sublime height of his own most holy handy work And now O worthy Mother of God! since we have hitherto presented you with the fervent Affections which your faithfull servants have put into our hearts and mouths as well knowing that our own faint inventions could furnish us with none more pithy or to more pleasing permit us also to presume upon your pious Doctor S. Ildefonse de Virginitate Mariae cap. 1. for this our concluding Protestation That the height of all our ambitious desires is To prayse you as much as you deserve to be praysed To love you as much as 't is possible to love you and to render you as much service as your self can desire from such caitif creatures as we are Yes O Sacred Queen Mother had we hearts larger than the Empyreall heaven we would most willingly employ their whol extent in loving you Had we the Crowns Kingdoms Riches of all earthly Monarchs and Princes and as many lives as the Seas have sands we would most cheerfully leave all lose all forfeit all for the defence of your honour for the procuring of your affection for the promoting of your service Finally had either of us as much collected Capacity as all creatures have dispersedly it would come far short of our unlimited desires and affections which are to Love Honour and Serve you perfectly entirely eternally Receive our Hearts O Soveraign Queen of all Hearts replenish'd with these our pious intentions and protestations together with this small Mite which we here again most humbly offer up to your sacred Majesty as a votive Table of the now promised Homage we will ever hereafter be performing to the end that all such as shall make use of these ensuing Devotions may assuredly know that in the solemn tender of this small pledge we jointly intend to include an absolute Dedication of the whol remainder of our lives and labours to your Love and service and that we are content every Line Syllable Letter and Title of this Treatise shall rise as so many accusing witnesses to call for just revenge upon us and remain as so many marks to brand us with eternall infamy if we at any time hereafter maliciously ungratefully disloyally forfeit these our maturely made Resolutions of being your faithfull servants And finally that we hereby avouch in the face of Heaven and Earth to esteem nothing in this world after the inestimable benefits reap'd by the precious Death of your divin Son our dear Redeemer CHRIST JESVS comparable to the honour we have in being Most worthy Mother of GOD The meanest of your Chaplains at the Head-Altar of your Holy Rosary A. C. and T. V. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE OUR Noble Patron and most worthy Prefect of this Sacred Confraternity of the ROSARY RIght Honorable Though this little Book which carries in its Front the lovely Names of JESUS MARIA JOSEPH can want no forreign recommendation whereby to invite all faithfull Christians and especially the devout Rosarists to receive and embrace it and that the excellencie sublimitie and utilitie of the subject is to it self a sufficient safeguard and protection Yet surely could this Book have been conveniently dedicated to any other than the Queen of Heaven whose honour is its chief aym and intention it must necessarily have had recourse unto your self under whose wings it received its birth growth and accomplishment In acknowledgment whereof and the many signall favours you have charitably conferr'd upon us and upon this holy Confraternity of the sacred Rosary we conceiv'd our selv's bound to give this publick testimony of our sincere gratitude and withall to declare our earnest desire of contributing something towards your own spirituall advancement and perfection For notwithstanding that your Piety to God and devotion to the sacred Virgin-Mother and her glorious Bridegroom Saint Joseph are so deeply setled in your heart as it may seem superfluous to lend you any assistance in order to their further encrease or confirmation yet the perusall of this present Treatise which so far excells all others of this nature in the solidity of the deliver'd doctrin in the explication of the most important points and in the clear facil and familiar insinuation of this sort of Piety that we need not blush to yeild to their Judgment who esteem it the chief of them which have yet seen light in our mother language must needs prove both pleasing and profitable unto you as being a perfect Mirrour of what you either are already or zealously wish to be where you will find both Fewell to foment your fervour and Fire to add to it where you will read the Precepts of Perfection reduc'd into Practises and the Doctrin of Devotion drawn into forms of Duty Briefly where you may learn a compendious way to extract the fruits of your Predestination to glory to tast the sweetness of heavenly affections during this your earthly Pilgrimage and to procure your Souls repose here and its salvation hereafter which is the desired end and Crown of yours and all pious Christians endeavours And all these happinesses with more if more can be imagined are obtain'd by means of the sacred Rosary whereby these influences of celestiall blessings slide efficaciously into faithfull hearts from her holy hands who is appointed by her all-powerfull Son to be the charitable Dispensatrix of his divin treasures and the Common Mother of all the pious Christians which are regenerated in Baptism by his most pretious Blood and Passion For as all they who are predestinated to glory are properly Gods Children since they have the self same heavenly Father by Grace Adoption which the Son of God hath by Birth and Nature according to that expression of S. John Behold how great the Fathers goodnes is towards us for that we are call'd are the Sons of God And as the Eternall Father in begetting his Co-eternall Son gives part of the honour of this Divin Filiation to such as he foresees conformable to his Sons Image so that they may truly call him their Father who is the Father of Gods Son as himsef expresly declares by teaching us to say Our Father which art in heaven So the Son in his human generation given him by a Mother upon earth is pleas'd to make his friends partakers with himself in the title of his Temporall Filiation by giving them the same Mother whom he chose for himself whereby they become Brethren to Gods Son both on the Fathers side who adopts them and on the Mothers side who by her own Sons will and command acknowledges them for her Children Behold your Mother said our Saviour to all his friends and Brethren represented in Saint Johns person Behold your Children said he to the sacred Virgin shewing her Saint John who represented all the faithfull Words appointing her our Mother and adopting us her Sons Words recommending to Her a Maternall care and affection towards us and to us a filiall duty and reverence towards Her Nor are we only
and are here set down in that direct order which ought to be observ'd in meditating upon them which is First to begin with the five joyfull mysteries Secondly to proceed to the five Dolorous Thirdly to conclude with the five Glorious For according to this order they were accomplish'd in the Persons of our Saviour Christ and his Blessed Mother The five Joyfull Mysteries So called for that they contain the chief Joys which the most sacred virgin Mary felt concerning her Son Christs human nature 1. The Annunciation of Christs Incarnation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary which is briefly express'd in these verses Heav'ns loftyest turret to earth's center bends Th' Incarnat Word to our low vale descends And Eccho's there usher'd by Angells voyce And by a purer Virgins vocall choyce While She according to this word of thine Humbly reply'd thy Masters word be mine 2. The Visitation which the Blessed Virgin made to her cousin Saint Elizabeth Mary salutes Eliza while from far Our Sun is brought to light his morning Star The Star though clowded feels the welcom ray And leaps to shew he can fore-run his day Dance unripe Child before thou com'st to light An after-dance will cause thy fatall night 3. The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ Learn Man what wonders in this birth appear The lesser Orbe involves the greater Spheare Etheriall lightning leaves its native shrowd Comes forth not breaking the mysterious clowd Angells their God their Master Beasts discern Of those above of these below thee learn 4. The Oblation or Presentation of Christ to his Eternall Father in the Temple and the Purification of his Mother How cheap a thing is light and more we pay For oylin flame than goulden locks of day His ransom who from darkness all redeem'd The Priest a two poor Turtle-Doves esteem'd Jews are wise marchands this new Sun ere old Must to the Priests again b' as cheaply sold 5. The Finding of Christ in the Temple disputing amongst the Doctors Found in the Temple midst the Doctors plac'd Jesus at once vertu and learning grac'd If Church and Schools be severd zeal turns blind And knowledg lame they both are perfect joynd Adore the Altar reverence the Chair Learn what to ask and then present thy pray'r The five Dolorous Mysteries so called for that they contain the chief sorrows which Christ our Redeemer felt in his bitter Passion 1. His Agony whil'st he was at his Prayers in the Garden What man of sorrow with two blood-shot eyes Ten thousand bleeding pores there prostrate lyes All middle colours by extreams are bred His candour with our blackness makes him red Whose present dress though Scarlet but displays The rosy dawn of two more Crimson day's 2. His most cruell Flagellation Can all these bleeding wounds that scourging find No blush in face no pity raisd in mind Behold the Man you worst of savage beast Malice enough has done more Hell detests Hate forward goes till her loath'd object she Not to be wretched knows but not to be 3. His Crowning with sharp Thorns The pungent cares on regall Scepters born Do prove all Diadems be crowns of thorn Yet Kings from scoffs and low contempt are free Derisions reach not earthly Majestie Christs Crown no fewer slights than thorns emboss More keen than those sharp nayls that pierc'd his Cross 4. The Carrying of his Cross to Mount Calvary Striving his Cross to bear he faints and falls He that sustains Heaven and Earths massie balls Simon succeeds on whose weak shoulders they The shadow of the Cross not substance lay Simon the wood the weight Christ only bore A world of heavy sins throng'd in each pore 5. His Crucifixion and Death upon the Cross Hail Tree of life whose trunck the table made Whereon the worlds dear price was told and payd On thy fair planks our sinking souls that bore Poor shipwrackt men layd hold and swim to shore Raisd from the depth by thee they floating stood Boy'd up with spring-tides of Christs copious blood The five Glorious Mysteries so called for that they contain the chief Glories which befell Christ and his sacred Mother 1. The Resurrection of our Lord JESUS The piercing sword leaves sad Maria's brest Sorrow's old wound makes for new joy 's a nest Jesus himself and her revives his light Relumins many a fire long quencht in night She sees the Patriarks shine with him his ray Dimms not their weaker Stars yet doubles day 2. His Ascension into Heaven Our Heav'n-ascending Lord no fiery Steed's Nor flaming Chariot of Elijah needs The wings of wind or Angels are too slow His feet in thier own motion swifter go The Sun at his approach that fabulous sign Of Aries leaves in him the Lamb tâ— shine 3. The sending down the Holy Ghost to his Church In form of fire a rushing wind conveighs Ardours divin the Infant Church to raise And high enthrone in a majestick Sphear Above the reach of cold distrust or fear Th' Elect thus freed from bonds of narrow sense In all known tongues all unknown truth dispence 4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin up to heaven Enoch alive translated walks with God Walks finds yet in bliss no fix't about The zealous Thesbite undissolv'd ascends And at Heav'n gates the worlds last year attends Death 's the sole way to life Maria dyes Closes on earth open's in heav'n her eyes 5. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in Heaven T is thy Sons light Maria makes thee shine The beam's are his the sole reflection thine Bright as the Moon thou look'st for borrow'd rays Both tributarie to the Prince of days The Sun her globe opposed only fills On thee full light thy Sun conjoyn'd distills These fifteen Mysteries for greater ease of the memory are briefly comprehended in these six verses Annun Vis Nat. Present and Find Reduce the Joyfull Five to mind Pray'r Scourg Thorn Cross Crucify Do the five Dolorous imply Res As Parac Assump corone By those the Glorious five are known Or thus in three verses She 's told She visits He 's Born Offer'd and Found He Pray's is whipp'd is crown'd carryes is kill'd Râ—ses Ascends sends down She dyes is Crown'd §. 7. Of the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary in particular The first part containing the five Joyfull Mysteries 1. The first Joyfull Mystery She 's told THE Annunication of Chirsts Incarnation by the Archangell Gabriel to the Blessed virgin Mary Luca. To Blessed Mary th' Angell of our Lord Announces she shall bear th' Eternal Word This first Principall and Joyfull Mystery as also all the others hereafter following comprehends under its notion may other singular and particular Joy's wherewith the sacred Virgins soul was ravish'd and replenish'd upon the news brought down to her from Heaven of the Eternall Words Incarnation in her womb which we shall both here and hereafter briefly reduce to Ten heads or points of Meditation according to the number of the Angelicall Salutations which are
to be recited in the each Decade That so the pious Rosarist may entertain his devotion by mentally ruminating upon one or more or all of them as his leisure shall permit and his zeal suggest unto him Our Father c. The Blessed Virgin Exceedingly rejoyc'd 1. At her Eternall Preelection THat she amongst all the women of the world was made choyce off from all Eternity to be the sacred Daughter of God the Father the worthy Mother of God the Son the glorious Spouse Temple and Tabernacle of God the Holy Ghost Hail Mary c. 2. At her singular Benediction THat she should be that Blessed one above all creatures indu'd with all the gifts graces vertues and perfections answerable to so high an Election Hail Mary 3. At the Reparation of Mankind THat she should be ordain'd for the Cooperatrix of the worlds Redemption the Mediatrix of Mankind the Advocatrix of sinners the Lady Queen and Empress of Heaven and Earth Hail Mary 4. At the Angelicall Salutation THat she should be thus particularly visited and thus honorably saluted by so noble an Oratour and so high an Ambassador as was the Archangell Gabriel sent purposely unto her from the sacred Trinity upon business of such great weight and concernment Hail Mary 5. At the Angelicall Consolation FOR when she was troubled not at his Apparition because she was well acquainted with Angelicall visits and accustomed to these like visions but at the contents of his message which trouble was only a certain fear apprehension admiration the Angell presently and familiarly calls her by her Name and comforts her saying Fear nothing O Mary I come not to deceive you but to declare divin Mysteries unto you you have found Grace with God and what need that Soul fear says S. Gregory which is in Gods Grace favour and friendship Hail Mary 6. At the Angelicall Revelation FOr he inform'd her that she was to conceive in her womb without sin without seed without Man and bring forth a child without sorrow without pain without violation of her virginall integrity and call his Name not impose it JESUS which signifies a Saviour He shall be Great above the common sort of sons and the Son of the most High not as the Saints by Grace and Adoption but by nature and essence And our Lord God shall give him the Seat of his Father David not his materiall Throne and temporall Kingdom but a spirituall and eternall Jurisdiction over all the Faithfull And he shall reign in the house of Jacob in the Church Militant and Triumphant for evermore Hail Mary 7. At the Angelicall Instruction FOr when she had reverently reply'd How can this be since I know not man but have vow'd my virginity to God my Maker he carefully and punctually instructs her in the manner and circumstances The Holy Ghost shall descend upon thee and the vertu of the most High shall overshadow thee and therefore fear not thy Chastity but know thou shalt hereby receive an addition to thy former purity Hail Mary 8. At her being with Child FOr she had no sooner signifi'd her obedient consent by uttering those humble words Behold the Handmaid of our Lord he it unto me according to thy speech whereby she prayd that God would be pleasd to fulfill what his Angell had declar'd unto her but she immediatly became with child of the Word Incarnate Hail Mary 9. At her Conception by the Holy Ghost O The joy of her Heart when she was ascertaind of her Conception of Christ in her womb not according to the common and naturall order but by the Holy Ghosts supernaturall power and operation And that she waâ— to be his Mother without a husband as God was his Father without a wife Hail Mary 10. At her Marriage with S. Joseph WHich was done undoubtedly in obedience to the divin â—…ctamen for her comfort crâ—dit assistance and many other important reasons without the least â—…tion of carnall Concupiscence in either of the marryed couple Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee We offer holy Virgin up to thee Steer us a prosperous course while here we tarry And in Deaths Pangs assist us Blessed Mary Remember Virgin that no Age hath known Any by thee deserted that has flown To thy Protection or implor'd thy Ayd By which encouragement most sacred Mayd Mother of Virgins I to thee repaire And for thy help address my humble pray'r Mother of God! desert me not but hear And listen to me with a gracious ear Affections Elevations Petitions O Eternall Father who were mercifully pleas'd to send down your heavenly messenger to treat with Her who before all time was design'd to be the worthy Mother of your Co-eternall Son my sweet Saviour Christ Jesus concerning the weighty Mystery of Mans Redemption by his Incarnation Dispose my Soul I beseech you to receive the Influences of your grace that so I may not hinder the effects of those mercies which in the Councills of your Eternall Providence you design'd for me Give me O my Creator a promptitude to obey your precepts Give me Purity Prudence Modesty and all other vertues and perfections which so highly pleas'd you in the Blessed Virgin O that my whol Employments might be henceforth so unmixt with worldly affections so free from vain Interests so retired from secular disturbances so conformable to sacred Maries most perefect examples that I might converse with Angells conceive Jesus in my soul nourish him in my interiour with my innocent affections and bring him forth by my actions of Piety towards the divin Majesty and of charity towards my neighbour O Jesu the only Son of the Eternall Father who by the Holy Ghosts wonderfull operation were graciously pleasd to descend into the womb of an humble Virgin and there to cloath your self with our Humanity Let your powerful Grace descend into my poor soul and adorn it with such vertues and perfections as are to your self most pleasing and acceptable O the profound Humiliation of Gods Son and the perfect Humility of Gods Mother He being the dread Soveraign of Heaven and earth annihilates himself to take a servants form She being declard Gods Mother takes upon her a Handmaid's title O King of Humility Grant me this Royall vertu which is the root and Ground-work of all others by the intercession of your most humble and holy Mother O glorious Empress of both worlds I rejoyce at your titles of honour and greatness and especially that you were the only one chosen out amongst all women to be Gods worthy Mother By this Supreme Mystery of your divin Sons Incarnation obtain for me I beseech you that I may also conceive and carry your sweet Son Jesus alwaies in my heart and soul and continually produce the fruits of good works answerable to my christian obligation and profession that so he dwelling with me and within me continually during this my
Mother of God and Man and entirely a pure and unspotted Virgin O News exclaims S. Bernard never before heard of A Mother and yet a Virgin A Virgin and yet a Mother Hail Mary 3. At her bringing forth without pain O You Blessed and the only Blessed amongst women says the same Saint who alone were exempt from the generall curse of all women But what wonder if he put his Mother to no pain at his birth who was born to take away all pain from the whole world Hail Mary 4. At the Angelicall Iubilation FOr She saw the heavenly Court rejoycing at her Sons Nativity and heard the alternate Echo's of their Glory to God on high and Peace on Earth to People of good will Hail Mary 5. At the vision of the divin Essence FOr if She frequently enjoy'd this priviledge in her life-time as is the opinion of many learned Fathers She now surely enjoy'd it in a most eminent manner when she brought forth Gods Son into the world Hail Mary 6. At the many benefits bestowed on Mankind by her Son's Birth TO wit The Exaltation of human Nature The Redemption of the World The satisfaction for sin The victory over Satan The Promotion of Man to vertu Sanctity Perfection The certainty of Faith The Erection of Hope The Encrease of Charity The conferring of an Eternall Life and Kingdom Hail Mary 7. At the multitude of miracles wrought then for his manifestation to the World FOr 1. A great bright unusuall Star invites the Wise-men to Bethleem stable 2. Three Suns appear in Spain soon after joyning themselves into one Body signifying says S. Thomas that the Flesh the Soul and the Deity of the then born Infant were united in one person 3. A golden circle encompasses the Sun in the midst whereof stands a beautifull Virgin with a child in her bosom which the Sybill shews to Octavian the then Roman Emperor with many other wonders declaring to the whol world the divin Majesty and glory of her new-born Son Hail Mary 8. At the Adoration of the Wise-men WHo exteriourly summon'd by the appearing Star and interiourly instructed by the Holy Ghost came and fell down at his feet full of Faith Religion and Devotion and there brake forth into Acts of Adoration and extasies of Admiration Hail Mary 9. At their mysticall offrings WHich were Gold as to a great King Frankincense as to a true God Myrrh as to a mortall man who was to dy for the worlds Redemption Hail Mary 10. At the Vocation Conversion and Salvation of the Gentills WHereof she saw a happy beginning in these holy Kings Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. These prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Great Monarch of Heaven and Earth Is your Mercy your Compassion and your Charity to poor Mankind so excessive as that you should thus descend from your Throne of Majesty into a vale of misery for our salvation O Virgin-Mother the choyce Chamber Temple and Tabernacle of Gods Son the Queen of Heaven and Lady of the World Be you Eternally blessed who have been found worthy to bring forth the so long desired and expected of all Ages O Jesu My Lord and my Redeemer who were born of a poor Handmaid wrapp'd in poor Swathes hous'd in a poor Stable Bedded in a poor Cribb Give me true poverty of spirit and a perfect contempt of all worldly honours and greatnesses O sweet Saviour of the World who call'd the Kings to acknowledge and adore you in your Cradle and commanded them to return back by another way into their Countrey Call and compell my rebellious heart unto you by the powerfull light of your efficacious grace shining in my interiour and dispersing all darkness and indevotion in my soul that I may there find you feel you see you adore you and offer up to your divin Majesty the Myrrh of true compunction and mortification The Frankincense of fervent Prayer and devotion the Gold of ardent love and affection O grant that I may henceforth more faithfully follow your holy lights vocations and inspirations which will conduct me into the right way leading to my heavenly home out of which I have hitherto stray'd by my own wilfull malice negligence and sinfullness O my glorious new-born King Christ Jesu you were pleas'd to want a lodging upon Earth that you might lodge me in Heaven To be deprived of all worldly conveniences that you might heap on me your Celestiall comforts To embrace Poverty Humility self-contempt abnegation annihilation that you might inrich me with all the spirituall Treasures of vertu and perfection And shall I gape after temporall goods and glories seek for fleshly solaces and satisfactions place my affection upon poor and perishable trifles No my dear Redeemer I will henceforth endeavour to imitate your most perfest Example And O that I were sincerely willing to abandon all truly content to be abandon'd by all and really resolv'd to submit my self and all to your sacred will and disposition that so I might be absolutely conformable to you my All and All O holy Virgin O happy Mother how sweetly is my Soul ravish'd in the contemplation of that unspeakable joy and gladness which your dilated heart felt when you first embrac'd the long desired of all Nations in your tender folds I congratulate this your happiness O glorious Mother of my good Jesus and humbly creeping in amongst the holy crew of admiring Angells Kings and Shepheards I affectionately present you with these my meaner Canticles of conjubilation We were the poor banish'd miserable progeny of our unfortunat mother Eve we were the wretched Bond-slaves of sin and Satan we were the forlorn lost and stray'd sheep wilfully fled away from our faithfull Shepheard We were the Prodigall children carryed abroad by our own concupiscences from our loving Father and by your Sons means O Blessed and most fortunate Mother we are disingaged deliverd redeem'd from all these miseries woes and disasters O the happy change of our unhappy condition O Eternally Blessed Tree and Blessed Blossom Blessed Womb and Blessed Fruit Blessed Mary and Blessed Jesu The fourth joyfull Mystery offer'd THe Oblation and Presentation of Christ to his Eternall Father in the Temple And the Purification of his Blessed Mother Luc. 2. The Virgin 's purifi'd her dear Son warm's Old Simeons breast presented in his arms Our Father c. The Blessed Virgin exceedingly rejoyced 1. At the carriage of her sweet Son Iesus FOr upon the fortith day after our blessed Saviours birth she cheerfully sets forth of Bethleem stable with her little Jesus in her armes and S. Joseph in her company towards Jerusalem to fulfill the Law of Moyses and to offer up her Son to his Eternall Father in the Temple And though she had just reason to dread King Herods cruelty yet she was more afraid to offend the divin Majesty The way says Ludolphus was five miles long yet she felt not the least
