Meditations collected and ordered for the vse of the English colledge of Lisbo by the svperiovrs of the same colledge.

A MEDITATION FOR SCHOLERS that come to be admitted.

1. COnsider first, that God almighty crea∣ted thee, as all things else, of nothing; not for any need he had of thee, or commodity by thee, but onely to exercise and declare his bounty in thee: and this he hath done in a most ample manner, making thee ca∣pable of his grace and glory; and therefore he hath enriched thee with vnderstanding to know him, memory to be mindfull of him, vvill to loue him; finally, vvith interiour and exteriour senses, to feele, see and enjoy his benefits; of vvhich the vvhole vvorld is full, and for all vvhich thou art bound to praise him and serue him. The end therefore of thy Creation being to serue God in this vvorld and to enjoy him in the next; reflect a litle vpon thy selfe, how thou hast complyed vvith the first part of seruing God: vpon what thou hast hitherto busied thy vnderstanding, thy memory, thy vvill, with all the powers and senses of thy soule and body: how little or how much thou hast performed herein thy owne conscience vvell examined will tell thee: but surely the common course of most men in the world, is so to liue as though they knew not by vvhom, nor for vvhat end they vvere created; vnles it were to enjoy these present pleasures, & to set vp their finall rest in this vvorld; to heape vp riches; build faire

houses and vvallow in sensuall pleasures.

Conclude vvith most humble thankes to the Diuine goodnes, first, for creating thee to so noble an end; secondly, for giuing thee this op∣portunity to see and review thy actions & obli∣gations: resolue hence forward, to reject and despise all thoughts and actions that conduce not to this end of seruing God: finally offer one hearty prayer to God for poore and blind world∣lings.

2. Consider secondly the enormity of sinne and terrour of death. Nam per peccatum mors: For by sinne cometh death: sinne is a more vgly monster than the Deuill, and farre more hatefull to God: Jt vvas sinne onely that threw the An∣gells out of heauen, man out of Paradise & both into hell; twas sinne onely that made the Sonne of God giue vp his secred breath vpon the Crosse; finally 'tis sinne that vvill at length con∣sume the vvhole world vvith fire and brimstone. This being most true, see now how long it is since thou hast begun to sinne; and how euer since thou hast increased them against God, thy neighbour, and thy selfe: sweetest God, that I cannot present thee one day of all my life, in vvhich I haue not offended thee! not one of the powers of my soule, or senses of my body free from the guilt of Sinne! not one of thy benefits, inspirations or Sacraments, but J haue abused & turned against thee! After sinne comes death, vnpossible to be either preuented or foreseen; & yet most terrible; first, for being the last period

of all that belongs to this life, & vvorld; friends, riches, honours, pleasures: secondly, for being the entrance into another world; vnknowne, vnexperienced, & doubtfull whether of blisse or misery: ô vvhat gripes vvill a poore vvorldling feele at that houre for all that he must leaue be∣hind him? and vvhat groanes vvill a sinner then giue for feare of the lot he shall haue in the vvorld now ensuing.

Conclude vvith a true and hearty sorrow and detestation of thy sinnes past; vvith a strong re∣solution, first to confesse, next to amend them all for the future: againe, thinke oft vpon death, and prepare thy selfe for it, hovv young soeuer thou art; for this is the onely vvay to make it ea∣sy and tolera••le.

3. Consider thirdly, how, as after sinne co∣mes death, so after death cometh judgement, & then either heauen or hell. O the terrour of that sentence, I te maledicti in ignem aeternum! Get ye avvay you cursed into fire euerlasting! hell is a dungeon in the hollow of the earth, vvhere a double paine shall afflict the damned; the one is called Paena sensus, the paine of the sense, which signifieth all sort of torments, both interiour & exteriour, that can be thought or imagined; heat and cold, tormenting diuells, howlings and gnashings of teeth: the other is termed Paena damni, the paine of the losse of the sight of God; a torment as farre surpassing the former, as God surpasseth all his creatures: and yet, vvhich sur∣passeth all, both these torments are to be eter∣nall,

for euer, without end, as long as God shall be God. O Eternity, how intolerable, how full of desperation is thy memory to these wretches? But how sweet, how comfortable to those vvhose call shall be; Venite benedicti Patris mei, possidete regnum &c? Come ye blessed of my Fa∣ther, possesse you the kingdome &c: The ioyes of heauen none can imagine as they are, but cer∣taine it is that they are euery vvay compleat, in body and soule ouer filling all vvith the cleare vision of the Deity: vvhere the Palaces are all of precious stones and burnisht gold; vvhere the lambe of God, Iesus Christ, is the common light, sending out his bright beames from end to end; vvhere the Angells and Saints glitter more then a thousand sunnes: finally, vvhere is Omne bonum sine mixtura mali. All good without any mixture of euill.

Conclude vvith detestation of all thy sinnes, vvhich onely can cast thee into hell; and resolue to imbrace vertue, vvhich alone can raise thee to Paradise. Finally make this solemne protesta∣tion. O my gracious God, since it hath pleased thee at the length to recall my vvandering steps, and to direct them into the right vvay; neuer hereafter vvill I turne back to those by-wayes; neuer here-after vvill I stray from the true path. Let vs goe vvith courage, my deare soule; let vs runne tovvards this blessed countrey, vvhich is promised vs in the kingdome of heauen: vvhat make vvee so long in this beggarly country of Egypt? I vvill therefore dispatch my selfe from

all such things, as may put me out of the vvay, or hinder me in so happy a journay: I vvil cleanse my selfe of sinne, and then seriously imbrace the vvay of vertue.