Meditations Upon Eight Psalms, Dedication
To my lady, the lady Anne Bacon, widowe of the deceaſed Syr Nicolas Bacon Knight, Lord Keeper of the great ſeale of England.
MAdame, among other bookes of holy ſcripture, that of the Pſalmes wel deſerueth to bee ſingularly recommended to vsus. It is nowe ſome time, ſince hauing beſtowed ſome payne in tranſlating and expounding the ſame, I gaue my ſelfe alſo to take ſome more libertie of dealing with them by way of meditating vponupon that ſubiect, chooſing (as it were for an aſſaye) the ſeuen Pſalmes called ſome time Penitential, becauſe they were appointed to ſuch as after hauing ſatisfied open and canonical penaunce, were reunited to the body of the Church: wholy doing it for my particular inſtruction and conſolation. After this, beeing required by a great & vertuous princeſſe, to frame for her ſome forme of prayers: I tooke them afreſh into my hands, poliſhing them ouer, and that with hope of publiſhing them: which being letted by the ſodayne deceaſe of that Lady, I reſerued them among my papers as things of no great price: where they had lyen ſtill, had not bene the comming of maſter Anthony Bacon your ſonne, into theſe partes: whom when I ſawe to take pleaſure in this litle piece of woorke, and againe knowing by the latin letters wherewith it hath liked you to honour me, the great and ſingular, yea extraordinarie graces wherwith God hath indewed you, and whereof I acknowledge a very paterne in your ſaid ſonne: I perſwaded my ſelfe that it ſhould not be diſpleaſing to you, if this ſmall volume carying your name vponupon the browe, were offered to you, in teſtimonie of the honour and reuerence I beare to the vertue of you and yours: hoping withall that this eſtate of widowehode whereunto it hath pleaſed God to call you by deceaſe of that right vertuous and of right renowmed Lord, my Lord Nicolas Bacon your huſband, & moſt worthy Keeper of the ſeale of England, you might perhaps therein finde ſome conſolation, after the reading of thoſe great and holy doctors Greeke and Latine ſo familiar to you, for your better confirming in the meditation of ſpiritual things, and in this conſtancie and Chriſtian patience wherewith God hath ſo beautified you, that in you is verily acknowledged that Chriſtianly high minded courage which I ſawe in theſe partes ſhining in the deceaſed, of very happy memorie, Syr Anthony Cooke Knight, during thoſe great calamities publique to the realme, and particular to him & his whole familie. See the ground of my purpoſe, which if it may pleaſe you to take in good part, which I very humbly craue, it may be perhaps an occaſion of proceeding in this buſines, our Lord ayding, whom I beſeeche, Madame, that increaſing in you his greateſt graces, he will preſerue you and all your verie noble familie, long in all holy and perfect prosperitie. From Geneua this firſt of Nouember. Anno. 1581.
Yours very humble and ſeruiceable to commaunde, Theodore Beſze.
¶A Meditation vponupon the firſt Pſalme of Dauid.
1 Bleſſed is the man yt doeth not walke in ye counſayle of the wicked,ALas poore wretch & moſt caytife creature, which art neuer more reaſonles then when thine own blinde reaſon carieth thee, and when thine owne too too vnruly will doeth driue thee. What way wilt thou chuſe in this maze of manifolde pathes, wherein thou wert borne, and through which thou haſt wandered vagabondlike till nowe? Thy firſt path of infancie, what better name can I giuegive it then brutiſh ſimplicitie, which fooles call Innocencie, a way full of foule vncleannes, and an heape of miſeryes, amōg which this is one of the greateſt, that the infant can neither foreſee miſeries comming, nor throughly conceiue them beeing preſent. From this path whither entredſt thou oh vnhappy? Ahlas, into that wilde deſert of youth, a deſert I ſay, well tracked and throughly beaten eueryevery way, in which neuertheleſſe there was neyther right waye nor path, and yet notably haunted with moſt miſchieuous witches. There found I vanity that old ſorcereſſe, & ſhe would needes be my guide, offering me at our firſt acquaintance a thouſand cōtentations in apparāce, but more vayne thē winde in effect. There did thoſe two wilde beaſts, Ouerweening & Ambition, make themſelues ſo tame & familiar with me, as I was by & by at their becke, ſo farre forth as to followe them into a ſea that had neither bottom nor ſhoare, where they did their beſt to make me dwell ſtill remedileſſe, & all (quoth they) to bring me to the true felicitie: in ſteade whereof I was betrayed into the haudes of pleaſure, that nice & decked ſtrumpet, and withall the moſt ſtinking and daungerous that euer was in the world, inticing and interteining