofe, 
 f- Pfalmxliv. v. 14, 14.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of the World. 373 
 
 that there is much more goes to the making of a thing 
 perfect, than to leave it imperfect; becaufe, for effect - 
 ing of the firft, it muft necefTarily have all thofe condi- 
 tions, which are abfolutely requifite for its perfection : 
 whilft, on the contrary, any one fingle imperfection, 
 makes the whole piece imperfect. It is allb to be pre- 
 fuppofed, that a man muft have all things according to 
 his own defirc, to make himfrlf compleady happy ; and 
 that any one thing contrary to his wifb, goes a great way 
 farther, towards making him m;ferable> than the enjoy- 
 ment of all the reft, towards making him happy. I nave 
 myfelf feen feveral perfons of very confiderable rank and 
 fortune, live the moft unhappy lives, of any men in the 
 world : becaufe the fatisfaction they had in what they 
 enjoyed, was nothing comparable to the torment of noc 
 being able to obtain what they defired. For, it is cer- 
 tain; that this latter, which is like a thorn ftuck into the 
 very heart, is more grievous and troublefome, than the 
 other is acceptable and pleafing : for it is the obtaining 
 of his defire, not the pofleflion of goods, that makes a 
 man happy. St. Auguftin in his treaf.ife of the cuftoms 
 of the church, explained this point very excellently in 
 thefe words *. " I do not think a man can be faid to be 
 happy, who does not enjoy what he loves, let it be never 
 fo mean and ordinary ; nor do I look upon that man any 
 happier, who does not love what he enjoys, though the 
 thing be never fo good and excellent. Nor is he in a 
 better condition, than either of the others, who does 
 not defire that which is worth his defiring : becaufe, he 
 that cannot get what he defires, is in a great deal of tor- 
 ment-, he that has what is not worth his defiring, is no- 
 torioully cheated , and he who does not defire that which 
 is worth his defiring, is a mere fool and a mad-man. From 
 whence we conclude, that our happinefs depends upon 
 the poffefling of no other good, but the Sovereign Good ; 
 without which there is no fuch thing as happinefs." So 
 that poiTeffion, love, and fovereign good, thefe three 
 things put together, make a man compleatly happy ; 
 A a a without 
 
 ? St. DC Morib. Eccle, Cath. c. 3.
 
 374 The Shiners Guide. Book I. 
 
 without which, no man can be fo, though he pofieffe* 
 never fo much. 
 
 23. Though I could bring many examples to make 
 this out, I will cite only that of Am'an, King Affuerus's 
 creature and favourite. This man being highly offended 
 that Mordocheus, one of the guards at the palace-gate, 
 did not pay him the refpecl he looked for, fent for all his 
 friends and his wife, and declared to them : 'The greatnefi 
 cf bis riches , and the multitude cf bis children^ and with how 
 great glory the king had advanced him above all his princes 
 and Jervants. And after -this he faid : Queen EJlher alfs 
 hath invited no ether to the banquet with the king, but me : 
 and with her 1 am alfo to dine to-morrow with the king. 
 And whereas I have all thefe things^ 1 think I have nothing* 
 fo long as I fee Mordochai the Jew Jit ting before the king's 
 gate-]-. Do but confider how this fmall affront was the 
 occafion of much more difcontent and trouble, than all 
 his riches and honours were of happinefs and fatisfaclion. 
 Confider likewife, how far man is from being happy, as 
 long as he is in this world, and how near he is, on the 
 contrary, to mifery, fince there are many goods required 
 to the obtaining of the firft ; whilft the want of any one, 
 is enough to make us fall into the latter. Now, if this 
 be true, who can avoid being unhappy in this world ? is 
 there any king, any emperor fo powerful, as to have all 
 things according to his own will, and never to meet with 
 any thing contrary to his inclinations ? let us put the 
 cafe, he mould never receive any contradiction from 
 men, who can fecure himfelf againft all the ftrokes of 
 nature, againft all the infirmities of the body, or all the 
 fears, or vain imaginations of the foul, which is fre- 
 quently fo apprehenfive, when there is no reaibn for it, 
 and difturbs herfelf without any caufe ? poor, unhappy, 
 miferable man, how can you think of finding any con- 
 tent in the ways of the world, when it is more than 
 what the greateft princes and monarchs have ever been 
 able to do ? if all goods whatever muft neceffarily con- 
 tribute to the acquiring of this one good, when mail 
 you', who are at fuch '& diflance from GOD, ever be fo 
 
 happy, 
 t Efler, c. v. v. 10, &c.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of the World. 375 
 
 happy, as to Hand in need of nothing in the world ? 
 there's none but GOD, can give you this happinefs , and 
 if there be any man that does in fome manner enjoy it 
 in this life, know, it is only he, who loves and enjoys 
 Goo: becaufe, it is a condition of friendlhip, that all 
 things are in common amongft friends. 
 
 24. If thefe plain and evident realbns cannot convince 
 you, but that you are more eafily wrought upon by 
 experience -, addrefs yourfelf to Solomon, fo celebrated 
 for his wifdom, and defire him, fmce he has failed in 
 this fea, and was more fuccefsful than any other in dif- 
 covering all forts of worldly grandeurs and delights, to 
 give you an account of what he difcovered, and whether 
 he found any thing that could fatisfy him, and you mail 
 have no other anfwer from him but, Vanity of vanities * 
 vanity of vanities, and all is vanity *. Do not doubt to 
 give credit to fuch an experienced man as Solomon was, 
 who fpeaks to you, not upon bare fpeculauon, but upon 
 a certain knowledge. And do not think that you, or 
 any body elfe, is able to difcover more than he has done. 
 For, what prince in the world was ever wifer, richer, 
 better attended, more glorious, or more reverenced than 
 he ? who ever tried more different forts of paftimes and 
 pleafures, as hunting, and mufic, women* drefling, ride- 
 ing, and the like, than he ? and yet, after having tried 
 all, he made no other advantage of them but what you 
 have heard. Why will you make a frefh trial of what 
 fo many have tried before you ? do not fancy you can 
 find what Solomon could not, fmce you have no other 
 world to fearch in, nor any better means to find what 
 you feek, than he had : and fmce he could never fatisfy 
 his longings with fo plentiful a harveft, do not perfuade 
 yourfelf you (hall ever be able to do it with the bare 
 gleanings. Seeking of pleafure was the employ of all 
 his time, and it is very probable, as St. Jerome obferves, 
 in a letter of his to Euftochium, that this was the occa- 
 fion of his fall. And will you be fo mad as to caft your- 
 ielf headlong after him ? but, becaufe men rather believe 
 xperience than reafon, therefore GOD perhaps, permitted 
 A a a 2 this 
 
 *Ecclef. c. i. v, 2, &c. c. xii. v. 9.
 
 376 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 this king to try all the goods and pleafures of this world, 
 that he might, after trying, give us a character of them 3 
 that Ib the mifery of one man might be an example to 
 ' all the reft, and prevent their falling into the fame mif- 
 fortune. 
 
 25. Npw, if this be fo, I may, with a great deal of rea- 
 fon, cry out with the Prophet * : Oye Jons of men, how long 
 will you be dull of heart ? why do you love vanity, and Jeek 
 after lying ? He does well in giving it the name of vanity 
 and a lie : becauie, if there were nothing elfe in worldly 
 things, but vanity (which fignifies no more than to be 
 nothing) there were no great hurt in them ; but there 
 is fomething ftill much worfe than this, which is a lie, 
 and a falfe appearance, by which we are perfuaded to be- 
 lieve them fomething, when in effect they are juft no- 
 thing. For this realbn Solomon fays -j- : 'That favour is 
 deceitful, and beauty is vain. To be vain had been no 
 great matter, had it not been deceitful too : becaufe va- 
 nity, when once known, can do but little harm , the 
 greateil danger is in that which truly and really is vain, 
 though it does not appear to be fo. By this we may fee 
 how great a hypocrite the world is. For, as hypocrites 
 endeavour to hide the faults they have been guilty of, fo 
 the rich men of this world do all they can, to conceal the 
 miferies they continually groan under. Some, though 
 they are finners, would pafs for faints, and others for 
 happy men, though they are miferable. If you call this 
 into queftion, do but come a little nearer to one of thofe, 
 who feem outwardly to be fo happy , feel his pulfe a 
 little, and then put your hands upon his heart, and you 
 will fee what difference there is betwixt that which ap- 
 pears on the outride, and that which is hid within. 
 There are fome plants in the fields, which look very 
 pretty at a diftance, but when you come and touch them, 
 caft forth fuch an ungrateful fmell, that a man is forced 
 immediately to fling them away from him : thus, when 
 the hands touch, they correct the miftake of the eyes. 
 Such are moil of the rich and mighty men of the world ; 
 for, if you confider their great eftates, their noble houfes., 
 
 thek 
 * Pfelm iv. v. 3, f Prov. c. xxxi. v. 30.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of the World. 377 
 
 their retires, a man would take them to be the only 
 happy men upon earth. But if you go a little nearer, 
 and fearch into the recefles of their fouls, and into the 
 fecret corners of their houfes, you will find them not the 
 fame men they feem to be. So that feveral of thofe, 
 who at firft aimed at great eftates, when they confidered 
 them at a diftance, no foonef had a nearer view of them, 
 but they entirely refufed them, as many heathens (ac- 
 cording to feveral hiltories) have done. And in the 
 lives of the emperors, we read that there have not been 
 wanting fome, who, notwithflancling their being hea- 
 thens, have refufed to accept of the empire, though 
 they have been elected by the general confent of the 
 whole army, and this, becaufe they knew that this 
 flower, which feemed to be fo fine and beautiful, had 
 nothing but thorns and briars underneath it. 
 
 26. \Vhythen, O ye children of men, who are created 
 according to the likenefs of GOD, who are redeemed 
 with his blood, who are defigned to be the companions 
 of angels ? why do you love vanity, and feek after a lie ? 
 imagining with yourfelves, that you fhall receive any 
 comfort from thofe falfe goods which never were, nor 
 ever will be able to give you the lead fatisfa&ion imagi- 
 nable ? why have you left the table of angels for the 
 food of beads ? why have you refufed the delights and 
 fweet fmells of paradife, for the bitternefs and itink of 
 this world ? how is it pofTible, that fo many calamities 
 and miferies as you are daily fenfible of, mould not fuf- 
 fice to make you deny any farther allegiance to fo cruel 
 a tyrant as this is ? we feem herein to be like certain lewd 
 women, that give themfclves intirely up to fome de- 
 bauched fellow, who devours and fpends all they are 
 worth, and then beats and kicks them every day, and 
 yet they are fond of their (lavery, and dote on him that 
 makes it. 
 
 27. Wherefore from all that has been faid, I conclude, 
 that if there are fo many reafons, Ib many examples, 
 and fo many experiments, to prove, that the happinefs 
 and eafe we look for in the world, is to be found no 
 where but in Gop : why do we not feek for it in him ? 
 
 it
 
 378 The Sinners Guide. Book I. 
 
 it is what St. Auguftin advifes in thefe words : " Corn- 
 pals the fea and earth, and go where you pleafe ; but 
 allure yourfelf, that wherefoever you go, you will be 
 miierable, if you do not go to GOD *." 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 The ccnclufion of all that is contained in this firft Book. 
 
 i. TT T E may plainly gather from all that has been 
 W hitherto faid, that there's no kind of good 
 whatever, which is not included in virtue , which mews 
 it to be fo great and fo univerfal a good, that there is 
 nothing either in heaven or earth, to which we can better 
 compare it, than to GOD himfelf. For, as. GOD is fo 
 univerfal a good, that the perfections of all other goods 
 are found in him, fo are they in fome manner to be found 
 in virtue. We fee, that amongft created things, fome 
 are modeft, others beautiful, fome honourable, others 
 profitable , fome are agreeable, and others again have 
 Several perfections : now thofe of all are the perfecteft, 
 and the moft worthy of our love, which have the greateft 
 fhare of all thefe different perfections. If this be true, 
 what efteem, what love ought we to have for virtue, in 
 which none of all thefe perfections are wanting ? for, 
 if we confider modefry, what can be more modeft than 
 virtue, which is the very fource and fountain of all mo- 
 deity ? if we look for honour, what can deferve honour 
 and refpect, if virtue does not ? if we have an efteem 
 for beauty, what can be more beautiful than virtue is ? 
 Plato, fpeaking of its beauty, fays, that if we could but 
 fee it, it would draw the whole world after it. If we 
 have any concern for profit, what can we expect any 
 greater profit from, than from virtue, fince it is by it 
 that we are to acquire the chief good ? Length of days> 
 with the good of eternity, are in its right hand, and riches 
 and glory in its ~left^. If pleafure be all that you long 
 for, what greater pleafure than that of a good confci- 
 
 cnce, 
 * Conf. L, vi. e. 16. } Prov.c. iii. v. 16.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of tie World. 379 
 
 ence, of charity, of peace, of the liberty which the 
 Children of GOD enjoy, and of all the confolations of 
 the Holy Ghoft, who never fails to keep company with 
 virtue ? if credit and reputation be the object of your 
 aim, The memory of the juft is with praifes-, and the name 
 of the wicked fo all rot-\, and vanifh away like fmoak. 
 If you feek for knowledge, what deeper knowledge than 
 knowing of GOD, and underflanding the befb means for 
 directing of your life to your laft end ? if we have a 
 mind to gain the love and affection of men, what can be 
 more lovely than virtue, or more conducible to this end ? 
 for, according to Cicero, as corporal beauty, which we 
 fo much admire, confifts in the exact fymmetry and due 
 proportion of the members and humours of the body : 
 lo from the exaflnefs and regularity of life, is formed 
 fuch a beauty, as is not only agreeable to GOD and his 
 angels, but even charms the wicked, and a man's greateft 
 enemies. 
 
 2. This is the good, which is fo abfolutely and com- 
 gleatly good, as not to have the lead mixture of evil in 
 it. It was with a great deal of reafon, that GOD fent 
 this fhort, but glorious embafly to the juft, which we 
 have mentioned in the very beginning of this book, and 
 with whic.h we are now going to conclude the fame : Say 
 to the juft man, that it is well . Tell him he was born 
 happily, and mall die happily : tell him he fhall b blefled 
 in his death, and in what is to come after it, as he has 
 been in his life : tell him he mail have fuccefs in all 
 things, in his pleafures, in his pains, in his labours, in 
 his reft, in his credit, and in his difgrace : And we know 9 
 that to them that love GOD, all things work together unto 
 good(\}. Tell him he has nothing to fear, for though 
 the whole world fliould he clifturbed and troubled, tho* 
 the elements fliould be in confufion, and though the hea- 
 vens themfelves mould fall in pieces (2): he may then 
 lift up his head, becaule the day of his redemption is 
 at hand. Tell him it is well, becaufe the greateft of 
 all goods, which is GOD himfelf, is prepared for him ; 
 
 and 
 
 f Prov, c. x. v. 7. J Ifaiah, c. iii. v. 10. (i) Rom. 
 c. viii. v. 28. (2) Luc, c. xxi. v. 2$.
 
 380 We Sinners Guide. 'Book I. 
 
 and becaufe he is delivered from the company of the 
 devil, which is the greateft evil of all. Tell him that 
 it is well, becaufe his name is written in the book of 
 life-, becaufe GOD the father has adopted him for his 
 Son j becaufe GOD the Son has taken him for his bro- 
 ther, and the Holy Ghoft for his living temple. Tell 
 hirn it is well, becaufe the way he has taken, and the 
 party he has followed is advantageous to him in all re- 
 ipeft : advantageous to the body, and advantageous to 
 the foul , advantageous in confideration of GOD, advan- 
 tageous in confideration of men ; advantageous for this 
 life, and for the next; Becaufe all good things fa all be 
 leflowed upon thofe who fcek the kingdom of GOD (i). And 
 though perhaps his temporal affairs go not well with 
 him, yet this will turn much more to his advantage, if 
 he does but take it patiently ; becaufe, to thofe that arc 
 patient, lofles prove gains , labours and fuffering are the 
 occafions of merit and combats, brings crowns and 
 trophies (2). As often as Laban lefiened Jacob's wages 
 with an intention to benefit himfelf thereby, and to pre- 
 judice his fon in law, his defign was thwarted , and 
 what he thought would advantage him and hurt the 
 Other, proved quite contrary. 
 
 3. Why then will you be fo cruel to yourfelf, and fo 
 much your own enemy, as to refufe to embrace that 
 thing which is every way fo advantageous to you ? can 
 you take any better advice, or follow any better part 
 than this ? Bleffed are the undefiled in the rtay who walk 
 in the way of the Lord. BleJJ'ed are they who fearch his 
 teftimomeS) that ft ek him with their whole heart (3). 
 
 4. If therefore, as the philofophers fay, good is the 
 object of our will, and if of confequence, the better a 
 thing is, the more it deferves our love ; who has cor- 
 rupted your will fo, as to make it neither relifli nor 
 enjoy, fo univerfal and fo great a good ? O how much 
 greater an efteem had King David of it, when he cried, 
 out, 'Thy law Lord in the midft of my heart (4). Not 
 in a corner, not on one fide, but in the very middle, 
 
 the 
 
 (i)Luc, c. xii. v. 31. (2) Gen. c, xxxi. (3) Pfalm cviii. 
 v. i, 2. (4) Pfalm xxxix. v. 9.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of tie World. 381 
 
 the moft worthy and honourable place of all. As if he 
 had faid, this is my greateft treafure, this is the moft 
 important bufinefs I have, and the chief of all my con- 
 cerns. Worldly men proceed in a direct oppofition to 
 this, becaufe vanity has the firft place in their heart, and 
 the law of GOD the laft. But this holy man, notwith- 
 ftanding his being a king, and having much to preferve 
 and to iofe, trampled all under his feet, and placed no- 
 thing but the law of GOD in the midft of his heart ; as 
 knowing, that if he was but careful in the keeping of 
 this, all the reft was fecure enough. 
 
 5. What can hinder you now from making a refolution 
 to follow this example, and to embrace fo great a good ? 
 for, if you look upon the obligation, is there any greater, 
 than what we all of us owe to Almighty GOD, purely 
 upon account of what he is. All other obligations of 
 the world, do not fo much as dcferve to be fo called, if 
 compared with this. If you look for benefits, what 
 greater can there be, than thofe we have received from 
 him ; ilnce, befides his having created and redeemed us 
 with his own blood, every thing, either in us, or out of 
 us, as the body, foul, life, health, eftate, grace (if we 
 have it) every hour and moment of our lives, all the 
 good defigns and defires of our fouls j whatfoever, in fine, 
 has the name either of being or of good, proceed origi- 
 nally from him, who is the fountain of all beings, and of 
 all good ? if intereft be your aim, let all the angels, and 
 all mankind declare, whether we are capable of any 
 greater intereft, than that of receiving eternal glory, and 
 of being delivered from everlafting pains and torments : 
 for, this is the reward of virtue. If we pretend to the 
 enjoyment of prefent goods, what greater goods can we 
 pofTefs, than thofe twelve privileges above-mentioned, 
 which all good men enjoy in this life ; the leaft of which 
 is much more able to content and pleafe us, than all the 
 conditions and treafures of the world are ! what more 
 can we put into this ballance, than what is here promifed 
 us ! all the excufes worldly men are ufed to bring againft 
 us, are now quite baffled, and I fee no hole for them to 
 creep out at, unlefs they wilfully and obftinately ftop 
 B b b their
 
 3 82 lie Sinners Guide. Book T. 
 
 their ears, and (hut their eyes, againft fo clear and ma- 
 nifeft a truth. 
 
 6. What then remains, but that having feen the per- 
 fection and beauty of virtue, you repeat thefe words of 
 the Wife Man, fpeaking of wifdom, virtue's fifter and 
 companion. Her have I loved, and have fought ber out 
 from my youth, and have de/ired to take her for my Jpou/e, 
 and I became a lover of her beauty. She glorified her nobility 
 by being ccnverfant with God ; yea, and the Lord of all things 
 hath Icved her. For it is Jhe that teachetb the knowledge of 
 God, and is the choojer of his works. And if riches be dejired 
 in life, what is richer than wijdom which maketb all things ? 
 and if fenfe work, who is a more artful worker than Jhe of 
 thofe things that are? and if a man lovejujtice, her labours 
 have great virtues: for Jhe teacheth temperance, and prudence^ 
 andjujlice, and fortitude, which are fuch things as men can 
 have nothing more profitable in life. I propofed therefore t& 
 take her to me to live with me ; knowing that Jhe will com- 
 municate to me of her goodnefs, and will be a comfort in my 
 cares and grief *. Thefe are the words of the wife man. 
 What then remains, but to conclude this matter, as the 
 bit-fled martyr St. Cyprian concludes a moft elegant 
 epifde he writ to a friend of his, upon the contempt 
 of the world, as follows : 
 
 7. "There is, fays he-f-, but one quiet and fecure 
 tranquility, but one folid and perpetual fecurity; which 
 is when a man, being freed from the dorms of this world, 
 and laid up in the fecure haven of falvation ; lifts up his 
 eyes from earth to heaven, and being already admitted 
 into the company and favour of the Lord, is glad to fee 
 himfelf defpife and undervalue from his heart, whatever 
 the world has fuch an efteem for. A man in fuch a con- 
 dition, cannot defire any thing in this world, becaufe he 
 is already greater than the world itfelf.'* And a little 
 lower he goes on, faying : " There is no need of being 
 very rich, or having any honourable employs, for the ob- 
 taining of this happinefs. It is a pure gift of GOD, be- 
 ftowed upon tne devout foul ; for GOD is fo liberal and , 
 
 free 
 
 * Epift. 1. 2. ep. i. ad Donat. -f- Epift. I. 2. ep. I. a4 
 
 donat.
 
 Part III. Ch. 5. Love of tie World. 3 83 
 
 free, that, as the fun heats, as the day gives light, as the 
 fountain flows, and as the water falls down from a deep 
 place, fo this divine fpirit communicates himfelf freely 
 to all perfons, For this reafon, do you, who are already 
 lifted into this heavenly army, ufe all your endeavours to 
 be faithful in the obfervance of the difcipline of this 
 warfare, by ads of piety and devotion : let prayer and 
 holy reading be your continual companions : fometimes 
 do you fpeak to GOD, and at other times hearken to 
 what GOD has to fay to you. Let him inftruft you in 
 his commandments, let him have the difpofing and or- 
 dering of all the concerns of your life. Let no-body 
 look upon him as a poor man, whom GOD has once en- 
 riched. It is impofiible for the foul to fuffer hunger and 
 thirft, that has been filled with the bleflings and abun r 
 dance of heavenly things. Then the moft (lately build- 
 ings, crufted over with marble, and laid over with gold, 
 fhall be no more efteemed by you, than dirt and clay. 
 Then you will underftand that your chief bufinefs, is to 
 adorn and beautify yourfelf , and that this is much the 
 more magnificent and noble ftructure, wherein GOD re- 
 pofes, as in a living temple, and in which the Holy 
 Ghoft has taken up his habitation. Let us paint this 
 building over, but let it be with innocence , and let the 
 lights of the painting be no other, than thofe of juftice. 
 Time and age fhall never be able to deface thefe co- 
 lours ; and when the paint and gilding of material walls 
 fhall be quite worn off, thefe mail look as frefli and as 
 lively as ever they did. Artificial and mixed things are 
 all frail and perifhable, and they, in whofe pofieffion 
 they are, can never allure themfelves that they (hall 
 keep them long, becaufc it is no true pofTeflion j but 
 this remains with its colours always lively, with its re- 
 putation untainted, and with a fettled love and charity : 
 it cannot either decay or be blafted, though it may be 
 improved and made more beautiful at the refurre&ion." 
 Thus far St. Cyprian. 
 
 If any-body through the grace and infpiration of Gor>, 
 
 without which it is impofiible for man to do the leaft 
 
 good, is convinced and perfuaded by all the reafons and 
 
 B b b 2 arguments
 
 The Introduction to the 
 arguments we have brought in this book, fo as to defire 
 to embrace virtue, the following book will inftruft him 
 in what is to be done for the obtaining of his defire. 
 
 The INTRODUCTION 
 To the Second Book of the SINNERS GUIDE ; 
 
 Which treats of the Doctrine of Virtue, with 
 
 necefTary Inftructions and Advice for making 
 
 a Man virtuous. 
 
 FOrafmuch as it is not fufficient to perfuade man to be 
 virtuous, unlefs we teach him how to be fo, therefore, 
 having in the foregoing book, urged fo many and fuch 
 weighty reafons, to excite our hearts to the love of vir- 
 tue, it will be requifite to come now to the ufe and 
 practice of it, by giving fuch inftructions as are necef- 
 fary to make a man truly virtuous. And, becaufe, ac- 
 cording to the faying of a wife man, the firft virtue is 
 to avoid all vice, after which a man may apply himfelf 
 to the practice of virtue; we will therefore divide this 
 book into two parts : in the firft of which we will fpeak 
 of the moft ufual, or common vices, and the reme- 
 dies againft them : and in the fecond, of the virtues. 
 But before we enter upon this point, we muft lay down 
 two principles, which muft be prefuppofed by him, that 
 is reiblved to follow this way. 
 
 S E C T I. 
 
 Of the firft thing to be prefuppofed by him that defires 
 to ferve God. 
 
 i . He that refolves to offer himfelf up to the fervice 
 pf GOD, and to change his life, muft in the firft place, 
 ind above all things, have a good opinion of the defign 
 Jie has in hand, and put that value upon it, as it deferve$. 
 
 I mean
 
 Second feook of the Sinners Guide. 585 
 
 I mean, that he (hould look upon this as the moft im- 
 portant bufinefs, the greateft treafure he can have ; as 
 the beft and the moft prudent action he can undertake. 
 Nay, I would have him perfnade himfelf there is no other 
 treafure, no other bufinefs,- no other prudence in the 
 world, but this: this is the advice the prophet gives us; 
 when he fays * : Learn, O Ifracl, where prudence, where 
 ftrength, where underflanding is ; that you may, at the fame 
 time, know, where length of life is, and an abundance of all 
 things ; where the light of the eyes and peace is. GOD upon 
 the fame account, fays by the Prophet Jeremy f : Let 
 net the wife man glory in his wifdom, let not the Jlrong man 
 glory in his ftrength, let not the rich man glory in his riches : 
 but he that takes a pride in any thing, let it be in his know- 
 ing and under/landing me : For this is the fum of all goo d^ J. 
 And if there is any one amongft the children of men, of 
 a ccnfummate wifdom, if he hath not this wifdom too, 
 he fhall not be efteemed at all. 
 
 2. The holy fcripture, which fo ferioufly recommends, 
 and praifes this bufinefs to us, excites us to it, in a very 
 particular manner. This we are invited to by all crea- 
 tures, in heaven and earth ; by the voices and cries of 
 the church, by all kinds of laws, both divine and human ; 
 by the example of all the faints, who being enlightened 
 from heaven, defpifed the world, and pufaed on the de- 
 fign they had of embracing virtue, with fuch vigour 
 and love, that many fuffered themfelves to be torn in 
 pieces, to be broiled upon gridirons, and to undergo a 
 thoufand torments, rather than commit the leaft offence 
 againft GOD, and be out of his favour, though but for a 
 moment. It is this, in fine, that whatever has been 
 treated of in the foregoing book, invites and obliges us 
 to, becaufe there is nothing there, but what is in favour 
 of virtue, and what (hews us of how ineftimable a value 
 it is. Each of thefe things duly confidered, is fufficient 
 to convince us of the importance of this affair , and if 
 fo, what effedl muft all of them together, have upon 
 
 us ? 
 
 * Baruch. c. iii. v. 14. -j- Jerem. c. ix. v. 23, 24. 
 J Sap. c. ix. v. 6.
 
 386 The Introduction to tie 
 
 us ? So that, he who rcfufes to follow virtue, may by 
 this, perceive how great, and how glorious a defign he 
 undertakes, and how reafonable it is, as we fhall (hew 
 hereafter, to give himfelf up entirely to it. Let this 
 therefore be the firft thing to be prefuppofed in this 
 affair. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Of t6e fecond. thing to be prefuppofed by him, that defires to 
 ferve GOD. 
 
 i. The fecond thing to be prefuppofed is, that fmcc 
 it is a bufmefs of fuch worth and merit, you profecute 
 it with all the vigour imaginable, and with a refolution 
 and readinefs to bear up againtt all the contradictions and 
 difficulties you may probably meet with, in carrying on 
 of your defign. You are to look upon all thefe trou- 
 bles as little as nothing, in companion with fo glorious 
 an undertaking as that you have in hand, and to confi- 
 der, that it is the order of nature, that the acquifition of 
 any thing that is honourable, mould coft much labour. 
 For no fooner mail you refolve upon this bufmefs, but 
 hell itfelf will raife its power and forces againft you. 
 The flefh, which loves any thing that is delightful and 
 charming, and from its very birth, is bent upon all kinds 
 of evil, and has been fo ever fmce it was firit intoxicated 
 with the poifon of the old venomous ferpent, will con- 
 tinually, and with much importunity, prefs and invite 
 you to all its ufual delights and pleafures. Depraved 
 cuftom, which is as ftrong as nature itfelf, will imme- 
 diately oppofe this change, and will rcprefent it to you 
 as a thing very difficult. Becaufe, as the turning of a 
 river from its ordinary courfe and channel, is a laborious 
 work ; fo the turning of a man out of the way which 
 evil cuftom has for a long time led him in to make him 
 take another, is, in fome manner as hard and toilfome. 
 Befides, the world, that moft powerful and cruel monfter, 
 armed with the authority of all the bad examples that are 
 in it, will invite you with its pomps and vanities, tempt 
 you with evil practices of others, and frighten you with 
 the perfections and reproaches of the wicked : and, as 
 
 if
 
 Second Book of tie Sinners Guide. 387 
 
 if all this were nothing, the devil, that cunning and 
 old deceiver, will fet upon you, and, according to his 
 cuftom, with all that are newly converted, make his 
 utmoft efforts upon you, for forfaking his party. 
 
 2. You are to prefuppofe and conclude, you (hall meet 
 with all thefe difficulties and contradictions, that fo, 
 when ever thay occur you may not be furprized, but 
 reflect upon the advice of the wife man, when he fays, 
 When thcu come ft to the ferule e of GOD, ft and in j lift ice 
 and in fear^ and prepare thy foul for temptation *. And 
 therefore you muft not imagine you are invited to en- 
 tertainments, to fports and paftimes; but that you are 
 called upon to take up the mield and fpear, and to arm 
 yourfelf for fight. For, notwithftanding the aiTurance 
 we have of powerful affiftance, it is not to be denied, 
 but that there is always a great deal of difficulty at the 
 beginning. He that refolves to ferve GOD, is to pre- 
 fuppofe, and to forefee all this, that fo nothing may feem 
 ftrange or undefiled to him ; and to be perfaaded, that 
 the jewel he fights for, is of fuch a value, as to deferve 
 much more than he can give for the purchafe of it. 
 And, leaft all thefe enemies mould difcourage, remember 
 you, there are many more for you than againft you : be- 
 caufe, though fin raifes up all thefe adverfaries, yet virtue 
 comes into your afliftance, with more powerful fuccours. 
 For, you have GOD'S grace againft corrupted nature; 
 GOD himfelf againft the devil ; good cuftom againft bad ; 
 many good fpirits againft many evil ones : you have the 
 examples and exhortations of the faints, againft the bad 
 examples and perfecutions of the wicked j and againft 
 the delights and pleafures of the world, you have the 
 confolations of the Holy Ghoft. It is plain therefore, 
 that each of thofe that are for you, is ftronger than his 
 adverfary. For, grace is certainly ftronger than nature ; 
 GOD than the devil ; the good angels more powerful than 
 the bad ; and fpiritual delights and pleafures, incompa- 
 rably more charming and more winning than fenfual 
 pleafures. 
 
 THE 
 
 *Eccl.c. ii. v. i.
 
 THE 
 
 SINNERS GUIDE* 
 
 B O O K II. PARTI. 
 
 Which treats of Vices, and of the Remedies to be 
 applied againft them. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the frm resolution a good Chriftian is to make, never t6 
 commit any mortal fm. 
 
 j. /" | ^HESE two principles being prefuppofed, as 
 J. the main foundations of this fpiritual building, 
 the firft and chiefeft thing, which he, that is ferioufly 
 refolved to give himfelf up to GOD'S fervice, and to 
 the ftudy of virtue ought to do, is to fix in his foul, 
 a fincere refolution never to commit any mortal fin. For, 
 by this alone, we lofe the grace and friendihip of our 
 Lord, and with it, many other favours and benefits. 
 This is the chief bafis of a virtuous life; by this we are 
 to keep ourfelves in GOD'S favour, and to preferve his 
 friendihip, and the right we have to the kingdom of 
 heaven. In this confifts charity, and the fpiritual life of 
 the foul depends upon it. It is this makes men the 
 children of GOD, the temples of the Holy Ghofl, and 
 the living members of Jefus Chrift.-, and confequentty 
 as fuch, partakers of all the privileges of the church. 
 As long as the foul keeps this refolution, (he remains in 
 charity, and in the ftate of grace : but as foon as ever 
 file falls from it, fhe is immediately blotted out of the 
 book of life, and put down into that of perdition, and 
 banimed into the kingdom of darknefs. 
 
 2. This matter being duly confidered, it appears, that 
 as all things, whether natural or artificial, are compofed 
 
 of
 
 Partt Ch. 1. 'Of Mortal Sin. 389 
 
 of fubftance and accidents, with this difference, that the 
 fubftance always remains, tho* the accidents be changed ; 
 as a houfe is faid to be ftill ftanding (when the carved 
 work and painting is quite defaced) though not fo per- 
 Feft as it was at firft : but when the houfe falls, all fails. 
 So the foul, as long as it Hands firmly to this refolution^ 
 ftill retains the fubftance of virtue ; but when once this 
 fails, all the ftructure falls to the ground : the reafon of 
 it is, becaufe the whole being of a virtuous life confifts 
 in charity, that is, in loving GOD above all things. And 
 he loves .Goo after this manner, who hates mortal fin 
 above all things ; there being nothing but this that can 
 make a man lofe the love and fnendfliip of Goo. So 
 that, as there is nothing more injurious than adultery to 
 a marriage bed, there is nothing more prejudicial too, 
 and more deftruiflive of a virtuous life, than mortal fin ; 
 becaufe it deftroys charity, which maintains and nou- 
 rifhes this life. 
 
 3. This is the reafon why all the martyrs willingly en- 
 dured fuch dreadful torments : for this caufe they fuffered 
 themfelves to be burned, to be flead alive, to be racked, 
 to have their fiefh pulled off with pincers, and to be torn 
 in pieces, rather than commit a mortal fin ; which would 
 in a moment have deprived them of the friendmip and 
 grace of GOD. They knew, that if they had finned mor- 
 tally, they might have repented of /heir crime, and have 
 obtained pardon, as St. Peter did for denying our Sa- 
 viour : and yet, they rather chofe to undergo all the tor- 
 ments in the world, than to be never fo (hort a fpace out 
 of GOD'S favour. 
 
 4. We have three great examples of this fort, in three 
 noble women ; one of the Old Teftament, the mother of 
 feven fons, and two of the New, called Felicitas and 
 Symphorola; who had alfo each of them feven fons. 
 Thefe holy women, were all. of them prefent at the fuf- 
 ferings and martyrdoms, of their own children, and were 
 fo far from being frightened at the lamentable fight, 
 when they beheld them torn in pieces before their faces, 
 that on the contrary, they exhorted and encouraged them 
 to die bravely for the faith and fervice of GOD > and gave 
 
 Ccc up
 
 390 The Sinners Guide. Book ll. 
 
 up their own lives with them, with a great deal of cou- 
 rage and refoiution for the fame Caufe. 
 
 5. St. Jerome, in his life of St. Paul, the firil hermit, 
 gives us an example (I am doubtful, whether not prefe- 
 rable to thefe) of a young man, whom after having tried 
 all other means, the tyrants ordered him to be laid upon 
 a foft bed, under a made of trees, in a very frefh and 
 pleafant garden , tying down his arms and his hands with 
 filken cords, that he might neither fly nor defend him- 
 felf : then they fent a lewd woman to him, richly drefs'd, 
 to ufe all the arts fhe could think of, to overcome his 
 refoiution and conftancy. What could the foldier of 
 Chrift do in this diftrefs ? what courfe could he take to 
 avoid fuch difgrace, when he was naked, and had his 
 hands and feet tied ? yet the power of heaven, and the 
 prefcnce of the Holy Ghoft did not forfake him : for he 
 was immediately infpired to deliver himfelf from his pre- 
 fent danger, by a ftratagem more ftrange and heroic, 
 than any we read of, either in the Greek or Roman hif- 
 torians. For, out of the great fear he had of GOD, and 
 out of the horror of fin, he bit out his tongue with his 
 teeth, the only part of him then at liberty, and fpit it 
 into the impudent woman's face : thus, by fo ftrange 
 and unheard of an action, terrifying and obliging her to 
 fly, and at the fame time cooling the natural heat of the 
 Mem, by the pain he put it to. This is enough to let us 
 fee, in Ihort, to what a degree all the faints have hated 
 and abhorred mortal fin. I could here give you the ex- 
 amples of fome perfons, who rolled themfelves naked 
 aroongft briars and thorns : and of others, who have flung 
 themfelves into the fnow, in the very depth of winter, to 
 quench the fire of luft, which the enemy had kindled in 
 them. 
 
 6. He therefore that defigns to walk in the fame path, 
 muft endeavour to fix this refoiution deep in his ibul j 
 efteeming the friendfhip of GOD, more than all the trea- 
 fures of the world ; and chufing, when occafion offers, 
 to part freely with things of fmall value, for thofe that 
 are of ineftimable worth. Let this be the very bafis of 
 his life j it is to this all his actions are to tend ; it is 
 
 what
 
 Part I. Ch. i . Of Mortal Sin. 3 9 1 
 
 what he ought to beg earneftly of GOD in all his prayers ; 
 it is for this he is to frequent the facraments ; this is the 
 fruit he muft reap, by hearing of fermons and reading of 
 good books : it is the leflbn lie is to learn from the form 
 and beauty of the world, with all the creatures that are in 
 it. This is the chief benefit he is to make of the paffion 
 of our Saviour, and of all the reft of Almighty GOD'S fa- 
 vours and graces ; to wit, never to offend him, to whom 
 he is fo infinitely indebted: and it is this holy fear and 
 firm refolution, by which he is to meafure his progrefs ii\ 
 virtue, looking upon himfelf to have been advanced fo 
 much the more or lefs, as he has been the more or lefs 
 obfervant of his refolution. 
 
 7. And, as a man that would drive a nail up to the 
 head, is not content to give it three or four ftrokes, but 
 continues hammering, till he has drove it in : fo, it i* 
 not enough to make this refolution any how, but a man 
 muft endeavour every day, to apply whatfoever he fhall 
 fee, hear, read, or meditate upon, to his farther advance 
 in the love of GOD, and in a deteftation of fin : becaufe 
 the greater progrefs he makes in this hatred, the more 
 forward he advances in that love, and confequently in all 
 forts of virtue. 
 
 8. He is, for his greater confirmation in this-defign, to- 
 be throughly convinced, that if all the ill accidents, andt 
 all' the pains that ever have been in the world, from its 
 creation to this very day, with all the torments that the 
 damned fuffer in hell, were put together into one fcale, 
 and mortal fin into another, this would without doubt, 
 weigh down all the torments, as being a much greater 
 evil, and by confequence, fuch a one, as deferves more 
 to be avoided, than all thefe pains and torments : though 
 the dreadful, blindnefs and darknefs of this Egypt makes 
 men imagine thefe things to be quite different from whac 
 they are in effecl:. But, after all, what wonder is it, that 
 neither the blind mould fee fo great an evil, nor the dead 
 be fenfible of fo deep a, wound-, fince it is.impoflible for 
 the blind to fee any thing, though never fo great, or for 
 the dead to feel any wound, though it be mortal 
 
 C c c z SECT,
 
 Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 9. The fubje<5t of this fecond book being the doctrine 
 of virtue, to which fin is directly oppofite , the firft part; 
 of it (hall be fpent in treating of the horror we ought to 
 have of it, and of fuch particular remedies, as may be ap^ 
 plied to it; becaufe, if we can but once root thefe weeds 
 out of the foul, it will be no hard matter to fet the plants 
 of virtues in their places ; whereof we will treat in the 
 fecond part. We will fpeak here, not only of mortal 
 but of venial fins j not that thefe take away the life of 
 the foul, but becaufe they weaken and difpofe it for 
 death. And for this fame reafon we will here fpeak of 
 the feven capital or deadly fins ; which are the very heads 
 and iources of all the others : not that they always happen 
 to be mortal, but that they very often ace fo, when a 
 commandment of GOD, or of the church is broken, or 
 any thing done contrary to chanty. 
 
 10. In this doctrine, he that finds himfelf powerfully 
 tempted by any vice, may find remedies for all his dif- 
 tempers. Some of them it is true, are general, againft 
 all kinds of fins, fpoken of in the Memorial of a Chriftian 
 Life-, where I have given fifteen or fixteen remedies 
 againft fin. Others are particular, and applicable only 
 to particular fins : as to pride, covetoufnefs, anger, and 
 the like. Thefe are what we (hall treat of at prefent, by 
 applying to every peculiar vice its proper remedy, and 
 by furniftiing thofe perfons who are refolved to fight 
 againft fin, with fpiritual weapons. 
 
 11. But you muft here carefully obferve, that, for 
 fighting of this battle, we have more need of eyes to 
 fee what is done, than of hands to*fight or feet to run 
 away. The eyes are the chief weapons man can ufe in 
 this war ; which is carried on, not againft flem and blood, 
 but againft the evil angels, which are fpiritual creatures. 
 The reafon of this is, becaufe the very firft root of all fin, 
 is the error and deceit of the underftanding, which coun- 
 fels and directs the will. And therefore our adverfary's 
 chief endeavour is, to pervert the underftanding. For, 
 if this be perverted, the will, which is governed by it, 
 
 muft
 
 Part I. Ch. 2, Remedies againft Pride. 
 
 inuft neccflarily go the fame way. For the better ef- 
 fecting of this, they colour evil over with the appearance 
 of good, and make vice pafs for virtue, and cover the 
 temptation fo cunningly, that it appears to be neceflity 
 and reafon, not a temptation. So that if, for example, 
 they have a mind to tempt us by ambition, avarice, anger, 
 or the defire of revenge, they endeavour to make us be- 
 lieve it is highly reafonable, to defire what we do, and 
 that, to do the contrary, would be to aft againft reafon. 
 Thus they make reafon ferve as a cloak to the tempta- 
 tion, that fo they may by this mean?, the better deceive, 
 even thofe who follow the dictates of reafon. It is ne- 
 cefiary therefore, upon this account, that a man fhould 
 have eyes to difcover the hook which lies under the bait, 
 and not to be deceived by the bare form and appearance 
 of good. 
 
 12. It is alfo requifite to have eyes here, to fee the 
 malice, the deformity, the danger, the loffes, and all the 
 other inconveniencies which the vice we are tempted to, 
 perpetually carries along with it, that fo we may keep 
 our appetite in, and be afraid to tafte that, which, if 
 once tailed, will infallibly be death to us. For this rea- 
 fon, the myfterious animals in Ezechiel *, which are the 
 figures of the faints, were full of eyes all over, though 
 their other members were but fingle ; to give us to un- 
 derftand, how neceflary thefe fpiritual eyes are to the 
 fervants of GOD, to fecure them againft the fnares of 
 vice. This is the chief remedy we mall make life of 
 upon this occafion; to which we will join all others 
 that may be 1 thought any ways neceflary j as will appear 
 hereafter. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Remedies againft Pride. 
 
 I, T TAVING promifed in this firft part, to treat of 
 
 J[~l vices, and their remedies, we will begin with 
 
 thefe feven which are called capital, becaijfe they are the 
 
 Ezeck. c. u. heads
 
 394 tte Sinners Guide* Book II, 
 
 heads and fources of all the reft. For, if we can but. 
 pluck up thefe feven vices (whence all others proceed) 
 py the roots, the reft which fpring up from them, muft 
 of necefFity perifli, as all the branches of a tree die, 
 when the root from which they received the fap that 
 nourilhed them, is cut off. This was the occafion of 
 Caftan's taking fo much pains in. writing his eight books 
 ^gainft thefe vices, (which has alfo been done by feveral 
 other very grave authors) becaufe he was throughly con-, 
 vinced, that if thefe enemies were defeated, none of the 
 reft would be able to make any refiftance. 
 
 2. The reafon of it, as St. Thomas writes, is *, be^ 
 caufe all fins originally proceed from felf-love, for they 
 are all committed through a defire of fome particular 
 good this feli-loye makes us covet. From this love, 
 ipring thofe three branches, which St. John fpeaks of 
 in his canonical epiftle, to- wit, The concupifcence of the 
 flejh, and the comypifcence of the eyes, and the pride of ltfe-\. 
 Which to (peak plainer, are nothing elfe but the love of 
 pleafures, the^lpve- of riches, ajid the love of honour, 
 Becaufe, from the firft love proceed thefe three ; and all 
 others come from them. For, from the love of plea- 
 iure, arifes three qapital vices, luxury, gluttony, and 
 floth. Fron> the love of honour comes pride ; and co- 
 vetoufnefs from the love of riches. And as for the other 
 two, anger and envy^ they ferve every one of thefe un- 
 lawful loves. For, anger is caufed by meeting with any 
 obftru&ion in : the obtaining of what we defire; and 
 when another get that, which felf-love defired for itfelf, 
 then envy is, excited. Since therefore thefe are the three 
 univerial roots of all evils, from which thefe feven vices 
 proceed, it follows of courfe, that if we can but over- 
 come thefe fgYsn^ all the others muft be routed. We 
 ought, for this reafon, to employ all our ftrength in 
 fighting with thefe mighty giants, if we have a mind to 
 iubdue all thofe other enemies, which, have taken the 
 land of promife from us. 
 
 3. The firft and moft confiderable of them, is pride, 
 wJiich is an inordinate defire of excelling. It is the com- 
 mon 
 < * i, 2, 9, 77. Part 4. f i Joan. c. ii. v. 16.
 
 Part I. Ch. 2. Remedies agamjl "Pride. 395 
 
 mon opinion of holy writers, that this vice is the mother 
 and queen of ail the reft; and for this reafon, holy 
 Tobias amongft many other good counfels which he 
 gave his Ion, advifed him particularly againft this vice, 
 faying, Never permit any pride to rule over your thoughts, 
 or over your dijcourfe ; for our perdition took its beginning 
 from it *. As often therefore as this peftilential vice (hall 
 tempt you, you may defend yourfelf againft it by the 
 following confiderations. 
 
 4. Firft of all confider the dreadful punimment Goo 
 inflicted on the bad angels, for their pride and infolencej 
 they were flung headlong out of heaven in a moment, 
 and caft in the bottomlefs pit of hell. Confider how this 
 vice darkened and obfcured him, who but juft before 
 fhone brighter, than all the ftars of heaven , and made 
 not only a devil, but even the worft of devils of him, 
 who before was not only an angel, but the prince of 
 angels. If the angels were treated no better than thus, 
 what will become of you who are but duft and afhes ? 
 for neither is GOD contrary to himfelf, nor is there with 
 him refpect of perfons. Pride is as odious to him in art 
 angel, as in a man ; and humility on the other fide as 
 acceptable. It was this gave occafion to St. Auguftin to 
 fay ; " That humility makes angels of men, and that 
 pride makes devils of angels f ." And St. Bernard for 
 the fame reafon fays, " That pride humbles a perfon 
 down from the higheft degree to the lowed. The angels 
 for being proud in heaven, were caft down into hell; 
 and men for being humble here upon earth, are railed 
 above the ftars of heaven J. 
 
 5. With this fevere punimment inflicted upon pride, 
 confider the example which the Son of GOD has given 
 you of an inconceivable humility, who has taken upon 
 him a nature fo much beneath his own, for the love of 
 you, and for the fame reafon, Becoming obedient to his 
 father unto death, nay, even to the death of the crofs . 
 Bafe and miferable man, let the example of your GOD 
 here teach you obedience ; learn from him O earth ! to 
 
 humble 
 
 * Job, c. iv. v. 24. t Tom. 12. ad Etras in fcmo. 
 
 J Septem. c. 2. Phil, c. ii. v. 8.
 
 396 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 humble yourfelf ? learn from it O dufl 1- to look upon 
 yourfelf as nothing , learn O Chriftian from your Lord 
 and GOD, Who was meek aud humble of heart -\-. If you 
 think it below you to imitate the examples of other men, 
 do not think it below you to imitate that of GOD ; who 
 became man, as well to humble as to redeem us. 
 
