command the Vertues of the Heavens absolutely govern the Fates of Men and Angels can render thee so rich contented in thy self so beautifull and adorable to the redeemed by thy Cross as this immovable Constancy this admirable Resignation this unparallell'd Tranquillity and evennesse of Mind But beware my Soul thou beest not mistaken for his words import that his will be not fulfill'd it is not then His will that is so constant and fixt yet His it is for were it His Fathers will by which he speaks he could not call it thine since he that speaks is to himself I and not thou and the will by which he delivers his Speech mine and not thine But how then can he say not mine of that which he will have done 'T is therefore His and more his then what he calls his yet he calls it not His and the opposite His. And were it not His it would do us no good for whom he does what he does For we have also contrary wills and yet we have not two wills following two natures as he had therefore even in him these two wills with one whereof he speaks and concerning the other are both of his humane nature that by them we might cure the contrariety we find in ours Why then is one of them his the other his Fathers why if not because the one he had from infirmity the other from strength the one from flesh and blood the other from heavenly inspirations what proceeds from weaknesse from defect from the odour of nothing is our own but what comes from vertue from strength from Being all that is Gods and to be acknowledged totally from him as Beginner and Perfecter of all things But is there no remedy for this distressed Soul must he alone tread the winepresse of sour grapes alone drink of this bitter Cup Ah! dearest SAVIOUR leave no means unattempted that possibly may bring thee at least some small refreshment arise and try whether thy old friends can afford thee any comfort those who were so delighted with thy glory on Mount Thabor who sung so cheerfully but five dayes since at thy triumphant entrance into Jerusalem who just now solemnly protested their readinesse to die with thee Alas they are all asleep so fast so dead asleep that neither chiding nor shame nor compassion on their dear Masters desolate condition can awake them to say so much as one short prayer for themselves O weak foundation of humane Friendship unhappy and already deceiv'd is he that builds on so false a bottome how farre better is it to trust in God then Man in the Maker of Princes then the mouldring hand-work O ill-requited Master is this the fruit of all thy teachings is this the reward for all thy benefits is this the profit of all those stupendious wonders thou hast done before them At least Judas was tempted by the glistering shine of silver that dazzles the eyes of all the world he was exasperated by the losse of the price of the Ointment and by the publick reproach of his treason whereas these thy beloved thy cherished Disciples have no plea to excuse them but their dulnesse but their coldnesse and want of love to their Master Though Earth fail Heaven may be true Renew thy complaints and let the fervour of thy prayers melt those azure floors the Angels tread And already behold a bright and suddain dawning from the East and the visible shape of a heavenly Messenger Come down thou long expected Embassadour of peace and fill this horrid desart with the charming musick of thy celestiall voice But oh he stayes at the gates of heaven and onely looks down afarre off as if earth now were become an abomination and unworthy to be approacht by sanctified persons no glory to God no peace to Men no harmonious note not so much as a cup of cold water to refresh the fainting bowels of this afflicted Sufferer O strange mutation how undutifull a disobedience is this in respect of the obsequious service tender'd him at his baptisme Are heavenly affections subject to change do Starres encrease and wane like sublunary meteors O no gladly would this Spirit of happinesse stoop low as Earth to raise the head and support the weak members of his Lord but that severe Fathers commands and narrow limited permissions allow onely so farre to relieve the oppressed heart that it may be able to drink up the very dregs of that bitter potion he has temper'd for him O Heaven now more cruell then Earth which charitably stupifies the sense and takes away the pain by encreasing the torment whilst tyrannicall heaven sends fresh supplies of strength onely to heap on a greater load of grief O my dear Lord all thy troubled thoughts seem'd wholly restored to their usuall calmnesse and by that noble act of Resignation all thy affections ran smoothly in their own channels but now again the storm is raised and louder