To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
GENERAL remedies to be vsed against temptations.
SITHENS it is so weigh∣tie a matter, and of so great importance to fight, and to resist tentations, for feare of be∣ing ouercome, and falling into sinne; it behoueth vs to haue alwayes a vi∣gilant eye, and to be furnished of suche wepons as be moste requisite for this future combat. Such therfore as may serue generally to defend thee from al kinde of sinne, be these con∣siderations folowing; which thou
must exercise, not onely in time of * 1.1 fight, but in time of peace too; that when neede requireth, thou may thē haue them in more readines.
FIRST consider the dignitie of thy * 1.2 soule, created to the very a 1.3 likenes and similitude of God; and how, whiles it persisteth in grace, it is so beutiful & bright, that the maker him-selfe de∣lighteth tobdwel in it; and al the holy Angels and quiers of heauen doo re∣uerence and reioyce in it; but anone, after it hath once consented to sinne, God straight-waies departeth out, and the deuil entreth in; polluting & chaunging it into so vgglye and ab∣hominable a state, as if the sinner could then see him-selfe, he woulde be therewith vtterly confounded, and haue him-self in extreme horrour. If therfore thou wouldest so lothly soile * 1.4 any fresh and gay garment thou had∣dest lately bought; how muche more thē oughtest thou to detest that con∣sent
to sinne, which so filthily pollu∣teth thy soule; a much more pretious thing, without al comparison, then any most gorgious and glittering at∣tire of body.
SECONDLY consider, howe be∣sides * 1.5 this euil; euen one sinne doth cause thee to incurre innumerable o∣ther miseries; sith by committing but of one mortal sinne, thou loosest the grace of God; and his amitie, annex∣ed to his grace; a 1.6 Thou loosest the in∣fused vertues, and the gifts of the ho∣lye Ghoste; which adorned thee, and made thee beautiful in the sight of God. Thou losest the repose and b 1.7 se∣renitie of a good conscience. Thou losest the c 1.8 meed and merite of al such good deedes as thou hast done before; and the participation of the merites of Christ our head; sith thou art not now vnited to him by grace and cha∣ritie; & so remainest an enemy to thy Creator, d 1.9 depriued of the inheritāce,
which Christe by his pretious bloud had purchased for thee, condemned to euerlasting tormentes; a thral and a 1.10 bond-ssaue to the deuil; who by al meanes possiblye seeketh thine vtter ouerthrow. Briefly, thou incurrest so many other daungers, as no mannes tongue can sufficiently declare them. What man is he then, that wil-be so madd, as for a short and beastlye de∣light that sinne affordeth him; to in∣curre such huge heapes of extreme miseries, and incurable calamities?
THIRDLY consider, howe by stri∣uing to resist tentations they tarye not long, but vanish and fleete away; and thou by hauing vanquished thē, shalt remaine enriched with greater meede, honour, and consolation. The blessed b 1.11 Angels of heauen shal also come and serue thee, like as they did our Sauiour, hauing ouercome his tentations. But if on th'other side thou let thy self be lewdly ouercome;
the delight of sinne shal forth with fleete away; and the gripes, confusion, and discontentment, that remain be∣hinde, and gnawe thy giltie consci∣ence, * 1.12 shal afflict thee much more thē any resistance making might possi∣blye haue done.
FOVRTHLY consider, that if thou easily consent to sinne, thou must af∣terwardes painfully redresse the euil thou hast committed, sith thou must needes suffer much sorowe in bewai∣ling it; shame in confessing it; pain in doing penance for it; besides a milliō of many mo difficulties; al which thou maiest auoide, by fighting man∣fully, and not consenting vnto sinne.
FIFTLY consider, that looke how much more thou vsest to consent to sinne, and so muche more shal thy * 1.13 temptations increase, and thy strēgth decay; and thus at length shalt thou cause a wicked custome, which after∣wardes wil almost be impossible for
thee to forsake and leaue. For (as * 1.14S. Austin sayth) Whiles we resist not a custom, we make it become a necessitie: but contrari∣wise, if thou force thee to resist in the beginning, thy strength shal daylye increase, and the tentations waxe more weake and feeble. Suffer not therfore thy selfe through a litle ne∣gligence at the first, to receaue after∣wardes a desperate and incurable wounde. In these and such like con∣sultations, if thou eftsons exercise thy selfe, beleeue verilye to receaue great helpe therby, against al kind of temptations. * 1.15
There be yet mo wepons, and ge∣neral remedies; as is the often frequē∣tation of prayer; a remedie that our Sauior gaue to his disciples the night of his holy passion, b 1.16 exhorting them so sundry times to praye, for feare of being ouercome by tentation. It hel∣peth greatly in like maner to medi∣tate, the foure last thinges; to witt, Death, Iudgement, Hel, and Heauen;
according to that saying of a 1.17 holye writt: In al thine actions remember the last thinges, and thou shalt not sinne everlastingly. An-other general remedie is the rea∣ding of holy scripture, committing certaine sentences and particuler au∣thorities therof to memory, suche as may most fitly helpe thee against the tentations that shal assault thee. This remedie did our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus-Christe teache vs, when being tēp∣ted by the deuil in the b 1.18 wildernes, he ouerthrew and repulsed al his temp∣tations by the textes of holye scrip∣ture. The remembrance of particuler examples of holy saints, shal likewise helpe thee, setting before thine eyes what they did in suche tentations as thou feelest.
