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The fift Meditation, for Friday: of the vanitie of the glory, and magnificence of this world

THE Prophet Baruch, detecting and laying open the great and intollerable mockerie of vaine glory and riches, and the subtile deceits of this worlde, in the third chapter of his prophecie sayth; Where are the Princes of the Heathen, and such as ruled the beastes vppon the Earth?1 They that had their pastime with the foules of heauen, and hoarded vp siluer and golde, wherein men trust, and made none end of their gathering? For they that coyned siluer, and were so carefull of their worke, and whose inuention had none end, are come to naught, and gone downe to hell, and other men are come vp in their steades. Where are the inuincible victors, and heroicke conquerours of Coutries, who by theyr conquests purchased such tryumphs, and by their riches prepared such magnificent feastes and banquettes? Where are the Emperours and Captaynes of huge Armies? Where are the managers & tamers of horses and other creatures? where are the Iudges, tyrants, & great theeues of the world? they are now nothing but dust and ashes. Looke and looke againe, looke I say into theyr Sepulchers, whether this is a rich man, or that a poore man? Whether this man is valiant, or that man faint-harted? tosse & turn ouer their bones, distinguish if thou canst a rich man from a poore man, a valiant man frō a coward, a beautifull man from him that is deformed. Wherfore my brother, let vs be wise at the last, being admonished by this Scripture: and let vs assuredly perswade our selues that all mans glory, whence soeuer it commeth, is to be auoided of vs.2 First: because of his owne nature it is vile: secondly, because it is deceitfull in his promises: thirdly, because it is vaine, brickle, frayle, fleeting and momentany: fourthly, because it is euill and malicious in rendering a reward. First I say, that mans glory is to be eschewed, because of his owne nature and condition is vile and base; as it is manifest in the first booke of the Macchabees, where Mattathias dying sayth to his Sonnes; Feare not yee the wordes of a sinfull man;3 for his glory is but dong and wormes. What in this world is more filthy thē dong? What more vile then wormes? Therefore if all mans glorie consisteth in dong, it is not to be desired, but auoyded. Mans glorie,4 as the Phylosopher sayth, is as corruption and the rottennesse of wood. Which thing also experience teacheth vs: for as the little worme Teredo, that eateth wood, in the night shyneth, and maketh a crackling, but in the day time is knowne to bee a worme & putrefaction: so also vayne glory shineth and glittereth with great pompe in the night of this world to weak & dimme eyes, which cannot iudge but by outward appearances. But when that cleare and bright day of iudgement shall come, wherein God shall reueale the darkest and obscurest thinges of our soules, and shall manifest the secret counsailes of our harts: then those, that seemed happy and glorious, shall be knowne to be filthy, vile, and without any hope of saluation. Wherefore these mighty mē are like vnto Owls, which flying in the darke doe seeme to cast some light from them, but when the day ariseth they show blacke, as they are. If these gloriosoes had eyes to looke into theyr most vile riches, and to behold the stinch and corruption of their owne flesh, which shall be turned into ashes, they that are nowe swelled and puffed vp, and doe despise others, through the noblenes of their birth, theyr power and dignity, should well perceaue howe abiect, base, blacke, and corrupt they are. Wherefore I cannot be induced, to thinke otherwise, but that if they would deeply consider and weigh these thinges, they would presently cast out of their harts al the earthly glory of this world:5 knowing, as Hierome saith, that it is impossible, that any one should be happy in both worlds, and appeare glorious both in heauen, and in earth.

Secondly,6 the glory of thys world (as we sayde) is to be eschewed, because it is fraile, and without any cōstancy or foundation: therfore it is like vnto a smoke, or a vapour, which the higher that it is lifted, the lesse it is seene: and to a flower of a good sent and fairenes, which a little Sun-shyne dooth dry vp in a short time; is withered with a little blast of wind, and dooth loose all the beauty and fragrancy. Such is the glory of the world, of which Esaias sayde: All flesh is grasse, and all the grace and glory thereof is as the flower of the field.7 The grasse withereth, the flower fadeth, and the glorie thereof passeth away. Such are the louers of thys temporall momentany glory: worthily compared to grasse, which groweth on the topps of houses to day greene, and to morrow not seene. Wherefore the Wiseman sayth:8 All power is of short continuance; and hee that is a King to day, to morrow is dead. Tell me where is the power and glory of King Assuerus, who gouerned an hundred and twenty prouinces? Where is the glorie of great Alexander, at whose presence the whole earth was husht,9 to whom all Kings and Tyrants payed tribute, as it is in the first Booke of the Macchabees? Where is the glorie of that great Empyre, by which he conquered and subdued vnder him almost all the Kingdomes of the worlde? Where are all the Princes and Potentates of the world, who raigned ouer both man and beast? They are passed and gone away, as a straunger or a Soiournour that tarryeth but for one day. Trulie not one of them remaineth, all their dayes were spente in vanitie, and theyr yeares swiftly posted away.

