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

THE GREATEST MISERIES and calamities that the vvorld hath euer receyued, hath bene caused by the abhominable vice of lecherie & fleshe∣lie lustes, from vvhich vvhosoeuer desi∣reth to be kept free, and cleane, must flie all occasions of striuinge therevvithall. CHAP. 38.

DOE not you know, (sayth the Apostle) that your bo∣dies be the temples of the holie ghost? VVho soeuer doth violate this tēple, God will destroy hym. This is the third battayll, that the world doth fight against thee withall.

Other vyces doe defyle onlie the soule of man, but this most odious synne, defyleth the whole man. Thou canst not auoyde the most rigorous punnishement of God, if thou wilt shamefullie defyle the temple of the holie ghost.

For this cursed cryme, God destroyed the whole world with the flood, he sent downe fire from heauen, and consumed therwith fyue cities: for this sinne was He∣mor sodaynlie slayne. The citie of Sichem was brought to desolatiō, the whole tribe

of ••••••i••myn, was almost all rooted out.

It procured the death of Amon, And it caused Salomon to cōmyt Idolatrie. It was the ••ause of the death of Sarais husbands, and made Sampson blinde. It did great d••mage and harme to kinge Dauid, and it was the ouerthrow of the olde iudges that accused Susanna, By reasō of that, also did God slaye in one day three and twentie thousād of his owne people the Israelites. The greatest and sharpest corrections that wee doe reade that God hath inflicted vnto people at any time, hath bene for this fowle offence of the flesh.

Flie from this pestilence, and the com∣fort of the holie Ghost will light vpō thee. Haue alwayes in thy memory death, and thou wilt then keepe with gladnes that which thou thinkest nowe to be so hard and difficult.

Flie from idlenes, and thou shalt cut of many of thy temptations. Remember thee of the fire of hell, where fleshlie men shall dwell for euer, and thou shalt fynde all those affections to fayle thee, that doe now so much torment thee.

It seemed to thee an hard matter to resist temptation, but an harder matter it is for thee to be tormented in hell. He that doeth not defend hym selfe from the first fire, shall not escape from the se∣cond: let one heate put out an other. Let the remembrance of the hoat fire of hell, quench this hoat fire of thy flesh. If the

earnest loue of God doth once take hold of thee, all these vanities will flie farre of from thee. He is the seruante of the deuill that consenteth vnto synne and taketh de∣light in wicked imaginations.

Of this synne spake the Apostle when he saide, that they which did such thinges, sholde not enter into the kingdome of God. The synne of the flesh is a fire infer∣nall, and the maynteiner thereof is the synne of glotony. The flame thereof is fil∣thines, the Ashes is vncleanes. The smoke is infamy, the end torment. It is the de∣struction of the bodie, The abridger of thy lyfe, The corruption of vertue, And the transgression of the lawe. They that offend God, by delighting in so vyle a vice doe shew thē selues to be verie desperate wretches. If thou wilt conquer this synne thou must flie away from it, as the Apo∣stle doth gyue thee councell. This victorie is gotten rather by flying, then fightinge.

And yf thou wilt haue the fire to aba••e, thou must take away the wood from it, that is the delicate fare wherewith thou hast fostered and fed thy selfe ouer much. For it will be an easie matter for thee to be chaste, if thou wilt lyue with a meane diet, and keepe thy selfe occupied in good ex∣ercyses. And greate wonder it were that thou sholdest escape the daunger of that fire, yf thou doest feede dayntelie and lyue ydlye.

VVith the water of thy teares shalte

thou beste quench the fire of the fleshe: If thou wilte not flye from the occasion, and remoue thy selfe from the daunger of e∣uill company, eyther first or last thou must needes be ouercome. There be fewe, but that eyther yonge or olde, they doe paye some tribute to this idoll of the deuill, be∣cause there be but fewe that will firmely resolue with them selues, to keepe them out of daunger, and abandon all worldly delightes. They desire to be chaste, and are contente to commend it in other, but they will doe but little them selues to the pre∣seruing of their chastitie: they will be ho∣nest and yet will they not leaue of their trade and entercourse with the world. They haue a good meanyng, but they haue not a prouident care. It is necessarie for hym that will not falle into this vyce, to lyue verie warelie. And although that thou sholdest be taken amongest worldlie men, to be a man of small good maner, and little nurture, to refuse such company and occasiōs as daily thou sholdest be offered, yet thereof take thou no care for so must thou doe, that wilt lyue in a worlde so daungerous as this is.

Happie is that chaste soule, which in a cleane and pure bodie, doth seruice vnto her spouse Iesus Christ. Happie is he that prepareth in his hart, a cleane hahita∣tion for the holie ghost to dwell in. Hap∣pie is he that so clenseth, and purifieth the temple of the holie ghoste, that he maketh

hym therein a meete habitation.

Remember thy death and what end our bodies must come vnto, and into what corruption they be to be resolued. Reuol∣uing these thinges well in thy minde, thou wilte be moued to serue God in all clean∣nes, that so thou maiest enioye hym for euer, and so deliuer thy selfe from those infernall fires, where those men shall be burnte for euer that in this worlde haue folowed their appetites and haue gone after their carnall desires.

Notes

• ••. Cor. 6.
• Gene. 17.19.38.34.
• Iu. 20. 2. Re. 13. Tob. 8. Iud. 16. 2. Re. 12.
• Dan. 18. N••m. 28. 1. Cor. 10.
• Gal. 5.
• 1 Cor. 6