BE ye folowers of Iesus Christ as his welbeloued children sayth the Apostle : Eph. 5. let all thy labour and studie be to conforme thy lyfe , to ●he lyfe of our sauiour . If wee had no other reason for to condemne the vanities of the world with all , yet the lyfe of Iesus Christ and the example which he gaue vs here in earth were sufficient alone to confounde all Chistians with all .

It were shame for vs to lyue in pleasure and delight , 2. Reg. 11. our great captayne Ioab li●ing in great daunger and ignominie . There is not any souldier which seeth his captayne die before his face , but that he will willinglie also put hym selfe to the daunger of death forgetting all his former pleasures and delightes . If thou seeke for honour when thou seest thy Captayne generall lyue alltogether without honour , i● is a greate token that thou arte not of his bande . And sithence thou reputest thy selfe for a Christian , thou maiest well be asshamed to seeke after the loue of suche vanities as the infidelles delight in . Many be they which call them selues Christians , but there be but few of those whiche folowe the lyfe of Christ in deede : in name they agree all together , but in conuersation and behauiour they be verie farr contrarie .

If the lyues of many Christians were tried and compared together with the lyfe of our redeemer , as the woorkeman tryeth his woorke by a lyne to finde out the crokednes thereof ▪ It would soone appeare veary manifest , how much our hartes were gone away from the true leuell , in the which God did once rightlie settle vs , towardes the loue of those thinges whiche he would haue vs to despice and contemne .

Whome thinkest thou to knowe more ? God , or the world ? Now if thou thinkest that God knoweth more , Behould how he chooseth pouertie , and a moste base kynde of lyfe . And this suffiseth for thee to know how much thy lyfe is out of square . Thou goest cleane wyde from the true pathe o● heauen yf thou doest disordinatlye seek● after the honours , & riches of this world .

Mat. 4. If the worlde had bene good , and th● ●onours & riches thereof profitable , our holie redeemer woulde neuer haue commaunded his disciples to despise them . In ●he litle esteemynge of hym selfe , whilest ●e liued here , and in the greate austeritie ●f his owne lyfe , our Lorde did teach vs , ●ow litle wee ought to make accompte of ●hese worldlie thinges .

The hard maunger in whiche he was ●yed after his holie birth , Luc. 2. condemneth the ●elicatenes of this life of ours . That stawle ●●eweth , how vaine the honours and pro●●erities of this world are . And those sim●le cloathes , wherein his diuine maiestie ●as wrapped , gyue-vs well to vnderstande ●hat the riches of this worlde is .

Proceede thorowghe the whole course ●f his lyfe , and consider also of his death , & ●●ou shalt fynde , that the soonne of God ●●●er that he became man did allwayes teach 〈◊〉 to despise the world , aswell by the exā●●e of his lyfe , as by the whole course of ●●s doctrine and teachinge .

When he made that greate sermon of ●is on the hill he beganne sayinge : Blessed ●e the poore in spirite for theirs is the ●ingdome of heauen .

Our Lorde came not into this worlde ●o vndoe thee , or to ouerthrowe the , Mat. 5. but ●o teache thee the waye to heauen , and to ●ssure thee of thy saluation . If Christ erred ●ot , then errest thou : If he chose well , then ●hoosest thou ill : And yf he with disho●our , and by sufferring opened vnto thee the gates of glory , without all doubte thou beinge such a frend to honour and vanitie , doest take the straight waye to hell .

In great daunger doest thou lyue , and muche perill doth thy soule run into , y● thou turnest not back againe from the way that thou art now entred into , by hating o● that which thou doest now so muche loue ▪ And by determyning to folowe the footesteppes of hym that coulde neuer erre . O● what an abuse is this , that a poore simpl● woorme made of earth will nedes be grea● when the God of all Maiestie was conten● hym selfe to be so li●tle .

Oh then thou Christian soule yf tho● espie thy spowse Isaack walkinge on th● ground , th●u oughtest to putt on thy cloke , & couer thee with the veale of shamefastnes as Rebecca did , Gen. 24. blusshing for vear● shame to see thy Lorde and Maister Iesu● Christ to walke on the earth in the cōtēp●● of the world , And thy selfe to sitt mownte● alofte vpon thy cammells backe in high● honour and power of the worlde .