Death feareth no man: it swepeth all away without any difference or partiality: it is a fierce cruell beast, that spareth not any body, it taketh away both the king and the begger, and maketh all equal & alike.

Thirdly,10 the glory of thys world is to be auoided, because it is deceitfull, and dooth performe none of those thinges it promiseth, but deceaueth all men in this life. Which of the Princes, and Emperours hath it not deluded, promising vnto them long life, peaceable honours, a quiet empire, when as it cannot prolong mans lyfe one houre? Who in earthly glory was lyke vnto Alexander, who was neuer subdued in any warre, who alwayes triumphed ouer his enemies, who ouerthrew huge hoasts with a litle army, who neuer besieged Citty, but he tooke it, neyther was there any prouince, which did not obey his Empire? But now when he seemed an absolute conquerour, and purposed to passe the rest of his time in peace and tranquillity, hee was on a suddaine poysoned. Tell mee why doest thou follow and hunt after the glory of the world, which cannot succour thee in death?

Fourthly (as I said) humaine glory and applause is to be auoyded and eschewed,11 because it is a very euill and naughty pay-mayster: for it promiseth glory, and payeth euerlasting perdition, and eternall confusion. Wherfore the Lord saith by the Prophet; I will turne their glory into shame. 12 So theyr strength shall bee turned into weakenes, their wisedome into foolishnes, and their pleasures into punishments. For according to the quantity of the falt, shall be the quantity of the punishment, which they shall be tormented with. Heereupon Saint Hierome speaketh thus to the louers of this fleeting and deceitfull world; Woe bee vnto you miserable wretches, who endeuour to goe to heauen by the way of riches and pleasures, and vnderstand not what our Sauiour sayth: That it is easier for a cammell to goe through the eye of a needle,13 then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen. Remember that this is a Diuine sentence, and the words of him who sayth; Heauen and earth shall passe, but my words shall not passe. O miserable wretches, and more inconstant then any wind; howle & mourne; who are onely great and noble by the benefit of fortune; but in deed are base, abiect and blind with the smoake of vanitie, with deceaueable honours, and false dignities of this worlde. Doe yee not see the shortnes of time, howe death perhaps this might shal cut off the thred of your liues, and that yee shall be tormented for euer in hell, where yee shall alwayes liue, dying without end, yea more dying, then all the men that die in the world? where no rest shall be giuen, but torments shall alwayes liue to reuenge? Where yee shall not onely be tortured with men, but also with deuils? For so much the greater shall thy punishment be there, as thy glory was greater here, & as thou hast liued in greater delicacies and delights. See how our Sauiour, that vnchāgable truth, al whose deeds & words are one instruction, amōg his twelue apostles, whō he choose, would haue but one Bartholomew a noble man, & one Matthew a rich man: hee chose all the other poore men, and fishers: that he might signifie that the noble and rich men of this world, can hardly be saued, and be made worthy of heauen. For if by one onely sinne man became guilty of hell fire: how shall a rich man be saued, desirous and greedy of populer applause, hunting after the fraile and mortall glory of this life, which is none other thing, then a filthy & impure vessell and receite for all sinne, full of pride and luxury, full of couetousnes in the rich, mighty and noble men of this world? These are theeues, that robbe the poore of that they should liue by, who eate vp their labours, killing and treading them vnder theyr feete: when notwithstanding God hath blessed them with great aboundance of wealth, that they therby might nourish the poore, and religiously rule ouer them; who being drowned in riches, and delicats, and swollen with costly meates, seeing the poore before their Pallace gates naked, and perrishing through hunger and cold, doe not stretch out their hands vnto them, neyther are mooued with any pittie: but gyuing themselues wholie to playes, sportings, gamings, feastings, and banquets, vtterly forget the poore, the charge of whom is so often committed and commended vnto thē in the Scriptures▪ neither doe they remember God at any time, except perhaps lightly and by the way cursorily & perfunctorily. Let them certainly perswade themselues, and remember these things, when they shall feele & try them, that a most strict and exact aceount shal be required of them, why they haue not destributed to the poore those things, which were superfluous vnto them: and if they cannot giue an account, nor purge themselues, their soules shall suffer intollerable torments in the deepest pit of hel. O how easily doe they offend, and