The sinners guyde A vvorke contayning the whole regiment of a Christian life, deuided into two bookes: vvherein sinners are reclaimed from the by-path of vice and destruction, and brought vnto the high-way of euerlasting happinesse. Compiled in the Spanish tongue, by the learned and reuerend diuine, F. Lewes of Granada. Since translated into Latine, Italian, and French. And nowe perused, and digested into English, by Francis Meres, Maister of Artes, and student in diuinitie.

¶ How Charity also maketh the way easie and pleasant, which leadeth vnto heauen.

WHat wilt thou think, if to all these precedent another help be ioyned, which is deriued in vs from Charity? For it is certaine that it is one of the most principall conditions of Cha∣rity, to make the yoke of the Diuine law most sweet. Wherfore, as Saint Augustine sayth: by no manner of meanes the labours of louers are burthenous or combersome, but are delightfull and pleasurable, as the labours of Hunters, Fowlers, and Fishers. For in that which is loued, eyther there is no labour, or the la∣bour is loued. And in another place: He that loueth, sayth he, laboureth not.: For all labour is contrary vnto them that doe not loue. It is onely loue, that blusheth at the name of diffi∣culty. What is it that maketh, that a mother doth not feele the continuall labours and troubles, which she hath in bringing vp her children, but onely loue? What is it that maketh an honest and a good vvife, to attend night and day vpon her weake and sickly husband, but onely loue? What doth moue beasts also, that they are so carefull to bring vp and foster their young ones, and to giue them meate from their owne mouthes, that theyr yong may haue to eate; what doth moue them I say so to trou∣ble and torment themselues, that they may liue safely, and what doth moue them so strongly to defend them endangering their owne lifes, but true loue? What is the cause why Saint Paule sayd with so magnanimous a spirit: Who shall seperate vs from the loue of Christ, shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or fa∣mine, or nakednes, or perill, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake are we killed all day long: we are counted as sheepe for the slaughter. Neuertheles, in all these things we are more then conquerers through him that loued vs. For I am perswaded that neyther death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor thinges present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God, which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. What is the cause, why the holy Martyrs of Christ, so feruently desired martirdome, as the hart desireth the water brookes, but true loue? What is the cause, why Saint Lawrence lying vpon the Gridiron, in the midst of his torments sayde

cheerefully, that the flames did comfort and refresh his limbs, but that great desire, by which he longed for martirdom, which was kindled with the flames of this loue? For true loue think∣eth nothing hard, nothing bitter, nothing greeuous, nothing deadly: as Petrus Rauennas sayth. What sword, what wounds, what paynes, what death can preuaile against perfect and true loue? Loue is an impenetrable coate offence, it resisteth darts, it beateth backe the sword, it tryumpheth ouer dangers, it scor∣neth death; if it be loue, it ouercommeth all things. Therefore ô man loue God, loue him wholy, that thou mayst ouercome and subdue all sinnes without labour. The warre is pleasant, and the combat delicate onely by loue to carry the victory ouer all crimes and vices. This sayth he. Neyther is true loue con∣tent, if it conquer all labours and troubles, but the very nature of loue, desireth to sustaine moe labours and troubles for his sake, whom it affecteth. Hence ariseth that ardent desire of mar∣tyrdome, which righteous and truly religious men haue, that is, to shed and poure forth their blood for him, who first shed his for them: and when they cannot come vnto that they desire, they rage against themselues, becōming their owne tormenters; for they doe torment their bodies by hunger and thirst, by cold and heate, and by many other afflictions, and by such works af∣ter some manner they satisfie their desire. This Idiome and propriety the louers of this world vnderstand not, neyther can they imagine, how he can be loued so ardently whom they so abhorre, and on the contrary part, that they are so abhorred for that, which they so tenderly loue: and yet this is the truth of the thing. We reade in the Scriptures, that the Aegyptians had for their Gods vnreasonable creatures, and that they did worship them. But the Israelites called them an abhomination, and that which they called their God, the Israelites killed, and sacrificed to their true God. After the same manner also the righteous, as the Israelites, call the Gods of this world an abhomination, as are honours, pleasures, and riches, which notwithstanding the the world adoreth; these false Gods the righteous as abhomi∣nations doe sacrifice to the glory of their true God. So he that would offer an acceptable sacrifice to God, let him haue an eye to that, which the world adoreth, and let him offer that; and

let him embrace that, which the world abhorreth. Doe not they seeme vnto thee to haue so done, who after that they had recea∣ued the first fruites of the holy Spirit, departed from the Councel, reioycing, that they were coūted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Iesus? What sayest thou vnto these things? that which can make bonds, whyps, fire, and other torments sweet, shall it not make the obseruation and keeping of the commaundements of God sweet? Thou errest my brother, thou errest, not knowing the nature of Vertue, and the force of charitie and the Diuine grace.

Notes

• August. of holy wid∣dowhood.
• In the 13. book of his cōfessions.
• Rom. 8.
• Petrus Ra∣uennas vp∣pon that, Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God, &c.
• Those things which are vncleane to the world, are cleane to the righ∣teous. Exod. 8.
• Acts, 5,