FOr the spitefull Pharisees hearing the Apostles speaking all sorts of languages sought to undervalue the miracle by vilifying them as Drunkards but St Peter standing up in his own and his brethrens defence solidly refutes their malicious imputation to the great joy admiration and confirmation of all the Auditors and confusion of his enemies Hail Mary 7. At the sodain multiplication of the faithfull FOr St. Peters efficacious Oration was no sooner ended but three thousand Souls were presently converted to the Faith of Christ and forthwith baptizd in his name and five thousand more within few dayes after Hail Mary 8. At the fructification of Christs Passion FOr the blessed Virgin-Mother saw not only the present fruits of her Sons death and sufferings spread abroad in the Apostles and the new converted Christians but she also foresaw the future multitude of martyrs who should couragiously dy for his love besides the vast number of confessors virgins and religious Persons who should cheerfully take up their Crosses and faithfully follow him Hail Mary 9. At the great encrease of the divin honour and worship FOr Pagans Gentills Idolaters and people of all professions renouncing their ancient errors came flocking in amain to be instructed in the Faith of Christ and to follow the Evangelicall doctrin Hail Mary 10. At the accomplishment of the number of the Elect. FOr the blessed Virgin joyfully foresaw that all such souls as should depart this life in the true Faith of of her Son Jesus inform'd with charity were to be added to the number of the Saints and to be admitted to his heavenly Kingdom Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. These Prayers Angelical c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Glorious Creator How great is your Mercy how infinit your liberalitie How excessive your affection to undeserving and ungratefull Mankind After your only Son was so ill treated amongst us would you also send down the Holy Ghost unto us It plainly appears that we have a potent Advocate in Heaven Jesus Christ the just to plead our cause and a Powerfull Mother upon Earth Mary the Mother of Jesus to impetrate for us this extraordinary favour It is therefore the Mothers merit and the Sons Mercy and the Eternal Fathers liberalitie and the Holy Ghosts goodness that this holy Spirit descends from Heaven upon us A Spirit of life and love a Spirit of solace and sweetness a Spirit of grace and happiness a Spirit which comes in form of fiery tongues to clear our understandings with his light to inflame our wills with his heat and to govern our tongues and affections with his gracious direction A light which dazels not a fire which consumes not a tongue which threatens not accuses not condemns not O sacred and divin Spirit you are the Father of the afflicted the Distributer of graces the enlightner of hearts the comforter of Souls and alas how opposite are my actions to your properties perfections inspirations You descend to instill into me the spirit of sweetness meekness patience and I converse with such as are under my charge and with others who are perchance far better before you than my self with a spirit of choller and peevishness with a spirit of rigour and harshness with a spirit of revenge and bitterness Ah uncharitable wretch that I am shall I contristate my neighbour instead of comforting him shall I exact from others instead of conferring benefits upon them shall I under-value my brethrens actions censure their intentions obscure their reputations instead of putting a charitable construction upon all things whatsoever Change this my crooked and crabbed disposition O powerfull Spirit thâ— plentifull bestower of all perfect gifts by the efficacy of your sacred influence upon my soul purge me I beseech you from my present imperfections pardon me for my past impieties and prevent me from future fallings by implanting your spirit of true peace and charity in my interiour which may keep my heart evermore burning in the love of you and my neighbour till I come to be totally absorpt in you together with the coequall Son and Father in your blessed Eternitie Amen The fourth glorious Mysterie she dy's THe assumption of the blessed Virgin up to Heaven Allegorically understood by Maryes chosing the best part Luke 10. The Virgins sacred Corps too rich a prize For Earth is born by Angels 'bove the Skyes Our Father c. The glorious Virgin-Mothers heart was replenish'd with exceeding great joy 1. At the news of the near approaching dissolution of her soul and body FOr as the holy Doctors deliver unto us after the dispersion of the Apostles into the Worlds severall quarters to preach the Gospell the blessed Virgin retir'd her felf into a privat dwelling near adjoyning to Mount Sion that she might pass the remaining day 's of her Pilgrimage upon earth in the devout contemplation of her divin Sons actions and the frequent visitation of the holy places of his Baptism Fasting Passion Buriall Resurrection Ascention when behold at the time appointed by the eternall providence a heavenly Messenger probably the Arch-Angell Gabriel reverently saluting her in her Sons name informs her of her near approaching departure out of this life Hail Mary 2. At the securitie of heâ— Glorious and speedy Resurrection FOr as Albertus and all the Doctors agree she could not possibly doubt of her present and immediate Translation to Eternall happiness Hail Mary 3. At her dying without any dread terrour or trouble FOr how could She fear death who was so fervent in Charity as that she desired nothing more than to be dissolved and to be with Christ How could She be terrifi'd at Deaths approach who was absolutely free from all sin and impiety Or how could She be troubled at the apprehension of Gods severe Judgments who was secure of her salvation 4. At the presence of the Apostles at her departure FOr it is a generally receiv'd Tradition of the Fathers That all the Apostles were by divin instinct sodainly gather'd together from the worlds severall climats to honour her with their personall presence at this time of her earthly dissolution Hail Mary 5. At the sweet separation of her Soul aâ—… Body FOr say's S. Hierom as She was free from the corruption of the flesh so she was exempt from the calamities of Death And S. John Damascen The pain 's which she suffer'd not in childing and dying She payd at the time of Christs Passion Hail Mary 6. At the Ioyfull Re-union of her Soul and Body in her Resuscitation and Assumption into Heaven FOr according to S. Augustin There was no reason corruption should seize on her after death whose integrity was preserv'd in her life c. but 't was fit she should be always living who was the Parent of all life and that she should be always with him who for nine months space was with her in her womb c. Hail Mary 7. At Christ's meeting her accompanyed with the Heavenly
and of your being her Son and likewise in the honour of this that she is the only one amongst all Creatures who hath this admirable estate and this singular relation to you and I humbly beg of you that in this quality you will vouchsafe me a share in your eternall way 's and mercyes AMEN A concluding Prayer to the sacred Virgin-Mother upon the same subject O Holy Virgin Mother of God! Queen of Men and Angels Mervail of Heaven and Earth I reverence you in all â—he ways that I can according to God that I should according to your own Greatness and according as your divin Son Christ Jesus our Lord would have you reverenc'd upon Earth and in Heaven I make to you an Oblation of my soul and my life and will belong to you for evermore and I will render you some particular Homage and Dependencie in all future time and Eternity O Mother of grace and mercy I make choyce of you for the Mother of my soul in honour of that choyce which God himself made of you for the Mother of his Son O Queen of Men and Angels I accept and acknowledg you for my Soveraign Mother in honour of that Dependency which my Saviour and my God had on you as upon his Mother And in this Quality I bequeath unto you all power over my soul and over my life as much as according to God I can bequeath it O sacred Virgin Mother look upon me as upon your own thing and in your goodness use me as the Subject of your power and as the Object of your pity O Source of Life Fountain of Grace Refuge of Sinners I have recourse unto you hoping therby to be freed from sin furnish'd with Grace and preserv'd from eternall Death O take me into your tuition let me have a part in your priviledges and obtain for me by your greatnesses and by this right of my appertaining to you that which I deserve not to obtain by reason of my offences and let the last hour of my Life that hour which is to decide my Eternity be in your hands in honour of that happy Moment of the Incarnation wherein God became Man and you were made Gods Mother O Virgin and O Mother both together O sacred Temple of the soveraign Deity O Mervail of Heaven and of Earth O glorious Mother of my God! I am yours by the generall Title of your greatness but I will be also yours by the particular Title of my own choyce and by this act of my own Free-will Wherefore I give my self wholly to you and to your only Son Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour and I resolve to let pass no day without rendring to him and to you some particular homage and some speciall testification of this my dependency and servitude in which my desire is to dy and live for Evermore THE THIRD APPENDIX JOSEPH OR Devotions to S. Joseph the Glorious Husband of the Virgin Mary and reputed Father of Christ Jesus With Elevations unto him THE many Excellencies Priviledges and Prerogatives of Saint Joseph are largely deduced by severall Learned Writers Out of Whom these few following are selected wherupon to ground our Devotion to this great Saint and to lay a foundation for the ensuing affective Acts and Elevations 1. Saint Joseph was sanctifi'd in his Mothers womb Which favour seems in some sort due to him who was to have so neer a relation to the Word Incarnate the Source and Origin of all sanctity and who was design'd from all Eternity in the Conclave of the Adorable Trinity to be the President of Gods great Councill of State upon Earth the Angell Guardian of the Queen of Angells the reputed Father and the reall Fosterer Nurser Conductor and Governor of JESVS the worlds Messias and the Head of his holy Family Now since Gods Family consisted only of two Persons Jesus and Mary who were of more worth and dignity than all the rest of Heavenly and Earthly Creatures together it was convenient that He who was to govern them should also resemble them in Greatness Dignity and Sanctity and consequently that he should possess in some measure by an anticipated pardon of his Originall sin and by an advanced favour of sanctifying Grace that Puritie which the Son possessed by Nature and the Mother by Priviledge 2. He was the next after the sacred Virgin who made an express Vow and promise to God of Perpetuall virginity And this Resolution Intention and Promise both of Her and Him was reveal'd to each other respectively and renewed by them jointly before they were contracted together by formall Matrimony For how els could Blessed Mary who had oblig'd her self to virginall Integrity have consented either in Prudence or Justice to give the Power over her body to a person of whose Chastity she might be ignorant or doubtfull of his Constancie Surely the known Purity of her Chast Bridegroom gave her the confidence to treat and converse with him as securely as she did with the holy Seraphins 3. He no sooner perceiv'd his Blessed Spouse to be bigg with child but he cast about how he might handsomly retreat from her company not as harbouring the least doubt or distrust of her Innocency being more certain of her Invisible Chastity than of her visible appearing to be with child and knowing that it was more easy for a Virgin to conceive than for Mary to deceive him or distain her own honour But out of a deep and humble sense of his due respect towards her Son and her self as judging himself altogether unworthy to contemplate with his eyes and carry in his arms the Divin Word Incarnate and to converse intimately and familiarly with the glorious Mother of this God Man who was shorthly after to be born into the World 4. He govern'd Gods Family for above thirty years space As the Divin Providence hath establish'd three Orders in the World That of Nature that of Grace and that of Hypostaticall Vnion So he hath chosen and appointed three sorts of servants for the conduct and government of these Orders The Angells serve him in the order of Nature the Apostles in the order of Grace but he chose S. Joseph alone after the sacred Virgin to serve him in the third Order which is that of Jesus in the ineffable Mysterie of his Incarnation O the Excellency the Eminencie the Greatness of Saint Joseph O his honour and happyness to enjoy so long the Innocent embraces of Jesus in his Childhood The holy Entertainments of Jesus in his riper years The divin actions examples and instructions of Jesus in his perfect age And to live so long in company and conversation with the most holy and accomplish'd Princess that ever was 5. He together with his sacred Spouse circumcis'd Jesus in the Stable of Bethleem eight day 's after his Birth into the world and according to the divin Order and command which was signifi'd unto him by an Angelicall Messenger impos'd upon him that glorious
and obtain for me a happy death and departure out of this World in the Faith Favour and Affection of Jesus To whom be all honour prayse and glory for Evermore Amen ELEVATIONS TO THE SACRED TRINITY UPON EARTH Iesus Maria Ioseph In honour and homage to the Glorious Trinity in Heaven the Father Son and Holy Ghost O JESU Son of the living God and Saviour of the World O Mary Mother of Jesus and Mediatrix of Mankind O Joseph Bridegroom of Mary and esteemed Father of Jesus O sacred Trinity Jesus Maria Joseph I honour you reverence you admire you in your excellent eminent sublime Greatnesses in which you seem to be an express Image of the Incomprehensible Trinity and I adhere to you in union of the perfect homages which you rendred to the Father Son and holy Ghost by your high Estate and holy operations The deep Mystery of the divin Trinity is Invisible to our eyes Ineffable to our Tongues Incomprehensible to our Spirits And behold the poor Bethleem stable affoards us a human Trinity Jesus Maria Joseph uppon Earth which views adores and Imitates the Trinity of the Empireall Heaven the Father Son and Holy Ghost This is Increated that is both created and Increated in the Person of the God-Man Jesus This is divin and Eternall That is Deifi'd and temporall The one is Adorable the other honorable The one is admirable in its greatness The other amiable in its sweetness In the one is a unity of Essence in a Trinity of Persons In the other is a union of Love of Grace and of Spirit in a Trinity of Essence and of Persons In the Divin Trinity the Father begets his Son in Eternity In the other by a reverted order the Son gives Being in Time both to the Father and to the Mother In the first the Father and the Son and the Father by the Son produces the holy Ghost in unity of origin In the second Jesus and Mary and Jesus by Mary gives the Life and Being of Grace to Joseph in the unitie of spirit So that Mary hath an admirable resemblance to the Eternall Father the Son of Mary hath an express unity with himself and S. Joseph represents the Holy Ghost For the Father in Heaven is the only Parent without a Mother and Mary upon Earth is the only Parent without a Father And as nothing greater can be attributed to God than his being the Father of a God so nothing more sublime can befall a pure creature than to be the Mother of the same God whereof God is Father The Holy Ghost is the sacred knot and Tye of the divin Persons And Joseph hath a union with Mary as his Spouse and with Jesus as his Father The Holy Ghost form'd Jesus in the Virginall Cloyster of Maryes Womb And Joseph fed him educated him and preserv'd for us far more fortunately than the ancient Joseph of Egypt â— this Bread of the Elect this blessed pledg of our future happiness this Eternall Bliss of Men and Angells Wherfore O Jesu We acknowledg honour and adore you in your Eternall heights and greatnesses we prayse bless and love you in your temporall humiliations sweetnesses we contemplate you in Heaven with the Eye of Faith betwen the Father and the holy Ghost We admire you upon Earth between Mary and Joseph And I invite and conjure all Creatures to prayse bless and adore your divin Majesty in both these estates O Mary We also look upon you as upon Gods sacred Mother and in this supream dignity I salute reverence and honour you with the singular homage of Hyperdulia which is due to your Excellencies and Greatnesses O Joseph I likewise honour you as the reputed Father of Jesus and Bridegroom of Mary and in regard of these two Eminent qualities I subject my self to the power which is given you over my soul by consequence of the Jurisdiction you had over Jesus my Saviour I offer my self to you O Great Saint Joseph Father and Husband without Paragon to be by you presented to Mary I give my self to you O glorious Mary Virgin and Mother without Paralell to be by you addressed to Jesus I consecrat my self to you O Great-little-God-man Jesus as your servant and bondslave to become associated in this qualitie with the domestiques of your sacred Family O Jesu my King reign in my Soul and exercise the absolute power you have over my spirit O Mary my Soveraign Queen after my King Jesus possess my heart and my will to consign them over to your Son O Joseph My chief Prorector after Jesus and Mary take my Body and senses into your safe custody to be consecrated to Jesus O Jesu annihilate and absorp my soul in your affection O Mary Inflame my heart with the love of Jesus O Joseph Bless all my labours and endeavours and present them to Jesus and Mary Let the whol world be replenish'd O Jesu with your mercies be assisted O Mary with your favours be secured O Joseph under the shadow of your Protection For You O JESU are the Fountain issuing forth of the Terrestriall Paradise Mary's Virginall Womb is the Origin of all our happiness you O Mary are the Prime Bason of this Fountain and the pure Glebe from whence it proceeded And you O Joseph are the River who disperse abroad these waters of Life by your efficacious intercessions O Jesu you are the fruit of life O Mary you are the Paradise that bore it and the Tree that brought it forth And you O Joseph are the Cherubin appointed by God to guard it O Jesu You are the sacred Propitiatory of the world O Mary You are the Mysticall Ark of our Reconciliation And you O Joseph are the High Priest who alone are permitted to enter into this Holy of Holies to be the faithfull Coadjutor of Gods great Counsell in the world and the Feoffee in trust of his treasures and secrets In honour therefore of these three ineffable Tâ—es and unions between these admirable subjects which are the greatest under Gods command and Jurisdiction I most humbly beg of you O Jesu Mary and Joseph 1. A chast and filiall Fear of God that nothing either in life or death may separate me from his grace and friendship 2. A faithfull fervent and perseverant Love of God and my neighbour with a generous zeal of the divin honour and my own salvation 3. A good and happy end of my life consummated in the act and exercise of these sacred affections O JESU Be an Advocate for me your Bondslave to your Eternall Father O Mary intercede for me your servant to your Son O Joseph pray for me your child to Jesus and Mary O Jesu shew your wounds suffer'd for my sake O Mary discover your Breasts which suckled Gods Son O Joseph represent your hands which nourish'd the Word Incarnate O Jesu replenish my Soul with the abundance of your celestiall blessings by the effusion of efficacious grace upon it which may intimately
Children of this blessed Mother as being the adopted Brethren of her divin Son but moreover as being the Children of her Child by whom we are regenerated to a spirituall life Thus thus She is also our Mother since she is Mother to him by whose death we are all re-born to the Life of Grace Thus we are truly holy Mary's Children since we are the fruits of the Blessed fruit of her womb JESUS She indeed brought forth but One only Son but by that One She begot All them who are by him regenerated and whosoever derive from Jesus their spirituall life are surely debtors to Mary who gave Him his Nativity Finally if the dear Blood of CHRIST JESUS is the divin seed of our Baptismall regeneration which pretious Blood issued first out of this Mothers veins who sees not that our best birth and being is in some manner borrowed from Blessed Mary and hath from her Blood its beginning and Origin Where by the way this is a circumstance well worth all pious Christians consideration That our Redeemer then gave us Mary for our Mother in Saint Johns person when he powred forth his Blood the blessed seed of our regeneration on the Cross for us To the end that at the same time in which he gave us this seed of our new life we should acknowledg Her for our Mother from whom this life-giving seed was derived unto us and that the name and title of Mary's being our Mother was impos'd upon Her at the very instant when the Blood from Her deriv'd constituted us her Children Now if the sacred Virgin as hath been plainly deduced and proved is the common Parent of all Christians both in quality of their being her Sons Brethren adopted and chosen by his Father and also in quality of their being her Sons children regenerated and resuscitated by his Death How much more singularly is she their Mother who make it their profession to render unto her a particular honour and homage and to receive her for their speciall Protectrice and Patroness If she is in the Churches Dialect the Mother of love and Charity and consequently cannot but bear a generall affection towards all mankind How much more tenderly doth she affect such faithfull and dutifull children as totally addict and dedicate themselves to her love and service Amongst which the pious Rosarists whereof your self Honorable Patron and most worthy Prefect is a prime Scion may without presumption arrogate to themselves this glorious prerogative of being the Josephs and Benjamins of her maternall affections not in quality of yongest Children since their origin is very ancient as will be hereafter declared But as most particularly cherished by this compassionate mother or at least most highly enriched with her Royall favours and benefitts as will also hereafter be exemplifi'd All Flowers Spring and flourish by the Suns influence yet the Sun is singularly styled the Parent of the Heliotrope as borrowing from his glorious beams the gold-lustre of its leaves from his course the motion of its body and from his name its denomination of Sun-flower So the Sacred Virgin hath undoubtedly by the influence of her blessings and prayers given birth to all Religious orders Societies and Confraternities which Saint Hierom calls the Church-flowers but surely amongst all these fair Flowers which with their variety beautify and enrich her garden the Confraternity of the sacred Rosary may fitly be said to be the Heliotrope of this Sun the Paragon of this Garden the Darling and Minion of this Mother since from Her it derives its Denomination draws its vertu receives its Beauty and ornament Happy Rosarists who by the speciall grace and favour of Christ Jesus your Saviour can say to God you are my Father and to the Son of God you are my Brother and to the Daughter of the Eternall Father to the Mother of the Son of God to the Spouse of the Holy Ghost to the Queen of Men and Angells to the Empress of Heaven and Earth you are my Mother by my own peculiar choyce and election Happy you if acknowledging the honours and advantages which accrue to you from such a Filiation you correspond to the height of so divin an alliance by your holy life and conversation Happy you if seriously considering of what a worthy Mother you are Children you effectually endeavour to be such as she deserves such as she demands such as she desires Which that you all and your Noble self in particular may truly be shall be the daily prayer at the head-Altar of your holy Mother of power of RIGHT HONORABLE Your most affectionate Bedes-men and servants A. C. and T. V. A MARIAN KALENDAR OR A Catalogue of some few amongst the multitude of glorious Saints of S. Bennets Order who have been singularly devoted to the sacred Virgin Mary Together with the severall Festivities of our Blessed Lady according to the monthly days upon which they are celebrated S. Augustin lib. 10. de Civitate Dei c. 4. We dedicate and consecrate the memory of Gods benefits to certain days feasts and solemnities least by length of time ungratefull forgetfulnes should creep in S. John Chrysostom Tom. 5. Serm. 1o. de Martyr No Christian is so ignorant as not to know that the glories of the Saints are celebrated by Gods people both to the end they may be duly honoured and we instructed by the examples of their vertues JANUARY 1. St. ODILO Abbot of Cluny a most faithfull servant of the sacred Virgin-Mother even from his tender years till his last gasp In his youth he was seized on by a languishing disease which depriv'd him of the use of his limbs yet making a hard shift to creep along into the holy Church dedicated to the sacred Virgins honour he was there presently and prodigiously cured in the sight of many admiring spectators Whereupon he made an Oblation of himself unto her in these tearmes O most sacred Virgin and Mother of the worlds Saviour from this day forward I resolve to serve you hoping to have you for my compassionate Mediatrix upon all occasions for after God I prefer nothing before you and therefore I freely deliver up myself unto you as your peculiar servant and Bondslave He dyed in the 87th year of his age and of Christ 1048. 11. S. Egwinus Bishop of Worcester in England who being of the Royall blood chang'd his purple for a poor Cowle in Worcester Cloyster which he never left off in his Episcopall dignity to which he was forcedly call'd for his excellent learning and Sanctity He was evermore most zealous in the sacred Virgins service by whose express command he built and founded that famous Abbey of Evesham and dedicated it to her honour which service of his she frequently acknowledged to be to her most gratefull and acceptable He dyed in the year of our Redeemer 712. 15. S. Maurus Abbot of S. Maur's in France the Disciple of our Glorious Patriark S. Bennet the most diligent Promotor of the sacred