howe suddainly are they enwrapped in punishment, who doe not consider, howe they must dye, or howe God shall iudge them? O how vncircumspect and vnhappy are they, that do not remēber these thinges, and doe not resist the temptations of the deuil: I dare boldly affirme, that if they did acknowledge God to be their Iudge, & think that they shold die, that they wold not sinne, at the least with so great security, all feare set apart. But now they come to Church, not to heare the diuine word, & to pray, but to see vanity, beuty, & the pride of womē. This is their thought, this their intent, & this their sermon. There they talk & confer, how they may heape riches together: there they dispute of the sundry fashions of apparel: there they inuite one another to feasts & banquets, & to the dishonest delights of gluttony: of whom S Bernard sayth; O wretches what do yee, who before the time do slay your own soules, & corrupt and putrifie your bodies? Tell me, whence comes infirmity, whence groweth the sodaine death of yong men, but of great aboundance of meats, & immoderate venery? Wretched are ye because ye think that ye can delude God, but in truth yee deceaue your selues▪ because yee neglect your soules that yee may pamper your bodies; & so yee destroy them both, before the time appoynted. Your pleasure and reioycing shall continue but that short time, yee liue, but after death your bewaylings and torments shall endure with deuils in hell for euer and euer: there shal be euerlasting shame and confusion: there shal neither be sumptuous banquets, nor delicate wines: there with the rich Glutton, who in thys world fared delicatly, yee shall craue a drop of cold water, and it shall not be giuen vnto you: for there no man gathereth, or reapeth any thing, but that hee hath sown in this world. What then ô miserable man doest thou? Why doest thou not repent? Why doest thou not amend thy life? O hart harder then a rocke, why doest thou linger? Why doest thou deferre repentance for thy sinns? Why doest thou prorogue thy cōuersion? Behold how death commeth, running swiftly to carrie thee away: the deuill standeth ready, to catch thy soule, and the wormes greedily expect thy flesh, which thou hast fatted with so fine cates, that they may haue more aboundant and more toothsom foode. Doth not that horrible and fearefull day of iudgment come into thy mind, in which thou shalt not onely render a most stricte account of thy pride, gluttony, luxury, vayne glory, vanity, and of thy time vnprofitably spent; but also of euery idle word? Beware that thou fall not into that dreadful condemnation, which the Son of God not now a Lambe, but a Lyon shal pronounce against the cursed,14 saying: Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire, which is prepared for the deuill and his angels. Beholde, sayth Bernard, ô thou worldly sinner, how farre thou wanderest out of the way, if in this world thou seekest for honours, pleasures, and glory: for thou shalt neuer finde that heere, which may satisfie thee. If thou desirest true ioy and true glory, endeuour and labour to goe to heauen by the right way; wher the ioyes are truer and better, then euer eye hath seene, or eare hath heard, or hath at any time entred into the heart of man; I pray thee for those eternall and euerlasting ioyes, neglect and basely account of these transitory and momentary pleasures.

But what shall wee say of them, who can neyther be induced by the feare or loue of GOD, nor by the terrour of death, nor by the horrour of hellish tormentes, to forsake theyr sinnes, yea, whom it repenteth that that they haue not power and abilitie to liue as wickedly as they would, that they might satisfie theyr lustes in all thinges? O miserable wretches, yee laugh in this world, but yee shall weepe in the other. Woe bee vnto you, who desire momentanie and fading pleasures, because yee shall suffer greate and euerlasting torments. A lyttle tyme yet remayneth: fill vppe the measure of your iniquityes and miseries, that the indignation of GOD may bee more plentifullie powred downe vppon you. Reioyce a lyttle, giue ouer your selues to tryflings, to toies, fables, sportings, lyes, contentions, and enmities, and let no time passe you in vaine. What doe yee? Scrape together for your children riches, honours, and dominions: purchase nobility & renowne for them, that they may doe that, which yee left to doe, and finish, what yee began: that yee together with them may be tortured with greater torments.

But some man may say:15 God is bountifull, gracious & mercifull, hee receaueth euery sinner that turnes to him with all his hart, and he pardoneth all their faults.16 True it is my brother, he is more mercifull, then thou supposest, when he so patiently suffereth sinners, and so mercifully granteth thē space to repent in, that they may amend themselues: and if they returne vnto him, he graciously receaueth them.

