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

The eleventh signe, Of Predestination.

IS the propension of our will to good, whose Device is an Ancho, with these words: Inclinavi cor meum ad faciend as justificationes tuas in aeter∣num propter retributionem, I have in∣clined my heart to fulfill thy Lawes for ever, &c. This inclination of our mind doth then declare it selfe, when one shall have firrmly resolved with himselfe, never, although it imported the losse of his life, and all he had, to defile his conscience with any deadly sin. ••uravi & statui custodire judicia iustltiae tuae. I have resolved and sworn (sayes the royall Prophet) to observe the judgements of thy righteousnes; & St Iohn, Quod si cor nostrum, &c. If our owne hearts reprehend us not, then we may confidently have our re∣course to God. Father Lewis of Gra∣nado affirmes that it is a signe of all o∣thers the most evident of reprobation, when one doth easily, and without a∣ny sense of sorrow fal into mortal sin. He is but too far gone in wickednes,

who will not so much as seriously de∣sire to returne to good; whereas, to be willing to become good, is a great part of goodnesse. For the predesti∣nate, as they would nothing which is evil, so would they nothing but what is pleasing to God. Wherfore with St. Paul every houre and moment they are crying out, Domine, quid me vi•• facere, O Lord what would you have me to doe? th••re is nothing which for your sake I will refuse, nothing which I shall esteem too hard, or dif∣ficile, nothing so painfull or grievous, but in having you for help and guide, I will with my sufferance overcome it all; and there where my ability comes short, I will supply with the ardency of my desires; where my feet connot carry me, I will mount upon the wings of my cogitations, and as the Heli••trop to its beloved Son, so I, O Lord, w••l wholy conv••rt my will to thine. In capite libriscriptu•• est de me, ut facerem voluntatem tuam, In the beginning of the book it is written of me, that I should doe thy will; It hath been mire onely desire O my Lord, &c. I have obtained to place thy Law in the middest of my heart, in the middest of my memory, my under∣standing, and my will. St. Bernard

one ever ready prest for to obey the Divine will) pauperimus ego (sayes he) non habeo nisi unum minimum, volunta∣tem meam, & non dabo illam ad volun∣tatem illius, qui toto se totum me com∣paravit? Miserable and needy wretch as I am, I have but one mite, this Will of mine, and shall I not bestow that upon his Will, who to redeeme me wholly, did wholly give himself? Without doubt it is most just, and reasonable that the Divine Will should be the Author, and a rule to ours: Constitui & conformavi vo∣luntatem meam divinae, &c. I have re∣solved (say••s Epictetus) to confo••me my Will to the Divine Will. Wil he visit me with sicknesse? then be it so; that I enterprise any thing? I will undertake it then; that I possesse any thing? his pleasure be it? that I for∣goe it? behold I am prepared; final∣ly, that I should dye? I am content. And who now, when I am thus resol∣ved can inforce mee to an thing a∣gainst my willl, more then they can God himselfe? Thus much had a Heathen conceived of these verities, who onely lived in the blind night of ign••rance; and what a shame then were it for Christians in the cleare Sun-shine of Christianity not to

behold as much as he? Fiat volunt as tua, thy Will, O Lord, be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Wherefore accing••mini & estote filii pote tes, ut pugnetis adversusnationes, &c. arme your selves, and be mighty s••ns, that you may fight against these nations, (against the frequent assaults of vi∣ces) but as it shall be the will of hea∣ven, so be it done.

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IN Cities according to the principal clock the common ones use ordina∣rily to be set, and why likewise should not the wills of every man conforme themselves like little clocks, unto the great celestiall one onely, the Will of Almighty God? Sicut fuerit volun∣tas in coelo, sic fiat. As the Will shall be in heav••n, so let it be. It is in∣credible how ••ratefull unto God is such an act as this. God congratula∣ted with himselfe, as for some extra∣ordinary happinesse: Inveni David fi∣lium lesse virum secundum cor meu••, qui faciet omnes voluntares meas, I have found David the sonne of l••sse, a man according to mine owne heart, who performes my will in every thing. God had long sought for such a man, he layd wayt for one of that mind and disposition, who in all occurrences

should propose unto himselfe, no o∣ther aime than the performing of his wil; and having found such an one, even like one overjoyed, our most bountifull father cryes out, I••veni qui faciet omnes voluntate•• meas I have found him who will doe my will in every thing. And t••is was the reason why the Son of God was so exact himselfe in fulfilling his fathers will: Descendide coelo non ut faciam volun∣tatem meam sed voluntatem ejus, q i misit me. I have descended from h a∣ven, not to doe mine owne will, but the will of him who sent me From the rule of this direct and soveraigne Will, they are but too farre swarved, who not onely not obey at a beck, but ever stir not for its absolute com∣mand; Sapiens timet & declinat a malo, stultus transilit & confidit, the wise man feares and so escapes evill, whilst the foole is confident and boldly leaps into it. And this is as the Scripture sayes, comedere ac ter∣gere os & dicere non sum operatus malum, to eate and wipe their mouth clean againe, and say I have done no harm. Those who are of this mind do but laugh whilst they engage their soules unto the devill; they lose their part of heaven, and do not feele

the losse, as accounting it but a light and triviall one.