not depart from your heart and that you may obtain relief by her intercession swerve not from the example of her conversation following her you stray not calling upon her you despair not thinking on her you err not she holding you fall not she protecting you fear not she guiding you faint not How properly then O children of Mary do we entitle our Mother Powerfull since says our learned and devout Doctor Damian the Almighty hath so highly priviledg'd her with all Power in Heaven and Earth in so much as she makes her addresses to the sacred Altar of our reconciliation non solum rogans sed etiam imperans Domina non ancilla Not onely entreating but also commanding as a Mistris not a handmaid wherefore I conclude this digression with the mellifluous Saint Bernard whatsoever you desire to offer up to the divin Majesty be sure to deposit it in Mary's hands that so your oblation may ascend to the source of Grace by the same channell whereby grace descended unto you Not but that our Creator can easily distill the dews of his grace without the mediation of this Channell by what other means he best pleaseth but he would mercifully provide this powerfull help for you and therefore take speciall care to place in Marye's powerfull and gratefull hands whatsoever petition you desire to prefer to her divin Son if you will not have it to miscarry and receive a denyall And now returning to the prosecution of my intended purpose Though the generall devotion of all faithfull Christians towards the sacred Virgin Mary is as ancient as our faith and Christianity themselves she being constituted the Churches Mother by the bequest of her blessed Son when he uttered these words to St. John as his last will and testament on the Cross Son Behold thy Mother Nor did ever yet any true Catholique acknowledging God for his Father and Christ Jesus for his Brother exclude Mary from being his Mother yet this particular manner of honouring her this pious Method of praying to her this our Confraternity of the sacred Rosary had its first rise and institution from the glorious St. Dominick about four hundred years since and its decayed use was zealously renewed by the Blessed Father Alanus de Rupe about two hundred years past as the Ecclesiastical Histories largely declare which being obvious to every ones perusall and I hastning to other matters which are to us of more importance purposely pass over that I may come to the performance of my first promise and proposition which is to declare the Dignity of the Rosary and the Duty of us who are of it The Masters greatness says Salomon redounds to the servants glory and the Parents honour to the renown of the children Since therefore you O devout Rosarists have as befits humble servants made choyce of so high a Mistris and as beseems good children have promised loyaltie to so Honourable a Mother great surely is your glory your honour your happiness A Mistriss of such Majesty A Mother of such excellency that the sole consideration of her greatness and goodness is a sufficient charm to engage the whol world in her service to contain all Christians in their filial duty and affection I have already given you a glimps in generall of your Mistrâ—sses and Mothers greatnesses priviledges and prerogatives and to descend to the particular mention of all the honourable titles high qualities admirable epithets which heaven and earth Angells and Men the Scripture and the Church bestow upon this Blessed Virgin were to write whol volumes not to recite a succinct Oration She is represented by the Tree of life in the Terrestriall Paradise by the Ark of Noah upon the waves of the Deluge by the Tabernacle of the Testament made of incorruptible materialls signifying her virginity her purity her impeccability by the Ark of the Covenant which contained the tables of the Commamdements as she did their Author She is prefigured by the Altar of Perfumes the types of her odoriferous vertues by the golden Candlestick She bearing him who is the True Light of the World By the Gate of Heaven in the Prophets By Jacobs Ladder in Genesis By the Valiant Woman in the Proverbs By the Ever burning never consuming Bush in Exodus By the Hill elevated on the Mountain top in Isay By the Citie of God whereof such wonders are spoken in the Psalms By the sweet smelling Balsome the still flourishing Cypress upon Mount Sion The ever flowing vein of Honey The fair Olive of the fields The Lilly amongst the thorns The Rose of Jericho The Palm of Cades The Royall Throne of Salomon The strong Tower of David The Fleece of Gedeon The miraculously flourishing Rod of Aâ—ron The Eastern Gate of Paradice The Angell qualifies her full of Grace The wise-man abounding with delights The Spouse a Garden of pleasure The Gospell the mother of Jesus The Church the exemplar of Perfection Heaven the Queen of the Vniverse Earth the Phoenix of Mankind and all the World the Fountain of their felicity The Celestiall Spirits acknowledg her for their Empress the Apostles for their Mistris the Martyrs for their Mirrour the Confessors for their Pattern the Virgins for their Glory all Christians for their powerfull Patroness and Advocate Judg now O faithfull Rosarists by these few mentioned Titles of the miraculous Excellency Greatness Glory Dignity of her to whose honour you have dedicated your hearts your loves your lives your services Surely you cannot but joyfully confess with me that after a Christ Jesus Heaven never produced any thing more holy the World never had any thing more worthy the Sun never saw any thing more admirable amiable precious and perfect than our ever blessed and honoured Mistris and Mother Mary And consequently we must conclude also that very great is our own dignity who have the honour to be of her particular family by means of this pious Institute of the Confraternity of the Rosary 1. An Institute not of a novell invention but as you have heard of above four hundred years standing and antiquity 2. An Institute of that large extent that it hath spread it self over the whol habitable world and acknowledges no other limits than those which bound the universall Catholique Church 3. An Institute of that generality that no person is exculded from its participation not the Husbandman in the fields not the Trades-man in his shop not the Traveller in his journey not the unlearned for his ignorance not the Woman by her sex not the Married by their state not the Younglings by their simplicity not the Aged by their impotency not the Sick by their infirmity Briefly not any devout and faithfull Christian by any calling employment condition whatsoever 4. An Institute of that easiness to learn and facility to practice that it requires no more knowledge than the skill to recite the Pater and Ave no more expences than the price of a pair of Bedes no other place than where every
which directly tends to the advancement of the divin honour to the promotion of our own salvation and to the encrease of the sacred Virgin Mothers glory Now the exercises of the holy Rosary aym directly at these three heroick ends For first since the Rosary as shall be hereafter declared consists of the two richest pieces of Christian Piety which are the Pater noster and Ave Maria and of the principall mysteries of our Christian Faith What subject imaginable can be more proper what object possible can be more powerfull to rayse our Souls to the love prayse and honour of our Creator and Redeemer than the due and daily consideration of those Divin Mysteries which are as it were the sacred Tables and lively Pictures representing continually to our memories their admirable benefits their excessive love their infinit liberality to Mankind Secondly By what Prayers can we more confidently promise to our selves the obtaining of our just desires and consequently the promoting of our salvation than by the Pater noster dictated by our Redeemers own divin mouth enjoynd by his speciall command to be frequently us'd by all faithfull Christians and by him indu'd with so great efficacy and vertue Thirdly by what ladder of prayse can we more probably reach the glorious Virgin-Mothers perfections than by the Ave Maria which was framed in Heaven by the Holy Trinity it self and thence brought down to the Earth by his Embassador the Angel Gabriel in which all the greatnesses excellencies and prerogatives of Gods blessed Mother are so briefly distinctly divinly couched together For Ave is as much as to say sine vae without woe without sin without malediction Gratia plena declares her full of all grace vertu and goodness Dominus tecum denounces her the happy Mother of the Almighty Since therefore the Ave Maria is a compendious abridgment of all the Virgin-Mothers prayses Surely it must needs be a salutation to her most gratefull pleasing and acceptable §. 3. That this sort of devotion is proper for such Catholiques as live in Hereticall Countries THIS Title is chiefly intended for their satisfaction who fondly conceive that the use of the Rosary the devotion of the Bondage and all high manners of honouring Gods most holy Mother are unfit or at least improper and inconvenient to be practis'd in such places as are overspread with heresie and by such persons as are liable to persecution because the treatises of such subjects falling into their hands who are of so contrary a judgment turn commonly to their great scandall and to the evident detriment of the Catholique cause and Religion But this surely argues a great weakness of their Faith and is a plain errour and mistake of their understanding For it is there principally that this manner of Piety ought to be most zealously practis'd and most diligently propagated where it is most maliciously impugn'd and most unjustly and violently persecuted and as the deceived miscreants of these our dayes and in this our Countrey endeavour by all manner of false subtilties and blasphemous untruths to derogate from the Soveraign Queen Maryes glory so it behoves every faithfull Catholique to procure with all possible care industry and devotion the amplification encrease of her most just due and deserved honour and prayses Moreover though the most sacred Virgin Mary being Gratia plena full of grace and goodness Mater misericordiae the Mother of mercy and compassion and Mater Dei the Mother of the Almighty is both willing and powerfull to afford all sorts of assistances whatsoever for which she is humbly implored Yet it is her singular and peculiar propertie to destroy heresies and so to terrifie all the Satanicall Armyes of her Sons and his Churches adversaries that they are defeated and put to flight at the sole appearance of her formidable presence and power who is styled Terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata Dreadfull to these Rebells as an Army rang'd in battail array And to whom the Church joyfully fings in gratulation of these her signall victories Gaude Maria Virgo cunctas haereses sola interemisti in universo Mundo Rejoyce O you glorious Conqueress who alone have destroyed all heresies in the whol World Nor is this a lately invented Title as hers and our Enemies vainly urge and inculcate For it is above five hundred years since Saint Bernard avouch'd this to be one of the Mother of Powers speciall Prerogatives concluding his Sermon preach'd in the honour of her glorious Assumption in these words Sola contrivit universam haereticam pravitatem She alone hath dash'd all hereticall impiety And well might Saint Bernard assert this proposition who knew the practice of past ages and had read the writings of his holy Predecessors related in the antient Councells of Ephesus and Chalcedonia against the Manicheans Nestorians Hesuidians and other Heretiques For you shall not find any Father or Doctor of the Church but that before he entred the lists to combat against these cross-grain'd adversaries he first implor'd the sacred Virgin-Mother's assistance as well foreseeing that without the help of her Powerfull prayers all their writings wrestlings skirmishes would little advance their own cause or conquest and as little conduce to their Antagonists confusion or conversion Saint Irenaeus who lived in the year 180. and was one of the first Writers against Heretiques is the first witness of this verity largely extolling Gods sacred Mother and opposing her by many apt Antitheses against our first Parents indiscretion and inconstancy Tertullian who lived in the year 230. doth the like in his learned Treatise of prescriptions against Hereticks St. Athanasius the great Antagonist of the Arrians who lived in the year 304. conceives it better to invoke her alone and implore her powerfull assistance than omitting that to address our selves to all the other Saints and celestiall Inhabitants St. Epiphanius who lived in the year 370. and undertook to write against all Hereticks honours her with all sorts of prayses St. Hierome who is commonly called the Hammer of Hereticks and liv'd in the year 390. is wonderfully profuse in her prayses Ss. Augustin the Churches Champion against the Pelagians who lived in the year 420. says That she alone brought the salving Remedy to heal our otherwise incurable wound And to return to S. Bernard who for his singular devotion to this sacred Queen of Heaven is frequently surnam'd her Favourite her Priest her Chaplain her Champion he assures that she possesses the middle place between the Sun and the Moon that is between her son Christ Jesus and the Church Militant upon earth Between whom she is the perpetuall Mediatrix as Christ is the Mediator between his Eternall Father and us adding elsewhere Nihìl nos habere vult Deus quod per manus Mariae non transiret It is the will of the Almighty say's he that we mortalls should have nothing but what passes through Mary's hands Lastly Saint Dominick the great Patriark and Institutor of this
the verses of the Davidicall Psalter comprehending thrice fifty Psalms so employing the greatest part of their time in the divin praises The devout Laity though much inferiour to them in point of learning and knowledg yet desirous to equall them in Gods love and service emulating this laudable custom but some of them being unable to read others uncapable to understand these sacred Psalms invented and dayly recited a certain Psalter according to the mysticall number of the Davidical Psalms of the Lords Prayer and Angelicall salutation an hundred and fifty times repeated piously conceiving as well they might that all the sacred mysteries of those many Psalm's were compendiously contain'd in this singular Prayer and Salutation since they declar'd him to be now come and present whom those Psalms had foretold and promis'd Which devotion of the Primitive Christians will not seem any wonder to such as duely consider their great fervour and piety in other spirituall exercises as may be instanced in that the whol generality of the lay-people receiv'd then dayly the sacred Eucharist Surely a most convenient way to lay that first foundation of a new Church upon solid devotion and sanctity which was to sustain afterwards so weightie a superstructure But when in the following ages the number of Christians encreasing and the fervour of piety decaying this kind of Psalter became burthensome to the multitude of Christians who were now more attentive to their domestick and temporall negotiations than zealous of the divin service it was abridg'd into an hundred and fifty Angelical salutations keeping still the same mystical number but changing its denomination into that of the blessed Virgins Psalter and interlacing each Decade with the recitall of our Lords Prayer in imitation of the Clergie so performing their Church Psalmodie This was that Psalter so much prays'd and practis'd by the Egyptian Hermits and Anchorits to which they had recourse as to their present solace in all their pressing sadnesses and afflictions their powerfull Remedie against all thier troubles and temptations their secure Sanctuary in all their spirituall conflicts and combats This manner of Prayer was also frequented and practis'd not onely as to its substance which are the Lords Prayer and Angelical salutation but also as to its forenam'd Quantity and Qual'ty by the holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church Witness St. Hierom of whom it is related in the Ecclesiastical histories That he plac'd an undoubted hope in the suffrages of this Psalter against all temptations troubles and afflictions whatsoever and especially against the Adversaries of the Christian Faith nor would he ever settle himself say's Fossaeus lib. 1. de Psalterio to any serious reading writing or dictating till he had first implor'd the divin assistance by the recitall of this Psalter Neither must we omit say's Alanus de Rupe to make mention of that most worthy Patriark of Monks St. Bennet who chose this Psalter for his familiar and perpetuall companion and so deserv'd to become the famous founder of Monastical Institution Which propagation of the Marian Psalter say's Bucelinus in his Menologium March 21. is none of the least of St. Bennets prayses the Queen of Heaven her self highly approving and commending the same endowing her Bennet for so she was heard to name him with many signall favours benefits and blessings and chosing the Monasteries of his sacred Order as it were for her earthly seat and mansion even to this day And in the Benedictin Annals anno 538. we find registred that though St. Bennet from his very infancy and in the beginning of his conversion when he laid the first plat-form of monastical Perfection was singularly devoted to the Empress of Heaven and a great Promotor of her Honour Name and Kingdom Yet chiefly about this time to wit the 59th year of his age he promulgated in the head City and to the whol World that sweet easy and efficacious exercise of the blessed Virgins Psalter which himself with his Disciples had so piously and profitably practis'd within the private Cloysters of Sublake and Mount Cassin and which St. Dâ—minick the glorious Institutor of a new Marian Family and Reformer of the old when by length of time this sort of devotion became neglected after 700. years space revived and re-established This Psalter I say this very Psalter did our great Patriarch St. Bennet deliver to the World and recommend with immortall fruit and merit to his Disciples who were to be sent into the earths severall Climats to establish monastical discipline which they undoubtedly perform'd with so much the more happy success by how much they preach'd and promoted the sacred Virgins honour together with the sincere faith of her Son Christ Jesus Hence it is that the whol Quire of his succeeding Monks imitating the example of so glorious a Father became ever since most zealous practitioners and promoters of the same piety and devotion and to the end it might be perpetuated to all their posterity they prudently set apart one day of the year in which they make a particular Commemoration of the sacred Psalter thus instituted by their Patriarch St. Bennet to wit the 18. of June where their Martyrologe say's thus Upon the same day the Feast or Commemoration of the blessed Virgin-Mothers Psalter instituted to the honour of the glorious Empress of Heaven aad Earth by our admirable Father and Patriarch St. Bennet to be practis'd in his whol Order and propagated throughout the whol World by his most holy Children and Disciples And how zealously his said children perform'd this their Fathers precept of promulgating in all places the sacred Virgins Psalter might be largely demonstrated and exemplified in all the succeeding ages For of St. Maurus whom our holy Father yet living sent into France and who dyed in the year 583. it is thus expresly written He promoted the honour of the admirable Virgin-Mother with all possible diligence and with incomparable fruit and merit and propagated far and near the use of her sacred Psalter according to the institute of his most blessed Father St. Bennet And of St. Eligius the glorious Builder Founder and Abbot of Solemmacum the Bishop of Nâ—yon the Apostle of many Provinces a man famous not only for his prodigious sanctity but also for his skill in Smithery who dyed in the year 665. he was a singular Honourer of the Sacred Virgin-Mother whose Psalter he carryed for his Pontificall Ensign and made for himself an Episcopall Chair adorn'd with an hundred and fifty golden-nails or bosses distinguish'd with other fifteen of a greater size and bulk upon which he dayly perform'd his devotions of the Psalter And in the ensuing Age the same sort of Piety was spread abroad not only over our English Nation but into the far and near adjoyning Kingdom 's by the preaching of our venerable Bede who dyed in the year 738. of whom it is written that he brought his Countrey men into so great a veneration of the Marian Psalter
inculated the fruits of this divin Prayer into the hearts of his devout Auditors and which we surely may hope also to receive if we dayly fervently and perseverantly pour it forth in the divin presence by the due performance of our Psalter and Rosary The third part of the Rosary is the Angelical Salutation dictated by the divin wisdom to the Archangell Gabriel to St. Elizabeth and to the Church A Salutation which the Apostles Primitive Fathers so highly reverenc'd that they prescribed it to be recited in their Lyturgies A Salutation which says St. Peter Damian briefly contains Christs Incarnation Mans Redemption the Worlds Renovation And surely by this admirable connexion of our Lords Prayer and the Angelical Salutation in the Rosary we are admonish'd that as in the fall of human nature both Sexes were guilty and our common miserie proceeded from Adams and Eves joynt prevarication so in the reparation and redemption of Mankind there is the concurrencie of a Man Chrâ—st our Lord and also though in an inferiour degree of a Woman the Virgin-Mother and therefore joyning together both these Prayers we render most humble thanks for this inestimable benefit Thanks to our blessed Redeemer for having vouchsaf'd to become man for us And thanks to his holy Mother for having furnish'd him with this humanity in which he redeem'd us But if you desire most devout Rosarists to have a more particular sight of the signall Fruits and Effects of this Angelical Salutation listen attentively to this compendious Narrration First of the joyes wherewith it replenishes the blessed Virgin mary Secondly of the terrours wherewith it strikes the Devill Thirdly of the profits it brings to mankind First this Salutation I say replenishes the sacred Virgin with a new accidentall Joy sweetness and complacencie as often as it is devoutly and reverently recited For by saying Hail or Ave that is sine vae without woe we offer her the Joy of her great Purity immunitie and exemption from all the woe and miserie whereunto all women except her self the singularly preserv'd Virgin-Mother were subject by the fall of our first Parents For as Ave is a literall conversion of Eva so our Mother Mary receiv's in this Salutation a triple Benediction 1. of becoming fruitfull without corruption 2. big with child without burdensomness 3. and a Mother without feeling the pains of child-bearing opposite to our Mother Eves triple Malediction of corruption in conceiving cumbersomness after conception and pains in childing By saying Mary we renew in her the Joy of her great Dâ—gnitie design'd by this glorious Name and Title First as it signifies the Star of the Sea to which says St. Bernard she is most fitly compar'd because as a Star sends forth its beam without any self-blemish so Mary brings forth a child without any self-violation The Beam doth nothing diminish the Stars claritie nor Mary's child her integrity c. Secondly as Mary signifies illuminated for she receiv'd from God as a full Moon from the Sun a plenitude of the light of Grace here below and enjoyes a plenitude of the light of Glory there above Thirdly as Mary signifies an Illuminatrix to which St. Bernard alluding Maryes presence says he illuminates the whol World and even Heaven it self shines now more clearly being irradiated with the beams of her virginall lamp Fourthly as Mary in the Syriack language signifies a fair Lady and what Creature says St. Bernard was comparable to her in the beauty of mind and body who bore and brought forth the beauty of Men and Angells when therefore we say Haâ—l Mary we say rejoyce Sacred Worthy Noble Virgin bright Star illuminated of God enlightner of Men fair Lady of the whol Universe By saying Full of Grace we renew a double joy in her First we affirm that Grace which man lost by Sin to be restored by her Sanctâ—ty and Secondly we pronounce that Grace which other Saints possess partially to be in her unitedly fully universally You O Mary says the admiring St. Hierom are indeed full of Grace for the Grace which was given to others by parcell was powred into you in a full plenitude By saying our Lord is with thee we renew in her the joy of her divin Conception than which nothing imaginable can be to her more gratefull pleasing and acceptable for hereby we not only pronounce God the Son to be with you O Mary says St. Bernard whom you cloath with your flesh but God the Holy Ghost by whom you conceive and God the Father who eternally begets whom you temporally bear Yes O Mary The Father is with you who powerfully makes his Son yours the Son is with you who is admirably born of you the Holy Ghost is with you who graciously with the Father and Son sanctifies you c. By saying Blessed art thou amongst Women We renew in her the Joy of her supernall Benediction As if we should say Rejoyce O Mother Mary who deserved'st to have our mother Eves curse chang'd into a blessing for thy self and all others and to become the glory honour and crown of all Women consecrating the Virginall estate before thy Marriage the Conjugall estate in thy wedlock and the estate of Widowhood after thy husbands death and thy Sons Passion By saying Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb We renew in her the Joy of the divin prayse As if we should say with S. Bernard Thou art surely Blessed O sacred Virgin but we bless him above all who hath so highly blessed thee Not because thou art Blessed therefore is the fruit of thy womb blessed but thou art therfore Blessed because he hath prevented thee with his blessings in whom all Nations are blessed and of whose fulness thou also with others though far above all others hast receiv'd what thou hast c. Behold O children of Mary who have your hearts inflam'd with her sacred affection what excesses of joyes you present offer and renew in your dear Mother when you devoutly salute her with this Angelicall Canticle and Jubilation All which we shall confirm by one only authentick Revelation which her self was graciously pleas'd to impart to one of her dear darlings a famous Saint of our Order S. Mechtild studying which way she might render some gratefull service to her glorious Mother the Virgin Mary beheld her in a vision with the Angelicall Salutation before her in great and golden characters and heard these words proceeding from her sacred Mouth Know daughter that no human devotion can ever reach higher than this Salutation nor can any one more sweetly gratifie me than by reverently pronouncing this Ave Hail wherewith the Eternall father at the first greeted me confirming me by his omnipotencie ab omni va culpae from all woe and miserie of sin and impiety The eternall son likewise illustrating me with his wisdom ordain'd me to be forthwith the bright Star wherewith Heaven and earth are enlightned as by this my name Mary is declared The holy Ghost
