The flowers of Lodowicke of Granado. The first part. In which is handled the conuersion of a sinner. Translated out of Latine into English, by T.L. doctor of phisicke

The Argument.

The graces & gifts of the holy-Ghost, and those wonderfull effects which they worke in vs, are such and so many, that whether a man will or no, except hee will be altogether in∣gratefull, hee ought in leauing his loose behauiour, to intend the ser∣uice of God. No lesse are the bene∣fites of Baptisme, and most great bounties of the Sacrament of the Eucharist; all which inuite vs to the amendment of our liues.

CHAP. 12. (Book 12)

THose things which we haue hetherto spoken, compre∣hende not as yet all those kinds of benefits which the holy ghost worketh in the soule of a man that is iustified, ney∣ther is Gods liberalitie concluded in those termes. For it suffiseth not the diuine Spirit to haue led man in by the gate of iustice, but after that man hath entred, hee is likewise as∣sisted by the same Spirit, and is led by the hand into all his wayes, till

the waues of this stormy sea beeing ouer-ceased, hee attaine safe and se∣cure to the hauen of saluation. For after that (by the means of the fore∣said benefite) the holy ghost hath entred into the iustified soule, hee sitteth not there idle, it su••ficeth him not to grace the soule with his pre∣sence, but with his vertue also hee sanctifieth the same, working in her, and with her, whatsoeuer is conue∣nient for her saluation.

Hee sitteth there like the Father of a familie in his house, gouerning the same: hee sitteth there like a Maister in a schoole, administring it: like a gardner in his garden, trim∣ming it: like a king in his kingdom ruling it: like the Sun in the world, illuminating it: Finally, like the soule in the body, giuing him lyfe, sence, & motion: not as the forme in his matter, but as the Father of his familie in his houshold.

What therefore is more blessed, and more to bee desired, then for a man to haue in him-selfe such a guest, such a guyde, such a compa∣nion, such a gouernour, finallie, such a tutor and helper? who bee∣ing

all in all, worketh also all things in the soule in which it abideth. But especially like fire hee illuminateth our vnderstanding, inflameth our will, and exalteth vs from the earth vnto the heauens.

Hee like a Doue maketh vs sim∣ple, milde, peaceable, and friendes to all men. Hee like a clowd, coo∣leth vs, and defendeth v•• from the burning lust of the flesh, and tem∣pereth the madnes and fury of our passions. Finally▪ hee like a ••••he∣ment winde, mooueth and incli∣neth our will to all goodnes, se••e∣ring the same, and drawing it away from all euill inclinations: vntill 〈◊〉〈◊〉 last the iustified attaine that perfec∣tion, that all the vices are hatefull vnto them whic•• they first loued, and the vertues beloued which they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hated. As Dauid manifestly cō∣fesseth the same to haue chaunced vnto himselfe; For hee sayth in a certaine place.* 1.1 That hee hated and abhorred iniquitie: And in another place▪ That he•• delighted in the way of ••he ••estimonies of our Lord,* 1.2 euen as in all ••iches. The reason was, because the holie Ghost had

••••illed into 〈◊〉〈◊〉 soule, the wo••••wood of earthly things, and the honey of the diuine Commaundements: in which thou seest manifestly, that all our blessings are to be ascribed to this holy Spirit; so that if wee de∣cline from euill, he is the cause: & if we doe good, wee doe it by his meanes; if we perseuer in goodnes, by him wee pe••seuer, and if reward be giuen for good, by him it is gi∣uen.

