A memoriall of a Christian life Wherin are treated al such things, as appertaine vnto a Christian to do from the beginning of his co[n]uersion, vntil the end of his perfection. Deuided into seauen treatises: the particulars whereof are noted in the page following. Written first in the Spanish tongue, by the famous religious father, F. Lewis de Granada, Prouinciall of the holy order of preachers, in the prouince of Portugall.

¶ 5.

THOV wilt peraduenture bee ama∣zed (good Christian Reader) in rea∣ding so many kind of paines in hel, as haue bin here described. And now thou art per∣swaded that there can bee added vnto this no more than hath bin said. But surely the mighty arme of God wanteth not force to chastice his enemies more, and more. For all these paines that wee haue hitherto re∣hearsed, are such as doe appertaine gene∣rally to all the damned: but besides these generall paines, there are also other parti∣cular paines, which each one of the dam∣ned shall there suffer in diuerse sort, accor∣ding to the qualitie of his sinne. And so ac∣cording to this proportion, the haughty & proud shall there bee abased and brought low to their great confusion. The couetous shall be driuen to miserable necessity. The glutton shall rage with continuall hunger, and thirste. The leacherous shall burne in the very same flames which they them∣selues haue enkindled, and those that haue all their lifetime hunted after their plea∣sures and pastimes, shall liue there in con∣tinuall lamentation and sorrow.

But because examples are of very great

force to moue our harts, I will bring onely one for this purpose, wherby somewhat of this matter may the better be perceaued.

It is written of a certaine holy man, that he saw in spirit the paines of a licentious & worldly man in this sort. First, he saw how the diuels that were present at the houre of his death when he yeelded vp his ghost, snatched away his soule with great reioy∣cing, and made a present thereof vnto the Prince of darkenes, who was then sitting in a great chaire of fire, looking for the cō∣ming of this present. Immediatlie after that it was presented before him, hee arose out of his seate, and said vnto the damned soule, that hee would giue him the prehe∣minence of that honourable seat, because he had beene a man of honour, and was al∣waies very much affected towardes the same. Incontinently after that he was pla∣ced therein, crying, and lamenting in that honourable torment, there appeared be∣fore him two other most vglie diuels, and offred him a cuppe full of most bitter and stincking licour, and made him to drinke and carouse it vp all perforce, saying: it is meet sithence thou hast bin a louer of pre∣cious wines, and bankets, that thou shoul∣dest likewise proue of this wine, whereof

all we doe vse to drinke in these parts. Im∣mediatly after this, there came other two, with two fierie trumpets, and setting them at his eares, began to blow into thē flames of fire: saying, this melodie haue we reser∣ued for thee, vnderstanding that in the world thou haste very much delited with minstrelsie, and wanton Songes. And so∣dainely he espied other diuels, loden with vipers, and serpents, the which they threw vpon the breast and bellie of that misera∣ble sinner, saying vnto him, that for so∣much as he had bin greatly delighted with the wanton embracings & lecherous lusts of women, he should now solace himselfe with these refreshings, in steed of those li∣centious delites & pleasures, which he had enioyed in the world. After this sort (as the Prophet Esay saith) when the sinner is punished, there is giuen measure, for mea∣sure, to the end that in such a great variety and proportion of punishments, the order and wisedome of Gods iustice might the more manifestly appeare.

This vision hath almighty God shewed in spirit to this Holy man for our aduertis∣ment, and instruction, not that in hel these thinges are altogether so materially done, but that by them we might in some man∣ner

vnderstand somewhat of the varietie and multitude of the paines, which bee there appointed for the damned. Whereof I know not how some of the Pagans haue had a certaine knowledge: for a Poet spea∣king of this multitude of paines, affirmed, that although he had a hundred mouthes, & as many tongues, with a voice as strong as iron, yet were they not able to expresse the names only of thē. A Poet he was that spake this, but truely therein hee spake not like a poet, but like a Prophet & Euāgilist.

Now then if all this shall assuredly so come to passe, what man is he that seeing all this so certainely with the eyes of his faith, will not turne ouer the leafe, and be∣gin to prouide for himselfe against that time? Where is the iudgment of men now become? Where be their wits? Where is at the least their selfe loue, which seeketh euermore for his owne profit, and is much afraide of any losse? What may it bee thought that men are become beastes, that prouide only for the time present? or haue they peraduenture so dimmed their eye-sight, that they cannot look before them? Harken saith Esaie, O yee deafe, and yee blind, opē your eies that you may see? who is blind but my seruant? And who is deafe

but ye vnto whome I haue sent my mes∣sengers? And who is blind but he that suf∣fereth himselfe to be sold for a slaue? Thou that seest so many things wilt thou not see this? Thou that haste thine eares open, wilt thou not giue eare hereunto? If thou be∣leeue not this, how art thou a Christian? If thou beleeue it, and doest not prouide for it, how canst thou be thought a reasonable man? Aristotle saith, that this is the diffe∣rence betweene an opinion, and imagina∣tion: that an imagination alone is not suf∣ficient to cause a feare, but an opinion is: For if I doe imagine that a house may fall vpon me, it is not enough to make mee a∣fraid, vnlesse I beleeue or haue an opinion that it will bee so indeed: for then it is suf∣ficient to make mee afraide. And hereof commeth the feare that murderers al∣waies haue, by reason of the suspition they conceaue at their enemies that then doe lie in waite for them. If then the opi∣nion and only suspition of danger is able to cause the moste valiant and couragious to feare, how is it that the certaintie and be∣leefe of so many and so great tirrible mise∣ries, which is farre more suer than any opi∣nion or knowledge, doth not make thee to feare. If thou perceauest that for these ma∣ny

yeares past thou hast led a licentious & sinfull life, and that at the least according to present iustice thou art condemned to these horrible torments in hell: If I may also probably coniecture, that there is no more likelihood of the amendment of thy life to come, than thou haste shewed he∣therto after so many yeares past, how hap∣neth it, that running headlong forwardes into so manifest a danger thou art nothing at all afraid? Especially cōsidering the sin∣full state wherein thou liuest, and the hor∣rible paines and tormentes, which doe at∣tend for thee, and the time that thou haste lost, and the endles repentance which thou shalt haue therefore in the moste horrible torments of hell. Assuredly it passeth all cōmon sence to consider that there should be such wilfull grosse blindnes in men.

Notes

• The parti∣cular paines of the dam∣ned.
• The proude.
• The coue∣tous
• The glot∣ton.
• The lea∣cherous.
• The paines of hell re∣uealed to a Holy man
• Esay. 47.
• Esay. 42.
• The diffe∣rence be∣tweene an opinion & imaginatiō.