Thou muste come downe as shee di● despisinge the honour and vanitie of thi● present worlde , by conforminge thy self● to the lyfe of thy redeemer , so as tho● mayest after enioye with hym the trewe riches and honour which induer for euer .

ALL is vanitie in this world , Eccl. 1. & nothinge but vanitye is in it sayth the wyse man , I haue behoulden sayth he , all that is vnder the soonne , & nothinge doe I fynde but vanitie . This worlde is worthelie called in holie scripture an Ipocrite , because it hath an exterior apparance of goodnes , and within , it is full of corruption and vanitie . In deede there appeareth some shew of goodnes in these sensible thinges , but yet are they but cōuterfeyte & false . Neuer seeke to fasten the anker of the shipp of thyne harte , in the large Seas of worldlie loue .

The Reedes when they shoote out first ●n the springe of the yeare , doe with their fresh greene colour , delight the eyes for a while , but yf thou doe breake them , and looke within them , thou shalt find nothing there but emptines and holownes .

Lett not the worlde deceyue thee , nor thyne eyes beguyle thee , by the meanes of this vayne and counterfett bewtie . For trulie yf thou consider it well , and looke narowlie what is within it , thou shalt finde there nothinge but vanitie . If the worlde were to be layed open to the eye , And euerie particuler parte thereof vewed and searched out , as the Anotomistes vse to doe the bodies of men , yt woulde soone make an open shew of all his vanitie . For what soeuer is in the worlde , eyther it is past , or present , or els to come . That which is past , is no●ve no longer in beinge : That whiche is to come , dependeth all vppon vncertenties : And that which is present , is but vnstable , and to indure but for a moment . It were greate vanitie to trust in it , and a much more vanitie to make accompte of the fauours and loue thereof . It is a vanitie to desire or wishe for the honours thereof , And a greater vanitie to esteeme the riches and pleasures thereof . It is a vanitie to loue such transitorie thinges : And trulie great vanitie to delighte in the corruptible substance of this worlde . It is vanitie to seeke after the wynde of humaine prayses : vaine be those cares whiche cause the to serue so vnhappie a maister as the worlde is . Finallie all is but vanitie , sauing to loue and serue God onlie .

Phi. 3. THere be many which wal● of whome I toulde you , now doe tell you it we●●ping , which are enemyes the Crosse of Christ , wh●● end is destruction saye● the Apostle : The end of those that loue 〈◊〉 world ( as Sainte Paul saieth ) is death & p●●●ditiō . Doe not ioine thy selfe in league vn●● those persons which the worlde doth 〈◊〉 vnto thee , for thou shalt be drawen to fol●●● the vanities of their deceiptes . The plea●●●res which it presenteth vnto the , be the v●●rie messengers of death . Flie from the ●●teringe falsehood thereof , for feare 〈◊〉 thou be taken in his snares . Looke not 〈◊〉 that which is present , but consider withal 〈◊〉 which is to come . Be diligent in the obs●●●uinge that whiche alwayes foloweth 〈◊〉 sinne : And waying them that which is pre●●● with that which is to come , thou wilt fa●● into a hatred of all the pleasures and 〈◊〉 which this worlde setteth before thee , ●llure the with all .

Our lyues be as it were Ryuers which 〈◊〉 run into the Sea of death : The waters ●●e ryuers are sweet & fresh but the end ●hem is to enter into the brackishe & ●●er waters of the Sea . Lyfe is a sweete ●●ge to them that doe loue it , but when ●●●h doth come then will it be bitter . The 〈◊〉 of those sweete waters of the Ryuer is 〈◊〉 made bitter by the Sea that it runneth 〈◊〉 Euen so is the end of mans lyfe vearie ●●ernes in deede . The vanities whiche 〈◊〉 worldlie folkes doe delight in withall doubte will end in sorowe and in ●●●f : They begynne in weale , but they 〈◊〉 end in woe , the entree is pleasant , but 〈◊〉 ●oing out is verie vnpleasant ▪