and fiercer then before See how it beats against that strong barrier of Thy will be done See how the broken waves return with doubled fury to invade this Rock of patience whose firmnesse the more violently it is assaulted the more steddily 't is fixt and his prayer more extended to his eternall Father Hear him hear him fountain of Pitty if not for thy own goodnesse if not for respect to him at least that we may be encourag'd to call on thee that we may hope to be heard by thee Thou invitest us to come to thee shall this be our entertainment thou chid'st us for asking nothing in thy SON'S name yet shut'st thine eares against His voice begging for his own Soul Undutifull and wicked Reuben that had abominably defil'd his Fathers bed found compassion for his little Brother seeing the anguish of his heart when he humbled himself before them and after reproacht his brethren that his life was justly demanded at their hands and will not the cry of this innocent Abel's bloud reach up to heaven and mollifie the rigidnesse of those severe decrees But whither am I straid here on earth is subject enough to require my whole application Behold how his bloud boyles in his veins his flesh grows red and swells all or'e his body his sinews and arteries stretch as on a rack the pores of his skin open like a sive and in a moment more fountains then feed the Ocean break from this source of misery What 's this I see on that once-comely visage not crystall teares not a gentle and trickling dew but whole drops of ruddy and blackish sweat Wo is me they are â—â—â—â—ed and knotty berries of bloud Unfortunate fruit of this fair Tree Physicians and Naturalists you say thick humours cannot be purg'd by transpiration study me then how this is come to passe O the most beautifull and gracious among the sons of men Was it for this thy body was fitted to thee of Virgin-bloud untoucht by men and Angels Was it for this thou wert made the Top and Crown
of resistance at every pulse of my breath repeating this onely Burden Do thy pleasure upon me Again Thou hast seen my Soul that far beyond all created Essences God has been so liberall as to bestow Himself on thee He bowed the Heavens and came down rendring his sacred Person subject to all the miseries of Humanity He laid aside all the prerogatives of his most noble and most perfect soul exposing it to labours to teares to griefs to those stupendious throwes in the Garden even to such a height that it admired it self in those expressive words My God my God! to what a point hast Thou let me be brought And in fine to be commanded even to Hell He abandoned his Body to heat to cold to weaknesse to hunger and thirst to wearinesse to torments to death and not content with this after the Resurrection in Its state and season of Glory he sent it again into the World to be subject to a thousand more indignities scorns and abusings Here now my soul compare seriously thy sufferings with His and consider First Since nor health nor wealth nor any other good thou possessest is thine or from thy self but onely vouchsaf'd thee during his pleasure and discretion all thy sufferings can be but a not-enjoying any longer what is no way due to thee but He was incapable of any wants in himself if his own Will had not taken upon him both a Nature that could want and its necessities Again what commodities He at any time seem'd to have he held them from himself and His purely they were wherefore He truly suffered when they were ravish'd from him whereas we through ignorance attribute to our selves what we possesse being really but Trustees not Masters of the least pile of grasse Farther yet our mis-call'd sufferings if rightly used are indeed blessings for if we lose our Fortunes alas they made us not know our selves if our Health 't is to disaffect us to this world if we prove unhappy in our Children what greater distraction had we from the love of our hoped glory then our care and tendernesse to them But Christ's sufferings could have no such advantagious effects no they were chiefly to shew us the straitest Path to that life He promis'd us and to assure by his own Example who could not but know and embrace what was best that the way of Tribulation is the high-Road to Heaven And canst thou my Soul after this think any Crosse heavy and affliction hard to endure canst thou chuse but be vexed and enraged at thy Flesh and Blood which against all evidence will force thee to esteem unfortunatenesse an Evil O my great and sole Good suppresse these unreasonable follies which boyl in my breast Make me know whatever happens good or bad to me is securely my best because it comes from Thee whilst my onely care ought to aim at this how to improve it