The contempte of the vvorld, and the vanitie thereof, written by the reuerent F. Diego de Stella, of the order of S. Fr. deuided into three bookes, and of late translated out of Italian into Englishe, vvith conuenient tables in the end of the booke

••Y THE LYFE AND DEATH of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, it is plainly perceyued, vvhether the honour and riches of this vvorld ovvght to be estee∣med or no, VVho being hym selfe vea∣rie true god, both by his example and doctrine, teacheth vs vvhich vvaye they haue to take vvhich desire to goe the streight and direct vvay. CHAP. 3.

BE ye folowers of Iesus Christ as his welbeloued children sayth the Apostle:* 1.1 let all thy labour and studie be to conforme thy lyfe, to ••he lyfe of our sauiour. If wee had no other reason for to cōdemne the vanities of the world with all, yet the lyfe of Iesus Christ and the example which he gaue vs here in earth were sufficient alone to confounde all Chistians with all.

It were shame for vs to lyue in pleasure and delight,* 1.2 our great captayne Ioab li∣••ing in great daunger and ignominie. There is not any souldier which seeth his captayne die before his face, but that he will willinglie also put hym selfe to the daunger of death forgetting all his former

pleasures and delightes. If thou seeke for honour when thou seest thy Captayne ge∣nerall lyue alltogether without honour, i•• is a greate token that thou arte not of his bande. And sithence thou reputest thy selfe for a Christian, thou maiest well be asshamed to seeke after the loue of suche vanities as the infidelles delight in. Many be they which call them selues Christians, but there be but few of those whiche fo∣lowe the lyfe of Christ in deede: in name they agree all together, but in conuersa∣tion and behauiour they be verie farr cō∣trarie.

If the lyues of many Christians were tried and compared together with the lyfe of our redeemer, as the woorkemā tryeth his woorke by a lyne to finde out the cro∣kednes thereof▪ It would soone appeare veary manifest, how much our hartes were gone away frō the true leuell, in the which God did once rightlie settle vs, towardes the loue of those thinges whiche he would haue vs to despice and contemne.

VVhome thinkest thou to knowe mo∣re? God, or the world? Now if thou thinkest that God knoweth more, Behould how he chooseth pouertie, and a moste base kynde of lyfe. And this suffiseth for thee to know how much thy lyfe is out of square. Thou goest cleane wyde from the true pathe o•• heauen yf thou doest disordinatlye seek•• after the honours, & riches of this world.

* 1.3If the worlde had bene good, and th••

••onours & riches thereof profitable, our holie redeemer woulde neuer haue com∣maunded his disciples to despise them. In ••he litle esteemynge of hym selfe, whilest ••e liued here, and in the greate austeritie ••f his owne lyfe, our Lorde did teach vs, ••ow litle wee ought to make accompte of ••hese worldlie thinges.

The hard maunger in whiche he was ••yed after his holie birth,* 1.4 condemneth the ••elicatenes of this life of ours. That stawle ••••eweth, how vaine the honours and pro∣••••erities of this world are. And those sim∣••le cloathes, wherein his diuine maiestie ••as wrapped, gyue-vs well to vnderstande ••hat the riches of this worlde is.

Proceede thorowghe the whole course ••f his lyfe, and consider also of his death, & ••••ou shalt fynde, that the soonne of God ••••••er that he became mā did allwayes teach 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to despise the world, aswell by the exā∣••••e of his lyfe, as by the whole course of ••••s doctrine and teachinge.

VVhen he made that greate sermon of ••is on the hill he beganne sayinge: Blessed ••e the poore in spirite for theirs is the ••ingdome of heauen.

Our Lorde came not into this worlde ••o vndoe thee, or to ouerthrowe the,* 1.5 but ••o teache thee the waye to heauen, and to ••ssure thee of thy saluation. If Christ erred ••ot, then errest thou: If he chose well, then ••hoosest thou ill: And yf he with disho∣••our, and by sufferring opened vnto thee

the gates of glory, without all doubte thou beinge such a frend to honour and vani∣tie, doest take the straight waye to hell.

In great daunger doest thou lyue, and muche perill doth thy soule run into, y•• thou turnest not back againe from the way that thou art now entred into, by hating o•• that which thou doest now so muche loue▪ And by determyning to folowe the foote∣steppes of hym that coulde neuer erre. O•• what an abuse is this, that a poore simpl•• woorme made of earth will nedes be grea•• when the God of all Maiestie was conten•• hym selfe to be so li••tle.

Oh then thou Christian soule yf tho•• espie thy spowse Isaack walkinge on th•• ground, th••u oughtest to putt on thy clo∣ke, & couer thee with the veale of shame∣fastnes as Rebecca did,* 1.6 blusshing for vear•• shame to see thy Lorde and Maister Iesu•• Christ to walke on the earth in the cōtēp•••• of the world, And thy selfe to sitt mownte•• alofte vpon thy cammells backe in high•• honour and power of the worlde.

Thou muste come downe as shee di•• despisinge the honour and vanitie of thi•• present worlde, by conforminge thy self•• to the lyfe of thy redeemer, so as tho•• mayest after enioye with hym the trewe riches and honour which induer for euer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eph. 5.
• * 1.2

  2. Reg. 11.
• * 1.3

  Mat. 4.
• * 1.4

  Luc. 2.
• * 1.5

  Mat. 5.
• * 1.6

  Gen. 24.