Meditations vppon the mysteries of our holy faith with the practise of mental praier touching the same composed in Spanish by the R.F. Luys de la Puente ... ; and translated into English by F. Rich. Gibbons ...

The eleuenth Meditation of the remembrance of Deathe, * 1.1 and of the dust whereinto wee shallbee conuerted in the Graue.

THis meditation shallbee grounded vpon those wordes which the Churche vseth on Ashwed∣nesday, * 1.2 Memento homo quod puluis es, & in pulue∣rem reuerteris: Remember man that thou art Dust, and to Dust thou shalt returne: which wordes our Lord spake vnto Adam after hee had sinned, intima∣ting vnto him the Sentence of Deathe which his Sinne deserueth: and by the waye declaring vnto vs what wee were, what wee shallbee, and what wee are, saying, that all is but Duste.

The first Pointe.

1. FIrst, wee are to consider that God our Lord, though hee might haue created the bodye of Adam of nothing, as hee created his Soule, yet hee would not; but made it of a matter of the one side most vile, and grosse, and on the other visible, and palpable, * 1.3 which is the Dust, and slime of the Earthe, to the ende that man seeing daily with his corpo∣rall eyes this Durte, might continually remember his Originall, and Beginning, for 2. endes. First, that hee might humble himselfe profoundely, and vnderstand, that of himselfe hee deserueth to bee contemned, trodden vnder foote, & trampled vpon like Durte, and that hee hath nothing (though hee

haue greate goods) whereof to bee prowde, for that all haue their foundation in Dust. And second∣ly, that hee might bee moued to loue, and to serue his so louing, and powerfull Creator, who from vile Dust raised him to so g••••ate an heigth, as to bee a man according to the Image, and likenesse of God himselfe.

2. So that Dust, and Durte may serue for Alarums to recall to my memorye my Originall, & the mat∣ter whereof I was formed, imagining, when I see them, that they crye out to mee, and say: Remember that thou art Dust; humble thy selfe as Dust: Loue, serue, and obey thy Creator that tooke thee from the Dust. And when I waxe prowde with the giftes that I haue, I am to imagine, that they crie vnto mee, repressing my Vanitye, & saying vnto mee: Of what art thou prowde Dust, and Ashes? * 1.4 VVhy art thou puffed vp Vessell of claye? Bee warned by for∣getfull Adam, who forgetting that hee was Dust, presumed to bee as God, and rebelled against thy Maker. O Omnipotent Creator permitte not in mee so praeiudiciall an obliuion, that I fall not into so greate a daunger. Cleare my eyes, that I may in spirit beholde the Durt vvhereof I vvas formed, and open mine eares that I may heare the clamours thereof, so imprinting them in my hearte, that I may neuer forget them. Amē. Of this pointe wee shall speake largely in the sixt parte, in the twenty and sixt meditation.

The second Pointe.

SEcondly, I am to consider that God our Lord, seeing the forgetfullnesse, and pride of Adam, condemned him to the Sentence of Deathe, and to retourne into the Dust whereof hee was formed, wherein principally hee pretended three endes for his good, & ours. First to chastize therewith his Sin∣ne, & that all wee might perceiue how greiuous an

euill Sinne is, eeing it is sufficient to destroye, and to turne into dust; so beautifull, & riche a frame, as is man: for if Adam had not sinned, hee had not died, but had beene translated into Heauen in bo∣dye, and soule with all hi•• Integrye, and Perfection. But thorough his Sinne the soule is forced to aban∣don the bodye, and the bodye is dismured or vn∣walled and turned into small dust, according to that of the Apostle: * 1.5 By one man Sinne entred into this vvorlde, and by Sinne Deathe.

2. The second ende was, that the memorye of Dea∣the, and that wee are to retourne into Dust, might bee a most effectuall medecine for our pride, seeing it was not sufficient to humble vs, that hee had made vs of Dust. So that the Dust, and Durt of the ear∣the which I see, and feele, is not onely a watch-bell to recall to my remembrance the Originall from whence I began, but also the ende wherein I am to staye: and when I beholde it, I am to imagine that it is crying out, and saying vnto mee: Remember, thou art to retourne to earthe, and Duste, and that like mee thou shalt bee trampled, & trodden vpon. Then why art thou prowde? thou art now fleshe, thou shalt shortly bee dust; * 1.6 wherefore art thou puffed vp? O Father of mercye, I giue thee thankes for that vvith the chastizement of my Sinne, thou hast made a medicine for my Pride: Graunt mee, that I may not bee deafe to these cryes that Dust giueth mee, that the chastizement of a pious Father, turne not into the punishment of a seuere Iudge.