 6. Call your eyes upon yourfelf and you will there 
 find motives enough of humility. Do but confider what 
 you were before you were'born-, what you are fince you 
 have been born ; and what you are like to be after your 
 death. Before your birth you were a filthy matter un- 
 worthy to be named , at prefent you are a dunghill co - 
 vered with fnow, and in a mort time will be meat for the 
 worms. What have you now, O man, to be proud of? 
 you whofe birth is fin ; whofe life is mifery -, and whofe 
 end is rottennefs and corruption. If the temporal riches 
 you poflefs are the fubjecl of your pride; flay but for a 
 moment, death will come and make us all equal. For as 
 we are all born equal, as to our natural condition, fo we 
 fhall all die equal, according to the common necefiity of 
 mankind, with this only difference, that they, who have 
 had the moft here, will have the largeft accounts to make 
 \ip after death. Whereupon St. Chryfoftom fpeaking to 
 the fame purpofe, fays, Confider ferioufly the graves of 
 the dead, and find if you can, the leaft marks of all 
 that fplendour and magnificence they lived in, or of the 
 riches and pleafures they enjoyed. Tell me now, what 
 is become of all their rich furniture and coftly cloaths ? 
 where are all their fports and paftimes ? what have they 
 done with all their fervants and attendants ? their fump- 
 tuous entertainments, their merriments, their jefts and 
 worldly mirth are now all over : do but go near any one 
 of their graves, and you will find nothing there now but 
 duft and afhes, with worms and rotten bones. This 
 therefore is the end the bodies are to come to, how ten- 
 derly and nicely foever they have been treated. And I 
 with there were no evil beyond, or greater than this j 
 there is fomething follows, that is much more to be ap- 
 prehended : it is the dreadful tribunal of the divine 
 
 juftice 5 
 f Matt, c, xi, v. 29.
 
 Parti. Cn. 2. Remedies againft Pride. 397 
 
 Juftice; the fentence which will be pafs'd there j the 
 weeping and gnaming of teeth, the never-dying worm, 
 which bites and gnaws the conferences, and the fire 
 which fhall never be extinguifhed. 
 
 7. Confiderthe danger of vain-glory, pride's daughter, 
 of which St. Bernard fpeaking fays : " It flies lightly, it 
 enters lightly, but it wounds not lightly. *" For this 
 reafon, you ought, whenever men commend or refpecl: 
 you, to confider immediately whether you really have 
 thofe qualities they commend you for, or no. For if you 
 have not, you have no reafon at all to be proud ; but if 
 you mould perhaps have them, fay with the apoille : By 
 the grace of God 1 am^ what I am -f. So that you have 
 no reafon to be proud on that account, but on the con- 
 trary, to humble yourfelf and to praife Goo, to whom 
 you are indebted for all you have ; that by this means, 
 you may make yourfelf not unworthy of what he has 
 been pleafed to beftow on you , for it is certain, that 
 refpect which men pay you, and the reafon for their doing 
 fo comes from GOD : and therefore you rob GOD of as 
 much honour as you appropriate to yourfelf. Can any 
 fervant be more unfaithful than he that fteals his matter's 
 glory ? confider farther what a folly and madnefs it 
 is, to rate your worth and meritj according to the opinion 
 and efteem of men, who having the liberty of turning 
 the fcale which way they pleafe, of taking away in a fhort 
 time what they now give you, and of ftripping you of 
 the honour they at prefent afford you. If you build your 
 reputation upon what they fay of you to day, perhap? 
 you will be a great man, as mean to-morrow, and next 
 day nothing at all, juft as a company of inconftant and 
 changeable men fhall think fit to talk of you. Your bufi- 
 nefs therefore is, never to value yourfelf upon the com- 
 mendations others give you, but only upon what you 
 know of yourfelf. And though they mould cry you up 
 to the very fkies, hearken you at the fame time to what 
 your confcience fays to you ; and be perfuaded, that you 
 are better acquainted with yourfelf than other men are, 
 Who have only a diftant view of you, and can judge of 
 D d d ycu 
 
 * Serm. vi, in Pfalm, Qui habitat. -j- 1 Cor. c.XV. v. 10.
 
 398 The Sinners GviJe. 'Book If. 
 
 you by nothing elfe but by what they hear. Take no 
 notice of what men fay or think of you, but commit 
 your honour and glory into GOD'S hands ; he is wife 
 enough to lay it up for you, and faithful enough to give 
 it you back again. 
 
 8. Confider alfo O ambitious man, what dangers the 
 defire you have of commanding others, expofes you to. 
 For, how mall you be able to command others, who have 
 not yet learned to obey ? what account fhall you be able 
 to give Almighty GOD of many others, when you are 
 fcarce able to anfwerfor yourfelf? confider what a hazard 
 you run, by adding to your own, thofe perfons fins who 
 are committed to your care , for this realbn the fcripture 
 fays, That a moft Jevere judgment jhall be for them that 
 bear rule. For to him that is little, mercy is granted ; but the 
 mighty Jhall be mightily tormented *. Beiides, who is able 
 to exprefs the cares and troubles thofe perfons live in, 
 who have many others to look after ? we have an excel- 
 lent example hereof in a certain king, who juft as he was 
 going to be crowned, took the crown in his hands before 
 they placed it on his head, and having looked ftedfaftly 
 on it for a while, cried out ; O crown, much more 
 .richer than happy ; if a man did but know thee tho- 
 roughly, he would never (loop to take thee up, though 
 he mould find thee'lying on the ground. 
 
 9. Confider once again, O proud man, that your pride 
 is acceptable to nobody. It is not acceptable to GOD, 
 becaufc he is your enemy, for, He rejijleth the froud> but 
 to the humble he giveth grace ~f. It cannot but be odious 
 to the humble, becaule every body fees what a horror 
 .they have of any thing that is proud and haughty; nor 
 will thofe that are themfelves as proud as you like it, 
 becaufe they hate you on the very fame account, that 
 you value yourfelf, and can endure none that is greater 
 than they are. And what is worft of all, you will never 
 be fatisfied with yourfelf in this world : if you do but 
 enter into yourfelf and reflect upon your own vanity and 
 folly, and you will have much lefs contentment in the" 
 next world, when you (hall be condemned in punimment 
 of your pride to eternal torments. GOD confirms this 
 VVifd. c. vi. v. 6, 7. i Pet. c. v. v. 5. by
 
 Parti. Ch 2. Remedies againjl Pride- 399 
 
 by the mouth of St. Bernard, when he fays, " O man, 
 if you were but thoroughly acquainted with yourfelf, you 
 would be difagreable to yourielf, and thereupon agre- 
 able to me-, but for want of knowing yourfelf, you are 
 puft up with pride, and therefore it is that I hate you.'* 
 The time will come when you will neither pleafe your- 
 felf nor me , you will not pleafe me, becaufe of the 
 crimes you have committed, nor yourfelf, becaufe of the 
 torments you mall be condemned to for all eternity. 
 There is none but the devil that approves of your pride ; 
 it was this changed him into a moft hideous and deformed 
 fpirit, from a moft glorious and beautiful angel; and 
 therefore it is natural to him to be pleafed, when he ices 
 others like himfelf. 
 
 10. Another motive you may ufe for the humbling of 
 yourfelf, is, the confideration of the fmall fer vices you 
 have done GOD, fuch at lead as are fincere and true ; and 
 confequently the little favour you are to expect from him; 
 for there are many vices hid under the appearance of 
 virtue, and very often thofe actions which are good of 
 themfelves, are fpoiled by the pride we take in them ; 
 and what men imagine to be as bright as noon- day, fre- 
 quently proves to be dark as night before GOD. This 
 moft jutt judge-, makes another judgment of things than 
 we do-, and an humble finner is not fo odious to him, 
 as a proud juft man, though we cannot properly call 
 him juft, who is proud. But after all, let us put the 
 cafe that you have done fome good works ; do but call to 
 mind the ill actions you have been guilty o/, and you 
 will find they far out- weigh the other ; nay, perhaps you 
 will find the .good you have done, has been fo faulty and 
 imperfect -, that there will be much more reafon to afk 
 pardon, than to pretend to any reward for it. And there- 
 fore St. Auguftin faicl, " Woe to a virtuous life, if GOD 
 fhould lay afide his mercy when he examines into iff,*' 
 becaufe it is not at all improbable, that he may con- 
 demn it for thofe very things we thought would pleafe 
 him ; for the evil actions we commit, are entirely and 
 purely evil j but the good we do, are not always per- 
 D d d 2 fectly 
 
 "t'St. X, ix. Cor. c. 13.
 
 400 %le Sinners Guide. feook It. 
 
 fedly and abfolutely good, being frequently mixt with 
 a great many imperfections. This duly confidered, will 
 make you acknowledge, it is far more reafonable to fear 
 than to value yourfelf upon your good works, Job, as 
 holy as he was, dreaded it, when he faid, / jear all my 
 works, knowing that thou didft not /pare the offender * 
 
 SECT I. 
 
 Of fame oiler more particular remedies againft Pride. 
 
 ,n. But becaufe the knowledge of man's felf. is the 
 chief foundation of humility, fo that of pride is a 
 man's ignorance of himfelf , whofoever has a mind to 
 be truly humble, muft endeavour to acquire this know- 
 ledge, and by this means he will know how to humble 
 himfelf. For how can he chufe but to have a mean opi- 
 nion of himfelf, when looking into his own breaft with- 
 out partiality, by the light of truth, he finds himfelf 
 full of fins ; defiled all over with the dregs of carnal 
 pleafures , under a thoufand miftakes and errors ; feared 
 with a thoufand idle frights and fancies , intangled in a 
 thoufand perplexities ; prefied down by the weight of a 
 mortal body; fo forward to all kind of evil-, and fo 
 backward to any thing that is good ? fo that if you but 
 examine yourfelf with due care and attention, you will 
 be eafily convinced, that you have nothing at all in you 
 to be proud of. 
 
 12. But there are fome, who though looking into 
 themfelves, they are humbled , yet they grow proud by 
 looking upon others, finding themfelves upon comparifon 
 better than they. Thofe who are puffed up on this ac- 
 count, ought to confider, that if they are better than 
 others in fome things, there are many other things in 
 which did they perfectly underfland themfelves, they 
 would fee thofe others are better than they. Why there- 
 fore mould you have a good opinion of yourfelf, and 
 defpife your neighbour for being more abftemious or 
 more laborious than he is, when though you excel him 
 ift thefe virtues, he is perhaps more humble, more pru- 
 
 4ent, 
 * Job, c. ix. v. 28,
 
 Part I. Ch. 2. Remedies again/I Pride. 40 1 
 
 dent, more patient, or more charitable than you ? fo 
 that it is your bufmefs to look, not fo much upon what 
 you have, as upon what you want ; and to take more 
 notice of thofe virtues you obferve in others, than of 
 thofe you fee in yourfelf : by this means you will pre- 
 ferve your humility, and excite and increafe in your foul 
 a defire of perfection. Whereas if you look only upon 
 what you have yourfelf, and what others want, you will 
 have a better opinion of yourfelf than of them, and will 
 grow tepid and idle in the ftudy of virtue. The reafon 
 is plain, becaufe you will imagine upon comparing your- 
 felf with others, that you are fomething, and fo you will 
 come by degrees, to be pleafed with the itate you find 
 yourfeif in, and will not care for going any farther. 
 
 13. If after any good actions you difcover any inclina- 
 tion to think well of yourfelf, and to take a pride in what 
 you have done ; your bufmefs then will be to watch more 
 carefully over yourfelf, for fear you mould fpoil and lofc 
 all the merit of it, by pride and vain-glory, the very bane 
 and peft of all that is good. You ought to be fo far from 
 attributing any good to your own merits, that you are on 
 the contrary to thank GOD for all ; and fupprefs your 
 pride with thofe words of St. Paul : What baft thou that 
 thou baft not received? and if thou haft received ; why doft thou 
 glory as if thou hadft not received it * ? You mould endea- 
 vour to conceal all thofe good works you do, which are 
 not of duty, but for your farther advance in perfection ; 
 unlefs the ftate you are in requires they mould be public : 
 you mould not fo much as let your left hand know what 
 your right hand does ; becaufe we are more apt to be 
 proud of the good works we do openly, than of others. 
 As foon as you perceive your heart but beginning to 
 fwell, you are immediately to make ufe of the remedy ; 
 that is, to call to mind your fins, but particularly one 
 or more of the moft heinous of them ; and thus like the 
 phyficians you will expel one poifon by another ; follow 
 the example of the peacock, look upon that which is 
 moft deformed in you, and you will foon remove the very 
 Occafions of your vanity. 
 
 \4 The 
 * Cqr. c. iv. v. 7.
 
 402 The Sinners Guide. Book II, 
 
 14. The greater you are, the more humble you ought 
 to be , for it is no great matter to be humble, if you are 
 a mean perfon, but if you are a perfon of honour and 
 quality, and yet thus difpofed, you will acquire a very 
 excellent and great virtue ; becaufe humility, in the 
 midft of honour, is an honour to honour itfelf, and one 
 dignity added to another : but if you have no humi- 
 lity, your honour and dignity will fall to the ground. 
 
 15. If you defire to acquire the virtue of hiimility, 
 be content to meet with humiliations-, for you will never 
 be humble, if you cannot endure to be humbled : for 
 there are ft-veral perfons who pretend to be humble, when 
 in reality they are far from being fo : and it is certainly 
 true, that the way to humility, as St. Bernard fays, is 
 humiliation * : as patience is the way to peace, and ftudy 
 to learning. Obey GOD therefore with all humility; and 
 according to St. Peter's advice; Be ye Jubjeft therefore 
 to every human creature for God's fake { . 
 
 1 6- St. Bernard would have us always keep three forts 
 of fears in our hearts ; one when we are in the (late of 
 grace ; another, when we are out of it ; and the third 
 when we recover grace again. " Be afraid, fays he, whe^ 
 you are in grace, lead you fhould do fomething unworthy 
 of it : be afraid, when you havr loft gnce, becaufe with- 
 out it you are deprived of the guard that watched o 'er 
 you, to iecure you. Be afraid too, if alter having once 
 loft it you (hould ever recover it again, that y*a may 
 not be io unhappy as to lofe it a fecond time J". Do 
 but keep yourlelf continually in thefe ar^fhenfions, and 
 you will never prefume upon your own ftr.'ngth and vir- 
 tue, being always thus full of the rear or G >. 
 
 17. Suffer all your pc-rfecutions wirh patience; for it is 
 the bearirp- ^ f injuries and affronts in this manner, that 
 (hews us whether a man be truly humble, or no. Never 
 defpife thole who are poor and in diitrefs-, our neigh- 
 bour's milery mould rather excite us to companion, than 
 to a contempt of them. Be not too curious and ex- 
 penfive in your drefs ; for it is impoilible a man's heart 
 
 fhould 
 
 * St. Bern, ad Fratres de monte Dei. f i Pet. c. ii. v. 13. 
 ^ St, Bern. Serm. 4. in Cantic.
 
 Part I. Ch. 2. Remedies againft Pride. 403 
 
 fhould be always humble, when he is perpetually felicitous 
 about coftly apparel ; nay, he that is fo, cannot but make 
 it too "much his bufmefs and ftudy to pleafe men : for a 
 man would never take fuch pains to drefs him, if he 
 thought no-body would take any notice of him. But 
 whilft you endeavour to avoid this extreme, have a care 
 at the fame time of running into the oppofite, of going 
 meaner than your ftate and condition requires , otherwife 
 you will meet with vain-glory, whilfl you are running 
 from it, as feveral perfons do, who then feek moft for 
 commendations, when they pretend moft to defpife them; 
 thus cunningly ftudying to be admired, under the pre- 
 tence of running from it. You ought not to difdain 
 mean and bafe employs ; for a man that is truly humble, 
 will be fo far from refufing fuch, as thinking them be- 
 neath him , that he will rather feek after them with all 
 the chearfulnefs imaginable, becaufe he is bafe and vile 
 in his own eyes. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Remedies againft covetoufnefs. 
 
 i. /"^Ovetoulnefs is an inordinate defire of riches. And 
 \^Jl therefore not only he, that fteals from others, but 
 he that paffionately covets what is another man's, or is 
 too felicitous in keeping his own, is properly accounted 
 covetous. The apoltle condemned this vice, when he 
 faid * : Ttiey that become rich^ fall into temptation, and into 
 the fnare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful 
 defires, which drown men in deftruftion and perdition : for 
 covetoufnefs is the root of all evils. He could not have ex- 
 aggerated the malignity of this vice in more proper 
 terms ; for this gives us to underftand, that he who is 
 fubjecl: to this vice is a flave to all others, 
 
 2. Whenever therefore you are fet upon by this vice, 
 you may arm yourfelf againll it with the following con- 
 fiderations : Confider in the firft place, O covetous man, 
 
 * i Tim. c. vi, v. a., 19,
 
 404 The Sinners Guide. Book It. 
 
 that your Lord and your GOD, when he came down from 
 heaven upon earth, did not defire to poflefs fuch riches, 
 as thofe you feek after : on the contrary, ] he had fuch an 
 extraordinary love for poverty, that he chofe to take flefh 
 of a poor and humble virgin, not of a rich and noble 
 queen. After he was born he would not live in great 
 palaces, nor lie in a chamber well furniflied, nor in a 
 foft bed ; but in a bafe and poor manner, and upon a 
 little flraw -f. Befides this, he had a particular love for 
 poverty during his whole life, and defpifed riches, fmcc 
 he chofe poor filhermen for his embaflfadors and apoftles, 
 and not princes or perfons of great quality. What 
 greater abufe then can there be, than for a bafe worm to 
 defire to be rich, when the fovereign lord of all creatures 
 became fo poor for his fake ? 
 
 3. Confider again the vilenefs of your own heart, fince 
 you are willing for a little intereft, to fling away your 
 foul which was created to the likenefs of GOD, and re- 
 deemed by his blood, in comparifon of which all the 
 world is nothing. This foul therefore muft be of a much 
 greater value than the whole world. It is not filver, nor 
 gold, nor precious ftones that are the true riches, but 
 virtue the infeparable companion of a good confcience. 
 Lay afide the falfe opinion and judgment of men, and 
 you will fee that your filver and gold is nothing but a 
 little earth, which receives all its worth and value from 
 the erroneous judgment of men. Will you who are a 
 Chriftian, and who are called to the enjoyment of greater 
 goods, fet forth an efteem upon that, which all the heathen 
 philofophers contemned and flighted, as to make your- 
 felf its flave ? for as St. Jerom fays ( i ) : "He that looks 
 after his riches like a flave, is a flave to them ; but he 
 that (hakes off this yoke pofiefles them as lord and 
 mafter. 
 
 4. Confider alfo, that as our Saviour fays : No man 
 canferve two mafters^ God and mammon (2) , and that it is 
 impoflible for a man to contemplate GOD, whilft he is 
 running open-mouth'd after worldly goods : he that 
 
 loves 
 
 + Luc. c. ii. v. 7. ( i) Hieron. in c, vi. Matt. _ J Matt. 
 *.vi. v, 24,
 
 Ch. 3. Remedies agamjl Covetottfnefs. 40$ 
 loves temporal delights and comforts, muft not expect 
 to poflefs the fpiritual : nor is there any poflibility of 
 joining falfe and true things together, high and low, 
 eternal and temporal, fpiritual and carnal, fo as to enjoy 
 them both at once. Confider, that the more fuccefs you 
 meet with in your worldly concerns, the more miferable 
 you are like to be , becaufe of the. occafiorts it gives you 
 of trufting too much to this falfe happinefs you enjoy. 
 O ! that you did but know what mifery attends this poor 
 fuccefs ! the very defire, which proceeds from the love 
 of riches is a much greater torment* than the poffeflion 
 of them can be a delight and pleafure : becaufe it en- 
 tangles the foul in many temptations, it engages it in 
 many cares ; invites it with its empty delights ; excites 
 it to fin, and difturbs its reft and quiet : befides all this, 
 there is no getting of riches without pains and labour j 
 there is no keeping of them without folicitude and care; 
 and there is no lofing of them without much grief and 
 vexation : but what is worft of all, they are fcarce ever 
 to be heaped up without offending GOD , for it is a 
 common faying : " That a rich man is either a wicked 
 man, or elfe a wicked man's heir." 
 
 5. Confider what a folly it is to be continually defiring 
 thofe things, which it is certain can never fatisfy your 
 wifh ; on the contrary, they do but provoke and raife 
 your defire the more, as a dropfical man the more he 
 drinks, flill the drier he is ; becaufe let your poflefllons 
 be never fo large you will be always coveting what you 
 have not, and continually gaping after more. So that 
 whilft your heart is unhappily running after the things o 
 this world, it tires itfelf without ever being fatisfied, it 
 drinks and yet cannot quench its thirft, becaufe it takes 
 no notice of what it has ; and thinks of nothing but how 
 to get more , and what is ftill worfe, that which it is al- 
 ready pofTeiTed of, cannot give it fo much eafe and con- 
 tentment, as that which it cannot obtain, gives it difturb- 
 ance and trouble , and whilft you are filling your coffers 
 with gold, you fill your heart full of air and fmoke. 
 St. Auguftin had a great deal of reafon to be aftonifhed 
 at this kind of proceeding, and therefore he faid : " How 
 Ecc is
 
 406 *Fbe Sinners Guide* BodkIL 
 
 is it pofRblc that men fhould be fo infatiable in their de- 
 fires , when even brute creatures obferve a bound and 
 meafure in theirs ? for they never feek their prey but 
 when they are hungry ; and as foon as ever they are fa-, 
 tisfied, they give over. There is nothing but the co- 
 vetoufnefs of rich men that knows no limits * it is per- 
 petually preying, and yet never fatisfied. *" 
 
 6. Confider again, where there are great riches, there 
 are many to confume them, many to fquander or fteal 
 them away. What can the richeft man in the world get 
 by all his riches, more than what is necefTary for the 
 fupport of life ? you may, if you will, put all your truft 
 in GOD, and caft yourfelf wholly upon his Providence, be 
 free from this care : becaufe he never forfakes thofe that 
 rely on him ; for he that has fubjected man to the neceflity 
 of eating, will never let him die for want of meat. How 
 can it be thought that GOD mould take no notice of man, 
 when he feeds the birds of the air, and cloaths the lillies 
 of the field f ; and this efpecially when fo little ferves 
 for the fatisfying of nature ? life is fhort, and death is 
 continually advancing apace ; what need is there then of 
 providing fo much for fo fhort a journey ? why will you 
 load yourfelf with fo many riches, when the lefs you have 
 the more free you will be, and the better able to walk ? 
 and when you mall come to your journey's end, you will 
 find no worfe entertainment for being poor, than thofe 
 that ihall come hither richer fraught. But you will be 
 lefs troubled for what you leave, and will have the lefs 
 to anfwer for. Whereas the rich when they come to 
 their journey's end, will be grieved to the heart, to leave 
 thofe heaps of gold they fo entirely loved, and will be 
 accountable for what they poflefled, to the great danger 
 of their fouls. 
 
 7. Confider further, O covetous man, for whom you 
 heap up all thofe riches ; fmce it is a plain cafe, that you 
 are to go naked out of the world, as you came into it J. 
 You were born poor in this life, and fo you will be forced 
 to leave it. This is what you are frequently to reflect upon : 
 
 For 
 
 * St. Aug. Serm. 25. de Verbis Domini, f St. Matt. c. vi. 
 V. 26, 28. J Job, c.u v. 21.
 
 Part I. Ch. 3. Remedies againft Covetoufnefs. 407, 
 For as St. Jerom fays (i) : " It is an eafy matter for him 
 that thinks often of death, to defpife the goods of this 
 life." At the very moment of your death, you muft 
 take your leave of all your temporal goods, and carry 
 nothing away with you but the good, or evil works you 
 have done during your life ! then you v/ill be deprived 
 of all heavenly goods, if whilft you lived, you took but 
 little notice of them, and fpent all your time and pains 
 in procuring the temporal. For then all you have will 
 be divided into three parts ; your body will be given to 
 the worms , your foul to the devils ; and your riches will 
 fall into the hands of your heirs, who will perhaps be 
 either ungrateful, extravagant, or wicked. It would be 
 better for you, according to the advice of our Saviour, 
 to diftribute your goods amongft the poor betimes (2), 
 that you may have them carried by them before you ; as 
 great men have when they travel : for what greater 
 madnefs than to leave your goods, where you mail never 
 go back to fetch them, and not to fend them where you 
 are to live'for ever? 
 
 8. Confider farther, that this Sovereign Governor of 
 the world, like a difcreet mafter of a family, difpofes of 
 his goods, and the charges under him, in fuch a manner, 
 as that fome he conftitutes to look after the reft, and 
 others he appoints to be fubject to thofe whom he fets 
 over them : fome he has ordered to diftribute what is 
 neceflary, and others to receive the diftributions. And 
 fince you are one of thofe who are to diftribute to others, 
 what remains over and above your own neceflary ex- 
 pences, can you imagine, that you are allowed to keep 
 that for yourfelf, which has been given you for feveral 
 others ? For as St. Bafil fays (3) : " The bread you lock 
 up belongs to the poor, the cloaths you hide, are for 
 thofe who have none to put on, and the money you hoard 
 up, is to be diftributed amongft thofe that want it." 
 Therefore allure yourfelf, that you have robbed as many 
 perfons as you have neglected to afHft, with what you 
 had to fpare, whenever it was in your power to do it. 
 Eee 2 Confider 
 
 (l) Ad Paulinum in Prologo Biblix. (2) Luke, c. xvi. v. 9. 
 (3) Hon, de diverfis.
 
 408 Me Slnnen Guide* Book II. 
 
 Corifider then, that the goods GOD has intrufted yotf 
 with, are the remedies of human miferies, not the occa- 
 fions of a bad life. Be fure then when you are in the 
 rnidft of yo.ur profperity, that you do not forget the au- 
 thor of it : nor make the means you have of affifting 
 your neighbour in his diftrefs the fubject of your pride 
 and vanity. Do not therefore love the place of your 
 banifhment more than your own country. Do not make 
 a burthen of the provifions and neceflaries for your 
 journey : do not prefer the light of the moon, before 
 that of noon-day, nor change the fuccours of this life, 
 into the inftruments of everlafting death. Be content 
 with the condition GOD has placed you in ; and think of 
 what the apoftle fays (i) : Having food, and wherewith to 
 fa covered, with thefe we are content. For, as St. Chry- 
 foftom fays, a fervant of GOD ought not to drefs himfelf 
 out of vanity, or to indulge and pleafe his flelh, but 
 only to fupply necefiity and want. Seek ye therefore firjl 
 the kingdom of God, and hisjtiflice ; and all thefe things Jhall 
 le fidded to you (2). For GOD will never deny you fuch 
 fmall things as thofe are, when he is willing to give you 
 the greateft you are capable of receiving. 
 
 9. Remember it is not poverty, but the love of it, 
 that is a virtue. Thofe who are voluntarily poor, are 
 like our Saviour himfelf, who as rich as he was, made 
 himfelf poor for our fakes. But thofe who are poor, and 
 cannot help it, make a virtue of neceflity, when they 
 bear their poverty with patience, and contemn thofe 
 riches which they have not. And as they who are poor, 
 conform themfelves by their poverty to Jefus Chrift ; fo 
 they who are rich, reform themfelves by their alms, for 
 Jefus Chrift. For we fee, that not only the poor (hep- 
 herds had the happinefs to find Chrift, but that wife and 
 great men came to him, and made him prefents of their 
 riches and treafures. Do you therefore, who have an 
 eftate large enough to do it, give alms to the poor ; for 
 it is GOD himfelf that receives what you give them, and 
 look upon it for certain, that what you beftow upon them 
 now, will be laid up for you in heaven, where you are to 
 
 , livp 
 ( i Tini, c, vi. v. 8. (2) St. Matt. c. vi. v. 33.
 
 Part I. Ch. 3. Remedies agamft Covetoufnefs. 409 
 live for all eternity : but if you mould hide your riches 
 in this world, you muft not expeft to find any thing there, 
 where you have not laid it up. With what juftice then 
 can we call thofe things goods, which man cannot carry- 
 along with him, and which he unwillingly parts with ? 
 but fpiritual goods, on the contrary, are what we may 
 truly call fuch, becaufe they do not leave their mailer ; 
 even at his death, nor can they be taken from a man, 
 without his own conient. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 *fbat no-lody ought to detain another man's goods. 
 
 10. A word or two of advice here, upon the danger 
 there is in detaining other men's goods, will not be 
 amifs. To which purpofe, you are to underftand, that 
 it is not only a fin, to take what belongs to another, but 
 even to detain it againft the owner's will. And it is 
 not enough to have a defign of reftoring it hereafter, if 
 a man is able to do it now ; becaufe he is not only 
 obliged to make reftitution, but to make it immediately. 
 It is true, that if he cannot do it prefently, or is fo poor 
 that he cannot do it at all ; he is not in fuch a cafe, 
 obliged either to the one or to the other, becaufe GOD 
 does not oblige man to any thing that is impoffible. 
 
 1 1. There is no need of any more words to prove what 
 I have faid, than thofe of St. Gregory, in his letter to a 
 gentleman of his acquaintance. " Remember, Sir, fays 
 he, that the riches gotten by unlawful ways, are to re- 
 main here, and the fins you have been guilty of, in ac- 
 quiring them, are to go along with you. What greater 
 folly can you commit, than to leave the gain here and to 
 carry the lofs with you, where you are going ? to let ano- 
 ther take the pleafure, whilft you undergo the torment, 
 and to oblige yourfelf to fuffer in the next world, for that 
 which others are to have the benefit of in this ? 
 
 12. Befides, can there be greater madnefs than to 
 look lefs to yourfelf than to your eftate ? to lofe your 
 foul, rather than part with your money, and to expofe 
 your body to the danger of being run through, rather 
 
 than
 
 4i o We Sinners Guide. Book IT. 
 
 than part with your coat. This is fomcthing like Judas, 
 who, for a little money, fold juftice, grace, and his own 
 foul. If, in fine, it is true, as without doubt it is, that 
 you muft make reftitution at the hour of death, if you 
 defign to fave your foul ; how can you mew yourfelf a 
 greater fool, than to continue here fo long in fin ; to 
 fleep in fin, to awake in fin, to confefs in fin, to com- 
 municate in fin, and to lofe what a man in fin lofes, 
 which is worth much more than all the riches of the 
 world ; whilft, at the fame time, you are fo ftriflly 
 obliged to pay off whatever you owe ? we cannot look 
 upon him as a man of found judgment or reafon, that 
 will run fuch hazards as thefe. 
 
 13. Endeavour therefore to pay what you owe to the 
 utmoft farthing ( i ) ; and let not any one fuffer for want 
 of your doing fo. Let ru>t the labourer's toil and fweat 
 gd unrewarded , let him not run up and down, and lofc 
 his time in feeldng after his wages ; and take more pains 
 in foliciting for them when due, than he did in earning 
 of them, as ill paymafters often do. If you be made an 
 executor, do not defraud the fouls departed of -the fuc- 
 cour and help that is due to them, leaft they mould 
 fuffer their torments longer, upon account of your ne- 
 glect. For all will fall heavy at laft upon your own foul. 
 If you are indebted to your fervants, endeavour to make 
 all clear and even with them, that fo you may difengage 
 yourfelf; or at leaft agree with them upon fuch terms, 
 whilft you live, that there may be no difputes nor dif- 
 ferences after your death. Whatfoever you can perform 
 of your own will, leave not to executors ; for, how can 
 you imagine, if you are fo carelefs in your own concerns, 
 that other perfons will be more diligent in concerns which 
 are none of their own. 
 
 14. Endeavour to be indebted to no man, for by that 
 means you will fleep quietly, enjoy peace of confcience, 
 an eafy life and a calm death. The means to obtain all 
 this is, to put a flop to your irregular defires and ap- 
 petites ; not to do every thing you have a mind to do ; 
 to fee your expences do not exceed your eftate , but to 
 
 moderate 
 * Deut. c. xxiv. Tob. c. iv.
 
 Part I. Ch. 4. Remedies againft Impurity. 
 moderate them according to your ability, and not accord- 
 ing to your own defires -, that fo you may always keep 
 out of debt. For they are our unruly appetites which 
 make us run into debt ; moderation is worth more than 
 a great eftate, and large revenues. Look upon thofe as 
 the chief and the only true riches, which the apoftle reck- 
 ons as fuch, when he fays * : Godlinefs with contentment^ 
 in what condition GOD puts us in, are great gains. Men 
 would always live in peace, did they not defire to be 
 greater and happier in this world, than GOD would have 
 them ; but when they afpire to go beyond this bound, 
 they muft of neceffity lofe a great deal of their peace and 
 quiet ; for we muft not expect that mould prove fuc- 
 cefsful, which is not according to the will of GOD. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 "Remedies againft impurity. 
 
 i. TMpurity is an inordinate defire of unlawful pleafures. 
 
 X It is one of the moft common, the moft furious, 
 and moft dangerous vices in its atracks , which gave 
 St. Auguftin reafon to fay f : " That of all the encoun- 
 ters a Chriftian meets with, thofe in which chaftity is en- 
 gaged, are the moft difficult , for there the engagements 
 are frequent, and the victories rare." 
 
 2. As often therefore as you perceive yourfelf fet upon 
 by this filthy vice , you may oppofe it with the following 
 confiderations. Confider firft, that this vice not only de- 
 nies the foul, which the Son of GOD has purified by his 
 blood, but that it alfo ftains the body in which Chrift's 
 moft facred body refides, as in a holy ihrine. Now, if it 
 be fo great a crime to defile any material temple, dedi- 
 cated to GOD, what muft it be to profane this, in which 
 GOD himfelf dwells ? for this reafon the apoftle fays J : 
 Fly fornication : every fin tb at a man dotb is without tbt 
 body ; but be that committeth fornication* Jinnetb againft bis 
 
 MM 
 
 * i Tim. c. vi. v. 6. -f St. Avg. de honeftatc Mulierum. 
 i Cor. c. vi. v. i $.
 
 41 fc We Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 won lody i by profaning and defiling it with the fin of" 
 the flefh. Confider again, that there is no committing of 
 this fin, without an injury and fcandal to as many others, 
 as are accomplices with you in your crime. Nothing 
 lies fo heavy upon the confcience, at the hour of death, 
 as this fin does. For, if GOD, in the old law ( i), required 
 life for life and tooth for tooth, what returns can a man 
 make to Gop for the deftroying of fo many fouls ? 
 and what fatisfa&ion can he give for that which Goo 
 purchafed at the price of his blood ? 
 
 3. Confider that this deceitful vice, though it begins in 
 pleafure, produces nothing but bitternefs and forrow, at 
 the end. It is eafy to be drawn into it ; but nothing 
 harder than to get free from it again. For this reafon 
 the Wife Man faid ( 2 ) : For a harlot is a deep ditch ; and 
 e ftrange woman is a narrow pit. So that as eafy as it is 
 to fall into it, it is no fuch eafy matter to get out again. 
 For no vice furprizes men more eafily., becaufe it appears 
 fo delightful and charming at the beginning; but after 
 they are once intangled in it, have knit a fort of friend- 
 fhip, and laid afide all modefty, what means can ferve to 
 reclaim them from it ? for this reafon it is juftly com- 
 pared to a fifherman's wheel, which has the entrance 
 wide, but the way out fo narrow, that it is almoft im- 
 poflible for the Mm, when once they are in, to get out 
 again. By this you may underftand, what a multitude of 
 fins are the confequence of this one : for it is plain, that 
 during the whole time a man has been engaged in it, he 
 cannot but have offended GOD an infinite number of 
 times, by thoughts, actions and defires. 
 
 4. Confider how many other evils this bewitching 
 plague brings along with it. For, in the firft place it 
 robs a man of his reputation, which is the deareft of all 
 things we can poflefs in this world ; for no vice whatever 
 is fo difreputable and infamous as this is. Nor is this all.; 
 it impairs ftrength, decays beauty, cleftroys the good 
 temper of body, is prejudicial to health, and caufes many 
 foul and loathfome diftempers ; it blafts the gayety, 
 and dales the freflinefs of youth before its time, and 
 
 brings 
 ( i) Exod, c, xxi, v, 24. (2) Prov. c. xxiii, y. 27.
 
 Part I. Ch. 4. Remedies again/I Impurity. 413 
 brings on an infamous old age too fail upon us ; it dulls 
 the wit, clogs the underltanding, and makes it in a man- 
 ner merely brutal. It takes a man off from all honour- 
 able employs and virtuous exercifes, and buries him in 
 the mud and filth of this bafe pleafure \ fo that he can 
 neither think, nor talk, nor treat of any thing but what 
 is bafe and filthy. It makes youth fooliih and infamous, 
 and old age unhappy and abominable. Nor is it content 
 with all this diforder which it caufes in a man's own per- 
 fon ; it puts all his affairs and concerns into no lefs con- 
 fufion. For though a man be never fo rich or wealthy, 
 this one fin of impurity will run it all out in a very more 
 time. The belly muft come in for its mare, and help to 
 deflroy and devour what it can. For thole men that are 
 given to the fins of the flefh, are for the mod part glut- 
 tons and drunkards, and fo fquander away what thev have 
 in feafting and fine cloaths. Befides, women think they 
 have never enough of jewels, coftly apparel, and other 
 expenfive toys, which they love much better than they 
 do thofe very gallants that give them , we have an ex- 
 ample of this in the prodigal fon, who fpent all his pa- 
 trimony after this manner *. 
 
 5. Confider farther, that the more you indulge your- 
 felf in carnal pleafures, the lefs fatisfadion you will find 
 in them. For this delight is fo far from fatiating, that it 
 ftill creates an appetite; becaufe the love of man for 
 woman, or of woman for man, never dies, but though 
 it happen to be a little (mothered in embers, will break 
 out into flames again. Confider how fhort and fleeting 
 this pleafure is, whereas the punimmnt due to it will 
 lait for all eternity: fo that it is a moft unequal exchange, 
 to give the peace of a good conference in this life, and 
 eternal glory in the next, befides purchafing everlafting 
 torments for a filthy pleafurej of a moment's lafting. 
 Xhis made St. Gregory fay, "The delight lafts but for a 
 moment, but the tormenrs lad for ever." 
 
 6. Confider the price and value of virginal purity, 
 which is loft by this vice : becaufe they, who are virgins, 
 begin even in this life to live like angels, and the bright- 
 
 F f f nefs 
 
 * Luc. c. xv.
 
 414 *H>e Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 nefs of their fouls makes them refemble the heavenly 
 fpirits, becaufe, to live in the flefh without doing the 
 works of the flefh ; is more an angelical, than a human 
 virtue (i). St. Jerome fays, it is virginity which refem- 
 bles the ftate of immortal glory in this place, and during 
 this time of mortality (2) : it is it alone which follows the 
 cuftoms of the heavenly Jerufalem, where there is no 
 fuch thing as betrothing or marrying, and by this means, 
 gives men a proof, whilft they are upon earth, of the 
 converfation they are to have in heaven. For this reafon, 
 there is a particular reward in heaven for virgins ; of whom 
 St. John fays in his apocalypfe, Thefe are they who were 
 not defiled -with women, for they are virgins ; thefe follow 
 the lamb ivkitherfoever he goeth (3). For fmce they have 
 had the advantage in this world over the reft of man- 
 kind, of imitating Chrift in his virginal purity, they 
 fhall therefore have a freer accefs to him in the next, 
 and the purity of their bodies fhall give them a particu- 
 lar happinefs and joy. 
 
 7. Nor is it the only effect of this virtue, to make 
 thofe who pofTefs it like Chrift himfelf -, but it makes 
 them living temples of the Holy Ghoft; for as this 
 divine lover of purity abhors nothing fo much as the fin 
 of fiefh. fo he no where fo willingly makes his abode, 
 as in pure and chafte fouls. Wherefore the Son of GOD, 
 who was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, had fuch efteem 
 and love for virginity, as to work the miracle of being 
 born of a virgin mother. Do you, who have already 
 loft your virginity, after once fuffering fhipwreck, dread 
 dangers you have run .through. And fmce you would 
 not prefcrve that gift, of nature entire, endeavour now 
 at leaft to repair the lofs 5 and turning to GOD after fin, 
 employ yourfelf fo much the more in good works, by 
 how much you are fenfible your evil actions have de- 
 ferved punifhment. For as St. Gregory fays, " It often 
 happens, that a foul which if it had remained in a ftate 
 of innocence, would have been more tepid and carelefs, 
 becomes; after fin, more diligent and ferment (4)." And 
 
 fmce 
 
 ( I ) St. Bern. inNat.Virg. (2) St. Hier. to 9. & 1 4. inVirginitatis 
 aude. (3) Apoc. c. xiv. v. 4. (4) St. Greg, iu Psftoral. Par. I.
 
 Part I. Ch. 5. Remedies againft Impurity. 415 
 fince GOD, notwithftanding the many fins you have 
 committed, has yet preierved you, commit not any thing 
 again which may oblige him to punifh you, both for 
 what is paft, and for the prefent, leaft your lad crime 
 fhould be worfe than your former. 
 
 8. With thefe and the like confederations, a man is ro 
 prepare and arm himfelf againft this vice : and thefe are 
 the firft remedies we prefcribe aganft it. 
 
 SECT I. 
 
 Of other more particular remedies againft impurity. 
 
 9. Befides thefe general remedies againft this vice, 
 there are fcveral others more particular, and more fove- 
 reign, of which it is requifite we mould fpeak. The 
 firft is to refill the very firft motions of it , it is an advice 
 we have frequently given in other places : for if we do 
 not beat this enemy off, as foon as ever he fets upon us, 
 he immediately grows ftronger and more vigorous ; be- 
 caufe, according to St. Gregory (i), when once the 
 irregular defire of pleafure gets the better of the heart, 
 it will not give it time to think of any thing elfe, but 
 how to enjoy its delights. We muft for this reafon refift 
 the beginning, by not giving admittance to any carnal 
 thoughts, for as fire is nourimed and kept in by wood, 
 fo our thoughts increafe and inflame our defires, which if 
 they are good, kindle the fire of charity , and if bad, 
 that of impurity. 
 
 10. Befides all this, you muft keep a ftri<5t guard upon 
 all your fenfes ; but above all, have a-care of looking on 
 any thing that has the leaft danger in it : for a man often 
 looks upon a thing without any ill defign ; yet the foul 
 is wounded by a glance "of the eye. And becaufe the 
 cafting of a look inconfiderately upon women, may either 
 quite bend or at leaft weaken his conftancy that cads it, 
 therefore the author of Ecclefiafticus gives us this ad- 
 vice : Ccft not your eyes through the corners of the cit)\ nor 
 through the ftreets or public places ; turn away thy face from 
 a woman dreffed up, and goe not upon another* 'beautv. Holy 
 
 Fff2 J&bs, 
 
 (l) L. 7. Moral, c. 12.
 
 4i6 The Sinners Guide. Book II- 
 
 Job's example upon this occafion mould fuffice , who 
 notwithstanding his extraordinary fanctity, never ne- 
 glected, as he afTures us himfelf (i), to fet a watch over 
 his eyes , not relying upon himfelf, or his long practice 
 and exerciie of virtue. But if this example alone will not 
 do, let us fee that of David before us ( 2) -, and we (hall 
 find that he, though a very holy man, and after GOD'S 
 own heart, by looking curioufly upon a woman, fell into 
 three mod grievous fins j to wit, murther, fcandal, and 
 adultery. 
 
 1 1. Nor are you to be lefs careful in keeping your ears 
 from hearing of any thing that is obfcene and unchafte ; 
 or if at any time you (hould hear fuch kind of difcourfe, 
 let your looks fhew that your are not pleafed with it ; 
 for if a man once takes delight in hearing of a thing, he 
 will be eafily wrought upon to act it. You muft alfo 
 keep your tongue from fpeaking filthy words, becaufe 
 as St. Paul fays (3) : Evil communications corrupt good 
 manners. A man's difcourfe difcovers his inclinations 
 and affections, becaufe it is the touch-ftone of the heart, 
 and what this is full of, that the tongue generally blurts 
 out. . ' 
 
 12. Endeavour to have your heart always entertained 
 with good thoughts, and your bodies always employed in 
 fome good exercife. For as St. Bernard fays (4) : " The 
 devils always put bad thoughts into an idle foul, to keep 
 it in employ, that fo it may not ceafe to think ill, though 
 it ceates to do ill." 
 
 13. It will be very proper in all temptations, but ef- 
 pecially in this, to reprefent to yourfelf your guardian 
 angel, and the devil your accufer , for they both of them 
 really take notice of all you do, and give an account 
 thereof to the fame all-feeing judge. If this be true, (as 
 there is no doubt to be made of it) how can you dare to 
 commit fo bafe-and fo deteftable a crime, which you will 
 blufh to do before the meaneft man in the world, in the 
 fight of your guardian, of your accufer, and of your 
 judge? reflect alfo how terrible the divine judgment is, 
 
 and 
 
 CiJJob. c. xxxi. v.i. (2) 2 Reg. c. ir. (3) i Cor. 
 c. xv. v. 33. (4) St, Bern, de dockriori dom, c, 4.
 
 Part I. Ch 4. Remedies agalnft Impurity. 417 
 
 and how dreadful the flames of everlafting torments. 
 For as one nail drives out another, fo the apprehenfion 
 we have of one punimment, is overcome by the fear of 
 a greater , and fo the fire of luft is often extinguifhed 
 by reflecting upon that of hell. Befides all this, avoid 
 as much as poffibly you can, the difcourfing alone with, 
 any women, whofe age may give the leaft fufpicion -, for 
 according to St. Chryibftom j " Our adverfary fets upon 
 men and women, with more boldnefs and vigour, when 
 he fees them alone ; and the temper will come with much 
 more affurance, when there is no fear of any body's correct- 
 ing them for their diforders ( i ). It is for this reafon very 
 advifable, that you would never converfe with a woman, 
 without fome companion ; for being alone is a great in- 
 ticement and temptation, to do any thing that is wicked. 
 Do not truft your own virtue, no not after the practice 
 of many years, for you know how the two old judges 
 were inflamed with the love of Sufanna, after having feen 
 her feveral times all alone in her garden (2). Avoid the 
 company of all women whatever, that may give any fuf- 
 picion, becaufe the very fight of them is prejudicial, to 
 the heart, their words charm it, their converfation in- 
 flames it, their touch provokes it, in fine, there is no- 
 thing about them that is not a fnare to thofe that keep 
 them company. For this reafon St. Gregory fays (3) ; 
 " Thofe who have confecrated their bodies to chaility, 
 mould not venture to live in the fame houfe with women ; 
 for a man ought not to think, that the fire of his heart 
 is quite out, as long as he has any heat in his body." 
 
 14. Have a care how you receive any prefents, vifits, 
 or letters from women, for all thefe are fo many chains 
 to entangle the poor heart, and fo many blails to blow 
 up the fire of evil dcfires, when all the flame was quite 
 out. If you have any affection for any holy and chafte 
 woman, love her in your foul, without troubling yourlelf 
 about vifiting or converfing familiarly with her. Now 
 becaufe the whole management of this bufmefs confifts 
 particularly in avoiding thefe occafions ; I will give you 
 
 two 
 
 (i) St. Chryfoft. Serm. contra Concubircarios. Torn. 5. 
 (2) Dan. c. Xiv. (3) L. i. Dialrg. c. 7.
 
 4i 8 7#* Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 two examples very pertinent to the matter in hand, related 
 by St. Gregory in his dialogues thus * : " There was a 
 certain prielt in the province of Myfia, who governed a 
 church committed to his care with a great deal of piety, 
 and in the fear of GOD. There was, in the fame place, a 
 very virtuous woman who looked to the church-furniture 
 and ornaments. The good prieft loved this woman 
 as entirely, as if (he had been his fitter ; but at the 
 fame time was as much afraid of her, as if flie had 
 been his enemy ; fo that he never permitted her to come 
 near him, upon any account whatever, and removed all 
 occafion of familiarity or converfation with her. As it 
 is ufual for holy men to feparate themfelves, even from 
 fuch things as are lawful, that they may be at a greater 
 diftance, from fuch as are unlawful ; and for this reafon, 
 he would never let her ferve him in any of his neceflities. 
 The holy man being very old, for he had been a prieft 
 above forty years, was taken fo violently ill, that he was 
 l"uft at death's door ; as he lay in this condition, this vir- 
 tuous woman came to his bed fide, and put her ear to 
 his noftrils, to know whether he was dead. The dying 
 man perceiving it, was off ended, and cried out as loud as 
 jpoffible he could, faying, get you hence woman, get 
 you hence j for the embers are not quite extinguilhed 
 yet, therefore take away the ftraw. The woman imme- 
 diately went away, and he, recovering as it were frefh 
 ftrength, began to fay with a great deal of joy and chear- 
 iulnels : You are come my lords at a happy time, you 
 are come at a good hour. How could you vouchfafe to 
 come to fo mean a fervant as I am ? I come, I come ; I 
 give you a thoufand, and a thoufand thanks. As he re- 
 peated the fame words over and over again, thofe that 
 were (landing by aiked him who he fpoke to-, he won- 
 dered at their queilion, and made them this anfwer : 
 What do not you fee the glorious apoilles St. Peter and 
 St. Paul ? and immediately turning hi mfelf towards them, 
 be began again to cry out, I come, I come ; the words 
 were no fooner out of his mouth, but he gave up his 
 foul to GOD. St. Gregory gives us this example of fo 
 
 holy 
 * Lib. 4. Dial. c. i.
 
 Part I. Ch. 4. Remedies again ft Impuriiy. 
 holy a man, together with his happy death, in the fourth 
 book of his dialogues : for, he that was to much afraid 
 of offending GOD whilft he lived, could not but make 
 a very glorious end." 
 
