whoe can remaine in fire and not growe warme at least to some proportion O that we could dwell there and how happye should we be therein what is the reason that we depart thence soe soone Because we take not vp those fiue lodgings in that high mountaine of the Crosse where Christ our Lord was transfigured indeede though not towards beauty but towards deformitie basenes and dishonour which lodgings are granted to vs nay we are desired to take them though those other three tabernacles which S. Peter desired were denyed to him If some little sparke of this fire be kindled in our harts let vs take great care that the winde blowe it not out since it is soe little Let vs couer it with the ashes of humilitie let vs hould our peace and hide it and soe we shall finde it still aliue Leuit. 6 And we must dayly add some wood to it as God commaundeth his Preists to doe And that signifies to vs the doeing of good workes and the not loosing of any tyme and aboue all things we must approach to the true fire which may kindle and enflame vs and this is Iesus Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament Let vs open the mouth of our soule which is our desire and let vs goe all gaping towards the fountaine of liuing water for soe without doubt if we take hony into our mouths we shall haue some taste thereof And in fine if the fire be in our bosome it will heate vs. But both before and after we communicate we must vse some preparations and reflections and there cannot be any better then a liuely Faith that we goe then to receiue Iesus Christ our Lord together with a consideration and loue of his passion since that misterie was instituted in memory thereof Being thus refreshed lett vs then prouide our selues for our communicating the next tyme after For he whoe onely prepares himselfe for the present tyme shall seldome finde himselfe well prepared Let vs therefore runne after God for we may be sure enough that he will not flye from vs. He is nayled vpon the Crosse and infallibly we shall finde him there Let vs conveigh him into our harts and then shutt the doore that he retyre not thence Let vs dye to all visible things since there will come a tyme when we must leaue them perforce Let vs renew our selues in newnes of spirit since we haue liued soe longe according to the old man Eph. 4 Let vs be growing in knowledge and loue of Christ our Lord who is the soueraigne good And all this is to be obteyned by humble prayer and perseuerant endeauour More is receiued into the soule from without the soule then doth proceede of the soule It is more for it to be moued and disposed then to worke when that is done And therefore let vs remoue all impediments and compose our owne harts within our selues expecting Christ our Lord there who enters when the gates are shutt to visit and comfort his Disciples and soe without doubt he will come to vs. For Dauid saith of him Psal 144. Our Lord heard the desire of the poore and his eares harkened to the preparation of his hart And since Christ our Lord is principally he who must worke this in vs Psal 9. we haue noe reason to distrust but taking courage and confidence in such a conductor as he is let vs beginne to runne that course with feruour which ends not but in the obteyning of God And if we cannot soe soone make our harts as subiect to vs as we would lett vs yet endure it with patience till God rise vp and soe our enemies may fall and till he awake and commaund this sea to calme it selfe But then on the other side his expresse pleasure is that we haue confidence in him euen in the greatest temptations yea though our little barkes should be vpon the very point to sincke Let vs not therefore be disturbed or dismayed Let vs not put others to paine for the trouble which this continuall warre giues vs in threatning that we shall be ouercome The day will arriue when God will put this country of ours into peace when wee shall sleepe without any body by to wake vs. And now since this peace cannot be obteyned yet it will be a better course for vs to goe sweating and striuing to roote out our passiōs then to keepe our selues in ease and to content our selues with leading a tepid life for the auoyding of that paine which the seeking of perfection would put vs to But first lett vs vtterly distrust ourselues and confide in God and let vs beginne in the name and power of the omnipotent And this begining of ours shall be humilitie which is figured in the ashes that we take and our end shal be loue which is figured in the resurrection of our Lord and soe we shall inioye both a good lent and a good Easter In the meane tyme I kisse the hands of all my Masters your Collegialls and I recommend my selfe to their prayers And say you to them in my name that I beseech them that we may loue both God and our neighbours in great measure That soe at the day of iudgment we may know well how to answeare and that we may be made doctours be receiued into the Colledge of the Angells and Saints where we shall euer study the booke of life which is God himselfe who will for euer stand open before our eyes that we may knowe him loue him and for euer be in possession of him Our Lord Iesus remaine euer with you Amen A Letter of the Author to a certaine lady Hee shewes how the hunger of our hart cannot be satisfied but by the spirit of our lord who that hee may lodge himselfe therein requires that it bee free from all affection to creatures And how tepid and negligent persons greiue that spirit how the Feast of the holy Ghost is a very good preparation for the Feast of Corpus Chisti which followes MADAM I desire to know how your hart standes affected at this tyme. For if wee looke to the weeke wherein wee are it is belonging to the holy Ghost whose property is to giue light to the vnderstanding and to infuse loue into the will and euen strength into the body alsoe by meanes of which three loaues of bread we shall haue some what to set before our freind who comes hungry and weary from the high way For the hunger that our hart feeles which walkes as it were out of it selfe whilest it imployes it selfe vpon creatures this holy Ghost is wont to take away and to giue vs the bread of fulnes and satisfaction And woe be to vs if we feele not that great defect which is in things created and if we conuert nor our selues to god in our very harts at least now when they are weary with finding imperfections wants in those things wherein we hoped that they might obtaine repose
