The Christians zodiake, or, Twelve signes of predestination unto life everlasting written in Lattin by Ieremie Drexelius.

The first Paragraph.

PRide is the ruine of all vertues, and the steep precipice of Angels and of men. Good God, what a change, what a commu••ation was then between heaven and earth, when the most glorious amongst Angels was cast headlong downe from hea∣ven to earth, whilst the miserablest po••rest soule on earth was elevated by the hands of Angels unto heaven? Lucifer through his pride did fall from thence, whither poore ulcerous Lazarus was exalted for his humility, who it is credible did not so often number his vertues as his sores; no doubt out of genuine selfe con∣tempt of his, seemed more patient unto all, than unto himselfe, It is a very true and significant saying of a certaine Saint, ••arum valet qui se ali∣quid valere censet, nil penitus valet qui se multum valere autumat. He is worth but littl•• who in his owne

account seems to ••e w••rth any thing, and he nothing at all, who conceits himselfe much worth. With whom St. Bernard doth well accord, where he saith, Omnia ill•• d••sunt, qui nihil sibi deessepu••at, That he wants all, who imagines himselfe to want nothing: And we may add, that they scarcely seeme to be borne for heaven, who whilst they are selfe-conceited of their owne actions, become as sharp censurers of others lives, as they are foolish admirers of their owne; and whilst with an affected blindness they bleare their owne judgements of themselves, can never judge aright of other men. Out upon this vanity! Can we think that heaven will ever give admittance unto such pride as this? no, it is onely for the predesti∣nate, who censure nones lives so ri∣gorously as their owne: who oftner ••••t in judgement on their owne man∣ners, than on other mens, and are so farre mo••e severe unto them elves than to all besides, as they easily par∣don others, never themselves, when they have d••ne amisse. Miserable as we are•• ••ho being but dust and sha∣dow s dayly gliding away after those who are v••nished before, can yet glory in our own Progenitor, & sh••w ong

ranged statutes of our Ancestours, as if he were a man who can number more men of his linage past. Homo vanitati simil s factus est, die ejus sicut umbra praetereunt. Man is become like unto vanity, and his dayes doe vanish away like a shadow. Where∣soever we reflect our eyes, we finde cause sufficient to dissolve them into teares. If we fixe them on heaven, whilst we behold our Country aloof we cannot but consider our selves in banishment,; if on earth, it is but the upbraiding remembrance of our grave, and however we betrample it for the present with our feet, it makes full account to have the disposure of our heads at last: finally, if on our selves, O what a fair and ruddy fruit! but alas all worme-eaten within; where ordour, stench, corruption, death it selfe have taken their lod∣gings up. If we con i••er our owne hearts, what a foule abysse, and depth it is, all beset with knotted beds of Snakes and Add rs? woe, woe's us, we even swarme with vices, and yet cannot cont••mne our ••elves: we bee oppr ssed with a world of follies, miserie, and sinnes, and ye•• aff ct the reput••tion of wise, happy, learned, and holy men. The predestinate the

while convert all this unto their grea∣ter profit, & out of the considerations of their daily actions and themselves, doe draw forth motives of their own contempt These can easily with St. Paul be induced to slight and con∣temne all other things, who have first learned to slight and contemne themselves. This b••ing so, whosoe∣ver desires to be truely happy indeed, must procure to take diligently out this lesson of his owne contempt; from whence he is to proceed (ex∣cepting God) to contemne all other things. The Predestinate can best relish that excellent saying of Saint Chrysostome, Minimum de se sensisse tam m••gram est, quam es maximas fe∣cisse, It is as great matter for a man to account but little of himself as to have exployted mighty things. As also that of our Saviour Christ, he who aspires to be greatest among you, shal be the least in the Kingdome of heaven (if ever they arrive to so much happi∣nes) They are not ignorant how the way of humility is craggy and paine∣full at the first, but afterwards it be∣comes more easie and delightsome. They know there rests ••f their jour∣ney but this one steep ascent, and so gratefull unto all who direct them on

their way, they climb it up with all alacrity. They love to be contemned, they affectionately imbrace the occa∣sions, they reioyce to see themselves despised, and more insult over them∣selves in the meane time, than any e∣nemy. These when they are injured are so far from revenging their quar∣rell by the sword, as they utter not a word in their owne defence. H••re none stretches forth an arme, or bran∣disheth a sword to vindicate a wrong, as knowing the more profit redounds unto them, the more they are con∣temned. The predestinate only know, as ••en deeply read in the schoole of Christ our Saviour, that they are ne∣ver the worse for m••ns deriding, nor lesse for t••eir contemning them Tan∣tus est unusquisque, quantus est in oc∣culis Dei: A man is no more than just as hee appeares in God Almighties eye: non pilo major, &c. not a haire greater, neither doth God judge by mens esti∣mation. When we seeme little to our selves we seeme great to God, and then least to him when we ap∣peare the greatest to our selves. The deeper a Well is, the more purer is it water: and the mo••e vile esteem one conceiveth of himself, the more gratefull he is unto Almighty God:

All which seems eminent in us, is to be abased, our high spirits level ed with the ground, an•• the universall fabrick of our pride buried under the heaps of our miseries, ignorances, and imperfections. Musk, as they say, having lost its savour, by being bu∣ryed in some stink••ng dunghill reco∣v••rs it gaine; and so if we ••ut true∣ly enter into the consideration of our owne vilenesse and surquedy, we shal exhale not any such odour as we did before, but that of the amendment of our selves, the onely conducing meanes to our salvation.

Notes

• Hom. 3. in Mat.
• 1. Kin••s 16.