The Amendment of Life, Book 4 · Chapter 7
The ſeuenth cauſe of Amendement gathered of the ſignification of this worde Amend. Chap. 7.
IN the firſt Chapter of the firſt booke, we hauehave declared that the holy Ghoſt commanding vsus to amend, doeth ordinarily vſe two wordes, whereof the one doth ſignifie, Be ye better aduiſed, or learne to know your ignorance or fault, and the other as much as if wee ſhould ſaie, Returne and conuert. By the firſt the holy Ghoſt teacheth, that it is a great folly to offend God, conſidering that God exhorting vsus to amend, commandeth vsus to be wiſe and aduiſed. And the other confirmeth it to be in truth a great folly: For when God ſaith, Conuert & returne to me, namely, by amendement: he giueth vsus to vnderſtand, that by tranſgreſsing his law, we go to the deuill, & by amending we turne backe and go from the deuill to the liuing God. And in deed, if anie man liſt to demand what waie the idolaters, fornicators, whoremongers, dronkardes, couetous perſons, dreamers, blaſphemers: and to bee ſhort, all they that giuegive themſelues to the world, and to the luſts of the fleſh, doo take: the aunſwere is certaine and readie, euen they that take the waie that leadeth to hell, that forſaking life they go to death, and running from God, they draw neere to the deuil. Saint Paul making a catalogue of theſe people, doth reſolutely pronounce,1. Cor. 6.10 Rom. 6.23 Deut. 27.26 that they ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God: alſo, that the reward of ſinne is death: and curſed is he that keepeth not the commandements of the law. And becauſe there are few that take care to obey God, & to amend their liues,Math. 7.13 our Lord Ieſus Chriſt pronounceth, that broade is the gate and path that leadeth to deſtruction. As therefore if a man departing from Paris, taketh his waie into Spaine, and yet giueth out that hee wil take his waie through Flanders or Holand, euerie man will ſcorne him as a foole, or take pittie of him as if he were a ſenſeleſſe perſon, that goeth farre amiſſe: euen ſo is it with him, who taking no courſe to amend, but continuing in offending of God, doth neuertheles ſay & vphold that he will go to heauen: for eueryevery man may iudge him to be ſenſeleſſe and greatly out of the waie, becauſe he taketh the contrarie courſe which leadeth to hell.
2 Now if there be no greater madnes or pernitious folly, than by offending God, to take the waie to hell and euerlaſting fire, Ieſus Chriſt in commanding vsus to amend, doth iuſtly ſaie: Be ye wiſe & better aduiſed, and conuert & returne to me. And in deed if God ſhould aske the ſinner, Wilt thou amend? Wilt thou go to hel fire, into weeping and gnaſhing of teeth with the deuills? There is no man ſo deſperate but that he will anſwere, No Lorde, God forbid: yet hath not God good cauſe to replie? Why? thou takeſt the way thether, thy workes doo leade to hell and euerlaſting deſtruction, and therefore amend: But how Lord? be better aduiſed: As now thou turneſt thy backe to me, and thy face to the deuill: ſo turne & conuert thou to mee. Where thou goeſt from heauen, and draweſt neere vntounto hell, turne backe, leaue the world, the fleſh, and all the corruptions of the ſame, & walking in my commandements amend thy life. Thus turning thy backe to the deuil, & thy face vntounto me, going from hell, thou ſhalt come to me the fountaine of life euerlaſting. And in deed ſaith S. Auguſtin, we draw neere vntounto God, who is eueryevery where,Proſper in his ſentences out of Auguſtine Se. 91. Sc. 195 not by remouing from place to place, but by alteration of manners. For as diſsimilitude ſeparateth vsus frō him, ſo doth reſemblance and imitation conioyne vsus with him. And what a woe is this, ſaith he, by diſpleaſing God to abandon this ſoueraigne felicitie which is in all places? Let this commandement therefore Amend, that is to ſaie, Be ye better aduiſed, and conuert vntounto me, waken and inflame our hearts to amend our liues, and to be wiſe and aduiſed to conuert vntounto God. If a marchaunt ſeemeth willing to truſt another that is redie to be banquerout with all his goods, one warning will be inough to reclaime him, ye ſhall not need to praie him to beware, or to alleadge many reaſons to withhold him. The only feare & apprehēſion of the loſſe of all his goods wil be reaſon and exhortation ſufficient. What ſhall wee then doo, when Ieſus Chriſt ſaith, Be ye better aduiſed, that is, Amend: and note that by offending God, & ſo taking the waie to hel, we indanger our ſelues, yea, we do euen aſſure our ſelues to looſe both bodies and ſouls for euer? Is it not meere madnes and vngrateful rage, to continue and not to be wiſer and better aduiſed, that wee may conuert to God, and by amendement preſerue our bodies and ſouls vntounto life euerlaſting?