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BVt on the contrary, the predesti∣nate doe lay so sure a foundation of vertue in their minds, that they conceive a horror from all kinde of offence, and from the least shadow of any sin, & never consent to take plea∣sure in that which may be displeasing to Almighty God, but they put on this firme resolution to perform that which may be most acceptab••e unto God, although thereby they should incurre the displeasure of all the world Thither they bend all their thoughts, and hence all discourse is derived, neither may we doubt, but from their inflamed wills with grea∣ter ardor then Ep••ctetus did, they will burst forth into these lowder excla∣mations, O my God, and my love, farre be it from me, that I should not ever have the same will with thee: no, no, my will is thine, or rather indeed I have no will lo••ger of mine owne, since all I have is thine. And now of necessity I must f••llow thy wil, since it is all I have. I neither doe, nor ought to desire any thing, O my God, but that which plea∣seth thee. Is it thy pleasure then that I be sick? then be it so; or poore? and

that too; to endure much paine? and that; wouldst thou have mee suffer contumelies and injuries? I am resol∣ved to be despised and contemned, al∣though it would touch me to the quick, I am prepared; wilt thou deprive me of all solace and delight? I am resol∣ved to be perplext in minde, although it should last to the ••orlds e••d, I am content; wilt thou bereave me of all that a hich I most affect? although it is most hard to depart with that we love, yet I likewise will, since thou wilt have it so; wilt thou have me dye? of all difficile things, this is most difficile, and yet I should not refuse to dye a thousand times, so I might ••ut breath my last in the dea••e armes of thy most sacred will: and that a violent death? In spight of nature I would embrace it too: w••lt thou have me a Saint in Heaven? O my God, it is my hearts de∣sire; or a damned soule in Hell? ••las sweet ••esus if ever thou hadst beene so minded, it had beene done, since I have deserved it, but it is apparant it is a ••••ing thou never desirest, since thou shedst thine owne pretious bloud to hin∣der it. But yet if it were possible (as it cannot be) and I might have my choyse whether thy will should be tra••sgressed, and I a Saint in heaven, or else I dam∣ned,

and thy blessed will fulfilled, O my God, I should make no difficulty to con∣clude, that it were farre better for mee to be damned, than thy will left undone. But, O thou soveraign goodnesse, I am sure thou desirest not my death, since thou wast pleased that thine owne Son should dye, to the end that I might live I beseech thee therefore, O hea∣venly father, for the most hitter death of that onely Son of thine, that thou wouldst preserve mee from eternall death Look upon those wounds, looke upon that bloud which for my sake was sacrificed, when to spare thy servant, thou wouldst not spare thy sonne. Be∣hold me thy humblest servant, O thou immortall ••ing at the least signe of thy good pleasure, ready at thy command; all that, shall be most gratefu•• unto mee which proceeds from vertue of thy holy will; Paratum cor meu••, Deus, pa∣ratum, cor meum, my heart, my God, is prepared, my heart is ready. Such servants as these their heavenly ma∣ster hath in high esteem, who with such a vigilant eye observe every least signe of his sacred pleasure, as they make it no other than a law to theirs. And with a chearefull countenance are ever ready to say, Dominus est, quod bonum est in oculis faciat, &c.

Hee is our Lord, let him doe that which is best pleasing in his eyes, for there is nothing better than to have regard to Gods Commandements.

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THE Grecians doe commend that celebrated saying of theirs, ne quid nimis, not too much of any thing; but thou, O Lord, hast ex∣pressely commanded, mandata tua custodiri nimis, that thy commande∣ments should be very much observed. God would have all his servants so ready and prompt at every command of his, at every beck, as they should never passe a day, no not so much as that whereon they should suffer the greatest affliction, without repea∣ting over this short sentence a thou∣sand times both in heart and mouth, quod vult Deus fiat, be it as it pleases God; and by this meanes the will of men so vertuously disposed be∣comes to be the will of God himself, since they hold themselves constant to this resolution, never to will any thing which may be displeasing to his Divine Majesty; whence it comes that whatsoever they desire, they obtaine, since they desire nothing else than onely to conforme them∣selves to the will of God, as know∣ing

that to be most true which St. Hierome writeth unto Paula upon the occasion of Blella's death. God is good, (saies he) and therefore of ne∣cessity being so good as he is, al must be likewise good, which he ordaines; neither can men of God receive a∣ny thing in ill part, which is procee∣ding from so good a God. Are they in health? they render than ••s then to their Maker for it; are they disea∣sed? even in this they acknowledge and praise their Makers will; are they deprived of their dearest friends? they cannot but bewayle so sad an accident, but yet in remembring that God hath disposed it so, they beare their losses with an equall mind; hath death ravished away an onely child? a losse how ever grievous, yet to be sustained, since he who lent it, de∣mands it back againe; are they o∣vertaken with extreame poverty, or more grievous infirmity, afflicted to be contemned, and opprobriously dealt withall, subiect to a thousand inluries and scornes? For all this you shall never haare them utter o∣ther words, but sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est, ita bene factum, etiam in hoc laudetur Deus. God hath done as it pleased him, and thrrefore hee

hath done well, for which cause even in this be he likewise blessed and praysed; Benedictus Deus in aeter∣num, God be blessed for ever. Who∣soever are fastned to God, as by an Anchor with such a Will as this, doe awayt their latest houre with all se∣curity, and account all misfor∣tunes in the meane time for short, which with so fortunate an end are to be clo∣sed up.

Notes

• Psal. 119.
• Psal. 118.
• Iohn 5.
• Acts 9.
• Psal. 39.
• Matth. 1.3.
• Iohn 6.
• Prov. 14.
• Prov. 30.
• Psal. 127.