by the means of the most glorious and ever-blessed Virgin and Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ Wâ—ich thou mayst thus easily practise First fix thy mind and meditation upon God the Eternall Father then upon Jesus Christ his deare Son and our sweet Saviour and lastly upon Mary the First fix thy minde and meditation upth ' eternall Father ever-blessed Virgin-Mother 2. In thy meditation of the Eternall Father take these two points for thy subject and offer them up to his Divine Majesty First the great liking and content hee had in himselfe from all eternity concerning this perfect creature the Virgin before she had a being Secondly the wonders hee wrought in her and the content he took in her when she was borne into the World 3. And as for the first of these considerations Soare aloft and Considering the content he had in himselfe concerning her from all eternity exalt thy thoughts beyond all time and above each thing created penetrating the very eternity of the Deity and then consider what celebrity of joy and delight the Divine Majesty had within himselfe concerning this sacred Virgin and her high perfections And there finding thy Lord amidst these joyes and delights lay hold of the opportunity and addresse thy Petition unto him with full hope and confidence that for this his great joys sake hee will impart bountifully some Grace Strength and Courage unto thee whereby thou mayst be enabled to encounter and conquer thine enemies especially this vice which now chiefly tempts and troubles thee 4. Hence proceede to the consideration of those admirable vertues great gifts and singular graces conferr'd upon this most glorious Virgin And the wonders he wrought in her when shee had a being and sometimes present the whole bulke of them to the view of the eternall Father other-times choose out some particular perfection to lay open before him imploring and intreating for his owne boundlesse goodnesse sake and in respect of these vertues and merits of this his dearly beloved Spouse that hee will graciously heare and mercifully grant what thou so greatly needest 5. Then turne thy thoughts towards the Sonne of God our Lord Secondly upon God the Son Jesus and represent before him the sacred wombe of his Virgin-Mother which enclosed and carried him for nine moneths space as also the singular reverence wherewith shee received him from her wombe into her bosome when he first appeared in the World assisting him and acknowledging him true man and adoring him as eternall God as her own poore child and as her powerfull Creatour Put him further in minde of her eyes of compassion towards his poverty of her sacred Armes which so often embraced him her Kisses wherewith shee cherish'd him her Milk wherewith shee nourish'd him her labours suffered for him all his life time and her dolours at his Death by which and the like relations from the deare Mother thou shalt use as it were a certaine violence to her beloved Son to grant thy Petition 6. Lastly come to the sacred Virgin Lastly come to the sacred Virgin her selfe lay open before her her owne privileges prerogatives and perfections how shee onely amongst all Virgins and Women was especially elected by the eternall Power Prudence and Goodnesse of God to be a Mother of Gâ—ace and of pitty to be an assistant and advocate of all mankinde and that next to her dearly beloved Sons humanity wee can apply our selves to none but her for better supplies of our necessities or truer solace in our sorrowes or greater hopes of happinesse Tell her also of that true and tryed saying that no one did ever faithfully call upon her who received not a mercifull answer and present assistance by her holy Prayer and Patronage Lastly put before her eyes all her Sons sorrowes and sufferings upon Earth and beg of her for his sweet sake for his onely honour and for his glory that thou mayst impetrate by her pious intercession the effect of this thy Petition which that thou mightst obtaine he patiently underwent his so bitter Death and Passion CHAP. XXVI How to pray and meditate by means of the holy Angels and Heavenly Citizens 1. ANother powerfull meanes to obtaine thy Petition is by the Angels and blessed Saints in Heaven which is also practised two manner of ways First apply thy thoughts First addresse thy selfe to the eternall Father to the Eternall Father and present before him the Love Honour and Praise wherewith his Heavenly Court worshâ—ps and exalts him and withall lay open all the miseries labours and molestations which his Saints suffered and by his grace surmounted here upon Earth 2. The other way is by applying thy selfe to these glorious spirits as Next unto the glorious Angels and Saints themselves to them who not onely remember us amidst their joys but earnestly desire our perfection beg therefore their faithfull assistance in thy fight against vices and sometimes implore their ayd and assistance at the houre of thy Death against thy dreadfull enemies 3. Other times reflect upon those excellent gifts and graces wherewith their Lord God indued them exciting in thy soule a lively feeling of love and joy that they possesse these high perfections as much yea more than if they were thine owne since such was the good will and pleasure of the Divine Majesty 4. And that thou mayst more Dividing them into Quires according to the days of the weeke easily and orderly performe and practise this pious exercise divide the Quires of this blessed company according to the week-days in some such manner as followeth Upon Sunday meditate upon the nine Quires of Angels Upon Monday of the holy Apostles Upon Tuesday of the glorious Martyrs Upon Wednesday of the blessed Bishops Upon Thursday of the holy Doctors Upon Friday of the holy Confessours Upon Saturday of the sacred Virgins 5. But let no day passe without But every day praying to the B. Virgin To thy particular Patron some speciall devotion to the most glorious Virgin Mary to thy Proper-Angel and to that particular Saint and Patron to whom thou owest singular duty and Veneration EXPLICATION AMongst which I perswade thee to place S. Joseph the deare Spouse of the sacred Virgin who as experience and contemplative persons testify will assist thee by And to S. Joseph his holy Prayers in all thy temporall and spirituall necessities and particularly advance and direct thy Soul in its spirituall Exercises of Prayer and Contemplation And surely if our loving Lord so highly esteemes his other Saints because they yielded him his due honour and obedience upon earth how much more doth hee value this most humble and happy Saint and how prevalent are his prayers like to be with that Divine Sonne who honoured served and obey'd him upon Earth as his Father CHAP. XXVII How to meditate upon the holy Crosse and Christ our Saviour hanging thereon to excite and move our affections 1. I Have before shewed thee O my
thine my merits are thy mercies my goods thy graces yet I neither have been thankfull for receiving them nor faithfull in using them O! when did I trust in my own strength and was not foiled and confounded Grant therefore O my Lord ô my only hope and help O my sole safety and security that I may totally trust to thee and distrust my self truly acknowledge thee and deny my self entirely love thee and hate my self 6. I confess ô my Lord that I am the poorest ungratefullest unprofitablest and unworthyest worm of the earth a thing altogether useless to the world and only active to offend thee and to do wickedly in thy sight and is it possible that I can harbor any thought of self-love or self-I king O God of infinite glory greatness and majesty before whom the powers of heaven do tremble what are all creatures in thy sight and what am I the meanest of them all O what proportion is there great God between me and thee between thy All and my Nothing And yet have I infring'd thy laws disobey'd thy commands contemned thy Counsels resisted thy callings and contradicted thy will to prefer my own O monstrous impiety and ingratitude And shall I not willingly submit to all pain punishment contradiction and contempt which thou ô my highly offended creatour shalt suffer thy creatures to inflict upon me Behold O my Lord I debase humble and annihilate my self under all things that have a being I will henceforth utterly hate distrust and detest my self and wholly love thee and relie upon thy mercy O holy self-knowledge O sacred humility thou art the key of all perfection the door of all solid vertue piety and devotion 7. I now cleerly see by the light of thy divine goodness O gracious Lord God what hath hitherto been the cause of my â—on-proficiency in the way of the Spirit and why the path of vertue seemed and so unpleasant thornie tedious and troublesome to my deceived soul It was because I had not learned to leave loath deny and distrust myself and to rely wholly on thee O my only comfort and support I will therefore henceforth faithfully practise what I perceive so necessary I will profoundly humble my soul both inwardly in thy presence O my Lord and outwardly to the whole world I will joyfully and voluntarily embrace all injury indignity contempt correction and confusion which can befall me with as much pleasure as I have formerly any cherishings and kindness I will utterly destroy ruine and root out all self-love self-liking self-seeking self-praise and self-complacencie I will cast my self under the feet of the vilest creatures take pleasure in the meanest employments and obey them most willingly whom my nature most distasts and dislikes I will walk before thee O my Creator as thy needy naked desolate and destitute vassal acknowledging my self void of all vertue and attributing to my self nothing but sin ingratitude defects failings imperfections I will fully perswade my self that no one can contemn confound persecute and punish me as I deserve I will not regard whether I am honored or hated but imagine my self as a thing dead forgotten or as that which never had a being and is now truly nothing I will be contented to be accounted an hypocrite in my sincerest actions and to be thought full of inward impatience secret grudgings and desires of revenge against them who shall any way mortify or misuse me though my heart be never so free from it Finally I will have these and the like thoughts and words alwayes in my heart and mouth I am nothing I have nothing I do no good I am an unprofitable servant I utterly hate and distrust my self and totally rely upon thee O my Lord my love and my All. FOR WEDNESDAY To obtain Remission of our Sins The Third Exercise 1. WHo will give water to my head and fountains of tears to my eyes And I will weep day and night for my sins which cover me all over like an incurable ulcer from the soal of the foot to the crown of the head Where art thou O my wretched and wicked soul In what labyrinths dost thou walk In what sinks of sin and puddles of uncleaness dost thou wallow Awake arise lament repent how long wilt thou sleep why wilt thou dy when wilt thou shake off thy fetters Ah return silly sheep to thy good Pastour return poor prodigal to thy pious Father whose goodness so lovingly invites thee whose mercy hath so long expected thee O great and glorious God the mighty Monarch of heaven and earth King of Kings and Lord of Lords behold a poor and penitent Publican who is ashamed to lift up his eyes to heaven and unworthy to take thy sacred name into his sinfull mouth humbly knocking at thy gate of mercy clipping thy holy feet and craving thy accustomed pity and compassion O merciful Lord hide not thy self from me shut not the door against me Oh! one crum of comfort one dram of devotion to my sad and sick soul to my dry and desolate spirit 2. I am conscious of my ingratitude against thee O supream majesty and my sin is always before me and confounding me But whither should I retire my self from thee To whom should I have recourse but unto thee Art not thou my Father my Father of mercies which have neither limits nor measure Art not thou my Maker my preserver my governor my deliverer my King my Pastor my Physician my Priest and my Sacrifice If thou art not all this and more to me and if I am nothing to thee refuse me reject me and relinquish me a prey to be swallowed up by thy enemies But it is time O my Lord that heaven and earth take notice of what thou art to me and what I am to thee It is time thou enter into thy right And I must now either give my self to thee or thou must take me unto thee Not that I aspire to those excellent prerogatives of thy dearest servants No my Lord it sufficeth me to be in the out-rank of thy meanest slaves to be only stamp'd with thy mark and link'd fast in thy chains that I may never more have the power to fly from thee O grant me this favour most merciful Father which thy dear Son hath purchased for me by the price of his death and passion I am fall'n without thee by my own frailty but can never hope to rise but by thy mercy O my Lord and only support I am sick without thee but cannot be cured without thee my heavenly Physician I am dead without thee but can never be revived but by thee ô life of my soul So true it is that to make me come to thee thou ô most gracious Lord God must first come to me O the admirable goodness of my loving Lord Even this little I am doing is rather thine own work than mine Thou O my Lord puttest repentance into my soul desires into my heart sighs into my brest
prerogative is it to have one Will and spirit with God Is not this to be a Saint an Angel a little Christ or a little God Did not Christ say Those that do the 〈◊〉 of my Father are my Brethrâ—n sisters mother and kindred Oh who would not change Wills with God 2. All things come from God and for our good 2. What can befall me sin only excepted which is from my will but from thee my most sweet Lord loving Father Good and bad comfort confusion life and death are from thee And what can happen to me from thee but for my good If my Father be my Physician shall I not drink the chalice he tempers for me What better sacrifice can I offer up to thee than my will In all other oblations I give but a part of my self or somthing belonging to my self But in this I give the principall leaving no right to my self nay I am no more my self but thy servant and slave 3. Why were we 3. This is the end of our life and being placed in this world ô my soul but to perform the will of God Why entred we into the school of perfection but to learn to practise it purely and perfectly To what end are all our prayers communions exercises c. but to know Gods holy will and to follow it What profit have we reaped by following hither to our own will What will become of us if we continue in it What means is there to amend it for the future but humble obedience and absolute submission of our will in all and to all leaving all to God doing all for God and receiving all from God that he only may be all in all What can endamage me but my will what will past present or to come The past I detest my present is that Gods will be done for time to come I desire this my will may stand irrevocable for ever How often have I done the will of others for my own ends to please them or pleasure my self and shall I not do now as much to please my Lord God Yes Lord I will what thou wilt neither more nor less without exception without reservation withoâ—t delay 4. What fruits shall I reap by this 4. The profits of this exercise Conformity of my Will 1 Having no will I can neither sin erre nor be deluded 2. There is neither judgement nor hell for me 3. â— shall find peace and rest and remaâ— constant and content amidst aâ— chances and changes and so begâ— my Paradise of delights in this 〈◊〉 of tears 4. I shall be freed from all troublesome fears scruples dâ—quiets indiscretions and illusions both in prayer and in the practâ—ce of vertue All which are deriv'd from the disorder of my Will and for want of this true conformity and indifferency 5. This gives every thing I doe leave or suffer a double grace merit and crown O only sweet short and sure way who would not leave yea loath his own Will for so many profits and pleasures 5. What doe heaven and earth Angels and Saints but Gods Will 5. All Creatures doe the will of God What doe the souls in hell but suffer for having done their own Wil What did Christ Jesus and Blessed Mary upon earth The one said I came not to doe my own Will but his that sent me The other said Behold O Lord thy handmaid doe with me as thou wilt I say also with heart and mouth O my Lord I am entirely thine put me where thou wilt give me what thou wilt use me how thou wilt so thou wilt goe with me and give me leave to bear and embrace thee with the two arms of perfect conformity and lively Confidence 6. What made the Apostles 6. Examples of this Conformity Martyrs Virgins so constant and content amidst their torments and trials What made those Saints so couragiously to defy the devils flocking about them like so many Lions and Monsters If God S. Antony others have given you power and permission over us take us devoure us hurry us headlong into hell we will not contradict his Will but if not why doe you labour in vain What made Job so patient on his dunghill Abraham so resolute to sacrifise his son And finally what made Christ in his bloody sweat to cry out Not my will O Father Lu. 22. 42. but thine bee done All this was caus'd by the Will of God which they desired to follow and fulfill to the last gasp and drop of their blood O holy and happy souls When shall I imitate you O my sweet God that thou wouldst say of me as thou didst of that thy servant I have found a man David according to my heart who will doe whatsoever I will Or that I could say as heartily as he did My heart is ready O God to accept and execute thy holy Will in all things whatsoever O my Lord let all sâ—lf-will and self-love hereafter dye in me and let thy only Will and love remain and reign in my spirit For I am most sure till I faithfully follow this rule I shall never find reall peace or content The 29. Maxim That Vnquietness of mind is the bane of Devotion and curse of Contemplation FOr it is not a single and simple Disquiet is not a single evill temptation but a source whence many spring a monster with many heads and the greatest evill sin only excepted which seizes on the soul Let us therefore shun it with all possible speed and dilligence and refuse to give it the least entrance into our hearts upon what pretence soever If we perceive our selves inclin'd How to prevent it to be easily troubled let us duly practise these two points First carefully fore-arm and fortifie our interiours against all future contrarieties crosses and contingencies by devoutly performing our morning prayers and exerciâ—es of Recollection Secondly prudently put off company and occasions of extroversion bridle our tongues till the tempest be blown over hide our selves in a corner turn our souls to our Saviour read something of devotion and in matters of moment impart our minds to some vertuous friend c. If we will alwaies keep internall A rule to keep inward peace peace we must observe these three rules First We must doe nothing only to edify others without a further end of God's honour nor any thing which may justly displease distast dis-edify or contristate them Secondly wee must not be eager eurious or solicitous to please or satisfy our selves yea or to perform our duty 's to God-wards by doing all things in print perfectly and exactly Thirdly All our pleasure must be to please God yet wee must not please our selves in the pleasure wee find in serving and pleasing him For generally it suffiseth that wee are heartily willing and quietly carefull to serve our Creator please him in all things and displease neither him nor any one in any thing and so