 15. He gives us another in the third book of the fame 
 dialogues, of a holy bimop, though not fo difcreet and 
 cautious, which I will here relate for a warning to thofc 
 who are not fo much upon their guard, as they mould 
 be. The faint allures us, there were almoft as many 
 witnefles of it, as there were people in . the town where 
 it happened. 
 
 t6. " * There was in a certain city of Italj^ a bifliop, 
 whofe name was Andrew, who having always lived a 
 very virtuous and holy life, permitted a pious and de- 
 vout woman to live in the fame houfe with him, as being 
 well affured of her virtue and chaftity. The devil laying 
 hold of this opportunity, found a way to get into his 
 heart ; and began firft to imprint the form of this wo- 
 man in his mind, and to excite him to impure and wan- 
 ton thoughts. It happened at the fame time, that a 
 certain jew, as he was travelling from Campania to Rome, 
 was benighted, not far from this bimop's city , and not 
 rinding any other place to lodge in, was obliged to take 
 up in a ruinous temple of idols, where he laid himfelf 
 down to fleep. But fearing fome ill neighbourhood, 
 though he had no faith in the crols, yet having obferved 
 that the Chriftians ufed to fign the- mfelves with it when 
 ever they were in any danger, he did fo too. Not being 
 able to deep for fear, about midnight he faw a great 
 troop of dev.ls come into the temple, and one above the 
 rdl letting himfelf in a chair in the middle of the temple, 
 began to aftc thofe evil fpirits, what mifchief each of 
 them had done in the world. Every one of them in his 
 turn, having told how he had beha/ed himfelf ; out ftept 
 one of them at laft and told him, that he had folicited 
 Bifhop Andrew to fin, by reprelenting to him the form 
 of a devout woman he had with him in his houie. As 
 the malicious devil that prefidrd, was liflning very at- 
 -tcntively to this relation, looking upon the gains the 
 
 greater 
 * 3. L. Dial. c. 7.
 
 220 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 greater, the more pious the perfon was ; the evil one that 
 gave him this account, went on and told him, that the 
 day before in the evening, he tempted him fo violently, 
 that coming to the holy woman with a fmiling counte- 
 nance, he gave her a little ftroke on the moulders. 
 Here upon the old enemy of mankind began to encou- 
 rage this tempter to go through with what he had begun, 
 that he might receive a particular reward for fo noble an 
 action." The Jew flood ftill during this ceremony, and 
 faw all that pailed , trembling with fear at fo dreadful a 
 fpe&acle. " At laft, the evil fpirit who was the chief 
 of the company, fent fome to fee who had been fo bold 
 as to fleep there. When they had viewed him very 
 narrowly, they cried out, alafs, alafs ! it is an empty 
 vefTel, but well fealed , at which the whole gang of evil 
 fpirits vani(hed immediately. When they were gone, 
 up rofe the Jew, and made what hade he could into the 
 city, and there finding the bifhop in the church, took 
 him afide, and afked him if he was not troubled with 
 fome particular temptations. The bifhop denied it for 
 mame, the Jew told him, that at fuch a time, naming 
 the day, he caft a wanton eye upon a fervant of GOD. 
 The bifhop continuing ftill to deny the whole matter, 
 the Jew faid to him ; why do you deny what I afk you, 
 when but yefterday in the evening, you went fo far as 
 to give her a little blow with your hand over the 
 moulders. The bifhop aftoniftied at what the Jew had 
 told him, and perceiving himfelf catched in this fault, 
 freely confefTed what he had denied before ; and then 
 the Jew told him how he came to know it. As foon as 
 the bimop had heard all, he proftrated himfelf upon the 
 earth, and prayed very devoutly to Almighty GOD , and 
 immediately after difmifled not only this holy woman, but 
 all the maid-fervants he had. He built a chapel in honour 
 of St. Andrew, in the ver^- fame temple of Apollo in 
 which the Jew had heard this paffage, and was never 
 troubled again with any fuch temptation. Befides this 
 he converted the Jew, by whofe vifion and admonition 
 he had been cured himfell, to the true kno *ledge of GOD -, 
 inflrufted him in the myfleries of our faith -, baptifed 
 
 and
 
 Part. I. Ch 5. Remedies agamjl Envy. 421 
 
 and received him into the church. Thus the Jew hap- 
 pened to find his own falvation whilft he was procuring 
 another man's, and our Lord made ufe of the fame means 
 to bring one to a good life, and to preferve another 
 therein- I could inftance here a great many other ex- 
 amples to this purpofe, both of paft times and of our 
 own, but thefe two mall ferve at prefent. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Remedies againft envy. 
 
 J. TT^NVY is a forrow at other mens good, and a 
 l\j repining at their happinefs , that is, at great per- 
 fons, becaufe the envious man fees he cannot be equal 
 to them ; at his inferior, becaufe they endeavour to 
 equal him ; and at his equals, becaufe they vye with 
 him *. Thus Saul envied David, and the Pharifees Chrift, 
 to that degree, as to procure his death : for this paflion 
 is fo cruel, as not to fpare even fuch perfons as thefe. 
 This fin is mortal in its kind, becaufe it is as directly 
 oppofite to charity, as hatred is ; though it often proves 
 not to be mortal, which as in all other fins, fo in this of 
 envy happens, when the envy is not confummate For 
 as there is a down-right hatred, and a fort of an aver- 
 fion which cannot be called a perfect hatred, though it is 
 not far from it, there is alfo a perfect and an imperfect 
 envy, but the latter leads to the former. 
 
 2. This is one of the moft powerful and moft preju- 
 dicial fins that are-, and which of all OLhers, has the 
 greateft command and rule in the world; but particu- 
 larly in courts and great men's houfes. Nay, there is 
 jio fociety, community, or monaftery, that can efcape it. 
 What man is there then that can defend himfelf againft 
 this monfter ? who is there fo happy, as neither to envy 
 others, nor to be envied himfelf? for when a man con- 
 fiders what envy there has been in former* times, I do 
 not fpeak of that which was betwixt the two brothers 
 G g g Romuius 
 
 * i Reg. c. xix.
 
 422 'The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 Romulus and Remus the firft founders of Rome *, but 
 of that which was between the two brothers who firit 
 peopled the world, and went fo far as to make one of 
 them kill the other -f , of that which Jofeph's brothers 
 bore him, when they fold him for a flave , of that which 
 was between our Saviour's difciples themfelves J, before 
 the Holy Ghoil's coming down upon them , and above 
 all, of that which Aaron and Mary the chofen of GOD , 
 bore their brother Mofes. When a man reflects upon 
 all this, what muft he think of other men in the world, 
 who are neither fo holy as thefe perfons were, nor fo 
 nearly related to one another ? this is certainly one of the 
 vices that moft predominates in the world, and does the 
 mcft mifchief without making any noife. For its pro- 
 per effect is to profecute good men, and fuch as are 
 efleemed for their virtue, and other commendable qua- 
 lities. This is its chief aim ; for this reafon Solomon 
 fays, That men's pains and labours lie all open to the emy of 
 their neighbour \\. 
 
 3. You ought therefore, upon this confideration, to 
 be very cautious, and to arm yourfelf well againft this 
 enemy, by continual prayer to GOD, to affift you againft 
 him , and by being careful to reject it upon all occafions. 
 And if it mould continue ftill to folicit and difturb you, 
 be you Hill conftant and vigorous in beating it off-, for 
 it matters not, though the malicious flefh feel the flight 
 flroke of this weak motion, fo long as the will does not 
 content to it. So that if at any time you mould fee 
 your neighbour or friend in a happier, and more thriving 
 condition than yourfelf, thank GOD for it, and perfuade 
 yourfelf, that either you have not deferved to fare fo well 
 as he does, or at leaft, that it is not requifite you mould; 
 and never forget, that to envy another man's happinefs, 
 is no relief to your poverty, but rather an increafe and 
 addition to your milery. 
 
 4. But if you would know what weapons you muft 
 make ufe of againft this vice, let them be the following 
 confiderations, Confider therefore, in the firft place, 
 
 that 
 
 * Gen. c. iv. -f Gen. c. xxxvii. J Luc, c, xxii. 
 Num, c. xii. fl Ecckf. c. iv. v, 4.
 
 Part I. Ch. 5. Remedies againft Envy. 423 
 
 that envious perfon^ refemble the devils, who are ex- 
 tremely troubled ar the good works we do, and at the 
 eternal happinefs we are capable of: and this not be- 
 caufe mens lofing this happinefs can give them any hopes 
 of obtaining it, for they are out of all hopes of ever 
 recovering it again, but becaufe men that are formed 
 out of the duft of the earth, enjoy what they have for 
 ever loft. It is this made St. Augultin fay in his book 
 of Chriftian doctrine, " GOD preferve not only the 
 hearts of Chriftians, but all mankind from ever falling 
 into this vice ; becaufe it is diabolical, and particularly 
 appertaining to the devil, and for which he will fufFer for 
 all eternity, without any reprieve or refpit." For, the 
 devil is not punifhed for committing adultery, or for any 
 robbery or theft he has been guilty of, but for having 
 envied man that flood, when he was fallen. So envious 
 men, like the devils, envy other perfons, not fo much 
 becaufe they pretend to be as happy as thofe others are, 
 as becaufe they would have thofe others as miferable as 
 themfelves. Confider therefore, O envious man, that 
 you would not be the better for thofe goods for which you 
 envy another, though he whom you envy had them not ; 
 fo that if his having what he has be no prejudice to you, 
 you have no reafon to be troubled at it. If you envy 
 another man's virtue, confider you are in this point your 
 own enemy, becaufe there is no good work your neigh- 
 bour does, which you have not a (hare in, if you are but 
 in the ftate of grace j and the more he merits, the more 
 you gain for yourfelf. You have fo little reafon there- 
 fore to envy his virtue, that you ought to rejoice both 
 of his profit and your own, fince you have a mare in his 
 good. Confider therefore what a misfortune it is, that 
 your neighbours growing better, mould make you grow 
 worfe ; whereas thofe very goods which you cannot have, 
 would be yours through charity, if you would but love 
 them in your neighbour, and by this means you would 
 enjoy the benefit of other men's labours, without taking 
 any pains yourielf. 
 
 5. Confider that envy burns up the heart, pirches the 
 
 flefh, wearies the underftanding, robs a man of the peace 
 
 G g g 2 of
 
 424 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 of confcience, banifties all kind of joy and pleafure from- 
 the foul, and makes him melanchol^ and uneafy all his 
 life-time. It is like a worm that generates in wood, 
 which gnaws away and confumes the very wood that gave 
 it being. After the fame manner, the firft thing that 
 envy preys upon, is the heart itfelf, from whence it re- 
 ceives its rife and origin. When once it has corrupted 
 the heart, it foon disfigures and changes the colour of 
 the face ; and you may guefs by the outward palenefs, 
 at the difturbance and trouble there is within. For 
 there is no judge in the world fo fevere as this vice is 
 againft itfelf, for it is perpetually puniming and tor- 
 menting its own author. And therefore feveral learned 
 men Very properly call it juft, not becaufe it is really fo, 
 being a very heinous fin ; but becaufe it is itfelf a punith- 
 ment to him that has it, and fo far does juftice on him. 
 
 6. Confider alfo how oppofite it is to charity, which is 
 GOD, and how much againft the common good, which 
 every one mould promote as far as he can, for to envy 
 another man's happinefs, and to hate thofe perfons whom 
 GOD has created and redeemed, and on whom he is con- 
 tinually beftowing fo many favours. What is this but 
 to diflike and undo what GOD has done, in will at lead, 
 and in deiire, if not in effect and actions ? but if you 
 would have a more efficacious remedy againft this poi- 
 fon , love humility, and abhor pride, which is the mo- 
 ther of this plague. Becaufe a proud man not being 
 able to endure any one above, or even equal to him, is 
 eafily wrought upon, to envy thofe perfons who have 
 any kind of advantage over him, perfuading himfelf, 
 that the higher another man rifes, he muft of courfe fall 
 the lower. The apoftle was very fenfible of this when 
 he faid - y Let us not be dcfirous of vain glory, f revoking one 
 another^ envying cne another *. Defigning by thefe words, 
 to difarm envy, and therefore begins with ambition, 
 which is the very root from whence it fprings. For the 
 fame reafon, you mould wean your affection from the 
 love of worldly riches, and fix it upon none but the 
 fpiritual, and on the inheritance you are to have in hea- 
 ven: 
 * Galat. c. v. v. 26.
 
 Fart I. Ch. 5. Remedies agcnnft Envy. 425 
 
 ven , becaufe this treafure is of fuch a nature, that it 
 will never grow lefs, becaufe there are many to enjoy it ; 
 for on the contrary, the more there are to poffefs it, the 
 more it increafes -, whereas worldly riches, the more they 
 are diftributed, the fooner they are diminimed. There- 
 fore it is, that envy torments the foul of him that covets 
 this kind of wealth ; becaufe another perfon getting what 
 he covets, either deprives him entirely of it, or at leaft 
 diminimes what he would have had. For a man care 
 fcarce forbear being troubled, if another carries away 
 that, which he had let his heart on. 
 
 7. Nay, it is not enough for you not to be troubled at 
 your neighbour's profperity, you mud farther endeavour 
 to do him all the good you can, and pray to GOD that 
 he would be pleafed to aflHl him in what you cannot. 
 Hate no man , love your friends in GOD, and your ene- 
 mies for the fake of GOD, who has had fuch a tender and 
 paflionate love for you, though you were firft his enemy, 
 as to lay down his life to deliver you from the power of 
 your enemies. And though your neighbour be a wicked 
 man, yet you are not to hate him for his being fo ; but in? 
 fuch a cafe you muft aft the part of a phyfician, who loves 
 his patient, though he hates his diftemper -, and this is 
 nothing elle, but to love what Goo has done, and hate 
 that which has been done by man. Never fay within 
 yourfelf , what have 1 to do with this man, or what am- 
 I obliged to that man for? I do not know him; he is 
 no relation of mine ; he never did me any good turn \ 
 but I am fure he has done me many a bad one. All 
 you have to do is, to refleft on thofe infinite favours you 
 have received from GOD, without ever having deferved 
 them. All the return he requires is, that you would 
 be liberal and kind, not to him, for he has no need of 
 any of your riches ; but to your neighbour, whom he 
 has recommended to you. 
 
 CHAP.
 
 426 *The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Remedies again/I Gluttony. 
 
 i.y^Luttony is an inordinate love of eating and drink- 
 \Jf ing. Our Saviour gave us a charge againft this 
 vice, when he faid ( i ) : Take heed to yourfelves, left perhaps 
 your hearts be overcharged, with forfeiting and drunkennefs y 
 and the cares of this life. 
 
 2. Whenever therefore you find yourfelf tempted by 
 this vice, make ufe of the following confiderations, in 
 order to overcome the temptation. Confider in the firft 
 place, that death came into the world by the fin of glut- 
 tony (2) : and therefore this is to be the firft battle you 
 are to win. For the lefs you oppofe this vice, the more 
 powerful the reft will grow, and you at the fame time 
 the lefs able to encounter them. If therefore you would 
 come off with victory, fubdue gluttony firft ; for unlefs 
 you overcome this vice, you will labour againft the others 
 to no purpofe. Do but deftroy the enemies that are 
 within, and you will find it no hard matter to overcome 
 thofe that are without. It avails little to fight againft 
 enemies abroad, whilft there are others more dangerous 
 at home. For this reafon the devil tempted our Saviour 
 firft with gluttony, to make himfelf mailer of the gate, 
 which all other vices enter in at. 
 
 3. Caft your eyes upon the extraordinary abftinence of 
 our Saviour Jefus Chrift (3), who dealt very feverely with 
 his moft facred flem, not only during his faft in the de- 
 fert, but at feveral other times ; fuffering hunger for our 
 example, as well as for our benefit. Now if he who 
 maintains the angels by his prefence, and feeds the birds 
 of the air, fuffered hunger for you, it is much more 
 reafonable that you mould endure it for yourfelf. What 
 pretence have you to value yourfelf upon being Chrift's 
 fervant, if whilft he is fafting, you fpend your whole 
 life in eating and drinking (4) ? If whilft he is undergoing 
 all kind of hardfhips for you, you will fufFer nothing at 
 
 all 
 
 (l)Luc. c. xxii. v. 34. (2) Gen. c. iii. (3) Matt. iv. 
 (4) Joan, c. xix.
 
 Parti. Ch. 6. Remedies againjl Gluttony. 427 
 all for yourfelf ? if you imagine this crofs of abftinence is 
 too heavy(i), reflect upon the vinegar and gall which 
 our Saviour tailed upon the crofs ; becaufe. as St. Ber- 
 nard fays : " There is no meat fo unfavoury, but which 
 may be made palatable, if mixed with the gall and vi- 
 negar of Jefus Chrift." 
 
 4. Confider the abftinence of all the holy fathers of the 
 defart, who retiring themfelves far from any human con- 
 verfation, crucified their flefti with all its inordinate ap- 
 petites, in imitation of Chrift , and were able by the fa- 
 vour of this fame Lord, to live feveral years upon no- 
 thing but roots ; and obferved fuch rigorous abftinence, 
 as feems incredible to us. If thefe men followed Chrift 
 fo clofe, and got to heaven this way , how can you ex- 
 pect to go where they are, if you follow no other path 
 but that of delights and pleafures ? 
 
 5. Confider how many poor fouls there are, that would 
 be glad of a little bread and water to fatisfy their hunger, 
 and by this you will perceive how merciful and liberal 
 GOD has been to you, in providing fo much better for 
 you than he has done for them : and how unreafonable 
 it is to make his liberality and favours the inftruments 
 of your gluttony. Confider again, how often you have 
 received the Sacred Body of Chrift into your mouth, and 
 never confent that* death mould enter in at the fame gate, 
 which life comes in at. Confider that the pleafure of eat- 
 ing is confined to a very narrow fpace, and a ihort time. 
 What then can be more unreafonable, than that the whole 
 earth, air and fea mould not fuffice to fatisfy fo fmall a 
 part of man, and fo Ihort a pleafure ? yet for this very 
 often the poor are robbed ; for this many outrages are 
 committed, that fo the hunger of the little ones may 
 become the delight of great ones. It is a miferable cafe, 
 that the fatisfying of fo fmall a part, mould caft all men 
 headlong into hell, and that all the members and fenfes 
 mould iuffer everlafting torments for the greedinefs of 
 one of them. Do not you perceive how grofsly you err, 
 in pampering that flefh, which will foon be food for the 
 worms j and neglect the foul, which (hall at the fame 
 
 time 
 (l) Matt, c, xxvii,
 
 428 The Smners Guide. Book II. 
 
 time be brought before the tribunal of GOD, where if 
 it be found empty of virtues, though the belly be never 
 fo full of its dainties, it (hall be condemned to everlaft- 
 ing torments ? nor mall the body efcape when the foul is 
 punifhed, becaufe as it was created for the foul, fo it 
 mall be tormented with it. So that defpifmg that which 
 is the beft part of you, and making much of that which 
 is the worft, you unhappily lofe both, and deftroy your- 
 felf with your own food ; becaufe you make the fleih, 
 which was given for your help and afliftance, the very 
 fnare to catch your foul in, which mall one day be the 
 companion of your torments, as it was here of your 
 fins. 
 
 5 Remember how poor and hungry Lazarus was j- ; 
 who defired to feed on the crumbs that fell from the rich 
 man's table, and could not get them. Yet he was carried 
 after his death, by the hands of angels into Abraham's 
 bofom-, whereas the rich glutton, who was cloathed in 
 purple, was buried in hell. For it is impo/Tible that hun- 
 ger and gluttony, pleafure and temperance, mould meet 
 with the fame fuccefs in the end : when once death 
 comes, pleafures will be punifhed with miferies, and mi- 
 feries rewarded with pleafures. What advantage have 
 you reaped by all your former excefs in eating and drink- 
 ing. All you have got is the remorfe of confcience, 
 which will perhaps fting and gall you for all eternity. So 
 that you have quite loft all you have devoured with fo 
 much laviflinefs; and all you have kept for yourfelf is,, 
 what you have given away to the poor; this is laid up 
 fecurely for you in heaven. 
 
 6. But to prevent your falling into this vice, you 
 rfnuft confider in the firft place, that when neceflity re- 
 quires to be fatisfied, the pleafure which lies hid under 
 this cloak, defigns to obtain its end, and the more it 
 covets its inordinate appetite under the pretence of a 
 lawful neceffity, the more eafily men are deceived by it. 
 For this reafon you are to ufe a great deal of caution 
 -and prudence in refraining the defires of pleafure, and in 
 .putting fenfuality under the government of reafon. If 
 
 then 
 -j- Luc. c. xvi.
 
 Parti. Ch. 6. Remedies againft Gluttony. 429 
 
 then you have a mind that your flem fhould be fubjeft 
 to, and ferve the foul, make your foul fubmit itfelf to 
 GOD ; for it is requifite the foul (hould be governed by 
 GOD, that it may by that means, rule and tame the flem. 
 By the obfervance of this order, we mall be very fecurely 
 conducted : that is, when GOD mail govern reafon ; rea- 
 fon direct the foul , and the foul command the body ; 
 and thus the whole man will be entirely reformed and 
 changed. Whilft, on the contrary, if the foul is not go- 
 verned by reafon, and if reafon does not conform, in all 
 things, to the will of GOD, the body will be always rifing 
 up againft the foul. 
 
 8. When you are tempted by gluttony, fancy you have 
 already enjoyed that fhort delight, and that it is already 
 over ; for the delight of the tafte is like a paft dream, 
 with this difference, that the confcience is difturbed after 
 the pleafure is over. Whereas, if you overcome the 
 pleafure, your confcience continues quiet and eafy. There 
 is an excellent fentence of one of the learned ancients, 
 which comes home to our prefent purpofe ; it is this : 
 " If you have had any trouble in the performance of a 
 virtuous action, the trouble foon pafTes away, and the 
 virtue remains , but if you have taken any pleafure in 
 committing an evil action , the pleafure is foon over, and 
 then there is nothing left but the filth of it (i)." 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Remedies againji anger, and the hatred and enmities 
 which arife from it. 
 
 i. A NGER is an inordinate defire of revenge, againft 
 
 xV any one we imagine has offended us. The apoftle 
 
 has left us a good medicine againft this vice, when he 
 
 fays (2) : Let all lit term f\, and anger , and indignation, and 
 
 clamour^ and blafphemy, be 'put away from you, with all 
 
 malice. Be ye kind, merciful, forgiving one another, even 
 
 as God hath forgiven you in Chrifl. Our Saviour fpeaking 
 
 H h h in 
 
 (i) Aul. Gel. Noft. Attic. (2) Ephef. c. iv. v. 31, 32.
 
 430 T^e Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 in St. Matthew of this vice, fays (i): That whofoever is 
 angry with bis brother Jhall be in danger of the judgment , 
 and wbofoever Jhall fay to his brother thou fool> Jhall be in 
 danger of hell-fire. 
 
 2. Whenever you find yourfelf in danger of running 
 into this outrageous vice, do not forget to make ufe of 
 the following confiderations, and to arm yourfelf, as much 
 as you can, againft the temptation, Confider in the firfl 
 place, that even brute beafts live peaceably with thofe 
 of their own kind. We fee that elephants are friendly 
 to one another ; that fheep and oxen are in their flocks 
 and herds , that little birds fly together ; that cranes 
 take it by turns to ftand centry in the night , that ftorks, 
 'flags, dolphins, and many other creatures do the fame ; 
 every body knows the friendfhip there is between the 
 ants and the bees. Nay, even wild beafts, be they never 
 fo cruel, are at peace with one another. The lion does 
 ,not vent his fury upon lions ; bears do not fight with 
 bears ; one wolf does not devour another ; nor do dra- 
 gons fall out amongft themfelves. In fine, the very de- 
 vils, the firft authors of all our difcord, have their mutual 
 ties, and exercife their tyranny by common confent. 
 Man whom peace mod becomes, and who Hands mod in 
 need of it, is the only creature that entertains an inve- 
 terate hatred againft his own kind. Nor is it lefs remar- 
 kable, that nature has furnifhed all other creatures with 
 arms to fight ; as the horfe with his feet, bulls with horns, 
 boars with tufks, bees with ftings, birds with beaks and 
 talons, and even gnats and flees are not without the 
 power of biting , but thou, O man whom fhe has de- 
 figntd for peace and concord, fhe fent into the world 
 naked and unarmed, that thou mighteft have nothing at 
 all to do harm with. Reflect then how unnatural it is 
 for you to endeavour to be revenged, or to return an in- 
 jury that has been offered to you ; efpecially with wea- 
 pons fought without yourfelf, when nature denied you. 
 
 3. Confider in the next place, that anger, and the de- 
 fire of revenge is a vice that become none but wild beafts ; 
 of whofe favage fury Solomon fays (2): GOD gave him 
 
 the 
 CO Matt. c. v. v. 22, (2) Wifd, c.vii.
 
 Part I. Ch. 7. Remedies againjl Anger. 43 i 
 
 the knowledge ; and that you confequendy degenerate 
 and fall very low from the generoficy and noblencfs of 
 your condition, as often as you imitate the fury of lions, 
 ferpents, and other wild creatures. Elian relates a paf- 
 fage of a certain lion, that had been wounded once with 
 a lance in a chafe : a twelve-month after the perfon that 
 had given him the wound paffed by the fame way in com- 
 pany with King Juba, who had a great train attending 
 him. The lion knew the man again, and breaking thro* 
 the guards, notwithftanding all their endeavours to beat 
 him off, made no flop till he came to the man that had 
 hurt him, fell upon him and tore him to pieces. We fee 
 bulls do the fame every day to thofe that vex them. 
 Men that are given to anger and revenge imitate thefe 
 brutal motions ; for when they might quiet their fury 
 with reafon and human difcretion, they chufe rather to 
 follow the fury and impulfe of beads, and to make ufe 
 of that bafer part of their fouls, which even brutes have 
 as well as they, neglecting at the fame time that part of 
 them which is more divine, and which they mare in wuh 
 the angels. If you fay" it is very hard to quell and tame 
 a heart, when once it is provoked ; why do not you con- 
 fider how much harder that is, which the Son of GOD 
 has undergone for your fake ? What were you when he 
 fhed his blood for the love of you ? were you not at that 
 time his enemy ? why do not you confider how patiently 
 he bears with you, notwithftanding the fins you are 
 hourly committing againfl him ; and with what mercy 
 he is ready to receive you, when you return home to 
 him ? You will fay perhaps your enemy does not deferve 
 to be pardoned, do you deferve any better, that GOD 
 fhould pardon you ? you will have GOD (hew his mercy 
 to you, whilft you yourfelf will exercife nothing but 
 juftice upon your neighbour. Confider, that if your 
 enemy does not deferve to be forgiven, you yourfelf are 
 unworthy of pardon, and Jefus Chrift is mod worthy 
 that you mould pardon your enemy, for the love of him. 
 Confider, that as long as you keep any malice in your 
 heart, you cannot make GOD any offering that he will 
 H h h 2 accept
 
 43 2 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 accept of. Our Saviour for this reafon fays (i) : If thou 
 bring thy gift to the altar, and there jhalt remember that thy 
 brother bath any thing againft thee : leave there thy gift be- 
 fore the altar i and go firft to be reconciled to thy brother 5 
 and then come and offer thy gift. This fufficiently mews 
 what a grievous crime difcord is ; becaufe, as long as it 
 continues, you are one of GOD'S enemies ; and do what 
 you will in this ftate, you never will be able to pleafe him ; 
 whereupon St. Gregory fays (2): " That all our good 
 adions can have no merit, unlefs we fuffer with patience 
 the injuries that are offered us." 
 
 5. You are alfo to confider what he is, whom you 
 look upon as your enemy ; for he muft of neceflity be 
 either a juft man or a finner. If he be a juft man, it is 
 certainly a very deplorable thing to wifli any ill to fuch 
 a one, and to reckon him your enemy, whom GOD 
 looks upon as his friend. But if he be a finner, it is a 
 a cafe no iefs lamentable, to defire to be revenged of 
 another man's wickednefs, by being wicked yourfelf, 
 and by making yourfelf judge in your own caufe, to 
 commit an injuftice yourfelf, that you may the more 
 eafily punim another man's. If the other perfon mould 
 endeavour to revenge his injuries as much as you do 
 yours, 'when will your quarrels be at an end ? the apoftle 
 teaches us a much mere generous way of over-coming 
 our enemies, when he fays ; Overcome evil with good (3), 
 that is to fay, another man's bad aflions by our own 
 good ones. For whilft you are endeavouring to return 
 evil for evil, and are unwilling to yield in any point 
 whatever, you may often happen to be (hamefully foiled, 
 whilft you are carried away by anger, and overcome by 
 your paflion , whereas, if you had refifted it, you would 
 have fliewn yourfelf much ftronger than him, who mould 
 have taken a town by force of arms. For the taking of 
 a city, which is a thing without you, is not half fo confi- 
 derable a viftory, as is the fubduing of the paffions thaf 
 are within you j the putting of yourfelf under your own 
 equitable laws, and the bridling and flopping of your 
 
 anger 
 
 (i) Matt. c. v. v. 23, 24. {%} 2i Moral, c. 16, 
 (3) Rom. c.xii. v. 21.
 
 Parti. Ch. 7. Remedies again/I Anger. 433 
 
 anger in its heat, and in its moil vigorous failles. For if 
 you do not fupprefs it in time, it will rife up againft you, 
 and make you do that which you will afterwards be ferry 
 for. And what is worft of all, you will fcarce be able to 
 know what mifchief you do, becaufe an angry man thinks 
 whatever he does, in order to revenge himfelf, he has al- 
 ways juftice on his fide. Nay, he is often deceived fo 
 far, as to imagine that the very heat of his anger, is no. 
 thing but a zeal for juftice, and thus vice hides itfelf 
 under the colour of virtue. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 6. One therefore of the moft fovereign remedies for 
 the better over-coming of the vice, is to endeavour to 
 pluck up this evil root of an inordinate love of yourfelf, 
 and of every thing that belongs to you ; otherwifc the 
 leaft word fpoken either againft you or yours, will make 
 you fly out into a pafFion : and befides, the more natu- 
 rally you mail find yourfelf inclined to anger, you ought 
 to labour fo much the harder for the acquiring of pati- 
 ence, by confidering before hand, and preventing all 
 kinds of grievances which you are like to meet with in 
 your affairs , for the forefeeing of any misfortune leffens 
 the influence it would otherwife have had over us, For 
 this reafon you are to make a ftrong refolution, as often 
 as you mail perceive yourfelf breaking out into a paf- 
 fion, not to fay or do any thing whilft you are in that dif- 
 pofition, not to believe even your ownfelf, but to fufpeft 
 whatever your heart (hall at that time dictate to you, 
 let it feem never fo juft and reafonable j put off the 
 execution till fuch time as your paffions is over, or fay 
 the Pater-nofter once over, or oftner, or fome other de- 
 vout prayer. Plutarch tells us of a very eminent and 
 learned philofopher, who taking his leave of a prince hi 
 great friend, advifed him never when he was in a paflTion, 
 to order any thing to be done till he had firft laid the 
 letters of the alphabet over, to give him to underftand, 
 what ram and inconfiderate actions the heat of anger 
 would excite him to, 
 
 7. And
 
 434 Tb* Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 7. And it is very obfervable, that though this is the 
 word time that can be for a man to refolve upon any 
 thing he has to do, yet at no time has he a ftronger de- 
 fire to do any thing in than this, which obliges you to 
 be very prudent and rigorous in refitting of the temp- 
 tation. For as a man that is drunk is incapable of afting 
 according to reafon, and afterwards repents him of what 
 he has done, as is written of Alexander the Great ; fo 
 he that is drunk with the wine of anger, and blinded 
 with the vapours of this paffion, cannot follow any ad- 
 vice or counfel to day, but he will dillike and condemn 
 it tomorrow. For it is certain, that the worft counsellors 
 in the world are anger, wine, and the defires of the 
 fiefh ; and therefore Solomon fays, 'That wine and women 
 made wife men bejide themfelves. Where by wine, he 
 means not only real wine, which is wont to blind the 
 reafon, but any violent paflion, which in fome manner 
 blinds the fenfes, and yet whatfoever a man does, in fuch 
 a difpofition, is neverthelefs a fin. 
 
 It is very advifeable, whenever you are angry, to em- 
 ploy yourftlf about fomething elfe, and to put the thing 
 out of your mind, which was the occafion of your paf- 
 fion, becaufe if you take away the fuel that nourimes 
 the fire, the flame muft of neceffity go out. Endeavour 
 alfo to love what neceflity obliges you to fuffer : for if 
 differing and love do not go together, the patience which 
 appears on the outfide, is very often turned into hatred; 
 whereupon St. Paul having faid, Charity is patience ; im- 
 mediately adds, It is kind; becaufe true charity never 
 fails to have a kind and tender love for thofe perfons 
 who fuffer patiently. In fine, it is farther advifable, to 
 give your neighbour time to let his anger work off; for 
 if you will but retire a little when you fee him in a paf- 
 fion, you will give him room to overcome it by degrees ; 
 or at Itail in iuch a conjuncture, you muft anfwer him 
 with a great deal of civility and mildnefs ; becaufe as 
 Solomon fays, A [oft anfwer appeafes anger * 
 
 C II A R 
 *Prov. c. xx. v. i.
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Remedies againft Sloth. 435 
 
 CHAP VIII. 
 
 Remedies againft Sloth. 
 
 i. O LOTH is a lazinefs of mind in performing of 
 O any thing that is good, and particularly a loathing 
 and diftafte of fpiritual things *. We may guefs at the 
 danger which attends this vice, from the words of our 
 Saviour. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, 
 Jhall be cut down, and Jhall be caft into the fire f. And in 
 another place he adviles us to live with a great deal of 
 care and diligence, a virtue direclly oppofite to thi< vice; 
 Watch and pray, becaufe you do not know when GOD wilt 
 come J. 
 
 2. Whenever therefore you perceive yourfelf tempted 
 to this fin, defend yourfelf againft it by the following 
 confideration. Confider in the firft place what toils and 
 hardfliips Chrift underwent for your fake, from the very 
 beginning of his life, to the end of it: how often he 
 fpent whole nights without taking any reft in continual 
 prayer, how he travelled up and down from town to 
 town, inftructing and curing men of their infirmities 
 and corporal ailments : how his employ was upon fuch 
 things as conduced to our falvation i and what is much 
 more than all this, how at the fame time of his pafiion, 
 he carried the heavy burthen of the crofs upon his 
 moft facred moulders, bending under the weight of all 
 thofe bitter torments which he had been put to but juft 
 before. If therefore the GOD of Majefty himfelf, has 
 taken fo much pains to procure your falvation, how much 
 more are you obliged to labour for the fame end ? it was 
 to free you from your fins, that this moll tender lamb 
 fuffered fo much ; and will not you undergo 1 the lead 
 trouble in the world, to be discharged from the guilt of 
 them ? confider what pains the apoftles took, when they 
 travelled all the world over to preach the gofpel. Con- 
 fider how much the martyrs, how much the confefibrs, 
 how much the virgins, how much all the holy fathers 
 that retired into defarts, from the converfation of men 
 
 under- 
 * Caflian. L. to. "f" Matt. c. vii. v. 19. J Mar.c.xiii. v. 3^.
 
 43 6 'The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 underwent, how much, in fine, all the faints now reign- 
 ing with GOD, have differed; they, who by their doc- 
 trine, by their labours and fweat, have defended the true 
 faith of Chrift, and increafed the Holy Catholic Church 
 to this very day. 
 
 3 Confider that there is nothing in nature altogether 
 idle ; for the blefled troops of faints and angels in hea- 
 ven, are continually fmging GOD'S praifes, and adoring 
 him; the fun, moon and ftars, with all the heavenly 
 bodies, are in a perpetual circle of labour to ferve us. 
 The plants and trees are always increafmg from a fmall 
 root, till they come to their juft proportion and bignefs. 
 The ants are bufy all fummer, getting in corn to main- 
 tain them in winter. The bees employ themfelves in 
 making their honey-combs, and are careful to turn out 
 the drones, and fuch that will not work ; we find the 
 fame in all other creatures whatever. And can you, O 
 man, who are a rational creature, give yourfelf up to 
 lazinefs and floth, and not to be amamed of it, when 
 you fee there is not an irrational creature, but has a horror 
 of this vice, by bare inftinft of nature ? 
 
 4. Again, if merchants and tradefmen take fuch pains 
 to gather their perifhable riches, the preferving of which 
 wants as much care and folicitude, as the fcraping of 
 them together did ; what pains mould not you take, who 
 are to trade for heaven, about the acquifition of eternal 
 treafures, which are never to be loft when once gained ? 
 
 5. Confider that if you are unwilling to labour now, 
 you have time and ftrength, the time may come here- 
 after, when you (hall have neither the one nor the other. 
 It is what we have daily examples of in others ; the time 
 of this life is fhort, and full of a thoufand incumbrances, 
 and therefore you ought to have a care of lofing the 
 opportunities you have of doing good, through your 
 own idlenefs and floth, The night cometb, when no man can 
 work *. 
 
 6. Confider, that the multitude and grievoufnefs of 
 your fins, require a very rigorous penance, and a great 
 deal of fervour and devotion, to fatisfy for them. St. 
 
 Ptter 
 * Joan. c. ix. v. 4.
 
 Parti. Ch. 8. Remedies again/I Sloth. 437 
 
 Peter denied our Saviour three times, and wept all his 
 life after for it, though he was already pardoned f. St. 
 Mary Magdalen bewailed to the Jaft moment of her life, 
 the fins me had committed before her converfion -, and 
 yet me heard our Saviour himfelf with fweetnefs and 
 mercy, fay, Thy Jins are forgiven thee f. I omit here for 
 fear of being too tedious upon this matter, the exam- 
 ples of feveral others, who fet no fhorter bounds to their 
 penance, than thofe of their life ; though they had never 
 offended GOD fo heinoufly as you have done. And can 
 you, who every day heap fins upon fins, think any pains 
 or labour too much, that is required from you in fatif- 
 faclion for your crimes ? let it therefore be your chief 
 employ, during the time of grace and mercy, to bring 
 forth worthy fruits of penance ; that fo you may, by the 
 labours you endure in this life, buy off the torments you 
 muft otherwife fuffer in the next ; for though all our en- 
 deavours and actions feem mean and inconfiderable, yet 
 they are very meritorious, inafmuch as they are the ef- 
 fects of grace , and therefore, though they are but tem- 
 poral, if we confider only the labour, they are at the 
 fame time eternal, if we have a regard to the reward : 
 they are fhort indeed as to their continuance , but the 
 crown they are rewarded with, will laft for ever. Let us 
 not therefore fuffer the time which is given to merit in, 
 pafs away without reaping any good from it ; let us fet 
 before our eyes the example of a certain holr man, who 
 ufed to cry out every time he heard the clock ftrike ; 
 " O my Lord and my GOD, here is another hour gone 
 out of the number of thofe you intended for the mending 
 of my life, and for which I am to give you an account." 
 
 7. As often as we find ourfelves furrounded with 
 troubles, let us remember it is by the way of tribulations, 
 that we are to enter the kingdom of heaven ( i ), and 
 that none will be crowned but he that fights courage- 
 oufly. But if you imagine you have taken fufficient 
 pains, and fought long enough already, remember what 
 the fcripture fays (2) : But he that perfeveretb to the end, 
 I ii be 
 
 -f- Matt. c. xxvii J Luc. c. vii. (1)2 Tim.e, ii. v. 4. 
 (2) Matt, c. ii. v. 13.
 
 438 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 he /ball be faved. So that all our actions will prove un- 
 profitable, and our labours go unrewarded, without this 
 virtue of perfeverance , neither mall he that runs, get 
 the prize, nor he that ferves GOD, obtain the laft favour, 
 if he does not perfevere. For this reafon our Saviour 
 would not come down from the crofs, when the Jews 
 defired it ( i ), that the work of our redemption might 
 not be left imperfect. And the fame reafon obliges us, 
 if we intend to tread in the fteps our Head has marked 
 out for vis, to ufe our utmoft diligence, and not to leave 
 off our work till death ; becaufe the reward which GOD 
 will give us, is to laft for all eternity. Let us not ceafe 
 from doing penance, let us not lay down the crofs we 
 have taken up, after Chrift ; for if we do, what profit 
 fhall we get by a long and profperous voyage, if we be 
 caft away at laft, in the very haven (2). 
 
 8. You are not to be frighted at the difficulty of the 
 labours, nor at the dangers of the combat ; for GOD, 
 who encourages you to fight, helps you to overcome, 
 fees the battle, fupports you when you faint, and crowns 
 you when you conquer. But if at any time you fhould 
 faint under the weight of your labours, you may make 
 ufe of this remedy to bring you to yourfelf again. Do 
 not make any companion between the troubles of virtue, 
 and the pleaiure that is in its oppofite vice; but betwixt 
 the pain you find in virtue, and that which you muft 
 feel if you fhould commit the fin. Compare the delight 
 the crime may give you, whilft you are committing it, 
 with the joys you will one day receive in eternal glory : 
 and by this you will perceive how much more advan- 
 tageous it is to follow virtue than vice. When you have 
 won one battle, do not become negligent ; for it often 
 happens, that fuccefs makes us carelefs ; but be always 
 upon your guard, as if you expected another alarm every 
 moment ; becaufe it is as impofiible for a man to live 
 without temptations, as it is for the fea to be always in 
 a calm. Befides, a man is generally expofed to the mod 
 violent temptations, at his beginning to lead a new life ; 
 for, the enemy does not think it worth his while to tempt 
 
 thofe 
 (i) Matt. c. xxvii. (2) Eccl. c. xviii.
 
 Part I. Ch. 8. Remedies agatnft Sloth. 439 
 
 thofe whom he is mafter of already ; he fets upon them 
 that are out of his jurifdiftion and power : fo that it is 
 your bufmefs to be always upon the guard. To be never 
 unprepared or without your arms in your hands, as long 
 as you are ported upon the frontiers : and if you mould 
 at any time perceive your foul wounded, you muft not 
 think then to ftand with your arms acrofs, or fling your 
 fhield and fword away, and deliver yourfelf up to your 
 enemy ; you are rather to imitate brave foldiers, who 
 looking upon it as a difgrace to be defeated or forced to 
 fly -, fet upon the enemy again, and the more they are 
 wounded, the more vigoroufly they return the ftrokes. 
 And thus recovering new ftrength by your fall, you will 
 foon fee thofe perfons fly from whom you fled before ; 
 and you yourfelf will purfue thofe who before purfued 
 you. But if, as it often happens in an engagement, you 
 fhould be wounded a fecond time, you are not therefore 
 to be difcouraged, but remember, that refolute and brave 
 men, do not fight with hopes of being never wounded, 
 but with a refolution never to furrender themfelves up to 
 their enemies : for, we cannot fay, that a man is over- 
 come when he has received many wounds, but when 
 after having been wounded, he flings his arms away, and 
 lofes all his courage. If therefore you mould ever re- 
 ceive a wound, endeavour to heal it as foon as you can ; 
 becaufe it is much eafier curing one than many ; and a 
 green one is fooner clofed up, than one that is old and 
 rankled. 
 
 9. Do not think you have done enough in refitting a 
 temptation, but rather endeavour to draw from the 
 temptation incentives to virtue ; and fo, by your own 
 diligence, and GOD'S grace, you will not be the worfe 
 but the better for having been tempted ; and turn all to 
 your own benefit and advantage. If you mould be 
 tempted either by impurity or gluttony, leflen a little of 
 the good chear you were ufed to before, though it never 
 went beyond what is lawful and allowable ; and encreafe 
 your fafting and devotion. If avarice mould afiault you, 
 be more frequent in alms and good works. If you 
 dfaould be fet upon by vain-glory, humble yourfelf fo 
 I i i 2 much
 
 44 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 much the more in all things. If you do fo, the devil 
 may perhaps be afraid to folicit you again, for fear of 
 giving you an opportunity of bettering yourfelf, and of 
 doing good works, when it is his defire, that every action 
 you do fhould be evil. Let your chief bufmefs be to 
 fly idlenefs, and never be fo much out of employment, 
 as not to attend to fomething that may be for your ad- 
 vantage, nor fo much employed, as in the midft of your 
 bufmefs, not to endeavour to lift up your heart to GOD, 
 an,d to treat fometimes with him. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of feme other Jins wbicb every good Cbrijlian muft endeavour 
 to avoid. 
 
 i. TJESIDES thefe feven capital fins, there are feveral 
 X3 others that fpring from them ; which every good 
 Chriftian ought to avoid as carefully as thofc we have al- 
 ready fpoken of. One of the chiefeft of thefe, is the 
 taking of GOD'S name in vain, becaufe this fin points 
 directly to GOD ; and is in itfclf, much more heinous 
 than any we commit againft our neighbour, let it be 
 never fo "great. Nor is this true only, when a man 
 fwears by GOD'S own name ; but when he fwears by the 
 crofs, by any of the faints, or by his own falvation, be- 
 caufe any of thefe oaths is a mortal fin, if brought to 
 afTert or favour a lie, and feverely cenfured in Holy Writ, 
 as highly injurious to the Divine Majefty. It is true, 
 that when a man fwears to a lie without reflecting on it, 
 he does not fin mortally ; becaufe where there is no de- 
 termination of the will, and where reafon does not pafs 
 a judgment upon the matter, there can be no mortal fin. 
 But this is not to be underftood of thofe perfons, who 
 have a cuftom of fwearing without any kind of fcruple, 
 without confidering either how, or what it is they fwear, 
 and without making the leaft endeavour towards breaking 
 of the bad habit. Such men as thefe being accuftomed 
 to fwear to a lie, without ever reflecting upon it, are by 
 
 no
 
 Part. I. Ch 9. Remedies againjl other Sins. 441 
 no means free from fin, becaufe it is what they both 
 might and ought to have been careful in. Nor can they 
 alledge for their excufe, that they did not think of what 
 they laid, or did not defign to fwear to a lie ; becaufe, 
 fince they will not break off this habit, it is not their 
 will to avoid the effects of it ; and therefore thefe, and 
 fuch like inconveniencies, are always looked upon as 
 voluntary fins. 
 
 3. For this reafon every Chriftian ought to labour for 
 the rooting out of this evil cuftom, that fo thefe inad- 
 vertencies may not be reckoned as mortal fins. The 
 beft method for effe&ing of this, is to take the advice 
 given us by our Saviour, and after him by his holy 
 apoftle St. James, Afave all things, my brethren, do not 
 Jwear \ neither by heaven, nor by earth -, fwear not in any 
 other manner whatever : but let your difcourfe be\ Yea, yea\ 
 Nay, nay , that you may not fall under the judgment *. 
 Which is, that you may not be wrought upon by cuftom, 
 to fwear DO what is falfe, and to be condemned to ever- 
 lafting death. Nor is a man only to endeavour to avoid 
 this fm in himfelf, he is obliged to excite in his children, 
 his fervants, and in all his family, a horror and detefta- 
 tion of the fame vice j and to reprove his acquaintance 
 and companions of it. And when he happens himielf to 
 be carelefs in this point, let him in punifhment of his 
 neglect, give fome alms, or fay a Pater- nofter, or an 
 Ave Maria, not fo much in penance for his fault, as for 
 a memorial and advertifement to him, not to fall into 
 it again. 
 
 SECT I. 
 Of detraction, fc offing, and judging rajhly. 
 
 Another fin we are to be very diligent in avoiding is, 
 that of detraction, as much ufed in the world as the 
 former , for there is no houfe fo ftrong, no fociety fo re- 
 ligious, or place fo facred, as to eicape the lafh of a li- 
 centious tongue. But though this vice is familiar to all 
 forts of perfons (for the world, as it gives good men fuf- 
 ficient reafon to weep, by its daily follies, fo it fupplies 
 
 the 
 * Matt. c. v. v. 34. Joe. c. v. v. 12.
 
 442 he Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 the weak with matter of calumny and'flander) yet there 
 are always fome perfons to be met with, that are more 
 naturally and more paflionately inclined to this vice than 
 others. For, as there are fome palates that can relifh 
 nothing that is fweet, and love nothing but what is 
 bitter or fowre , fo there are fome kinds of men, fo cor- 
 rupt in themfelves, and fo full of a heavy and melancholy 
 humour ; that no fubject of virtue, nor any commenda- 
 tion of ones neighbour favours well with them, but they 
 only delight in railing, fcoffing and detraction. So that 
 they are as it were afleep, and dumb to all other dif- 
 courfe j but as foon as any man happens to touch upon 
 this firing, they are prefently awake again, and ready to 
 lafh out upon that fubject. 
 
 5. That you may therefore conceive a great hatred of 
 fo hurtful, and fo execrable a vice as this is, confider 
 three great evils it draws after it. The firft is, that it 
 is not very far from mortal fin, for there is but a very 
 little diftance between cenfuring and detraction ; and 
 thefe two vices being fo near neighbours, it is eafy to 
 pafs from the one to the other , as the philofophers fay, 
 that thcfe elements which agree in any one quality, may 
 be eafily converted into another. Thus we fee how often 
 it happens that men, when they begin to cenfure, de- 
 fcend without any fcruple, from general imperfections to 
 particulars, from public to private, and from little to 
 great ones. By this means they blemifh their neighbour's 
 reputation, and leave it without endeavouring to wipe 
 off the fpot. For when the tongue is once going, and 
 the defire or itch of magnifying things prevails, it is as 
 hard a matter to fupprefs the motion of the heart, as it 
 is to flop the violence of the flame, when blown upon by 
 the wind, or to keep in a hard mouth'd horfe when once 
 he has got his head. Then the railer has no refpect for 
 any man, and never (tops till he difcovers the mod hid- 
 den fecrets. This was the reafon why the author of Ec- 
 clefiafticus, defircd fo earneftly to have a guard fet at 
 this little gate, when he faid (i) : Who will fet a guard 
 4<ver my month ; and a fure feat upon my lips ; tbat I j "all wt 
 
 by 
 (i) Eccl. c.xxii. v. 33,
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Remedies againft Detraction, &c. 443 
 by them, and that my tongue dejlrey me not. He that faid 
 it, very well knew the great confequence and the diffi- 
 culty of this affair ; becaufe he expected his cure from- 
 none but GOD ; who is the only phyfician that can cure 
 this diftemper, according to theie words of Solomon (i) : 
 It is the part of man to prepare the foul ; and of the Lord 
 to govern the tongue. So weighty a concern this is. 
 
