The.xviii. Chapter. Of the deuil named Negotiū that is toyvit, busines vvalking about in the darkne •

THe prophet saith in y• said psalme. Qui habitat in adiutorio altissimi, in protectione dei c[…]li commorabitur Scuto […]ircundabit te veritas eiu[…], no[…] timebis. &c. A negotio per ambulante intenebris. He that dwelleth in ye faithful hope of gods helpe, he shal abide in ye protecciō or safegard of ye god of heauen, & thou y• art such one, shal ye truth of him so cōpasse about with a pauice yt thou shalt not be afrayed of ye busines walking about in ye darknesses. Negotium is here Cosin, the name of a deuil yt is euer ful of busines, in temptynge folke to much euil busines: his time of tempting is in ye darknesses, for you wote wel, yt beside the very full night which is ye depe darke, there are two tymes of darknesses. The one ere ye morning waxe light. The other whā ye euenīg waxeth darke. Two times of like maner darknes, are there also in ye soule of mā: ye one ere ye light of grace be wel in ye heart sprōgen vp. The other whā ye light of grace out of ye soule begynneth to walke fast awai. In these two darknesses this deuil yt is called busines, busely walketh aboute, & such fond folke as wil folow him, he carieth about wt him, & setteth thē a worke wt many maner būbling busines […]he setteth I say some to seke ye pleasures of ye flesh, in eatīg, drinkīg and other filthi delite, & some he setteth about ye incessāt s[…]king for these worldly gooddes, & of such busye folke whō this deuil called busines, our sauiour sayth in the gospel: Qui ambulat in ten[…]bris, neslit quo vadit. he that walketh in darkenes wotteth not whither he goeth. And surely in such case are they, for thei neither wote which way thei goe, nor whither. For verely thei walke roūd about, as it were in a roūd[…]mase, […]hē thei wene thēself at an end of their busines, they be but at ye beginning: agayn, goe thei neuer so ful fed to bed, yet euermore on ye morrowe as new be thei to be fed again as thei were the day before. Thus fareth it by the belly, thus fareth it wt those partes yt are beneth ye belli, & as for couetice, fareth like the fyer, ye more wood yt cometh therto, ye more feruēt & ye more gredy it is[…] but now hath this mase a centry or middle place, i[…]to which sūtime thei be cōuaied sodaīl[…] whā they wene they were not yet farre frō ye brinke ye cōtrey or middle place of this mase is hel, & into ye place be these busy folke that with this deuil of busines walke aboute in this busye mase, in the darkenesses, sodainly sometyme conuayed, no thyng ware whither they be goyng, & euen while they wene that thei were not farre walked frō the beginning, & that they had yet a great way to walke aboute before they should come to ye end: but of these steshely folke walking in this pleasaunte busi mase, the Scripture declareth ye ende. Ducunt in bondies suos & in puneto ad inferna descendunt. They leade their life in pleasure, & at a poppe downe they descend into hell. Of the couetouse man sayth. S. Paul. Qui volunt diuites fieri in […]idunt in temptacionem & in laqueum diaboli, & desideria multa in v[…]ilia & nociu[…] que merg[…]nt homines in nteritum & perdicionem. They y• long to be riche doe fal into temptaciō & into y• grinne of ye deuill, and into mani desyres vnprofitable & harmeful, which droūde mē into death & into destrucciō. Lo, here is the middle place of thys busy mase, ye grinne of ye deuill, the place of perdicion & destrucciō, y• thei fall and be caught and drounde in ere they be ware. The couetouse riche man also that our sauiour speaketh of in ye gospel, that had so great plenty of corne yt hys barnes would not receyue it[…] but entended to make hys barnes larger, & sayd vnto hymselfe that he woulde make merye many dayes, had went you wote well that he had had a great way yet to walke, but god sayed vnto hym: Stulte, hac noc[…]e tollent a te anim[…]m […]uam, que autem parasti c[…]ius erunt? foole, this night shall they take thy soule from thee, and than all thys good that thou haste gathered, whose shall it be? here you see yt he fel sodeynly into ye depe centry of this busy mase, so yt he was fallē ful & whole therin long ere euer he had went he should haue