Son our Lord. I Believe in the second Person of the sacred Trinity the Son whom the Father begot from all Eternity communicating to him all his own Essence Greatness Perfection who continuing God became Man for the Salvation of Sinners was nam'd Christ Jesus and is the Soveraign Lord and King of all Souls O divin word which descended from Heaven to Earth to deliver me from sin and Satan be you my Lord by Election as you are by Creation and Redemption I freely give and bequeath my self to you for your perpetuall Bondslave Live O Jesu and reign in my Soul as you do in the whol extent of this large Universe Who was conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary I Believe that Gods Son that he might become Man did vouchsafe to unite to his divin Person a Rationall soul and a human body which the Holy Ghost miraculously form'd in the chast bowels of the blessed Virgin Mary and of her proper and pure blood so that he was truly conceiv'd in her and truly born by her without any prejudice to her Virginity O Jesu the lover of Purity who chose the chastest woman of the World for your Mother by the Immaculate Purity of your Conception and Nativitie give me the gift and grace of purity of Life and Conversation Suffered under Pontius Pilate was Crucify'd dead and buryed I Believe that the Son of God Incarnate endured very severe Torments in his humanity for the Worlds Redemption that he was adjudg'd to dy by the Prefident Pilate and that after his death he was buryed and laid in a Sepulchre O Jesu the Redeemer of my Soul your death is the only hope of my Life be you graciously pleas'd to apply to me one single drop of your sacred Bloud and I shall rest secure in this Life and be happy for all Eternitie He descended into Hell the third day he arose again from the Dead I Believe that in the death of my blessed Saviour his Soul was really seperated for a time from his Body to descend into that part of Hell which was call'd Limbus Patrum where all such souls as from the Worlds first beginning departed this life in a good estate were till then detaind I believe that he deliver'd them from that Dungeon and that upon the third day his Soul return'd to his buryed Body became reunited unto it and rays'd it up to Life and Immortality O most glorious Soul of Christ my Saviour which thus mercifully visited the Patriarchs lying in the sad Prison of Limbus vouchsafe to give me also a gracious vâ—sit that whil'st I live I may duly and devoutly love and honour you and when my Soul shall be call'd out of this imprisoning Body it may be rays'd up to Contemplate admire and prayse your greatness goodness and glorie for all Eternitie He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Allmightie I Believe that Jesus my Redeemer being by his own power resuscitated from death to life ascended up to Heaven by his own strength where he sits at the right hand of God his Father to whom he is every way equall as the chief of all the Blessed full of glory and felicity O Jesu my Redeemer how worthy are you thus to triumph to reign to be exalted above all creatures But O forget not in the state of your greatness the condition of your miserable Creature bought with the price of your precious Bloud O King of glory grant that all my thoughts words actions and desires may aym at nothing but your only honour From thence he shall come to judge the Quick and the Dead I Believe that Christ Jesus when he shall please to put a Period to time and all sublunary things will descend visibly from Heaven in his glorious Humanity to judg all Manking both the good and the bad and publickly to reward to punish every one according to their works Ah! just Judg of all consciences what shall I then do or what shall I answer when you shall question me concerning my whol lives transactions I believe in the Holy Ghost I Believe in the third person of the sacred Trinitie the Holy Ghost who joyntly proceeds both from the Father and from the Son and is to them equall in Greatness in Majestie in all things whatsoever O sacred Spirit the God of Infinit Love and Charity breath upon my flinty heart mollify it into meekness towards my Neighbour and melt it into the sweet affections of your pure and perfect Love I believe the Holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints I Believe the Catholick Church to be the only Church of Christ that it is holy universall apostolical and infallible in things appertaining to Faith and that in this Church there are found many pious Souls pleasing to the divin Majesty which mutually help each other by their prayers and good works O my Lord and my God! I render you most humble and hearty thanks for having made me a child and member of this holy Church in which I have so great hopes and so many helps to save my soul give me your grace good Jesu that I may improve this signall favour and persever in this saving Faith that from it I may pass to the clear vision of your prepared glory The Forgiveness of Sins I Believe that God is both able and willing to forgive me my Sins and that he hath left power in his Church to remit them be they never so heynous and enormous and this especially by the Priests absolution in the Sacrament of Penance O God of Infinit goodness and mercy let all Creatures Eternally prayse and magnifie your sacred Name for having given such power to men and such comfort to poor sinners The Resurrection of the Flesh I Believe that the very body in which my Soul now lives and breaths and all human bodyes though after death they are redâ—c'd into dust in their graves shall at the end of the World and at the great day of generall Judgment be rays'd to lâ—fe by Gods omnipotent command and his Angells ministry to be then rejoyn'd to their same souls and to live for evermore O Dread Soveraign in whose hands are life and death and to whose beck all things are obedient Ingrave deeply in my heart and soul the hope of a happy Resurrection that the horrour of this temporall dissolution and death of my body may not over-terrify and dismay me And life everlasting Amen I Believe that the good shall live in Heavenly glory for all Eternitie and that the wicked shall live eternally in infernall torments O good God! grant that I may so live in your grace during this my short Pilgrimage that I my live with you in glorie in your Eternall Paradise Amen §. 3. Of the Pater Noster or our Lords Prayer The second part of the Rosary THe Pater Noster is the Prayer which our Lord Jesus taught his disciples informing them from his own sacred mouth
him with a filiall reverence obedience confidence that we may here feel the effects of his Grace and hereafter enjoy the priviledges of his Glory §. 4. Of the Ave Marie Or Angelicall Salutation The third part of the Rosary THere is no question amongst all faithfull Christians but that the Pater and Ave are the two most excellent Prayers we have as S. Thomas largely proves and consequently that they are of greatest efficacy to obtain what we want and desire The one being deliver'd and dictated by the divin Mouth of Gods own Son our Redeemer Christ Jesus The other being pronounced by an Archangell sent Ambassador from the sacred Trinity to Her who was chosen out amongst all women to be the worthy Mother of the second divin Person the VVord Eternall And who can doubt but that God himself is also the Author of this Salutation and that he put this lesson into his Legats mouth whom surely he sent well instructed in all things which might concern his weighty Embassie Let us therefore briefly declare the use and scope of this short sweet and mysterious Salutation and Prayer and afterwards dilate it with Acts and Affections that it being so often to be repeated in the recitall of the Rosary may give more gust to their devotion who will sometimes take the time and leasure to ruminate upon it more diligently There is surely nothing more befitting a faithfull Christian than a frequent Reflexion upon his Redemption And since the Incarnation of Gods Son in the sacred Virgins womb is the chief Mystery thereof we must needs conclude That it is an office of Piety most gratefull to the divin Majesty to revolve often those very words whereby so great a Mystery so long expected so ardently desired so zealously begg'd by the holy people of all precedent ages was first announced to mankind especially it being directly intended as a thankfull dutifull commemoration of the signall benefit of our Redemption and our Saviours Incarnation The Ave Maria says our devout S. Bernard is of such power and excellency That it causes Heaven to smile the Angells to be glad the Devills to fly away and Hell to fear and tremble as often as it is reverently recited After whom said another of the B. Virgins Minions Alanus The Ave Mary is a prayer little in words but large in Mysteries it is short in discourse but sublime in sense and vertu it is sweet above hony and precious beyond the purest gold Listen says he with admiration to what I shall here tell O you true Lovers of Mary's name and honour All Heaven rejoyceth and the whol Earth is astonished when I say Ave Maria. Sathan avoyds and Hell trembles when I say Ave Maria. The world becomes contemptible and my heart melts into inward affections when I say Ave Maria. All fear is banished and the Flesh is conquered when I say Ave Maria. Devotion arises compunction encreases when I say Ave Maria. Faith is strengthned Hope redoubled Charity enflamed comfort renewed the Spirit recreated when I say Ave Maria. This Angelicall Salutation may be said to have three parts as it hath three Authors though all inspired from God the Prime Author and Origin thereof The First part Hail Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst women was delivered by the Angell Gabriel as it is recorded in the 2. chap. of St. Luke verse 28. The second part blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus was pronounced by St. Elizabeth the holy Baptists Mother Luke 2. vers 42. The third part Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death was added by the Catholick Church in the generall councill of Ephesus and recommended to the use of all Christians in opposition of Nestor and other hereticks who deny'd the blessed Virgin to be Gods Mother The first and second part of this Salutation were frequently made use of even from the first Infancie of Christianity as appears by the Liturgie of St. James receiv'd in the sixth generall Councill and the third part ever since the generall Council of Ephesus The affections contain'd in the Hail Mary or Angelicall Salutation 1. Of Congratulation Hail Mary 2. Of Exultation Full of Grace 3. Of Admiration our Lord is with thee 4. Of Benediction Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus Whereby we bless and prayse both the Mother and the Son we begg both their blessings and desire all creatures to bless prayse and honour them both 5. Of Invocation and Petition founded upon her Power she being Gods Mother Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us Sinners now and at the hour of our death An Explication of the Angelical Salutation Hail That is be you glad joyfull secure and happy in being made the prime Instrument of Gods providence and mercy in order to our Redemption and to the changing of our Mother Eves hereditary curse into a happy blessing for all succeeding generations Mary Is the proper name of the glorious Mother of Jesus signifying Lady and Star of the Sea Full of Grace As being full of God by her speciall priviledg of conceiving the Word Eternall and consequently full of all vertue goodness and perfection whatsoever Our Lord is with thee For God the Father in a most singular manner over-shaddowed her God the Holy Ghost most abundantly came upon her and God the Son most wonderfully became man within her The Father was with her as with his Daughter the Son was with her as with his Mother the Holy Ghost was with her as with his dearly beloved Spouse and choycest Tabernacle Blessed art thou amongst Women That is over above and beyond all women because a Mother and a Virgin the Mother of God which is above all other human Titles and yet a perpetuall Virgin a priviledg which never any other creature did or shall possess And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus Who remaining perfect god evermore blessâ—d in his divin Person became perfect man in her sacred womb to whom we give all possible prayse homage and gratitude for all that we have and are and especially for this his cloathing himself with our human nature in her whereby he truly becomes our Brother and provides her for our powerfull Mother Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death We make to her our humble addresses in all our pressing necessities that by Her we may receive what we want by whom we receiv'd the Author himself of all goodness An Exercise upon the Ave Mary dilated with Acts c. Hail Mary All Hail the most holy excellent and admirable of all pure creatures Princess of Heaven and Earth Queen of Men and Angells I desire now to salute you with the reverence of the Archangell Gabriel with the affection of St. Elizabeth with the devotion of the holy church and with all such honour
as is due to Gods sacred Mother I salute you admire you congratulate you O amiable Virgin-Mother Mary as the chief Instrument of our Redemption the prime Ornament of Paradise the singular Glory of human nature and the bright Star shining unto us by your exemplary Vertues and directing us by your powerfull assistance in this sea of miseries and place of Pilgrimage Full of Grace I salute you O most sacred pure and perfect Virgin-Mother as full of Grace from the first instant of your immaculate Conception full of Sanctity during the whol course of your unspotted life upon Earth full of glory in the happy state of your Eternity in Heaven O most Powerfull and most Compassionate Virgin-Mother out of this your plenitude of grace vertue sanctity and perfection impart what you see wanting to my poor needy and naked Soul Our Lord is with thee Our Lord God was is and will be evermore with you O Virgin-Mother and you are and allwayes shall be with him He was with you upon Earth in your womb in your arms at your breasts He is with you in Heaven by his beatifying presence he will be there still with you bestowing on you a continued Eternity of glory O most unspotted Temple of the sacred Trinity by this your perpetuall and perfect union with the Divinity obtain for me that I may pass on this my Pilgrimage in the dayly exercise and reflection upon the divin presence to the end I may with you be perpetually united to him hereafter in his happy Paradise Blessed art thou amongst women O Mary the only Mother amongst all Virgins O Mary the only Virgin amongst all Mothers you conceiv'd without Sin brought forth without sorrow liv'd without blemish and after your death were translated to Eternall glory without the least touch of corruption therefore blessed are you above all women who were totally exempted from the common curses of all other women You bore him in your womb who bears up the whol World you infolded him in your arms who encompasses the spacious frame of the vast Universe you nourish'd him with your breast-milk who gives Being life food to all Creatures Finally you were are Gods Mother in which miraculous word is included all the privileges perfections which can posibly befall a creature and therefore you are justly styl'd and shall be so esteem'd by all succeeding generations the most blessed of all womankind O blessed Mary the Paragon of all Mothers the Crown of all Virgins the Joy of all the Saints the best and most accomplish'd of all Gods Creatures by these and all other your numberless Benedictions avert from me those maledictions which I have deserv'dly incurr'd by my enormous sins and transgressions And blessed is the fruit of thy Womb Jesus O Jesu the sacred fruit of Maryes virginall body be your Name and Majesty eternally blessed by all creatures in Heaven and upon Earth Blessed be your divin Person which you thus vouchsaf'd to unite unto a human body and soul for the Worlds Salvation Blessed be your Will which was thus inflam'd with the love of lost Mankind Blessed be your Memory which mercifully reflected upon us miserable and caitiff creatures Blessed be your Understanding your Wisdom your Power your Providence and all your ineffable Attributes which found out such an efficacious way to win us to your self and wed us to your sweet affection and friendship O Amiable Jesu the Ornament of the Universe the Beauty of Heaven the Glory of Mankind Be you blessed in each member part and particle of your most pure immaculate virginall Body which you expos'd to such cruell torments for our Redemption By these and all other the infinit blessings which are in you and belong to you sweet Jesu bestow on me the blessing of your grace in this my lives Pilgrimage and of your glory in your Eternall Paradise Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death O blessed Mother of blessed Jesus despise not them for whom the dear Son of your womb disdain'd not to dy upon the Cross but in your tender pity and compassion succour the miserable encourage the weaklings comfort the afflicted and let all such feel the happy effects of your helping assistance as have recourse to your powerfull Prayers and Patronage We beseech you O gracious Mother by all the greatnesses which God hath given you by the glorious Name of Mary and Title of Gods Mother wherewith he hath honoured you by the singular love he bore you upon Earth and the supereminent glory wherewith he hath Crown'd you Queen of Heaven Pray now for us that we may pass on the short remainder of our lives Pilgrimage in his grace and favour and when Death shall summon us to depart out of this miserable World Then O then most charitable Mother chiefly assist encourage and strengthen us your poor children and conduct our Souls to the happy mansions which your divin Son our dear Redeemer hath before all time prepar'd for them in his Heavenly Kingdom wherewith you O most glorious Queen-Mother they shall see him enjoy him and be united to him for all Eternitie If we would thus devoutly reflect sometimes upon these or the like mysticall senses and rayse up our Souls to such like affections when we recite these divin forms of Prayer we should probably reap more Spirituall profit by their frequent repetition But we therefore take little or no gust in these and our other pious Exercises and make small progress in perfection because we commonly content our selvs with the bark and bare out-side of the words and seldom or never penetrate into their inward marrow sense and meaning §. 5. The manner how to recite the Rosary 1. IN the first place you are to settle your self reverently in the divin presence and seriously recollecting your senses to cast of all evagations of mind and extraversions which is the generall preparation to all Prayer 2ly To the end your understanding and will both which concur in all well-order'd Prayer and Meditation may be profitably employ'd you may please to remember these two Rules which were before intimated in the first book of this present Treatise § 8. The First Rule which concerns the action of your understanding is To represent before the Eyes of your Soul that mysterie whereon you are to meditate as even then acted in your presence As for Example The mysterie whereupon you intend to make your meditation is The Nativity of our Saviour Imagin your self standing in a privat corner of the poor Bethleem Stable beholding hearing and admiring all that there passed in that sacred night run over in your mind the condition of the place and the circumstances of the Persons and think what were their thoughts affections words actions above all consider who it was that appeared to the World in this mean equipage to wit the Son of God the King of Glory the Monark of the whol Universe
then ponder his love to mankind in generall and to your self in particular c. The second Rule which concerns the action of your will is That you pass speedily from speculative discourses to devout affections and self-reflections as for example had you been in the Bethleem stable aforesaid how diligently would you have employ'd your self in the service of little Jesus and his loving Mother How willingly would you have pick'd up sticks made a fire ayr'd his swaths and fetch'd or carryed whatsoever might have been usefull for their solace and succour c. Such like reflections will rayse enflam'd desires and firm resolutions in your soul of better loving and serving both the Son and Mother for the future and of suffering for his sake who suffered so much for yours c. And in some such manner you may conclude each mysterie by some particular resolution drawn from the subject of the meditation either of correcting such an imperfection or of exercising such a vertu and assure your self that if you presently apply your self to the practise of such well made resolutions humbly imploring the divin assistance therein by the blessed Virgins Intercession you shall find it a most speedy and efficacious means to the amendment of your life the extirpation of vice the implanting of vertu and finally much conducing to your generall advancement in all sorts of spirituall Perfections 3 You may also represent to your self the sacred Virgin Sometimes as sitting or kneeling in her silent and solitary retreat and attentively listning to the Angell Gabriels Salutation and Embassy Other times as infolding gently her sweet Infant Jesus in her sacred arms imbracing him tenderly in her bosom suckling him lovingly at her breasts watching him carefully with her eyes cherishing him affectionatly with her kisses contemplating him devoutly with her heart Other times as painfully wayting on him from place to place in the time of his Passion sorrowfully standing by him at the foot of his Cross cheerfully rejoycing with him at his Resurrection Other times as gloriously reigning in Heaven mercifully vouchsafing to hearken to our prayers and piously presenting them to her Son Or otherwise according to the severall mysteries and sutably to each ones gust and devotion 4. You are also here to be exhorted to propose to your self the cause whether common or particular which moves you now to the recitall of the Rosary as for example I intend now to prayse my Lord God for the benefit of my Creation Redemption Vocation c. Or In the honour of my Saviours sacred Nativity bitter Passion glorious Resurrection admirable Ascention c. Or In the honour of the blessed Virgins Annunciation Visitation Assumption Coronation c. Or I intend to render thanks to my Creator for such a particular favour as for mine own or my friends Conversion delivery from danger c. Or any other privat or publick benefit Or I intend to implore the divin assistance for the overcoming of such a Temptation extirpating such a vice obtaining such a vertu Or For a good success in such an affair Or that I may make a happy progress in my Studies c. Consider therefore briefly at the beginning of your prayers what it is that you chiefly intend and if it be any temporall or worldly benefit which you desire to obtain be sure you demand it not absolutely but only conditionally as thus If it please the divin Majesty and that it is for my good and his glory I humbly beg a happy end of such a Law-sute success in such a journey prosperity in such an undertaking c. 5. Then taking your Bedes in hand or having this your Book open before you begin your Rosary with the sign of the Cross saying In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen 6. Then adding this Preparatorie Prayer of the Church Aperi Domine os meum ctc. O Lord Open my mouth to bless your holy name purge my heart from all vain wicked and wandring thoughts enlighten my understanding and inflame my affections that reciting this Rosary with due reverence attention and devotion I may be graciously heard by your divin Majesty through the merits of your Son our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus 7. Then making a Profession of your Faith with heart and mouth say I believe in God the Farher Almightie Creator of Heaven and Earth c. 8. After your Creed recite thrice your Hail Mary upon the three grains which are commonly plac'd at the head of your Rosary saluting the blessed Virgin in honour of her three singular Prerogatives Of being 1. The Daughter of the Eternall Father 2. The Mother of the Eternall Son 3. The Spouse of the Holy Ghost 9. Then Reflecting upon the first mysterie say our Father and ten Hail Maries and so pass on to the second and the rest of the Decades according to the order hereafter described and in the end of every Decade you are to say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be World without end Amen Then recite these verses devoutly These Prayers Angelical with bended knee We offer holy Virgin up to thee Steer us a prosperous course while here we tarry And in deaths Pangs assist us blessed Mary Remember Virgin that no age hath known Any by thee deserted that has flown To thy Protection or implor'd thy Ayd By which encouragement most sacred Mayd Mother of Virgins I to thee repayre And for thy help address my humble prayer Mother of God! desert me not but hear And listen to me with a gracious eare 10. And having compleated the Recitall of your Rosary conclude with the repeated Creed and sign of the Cross so ending where you began which is both the ancient and a most laudable custom After all add this Prayer of the Church to obtain the remission of all the negligences committed in your Prayers Sacrosanctae Individuae Trinitaeti c. To the sacred and undivided Trinitie to the blessed Humanitie of our crucify'd Lord Jesus to the fruitfull integrity of the most glorious Virgin Mary and to all the Saints universally be ascribed all prayse honour and glory from all creatures for evermore and to us be granted by Gods Mercy the Remission of all our Sins And likewise ever blessed be the Bowels of the Virgin Mary which bore the Eternall Fathers Son and blessed be the Breasts which suckled Christ our Lord Amen §. 6. Of the fifteen Mysteries in generall The fourth part of the Rosarie THe devout Rosarist is here to be remembred of what was briefly related in the first book § 7. that whilst his mouth is employ'd in the due pronunciation of the aforesaid prayers his mind is to be embusied in the serious contemplation of certain divin mysteries which are fitly reduced to the number of Fifteen answering to the fifteen Decades or Tens of the sacred Rosary