 6. The fecond evil which attends this vice is, its beino-, 
 very prejudicial and dangerous: becaufe there are three 
 evils- in it at leaft, which cannot be avoided-, the rirft 
 concerns him that fpeaks , the fecond thofe that hearken,, 
 and confent to it ; and the third concerns the abfrnt, who 
 are talked of. It is a common faying, that walls have 
 ears, and words have wings ; and men love to feek new 
 friends and to ingratiate themfelves with others, by car- 
 rying tales and ftories, under pretence of being concerned 
 for the honour of thofe perfons ill fpoken of; and fo when 
 thefe things come to the ears of the party that has been 
 defamed he is offended, and falls into a rage and paffion 
 againft the man that defamed him : whence follows ir- 
 reconcileable enmity, and fometimes duels and bloodfhed. 
 For this reafon the Wife Man faid : The whifperer and the 
 double-tongued is accurfed : for he hath troubled many that 
 were at peace (2). And all this, as you fee, comes from 
 a word fpoken out of feafon ; for, according to the ex- 
 preffion of the Wife Man : Of one fpark cometh a great 
 /r*(3). 
 
 7. This vice, upon account of thefe great damages, 
 is compared in fcripture fometimes to a rafor (4) which 
 ihaves the hair without being felt -, fometimes again to 
 bows and arrows, which fhoot at a great dittance and 
 wound thofe that are abfent-, at other times to ferpents, 
 that make no noife when they bite, yet leave their poifon- 
 in the wound (5). The Holy Ghoft is pleafed to give 
 us to underftand by thefe companions, the malice and 
 damages of that vice, which is lo great that the Wife 
 Man fays (6) : T'he Jiroke of a ivbip maketh a blue mark : 
 but the ftroke of the tongue will break the bones. 
 
 8. The 
 
 (i) Prov. c. xvi. v. i. (2) Eccl. c. xxviii. v. 15. (3) Ibid, 
 c. xi. v.34, (4)Pf.li. v.2, (5)Hrov, c.Xxv, v.i8, (6)Pf.vii.
 
 444 3% e Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 8. The third evil that attends this vice is, its being 
 moft abominable and infamous amongft men : becaufe 
 every body flies as naturally from a detractor as from a 
 poifonous ferpent. And therefore the Wife Man fays : 
 A man full of tongue is terrible in his city (i}. Are not 
 thefe evils great enough to make you abhor a vice, which 
 is at once fo hurtful and fo unprofitable ? why will you 
 make yourfelf odious in the fight both of GOD and man, 
 without reaping any advantage by it ? efpecially by a (in 
 that is fo frequent and ufual, that you can fcarce fpeak 
 one word, without expofmg yourfelf to the danger of 
 falling into it. Look upon your neighbour's life as a 
 forbidden tree which you mould not fo much as touch. 
 You are to be careful in endeavouring never to fpeak 
 well of yourfelf, nor ill of others ; becaufe one is vanity, 
 and the other detraction. Talk of all perfons as if they 
 were virtuous men, and men of honour, and let all the 
 world believe, there is no wicked man in it, by your 
 difcourfe. Thus you will avoid many fins, fcruples, and 
 remorfes of confcience ; you will gain the favour both 
 of GOD and man, and be refpected as much by others, 
 as you refpect every body elfe. Put a bridle in your 
 mouth, and be always ready to repel and fwallow down 
 thofe words, which you perceive will be too fharp and 
 biting. Be allured that it is one of the moft prudent and 
 difcreet actions you can do to curb your tongue ; and that 
 there is fcarce any empire fo great, as that which a man 
 has, when he knows how to command and govern this 
 member. 
 
 9. Do not think you are free from this vice, when 
 you ufe craft in your detraction, by praifing a man firft, 
 when you defign to decry him. For, there are fome de- 
 tractors, like furgeons, who chafe the vein gently before 
 they open it, that their lancet may find the eafier pafTage, 
 and the blood fpurt out the more freely. The Royal 
 Prophet fpeaking of fuch perfons, fays (2) : Their words 
 Are fmoother than oil ; but at the fame time they are arrows. 
 
 10. And as it is a great virtue to forbear all detraction, 
 fo it is a much greater to rail at thofe who have done 
 
 us 
 (i) Eccl c, ix. v. 25. (2) Pfalm liv. v. 22.
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. Remedies agamjl Detraction, &c. 445 
 
 us any injury. So that the more we find ourfelves inclined 
 to fay any thing againft them, the greater gencrofity it 
 will be to fay nothing, and to fubdue this paffion ; for 
 where the danger is greateft, there the mod precaution 
 is to be ufed. 
 
 11. Nor is it enough to forbear you rfelf from mur- 
 muring and detracting, you mud alfo fhut your ears 
 againft all that do fo, following the advice of Ecclefiaf- 
 ticus : Pledge in they ears, fays he, with thorns, hear not 
 a wicked tongue*. He thinks it not fufficient for you to 
 ftop your ears with cotton, or with any thing that is foft, 
 he would have you do it with thorns ', rhat fo the words 
 which otherwife you would have heard with pleafure, 
 may not only make no imprcffion upon your heart ; but 
 may prick the heart of him that delivers them, when he 
 fees by your looks, that you are difpleafed at what he has 
 told you. Solomon gives us the fame advice in clearer 
 terms, when he fay ; The north wind drive th away rain^ 
 Jo doth a fad countenance a backbiting tongue -f. Becaufe, 
 as St. Jerom fays, " An arrow out of a bow cannot enter 
 into a hard ftone ; but on the contrary, flies back again, 
 and fometimes returns upon the man that mot it J. 
 
 12. For this reafon you are to impofe filence upon any 
 one that detracts, if he is your inferior, or of fuch a 
 condition and rank, that you may do it without offence. 
 If you cannot do this, you muft at leaft ufe fome cunning 
 to divert the difcourfe ; or, if that will not do, let the 
 feverity of your countenance make him aihamed of what 
 he has faid. By this means, being civilly told of his fault, 
 he will turn his difcourfe, and talk of fomething elfe. 
 But mould you, on the contrary, contenance him in the 
 leaft, you will encourage him to go on, and fo make 
 yourfelf as guilty, by hearing him, as he is by his talk- 
 ing : for as it is a very criminal action to fet a houfe on 
 fire, it would be very blameable, for another to ftand 
 warming his fingers by it, when charity bids him fetch 
 water to help to put it out. 
 
 K k k 13. Bur 
 
 * Eccl. c. xXviii. v. 28. -f Prov. c. xxv. v. 23. J Epift. 2. 
 ad Nepo. tiam.
 
 446 The Sinners Guide. Book IL 
 
 13. But of all detractions, the greateft is, when a man 
 fpeaks ill of virtuous perfons ; becaufe it is the ready way 
 to dilcourage thofe that are but weak and faint-hearted, 
 and to give an abfolute repulfe to fuch as have no cou- 
 rage at all, fo as to deter them from entering into the 
 way of virtue. This would be laying a ftumbling-block 
 in their way, that are but juft beginning to walk, though 
 thofe that are quite grown up, know how to pafs over 
 it. And that you may have no reafon to fay, this is but 
 a fmall and inconfiderable fcandal , reflect upon thefe 
 words of our Saviour ; But he that foall fcandalize one of thefe 
 tittfe ones that believe in me , /'/ were better for him that a 
 milflcne were hanged about his neck^ and that he were 
 drowned in the depth of the Jea *. You are therefore to 
 account upon it as a kind of facriledge to make fcanda- 
 lous reflections on the fervants of GOD ; for, fuppofing 
 they are fuch as the wicked reprefent them, yet the cha- 
 racter they bear, mould make you have a refpect for 
 them, efpecially fmce God Almighty fpeaking of the 
 love he has for them, faysj For he that touches you, 
 tcucheth the apple of my eye "f. 
 
 14. Whatever we have here faid againfls detractors and 
 backbiters, may be applied to thofe that jeer and fcofFat 
 others, and with more than reafon, becaufe this vice,, 
 be fides its having all in it that the other has, is never 
 without a tincture of pride, prefumption, and contempt 
 of others , fo that, upon this confideration, we are more 
 obliged to avoid this vice, than the former. GOD, in 
 the old law, has given us a particular caution againit it, 
 in thefe words : Thou ft:> all not be a detractor nor a whifperer 
 among the people J. And therefore there is no need of 
 faying any more of the deformity of it, for what has been 
 faid may fuflice. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 Of rcfo judgments^ and of the commands of the church. 
 
 15. To thefe two fins, we may add that of ram judg- 
 ment, as coming very near to them, becaufe detractors 
 and jeerers, not only fpeek ill of things which really are, 
 
 but 
 *Matt.c,xviii. v.6. -j-Zach. c.ii. v.8. JLevit.c.xix. v,i6.
 
 Part I. Ch. 9. OfRaJh Judgment, Sec. 447 
 
 but of whatever they imagine or fancy. And, that they 
 may never want fomething to be biting upon, t.ic-y iur- 
 nifh themfelves when there is no occafion, by rafti judg- 
 ments and fecrets fufpicions j by turning the w.mt iiJe 
 of a thing outwards, when they might as eaiily tu ii cli 
 beft; and this, in oppofition to what our S,- 
 commanded us, faying, Judge not that \;uu .;*. 
 judged \ condemn not, and you Jhall not be condt 
 This may often happen to be a mortal fin, if the ma r 
 a man pafies fentence upon, is of concern and we. 
 and the judgment grounded on a fhallow and weak foun- 
 dation : but if it proves to be rather a fufpicion than a 
 judgment, it will not then be a mortal fin, becaufe the 
 act is not entire and perfect. 
 
 1 6. Befides thefe fins againft GOD, there are thofe 
 which a man commits againft the five commandments of 
 the church, which oblige us by precept. As hearing 
 mafs upon fundays and holy days, confeffing our fins once 
 a year, communicating at Eafter, falling all days ap- 
 pointed by the church, and paying of tithes. The com- 
 mandment of fading, binds from one and twenty years 
 of age and upwards, more or Iefs 3 according to the dii- 
 cretion of the confeffor or curate, if a man is not fick 
 or very weak, or old labouring men, nurfes that give 
 fuck, or women that are with child, and fuch as are not 
 able to afford themfelves one good meal a day, and o 
 there may be other lawful impediments. 
 
 17. As to the hearing of mafs upon fundays and holy 
 days, a man muft endeavour to aflift there, not only in 
 body, but in fpirit, having his mind recollected ; and 
 with a profound filence with his heart fixed upon GOD, 
 or upon the myfteries of the mafs, or bufied with fome 
 other pious thoughts, or faying fome devout prayers. 
 
 1 8. And as for thofe perfons who have fervants, and 
 children, and a family to look after, they mould be very 
 careful and diligent, and feeing that all under their 
 charge, here mafs upon holy days , and if they cannot 
 let them go to high mafs, becaufe of th^ir being im- 
 ployed about neceSary bufinefs, at Icaft, they muft make 
 
 Kkk 2 them 
 
 * Matt, c, vii. v. i.
 
 4^ The Sinners Guide. Book II, 
 
 them go fome time in the morning to hear a private 
 mafs, that fo they may comply with their obligation. 
 There are many mafters of families, very blameable and 
 negligent in this point, and they muft anfwer for it to 
 GOD. It is true, when there is any juft and prefiing ne- 
 ceflity, that hinders a perfon from hearing mafs -, as his 
 looking after a fick perfon, or any fuch employment, it 
 will not be then imputed to him as a fin, becaufe necef- 
 fity excufes a man from this law. 
 
 19. Thefe are the mod ufual fins which man generally 
 falls into. It is our duty always to endeavour to avoid 
 them all ; fome becaufe they are mortal, others becaufe 
 they are very near to mortal fin, and others again, be- 
 caufe they are more henious of themfelves, than other 
 common venial fins. This is the way to preferve our 
 innocence, and thofe white garments which Solomon re- 
 quires of us, when he fays ; At all times let your garments 
 be white, and let not oil depart from thy head ( i ). That is, 
 the unction of divine grace, which enlightens and 
 ftrengthens us upon all occafions, and which inftrucls us 
 in and encourages us to all kind of good. 
 
 CHAP X. 
 
 Of venial fins. 
 
 I, ripHOUGH thefe be the chief fins you are carefully 
 JL to avoid, yet do not think you are therefore al- 
 lowed to run freely into all venial fins. On the contrary, 
 I earneftly intreat you, not to be one of thofe, who make 
 no fcruple of committing a fin, when once they know it 
 is not mortal. Confider what the Wife Man fays : He 
 that contemneth fmall things, will fall by degrees into 
 greater (2). Think of the olc^proverbi for want of a 
 nail we lofe a (hoe, for want of a flioe a horfe, and for 
 want of a horfe a trooper. Houfes that fall with age, 
 begin their decay with fome little flaw, which by degrees 
 grows bigger and bigger, till the whole building comes 
 
 to 
 (i) Eccl. c. ix. v. 8. (3) Eccl, c. xix, v. i.
 
 Parti. Ch. 10. Of Venal Sin. 449 
 
 to the ground. Confider, that though in reality neither 
 feven thoufand venial fins, nor feven thoufand to thofe, 
 can make Up one mortal , yet that which St. Auguftine 
 fays is true ( i ) : "Do not defpife venial fins, becaufe 
 they are little , but be afraid of committing them, be- 
 caufe they are many : we often fee that little animals may 
 kill a man, when there is a great number of them : is 
 not a grain of land a very fmall thing ? and yet if you 
 overload a veiTel with it, it will certainly fink. How 
 fmall are drops of water, yet they make the greateft 
 rivers, and bear down the moft {lately edifices in the 
 world." The meaning of this fentence of St. Auguftine, 
 is not that many venial amount to a mortal fin, but that 
 they difpofe the foul to mortal fin, and very often make 
 a man fall into it. Nor is this only true, but that alfo 
 which St. Gregory fays (2) : " That to fall into fmall 
 fins is fometimes more dangerous, than to fall into great 
 ones :" Becaufe the greater a fault is, the more it dif- 
 covers itfelf, and is by confequence the more eafy to 
 be remedied -, whereas little faults being looked upon as 
 nothing, the more fecurely a man commits them, the 
 greater danger he is in of falling frequently into the 
 fame again. 
 
 2. In fine, venial fins, tho' never fo little, are very 
 prejudicial to the foul j becaufe they take away devotion, 
 difturb the peace and quiet of confcience, extinguifh the 
 heat of charity, weaken the heart, deftroy the vigour of 
 the foul, impair the flrength of the fpiritual life, and in 
 fhort, refill in fome manner the Holy Ghoft himfelf, and 
 hinder his operations in us. For this reafon we are 
 obliged to ufe the utmoft diligence for avoiding of thefe 
 fins, fince it is certain there is no enemy, how mean fo- 
 evcr, but may be able to do us much harm, if we do 
 not fecure ourfelves againft him. 
 
 3, Now if you would know wherein thefe fins parti- 
 cularly confift , I anfwer, that in a little anger, gluttony, 
 or vanity, in idle words and thoughts, in immoderate 
 
 laughing 
 
 (l) Super Joan. Tree. 12. ad fin. Tom. p. & L. de dectm 
 ehordis. c. 1 1. & L. de Medicina Paenitentiufii ad fin. Tom. 9. 
 C. 2. (2)InPaftora3. p. 0.33.
 
 45 *Tbe Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 laughing and jefting, in the lofs of time, in fleeping too 
 much, in lies and flatteries, and the like. 
 
 4. We have here defcribed three forts of fins, one 
 which is generally mortal, another that is commonly ve- 
 nial, and a third that lies as it were betwixt thefe two 
 extremes ; fo that they are fometimes mortal, and fome- 
 times only venial. It is requifite we fhun all thefe in ge- 
 neral, much more thofe which are in the middle, and 
 mod of all thofe that are mortal : becaufe by thofe alone 
 our peace with GOD is difturbed, our friendfhip violated, 
 and by the fame, we lofe all the goods of grace, and all 
 the infufed virtues : though faith and hope it is true, 
 cannot be loft but by the contrary afts. 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 Of fome other Jhorter remedies againft all forts offins^ but 
 -particularly thofe feven, called Capital. 
 
 i. f i ^HE feveral confiderations we have here fet down, 
 J[ will ferve to keep the foul in good order, and 
 well armed againft all kinds of fins : yet during the en- 
 gagement itjelf -, that is, when you are tempted to any 
 of thefe fins, you may make ufe of thefe fhort fentences, 
 found amongft the writings of a certain holy man, who 
 ufeol to arm himfelf thus, upon all occafions, againft 
 every one of thefe vices. 
 
 2. When pride affaulted him he faid : When I confi- 
 der with what an excefs of humility the moft high and 
 glorious Son of GOD has humbled himfelf for the love 
 of me ; no creature in the world can defpife me fo much, 
 as to make me think I do not deferve to be much more 
 contemned and defpifed. 
 
 3. If covetoufnefs fet upon him, his faying was; 
 Having cnce underftood that nothing can fatisfy my 
 foul, but GOD alone , I cannot but perfuade myfelf, that 
 it muft be a great folly to feek any thing befides him. 
 
 4. As often as impurity attacked him he faid : Being 
 fenfible of the great dignity my body is raifed to, when I 
 
 receive
 
 Part I. Gh. 1 1. Other Remedies againft Sin. 451 
 
 receive my Saviour's moil facred body ; I fhould account 
 myfelf guilty of a horrible facrilege, fhould I defile the 
 temple he has confecrated to his fervice, with the filth of 
 carnal fin?. 
 
 5. If he was tempted to anger, he faid : No man 
 could ever injure him fo far, as to difturb and trouble 
 him, when he reflected upon the injuries he had offered 
 to GOD. 
 
 6. His defence againft hatred and envy was : I cannot 
 wifh any hurt to my neighbour, or refufe to pardon any 
 man ; knowing with what mercy my GOD has vouchfafed 
 to receive fuch a finner as I am. 
 
 7. Againft gluttony, he faid : That if any man would 
 but call to mind the bitter potion of vinegar and gall, 
 which they gave the Son of GOD for his laft refreshment, 
 in the midfl of all the torments he fuffered for us ; he 
 would be amamed to endeavour to pleafe his palate with 
 dainty meats ; being obliged to undergo fomething for 
 his own fins. 
 
 8. His faying againft floth was : Since I have been 
 taught, that for a little toil and labour here, I may pur- 
 chaie for myfelf everlafting glory, all the pains I can 
 poflibly take, for the obtaining of this happinefs, feem 
 very inconfiderable. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 9. St. Auguftine gives us another fort of fhort reme- 
 dies againft all vices ; though fome perfons attribute 
 them to St. Leo the Pope : He mews us in the fame, 
 how on the one fide each particular vice tempts us, and 
 what propofals it makes us : and on the other fide, he 
 fupplies us with fuch confiderations and reafons, as we 
 are to make ufe of againft it, which I will here fet 
 down, looking upon them as very ferviceable and be- 
 neficial. 
 
 10. Pride therefore begins firft to fpeak to us after 
 this manner : Certainly you excell others in knowledge, 
 in eloquence, in wealth, and in feveral other good qua- 
 lities ; it is therefore reafonable you mould have but 
 little efteem for others, as being fo far above them. 
 
 But
 
 452 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 But humility anfwers : Remember that you are but duft 
 and alhes -, mere rottenefs and corruption at prefent \ 
 and defigned to be the companion and food of worms in 
 a very little time. And fuppofing you are as great as 
 you imagine, yet the greater you are, if you do not 
 humble yourfelf the more, you will foon ceafe to be what 
 you were. Are you greater than the angels that fell ? do 
 you mine brighter upon earth than Lucifer did in hea* 
 ven ? Now, if his pride was the occafion of his falling 
 from fo high a ftate of glory, into fuch an abyfs of mi- 
 fery ; how can you think of rifing from fuch an excefs 
 of mifery to fuch a height of glory, when you are in all 
 refpefts as proud as he was ? 
 
 11. Vain-glory comes next, and fays : Do all the good 
 you can, and let every body know it, that they may take 
 you for a good man , that the whole world may reve- 
 rence and honour you , and that no one may mew you 
 the leaft difrefpeft. The fear of GOD anfwers : It is a 
 moil notorious folly to fling away the purchafe of eternal 
 glory, for a little temporal honour. Endeavour there- 
 fore to hide all the good actions you do, at leaft in de- 
 fire ; becaufe, if you have a real defire to conceal them, 
 it will be no vanity in you, if they mould come to be 
 known i for that cannot be called public which in your 
 wifhes is fecret. 
 
 12. Hypocrify fays: Since you have nothing in you 
 that is good , endeavour, at leaft, to make man believe 
 you have what you have not, that you- may not be hated 
 by all the world, if every body mould know you to be 
 what you are. True religion anfwers : endeavour much 
 more to be what you are not, than only to be thought 
 fo-, for, it is the proper duty of a Chriftian, not to en- 
 deavour to pafs for a good man, but to labour to make 
 himfelf fo , for all that you can get by impofmg upon 
 others, will be your own condemnation and ruin. 
 
 13. Contempt and difobedience fay, who are you, 
 that you fhould be fubjecT: to others inferior to you ? it 
 is but jnft you mould command, and they obey, fince 
 they do not come up to you, either in wit, judgment, or 
 virtue. It is enough for you to keep the commandments 
 
 of
 
 Part.!. Ch 1 1. Other Remedies agamjl Sin. 453 
 of GOD, you need not trouble your head with thofe of 
 men. Subjection and obedience anfwers the lame reafon 
 that obliges you to an obfervance of GOD'S command- 
 ments, obliges you to fubmit to what men decree -, be- 
 caufe GOD himfelf his faid : Whofoever hearetb you, heareth 
 me ; and he that defpifeth you> defpifeth me *. But if you 
 fay that this (lands with reafon and juftice, when he that 
 commands is a good man - t and not otherwife ; hear what 
 the apoftle fays againft this opinion : There is no power but 
 from GOD , and thofe that are^ are ordained of GOD f. So 
 that it is none of your bufmefs to know what kind of 
 men your fuperiors are ; all you are to do, is to know 
 what they command, and put their orders in execution. 
 
 14. Envy fays; in what are you lefs than this man or 
 that ? why then mould not you have as much refpect 
 (hewed you as they have, or more ? how many things 
 can you do, which they cannot ? it is therefore unjuft, 
 that they fhould be made equal to you , or fet over you ? 
 brotherly love anfwers, if you are more virtuous than 
 others, you will be much fecurer in a low place than in 
 a high one , becaufe, the higher a man falls from, the 
 more dangerous will be his fall. Put the cafe, that there 
 are many men as rich or richer than you , what are you 
 the worfe for it ? you ought to confider, that whilft you 
 envy another that is in a better ftation, you make your- 
 felf like him, of whom it is faid ; By envy of the devil, 
 death came into the world, and they follow him that are of 
 his fide, fc 
 
 15. Hatred fays, God Almighty can never expect you 
 mould love him that is always contradicting and oppofmg 
 you in all things ; that is always detracting and back- 
 biting you ; that is always upbraiding you to your face, 
 with all your failings : that is, in fine, perpetually 
 thwarting you in all his words and actions ; for it is 
 certain, he would never thus trample upon you, if he 
 did not hate you- True love anfwers. Suppofing thefe 
 things are deteftable in a man, muft you therefore hate 
 the image of GOD, that is (lamped upon him ? did not 
 
 Lll J.-fus 
 
 * Luke, c. x. v. 16. -f Rom c. xiii. v. I. J Wild. 
 
 c. ii. v. 24, 25.
 
 454 Tik Sinners Guide. Bookll 
 
 Jefus Chrift, even when he hung upon the crofs, love~ 
 his enemies ? did he not advife us to the fame, a little 
 before his departure out of this world ? banim therefore 
 all the bitternefs of hatred from your breaft, and inftead 
 of it, take in the fweetnefs of love ; for befides the eter- 
 nal confiderations and reafons that oblige us to it, there 
 is nothing in this life more pleafant, nothing more fweet 
 than love, and nothing on the contrary, more bitter, no- 
 thing more diftafteful than hatred ; which like a canker, 
 ts always preying upon the bowels that firft gave it being. 
 
 1 6. Detraction is always crying, who can endure this ? 
 who can conceal the crimes fuch or fuch perfons have 
 committed, without being accefTary to them ? Brotherly 
 correction anfwers, we are neither to publilh, nor to con- 
 fent to our neighbours fins *. But he that has done amifs 
 is to be corrected with charity, and to be borne with pa- 
 tience. Befides, it is fometimes convenient to take no- 
 notice of a man, when he has committed a fault, that 
 you may afterwards have a more favourable opportunity 1 
 of reproving him. 
 
 17 Anger fays, how can you have patience to endure 
 the injuries that are offered you; and if you do refent 
 them, you will have greater affronts put upon you every 
 day. Patience anfwers, if you would but reflect upon 
 our Saviour's paffion, there is no wrong which you would 
 not be willing to put up. For St. Peter fays, Chrift alfo 
 fufferedfor us, leaving us an example, that we Jbould folhw 
 bisfteps , 'who when he fuffered^ never was angry with, nor 
 threatened them that ufedhim ill-\. We are therefore more 
 particularly obliged to imitate our Saviour in this point, 
 confidering that what we fuffer is fo little in comparifion 
 of what he underwent for us. For, he was affronted, 
 buffeted, fcourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified, 
 and yet we finful and miferable wretches fly into a pafTion 
 at every little word, and the leaft incivility that is, touches 
 lis to the quick. 
 
 1 8. Hardnefs of heart fays, how can you fpeak kindly 
 to men that are as ftupid, as ignorant, and fenfelefs as 
 brute beads, and who very often grow proud and faucy, 
 
 the 
 Matt. c. xvtii. v, 15. f I Pet. c. ii. v, 21.
 
 . Ch. ii. Other Remedies agatnft Sin. 455 
 the kinder you are to them ? meaknefs anfwers, your 
 advice is not to be taken in this point , but the apoftle 
 who fays, he fervant of the Lord muft not wrangle* 
 but be mild towards men *. This fault of replying and 
 wrangling, it is true, is much more dangerous in infe- 
 riors ; becaufe it often happens, that they lofe the refpeft 
 they mould have for thofe that are put over them, when 
 they are too kindly dealt with ; and laugh at and ridicule 
 the humility and fweetnefs their fuperiors (hew them. 
 
 19. Preemption and rafhnefs fay, GOD in heaven is 
 witnefs of all your actions ; and therefore you need not 
 trouble your head about the opinion men have of you. 
 Our duty to our neighbour anfwers ; you are not to give 
 other perfons occafion of murmuring, or of revealing all 
 they think and fufpect of you ; but if what they find 
 fault with you for is true, tell them fmcerely you have 
 done amifs -, if falfe, you are with humility to deny i,t. 
 
 20. Sloth and idlenefs fay, you will foon lofe your 
 fight, if you give yourfelf thus continually to ftudy, 
 prayers and tears ; if you fpend a good part of the night 
 in performing of thefe exercifes, you will foon be dif- 
 trac~bed, if you tire yourfelf out with too much labour, 
 you will become unfit for any fpiritual exercifes. Dili- 
 gence and labour anfwer, why do you .promile yourfelf 
 many years to undergo thefe hardships and labours ? who 
 has given you any fecurity, that you mall live till to- 
 morrow, nay, till this very hour be over? have you 
 forgot what our Saviour faid , Watch^ becaufe you know 
 not the day nor the hour f. It is your bufinefs therefore, 
 to make off all idlenefs, becaufe the kingdom of heaven 
 is not for the flothful and tepid, but for fuch only as are 
 , diligent and refolute. 
 
 21. Covetoufnefs fays, if you give away what you 
 have to ftrangers, what will be left to maintain your own 
 family. Mercy anfwers, remember what happened to 
 the rich man in the gofpelj, that was cloathed in purple 
 and the fineft linnen, he was not condemned for taking 
 away another man's goods, but for not giving away his 
 own For this he was condemned to hell fire, and re- 
 
 Lll 2 duced 
 
 *2Tin. c. ii. v. 24. -f Matt. c. xxv. v. 43. J Luc. c. xvi.
 
 456 The Sinner* Guide. Book II. 
 
 duced to fuch extremity there, as not to be able to ob- 
 tain one drop of water, though he .begged it with fo 
 much earnefinefs ; for, not giving the crumbs that fell 
 from his table to a poor man that was begging at his 
 door. 
 
 22. Gluttony fays, GOD created all things for your 
 nourimment , if therefore you refufe to eat, you flight 
 GOD'S favours ? temperance anfwers, what you fay is true 
 in one refpecl: ; for GOD created all things, that man 
 might not die for hunger. But to prevent his committ- 
 ing any excefs, he commanded him to be abftemious, 
 and not being fo, is reckoned one of the chief fins that 
 drew down GOD'S juft judgments upon the unhappy City 
 of Sodom *, and was the occafion of its utter ruin. For 
 that reafon a man, though he be in good health, is to 
 take his meat as a fick man does his phyfic ; that is, only 
 to fupply the prefent necetfity. So that, if he would 
 quite break himfelf of that vice, he muft, befides pre- 
 fcribing himfelf a certain quantity, and no more ; def- 
 pife all danties, unlefs either want of health or charity, 
 oblige him to the contrary. 
 
 23. Empty joy fays, why do you conceal and fmother 
 the joy of your heart ? let every body be fenfible of your 
 joy, and talk pleafantly and merrily with your compa- 
 nions, to divert them, and to make them laugh * gravity 
 anfwers ; what is the meaning of all this mirth and plea- 
 fantry -, have you overcome the devil ? is the time of 
 your banilhment expired, and are you called home to 
 your country ? you have forgot perhaps what our Saviour 
 laid \ Toujhott lament and weep, but the world Jhall rejoice ; 
 but your forroiv Jhatt be turned into joy\. Put a Hop there- 
 fore, I advife you, to this vain delight , for you have 
 not yet weathered all the ftorms, that are fo frequent 
 upon this dangerous fea. 
 
 24. Talkativenefs fays, there is no hurt in talking 
 much, if a man talks well , as on the contrary, he is 
 not free from fin, though he fpeak but little, if what he 
 fays be ill. Difcreet filence anfwers, what you fay is true, 
 yet it often happens, that when a man would fay many 
 
 good 
 * Ezcch, c. xvi. -f- John, c. xvi, v. 20.
 
 Part I. Ch. 11. Other Remedies againfl Sin. 457 
 
 good things, he makes a bad end of what he began well. 
 And the Wife Man fays, In the multitude of words there 
 jhall not ivanf f>n *. And if you fliould be fo fortunate 
 as talking much, not to fpeak any thing that is hurtful, 
 it will be very hard to avoid all idle words which you 
 muft give an account of, at the day of judgment. You 
 muft therefore be moderate in your talk, be it never fo 
 good, leaft excefs mould make it quite otherwife. 
 
 25. Impurity fays,why are you not now to enjoy pleafures 
 and delights, fince you do not know what may happen to 
 you ? It is unreafonable to lofe fuch a favourable oppor- 
 tunity when you cannot tell how foon it may pafs away. 
 For, if GOD had not defigned that men mould enjoy 
 thefe pleafures, he would never have created men and 
 women at the beginning : Chaftity anfwers, I would not 
 have you pretend to be ignorant of what is prepared for 
 you after this life. For, if you will but live purely and 
 chaftly here, you mail enjoy fuch pleafures and delights, 
 as mall never have an end ; but if, oh the contrary, you 
 live lewdly here, you mall be condemned to torments for 
 all eternity hereafter. And the more fenfible you are of 
 the fhort durance of thefe falfe pleafures, the more reafon 
 you have to live chaftly , for how wretched an hour's 
 pleafure is that, which is purchafed at the expence of a 
 life that is to lad for ever. 
 
 26. All that has been hitherto faid may ferve to fur- 
 nifli us with fuch fpiritual weapons, as are neceffary for 
 this combat. By the help of which we mail obtain the 
 firft part of virtue, which is to abftain from fin, and to 
 maintain the poft which GOD put us in, and in which he 
 himfelf lives, that it be not furprized by the enemy. If 
 we defend it with refolution, we (hall have the honour 
 of entertaining this heavenly gueft , becaufe, as St. John 
 fays : God is charity , and he ihat abideth in charity, abide th 
 in God, and God in bim-\. And that man is in charity, 
 who never does any thing contrary to it, and nothing is 
 contrary to it, but mortal fin : againft wnich, all that we 
 . have faid in this book, is to be applied as a remedy and 
 preservative. 
 
 THE 
 * Prov. c. x. v. 19, -j- i John, c. iv. v. 16.
 
 T HE 
 
 SINNERS GUIDE. 
 
 B O O K II. P A R T II. 
 
 Containing fuch Rules as are requifite for the Pra&ice 
 of Virtue. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of three kinds of virtues* wherein eonjifts the fulnefs 
 of all Juftice. 
 
 HAVING in the firft part of this book, fpoken 
 of thofe vices which pollute and darken the foul'; 
 let us treat now of fuch virtues, as adorn and 
 beautify it with the fpiritual ornament of juftice And 
 as it is the property of juftice to give every one his due, 
 whether it be GOD, our neighbour, orourfelf: fo there 
 are three forts of virtues that compofe it ; fome are par- 
 ticularly for the performance of the duty man owes to 
 <JOD : fome again, for that he owes to himfelf. This is 
 all he has to do, in order to fatisfy the obligations of 
 virtue and juftice, that is, for the making himfelf truly 
 juft and virtuous, the only thing we pretend to here. 
 
 2. If you would know, in fliort, how that is to be done, 
 and have it made more plain by a few familiar compan- 
 ions ; I fay, a man will comply exactly with thefe three 
 duties, if he has thefe three things , the heart of a fon 
 towards GOD -, the heart of a mother towards his neigh- 
 bours ; and that of a judge towards himfelf. In thefe 
 three points of juftice, the prophet placed the very per- 
 fection of our good, when he faid, / will Jhew thee, O 
 man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee- t 
 verily* to do judgment* and to love mercy* and to walk care- 
 fully with thy GOD *. The doing of judgment, (hews a 
 
 * Mich. c. vi. v. 8. man
 
 Part II. Ch. r. Man's Dafy to Mmfelf. 459. 
 
 man what he owes to himfelf : mercy what he owes to 
 his neighbours, and walking carefully with GOD, what 
 his obligation is to him, fmce all our good depends on 
 thefe three things ( i ), we will handle them now at large, 
 having only fpoken of them briefly in the memorial of 
 a Chriftian life, with a defign to explain them more fully 
 in, this place. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of man's duty to himfelf. 
 
 r. O INCE charity begins at home ; let us now begin 
 ^5 as the prophet did, that is, with the doing of 
 juftice or judgment, which is the part of a judge, and 
 which every man ought to exercile towards himfelf. Ther 
 duty of a good judge is to fee the ftate be orderly and 
 reformed. And becaufe in this little ftate or common- 
 wealth of man, there are two principal parts to reform \ 
 that is, the body with all its members and fenfes, and 
 the foul with all its affections and powers. It is re- 
 quifite thofe things mould be all governed and directed, 
 according to the rules of virtue, which we mail here 
 ky down : And thus man will perform his duty to 
 himfelf. 
 
 SECT I. 
 Of the reformation $f the body. 
 
 The firft thing to be done, in order to reforming of 
 the body, is to fettle a juft decorum , obferving what 
 St. Auguftine fays in his rule (2) : That there mould be 
 nothing in our gate, our poilure, our drefs, or in any 
 thing elfe, that may give offence to our neighbour; 
 but that every thing in us (hould be conformable to the 
 fanctity of our profefilon. To this end, he that ferves 
 GOD muft endeavour to carry himfelf towards all men 
 with that modefty, with that humility, with that fwcet- 
 nefs and meeknefs, that every one he converfes with 
 
 may 
 
 (i) I Par. Tra. 4. c. 3; (2) V, Caflian, L, 5, c. 12.
 
 460 > The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 may .profit and be edified by his good example. The 
 apoftle would have us be like Tweet perfume, which im- 
 mediately communicates its fcent to every thing that 
 touches it, and makes the hands it has once been in, 
 fmell like itfelf: for fuch ought to be the difcourfe of 
 thofe . that ferve GOD, fuch their actions, their beha- 
 viour, and their converfation (i), that every body who 
 has any thing to do with them, may be edified and im- 
 proved by their example. This is one of the great be- 
 nefits that flows from modefty, and an outward com- 
 pofure, which is a kind of a filent fermon, by which 
 we invite men, by our good example, and without the 
 lead noife of words, to praife GOD and to love virtue, 
 according to what our Saviour commanded us, when he 
 faid(2) : Let your light fo Jbine before men, that they may 
 fee your good works, and glorify your Father who is in bea- 
 <uen. What Ifaiah fays, comes to the fame purpofe(3,) : 
 I'be fervants of God Jh all be called the mighty ones of juftice, 
 the planting of the Lord to glorify him. Yet we are not to 
 think this gives us any privilege to do good works n 
 purpose, that they may be feen (4) , " We ought rather, 
 according to St. Gregory's rule, to publifh that good we 
 do in fuch a manner, that the intention may ftill be 
 unknown, that fo our good action may be a pattern for 
 our neighbours, and the intention we have of pleafing 
 none but GOD, mav make us always define fecrecy." 
 
 3, The fecond advantage reaped by this outward com- 
 pofure of the body, js the fecurity of the inward man, 
 and a prefervative of devotion. For the union and tye 
 that is betwixt thefe two, is fo clofe, that what one has, 
 the other immediately partakes of, and fo on the con- 
 trary.. For this reafon, if the fpirit is in good order, 
 the body immediately is fo too, and that naturally : and 
 if on the other fide, the body is uneafy and irregular, 
 the fpirit grows irregular and uneafy : fo that one of 
 them is like a glafs to the other. For as you may fee 
 all you do in a glafs that Hands before you , fo all that 
 pafles in either of thefe two, is immediately reprefented 
 
 in 
 
 (1)2 Cor. c. ii. v. 15. (2) Matt. c. v. v. 16. (3) 
 c.lxi. v. 3. (4) Lib. 29. Moral, c. 18.
 
 Part II Ch. 2. Mans Duty to himfelf. 46 1 
 
 in the other : and this is the reafon why an outward com- 
 pofure and modefty, is of fo great an afiiftance to an 
 inward; and it would be a matter of wonder to find a 
 recollected mind, in a troubled and diftracted body. 
 Upon that account the Wife Man fays, He that is hafty 
 with his fiet Jhalljlumble (i), giving us to underftand by 
 this, that thofe perfons who fall from the gravity and 
 ftaidnefs that Chriftian difcipline requires, are frequently 
 fubject to (tumble, and cannot but often fall into a great 
 many failings, as thofe who walk toofaft, make frequent 
 trips. 
 
 4. The third good effect of this virtue is, the main- 
 taining of a man in the authority and greatnefs, that 
 belongs to his perfon and employ, if he be a man in, 
 any dignity, or confiderable charge, as holy Job kept 
 up his, who tells us himfelf in one place, That the light 
 of his countenance, amidft all his feveral accidents, fell not 
 on the earth (2). In another place he fays, that his au- 
 thority was fo great, that young men, When they faw 
 him, hid tbemfelves ; and that old men rofe up to pay him 
 refpctl: -, that princes ceafed to fpeak, and laid their fingers on 
 their mouths (%}, out of the reverence they had for him. 
 The holy man backed this authority of his, which had 
 not the leait appearance of pride in it, with fo much 
 fweetnefs and mildnefs, that he fays of himfelf-, 'That 
 even when he fat like a king, with his army about him, he 
 was the comforter of them that mourned (4). 
 
 5. You may obferve from hence, that the want of 
 this modefty and compofure, is not condemned by wife 
 men for a great fault, fo much as it is for a fign of levity; 
 becaufe the immoderate loofenefs of the outward man, 
 is a proof of the lightnefs and unfettlednefs of the 
 inward. And therefore the author of Ecclefiafticus fays, 
 The attire of the body, and the laughter of the teeth, and 
 the gate of the man, /hew what he is (5), Solomon af- 
 firms the fame in his Proverbs, where he fays, As the 
 faces of them that look therein Jhine in the water, fo the 
 
 M m m hearts 
 
 (l) Prov. c. xix. v. 2. (2) Job, c. xxix. v. 24. (3) Ibid, 
 v. 8,9. (4) Ibid. v. 25. (5)Ecclf. c. xix. v. 27.
 
 462 The Sinners Guide. r Book II. 
 
 hearts of men are laid epen to the wife ( i ), by the exterior 
 actions they obferve in them. 
 
 6. Thefe are the great beneSts that the modefty we 
 have fpoken of beftows on fuch as endeavour to acquire 
 it. For which reafon I cannot think well of the too 
 great liberty of fome perfons, who to avoid being called 
 hypocrites, laugh and talk, and give themfelves over to 
 a great many things, which deprive them of all thefc 
 benefits. For as St. John Clim. fays, " The monk is 
 not to lay afide his fafts for fear of vain glory (2)-," fo 
 neither is it reafonable, that a man mould want the 
 fruit of this virtue out of human refpect and confide- 
 ration ; for we are not any more to lay afide any virtue 
 out of refpect to others, than we are to commit one vice 
 for the overcoming of another. 
 
 7. This is what belongs in general to the compofing 
 of the outward man, at all times, and in all places. But 
 becaufe it is to be obferved more exactly at feafts and 
 public entertainments : we will (how in the following 
 paragraph, how this is to be done. 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 Of the virtue of temperance. 
 
 8. To proceed with what belongs to the government of 
 
 the body ; that which ferves particularly for this end, is 
 
 the treating of it with rigour and feverity, not carefTmg 
 
 and making much of it. For this flefh of ours, if we 
 
 pamper and indulge it, will foon corrupt and fwell with 
 
 the vicious pleafures it is allowed, whereas mortification 
 
 and hard ufage keep it fteady and even in virtue i juft 
 
 "as dead flefh is preferved by myrrh, which is very bitter 
 
 to the tafte, and fwarms in a little time with worms, if 
 
 this be not applied to it. It is therefore requifite upon 
 
 this confideration, that we mould fay fomething of ab- 
 
 ftinence, as being one of the chief virtues upon which 
 
 the acquifition of all the reft depends, though it is very 
 
 hard to be attained, becaufe of our natural averfion to 
 
 it. And though what has been faid againft gluttony 
 
 might 
 (i) Prov. c. xxvii^ v. 19. (2)Grad. 14.
 
 Part IL Ch. 2. Of Temperance. 463 
 
 might fufHce to difcover the value of temperance, be- 
 caufe the underftanding of one contrary, makes the other 
 known. Yet for the better clearing of this point, it 
 will be proper to fpeak of it feparately, to (hew the 
 ufe and practice of it, and what means are the fitteft for 
 obtaining it. 
 
 9. To begin therefore with that modefty and decency 
 which ought to be obferved at table -, we are inftructed 
 upon that matter by the Holy Ghoft himfelf, in the 
 book of Ecclefiafticus, in thefe words, Ufe as a frugal 
 man, the things that are fet before thee ; left if thou eateft 
 much, thou be hated. Leave off firft, for manners fake, and . 
 exceed not, left thou offend. And if thou Jitteth amongft 
 many, reach not thy hand out firft of all, and be not tbe 
 frft to ajk for drink ( i ). Thefe are inftructions very ne- 
 cefiary for man, and worthy of the/overeign Lord, that 
 obferved fo perfect an order and union in making of all 
 things, and it is his pleafure we fhould do fo too. 
 
 10. St. Bernard teaches us the fame doctrine in thefe 
 words (2), " When we eat, fays he, we ought to confi- 
 der the manner, the time, the quantity, and the quality. 
 The manner is not to fix all our affections upon thofe 
 things that are before us. The time is to be the ufual 
 hour of our repafts : the quality is to be fatisfied with 
 that which others eat, and not to feek after dainties^ 
 unlefs in cafe of neceflity." This is the rule the faint 
 prefcribes in few words. 
 
 11. St. Gregory in his morals fpeaks much to the 
 fame effect, thus (3) : " It belongs to abftinence not to 
 anticipa!e the ordinary time of meals, as Jonathan did 
 when he eat the honey-comb : it is its duty not to long 
 for fuch things as are moil palatable and dainty, as the 
 children of lirael did in the defart, when they wilhed for 
 the flefh-pots of Egypt : it is not for it to defire that 
 every thing mould be nicely drefs'd, to eat like the So- 
 domites, to fatiety ; nor too greedily like Efau, who 
 fold his birthright for a mefs of lentils.*' Thus far 
 
 M m m 2 St. 
 
 (l) Ecclef. c. xxxi. v. 19, 20, 21. (2) Epift. ad Fratres de 
 Monte Dei. (^Lib. i. Moral, i Reg. 14, 27. Num. c. xii. 
 t. 16. i Reg. 2. Gen.c. 19. Gen. c. 25.
 
 464 TZtf Sinners Guide. Book II 
 
 St. Gregory, comprifing much in a few words, and thofe 
 backed by proper examples. 
 
 12. But Hugh of St. Victor handles this fubject more 
 fully, who in his book of Monaftical Difcipline, teaches 
 us how to behave ourfelves at meals, in thefe words ( i ) : 
 " Two things, fays he, repuire to be moderated and 
 regulated, whilft we are at table , the one is the meat, 
 and the other he that eats. For he that eats mould nei- 
 ther talk, nor look too much about him, nor be guilty 
 of any indecency in the comportment of his body , fo 
 that he (hould bridle his tongue, and not let it bolt out 
 every thing that co-mes upward -, he fhould keep his 
 eyes in, from gazing about upon every object ; and keep 
 all his other members and fenfes in a due decorum and 
 recollection. For, it is the nature of fome perfons, as 
 foon as ever they are fe down to table, to difcover their 
 intemperance, and the unrulinefs of their appetite by the 
 disturbance of their minds , by a perpetual unfettled- 
 nefs and diforder of all their members, making ther 
 heads, toffing their arms, and flretching out their hands, 
 as if no body elfe was to eat any thing there but themfelves ; 
 and thus by tht-ir looks and geftures they expofe their 
 gluttony and intemperance : though they are confined to 
 one place, yet their eyes and hands feem to be every 
 where , fo that they call for wine, cut bread, and lay 
 hold of the dimes all at the fame time ; and like a ge- 
 neral that defigns to befiege a town, they view every 
 part, and then Hand confidering where they (hall begin 
 firft , becaufe, if they could they would fet upon all at 
 once." He that eats muft avoid all thefe indecencies in 
 his perfon , but as to his meat, he is to obferve w hat 
 and how he eats, as has been fa.d already. 
 
 13. Though a man mould always come to table with 
 fuch difpofitions as thefe, yet the more hungry he is, the 
 more particularly he ought to be prepared, efpecially 
 when he finds his appetite railed by the delicacy of what 
 he lees before him, For in fuch a cafe, the good difpo- 
 fition of the organs of the tafte, and the excellency of 
 the object itfelf, are flronger incentives to gluttony. It 
 
 would 
 (i) Hugo, de St. Vicitde inftit. Novic. c, 18. & 19.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Of Temperance. 465 
 
 would be well then to confider ? that he is not to give 
 ear to gluttony, which would make him believe he is 
 hungry enough to eat the very plates and difhes. St. Cli- 
 machus has an excellent fentence to this end (i): "Glut- 
 tony, fays he, is a mere hypocrify of the belly, which 
 even when it is too full, is ftill craving more ; and when 
 it is juft ready to burft, fancies it fhall die for hunger: 
 but the cheat is loon difcovered, for man is fatisfted 
 with much lefs." 
 
 14. To put a flop therefore to this evil, let him re- 
 flect upon the advice of a heathen philofopher, as often 
 as he goes to table ; which is, that we have two guefts 
 to provide for, the body and the foul, each of them is 
 to have its particular nourimment ; the body muft have 
 what is neceffary and the foul its proper food, obferving 
 modefty and temperance, which is productive of virtue, 
 the proper luftenance of the foul. 
 
 15. Another good remedy againft intemperance is, to 
 put the advantages of temperance into the ballance, 
 with the fhort continuance of the pleafure of gluttony ; 
 to convince man how unreafonable it is to forfeit fuch 
 mighty advantages for fo beaftly and ftiort a pleafure. 
 
 16. It is convenient, for the clearer underftanding of 
 this, to confidtr, that of all the fenfes of the body, thofe 
 of feeling and tailing are the meaneft. Becaufe there is 
 no creature in the world, how imperfect foever, but has 
 thefe two fenfes, though there are many that want the 
 other three, .feeing, hearing, and fmelling. If therefore 
 thefe two fenfes are the meaneft, and the moft brutal, it 
 cannot but follow, that the pleafures and delights which 
 proceed from them, muft be the meaneft too , becaufe 
 there is no creature whatever, but is capable of enjoy- 
 ino- them. Nor are they the vileft only, but die (horteft; 
 for the pleafure they afford lafts no longer than whilft 
 their object is materially joined with them. So the plea- 
 fure of tafting is gone, as foon as ever the meat is out 
 of our mouths. If then the fatisfactioh we receive is fo 
 bafe and brutifh, and fo fhort and fleeting, how can 
 any man debafe himfelf fo much, as to be prevailed upon 
 
 bjr 
 (i] Dc<r. 14.. Aar. 2.
 