infinite wayes all them which doe but looke at her, and which more is, ſhe bewitcheth thē in ſuch ſort with her cuppe, that ſodainely their conſcience becommeth lulled a ſleepe, all iudgement loſt, yea very ſenſe it ſelfe aſtoniſhed, and then louelove wee our woe, & loathe our weale, what is moſt foule, ſeemes moſt fayre, what is moſt hurtfull, ſeemes moſt profitable, and that which is moſt ſowre, ſeemes moſt ſweete, yea oftentimes it bringeth to foule death and ſhame, and a thouſand woes & weale away: and this is all the felicitie to be hoped for. Oh moſt happy man which balkeſt this ſtreight, and ſingleſt thy ſelf farre from ſuch & ſo vnhappy feloweſhip. But woe is me,nor ſtande in the way of ſinners, I hauehave done yet worſe then al this, for, going foorth of the wildernes, I am entred into an other coū trey peopled with farre worſe folke then the former: for hitherto I hauehave rather bene deceiued then a deceiuer, and that I erred, proceeded not ſo much of malice, as of ignorance. But from thencefoorth in ſteade of hauing learned by mine own harme I nowe gaue my ſelfe ouer to doe much worſe, applying my ſelfe to couetouſnes, enuie, deceit, and at once, to eueryevery kinde of vice, perſwading my ſelfe that this was the true and neereſt way to happineſſe. And when ſometimes my conſciēce reproued me, I ſought by al meanes to make my ſelf beleeue yt vice was vertue, couetouſnes was nothing but good huſbandrie to prouide for my ſelfe and my meany, enuie was nothing with me, but a deſire to hauehave of things about me as other mē had, al deceit was faire cunning & good ſkil: at a word, I concluded that being in this world, I muſt do after the facions of other men, vntounto whoſe example I framed my ſelfe throughout. But poore wanderer, what haſt thou founde in the ende of this ſo ill a way? verily all the contrary to thy weening. Nowe then howe bleſſed is that perſon which buſieth not himſelfe to folow ſuch a way of folke giuen vp to all vice, bringing toyle to our body, tormēt to our conſcience, and final deſtruction both of body and ſoule! For whither doth ſuch a cuſtome of ill doing thruſt vsus by litle & litle?Nor ſit in the ſeate of the ſcornefull. Certainly euen to this point, that wee loſe all feeling of God, all remorſe of conſcience, of ignorant wee become wicked, of wicked we become miſchieuous to the vttermoſt, and finally we become ſcorners of God and of eueryevery good thing. Oh moſt great God, is it poſſible that duſt & aſhes being now become ſo infirme a creature, ſo changeable, ſo very nothing worth, yea worſe then nought, ſhould ſo doate in preſumption, as not only not to quake at the leaſt aduertiſement of his own conſcience, being awakened of it ſelf or by any the leaſt meane in the world: but alſo to ſet him ſelfe againſt thee, to ſhut his eare againſt the voyce of thy threatnings, to pluck out his owne eyes, that he might not perceiue thy horrible iudgements, to harden his heart againſt thine almightie puiſſaunce? Oh moſt good God, & patience it ſelfe, thou louer of men, in ſo much as thou diddeſt not ſpare for their ſake thine onelyonly ſonne equall to thee, yea one ſelfe God with thee, can it come to paſſe, that this creature, deſpiſing thy goodnes in calling him when hee fleeth, thy patience in bearing with him when he rebelleth, thy liberalitie in making him a partner of thy ſo great and incomprehenſible bliſſe euerlaſting, when he gaue himſelfe to moſt vaine vanitie, ſhould ſo far forget himſelf, as to reiect thy goodnes, to make a mocke at thy patiēce, to trample vnderunder his feete ſuch a treaſure? Yea Lorde, alack, all this is but too true: and which is more, thoſe which bee guyltie of theſe crimes, be ſuch as thou haſt aduanced higheſt. But O my God, retire my feete from thoſe crooked wayes wherein I hauehave gone too farre already: and ſince thou haſt put in me the deſire of bleſſedneſſe, ſhewe me alſo the ready addreſſe thereunto, giuegive mee a will to follow it, and ſtrength to purſue it, euen till I may attaine it to thine honour and glorie.