It helpeth also not a litle against al tentations to cal eftsons vpō the ho∣ly name of c 1.19 IESVS with a zeale and feruour of faith; and withal to forme the d 1.20 signe of the holy Crosse vpon thee; which the deuil doth greatlye
dreade; (especially being made with a liuely fayth) as where-with he was once vtterly confounded. And if for al this thou finde thy selfe stil infes∣ted with these tentations; it shal help thee very much to beholde our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe crucified * 1.21 with the eyes of thy soule; remem∣bring those most a 1.22 greeuous torments which he endured for thy sake; and so shalt thou wel knowe, what a smal matter it is, to abide patiently for his sake al that trouble and toile thou presently feelest.
An-other remede, and that of great efficacie, is the often frequentation of * 1.23 those two moste holy Sacramentes; of Penance, and Receauing: sith these are the soueraine remedies and medi∣cines, which our Sauiour (desirous of our wel-fare) left vnto vs; d 1.24 as-wel to cure our present woundes, caused through our former sins; as also (they being already healed) to preserue vs
hence-forth from incurring the like dangers. And albeit the vse of these diuine Sacramentes is (as I haue saide before) at al times verye profitable; yet much more doth it helpe vs in the time of our tentation; sithens thē doth a man stand most need of grace and strength, when he is moste gree∣uously assailed by his aduersary: and then, no doubt, but this grace is most plentiful and certaine, when it is sought for by meanes of these moste holy Sacramentes; besides the coun∣saile and comfort eche one maye re∣ceaue of his ghostly father, to whom he shal humbly vnfolde in confessiō al his whole daunger and vexation. In like maner, if it should so fal out, (which God forbid) as being ouer∣come by tentation, thou fel into anye sinne; see thou presently applye and vse this remedie of Confession, not permitting thy self, for neuer so smal a while, to remaine in mortal sinne;
(as S. Gregory saith:) The sinne which a 1.25 is not washed away with the water of penance, draweth vs downe with the weight thereof, and maketh vs fal into an-other. It behoueth therfore with like diligence to pro∣cure a present saulue for this spiritu∣al sore, as we would doo for a corpo∣ral disease, though lesse daungerous a great deale.
TEE LAST general and right so∣ueraine * 1.26 remedie, not onely to van∣quishe tentations, but not to be trou∣bled with them, is; to shun, and care∣fully eschewe the occasions whence they commonly doo proceede; as be superfluous riches, idlenes, profane conuersations, lewde companies, tu∣mult of people; places and times where and when sinnes are commit∣ted; and finally al such daungers and occasions, whereby thou remembrest thee to haue earst fallen into sinne, or at least into tentation.
In time of truce we ought to prepare for battaile.
The digni∣tie of mās soule.
Gen. 1. c. Colos. 3. b 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ioh. 12. c.
An apt cō∣parison.
One mor∣tal sinne cause of in numerable sorowes.
Chris. ho. 17. in Gen.
Chris. ho. 8. ad pop. Antioch.
Ezec. 18. c f. 33. c. d.
Mat. 7. d 23. d Luc. 13. f
Ioh. 8. d.
Mat. 4 b
The gripes of a giltie conscience.
An euil cu∣stom hard∣ly to be cu∣red.
Aug. li. 8. confes. ca. 5
Other ge∣neral re∣medies a∣gainst sin. Often prai er.
Mat. 26. d Mar. 14. d Luc. 22. e Meditatiō of the four last things
Eccl. 7. d. The reding of holye scripture.
Mat. 4 a Mar. 1. b Luc. 4. a Note. The holye name of IESVS of great ver∣tue.
Hieron. in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ber. Ser. 15 in Cant. The signe of the holy Crosse.
Athan. in Anton. Chris. hom. 55. in Mat Cyril Ca∣tec. 4. et. 13 Hist. Trip. li. 6. ca. 1. Ex Theo∣doreto. li. 3 cap. 3.
Christ cru∣cified.
Ber. Ser. 43. in Can tic. & Ser. 42. de mo. ben. viu.
The Sacramentes so∣uerain re∣medies a∣gainst al temptati∣ons.
Cip. Ser. de 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Dom.
Gre. lib. 25. Moral. cap. 12.
Occasion of sinne to be eschewed.