and solid Devotion This solid Devotion depends upon Religion as the branch on it's tree and since there can he but one right Religion as there is one only Faith one law one Lord one Jesus Christ Ephes 4. 5 One Lord one Faith one Baptisme c. so there can be but one real Devotion and all others must needs be concluded unsecure superstitions hypocriticall hypocondriacal Now lest we should miss this right way or mistake this real Devotion we may here fitly at our first entrance into these holy list take a general view of this Animal Sensual and Carnal man which is to be destroyed of this Counterfeit Hypocritical and Hypocondriacal man which is to be undeceived and of this Spiritual Supersensual and Perfect man which is to be brought into us and built up within us that so framing a right I dea of the end we aym at we may follow those means which appear most proportionable for the attaining therof THE ANIMAL CARNAL AND SENSUAL MAN Is he who gives up the raynes of his Reason to the intire conduct of Sensuality and puts his soul into the devils power by submitting to all sinfull suggestions to be driven and dragg'd on uncontrollably to all Ephes 2. 2 You walked according to the cours of this world according to the Prince of the ayr c. 1. Cor. 2. 14. The animal man perceives not the things of God's Spirit c. Philip. 3. 19. Whose God is their belly James 3. 15. This Wisdom descends not from above but is earthly sensual devilish c. Jude v. 19 Sensual having not the Spirit Ps 31. 9. wickedness He walks after the world 's perverse course and custom living in all things according to his own lust and liking acknowledging no other Superior than his own all-swaying affections no law but that of his own will no God but his belly He easily yields to all his untam'd passions and appetites glutting his senses unrestrainedly with all alluring objects and making pleasure his only end heaven and happiness Briefly he is all earth all sin all sensuality in whom is nothing of the Spirit of grace of God his Understanding is a dungeon of darkness his Memory a Magazin of bestial imaginations his Will a confusion of base and brutish affections and his whole man totally depraved and degenerate resembling the filthy swine the unclean goat and the unbridled horse and mule which have no understanding THE HYPOCONDRIACAL HYPOCRITICAL AND COUNTERFEIT MAN Tinnit inane est Tinnit Inane est Is he who makes a great shew of sanctity and devotion but hath Ps 143. 5. Touch the mountains and they will smoak nothing of substance sincerity and solidity Touch him and he turns into smoak sound him and you shall soon find him to be but a windy cask Nahum 20. 2. She is empty void and waste 1. Cor. 13. 1. As sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal Mat. 6. 2. to the 16. Luke 18. I am not as other men are tunnd up with ayr an empty eccho a hollow noyse a flatuous anâ— foolish nothing He wilfully mistakes the means for the end and places perfection in pompous forms Pharisaical fashions and external practices If he prays 't is in publick if he gives alms he sounds the trumpet if he fasts he disfigures his countenance if he seemingly punish his body 't is to deceive more surely under the guise of sanctity finally all his actions rather savour of self-satisfaction and hypocrisy than have any sense of true piety Yet he ever pretends to high lights of the Spirit finds out new and unheard-of ways of walking with God sleights all that is common though never so commendable and catches at all that is curious though never so dangerous Thus he loseth himself in his own Chymerical conceptions and pretending to refine ancient piety becomes puff'd up with secret pride and presumption and grasps nothing but froth and vanity THE SPIRITUAL SUPERSENSUAL AND PERFECT MAN Is he who walks not in the wayes of this wicked world nor follows the tenents of flesh and blood but of Reason Religion and Understandâ—ng Rom. 8. per totum If you live after the flesh you shall dy 1 Cor. 3. 16. You are the temple of God Gods Spirit dwels in you c Rom. 8. 36 Ps 44. 22. For thy sake we are mortified all the day long c. Coloss 3. 5 His only end and aym is the Perfection of God's love in his soul his unwearied endeavours are bent against Satan Sin Sensuality and all Selfishness his main study is to make his body obedient to the Spirit his Spirit to Reason his Reason to Faith and All to God and his daily practice is self-mastery and Mortification And having 1. Trampled down the Man of sin 2. Layd a sure and solid ground-work of Devotion 3. He faithfully applies himself to fight under Christ's banner and learns exactly the right use of his spirituall weapons 4. He carefully eschews his enemies Ambushes 5. He keeps himself to the continual practice of prayer introversion recollection abstraction annihilation contemplation 6. He couragiously climbs up to the mountain top of Perfection 7. And lastly he sweetly reposes in divine love and Union as is more amply held forth in these following Treatises Galathians 6. 8 9 c. What things a man shalâ— sow those also shall he reapâ— For he that soweth in his flesh of the flesh also shall reap corruption But he that sowetâ— in the Spirit of the Spiriâ— shall reap life everlasting Psalme 125. 6. They that sow in Teares shall reap in Joyfullness Going they went and wept casting their seeds But coming they shall come with Exultations carrying their Sheaves â—he INDEX of all the CHAPTERS of this Spirituall Conflict OR Arraignment of the spirit of Self-love and Sensuality â— I. WHerein Christian perfection consists and of four things necessary to obtain it pag. 1 â—ap II. Of Diffidence or distruct of our selves p. 10 â—ap III. Of Confidence in God p. 14 â—hap IV. Of Continuall exercise and first that the Vnderstanding is to be carefully kept from Ignorance and from Curiosity p. 20 â—hap V. Of the will and the end to which we are to direct all our actions p. 29 â—hap VI. Of a two-fold Will in man and the continuall combat between them p. 38 â—hap VII Of the fight with Sensuality and of the inward way of the Will to acquire Vertues p. 43 Chap. VIII What he must doe who feels his superior Will or Rcason overcome by his Sensuality p. 52 Chap. IX That we must not avoid the occasions of the combatâ— p. 57 Chap. X. Of thâ— fight against suddain tempâ—ations p. 60. Chap. XI Of the fight against our flesh and fleshly Concupiscence p. 64. Chap. XII How to fight against slackâ— and negligence p. 7â— Chap. XIII How to govern our Sâ—suality p. 7â— Chap. XIV Of the order to be observed â— fighting against our enemies p. 10â— Chap. XV. What course he must take
dearly beloved the manner of meditating and praying upon our Saviours Passion now I will instruct thee how thou mayst thereby stirre up good motions and enkindle holy affections in thy soule When therefore thou hast taken some Article of Meditation upon Christs Crosse and Passion as for example Of his How to enkindle holy affections in meditating on the Passion Crowne of Thornes thinke thus with thy selfe How thy most innocent and amiable Lord Jesus was with greatest derision and scorne cloathed in a purple coat crowned with sharp Thorns cudgelled with a hard Cane besmeared with filthy spittle How this King of eternall glory whom millions of Angels adore in Heaven was by the worst and wickedest sort of men mocked upon Earth as a counterfeit King with scoffing Adoration and Reverence 2. Now when by these and such other points of Meditation thou desirest to raise in thy soule the true feelings and affections of Love By reflection upon Christs Love and goodnesse elevate thy heart often-times whilst thou art meditating to acknowledge the boundlesse goodnesse of thy Lord God and his love towards thee which thou mayst easily gather from the multitude and the bitternesse of his sufferings for thee By this acknowledgement of his Goodnesse thy love will be more and more inflamed and a true contrition for thy sinnes will bee more easily obtained especially if thou considerest that thou hast againe and againe offended this thy most bountifull and loving Lord God who was thus cruelly slâ—ine formerly for the Ransome of thine iniquity 3. To raise also a constant hope in How to get a constant hope thy soule looke upon thy Lord Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reduced into the extremity of misery to free thee from the slavery of Sinne and snares of Satan to reconcile thee to his Heavenly Father and to give thee confidence to come to him cheerfully in all thy necessities 4. And if furthermore thou wouldst by these Meditations on thy Saviours passion move thy selfe to spirituall joy warn thy thoughts from And a spirituall joy remaining any longer upon his pains and passe to the profits fruits and effects of his sufferings There thou wilt finde thy selfe and the whole World absolved from thy sinnes by them the Divine wrath appeased the Devill defeated Death conquered the lost sheep reduced the Angels seats supplied Joyne to all this the Joy of the sacred Trinity and of the whole Church both triumphant and militant who all rejoyce in the profit issuing from Christs cruell Death and As aâ—so affections of sorrow and compassion Passion 5. But to raise affections of sorrow and compassion towards thy suffering Saviour thou maist weigh not onely the many wounds of his sacred body but the multitude of anguishes griefs sadnesses of his most holy foul For he well knowing the eminent and infinite dignity of his heavenly Father whom he so highly loved must needs be grieved above measure to see this benigne and bountiful Creatour of all things after so many and so great benefits to be so rashly so maliciously and so frequently offended and deluded by his owne creatures 6. And this sadnesse of thy Saviours soule was much augmented by the foresight he had of that vast multitude of men who by their owne sinne and sloath were to be damned eternally The same grief was further aggravated by seeing the immense dolours of his deare and worthily beloved mother and the same sword spared not his which pierced her heart with sorrow Moreover Christs sacred foule which was all-knowing by reason of the divine union suffered in all the Martyrs and tender Virgins torments sustained for his faith and affection 7. In these and the like meditations And acts of contrition for thy sinnes upon thy Lord and Saviours passion thou must often reflect that thou by thy grievous sins and defects wert the cause and occasion of these his afflictions and from hence conceive acts of true sorrow for thy shamefull ingratitude and humble thy selfe at the feet of his Majesty And know that to be the best pleasing and most acceptable compassion when thou persecutest thine owne disordered affections and strivest to ruine those enemies and root them out of thy heart which were the cause of thy Lords so cruel pains and passion 8. And to move thee to a perfect With a perfect hatred of them hatred of thy sinne think seriously in running over all these points of thy dear Saviours passion as if all these his sufferings were for no other cause than to stir thee up to detest all sinne and destroy thy unruly passions and affections them especially which most endommage defile and distract thy selfe and most displease thy Saviour 9. Lastly That by these meditations upon Christs death and passion thou maist be moved to the admiration And to admire Gods goodnesse by considering 6 circumstances 1. Who suffereth 2. For whom of his goodnesse Consider attentively First Who he is that suffereth these things Surely the onely Sonne of the Almighty God who to save thee came from heaven and became man Secondly For whom he suffered Surely for us poor worms the works of his owne hands and who always are prone to offend him Thirdly By whom he suffered Surely By the vild and 3. By whom vulgar crew and the very refuse of all nations Fourthly What he suffered 4. What Surely disgraces contumelies contempts wounds and torments more than can be named or imagiâ—ed Fifthly How he suffered all 5. How this Surely with a most patient meek and willing mind neither shewing any signe of distast nor speaking any word of reproch against his most ungratefull and malicious persecutors but like an innocent lamb led on to the slaughter he complained not of their violence and his owne sufferings but laid down his life his heart remaining full of sweetnesse Sixthly 6. When where When and where he suffered Surely at the time of their Paschall solemnity and in their prime and sacred City and in the presence of his dearest mother and finally in the view as it were of the whole world EXPLICATION A further Declaration of the profit which may be drawn from the meditation upon Christs Passion and particularly of the imitation of his vertues AMongst the infinity of profits The first profit is a confusion at the sight of our imperfections which may be drawn from this holy exercise One is that thou must needs conceive not onely a sorrow for thy sins past but feel also a shame and confusion in thy soule to see that those unruly passions which put Christ Jesus to death upon the Crosse doe yet lurk and live within thy heart The other main profit which flowes The second a desire and demand of pardon from the former is that being truly sensible of thy sinnes and ashamed of thine Ingratitude thou wilt heartily desire and humbly demand pardon for what is past and grace to amend for the
wants and thy weaknesse saying in thy mind Thou seest ô my sweet Saviour how I am possessed with this passion and pestred with this perverse affection Thou also well knowest ô my Lord my weaknesse to resist it and that â—â— is not possible for me by my owne diligence to be delivered Therefore this battail is thine I resigne this my quarrell against these enemies into thy powerfull hands and from thee alone I look for the victory 9. After thou hast thus silently And constantly hope for the divine helpe prayed turn thy selfe to the eternall Father and piously present his deare Sonne Jesus unto him for the same effect for which thou now receivedst him into thy soul And expect with constant hope his divine helpe which although thou presently perceivest not yet thou shalt infallibly and plentifully receive when it shall be most expedient for thee CHAP. XXX How to excite in us the affections of love by the sacred Communion IF thou desirest to stirre up in thy soule by meanes of this most holy Sacrament that fervent love of thy Lord God which destroyes and consumes all self-will and selfe love within thee Settle thy selfe in the evening which precedes thy communion to meditate upon thy Lords immense love and liberality towards Consider Gods love and liberality thee unworthy wretch the worke of his owne hands how not content to have formed thee of nothing to his image and likenesse and to have sent his onely Sonne from heaven to inhabit our earth and to serve thee for the space of three and thirty yeares in continuall labours and travails and lastly to undergoe his most bitter passion and ignominious death for thy redemption He would further bequeathe this his Son unto thee in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist for the perpetuall food and refreshing of thy soul 2. And that by the due consideration Especially shewed in the sacred Communion of this speciall benefit of sacred Communion thou maist become all fire and love thou shalt thus order thy devout exercise Consider in the first place Who it Weighing first who it is that comes thus unto thee is that conferres on thee this so large and liberall gift Surely it is thy Lord God himselfe the divine and increated wisedom and goodnesse whose worth and perfection infinitly exceeds the reach of all created capacity 3. Then looke upon the gift it self 2. What he gives thee which is the true and onely Sonne of God of equall height nature and substance with the heavenly Father and holy Ghost Now if a small gift proceeding from a King hath its high value in respect of the giver how highly is this gift to be valued by us which is God and given by God himselfe as a token of his true love and a perpetuall memoriall of his tender affection towards us 4. Again reflect upon the eternity 3. The eternity of his love of this love by which it was decreed by his most divine most hidden and most holy wisdome that he would thus give thee himselfe for thy food and refection and hence begin with joy and jubily of heart to sing and say within thy selfe O infinite goodnesse of my God! and is it even so that thou lovedst me in thy endlesse eternity didst thou ô my Lord and my God so much value me thy poor and unworthy creature that thou remembredst mee in thy blessed eternity and hadst an ardent affection and desire to give me thy self for the food of my soul 5. And finally looke into the purity 4. The purity of his love of this love which so great a Lord shewes unto so mean a worm How different is it from all earthly affection how free from the least mixture of profit and selfe-interest How farre is it above thy merits and how purely is it a worke of his onely mercy and bounty 6. Having thus seriously and sweetly with affection and admiration meditated of the divine goodnesse Thy heart may breake forth Hence break forth into admiration into these raptures Whence is it O my Lord that thou so lovest me an abject creature Why O King of glory wilt thou so nearly joyne me to thy selfe who am but a litle dust and ashes I well conceive thy designe O my deare Lord this thy excessive love towards me It is to win me reciprocally to thy love O the purity of divine love Thou lovest me ô my God and givest thy whole selfe unto me for no other end but that I may in gratitude give thee my love life and all entirely and this for no need thou hast of me but meerly for thy mercies sake and for my advancement and profit that by this sweete tye and happy union of love my earthly heart may be raised up to become one with thy divine heart ô my Lord and my God EXPLICATION HEre all ravisht with joy to see And ravishment to see thy self so highly prized thy selfe so highly prized and beloved of thy Lord God withdraw into the secretest part of thine owne heart and there acknowledging that all this powerfull love is to intice thy poore and inconsiderate selfe unto his divine Majesty make so And make an intire oblation of thy self to him absolute an oblation of thy selfe unto him that thy memory may scarcely thinke of any thing but thy God thy affection may abhor all content which comes any way without him and thy Vnderstanding may admit of no other object for its continuall entertainment than him who is the onely satiety and satisfaction of all thy inward faculties and outward senses And since there is no action amongst And this being the chief act of Religion all them which concern our Religion and loyalty to God which can compare with this of receiving him worthily in the most holy Sacrament either in appeasing Strive to perform it most perfectly his anger or uniting us to his love Force thy selfe to the utmost of thy power to prepare purifie and open thy heart unto him and to shut it against all things created 7. Then offer and dedicate thy self humbly and wholly with heart and Text. affection to the divine pleasure Dedicating thy self wholly â—o him and retaine an ever ready and inflamed desire to please God and follow his blessed will And when this holy desire and affection shall be throughly enkindled in thy soul thou wilt see me to move thy Lord God also to be so much enamoured with thee that he desires thou shouldest freely open thy heart to him that he may the next morning enter And freely open thy heart to him in unto thee feast with thee and take his full delight in thee Then doe thou also declare thy mutuall desire to receive him with these kind of Jaculatory prayers O heavenly and divine manna when will that wished houre come that I shall to thine owne content receive thee into my soul Ah when shall I be surely united unto thee by