At his conducting the souls of the saints with him into heaven ACcording to that passage of the Psalmist He ascending on high led captivity captive which S. Thomas understands of the Patriarâ—…â—…ee'd from the captivity of Limbus Hail Mary 8. At his opening Heaven gates for our entrance ANd preparing places against our coming as himself said I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may also be So that Christs Ascension say's S. Leo is our Promotion and whither the glory of the head is gon before the hope of the body is call'd to follow after Hail Mary 9. At his being appointed the Advocate of Mankind WE have say's S. John an Advocate with God the Father Christ Jesus the Just and he is the propitiation for our sins Hail Mary 10. At the great Fruit and Profit redounding to us by his Ascension FOR as S. Thomas proves the withdrawing of his corporall presence increases our Faith elevates our Hope inflames our Charity and therefore He himself said It is expedient for you that I go Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions O My glorious Lord Jesu It is just that you should Ascend to the Highest Heaven who descended to the center of the earth And that you should be exalted above all Angells since you humbled your self under all men O my Soul design'd for an Eternity where wilt thou ground thy feet that thou mayst securely take thy flight towards Heaven thy happy home the finall end of thy Pilgrimage and the only aim of all thy endeavours Look upon Christ thy Captain and learn by his most perfect example to ground thy self in Humility and to content thy self with crosses contempt and poverty which were his three individuall companions during the whol time of his earthly Pilgrimage O Jesu the amiable Object of all my affections And who should be the absolute pattern of all my actions I am resolv'd to leave all for the love of you and to forsake all that I may freely follow you For alas what are all worldly pleasures greatnesses and glories or what sweet Object can the whol Universe shew my eyes which can fully satisfie my heart And ha why then should I any longer miserable and ill advised wretch that I am let my self be surpriz'd with the false lustre of earthly vanities why should I fix my love upon fond toyes and trifles which only fool my senses but fill not my soul No my soul let 's now at last leave the Earth and look up to Heaven Thither Christ is ascended There our Treasure is plac'd and let our affection be there also fixed and O what shall hinder us a moment of brutish pleasure a grain of self-interest a sparkle of soon fading glory O meer Nothings and less than Nothings No my good Jesu I feel my self by the secret impulse of your inacting grace in my spirit so forcibly mov'd to sent you to obey you and to bestow on you the whol remainder of my life and love that if it should hereafter happen and ah my frailtie how can I trust thee which hast so often betray'd my best intentions and broken my strongest resolutions If therefore it shall fall out that my eyes or any respect of this Worlds most pleasing Objects hinder me from seeing your beauty contemplating your bounty and reflecting upon your mercy Tear them out of my head that I may behold you with my spiritual Eyes O Iesu the true light of my soul without disturbance or distraction If my right hand or any thing I possess or which is as near to my heart as my arm is to my hand becomes the occasion of my offending you hinders me from fast holding you diverts me from serving you diligently devoutly and according to my obligation and duty Cut it off O Jesu my soveraign Good my sole Riches and Treasure that I may clip you embrace you and be inseparably united to you with all the affections of my soul If my very heart it self or that which is nearer and dearer to me than this fountain of Life hinders me from bequeathing my self entirely to you from purely seeking you from perfectly loving you pluck it out of my breast O Jesu the only beloved of my Soul that henceforth I may have no thought but of you no will but yours no affection but for you no life but in you So shall I want neither eyes nor hands nor heart living thus spiritually during this my Pilgrimage in the heart of Jesus which is my seat my Sun my center my all till I become happily translated to live with him and be more perfectly united to him in his eternall Paradise The third glorious Mysterie Sends down Our blessed Saviour sends down the Holy Ghost to his Church Acts 2. Our Lord to his Apostles joyn'd in Quite Sends down the Holy Ghost in tongues of fire Our Father c. The glorious Virgin-Mother exceedingly rejoyc'd 1. At the miraculous manner of the Holy Ghosts coming FOr the Disciples returning back from Mount Olivet where our Saviour ascended to Jerusalem went into the same upper Room in which he had celebrated his last supper continuing there unanimously in prayer with Mary the Mother of Iesus and many other devout men and women untill the tenth day when sodainly about the third hour of the morning there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filling the whol house as it were with fire which dividing it self into severall parts resembling cloven tongues setled upon each ones head and replenish'd their hearts with the Holy Ghost Hail Mary 2. At the fullfilling of Christs promises FOr he had told them if I depart from you the Holy Ghost shall descend unto you he shall teach you all truth and inform you of what is to come hereafter all which was now fully accomplish'd Hail Mary 3. At the multiplication of tongues or speaking of all languages WHereby the blessed Virgin clearly saw that the Apostles were not only design'd to preach the faith of her Son Christ Jesus to the whol World but joyfully perceiv'd they were also indu'd with all such perfections as were necessary in order to the effecting so great a work Hail Mary 4. At the Apostles confirmation in grace and goodness FOr the sacred Virgin who had sadly seen their former frailty and the feebleness of their Faith knew to her great content that they were now so strengthened with Gods holy Spirit as they were out of all danger for the future both of falling into infidelity and also of sinning mortally Hail Mary 5. At the Apostles patience courage and constancy in their persecutions FOr they who were lately so fearfull are now so cheerfull in their sufferings that they esteem it a speciall honour to indure shame for the holy name of Jesus Hail Mary 6. At the confutation of the Iew 's and Infidels
Citizens WHo can conceive say's S. Hierom how gloriously the world's Queen this day appeared with what affection the celestiall legions met her with what melodious Canticles she was conducted to her throne of glory with what an amiable and pleasing countenance her dear Son receiv'd her into his divin embraces and plac'd her above all other creatures c. Hail Mary 8. At her being exalted above all the Angelicall Orders and Hierarchies ACcording as the Church sings in her prayses You O sacred mother of God! are exalted above all the Quireâ— of Angells c. Hail Mary 9. At her being placed on her Sons right hand FOr as S. Hierom says we may piously believe that our Saviour seated her next to himself in the throne of his glorious Humanity How els had he accomplish'd what himself commanded Honour thy Father and Mother Hail Mary 10. At her being appointed the powerfull Advocatrix of mankind WE have Her to plead for us says S. Bernard who can suffer no repulse because she found grace with God Let us therefore seek Grace from the Fountain of Grace by the Finder of Grace and whatsoever we offer to the divin Majesty Let us commend it to Mary that so all may return to the Author of Grace by the same channell whereby it ran unto us Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. These prayers Angelicall c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Sacred Virgin-Mother your Deifi'd Soul is not forc'd out of your dying Body by the violence of pains but sweetly leaves it in an extasie of love O how welcom how amiable how desirable is death to a Soul that is well setled in the fear of God and fully confirm'd in the divin love and favour And how easily is that thing quitted without any affliction which is possess'd without overmuch affection Thrice happy he who so prudently regulates the use of life as to be always prepar'd to yeild it up to Death Happy he who patiently cheerfully resignedly endures the inconveniences of this soon-passing Pilgrimage in hope of a never-ending felicity in the heavenly Paradise Happy he who willingly deprives himself of this worlds most pleasing contentments upon confidence of laying up therby more solid pleasures in the Magazin of Eternity O glorious Virgin who have left me so perfect a Pattern of living vertuously and of dying happily Assist me I beseech you both in the one and the other I humbly acknowledg to my own great shame and sorrow that my life hath been hitherto far wide from the Imitation of your holy example But O pious Mother passing by my former indignity and pittying my present necessity take my perishing cause into your maternall consideration strengthen my Resolution of living vertuously for the future and assist me in that dreadfull hour of my deaths agony O let your Prayers patronage and protection then fortifie my Faith in its apprehension of the approaching Eternity Encourage my Hope in its consideration of the severe Judgment then near at hand and inflame my Charity in its last tendency to the long desired object of my Soul I now contemplate you great Empress seated there above in a throne of Majesty and satiated with the fulness of glory and felicity And I also consider you the still compassionate Mother the powerfull Mediatrix the pious Advocatrix of poor Mankind Wherefore I humbly begg for the love of your holy Son JESUS and by all that is dear to you in Heaven and Earth leave me not in that last hour but cast then your Eyes of mercy and favour upon me so shall I not doubt to be translated from a temporall death to an Eternall life and to remain perpetually with you in the perfect enjoyment of that fountain of life and love to which you are happily assumpted The fifth Glorious Mysterie Is Crown'd THE Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in Heaven The blest Promotress of all Chast desires Is Crowned Queen of th'Celestiall Quires Our Father c. THE Blessed Virgin Mothers Soul was fill'd with inexplicable joy 1. At her being seated upon a Royall throne in the celestiall glory WHere says S. Hierom the Immaculat Virgin-Mother was triumphantly plac'd next to her glorious Son Jesus in the celestiall Palace A Throne of Kingly glory says S. Augustin is prepar'd for you O great Queen-Mother in the Court of the heavenly Kingdom Hail Mary 2. At her being cloathed with Royall Garments ACcording to that saying of the Psalmist The Queen stood on thy right hand in a vesture of gold wrought about with divers colours Whereupon Saint Bernard extasiedly exclaims Gods Mother the worlds Lady Heavens Queen is elevated to the Eternall Fathers Throne and seated next to the sacred Trinity Where she stands on the Kings right hand in a golden garment To wit a body most pure and unspotted encompassed with variety that is a Soul enamell'd with all sorts of vertues Hail Mary 3. At her being adorn'd with Royall Iewells Ear-rings and Bracelets TO wit the Plenitud of all Prudence Science and Intelligence in her Soul and of Clarity Subtility Impassibility in her Body Hail Mary 4. At her being honor'd with a Royall Ring TO wit In her Soul which was the singular Spouse of the Eternall King a singular Joy Glory and felicity And in her Body which was singularly Instrumentall in the Eternall Words Incarnation a singular beauty Hail Mary 5. At her being grac'd with a Royall Scepter TO wit in her Soul by a speciall Power which was given her in Heaven and Earth and in her Body by a speciall prerogative of glory Hail Mary 6 At her being deck'd with a royall crown TO wit first with a generall Crown which is the substantiall and essentiall reward of Eternall glory and Beatitude consisting in the clear vision the perpetuall Fruition and the perfect possession of the Divinity This Crown corresponds to the three-fold Theologicall vertues in the Soul To Faith succeeds vision To Charity Fruition To Hope Possession Now as the sacred Virgin excells here all others in these vertues so her Crown out-shines there all others in Glory Hail Mary 7. At her being crown'd with the silver Aureola of Virgins FOr she being the Immaculat Mother of God and the unspotted Queen of all Virgins having none like her in the first nor any to parallell her in the Second is adorn'd with a Crown as far surpassing the Aureola's of other virgins as the Suns brightness excells that of the lesser Starrs Hail Mary 8. At her being crown'd with the golden Aureola of Martyrs FOr as She endured more than all Martyrs when the sword of sorrow pierc'd her heart at the time of her Sons Passion so she deserv'd a Crown above all Martyrs correspondent to her sufferings Hail Mary 9. At her being crown'd with the Starrie Aureola of Doctors FOr they who instruct others to Justice says the Prophet Daniel shall shine as Stars in perpetuall Eternity Now the sacred Virgin was the Teacher and
Instructer of the Apostles and therefore is described by S. John in his Revelations with a Crown of twelve Starrs upon her head Hail Mary 10. At her being crown'd with the verdant and perpetually florishing Aureola of Innocency Purity FOr as she was of such extraordinary Purity that under God-man a greater cannot be conceiv'd says Saint Anselm And of such unimitable Innocency that from the first instant of her Conception to the last moment of her life She preserv'd it absolutely entire without the least spot or blemish so She enjoyes a Crown of extraordinary Clarity far above all others the same God-man only excepted Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. Affections Elevations Petitions O King of Glory How great is your bounty and how excessive is your liberality You confer upon men whol Torrents of pleasurs and full Oceans of delights for their Cups of cold water given for your sake You bestow on thē magnificent Crowns and blessed Kingdoms for their morsells of bread bestow'd upon their necessitous brethren And shall we question whether your own dear Mother whose pure Blood gave your Body its Being in whose chast entralls you so long lodged upon whose Breast-milk you so sweetly fed is now highly rewarded by you in heaven She cloath'd you O word Eternall and Incarnate with the robes of her Humanity and can we doubt but that you have vested her with the light of your Heavenly glory and crown'd her with the glittering Jewells of Wisdom Power Dominion and whatsoever may beseem the Soveraign Empress of Men and Angells O Virgin O Mother How great is your Glory How singular your Honor How Eminent your Dignity Since you are the Mother of Grace which is God himself you are seated on the right hand of God himself in his Glory Since you have the advantagious quality above all creatures of being Gods Mother you surely have an advantagious Crown above all Creatures which constitutes you Queen of Heaven For to what Woman besides your happyest self Or to which of the Angells howsoever high holy and perfect did euer God say you are my Mother you begot me bore me brought me forth O Mother of God! O Title of Titles O words few in number but full of numberless Mysteries and miracles O Quality containing all the Abyssall perfections which can possibly fall within the compass of Mens and Angells Imagination thinking upon a pure creature Mother of God! Be you praysed honoured and admired next to your Son Jesus by all Creatures in Heaven and Earth for evermore You have sufficiently shew'd me O sacred Mother by your divin example the ready way to reall glory and happiness Which is To prefer Gods honour love and service before all things els whatsoever But alas How Poorly have I hitherto practis'd your instructions and how ill have I imitated your examples Your continuall Exercise was to magnifie the Divin Majesty with heart and mouth and therefore you have deserv'd to be blessed prays'd and proclaim'd happie by all succeeding generations because the Almighty wrought great things in you placing you upon the worlds Theater as the Prime work of his hands and the most accomplish'd pattern of all created perfections But I on the contrary have made small account of God and his service and how then can I expect to obtain the blessing of him others or hope he should effect great things in me by me for me Yet if he and all others call me not blessed in the last great Judgment day I must remain accursed for all Eternity And if he work not great things in me what can all other things avail me in order to my happiness Ha! How long then shall my affection be fastned to falshoods follies vanities How long shall my soul be enslav'd to these sordid passions and to the base customs of my corrupted nature which are repugnant to Reason contrary to my Creators Law opposite to his profer'd grace destructive of my expected glory O my Lord and my God! I will no longer forget you I will even now begin to praise you with heart and mouth in all before all above all your only love honour and service shall be the first in my esteem the first in my affections the first in my actions For alas what els have I to esteem desire love in Heaven and Earth but you the God of my heart my soveraign good my All for time and Eternity And thou my poor Soul Take courage Eternity draws on Thy glorious Mother with millions of blessed Saints and Angells more beautifull than so many Suns in the mid-day of their brightness invites thee to be with her satiated with her Sons amiable countenance and absorp'd in the boundless Sea of his beatifying delights Thy beloved Lord himself expects thee with a Crown of evelasting rewards in his right hand and with these sweetly alluring words in his sacred mouth Come my Love my Dove my Fair one come thou shalt be crown'd for having serv'd me faithfully lov'd me fervently suffer'd for me freely and accomplish'd my will fully Live henceforth with me eternally in Satiety and security THE FIRST APPENDIX JESVS Or the Confraternity of the most sacred Name of JESUS With Elevations sutable thereunto IN so much as there is a certain pious Fraternity of the most holy Name of Jesus which had its first rise and origin from that of the sacred Rosary Et ex illa tanquam ex Matre filia prognata sit being as it were the Daughter of that Mother and to which it is so firmly fastned and so neerly allied as that generally in Catholique Countreys all they who are children of the Blessed Mothers Rosary are also thus Members of the Son's Society It will not be amiss after this large Declaration of the Rosary to annect a brief description of this Confraternity that so nothing may be wanting which may conduce to the devotion of faithfull Christians and enrich them with spirituall Benefits This pious Confraternity of the sacred Name of Jesus was begun in Italy by Didacus a Victoria a Doctor of Divinity and devout Preacher of S. Dominicks order in the year 1564. and soon after promulgated throughout Spain by Joannes Micon who was another learned Doctor and zealous Preacher of the same Order the Disciple of that Blessed and famous man Ludovicus Bertrandus The Reason and End of the Institution thereof was to extirpate that execrable and then Customary vice of Swearing by Gods holy Name and blaspheming the divin Majesty The Rules of this Confraternity are these 1. They who desire to be of it are either to have their Names enrolled into a Book provided for that purpose as it is said of the Rosary or to be admitted into this Confraternity by such as have power from the Superiors of Saint Dominick's Order by some other legall lawfull and formall way 2. Upon the day of our Redeemers Circumcision which
favour in the world which makes me in the Order of Grace not only existent by you but existent in you So that by this manner of Grace proper to this Mystery and springing from it in the honour and Imitation of your Eternall Procession I am not only yours not only by you but I am in you I live in you I make a part of you I am bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh let me be then also spirit of your Spirit let me live by your life let me participate of the Interiour of the Grace of the Estate of the Spirit of your Mysteries let me appropriate my self to you let me appropriate them to my self let me appropriate my self to your Greatnesses and to your debasings your Cross and your Glory your Life and your Death 9. The Perfection of a Christian requires that Jesus live in him and that he imprint in his Soul the Spirit and life of his estates and Mysteries 'T Is my desire and my hope but it surpasseth my power and therfore I expect it from the new Grace of the new Man For this Grace joyns me to him and placeth me in a condition not only to work but further to receive and bear his sacred and divin Operations yea and tends to a more strict and inward Communication For this new Grace issuing out of the Incarnation and resembling its own originall and Prototypon tends to this that I be in Jesus and that Jesus be in me as he is in his Father and his Father is in him Be then in me O Jesu live in me work in me form and figure in me your Estates and your Mysteries your actions and your sufferings And as the Father expresseth and impresseth in you his substance as in his divin Character so imprint in my soul and in my life your inward and outward Conversation and make me a lively character bearing the impression of your Spirit of your estates of your holy and wholsom operations You are the Image of God make me the perfect picture of your self make me like to your self conforming me to your Mysteries as you have been pleasd to make your self like me conforming your self to my miseries and let me carry the effects and lineaments of your Grace and of your Glory of your Power and of your life which you led upon earth Let your Birth make me be new-born born Let your Infancy put me in the state of Innocency Let your flight into Egypt make me fly the world and sin let your Servitude render me your slave let your bonds unfetter me and infranchise me from my sins from my passions and from my self Let your hidden and unknown life hide me from the world and from vanity let your solitude entertain me let your temptations strengthen me let your labours solace me let your griefs cure me let your Agonyes comfort me and let your death make me live and be new-born in Eternity 10. The Principall Mysteries of Jesus apply'd to our sanctification And his qualities and offices referr'd to our use LEt me thus enter Commerce and communication with you O my Life and my Love O my God and my All Let the course and the Moments the Periods and the Estates of your Life upon earth be thus apply'd and appropriated to me and let your Qualities and Offices thus work in me and imprint in me their comfortable efforts You are the uncreated Wisdom I will adhere to your Maxims and follow your conduct you are the Doctor of Justice I will enter into your School and Disciplin you are the Holy and Health-bringer of God in you will I have Grace and Salvation you are the live I will live in you you are the way I will walk by you you are the God of Heaven and of Earth I will be yours 11. By how many titles we belong to Jesus and Jesus to us I Know I am yours and that by many titles For I am yours by your Greatness your Powerfulness your Priviledges I am yours by your Dignities your Merits your Benefits I am yours by the gift of your Father who gives me unto you in giving the whol Earths circumference to you I am yours by your own gift whereby you give your self to your Father for me And you are mine for your Father gives you to the world in the excess of his love and you are your Fathers gift you are Gods gift in divers and sundry significations And 't is your own self which thus qualifies your self telling the Samaritan woman Didst thou know Gods gift and who he is that talks wtth thee This was your discourse of your self to this poor stranger whom you happily made a Domestique of your Faith and of your word and vouchsaf'd your self to Catechize so familiarly 12. Jesus is Gods Gift unto us and what this Gift demands of us with an Explication of Christian Grace WHerefore being taught by your sacred mouth that this quality of being Gods Gift is proper unto you I adore you I behold you I receive you in this quality As by this you are mine I will be yours Nor shall it suffice me to be yours by your self and by your Father I will be yours by my self also and by choise of my own Free-will I give my self then to you O Jesu my Lord I give to you my self with my whol power and according to the full extent of your own power and will over me I give my self to the Grace of your Mysterie of the Incarnation Grace which tyes me unto you in a new manner Grace which separates me from my self unites and incorporates me in you Grace which makes me yours in so noble so intimate and so powerfull a fashion and renders me yours as a parcell of your self Grace of life and of death both together Grace of annihilating and also of establishing In the strength and vertue of this Grace which hath its origin in you and in your new estate of God-Man I annihilate my self in my own self to be in you and I will carry within my Soul a death to all things that I may live in you And I will that my Being be reduced to be nothing els than a pure Capacity of you fill'd up with you 13. This Christian Grace is form'd upon the Mysterie of the Incarnation which is its Modell And requires of us a particular manner of Oblation and Donation to Jesus ACcording to the Power efficacy of this Grace which is peculiar to your Mysterie of the Incarnation and which is form'd upon it as upon its Copy I bequeath my self to you O Jesu my Lord I give you my Being my life and my love I give you my time and my Eternity I give you my Body and my Soul I give you my senses and powers I render my self slave to your Greatnesses to your Cross and to you love I put into your hands the last hour of my life which is the decider of my Eternity I offer my self to you I