But I would haue thee to know, that as he is mercifull in suffering, expecting, and pardoning: so he is iust in correcting and punishing. If thou shalt say: Albeit a man sinne all his life time▪ neither doe any good at all, if hee repent at the very point & instance of death God will forgiue him all hys sinnes. O my brother, howe vaine is this comfort?17 Howe false & deceitfull is this cogitation? for of an hundred thousand sinners, that defer their repētance to the houre of death, scarsely one is saued, and obtaineth remission of his sinnes. A man borne in sinne, neuer lyuing according to the lawe of the Lord, without the knowledge of him, neuer willing to heare the worde of God, not knowing what sinne is or what repentance is, drowned in the businesses and cares of thys world: afflicted with the loue of his children, whom hee leaueth: with the griefe of his riches, which he forsaketh: tormented without hope euer to enioy them again, what repentance can he make: who if any hope of longer life or recouery did appeare vnto him, would not be any whit carefull for repentance? Of which I inferre, that hee that in his youth, and whilst hee is whole and sound, neither feareth, nor blusheth to offend God, is vnwoorthy to haue his sinns forgiuen him in the agony of death.18 For tell me what repentance is that, which a man maketh, when he plainly seeth, that he can liue no longer? yea, who would liue more dissolutly, then he did before, if hee should recouer his former health? Truly I my selfe haue seene very few rich men, who haue repented at the houre of death, and recouering agayne bodilie health, haue not afterwardes beene woorse in theyr soules, then they were before. This I am assured and altogether perswaded of, and I haue learned it by long experience and obseruation, that they that alwayes sinne without anie feare, and neuer in health will sette sinne at defiance, nor renounce theyr pleasures, that they sildome and very hardlie haue an happy ende, as sayth Saint Hierome. Wherefore my Brother, if thou hast any discretion, or if there bee anie light of reason within thee, despise and forsake the riches, honours, and glorie of this world, for his sake who created thee, and who is ascended aboue all things. What shall it profit thee, if thou gainest the whole world, and loosest thy soule? I knowe assuredly that the honours and glory of this world are impediments of grace, and that which is worse, hinderers of eternall saluation. For it is no where reade, that euer any man passed vnto eternall glory by the pleasures and delights of this world. O howe vaine and false is the glory, which men hunt after, and desire one of another, and not of God? He that desireth to be preferred before all men, it is to bee feared, least the higher hee ascends, the greater will bee his fall. That Angell, was a Cittizen and an inhabitant of heauen, who said; I will ascend into heauen,19 & exalt my throne aboue beside the starres of God: I will sitte also vppon the mount of the Congregation in the sides of the North. I will ascend aboue the height of the cloudes, and I will bee like the most high: But hee was made a deuill, and fell into the deepest pitte of hell. Therefore it is very well sayde of Saint Augustine; O howe happie is hee, whose heart onelie burneth with a desire of heauenlie glorie? Who is not puffed vp in prosperitie, nor cast downe in aduersitie? Who as hee hath nothing in the worlde, that hee loueth, so hee hath nothing that hee feareth? What other thing is the glory of this worlde, but a tickling of the eares? O how cursed is he, sayth Anselmus, and ingratefull, that seeketh for the glorie of thys worlde? No honour is gotte without trouble, no dignitie without disturbance, no highnes without vanity. Wherfore, my brother, if thou wouldest weightily consider of the great danger, that followeth worldly glorie, without doubt thou wouldest shunne and flie from all the vanity of this worlde: and thou wouldest onely desire to enioy that celestiall beatitude, which all the Saintes haue obtayned by so great labours and afflictions, and now doe enioy with greater reioycing.

Footnotes

  1. Baruch, 3, ↩

  2. Why worldly felicity is to be eschewed. ↩

  3. 1, Macca. 2. ↩

  4. A simily. ↩

  5. In an Epistle to Iulia. chap. 4. ↩

  6. The glory of ye world is vnconstant. ↩

  7. Esay, 40. ↩

  8. Ecclesiasticus, 10. ↩

  9. 1, Maccha. 1 ↩

  10. The glory of ye world is deceitfull. ↩

  11. The glory of ye world is euill and malicious in retribution. ↩

  12. Ose, 4. ↩

  13. Math. 19. ↩

  14. Math. 25. ↩

  15. An obiection. ↩

  16. The aunswer. ↩

  17. How dangerous it is to defer repentance to the houre of death. ↩

  18. Late repentance sildom true. ↩

  19. Esay, 14. ↩

Chapter 7 of 12