3. The third ende was, for that the feare of this Chastizement, and of this Dust wherein the flesh is to rest, might bee a spurre to our backwardenesse to doe Penance for our Sinnes committed; and a bridle to our sensuall liuelynesse, to curbe our Pas∣sions. So that if the remembrance of the soueraigne benefit that God did vs, to take vs out of the dust

of the Earthe, bee not sufficient to spurre, and to curbe vs; yet at least the remembrance may suffice, that when wee leaste thinke of it, wee shall bee tur∣ned into Dust, and so what Loue could not doe, let Feare bring to passe. Therefore, o my Soule, * 1.7 take Coun∣sell of the Prophet, vvho sayeth: In the house of Dust, couer thyselfe vvith Dust: and seeing thou liuest in fleshe, vvhich is Dust, and art shortely to dvvell in the house of Dust vvhich is the graue, couer thyselfe vvith Dust, and Ashes, doing penance for thy Sinnes; and vvith the remembrance of this Dust, beduste the svveete, and pleasing things of this life, that they may not carrye thee after them to Deathe euerlasting.

The third Pointe.

1. FRom hence I will ascende to consider the spirit that is included in these wordes, pondering that not without cause, they say not vnto mee, Re∣member that thou wast Dust, but that thou art Dust at this present, to signifye, that of my corrupt nature I am earthe, & Dust, for that I am inclined to earthly things, as Riches, Honors, and pampering of the fleshe: and that like Dust I am mutable, and insta∣ble, * 1.8 suffering myselfe to bee tossed with the winde of euery temptation, especially of Vanitye. And if I restraine not myselfe, I shall turne into Earthe, and Dust following my Inclinations, and tourning myselfe into a terrene, ambitious, sensuall, and vaine man. For the which I am greately to humble my∣selfe, and to tremble at my owne mutabillitye, and weaknes, and at the perill wherein I liue.

2. Then will I ponder how by Gods grace I may free myselfe from these Daungers, remembring that aswell I myselfe, as all those earthly things that I loue, are to ende, and to tourne into Dust. And with this spirit when I shall beholde a riche, and potent man, whose riches, and power carry my eyes

after him; that Auarice, and Ambition may not ouerthrowe mee, I will remember that hee is but Dust, and that his gould and Siluer is earthe, & that all shall retourne thereinto. And if I see any beau∣tifull woman, that I may not bee tempted, and vanquished by Luxury, I will also remember that shee, and all her Ornaments are Dust, and that therein they shall rest. And with this spirit I will applye these wordes to all things vpon Earthe, saying to myselfe; Remember that what thou seest, and desirest, is Dust, and shall turne into Dust, and Ashes: and if thou doest loue it disordinately, thou likewise shalt bee Dust, and Earthe as it is. There∣fore loue God onely, and celestiall Riches, that by Vertue of his Grace it may bee saide vnto thee: Thou art Heauen, and to Heauen thou shallt re∣tourne, transforming thyselfe by loue into Hea∣uen, which thou louest.

The fourth Pointe.

FOurthly, I am to consider that God our Lorde by the meanes of the Deade, and of their Skulles, and Bones, sayeth vnto mee these very wordes: Remember that thou art Dust, and that into Dust thou shallt retourne, that they may bee the more strongly imprinted in my Hearte, and that out of them I may collect the greater prossit. This I may ponder calling to memorye that memorable Sen∣tence of Ecclesiasticus, * 1.9 which comprehendeth the sense, and spirit of the saide wordes: Memor esto Iu∣dicij mei, sic enim erit & tuum, mihi heri, & tibi ho∣die, Remember my Iudgement, for so shall thine bee, yesterday for mee, to daye for thee. And for that the Deade had two Iudgements, one of his bo∣dye, by which hee was condemned to turne to Dull, and to VVormes; the other of his Soule by which hee receiueth Sentence conformable to his meritte••

of both of them hee willeth vs to remember our∣selues. And therefore in seeing any deade bodye, or the sculles, and bones of the deceased, I am to ima∣gine that they say vnto mee: Remember that where thou seest thyselfe, I sawe myselfe, and where I now see myselfe, thou shalt see thyselfe: yesterday ended my life, to day peraduenture thine shall bee ended. Yesterday I turned into Dust, to daye the like will begin for thee. Yesterday the Bells rung for mee, to day perhaps the same shall ring for thee. Yesterday I gaue an accounte to God of my workes, to day thou shallt giue a reckoning of thine. Yesterday I receiued Sentence according to my merits, to day thou shallt receiue according to thine. Consider well that all this shallbee to daye, for all the time of thy Life is but as a daye, * 1.10 and peraduenture for thee this day shallbee thy last, and thou shallt not liue till to morrowe. O my Soule heare the crye of the Deade, hearken vnto the Lecture that vvithered bones doe reade thee. Consider vvell vvhat Iudgement passed on them, for such shallbee thine. Liue, as they vvishe that they had liued: prepare thyselfe, as they vvould that they had prepared themselues: passe often aliue this carriere that they haue passed, that when thy houre approcheth, thou maiest run it in such sorte that thou mayest obtaine Life euerlasting. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  For Ashe vvednes∣day.
• * 1.2

  Genes. 3.19.
• * 1.3

  Genes. 2.7. De limo¦terrae.
• * 1.4

  Eccl. 10.9. Isai. 45.9. Colloqui••
• * 1.5

  Ad Rom. 5.12.
• * 1.6

  Eccl. 10.9. Colloquie
• * 1.7

  Colloquie Micheae. 1.10.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 1.4.
• * 1.9

  Eccles. 38 23.
• * 1.10

  Ad Hebr. 3.13. Colloquie