sincere affection When shall I O onely life of my soul relinquish all self-will and vanquish all my passions and imperfections 8. In these and the like devotions thou maist spend the evening and morning to excite cherish and encrease thy desire to receive thy deare Saviour that so thou maist perfectly please him and be most happily united unto him And in thy pious practices of these things take this Caveat Be sure to keep each power and faculty of thy soule pure and But take heed of vanity and curiosity free from all curiosity of worldly things and from all idle and vaine thoughts Take also the like care of thy outward senses lest thy heart steale out by them and so thou lose all thy devotion EXPLICATION THe time of the sacred Communion At the time near the Communion drawing nigh think thou art to receive the Lord who created this great Universe and thee to his owne likenesse the Sonne of God who died for thee nâ—ked on the 1. Think what thou art going to doe Crosse that increased goodnesse which hath so often freed thee from danger death and damnation which thy sinnes deserved Thanke him with most profound Thank humility and adore him uniting Adore Implore all thy spirits and forces of body and soule togeather as true God and true man Beg also his pardon for thy faults and that the same love which moves him to grant thee this great gift may also induce him to purge thy soule from the staines of all sinne and uncleannesse thereby disposing it to a more pure and perfect union with his divine Majesty When the Priest pronounceth those sacred words Domine non When Domine non sum dignus is sayd sum dignus O Lord I am not worthy accompany him with these following and speak to thy Lord and love from the bottome of thy heart I am not worthy to receive thee ô my great Lord before whose Majesty the Angels of heaven tremblingly confesse their owne nothing I am not worthy ô my Lord that thou shouldest enter into my heart who am one of the meanest weakest and ungratefullest creatures upon earth I am not worthy ô my Lord that thou shouldest lodge with me because I love thee not and I remember thee not though these are prime reasons of thy instituting and remaining in this most blessed Sacrament Thus humble confound and abisme Humble and Confound thy selfe thy selfe at the serious consideration of thy sinnes malice and misery but then raising up thy heart with hope by the following words Sed But still raising up thy heart with hope tantum dic verbo sanabitur anima mea Doe thou onely speak the word ô my Lord and my soule will be saved Enter ô my love into this unworthy harbour and make use of thine infinite power and goodnesse in pardoning my sinnes supplying my defects and protecting me from my enemies 9. And after thou hast received Text. Having communicated entertaine thy guest with amorous expressions this divine Sacrament betake thee presently to the innermost closet of thy heart and there enter into communication with thy holy guest using these or the like loving and respectfull expressions What hath moved thee O great King of Kings to enter in to me who am nothing but a miserable despicable vild blind and naked creature And he will answer thee Love for thou art my dove my friend my sister my spouse and my dearely beloved Then thou maist reply O increated love ô sweetest dilection ô friendly and faithfull charity what wouldest thou have me doe what demandest thou what desirest thou I ask nothing saith he but love I would have nothing burne in the harth of thy heart but the fire of my love that it may devour all forraine love within thee and destroy all self-wil and seeking This this is my desire because I would be truly thine and would have thee likewise be totally mine Which can never be compassed untill thou freely deliverest up thy selfe to my will and pleasure For without this entire resignation thy fancy will be alwaies fastned to the loving and liking of thy selfe and thine owne actions be they never so meane I desire therefore that thou shouldest hate thy selfe that thou maist have the love of me I demand thy heart for my habitation that I may joyne and unite it unto mine for to this end was my heart opened to thee upon the altar of my Crosse My will is I say ô my dearly beloved spouse that thou desire nothing think nothing understand nothing see nothing feel nothing but my selfe onely that so I onely may be in thâ—e and thou totally turned into me and that thou maist possesse in me perfect quiet and I in thee pleasant context 10. Lastly thou shalt offer the holy And Lastly offer up the divine Sonne to his heavenly Father Sonne to his heavenly Father for thy selfe for the whole world and for the soules departed in memory and union of that divine oblation which he offered upon the holy Crosse presenting in like manner all the unbloody sacrifices to the divine Majesty which are that day offered up in his universall Church CHAP. XXXI Of Spirituall Communion ALthough my beloved thou canst receive thy sweeet Saviour 1. Thou maist thus often Communicate sacramentally onely once a day yet thou maist receive him spiritually every houre and moment For nothing can hinder thee from this but onely thine owne fault and negligence And this spirituall Communion may sometimes prove more profitable to thy soule and pleasing to thy Saviour than the sacramentall especially if there be a defect in thy due and diligent preparation 2. For as often as thou desirest By frequent desires to receive thy loving Lord God thus spiritually into thy soule thou shalt find him ever ready to feast thee with his owne sacred hands and thou mayest thus easily dispose thy selfe unto it Turning thy selfe to thy Saviour to this end reflect upon thine owne frailty and frequent failings and conceive an inward sorrow and detestation of thy defects then make thy supplication with a loving affection that he will not disdaine to enter thy poor cottage and feast thee with his owne true body and blood 3. So also when thou art moved And it is an excellent exercise against passions with a pious zeal against any perverse Passion and desirest efficaciously to mortify it or to plant some vertue in thy soule make use of this spirituall communion by converting thy thoughts towards thy Lord God and invoking his aid with ardent prayers beseech him to enter and possesse the secret part of thy soule Or calling to mind thy last sacramentall communion speak to him with an inflamed desire When ô my good God shall I againe welcome thee into the closet of my heart Come now O my Saviour and comfort me spiritually with the like strength and vertue EXPLICATION IF thou wilt practice this pious How to make
therefore thy humble 6. Make thy petition supplication to thy sweet Saviour that since he vouchsafeth freely to come unto thee for his owne mercies sake and for no merits of thine he will also be pleased to prevent thee with his grace and adorne thee with the gifts of his holy Spirit that thou maist become a worthy receptacle for his sacred body as he formerly by the like prevention prepared for himselfe a happy and holy habitation in the virginall entralls of his most blessed Mother CHAP. XXXVII How we may devoutly offer up the sacrifice of the Masse WHen thou feelest thy heart 1. 1. Free thy fancy from all outward objects inflamed by this foregoing or the like exercise free thy fancy of all sensible objects and shutting the windows of thy senses so are up to thy Lord God and fix there the eye of thy soule upon him onely purely freely and quietly excluding all tumults of outward thoughts and implore the assistance of the holy Ghost by reciting the hymn of the holy Church Veni creator spiritus c. 2. Then comming to put on the 2. In vesting thy selfe mark the mysteries sacred vestments mark with attention those mysteries which they mean and signify and from that very instant of time take upon thee Christs person whom thou representest in this holy action that so thou maist be moved to conforme each outward and inward deed to him whom thou now personatest 3. Let thy outward depoâ—tmenâ— be decent 3. And as for the outward composure of the body see that thy going forth of the vestry be with all decency and gravity let thy countenance be cherfull thine eyes humbly cast downe and not curious to prie after any passages done in the Church Let thy voice be low and sober reading those sacred words neither precipitantly nor over-pausingly but beseemingly between both those extremes Let the holy ceremonies be piously and punctually observed and let all be attentively performed taking more care in the Canon and most of all when thou commest to the words of consecration 4. Let thy inward composition also correspond with thy outward carriage 4. And thy inward composition correspondent and therefore comming to the foot of the Atar looke upon Christ thy Lord and thy love sitting in his throne of glorious majesty attended by his Angels and blessed Saints and think he is presently comming down from his throne to the altar to enrich thy poore soule with the treasures of his divinity And considering so high a Majesty confesse thine own misery meannesse and nothing and so truly humbling thy selfe both inwardly and outwardly begin the action of the sacrifice And keep this presence of thy Saviour sitting in his throne and beholding thy devotion untill thou commest to the consecration which done thou hast him then before thee upon the altar thou touchest him with thy hands and embracest him in thy heart there present in the Sacrament 5. In thy first memento Contemplate 5. In thy first memento thy Lord Jesus crucified reposing in thy heart and depose all thy necessities and wants in his sacred and sugred wounds And first offer up thy whole Masse to his holy head To Christs holy head intending it to the eternall honour of the most blessed Trinity and for the increase of the accidentall glory of his deare Mother thy Angel guardian and thy particular protectours and patrons in heaven all which thou shalt joyne together in the wounds of thy Lords venerable head and beseech them that as thou in this vale of misery strivest to augment their glory so they in their happy and heavenly mansions will be pleased to remember thee and joyne with thee in the oblation of this divine sacrifice to thine and their Creatour 6. Comming then to the wound To his right hand of his right hand pray for the state ecclesiasticall that is for the Pope Cardinalls Bishops and pastours of the Church for all Religious persons and their Prelats and for them all offer up this present sacrifice 7. At the wound of his left hand To his left hand pray for the Laity for Kings Princes Magistrates and the rest of their people and in particular for thy parents friends familiars and all who desired to be made partakers in thy devotions 8. At his most sweet heart offer To his sacred heart up thy whole selfe onely humbly representing unto him thy life past and begging his pardon thy present being and desiring his direction thy spirituall necessities and corporall needs thy health thy temptations thy desires thy designes Consecrate all the future thoughts words and works of thy whole life to his eternall honour Finally resigne thy whole selfe reverently and confidently to his divine providence and so rest secure in his care since thou hast delivered all thy affaires into his custody who will better improve all things for thy profit than thou canst either ask or expect 9. At the wound of his right foot To his right foot offer up the sacrifice for all them who are in Gods grace and continue in his charity that he will be pleased to preserve them still in his favour and friendship 10. At the wound of his left foot To his left foot offer it up for all sinners that God will vouchsafe to convert and enlighten them for all poore weak and any-way afflicted wights that he will please to comfort and deliver them and lastly for all thou either oughtest or art bound to pray And so conclude thy whole oblation with Saint Augustines words I recommend Commendo eos quos tu vis scis velle me nosti unto thy Majesty whomsoever thou ô my Lord wilt and knowest and wouldest have me remember And finally offer up thy Saviour Jesus thus loaded as I may say with all thy petitions and necessities to his eternall Father in this present sacrifice saving those words of the Psalmist Behold ô God our protectour Ps 83. 10. and look upon the face of thy Christ And so proceed on in the sacred Action 11. In thy second memento Thou 6. In thy second memento hast Christ present in the holy Sacrament now glorious and risen from death unite therefore thy affection unto him and strive to creep into his open side and there hide thy self safely and securely from all assaults of thine enemies There also determine resolutely to doe his holy will for the future in all occurrences whatsoever and put on that pious affection of the Royall Prophet What is to me in heaven and besides Psal 72. 25. thee ô my Lord and love what would I upon the earth Lastly offer up the Sacrifice for the soules of the faithfull departed and compleat what remains of the sacred Masse CHAP. XXXVIII An Exercise aefter the holy Communion REpresent to thy selfe as formerly 1. Representation of the place thy Blessed Saviour encompassed with the glorious troops of Angels and heavenly spirits
profession obliging us to sincerity though we most willingly acknowledg your temporal and spiritual greatnesses heartily congratulate your high perfections and joyfully consider you mounting up amain the divine ladder of heavenly love contemplation Yet we cannot but look upon your souls as immured stil in walls of clay we can only judge you to be faithfull pilgrims not full possessors to be valiant champions not yet crowned conquerors and therfore we conceive that we may much better complie w th our dutie to God and our obligation to you by endeavoring to further you in your spiritual progress than to follow you w th Euge's and acclamations as if you were already arriv'd at the desired end of your journey For this reason we declare that the primarie motive inducing us to present you with this small spiritual donative is the ardent zeal and desire we have of your own happie advancement in solid devotion divine charitie And in pursuance of this design we First discover brieflie unto you the most common dangerous snares of your sworn enemies and shew you the safe way to shun them Secondly we deliver spiritual arms into your hands wherewith to defend your selves defeat your foes by reducing the precepts into practice furnishing you with such affective acts elevations as may readily serve you for restauratives against fainting in these your indefatigable combats Thirdly we raise you up a ladder of perfection from the top whereof which is perfect indifferencie resignation and obedience to Gods Divine will and pleasure you may comfortablie cast down an eie and counteach step you have taken in your wearisom journey towards your heavenlie Jerusalem Fourthly from this mountain top of perfection we shew you the divers degrees of sacred and seraphical love which wil lead your elevated souls to perfect union with their beloved Bridegroom and settle them in the sweet embraces and bosom of the divinity And lastly we have made a collection of the chiefest and choicest Maxim's of mystical Theologie to which you may have continual recourse by which you may solve all your doubts and in which you may secure your consciences upon all emergent occasions and difficulties arising in this your blessed enterprise tendance to eternal felicitie These are the choice flowers which we have gathered in the several gardens of sacred writers and bound up in this posie for your present use comfort and incouragement The other end we aim at in this our dedication is to give you posteritie a publick and perpetual testimonie of our grateful hearts for your many signal favors and temporal benefits wherewith you have more obliged us and our neerest friends than we can either tell how to repay in any other coin or express in any particular tearms And therefore we desire you to receive this our thankfull acknowledgement and real protestatition proceeding from both our united mindes and mouthes as an absolute assurance of our truly devoted service to your selves and all the worthy branches of your most honoured family THE FIRST TREATISE OF THE SPIRITVALL CONQUEST Or A plain discovery of the Ambuscado's and wily Stratagems of our Enemies in this our daily War-fare Enabling the Christian Warrier to foresee and avoid them Psal 56. 7. They prepared a snare for my feet but Psal 123. 7. The snare is broken and we are delivered AT PARIS M.DC.LI To the devout Champions tending to perfection YOu have beheld * In this precedent Treatise of our learned and devout authour Fa. John Castaniza O Dear Champions of heaven a famous Duel fought between the Sense and the Soul the Elesh and the Spirit the Animal and the Spiritual man you have been Spectators of this Grand-plea and present at this renowned trial where before the supream Tribunal of Truth and Reason the Animal man was convened and arraigned at the Bar had Peâ—rus Damianus Serm. 30. his own thoughts words and works for his casting convincing and condemning Jury heaven and earth irrefragable witnesses against him his own guilty Conscience a constant accuser of him the said Truth and Reason the impartiall Judges pronouncing sentence upon him and his own soul the happy executioner of their just verdict Which lifting up the sword of holy zeal and indignation gave such home-blows of Contrition for the past and Resolution of amendment for the future to his heart that blood of tears and joy seem'd to stream from the wounds and the whole man first made a true Martyr of Pennance is now become a faithful witness of Gods infinit mercies You have seen I say a notable siege lay'd to this rebellious City mans sensuality which for it's ditches of defence had depths of impiety for walls and rampiers obstinacy and insolency for towers and bulwarks mountaines of pride and presumption for arms and weapons reluctancy to goodness and resistance of Gods inspirations for artillery tumults for dwelling-houses dens of hypocrisie for palaces labyrinths of dissimulation for temple proper-will for Idol self-love for Captain blindness for Souldiers exorbitant passions for counsel folly and for constancy perverse opinions Yet Babylon is fall'n this treacherous town is taken sensuality is subdued So great is the force of Grace and so happy the success of Truth and Reason And which is most worthy of joyful admiration perfect liberty is gained by this captivity high advancement by this down-fall holy greatnesse by this annihilation and by this death a happy life O blessed Conquest But lest this now stifled fire of rebellion should again burst forth into new flames of sedition and so your recidivations prove more dangerous than your first diseases For Alas such is mans inconstancie that he now seems in a Who so stands let him look that he falls not 1. Cor. 10. 12. firm station who soon falls and fades away into nothing such is the nature of his quarrel that it hath no other point of quiet in this life than the last full period of his death such are his watchfull enemies that they Mans life is a warfare upon earth Job 7. 1. are ever waiting for advantages and such is his known weaknesse that it perpetually wooes and eggs him on to wickednesse how highly doth it import you O pious Souldiers to stand constantly and continually to your spirituall arms to keep an uninterrupted guard upon all the gates of your inward and outward senses and appetites To this end we have here presented you out of our Authour Castanizae with a brief draught of your enemies chiefest postures shew'd you from what grounds they take their usuall advantages against you and discovered where they lay their Foreseen darts do least hurt Greg. hom 35. in Evang perilous ambushes to intrap you that being thus duly forewarn'd of your eminent danger you may be fitly and fully arm'd for your necessary defence preparedly attend their approaches undantedly receive their charges couragiously repell their violence and finally return loaden with glorious Trophees of