 466 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 by fo poor a pleafure, to neglect fo great and fo advan- 
 tageous a virtue, as that of temperance ? this alone 
 ought to be fufficient to overcome this appetite; but 
 much more, if we fhould urge feveral other things that 
 obliges us to the fame. Let therefore the true fervant of 
 GOD put the bafenefs and fhort continuance of this plea- 
 fure into the fcale againft the beauty of abftinence, the 
 benefits it produces, the example of the faints, the toils 
 and labours of martyrs, who have made their way to 
 heaven through fire and water; the remembrance of his 
 pad fins, the torments of hell with ihofe of purgatory, 
 and he will find upon a ballance, that every one of thefe 
 things tells him, it is necefiary to take up the crofs, to 
 mortify the flefh, to fubdue the fin of gluttony, and to 
 fatisfy GOD for the pleafure he has taken in fin, by the 
 pains of penance. He that fits down to table with thefe 
 difpofitions, will find how eafy it is to renounce all man- 
 ner of delicacy and nicenefs. 
 
 17. But if there be occafion for all this caution in 
 eating, much more isreqnifite in drinking of wine; be- 
 caufe there is nothing fo prejudicial, and fo deftrudtive 
 to chafthy, as wine is : nor any thing this virtue is more 
 afraid of, looking upon it as its mortal enemy, fince the 
 afjoftle tells her; 'There is luxury in wine (i\ and it is 
 then particularly mod dangerous when the blood is boil- 
 ing with the heat of youth. This it was made St. Jerome 
 fay (2): *' That wine and youth are two incentives to 
 Iuft. w Why then will we throw oil into the fire ? why 
 are we fo mad as to lay more wood on, when the flame 
 is too high already ? for wine being of its own nature fo 
 hot, it fets all the humours and parts of the body on fire, 
 but efpecially the heart, which is the place it goes di- 
 rectly to, and the feat and refidence of all the pafflons, 
 which are immediately fet in a flame, and heightened 
 by it. So that, when a man has once warmed himfelf 
 with wine, his joy, his love, his anger, his hatred are 
 greater than before, and all his other pafTions are raifed 
 much higher. It is therefore a plain cafe, that fince one 
 of the chief employs of the moral virtues is, the fubduing 
 
 of 
 
 (j) Ephef.*. v. v. 1 8. (2) Ad Eufloch de cuftodia Virginit.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Of Temperance. 467 
 
 of the pafiions, and the keeping of them down, wine 
 muft have a quite contrary quality, inafmuch as it kindles 
 and inflames, what virtue is to extinguifli. Let every 
 man judge from this, how much he is obliged to mo- 
 deration in the ufe of it. 
 
 1 8. Befides all this, wine makes a man very lavim of 
 his tongue , it is . the catife of exceflive laughter, of 
 quarrelling, of cheating, of wrangiings, of revealing 
 fecrets, and of many iuch diforders ; and all this, not 
 only becaufe the paffions are then much ftronger, but 
 becaufe reafon itfelf is clouded and overcaft by the fumes 
 and vapours of wine. Add to this the occalion a man 
 takes of running into thefe excefies by feeing others do 
 the fame. Now thefe reafons put all together, cannoc 
 but occafion fuch extravagancies. It is therefore 4 
 pretty faying of a philofopher, that the vine bears three 
 forts of grapes, the firft for necefiity, the next for de- 
 light, and the other for madnefs. Giving us by this to 
 underftand, that wine moderately taken is to fupply the 
 necefiities of nature j that the lead excefs ferves more for 
 the exciting of pleafure, than for the relief of our ne- 
 ceflities ; but to drink without any moderation or 
 bounds, is to become down-right mad. Therefore a 
 man in this condition ought to fufpedt every defign he 
 has, and every refolution he makes ; becaufe, generally 
 fpeaking, it is not his reafon, but wine that puts him 
 upon them , and what a bad counfellor wine is, every 
 body knows. Nor is it lefs convenient for the fhunning 
 of all thefe dangers, to avoid too much talk or difputes 
 at table , becaufe a contention that begins peaceably, 
 very often ends in quarrelling, and a man in his cups 
 often bolts out fomething, he would afterwards wilh he 
 had let alone. For, as Solomon fays, There is no fecret 
 where drunkennefs relgneth *. 
 
 19. And though any profufion of the tongue is blame- 
 able at this time, yet the worft of all is, when men talk 
 of nothing but the meats that are before them ; when 
 their difcourfe is in praife of the wine, the fruit, the filh, 
 and every thing elfe that is brought to table j or when 
 
 they 
 * Prcv. c. xxxi. v. 4..
 
 468 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 they are continually finding fault with what is ferved up ; 
 or talking of the different meats of fuch and fuch a 
 country; and the excellent fifh of fuch and fuch rivers. 
 All this difcourfe is a ftrong argument of an intemperate 
 mind, and of a man that would be always eating, not 
 only with is mouth, but with his heart, his mind, his 
 memory, and his tongue. 
 
 20. But above all things, we ought to be careful not 
 to devour our neighbours life and converfation, for 
 there is nothing fo dangerous, becaufe as St. Chryfof- 
 tom writes, " 1 his is not eating the flefh of beafts, but 
 of men, which human nature abhors." It is written of 
 St. Auguftine, that being always afraid of this vice, 
 which very few tables are free from, he had two verfes 
 written in his dining room, which were thefe * : 
 
 Quifquis amat diftis abfentum 'rodere vitam, 
 Hanc men f am ye tit am noveril effe Jibi. 
 
 21. It is alfo to be obferved, that as St. Jerome fays, 
 it is much better to eat a little every day, than to faft for 
 feveral days, and then eat to excefs. Rain, fays he, 
 " Does the earth a great deal of good, if it falls gently 
 in its proper feafon ; but great ftorms and tempefts quite 
 fpoil it -f-. M Confider as often as you eat, that you do 
 not live to be a flave to your belly, but that you are foon 
 after either to read, ftudy, or employ yourfelf about fome 
 good work or other ; which you render yourfelf wholly 
 unfit for, when you eat fo much, that it is a burthen to 
 you, Let temperance therefore, and neceffity, not ap- 
 petite, or the craving of an immoderate flomach, pre- 
 fcribe you how much you mould eat. Nor is pleafure 
 to be regarded in this cafe -, not that I would advife you 
 here to ftarve yourfelf-, but not to do the bufmefs of 
 pleafure, under the pretence of neceflity. For you have 
 as much need of fomething to maintain and nourifh your 
 body, as any other creature, but at the fame time it is 
 to be kept under by mortification, or otherwife it will 
 turn upon you. And therefore St. Bernard fays J, t; A 
 man mould mortify his flefli, but not deftroy it ; he 
 
 muft 
 
 * In vita Aug. c 22. -f St. Hier. Ep. 7. ad Laec de inft. 
 filiae. Ep. ad fratres demonte Dei.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Of Temperance. 469 
 
 muft keep it ftrair, but not pull it in pieces ; he muft 
 not let it grow proud, but humble it ; he muft make a 
 flave of it-, and not let it be miftrefs." 
 
 This may fufHce to (how us what belongs to this vir- 
 tue. He that would inform himfelf better of the ad- 
 vantages of it, and how beneficial it is in all refpects, 
 not only to the foul but to the body , that is, to health, 
 life, honour and eftate ; may read a treatife I have com- 
 pofed upon this fubject at the end of my book of priyef 
 and meditation. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 Of the government of the fenfes. 
 
 22. After fubduing and regulating the body, our 
 next bufinefs is to reform the fenfes , over which thfe 
 true fervant of GOD muft keep a ftrict hand, but parti- 
 cularly over the eyes, which are, as it were, the gates at 
 which all vanities enter into fouls, and the windows of 
 perdition through which death itfelf gets in. Thofe who 
 are much given to prayer, have great reafon to fet a ftrict 
 guard upon this fenfe, both for the fecurity of their 
 chaftity, and for the keeping their hearts from diftrac- 
 tion -, for, without fuch care, the ideas of things which 
 enter into our fouls by this way, leave fo many different 
 forms and imprefHons behind them, that they can neither 
 pray nor meditate, without a thoufand diffractions and 
 difturbances ; nor think of any thing but what is juft 
 before them. For this reafon, devout perfons endeavour 
 always to keep their eyes fo fteady, as that they think it 
 not enough to turn them away from fuch things as may 
 be hurtful , but they will not fo much as look upon any 
 noble piece of building, any rich fuit of hangings, or 
 any thing of that nature-, that they may keep the ima- 
 gination more free and pure, againft the time of their 
 converfmg with Almighty GOD in prayer : becaufe this 
 is fo nice and ticklifh an exerciie, that not only fins, 
 but even the reprefentation of the images and figures of 
 things, that are not at all bad in themfelves, are a hin- 
 drance to it. 
 
 N n n 33. Yo
 
 470 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 23. You mould be no lefs careful in the fenfe of hear- 
 ing than in that of feeing, becaufe it is a gate at which 
 many things get admittance into the foul, that difturb 
 and defile it. Nor mould we only fhut out bad difcourfe, 
 but all kind of news and relations of what happens in the 
 world, and every thing elfe that is befide our own bu- 
 finefs. Becaufe they who do not watch the pafTage of the 
 ear fo narrowly as not to entertain fuch things as thefe, 
 will be fenfible of them afterward, when they mould be 
 more recollected, and thinking of fomething elfe. The 
 images of thofe things which they heard others talk of 
 before, are reprefented to their imaginations, and work 
 fo powerfully upon their minds, that they cannot fo 
 much as think of GOD, without a great deal of inter- 
 ruption. 
 
 24. I need not fay any thing of the fenfe of fmelling; 
 for to be in love with perfumes and fweet fcents, befides 
 its favouring fo much of luxury and fenfuality, is a re- 
 proach to a man, becaufe it is ah effeminate vice, and 
 fuch as few but ill women delight in. 
 
 25. As to tafie, more might be faid, but it has been 
 fpoke of above, when we treated of temperance. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Of the government of the tongue. 
 
 26. There is a great deal to be faid concerning the 
 tongue, for the Wife Man tells us * : Death and life are 
 in the power of the tongue. By thefe words he gives us 
 to underftand,- that all the happinefs or mifery of man 
 depends upon the good or bad government of this 
 member. St. James looks upon it as a thing of very 
 great moment, when he faid : That as great mips are 
 governed by a little helm, and head-ftrong horfes kept in 
 with a fmall bridle f , fo he that looks very narrowly to 
 his tongue, (hall be able to govern and rule all the aftions 
 of his life. It is necefTary then for the well governing 
 of this part, as often as we fpeak, to remember thefe 
 four things : What, How, When, and to what End we 
 fpeak. 27. Firft 
 
 * Prov. c. xviii. v. 21. f J a - ".
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Government of the Tongue. 471 
 
 27. Firft then, as to what we fpeak, or the matter of 
 our difcourfe, it is requifite we take the advice of the 
 apoftle * : Let no evil fpeech proceed from your mouth ; but 
 that which is good to the edification of faith , that it may 
 minifler grace to the hearers. And in another place, ex- 
 plaining more at large what he means by evil words, he 
 lays f : Let not any immodejl difcourfe, cr foolijh talking, nor 
 fcurrility, which is to no purpofe, be Jo much as named 
 amongft you. So that as fkilful failors have all the {helves 
 that may endanger their mip's mark, down in their charts, 
 to avoid finking upon them ; fo it is his bufmefs that 
 ferves GOD, to obferve all kinds of bad words, that he 
 may, by that means, be out of all danger of ufmg 
 them. Nor mould a man be lefs careful in keeping of 
 a fecret that he is intruded with ; nay, he is to look upon 
 it as a rock, altogether as dangerous as the former, to 
 difcover any bufmefs which has been committed to him 
 under fecrefy. 
 
 28. As to how we are to fpeak, or the manner, we ar 
 to take care not to fpeak either too bamful, or too pro- 
 fufely -, not too haftly, nor too formally, but with gravity, 
 fweetnefs, fimplicity and care. It alfo belongs to this 
 method or manner of fpeaking, not to be obftinate or 
 pofitive : becaufe very often this diflurbs the peace of 
 confcience, deftroys charity, and makes us lofe our pa- 
 tience and our friends. It is the part of a generous and 
 noble fpirit, to fuffer itfelf to be overcome in fuch conten- 
 tions as thefe, and of prudent men to follow the counfel 
 of the Wife Man, who fays, In, many things be as if thou, 
 wert ignorant, and hear infilence, and withall feeking J. 
 
 29. Befides obferving the manner, we mud be careful 
 to fpeak in due time, which is the third condition. For 
 as the Wife Man fays, A parable coming out of a fools 
 mouth, Jhall be rejected', for he doth not fpeak it in due 
 feafon . In the laft place, it is convenient we confider 
 for what end, and with what intention it is we fpeak; 
 becaufe fome do it only to be looked upon as Wife Men; 
 others to be thought witty and well difcourfed ; in the 
 
 N n n 2 firft, 
 
 * Ephcf. c. iv. v. 29. f Ephef. c. v. v. 3, 4. J Eccl. 
 c. xxxii. v. 12. Eccl. c. xx. v. 22.
 
 47 2 Ike Sinner* Guide. Book II. 
 
 firit, it is no better than hypocrify and deceit, in the lat- 
 ter it is follow and vanity. We fhould therefore take 
 care, not only that what we fay be good, b\it that the 
 end of our fpeaking be fo too : by aiming at nothing 
 elfe in our difcourfe but GOD'S honour, and the good of 
 our neighbour. 
 
 go. Befides, it is proper to. obferve the company, for 
 young men ought not to talk before their elders, the ig- 
 norant before the learned, laymen before priefts and reli- 
 gious perfons, nor ought any thing to be faid, where it 
 may be taken ill, or where it may look like prefurnption. 
 In all thefe cafes it is convenient; and commendable, to be 
 fiknt. 
 
 31. He that fpeaks is to obferve all thefe rules, that 
 he may not err. And becaufe all perfons cannot judge 
 of all thefe conditions, the beft remedy is. to be filent, 
 that fo, attending to what others fay, they may comply 
 with all thefe duties. It was upon this account the Wife 
 Man faid : Even a fool, if be will bold bis peace, Jball be 
 counted wife; and, if be clofe his lipr, a man of under- 
 ftanding J. 
 
 SECT. V. 
 Of tbe mortification of tbe,p#Jfi.ons. 
 
 $2. Having thus regulated the body and all its fenfes, 
 the next thing we have to do, which is the main bufmefs, 
 is to regulate the foul with all its faculties. The firft 
 thing we are to begin with, is the fenfitive appetite 
 which contains all our natural affections and inclinations ; 
 as love, hatred, joy, fadnefs x defire, fear, hope, anger, 
 and the like. 
 
 33. This appetite is the meaneft part of o.ur foul, and 
 confequently that which makes us like the beafts, which 
 are governed by thefe appetites and natural propenfions. 
 This it is that debafes and brings us nearer to the earth ; 
 and removes us the farther from heaven. It is the very 
 fourfe of all the evils in the world, and the caufe of our 
 ruin j beeaufe, as St. Bernard fays, " Do but take away 
 
 felf- 
 
 J Prcv. c. xvii. v. 28.
 
 Part. II. Ch 2. Mortification of the Paflions. 473 
 felf-will, that is, the defire of this appetite, and there 
 will be no fuch thing as hell *. 
 
 This is, as it were the magazine of fin, whence it is 
 fupplied with arms and ammunition to do us hurt. It 
 it another Eve, that is, the weakeft part of our foul, 
 and mod inclined to fin j by whofe means the old fer- 
 pent tempts our Adam, that is, the fuperior part, the 
 feat and refidence of the underftanding and will, to caft 
 an eye upon the forbidden tree. Here we may more 
 plainly difcover the force of original fin, for here it has 
 communicated all the malignity of its poifon. Here 
 are the battles, overthrows, victories and crowns ; that 
 is, here are the overthrows of the weak, the victories of 
 the ftrong, and the crowns of the conquerors. It is 
 here, in conclufion, that virtue is trained up and exer- 
 cifed, fmce the chief bufmefs of the moral vjrtues is the 
 taming and governing of thefe fierce and cruel beads. 
 
 34 This is the vine we are to be always pruning, this 
 the garden we muft be always cultivating, and thefe the? 
 weeds we are to pluck up by the roots, to plant all forts 
 of virtues in the places of them. 
 
 35. So that according to this, the true fervant of GOD'S, 
 main bufmefs, is to be always in this garden, hoeing- 
 up the weeds. Or to make ufe of another companion,, 
 to fit like him that drives a chariot with the reins of his, 
 paffions in his hand, to lofe or check them, not accord-- 
 ing to their own will, but as reafon directs. 
 
 36. This is the chief employment of the children of 
 GOD, who follow none but the motions of the Holy 
 Ghoft, and will not permit themfelves to be led away by 
 the inclinations and defires of flefli and blood. It is thist 
 diftinguimes fpiritual from carnal men ; for whilft thefe, 
 like brute beafts, are hurried away by their pa(lions % 
 thofe like truly rational creatures, are led on by the Holy 
 Ghoft, and obferve the directions of reafon. This is 
 the mortification and myrrh fo much commended in Holy 
 Writ. This is the death and the grave, the apoftle fo 
 often invites us to , it is the crofs and felf-denial the 
 gofpel preaches to us. It is the doing of judgment and 
 
 juiUce 
 * Serm. 3. de Refurr. S:. Tho. 2. 9. 77. Part. 4.
 
 474 *H> e Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 juftice, fo often repeated in the pfalms and the prophets. 
 And therefore it is convenient, that all our labours, all 
 our ftrength, all our prayers, and all our employs fhould 
 be particularly directed this way. 
 
 37 To this purpofe it is requ'ifite, that every man be 
 well acquainted with his own natural bent and inclination, 
 and keep the ftficteft guard, where he fees the greateft 
 danger. And though we are always to war againft all 
 our appetites , yet are we more particularly to make our 
 efforts againft the defires of honours, pleafures and tem- 
 poral goods , becaufe thefe are the three chief fountains 
 and roots of all that is evil. 
 
 38. We muft alfo take care not to be conceited, always 
 defiring to have our will, and pleafe our appetites; a 
 vice very apt to bring us into much difturbance and 
 trouble, and very familiar among great perfons, and fuch 
 as have been always ufed to have their pleafure obferved 
 in all things. The beft way then to break ourfelves of 
 it, will be by frequent performing of what we find our- 
 felves leaft inclined to, and denying our own will, tho* 
 it (hould defire nothing but what is lawful and allow- 
 able ; that we may by this means the more eafily and 
 more boldly refufe it, what it (liould not have. Such 
 trials and exercifes as thefe are as necefTary for inftruft- 
 ing us in the ready and dexterous ufe of our fpiritual 
 arms, as well as of the corporal : nay, they are as much 
 more requifite, as a victory over ourfelves, and over the 
 devils, is greater than a victory over every thing befides. 
 We mould accuftom ourfelves to mean and low employs, 
 and not trouble our head with what the world mall fay 
 of us, becaufe all that it can either give or take from us, 
 is very inconfiderable to him, that has GOD for his trea- 
 fure and his inheritance., 
 
 SECT. VI. 
 
 Of the reformation of the will. 
 
 39. There is nothing helps fo much to the acquiring 
 of this mortification, as the governing and adorning of 
 the fuperior will, which is nothing but the rational ap- 
 petite,
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Mortifications of Paffions. 475 
 petite, and which we are to adorn with thefe three holy 
 difpofitions, humility of heart, poverty of fpirit, and a 
 holy hatred of ourielves. For thefe three things make 
 the bufmefs of mortification the eafier. Humility, as 
 St. Bernard defines it, is the contempt of a man's fclf, 
 arifing from a true and deep knowledge of his own fail- 
 ings *. The main bufmefs of this virtue is to cut down 
 all the branches of pride, with all defires of honour, 
 and to place itfelf in the loweft ftation below all other 
 creatures, believing that any other who had received 
 from GOD the fame helps to live well, as he has done, 
 would have made better ufe of them, and been more 
 thankful. Nor is it fufficient that a man have this know- 
 ledge and contempt within himfelf, but he mud endea- 
 vour exteriorly to treat himfelf in the moil plain and 
 humble manner that pofiibly he can, according to his 
 condition, taking no notice of what the world thinks 
 or fays to the contrary. To this purpofe it is conve- 
 nient that all things belonging to us have a tincture of 
 poverty and humility, and that we fubjecl: ourfelves, 
 not only to our betters and equals, but even to our in- 
 feriors, for the love of GOD. 
 
 40. The fecond condition required is poverty of fpirit, 
 which is a voluntary contempt of worldly things, and a 
 fatisfaflion in the condition GOD has placed us in, be it 
 never fo poor. This virtue, at one ftroke cuts down 
 concupifcence, the root of all evils, and gives a man 
 fuch a folid peace and happinefs, that Seneca was not 
 afraid to fay : " He that has (hut the door upon the de- 
 fire of concupifcence, may diipute his happinefs with Ju- 
 piter himfelf." To fignify, that fince the happinefs of 
 man confifts in fulfilling his heart's defires, he that has 
 once quieted and calmed them, has attained the height 
 of happinefs, or at leaft is very near it. 
 
 41*. The third condition is a holy hatred of ourfelves; 
 our Saviour fpeaking of that virtue, fays, He that lovetb 
 his life fiall lofe it, and he that hateth his life in this world, 
 keepetb it unto life eternal^. This is not to be underftood 
 of an evil hatred, fuch as men have, when they are re- 
 duced 
 
 * St. Bern. Lib. de Grad. humilit. c. 2. f John, c. xii. v 25.
 
 47 6 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 duced to a very miferable and defperate ftate ; bat of 
 'that averfion which the faints had for their own fiefh, 
 as being the caufe of many evils, and the occafion of 
 their neglecting many good things ; and for this reafon 
 they dealt with it according to the rules and prefcriptions 
 of reafon, not according to its own inclinations and de- 
 fires. Now, reafon frequently commands us to keep it 
 low, to ufe it very hardly, and to make it a flave to the 
 fpirit, which is-to make ufe of it as is moft reafonable. 
 Otherwife we mud expect that what the Wife Man fays 
 will happen , He that nourijheth his fervant delicately from 
 bis childhood, afterwards Jhall find him Jlubborn *. To 
 prevent this he advifes us in another place to deal with 
 it as we would do with a wild beaft -, to keep it always 
 in, to put fetters upon it, and imploy it continually for 
 fear it mould grow idle, and by that means become 
 proud and malicious. Now this holy hatred is of fingu- 
 lar ufe as to the bufmefs of mortification ; that is, as to 
 the mortifying and retrenching all our evil defires, tho* 
 never fo painful and troublefome to us. For how will 
 it otherwife be poflible to cut to the quick to fetch blood, 
 and to ftrike deep where we have fo much love ? for the 
 arm of mortification borrows its ftrength, from a holy 
 hatred of a man's felf ; which gives it the heart, not of 
 a tender, but of a hardy furgeon, to cut. off from the 
 other members what ever is corrupted and putrified, 
 and this without any kind of mercy or pity. Much 
 more might be faid of thefe three virtues of humility, 
 poverty of fpirit, and a holy felf-hatred , as likewife of 
 the mortifying of thofe feveral paflions we have already 
 fpoken of in the laft article, becaufe they are things of 
 very great moment in the Ipiritual life ; but having 
 treated of them elfewhere, especially in the Memorial 
 of a Chriftian Life, more at large, we will fay no more 
 of them in this place. 
 
 SECT. 
 Prov, c, xxix. Y. 21.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Gffoern. cf 'the Imagination. 477 
 
 SECT VII. 
 
 Of ths government of the imagination. 
 
 42. Befides thefe two faculties that belong to the ap- 
 petite, there are two more that belong to knowledge, 
 the imagination and the underftanding ; which anfwer 
 the two former, that each of thefe two appetites may have 
 fuch a fuitable guide and knowledge. The imagination 
 then, the meaneft of the two, is of all the faculties of 
 our foul, that which has been the moft weakened by fin, 
 and left leaft fubje<5t to reafon. This is the caufe of its 
 quitting our fervice like a runagate flave, without our 
 leave, and of its rambling all the world over, before we 
 mils it. It is alfo a faculty that is apt to bufy its felf 
 with every thing that comes in its way, like greedv dogs, 
 that fmell to, and turn over every thing they meet with, 
 fnapping and biting at whatever they fee, and will foon 
 return to it again, though you drive them away with a 
 cudgel. It it moreover a faculty that loves its liberty 
 and is very unconfined , always running up and dowa 
 from mountain to mountain like a wild beaft, and cannot 
 endure to be fettered or confined, or to be fubjedt to 
 its own mafter. 
 
 43. Befides thefe ill qualities it has of its own, fome 
 perfons make it much worfe through their neglect, by 
 their treating and pampering it like a child -, leaving it 
 entirely to its own will, without any reftraint or contra- 
 diction , fo that when they would rix it to the confide- 
 ration of heavenly things, it will not obev, becaufe of 
 the bad habit it has got. We fliould therefore, fmce we 
 are acquainted with the qualities of this wild beaft, keep 
 it as ihort as we can , we fliould tie it up to the manger, 
 that is, reftrain it to the confiscation of fuch things only 
 as are good or neceffary, and enjoin it perpetual filence 
 as to every thing elfe. So that we are to confine it to 
 fuch thoughts as are good and holy, and to keep it (hut 
 up from all that are not fo ; as we have ti-"d up the 
 tongue from all kind of words that are not either good 
 or neceflary, 
 
 Q o o 44- To
 
 478 Tbt Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 44. To this purpofe it is requifite we ufe all the care 
 and caution imaginable, in examining thoroughly 
 whatfoever prefents itfelf to our thoughts, to fee whether 
 it is to be entertained or no; that if it i?, we may re- 
 ceive it as a friend ; if not, we are to look upon it as an 
 enemy. Thofe who are negligent in this point, very 
 often admit of fuch things into their minds, as not only 
 deftroy devotion, and the fervour of charity * ; but even 
 charity itfelf, which is the very life of the foul. King 
 Ifbofeth had his head cut off by two men who entered 
 the houfe, whilft the portrefs that winnowed the corn, 
 was a-fleep, and at the door of his anti-chamber. Thus 
 it happens with us whenfoever we fuffer prudence, to fall 
 a deep i whofe office it is to feparate the chaff from the 
 corn, that is, the good thoughts from the bad, for then 
 bad defires come into the foul, which very often take its 
 life away. 
 
 45. Nor is this diligence good only for the preferving 
 of this life of the foul, but for the obtaining of filence 
 and recolleclion during the time of prayer ; becaufe as 
 the imagination, when it rambles and flies abroad, will 
 not permit us to pray in quiet, fo, on the contrary, when 
 it is reftrained and accuftomed to good thoughts, it is 
 no hard matter to make it continue in them, withou; 
 being uneafy and troublefome. 
 
 SECT. VIII. 
 
 Of tie government of the undemanding. 
 
 46. After thefe powers and faculties of the foul, come 
 the underftanding, the nobleft and greateft of them all ; 
 which befides many other virtues, is to be adorned with 
 that which excells them all, that is prudence and difcre- 
 tion. This virtue is in the fpiritual life, what the eyes 
 are in the body, the pilot in a veflel,, the king in a king- 
 dom, or the coachman upon the coach box, for it is his 
 bufinefs to have the reins always in his hands, and to 
 turn the horfes which way he would have them go. The 
 l^iritual life is, without this virtue, quite blind and help- 
 
 leis 
 * a Reg. 4, 5, 6, j
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Govern, of the Under/landing. 479 
 
 lefs, and full of nothing but confufion and diforder. 
 And therefore the glorious St. Anthony f, in a confe- 
 rence he had with feveral other holy monks, in which 
 they difcourfed upon the excellency of the different vir- 
 tues ; gave the firft place to this, as the miflrefs of all 
 the reft. It belongs then to all thofe who love virtue, 
 to keep this virtue always in perfect view, that they may 
 fey this means make a greater advance in every other. 
 
 47. This virtue is not limited to any one particular 
 duty, but extends itfelf to all employs and exercifes ; 
 becaufe it is not a particular, but a general virtue, that 
 is engaged in the exercifes and practices of all the other 
 virtues, ordering and prefcribing what is mod requifite 
 to be done in each of them. We will confider it there- 
 fore under this general acceptation, and fpeak here of 
 fome actions that belong to it as fuch. In the firft place 
 then, it is the duty of prudence (faith and charity, being 
 prefuppofed) to direct all our actions to GOD, as to their 
 laft end J. It is by it that we make a nice fcrutiny into 
 the intention with which we perform all our actions, that 
 we may fee whether, what we aim at be GOD or ourfelves. 
 For it is the nature of felf-love, according to a certain 
 devout author, to be very fubtle, and to feek all things, 
 even in thofe that are the mod pious and holy. 
 
 48. It is a point of prudence, to. know how to behave 
 ourfelves towards our neighbours, fo as to benefit and 
 not offend them by our converfation. In order to this, 
 it is convenient to obferve men's humours and difpoli- 
 tions, and to feel how every ones pulfe beats, that we 
 may accordingly carry ourfelves fo as may be moft to 
 their advantage. 
 
 49. Another piece of prudence is to know how to 
 bear with other men's failings, and to take no notice of 
 their weaknefles ; it is not good to fearch too deep into 
 their wounds. It would be very well to confider, that 
 3\\ human things are made up of an act, and a power-, 
 that is, of perfections and imperfections. So that it is 
 dconfequently impofiible, not to find many defects an4 
 failing in our lives j efpecially fince the great fall nature 
 
 O o o 2 received 
 
 -f-Caflian. 2. Collet. deDiferst. c. 2. Jfcn't. Chr. L. 3.0.59,
 
 4^o rhe Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 received by fin. Wherefore as Ariftotle fays, he is not 
 a wife man who looks for an equal certainty and demon- 
 ftration in all things, becaufe iome will bear an evident 
 proof, and others will not ; fo it is not the part of a 
 prudent peribn to defire that all things mould be fo com- 
 plcat and perfect, as to have nothing amifs in them , for 
 forne things are capable of this perfection, and others 
 are not. And he that mould endeavour by force to pro- 
 duce the contrary, would perhaps do more mifchief with 
 the means he would make ufe of to compafs his defign, 
 than he could do good, though he compaffed his end.. 
 
 50. It is prudence, for a man to know hicnfelf, and to 
 underfland all that is within him -, that is, all his failings, 
 his defires, his evil inclinations, and, in fine, his igno- 
 rance and want of virtue. This keeps him from pre- 
 fuming vainly upon himfelf, and tells him what forts of 
 enemies he is perpetually to oppofe, till he has driven 
 them quite out of the land of promife, which is his 
 foul -, and teaches him how folicitous and careful he is 
 to be in this bufmefs. 
 
 51. It is prudence to know how to govern our tongues, 
 according to the rules and circumitances already fpoken 
 of i and to know what we mould fay, and what we ought 
 to let alone-, and how to time both the one and the 
 other. Becaufe, according to Solomon ( i ) : There is a 
 time to keep fiUnce^ and a time to fpeak. And it is certain 
 it is more commendable for a prudent man to be filent, 
 than to talk at table, at public entertainments, and in 
 fuch places. 
 
 52. It is prudence again not immediately to make 
 confidents of all forts of perfons ; nor to difcover our- 
 felves to every body, when well warmed with talking, or to 
 give our opinion of things to every body that afks it , 
 for, as the Wife Man lays (2). A fool utter eth all bis 
 mind : a "Juije man deferretb, and keepetb it till afterwards. 
 And he that trufts himfelf with one that he fliould not, 
 fhall be always in danger and a (lave to him he fo rafhly 
 confides in. 
 
 S3- It 
 
 (l) Ecclcf. c. iii. v. 7. (2) Prov, c. xxix. v. n.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. Govern, of the Under/landing. 481 
 
 53. It is prudence to know how to prevent a danger 
 to be fore-armed againft what may happen, and be pro- 
 vided againft all accidents by prayer and meditation. 
 This is what the author of Ecclefiafticus advifes, when 
 he fays (i) : Before ficknefs take a remedy. So that when- 
 ever you go to any feaft or entertainments j whenever 
 you have any concerns with quarrelfome and turbulent 
 men -, whenever you go to fuch places as may expofe 
 you to any kind of danger, you mould always forefee 
 what is mod likely to happen, and accordingly prepare 
 yourfelf againft it. 
 
 54. Another part of prudence is to know how to treat 
 our body with difcretion and moderation (2) ; fo as nei- 
 ther to pamper and indulge, nor to ruin an<i deftroy it ; 
 fo as not to give it what is fuperfluous, or to deny it 
 what is neceffary ; to keep it under correction, but not 
 fo as to kill it ; and to manage it fo as that it may not 
 fail us, through too much weaknefs, nor be ftrong 
 enough to thro>v us. 
 
 55. It is alfo a great part of prudence to know how 
 to behave ourfelves with moderation in our employments, 
 be they never fo good and virtuous. So as not to be fo 
 intent upon them, as never to give ourfelves breath and 
 refpite. St. Francis in his rules, fays : that all things 
 are to ferve the fpirit, and that we mould not be fo bufy 
 upon outward things, as to prejudice the inward, nor 
 apply ourfelves fo much to the love of our neighbour, 
 as to lofe that we owe to GOD. For if the apoftles 
 themfelves (3), who had capacity and ability to do all 
 things, difengaged themfelves of lefTer things, that they 
 might not fail in thofe that were of greater moment, 
 no man mould prefume fo much of hlmfelf, as to be 
 perfuadtd he can do all things, fince we generally fee 
 that he who undertakes too many things at once, fcarce 
 ever fucceeds in any of them. 
 
 56. It is no lefs a part of prudence to difcover the de- 
 figns of our enemy, and difappoint his ftratagems ; not 
 to believe every fpirit, nor be led away by the fhadow of 
 
 every 
 
 (i) Eccl. c..xviii. v. 2O. (2) St. Thorn. 2. 2.,q 1 63. a. 2. 
 
 (3) Ads, c. vi.
 
 482 The Sinner* Guide. Book II. 
 
 every good ( i ). Becaufe the devil very often transforms 
 himfelf into an angel of light, and is always endeavour- 
 ing to deceive good men (2), under the pretence of vir- 
 tue. And therefore there is no danger we fhould be 
 more afraid of, than of that which comes under the ap- 
 pearance of good. It is certain that the devil chufes this 
 way to attack thofe that are eagerly bent upon piety. 
 
 57. To conclude : it is prudence to know how to fear, 
 and how to attack , When we get the better by giving 
 ground, and when we lofe by prefling forward. But 
 above all, to know how to flight the opinions and judge- 
 ments of the world ; the cries of the multitude, and the 
 fioife of thofe that are perpetually barking without any 
 reafon, reflecting upon thofe words (3) : If 1 yet pkafed 
 men, I Jho^dd not be the fervant of Ckrift. It is certain 
 that the greateft folly a man can be guilty of, is to let 
 himfelf be governed by fuch a many-headed beaft as the 
 multitude is, who never reflect upon any thing they fay 
 Or do. It alfo concerns us not to give any fcandal ; to 
 te afraid when there is reafon to fear, and not to be 
 whiftled about by every wind. It is the part of true 
 prudence to keep a medium between all thefe extremes. 
 
 SECT. IX. 
 
 Of prudetice in bufmefs. 
 
 58. There is no lefs need of prudence for fucceeding 
 in our undertakings, and for preventing of miftakes, 
 which often makes us lofe our peace of confcience, and 
 put our whole life into confufion and diforder. The 
 following inductions will ferve us as remedies againft 
 this evil. 
 
 59. The firft is, that of the Wife Man, who fays (4) : 
 Let thy eves look jlraight 0, and let thy eyelids go before thy 
 jleps. Where he advifes us not to undertake any thing 
 rafhly, but to do every thing with deliberation and good 
 advice. Five things are neceflary for this purpofe. The 
 firft is to recommend our bufinefs to GOD, the next is 
 
 to 
 
 (l) 1 John,c. tv. v. i. (2) 2Cor.c.xi. v. 14. (3) Qal. 
 C. i. v. 10. (4) Pror. c. iv. v. 25.
 
 Part II Ch. 2. Of Prudence in our Bufinefs. 483 
 
 to confider what we are going about, and to weigh with 
 difcretion, not only the fubftance of it but every circum- 
 ftance, becaufe the leaft failing is enough to undo all 
 we have done. For though an action fhould fucceed 
 well, and not have any ill circumftances in it, yet the 
 doing it out of feafon, is fufficient to caft a blemifh upon 
 it. The third thing, is to take the advice of othert 
 along with us upon what is to be done ; yet fo as to con- 
 fult with but few, and thofe choice and prudent perfons. 
 For though it is good to hear the opinions of others, in 
 order to decide the matter, yet we are to follow but 
 few in the determination of it, for fear of failing in the 
 execution. The fourth thing and that very necefTiry, 
 is to take time enough for deliberation, and to confider 
 for fome days, upon the advice that mall be given, 
 before we proceed any farther. For as long converfa- 
 tion gives us a better experience of perfons, fo fome 
 days confideration makes us fee further into advice. A 
 man very often feems to be of a different temper, after 
 a little acquaintance with him, than we imagined he was 
 at firft fight ; and juft fo it is with advice, which tho* 
 at firft fight it feemed to be advantageous, after a little 
 deliberation, proves to be quite otherwife. The fifth is, 
 to be upon our guard againft four great enemies to this 
 virtue of prudence, which are, precipitations, paflion, 
 felfifhnefs, and vanity. For precipitations will not con- 
 fider what it has to do ; paflion is blind, felfifhnefs will 
 not admit of good advice-, and vanity, wherefoever it 
 gains admittance, fpoils all. 
 
 60. It belongs to this virtue, to fhun all extremes, 
 and keep a mean for virtue and truth, to fly excefs, and 
 be confined to juft bounds and meafures. So that we 
 fhould neither approve of, nor rejedt all; we mould 
 neither affirm, nor deny every thing i we (hould 
 neither believe, nor difbclieve all ; we are not to con- 
 demn a great many for the faults of fame few ; nor, be- 
 caufe fome men are holy, muft we think they are all fo. 
 We muft in all things ftand to the decifion of reafon, 
 and not fuffer ourfelves to be hr.rried away to extremes, 
 by the force of prejudice and paflion. 
 
 .61. Another
 
 4? 4 Tk e Sinners Guide. Book IT. 
 
 61. Another rule of prudence is, not to diflike things 
 for being new or old ; becaufe there are feveral things 
 of old (landing that are very bad ; and others again that 
 are new, and yet very good. For antiquity is not fuf- 
 ficient to juftify what is bad, nor is novelty to cry down 
 what is good. We ought in all things to confider what 
 they are worth in themlelves, and not how long they 
 have been in ufe and practice. It is no advantage at all 
 to vice, that it has been of long continuance, for this 
 makes it the more incurable , and all that virtue lofes 
 by being new, is, that it is not fo well known. 
 
 62. There is another rule of prudence, which is not 
 to be deceived by the appearance and outfide of things, 
 fo as immediately to pafs fentence upon them : becaufe 
 all is not gold that glitters, nor is that always good which 
 appears as fuch. We often find gall covered over with 
 honey v and frequently run our hands amongft nettles, 
 whilft we are gathering flowers -j-. Remember what 
 Ariftotle fays, " That fometimes falmood appears more 
 like truth, than truth itfelf ," fo vice may happen to 
 look more like virtue, than virtue itfelf. Above all you 
 muft be thoroughly convinced, that as gravity and the 
 weight of affairs is*the companion of prudence, fo eafi- 
 nefs and levity is infeperable from folly. Therefore you 
 muft take care not to be over eafy in thefe fix things : in 
 believing, in granting, in promifmg, in refolving, in 
 converfing lightly with men, and in giving way to anger. 
 There is manifeft danger in all thefe things , if a man is 
 too eafily prevailed upon to do them. For to be too for- 
 ward in believing, is lightnefs of heart , to be too eafy 
 in promifmg, is lofing a man's liberty ; to grant without 
 confidering, is to do what a man may afterwards repent ; 
 to be too hafty in refolving, is to put ones felf in danger 
 of committing an error, as David did in Miphibofeth's 
 affair J; an over-freenefs in converfation, brings con- 
 tempt ; and to give way to anger, is a plain fign of follv. 
 According to that of the Wife Man, He that is patient 
 is governed with much wijdom ; but he that is impatient, 
 exalteth his folly . 
 
 SECT, 
 j- Lib. de Anima. 2 Reg. 9. Prov. c, xiv. v. 29.
 
 Part II. Ch. 2. How to acquire Prudence. 485 
 
 SECT. X. 
 
 Of feme means necejfary for the obtaining of this virtue. 
 
 63. Amongft other means that contribute towarcjl the 
 acquiring of this virtue; there is fcarce ajjy more fuccefs- 
 ful than the experience of failings, and of the proper 
 methods .tried by ourfelves, or others upon the like oc.- 
 cafions, whence many rules of prudence may be taken. 
 Therefore it is a common feying, that the remembrance 
 of what is pad is the miftrefs and governed of prudence, 
 and that the prefent day learns of that which is gone ; 
 becauie, as Solomon fays, What is it that hath been ? tht 
 
 fame thing that Jhall be. What is it that hath been done ? 
 the fame that Jhall be done *. So that we may judge of 
 the prefent, by the pad ; and of the pail, by the prefent. 
 
 64. But that which moil advances the obtaining of 
 this virtue, is a true and profound humility : as, on the 
 contrary, the .greatefl hindrance it has, is pride, becaufe 
 it is written -f : Where humility it, there alfo is wifdom. 
 Befides all the fcripture tells us, That GOD inftrufts the 
 humble ; that he rs the mafter of little ones ; and that be 
 difcovers his fecrets to them\. Not that humility mould 
 fubmit to every ones opinion neither, or fuffer itfelf to 
 be carried away by every wind ; for then it would be no 
 longer humility, but an unftablenefs and weaknefs of 
 heart, againft which the Wife Man has advifed us, faying, 
 Be not lowly in thy wifdom 1 !,; to fignify, that a man 
 fhould be refolute in maintaining .of thole truths which 
 he knows to be grounded upon a juft ancl univerfal bot- 
 tom ; and that he mould not, as fome weak perfons are, 
 be diilurbed at the fight of a draw, nor fuffer himfelf 
 to be wrought upon by all forts of opinions. 
 
 65. The laft thing that is ferviceable for the procuring 
 of this virtue, is, humble and devout prayer, becaufe 
 fmce it is one of the chief graces of the Holy Ghoil, to 
 enlighten the foul with knowledge, wifdom, counfel, 
 and underflanding, with the greater devotion and humi 
 
 P p p Jity ; 
 
 * Eccl. c. i. v. 9. f Prov. c xi. v. 2. J PfJm, xi. 
 I Pet. c. v. Jacob, c. iv. Eccl. c. xiii, v. 1 3.
 
 486 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 lity , a man (hall make his addreflfes to him, and thq 
 more he has of the heart of a fcholar, and child ; the 
 more plainly he mail be inftructed, and obtain the greater 
 fulnefs of thefe heavenly graces and favours. 
 
 66. We have enlarged more than ordinary upon this 
 
 virtue of prudence, becaufe being the miftrefs of all 
 
 other virtues, it will be convenient to endeavour,* that 
 
 which guides the reft mould not be blind itfelf, leaft the 
 
 whole body of virtues mould be deprived of fight. And 
 
 becaufe all this ferves for the juftifying and governing of 
 
 man, in regard to himfelf, which is the firft duty of 
 
 juftice we laid down above, it is necefiary we mould 
 
 fpeak now of the fecond, which teaches us how we are 
 
 to behave ourfelves towards our neighbours. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of man's duty towards bis neighbour. 
 
 j. riTV H E fecond point of juftice is for a man to be- 
 
 J^ have himfelf as he ought to do towards his 
 neighbour, and to (how him the mercy and charity that 
 GOD has commanded. None but he that has read the 
 Holy Scriptures can believe how great a duty this is, 
 and how earneftly recommended to us : read the pro- 
 phets, the gofpels, the facred epiftles, and you will 
 admire to fee how ftrictly this is enjoined. GOD in the 
 Prophet Ifaiah makes a part of juftice to depend upon 
 charity, and upon ufmg our neighbours well. So that 
 when the Jews made their complaints to him, faying ; 
 Why have we fafted Lord, and thou haft not regarded ; 
 why have we humbled our fouls, and thou haft not taken no- 
 tice ? His anfwer to them was : Behold in the day of your 
 faft, yeur own will is found, and you exatt of all your deb- 
 tors. Behold you f aft for debates and ftrife, and ftrike with 
 thefift wickedly. Is not this rather the f aft that I have cbo- 
 Jen ? loofe the bands of wickcdmfs, undo the bundles that op- 
 prejs, let them that are broken go free, and break afunder 
 
 every
 
 Part. II. Ch. 3. Duty to our Neighbour. 487 
 every burthen. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the 
 needy and the harbourlefs into thy houfe : when thou Jhalt fee 
 one naked, cover him, anddefpife not thy ownflejh *. Then 
 it is, that I will bellow fuch and fuch favours upon you, 
 which the prophet reckons up throughout the remaining 
 part of the chapter. See here wherein GOD places a 
 great part of true juftice, and how much it is his defire 
 we mould be charitable to our neighbours. 
 
 2. What (hall I fay of St. Paul f ? who recommends 
 no virtue more earneftly to us, throughout all his epif- 
 tles, than this ? what is there he does not fay in com- 
 mendation of charity ? how highly does he cry it up? 
 how particular is he in giving u:s all its excellencies ? how 
 far does he carry it beyond all other virtues ? he tells us, 
 there is no better way to heaven than this. And not 
 thinking it enough, he aflures us in another place ; that 
 Charity is the bond of perfection. And elfewhere, 'That it 
 is the end of all the commandments-, and again, 'That he 
 'who loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law j. Could 
 a man fay more in praife of any virtue, than the apoftle 
 has done of this ? and can any man after this, that de- 
 fires to know what kind of works are moft acceptable to 
 GOD, chufe but admire and be enamoured with this vir- 
 tue ? can he any longer refufe to refer, and dired all his 
 actions to the acquiring of it ? 
 
 3. Befides this we have St. John the beloved difciple's 
 canonical epiftle, wherein he repeats nothing fo often, 
 praifes nothing fo much, or recommends nothing fo ear- 
 neftly as he does this virtue And the hiftory of his 
 life fays, that as long as he lived, he made it the perpe- 
 tual fubject of his difcourfe as well as the practice of his 
 actions ; and being afked one day why he fo often re- 
 peated the fame over and over again, he made anfwer; 
 " Becaufe this duly complied with, was alone fufficient 
 for falvation." 
 
 Ppp 2 SECT. 
 
 * Ifaiah, c. Iviii. v. 3, 4, 6, 7. f I Cor - c - xiii - t Rom * 
 c. xii. v. 20. Colof. c. iii. v. 14. Rom. c. xiii. v. 8. $6. 
 Hieron. in cap. 5. Ep, and Gallat.
 
 488 The Sinners Guide. Book IL 
 
 SEC T. 1. 
 
 Of the duties of charity. 
 
 4- He therefore that fincerely defires to ferve GOD per- 
 fectly, ought to underftand, that one of the things 
 which contribute moft to this end, is the obfervance of 
 this pretext of love. Yet fo, that th[> love is not to be 
 dry and barren, but muft have all thofe effects which ufe 
 to proceed from a true love, for otherwife it will not de- 
 ferve fo much as the name of love; if we Mvill believe 
 the fame evangelift when he fays: He that bath the fub- 
 Jlance of this world, and Jhalt fee his brother in need, and 
 jhall jhut tip his bowels from him \ how doth the charity of 
 GOD abide in him ? my little children, let us not love in 
 word, nor in tongue^ but in deed and in truth *. According 
 to this, befides many other things, there are fix parti- 
 cularly comprized under this name of love : to wit, to 
 love, to advife, to affiftj to bear withy to pardon, and to 
 edify. There is fo great a connection betwixt thefe 
 works and charity ; that the more or the lefs a man has of 
 thofe, he has the more or the lefs of this. For, fome 
 Jay they love, but then this love goes no farther: others 
 love their neighbours, and gives them ggod advice and 
 inftruetions, but will not put their Hand into their 
 pockets, to relieve their neceflities; fome will do all 
 thefe three, yet have not patience enough to fufter an 
 affront or injury, or to bear with the infirmities of others $ 
 not following the advice of the apoftles, who fay, Bear 
 ye. one another 3 burdens, and fo you Jhall fulfill the law of 
 ill 
 
 Some perfons will make no difficulty of put- 
 ting up an affront patiently, but cannot pardon it freely : 
 and though they have no malice in their hearts, yet they 
 cannot give their neighbour fo much as a good look. 
 Thefe, it is true, comply with the firft condition, but 
 at the fame time neglect the fecond, and fo are far 
 enough from perfect charity. There are others, in fine, 
 that will perform every one of thefe duties, who yet 
 cannot edify their neighbours, either by their words or 
 
 actions j 
 * i John, c. Hi. v. 17, 18. -f Gal. c. vi, v. 2.
 