come nere thereto. Nowe this wote I very well, y• those y• are walking aboute in this busi mase, take not theyr busynes for any tribulacion, and yet are there manye of […]em forweried as sore, & as fore panged & payned therin, theyr pleasures being so shorte, so litl[…] and so fewe, and theyr disple[…] sures & theyr griefes so great, so continual, & so many, that it maketh me thinke vpō a good worshipfull man, which whan he diuers times behelde hys wyfe, what payne she tooke in strayghte binding vp her heere, to make her a fayre large forehead, and with straight bracing in her body to make her middle smale, both twaine to her great payne, for the pride of a litel foolishe praise: he saied vnto her. Forsoth Madame if god geue you not hel, he shal doe you great wrong, for it must nedes be your own of very right: for you bye it very dere, and take verye greate payne therefore. They that nowe […]ye […]n hell for theyr wretched lyuing here. dooe nowe perceiue theyr follye in theyr more payne that they tooke heere for the lesse pleasure. There confesse they nowe theyr folye, and crye out. Lassati sumus in via iniqui[…] […]atis: we haue been wearied in the waye of wyckednes. And yet while they were walking therin, they would not rest thē selfe, but runne on styl in theyr wearines, and put them selfe still vnto more payne and more, for that little pieuishe pleasure, shorte and sone gone, that they tooke all that laboure and payne for, besyde the euerlasting payne that folowed it for theyr farther aduantage after. So helpe me god and none other wyse, but as I verely thinke yt many a man byeth hel here with so much payne, yt he might haue bought heauen with lesse thā the one halfe. But yet as[…] I saye, whyle these fleshly & worldly busy folke are walking about in this round busy mase of the deuil yt is called busines, yt walketh about in these two tymes of darkenesses, theyr wittes are so by ye secret enchaūtemente of ye deuill bewitched, y• they marke not ye great longe miserable wearines & payne yt the deuil maketh them to take and endure about nought, and therefore they take it for no tribulaciō, so that they nede no cumfort: and therfore is it not for theyr sakes that I speake all this, sauing that it maye serue them for counsayle, toward the perceiuing of theyr owne foolishe miserye, thorowe the good helpe of goddes grace beginning to shine vpon them againe. But there are verye good folke & verteouse that are in the daye light of grace, & yet because the deuil tēpteth thē busily to such fleshely delighte, & sith they see plentie of worldly substance fall vnto them, & fele the deuil in likewyse busily about to tempt them to set theyr hearte thervpō, they be sore troubled therwith, & begin to feare thereby that they be not wyth god in the light, but wyth the deuil that ye Prophet calleth N[…]gotiū, that is to saye, busynes, walking about in the two times of darkenesses: howebeit, as I sayd before of those good folke & gracious, that are in the worldly welth of greate power & auctoritie, and therby feare the deuilles arrowe of pride: so say I nowe here againe of these y• stand in dreade of fleshly foule sinne & couetice, sith they be but tēpted therewt & folowe it not albeit yt they doe well to stand euer in moderate feare, lest wt waxing ouer bolde, & setting ye thing ouer lighte, they mighte peraduenture missehap to fal in therto, yet sore to vexe and trouble them selfe with ye feare of losse of gods fauour therefore, is wtout necessitie & not al way without peril. For as I sayed before, it wtdraweth ye mind of a mā farre frō spiritual cōsolacion of the good hope yt he should haue in gods helpe. And as for these temptaciōs, while he yt is tēpted foloweth thē not, the fight against thē serueth a man for matter of merite and reward in heauen, if he not onely flye ye dede[…] ye cōsente & the delectaciō, but also in yt he conueniently maye flye frō al y• ocacions thereof, & this point is in those fleshly tēptaciōs a thingeth to perceiue, & metely playne inough. But in these worldly businesses pertaining vnto couetise, therin is ye thing somewhat more darke, & in ye perceiuing more difficulty, & very great troublouse feare doth there oftētimes arise therof in ye