to my best advantage Make me understand that whatever I beare with patience I suffer for thy sake because I take it as from Thee because I do as Thou commandest because 't is in imitation of Thee and lastly because it is to obtain Thee my chief my onely my most entire Treasure O rich Treasure O masse of Glory in proportion to whose attainment all the labours and tribulations that Men and Devils can heap on me are nothing nothing considerable not deserving even the slightest esteem Lastly My Soul thou hast seen with what ambition and exaggeration of Courtship with what unparallel'd addresse and exquisite inventions thy Lord has sought and woo'd thy love First He gave thee heaven and Earth with all their Creatures for thy Motives to know and love Him Next He made Himself thy Fellow and Brother in flesh and bloud that thou mightst not strain thy self but familiarly conversing be caught with his love Beyond that He has pass'd all those fabulous imaginations of dangers and misfortunes in which idle witts have fram'd Errant Ladies to have engaged their Servants for proof of their fond obstinate loyalty He has heap'd on thee all the names and titles of endearment which either nature or use have introduc'd among Mankind He is thy Maker thy Father thy Spouse thy Brother thy Ransomer out of thraldome thy Deliverer from danger thy Saviour from misery and death thy Friend even thy very Play-fellow He has gone beyond all this He is thy Food thy Drink thy Self for since when thou eatest Him His Flesh becomes thine as truly as the bread whereof we encrease and nourish our substance which by the power of matter and conformity of quality remains in us how can we chuse but be his Members so that if we dishonour our body we dishonour His how can we chuse but have a share of Him perpetually in us and in plain truth be Reliques of Him of His glorious Flesh and immortall Bloud O Eternall Wisdome how truly didst Thou say It was thy delight to be with the Sons of Men Can Angels boast of such priviledges of such tendernesses of such Extasies of Thy love No none but so weak a Nature as ours was able to necessitate Goodnesse it self to so deep a condescendence as this and none but all Goodnesse could so appropriate it self to all Infirmities O melting Goodnesse that fillest every corner and chink Thou findest capable of thy perfections wave not this poor soul of mine but make it understand the unmeasurablenesse of thy bounties and Mercy Shall I for ever apprehend my past sinnes still in fear whether they are forgiven Shall I not rather in the very moment of terrour turn me to Him of whose readinesse to receive me I cannot doubt Mark how easy thou art to pardon thy self and consider thou art one of his Members whence be assured as soon as thou sayest I have sinned thou shalt hear thy sin is taken away Shall I fear that I am not in state to receive his Body when the very preparing my self and having a true will to go meet Him puts me in state Shall I seek outward Medicines for my wounds whose ulcerousnesse onely consists in bereaving me of Love O my dearest Lord make me love and joy in thee make me take pleasure to come even corporally to Thee but much more to delight and solace my self in thinking of thee in remembring how Thou lov'st me how Thou art my Friend my Spouse my Father and whatever dear name by which Thou hast been pleased to expresse so blest a relation Make me place my chief felicity in contemplating how happy I shall be when once I see Thee face to face and familiarly converse with Thee as a Friend does with his Friend Mean while establish firmly in my soul this absolute judgement that the greatest pleasure and advantage this world can afford me is often and long and heartily to practice here on earth that sweet and holy conversation which is to be consummated in Heaven What Maid whose Parents have promis'd her a person compleatly qualified for
of Mankinde thy senses the most quick and delicate that could be sifted from the finest dust of Adam Was it for this thou wert nurst by the purest of Women and carried in the hands of Angels lest thou shouldst at any time offend thy tender feet Were all these diligences used all these priviledges bestowed onely to prepare thee a body for the rack a subject to practise on a thousand intolerable affronts a person to be made the unparallell'd example of prodigious calamities Such ought the Lamb to be that 's brought to the Altar for sacrifice without blemish without spot A just and reasonable Law but here too severely interpreted too cruelly applied O unfortunate Adam now the effects of thy fond disobedience are become too sadly evident now thou art cleerly convinc'd the unnaturall murtherer of