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 fourth Pointe.

FOr Conclusion, and Confirmation of what hath beene saide in these three pointes, I will consider

a terrible example, and stampe thereof in king Bal∣thazar, who beeing eating, and drinking in a ban∣quet, sodainely sawe two fingers of an hande, which wrolte vpon a wall these wordes, Mane, Thecel, Pha∣res, Hee hath counted, hee hath weighed, hee hath diuided. * 1.1 VVhich Daniel expounded in this forme; God hath counted thy kingdome, and it is come to an ende. Hee hath weighed thee in his Scale, and hath founde thee light. Hee hath diuided thy king∣dome, and deliuered it to the Medes, and Persians. And so it hapned the same night, hee dying mise∣rably.

Applying this to myselfe, if I liue in the like forgetfullnesse, I am to Imagine that sodainely will come a daye, or a night, wherein God our Lorde with the fingers of his Omnipotencie, will write in the VVall of my Conscience the Sentence of these three wordes. * 1.2 First, God hath numbred the dayes of thy Life, and those which thou hast to enjoye thy kingdome, thy VVealthe, thy Honour, Digni∣tye, and Office, and they are allready compleate, and this day shallbee the last. Secondly, hee hath pei∣sed thee in his Scale, examining thy workes, with∣out omitting any one, and hee hath founde that they were light, and not compleate workes, for that thou hast not fullfilled all thy obligations. Thirdly, God hath diuided, * 1.3 and separated from thee thy kingdome, thy wealthe, and dignitye, & the goods that thou possessedst, and hath deliuered them to thy Enemies, or to straungers, and to others to en∣joye them. Hee hath likewise diuided thy Bodye, & Soule; and thy Bodye hee hath deliuered to the wormes to eate, and thy Soule to the Diuells to torment it. And in the very same hower that God shall intimate this Sentence, hee will execute it, and none shallbee able to resist him. * 1.4 O vvhat tremblings shall I then feele, more terrible then those of king Bal∣thasar!

O vvhat clamours, and Lamentations, vvhat Troubles, and Agonyes of Deathe shall afflict my poore Soule, vvith so much the greater Torment, by hovv much the Forgetfullnesse vvas the greater! Remember mee, o God for thy mercye, and imprint in my Soule the memorye of these three Sentences, that I may al∣vvaies remember the account that thou hast made of my dayes, and of the last vvhich must bee the ende of them, that I may liue vvith such care, that at the daye of Iudgement, vvhen thou shalt peize mee in thy Scale, thou maiest not finde mee defectiue, but entire, and full in all my vvorkes: and that although thou diuidest from mee the kingdome of the Earthe, thou mayest not exclude mee from thy kingdome of Hea∣uen. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dan. 5.25.
• * 1.2

  Iob. 14.5
• * 1.3

  Apocal. 3 2.
• * 1.4

  Colloquie