heartes of very good folke, whā the world falleth fast vnto thē, because of ye sore wordes & terryble threates ye god in holy scripture speaketh against those yt are […]iche: as where. S. Paul saith. Qui […]olūt diuites fieri, incidunt in temptacionē & in laqueū Diaboli. They yt wyl be riche, fal into temptaciō, & into the grin of ye deuil, & where our sauiour saith him self. Facilius est camelum per foramē acus quā diui[…]ē intrare in regnū dei. It is more easy for a camel, or as some say (for so Camelus signifieth in ye Greke tōg) for a great cable rope to goe through a nedles eye, thā for a riche man to entre into ye kingdome of god. No meruaile nowe though good folke that feare god take occasion of great drede at so dredeful wordes whan they see ye worldly goodes fal vnto thē, & some stād in doubt whither it be lawful for thē to kepe any goodes or no. But euermore in all those places of scripture, y• hauing of ye worldly goodes is not ye thing yt is rebuked & threatened, but ye a[…]fecciō yt the hauer vnlawfully beareth therto. For where. S. Paul saith. Qui volunt diuites fieri. &c. They yt wil be made riche he speaketh not of ye hauing, but of the will & ye desier & affecciō, & the lōging for it[…] for yt can not be lightly wtout sinne: for ye thinge y• folke sore long for, they will make many shift[…]s to g[…]at, & ieopard thē self therfore, & to declare yt the hauing of riches is not forbyddē […] but ye inordinate affecciō of ye mind sore set therupō: The prophet saith: Diuitie si affl[…]āt nolite cor apponere. If riches flowe vnto you set not your harts therupō. And albeit yt our lord by ye said ensāple of ye camel or ye cable rope, to come throw ye nedles eye, sayde y• it is not onely hard, but also impossible for a riche man to entre into ye kingdome of heauē, yet he declared that though the riche man can not geat into heauen of him self, yet god he sayd can geat hym in wel inough, for vnto mē he said it was […]mpossible, but not vnto god: for vnto god he sayd, al thinges are possible. And yet ouer that he tolde of which maner riche men he meynt yt could not geat into ye kingdome of heauē, saying: Filioli, quā difficile est confidentes in pecuniis in regnum dei introire My babes, howe harde is it for them that put theyr trust and confidence in theyr money, to entre into the kingdome of god?

Vincent. This is I suppose vncle very true, and els god forbidde. For elles were the worlde in a full harde case if euery riche man were in such daunger & peril.

☞Anthony. That were it Cosin in dede, and so I wene is it yet. For I feare me to ye multitude, there be very fewe, but that they longe sore to be riche, & of those yt longe so to be, very fewe reserued also, but that they set theyr heartes very sore thereon.

Vincent. That is Uncle I feare me veri true, but yet not the thinge that I was about to speake of, but the thing yt I would haue saide was this, that I can not wel perceiue (the world being such as it is, & so manye poore people therein) howe any man maye be riche, and kepe him riche without daunger of damnacion therefore. For al the while that he seeth poore people so many that lacke, while him self hath to geue them, and whose necessitie (while he hath wherwith) he is bound in such case of duetye to releue, so farforth that holye Saynte Ambrose sayeth: that who so that dye for defaulte, where we might help them, we kyl them our selfe. I can not see but that euery riche man hathe great cause to stande in great feare of damnaciō, nor I can not perceiue as I saie, howe he can be deliuered of that feare as long as he kepeth his riches, and therfore though he mighte kepe hys riches, if there lacked poore men, & yet stand in goddes fauour therewith, as Abraham dyd, and many an other holy riche mā since: yet it such aboundance of poore mē as there be nowe in euery countrey any man that kepeth any ryches, it muste nedes be, that he hath an inordynate affeccion thereunto, while he geueth it not out vnto the poore nedy persōs, yt the duety of charitie bindeth & straineth him to. And thus Uncle in thys worlde at this day, me semeth your comforte vnto good men that are riche, & troubled wyth […]eare of damnacion for the keping can very scantly serue.