Heere also no small o••casion and matter i•• offred vs, to discou••se of the benefites of the Sacraments, (which are but as it were the instru∣ments of our iustification) but espe∣cially of Baptisme and the E••c••••rist.* 1.3 For 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Baptisme we are clensed from originall sinne, deliuered from the power of the deuil, & made the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of God, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of his kingdom. In Baptisme (my brother) Christ e∣spoused thy soule vnto himselfe and dec••ed it with i••wels & iem•• wo••∣thy so high an order, of which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 are, grace, vertue, the gift of the ••••∣ly Ghost, and others 〈…〉〈…〉 ornaments: such as Isaac 〈…〉〈…〉 Rebecca,* 1.4 when hee tooke her to

wife. What therfore hast thou do••••e that thou shouldst deserue to receiue the least of these things? How ma∣ny thousand (I say not of men, but of nations) are excluded from these blessings by the iust iudgement of God? What had become of thee, if thou hadst beene borne amongst these nations? yf thou hadst not at∣tayned the true knowledge of god? but hadst adored blocks & stones? Howe much art thou indebted to thy Lord God, that amidst so great & infinite a number of reprobates, he would that thou shouldst be rec∣koned among the number of his elect? bee borne amongst his cho∣sed flocke, bee nourished with the milke of the Apostles, and be made drunke with Christes blood? But if after the grace of this vocation▪ thou hast lost thine innocence of Baptisme by thy recumbencie in sin, behold it pleased our Lord God to cal thee again the second, third, or more often times; What therefore shalt thou no•• owe vnto him? How many benefits doth thys one com∣prehend? It was a benefite that he [] expected thee so long a tyme, that

••ee gaue then so long a time of re∣pentance, that hee suffered thee ly∣ing so long sweltered in thy sinnes, mercifull▪ bountifull, not cutting down the fruitlesse tree which pos∣sessed the earth, and receaued the dewe of diuine influence in vaine▪

It was another benefite, that suf∣fring [ 2] thee in such erronious sinn••s▪ hee cast thee not headlong into the depth of hell, in which (perchance) diuers are tormented for lesse crimes then thou hast committed.

Another is, that hee instilled into [ 3] thee so many holy inspirations, so many good purposes, yea, inces∣santly beating at the doore of thy hart, euen in the midst of thy mis∣deeds, and continually calling thee, who did nought else but offende him who called thee.

[ 4] Another is, that at length, inten∣ding to impose an ende to thy re∣bellious and stifnecked obstinacie, hee called thee with so high and powerfull a clamour, that he recald thee from death to lyfe. And tho•• no otherwise then a second La••••∣rus, issuedst from the darksome se∣pulcher of thy innumerable sinne••,

no more bou••de hande and foote, 〈…〉〈…〉 and deliuered from the 〈…〉〈…〉 of the deuill.

Bu•• ••boue all the••e he••herto na∣••••d▪ [ 5] the greatest benefite is thys, th••t hee not on••ly pardoned thee 〈…〉〈…〉 and offences which were past, but gaue thee grace, helping & preseruing thee, least thou sho••l∣d••st fall into the same againe: Ad∣d••ng moreouer y^e ornaments, stoole, shooes, and ring, which the Father gaue the prodigall sonne vppon his returne, when he tooke him into his fauour: decked with which, thou walkest like the sonne of God, de∣spising all the deceits of the deuill, &c pomps of the world, pertaking the sweetnes of diuine things, which bé∣fore times seemed vnfauorie vnto thee. What? what a blessing estee∣mest thou it, that these benefits are denied to so many men, and are be∣stowed on thee with so much fa∣uour? that God when thou wert no lesse sinful then they were, nor lesse vnwor••hy the vocation, leauing th••̄ in darknes, and the state of damna∣tion, G••d I say, tooke thee, & gra∣ced thee with the lot of saluation &

grace, with what reward, with wh•••• offices, with what seruices, wil•• thou recompénce him? Of what minde wilt thou be then, when thou shalt heereafter, by the vertue of this vo∣cation, enioy perpetuall gladnes in heauen with God, and see other thy companyons & acquaintance, tho∣row defect of the same vocation and the like grace, cast into eternall tor∣ments, and crucified in hell?

