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 third Pointe.

THirdly, I am to consider the execution of these sentences, * 1.1 of the which our saviour Christe sai∣eth: Et ibunt he in supplicium aeternum, iusti autem in vitam aeternam, And these shall goe into punis∣hement everlasting, but the iust into life everla∣sting.

First I will consider the execution of the senten∣ce giuen against the wicked, for in the instant that it shall bee giuen, without any delaye, in viewe of the Righteous the earthe shall open vnder their feete, and the Divelle laying holde on them, they shall all togither descende vnto Hell; and the earthe shall presently close vp againe, they remaining for ever buried in that abysme of Fier. Then shall bee fullfilled that Malediction written in the Psalme, * 1.2 let Deathe come vpon them, and let them goe dovvne quicke into Hell, And that which Saint Iohn spea∣keth of in his Apocalips, That the Divell, and Deathe, and Hell, and all those that were not written in the booke of life, were cast into the Lake of fier, and brimstone, where with Antichri∣ste, and the false Prophet they shall bee tormented

Day, and might for ever, and ever. And this is the second Deathe bitter and eternall, which compre∣hendeth the soules, and Bodyes, that died the first Deathe of sinne, and the corporall Deathe that en∣sued therevpon. O what a furious Raving shall possesse the Damned, seeing themselues not able to resist, nor to impeache the execution of this senten∣ce? O what a bitter Envye shall penetrate their en∣trailes, to beeholde the glory of the righteous from whome they are divided! O what a desperate sad∣nesse shall they receiue by this second Deathe, and in their first entrance into that stinking infernall poole! O what raging Agonyes, beholding them∣selues covered with mountaines of Earthe, bolted vp with eternall boltes, and bounde handes, and feete with Chaines of perpetuall Damnation! Then shall they see by experience how evill, and bitter it was to haue divided themselues from theire God, and to haue abandoned his holy feare. * 1.3 Feare, o my soule, the terriblenesse of this second Deathe, that thou maist avoide the iniquitie of the first Deathe. Enter vvith thy spirit into these Openings of the Earthe, and hide thy selfe therein, * 1.4 beholding quietly vvhat passeth there, that thou mayest feare the vvrathe of the Almighty, and escape his furye.

I vvill likewise ponder how Ioyfull the righte∣ous shall bee (as David saieth) to beholde the ven∣geance that Gods iustice taketh on wicked. * 1.5 for al∣though among the Damned bee hee that was his Father or mother, Brother, or Frende, they shall re∣ceiue no paine but rather Ioye, to see the greate reason that God hath for vvhat hee doeth: * 1.6 so that they shall sing the song that Moyses sung, when the Egyptians were drowned in the sea: or the song of the Lambe which Saint Iohn maketh mention of, saying, Greate and mer vailous are thy vvorkes lord God omnipotent: iust, and true are thy vvaies king of

the vvorldes. VVho shall not feare thee, o Lord, and magnifye thy name, because thou onely art holy, and thy Iudgements are manifest to all. [ 3] From hence I will mount vp to ponder the execution of the sentence of the Righteous, beholding how all the blessed are carried aboue the ayre, following their Cap∣taine Iesus, singing a thousand songs of Ioye, and glorifying God, for having deliuered them from such, and so greate Perille, with those wordes of the Psalmist: * 1.7 Blessed bee our Lorde that hath not giuen vs a pray to theire teethe, our soule as a sparrovve is de∣liuered from the snare of the foulers. The snare is bro∣ken, and vvee are delivered, our helpe is in the name of our Lorde vvhich made Heauen, and Earthe. And in this manner they shal penetrate the whole Hea∣uens, vntill they arriue at the Empyreall Heauen, where Christe our Lorde shall place them in those Thrones of glorye, which they are to possesse raig∣ning with him thoroughout all eternitie, with greate peace, and tranquillitie. * 1.8 O happy labours of a vertuous life, which are so well rewarded in life everlasting. Cheere vp thyselfe, o my soule, with the hope of these rewardes, and embrace with greate feruencye these Labours.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. 25.46.
• * 1.2

  Psalm. 54.16. Apocal. 20.14.
• * 1.3

  Ierem. 2.19.
• * 1.4

  Isai. 2.10.
• * 1.5

  Psalm. 57.11.
• * 1.6

  Exod. 15.1. Apocal. 15.3.
• * 1.7

  Psalm. 123.6,
• * 1.8

  Colloquie