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.2 Now then poore creature, abuſed by thy ſelfe, and miſlead by others, hearken at the laſt what the Lord will teach thee, Bleſſed is that man which taketh pleaſure in the Lordes law, and which meditateth thereof dayly and nightly: what ſay I, Thy law Lord? why, that is it which aſtoniſheth me, which condemneth me, which killeth me, as wherein there is neuer a commandement which carieth not my death ſentence withall. For, howe many creatures hauehave I ſet in thy place? oh golde and ſiluer, thou haſt occupied a great part of my heart and of mine hope: ye honours and worldly pleaſures, hauehave bene the god which I hauehave adored: oh abuſed heart, thou haſt bene the altar wheron hauehave bene ſet vp ſo many idoles as thou haſt paſſionate affections, whereunto thou haſt thralled thy ſelfe. The whole courſe of my inordinate life hath bene a continuall diſhonour of thy precious name. Howe many times hauehave I ſworne vntruly and bene diſloyall? Who can reckon the leaſings which make me faultie euen before my neighbours? When hauehave I ceaſed from mine owne works to do thine? Thy worde (Lord) what deafe eare hauehave I giuen it, and howe hauehave I practiſed it? Holy Baptiſme wherewith thou haſt vouchſafed to honour me, hath it not bene a thouſand times by me diſhonoured, polluted, and villanouſly abuſed? O how vnworthily hauehave I preſented my ſelfe to thy holy boord! How oft hauehave I lyed vntounto thee! And can I boaſt of any obedience towardes them where I owe it, ſince I hauehave ſo litle feared to diſobey thee? If in thy ſight, O iuſt Iudge, hee bee a murtherer which ſayth to his brother Racha, if he bee an adulterer which caſtes a looke at his brothers wife with a luſting eye, then howe can I cxempt my ſelfe from either of theſe crimes? And yet neuertheleſſe according to thy moſt iuſt lawe, there is no atonement for blood among men: howe then ſhall I compound for ſo many murders towardes thee, O thou iudge of the verie thoughts? If luſt alone without any further act doe make me an adulterer, and if no adulterer hauehave any part in the kingdome of heauen, poore creature that thou art, what ſhall become of thee? If it be not onelyonly ſimple thieuerie, but, which more is, flat ſacriledge, to withholde goods conſecrated to thy glorie, (according as thou haſt committed them vntounto vsus from aboue to be thy ſtewards of them) how may I bee diſpenſed withall, hauing ſhut mine eares leaſt I ſhould heare the poore, cloſed mine eyes that I might not ſee him, locked vp my bowels that they might not be touched with compaſſion towards ſo many my poore brethren? What ſay I, my brethren? Nay rather towards thee thy ſelf, O Lord, hungring, thirſting, and being naked in their perſon. Thee I ſay, oh thou great and eternall ſonne of God, which haſt made thy ſelfe of no reputation, that thou mighteſt aduaunce man ſo high with thee, which vouchſafedſt to be come poore to the end to enrich him with eternall treaſures, which didſt ſubiect thy ſelfe to all our weakneſſes, that thou mighteſt make vsus inuincible: at once, (oh depth of bountie) thou diſdaynedſt not to hang naked on the croſſe, & to enter into the houſe of death, to the end to cloth me againe with glorie, and to bring mee into the true paradiſe of euerlaſting life. To be ſhort, who is it but man that holdeth thy truth in vnrighteouſnes, that is a lier, and a falſifier, and that is borne with luſt: And wouldeſt thou, Lord, that I ſhould ſearch life in thy lawe, which is the verie ſoliciter, witneſſe, iudge, and executioner of the deadly ſentence agaynſt me? All this notwithſtanding (oh Lord) there will I ſeeke life, ſince that ſo is thine ordinance, and there ſhall I find it, ſince thou haſt ſpoken it. Thy law is good becauſe it is giuen by him that is only good: it is holy, for it is made by the holie of holies. From that which is good cannot proceede that which is ill: death commeth not properly by the lawe, but through ſinne: ſinne commeth of the ſinner, and not from thee, who doeſt hate and forbid that which is naught. If a ſicke man would freat himſelf to death againſt the Phyſitiō, whoſe were the fault? The lawe then iudgeth me becauſe it findes me guiltie: O good Lord, cleare mee againe, and make mee guiltles by thy law of faith, that the lawe of workes (which amaſeth me, condemneth me, & ſlaieth me in my ſelf) may aſſure me, abſolue me, and quickē me by him that hath fulfilled it for me, & became euen curſe it ſelf for my ſake: For, Lorde, it is thou which ſtrikeſt and cureſt, which leadeſt to graue & bringeſt back again: Graūt me through him the ſpirit of ſanctification, which may fit mee vntounto thy ſeruice, create in me the will and the power to doe, pearce mine eares that in hearing I may heare, giuegive me eyes to ſee, graūt me feete to walke in thy wayes: Then Lord, being wholy changed, I ſhall not heare thy worde for facions ſake, but I ſhall therein take all my pleaſure, I ſhall eate I ſay with a good appetite of this quickening foode, for I ſhall finde a good ſmacke in it: I ſhal digeſt it, and neuer thinke my ſelfe ſatiſfied with it: Day and night I ſhall not ceaſe to applie all mine vnderſtanding thereunto, that more and more I may be nouriſhed and ſuſteyned in the full enioying of that true, abſolute, and eternall felicitie.