☞Antony. Harde is it Cosin in many maner thinges, to bydde or forbydde, affyrme or denye, reproue or allowe, a matter nakedly proponed and put forth, or precisely to saye, this thing is good or this thing is nought, wythout consideraciō of the circumstaunces. Holy Saint Austen telleth of a phisiciō that gaue a man a medicine in a certaine disease, that holpe him: the selfe same man at an other tyme in the selfe same dysease, […]ooke the selfe same medicine him selfe, and had thereof more harme than good: whiche thinge whē he shewed vnto the phisicion, & asked hym wherof that harme shoulde hap, that medicine, quod he, did the no good but harme, because thou tookest it when I gaue it the not. This answere. S. Austen very well alloweth, for ye though ye medicine were one, yet might there be peraduenture in the sicknes, some suche dyfferēce, as ye pacient perceiued not, yea or in the mā him self, or in the place, or in ye time of ye yere: many thinges might make the let, for whiche the phisicion would not than ha[…] geuen him the selfe same medicine that he gaue him before, to peruse euery circūstance yt might Cosin in this matter be touched, & were to be considered & waighed, would in dede make this parte of thi[…] deuil of busines a very busy piece of worke, & a lōg: but I shall a litle open the point that you speake of, and shall shewe you what I thinke therin, wyth as fewe wordes as I conueniently can, & than wil we goe to dinner. First Cosin, he that is a riche man & kepeth all his good, he hath I thinke very good cause to be very frayd in dede. And yet I feare me yt such folke feare it least, for they be very farre frō the state of good mē, sith if they kepe stil al, thā are they very farre frō charitie, & doe, you wo[…]e wel, almose, either li[…]le or none at al[…] But nowe is our questiō Cosin, not in what case yt riche mā standeth yt kepeth al, but whither we should suffer men to stande in a perillous dreade and feare, for the keping of any great part. For if that by the kepyng still of so much, as maketh a riche mā stil, they stand in ye state of damnaciō: thā a[…]e ye curates boundē plainly to tel thē so according to the cōmaundemēt of god geuen vnto thē al in ye persō of Ezechyel. Si dicente me ad impium morte morieris non annunciaueris ei. &c. If whan I say to the wicked mā. Thou shalte dye, y• doe not shewe it vnto him, nor speake it vnto him, that he may be turned frō his wicked waye and maye liue, he shall soothly dye in his wyckednes, & hys bloud shall I verilye require of thine handes. But Cosin, thoughe god inuited men vnto ye folowing of him selfe in wyful pouertie, by the leauing of altogether at once for his sake, as the thing whereby wyth being out of the solicitude of worldlye busines, & farre frō the desier of earthly cōmodities, they may the more spedely geat and attaine the state of spirituall perfecciō & the hungry desire, & longing for celestial thinges, ye[…] doth he not commaūd euery in ā so to doe vpon ye peril of dānaciō. For where he saieth: Qui nō renūciauerit omnibus que pos[…]idet, nō potest esse meus discipulus. He yt forsaketh not al yt euer he hath, can not be my disciple. He declareth wel by other wordes of his owne in ye selfe same place a litle b[…]fore, what he meaneth. For there saieth he more. Si quis venit ad me & non odit patrem su[…]m & matrem, & vxorem, & filios, & fratres, & sorores, ad huc autem & animam suam, nō potest es[…]e n[…]eus dicipulus. He that cometh to me and hateth not his father & hys mother, & his children, and hys bre[…]hren and hys sisters, yea and hys owne lyfe too, can not be my dysciple. Here meaneth our sauiour Christ yt none can be hys disciple, but if he loue him so farre aboue al his kinne, & aboue hys owne lyfe to, y• […]or the loue of hym rather than to forsake him, he shal forsake them al: & so meaneth he by those other wordes, that whosoeuer doe not so renounce & forsake al that euer h[…] h[…]th in his owne heart and affeccion, that he wil rather leese it al and let it goe euery whitte, thā deadlye displease god with the reseruing of anye one part therof, he can not be Christes dysciple sy[…]h Christe teache[…]h vs to loue God aboue all thing: & he loueth not God aboue all thing, that contrary to gods pleasure kepeth any thing that he hath. For y• thing he sheweth him selfe to set more by than by god, whyle he is better cōtent to lese god, than it. But as I said to geue awaye al or that no mā should be riche or haue any substance, yt find I no cōmaūdement of. There are as our sauiour saith, in the house of his father many mansions, & happy shall he be, that shall haue the grace to dwell euen in the lowest. It semeth verily by ye gospel, yt those which for gods sake suffer penury, shal not onely dwel aboue those in heauen, yt liue here in plenty in earth but also ye heauen in some maner of wise more properly belōgeth vnto thē, & is more specially prepared for thē, thā it is for the riche, by yt, that god in the gospell coūsayleth the riche folke to bye in a maner heauē of thē, where he saieth vnto ye riche mē. Facite vobis amicos de Mammona iniquitatis, vt cum defeceritis, recipiant vos in eterna tabernacula. Make you friendes of the wicked ryches, yt whan you fayle here, they maye receiue you into euerlasting tabernacles. But now although this be thus, in respect of the riches and the pouertie compared together, yet they being good mē both, there maye be some other vertue beside, wherin the riche mā may so peraduēture excel, yt he may be in heauen farre aboue yt poore mā yt was here in earth in other vertues farre vnder him, as ye profe appeareth clerely in Lazarus and Abraham.