Soveraign Lady Queen of Heaven and Earth that you thus vouchsafe to give a visit to your unworthy Bondslave Bestow on me your Blessing O my Lady and permit me not to go into darkness whom you have been graciously pleas'd to visit with the light of your glorious presence Then turning towards the by-standers The Queen of the World was here says he the Mother of the Eternall Monark was present She hath shew'd me the gladness of her countenance given me her holy blessing and is hence returned into heaven And soon after his departing Soul followed his sacred Mistress leaving a most lively and memorable example to excite posteritie to the like pietie and devotion 3. Whereupon this Devotion of the Bondage is grounded THis Devotion of Bondage is chiefly grounded upon that most heroique Act of Humilitie which the sacred Virgin produc'd at the time of our Saviours Incarnation when being declar'd Gods Mother by the Angelicall Messenger she answer'd Behold the Handmaid of ovr Lord Luk 1. 38. Wherby she depressing her self into the center of her own nothing chose undoubtedly the meanest degree of servitude and Bondage to the divin Majestie upon contemplation that his Infinit Greatness should so humble it self as to become Man in her womb for the worlds Redemption And surely if we will only put together the severall sentences of sacred Writ which expresly concern her we shall find that she made up the Chain of her Bondage with the links of twelve most excellent vertues 1. Virginall MODESTY She was troubled at the Angells words Luk 1.29 2. Mature PRUDENCE She cast in her mind what manner of Salutation this should be Luk 1.29 3. BASHFULL TIMEROUSNES Fear not MARY for thou hast found grace with God Luk 1.30 4. Immaculate CHASTITY How shall this be seeing I know not man Luk 1.34 5. Profound HUMILITIE Behold the Handmaid of our Lord. Luk 1.38 6. Perfect OBEDIENCE Be it don to me according to thy word Luk 1.38 7. Firm FAITH Blessed art thou who hast believed Luk 1.45 8. Gratefull THANKSGIVING My Soul doth Magnify our Lord. Luk 1.46 9. True POVERTY She wrapp'd the Infant in swadling cloaths and layd him in a manger Luk 2.7 10. Invincible PATIENCE Thy Father and I grieving have sought thee Luk 1.48 11. Charitable PIETIE Son they have no Wine John 2.3 12. Perseverant CONSTANCY Near to the Cross of Jesus stood his Mother John 19.25 In imitation therfore of these her holy vertues and especially of that high Act of Humility as is aforesaid by which she rendring her self Gods Bondslave was rais'd to be his Mother for no sooner had She finish'd that humble speech Behold the Handmaid of our Lord be it unto me according to thy saying but the Word was made Flesh and dwelt in her sacred bowells As also in consideration of the Soveraign Dominion which God hath given her in Heaven over the Angells The Queen stood at thy right hand Psal 44. on Earth over men Kings reign by me c. Prov. 18. And thou alone hast overcome all heresies in the whol world sings the Church And over Hell and the Devill She shall bruise thy head Gen. 3. And Lastly in remembrance that Christ Jesus our Redeemer was himself subject and obedient unto her Luc. 3.51 In Imitation Consideration and Memorie of these things I say this holy manner of honouring the most sacred Virgin was as you have briefly heard invented above six hundred years since by divin inspiration as we may piously believe and is much practis'd amongst the devouter sort of Christians throughout the world even at this day 4. The Rules of this Devotion of the Bondage 1. IN sign of the Invisible and spirituall Chain which links our sincere affection to the sacred Virgin and moves us to become her servants and Bondslaves we must wear some little materiall Chain or manacle of Iron about our middle neck or armes 2. We are to have the Chain we intend to wear bless'd by some Priest in this following manner The Blessing of the Chaines Vers ADjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini Resp Qui fecit coelum terram Vers Sit Nomen Domini Benedictum Resp Ex hoc nunc usque in saeculum Vers Domine exaudi orationem meamâ— Resp Et clamor meus ad te veniat Vers Dominus vobisâ—um Resp Et cum Spiritu tuo OREMUS OMnipotens sempiterne Deus qui vincula peccatorum nostrorum disrumpis ut libertate Filiorum gaudere valeamus qui ad vincula salutis hominem advocas dicens Injice pedem tuum in compedes illius ne acedier is vinculis ejus Haec vincula quae in signum perpetuae servitutis ad honorem Beatae Virginis servi ejus deferre intendunt Bene †dicere Sancti †ficare digneris Et concede eis sic devotè illa gerere ut vivendo candore castitatis illustrentur ac moriendo a vinculis peccatorum absoluti intercessione ejusdem sanctissimae Matris Mariae tecum cum illa in regno gloriae congaudere valeant sine fine Qui vivis regnas in saecula saeculorum Amen Then he sprinkles the chains with holy water saying †In nomine Patris Filii †Spiritus Sancti Amen 3. We may do well to make choyce of some day dedicated to the Virgins honour for the entring into this Bondage and putting on of this Chain to make our Profession more memorable and solemn Note that the most proper and principall Feasts of this Bondage are the Annunciation and the Assumption The first being the Origin thereof grounded upon those words of the sacred Virgin to the Angell Behold the Handmaid of our Lord And the second being her taking possession of that soveraign Dominion next after God whereupon the whol duty of this devout servitude depends In these days therfore we are more particularly and zealously to offer up our devotions in thanksgiving to the Divin Majâ—stie for the supream excellencies bestow'd upon the glorious Virgin and to renew the profession of our Bondage by the recitall of the Prayer and Oblation made at our first entrance into it as it shall be hereafter set down 4. We should also prepare our selv's before hand by some particular Devotion as Fasting Mortification Meditation Almes-deeds Confession Communion to render the Profession of our Bondage more efficacious and meritorious 5. Then at the time appointed we are to kneel down reverently before some Altar or Image of our Blessed Lady and make an Oblation of our selv's unto her in mannner following The Prayer and Oblation of our selv's in Bondage to the Blessed Virgin O Blessed Mary Mother of God Queen of Heaven and Empress of the whol universe Behold I N. N. a most unworthy wretch humbly prostrate before the Throne of your Mercy and Goodness heartily Congratulating your glory greatness and faithfully acknowledging your soveraign Power Dominion next after God over my self and all Creatures Do here make a voluntarie absolute and irrevocable
name of JESUS 6. He nourish'd fed and maintain'd Him with the sweat of his brows and labour of his hands who affords food and sustenance to all living Creatures And cloathed him who furnished the Lillyes Roses and flowers of the Field with all their beautifull Robes and Ornaments 7. He was in some sort the saver of his Saviour by sheltring little Jesus from Herods rage and crueltie and stepping aside with him into Egypt whilst the Innocents bought the palm of Martyrdom with the price of their blood 8. He commanded him who commands all earthly Princes and Monarchs and had him obedient to the beck of his hand to the nod of his head to the twinkle of his eye and to the sound of his voyce before whom the Powers of Heaven fall down and tremble O the admirable power of S. Joseph O the adorable subjection of Jesus O the sublimâ—tie of Joseph to command Jesus O the Humility of Jesus to obey Joseph 9. He possessed and practis'd all vertues in their perfection especially Humility as being to passe the remainder of his days in her company who being the greatest was the most humble of all pure creatures And in his companie who being the Son of the most high made himself the least and lowest amongst the Sons of men Nor can S. Josephs vertues perfections and Greatnesses be comprehended and measur'd by any better means than by the greatnesses of Jesus and Mary to whom he was so strictly allied For he wâ—… Mary's true Husband and consequently the true and legall though not the carnall and naturall Father oâ— Jesus O what Communications oâ— affections what extasies of spirit what unions of hearts was there amongst these Three JESUS MARIA JOSEPH Now since God give grace proportionable to each one place vocation and office surely a S. Joseph's Office was exceeding great so was his grace vertu and perfection great excellent and heroique 10. He was as the Fathers pioufly and probably believe elevated to Heaven both in Body and Soul upon the day of his glorious Sons triumphanâ— Ascension and remains there inthron'd next to the Humanity of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in the Celestiall Kingdom as he was neerest and dearest unto them during the time oâ— their earthly Pilgrimage 11. He is the faithfull powerfull and charitable Protector and Advocate of his devout children and clients in the Court of Heaven as having so great credit with his Son King Jesus and his Spouse Queen Mary that his demands may seem in some sort to be commands and his Petitions being presented to the Throne of Mercy with a Fathers confidence and authority will not easily be rejected by Jesus in Heaven who was so obedient to Joseph upon Earth 12. He is the chief Patron of all Contemplatives and the Great Master Guide and Director of the Interiour hidden and Spirituall life S. Teresa happily experienc'd this verity and frequently expressed it saying They that cannot meet with a Master to instruct them in the manner of their Prayer Let them take the Glorious Saint Joseph for their Teacher and Tutor and they shall infallibly find the safe and secure way to solid Sanctity and perfection A SHORT ROSARY IN THE HONOR OF S. JOSEPH CONTAINING The principall Mysteries of his Life drawn out of the precedent Excellencies and distinguished into Five Tens or Decades Begin also this Rosary with the sign of the Cross and the Creed The first Decade Of his Election SAint JOSEPH was chosen in the Councill of Gods Eternall Wisdom and Providence to be the worthy Bridegroom of Mary and the â—…puted Father of JESUS Our Father c. 1. He was the highest and holiest of the Patriarchs Hail Mary 2. He descended from the Royall Progenie of David Hail Mary 3. He was particuarly prefigur'd by Joseph the deliverer of Egypt Hail Mary 4. He was sanctifi'd in his Mothers â—omb Hail Mary 5. He was confirm'd in Grace and Vertu Hail Mary 6. He was a Just man by the testimony of the Holy Gospell Hail Mary 7. He was instructed from Heaven in the Mystery of Incarnation Hail Mary 8. He was indu'd with the plenty of all spirituall blessings Hail Mary 9. He was enriched with gifts and qualities both naturall and supernaturall sutable to the sacred charge for which he was design'd Hail Mary 10. He was the first after the Virgin-Mother who by Vow consecrated his Virginity to the Divin Majesty Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. As in the Great Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Second Decade Of his place office and dignity SAint Joseph was appointed the Head Governour and Steward of Gods Family upon Earth Our Father c. 1. He was espoused to the sacred Virgin Mary Hail Mary 2. He was the Guardian and witness of her Virginity and allotted by Divin Providence to be her Counsellor Comforter and Companion upon all occations Hail Mary 3. He was her faithfull Assistant in her journey to Bethleem Hail Mary 4. He found out the Stable for her harbour when the Innes refused to entertain her Hail Mary 5. He was present at our Redeemer's happy Birth into the world Hail Mary 6. He help'd the holy Virgin-Mother to swath him cloath him and cradle him in the Maâ—ger Hail Mary 7. He was the first who with the extasi'd Mother had the honour to adore the New-born Man-God Hail Mary 8. He concurr'd with the sacred Virgin to Christs Circumcision and together with her impos'd upon him the sweet Name of JESUS Hail Mary 9. He was reverenc'd by the Eastern Kings when they offer'd their Royall Presents to his reputed Son JESUS Hail Mary 10. He with his Virgin-Spouse presented JESUS to his Eternall Father in the Temple Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. The third Decade Of his Flight into Egypt SAint JOSEPH took the yong Child and Mary his Mother and departed into Egypt so preserving Jesus from Herods cruelty who sought to oppress him in his Infancy Our Father c. 1. He readily resignedly and in the night season obey'd the Angells admonition Hail Mary 2. He cheerfully undertook a long tedious and troublesom journey into an unknown Countrey Hail Mary 3. He patiently endur'd with Jesus and Mary a seven years banishment Hail Mary 4. He provided food for him with the sweat of his brows and labour of his hands who affoards food to all living Creatures Hail Mary 5. He cloath'd him who cloathes the flowers of the field Hail Mary 6. He next to the sacred Virgin was the most ardent of all Jesus's lovers serving him in his Exile with more than Seraphicall affection Hail Mary 7. He lov'd the sacred Virgin with a naturall affection in respect of her eminent perfections with an acquired affection in respect of her reciprocall favours with a supernaturall affection in respect of her celestiall
professes himself unfortunate for presuming to adventure upon so impossible an employment as is the explication of your perfections the deep sense whereof so seized all the faculties of his Soul with fear and astonishment that his heart became as it were dry'd up in its dreadfull apprehension S. Bernard Serm. 4. de Assump though he was brought up if we may say it in your blessed bosom and suckled at your sacred breasts yet ingenuously protests that nothing more amazes terrifies and troubles him than to treat of your greatnesses and glories because they are unspeakable unexplicable incomprehensible Wherefore with these holy Saints we may well confess our incapacities to celebrate your prayses O great and glorious Mother of God! and so casting our selv's on the ground before the Throne of your Greatnesses we admiringly with faithfull Moyses gaze upon the bush afar off burning in the flames of the Divinity without being diminish'd and reduc'd into ashes we extasiedly reverence in the very bottom of our hearts and Souls and with a chast and awfull silence Gods Royall Sanctuary replenish'd with all sorts of celestiall prodigies We proclaym aloud with S. Gregory Neocesariensis Serm. 2. de Annunc that the sense of this only word Gods Mother exceeds all other Encomiums which Men and Angells can confer upon you We willingly profess with S. Bernardinus Tom. 3. Serm. 1. de Nom. Virg. that since our ignorance permits us not to speak properly we must forcedly have recourse to proportions And as when we discourse of the Divinity whose simple nature cannot be conceav'd by our shallow imaginations we invest him with all the perfections which can be collected from his various creatures adding that he yet infinitly excells whatsoever we have said of him So when we speak of you most sacred Mother of God! and have rallied together all the dispersed rarities ornaments and excellencies wherewith this spacious and specious world can furnish our tongues Pens and fancies we justly conclude that you not only possess them all but incomparably out-passe them We further assert being supported by S. John Damascens orat 1. de Nativit B. M. and S. Ildephonsu's lib. de Virgin parturitione B. V. authority that who so desires to shadow forth that sublime degree of honour and dignity to which you O Glorious Virgin are elevated by becoming Gods Mother in his temporall generation within your bowells can propose to himself no less or lower Idea than the divin words eternall generation in his Fathers bosome For as Gods Son is eternally emanated from the Fathers fruitfull understanding receaving an entire communication of himself without any alteration or division of his substance so he is temporally born of you his blessed Mother without the least blemish corruption or violation of your Virginall integrity Finally if we may be permitted to soar yet higher upon the wings of our contemplation presuming on the Angelilicall Doctors assistance 1. p. q. 25. ar 6. ad 4. we clearly perceive through the curtain of this inaccessible Splendor That you O highest and holyest of all creatures by receiving the honour of being Gods Mother are united to a Terme of Infinite perfection whereby you are in a certain manner elevated to a divin order and by a most necessary undeniable consequence you appear in some sort to enter into the possession of an Infinit perfection O Maternity O Dignity O sublimity what eyes but those of your divin Son humaniz'd can support the piercing lustre of this pure and perfect object Having thus follow'd you O singularly blessed Virgin Mother with our borrow'd Speculations to the Non plus ultra of all created height and perfection and yet finding our affections desirous to feed themselv's somewhat longer in this fair and delicious field of your prayses We crave your leave to descend to such Figurative and Enigmaticall expressions as your faithfully devoted Doctors have found out to Paraphrase upon your unparalleld Excellencies We therefore exclaim with the Blessed Archbishop Proclus in his admirable Oration had upon our Saviours Birth-day in the Councill of Ephesus You O Mother of God! are the pure Treasury the perfect Ornament the prime honour of Virginity you are the spirituall Paradise of the second Adam the delicate Cabinet of that divin Marriage which was made between the two Natures the great Hall wherein was celebrated the worlds generall Reconciliation you are the Nuptiall bed of the Eternall Word the bright Clowd carrying him who hath the Cherubins for his chariot the Fleece of Wool fill'd with the sweet dew of Heaven whereof was made that admirable robe of our Royall Shepheard in which he vouchsafed to seek after his lost sheep you are the Maid and the Mother the humble Virgin and the high Heaven both together you are the sacred Bridg wherby God himself descended to the Earth you are that piece of cloath of which was compos'd the glorious garment of Hypostaticall union where the worker was the Holy Ghost the Hand the Vertu of the most high the wool the old spoiles of Adam the woof your own immaculate Flesh and the shittle Gods incomprehensible goodness which freely gave us the ineffable person of the Word Incarnate We continue our glad exclamations with the glorious Martyr Methodius orat in hypopante you O most Amiable and Admirable Mother of God! are the Container of the Incomprehensible the Root of the worlds first best and most beautifall Flower the Mother of him who made all things the Nurse of him who provides nourishment for the whol universe the Bosom of him who infolds all being within his Breast the unspotted Robe of him who is cloth'd with light as with a garment you O sacred Virgin are the Sallie-port through which God penetrated into the world you are the Pavilion of the Holy Ghost and you are the Furnace into which the Almighty hath particularly darted as it were the most fervent Sun-beams of his dearest love and affection We cheerfully salute you O incomparable Virgin-Mother with S. Andrew of Jerusalem Serm. de Annunciat All hail holy Temple of the Holy of Holyes triumphant Throne of incorruptible life blessed Chariot of the bright-shining Sun All Hayl fruitfull Earth alone proper and only prepar'd to bring forth the Bread-corn by which we are all sustain'd and nourished happy leaven which hath given relish to Adam's whol Race and season'd the Past whereof the true life-giving and soul-saving Bread was compos'd Ark of honour in which God himself was pleas'd to repose and where very glory it self became sanctifi'd Golden Pitcher containing him who provides sweet Manna from heaven and produces Honey from the rock to satisfy the appetites of his hungry people Spirituall Mirror of sacred Contemplation by whom the Prophets inspired from Heaven prefigur'd Gods descent to the earth you O most lovely Lady Mother are the incomprehensible secret of the divin Economy The admirable house of Gods humiliation through whose doore he descended to dwell amongst us The living
servant of the sacred Virgin even from the cradle to his last gasp receiv'd from her many signall favours and comforts both in the time of his Bishoprick and of his banishment Amongst other demonstrations of her Affection towards him she vouchsaf'd to instruct him in his prayers and devotions and whereas he used daily to salute her in honour of her seven temporall Joy's she was graciously pleas'd to reveal unto him Seven other Celestiall Joys which she doth shall possess in heaven for all eternity enjoyning him to add the memory of them also to his former daily duty This glorious Bishop and Martyr dyed in the year 1170. Besides the Festivities of the sacred Virgin-Mother affix'd as above to certain days of the year there are yet some others which are Moveable 1. UPon the Friday before Palm-Sunday The Feast or Commemoration of the sacred Virgins sorrows which blessed Simeon prophecyed unto her when she presented her Son Jesus to his Eternall Father in the Temple This feast is celebrated by the Cistercians as appears in their Breviary upon the 16. of April but by others more properly upon the Friday before Palâ— Sunday in memory of the many swords of sorrow which pierc'd her maternall heart in her dear Sons Death and Passion 2. Upon the Saturday after the Ascension The Feast or Commemoration of the Blessed Virgins Joys which she receiv'd both in this world and possesses for all Eternity in heaven which Joys are express'd in most pithy and pious verses by the glorious Martyr S. Thomas Arch-bishop of Canterbury As may be seen in Canisius lib. 4. cap. 13. and which were revealed to S. Mechtild in the first Book of her Revelations Chap. 66. 3. Upon the last Sunday of August The Feast or Recollection of all the Feasts of the sacred Virgin-Mother which is solemnly celebrated at Doway upon this day though in other places it is transferr'd to the First Sunday of September The Institution whereof is related by Lipsius in the first Book and fifth Chapter of his Lovanium and the Office thereof may be found in the Cambray Breviary printed at Paris 1507. 4. Upon the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin the Feast of her glorious Name MARIA is with great solemnity celebrated at Bruxels and in other places R. B. Prefect of the Arch-Confraternity of the ROSARIE in the Oratory of the ever Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Power in the City of Amsterdam wisheth eternall health and happiness to the devout Rosarists HOnoured Zealous and Religious Brethren and Sisters The service which I have long since promised and protested to the ever blessed Virgin Mary the glorious Mother of my God The Great Queen of Heaven and Earth The Powerfull Patroness of all Mankind The Soveraign Mistris of our Arch-Confraternity and the Place and Title of Prefect which I though most unworthy possess amongst you hath put this days discourse into my mouth A discourse not directly tending to the Reformation of your Lives Manners and Conversations which were a design in me as presumptuous as improper a matter as far above my Sphear as beyond my Ability A task which our worthy Dean painfully and carefully performs to our great comfort and profit in his pious Exercises and Orations But a discourse ayming at these two ends To declare what the Rosary is And what it is to be of the Rosary To describe the Dignity of this our Confraternity and the Duty of us who are ascribed into this holy Society to shew you how fitly it is by us embraced and how faithfully we ought to behave our selves in it O Sacred Spirit by whose Conduct our pious Predecessors laid the happy foundation of this most renowned Confraternity inspire my understanding to conceive something worthy so high a Subject Enable my tongue to speak something beseeming the blessed Virgins prayses Direct my Pen to couch something for her devout Childrens comfort encouragement edification Man being by nature a Sociable Creature is inclined by the principles of his Essence by the temper of his complexion by the violence of his originall disposition to seek out some Consorts and Companions of his own kind and condition to the end he may solace himself in their Society Conduct his lives course by their Counsell and Communicate with them his affairs and affections And his naturall propension to Society is that which hath civiliz'd Mankind policy'd the whol World built up Cities order'd Commonwealths and Kingdoms and which conserves all things in their due order and union God the Soveraign Creator of all things who ingrav'd this powerfull instinct of Society in mans Soul as a disposition connaturall to his life and being A condition necessary for the conservation entertainment and common good of the whole Vniverse A qualitie which he made recommendable from the first origin of time not onely amongst his own people as may appear in the Law of Nature and the Law written but even amongst the Pagans Idolaters and most barbarous Nations as might be exemplified out of all profane Annalls and Histories would not have it perish in the law of Grace but cutting off the abuse permitted the use thereof to be continued and preserved for the good of his Church for the salvation of Christian Souls for the solace and support of his faithfull Servants And therefore he hath from time to time excited pious people to assemble themselves together for the inflaming of one anothers Zeal Fervour and devotion for their mutuall assistance and consolation for the increase of each others merit and vertue To live soberly piously justly under the discreet Laws Rules and Ordinances of one common Society Congregation Confraternity And surely our blessed Redeemer himself to begin at the fountain head of all Sanctity the exemplary pattern of all Perfection descending from Heaven to accomplish on Earth the sacred design which he decreed from all Eternitie as if this point had been one of the Prime and principall projects of his Incarnation seems to aym at nothing more than the establishment of unity in number Union in division Peace and Charity amongst men This was his Life his Preaching his Practice to put down Schismes Divisions Partialities and to Imprint in Christians hearts the love of Concord and the Honour of a happy Confraternity For what is more frequently inculcated in the Sacred Gospells in the Epistles Decrees Constitutions of the Apostles in the whol Volumes of the holy Bible than Peace Charity Fraternity What greater precept did Christ impose upon all Christians than when he said I give you a new Command to love one another adding immediately In this the World shall know you to be my Disciples if you are united in affection Mutuall charity is the manifest Signet of Christianity the Royall Ensign of my Religion the true badg of Piety the particular livery of my Children the distinguishing mark of my faithfull followers friends and favourites In obedience to this command we find registred in holy