But of the grace of graces, and of that Sacrament of al Sacraments, by which God woulde dwell amongst men, and giue himselfe for daily foode vnto them and remedy also, I can no wayes holde my tongue. Once was there offered vppon the Crosse a Sacrifice, and bloody host for our saluation; but in thys Sacra∣ment hee is daily applyed vnto vs, for the remission of our sinnes. When soeuer you doe thys (sayth hee) doe it in remembrance of me. O monument of saluation, ô singu∣ler Sacrament, ô gratefull mysterie, bread of lyfe; sweet nourishment; royall banquet; hauing in thee Manna, the sauour of all sweetnes. Who may enhaunce thee with an∣swerable

tytles? Who may worthi∣ly eate thee? who may honor thee with due reuerence, and according to thy merrits? My hart faileth whē I thinke on thee; my tongue foul∣treth when I speak of thee; neyther can I report thy myracles according as I desire. If that bountifull Lorde had bestowed thys benefite on one∣ly innocents, and those that are vn∣touched and chast of lyfe, as yet the gyft had beene inestimable: but nowe, what shall I say? when as to the end hee might impart himselfe vnto them, hee disdayneth not to passe by the handes of many most vngodly Ministers, whose soules are the dwelling houses of sathan, and bodies, the vessels of corruption: whose lyfe is consumed in vices and the sudds of sin? Moreouer, that he might visit his, and cōfort his friends, hee hath not refused to be handled with their de••••••ed and impure hands, to be taken with theyr sacriligious mouth, and to be buried in theyr fil∣thy bellies. The ••ody of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was once sold, but in thys Sacramen••, more then a thousand ••imes, yea al∣most daily it is sold.

Once onely in thys worlde it wa•• mocked and contemned, but nowe incessantly by these impure men it is contemned. Onely once hung it betweene two theeues vppon the Crosse but now in this Sacrament, hee is daily crucified. Howe might wee woorthily honour thys Lorde? who by so many wayes and meanes prouided for our saluation, what shal wee render vnto him for this so ad∣mirable a nourishment?

If Seruaunts doe theyr Maisters seruice, because they are nourished by them; if Souldiours presse tho∣rowe sworde and fire, that by thys meanes they may auoyde the perrill of death, what ought we not to do for this Lorde, that giueth vs thys celestiall food? If God in the olde Lawe, required so many thanksgi∣uings for Manna, which he rayned from heauen for the Isralites, and which was a corruptible meat, wh•••• will ••e require at our hands for this diuine foode, which not onely is i••∣corr••ptible in it selfe, but maketh all those incorrup••ible, that woor∣thily receaue the same? If the son••e of God himselfe, gaue thanks vn••o

his Father for a fewe Barly loues, as it appeareth in the gospell, howe great thanks-giuing ought we men to yeelde him, for thys supernatu∣rall bread, thys liuing breade, thys diuine bread? If we are bounde to giue God thanks for the nutriment whereby our bodyes are sustained, howe much owe wee him for that our well-beeing is conserued? For wee prayse not a horse, because hee is a horse, but because hee is good; nor the wine because it is wine, but because it is good; neyther a man because he is a man, but because he is a good man.

If thou therefore in so many sorts art bounde vnto him who created thee a man, how much more neer∣ly art thou bounde in loue & dutie vnto him, because hee made thee a good man? If thou art tyed vnto him so much for the dowries of thy body, howe much owest thou for the gyfts of thy minde? if so much for the gyfts of nature, howe much for the gifts of grace? To cōclude, if so many things are due vnto him, because he made thee the sonne of Adam, howe much (I pray thee) art

thou a••nswerable vnto him, tha•• from the sonne of vnhappy Adam, hath con••erted thee into the so••••e of GOD? For better is the day in which we are borne to eternitie (a•• Eusebius Emisen•••• sayth,) then in which wee are borne to indure the perrils of thys lyfe. Behold brother, behold a newe bond, behold a new chayne, by which, no lesse then by the precedent, thy hart is tyed and bound to desire vertue, & serue ••••y Lord God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 116.
• * 1.2

  Idem.
• * 1.3

  Ex lib. 1. de ••rat. et Me∣dita••. tract. 7 cap. 4.
• * 1.4

  Gene. 34.