thy Posterity now that mortall wound thou gavest mankinde is rendred incurable Rise up with all thy numerous children about thee whose repentance expects a blessed eternity force the gates of Limbo with your sighs and let your strong groans tear the bowels of the earth that opening a wide passage towards heaven and this Garden fruitfull in miseries your cries and exclamations may be heard Protest to God and Angels and Men and all creatures that Hell is too gentle a pain eternity too short a time to punish your misdemeanours Let the Devils invent some more exquisite torture then their wits and malice have yet devis'd and stretch the measure of time beyond infinity that you may pay your debts and dis-engage this immaculate Lamb of God this inestimable pearl of the Deity Contest the Judge of righteousnesse to lay the punishment where he findes the fault charge him with his word that 't is not his part to chastise the innocent with the wicked but every one bear his own burthen But why do I cry and murmure I hear my complaints contradicted by Him they most concern I hear him in that weak voice is left him humbly say How then shall the Scripture be fulfilled My Father has promis'd can he deny himself my Father is all Truth dare I offer to falsifie his Word my Father is essentially Goodnesse can I make him go lesse No no let us march on confidently towards my Passion for behold him at hand who is to betray me And now my Soul Thou who hast been a witnesse of this great spectacle a searcher of this profound mystery Thou who hast discover'd the source of this impenetrable secret and knowest God had no need of us took not our nature on him to please himself but we and I in particular were the chief mark he aim'd at and all these excesses and heights of incomparable goodness contriv'd to exalt our affections towards him nor this because our loves refresh or better him but purely for this sole motive that they are our good and contain in them our eternall felicity If thou art able to look at so glorious a light to balance so great a weight to judge of and value so infinite a Charity tell me what I have to do After this can I love any thing but my Lord JESUS CHRIST can I love any thing but the Love of my blessed SAVIOUR Father and Mother Brothers and Sisters Kinsfolk and Friends what is 't you have done for me what goods have you wisht me what wishes can you make to deserve the least share in my Affection Health and Pleasure Riches and Honour what charmes have you comparable to this ravishing object of love dull and fleeting appearances take away your deceitfull flatteries Turn thou thy face to me sweet JESUS that I may every day still more and more understand and admire thy love Make it the businesse and delight of my life to study how much thou lovest me Set me in solitude to consider thy works upon me to repeat thy benefits to me Let nothing but desires and affections towards thee entertain my thoughts nothing but strains and tunes of thy Bounty and Goodnesse sound in my Eares The End ERRATA Page 115. line ult for set set read only set p. 132. l. 1. for rishes read rishest The STATIONER to the READER THough the equality and strength not-to-be-counterfeited which evidently shines in what ever proceeds from this prodigious Brain will sufficiently secure all considering persons that is all that deserve to read him against mistaking for His any of those lesse generous Issues born frequently into the world of Parents honour'd with the same name yet aswell to render that security both more easie and universall as readily to addresse those whom a happy familiarity with this tempting Branch may have rais'd to the ambition of a farther acquaintance with the numerous rest of its Family and Bloud by a singular prerogative all perfectly agreeing together all worthy such a Father I have thought it a duty of civill Charity to subjoin this Catalogue which both the learned and devout World longs and hopes to see much enlarg'd A Catalogue of the severall Books written by Mr. THO. WHITE THe learned Dialogues DE MUNDO in Latine printed at Paris 4o. The elaborate Preface before Sir Kenelm Digbyes DEMONSTRATIO IMMORTALITATIS ANIMAE printed also at Paris in Folio INSTITUTIONES PERIPATETICAE c. first printed at Paris and afterwards at London in 8o. INSTITUTIONES SACRAE c. in 2. Tom. printed at Paris in 8o. QUAESTIO PRAEVIA Mens Augustini de Gratia in 12o. Villicationis suae de MEDIO ANIMARUM STATU Ratio at Paris in 12o. MEDITATIONES in Gratiam Sacerdotum Cleri Anglicani c. in 16o. RICHWORTH'S DIALOGUES or the judgement of Common sense in the choice of Religion two Editions at Paris in 12o. A CATECHISM in English c. in 24o. MEDITATIONS in English in 12o.