without any foregoing meditation or precedent search into divine mysteries draws up forthwith the lovers affection to his beloved Lord which is more and more stretched intended and inlarged by these ardent ejaculations of the soul thus familiarly conferring communing treating and talking with her Creator and raising up her self to him by acts of love and desires of conjunction And we may fitly say that the solid foundation of invvard perfection is contained in such acts motions and tendances of our Souls towards God their neighbours and themselves as the outvvard consists in the practical performance of our duties in relation to the same three objects Make use therefore O dear souls of these affective Devotions daily diligently and perseverantly and you shall soon perceive a happy and heavenly change in your souls you shall feel your faith strengthned your devotion actuated your good desires prepared and put in real performances your pious intentions ripened for executions and your well-made purposes and resolutions forwarded to leap into the punctual and particular observation of each part of your duty towards God the world and your selves The Seven Exercises The 1. Exercise For Monday Of the Knowledge of God and Confidence in him The 2. Exercise For Tuesday Of the Knowledge and Diffidence in our selves The 3. Exercise For Wednesday Of obtaining Remission of our sins The 4. Exercise For Thursday Of subduing Sensuality to Reason The 5. Exercise For Friday Of Mortification and perfect Abnegation The 6. Exercise For Saturday Of Conformity to Christ Crucifyed The 7. Exercise For Sunday Of perfect Vnion with God FOR MONDAY Of the Knowledge of God and Confidence in him The First Exercise 1. TO know thee O divine fountain of goodness is to be truly happy and yet none can know thee O boundless and bottomless Sea of all perfections but through thine own manifestation and mercy Vouchsafe therefore I beseech thee ô most loving and liberal Lord to enter this poor empty heart of thy meanest servant to inform my ignorant soul with a glimpse of this necessary science and to inflame my cold affection with a small spark of thy holy love O omnipotent Creator of heaven and earth both which thou fillest with thy greatness and glory O God of infinite power excellent wisdom unmeasurable goodness and incomprehensible love my soul thirsts after thee the essential source of all felicity my heart seeks thee the proper place of it's repose it sighs to thee the natural centre of all it's hope and happiness IN thy blessed mind ô my God it first rested in it's eternall possibility and similitude thither it must again return and there it must either rest eternally or perish for evermore O let it now find thee that it may ever love thee 2. O Lord most good glorious and gracious most blessed and bountiful most high and holy most excellent and ineffable What words or thoughts can express thy purity and perfection Let me know thee O thou life of my soul Let me see thee O true light of my eyes Let me seek thee O thou only solace of my spirit Let me find thee O thou desired of my heart Let me embrace thee O my heavenly Spouse Let me possess thee O thou soveraign sweetnes and full satiety of all my inward and outward senses O that my heart could alwayes think on thee my will ever love thee my mind still remember thee my understanding continually conceive thee my reason perpetually adhere to thee and my whole man incessantly praise thee O hide not thy face from me my joy my light and my life If I may not see thee and live O let me dy that I may see thee I desire to dy here and be dissolved that I may see thee know thee come to thee live with thee and love thee eternally O ever blessed and glorious divinity O Father who of thine own substance bringest forth an ineffable goodness coequal consubstantial and coeternal with thy self which is thy Some O Father and Son who loving each other with infinite charity and content are united together in one Holy Ghost equally and unspeakably proceeding from you both I admire thee adore thee and worship thee with all the powers of my body and soul 3. O sacred Deity O Tri-Unity and Vni-Trinity O Father Sâ—n and Holy Ghost Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts who wert art and shalt be for ever almighty I thy poor creature prostrate before the Throne of thy Divine Majesty from the abyss of my own nothing invoke adore and acknowledge thee the abyss of all perfection I present thee with al thine own gifts goods and graces which thou hast plentifully powred out upon all thy creatures I offer up to thy praise the affections of Angels and men the properties of the elements the beauty and motion of the whole universe and the essence of all being O that my soul were capable to comprise unitedly all their severall affections and perfections how joyfully would it employ them in thy praise how sweetly would it melt away in thy presence Behold O my God I make an intire oblation of them all I acknowledge and adore thee with them all and desire to do it as frequently as I breathe and as often as there are minutes in time stars in the firmament sands in the Ocean and numbers in all nature O my Lord whose love is the life of my soul increase my knowledge of thee that I may enlarge my love to thee Alas I love thee not ô amiable Lord God because I know thee not I know thee not because darkness and sin hath covered and incompassed my understanding Wherefore ô bright light who illuminatest all things expell this darkness from my soul drive off these clouds from my understanding draw the curtain from off the face of the abyss of my mind that I may see and know thee and then I shall not choose but love thee O my dear Jesu shew me thy divine Father dart a beam of thy heavenly splendour into my dull heart that I may have some degree of that holy science which may help me in thy love make me obedient to thy will and resolute in thy service To know all things of this world ô Jesu and not to know thee is but ignorance and folly let me therefore know thy eternal Father and thee whom he sent for my salvation and it sufficeth me O give me this knowledge that I may give thee my love and I ask no more Let me be unknowing ignorant and a fool in all other things so I may wisely know thee only ô my God and my all 4. O King of glory I acknowledge thy perfections to be above all knowledge but that of thy own divine understanding I confess that thy height is unreachable thy goodness unchangable thy greatness incomprehensible thy light inaccessible And all other thy divine attributes and perfections are so mighty and so many so good and so glorious so excellent and so admirable
so worthy and so wonderfull that were all the power and prerogatives all the vertue wisdom and qualities of all creatures united in one individual nature it were not so much in respect of thy glory and greatness as the least drop of water is in comparison of the vast Ocean Wherefore I beg of thee O immense and inaccessible Godhead only so much to know conceive believe and understand of thy hidden majesty as may efficaciously move my will to thee and I content my self with so much light of thy divinity as may force me to love thee ardently effectually perseverantly O my Lord and my love Fill my heart with the sweet influence of thy heavenly grace that I may in some measure discover how good and gracious thou art to me and to all thy creatures O let me still remember thy mercy ever dread thy justice and continually admire and adore thy power and providence Ah! my noble Soul stampt with thy Creators lovely image endowed with the excellencies of understanding to know him of will to love him of Memory to rest in him why adherest thou not fast to him only in pure and perfect delight forgetting and forgoing all sensible and worldly objects 5. O that I were so ravished with thy love and liking my only amiable Lord God that through joy jubily and admiration I might feel no self at all no sense no change no inequality That no prosperity might puff me up no adversity deject me no accident separate me from thee ô my God of infinite love and liberality O that I could be ever joyful in thee ever gratefull to thee and ever mindfull of thy inhabiting presence within me Thou are alwayes nearer to my soul ô my good God than my soul is to my body alwayes conserving counselling disposing directing inciting and inspiring it to thy love and wilt thou not ô my sensless and sinful soul be alwayes cautious and circumspect how thou behavest thy self in thy Lords presence who is so tenderly carefull of thy safety O let his love be no longer neglected his sweet invitations no longer slighted O that thou wouldst henceforth walk before him as befits his chast and holy Spouse with all respect and reverence fear and fidelity courage and constancy preparing thy self diligently for his divine embraces 6. Grant I beseech thee ô mighty and mercifull Creator that my whole time and thoughts may be totally taken up in the contemplation of thy unmeasurable benefits and bounty towards me For I know Lord that I am truly nothing and yet thou carest for me ô my loving maker as if thou hadst no other creature in heaven or earth thou deliverest me from innumerable dangers adornest me with many gifts and graces givest me leave at all times to have free access to thy throne of mercy so that with one holy thought one humble sigh one devout desire I may draw neer to thee and enjoy thee and in thee all comfort and content O divine privilege To discover to thee my wants lay open my wounds and boldly declare my wishes as to my neerest dearest and trustiest friend and familiar and to be sure of supplies salves and succour in all my necessities O what goodness what grace what mercy is this O my soul How loving and liberall a Lord have we how loving in mercy how liberal in bounty Ah! our unthankfulness to requite our unworthiness to deserve his favors Up my heart be no longer ungratefull and unfaithfull to so great good and gracious a benefactour Yes ô blessed and bountiful giver I now say cordially and will ever stand to iâ— coâ—ragiously I will henceforth love thee ô my Lord my love my life my strength my support my home my harbor and my happiness I will remember thy sweet words to all sinners Why will you perish O children As I live I desire not the death of a sinner but that he would turn to me anâ— live I will behold thy sacred wounds suffered for me able to move a rock to love and compassion And though I am ashamed to think what I have been and how little I have done how much thou hast endured for me how long thou hast expected me how lovingly thou hast besought me and how poorly I have corresponded to thee Yet I know ô my Lord thou ceasest not to be God and good though I am weak and wicked Therefore I will take yet courage in thy service and confidently hope that thou who sought'st after me a lost sheep wilt mercifully receive me now I seek after thee my loving shepheard with a right intention real resolution and inflamed affection 7. Yes ô my Lord and my love heaven and earth shall sooner perishâ— than my confidence in thy sweet mercies and my Saviours merits If thou repell me I will run after thee If thou shut thy door against me I will never leave knocking and if thou kill'st me yet I will trust in thee I wholly cast my self upon thy holy will providence and protection I protest with heart and mouth that I now am and henceforth will be entirely thine that I have nothing seek nothing fear nothing desire nothing demand nothing want nothing will nothing but thee onely My Lord my Love and my All. And I firmly purpose to serve and love thee ô sacred and supream Majesty simply sincerely purely and perseverantly not for any fear of pains or punishment not for any self-interest of what this world can offer or the next afford not for the least hope of heaven or happinesse but I will thee seek thee and love thee for thy self only ô my all-sufficient Lord God who art the sole object sweet compleatment and solid contentment of my soul Pardon me protect me and provide for me For thou art my only hope and happiness FOR TVESDAY Of the Knowledge and diffidence in our selves The Second Exercise 1. WHat is man ô Omnipotent Creator what is this man that thou shouldst be mindfull of him He is nothing ô Lord and I am the least and worst of those nothings because I have least corresponded to thy grace and made worst use of thy gifts O give me ligâ—t reach forth thy hand to this blind creature crying after thee O thou true light of the world and life of my soul that now at length I may duly diligently cordially and abyssally dive into my own basenes weakness misery nothing that knowing what I truly am I may really loathe hate distrust despise and deny my self and all my own proceedings sincerely love thee only trust and hope in thee and rely wholly upon thy divine providence and protection I am not only content ô my Lord God but even willing and desirous that all thy creatures should take me and treat me according to my true condition and unworthynesse And I am resolved by thy grace to humble my self not only under thy mighty hand but also under all their feet as their servant and slave to be troden on abhorred avoided and detested by
confession into my mouth prayers into my lips remorse into my memory resolutions of amendment into my will T is Thou O gracious God who chiefly actest all this good in me by me and for me O my All do then all in me that thou desirest And particularly overwhelm I beseech thee my whole interiour with perfect contrition not coming from a slavish and servile fear but from a faithful and filial love Grant me a true and intire grief for having offended thee not because of thy promises or threats but because thou art in thy self good amiable adorable 3. Or if mercenary interest do yet more move thee O my sensual and sinful soul For how hainously dost thou take a small injury how deeply dost thou resent a little disgrace the loss of a dear friend of health of honour or the like temporall and perishable commodities O whence is it then that thou so little apprehendest thy loss of grace and thy eminent and imminent danger of eternall damnation Is it a small matter to be Gods enemy To lose the good will of all heaven To destroy Gods image To cut up life root and branch To side with the accursed devils thy Creators sworn enemies to hatch Treason enter Conspiracie with the damned Yea and to kill as much as in thee lyes him who by his own death gave thee life O brutall and unnatural ingratitude Surely the annihilating of heaven The reason is Because the least degree of a higher order surpasses the highest degree of the lower order earth Angels men and all Nature cannot be compar'd with this malicious evil and willfull destruction of thy grace O Lord in my soul O eternal God! what a monster have I then been in grace what a prodigie in nature who have so little car'd to commit such enormous sins But O my Lord I will even now change my life I here detest all sin I make firm purpose of amendment I have a ful confidence in thee my Creator a good wil to do satisfaction and a totall resignation to thy divine pleasure 4. I am the woful criminal O just judge of my soul and I will be also the accuser and witnes the advocate and executioner in this tribunal I summon you therefore O detestable pride O abominable envy O execrable avarice O beastly lubricity and all you accursed crew of sins how long will you reign on earth how long will you dispeople Gods inheritance who brought you in amongst Gods children T is the perverted Will of man O dread Soveraign which hath done all these mischiefs Rectify ô my Lord I beseech thee this my crooked Will and murder these horrible monsters in me and grant that I may henceforth rather expose my body to a thousand deaths than my soul to one deadly sin Thy Saints will rejoyce ô God at my amendment and thy Angels will make a Feast but thy own resentment of joy will be infinite because thy love is infinite which goes hand in hand with thy essence and comprehends all love in supream eminency I will therefore expect from thee O heavenly Father the exact remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect knowledge from thee ô holy Spirit a true repentance and from thee ô Sacred Trinity an intire absolution and plenary indulgence from all my iniquities The grief I feel for my past offences the hatred I have against each sin at this present and the resolution I make to avoid all iniquity for the future are not equivalent in me to their enormity and hainousness I therefore humbly crave ô holy Lord God! that thou wilt accept thine own hatred against sin for that which I should and would have and in stead of the sorrow I want I offer that of thy Son my sweet Redeemer with the Sacrifice of his immaculate life and innocent death And since I cannot be impeccable by nature O my Lord nor dare presume to ask to be so by grace give me leave to prostrate my self before thy infinite bounty and clemency and beg by the merits of Jesus Christ thy dear Son and by the desires of thy essential love the blessed holy Ghost that though I may not be impeccable yet I may never sin more and if I must somtimes sin through my frailty yet that I may never sin mortally This thou desirest O Lord this thou demandest this thou commandest O give me what thou commandest and command me what thou pleasest 5. O my good Lord Jesu who art Lord of my life and shouldst be the love of my soul had I not like an ungracious and ungratefull wretch given my heart and sold my affection to fond frail filthy and fading creatures and comforts which are so far from bringing me eyther quiet of mind peace of conscience purity of soul or perfection of spirit that they leave me nothing but trouble confusion and remorse with a world of disquiet and desperate thoughts violent passions and vitious inclinations I find no other refuge or remedy but to return to thee my Centre to convert my self to thee O my good Lord and Master to cast my self in all humility at thy sacred feet and heartily to beg thy mercy pardon and reconciliation O mercifull Father I truly acknowledge my prodigality and humbly confess my treachery and am sorry from my heart that ever I offended thee who deservest so much love and service from me Beseeching thee as a guilty prisoner to be pitifull to thy poor creature and mercifully to forgive me the manifold rebellions and grievous iniquities that I have committed against thy Divine Majesty and goodness and for the love of thee I freely forgive all them who have any way offended or contristated me sincerely acknowledging that I deserve no comfort from any creature but all contempt and confusion and not only to be troubled by all on earth temporally but even to be tormented by the Devils in hell eternally 6. O how ungratefull a child have I been to offend so often and so grievously so loving and liberal a Father so meek and mercifull a Redeemer and so â—weet and soveraign a Majesty who hath always shew'd himself so benigne and bountifull to me tolerating me in my sins and expecting me to his mercy wooing me to his love and calling me to his service by a thousand means all which I have either rejected or neglected and still nevertheless given me time and opportunity to do penance O my poor soul how blind and bewitched hast thou been to leave the bread of Angels and to feed on the husks of swine for vanities villanies shadows and nothings to abandon God and all goodness on whom depends all thy hope and happiness quiet and comfort for time and eternity O blindness O folly O frenzie Would God I had never sinned Oh that I might never sin more O my God what have I done Would I had suffered on the Cross pains of body and pangs of soul when I thus N. sinned Oh what can I say or do more