 Part II. Ch. 3. Duties of Chanty. 489 
 
 actions-, and yet this is one of the principal duties of 
 charity. Let every man then examine himfelf upon this, 
 that he may fee how fhort he comes of the perfection of 
 this virtue, or how near he reaches to it. For, we may 
 fay, that he who loves, is in the firft degree of charity; 
 he that loves and advifes, is in the fecond j he that affifts', 
 in the third , he that can bare an injury, in the fourth ; 
 he that can forgive it, in the fifth -, and he that befides 
 all this, edifies his neighbour by his good life and con- 
 verfation, which is the duty of a perfect and apoftolical 
 man, is come to the perfection of it. 
 
 5. Thefe are the pofitive, or affirmative acts, that are 
 included in charity ; by which we fee what we are to do 
 for our neighbour. There are yet befides thefe others 
 that are negative, which mew us what we mould not do : 
 fuch for example, as not judging any body; not detract- 
 ing, nor meddling with another man's goods, his honour, 
 or his wife ; giving no-body fcandal, either by abufive, 
 or bad words, or by an uncivil and impertinent behavi- 
 our , but moft of all by bad advice or example. Let a 
 man be careful in avoiding thefe things, and he will fulfil 
 the duty of this divine command. 
 
 6. If, for the more eafy remembering of all this, you 
 would have me give it you in fhort ; endeavour to carry 
 yourfelf towards your neighbour with the tendernefs of a 
 mother, and you will not fail of complying perfectly with 
 all I have faid above. Confider how a kind and careful 
 mother loves her child ; how (he advifes him againft 
 dangers ; how me affifts him in his neceffities ; how (he 
 deals with him in his failings-, fometimes putting them 
 up with patience , other times correcting him for thfrn 
 withjuftice; and as occafion requires, patting them over, 
 and winking at them with prudence ; for charity, the 
 queen and mother of all virtues, makes ufe of thefe. 
 Confider how glad fhe is at his profperity, and how con- 
 cerned for his adverfity ; how me looks upon his misfor- 
 tune as her own ; how zealous (he is for his honour and 
 intereft ; with what devotion {he prays for him to Al- 
 mighty God ; and, in conclufion, how much more care- 
 ful ihe is of him, than of herfelf j and how hard Ihe is 
 
 t
 
 490 ^ Sinners Guide. Book II, 
 
 to herfelf, that Ihe may be the more tender and kind 
 to him. If your love of your neighbour is fuch as 
 this, you are arrived already to the height of this virtue : 
 but putting the cafe that you cannot attain this pitch, 
 you muft at leaft aim at it in defire, and refer all the 
 actions of your life to it ; for it is certain that the higher 
 you endeavour to climb, the farther you will be from 
 being low. 
 
 7. But perhaps you will afk me ; how can I have fuch 
 an affection for a ftranger ? I anfwer, that you are not to 
 look upon any man as fuch, but to efteem him as the 
 image of GOD , as the work of his hands ; as his child ; 
 and as a living member of Jefus (Thrift, fmce St. Paul fo 
 often tells us, That we are all of us members of Chrift 
 Jefus * , and that to fin againft our neighbour is confe- 
 quently the fame as to fin againft Chrift, and to do good 
 to the one, is to do good to the other. So that you 
 mould not confider your neighbour, as a man in general, 
 or as fuch a man, but as Chrift himfelf, or as a living 
 member of him ; and though he is not fuch as to the 
 body, that matters not, fmce he is fo as to the participa- 
 tion of his fpirit, and the greatnefs of the reward ; our 
 Saviour himfelf affuring us, that he will requite this fa- 
 vour as if it had been done to him. 
 
 8. Confider alfo what we faid above in commendation 
 of this virtue, and how much Jefus Chrift recommends 
 it to us ; fo that if you have any true defire of pleafing 
 GOD, you (hould omit no care nor pains requifite for the 
 procuring of a thing, that is fo acceptable to him. Con- 
 fider alfo what love relations have for one another, upon 
 no other account but the communication of a little flem 
 and blood , and blufh that grace mould not have as 
 much power over you as nature , nor the fpiritual al- 
 liance as the carnal. If you ftiould fay, that this is a 
 union and participation from the fame root and the ft me 
 blood, which is common to both parties j confider how 
 much more noble thofe alliances are which the apoftle 
 has put between the faithful : fmce they have all one fa- 
 ther and one mother ; one Lord , one baptifm ; one 
 
 faith j 
 * 1 Cor, c. xii. v. 28. Ephei. c. v. v. 20.
 
 Part. II. Ch. 3. Duties of Clarity. 491 
 
 faith i one hope , one nourifhment , and one fpirit that 
 enlivens them. They have all one Father, which is GOD ; 
 one mother, which is the church ; one Lord, which is 
 Jefus Chrift ; one faith which is a fupernatural light, of 
 which we all partake, and which diftinguifhes us from 
 the reft of mankind, one hope, which is the fame inhe- 
 ritance of glory, in which we mail all have but one heart, 
 and but one foul ; one baptifm, by which we have been 
 all adopted for the children of one and the fame Father, 
 and confequently made brothers to one another ; one 
 nouriihment, which is the mod adorable facrament of the 
 Body of Chrift, by which we are all united to, and made 
 one and the fame thing with him j juft as of feveral 
 grains of corn is made a loaf ; and the fame wine of a 
 great many bunches of grapes. And befides all'this, we 
 partake of the fame fpirit, which is the Holy Ghoft, 
 who refides in all the fouls of the faithful, either by faith 
 alone, or by grace and faith joined together; enlivening 
 and fupporting them, in this life. Now if the members 
 of one body, notwithftanding the difference of their 
 employments and of their forms, have fuch a love for 
 one another, becaufe the fame rational foul animates 
 them all , how much more confonant to reafon mud it 
 be, to have the faithful to do the fame, as being all ani- 
 mated by this divine fpirit , who the more noble he is, 
 the greater power muft he have to unite thofe things in 
 which he himfelf remains ? if then the bare union of 
 flefh and blood be enough to make relations love one 
 another fo entirely, how much more force ought fo many, 
 and fuch ftrait unions and alliances have over us. 
 
 9. But above all, caft your eyes upon the fingular and 
 unparalleled love Jefus Chrift had for us ; he loved us 
 fo paffionately, fo dearly, fo tenderly, fo conftantly, fo 
 far from any intereft of his own, or any defert of ours, 
 that encouraged by fo great an example, and obliged by 
 fuch a favour, you mould difpofe yourfelf to love your 
 neighbour, as much as poiTibly you can, after the fame 
 manner: that fo you may faithfully comply with the 
 precept, which he himfelf, upon his leaving the world, 
 gave you, with fuch a particular caution about the ob- 
 
 . ferving
 
 492 be Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 fcrving of it. His words are : 1 give you & new command- 
 ment ', that you love one another as I have loved you*. He 
 that would befides what has been faid, know how great 
 a virtue that of alms-deeds, and of companion for his 
 neighbours is , and how excellent and meritorious, may 
 read a treatife of mine upon this iubjeft, at the end 
 of my book of prayer and meditation. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of man's duty to GOD. 
 
 j. TTAVING fpoken of our obligations to ourneigh- 
 J7j[ bours and ourfelves, it is convenient we fliould 
 fpeak now of what we owe to GOD. This is the principal 
 and moft noble part of juftice ; and to which the three 
 theological virtues, faith, hope, and charity tend, which 
 have GOD for their objedt, and hitherto looks that virtue, 
 which divines call religion, whofe object is the worihip 
 of GOD. 
 
 2. The way therefore to perform all the duties be- 
 longing to every one of thefe virtues, is to have fuch a 
 heart for Almighty GOD, as a dutiful child has for his 
 father. So that as he that behaves himfelf like a juft 
 judge to himfelf, difcharges the obligations that are due 
 to himfelf; and as he that looks upon his neighbour 
 with the tender heart of a mother, acquits himfelf of all 
 that he owes to him ; fo he that comes to GOD with the 
 heart of a fon, will perform all his duties to him ; fince 
 one of the chief proofs of the fpirit of Chrift being in 
 vis, is to give our heart thus entirely to GOD. 
 
 3. Confider then with yourfelf, what kind of a heart 
 it is, that a fon has for his father ; what love he bears 
 him, with what fear and reverence, with what obedience 
 he ferves him, with what zeal for his honour, and with how 
 much unintereftednefs ; with what confidence he runs to 
 him, in all his neceflfities ; with what humility he re- 
 ceives his corrections ; how fubmifiively he hears his 
 
 repri- 
 * John, c. xiii. v, 34.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 493 
 
 reprimands, and how willingly he embraces all that 
 comes from him. Do but give GOD fuch a heart as this 
 is, and you will perfectly difcharge the part of juftice. 
 
 4. But to have fuch a heart, there are in my opinion, 
 nine virtues necefiarily required, which are, love, fear 
 and reverence, confidence, zeal for GOD'S honour, purity 
 of intention in his fervice, prayer, and recourfe to him 
 in all your neceffities ; gratitude for his favours; an 
 entire fubmiffion and conformity to his will , humility 
 and patience, in all the afflictions and mortifications he 
 fhall fend you. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 5. To begin then in order, the firft and principal thing 
 we have to do, is to love GOD, as he himfelf commands 
 we mould , that is, With all our heart, with all our foul^ 
 and with all our ftrength *. So that there is nothing in 
 man, but what mud in its way, love and ferve this Lord 
 of all things. The underftanding, by thinking of him; 
 the will, by loving him ; the pafllons, by tending always 
 to what concerns the love of him ; the force of all our 
 members and fenfes, by employing themfelves in per- 
 forming whatfoever this divine love mail prefcribe. But 
 becaufe we have treated of this matter exprefly in the 
 memorial of a Chriftian life, I refer the reader thither, 
 to inform himfelf more fully in this point. 
 
 6. What we are to defire next after this holy love, is 
 fear ; which is nothing but an effefb of this love. Be- 
 caufe the greater love we bear another, the more we are 
 afraid, not only of lofing, but of offending him, as we 
 fee a dutiful fon does with his father ; and a loving wife 
 with her hufband; for the more me loves him, the more 
 careful fhe is, that nothing be done to give him the leaft 
 offence. By this fear innocence is fecured, and there- 
 fore it concerns us very much, to imprint it deeply in 
 our fouls. This is what David begged fo earneflly when 
 he faid, Pierce my fiejb, O Lord, with thy fear, I am afraid 
 f. thy judgments-^. So tfiat according to this, the holy 
 king did not think it enough to have the fear of GOD 
 
 Q^q q engraven 
 
 * Deut. c. vi. v. 5. "\ P/almcxviii. v. 120,
 
 494 ff> e Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 engraven in his foul : he defired it mould be (luck into 
 his very flefli and bowels , that the lively fenfe he had of 
 it, might be like a nail driven into his heart, to put him 
 continually in mind of not failing in any thing that 
 might be grateful to him, whom he had fuch a dread of. 
 For this reafon it is juftly faid, 1"he fear of the Lord- 
 driveth cut fin*. Becaufe, it is confonant both to nature 
 and reafon, when a man fears another much, to be very 
 much afrrad of whatfoever may difpleafe him. 
 
 7. From this fear arifes another, which is to be afraid, 
 not only of bad actions, but even of good ones, if they 
 happen not to be fo pure, nor attended with fuch good 
 circumftances as they ought: by which means, actions 
 which are good in themfelves, may become nought th-ro* 
 our fault. And upon this account St. Gregory faid, 
 ' That a good foul would fear where there is no fault at 
 at all. Holy Job mows he was poffeffed with this fear, 
 when he faid : / feared all my works, knowing that thox 
 didji not fpare the offender f. Another effect of this fear 
 is, to be afraid whenfoever we are aflifting at the divine 
 office in the church, (above all if the bleffed facrament 
 is there) to talk, or walk up and down, or to ftare and 
 gaze about us as many do. We are to behave ourfelves 
 there with an awful and reverential regard to the fupreme 
 Majefty, before whom we (land ; and which is in a more 
 particular manner prefent in that place. Thefe and many 
 more are the ordinary effects of this holy fear. 
 
 8. Should you afk me how this holy fear is formed in 
 our fouls , I anfwer, that the love of GOD is the chief 
 root from which it fprings. Next to which, fervile fear 
 is necefiary in fome manner for the acquiring of this 
 other -, for it is the beginning of a filial fear, and 
 brings it into the foul, as the needle does the filk 
 into the fluff we are fewing. Another thing befides 
 this, that goes a great way towards the procuring and 
 increafing of this fear, is the confideration of thefe four 
 things. The greatnefs of GOD'S Majefty, the depth of 
 his judgments, the rigour of his juftice, and the mul- 
 titude of our fins ; to which we may add the refiftance 
 we often make againft the divine infpirations. It will 
 * Eccl. c. i. v. 27. f Job, c. ix. v, 28. there-
 
 Part II. Ch.4. Duty to God. 495 
 
 therefore become us to imploy our minds upon th? con- 
 fideration of thefe four things, becaufe they affift us fo 
 much for obtaining and cheriming of this holy effect in 
 our fouls, whereof we have fpoken more copioufly in the 
 former book. 
 
 SECT II. 
 
 9. The third virtue necefiary for this end, is confi- 
 dence , that is to fay, as a child that has a wealthy and 
 able father allures himfelf, that this father will not fail 
 to aflift him and provide for him, if he mould be ever 
 reduced to necefTity, or fall into any misfortune , fo man. 
 muft in this refpect, have the heart of a child towards 
 GOD ; and considering he has him for his father, who 
 has the power both of heaven and earth in his hands, 
 he muft have fuch a truft in him, as to be fully afTured, 
 that whatfoever tribulations (hall befall him, this hea- 
 venly father of his will, out of his mercy, deliver him 
 from them, if he does but addrefs himfelf to him with 
 an humble confidence , or at leaft will turn them to his 
 greater advantage and intereft. For if a fon has fuch a 
 confidence in his father, as to build all his fecurity and 
 quiet upon it , with how much better afiurance mould 
 man rely upon him, who is more a father, than all the 
 fathers in the world ; and richer than all mankind toge- 
 ther ? and if you fay that you have done no fervice, your 
 want of merit, and the multitude of your fins, difcou- 
 rage and deject, you the remedy in this cafe, is to confi- 
 der, not your own failings and unworthinefs but 
 GOD himfelf, and his eternal fon, our only faviour and 
 mediator, that you may be flrengthened again by him. 
 So that, as when any body in croffing a rapid river, 
 grows giddy with the violence of the ftream, we call out 
 to him, and bid him not look down upon the water 
 that is in fuch a perpetual motion ; but lift up his eyes 
 towards heaven and fo he will pafs over with fafety : we 
 are after the fame manner to advife thofe that are weak 
 in this refpect, not to reflect upon themfelves during that 
 time, nor upon their paft fins. But then you will alk 
 me from whom you are to expect this ftrength and con- 
 2 fidence ?
 
 496 The Sinners Guide. Book IL 
 
 fidence ? my anfwer is, that you muft confider the infi- 
 nite goodnefs and mercy of GOD, who alone gives a re- 
 medy to ail the miferies in the world , and reflect upon 
 the truth of his word, by which he has promifed his fa- 
 vour and afllftance to all thofe that mall call upon his 
 holy name with humility, and put themfelves under his 
 protection. Confider alfo the innumerable benefits you 
 have received from his bountiful hand , and learn from 
 his mercy, which you have already had fuch proofs of, 
 to rely upon the fame for the future. But above all 
 things, confider, Jefus Chrift with all his labours and 
 merits ; which are the chief rights and titles we have 
 for the begging of any favour from GOD , becaufe we 
 are fure on the one fide, that there are no merits which 
 exceed, or even come up to this ; and that on the other 
 fide, they are the treafures of the church, given for the 
 relief and fupply of all her necefllties. Thefe are the 
 chief encouragements and fupports of our confidence ; 
 and it was by thefe, that the faints became as ftrong, and 
 as unmoveable in what they hoped for, as the mountain 
 of Sion *. 
 
 10. But it is much to be lamented, that having fuch 
 motives to confide in GOD, we fhould be fo weak in this 
 particular, as to be out of heart, as foon as ever we but 
 fee the danger, even to run to Egypt for help, under the 
 fhelter of Pharoah's chariots. So that you will find 
 many perfons that ferve GOD, who faft and pray much, 
 and give confiderable alms, and are endowed with feveral 
 ether virtues ; yet, there are but very few who have the 
 confidence of the holy Sufanna-fi who after they had 
 condemned her to death, and as they were leading her 
 to the place of execution, continued ftill, as the fcrip- 
 ture obferves, to put all her confidence in the Lord. 
 All the fcripture may be applied to perfuade us to this 
 virtue, but particularly the plalms and prophets, for 
 there is fcarce any thing fo often repeated in them, as a 
 confidence in GOD, and the certainty of his afiifling thofe 
 that hope in him t. 
 
 SECT. 
 
 * Pfalm cxxiv. v. i. f Ifaiah, c. xxx. v, I. J Dan. c. xiii,
 
 Part II. Ch.4. Dufy to God. 497 
 
 S E C T. III. 
 
 11. Zeal for GOD'S honour is the fourth virtue; that 
 is, our main bufmefs fhould be to look to the promoting 
 and advancing of GOD'S honour, to the glorifying of his 
 holy name, and to fee that his will be performed both in 
 heaven and upon earth. And nothing fhould concern or 
 touch us more to the life, than to behold men, not only 
 neglect his will, but act contrary to it. The faints had 
 this zeal, and it was in their names that thefe words were 
 fpoken ( i ) : 'The zeal of thy houfe, O Lord, has eaten me 
 up. Becaufe they were fo troubled, upon this account, 
 that the grief of their fouls weakened their bodies, cor- 
 rupted their blood, and (hewed itfelf in all the outward 
 man. If we had but the fame zeal they had, we fhould 
 immediately have the glorious mark which (2) Ezechiel 
 fpeaks of, ftamped upon our foreheads , by the means of 
 which we mould not fink under the corrections and 
 fcourges of the divine juftice. 
 
 12. The fifth virtue is purity of intention; its office 
 is to make us not feek ourfelves, nor our own intereft 
 only in whatever we do ; but GOD'S glory and the obfer- 
 vance of hii pleafure ; alluring ourfelves, that the iefs we 
 endeavour to promote our own intereft, or feeking our- 
 felves, the greater advantages we mall reap ; and fo on 
 the contrary. -This is one of thofe things we are care- 
 fully to examine into, in the performance of all actions, 
 and it is what becomes us to have a zealous concern for : 
 We muft be very cautious lead our eyes mould fix upon 
 any thing but GOD ; becaufe felf-love is of its own na- 
 ture very fubtle, and feeks itfelf and its own eafe in all 
 its actions. There are feveral perfons very rich in good 
 works, and yet when they come to be weighed in the 
 fcale of GOD'S juftice, will find themfelves very light, 
 for want of this purity of intention (3) ; which is the eye 
 the gofpel fpeaks of, and which if it is light itfelf makes 
 the whole body fo, or darkens it all over if it be dark, 
 
 13. There 
 
 (l) Pfalm Ixviii. v. 9. (2) Ezcck. c. ix. v. 4. (3) Matt.- 
 c.vi, v. 22, 23.
 
 tte Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 13. There are many, not only laymen but even eccle- 
 fiafticks, who when they are promoted to any confiderable 
 dignities, and obferve how virtue is always taken notice 
 of and honoured in fuch kind of employs, ufe their ut- 
 rnoft endeavours to become virtuous, and to live like 
 pious and good men, clearing themfelves from all kind 
 of defilement, and from every thing that may caft; the 
 leaft flam upon their honour. But their end of doing 
 all this is only to keep up the reputation they have 
 got ; to continue in favour, that fo they may be taken 
 notice of, for the exa<ft difcharge of their employs, and 
 be promoted to greater. So that thefe actions do not 
 proceed from a lively fentiment of the love or fear of 
 GOD ; nor is his glory, and the obedience that is due to 
 him, the end of them ; all they regard is their own ho- 
 nour and interefl. He therefore that ads after this 
 manner, though he appear fomething in the eyes of the 
 world, is nothing better in the fight of GOD, than the 
 very fmoak and fhadow of juftice : moral virtues are no- 
 thing before GOD, as confidered in themfelves, nor all 
 the corporal macerations and aufterities man can poffibly 
 ufe ; not though he mould facrifice his own children : 
 all that GOD values, is the fpirit of love fent down from 
 heaven, and whatfoever fprings from this root. There 
 was nothing in the temple, but what was either gold or 
 gilt. So it is juft there mould be nothing in the living 
 temples of our fouls, that is not either chanty or gilt 
 with it. Wherefore it concerns him that ferves GOD, to 
 caft his eyes upon what he defigns to do, and not upon 
 what he does , becaufe the meaneft actions become no- 
 ble, when the intention is fo, with which they are done ; 
 as the greateft, on the contrary, degenerate into mean 
 ones, when they have fomething that is mean for their 
 object. Becaufe GOD does not regard the action itfclf, 
 fo much as the intention of doing it, and that it proceeds 
 from love. 
 
 14. This is in fome degree to imitate that mod noble 
 and molt generous love, which the Son of GOD has fhewn 
 us, who defires us in the gofpel(i), to love him as he 
 
 loved 
 ( i ) John, c. xiii.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 499- 
 
 kved us , that is, freely and fincerely, and without mix- 
 ture of inttreft. As amongft the feveral circumftances 
 of this divine charity, this is the moil to be admired in 
 the Son of GOD , happy will that man be, who makes it 
 his bufinefs in all his actions to imitate him. And who- 
 foever mail do fo, may afiure himfelf, that he is very ac- 
 ceptable to GOD -, as one that reprefents him in the height 
 of virtue and in purity of intention ; for refemblance is 
 generally the caufe of love. Man ought therefore when 
 he is doing any good, to turn away his eyes from all kind 
 of human confiderations, and fix them upon GOD. Let 
 him never confent that an action, which has GOD for its 
 reward, fhoukl ferve for a temporal end. For as it would 
 be a great (hame to fee a noble and beautiful young 
 princefs, fit to match with a king, given away to a man 
 of very mean extraction. So it is a much greater fubject 
 of tears, to fee virtue, which is worthy of GOD himfelf, 
 employed in acquiring of worldly goods. 
 
 15. But becaufe it is no eafy matter to obtain this pu- 
 rity of intention, it concerns a man very much, to be<* ic 
 of GOD, earneflly in his prayers, and particularly in that 
 petition of the Lord's Prayer ; Thy will be done on earth 
 as it is in heaven. So that as the whole exercife of the 
 heavenly choirs, is the performing of GOD'S will with a 
 mofl pure intention, only to pleafe him ; fo mould the 
 inhabitant of the earth, as long as he lives here, imitate 
 this cuftom of heaven, as far as poffibly he can. Not 
 becaufe it is not good and juft to afpire to the enjoyment 
 of his kingdom, next to pleafing of GOD ; but becaufe 
 the lefs felf-intereft appears in any of our actions, the 
 more perfect it will be. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 16. Thefixth virtue is prayer j by means whereof like 
 children, we are to have recourfe to our Father, when 
 any thing troubles or afflicts us ; that by it we may con- 
 tinually remember our heavenly Father, walk in his pre- 
 fence, and often difcourfe with him : becaufe this is the 
 practice and duty of good children towards their fathers. 
 
 But
 
 500 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 But having handled this virtue al large elfewhere, we 
 will fay no more of it here. 
 
 17. The feventh virtue is thankfgiving ; by which we 
 are excited to gratitude for all GOD'S favours, and to em- 
 ploy our tongues in perpetual acknowledgements of 
 them. It is this virtue makes us cry out with the Royal 
 Prophet ( i ) , I will blefs the Lord at all times , his praife 
 Jhall always be in my mouth. And in another place (2) : 
 Let my mouth O Lord, be filled with praife^ that I may fing 
 thy greatnefs all the day long. For if GOD has given our 
 life i if he is always preferving us in the being he has 
 given us ; and continually pouring down his benefits 
 upon us, by the motions of the heavens, and by th fer- 
 vices we perpetually receive from all creatures : what can 
 we do lefs than be always praifing him, who is always 
 preferving, maintaining and defending us, and beftowing 
 on us a thoufand other graces and favours. Let us then 
 make this our firft and chief exercife ; and in order to it, 
 let us, as St. Bafil advifes, begin all our prayers with 
 this ; let us morning, noon and night, nay every hour of 
 the day, never ceafe to thank GOD for all his mercies and 
 benefits, as well general as particular ; for thofe of grace, 
 as well as thofe of nature -, but above all for that benefit 
 of benefits, for that grace of graces, his becoming man 
 for us, his fhedding his blood for our falvation , and for 
 his being pleafed to let us always enjoy his company, 
 by means of the moft adorable facrament of the altar. 
 Let us amongft fo many benefits, reflecl: particularly upon 
 this laft circumftance, that he who has humbled himfelf 
 fo low for us is the Lord of all creatures ; and that all 
 he has done for us has been the pure effect of his love 
 and mercy ; without the leaft tincture of advantage or 
 felf-intereft. Much more might be faid upon this fub- 
 ject ; but having fpoken of it in another place, where 
 we treat of the Divine Benefits; this mail fuffice at 
 prefent. 
 
 SECT. 
 (i) Pfalmxxxiii. v, I. (2)Pfalmlxx. v, 8.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 501 
 
 S E C T. V. 
 
 Of the four degrees of obedience. 
 
 1 8. The eighth virtue that recommends us to this 
 Heavenly Father, is an entire obedience to every thing 
 in general that he mail command us , and in this confiftg 
 the perfection of all juftice. There are in this virtue 
 three degrees ; the firft is, to obey GOD'S command* 
 ments ; the fecond, to follow his counfel ; and the third, 
 to hearken to his infpirations and calls. The obfervancc 
 of the commandments is neceflary to falvation , the fol- 
 lowing of his counfel helps us much in the keeping of 
 the commandments, without which we frequently fall 
 into danger : for, it is a good remedy to prevent being 
 forfworn, not to fwear even to the truth j to prevent 
 lofing peace and charity, not to contend ; to be fafe 
 againft coveting our neighbours goods, not to poiTefs 
 any thing of our own -, and to be fare not to endeavour 
 to do harm to thofe that hate us, but to do them all the 
 good we can : fo that the following of the councils is 
 initead of an outwork to the precepts -, and therefore, he 
 that would arrive at the end, is not to think it enough 
 to keep the one, unlefs he labour to the utmoft of his 
 ability, and as much as his flate and condition will per- 
 mit, to obferve the others. For as a man that is to get 
 over a rapid river, will not venture to crofs directly over, 
 but will go up higher to take the tide along with him, 
 that fo he may do it with more fecurity j fo he that 
 ferves GOD, mould not content himfelf with obferving 
 of no more than what is juft enough to fave him ; h 
 muft take the thing a little higher, that in cafe he fhould 
 not reach to what he propofed himfelf, which would b 
 the better , he may at leaft arrive at that indifpenfably 
 requifite to falvation ; I mean that which is fufficient. 
 
 19. The third degree, we faid, was to hearken to the 
 divine infpirations , for faithful fervants, not only obey 
 what their matters command them by word of mouth, 
 but obferve the leaft fign they give of their pleafure. 
 But becaufe a man may be deceived in this point, by 
 
 R r r taking
 
 502 The Sinners, Guide. Book LI. 
 
 taking that for an infpiration from GOD, which comes 
 only from man, or perhaps the devil; we muft take 
 St. John's advice along with us here, for our better fe- 
 curity , Believe not every fpirit, but try the fpirits, 
 whether they be of GOD *. And therefore,- befides 
 what you meet with in Holy Scriptures, and the writings 
 of the faints, which are the ftandards we muft bring 
 thefe things to. You may follow this general rule, that 
 fince there are two ways of ferving GOD , the one of our 
 own choice, the ' other of obligation *, whenfoever they 
 both happen to meet together, be fure let that which is 
 of obligation take place of the other, though it be 
 never fo great and meritorious. And thus it is we are to 
 underftand that moil excellent faying of Samuel, Obe- 
 dience is better than facrifice f, becaufe GOD would have 
 men obferve his word firft, and afterwards do him all 
 the other fervices they can, ftill with refpeft to the obe- 
 dience they owe to him. 
 
 20. By neceflary fervices, we mean, firft the keeping 
 of GOD'S commandments, without which there is no falva- 
 tion. Next, the obferving of fuch perfons orders as are 
 placed over us , Becaufe he that rejifts them, refifls the or- 
 dinance of GOD J. In the third place, the observance of 
 all thofe things that are annexed to each man's ftate and 
 condition ; as the obligations of a fuperior in his ftation , 
 of a religious, or of a married man in theirs. Then 
 the obfervance of fuch things, as though they are not 
 neceflary in themfelves, yet contribute very much to the 
 obfervance of thofe that are fo ; becaufe the necefllty of 
 the one, makes the other in fome manner neceflary. As 
 for example, you have found for a long while, that 
 when you take fome time every day to retire a little, 
 and enter into yourfelf to examine your confcience, and 
 to treat with GOD about proper means for the remedy- 
 ing of what you find amifs there, you lead a more re- 
 gular and orderly life ; that you have a more abfolute 
 command over yourfelf, and your paflions ; and are much 
 more eafily inclined to the embracing all kind of vir- 
 tue. 
 
 * John, c. iv. v. i. f i Reg. c. xv. u. 22. J Rom, 
 c. xiii. v. 2.
 
 Part. IT. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 503 
 
 tue. You fee on the other fide, that as foon as ever you 
 neglect this holy exercife, you run immediately into a 
 great many failings, and find yourfelf in danger of con- 
 tracting your former vicious habits again : this comes 
 from the want of a fufficient ftock of grace, and of 
 being not grounded thoroughly in virtue ; and for this 
 reafon, as a poor man that has earned nothing all day, 
 has nothing to eat at night ; fo you as often as you want 
 the afliftance of this devotion, grow hungry and weak, 
 and much more apt to commit lefTer faults which lead 
 you by degrees into greater. In this cafe you mufl fup- 
 pofe, that GOD calls you to this exercife, fince you find 
 by experience, that it is the means by which he generally 
 affifts you -, and that without it, you always fall back 
 again into your former courfes. What I fay here is not 
 to make you believe, that this precept is of indTpenfa- 
 ble neceffity, but only to fliew you how necefifary and 
 convenient a means this is, for your better complying 
 with the obligations of your ftate. Befides, if you are 
 nice and tender, if you are too much a friend to yourfelf, 
 and cannot endure any thing that is hard and laborious, 
 and yet perceive that this love of your own eafe is a hin- 
 drance to your fpiritual progrefs, inafmuch as it is the 
 caufe of your omitting many good works, becaufe of 
 the labour that is in them i and of your committing 
 many bad ones, becaufe they feem pleafant and eafy ; it 
 is plain in fuc'h a cafe, that GOD would have you ufe all 
 your force and (Irength, and accuftom yourfelf to fuch 
 exercifes as are moft difficult and painful to the macerating 
 of your body, and the mortifying of all your fenfes and 
 appetites ; becaufe your own experience teaches you of 
 what concern and confequence this affair is. You may 
 inquire after the fame manner into all thofe other works, 
 in the practice whereof you find moft benefit, and re- 
 ceive the greateft prejudice by omitting them ; and you 
 will underftand by this means, which of them GOD re- 
 quires you fhould do ; but with fubmiflion, yet in this, 
 and in all other matters, to the advice and direction of 
 thofe that are fet over you. 
 ( 
 
 K r r 2 22. You
 
 504 The Smnen Guide. Book II. 
 
 22. You may fee by what has been faid, that a man is 
 not always to t?ke hold of that which is beft in itfelf, 
 but of that which is beft and moft neceflary for him. 
 For there are many things moft noble and perfect, which 
 may not be the beft for me, though they are the beft in 
 themfelves, becaufe I am neither able to perform them, 
 nor does GOD call me to them. It therefore concerns 
 every one to do juft, what he finds himfelf called to, 
 to meafure himfelf by his own ftrength and abilities, and 
 wake that which is moft proper for him, the object of 
 his choice, without aiming at thofe things which are 
 out of his reach ; it is the advice of the Wile Man, when 
 he fay? ; Lift not up tty eyes to riches which thou can/1 not 
 have-, faauje they Jhall make thewfehes wings like thofe of 
 tin ca^le, and Jhall fy towards heaven "\. And for thofe 
 who follow not this counsel, the prophet reproves them 
 very feverely, faying ; Ten have looked for more, and be- 
 &c$ it became kfs ; you have fowed much, and brought in 
 little^. 
 
 23. This is the rule you are to follow between fervices 
 of choice, and thofe of obligation ; but as to thofe that 
 are only of choice, you may obferve the following me- 
 thod. Among thefe fervices, fome are public, and 
 others private -, honour, intereft, and pleafure, are the 
 effects of the one, but not of the others. Your beft way 
 therefore not to err in this point is, to ftand more upon 
 your guard in thofe which are public, than in thofe which 
 are not, and to be the more fufpicious, the more in- 
 tereft and profit there is in the cafe : becaufe felf-love 
 is naturally very fubtle, and always feeking itfelf, even 
 in exercifes of the moft piety and devotion. This it 
 was gave a holy man frequent occafion to fayj " Do you 
 know where GOD is ? he is where you are not." Giving 
 us hereby to underftand, that the lefs advantage and 
 felf intereft there was to be expected ; the action was fo 
 much the more pure and divine, becaufe a man then pro., 
 pofes nothing to himfelf, but the fearch of Gop. What 
 I fay here, is not to oblige any man to ftick fo clofe to 
 this rule, as never to act contrary to it, for after all, it 
 
 may 
 f Prov, c. xxiii. v, 5. J Agg. c. i. v. 9.
 
 Part. II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 505 
 
 may and does often happen, that the other extreme may 
 be much more meritorious than this is, and a man's obli- 
 gations may weigh down all that I have faid j my only 
 defign is to advile perfons againft the deceit and malice 
 of felf-love, and not to give any credit to it, let it look 
 never fo much like virtue. 
 
 24. Perfect obedience includes in it thefe three degrees, 
 which are in all appearance the fame the apoftle meant, 
 when he faid * : Wherefore be ye not unwife* but under/land- 
 ing what is the will of God, good> well-plea/ing and per f eft. 
 The apoftle feems in this fentence to have comprehended 
 thefe three degrees of obedience ; becaufe the obferving 
 of the precepts is good , the following of the counfels is 
 well-pleafinoj j and the hearkening to the divine calls and 
 infpi rations is perfect. So that a man may be truly faid 
 to be come to the very perfection of obedience, when 
 he has performed whatfoever GOD has commanded him ; 
 whatfoever he has advifed, or whatfoever he has infpired 
 him to. 
 
 25. Befides thefe three degrees, there is a fourth, 
 which is a perfect conformity to the will of GOD, in all 
 he (hall command us : by being equally difpofed to re- 
 ceive honour or difhonour ; a good reputation or a bad ; 
 health or ficknefs ; life or death ; by fubmitting our- 
 felves with humility to all his decrees and orders ; by 
 preparing ourfelves with an equal affection, for chaftife- 
 ments and ftripes, or for fmiles and carefles ; for favour 
 or difgrace : not looking upon that which is given us, 
 but upon him that gives it, and upon the love with 
 which he gives it. For a father has no lefs tendernefs 
 and affection for his child, when he corrects and punithes 
 him, than when he makes much of and carefTes him. 
 
 26. He that has attained thefe four degrees of obedi- 
 ence, has acquired that refignation fo much recommended 
 by fpiritual guides ; by which man puts himfelf fo en- 
 tirely into the hands of GOD, that he becomes as pliant 
 as a piece of wax in the hands of an artift. This virtue 
 is called refignation, becaufe as a clergyman that refigns 
 up a benefice, lays down and delivers it entirely into the 
 
 hands 
 Ephcf. c. v. v. 37.Rem. c. xii. v. a.
 
 506 %e Sinners Guide. Book II, 
 
 hands of his bifhop, for him to difpofe of as he pleafes, 
 without any controul or contradiction ; fo a perfect man 
 delivers himfelf up into the hands of GOD, that he may 
 be his own matter no longer, nor live for himfelf; 
 that he may neither eat, fieep, nor work for himfelf, but 
 for the honour and glory of his Creator-, by conforming 
 in all things to his moft holy pleafure and difpofal ; and 
 by receiving from his hands, with the fame heart and 
 love, all the difficulties and contradictions he {hall meet 
 with ; by denying and renouncing himfelf and his own 
 will, for the doing of GOD'S with all exactnefs, whofe 
 flave he acknowledges himfelf to be upon a thoufand 
 accounts. David has given us an example in himfelf, of 
 this refignation, when he faid * : / am become as a beaft 
 before tbee ; and I am always with thee. Becaufe, as a 
 beaft neither goes where it pleafes, nor refls where it 
 pleafes, nor does what it pleafes ; but obeys its keeper 
 in all things; fo he that ferves GOD is to fubmit himfelf 
 in all things to him. The Prophet Ifaiah has taught us 
 the fame leilbn in thefe words -j- : The Lord hath opened 
 my ear, and I do not refift : 1 have not gone back ; by re- 
 fufing what he commanded me to do, though it was 
 never fo hard and painful. Ezechiel has inftructed us 
 in the fame, by the figure of thofe myfterious animals ; 
 of which he writes J : Whither the impulfe of the fplrit 
 was to go, thither they went ; and they turned not when they 
 went. The prophet by this mows us with what readinefs 
 and joy, a man mould do whatfoever he mall underftand 
 to be the will of GOD. But for the doing of this there 
 is required befides a ready will, a difcreet underftanding 
 and fpirit to prevent our being deceived, and miftaking 
 our own will for GOD'S : and therefore for the moft part 
 we ought to fufpect every thing that is according to our 
 own inclination, and look upon that S moft fecure, that 
 is moft oppofite to it. 
 
 27. This is the greateft facrifke man can offer up to 
 'Goo ; becaufe in all other facrifices he can offer up no- 
 thing but his goods, whereas in this he offers up him- 
 felf. So that this facrifice is as much above all others, as 
 
 man 
 
 * Pfalm Ixxii. v. 23. f Ifaiah, c. 1. v. 5. J Ezeck. c, i. v, I 2,
 
 Part IL Ch. 4. Duty of Gsd. 
 
 man is above the goods he poflefles. Here that faying 
 of St.' Auguftine is verified (i): That though GOD is 
 the Lord of all Things, yet it is not for every body to 
 ufe thole words of David (2) : O Lord, 1 am thy fervant -, 
 but for thofe only, who- have quitted the pofTeflion of 
 themfelves, have given themfelves wholly up to the fer- 
 vice of this Lord, and are by this means become his. 
 This is the belt difpofition a man can be in, for the ob- 
 taining the perfection of a Chriftian Life ; becauie GOD, 
 out of his infinite goodnefs being always ready to enrich 
 and improve man, when he does not on his fide refift, 
 nor put a flop to GOD'S defigns, but on the contrary 
 readily and entirely obeys him; he may eafily work 
 him up to what he thinks fit , and make him, like ano- 
 ther David, a man after his own heart (3). 
 
 SECT. VII. 
 
 Of patience in afflictions, 
 
 28. The lafl virtue we propofed at the beginning of 
 this chapter, as very necefTary for acquiring of this laft 
 degree of perfection, is patience in thofe afflictions which 
 our tender Father often fends us, both as a trial, and for 
 matter of merit. This it is that Solomon invites us to 
 in his Proverbs, by thefe words (4) : My fon, rejeft not 
 the correction of the Lord.-, and do not faint when tbou art 
 chajiifed by him : For whom the Lord loveth he chajlifeth \ 
 and as a father in the 'fon he pleafetb himfelf. ,The apoftle 
 explains this text in his epiftle to the Hebrews, where 
 advifing them to patience, he fays thus (5) : Perfevere 
 under correction, God dcaleth with you as with his fons : 
 for what fon is there, whom the father doth not correft ? 
 but if you be without chajlifement, whereof all are made par- 
 takers -, then are you baftards, and not fons. Moreover, we 
 have had fathers of our flejh who corrected us, and we gave 
 them reverence : Jhall we not much more obey the Father of 
 Spirits, and live ? 
 
 29. Thefe 
 
 (l) St. Aug. in Pfalm clxxxviii. (2) Pfalm cxv. v. 16. 
 
 (3) i Reg. c. xiii. v, 14. (4) Prov. c. iii. v. u, 12. 
 
 (5)Heb. c.xii. v. 7, 8,9.
 
 508 72* Sinners Gutde. Book It 
 
 29. Thefe words fhow us, that it is the duty of a fa- 
 ther to correct and punifh his children ; and dutiful chil- 
 dren will fubmit themfelves with humility to the fame, 
 and look upon it as a very great favour, and as a token of 
 fatherly love and care : this the only fon of the 
 Eternal Father has taught us by his own example (i); 
 when, upon St. Peter's endeavouring to refcue him from 
 death, he faid : The chalice which my Father hath given -me^ 
 Jhall I not drink it ? As if he had faid : If this chalice had 
 been prefented me by any body elfe, you might have had 
 fome reafon for being againft my drinking it ; but fince 
 it comes from my Father's own hands, who knows how 
 to aflift thofe that are his children, and at the fame time 
 can and will do it ; why lhali I not take it as coming 
 from him ? 
 
 30. Yet there are fome who in time of profperity, 
 think they are fubjeft to this Father, and have a perfect 
 conformity to his will ; but in time of adverfity, they pre- 
 fently faint, and make it appear, that their reiignation 
 and conformity were falfe, and that they were deceived 
 in their fubmiffion : fince they loft it when they had oc- 
 cafion to make ufe of it, like cowards, who boaft in time 
 of peace, but in fight fling down their arms, and quit 
 the field. And fince this life is fo fubject to continual 
 troubles and combats, it will be well to arm fuch perfons 
 with fpiritual weapons, which they may make ufe of at 
 fuch times. 
 
 31. For this end, you may in the firft place confider, 
 that the troubles of this life are nothing, if compared 
 with the greatnefs of that glory, we may purchafe by 
 them. For the joy this eternal light gives us, is fo 
 charming, that putting the cafe we were to enjoy it bat 
 for one fingle hour, we fhould willingly undergo all the 
 pains and torments we can poffibly endure here ; and 
 defpife all the pleafures this world is able to afford us, for 
 the obtaining of it. Becaufe, as the apoftle fays (2) : 
 For our prefent tribulation^ which is momentary and light y 
 ivorkctb for us above meafure exceedingly an eternal weight 
 tf glory. 
 
 32. Confider 
 (i) John, c. xviii. v. n. (2) aCor.c, iv. v. 17.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. 509 
 
 32. Confider again, how frequently we are puffed up 
 with profperity, whilft on the contrary, the grief caufed 
 by adverfitv purifies our hearts , the firft ftate makes a 
 man proud and haughty, whereas the other humbles 
 him, though he were never fo high before. That teaches 
 a man to forget himfelf j the ordinary effects of this is to 
 put him in mind of GOD ; that frequently makes us lofe 
 the merit of our bed actions, by this we may often at- 
 tone for the fins of feveral years, and fecure ourfelves 
 againft falling into them again for the future. 
 
 33. If you languifh under ficknefs, you arc to per- 
 fuade yourfelf, that very often, GOD forefeeing what ill 
 ufe we mould make of health, clips as it were our wings 
 by the diftemper he fends, and fo puts us out of the 
 power of committing fin. So that it is much more to 
 our advantage to languifh under ficknefs, than to enjoy 
 health, and go on in our crimes. It is much better, as 
 our Saviour tells us, T0 enter into Ufe maimed, or lame \ 
 than having two hands or two feet to be cc.ft into everlafting 
 f.re-\. It is a plain cafe, that GOD, who is fo merciful, 
 takes no pleafure in tormenting us : his delight is to 
 heal our infirmities, by applying of contrary remedies ; 
 that fo we who have got our ficknefs by the enjoyment 
 of pleafures, may recover our health, by fuffering of 
 fome pain , and that having been thrown clown by com- 
 mitting of fuch things as are unlawful, we may rife again 
 by depriving ourfelves of thofe that are lawful. Thus you 
 fee how GOD, by an effect of his infinite goodnefs, ex- 
 ercifes his indignation upon us in this world, that we 
 may happily a/oid the effects of it in the next. How he 
 ufes his feverity here with mercy, that he may not pour 
 out his wrath upon us hereafter without it. For as St. 
 Jerome fays, " GOD is moft angry when he conceals his 
 anger againft finners." So that, according to this, he 
 that is not willing to receive the correction of children 
 now, muft be condemned to the pains of devils here- 
 after. This gave St. Auguline a great deal of reafon to 
 cry out-, " Burn me, O my Lord, cut, flam, and do not 
 fpare me in this life, that thou maycft fpare me for all 
 
 S f f eternity 
 
 f Matt, c, xviii. v. 3.
 
 510 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 eternity in the next." By this you may perceive how 
 carefully the Creator of all things watches over you , by 
 holding in the reins, and not letting you follow the track 
 of your own evil inclinations. When a phyfician has 
 given his patient over, he allows him to take whatever 
 he has a mind for ; but for thofe whofe condition is not 
 fo delperate, he prefcribes them their diet, and will allow 
 them nothing that may do them any prejudice. So a 
 father keeps his fon fhort, when he is given to debau- 
 chery or gaming, and yet leaves him his eftate when he 
 dies. GOD, who is the fovereign phyfician of our fouls, 
 and the beft of all fathers, takes the fame courfe with 
 us. 
 
 34. Befides all this, confider what injuries and affronts 
 our Saviour fuffered from his own creatures , confider 
 how he was defpifed, fcoffed at, and buffeted by them ; 
 with what patience he expofed his divine face to be fpit 
 upon, by thofe villains, the inftruments of the devils : 
 with what mildnefs he fuffered them to pierce his head 
 with thorns ; how willingly he received the bitter potion 
 they gave him to quench his thirfl , how filent he was 
 whilft they adored him in fport and mockery , with what 
 vigour, in fine, and with what patience he ran to embrace 
 death, that he might deliver us from it. Can you then, 
 who are nothing but a vile creature, at beft, but duft 
 and afhes, think any thing hard that he fhall be pleafed 
 to inflict upon you, in puniQiment of your fins, when he 
 himfelf has fuffered fo much for thefe fame fins of yours, 
 and would not go out of this life, but with pains and 
 torments, though he came into it without the leaft fpot 
 of fin, or imperfection -f- ? Ought not Chrifl to have fuf- 
 fered theje things, and fo to enter into bis glory ? and all this 
 to teach us by his own practice, what the apoflle has de- 
 clared to us : That no-body is crowned, except he flrive law- 
 fully^.. So that it is much better to furTer our prefent 
 afflictions with patience, whilft we make our advantage 
 of them, by ufing th:m as the means of obtaining par- 
 don for our fins, and of encreafing our glory, than by 
 bearing them with impatience, make our troubles greater, 
 
 and 
 j- Luke, c. xxiv. v. 26. J 2 Tim. c, ii. v. 5.
 
 Part II. Ch. 4. Duty to God. , 511 
 
 and put ourfelves out of all hopes of bene firing by them. 
 For whether you will or not, undergo them you mud, 
 if GOD thinks fit, for there is no contradicting his will. 
 
 35. To all thefe confiderations, I mail add one more 
 of great force and efficacy, which is, that for the pre- 
 ferving of this patience, a man muft be always fortified 
 and prepared againft all kind of adverfities and afflictions, 
 which way foever they come. For how can any one ex- 
 pect to be better treated by a world fo full of corruption 
 and vice -, by a flelh fo weak and frail ; by the devils thai 
 are fo envious ; and by his fellow men who are fo mali- 
 cious ? all he is to look for from them, are continual 
 perfecutions and unexpected afiaults and onfets. It is 
 the part of a prudent man to be always in a readinefs 
 againft fuch encounters and accidents as thefe; as he 
 would do if he were patting through an enemy's country, 
 and in fo doing, he will find two extraordinary conveni- 
 encies. The firft is, he will undergo all his troubles the 
 better, becaufe thus fore-armed : becaufe, as Seneca 
 fays, a blow never falls half fo heavy as it would do, 
 when we fee it coming at a diftance. And Ecclefiafticus 
 gives us the fame advice, when he fays, Before ficknefs, 
 take a medicine *. The other advantage is, that as often 
 as a man does fo, he is fenfible he offers a facrifice to 
 GOD much like that of the Patriarch Abraham f ; which 
 he was going to make of his fon Ifaac. For, whenever 
 a man confiders with himfelf, that he may meet with 
 fuch or fuch troubles and contradictions, either from GOD 
 or men ; whenever he prepares himfelf for receiving of 
 them, with humility and patience , refigning himfelf en- 
 tirely into the hands of GOD , accepting of all things, 
 from what part foever they come, as if he himfelf had 
 fent them, as David did, when Simei affronted him J; he 
 cannot but be perfuaded, that whilft he does this, he 
 offers up a moft acceptable facrifice to GOD, and merits 
 as much by his good will and readinefs, though he does 
 nothing at all, as if he had done all he was prepared to 
 do. 
 
 Sff 2 36. For 
 
 * Eccl. c, xviti, v. 20. f Gen, c. xxii, J 2 Reg. c, xvi.
 
 512 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 36. For this reafon it concerns us to remember, that 
 this is one of the moft efiential obligations of a Chrif- 
 tian. St. Peter allures us of it, when he fays , Be not 
 afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, knowing that you 
 are thereunto called (i). Every Chriftian then (hould con- 
 fider, that as long as he lives in the world, he is like a 
 rock in the fea, which is perpetually expofed to the vio- 
 lence of the waves, and yet ilill keeps its place, though 
 they are always beating againft it. I have been fo co- 
 pieus upon this matter, becaufe a Chriftian's whole duty, 
 according to what St. Bernard fays, confuting in thefe 
 two things j To do good, and to fuffer injuries (2). 
 There is no dcubt, but it is eafier to comply with the 
 firft, than with the fecond -, and therefore it was requi- 
 fite we fliould give moil caution where there is the greateft 
 danger. 
 