did euer obtaine saluation vnlesse God did in his mercy cure him first and did take his stony hart from him and giue him a hart of flesh insteede thereof These are the iourneys ends of those wicked sonnes who after that they were receiued for sonnes and treated after that rate Deut. 32. doe forgett their Lord whoe possessed them who made them and who created them And he who trembles not at this doth already giue testimony enough that he is hard harted and hath reason to feare so much the more as he feares the lesse And therefore Sir let vs consider these things as signâ—s of that which is like to follow When we see that the foundations of a wall fall away it is tyme to apply some remedy since wee are aduertised of the daunger Lett vs greately feare the goeing backward in spiritt of one onely day lett vs not suffer a defect though it may seeme small to passe away without punishment And I say though it seeme small for in very deede none at all is soe for the very least of them doth vs much hurt though some of them be greater then other Lett vs resolue that this mischeife proceedes from one of these two causes either not being thankefull for the good receiued or being negligent in conseruing it Saint Bernard saith That the cause why God imparting great benefitts to many without euen soe much as their asking doth yet deny them other inferiour benefitts which they asked afterwards is because they were vngratefull for those greater benefitts and thereby make themselues vnworthy of the lesser Nor is it any new thing that he who vses ill the great blessing which he receiues as if there were noe neede of taking paines to conserue that which is already gotten should loose them Soe that we must now thanke God againe for the benefitts which we haue receiued and let vs employ them well forasmuch as now remaines in our power least wee vtterly loose them all and our selues with them Lett vs be the more remisse in other businesses that soe we may be attentiue to this with all our power When a man diuides his estate into very many parts and payments it growes to be in effect nothing And he who hath receiued particular blessings from heauen may content himselfe with keeping them and growing rich in them though he be not so prosperous in the goods of this world If he haue a minde to comply very punctually with the desire of temporall riches I feare that it will be vpon the price of somewhat els which is more worth For the world is soe full of malignitie 1. Iohn 5. and our forces are so weake that wee are like some little poore candle in the middest of many windes and if we faile to be very diligent to keepe it in they will blow it out Such is the misery of vs whoe liue in this exile And therefore they who haue any braines are wont to feare and sigh and groane with desire to be gone from hence Make you account that this is your cheife estate your honour your safety and your life and place your right eye vpon this and your left vpon other things And if somewhat must needes be lost let it be that which will one day be lost whether wee will or noe how carefully soeuer we may thinke to keepe it And lett that remaine in safety which if our selues doe not loose wee shall be saued for euer Iacob disposed of that wife and those children whom he least loued Gen. â— into the froÌ„t or foreward of his company desyring that if any ill accident should arriue it might rather fall first vpon them then vpon that wife and children which he loued better And euery day wee doe the same in marshalling the parts of our temporall estate For we dispose our selues to loose that which is lesse and to saue that which is more Lett vs therefore resolue that it is better to haue a good conscience then much temporall riches and to haue credit with God then with man and so in the rest And procuring to appease our Lord by penance and confession for that which is past lett vs beginne to make new purposes and lead a new life with fresh courage being very much offended with our selues for hauing beene soe vngratefull to our great benefactour and soe negligent in that which concerned vs most Giue not ouer the exercises of penance of prayer of reading spirituall bookes of frequentation of the Sacraments though you performe them but dryly But aboue all lett there be noe wâ—nt of humble prayer and of a wounded hart For our mercifull Lord who stands expecting that we should goe towards him to doe vs good will come out vpon the way to meete vs and will couer vs close with the mantle of his pitty goodnes And will giue vs new strength that now we may againe beginne to serue him and procure new meritts for his kingdome I beseech his diuine Maiesty that he may soe proceede with you for the eternall glory of his goodnes The bookes about which you aske and which I take to be conuenient for you are the Confessions and Meditations of S. Augustine the Moralls of S. Gregory the Summe of the misteries of our faith by Titâ—leman and Dionifius Carthusianus God almighty keepe you euer A Letter of the Authour to a Canallier his freind whom he perswades to doe his dewry which is to fight the battailes of our Lord against the enemy of God which is the selfe-will of man I Haue vnderstood the reasons whereby you would perswade me that it is more securely fitt for you to dwell in the Citty then in that towne And though indeede they be subtile yet they doe not moue me much For the most certaine of all is that which wee doe after the example of Christ our Lord and which wee obtaine at his hands by prayer and which wee see cleerely by experience and not that which on the other side wee take to bee conuenient for vs through a meere humaine and perhapps a perpetuall kinde of iudgment Who can doubt but that you as being an Inhabitant of that Citty and withall a great fauourer of my meanenesse and desiring much that I should continue to liue there are both Iudge and witnes in your owne cause And therefore the tyme which you spend in seeking reasons were better employed vpon making deuout prayers And it will happen to you as Saint Bernard faith it doth betweene the preacher and his hearers If thou wilâ— perswade saith he thou must doe it more by sighing then by exclaming And though in that which I haue said mee thinks you haue committed some excesse yet in another thing you haue the better of it and you edify mee Namely in your hauing written three letters to mee without hauing receiued any one answeare of myne I esteeme this fauour as much more then speaking by word of mouth as there is difference betweene doeing and saying