I abhor and detest whatsoever I have done said thought or desired contrary to thy holy will O my Lord and my love I renounce all company and occasions which may induce me to offend thee 7. I cast my self at thy sacred feet to be thy slave for ever with a firm resolution to bear thy Cross till death and to do penance and satisfaction for my past pride and pleasure desiring nothing but to live at thy feet like the penitent Magdalen in solitude silence submission O good Jesu Out of thy infinit mercy merits and meekness suffer not me thy poor creature to be damned and separated from thee eternally O amiable eternity O eternall amitie of God! Shall I leave and lose thee for filthy pleasures frail creatures fond friendships fading honours No dear Lord No Lâ—â— it please thee rather to take my soul out of my body than thy love out of my soul let me rather dy miserably then sin mortally Let me pass on the rest of my pilgrimage in thy grace and fear that I may end my dayes in thy friendship and favour which I beseech thee to grant me O most powerfull and mercifull Savior by the love of thy sweet heart by the merits of thy bitter death and passion by the intercession of thy Blessed Mother and by the suffrages of all holy happy and devout souls Upon all which relying as upon so many sure anchors of my hope I commit and resigne my self to thy disposition and providence for time and eternity O my Lord my love and my All fully trusting that thou wilt mercifully pardon my sins carefully assist me in my wants and weaknesses and in the end happily bring me to eternall bliss by such means as thy divine wisdom knows most convenient for me FOR THVRSDAY Of Subduing Sensuality to Reason The Fourth Exercise 1. MY Spirit is willing O most glorious and gracious Lord God to serve thee love thee honour thee and follow thee but my flesh is weak frail and refractory I do not what I desire O my God and what thou demandest but I act that which I hate and what thou forbiddest I feel O my Lord a law of sensuality contradicting the law of my mind captivating my reason clouding my judgement and continually striving to cast me down headlong into sin and perdition Unhappy man that I am Who will free me from this body of death Ah my brutish body ah my burdensom flesh Thou art my dangerous and deadly enemy 'T is thy weight that depresseth my soul thy earth that clogâ— and corrupts my ayr thy contagion and perversity which infects and debaseth my better part and heavenly portion thy sensuality which draws on endangers and almost destroys my reason 2. Ah Sensuality the source of all my misery how justly do I now hate thee and how willingly would I leave thee At my first acquaintance with thee thou defiledst me with original sin In my infancy thou mad'st a beast of me And now in my riper years thou still pursuest me proclaimest open war with me blindest my Understanding with darknes ignorance and errours mak'st my Will refractory to good and ready to all evil distractest my Memory with vain and vile fancies and perpetually tossest me to and fro between love and hatred joy and grief hope and fear and the rest of thy numerous and enormous irascible and concupiscible powers and passions Ay me how sad is my state how deplorable my condition Oh! how long Lord must I dwel with these devils how long must I endure the violence of these passions O my Lord my strength and my salvation break these fetters for me Command a calm O thou only Ruler of Sea and winds and appease the surges of these my unmortified appetites Oh! restore me to my self again reduce reason to her lost dominion in my soul and bring back me thy poor creature to thee my powerfull Creator O let not this passenger perish amidst these boysterous billows nor suffer utter shipwarck in these fearfull tempests I suffer violence O my Lord answer for me the companion which thou hast given me hath deceived me Sense hath corrupted and conquered my Judgment Oh! how I am dragg'd up and down by my al-mastering appetites commanded by my servants and fettered by my slaves O tyranny O indignity Ah my soul O noble spirit fair as the angels formed to thy Creators lovely resemblance stampt with his divine character and heir apparent to his glorious kingdom To be thus subject to the base and brutall desires of flesh and blood O intollerable bondage O unworthy servitude 3. O Father of mercies and only Physician of my soul Thou art almighty and al-mercy and I am all weakness and all misery There is no part left sincere in my whole body and soul from the contagious poyson of passion from the infectious leprosy of sin and sensuality All is out of order O my Lord I acknowledge it to my own shame and confusion each sense is gone astray each member of my body is corrupted each power of my soul is perverted My Understanding is obscured with self-love my Memory distâ—acted with sensual â—bâ—ects my Will posses'd with peevish inclinâ—tions My affections are vain my passions violent my dispositions vitious My body is burdensome my imagination troublesome my life irksome These are my wounds O my heavenly Surgeon O put to thy helping hand I beseech thee see fear and search them before the gangren enter and the grief grow incurable My soul is sick even to death if thou wilt O my Lord thou canst both cleanse and cure me To this end thou descendedst from Jerusalem to Jerico O pious Samaritan from heaven to earth O compassionate Saviour where thou findest me in this pitifull plight sore beaten wounded half dead and utterly despoiled of all natural and spiritual riches by theeves and robbers which are the senses of my body and the faculties of my soul O pass not by me sweet Jesu but mercifully bind up my bleeding wounds with the swathing bands of thy death and passion powre upon them the wine of thy pretious blood and supple them with the oyl of thy heavenly grace 4. I intend ô my Lord strengthen me in this hour I intend O sweet Saviour a total reformation of life and manners an intire mortification of my corporeal senses and spiritual faculties an absolute change in my whole man O grant me I beseech thee my loving Lord the powerful assistance of thy special grace for the performance of this great and good purpose Teach me now ô my blessed Master to live inwardly piously spiritually as I lov'd formerly to live outwardly vainly sensually O let me henceforth yield to thy divine motion obey thy call imitate thy example and follow thy will O let me never more act or omit any thing be it never so little for my own liking but purely and perfectly for thy love 5. Grant ô good Jesu that at each word of my mouth at each glance
disordered love to any woâ—ldly person No favour or friendship ô my only amiable Lord God no greatness or goodness of any one shall make me fwerve from my exact duty to thee-wards No carnall affection to kindred No tenderness of amitie No private or publick respect No connivency or correspondency shall make me partiall in the reproof of vice or praise of vertue O take up my whole heart with thy holy love that thy perfect image and perpetuall memory may blot out all species of forreign objects I renounce all vain vicious idle and unprofitable thoughts fancies and imaginations O let my mind not only yield no consent but no entrance unto them O let me never more contristate thy holy Spirit with these vanities nor hinder my souls advancement and union with thee by these divertisments I will henceforth compell my heart to some good employment I will no longer permit it to wander and wast it self in any idle and superfluous curiosities No my Lord and Saviour thy bitter and blessed passion thy blessings and benefits shall be the continuall occupation of my interiour O what have I to do with transitory things who am made for eternity I renounce all care and solicitude which necessity obedience and charity do not oblige me to No naturall passions of joy sorrow hope fear love hatred anger or shamefastness shall make any impression in this heart of mine which is preingag'd in thy affection sealed up and setled in thy contemplation No pretext of lawfulness nor shew of fittingness nor conceit of compassion nor excuse of necessity shall procure the admittance of such passions into my soul as may any way distract darken or dull the point of my affection and devotion towards thee my only Lord and love I renounce all bitterness of heart against any one Is he good be thou eternally praised in him and by him O bountiful bestower of all blessings Is he wicked Correct him ô mercifull Creatour comfort encourage and raise him to amendment Hath he offended affronted injured or sleighted me I deserve ô great God to be troden on by all creatures and therefore I freely forgive him for the past and give him free leave to add stripes to his injuries for the future Am I denied the grant of my most lawfull and just demands Thou best knowest O eternall wisdom what is best for my state and condition O deny not thy love to my soul and let me be refused in all other my requests whatsoever I renounce all vain-glory all self-liking and pride which may arise from worldly praises al delight springing from any gift of nature or grace which is in me Not unto me Lord but to thy holy name be given all honour and glory Alas what am I what have I what can I All is thine O my bountifull Lord God Nothing is mine but sin and therefore I deserve only shame and confusion 7. I renounce all desire of delight in my devotions all sensible gusts of grace and all sweetnesses and solaces in the inferiour faculties of my soul Ah my heart what is all this to thee follow thou thy Saviour Thou seekest thy crucified Jesus This is not he but his gifts O my Lord it is thy self I seek and sigh after If thou send'st me comforts for the incouragement of my weakness be thou ever praised for thou dost like a most benign and bountifull God If thou withdrawest them still blessed be thy providence which hath secret and severall wayes of conducting souls to thy self and if thou wilt make triall of my fidelity by permitting me to be dull dry and desolate in my devotions be thou equally and eternally blessed I renounce all scrupulosity of Conscience which reflects any way upon the least diffidence or distrust in thy mercy I am a sinner O Jesu but thou art a Saviour I have great reason to dread thy justice but greater to hope in thy goodness Heaven and earth shall sooner fail than my confidence in thee my mercifull maker If thou kill me I will trust in thee And if I had formerly hated thee and betrayed thee as Judas did I would now with penitent Magdalen run to thy blessed feet weep and bemoan my misery and hope to obtain thy mercy And finally O my Lord I absolutely intirely and irrevocably renounce my whole Will in all things and totally resigne whatsoever any way concerns me to thy holy will and pleasure I offer up unto thee the full sacrifice both principall and accessorie of all that by thy gift and grace I am have and can my self goods graces body soul senses heart will all I leave no right or title to any selfness in any thing whatsoever I am no more my self but thy slave O Lord not my will but thine be done for time and eternity O let me will what thou wilt or not will at all Let all my desires be involuntary if they swerve never so little from thy divine pleasure Dy self-will Live Jesus my Lord my Love my All. FOR SATVRDAY Of Conformity to Christ Crucified The Sixth Exercise 1. CRucified Iesu thou only Lord of my life life of my love and love of my soul O that I could reform my life Deiform my love and conform my soul to thee the absolute pattern of all perfection O that I could imprint thy lively and lovely image in my heart fasten all my affections and imperfections to thy sacred Cross drown all my desires and defects in thy dear wounds put off my self totally and put thee on intirely O sacred humanity ô my suffering Saviour O that I could perfectly imitate thee the pure exemplar of all vertues that I could give up my whole self to thee by an act of irrevocable donation as thou demandest and commandest But alas I am yet O my Jesu all self-love sin and sensuality I acknowledge O my Lord what I have and what I want I know what I desire and what I deserve I confess I am wounded I am wicked I am wretched and I tremblingly come to thee my heavenly Physician to be cured converted comforted O sweet Saviour for thy mercies sake and for thy passions sake Forget and forgive what I have been pitty what I am satisfie for what I deserve and supply what I desire 2. Behold most mercifull Iesu I first cast my self at thy sacred Feet pierced and fast'ned to the cruel Cross for my transgressions Pierce my flesh O my Lord with thy fear and fasten my soul to thy love O let not pride and presumption nestle any longer in that heart which thou O meek Saviour lovest so tenderly and redeemest at so dear a rate O my vain glory and arrogancie what have I to do with you how much do I now detest you Wash off these stains O Iesu from my poor soul in these sweet streams flowing from thy wounded Feet O drown these my imperfections in these sacred Seas of piety Give me O Gracious Lord such true humility of spirit that I may
the soul is wounded with love fick of love and languishing for love after a long experience in the way of the Spirit and a serious application of her self to the practice of solid vertue having truly gotten into her own interiour and happily ascended the steep mountain of Perfection is become deeply wounded with love sweetly sick of love and heartily languishing after love So that she crys out with that fainting Spouse in the Canticles O tell my beloved that I languish with love This infirmity is not to death but for Gods glory for the Soul in this state defyes all sin deserts whatsoever is not God and desires him only she grows weary and sick of all creatures and aspires after the embraces of her Creator And as an infirm person loseth appetite and loathes all the wonted contents of nature so here the soul feels no gust takes no pleasure findes no comfort in any earthly objects Shee lyes sick and seized on by this mystical feaver caused by the violent heat of heavenly love and here she is in the degree of contemplative purgation when she findes no support no stay no tast no quiet no content in any thing whatsoever And therefore she â—oon soars up from this Step to the next The Second Degree of Love WHerein she rouseth and raises In the 2 she seeks her Physician up her self and casts about which way she may seek and find her loving Physician who can only cure and comfort her she gets up early and eagerly enquires after him without intermission or cessation whom she failed to find in her bed at night in the first degree She faithfully follows the prints of his steps turns over natures book dives into all creatures questions all she meets Oh! have you seen him whom my soul loveth Yet she stays no where stoops not to the lure of any created object she demands and passes on she leaves all for him whom she only loves and longs after She holds no discourse with Angels themselves but listens only to his heavenly voice and desires nothing but to see a glimpse of his beatifying countenance O shew me thy face let thy sweet words sound in my ears Here love bears all the sway and hath made so deep an impression in the pious soul that she is perpetually solicitous for love ever sighing after love and still carping caring and seeking for her well beloved in all things All her throughts tend to him all her discourses drive at him all her affairs end in him If shee sleeps she dreams of him if she wakes she talks of him Finally she is always in all things in all places transported into this object of her love and swayed towards this Centre of her life And recovering new strength ascends upward to a further Degree The Third Degree of Love WHerein she works with more heat and vigour and of which the King-Prophet speaks In the 3. she fears her own unworthiness and the loss of her beloved Psa 111. Blessed is that person who fears the Lord for he will exceedingly desire to fulfill his holy laws Whence may be inferr'd that if Fear which is Loves daughter cause such effectual desires how efficacious will those desires be which proceed immediately from Love it self The Soul in this Degree beleeves that her best works done in the behalf of her beloved are very base inconsiderable she runs over her Registers of accounts sums up her numerous exploits measures her long suffâ—ances and surveys her high services and they seem at best but poor and mean performances of a greater duty she finds them nothing worth by reason of the excess of affection which inflames and consumes her If Jacobs love to Rachel had so powerful an influence upon his spirit that his twice seven years apprentiship seem'd to him but a Gene. 29. 20. few dayes by reason of the ardour of his desire What admirable effects will the Creators love produce in that Soul which it hath absolutely seized upon entirely possess'd and throughly penetrated in this third Degree She will be piously troubled and angry with her self that she doth so little for so great a Majesty and if she might lawfully she would most willingly give up her self to be minc'd into a thousand morcels for his love honor and service and receive therein full comfort content joy and satisfaction It truly seems to her that shee troubles the earth she treads on and the ayr she breathes in and that she unprofitably takes up a place in the world as a barren tree which brings forth neither flowers nor fruit Hence springs a further admirable effect that she verily thinks her self the worst of all things created considering what she owes and calculating what she pays for Love teacheth her how much God deserves and Humility tells her how little she doth and because shee finds that all her best endeavours are full of defects and imperfections and that her highest way of corresponding to the love of her heavenly Lord is so low and unbeseeming his Majesty she is inwardly pained and confounded in her self A soul in this state is far from any puff of pride presumption vain glory or censuring of others and is therefore duly disposed to mount up to the next Degree The Fourth Degree of Love WHich is of suffering for her In the 4. she willingly suffers for love beloved freely and cheerfully without the least repining or reluctancy because true love makes the heaviest burdens seem light and the greatest labours easie In this estate was that Spouse when she spake to her beloved Place me as Cant. 8. 6. a signet upon your heart put me as a seal upon your arm because love is strong as death c. The Spirit hath here such a vigour that it absolutely subjects and subdues the flesh and as much slights all motions of sensuality as a well rooted tree doth the wagging of one of his little leaves Here the soul seeks not at all her own gust or comfort either in God or any of his gifts nor demands any grace in order to her own solace or support but all her care is to cast about her which way she may render some acceptable service to the Divine Majesty and how she may content and please him in any thing which she can do or suffer for that he deserves it for his love and goodness Many seek their own content in God But Few seek to give God content towards her though such her services cost her never so dear Ah! Good God how many of your followers seek in you their own content and comfort sigh after your favours expect your cherishings and run after your gifts and graces But alas how few are they who strive to give you content and to present you with any worthy donative at their own cost and charges without some touch of self love or proper interest You are ever open-handed ô bountifull Creator and ready to showre your heavenly benefits
abstraction introversion annihilation This is to begin your heaven upon earth and to fortast that endless felicity in which your faith shall be turn'd into clear vision your hope changed into full possession and your charity knit to her beloved centre and perfection where you shall praise God incessantly love him intirely and enjoy him eternally The Table of the Maxims 1. That our end is Perfection and divine Union and that Prayer is the way to it 2. That Beginners may profitably make use of the following Exercise of mentall Prayer and Introversion until they obtain greater light and more experience in the way of the Spirit 3. That of all internal Prayer the affective is most noble necessary and profitable 4. That Meditation is a seeking Contemplation a seeing of God 5. That continual Recollection is the Exercise of Exercises and the immediate way to bring us to perfection and divine Vnion The practice of this Exercise is declared in ten canons 1. That all places are proper for Recollection but the more quiet the more proper 2. That to pray on our knees is a posture most pleasing to God 3. That we must especially at first prefix to our selves certain and set times of Recollection 4. That we must frame an act of pure Intention at our entrance iâ—to Recollection 5. That we must briefly examine our Consciences and produce acts of Contrition self-confusion humility and resolutions of amendment 6. That we must also make an Act of perfect Resignation before we fall upon this Exercise 7. That we must bring with us some theam subject or groundwork of our Prayer and Recollection 8. That we must look on God by Faith and leave off all discourses 9. That we must carry God with us from our Prayer 10. That we must put on Christ and imitate his example in all our actions 6. That for this pure perfect and Transcendent prayer no certain Rules can be prescribed 7. That the Contemplative must be very observant of the divine visits lights and calls 8. That the only way to get true peace of mind is to be totally resigned to God 9. That a Contemplative soul must lay a solid groundwork to serve her in time of desolation 10. That in this high Exercise of Recollection the three Theological vertues Faith Hope and Charity must perfect and possess the three powers of our souls Vnderstanding Memory and Will 11. That our Vnderstandings must be setled in pure Faith 12. That our Memories must be setled in pure Hope 13. That our Wills must be setled in pure Charity 14. That this Exercise of Recollection and Annihilation is the short secure way to divine Vnion 15. That all sorts of people may safely addict themselves to this holy exercise of Recollection 16. That outward Observances are helps in the practice of this Exercise 17. That Prayer for others is best practised by a general intention 18. That all vertues are best practised by addicting our selves to Contemplation or this internal Exercise of Recollection Some examples for the practice of this divine way of Prayer Some further Advices for the same practice of this pure prayer 19. That corporal austerities must be alwayes subject to obedience 20. That Contemplatives must alwayes have the seven verities which concern the divine nature whereupon all Contâ—mplation is grounded either habitually or formally in their memories 21. That Jâ—culâ—tory Prayers are the nearest dispositions to Contemplation 22. That the Presence of God is the great exâ—rcisâ— of Contemplatives and the shortest way to divine Vnion A more sublime way to practise the