 37. But it is obfervable by the bye, that in this virtue 
 of patience, holy writers tell us there are three degrees, 
 each of which is more perfect than the other. The firft 
 of them is the bearing of afflictions patiently , the fecond 
 is the defiring of them for the love of Chrift ; and the 
 third the taking a delight in them upon the fame ac- 
 count. So that it is not enough for a man that ferves 
 GOD, to take up with the firft degree only; when he 
 has attained that, he muft aim at the fecond ; and not 
 {lop there neither till he comes to the laft. We have a 
 very good example of the firft degree in the patience of 
 Holy Job (3). The defire feveral of the martyrs had of 
 fuffering furniflies us with an example of the fecond ; 
 and the joy which the apoftles had in being found worthy 
 to fuffer affronts for the name of Chrift, is an evident 
 proof of the laft. This is the degree the apoftle had ar- 
 rived to when he faid, in one place : That he glories in his 
 tribulations (4). And in another : That be will rejoice in 
 his tribulations, afflictions, firifes, &c. which he had fuf- 
 fered for Chrift. Speaking elfewhere of his imprifon- 
 ment, he defires the Philippians to (hare with him in the 
 
 jy 
 
 (l) I Reg. c. iii. v. p, 14. (2) St. St. Bern. Serm. I. Apoft. 
 Pet. &. Pauli. (3) Job, c. i and ii. (4, Ads, c. v. Rom. 
 c. v. v. 3. 2 Cor. c. xi. v. 12.
 
 Part II Ch. 4. Duty to God. 513 
 
 joy he has to fee himfelf in chains for the name of 
 Chriit (i). And he tells us the lame favour was granted 
 to the faithful of Macedonia, fo that they had a great 
 deal of comfort amidft the heavy afflictions they were op- 
 prefled with. This is the higheft degree of patience, 
 charity and perfection a creature can pofilbly attain to, 
 and which a very few arrive at; and therefore GOD does 
 not lay this obligation upon any-body, by way of pre- 
 cept, any more than he does the former. 
 
 38. From what has been faid, we are not to imagine 
 that we muft rejoice at the deaths, misfortunes, or af- 
 flidions of our neighbours, much lefs at thofe of our 
 friends or relations, and leaft of all at thofe of the 
 church ; becaufe the fame charity which commands us 
 to rejoice in one cafe, obliges us to be forry and com- 
 pafTionate in the other. For it is charity that knows how 
 to rejoice with thofe that rejoice and to weep with thofe 
 that weep ; as we fee the holy prophets did, who fpent 
 their whole lives in lamenting and bewailing the miferies 
 of men, and the puniihments they groaned under. 
 
 39. Whoever therefore, to conclude, (hall have ob- 
 tained thefe nine qualities or virtues, will have the heart 
 of a child towards GOD, and cannot but have thoroughly 
 complied with thislaft and principal obligation of juitice, 
 which is, to give GOD whatfoever is due to him. 
 
 CHAP V. 
 
 Of the obligations of particular flates and callings. 
 
 I. A FTER having fpoken of the duties of all forts of 
 /~\. perfons in general, it is proper to mow now what 
 is molt proper for every one in particular, according to 
 his condition and employment. But becaufe this would 
 be too tedious, I fhall content myfelf at prefent, with a 
 word or two in fhort, to (how how highly it concerns 
 each particular perfon, over and above what I have faid 
 already, to have a regard to the laws and obligations of 
 
 the 
 ( i ) Phil. c. ii.
 
 514 e ^ ie Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 the ftate he is in. Now thefe laws are many and dif- 
 ferent, according to the different callings there are in 
 the church For fome are appointed to command, and 
 it is the bufinefs of others to obey , fome are married, 
 others are religious, others are mailers of families, &c. 
 Now every one of thefe conditions has its particular obli- 
 gations. 
 
 2. As to thofe that have the charge of government, 
 the apoftle advifes them to be vigilant, labour in all things 
 to take pains, and to dif charge their duties *. And Solomon 
 gives the fame advice, when he fays : My fen, if tbou be 
 furety for thy friend, thou haft engaged fajl thy hand to a 
 Jlranger ; thou art enfnared with the words of thy mouth, 
 and caught with thy own words. Do therefore, my fon, 
 what I fay> and deliver thy f elf \ becaufe thou art fallen into 
 the hand of thy neighbour , run about, make hafte,.ftir up 
 thy friend : give not Jleep to thy eyes, neither let thy eyelids 
 Jlumber. Deliver thyfe:f as a doe from the hand, and 
 as a bird from the hand of the fowler -f. Do not won- 
 der at the Wife Man's requiring fo much folicitude in a 
 matter of fuch concern as this is. For it is ufual for men 
 to take a great deal of care in thofe things they are in- 
 trufted with, upon two accounts , either becaufe of the 
 value of them , or elfe becaufe of the danger they are 
 expofed to. Now both thefe reafons are fo ftrong in 
 the concern of our fouls, that there is nothing can be 
 of greater value, nor in more danger : and therefore much 
 care muft be taken in looking after them. 
 
 3. The bufinefs of a fubjecl or inferior is to look upon 
 his fuperior, not as a man, but as GOD himfelf, whofe 
 vicegerent he is, and muft refpect him as fuch ; and 
 fhould do whatfoever he bids him, with the fame readi- 
 nefs he would do it, had GOD himfelf commanded it. 
 For the matter, whofe fervice I am in, mould bid me 
 obey his houfekeeper, or his fteward, who is it I obey in 
 obeying the fteward, but the mafter himfelf? if GOD 
 therefore commands me to obey my fuperior, it is not 
 fo much my fuperior that I obey, as GOD himfelf, when 
 I do whatfoever is ordered me. And if St. Paul would 
 
 have 
 * 2 Tim. e. iv. v. 5. f Prov. c. vi. v. I, 2, 3, 4, 5.
 
 Part II. Ch. 5. Of Par fie. States and Callings. 5 1 5 
 have a fervant fubmit to, and refpect his matter (i), not 
 as a man, but as Jefus Chrift, how much more reafonable 
 is it for an inferior to obey his fuperior, when obedience 
 is the tie of his obligation ? 
 
 4. There are three degrees in this obedience ; the 
 firft is to obey in action only ; the fecond is to obey 
 both in action and will , and the third in action, will, and 
 underftanding. For fome do what is commanded them, 
 yet neither do they like what they do, nor do it with a 
 good will. Others do it with a good will, but ftill dif- 
 approve of what they do ; others there are, in fine, 
 who bring into captivity every underftanding to the obedience 
 of Chrift (2) ; obey their fuperior as they would do Goo 
 himfelf, in action, word, and underftanding , doing what- 
 ever he orders them with chearfulnefs and readily ; .with 
 humility approving of it;, without fitting as judges over 
 thofe whom they themfelves are anfwerable to. You 
 therefore make it your bufmefs to obey your fuperiors 
 all thele three different ways, remembering that our Sa- 
 viour fays (3) : He that heareth you, heareth me-, and ke 
 that dcfpifeth you, defpifeth me. Never murmur or fay any- 
 thing againft them, that they may never have occafion 
 to tell you (4) : Tour murmuring is not againft us but againft 
 the Lord. Defpife them not, for fear GOD himfelf mould 
 fay to them (5) , They have nor rejected thee, but me\ that 
 I jbould not reign over them- Treat with them, with all 
 kind of truth and fmcerity, that no-body may upbraid 
 you faying (6) : Thou haft not lied to men, but to God-, and 
 leaft, like Ananias and Saphira, you be punifhed with 
 fudden death for your rafhnefs. 
 
 6. Let the married woman look to the government of 
 her houfe, and take care of her family, pleafe her huf- 
 band, and do all that a wife fliould do -, when (he has fa- 
 tisfied thefe obligations, let her fpend the reft of her 
 time in devotion, as much as me pleafes, but ftill let 
 her remember, that the duties of her flate call upon her 
 firft. 
 
 7. Let 
 
 (i) Ephef. c. viii. v. 5. (2) 2 Cor. c. X. v. 5. (3, Luke, 
 c. x. v. 1 6. (4) Exod. c. xvi. v. 8. (5) i Reg. c. viii. v. 7. 
 (6} Afts, c. v. v. 4.
 
 51 6 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 '7. Letthofe that are fathers of children, frequently reflect 
 upon the feverepunifhment that was inflicted upon Heli, for 
 his neglect: in chaftifing and inftructing his Tons *. This 
 omiflion of his GOD punimed, net only with his own 
 and his childrens fudden death, but with the lofs of the 
 high prieft-hood ; which was removed for ever after from 
 his family. Confider, that the fins of the children are 
 in fome manner imputed to the fathers ; and that the 
 ruin of a fon, is very often the caufe of his fathers dif- 
 tru<ftion. Nor does he deferve the name of a father, 
 who after having begotten his fon for this world, does 
 not alfo beget him for the next. Let him correct him, 
 reprove him, advife him, keep him out of bad company, 
 and feek good matters for hitn ; let him train him up 
 in virtue, and inftruct him like Tobias -J-, from his very 
 infancy to fear GOD, let him break him of his own will 
 and inclinations ; and fmce before his birth, he was his 
 father according to the fpirit. For it is againft reafon, 
 that a man mould do no more of the duty of a father, 
 than birds and beads do, whofe only bufmcfs is to feed 
 and maintain their young ones. Man muft behave him- 
 felf in this matter like a man, like a Chriftian, and like 
 a faithful fervant of GOD. He is to bring his child up 
 fo, as that he may be the child of GOD, and an heir of 
 heaven ; not a flave to the devil, and an inhabitant of 
 hell. 
 
 8. Mafters of families that have fervants, mould re- 
 member what St. Paul fays, But if any man have not care 
 cf his own, and Specially af thofe of his boufe^ he bath 
 denied the faith^ and is worfe than an infidel J. They are 
 to confider, that thofe of their family are like meep of 
 their flock, and that they are the (hepherds and keepers ; 
 efpecially of thofe that are their fervants. Let them not 
 forget, that the time will come, when they muft give 
 an account of them : when they (hall be afked, where is 
 the flock that was committed to your charge, and the 
 noble herd that you had the care of. It was properly 
 called noble, becaufe of the price of its redemption, and 
 
 the 
 
 * 1 Reg. c. iv. -j- Tob. c. iv. J Tim. c. v. v. 8.
 
 Part. II. Ch. 6. Difference of Virtues. 517 
 
 the moft facred humanity of Chrift, by which it has been 
 ennobled ; fince there is no (lave fo mean that has not 
 received both liberty and nobility, from the humanity 
 and blood of Chrift. It is therefore the duty of a good 
 Chriftian to be particularly watchful over thofe of his fa- 
 mily, and to keep them from all kinds of open fins, as 
 quarreling, gaming, fwearing, and curfmg, &c. but 
 above all, from fins of impurity. He muft, befides all 
 this, endeavour to inftruct them in the principles of re- 
 ligion ; he muft make them obferve the commandments 
 of the. church; particularly that of hearing mafs upon 
 fundays and holy days, of fading upon all the vigils of the 
 year, unlefs as we have faid already, there be fome lawful 
 excufe for their not complying with thefe precepts. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Firft advice upon the efteem we are to have of the different 
 virtues for the better underjlanding the rule of a good life. 
 
 i. \ S at the beginning of this treatlfe, I fet down 
 jfV fome neceflary precognita, on things firft to be 
 known, byway of advance-, fo it is convenient here, 
 now we are drawing to a conclusion, to give fome ad- 
 vice for the clearer underftanding of all that is contained 
 in it. Firft, therefore, it is necefTary, after having treated 
 of feveral kinds of virtues, to (hew how much one vir- 
 tue is more excellent than another, that fo we may know 
 what value to put upon every one, and to efteem it ac- 
 cording to its true worth. For, as it is required, that a 
 man who trades in jewels, mould know what rate they 
 bear, that he may not be deceived in the value of them ; 
 and as it is convenient for the fteward of a great mans 
 houfe, to know the merits of all in the family, that each 
 peribn may be treated according to his deferts ; for other- 
 wife there will be nothing but perpetual confufion and 
 diforder-, fo he that trades in the jewels of virtue, and 
 he, that like a faithful fteward, is for giving every one 
 what is his due, mould be well acquainted with the value 
 T t t of
 
 5 1 8 Tie Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 of them ; that whenfoever they are fet together, he may 
 know which to give the preference to, and lead he fhould 
 gather chaff and fcatter the grain. 
 
 2. You are therefore to underftand, that all thofe vir- 
 tues \ve have hitherto treated of, may be ranked into 
 two claffes , for fome of them are more fpiritual and in- 
 ward, and others more vifible and outward. In the firft 
 clafs are contained the theological virtues, with all the 
 others which have GOD for their object ; but chaftity, as 
 queen of the reft, has the firft place. To thefe we may 
 add leveral other very excellent virtues, and which are 
 much like the former. As humility, chaftity, mercy, 
 patience, difcretion, devotion, poverty of fpirit, contempt 
 of the world, a denying of our own will, a love of the 
 crofs and mortifications, with many other fuch virtues 
 which we call virtues in this place, taking the word in 
 the largeft fignification. We call them fpiritual and in- 
 ward virtues, becaufe it is the fpirit they chiefly refide in, 
 though they extend themfelves even to outward works; 
 as appears particularly in charity, and in the worfhip of 
 GOD, which notwithstanding their being inward virtues, 
 work outwardly, for the honour and glory of the fame 
 GOD. 
 
 3. There are other more vifible and outward virtues, 
 as fafting, dilcipline, filence, retirement, pious reading, 
 prayer, finging of pfalms, pilgrimage, hearing of mats, 
 afllfting at fermons and at divine office ; with all the other 
 outward obfervances and ceremonies of a Chriftian or 
 religious life. For though thefe virtues are all of them 
 in the foul, yet their effeds appear more outward than 
 thefe of other virtues do, which are often occult and in- 
 vifible, as to believe, to love, to hope, to contemplate, 
 to be inwardly humbled, to have forrow for a man's fins, 
 to judge difcreetly, and the like. 
 
 4. 7 here is no doubt, but that the firft of thefe two 
 kinds of virtue, are much more excellent and neceflary 
 t) an the fecond. For as our Saviour faid to the Sama- 
 ritan v oman, But the bcur ccmeth^ and now /'/, when the 
 true cdorers Jhall adore the father in fpirit and in truth ; 
 
 Jar the lather alfo Juketb fuch to adore bim. G OD is a fpirit ', 
 
 and
 
 Part II. Ch. 6. Difference of Virtues. 5 j 9 
 
 and they that adore him, mujl adore him in fpirit and in truth *. 
 This is in plain terms, no more than what little children 
 repeat fo often at fchool, in thefe two noted verfcs. 
 
 Si Deus eft animus, nobis ut carmina dicuitf, 
 
 Hie tibi prccipuefit pura mente colendus. 
 
 If GOD, as poets fay, a fpirit be, 
 
 He mujl in fpirit be ador d by thee. CATO. 
 
 For this reafon David defcribing the beauty of the 
 church, fays, that All her glory is within in golden borders, 
 cloalhed round about with varieties -f\ The Apoltle ex- 
 prefles the fame thing to us, when he faysj; Exercife 
 thyfelf unto godlinefs, for bodily exercife is profitable to little, 
 but godlinefs is profitable to all things ; having promile of the 
 life that now is, and of that which is to come. By piety 
 here we are to undtrntand the worfhip of GOD, and cha- 
 rity towards our neighbour; and by the exercife of the 
 body, abitinence and corporal aufterities, according to 
 St. Thomas upon this place. 
 
 5. This is a truth which the heathen philofophers were 
 not ignorant of; and Ariftotle, though he has not writ 
 much concerning the GODS, fays, that if the GODS take 
 any notice of our concerns, as it is to be believed they 
 do, it is very probable they are mod pleafed with that 
 which is the beft, and comes the nearcft to them -, which 
 is mans fpirit or underftanding. For this reafon they 
 who take care to beautify and adorn their fouls with the 
 knowledge of this truth, and with the reformation of 
 their defires and palTions, muft without doubt be mod 
 acceptable to GOD. Galen the great phyfician was of 
 the fame opinion, for in his book of the compofiticn 
 and ftrufture of man's body and the ufe of its parts ; 
 coming to a parTage which particularly demonftrated the 
 fingular wifdom and providence of GOD, the fovereign 
 artiit , he was (truck with admiration at fo many won- 
 ders, and forgetting as it were his phyfic, turned to di- 
 vinity, and broke out into thefe expreflions $: "Let 
 others offer up their hecatombs (they were facrifices uied 
 Ttt 2 by 
 
 * John, e. iv. v. 23, 24. -fPfalmxliv. r. 13. J i Tim. 
 c.iv. v. 7, 8. $ L. 2- d e u f e partium.
 
 520 The Sinners Guide. Book IT. 
 
 by the ancients of an hundred oxen) to the GODS ; I will 
 honour them by a profound acknowledgement of the 
 greatnefs of their wifdom, by which they have fo won- 
 derfully difpofed of all things ; I will reverence them by 
 confefiing the greatnefs of their power, by which they 
 have been able to execute their own 'pleafure ; I will 
 worfhip them, by admiring the greatnefs of their love, 
 which has refufed the creatures nothing, fince they have 
 bellowed upon every one of them in particular, what- 
 foever was necefTary, and have left them nothing to 
 defire farther." Thefe are the words of a heathen phi- 
 lofopher, and what I pray could a Chriftian have faid 
 beyond this ? efpecially after having read this expreflion 
 of the Prophet ; For I defire mercy, and not facrifice; and 
 tbe knowledge cf GOD more than holocaujls*. Change but 
 the word hecatombs into holocaufls, and you will find 
 the philofopher and the prophet agree upon this matter. 
 
 6. But notwithftanding the excellency of thefe virtues, 
 thofe of the fecond clafs are very ufeful (though not fo 
 noble as the former) for the acquiring and preferving of 
 thofe that are greater , fome of them are either neceffary 
 becaufe of the precept, or of the vow that goes along 
 with them. This will appear by reflecting on thofe vir- 
 tues we have mentioned. For retirement and folitude 
 puts a man out of the way of feeing, hearing, and talk- 
 ing of a thoufand things that will endanger, not only 
 his peace and quiet of conlcience, but his chaftity and 
 innocence. We are all fenfible what a help filence is for 
 preferving of devotion, and avoiding thofe fins, which 
 men fall into by talking ; and the Wife Man has told 
 us f: In tbe multitude cf words there Jball not want fin. 
 As for failing, befides its being an effect of the virtue 
 of temperance, and a fatisfaclory and meritorious work, 
 if it be done with charity, though it enervates the body, 
 it lifts up the fpirit, it weakens our enemy, and difpofes 
 us for prayer, pious reading and contemplations , it 
 keeps us out of thofe exceffes and debaucheries, occa- 
 fioned by eating and drinking; and preferves us from all 
 thofe fcurrilous jefls and buffooneries, quarrels and ri- 
 ots, 
 * Ofea, c. vi. v. 6. -j- Prov. c. x. v. 14.
 
 Part II. Ch. 6. Difference of Virtues. 21 
 
 ots, which generally follow merriments and revels. As 
 to thofe other virtues of reading good books, hear- 
 ing of fermons, praying, fmging, and affifting at the of- 
 fices of the church, it is plain they are all acts of reli- 
 gion, incitements to devotion, and ferve to enlighten 
 our underilandings, and to make our wills more in- 
 flamed with the defire of fpiritual things. 
 
 7. Experience makes this point fo clear, that had our 
 hereticks ccniidered it, they would never have run into 
 the contrary extremes : for we daily fee, that in thofe 
 monafteries where regular difcipline is more exact, and 
 where the exterior obl'ervances are better complied with ; 
 there is always more virtue, more devotion, more cha- 
 rity, more ftrength and vigour in the members of them ; 
 and the fear of GOD and Chriftianity is better encou- 
 raged and promoted. Whereas in thofe houfes where 
 thefe things are lefs regarded, and where the exterior dif- 
 cipline their rules oblige to is grown loofe ; confcience, 
 good-manners, and a holy life follow the fame courfe, 
 and fall to ruin. Becaufe, where the occafions of finning 
 are more, there fins and diforders are alfo more frequent. 
 So that the obfervances of a religious ftate, may be pro- 
 perly compared to a vine ; which if it be well fenced in 
 and inclofed, is out of all danger of being fpoiled ; but 
 otherwife its fruit will be expofed to every one that 
 pafles by. It is even fo with a religious order that has 
 once fallen from the rigour and aufterity of its rule. 
 Then what clearer proof than this, which is grounded 
 upon daily experience, of the advantage and importance 
 of thefe virtues. 
 
 8. How is it pofiible now for a man, that propofes to 
 himfelf the acquiring and preferving of this fovereign 
 virtue of devotion, which capacitates and enables him 
 for all other virtues, and is as it were an incentive and 
 fpur to all kind of good, ever to obtain his end ; whilft 
 he watches fo carelelsly over himfelf; efpecially when the 
 virtue he aims at, is fo far above his ftrength as it is, and 
 fo pure and perfect ? for it is fo nice, and if I may be al- 
 lowed the exprefllon, fo volatile, that a man can fcarce 
 look back but it is gone. An excefs of laughter, a fu- 
 
 pcriluous
 
 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 perfluous word, a greater meal than ordinary, a little 
 paffion, a fmall difpute, or any other diftraction whatlb- 
 ever-, the defire of feeing, hearing, or thinking of things 
 not to our purpofe, though not bad, are enough to fpoil 
 the better part of our devotion. So that not only our 
 fins, but unnecefiary employs, and any thing that can 
 divert us from thinking on GOD, draws us away from it. 
 For as iron, to be changed into the fubftance of fire, 
 mud always be in it, or at leaft but feldom out of it, 
 for fear of returning to its natural coldnefs again ; fo 
 this noble virtue depends fo much upon man's being al- 
 ways united to GOD, by an actual love and reflection ; 
 that if he but thinks of any thing elfe, he cafts himfelf 
 back again into his natural corruption i that is, into the 
 old difpofition he had at firft. 
 
 9. It concerns him therefore that has a mind to pro- 
 cure this virtue, and to keep it when he has it, to watch 
 fo carefully over himfelf; that is, over his eyes, his ears, 
 his tongue, and his heart ; it concerns him to be fo tem- 
 perate in his meals ; to be fo regular in all his words and 
 actions, to be fo much a friend to filence and folitude ; 
 to make it fo much his bufmefs to be prefent at the fer- 
 vice of the church, and to do all thofe things which mall 
 excite him to devotion , that he may by means of this 
 care and diligence, be able to fecure to himfelf the pof- 
 feffion of fo great a treafure as this is. If he does not 
 do this, let him look upon it as moft certain, he mall 
 never fucceed in this point. 
 
 10. All this may iufficiently convince us of the im- 
 portance of thefe virtues, without leflening the value of 
 the nobler. Whence we may gather the difference there 
 is between them , for thefe are as it were the end, thofe 
 the means of attaining it. Thefe are like health, thofe 
 like medicines proper for procuring of it ; thefe are in 
 a manner the fpirit of religion, and thofe the body ; 
 which though it is inferior to the fpirit, is a chief part 
 of the compound, and necefiary becaufe of its operations. 
 Thefe are like the treafure, and thofe like the key that 
 fecures it. Thefe are as it were the fruit of the tree, and 
 thofe the leaves that adorn the tree and preferve the 
 
 fruit.
 
 Part. II. Ch. 6. Difference of Virtues. 523 
 
 fruit. Though this comparifon does not anfwer ex- 
 actly, becaufe the leaves of a tree are no part of the 
 fruit, though they preferve it ; but thefe virtues fecure 
 juftice fo, as at the fame time to make up a part of it, 
 fince they are all of them virtuous actions, and worthy 
 of grace and glory, if done with perfect charity. 
 
 ii. This is the efteem you are to fet upon the virtues, 
 we have here been difcourfing of, which is what we 
 propofed at the beginning of the chapter : thii 
 doctrine will fecure us againft two vicious extreams ; that 
 is, two notorious errors there have been in the world ts 
 to this affair. The firrt an ancient one of the Pharifees, 
 the other is a late one of the Heretics of our times, 
 For the Fharifces, like carnal and ambitious men, and 
 brought up in the obfervance of the law, which as yet 
 was carnal, made no account of true juftice, which con- 
 fifts in fpiritual virtues, as we may fee throughout the 
 whole courfe of the gofpel , fo that as the apoftle fays, 
 Having an clearance indeed of godlinefs^ but denying the 
 "power *. You might have taken them for good men by 
 the outfide, though they were full of abomination within. 
 But our prefent Heretics, on the contrary, being fenfible 
 of this error, to avoid one extream, ran into another,, 
 which was fplitting upon Scylla to avoid Charybdis. But 
 the true Catholic doctrine fhuns both thefe extreams, 
 and feeks virtue in the mean, taking care to give the 
 inward virtues the firft and bell place, without fuffering 
 the outward to lofe the rank that is due to them. It 
 places fome as it were in the rank of the nobility, and 
 others among the gentry and commonalty, which com- 
 pofe this commonwealth , that the value of every thing 
 may be known, and each have as much as is its due. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Of four nece/ary injlruftions that follow from this doflrine. 
 
 i . "T^ROM what has been faid may be drawn four im- 
 J/ portant inftructions for the fpiritual life : the firft 
 
 is, that he who ferves GOD as he ought, is not to content 
 * 2 Tim. c. iii. T. 5. himfelf
 
 524. The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 himfelf with fceking after fpiritual virtues only, though 
 they are the moft excellent , but muft add the others to 
 them , and this as well for the preferving of the firft, as 
 for the arriving at the height and perfection of all juftice. 
 To this purpofe he is to confider, that as man confifts 
 not of either foul alone, or of body alone, but of both 
 together ; becaufe the foul alone without the body is not 
 a compleat man, and the body without the foul is nothing 
 but a lump of earth ; true and perfect Chriftianity, is 
 neither only interior nor only exterior, but both at once : 
 becaufe there is no preferving the interior, without fome- 
 thing at lead, if not a great deal of the exterior, accord- 
 ing to every ones ftate and condition ; nor is it enough 
 for the performing of perfect juftice; and as to the ex- 
 terior without the interior, it goes no farther towards 
 making a virtuous man, than the body without the foul 
 does to the making of a natural man. So that, as the 
 body receives its whole life and being from the foul , fo 
 the exterior depends after the fame manner upon the 
 interior , and moft of all upon charity, for all the efteem 
 and value it has. 
 
 2. He therefore that would not be deceived, muft no 
 more feparate the corporeal from the fpiritual, in order to 
 make a perfect Chriftian, than he is to divide the body 
 from the foul for the making of a compleat man. Let 
 him take the body and foul together , the treafure and 
 the cheft -, the fence and the vine. Let him take all its 
 fupports and props along with it, for they are all to go 
 together, or he will lofe both ; for he will not be able to 
 obtain the one part, and the other without it will not 
 avail him. Let him confider, that fmce neither nature 
 nor art, which copies after nature, produce any work 
 without giving it an outfide and cloathingj and without 
 giving it a defence and ftay, both for its prefervation 
 and beauty, it is repugnant to reafon to think that grace, 
 which is a much more perfect form than the others are, 
 and which operates much better, mould not do as much 
 as they do. Let him reflect upon this fentence(i) : 
 He that fearetb God ncghBetb nothing, and be that contemns 
 
 little 
 (l) Eccl. c. vii. v. 19.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Inftrutt. upon diffe. of Virtues. 525 
 liftle things which fall by degrees into great ones. Let him 
 call to mind what we faid before, that for want of a nail 
 a man lofes a flioe, and for want of a fhoe his horfe. 
 Let him confider the danger he runs in by not taking 
 notice of fmall things ; becaufe it is the ready way for 
 him not to mind the greater. Let him but think upon 
 the flies that fucceeded the gnats in the plague of Egypt *-, 
 that this may teach him how the neglect of lefTer things, 
 makes way for that of greater. For he who does not 
 regard the flinging of gnats, (hall be foon troubled with 
 flies, that will over-run him with filth and naftinefs. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 The fecond inftruRion. 
 
 3. By this it will appear about what virtues we 
 are to be mod folicitous, and which require mod care. 
 For as men will do more for a piece of gold, than for a 
 piece of filver, and more for an eye than a ringer ; fo it 
 is convenient we mould take moft care to purchafe and 
 keep thofe virtues that are the moft excellent : for if we 
 are diligent in that which is of leaft moment, and care- 
 lefs in that which is of moft, all our fpiritual affairs will 
 be diforderly. It is therefore a great piece of prudence 
 in fuperiors, in their chapters and public afTemblies, to 
 recommend to their religious the observance of filence, 
 fafting, folitude, ceremonies, modefty, and the choir, 
 and to be much more zealous in advifing them to cha- 
 rity, humility, prayer, devotion, meditation, the fear 
 of GOD, the love of their neighbours, and the like. 
 And this latter part is fo much the more necefTary than 
 the other, by how much the inward failings are more 
 private than the outward, and therefore the more dan- 
 geroiu. For as men are more apt to remedy the defects 
 they fee, than thofe they do not fee ; it is a hazard they 
 may thus come to make no account of the inward fail- 
 ings, becaufe they are not feen, though they take much 
 notice of the outward, becaufe they appear : befidcs the 
 exterior virtues, as abftinente, watching, difciplines, 
 U u u corporal 
 
 - Exod. c. tiii.
 
 526 Tfo Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 corporal aufterities and mortifications are more vifiblc 
 toothers, and therefore more familiar to and more ef- 
 teemed by them , whilft hope, charity, humility, difcre- 
 tion, the fear of GOD, the contempt of the world, and 
 the reft of the interior virtues, are lefs in credit with 
 the world, becaufe they appear lefs outwardly, though 
 at the fame time they are much more acceptable to GOD 
 than the others. Our Saviour himfelf gave us the reafon 
 of this difference of opinions, when he faid, You are they 
 who juftify yourfelves before men, but GOD knoweth your 
 hearts *. And the apoftle tells us to the fame purpofe -f- 5 
 For it is not he is a Jew, that is fo outwardly , nor is that 
 circumcifion which is outward in the fejh ; but he is a 'Jew 
 that is one inwardly, and the circumcijion is that of the 
 heart y in the fpirit, not in the letter ', is true circumcifion, 
 ivhcfe praife is not <?/ men but of GOD , for men have not 
 eyes to fee this fpiritual circumcifion. Since then thefe 
 outward things are fo manifeft, and the defire of honour 
 and praife is one of the mod cunning and moft power- 
 ful pafllons a man has ; there is more danger of being 
 carried away by it, to the confideration and purfuit of 
 thofe virtues which are moft in efteem amongft men, 
 than of being wrought upon to a defire of thofe that 
 appear lefs honourable, becaufe it is the fpirit that calls 
 us to the love of thefe ; but the fpirit and flefh together 
 invites us to fearch after thofe, and the flefh is eager and 
 fubtle in purfuing all its appetites. This being fo, we 
 have all the reafon in the world to fear, that fuch pow- 
 erful pafllons as thefe, will eafily prevail againft us, and 
 force us to quit the field. This diforder may be remedied 
 by the light of this doctrine, which always pleads for the 
 jufter fide, and ftands up for maintaining of its right, 
 notwithftanding all thefe obftruftions, and is moft zea- 
 lous in recommending that which 'we cannot but fee to 
 be of the greater importance to us. 
 
 SECT II. 
 
 The third Inflmflion. 
 
 4. Another thing to be learned hence, is the obligation 
 
 we have of following the rule of GOD'S commandments, 
 
 *Luc.c,xvi. v.j5. -f Rom. c. ii. v. 28,29. in
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Injlrutt. upon diffc. of Virtues. 527 
 *n the concurrence of two virtues, which cannot pofll- 
 bly be both embraced, for this will happen fometimes, 
 and in fuch a cafe we muft give the preference to the 
 moft worthy of the two, to avoid confufion and trouble. 
 This is what St. Bernard teaches us in his book of dif- 
 penfation f, " There are, fays he, a great many laws 
 enacted, not becaufe men could not have lived without 
 them ; but becaufe they ferved much more for the ob- 
 taining and preferving of chaftity. Therefore they are 
 to remain in their force and vigour, without change, as 
 long as they anfwer this end , nor can they themfelves 
 who have the power to do it, make any innovation in 
 this kind, without giving offence. But if at any time 
 they mould prove deftructive to charity, who can think 
 it would not be confonant to juftice, and moft for the 
 increafe of charity too, to omit, defer, change for the 
 better, or abolifh with the confent of thofe perfons who 
 have the authority in their hands, fuch laws as were in- 
 ftituted for the maintaining of charity, when once they 
 are perceived to be prejudicial to it ? for it would cer- 
 tainly be a point of juftice, to obferve thofe laws which 
 w.ere made in the behalf of charity, if ever they happen 
 to prove otherwife. It is requifite therefore that thofe 
 who are in command, mould look upon thefe things as 
 unchangeable and irrevocable, as long as they are ufeful 
 for the keeping up of this virtue, and no longer." Thefe 
 are St. Bernard's own words, who produces two decrees, 
 one of Pope Gelafius, and the other of Pope Leo, in 
 proof of what he here aflerts. 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 The fourth InftruRion. 
 
 $. We may further gather from what has been faid, 
 that there are two forts of juftice, a true and a falfe 
 one. The true one is, that which embraces the interior 
 virtues, and with them the exterior, that are necefTary 
 for the keeping of them. The falfe one is, that which 
 lays hold of fome of the exterior virtues, without med- 
 U u u 2 ling 
 
 f Orat. d Prsecepto & Diflerns. c. 4.
 
 528 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 ling with the interior-, that is, without the love of GOD* 
 without fear, humility, devotion and the like. The 
 Pharifees were as juft as this comes to, and no more ; 
 and therefore our Saviour fays to them (i) , Woe unto you 
 Hypocrites, Scribes and Pharifees, who pay tythes of mint, 
 and anifeed, and cummin, and have let alone the weightier 
 things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith. He 
 upbraids them again foon after with thefe words (2) : Woe 
 unto you Hypocrites, Scribes and Pharifees, becaufe you make 
 clean the cutjide of the cup and the difh , but within you are 
 full of extortion and uncleannefs. And immediately again ; 
 Woe unto you Hypocrites, Scribes and Pharifees, becaufe you. 
 are like to whited fepulchres, which outwardly appear to men 
 beautiful, but within are full of dead mens bones,, and of all 
 fit bine fs ($)._ 
 
 6. Such juftice as this is, we find is frequently con- 
 demned by GOD himfelf in the writings of the prophets. 
 In one of them he fays, This people draw near me with their 
 mouth, and with their lips glorify me ; but their heart is far 
 from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and 
 doftrines of men (4). And in another place he fays, To 
 what purpofe do you offer me the multitude of ycur viEfims, 
 faith the Lord ? I am full, I dejire not holocaufts of rams, 
 and fat of failings, and blood of calves, and lambs, and 
 buck-goats. Offer facrijice no more in vain ; incenfe is abo- 
 mination to me: the new moons and fabbaths, and other fef- 
 tivals I will not abide, your affemblies arc wicked : my foul 
 katetb your new moons, and your folemnities ; they are be- 
 ccme troublejcme to me, I am weary of bearing them (5). 
 
 7. What does GOD find fault with what he himielf fo 
 ftrictly commanded ? nay, even when they are acts of re- 
 ligion, which of. all virtues is the nobleft, fmce its bufi- 
 nefs is to worfhip GOD with works of adoration and piety ? 
 certainly it cannot be the virtue he condemns, but the 
 den that content themfelves with outward .obligations, 
 and neglect true juftice, and the fear of GOD. For he 
 Jiimfelf declares immediately after, that it is nothing elfe 
 
 that 
 
 (l)Matt. c. xxiii. v. 23. (2) Ibid. v. 25. (9) Ibid. v. 27, 
 (4)Ifaiah, c. xxix, v. 14. (5) Ifaiah, c. i. v. 1 1, 13, 14.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Infiruft. upon diffc. of Virtues. 529 
 that difpleafes him* : Wafh yourfehes, be clean, take away 
 the mil of your devices from my eyes. Ceafe to do perverfely, 
 learn to do well, and then if your fins be as fcarlet, they 
 Jhall be made as white as fnow : and if they be red as crim- 
 fon, they Jhall be white as wool. 
 
 8. He expreffes the fame thing again with much more 
 vehemence elfewhere -f \ He that facrificetb an ox, as if 
 he Jlew a man: he that killeth a Jhecp in facrifice, as if he 
 Jhoitld brain a dog : he that offereth an oblation, as if he 
 Jhould offer fwine's blood : he that remembereth incenfe, as if 
 he Jhould blefs an idol. What can be the meaning of this, 
 O Lord, what kind of prodigy is here ? why are thofe 
 things, which you yourielf have commanded, fo abomi- 
 nable to you ? he gives us the reafon of it, when he 
 fays J : All thefe things have they chofen in their ways, and 
 their foul is delighted in their abominations. You fee here 
 then, what fmall account GOD makes of exterior things, 
 when they are not grounded upon the interior. To 
 give us a proof of this he fays by another prophet || : 
 I'ake away from me, the multitude of thy fongs : ar.d 1 will 
 not hear the canticles of thy harp. And in another place 
 he fays, expreffing his difpleafure in more lively terms : 
 / will fcatter upon your face the dung of your [chmnities. 
 What need is there, after all this, of faying any more, 
 to mew how little all exterior things amount to, let them 
 be never fo noble and great in themfelves ; if the love 
 and fear of GOD, and a horror of fin, which are the very 
 foundations of juftice, be wanting ? 
 
 9., Should you afk me, what can be the reafon of 
 GOD'S difliking thefe kinds of fervice; of his comparing 
 facrifice with man-flaughter, and incenfe with idolatry ; 
 of his calling the ringing of pfalms, a noife ; and folemn 
 feafts and meetings, Dung? I anfwer,' becaufe thefe 
 things, for want of the foundation we have fpoken of, 
 befides their being of no worth nor efteem ; give occa- 
 fion to many to be proud and haughty ; to prefume 
 upon themfelves, and to contemn every body elfe, that 
 does not do as they do ; and what is worft of all, this 
 
 falJe 
 
 * Ifauh, c. i. v. 1 6, 17, 1 8. flfa'ah, c, Ixvi. v. 3. J Ibid. 
 |1 Amos* c. v. v. 23. Mai. c. iii.
 
 53 o *Fbe Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 falfe juftice fettles them in a falfe fecurity in the way they 
 are in, which is one of the greateft dangers they can 
 fall into : becaufe they are fo fatisried with what they 
 have, that they aim at nothing farther. Do but confi- 
 der the Pharifee's prayer in the gofpel ( i ) : O God, 1 give 
 tbee thanks that lam not as the reft of men ; i. e. extortioners^ 
 unjuft, adulterers ; as alfo is this publican : I faft twice a 
 week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs. You may eafily 
 difcover in this prayer, the three dangerous rocks we 
 have fpoken of. You may plainly fee his prefumption, 
 when he fays : I am not as the reft of men. His contempt 
 of others, in thefe words : 1 am not as this publican ; and 
 his falfe fecurity, In his thanking God for the life he led, 
 whilft he imagined all was fafe, and that he had nothing 
 to be afraid of. 
 
 10. Hence fprings a dangerous kind of hypocrify, 
 which thefe falfe juft men run into. For the underftand- 
 ing of this, you are to know that there are two forts of 
 hypocrify , the one is bafe and palpable, and is of thofe 
 who know they are wicked, and outwardly appear good, 
 to deceive the world. The other fort is more nice and 
 fubtle, which makes a man even deceive himfelf, as well 
 as others , like the Pharifee, who really cheated himfelf, 
 and not others only, under the cover of juftice -, by ima- 
 gining himfelf to be a holy man, though at the fame 
 time he was a very great fmner. This kind of hypo- 
 crify the Wife Man points at in thefe words (2) : There is 
 away which feemeth jiift to man ; but the ends thereof lead to 
 death. And in another place, fpeaking of four kinds of 
 evils that are in the world, reckons this for one of them : 
 Vhere is a generation that curfeth their father ; and doth not 
 blefs their mother. A generation that are pure in their own 
 eyes, and yet are not wajhcdfrom their filthinefs. A genera- 
 tion whofe eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on 
 high. A generation, that for teeth hath fwords, andgrindeth 
 *with their jaw-teeth, to devour the needy from off the earth, 
 and the poor from among men (3). The wife man looks 
 upon thefe four forts of perfons as the molt infamous 
 
 and 
 
 (i) Luc. c. xviii. v. 11,12. (2) Prov. c. xiy, v. 12. 
 
 (3) Prov. c. xxx. v. ji, 12, 13, 14.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. InJtruSl. upon diffe. of Virtues. 53 r 
 and mod dangerous in the world : and amongft them he 
 puts thofe that are hypocrites, in regard of themfelves, 
 who fancy they are clean, when they arc as far from be- 
 ing fo, as the Pharifee was. 
 
 ii. This condition is fo dangerous, that to fpeak the 
 truth, it is not half fo bad, for a man to be a fmner and 
 to know he is fuch, as it is to be juft after this manner, 
 and to live in a falfe fecurity. Becaufe, let a man be 
 never fo fick, the knowing of his diftemper is a fair way 
 to his recovery ; but when a man fancies himfelf to be 
 well, though he is much out of order, there will be no 
 perfuading him to take any medicine to cure him. For 
 this reafon, our Saviour told the Pharifees (i) : That the 
 Publicans and the Harlots Jhould go into the kingdom of God 
 before them. The Greek translation, inftead of Jhall go 
 before, reads, do go before, which is a ftronger proof of 
 what we affirm. This is what we are told much more 
 plainly by our Saviour himfelf in thofe obfcure, but 
 terrible words in the Apocalipfe; I -mould thou wert cold 
 or hot) but becaufe thou art hike-warm, and neither cold nor 
 hot, I will begin to vomit thec out of my mouth (2). How 
 is it poffible GOD mould wifh a man were cold ? and how 
 is it pomble that a man that is cold, mould be in a better 
 condition than one that is luke-warm, fines the latter is 
 nearer being warm than the other ? the reafon is this. 
 He that is hot, is the man that has got the fire of cha- 
 rity, and with all thofe virtues both interior and exterior, 
 that we have fpoken of: the cold man, is he who has 
 neither the one fort nor the other, becaufe he has no 
 charity , and the luke-warm is he that has fome of the 
 exterior virtues, but wants the interior, or at leaft charity. 
 Now our Saviour would have us know, that this man's 
 condition is more dangerous than his is, who is quite 
 cold ; not becaufe he has more fins than the other, but 
 becaufe his evil is much more incurable , for the greater 
 fecurity he imagines himfelf to be in, the farther he is 
 from applying any remedies. So that this fuperficial and 
 outfide juftice of his, makes him believe he is fomething, 
 whereas in reality he is nothing at all ; we need but read 
 
 what 
 
 (i) Matt. c. xxi. v. 51. (2) Apoc. c. Hi. v. 15, 16.
 
 532 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 what follows, to know it is the genuine and literal fenfe 
 of the text. For our Saviour fpeaking more clearly to 
 him, whom he had called luke-warm before, fays-f-: 
 Becaufe thou fay eft : I am rick, and mj^de wealthy , and I have 
 need of nothing : and thou knoweft not, "that thou art wr 'etched , 
 and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Is not this 
 the Pharifee drawn to the life, who faid J : God, I give 
 thee lhanks that I am not as the reft of men. This without 
 doubt was he who thought himfelf rich in fpiritual trea- 
 fures, becaufe he thank'd GOD as if he was fo ; and yet 
 he was poor, naked and blind , becaufe he was empty of 
 all interior juftice j full of pride, and fo blind, that he 
 could not fee his own failings. 
 
 12. We have made it appear thus far, that there are 
 two forts of juftice, a true and a falfe one ; we have dif- 
 cpvered the dangers of this, and (hewn the excellency 
 and dignity of that. And let no-body think we have loft 
 our time in treating of thefe things fo largely ; for fmce 
 the gofpel itfelf, which of all facred writ is of moft au- 
 thority, and which has been left us, as the rule to fquarc 
 our lives by, condemns this kind of juftice fo often , 
 fmce the prophets, as we have proved, do the fame, it 
 would have been very ill done, if we mould have paffed 
 over this matter (lightly, which the holy fcriptures fo 
 often repeat and inculcate. If the dangers a man is ex- 
 pofed to lays open to every-body, as rocks that appear 
 above the water in the midft of the feas, there would be no 
 great need of advifing perfons againft them ; but when 
 they are quite hid from us, it is convenient we fhould 
 have fome inftructions to know how to avoid them ; as 
 mariners have their charts to (how them whereabouts 
 thofe (helves lie, that are quite under water ; that they 
 may (leer their courfe fo as not to run upon them. 
 
 13. Let no man deceive himfelf, faying; fuch pre- 
 cepts were very neceffary in former times, when this vice 
 was fo frequent, but that there is not fo much need of 
 them now a-days. I am of opinion the world is as bad 
 now, as it was then ; and that it has almoft always been 
 in the fame condition , becaufe, when men are the fame, 
 
 when 
 
 j- Apoc. c. iii. v, 17. J Luc. xviii. v. 17.
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. InflfuSl upon diffe. of Virtues. 533 
 
 when human nature is the fame, when there are the fame ' 
 inclinations, and the fame original fin, which we ha^e" all 
 of us been conceived in, and from whence all other 
 fins draw their rifeV there mud needs be the fame of- 
 fences. For where there is fo great a proportion between 
 the caufes of fin, it is impoffible there mould not be as 
 great a one between the fins themfelves. So that there 
 are the fame crimes now in fuch and fuch kinds of per- 
 fons, as there was then $ the only difference is, the names 
 are not the fame : juft as Plautus or Terence's comedies 
 are the fame now they were a thoufand years ago, though ' 
 the players are changed. 
 
 14. So that as thofe ignorant and carnal people thought 
 GOD was very much obliged to them for their facriftces, 
 for their fads and folemnities obferved, according to the 
 letter only, not according to the fpirit. There are a 
 great many Chriftians at prefent, who hear mafs every ' 
 Sunday, fay the office of our Ble(Ted : Lady, or th? Ro- 
 fary, every day , fail every Saturday in honour of her, 
 are always prefent at fermons, and affid at the offices of 
 the church ; and yet after all, notwithllanding fo many 
 actions which are really good, they are as eag-r in their 
 purfuit of honours, as full bent upon the fatisfying of 
 their lufls, and as fubjeft to anger as other men are, that 
 never do any of thefe things. They forget the obliga- 
 tions of their dates ; they are not at all concerned about ' 
 the falvadon of their fervants and family : they are full 
 of hatred and malice, and will abate nothing of their 
 haughdnefs. They never exercife the lead humility or 
 patience. Nay, fome of them gi fo far, and th.it upon 
 very trivial matters, that they will not fo much as fpealc 
 to their neighbour upon any account whatfoever. Others 
 are very backward in paying fervants their wages, and 
 in difcharging their debts.' And if a man mould happen 
 to do or fay any thing that touches their honour or in- 
 tereft, adieu then to all the virtue thry had. You will 
 meet with fome that are very frequent at their prayers, 
 but will never put their hands into their pockets to give 
 an alms to the poor. You may find others, that will mt 
 for all the world, eat flefh upon Wednefdays > buc will 
 X x x make
 
 534 ffl* Sinners Guide. Book IT. 
 
 make no fcruple of detracting from their neighbour, and 
 will never itick at any kind of {lander or fcandal, when zr 
 man's reputation is at ftake : fo that whilft they are fcru- 
 puloufly afraid of eating the flefli of beafts, they have 
 no horror of preying upon that of man, which GOD has 
 fo ftrictly forbid them. For, there is fcarce any thing 
 that a Chriftian mould be fo much concerned for, as the 
 credit or honour of his neighbour. And yet it is what 
 but few take any notice of, though there are many things 
 that are not half fo important, which they are much more 
 felicitous about. 
 
 1 5. That thefe, and many other fuch failings are the 
 common practice, not only of worldly men, but even 
 of thofe that are retired out of it, is a truth unqueftio- 
 nable. And therefore we thought it necefiary, this mif- 
 take being fo general, to undeceive fuch as are fallen 
 into it ; elpecially when thofe perfons, whofe particular 
 bufinefs it is to take notice of it, neglect their duty in- 
 tirely in this point. What I have fajd will, I hope, 
 fupply this defect, and ferve as a direction to thofe that 
 defire to keep in the right way. 
 
 16. And that what we have faid may be more profi- 
 table to the reader, and he may not grow worfe upon the 
 medicine ; it is good to advife him in the firft place to 
 enquire into his own fpiritual ftate and condition, that he 
 may fee what it is he is moft inclined to. For as there 
 are feme general inftructions that ferve for all forts of 
 perfons ; as thofe upon charity, humility, patience, obe- 
 dience, and the like , there are others again more parti- 
 cular, which are good for fome, but not fo for others. 
 As for example, a fcrupulous perfon mould have his 
 confcience enlarged a little ; whereas his, on the contrary, 
 that is too large already, is to be more confined and 
 ftraitened. A man that is fubject to diffidence, and apt 
 to be difcouraged, muft be put in mind of mercy ; 
 whereas, the prefumptuous mould be frightened with 
 the remembrance of juftice. The fame rule is to be ob- 
 fcrvcd proportion ably in other cafes. This is no more 
 than what the author of Ecclefiafticus advifes us to when 
 he fays, 'Talk to the unjuft man of jujlice^ of war fo the 
 
 coward
 
 Part II. Ch. 7. Inftruft. upon (life, of Virtues. 535 
 
 coward, of gratitude to the ungrateful^ of -piety to the -wicked^ 
 and of labour to the idle J. 
 