3For he ſhalbe like a trée plā ted by the riuers of waters, that will bring forth her fruit in due ſeaſon:3 In meane while, O Lorde my God, ſhall I be idle, and finde leyſure to do nothing, but onelyonly to occupie my thoughts in contemplation? Not ſo: for though he be nothing leſſe then idle which exerciſeth that part of him ſelfe receyued from thee, to knowe thee and conſider thee in thy word and in thy workes, and that no mans actions can be conducted but by the good diſcourſe and reſolution of the ſpirit: yet foraſmuch as man was created at the beginning, and ſince that time againe made a newe creature by thee the ſecond time, to be a ſingular inſtrument in thine hande, it is neceſſarie that his ſoule beyng taught by thee, ſhoulde imploye it ſelfe, and that inſtrument which thou haſt giuen it, in ſuch actions as are agreeable to thy will, and in that vocation, for which thou haſt created it. If then the idle body be guyltie in thy ſight, as by good right the workman may finde fault with that toole, which wil not abide to be handled, yea he may marre it and breake it: what ſhalbe thought of that toole, that wil occupy it ſelfe as it liſteth, and when the workman would vſe it, it will not be ſtirred? and when you woulde handle it of one ſide, it will turne it ſelfe quite awke? Be this farre from mee my God, ſince thou haſt facioned and framed mee. For rather will I be not an inſtrument of a dead matter, but I ſhall hauehave a naturall & liuely ſtrength in me,Whoſe leafe ſhall not fade: which I finde already to come vponupon me. To be ſhort, I ſhalbe as a faire fruite bearing tree, planted by thine hand in thy houſe, grafted vponupon that right and kindly O liue, ſhooting vp to heauenward, my freſh greene braunches garniſhed with fruites proceeding from thy grace,So what ſoeuer he ſhall do, ſhal proſper. which will alway water mee at the roote, and will preſerue from froſtes, heates, windes and other tempeſtes, ſo as from them I ſhall rather gather freſh forces to yeelde plenteous fruite: whereas finners ſhall bee drye at the roote.4The wicked are not ſo, but as the chaffe, which the winde driueth away And if they make any gay ſhewe for a while, yet in the turning of an hande they come downe either by themſelues, or ſtriken by thy furie, and ſhalbe rooted out, ſo as no man ſhal perceiue their place, neither ſhal they be good for ought, but to bee burned and brought to nought: And yet do I ſome wrong to compare thē to trees, rather are they thornes, bryers and brambles, which thou doeſt fagot vp together in their time, to be thruſt in the fire: yea rather yet ſhall they be as duſt & ſmall chaffe, which ſhall go into the winde, when thou ſhalt fanne thy floore, and ſhalt locke vp the good grayne in thy garners.
5Therfore the wicked ſhall not ſtandin the iudgemēt, nor ſinners in the aſſemblie of the righteous.5 And albeit this difference be not manifeſt through the cōfuſions of this worlde, but contrariwiſe the wicked men ſeeme ſureſt planted, hyeſt promoted, and moſt floriſhing, yet ſhal not this vayne ſhewe be durable, but the true iudgement of their eſtate ſhall ſhewe it ſelfe, ſo ſoone as thy iuſtice appeareth to ſet in order all that is diſordered: and it ſhall then he clearely diſcouered in deed what they are, when that great day ſhall come, ſo dreadfull to the wicked, which ſhall not know whither to turne them, and ſo longed for by thy poore ſeruants, to whom being gathered together from all coaſtes, thou ſhalt doe iuſtice and reaſon of ſo many wrongs and violences receiued, wiping away their teares, and graunting them that felicitie which they ſo much deſire.
6For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, & the way of the wicked ſhall periſh▪6 Nowe then my ſoule, ſith the francke bountie of thy God hath drawen thee forth of theſe ſtraying paths of deſtruction, to the ende to leade thee in the true and only way of bleſſedneſſe: take good heede not to forſake it, but followe on thy courſe liuely, ſuffer not thy ſelfe to be miſlead by any inticements, nor to be diſmayed by any threatnings, holding faſt alwayes this concluſion in thine heart, as well agaynſt flatteries as againſt terrifyings, to wit, that howſoeuer the matter fall out, ſince that God is God & Iudge of the world, they which go ſtreight cannot miſſe to be bleſſed, ſtanding alwayes in the good grace and fauour of God: and the wicked contrariwiſe muſt needes periſh.