presâ—nce of God 23. That Humiliation is a relique of Gods love 24. That Humility is the solid groundwork of all spirituality 25. That Silence and Solitude are our heaven upon earth 26. That the perfect love of God and hatred of our selves must be our constant and continuall employment 27. That Confidence in Gods goodness is the main support of our Spiritual Edifice 28. That the measure of our progress in Perfection is the Conformity of our will to the divine will 29. That Vnquietness of mind is the bane of Devotion and curse of Contemplation 30. That Crosses are to be suffer'd not sought to be taken not made to be conceal'd not complain'd of 31. That Temptations cannot hurt us if we cast our whole care upon God 32. That Desolations derelictions afflictions distractions are to be transcended by generous Resolutions 33. That Perfection consists in putting off all propriety and putting on pure and naked charity 34. That Zeal and eagerness must be temper'd with Moderation and discretion 35. That we must never rely upon our own naturall judgement experience and knowledge 36. That we must seek no comfort in any creature 37. That we must walk and persever in these our Spiritual Exercises with the two feet of Faith and Obedience Vnder this Maxim are solved many materiall doubts arising in our dayly progress to Perfection The first doubt If we fear that God will forsake us by reason of our Ingratitude and disloyalty 2. If our sins trouble us in respect of Confession and satisfaction 3. If we can neither pray with fervour nor suffer with patience neither feel God present nor be content in his absence 4. If we are doubtfull that God is angry with us that we want grace that we only seek our selves that we yield to all temptations c. 5. If our consciences are unquiet and our souls fearfull by reason of our proness to sin c. 6. If we are full of fears and apprehensions of our estate by reason we feel in our souls such slender effects of Gods grace and love and have little devotion no inward peace c. 7. If some extream cross calamity or affliction hath seiz'd our hearts c. 8. If we desire to conquer the Devil and overcome all temptations whatsoever 9. If we want comfort in long and dangerous temptations and troubles 10. If we wonder that God will have us suffer temptation sithence our frailty is subject to yield and so offend his divine Majesty 11. If we are solicited by our enemy to unchastness 12. If we are in extraordinary desolation and darkness 13. If we are tempted to despair of Gods mercy by reason of our frequent falls and relapses into sin 14. If we are perplexed with great sadness c. Other remedies against Sadness Another antidote against melancholy and pusillanimity 15. If we suspect that our Sadness and temptations proceed from our own fault or negligence or some secret sin or our want of correspondency with Gods grace c. 16. If we doubt that God is displeased with our Prayers that our afflictions befall us through our own occasion and cannot satisfie our selves to think we have done what God requires 17. If nature hath shew'd her self a Stâ—p-mother unto us in giving us a hard and harsh disposition whence proceeds a reluctancy to works of vertue and mortification of vice So that we distrust of ever overcoming
remember What I am after so many signall benefits on thy part and serious promises on mine I am ashamed to think What I deserve I am afraid to call to mind What I desire I am ignorant how to ask Lord for thy mercies sake for thy Mothers sake by thy Bowels of mercy and her Breasts of meekness by all that thou hast suffer'd for me and she for thee by all that is dear to thee in heaven and earth forget and forgive what I have been my past folly and wickedness Pity and protect what I am my present frailty and weakness Be satisfi'd for what I deserve supply what I desire and be mindfull of me in life and death How much ô my God do I wish to leave all and lose my self to find thee to humble my self to please thee and to hate my self to love thee But these hard and high matters I dare scarcely promise how then and when shall I practise them Yet without thee ô sacred humility there is no solid centre to rest in no true sweetness to take gust in therefore ô my God I come to thy School to learn this necessary lesson teach me touch me wound me and win me unto thee 3. Pure intention to please and praise God only to be all his ever his in what manner and measure he best liketh both in this prayer and all things whatsoever Behold therefore ô my Lord how out of pure Obedience to thy Will 3. Pure Intention and confidence in thy mercy I now approach to please and praise thee Not to receive great matters from thee for I am unworthy nor to conceive great matters of thee for I am uncapable but to leave all for thee to be humble of heart beyond all and to love thee more than all this is both conform to my condition and obligation I come to prayer O my only Lord and love not to have much but to give up all to be thine all thine ever thine in life and death for time and eternity as thou best pleasest I come O my centre and sweetness to seek thee and sigh after thee yet I am content neither to find thee nor feel thee but only to see thee by faith and to suffer for thee with fidelity I am satisfied and content that thou art so good great glorious rich and happy in thy self and I am confident that thou in thy good time wilt make me rich in thy mercy and happy in thy love for in this Pilgrimage I desire no other happiness than true humility nor greater riches than naked charity The second part is Consideration shewing these three things first to our selves and then to our God as his poor beggers 1. Our wounds both internal and external to wit our sins ingratitudes daily faylings strong passions c. Ah! my sick and sinfull soul how 2. Part. 1. Our wounds weak and wounded are we in every degree in all parts in each member of body and faculty of mind 1. All is out of order all is pride and self-love how impenitent are we in sorrowing how impatient in suffering how unconstant in persevering and yet how importune in sinning 2. My Vnderstanding is blind to good clear-sighted to evil My Will is perverse peevish cold sensuall My memory is weak full of idle images subject to distractions 3. My affections are vain my passions violent my inclinations vitious 4. My Faith is little my Hope less my Charity least of all 5. So forward to extroversion and dissolution so backward to introversiâ—â— and compunction so full of imperfections and immortifications 6. So little confidence in thy mercy so little patience in my misery and almost no performance of mâ— good purposes 7. So curious tâ— censure others so careless to keep mâ—self and curb my own senses Fâ—nally all is self-love self-will self-conceit self-seeking pride propriety partiality which are my dayly and dangerous diseases O Father of mercies and only Physician of my soul Thou art almighty and all-bounty these are my wounds and impurities and if thou wilt thou canst both cure and cleanse me and if thou wilt not I will remain content as I am I am willing to continue weak so I be not wicked to be wearied and wounded so I be not utterly tired over-turned defeated and lose the victory Cut kill crucifie ô Lord only spare me for eternity 2. Our wants for we are not only needy but naked not only poor but beggers who neither know how to deserve an alms nor how to desire it O my poor soul What do we 2. Our wants want nay what do we not want 1. True light true liberty true love true life 2. A setled attention a simple intention a serious introversion a sincere conversion 3. Humility of heart conformity of will purity of soul indifferency of spirit 4. Wisdom to know Gods will strength to execute it patience to persever in it 5. Resolution to suffer for our Saviour devotion to sigh after him diligence to find him constancy to remain with him 6. Courage to endure all faith to forgo all hope to expect all charity to give all and Confidence to gain all Finally we want all we should have Yet our loving Lord is ready to bestow on us all that he hath O my God and all Thou art all that I want give me thy self and all my wants and wishes will be at an end Thou art all my safety and my only security all my refuge and my only centre Vntil I can return unto thee or wholly turn into thee let thy Cross be my Purgatory and thy will be my Paradise for other heaven upon earth I can never hope to find Vntill then I must be content to sweat and sigh under the burdeâ— of this mortal life to sit like Job upon a dunghil forlorn and forsaken by all full of soars and sorrows to remain a perpetuall and pitifull patient scarcely feeling patience in my self and finding no compassion in others 3. Our wishes and desires What can a wounded wretch wish but to be cared for and cured What can a naked begger desire but to be clothed and comforted with some few raggs and crumms What can a blind and cold person ask but light and love This O my soveraign and sweet 3. Our wishes Lord is the sum and substance of all my wishes and requests O that I could go out of my self and get into thee That I were dissolv'd from my loathed body to the end I might dilate my heart in thy love contemplate thy divine face in perfect liberty and please and praise thy Majesty eternally For in this prison of flesh and vale of tears I faint under the weight of my temptations I fall under the burden of my troubles and I continually fail in the prosecution of my pious purposes Oh! that thy will did so rule me and reign over me that it were a torment to decline never so little from it O that thy love did so freely and fully
affections 6. Then more still abstract and simple Prayer 7. After which come's Active Contemplation 8. And lastly Passive In which estate we may and must leave all Rules and help our selves by experience and the â—â—ght â—f Earth but especially by following and humbly obeying the internall motion and attraction of the holy Spirit of God upon whom chiefly depends the perfection of this great work For further explication whereof The seventh Maxim That the Contemplative must be very observant of the divine visits lights and calls WE must take heed of tying our selves to any set forms of words points or methods of Mental prayer after we have made We must ty our selves to no set methods some progress in this practice of Recollection for this were directly to impede the free operation of Gods holy Spirit within us When therefore we shall perceive our souls drawn from discourses to this higher exercise we must humbly and readily relinquish our former hold and give scope and leave to the divine invitation busying our selves no longer in our former fears and customs but making use of such inward or outward expressions as fervent love will suggest and furnish us withall conforming our selves perfectly to God's will and cooperating with his grace yet so as not to run before it which is the other extream equally hindring the divine Spirit 's intention Wherfore a quiet indifferent and industrious attention and correspondency still willingly giving way to Obedience for fear of delusion is the very best disposition to receive these heavenly visitations We must not then be troubled But willingly quit our old customs if we break our old customs to embrace Gods will he is the end of all our exercises and the end being obtained the means must cease O how many are called by God who refuse and resist him by tying their Spirits to this or that practice and so bar him from elevating their souls to himself as he pleaseth They are loath to leave God in their usuall Devotions for God in Contemplation If they begin not their prayers thus and thus end them they think they have done nothing and remain wholly unsatisfied Thus they become proprietarians in their Wils and slaves to their exercises and because they cast not themselves absolutely into the two arms of Gods will and love they make small progresse in the way of solid perfection The eighth Maxim That the only way to get true peace of mind is to be totally Resigned to God REsignation is a putting away of What Resignation iâ— our own Will and a placing of Gods Will in its stead it is as it were a certain transfusion of our Wills into his and an uncloathing our selves of all desires but only that God's holy Will be fully accomplish'd in heaven and earth Without this Resignation we There is no true quiet without it shall never find quiet in God nor our-selves and the way to attain to it is to receive all that happens as from Gods holy hands and to be content to bear it as long and in what manner and measure he pleaseth Let us not be troubled under a false pretence of zeal at this place that company c. For it is not that but our selves who stand in our own light First then let us seek God purely in all 2. See him present in all 3. Take from him all 4. Return to him all Let us be indifferent in all praise God in all bee quiet and content in all in sickness and health in light and darkness in peace and trouble in life and death To be expell'd out of Paradise with Adam to lye full of sores and sorrows with Job on a dunghil to be forsaken by all with Christ on the crosse to bee poor needy naked nothing being ever ready to say cordially cheerfully and with an humble and habituall indifferency Yes O Father yes I will It pleaseth thee it shall pleaâ—e me well good best of all So be it my good Lord for time and eternity in this and in all things A soul thus resigned can never be troubled with any cross or calamity for she eys Gods Will and embraces his Providence in all occurrences nothing toucheth her but only thâ—t his divine pleasure is not perfectly performed in her self and in all creatures If in her prayers she be seiz'd with How to be resigned in desolations drynesse dulnesse desolation shee gratefully confesseth that state to be best for the perfecting of her spirit She neither complains of nor considers her inproficiency in her pious exercises for she comes not to prayer for gusts or graces but to doe Gods will to receive what he pleaseth to suffer what â—e permitteth And because this Resignation is the Key of her true progress she makes frequent and fervent acts thereof in this or the like manner Take my Will totally to thee O Acts of Resignation my God! govern it absolutely and submit it perfectly to thine own and because I cannot deliver it up O my dear Lord as thou desirest take it from me by violence cut off all impediments break all my fetters for me bring me forcibly and bend me absolutely to a blessed conformity with thy Will and pleasure Let my whole employment in this life be the practice of this point Let me neither think of pain nor look upon recompense but resignedly behold thee because thou art in thy self so good so great so glorious so amiable so admirable I give up my Will O divine Artist to bee plung'd purified polished hammer'd filed and fired in the fornace of thy love O doe with it and with me as thou best knowest and pleasest 'T is for this I now come to prayer and for this only that I may be taught this happy lesson of denying mine own and doing thy Will Or thus briefly Lord I put my Will and alâ— that concerns me inwardly out wardly temporally eternally intâ— thy holy hands dispose of all aâ— thou pleasest and direct me in aâ— to doe thy divine Will Having made this act and oblation let us reflect seriously upon what we have said and done and that in giving away our Will wee have put the best pawn wee have into Gods hands and out of our own power let us then beware of so infamous and ignoble an action as to re-take the gift so solemnly delivered or to doe again our own wil in any thing whatsoever The ninth Maxim That a Contemplative soul must lay a solid groundwork to serve her in time of Desolation FOr no soul can in this life be alwaies elevated to the Divinity and therefore will sometimes need a stay to rest upon till she can take breath and repair her forces in order to her higher soarings in Contemplation This resting place This groâ—ndwork may be Christs humanity may most fitly be the Humanity of Christ which is the very way and dore to the Divinity upon which when she returns to her self after she hath been absorpt
into the divine light shee may confidently rely and repose And without this prop the higher shee ascends the lower will be her fall back again The tenth Maxim That in this high Exercise of Recollection the three Theological vertues Faith Hope and Charity must perfect and possess the three powers of our souls Vnderstanding Memory and Will IT is in the first place to be observ'd as an undoubted truth that a foul cannot in this life bee united to God immediatly by her understanding memory will imagination or any other sense power or faculty whatsoever but only by the means of Faith in her Understanding by Hope in her Memory and by Love in her Will. These three vertues must therefore Read F. Cisnerius ch 65. be introduced by our cooperation with the divine grace into the said three powers of our souls in the purest and perfectest manner that is possible if we will arrive at the height of divine Union 1. Faith must so possess our Understanding as to deprive it for that present of all other knowledge than that of God only 2. Hope must blot out of our memory all images and thoughts of possessing any thing but God only 3. Charity must uncloath our Wills of all affections joys contents satisfactions in any thing that is not God only For Faith tels us of things which cannot be understood by naturall light and reason Hope looks upon such things as we have not hold not possesse not and Charity retires our love from all creatures to employ it all on our Creator The three powers therfore of our soul must bee perfected by these three vertues our Understandings must bee informed with this pure Faith our Memories uncloath'd of all possession by this pure Hope and our Wils fill'd with divine affections by this pure Charity Thus refusing denying and emptying our whole souls of all that is not this perfect Faith hope and charity In this divine practice is found an absolute assurance against all the subtle snares of the devill and self-love for a soul which is thus entirely denuded and stripp'd of all active knowledge possâ—ssion and love of things created must needs remain in God in a certain tranquillity passivenesse cessation sleep annihilation absorption so that there can nothing be found out of God for Satan sin or sensuality to attempt against But to facilitate the intelligence and practice of this high matter upon which foundation stands the whole edifice of this holy Recollection and divine Union let us particularly deduce and exemplify how the Understanding is to bee placed in pure faith the Memory in pure hope and the Will in purâ— charity The eleventh Maxim That our Vnderstandings muâ— be setled in pure Faith THe practice of this point is thuâ— F. Cisnerius ch 28. Having conceived some mysterâ— of our Saviours Passion or the like for the subject of our prayer we ruminate a while upon it not â— much to admire our Lord Jesus aâ— imitate him and we desire to know his vertues that wee may practiâ—e them in our own particular by hiâ— perfect example Then we make an Act of Faith An act of Faith saying I firmly beleeve that this my suffering Saviour is not only a man but also my Soveraign Lord God I beleeve that he being Almighty submitted himself to Pilat being the creator became a creature being immortal became mortal and that in as much as he iâ— God he is with me within me without me about me above me beneath me and so in all creatures which have a being Afterwards we speak further to our Saviour O my dearest Lord and lover Teach me now my lesson that in requitall of what thou hast done for me I may keep thee company in thy sufferings And then we quit all discourses thinking we have no understanding at all left and looking on our sweet Saviour only by Faith which hath this property says S. Thomas to S. Tho. of Aquin. elevate the soul to God and free it from all creatures For so long as there are discourses in our Understanding images in our Memory joys or tenderness in our Will these powers have not pure God but sensible things for their object because God being above all sensibility must bee found without all creatures and consequently if we can be totally abstracted from all things created we shall infallibly lay hold on our Creator 'T is therefore impossible say's St. Denys the divine S. Denys to be truly united to God unlesse we leave all materiall operations both in sense and in spirit that is unlesse wee lay aside all senses all discourses all imaginations and all waies of humane wisdome Till wee can doe this let us not think to become perfect Contemplatives The twelfth Maxim That our Memories must bee setled in pure Hope WHich is done by forgetting all things created heaven earth our selves all being wholly taken up with God and absorpt in the Divinity So that by a simple remembrance that we are with God without looking back to reiterate the same reflexion we repose and slumber sweetly in him staying upon no image whatsoever even of our Saviour himself for as he in as much as concerns his humanity call'd Joh. 14. 6. himself the way so he thereby insinuated that we were not to remain in the way but to march on to our ways end which is his Divinity No mervail then if we find in The doctrine of mystâ—call Divines explicated the prescripts of mysticall Divines this doctrine That to arrive at the height of Contemplation we must leave off all sort of Meditation though it be on the life and death of our Lord and Saviour because in all Meditation there is ever something that is sensible to which nature applying it self hinders our souls from soaring up to the fineness and quintessence of Contemplation which is and can be only a pure spirituall and insensible thing 'T is true that the consideration of the life and death of our loving Saviour is a most powerfull means to mount up to this contemplation of his Divinity but let us not make that the end which is but the means and way to it The thirteenth Maxim That our Wills must be setled in pure Charity THis is done by withdrawing it from all sort of Joy proceeding from any natural supernatural or moral good Joy is a certain content which our wils take in somthing we prize How all Joy is to be quitted and this Joy is either Active when we may leave it or Passive when it is not in our power to quit it Now to take Joy and content in naturall goods as health wealth friends c. Or wit sagacity discretion c. Is a plain vanity To joy in moral goods as in the exercise of vertue c. Is to imitate the Pagan Philosophers who lov'd vertue for vertu's sake and made that their end which is only our way to it Supernaturall goods are either the gratuite gifts of God