●f thou wilt but consider well , how ●●●e the torment is more then the plea●●● , thou wilt willinglie renownce all 〈◊〉 vanities : And then shalt thou not faule 〈◊〉 the fault whiche causeth thy sorow & ●●enteth thy conscience . That whiche ●●ghteth is but shorte , and that whiche ●●enteth is euerlastinge . Let not these ●●ties draw the which this faulse world ●●eth the , But rather consider deepelie ●●revnto they doe tende . God saith , Your ●●ing shal be torned into mourning , and 〈◊〉 pleasures into teares , your laughinge ●●●e mingled with sorow , Amos. 9. Prou. 14. and the end of 〈◊〉 mirth shal be ouertaken with lamen●●●n .

MAN being once in honour and knew it not was compared vnto the vnreasonable beastes , Psal. 48. and is become like vnto them , sayth the Prophet Dauid : God gy●●ge vnto man reason and prudence to ●●esee and consider what was after for to ●●ne , and what end these vanities of the ●●rld did tend vnto , he would not take 〈◊〉 oportunitie and benefite thereof , but ●●ie beheld the present honour he stoode ●and did forgett the bitter payne of the partinge therefrome : He remembred 〈◊〉 pleasure that he had before his eyes , 〈◊〉 thought nothing on the payne that was folow after : yea the payne was euen vpō●n before he remembred it , or aduysed ●n of it . Ecclesiasticus sayth , I sayed of 〈◊〉 sonnes of men that God should make ●●ofe of them , Eccle. 3. and trye whether they ●re like vnto the beastes , or no. Genes. 3. God ma●● Adam apparell of the skynnes of beastes after his synne , to declare thereby vnt● hym , that he was by his faulte made lik● vnto them .

The synner offendeth God , and as soo● as he hath done , he wisheth that he had ne●uer offended hym , synce by experience 〈◊〉 findeth how full of malignitie the world is , and how sorow is still ioyned vnto plea●sure , But why considered he not this befo●● he synned ?

It is the propertie of a wyseman to con●sider thinges in the begynninge , And of foole to aduise him selfe when it is to la●● A wyse man bethinketh him first , but t●● foole sayth : I thought not thereon at all . 〈◊〉 thou woldest thinke beforehande of t●● vnpleasant ende whiche these world●● thinges doe bring with them , thou shou●●dest haue no cause of repentance after . T●● Prophet Dauid sayth . Psal. 118. I thought vpon 〈◊〉 wayes , and I retourned back from the w●● that I was walkinge in ▪ Of the thinkin● of the end of synne , groweth the desire● forsake sinne , & to retorne againe to kee● the commaundementes of God .

If thou shouldest passe by a waye ▪ the whiche it had bene toulde the befo●● that theues & murderers did haunt , wo●●dest thou not forsake thine intended w● and take some other ? In the waye of th● pleasures which now thou art entred in there be theeues which seeke to dest●● the grace of God in thee , & to take awa● from thee thy meanes of meriting : Take 〈◊〉 ●ouncell with thee , and turne the backe ●gayne yf thou wilt escape death . Assone ●s temptation beginneth to assayle thee , con●ider the way that it leadeth the vnto , And ●f thou occupyest thyne vnderstandinge ●ell in the remembringe therof , I doubte ●ot , but that thou wilt soone turne backe ●gayne .

The Apostle sayeth , Rom. 6. Gene. 25. That the reward of ●●nne is death . Iacob & Esau , were in their ●●others wombe together , and contended ●●gether whiche of them shoulde come ●●rth first , and when they were borne Ia●●b tooke Esau by the sole of the foote . ●he head is the first and principall parte 〈◊〉 man , and the foote is the last and extre●est parte of all the whole man . And this 〈◊〉 the difference betwixt euill men and ●●od : The good doe take vice by the foote ●nd the wicked take it by the heade . The ●icked imbrace all kynde of pleasures , ●●nours & vanities , And looke not toward ●●e end of these matters : But the good ●●ke the world by the foote , and doe con●●●er the bitter end of all these pleasures .