which afflictes will haue an end and that which giues repose will succeed but the latter will not be like the former but incomparably greater And if you tell me that you will renounce this later vpon condition that you may not endure the former it is not well said nor doth it become a noble minde which desires more to see it selfe in difficulty trouble for the obtaining of vertue then to be idle and without exercise Nor is it fitt that you who haue caried soe much courage in your hart through these warres of the Emperour should haue it faintely affected in the warre of God We demaund not of you heere that you should conduct a whole army like some Captaine generall but onely that you traile your pike well giue a good account of your persoÌ„ne of the place where you are put Be not a coward in the lesse occasion whoe are soe valiant in the greater Put your selfe wholy into the passion of our lord and learne thereby how much he endured and how great loue he bore to you since being able to redeeme you by other meanes yet he would not doe it but vpon the price of his excessiue paines and sorrowes And soe it comes to passe that as he in one hower did more loue his father then all mankinde put togeather in all their liues soe in one hower did he passe through more bitter sorrowes then all mankinde and there was not in the whole liues of them all to be found eyther any loue or any greife like his Straine your selfe to a desire of enduring somewhat for him Be not a slaue since he loues you and treates you as a sonne For the father correctes the sonne and you may hold your selfe for his sonne since he correctes you Loue your father depart from your selfe and giue your selfe to God Say to him I will follow thee though it be by the way of sorrow I will present thee with this suffering I will not giue thee any thing of little value but that which may cost me my blood that soe thou mayest to me as thou didst to Abraham Quia fecisti hanc rem non pepercisti vnigenito tuo propter me c. Now if God take it soe well that a man giue his sonne for the loue of God how much reason is it that man should be very gratefull to god for the giuing of his sonne for man And he onely is indeede thankefull for the benefitt who in recompence thereof giues his owne sonne to god namely that thing which his hart would most be troubled to leaue and this because God will haue it soe Consider the true Originall of loue which God did beare you but let it be with fetching this resolution from thence that as they drew blood from him gaue sorrowes to him he may giue them to you and as they gaue him paine soe he may giue paine to you For infallibly if soe you shall answere to the sorrowes of God with your sorrowes he will answere to those sorrowes of yours with such a reward as shal make you esteeme your selfe happie for hauing endured them And though our flesh beleiue not this yet faith must supply that defect you must sing Laetati sumus pro diebus quibus nos humiliasti annis quibus vidimus mala So God grant it may be Amen A Letter of the Authour to a holy Religious woman written in a time when she was subiect to some perturbations and persecutions about a booke which she was wished to publish He declares how she is to cary her selfe in spirituall things and which is the sasest way how to treat with God and to vse that gift of Prayer which she had THE grace and peace of Iesus Christ our Lord be euer with you When I accepted to read that booke of yours which was sent me it was not soe much out of any opinion that I was able to iudge of these things which are conteyned therein as because I thought that with the fauour of our lord my selfe might profitt by them And I thanke Christ that althought I haue not read it with that repose which had beene fitt yet I was comforted thereby may alsoe be benefitted otherwise if the fault be not mine owne And truly though I might receiue comfort by reading it without reflecting vpon it otherwise Yet me thinkes the respect I owe both to the matter it selfe as also to the person who commendes it vnto me despenses not with me in forbearing to say some part of what I thinke thereof at least in generall tearmes The booke is not fitt to come into the hands of many For the words must be reformed in some partes thereof declared in others And some things may be profitable to your spiritt which would not be soe if they should be followed by others For the particular wayes whereby God guides some are not fitt for all These or the most of them I haue noted downe and I will putt them into order as soone as I can I shall easily finde meanes to send them to you For if you saw my infirmities accompanied with my other necessary imployements I beleiue they would rather moue you to compassion then to any accusation of me for negligence The doctrine of your prayer for the most part is good and you may very safely beleiue it and practise it and in your Raptes I finde these signes which true Raptes haue The way of God's teaching a soule without the vse of the imagination and without eyther interiour or exteriour wordes is very safe I finde nothing therein wherat to stumble and S. Augustine speakes well of it Those interiour and exteriour wordes haue deceiued many in our times and the exteriour are the lesse safe of the two To discerne that they proceede not from our owne spiritt is an easy matter but to finde whether they grow from a good spiritt or from a bad is more hard Men giue many rules whereby to know if they bee of our Lord and one of them is if they be spoken in some time of great spirituall necessity Or if a man profitt much by them whether it be by way of comforting him when he is in temptation or desolation or for the preuention of any dâ—ger c. For if euen a wise good man will not speake a word which is not of much weight much lesse will that be done by almighty God And considering both this and that the wordes must be agreable to holy Scripture the doctrine of the Church I am of opinion that these wordes which are mentioned in your booke or the greatest part of them are of God That whereof there is more doubt are the imaginary or corporall visions whereof you speak These must in noe case be desired and if they come without being desired yeâ— must you auoyd them as much as you can We must beseech our lord that he will not suffer vs to walke by the way of seeing but as