Cisnâ—rius ch 29. that shee therefore loseth her faith in this life for this Mysticall experience takes not away our faith but fortifies comforts anâ— clears it So when it is usually said bâ— these spirituall writers That sucâ— a degree of Contemplation of vertue or of pure love is the very tâ— of perfection It is not meant thaâ— a soul which is ascended thither can climb no higher in this heâ— exile for that highest degree oâ— perfection hath a latitude of many degrees of grace whereby a soul may still encrease in sanctity and ascend each moment to a nearer vicinity with her Creator When likewise we meet with this doctrine A soul arrived at Union and Transformation carries her self passively she acts not but suffers God doth all within her c. We are to understand that such a soul doth very little or nothing in comparison of what she did in her former discoursive exercises because she here in this state finds all done in an instant and therefore leaves those painfull employments to repose sweetly in a kind of holy idlenesse of Contemplation and Union with God which pacifies all her senses silences all discourses and lulls all her powers asleep with his charning love and ravishing presence All which notwithstanding she remains still here actually loving and looking on her Lord and consequently is not totally idle but is in cooperation with his grace In this sense St. Denys said The S. Denys Ch. 7. de div nom Soul of Blessed Hierotheus was heightned to such a Union with God that it sufferd more than it acted because in this passive contemplation the soul follows not her accustomed operations as wee see our Understanding works not so much when it receives its aliment from a higher knowledge as when it gets it by constrained and laborious discourse nor our Will in like sort which commonly follows the motives proposed by the Understanding to which it is united The 3. advice of the practice of â—aith Hope and Charity 3. That which is most important in this exercise of Recollection is the practice of Faith Hopâ— and Charity For by the Act of Faith all our knowledge is annihilated by the act of Hope all ouâ— worth is evacuated in denying ouâ— own forces and relying meerly oâ— Gods assistance by the act of Charity all our wills and affections which are not God in God for God are abandoned So that by these three Acts the whole maâ— is drowned suppressed stifled and consequently our enemy the Devil finds nothing at all to lay hold on nor any way open for his entrance into our annihilated hearts but is constrained to return alwaies foiled and ashamed of his ineffectuall efforts 4. Beginners in this exercise The fourth advice For Beginners must vigorously apply themselves unto it for some time till use and experience fashion them into a habit of recollection they must therefore in the first place carefully cleanse their interiour from all objects whatsoever and then lock up themselves wiâ—h God in this inward retreat for as in vain wee shut our dores and windows if the thief bee already hid in our house so the closing of our senses from exteriour objects furthers little or nothing if in our interiour there lurks any thing which is not God 5. In all our vocall and mentall The fifth advice of our attention to God devotions our chief aym must be Attention to God There are three sorts of attentions 1. To the words which is good 2. To the sense which is better 3. To God who is the only end of all our prayer which is best of all Let our S. Tho. 2. 2. q. 83. a. 13. thoughts therefore abstract from all created objects though never so good and fix stedfastly upon the increated and essentiall goodness This is the main thing wee must aspire to during the whole course of our life not only in our prayers but in all our practices To bee more attentive to our Lord and love than to the action we have in hand This is the Philosophy of perfect lovers to live more truly where they love than where they breath 6. It is not here intended by The sixt advice the precedent doctrine that a soul should not at all meditate upon the That from Meditation we must rise to Contemplation subject or theame of her prayer nor chew it first by attentively considering it No this is not disswaded but counselled Only we add thâ— assoon as affections are sufficientâ— kindled and that our elevated souâ— can procure to put themselves upon the aforesaid abstraction recollection and contemplation they presently embrace it and leave off all discourses which are proper for Schools Sermons not for Prayer and Contemplation It sufficeth us therefore to remember the mystery apprehend it throughly imprint it deeply in our hearts and then to observe the prescribed order For when one hath sufficiently heard and understood what can be said for his good he needs neither hear nor speak more of it but presently fall to practise In this case to hearken after new things seems more tending to satisfy curiosity than to the increase of inward vertue as he that eats before he hath disgested his former meals nourisheth bad humours but nothing betters his own bodily strength 7. When therefore any distinct The 7. advice That we must stay upon no objects or images notions forms or images intrude themselves into our memories let us not stay in them but return amorously to our Lord present within us think no more of all those varieties than is absolutely necessary for the knowledge and performance of our duties The best way therefore to increase our inward strength of spirit is to work couragiously and suffer patiently in silence and solitude forgetting all creatures unkowing all objects transcending all humane events and accidents What though the whole world perished though the frame of heaven and earth were dissolved What is that to tâ—ee follow thou thy Lord and love For indeed he that hath his mind diverted and The 8. advice How God is to be proposed to our understanding in an eminent and Negatâ—ve way distracted with such fancies in prayer is little attentive to Gods presence 8. As concerning our Vnderstanding and Will We are to take notice that when the Vnderstanding proposeth God to the Will as just wise powerfull or under anâ— particular attribute the Will is elevated by that sight alone and so that act of love is limited lock'â— up and less perfect than if God were proposed under a most eminent way and as the supream being surpassing infinitly all that can fall within the verge of humane conceptions in this life Though therefore the Vnderstanding may and can propose some positive and particular conception of God to the Will yet it is far better and of higher perfection to do it in common confusedly and negatively for our truest knowledge of God S. Greg. the great l. 5. moral
worldly imaginations and to apply her self to God by recollection let her content her-self in breathing forth heartily these or the like short words O my Lord when shall I love you When shall I embrace you Let her repeat them affectionatly and perseverantly and she shall sooner be inflamed with divine love than by the subtle consideration of the greatest secrets of heaven for 't is the Will which unites us to God not the Vnderstanding These acts of the Will are the spiritual wings of the soul to lift her up unite her to her beloved obiect they are short sharp and swift darts and desires shot by our burning hearts and reaching heaven in an instant Our forefathers the Saints frequently Read the 10. collation of John Cassian c 10. used them and most highly prised them for being short they trouble not the memory being fervent they rowse our dulness and dryness to affection and devotion being frequent they still renew our attendance to Gods presence and put us perpetually in mind of our duties The practice of this exercise is Read the Spiritual Confl ch 13. n. 12. to take occasion from all objects actions and accidents to pray and praise God Do we eat let us give God thanks Do we walk abroad Let us praise him who produced all things which we behold from the abyss of nothing Do we look up to heavens beauty Let us admire the Creator in his creatures c. Have we sinned or are we tempted Let us lift up our hearts to God and say O Lord permit me not to fall and offend thee To dy alas I am content when thou disposest but to sin O prâ—serve me from this disaster Other times let us burst forth into aspirations of love as My beloved for me and I for him Of Resignation as Not my will ô Lord but thine be done What do I desire in heaven or earth but thee ô my God Of pure intention as 'T is for you ô my God that I fast 't is for your sake that I obey my Superiour 't is to please you that I study work pray c. Your will ô Lord is mine your content is mine I have no other I or No but as you will or will not all my pleasure is only to please you c. This rule is to be observed that An observation though all jaculatory prayers are good yet those are best most profitable and powerfull which our hearts moved by God conceive of themselves though they be expressed in words never so plain and simple Nor is there any need of much variety of aspirations for one onlâ— word being often and amorouslâ— repeated may serve for many days when our souls find therein guâ— and profit and speak unto him whom they look upon as presenâ— with their eys of Faith This exercise is most easy and most efficacious and they who shall piously persever in it shaâ—l soon find their hearts inflamed with God's love and changed from all worldly affections The 22. Maxim That the Presence of God is the great exercise of Contemplatives and the shortest way to divine Vnion THis exercise is called great because Why call'd the great exeâ—câ—se God himself taught it in the worlds infancy to his faithfull servant Abraham I am thy God saith hee and thy protectour walk in my presence and thou shalt be perfect It is called the shortest way to And shortest way to union divine Union because it is a summary of all the exercises of prayer and which alone will conduct our souls to the hidden treasure of perction and replenish them with those celestiall riches which our loving Lord is wont to communicate to his dearest friends in this life God is present in severall manners How God is present in divers manners according to our understanding 1. He is every where present by his essence which being infinit cannot bee contained within the limits of any place 2. He is every where present by his power He moves the heavenly orbs fixes the earth governs all his creatures c. 3. He is particularly present in heaven by the demonstrations of his glory 4. He is specially present in holy places by grace benediction and readiness to hear their Petitions bless their persons and accept their sacrifices of praise who shall there unanimously meet to present them 5. He is especially present in the hearts of his holy people by the inhabitation of his holy Spirit 6. He is especially present in the consciences of all men where he sits as witnesse and judge of all their actions good and bad For the practice of this exercise Seven similitudes for the practice of Gods presence of Gods presence we may help our thoughts with these seven similitudes stirring up in our souls an ardent desire to feel the like effects of his Al-present Majesty 1. How the soul is in the body all in the whole and all in every part of it moving animating informing all giving it life beauty c. 2. How the meat we eat is disgested and changed into our substance c. 3. How a little worm lying in the warm Sun-shine is environed about with the beams made bright hot and as it were burned and inflamed c. 4. How a black coale amidst a great fire is ignified all on fire and well nigh all fire 5. How a little piece of paper is pearced through with oyl falling on it which by degrees dilates it self all over that the whole seems rather oyl than paper 6. How a small quantity of water in a vessell of wine is swallowed up lost changed annihilated and turned into wine 7. How a sponge in the midst of the Ocean is all compassed within and without absorpt imbued possessed and as it were inebriated with water c. O that we could alwaies have S. Augustin de verbis Domini c. 3. this actuall faith and thought that God stands a present witnesse and judge of all our doings that if we goe forth he spies us if we goe in he sees us if we light the candle he observes us when wee put it out he also marks us should wee not behave our selves as becoms so holy a presence should we not be very impious and impudent to give up the reigns to sin and sensuality O that wee would alwaits ruminate and remember this reall verity That God is the great eye of the world watching over our actions an ever-open ear to hear all our words and an unwearied arm to crush sinneâ—s into ruin how speedily would sin cease amongst us how soon should we obtain an habituall fear and reverence of God What greater ingagement can wee have to walk unblameably than to consider wee act before that judge who is infallible in his sentence Boetius l. 5. de consola all-knowing in his information severe in his wrath and powerfull to inflict punishment This perpetuall eying of God is properly a building to him a Chapell in our
hearts into which we may securely and sweetly retire in the midst of all worldly varieties This is to walk with God as Enoch did and to be in continuall conversation with the Divinity A more sublime way to practise Gods presence is To look alwaies upon him without any discourse by a simple act of lively Faith not to question how or in what manner he is present nor to A hâ—gher way to practâ—se Gods presence fix our eys upon his inaccessible splendours because it is yet nighâ— for us we are but travellers and we must expect untill the bright day of eternity shine upon us and shew him unto us as he is in himself we must not think here to behold him but be content to beleeve him present with us and within us and that we live move and have our being in and by him In this manner of practising God's presence it is not needfull to form any conception or representation of God as that he is here by us or in any designed place or in such a form or figure for wee speak here of the presence of God as he is God which excludes all these imaginations And therefore it sufficeth to behold him only by Faith simply beleeving that he is here and in all places that he fils the whole universe and each corner and creature therein contained S. Augusâ— and that he is more inward to us than we are to our selves The 23. Maxim That Humiliation is a relique of Gods love WHen any occasion is offered us of humiliation abjection or mortification let us not examine how whence or from whom it comes but joyfully accept it embrace it and kiss it as a rich relique and royall token of God's great love and favour towards us Let us force our sensuality to swallow it down and disgest it for though it be bitter it will purge and perfect our spirits The 24. Maxim That Humility is the solid ground-work of all Spirituality WE are to grave this necessary lesson not only upon our Oratory and in all our books but upon the very dores of our hearts and in the depth of our souls Learn of me who am meek and humble-hearted Christ's lesson is humility Mat. 11. 29. and you shall find rest for your souls O sweet Saviour O meek and mercifull lamb of God! teach me this lesson which I stand in such need of Oh that I could perfectly practise it How purely and peaceably should I both live and dye Meek and humble spirits converse together like mourning turtles like innocent lambs and like corporall Angels turning the blessed family where they live into an earthly Paradise c. In the externall practice of this vertue wee are to observe chiefly these three degrees First to forbear forgoe deny Three points for the externall pactise of humility and submit our own judgements heartily humbly and really not only to our Superiours but also to all others casting our selves at their feet yea and under their feet to be troden on as dust and dirt And this as near as may bee for Gods sake Secondly not to care what others say or think of us which point which that other Of not medling with what concerns â—â— not will soon bring us unspeakablâ— peace and purity thinking alwaies with our selves What is that to thee follow thou thy Saviour Thirdly to get a habit of patience condescendence yielding and being silent in all occurrences and contradictions In the internall practice of humility we are also to observe these three degrees First to confess and acknowledge Three points for the internall practice our selves more wretched and wicked impure and imperfect ungratefull and unworthy of all grace and favour than any soul created Secondly to be glad that others treat us for such as we really take our selves to be and repute us forlorn and forsaken creatures unworthy of all company and comfort Thirdly to dye utterly to our selves and be totally mortified in our appetiteâ— and desires renouncing absolutely all propriety and self-seeking These short words contain infinit perfection And to move us powerfully to the prosecution of this vertue we may thus question our selves 1. Doe not all things humble Motives to humility themselves to serve me both in heaven and earth The Saints to pity me the Angels to protect me the Mother of God to remember me thâ— Son of God to redeem me and God himself to remain with me reign within me comfort me in my prayers feed me in Communion releeve me in tribulation 2. O strange Humility of my Saviour Not only to descend unto but into a wicked worm not only to eat with a sinner but to be eaten by a sinner O strange pride in me to see the Lord of heaven and earth so humbled in his Incarnation Passion Communion and yet to see a begger so proud a sinner so lofty minded and dust and ashes have such difficulty to stoop 3. Upon earth Doe not all things serve me for body or soul some to nourish me some to cloath me others to cure me others to correct me others to comfort and instruct me Even my betters superiors and confessors must humble themselves to me because my pride will not bend to them All creatures must be subject to me and I will not be subject to my Creator Alas what mean I when shall I begin O secure and sweet Humility when shall I practice thee 4. Doth not all the world all that I am and have my body my soul my actions my sufferings my sins furnish me with sufficient arguments of Humility What was I from eternity What am I what shall I be What have I that I have not received what have I received that I have not abused c. 5. Upon whom doth the Holy Esay 66. 2. Ghost promise to rest but on humble and quiet souls Stoop O dust and ashes O amiable Humility how necessary art thou for me how pleasing to God and men With what comfort and quiet dost thou enrich thy possessour O heaven upon earth What doe I not get by Humility what doe I lose by Pride and presumption c. The 25. Maxim That Silence and Solitude are our heaven upon earth THese are the proper instruments S. Tho. 2. 2. q. 188. a. 8. Lam. 3. 28 of Contemplation where our souls sit silently and solitarily lifted up above themselves by transcending all things created and uniting themselves to their Creatour Wee must observe them diligently Read Cisnerius ch 39. discreetly and devoutly not out of a sullen or melancholy humour or in a disdainfull and disgustfull manner or out of pride and singularity or to wave matter of mortification or to avoid the company of such as we brook not and have a version from but with an internall cheerfulness to converse with God in spirituall joy and fervour And the ordinary practice of them may be reduced to these four points First To retire our selves and 4. Points
