The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…

2. The Solace is a dance of four paces; Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. The full belly loves an easy Chair; he must needs join with his laborious surfeits the vacation of sleep. He hath taken great pains to bring death upon him; and now standing at his door, it hears him talk of ease. He promiseth himself that, which he travels to destroy, life: and even now ends what he threatens to begin. So worldlings weary and wear out their lives to hoard wealth: and when wealth comes, & health goes, they would give all for life. O fools! in continual quest of riches, to hunt themselves out of breath; and then be glad to restore all at once for recovery. The next pace is, Eat: his bones must not only be pleased, but his belly. It is somewhat yet, that this man resolves at last no more to pinch his guts: therefore what before he was in their debt, he will pay them with the usury of surfeits. He purposeth to make himself of a thin starveling, a fat Epicure; and so to translate Parcum into Porcum. The third pace is, Drink: where gluttony is bid welcome, there is no shutting out of drunkenness. You shall not take a Nabal, but he plies his goblet, as well as his trencher. And this is a ready course to retire himself from his former vexation; to drown his cares in Wine. The last pace is a Levalto; Be merry: When he hath got junkets in his belly, and wines in his brain, what should he do, ⟨p. 311⟩but leap, dance, revel, be merry, be mad! After feasting, must follow jesting. Here be all the four passages: he sleeps care away, he eats care away, he drinks care away, and now he sings care away. His pipes be full, and they must needs squeak, though the name of the good, yea the name of GOD be dishonoured. But to such a mad-merry scoffer might well be applied that verse, which was sounded in the ear of a great Rhymer dying: Desine ludere temerè, nitre properè surgere, de puluere. Leave playing, & fall to praying: it is but sorry jesting with death. Thus his dance was like Sardanapalus; Ede, bibe, lude: Eat, drink, and be merry: but there is one thing mars all his sport; the bringing of his soul to judgement. He promiseth a merry life, and a long life; but death says nay to both. He gratifies his soul, & ratifies his state; but cozens himself in all. It may be said of him, as King John of the fat Stag dying;

2. The Solace is a daunce of foure paces; Take thine ease, eate, drinke, and be merry. The full belly loues an easie Chaire; he must needs ioyne with his laborious surfets the vacation of sleepe. He hath taken great paines to bring death vpon him; and now standing at his dore, it heares him talke of ease. He promiseth himselfe that, which he trauells to destroy, life: and euen now ends what he threatens to begin. So worldlings weary and weare out their liues to hoord wealth: and when wealth comes, & health goes, they would giue all for life. O fooles! in continuall quest of riches, to hunt themselues out of breath; and then be glad to restore all at once for recouerie. The next pace is, Eate: his bones must not onely be pleased, but his belly. It is somewhat yet, that this man resolues at last no more to pinch his guts: therefore what before he was in their debt, he will pay them with the vsury of surfets. He purposeth to make himselfe of a thinne starueling, a fatte Epicure; and so to translate Parcum into Porcum. The third pace is, Drinke: where gluttony is bid vvelcome, there is no shutting out of drunkennesse. You shall not take a Nabal, but he plyes his gobblet, as well as his trencher. And this is a ready course to retire himselfe from his former vexation; to drowne his cares in Wine. The last pace is a Leualto; Be merry: When hee hath got iunkets in his belly, and vvines in his braine, what should he doe,