 17. Since according to this, there are two forts of per- 
 fons, the one that apply themfelves wholly to interi r 
 virtues, and the other that concern themfelves about 
 none but the exterior , it would be well to recommend 
 the exterior virtues to the firil fort, and the interior to 
 the fecond , that fo every one may be brought to a due 
 meafure and proportion. We have endeavoured all along 
 here, to treat every thing with fuch moderation, than 
 nothing might want the place that is due to it : we have 
 fpoken in commendation of greater things, without any 
 prejudice to thelefler; nor have we in extolling thefe 
 lefiened them. And by this means we have avoided 
 thofe two dangerous rocks, which we have here advifed 
 others not to fplit upon, the one which they run upon 
 who practice interior atfts, and never mind the exterior j 
 the other they dafo againft who are fo bent upon exte- 
 rior, as to have no concern at all for the interior, and 
 above all for the fear of GOD, and a hatred of fin. 
 
 1 8. The main point of all this bufinefs is, to ground 
 ourfelves fo in the fear of GOD, as to tremble at the very 
 name of fin. Happy is he that has this virtue deeply 
 rooted in his foul, he may build what he pleafes upon 
 this foundation ; but as for him, on the contrary, who is 
 cafily wrought upon by fin, let him have all the appear- 
 ances that can be, he is to look upon himfelf as mifera- 
 ble, blind and unhappy. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 A fecond advice upon the different ways of living that arf 
 in the church. 
 
 UR fecond advice is to prevent men pafling 
 their judgments upon one another, on account 
 of the different ways of living. To this purpofe you 
 muft underhand, that there being many virtue* requifite 
 
 XXX 2 tO 
 
 Eccl. c. xxxvii. v. i 2.
 
 53 6 The Sinners Guide, Book II, 
 
 to a Chriftian life, fome perfons are more addicted to 
 feme of them, and others to others. For we fee fome* 
 practice thole moft, which have GOD for their immediate 
 object , and thefe perfons apply themfelves for the moft 
 part to a contemplative life ; others efteem thofe virtues 
 beft which make them moft ferviceable to their neighr 
 bour, and thefe embrace an active life. Others again 
 love thofe beft, which put a man in mind of himfelf, 
 and thefe virtues belong particularly to a monaftical life, 
 2. Again, all virtuous actions being fo many means for 
 the obtaining of grace ; fome men follow one way, and 
 fome another for the- acquiring of it ; lo that fome en-r 
 deavour to obtain it by falling, difcipline, and other cor- 
 poral aufterities, fome by 'alms and works of mercy, 
 fome by continual prayer and meditation ; in this laft 
 means, the ways are as many, as the methods of praying 
 and meditating are different. So that fome make ufe of 
 this method, and fome of that, and as there are many 
 things to be meditated upon, there are alfo many forts 
 of meditations. Now that fort is beft for each particu? 
 iar perfon, which he finds moft profitable, and which 
 ferves beft to excite him to devotion. 
 
 3. Virtuous perfons are fubject to a great miftake as 
 to this point ; which is, that they who have profited by 
 any one of thefe means, think there is no other way of 
 arriving at GOP, but that which they have gone. They 
 would fain teach all the world the fame, and look upon 
 thofe, as out of the road, who dare not go their way ; 
 becaufe they imagine it is the only one to get to hea- 
 ven. He who is much given to prayer, thinksj that 
 without it, it is impofllble to be faved. He that fails 
 much, perfuades himfelf that nothing is to the purpofe 
 but fafling: he that leads a contemplative life, fancies 
 every body elfe to run the hazard of his falvation , nay, 
 they carry it fo far fometimes as to have no kind of efteem 
 for an active, life. They on the other fide, that have 
 made choice of an active life ; and for want of having 
 experienced what pafies berwixt GOD and the foul, in 
 the mcft delightful repofe of contemplation, when they 
 fee how far they have advanced by their active way of 
 
 Jiving,
 
 Part. II. Ch. 8. Different States in the Church. 537 
 
 living, leffcn as much as they can the contemplative 
 life, and think there is no perfection without a compo- 
 fition of both -, as if all the world was to do what they 
 do. A man that makes choice of mental prayer, thinks 
 all other kind of prayer unprofitable ; and he that loves 
 vocal prayer bed, fays, that fince it is more laborious 
 than the other, It muft needs be more meritorious. 
 
 4. So that every man cries up his own ware, as mop- 
 keepers do; and thus without being fenfible of it, with a 
 hidden pride and ignorance, each of them commends 
 himfelf, by extolling that he has the greateft (lock of. 
 Thus virtues are under the fame c i re u:n fiances as fci- 
 ences, of which every one praifes that he profe/Tes, and 
 decrys all the reft. The orator fays, there is no art in 
 the world to be compared with rhetoric. The aftrono- 
 mer will tell you, there is no fcience like that which 
 treats of the heavens and ftars. The philofopher fays 
 the fame of his fcience. He that gives himlelf to the 
 ftudyofthe Holy Scriptures fays much more, and with 
 more reafon. The linguift fays almoft as much as he ; 
 becaufe his language ferves for the better underftanding 
 of the Scripture. The fchool divine muft have the firft 
 place, or elle he will not be fatisfied. In fine, there is 
 none of them all without his weighty reafons, to make 
 you believe his fcience is better, and more necefiary 
 than the reft. 
 
 5. This which appears fo plainly in fciences is to be 
 found in virtues, though it does not lie fo open ; for all 
 lovers of them defire to chufe that which is beft, and 
 feek that which fuits with their inclinations. And there- 
 fore think that what fits them beft, is beft for every-body, 
 and what does not agree with them, is proper for no- 
 body. 
 
 6. Hence fpring the judgments made on other mens 
 lives, and the fpiritual divifions among brethren, one 
 man fancying another in the wrong, for not taking the 
 fame way he does. It was almoft luch an error the Co- 
 rinthians lived in. They had received feveral different 
 o-ifts from GOD * ; and every one looked upon his own, 
 
 as 
 2 Cor. c. xii.
 
 53 8 The Sinner* Guide. Book II, 
 
 as the beft, and therefore they valued themfelves above 
 one another. Some preferring the gift of tongues , 
 others that of prophecy-, fome again that of interpreting 
 the fcriptures ; others the working of miracles, and fo 
 of the reft. The beft remedy that can be given againft 
 this miftake, is wh?t the apoftle prefcribes them in his 
 epiftle againft that diftemper. Firfl he makes all graces 
 and gifts equal, as to their origin ; alluring them they 
 are all ftreams that flow from the fame fpring, which is 
 the HolyGhoft; and that as to this point, they are all 
 of them alike, though they differ amongft themfelves. 
 The members of a king's body are all a king's members, 
 and of the blood royal, though they are not the fame 
 in refpect to one another. The apoftle fays to this pur- 
 pofe f : IV e have all been baptized in one fpirit into one 
 body, by the virtue of which fpirit we are all made the mem- 
 bers of the fame body. So that we all, thus far partake 
 of the fame honour and glory, as being the members of 
 the fame head. For this reafon the apoftle adds imme- 
 diately after J : If the foot Jhould /ay, becaufe I Am not 
 the hand, I cm not of the body ; is it therefore not of the 
 body : and if the earfoouldfay, becaufe I am mot the eye, I 
 am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body ? It is 
 plain then, that as to this we are all equal, becaufe of the 
 unity ?nd fraternity that is in all ; notwithftanding the 
 diverfity which is in us at the fame time. 
 
 7. The caufe of which is partly nature and partly^* 
 grace ; we fay it ariles from nature, becaufe, though 
 every fpiritual being owes its beginning to grace ; yet 
 grace like water received into feveral veifels, takes fe 
 veral fliapes agreeable to the nature and condition of 
 every one. For fome perfons are naturally eafy and 
 jquiet, and therefore more fit for a contemplative life, 
 others are more choleric and active, and therefore an 
 Active life is beft for them ; others are more ftrong and 
 healthful, and lefs in love with themfeives, fo that a la- 
 borious penitential life agrees beft with them. GOD'S 
 goodnefs difplays itfclf in all thefe particulars much to 
 .our admiration ; for he, defigning to communicate him- 
 
 felf 
 J- I Cor. c. xii. 13. J Ibid. xv. 16.
 
 Part. II. Ch. 8. Different States in tie Cburch. 539 
 felf to all, has been pleafed to propofe feveral ways to 
 us, for our partaking of this favour ; according to the 
 feveral conditions of men, that fo he that cannot go one 
 way, may try another. 
 
 8. The fecond caufe of this variety is grace ; becaufe 
 the Holy Ghoft who is the author of it, has thought fie 
 to have this variety in thofe that belong to him, for the 
 greater perfection and beauty of the church. For as fe- 
 veral members and fenfes are required to the making of 
 a man's body perfect and beautiful j fo there muft be a 
 great many virtues and graces to make the church fo 
 too. For, if the faithful were all alike in this refpecr, 
 how could they be called a body * : If the whole body^ 
 fays St. Paul, were the ey?, where would be the bearing? 
 if the whole were hearing, where would be the fmclling ? 
 GOD has, for this reafon, thought fit, there mould be 
 feveral members, and one body; that fo, multiplicity 
 and unity meeting together, there might be proportion 
 betwixt leveral things in one : and hence comes the per- 
 fection and beauty we fee in the church. Thus we fee 
 there muft be this fame diverfity of voices, yet with 
 concord, that fo it may be fweet and harmonious. For 
 if the voices were all of the fame pitch, if they were all 
 trebles, or all bafes, or all tenors, how could they make 
 mufic and harmony ? 
 
 9. The fame thing appears to our wonder, even in the 
 works of nature, in which the fovereign artift has inter- 
 mixed fo much variety, by giving every creature its par- 
 ticular qualities and perfections ; and has mown fo much 
 juftice in the diftribution of them, that though each par- 
 ticular creature has fome kind of advantage or other above 
 the reft, yet they do not envy one another, becaufe if any 
 of them is out-done in fome things, it excels in others. 
 The peacock is beautiful to the eye, but not delightful 
 to the ear-, the nightingale on the other fide, charms the 
 ear, but does not pleafe the eye. The horfe is good for 
 the race and the camp, but not for the table. The ox 
 is good for the table and plough, and fit for nothing 
 elfe ; fruit-trees produce what is good for eating, but 
 are not fit for building, as thofe trees are which bear 
 
 * j Cor. c. xv. y.2/. no
 
 540 Tht Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 no fruit. Thus in all things together, we. find all things 
 difperfed, but never all together in any one thing. 
 That by this means the beauty and variety of the uni- 
 verfe may be preferved, and the .different fpecies of 
 things may continue; and all be linked to one another, 
 by a mutual and neceffary dependance. 
 
 j o. The fame order and beauty that is in the works of 
 nature, GOD has thought fit should be in thofe of grace ; 
 and for this reafon he has, by his fpirit, ordered fuch a 
 variety of virtues and graces in his church, that all of > 
 them might make a moft harmonious concord, a mod 
 perfect world ; and a moft beautiful body, compofed of 
 different members. We may fee the effects of this va- 
 riety in the different ftates of men in the church, where 
 fome give themfelves up to a contemplative life; and , 
 others to an active , fome apply themftlves to works of 
 obedience, others to penance, fome to prayer, and others 
 to.fmging-, Ibme to ftudy, that they may be profitable 
 to others , fome to looking after the fick and vifiting of 
 hofpitah , fome to relieve the poor and miferable ; fome 
 to one kind of good exercife and fome to another. 
 
 11. The fame variety is to be found in religious houfes. 
 Though they all take the road that leads to heaven, yet 
 they do not go all the fame way. Some take the way 
 of poverty, others of penance , fome go by the exercife . 
 of a contemplative life, and others by thofe of an active. 
 Some labour for the good of the public, whilft others 
 retire as far from it as they can. Some have revenues by . 
 the rules of their inftitution, others love poverty better. 
 Some run into the delarts, and others into cities and 
 towns ; and all this, out of the motives of religion and 
 charity. 
 
 12. We may obferve this variety again, not only in 
 the orders and monafteries, but in the particular mem- 
 bers of the fame , of whom fome are employed in finging 
 in the choir -, others in manual labour ; fome are ftudy- - 
 ing in their cells ; others are hearing confeffions in the 
 church, and others are abroad about the affairs of the . 
 houfe. What is all this but feveral members in one . 
 body, and feveral voices in one confort, that fo there 
 
 may
 
 Part II Ch. 8. Different States in the Cbitrch. 541 
 may be an exact proportion and beauty in the church. 
 There is no other reafon for putting a great many itrings 
 to the fame lute, and a great many pipes into the fame 
 organ, but to make the mufic more pleafant by the va- 
 riety of the founds. This is the coat of feveral colours 
 which the Patriarch Jacob made for his fon Jofeph (i). 
 And fuch were the curtains of the tabernacle, which GOD 
 commanded Mofes to paint and fet out with wonderful 
 variety and beauty. 
 
 13. If fo, and it is convenient it mould be fo, for the 
 beauty and order of the church, why do we not lay afide 
 the vicious cuftom we have got of detracting from our 
 neighbours , of patting ientence upon their actions and 
 of making ourfelves judges over other meA, becaufe they 
 do not do what we do ? this is deftroying the body of 
 the church, rending Jofeph's coat, difturbing and fpoil- 
 ing the harmony of the heavenly mufic. It is like defi- 
 ring that the members of the church fhould be all feet, 
 or all hands, or all eyes , but if all the body were eyes, 
 where would the ears be ? and if all were ears, what would 
 become of the eyes. 
 
 14. Thus you fee how great a mi (lake it is to blame 
 another, becaufe he has not what I Have, or cannot do 
 what I do. As it would be in the eyes to defpife the 
 feet for not feeing, or the feet to find fault with the 
 eyes, for not walking, and bearing the whole burden 
 upon them. For it is requifite the feet fhould take pains, 
 and the eyes mould always be at reft ; that the former 
 fhould be always upon the ground, and the latter above 
 them, free from duft, or any thing that may fully them. 
 Nor are the eyes, notwithftanding their continual repole, 
 lefs ferviceable to the body, than the feet that take fo 
 fo much pains. As the fteerfman in a veflTel that (lands 
 at the helm, with his compafs before him, does as much 
 good as they that are always upon deck, or hawling the 
 ropes, that look after the fails, or that ftand at the pump. 
 He who we think does lead, in reality does mofi , be- 
 caufe it is not the labour that is taken about a thing, but 
 the value of the thing in itfelf, together with the impor- 
 
 Y y y tancc 
 
 (l) Gen. c. xxxvii. Exod. c. xxvi. and xxxvi.
 
 54 2 We Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 tancc of it, that makes it more or lefs excellent : unlefs 
 we will fay, that a laborious ploughman, for example, 
 does the commonwealth more fervice, than a difcreet and 
 prudent ftatefman, becaufe of the two, he works the 
 hardeft. 
 
 5. He that confiders this ferioufly, will leave every 
 one to his calling : that is, he will let the foot be a foot, 
 and the hand be ftill a hand, and will never defire that 
 the body fhould be all foot or all hand. This is what 
 the apoftle endeavours to perfuade us all to, in the epiftle 
 above-cited; and it is the advice he gives us in thefe 
 words : Let not him that eateth not, judge him that eatetb. 
 Becaufe he that eats may perhaps Hand in need of what 
 he eats, and be endowed with fome nobler virtue than 
 yours is, and which you want. So that he is not to be 
 blamed by you for eating, fince in all appearance hi* 
 other virtue may make him better than you are. For as 
 in mufic, thofe notes that are upon the lines, are as good 
 as thole that are betwixt them ; fo that he that eats dif- 
 turbs the harmony and concord of the church, no more 
 than he that abftains : nor he that feems to do nothing 
 at all, any more than he that is always employed, if he 
 fpends his leifure time fo, as to eadeavonr to make him- 
 felf ferviceable to his neighbour hereafter. 
 
 1 6. St. Bernard advifes us againft this fame fault, when 
 he fays(i), that none ought to examine into another 
 man's way of life, to pafs judgment upon it, but thofe 
 that are judges and rulers in the church ; much lefs is a 
 man to put another perfon's life in the fame fcale with 
 his own, for fear it fhould happen to him as it did to a 
 certain monk, who being troubled to have his poverty 
 compared with Gregory's riches, heard a voice which. 
 told him : He was much richer in a cat he had, than the 
 other with all his wealth. 
 
 CHAP. 
 ( i ) Serm. 4. in Cantic*.
 
 Part II. Ch. 9. Of Vigilance. 543 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 The third advice, of the vigilance and care every virtuous 
 man ought to live with. 
 
 AVING propofed in this rule fo many different 
 virtues, and given fo many inftructions upon 
 the regulating of our lives ; our next advice is, to endea- 
 vour to procure one general virtue, which may compre- 
 hend, and as far as poflible fupply the want of the reft ; 
 this is the rather advifeable, becaufe our underflanding 
 is fuch that it cannot conceive many things at once. 
 This virtue is a perpetual folicitude and vigilance, and a 
 continual attention to whatfoever we do or fay, that fo 
 every thing may be brought to the rule and moderation 
 of reafon. 
 
 2. We are to behave ourfelves in this point like an 
 cmbafTador, that is to fpeak to a fovereign prince. He 
 has his attention fixed upon the matter he is to difcourfe 
 of; he weighs every word he fpeaks , he manages the 
 tone of his voice, and confiders every pofture and mo- 
 tion of his body, and this all at the lame time. Thus 
 he that ferves GOD mould ufe his utmoft endeavours to 
 be always watchful and attentive upon himfelf; to con- 
 fider himfelf, and all he does ; fo that whether he fpeaks, 
 or holds his tongue -, whether he afks a queftion, or gives 
 an anfwer; whether at table, in the ftreet, or in the 
 church , at home or abroad j he is to have his rule and 
 compafs always with him, to meafure every action, every 
 word, nay, every thought ; that fo all may be exact to 
 the law of GOD, to the judgment of reafon and to de- 
 cency. For the diftance betwixt good and evil, being 
 fo great, and GOD having given our fouls a natural 
 knowledge of both, there is fcarce any man fo ignorant, 
 but if he weighs what he does, will more or lefs dif- 
 cover what he ought to do , and therefore this attention 
 and folicitude is as ferviceable as all the inftructions al- 
 ready given, and many more. 
 
 3. This is the care the Holy Ghoft recommended to 
 
 us, when he laid ; Watch carefully over jourfelf t man 
 
 Y y y 2 *,
 
 544 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 and over your own foul. And the laft of the three advifes 
 the Prophet Micah gave us, as we have obferved already, 
 was: To walk carefully with GOD, which is to be fo licit ou s *, 
 to do nothing in contradiction to his will. The many 
 eyes Ezechial's myfterious animals had -f, teach us, what 
 vigilance and care we mould uljp in this battle, where our 
 enemies are fo numerous, and we have fo much to attend 
 to. The fame is reprefented to us by the poflure of the 
 feventy ftout men, that guarded Solomon's bed J. They 
 had their fwords upon their thighs ready to draw, to 
 exprefs how watchful and ready he mult be, who walks 
 in the very midit of fo many enemies. 
 
 4. Befides the many dangers we are expofed to, ano- 
 ther reafon for this extraordinary vigilance is the nicenefs 
 and confequence of this bufmefs, efpecially to thofe who 
 afpire to the perfection of a fpiritual life. For to be- 
 have ourfelves and to live as GOD would have us, to pre- 
 ferve ourfelves from all the ftains and fpots of this world; 
 to live in this flefh without the corruptions of it ; That 
 you may befmcere and without offence unto the day of Chrift , 
 as the apoflle fays, are things fo high, and fo far above 
 the reach of nature, that we Hand in need of all thefe 
 and many more helps, and efpecially the afllftance of 
 GOD'S grace. 
 
 5. Confider how attentive a man is, when he is upon 
 any nice curious work , and it is certain, that this is the 
 niceft work, and requires moft attention. Obferve how 
 cautioufly a man walks, that carries a glafs brimful of 
 precious liquor, for fear of fpilling; think of a man 
 that is forced to crofs a river upon (tones that are 
 not conveniently placed, how carefully he treads, for 
 fear he mould fall in and be drowned. But above all, 
 confider how cautioufly a rope dancer fets every itep ; 
 how (teddy he keeps his eyes for fear of tottering, and 
 falling one way or other. Do you always endeavour to 
 carry yourfelf with the fame circumfpection, efpecially at 
 firft, till it become habitual, fo as not to fpeak a word, 
 entertaining the leaft thought, or make any motion, that 
 
 may 
 
 * Mich. c. vi. v. 8. -j- Ezec. c. i. J Cantic. c. iii. 
 Phil. c. i. v. iOt
 
 Part II. Ch. 9. Of Vigilance. 545 
 
 may, if poffible, deviate from the line of virtue. Se- 
 neca advifes us to this, by an example as profitable as it 
 is familiar. A man, fays he, " That has a mind to ac- 
 quire virtue, muft imagine himfelf to be always in the 
 prefence of fome great perfon he has a veneration for, 
 and endeavour to do and fay every thing, juft as he 
 would, if that perfon were really prefent V 
 
 6. Another way no lefs proper than the former is, to 
 think we have no longer to live than the prefent day ; 
 and fo to behave ourfelves, as if we were really perfuaded 
 we (hould appear that fame night before the tribunal of 
 Chrift, to give him an account of our whole life. 
 
 7. But, the beft way of all, is to walk always as much 
 as poflibly we can, in the prefence of Almighty GOD, to 
 fet him always before our eyes, (for he is truly prefent 
 every where,) and to perform all our actions, as having 
 fo great a Majefty, for the witnels and judge of what- 
 ever we do, begging his grace to carry ourfelves fo as 
 may beft become his divine prefence. This attention 
 which we advife to here, mould have two ends. The one 
 of confidering GOD interiorly, of walking before him, 
 of adoring him, of praifing and reverencing, loving and 
 thanking him, and of offering a facrifice of devotion to 
 him upon the altar of our hearts. The other is, to re- 
 flect upon every word or action, and to fee that nothing 
 be done or faid to the prejudice of virtue. We mould 
 have one eye always fixed upon GOD, to beg his grace; 
 and the other always caft down upon ourfelves, to fee 
 what it i- becomes us moft, and to direct us in employ- 
 ing our lives to the beft advantage. We are to make 
 ufe of the light GOD has given us firft to obferve thole 
 things that refer to GOD ; and next to correct and per- 
 fect our own actions, meditating ferioufly upon GOD and 
 upon the extent of our duties. And though this is not 
 always practicable, we muft endeavour yet to do it as 
 often, and as long as we can ; for this kind of attention, 
 is no hindrance to our corporal exercifes. The heart on 
 the contrary will by this means have the frequent oppor- 
 tunity of ftealing off, in the very heat of temporal in- 
 
 gagements 
 Epift, 25.
 
 54 6 The Sinners Guide. Book H. 
 
 gagements and bufmefs, and of hiding itfelf in the 
 wounds of Jefus Chrift. The importance of this in- 
 ftrudion is fuch, that it has obliged me to repeat it, 
 though I have given it before in the Memorial of a Chrif- 
 tian Life. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 'fbe fourth advice of tbe fortitude requifitc to the obtaining 
 of virtue. 
 
 i. f 1 \ H E foregoing advice has furnifhed us with eyes 
 JL to fee our duty. This will find us arms i that 
 is, fortitude to perform it. For fmce there are in virtue 
 two difficulties ; the firft whereof confifts in diftinguifli- 
 ing betwixt good and bad, and feparating the one from 
 the other-, the fecond in overcoming of the bad, and in 
 purfuing of the good j attention and watchfulnefs are ne- 
 cefTary for that, and diligence and fortitude for this ; and 
 if either of thefe two be wanting, our virtue will be 
 imperfect , for either it will be blind, if there is no at- 
 tention, or elfe impotent if fortitude be wanting. This 
 fortitude is not the fame, whofe part it is to moderate 
 boidncfs and fear, which is one of the four cardinal vir- 
 tues , but a general fortitude necefiary for the overcom- 
 ing of all thole difficulties that may lie in our way to 
 virtue. To this end it always goes along with it, with 
 fword in hand, and makes way for it wherever it goes. 
 Becaufe virtue, according to the philofophers, is a hard 
 and difficult thing \ and therefore it is convenient it 
 ihould always have this fortitude by it, to aflift it in 
 breaking through thefe difficulties. For as a fmith is 
 always to have his hammer in his hand, becaufe of the 
 hardnefs of the metal he is to work upon ; fo this for- 
 titude is like a fpiritual hammer, which a good man is 
 never to be without, if he defigns to overcome the dif- 
 ficulty he fhall meet with in virtue. So that as a fmith 
 without his hammer, can do nothing-, neither can he 
 who is in purluk of virtue, if he has not this fortitude 
 
 to
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Of Fortitude. 547 
 
 to aflift him. To prove this, what virtue is there that 
 has not forne particular labour and hardfhip in it ? take 
 which of them you will, you will find it fo. Praying, 
 fading, obedience, temperance, poverty of fpirit, pa- 
 tience, chaftity, humility, all of them in fhort, have 
 fome difficulty or other joined with them, arifing either 
 from felf-love, from the world, or the devil. Jf thea 
 this fortitude is taken away, what will the love of virtue 
 be able to do, when it is difarmed and left naked ? thus 
 you fee, that without this virtue, the reft are 1 bound as 
 it were hand and foot, and can do nothing for them- 
 felves. 
 
 3. Whoever therefore you are that defire to improve 
 yourfelf in virtue ; look upon thofe words which the 
 Lord of all virtues and ftrength, fpok? formerly to 
 Mofes, though in another fenfe, as directed to you (i) : 
 'Take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou foalt do tbf 
 
 Jigns, by which you jhall bring my people out of Egypt. 
 Allure yourfelf that as his rod was the instrument of 
 all thofe wonders, and that which put an end to fo glo- 
 rious an enterprife ; fo this rod of fortitude, is that 
 which mud overcome all the difficulties, that either the 
 love of the flefli, or the devil mall lay in your way ; 
 and it is by this you are to bring off your undertaking 
 with fuccefs. And therefore let it never be out of your 
 hand, for if you once lay it down, you will not be able 
 to do any of thefe wonders. 
 
 4. Therefore I think fit in this place to give notice 
 of a great error, thofe that begin to ferve GOD are apt 
 to fall into : they having read in fome pious books, 
 how great the confolations and delights of the Holjr 
 Ghoft are ; and how fweet and delightful charity is ; 
 perfuade themfelves immediately, that there is nothing 
 but pleafure in the way to virtue, without any mixture 
 of labour and pains. And therefore they prepare them- 
 felves for it, as if it were an eafy and pleafant under- 
 taking ; fo that they do not think of arming themfelves 
 for a fight, but of dreffing for fome public entertainment. 
 They never confider, that though the love of GOD is 
 
 fwece 
 (i)Exod. c. iv. v. 17.
 
 548 The Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 fweet in itfelf, there is a great deal of bitternefs before 
 a man can get to it ; for firft of all, felf-love mull be 
 overcome, a man muft fight againft himfelf, and what 
 war fo hard as this is ? Ifaiah told us of the neceflity of 
 both ( i ) : Shake thyfelf from the daft, fays he, arife, fit up, 
 O Jerufakm. There is no trouble, it is true in fitting 
 down , but there is a great deal in fhaking off the duft of 
 earthly affections, and in rifing from the fleep of fin. 
 This is what we muft do before we are to think of en- 
 joying the reft, which the Prophet means, byjttting down. 
 
 5. It is likewife true, that GOD has great comforts in 
 ftore for thofe that work hard, and for all fuch as have 
 parted with the pleafures of this world, for thofe of 
 heaven, But unlefs this exchange be made, and if man 
 will not let go what he holds, he may allure himfelf, 
 this refremment will not be granted him. For we 
 know the children of Ifrael had not manna given them 
 in the wildernefs, till they had' fpent all the flower they 
 carried out of Egypt. 
 
 6. But to come home to our fubject , thofe perfons 
 who will not arm themfelves with this fortitude, muft 
 account upon what they look for as loft, and never think 
 of finding it unlefs they change their affections and al- 
 ter their ways of proceeding. They may be aflured that 
 reft is purchafed by labour, the victory by fighting, joy 
 by tears, and the moft delightful love of GOD by felf- 
 hatred. This is the reafon why lazinefs and floth are fo 
 often condemned in the Proverbs -, whereas fortitude and 
 diligence are fo highly commended, as we have fhown 
 elfewhere (2); for the Holy Ghoft, who is the author of 
 this doctrine, knew very well, that the one was no fmall 
 hindrance to virtue, and the other forwarded it as much: 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the means of acquiring this fortitude. 
 
 7. You will afk me perhaps what are the means for 
 obtaining of this fortitude, which is no lefs than other 
 virtues. For, the Wife Man had reafon to begin his 
 
 alphabet 
 (i) Ifaiah, c. lii. v. 2. (2) Treatife of Prayer, p. 2. c. 2. . 2.
 
 fart. II. Ch. 10. Of Fortitude. 549 
 
 alphabet that is fo full of divine inftrucYions, with this 
 fentence * : Who Jhall find a valiant woman ? the price of 
 her is of things brought from afar off, and from the utter- 
 moft coajls. What means then muft we ufe to find out fo 
 ineftimable a thing as this is ? we muft firft confider what 
 this value is ; becaufe, that which contributes to the pur- 
 chafing fo immenfe a treafure, as that of virtue is, muft 
 certainly itfelf be of no fmall efteem. For what can be 
 the reafon why worldly men fly fo faft from virtue, but 
 the difficulty cowards and lazy perfons find in it ? The 
 flothful man fays-f: There is a lion without-, I Jhall be 
 Jlain in the mid [I of the ftr sets. And the fame Wife Man 
 fays in another place J : The fool foldetb his hands toge- 
 ther^ better is a handful with reft, than both hands full 
 with labour and -vexation of mind. Since therefore there 
 is nothing that frights us from virtue but the difficulty 
 of it, if we can gather ftrength to overcome this diffi- 
 culty, the conqueft of the whole kingdom of virtues fol- 
 lows. Is there any man that will not take courage, and 
 endeavour to acquire this fortitude, upon the acquifition 
 of which, depends the making ourfelves mafters of the 
 kingdom of virtue, and confequently of that of heaven j 
 which is to be gained by thole only that ufe violence ||. 
 This fame fortitude overcomes felf-love, with all its af- 
 fiftants ; and when once we have routed this^ enemy, the 
 love of GOD, or to fpeak more properly, GOD himfelf 
 comes in its place. Since, according to St. John j He 
 that remains in charity r , remains in God. 
 
 8. Another thing that is a great help to us, is the 
 good example of fo many holy men as are in the world, 
 poor, naked, bare-foot, pale, and worn out with watch- 
 ing and fading, and deprived of all the conveniencies 
 of this life. Some of whom are fo defirous of labours 
 and mortifications, and fo much in love with them ; 
 that, as merchants run to great fairs, and fcholars to 
 the moft flouriming univerfities -, fo they run up and 
 down from monaftery to monaftery, from province ro 
 province, in fearch of greater aufterities and rigours v 
 where they find no food, but hunger, no riches, but po- 
 Z z z verty -, 
 
 * Prov. c. xxxi. v. 10. fProv. c. xxii. v. 13. J Eccl. 
 c. iv. v, 5. 6". || Matt, c. xi. v. 12.
 
 550 The Sinners Guide. Book IT. 
 
 verty ; no cafe, but the crofs, and perpetual macerations. 
 What can be more oppofite to the practice of the 
 world, and to the inclinations of the greater part of 
 mankind, than for a man to go into flrange countries^ 
 to find out a way to fuffer more hunger, to be poorer, 
 worfe cloached, and more naked than he was before ? 
 this certainly is repugnant to fiefli and blood, but ex- 
 tremely confonant to the fpirit of GOD. 
 
 o. But what condemns our eafe moft, is the example 
 of fo many martyrs, who have undergone fuch different 
 and cruel kinds of deaths, for the purchafing of the 
 kingdom of heaven. There is not a day pafles by in the 
 whole year, but we have the examples of fome of them, 
 fet before us by the church ; not only to celebrate their 
 memories, by the feafts it inftitutes in honour of them, 
 but to profit by imitation of thofe virtues, they were fo 
 famous for. One day we have the example of a martyr 
 that was broiled , another day, of one that was flead 
 alive , another day, of one that was thrown into the fea ; 
 another, of one that was caft down headlong from a rock -, 
 another, of one that had his flefti torn off with red hot 
 pincers j another, of one that was pulled limb from limb ; 
 another, of one that was cut as it were in furrows , ano- 
 ther, of one that was fhot to death with arrows , another, 
 cf one that was boiled in a cauldron of oil j with an in- 
 finity of other torments they were put to. Nay, feveral 
 of them have undergone, not one fort of torment only, 
 but all that human nature could poffibly fuffer. How 
 many have been carried from prifon to the whipping- 
 poll, from the whipping-poft to the flake, from thence to 
 be torn with iron hooks, and after all, have died by the 
 fword ; which was very often the only inftrument that 
 could take their lives away ; but yet could not hurt 
 their faith, nor daunt their courage. 
 
 10. What fhall J fay of the cruel devices and inven- 
 tions, not of men but'of devils, to attack the faith and 
 fortitude of the fpirits by the torture of the bodies. 
 Some after having been barbaroufly flafhed and wounded, 
 were laid upon beds of nettles and lharp pieces of tiles 
 and Hones , that whilft they lay there, all the parts of 
 their bodies might be wounded at once, and that no 
 
 member
 
 Part. II. Ch. io. Of Fortitude. 551 
 
 member might be free from pain, and their faith be thus 
 affaulted by an army of unheard of torments. Others 
 they made walk barefoot over hot coals, and tied others 
 to wild horfes tails, and fo dragged them through briars 
 and over flint-ftones. They had a dreadful invention 
 for others, of a wheel that was covered all over with 
 fharp rafors, that fo the body that was fattened to it, 
 might upon the motion of the wheel be cut to pieces by 
 the rows of rafors fet in it. Others were ftretched out 
 upon wooden horfes ; and as they lay in this poflure 
 with their bodies tied faft down, the executioner made 
 great furrows in their flem, from head to foot, with iron 
 hooks. Nor could the cruelty of thofe tyrants be fa- 
 tisfied with fuch barbarous torments -, their fury made 
 them invent another ftrange one, which was, to bend 
 down the branches of two great trees with all the force 
 they could, and to tie the martyrs to them, by the feet, 
 that fo flying up again with more violence, they might 
 pull the body of the faint into two pieces, and each 
 branch carry one half along with it. There was a certain 
 martyr in Nicornedia, and afterwards a great many were 
 put to the fame kinds of torments, that had been whipped 
 fo barbaroufly, that not only his (kin but the greateft 
 part of his flem was torn off, fo that his very bones might 
 be feen through holes they had made with their whips : 
 when they had done this, they waflied his wounds with 
 vinegar, and fprinkled them over with fait ; and not 
 thinking this enough, be^ufe they faw that the faint 
 was not dead yet, they laid him along upon a gridiron 
 over a fire, and there turned him from one fide to the 
 other with iron forks, till the holy body being fcorched 
 and broiled, the foul left it and went immediately to 
 GOD. Thus death itfelf, which is faid to be of all 
 things the moft terrible, has been in fome manner out- 
 done by thefe barbarous tormentors j becaufe their de- 
 fign was not fo much to kill, as to torture, by inflicYmg 
 the moft cruel pains they could think of, fo as to force 
 the foul to leave the body by the extremity of the iuf- 
 ferings it endured, though they had received no wounds 
 that were mortal. 
 
 Z z z 2 * J Thefe
 
 552 We Sinners Guide. Book II. 
 
 ii. Thefe martyrs had the fame kind of bodies that 
 we have ; the fubftance was the fame ; the compofition 
 the fame ; and the fame GOD which affifted them, will 
 likewife aflift us. Nor was the glory they expected, dif- 
 ferent from that which we look for. Now if thefe per- 
 fons underwent fuch fevere torments, and fuch cruel 
 deaths for obtaining of eternal life , mail we refufe to 
 mortify the irregular defires of our flefti, for the fame 
 end ? mall we grudge to faft one day, when thefe holy 
 men have died for hunger ? why mail we think it much 
 to fay a few prayers upon our knees with devotion, when 
 we fee thefe faints have continued to pray for their ene- 
 mies, though they were nailed to the crofs ? Why mall 
 we be unwilling to mortify and retrench our defires and 
 paffions a little, when thefe perfons have fo chearfully 
 given their limbs to be cut and torn in pieces ? why 
 fhould we be againft the taking of a little time every 
 day, to retire ourfelves into our clofets, to meditate 
 there, when thefe men have been mut up fo long in dark 
 prifons and dungeons j and, if thefe, in fine, have held 
 clown their back to be ploughed up and furrowed, why 
 fhall we grudge to take a difcipline now and then upon 
 ours, for the love of Chrift. 
 
 12. But if thefe examples cannot move us, let us lift 
 up our eyes towards the iacred wood of the crofs ; let us 
 confider, who it is that hangs upon it, in the greateft 
 pain and torment imaginable, for the love of us * : 
 For think diligently upon him that enduretb fucb cppojition 
 frcmfmners againft himfelf; that you be not wearied^ faint- 
 ing in your minds. This is a furprifing example, take it 
 which way you will. For if you confider his fufierings, 
 they could not have pofllbly been greater ; if the perfon 
 that fufFered them, there can be no greater or nobler ; if 
 the reafon of his fufFering, you will find it was for no 
 crime of his own, he being innocence itfelf ; nor for any 
 neceffity he was in, becaufe he is Lord of all created 
 beings. It was only an effect of pure goodnefs and love. 
 And notwithftanding his being fo great, he underwent 
 fuch bitter torments, both in his body and in his foul, 
 that all the fufferings of the martyrs together, are not 
 fit to be put into the balance with them. His torments 
 *-Heb. c. xii. v. 3. were
 
 Part II. Ch. 10. Of Fortitude. 
 
 were fuch that the very heavens were aftonifhed at them j 
 the earth (hook, the rocks were rent afunder; and the 
 naoft fenfelefs beings were fenfible of them. And can 
 man then alone be fo hard as not to be wrought upon by 
 that, which moved the very elements, and can he be fo 
 ungrateful, as not to copy fomething from him, who came 
 into the world to give him an example ? for this reafon 
 as our Saviour himfelf faid (i) : Ought not Chrijl to have 
 Juffered tbefe things, and fo enter into his glory ? For after his 
 coming into the world, to conduct us to heaven, which 
 was to be done by the way of the crofs, it was convenient 
 that he himfelf mould be crucified the firft, that fo the 
 fervant feeing the matter fo ill dealt with, might have 
 the better courage to fuffer. 
 
 13. Who then can be fo ungrateful, fo delicate, fo 
 proud, or fo impudent, as to defire to go to heaven by 
 living at his eafe and pleafure, when he fees the Lord 
 of Majefty with all his friends and followers, take fo 
 much pains to get thither ? King David commanded 
 Urias, after his coming from the camp, to take his eafe 
 and refrefh himfelf at his own houfe, and to fup with his 
 wife ; but the loyal fubject replied (2) : The ark of God, 
 and Ifrael and Judah dwell in their tents ; and my Lord 
 Joab, and the fervants of my Lord abide upon the face of 
 the earth : andjball I go into my houfe, to eat and to drink, 
 and to Jleep with my wife ? by thy welfare and by the wel- 
 fare of thy foul I will not do this thing. O true and faith- 
 ful fervant, who was as worthy of praife, as you was un- 
 worthy of death. How can you, O Chriftian, chufe but 
 have the fame refpeft for your Lord, when you fee him 
 ftretched out on the crofs ? the ark of GOD that is made 
 of incorruptible cedar, undergoes torments, and death 
 itfelf; and do you feek your own eafe and pleafure? 
 this ark, in which the hidden manna was kept, which is 
 the bread of angels, drank gall and vinegar for you, and 
 do you hunt after your fweet morfels and delicacies ? 
 this ark, in which the tables of the law were kept, which 
 are all the treafures of the wifdom and knowledge of 
 GOD, is defpifed, and efteemed no better than folly 
 and do you aim at nothing lefs than honour and praiie ? 
 But if the example of this myftical ark is .not fuiiicient 
 
 (i) Luc. xxiv. v. 26, (z)2Reg. c. xi, v. ii, to
 
 tte Sinnen Guide. Book IF. 
 
 to confound you ; take with it the patterns and the fuf- 
 ferings of fo many faints, of fo many prophets, martyrs, 
 confeffors and virgins, who have undergone fuch pains 
 and torments, and have lived in fuch rigors and auile- 
 rities. The apoftle gives us a ihort view of their fufTer- 
 ings in thefe words * : And others had trial of mockeries 
 andftripes, moreover alfo of bands and prijons; they were 
 jtoned, they were cut afunder, they were tempted, they were 
 put to death by the fword, they wandered about m Jheep-Jkins, 
 in goat-Jkins, in being in want, diftreJJ'ed, ajflifled, of whom the 
 world was not worthy -, wandering in deferts, in mountains, and 
 in dens, and in caves of the earth. And yet amidft all thefe 
 miferies, they remained unfhaken and conftant in theirfaith. 
 
 14. If the faints led fuch lives, and if what is much 
 more yet, the faint of faints himfelf lived no otherwife ; 
 I cannot fee what privilege they claim, nor what they 
 propofe to themfelves, who think of going where thefe 
 are now, in a road of delights and pleafure. If therefore 
 you defire to mare with them in their glory ; you muft 
 \vhilil you are here, partake of their labours ; if you in- 
 tend to reign with them hereafter, you muft refolve upon 
 nothing lels than fuffering with them now. 
 
 15. What I have here laid, is, to exhort you to this 
 noble virtue of fortitude, that fo you may imitate that 
 holy ioul, of whom Solomon has given us this commen^ 
 dation , She hath girded her loins with ftrength, and hath 
 ftrengthened her arms -f. I will conclude this chapter and 
 the doctrine of this fecond book, with that excellent fen- 
 tence of our Saviour : If any man will come after me, let 
 him deny himfelf, and take up his crofs daily, and follow 
 we J. Our divine matter has here given us an abridg- 
 ment, in a few words of the whole doctrine of the gof- 
 pel, the defign of which is, the forming of a perfect and 
 an evangelical man , who though he enjoys a kind of 
 paradife within,, is nevertherlefs continually ftretched 
 upon a crofs without, fo that the fweetnefs of the one 
 tempers the bitternefs of the other ; and the pleafure he 
 finds in the one, makes him willingly embrace the toils 
 and hardfaips, he is to expect from the other. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 *Heb.c.xi. v.36,.&c, f Prov.c.xxxi, v.iy. jLuc.c, ix. v.34.
 
 The CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK!. PARTI. 
 
 CHAP. i. Of the firjl motive that obliges us to virtue, andthefef- 
 vice of God, which is his being, conftdered in it j elf, and of the 
 
 excellency of his divine perfection. Page 3. 
 
 Chap. 2- Of the fecond motive that obliges us to virtue and the fervice 
 
 of God, which is the benefit of our creation. \ ? 
 
 Chap. 3 Of the third motive that obliges us to ferve God, which is the 
 
 benefit of our prefervation and direli,n. . 21 
 
 Chap. 4 Of the fourth motive that obliges us to the purfuit of vittue y 
 
 which is the inejlimable benefit of our redemption -TI 
 
 Chap. 5. Of the fifth motive that obliges us to virtue, which is the 
 
 benefit of our juft ificati on, 43 
 
 Chap. 6. Of the fixth motive that obliges us to the love of virtue , which 
 
 is the benefit of divine predeftination. 57 
 
 Chap. 7. Of the fcventh motive that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue^ 
 
 which is death) the fir ft of the four la ft things. 68 
 
 Chap. 8. Of the eighth motive that obliges us to tbe purfuit of virtue^ 
 
 which is the loft judgment, the fecond of the laft four things. 75 
 Chap. 9. Of the ninth motive that obliges us to virtue, which is h^aven^ 
 
 the third of the four laft things. 84 
 
 Chap. I o. Of the tenth motive that obliges us to the love of virtue, which 
 
 is the faurtb of the four laft things, viz. The pains of hell, 06 
 
 BOOK I. PART II. 
 
 CHap. I. Of the eleventh motive that obliges us to the purfuit ef vir- 
 tue, tvhich is t he ineftimable advantages promifed it in this life. 1 1 r 
 
 Chap. 2. Of the twelfth motive that obliges us to the purfuit of virtue^ 
 which is the particular care Divine Providence takes ef the good, in 
 order to make them happy, and the feverity with which the fame Pro- 
 vidence punijhes the wicked. The firft privilege. 122 
 
 Chap. 3. Of the fecond privilege of virtue, viz. The grace of the 
 Holy Ghoft btftoived upon bo/v men. 1 37 
 
 Chap. 4. Of the third privihge of virtue, to wit, fupernatural light 
 and knowledge. 141 
 
 Chap. 5. Of the fourth privilege of virtue, viz. The confutations gotd 
 men receive from the Holy Ghoft. 150 
 
 Chap. 6. Of the fifth privilege of virtue, viz. the peace of confcisnce which 
 the juft enjoy, and of the irtwut d remofe that torments the wicked. 1 66 
 
 Chap. 7. Of the fixth privilege of virtue t viz. Tht hopes the juft have 
 in God's mercy, and of the vain confident . if the wicked. 176 
 
 Chap. 8. Of the feventh privilege of virtue: the true liberty the virtuous en- 
 joy, and of the miferable and unaccountable /Javery the wicked live in. 185 
 
 Chap'. 9. Of the eighth privilege of virtue, viz. The inward peace and 
 calm the virtuous enjoy, and of the mijcrable reftlejjnefs and diftur 
 bance the wicked feel within them/elves. 227 
 
 Chap. 10. Of the ninth privilege of virtue, viz. That Gcd hears l\>e 
 prayers of the juft, and rejetfs thofe of the wicked. 239 
 
 Chap. 1 1. Of the tenth privilege of virtut, which is the ajjiftance gstct 
 men receive from God in thin <i]jllftions t and of the impatience on thr
 
 The CONTENTS. 
 
 contrary, with which the wicked fujfer theirs. Page 246 
 
 Chap. 12. Of the eleventh privilege if virtue, which is the care God 
 
 takes to fupply the temporal necejjitigs of the juft. 256 
 
 Chap. 1 3. The twelfth privilege of virtue, which it the quiet and happy death 
 
 of the virtuous, and on the contrary, the deplorable end of the wicked. 2 6 1 
 B O O K I. PART III. 
 
 CHap. i. Againjl the fir ft excufe of thofe who defer changing their 
 lives, and advancing in virtue, till antther time. 284 
 
 Chap. 2. Again/I per fans who defer penance till the hour of death 297 
 Chap. 3. Againjl thofe who continue in their fins, confiding in the mercy 
 of God. 316 
 
 Chap. 4. Againfi thofe perfons who excufe themfelves from following 
 virtue, by faying the way to it is rough and uneafy 334 
 
 Chap. 5. jfgainft thofe who refuje to walk in the way of virtue, becauje 
 they love the wsrld. 355 
 
 Chap. 6. The conclusion of all that is contained in the firfl book. 
 B O O K II. PARTI 
 
 CHap. I. Of the firm refolution * good Chriftian is to make t never 
 to commit any mortal Jin. . 388 
 
 Chap. 2. Remedies again/} pride. 393 
 
 Chap. 3. Remedies againjl covetoufnefe. 403 
 
 Chap. 4. Remedies againji impurity. 411 
 
 Chap. 5. Remedies again/I envy. 421 
 
 Chap. 6. Remedies againji gluttony. 426 
 
 Chap. 7. Remedies again/1 anger, and the hatred and enmities which 
 arife from it. 429 
 
 Chap. 8. Remedies againftjloth. 435 
 
 Chap. 9. Of fome ether fins which every good Cbriflian muji endea- 
 vour to avoid. 440 
 Chap. 10. Of venial fins. 448 
 Chap. II. Of fome other Jhorter remedies again fl all forts of Jins, but 
 particularly thofe feven called capital* 450 
 B O O K II. . P A R T II. 
 
 CHap. i. Of three kinds of virtues, wherein confifts tbefullncfs of 
 alljujlice* 458 
 
 Chap. 2. Of man's duty to himfeJf. 459 
 
 Chap. 3. Of man's duty towards biT neighbour 486 
 
 Chap. 4. Of man's duty to God. 492 
 
 Chap. 5. Of the obligations of particular Jt ate s and callings. 513 
 
 Chap. 6. Firft advice upon the ejleem we are to have of the different 
 
 virtues, for the better underjianding the rule of a good life. 517 
 Chap. 7. Of the four necejjitry inftruttions that follow this doftrtine. 523 
 Chap. 8. A fecond advice upon the different ways of living that fa e in 
 
 the church. .. .- 535 
 
 Chap. 9. The third advice, of the vigilance and care every Virtuous 
 
 man ought to live with ,543 
 
 Chap. 10. The fourth advice, of the fortitude requifitefor the oltain- 
 
 ing of virtue. 546
 
 wan 
 
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