and conversation enter into his secret cabinet eat at his table repose on his breast be his minion become all one with him O honour most admirable O holyness most amiable O happiness most Angelical O life O love The 27. Maxim That Confidence in Gods goodness is the main support of our Spiritual Edifice WE must be confident that our Loving Lord will First pardon our sins Secondly strengthen us in all necessities Thirdly bring us finally to eternall happiness And to strengthen this Confidence we must deeply ingrave these two Maxims 2. Maxims in our souls and then we shall easily be content to leave our selves in the arms of his paternall providence and lose our selves in the abyss of his piety First That what ever befalls us comes immediately Rusbrochius Read the Conflict c. 10. n. 3. 4 either from his will or his permission Secondly That he will turn all even our frailties and failings to our spirituall good We may further weigh what wonderfull cause Motives to put our Confidence in God First in heaven we have 1. Viscera misericordiae 2. Vulnera misericordiae of confidence and comfort we have First In heaven where we have 1. Bowels of mercy in God the Father we cry dayly to him as his Son taught us Our Father which art in heaven Will not a good father forgive the fault and forget the folly of his returning and â—epenting childe 2. Wounds of mercy in God the Son the least of which was sufficient to redeem a thousand worlds whereby we being reconcil'd and made his friends will he deny us any thing that is necessary Is not each drop of his dear blood a motive of loving confidence and able to melt us into a filiall dependency on him 3. Promises 3. Promissâ— misericordiae of mercy in God the Holy Ghost who hath assured us of his continued comforts till the worlds consummation 4. Words of mercy 4. Verba misericordiae when he said O why will you perish you of the house of Israel As I live I desire not the death of a sinner but that he turn to me and live What hard heart would not be touch'd with tenderness and say reciprocally As I live ô my Lord God I detest all sin and convert my self totally to thee that I may live with thee and love thee eternally O holy Conversion O happy contract 5. Brests of mercy in the 5. Vbera misericordiae Mother of Jesus O Jesu be to us a Jesus O Mother of Jesus be to us a Mother of mercies Let the care of thy honour be ever in our hearts and the care of our welfare always in thine 6. Castles of mercy in the Angels who are before and behind 6. Castra misericordiae us to watch over and protect us 7. Oracles of mercy the prayers and suffrages of all the Saints pitying 7. Oracula misericordiae our misery and purchasing pardon for us If we put all this together we shall find all heaven for us What matter then if hell be against us O thou of little faith whereof canst thou be doubtfull or fearfull c. Secondly On Earth in the Church Secondly On Earth militant what is not for us Sacraments Scriptures Examples Prayers If we go not to heaven where is the fault What could God do that he hath not done and what could we have more than we have for our consolation and salvation Who can choose but take courage comfort and confidence Thirdly Look upon Christ Jesus Thirdly In Christ 1. Why came he into this world 2. How did he carry himself in it towards sinners both in his life and death 3. Why was he called Jesus and tearmed a friend of Publicans and sinners 4. Why did he â—â—y That he came to call sinners and not the Just and to do mercy and not justice 5. What access and comfort gave he to all sinners 6. What was his last will and testament c 7. What his last words Father forgive c. Fourthly Ponder Gods Perfectious Fourthly Look on Gods perfections 1. He is our maker we the work of his hands Doth not each Artist love his own handy-work Hath not every one a naturall proneness to protect improve profit and perfect his own Even so our loving Lord takes care of us he hides and harbors us as the Hen her Chickens under her wings he defends us as the apple of his eye If a mother can forget the fruit of her womb yet will I never forget you say's our Lord because I have graven you in my hands and heart 2. He is All-mighty All-wisdom All-goodness Put these together I have a Father and Maker that loves me exceedingly he knows my necessities and what is best for me he is rich enough to provide for me Will he let me perish will he reject me Then reason thus further with your-self In whom shall I confide if not in God In my self or others We are all inconstant all ignorant of what is best all impotent and want means to help O how much better is it to trust in God than men Fiftly Reflect upon your own Fiftly our own experience Experience 1. Whom did God ever deceive in his promises 2. Who ever called heartily on him and was refused 3. Hath he not hitherto merveilously protected and preserved you and disposed all for your good Why then should you doubt or distrust his providence for the time to come No Lord Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee Heaven and earth may perish but no tittle of my hope in thee my Dear and only Saviour This shall be my Anchor and stay If he kill me I will trust in him I will rest Secure in his Divine providence and endeavour to get an habituall and stable trust in his paternall protection without any care or fear as doth a child in his fathers bâ—som This is the ready way to become unmoveable and immutable quiet and content Is he God Is he good Is he my God my Father my Jesus Jesus crucified Is his goodness infinit Doth he want power wisdom or Will to pardon protect and perfect me I must surely have little faith less hope and no love If I will not take thy words O Lord thy works thy wounds thy life and thy love for secure pledges of thy care towards me and sufficient motives to place my whole confidence in thee The 28. Maxim That the measure of our progress in Perfectionâ— is the Conformity of our Wiâ—â— with the divine will 1. FOr our perfection consists in love and the greatest signe of love is to have one and the same Will with the beloved So that look how much we have of our own Will so much less have we of Gods will and love and consequently are so much the further from the Union of our spirit with him 1. In this exercise of conformity consists all perfection O what holiness and happiness what privilege and
life past having endeavoured to discharge our consciences once of them in Confession 5. That we may and must convert our hearts to God at any time humbly and confidently in what estate so ever we be without hesitation or apprehension preferring his will before our own quiet 6. That in saying our Office or Prayers it sufficeth that we have a good intention to praise and please God and satisfie our obligation using morall diligence in driving out bad thoughts and we need trouble our selves no further 7. That so long as we make choyce of God for our God and of his will for our only end and can say cordially I love God I will no sin we need fear nothing 8. That we are not bound to do still that which our Conscience dictates or what our fancy tells us is a divine call for this is the way never to have true peace and to be ever subject to illusions Therefore The old plain rule Trust and obey Let pass and Pray let us follow the old simple and secure rule 1. Trust and 2 Obey 3 Let pass and 4 Pray these will prove our safest haven in the Sea of this world and our heaven upon earth thus we may enjoy the peace of God and lodge in our hearts the God of peace be blind and yet see God Note well that these aforesaid warrants are to be followed according to discretion and with the approbation of our spirituall director The 6. Doubt If we are full of fears and apprehensions of our estate by reason we feel in our souls such slender effects of Gods grace and love and have little devotion no inward peace c. SUch souls can never be cured till they submit their judgements look with more confidence upon Gods mercy and seek less their own satisfaction and assurance For this is an infallible truth That in An infallible maxim this life without revelation we can have no certainty of our estate but must still live in ignorance as to that knowledge to hold the contrary is an heresie and to seek it inordinately is self-love and curiosity We must therefore work our salvation betwixt fear and hope and if we should see or feel any thing in our selves which should make us secure it were very suspitious and dangerous Let us humbly observe these three points 1. Resolve still to serve and please God in the best manner we can 2. Resign our selves to his will and divine ordinance for time and eternity without further reflexions Read Blosius in spec spirituali cap. 7. Read the Imit of Christ l. 3. cap. 59. 3. Build upon the word and warrant of our guide and rest quiet and confident They who seek more knowledge and satisfaction by feelings and reasons seek but their own trouble and ruine and if we find not here peace and comfort we may thank our selves since it is our disobedience and self-seeking which causeth it The 7. Doubt If some extream cross calamity or affliction hath seized our hearts c. LEt us hasten to our Lord God with an humble and confident affection and placed before him 1. Kiss the Crucifix saying O my The practice dear Lord O my sweet Jesus O my all and only good 2. Then tell him you are troubled as you would tell your Spirituall directour and that you know not what to say or do 3. Acknowledge heartily that you deserve no comfort but to have heaven shut against you and hell let loose to torment you 4. If you would seek comfort you would not have it out of him or in any thing contrary to his Divine Will and liking 5. Then say O Lord I have no other Physician for my soul but thee behold my wounds thou art my Father behold my wants thou art my only Friend behold my wishes and desires then expose them unto him and hearken what counsel and comfort he will give you 6. Take again the Cross kiss it embrace it resign your self to suffer 7. And with an internall act of indifferency being confident that this cross and trouble is his will and will be for your good desire to bear it and whatsoever else he shall lay upon you knowing he will enable you to do it 8. Have no recourse to creatures for your contentment but drink purely and plentifully at the fountain head and be not weary you suffer for eternity The 8. Doubt If we desire to conquer the Devil and overcome all temptations whatsoever LEt us often read observe and General Remedies against temptations The 1. Remedy Jam. 4. 7. practise these generall Remedies The first is A strong courage and firm resolution to fight and get the victory and not to yield even to our last gasp If we resist the Devil he will fly from us if we fear him he will follow us and insult over us If we play the Pigmeys he will play the Lion but let us be Lions and he will soon shew himself a coward Let us then fight manfully as befits Christs Souldiers to give him the honour and the Devil the terrour who is already chained to our hands and may bark S. Hierome Thou maist perswade but canst not precipitate 1 Cor. 4. 9. but cannot bite unless by blindness and madness we come within his reach Let us remember in our combats that we are made a spectacle to God his Angels and all his heavenly court who would not fight valiantly and confidently before such spectators God beholds us as our Judge to reward and crown us if we overcome Christ as our Captain helps us to overcome all the rest pray for us that we may overcome Fear not my soul there 2 Par. 32. 7 are more with us than against us God and his Angels are on our side who can withstand us Let us further reflect that we plead not only our own cause but Gods whom in our persons the Devil seeks to injure and dishonor Let us then rather dy than suffer our good Masters honour to be stayned by our cowardise our dearest blood will be well spilt for such a King and countrey Oh! what privilege to suffer for Jesus sake Arise Lord let thy enemies be dispersed Psal 42. judge thine own cauâ—e Thine is the quarrell We are thy Champions Let us also ponder well what S. Paul tells us on Gods part That he is faithfull in his promises and will not permit us to be tempted 1 Cor. 10. 13. beyond our strength but will draw our good out of our temptations he knows what mold we are made of what force we have and which is above all he loves us as the apple of his eye If he seems sometimes to sleep a while yet he both sees and succours us Courage therefore if we be already at hell-gates he can wil bring us back again if we walk amidst the shadows of death Psal 22. 4. let us fear no ill c. The second Remedy is A distrust The 2. Remedy Psa
inclinations The third Verity O Lord I have a good Will and purpose to Confess my sins entirely in due time and place according to thy Ordinance and that of thy holy Church We may ad to these the devout frequentation Three other signs of the Sacraments which give life and justifying grace The warrant of a skilful guide And a lively confidence in the Divine bounty The 26. Doubt If we are troubled because we know not well when we give consent to sinful Thoughts 1. IF when the Thought is represented Rules to know when we consent to sin we presently fly to the crucifix expell it disdain it dislike it it is not Sin but Merit 2. But if we carelesly linger in it when well perceived it is Venial 3. And if we consent to the Thought and desire the Action our sin is equall to the act if it were committed 4. But if we intend not the Act but linger delightfully in the Thought and the thing it self be Mortall and deliberately entertained it is also Mortal The 27. Doubt If we cannot well distinguish between Venial and Mortal sin 1. WHat need we determine let us Confess it as it is committed 2. Mortall sin cannot be committed without great corruption of Him who commits it or great hurt to his Neighbor or great contempt and neglect of God says Richardas a S. Victore And S. Thomas Rich. à S. Victore S. Thomas says He sins Mortally whose total intention of mind is withdrawn from God who is our last end 3. Let us conclude with S. Augustin S. August Gerson and Gerson That it is dangerous even in Prelats and Confessors to define what is mortall sin or give Rules therein The 28. Doubt If that saying of Divines terrifies Faciens contra dubium incidit in peccatum In dubiis securior pars est eligenda us He that does against his doubt sins And In things which are doubtfull the securer part is to be chosen WE may in things which are Doubtfull securely follow a Probable opinion Now Scruples are not Doubts but false apprehensions and therefore on all sides we may and somtimes must go against our own erroneous consciences especially when Obedience commands it Let us therefore with S. Augustin S. Augustin Tene certum dimitte incertum lay hold of that which is certain and let go the uncertain And what way is more sure and secure than Obedience The 29. And last Doubt If finally we are apprehensive and fearfull lest we should grow weary in the way of Vertue and not Persever constantly in our Spiritual Exercises LEt us excite our Tepidity by the frequent perusall of this following discourse and practise accordingly The Patriarch Jacob in hope of obtaining the beautifull Rachel serv'd Laban seven years with diligence and patience But being cousened by that disloyal worldling with il favoured Lia what doth he He neither loseth Courage nor Confidence but with new constancy begins his other seven years service with such admirable alacrity and a heart so fix'd upon his desired reward that the time seem'd Gen. 29. but a week to him O my soul thou seekest and sighest after eternal Beatitude consisting essentially in the blessed vision and fruition of God signified by Rachel according to S. Bernard For S. Bernard this thou hast bound thy self to serve God But alas The world the flesh and the Devil do so often beguile blind thee that thou takest blear-ey'd Lia for beautiful Rachel the world for heaven the flesh for the Spirit and diabolical Illusions for Divine inspirations But what Lose not courage nor confidence Renew thy protestation of loyal service Serve God one other seven years Suffer another slavery to get heaven to dy in finall grace and to be eternally joyned to that blessed beauty thou lovest Follow Jesus to mount Calvary to consummatum est to thy last gasp If thou stumblest fall not If thou fallest up again and march Stand not but go forward for he only that persevers till the end shall be saved Let neither frequent temptations nor fearfull imaginations nor strong passions nor bad inclinations nor often fallings nor ordinary frailty daunt or dismay thee God is good and gracious meek and mercifull Thy reward is infinite and eternall Thy friends are moe in heaven than on earth persever then and go forward if thou canst not run at least go fair and softly and securely after Christ thy Captain crying Draw me unto thee ô most dear Lord for I desire to follow thee and no other but I am weak and lame and therefore I make use of two crutches A strong resolution never to forsake thy love and a lively confidence in thy grace goodness and mercy O holy and happy O pretious and highly to be prized Perseverance O finall grace the patrimony only of the elect and portion of the predestinate Fight manfully ô my soul get good habits timely resist sin valiantly fast watch pray sigh and suffer perseverantly heaven is worth thy pains Persever O my soul Persever Persever that done all is done that wanting all is undone This O Satan thou knowest full well and therefore little car'st to see me zealous for a Lent for a year for a time so in the end thou may'st make me tire tepide and careless of my progress and Pâ—rseverance 't is my Perseverance S. Bernard which thou only enviest at because that only conquers thee and crowns me eternally I discover thy two main snares ô subtill enemy into which thou wouldst allure my unwary soul and thy first design failing which was to delay my eonversion to Gods service thou pursuest thy Second which is to weary me in my well-begun enterprise To shift off my Conversion thou urgedst youth long life time enough thy dayly and dangerous deceits by which more Christians perish than by any other thy guiles and stratagems Thou knowest the peril of delay in a matter so important as is our conversion perfection salvation Thou art not ignorant how one sin draws on another how he that to day is unfit will be less to morrow how custom grows into nature breeds blindness hardness of heart and insensibility how old diseases are hardly and rarely cured how God withdraws his grace when 't is abused refused neglected how much his justice by delay is exasperated and that we heap coales on our own heads by our negligence Thou art well skill'd in the uncertainty of our frail life know'st the dangers chances changes and accidents which may speedily overwhelm us therfore thou whisperest stay a little deferr yet for a time till God in whose hands are the moments of all time takes from us all time who have so long abused the opportunity of time and sends us into pains eternal without time But seeing me resolutely and violently breaking all thy chains running and crying with S. Augustin S. Augustin Why shall I longer say to morrow why not now even at this instant thou now