Writ that the first Christians were so perfectly linked together in holy love and affection as their whol multitude seemed to have but one Heart and one Soul They liv'd under the same Laws aym'd at the same End conspir'd in the same Wills their Manners their Devotions their Designs their Rules their way of Living was all one and the same all Love all Peace all Vnion all tending to Gods honour and service all ayming at their Souls perfection and Salvation Briefly they entred into a Community Association of all things and seem to have been reduc'd into a most perfect manner of Sodality Congregation or Confraternity In imitation of Christ and these primitive Christians St. Mark the Evangelist presently after instituted sacred Sodalities and Confraternities in Egypt And from these blessed fountains have since flowed so many holy Families of Religious so many Confraternities of Seculars which have flourished in all succeeding Ages in all places amongst all Christians descending from these pious Parents to their Children from these holy Predecessors into the hearts of their Posterity These worthy Examples I say have since moved many generous Captains Fervent in Gods love Disgusted with worldly vanities Ardent in devotion Ambitious of Vertue Piety and Perfection to take up the like Commissions sent them from Heaven and warranted by the effectuall inspiration of the divin Spirit And with the sound of the Drumms and Trumpets of their Doctrin to summon valiant Soldiers together To draw Companies of zealous Christians from out of Cities into Solitudes where free'd from worldly cares affairs and affections they might with hearts unanimously joyned serve their Creator and day and night sing forth his prayses Such were those great Generalls of Religious orders those Glorious Patriarks of Monasticall Congregations those Heroique Champions of the holy Church St. Basil in Greece St. Augustin in Africk St. Bennet in Europe Such after them were those multitudes of like Religious and resolute Spirits St. Bruno in France St. Francis in Italy St. Dominick in Spain and many more in the same and other Countryes Who forsaking the World following the divine Call flying into the Desarts laid the foundations of so many blessed Societies Sodalities Confraternities Others breathing the like Zeal and Pietie but not able by reason of their worldly calling and condition to embrace the like purity and perfection yet willing to secure themselves from dangers zealous to get at least some degree of Sanctity and desirous of the Salvation of their Souls have also united themselves together entred into a holy combination and Society resolved to wear the same livery to pursue the same designs to live under the same Common Laws and Constitutions Such are the brave Knights of Malta in Italie of the Holy Ghost in France of St. James in Spain and such were and should be the Knights of St. George in our England All which having Kings for their Colonels may be fitly called Royall Congregations Noble Societies and yet are still Christian Confraternities This pious practice descends from Princes to the People and branches it self into almost as many Societies as there are severall Estates Callings and Conditions in a Commonwealth The Lawyers taking Saint Yve for their Patron the Doctors St. Thomas the Students St. Nicholas the Gold-smiths S. Eligius the Carpenters St. Joseph the Stationers or Booksellers St. John the Evangelist and others other Saints Some march under the Standard of the Passion others of the Blessed Sacrament others of the Crosse many of the Glorious Virgin all of the Catholique Church which is Colonell-Generall of all these particular Companies and which sits as Mistriss of the full Musick which these severall faithfull Societies make up by striking the severall strings of their various rules divers statutes and different institutions one singing the Superius of contemptation another the Bassus of the active life A Third the Mean Marrying action with contemplation yet all agreeing in the same harmonie of Faith all ayming at the same common end which is Gods glory their Neighbours good their own Souls Perfection and Eternall Salvation And all these faithfull Societies Companies Confraternities of devout Christians founded upon Charity Concord and Vnion Govern'd with prudence and discretion cannot but subsist with Honour flourish with Admiration and adorn the whol body of Christianity These are the Buttresses of Religion the Academies of Vertue the Schools of Sanctity the Magazins of Merits the Rendevous of Heroique Spirits the lists wherein all sorts of devotion and piety are perfectly exercised and practised Here is taught simplicity of Conversation Humility of life Charity Mercy Compassion Brotherly affection towards our necessitous Neighbours Forgetfulness of injuries Patience in tribulation Zeal for Gods honour and glory O how good and pleasant a thing it is sings holy David to behold Brethren living together and loving one another O the Spirituall pleasure Profit and Comfort of well ordered Confraternities How full of honour and happiness How gratefull to men and Angels to heaven and earth and how terrible to our ghostly enemies Where holy souls heat each other in the divin love help each other in bearing the burthen of their crosses and calamities awake each others negligence and tepidity excite their fervour increase their piety zeal and devotion Where if one member be tempted troubled afflicted the whol body concurrs by joyn'd prayers and petitions to cure him comfort him encourage him in his combat and assist him to conquer his enemies and overcome his infirmities If a brother aided by a brother as the wiseman averrs is a strong City How strong a body will so many assisting brothers make Whose forces are all united to further and facilitate each others victory whose counsells are so charitable whose combined courages are so invincible whose designs are so warrantable whose exercises tend only to advance Gods honour to tread down sin and sensuality to attain perfection to obtain their own and their Neighbours Salvation These are the practises the profits the pleasures of pious Confraternities where Love is in its perfection Concord in her throne Friendship in its purity Sanctity in its excellency and therefore safety and security in their truest height and greatness These are the rich harvests reaped in Religious Societies where many being united in the same affections participating the same Sacraments passing their lives under the same laws and statutes render themselves victorious against all the violent assaults and enterprises of their adversaries These are the honourable interests returned to such prudent usurers as place their stocks of piety in these Spirituall banks where Charity makes all flourish Peace produces plenty Concord gets the conquests and perseverance a Crown of Glory These finally are the holy places and professions in which men live more purely fall more rarely rise more speedily walk more warily rest more securely dye more confidently are rewarded more bountifully And all these profits pleasures and prerogatives belong as properly to your happy state and
one lives no other scite of body than that in which devotion find's us whether it be standing sitting lying walking or kneeling 5. An Institute of that infinite spirituall profit that it is impossible to be expressed whereof I shall instance onely these few particulars 1. In respect of the speciall Patronage and protection of the Blessed Virgin for though she is a carefull Mother of all faithfull Christians yet surely she is more tenderly solicitous for the domestiques of her familie more heedfully diligent for the advancement of her devoted servants more seriously studious for the good of her dutifull children 2. In respect of the Community of Merits amongst the members of this sacred Society For it is a point of our Religion an Article of our Faith an infallible Maxime amongst our Divins that the merits of all the Saints are common to all faithfull Christians that there is a communication between the Church Militant upon Earth the Church suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in Heaven yes there is such a connexion amongst all Gods Children such an association of all the Churches members which make up one spirituall body under their sacred head CHRIST JESUS that the least of them all supposing he is capable of merit and in good state whereof grace is the root and foundation hath a title and may claim a share in all the spirituall goods and consequently in all the treasures of merits and good works heaped up from the Worlds first Origin to this present and which shall be laid up in the Churches Store-House till the Worlds Consummation Our Creed teacheth us this truth wherein we profess to believe the Communion of Saints that is we acknowledge a communication of merits between them who are happily lodged in Heaven and them who living upon Earth and lying in Purgatory hope to follow after We believe that whatsoever the greatest Saints have done merited obtained what the ancient Patriarks by propagating Gods honour putting down idolatry what the Prophets by preaching Gods Judgments proclaiming open Warr against all impiety what the glorious Apostles by planting the Faith publishing the Gospel converting the World what the invincible Martyrs by their endured torments persecutions deaths what the holy Confessors by the couragious carriage of their crosses chastisements of their flesh mortifications of their sensuality what the good Hermits Anchorites Monks in their Solitudes Cells and Cloysters what the learned zealous eloquent Doctors by their writings preachings teachings what the chast Virgins and Widows by the inviolable preservation of their purity Finally whatsoever the pious people in their secular calling or any persons under each Pole of the World and in the four corners of the Vniverse have profited in good works in godly actions in vertuous exercises all this is communicable to each one of the Catholique Churches members all is to them proportionably imparted and distributed I am partaker sings joyfully the Royall Psalmist with all them who fear you and faithfully follow your Laws and Ordinances All such as live Christianly carefully devoutly all such as practise works of piety make progress in vertue march up the degrees of perfection and sanctity labour for me profit me lay up treasures for me we are all fellow members under one head we all make up one common purse amongst us we all aim at the same end of Gods honour and glory and our own eternall felicity Now besides this generall communication of spirituall goods and merits amongst all faithfull Christians the stock whereof is in the Churches hands and store-house there is another bank in the bodyes of Confraternities common to them alone who are of that particular familie and communitie and from whence all the influences of graces and blessings which Heaven imparts to this whol body inflow into each one of its members And to instance this also in some particulars First what an immense profit is it to have a part in all the zealous prayers meditations acts of charity and exercises of Vertu and Piety performed in a whol Confraternity All which entring into common and making one only deposiâ—um redound to each particular members spiritual profit and advantage So that when any one of us offers up his prayers to the Throne of mercy he pray's as it were by as many mouths as there are brethren and sisters in our whol Confraternity And what an incredible force judg yee devout Rosarists must this needs add to our petitions How can a just demand presented by so many pious Souls sent up to Heaven by so many humble hearts pronounced by so many devout tongues suffer a repulse If our Creator though most highly incensed and irritated by the wicked and malicious Sodomites yet mercifully promised to pardon all their enormous impieties might there have been found amongst them only ten just Men to joyn in prayer with holy Abraham for their delivery May we not without presumption perswade our selves that the prayers of so many good Souls whereof this Sacred Confraternitie is composed may have great power to move our Maker when he is justly angry with us for our offences ingratitude disloyalty to pitty and pardon us and to reverse the sentence of our deserved punishment and condemnation Surely united forces you know are far more prevalent than when divided many Torches give a greater luster many fires affoard a fiercer heat many men remove a heavier weight and in all cases whatsoever that which one alone is unable to attain uncapable to effect unworthy to deserve a multitude conspiring together in the same end and intention may hope to atchieve and compass Secondly what an inestimable profit is it to have a share of merit in so many divin Sacrifices of the Masse celebrated yearly monthly weekly daily to Gods glory to his Mothers honour to his Saints prayses to the Solace of the living to the Succour of the dead both at this sacred and priviledg'd Altar of our blessed Mother of Power And wheresoever throughout the World this Arch-Confraternitie of the Rosary is erected and established If one only Masse the lively representation of what passed upon Mount-Calvary the highest act of Religion the authenticall memoriall of the great sacrifice of the Cross is capable says our Venerable Father Bede to add glory to God joy to the Angels and Saints grace to the just pardon to Sinners comfort to the living help to the Souls in Purgatory what good what grace what advantage may you here expect where so many Masses are daily celebrated for the forenamed intentions whereof each member participates Thirdly what a vast treasure of Indulgences Pardons Jubilies given and granted by the prime Pastours of the Church the generall dispencers of divin blessings the universall Stewards of celestiall riches are annexed to this our holy Confraternity Indulgences which no Catholique can deny or doubt of Indulgences so ample as no Society ever had larger So many as meerly to mention them would take up another hours time and tire out your
large volumes We shall therefore both in this and the following points content our selves to declare the Truth not dispute it to presuppose it not prove it to set down Maxims not Problems and our endeavours shall be to excite the faithfull Rosarists to this sort of Piety by applying some of the holy Fathers pithy sentences and expressions not to amuse their fancies by producing curiosities and falling upon the subtilties of controversies Wherefore abstracting here from the sacred Virgin-Mothers own Worth Dignity Prerogatives Perfections Excellencies which are briefly touched in the precedent Oration and which are abundantly capable to ravish the whol World with her love and admiration and move them to her honour and service we shall insist only upon some of the most signall benefits which redound to our selves by our devotion towards her reducing them to these five generall heads The first is That she loves her devoted children and servants Though the sacred Virgin is call'd in the Churches Dialect Mater pulchrae dilectionis The mother of love and charity and consequently cannot but have a generall â—ffâ—ction for all mankind yet surely she hath a particular kindness and tendernesâ— for such as addict themselves to her speciall honour and dedicate themselves to her service according to that other passage which holy Church also applyes to her Ego diligentes me diligo I love them who love me Hence our devout St. Bernard upon those words of the Gospell Ecce Mater tua Behold thy Mother which were delivered from the Cross by our dying Saviour and directed to his dear Minion Saint John and to all mankind in his person hath these pithy expressions If Mary is thy Mother O Christian then Jesus is thy Brother then Chrâ—sts Father is thy Father then his Heaven is thy Inheritance then Mary's grace is thy treasure for Mothers usually lay up treasures for their Children then she is sensible of all thy sufferings sollicitous to supply thy wants carefull to provide for thy necessities for a Mother is tender over her Children Therefore O Christian make choyce of Mary for thy Mother For it is impossible says elsewhere the same devout Doctor that she should abandon them who place their confidence in her Patronage and Protection since she is the Mother of Mercy and compassion Who would not then become a loving Child and obedient servant of so pious and tender a Mother who would not strive to gain the favour and affection of so faithfull a friend and so powerfull a Patroness The second is That she is liberall and bountifull in bestowing benefits and favours upon her children and servants Worldly affection if it be true and perfect hath such power over the heart of Man as to cause him to confer freely upon his beloved object whatsoever he most dearly prizes and esteems And can it be conceiv'd that the Saints charity and particularly Hers which far excels that of all Men Saints and Angells together being more perfect should be less liberall The glorious Virgin say our Doctors is the Treasuress of the celestiall Riches the Dispensatrix of Gods gifts she carryes the keys of the divin Coffers All power is given to you great Empress of both Worlds says her mellifluous Doctor so that you have leave to do what you please in Heaven and Earth And she is surely no niggard in dispensing them as being equally bountifull and powerfull equally good and great equally courteous and charitable Why dread you O ye devout children and servants of MARY says the same Doctor to approach your Mother and Mistris There is nothing in her of rigidness and austerity She 's full of meekness charity courtesie towards all them that sue unto her I well know sayes the antient Father Theophilactus that you O most glorious Queen-Mother are the great Protectrice of mankind And who is he O mercifull Princess that having plac'd his confidence in you hath remain'd confounded Who is that he or she amongst the children of Adam who having besought your succour and assistance hath been rejected and abandon'd Let 's therefore make to her our humble addresses in all our necessities since she is so Powerfull to assist us so Mercifull to admit us so Ready to relieve us The third is that she comforts her children and servants in all their afflictions persecutions desolations This follows from the former For if as a most tender Mother she loves cherishes her children servants and show'rs down so many goods graces and favours upon them she surely compassionat's them in ther pressing necessities For it is then chiefly that true friendship shews it self true charity expands it self true liberality diffuses it self Certainly says a pious Author were all the devout servants and children of Mary summon'd out of their graves to give in their severall answers to this Interrogation How oft have you heartily invok'd your holy Mistris and Mother in your necessities and been deny'd her speedy succour and assistance They would unanimously exclaim with her holy St. Bernard Taceat ille c. Let that impious tongue be silent O most compassionat Virgin Mother which dares falsly avouch that you have fail'd to help and comfort him whensoever he faithfully call'd upon you in his distressed condition Therefore St. German the Patriark of Constantinople thus addresses his discourse unto her no one is sav'd O most sacred Virgin but by your assistance no one if free from miserie O must pure Virgin but by your means no one receives Gods gifts and graces O most mercifull Virgin but by your mediation No one obtains the pardon of his offences O Virgin worthy of all praise and honour but by your prayers and intercession Who says he after your Divin Son takes so much care of poor Mankind as your self Who so zealously defends and strengthens weak man in his troubles and temptations Who so readily succours him in his afflictions and persecutions Who so charitably excuses his crimes pleads his cause procures his pardon and delivers him from the severe punishment which his sins have justly deserved Let therefore each afflicted Soul proceeds this holy Patriark make to you O Compassionat Mother his humble addresses let him who perceives his frail vessell to be in danger of drowning amidst the impetuous winds and waves of this wicked and tempestuous World cast his eyes up to you bright Star of the Sea and let him rest confident that you will speedily and securely conduct him to his desired haven The fourth is That she is their faithfull Advocate in Heaven The cause is half gaind that is undertaken by a powerfull Advocate And who can possibly be imagin'd more Powerfull than the Queen-Mother pleading at her own Sons Tribunall There she sustains her childrens processes embraces their protection procures their pardon diverts the sentence of their deserved damnation and omits nothing which may conduce to the appeasing of their soveraign Judg and the saving of their Souls O faithfull Patoness of afflicted sinners How fitly doth holy
bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven Whereupon St. Cyprian St. Ambrose and St. Augustin Three very sufficient Doctors to ground an opinion conclude That by this generall tearm Quodcunque whatsoever We are absolutely prohibited to put in any exception and expresly oblig'd to believe That whatsoever whether offence or punishment St. Peter and consequently his successors the Popes shall unbind upon Earth shall be unbound also in Heaven And this large power must of necesty belong to the Keys says the Councill of Lateran since they are expresly given to take away all obstacles which may hinder our entrance into Heaven As therefore there is a double hinderance the Fault and the Pain so the Keys must be capable to open both these dores to make them compleat and perfect From all which may be gathered this brief definition of an Indulgence That It is a gift a Relaxation an Acquittance of the temporall pain due to the Divin Justice for the sins already pardon'd by Confession And this Relaxation is twofold Generall when the Indulgence is Plenarie which quits us from all the pain due to our sins And Restrain'd when the Indulgence imports only some certain number of Day 's Quarantins and year 's of Pardon When therefore you find in the Popes concessions an Indulgence of so many days Quarantins or years you are to understand it of the days and years of this world and not of Purgatory As for example He that gains an Indulgence of an Hundred years satisfies the divin Justice as much as if for an hundred years space he had done severe Penance So likewise a Quarantin is as much as if he had Fasted a whol Lent according to the custom and so of the rest Where you must take notice That for every mortall sin the sacred Canons ordain seven years Penance so that for 14. or 15. Mortall crimes he who hath committed them should in rigour undergo an hundred years penance which is above the age and ability of human nature Whereby appears the great profit of Indulgences to solace our weakness and shorten our pains whch must surely otherwise be payd to the divin Justice either by severe Penance in this world on by more severe punishments in the next though not necessarily long since they may be intensively so rigorous that one day there may be in quantity and quality of punishments more than seven years Penance of this World But you may ask what means a plenary and a Quarantin or a plenary and Ten yearts granted together Rodriguez answers That it is to satisfie such pains as are due to veniall sins of which pains we are not acquitted by the plenary Others as Valentia and Corduba say better That they are added ad cautelam for more security That so if by reason of some defect we gaâ—n not the greater Indulgence we may at least obtain the lesser §. 12. Three necessar I Advertisements for the gaining of Indulgences BUT here the devout Rosarists are to take three Advices The first is That Indulgences are not indifferently obtain'd by all sorts of persons but by such only as have duly and diligently purified prepar'd and dispos'd their souls to receive them by precedent Penance Or have led their lives in such Innocencie since their last confession as that they continue in the state of Grace Or have made an Act of Contrition and detestation of their mortall sins with purpose of confessing them in fit time and avoyding them for the future The second is That they must obey such other particular commands as the Bulls of Indulgences import That is They must punctually perform the enjoyn'd Actions of Almes-deeds Fastings Prayers Processions visitations of Altars and all other the works of devotion and piety there expressed The third is That they must offer up their devotions for these generally recommended ends and intentions in all the concessions of Indulgences 1. For the increase of Gods honour and glory 2. For the exaltation of the Catholique Church 3. For the prosperity of the Sea Apostolique 4. For the peace of Christian Princes 5. For the Re-union of Schismatiques 6. For the Conversion of Heretiques 7. For the correction of sinners 8. For the Consolation of the afflicted both living and departed §. 13. Of the Indulgences conferr'd upon the Confraternity of the Rosary AND now let 's produce the promis'd Treasures of the Indulgences themselves In the discovery whereof First we shall mention none but such as are expresly avouch'd by approv'd and authenticall Authors and directly drawn out of the Popes Bulls and Indults For since Clement the fifth in the Councill of Vienna hath impos'd a formall precept in vertue of holy obedience and upon pain of incurring eternall damnation on all such as shall presume to promulgate any Indiscreet that is as the Gloss in Clem. Verb. Religiosi explicats not granted Indulgences we have carefully as behoves us endevoured to avoid the penalty by diligently and painfully examining each particular Concession here set down and deliver'd Secondly we shall purposely omit the multitude of less Indulgences which remit certain day's years and Quarantins of enjoyn'd penances and set down onely the plenary Indulgences which are abundantly numerous to satisfy the most covetous Christians devotion I. At their first Admittance UPon the day that any one is first receiv'd and inroll'd into the sacred Confraternity of the Rosary having confessed and communicated and recited a third part of the Rosary and pray'd for the peace and tranquillitie of the Church he gains a Plenary Indulgence and Remission of all his sins Pius quintus in his Bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices 27. of Sept. 1559. II. At their own choice ANy member of the Rosary hath the liberty once in his life and at the Article of his death to make use of any Ghostly Father who is impowr'd to confer upon him a plenary Indulgence Innocentius octavus 15. Octob. 1484. III. At the hour of death IN the hour Agony and Article of Death 1. Being confessed and communicated a plenary Indulgence Pius Quintus Consueverunt 27. of Septemb. 1559. 2. Or saying with mouth or in heart Jesus Maria a Plenary 3. Or calling thrice either by mouth or in heart upon the holy Name of Jesus a Plenary Pius Quintus Greg. 13. Clemens 8. 4. Or having a blessed Candle of the Confraternity in their hand in honour of the Virgin Mary at the time of their departure a Plenary Adrianus 6 Illius qui Dominicum Cal. Aprilis 1523. who is cited and confirmed by Clement the 7th Ineffabilia 10. Cal. April 1529. To gain which Indulgence the third part of the Rosary must have been at least once recited in the Chappell of the Rosary or in some place where the Reciter thereof might have a view of the Rosary Altar as appears by the Collation of the words of the Popes grants and by the ends for which they grant this Priviledg to wit that the Rosarists
that the materiall Rosaries or Psalters which in honour and imitation of his name they call'd Bedes and which a thing well worth the noting are so nam'd amongst us till this day were hung up every where in the Churches Chappell 's and publick places of Pâ—ayer to invite all people who would please to make use of them to this manner of piety and devotion And to pass over an hundred and six other famous Prelats and Saints of the same Benedictin Family which are nam'd and prays'd by our Gabriel Bucelinus upon this particular score of having been devout servants of the Sacred Virgin and diligent practisers and preachers of her Psalter St. Dominick call'd Loricatus from the Iron Breast-plate wherewith he perpetually mortifi'd his body one of the great Ornaments of our glorious Order another Baptist of his Age the mirror yea andumiracle of all Penitents who dyed in the year 1060. and whos 's sacred Corps remaining after his Souls departure nine dayes uncorrupted was interr'd by our St. Peter Damian the Eye-witness and faithfull writer of his admirable life and actions â— us'd to recite his Psalter nine times a day adding frequently whol nights to his dayes continued and uninterrupted devotions Also Peter the Hermite treating with Pope Urban the second concerning the expedition into the holy Land and inviting all Christians to that sacred enterprise recommended to them this very manner of prayer and devotion in 1093. and the years following of whom and the diligent propagation of the Marian Psalter by him and others of our sacred Order read the Benedictin Annals largely and authentically describing them The same devotion of the Psalter was most zealously preach'd and promulgated by St. Otto the Bishop of Bamberg and Apostle of Sclavonia who in the year 1139. not only recommended this sort of Prayer to that new converted Nation but commanded the people to bear about them the blessed Virgins Psalters as outward badges of their interiour affection and devotion towards her which custom is yet generally kept amongst the Christians of that Countrey where both sexes are seen to wear Chains and Bracelets of Bedes about their necks and arms even till this day Finally this pious practise of honouring the holy Virgin-Mother by the recitall of the Psalter became afterwards very common throughout the whol Church as may be read in the Tripartite Historie where it is regâ—stred that the devout Christians made certain Cords distinguish'd with greater and smaller knots for that sacred purpose St Bernard also the most zealous servant of the sacred Virgin and amplifier of her honour compos'd a Psalter to her prayse in imitation and according to the number of that of King David sicut vidi tenui say's Alanus which I have beheld with these eyes and held in these hands for which and his other devout practises of piety towards the Queen of Heaven he deservd to become her speciall friend and favourite St. Mary of Ognia practis'd the same in a most eminent manner adding to her dayly performance of the Davidical Psalms the devout recitall of as many Angelical Salutations which make up the compleat number of our Psalter And this custom of joyning together both Psalters was generally observ'd amongst the Religious persons of those times and afterwards embrac'd by them of the Carthusian Family who after each Psalm of David usually saluted the sacred Virgin with certain pithy verses artificially compos'd for that purpose All which Examples to which many more might be added aboundantly prove this sort of Virginall Psalter to have been anciently in use amongst some or other pious honourers of the sacred Virgin in all precedent Ages though by degrees as the divin Charitie grew colder in mens hearts so all sorts of Devotion decreased and this manner of prayer became also neglected When behold the divin providence rayses up a Saint Dominick to revive and reestablish it He lived in Spain at what time the Albigean Heresie had infected a great part of Christendom An Heresie so black and blasphemous that to recount its Tenents were methinks to offend the eares of faithfull Christians yet whosoever hath the curiositie to know and can have the patience to read such impieties may find them largly registred and solidly refuted by the learned Antoninus This glorious Champion of Christ and his Church St. Domâ—nâ—ck zealously opposes himself against this perverse Heresie praying preaching travelling and using all possible endeavours to suppress the rage of its contagious infection But alas all his pious endeavours were to very little purpose so deply was the custom of libertie sin and sensuality setled in mens hearts and affections The holy man therefore with heart full of grief and eyes full of tears makes his addresses to the Mother of Mercy and of Power humbly complaining expostulating and questioning why his so great diligence his so many painfull journeys his so frequent and fervent exhortations declamations and disputations should prove so fruitless and ineffectuall To whom she was graciously pleas'd to return this answer No mervail if the Earth wanting moysture becomes barren and fruitless nor is it any wonder that worldlings wanting the dew of the divin grace remain devoid of Faith and of the fertility of good Works When God in his mercy intended the Worlds reparation he prepar'd it with Rain the Angelicall Salutation whereby it became blessed and fruitfull Preach thou also my Psalter and there will follow a present and plentifull fruit of thy painfull labours The Saint did as he was commanded propagating the sacred Virgins Psalter throughout Spain France and Italy fitting it to each ones capacity reducing it into a fraternall unity and confirming his doctrin with such evident miracles that Christians became every where not only converted from the Albigean Heresie but also devout servants of God and diligent honourers of the Virgin Mary Thus most devout Rosarists you have the Virginall Psalter briefly brought down to St. Dominick who not only reviv'd its decayed use but is undoubtedly the Author of the Rosary as to the particular method and manner wherein we now recite it and who is the Beginner of this sacred Confraternitie whereof we are members as appears by the Bull of Pius Quintus whose last words we shall only here produce to avoid unnecessary prolixity in a matter of so great certainty The blessed St. Dominick say's he directed as is piously believ'd by Gods holy Spirit upon the like occasion that now happens in the Church when France and Italy were miserably ore-spread with the Albigean Heresie lifting up his eyes to Heaven and beholding that Mountain the glorious Virgin Mary Gods holy Mother invented and propagated a very easie plain and pious manner of praying call'd the Rosary or Psalter of the most sacred Virgin Mary whereby the said Blessed Virgin is honoured with the Angelical Salutation an hundred and fifty times repeated conformably to the number of Psalms contain'd in the Davidicall Psalter with our Lords Prayer interpos'd
cause of the Cross and thou shalt easily quench the fires of all thy passions 6. It gives us hopes of our salvation For what may not he hope who beholds Christ dying on the Cross for his Redemption and who looks upon Christ more faithfully than he who frequently imprints his Cross upon his heart and forehead to which the Apostle alluding exhorts all Christians to remember at how dear a rate they are bought and to glorifie and carry God in their Bodyes 7. It inflames our souls in the divin love and charity For who can consider Christ expiring on the Cross for his sake and continue cold and tepid God commends his love towards us say's the Apostle In that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us 8. It a verts from us Gods indignation and revenge In which sense that saying of the Psalmist is understood by S. Gregory of Nice and by S. Hierom. Thou O Lord hast given a sign to them that fear thee that they may fly from before the Bow 9. It defends us from all our enemyes so the same Fathers explicate that other passage of the Psalmist shew some sign upon me for good that they who hate me may see it and be asham'd because thou O Lord hast holpen me and comforted me 10. It drives away the Devills Sign thy self says S. Cyril with the Cross in the forehead that the Devill perceiving the Kings character may be affrighted and fly from thee And again This sign says he is a comfort to Christians and a terrour to the Devills And the Martyr Ignatius The sign of the Cross is a Trophe against the power of the Prince of this world which hearing and beholding he fears and trembles Finally The sign of the Cross says S. Cyrill is the Seminary of all vertues and in it alone says S. Ambrose consists the prosperity of all Christians And if any shall question you O Christians says Tertullian whence this Ceremonie had its first rise and origin Answer them boldly Tradition hath taught it custom hath confirm'd it Faith hath practis'd it Since therefore this sign is of so great power and efficacie against the Devills so assured an Antidote against all sorts of dangers so undrayn a â—lea fountain of all desirable good and happiness as in these few words supported by the authority of such ancient and learned Fathers seems sufficiently declared Let us O devout Fellow-members of the sacred Rosary be carefull to arm our selves therewith upon all occasions at all times in all places and especially at the beginning and end of our Psalter remembring that we are spirituall Souldiers listed by Christ our Captain to fight under the banner of his blessed Cross against the World the Flesh and the Devill undoubtedly hoping by vertue thereof to overcom and vanquish them §. 2. Of the Apostles Creed which is The first part of the Rosary THe Apostolicall Symbol or Creed is so called for that it was made compil'd saith S. Clement by the twelve Apostles being yet together each one of them adding what was conceiv'd necessary to the end that when they were separated they might preach this Rule of Faith to all Nations which as S. Augustin largely declares is a Plain Short Compleat comprehension of our Faith that so its Plainness might correspond to the Hearers capacitie its Shortness to their memorie its Compleatness to the contained doctrin For that which in Greek is named Symbolum is called Collation in Latin because the Catholique doctrine is compendiously knit and collected together in this divin Symbol which signifies also Indicium a mark note or token whereby Orthodox Believers might be known and distinguished from all others Now some of the Reasons why this sacred Creed ought to be recited at the entrance upon our Rosary may be briefly these 1. Because order and Reason seem to require that after the solemn confession and Invocation of the Holy Trinity which is don as aforesaid by making the sign of the Cross We should in the next place make a profession of what we believe of the Trinity 2. Because Faith being the Foundation of Prayer as the Apostle expresly tells us He that comes to God must believe We do hereby most fitly at the begìnning of our Prayer renew excite and reduce our Faith from its habit to an act 3. Because the Church begins and ends the Canonicall Office with a Creed and the Rosary as hath been declared is an Imitation of the Davidicall Psalter and Church Psalmodie 4. Because the Fathers do most seriously recommend the frequent recitall of the Creed to all faithfull Christians Amongst whom S. Augustin some of whose many pithy expressions upon this point we shall only here produce to avoid unnecessary prolixity says thus Having learned your Creed recite it daily when you rise out of your bed when you compose your selv's to rest c. Let iâ— not seem irksome to repeat it Repetition is convenient to avoid oblivion Do not pretend that you said it yesterday that you said it this day that you have it fresh in your memory but express it again repeat it contemplate it let your Creed be your glass there consider your selv's and see whether you believe what you profess and rejoyce daily in your Faith Let your Faith be your richess and let your Creed be as it were the continuall cloathing of your interiour Do you not cloath your body when you rise out of your Bed So by reciting your Symboll you cloath your soul least forgetfulness should leave it naked c. An Exercise upon the Apostles Creed I Believe I Believe acknowledge and confess with heart and mouth all such Articles of Faith as the holy Church proposes to be believed because God who is the Truth it self hath revealed them In particular I believe all that is contain'd in the Apostles Creed whereof I here make my profession in the presence of God my Creator and all the Court of Heaven protesting and promising to live and dy in this Faith O Lord encrease my Faith I believe Lord help my unbelief I believe in God the Father Allmightie Creator of Heaven and Earth I Believe in the first Person of the sacred Trinitie the Eternall Father whom I acknowledg to be full of all possible and imaginable might and power and that he produc'd the Heaven the Earth and all Creatures both visible and invisible of nothing by his sole word and command and out of his own free-will and goodness O my Allmightie and Allmercifull Father you can as easily bring me back into the dark Abysmus of my first Nothing as you from thence powerfully drew me and gave me this present Being Behold I most humbly acknowledg the absolute and perpetuall dependancie which I have upon your divin Majesty I confess that of my self I am nothing have nothing can do nothing and that my whol Being breathing and motion proceeds from your bounty goodness and power And in Jesus Christ his only
and in them all Christians how they should pray and what they should beg daily of the divin Majestie It is the prime Exemplar of all Prayers the Abridgment of the Gospell the Summary of all our just and fitting petitions and the absolute Form of imploring all such good things as we can expect and desire and of deprecating all such bad things as we are to shun and avoid Finally It is to be by so much the more zealously frequented prized and reverenced before all other prayers whatsoever by how much it excels them all in all sorts of prerogatives First in Authority and dignity as being prescribed by Christ Jesus the Wâ—sdom it self the Truth it self the Divinity it self 2. In Brevity and facility as embracing in few easy and intelligible words all that can rightly be demanded of the Divin Majesty 3. In vertu and efficacie For how should our heavenly Father refuse to hear our petitions which are humbly presented to his Throne of Mercy in the express terms and in obedience to the precept of his dearly beloved Son Christ Jesus Affections contained in our Lords Prayer 1. OF a poor Pilgrim and Prodigall child sighing after his Countrey kindred and Fathers house Our Father which art in Heaven 2. Of a Faithfull servant forgetting himself to procure his Masters honour Hallowed be thy name 3. Of a loving Spouse desiring the sweet presence embraces and enjoyment of her beloved Bridegroom Thy Kingdom come 4. Of a dutifull Son conforming himself absolutely to his Fathers sacred will and pleasure Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven 5. Of a needy Beggar asking an Almes at the dore of the Divin Mercy Give us this day our daily bread 6. Of a guilty Prisoner deeply indebted ready to be condemned and petitioning for pardon and remission And forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that Trespass against us 7. Of a Blind and weak Traveller imploring light and strength that he erre not fall not faint not in his journey And lead us not into temptation 8. Of a soul Weary of all things which hinder her desired perfection and craving to be freed from them But deliver us from evill A larger Explication of our Lords Prayer It contains a Preface and seven Petitions THE PREFACE Our Father which art in Heaven THese words put us in mind at the beginning of our prayers of the severall parts of our duty 1. Our being a form of plurall signification declares that we are to draw into the communication of our devotions all such as are confederated with us in the common relation of sons to the same Father 2. Father If God be our Father we surely owe unto him a filiall Love Fear Reverence Obedience For if we are Refractory Irreligious Rebellious how can we presume to call him Fatheâ— But if we are dutifull children pliable to Will and obed ent to his precepts we may confidently expect from him childrens portions and inheritances 3. Which art in Heaven This tells us where our Treasure is and consequently where our hopes and hearts should be fixed and whither all our desires petitions affections are to be directed 4. In Heaven We are Prodigall children and therefore sigh after our Parents house We are poor Pilgrims and therefore stear our course towards our happy Countrey We are wretched Exiles and therefore yearn after our heavenly home The first Petition Hallowed be thy Name 1. Whereby we desire to forget and forgo our selves and all things whatsoever to promote and procure the honour and glorie of our loving Father 2. We desire that his holy Name his divin Essence his glorious Attributes may be honoured by all creatures Believed by Faith loved by Charity and celebrated with continuall prayses throughout the whol Universe 3. It is a direct and formall Act of Adoration For Gods Name being the Representative of God himself we here Petition that he may be truly honored worshipped adored by all in all above all 4. It is also an Act of Thanksgiving for all our received Benefits and Blessings and a returning of all that we have are and can to God as to their Origin and Fountain to whose only Goodness we ascribe all that is Good in us and in all creatures The second Petition Thy Kingdom come 1. Whereby we desire that God may reign by his grace and Justice in us in his Church in the hearts of all men and every where subdue all his Enemyes 2. We desire that he will be pleas'd to exercise his absolute Dominion in our spirits and fully rule in all our faculties in our understanding by Faith in our wills by Charity in our Memories by Hope in our members by Mortification in our whol Interiour and exteriour Man by totally possessing all entirely Commanding all and being truly All in all 3. We desire that his spirituall Kingdom to wit the propagation of his faith and Gospell and the perfection of Souls may yet make more and more progress in he world Extending that where it is not and Intending this where it is And that his Kingdom may not only be amongst us in Name and Form but in Effect in efficacie in Power 4. We lastly desire not only his Kingdom of Grace in this world but also of Glory in the next The third Petition Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven 1. Whereby we desire the sweet presence and fruition of our beloved Lord in our Souls and beg for a prefect union and conformity to his blessed will 2. We desire that the dispensation of his divin Providence may be the absolutely directing Guide of the whol world and the entire measure of all our wills and wishes 3. We desire that in all our prayses and proceedings we may be evermore pliable to his holy will pleasure Resigned in all accidents Patient in all sufferings unchangeable in al good purposes submissive upon all occasions and that we may perform all our duties of devotion obedience perfection cheerfully promptly perseverantly 4. We finally desire that as the holy Angells and Saints in heaven serve our dread Soveraign with perfect Harmony unity tranquillity agreeing all together sweetly lovingly peaceably to prayse and glorify his divin Majesty so all our hearts and Soul's here upon Earth cancelling all crooked and sinister intentions may live and love together in an Angelicall Conformity and jointly please and prayse our Soveraign Creatour with a Saint-like Peace purity and Charity fervently incessantly Eternally The fourth Petition Give us this day our daily Bread Whereby acknowledging our own Poverty necessity indigency we humbly crave an almes from him who is the Author and Fountain of all Mercy First we beg the Bread of Pilgrims for the support of our lives and for the supply of our bodyes necessities that is a daily Portion of all such things as we daily want we are prohibited to be solicitous for to morrow and therefore we petition only for the present We must not be covetous to
have all at once but content to receive it as we need it and as the Divin Giver pleases to dispense it with a constant relying upon his continued providence which therefore feeds us with extemporarie provisions that being always needie we may always be begging and being daily supplyed we may be daily gratefull for the past joyfull for the present and confident for the future 2. We beg the Bread of sinners Contrition Tears Repentance 3. We beg the Bread of Children Love Devotion Obedience Resignation 4. We beg the Bread of Angells the nourishment of our souls Contemplation Communion Union The fifth Petition For give us our trepasses as we forgive them that trespass against us 1. Whereby we confess our selvs to be deeply indebted fearfull to be condemn'd carefull to be releas'd and therefore humbly sue for Mercy Compassion Remission 2. We here petition for a Pardon not only of our sins of frailty ignorance and sudden surprisall but those of deliberation of election of express malice 3. We petition for a Pardon not only of our Sins of Om ssion but of Commission not only of our Carnall sins but of our Spirituall not only of our known sins but of our secret ones not only of sins don directly against the divin Majesty but also against our Neighbour and our selvs not only of mortall sins but of veniall 4. Forgive us as we forgive By which condition we tacitly oblige our selvs to forgive all such as have any way injur'd and offended us even from our hearts not entertaining so much as a thought of Revenge but truly loving all them that have wrong'd us for so only and not otherwise we desire our Creators Pardon for our own committed crimes and impieties The sixth Petition And lead us not into Temptation 1. Where by we desire light that we fall not help that we fail nor strength that we saint not a guide that we erre not comfort that we perish not 2. St. Cyprian out of an old latin copie reads Suffer us not to be led into Temptation that is permit us not to be overcome by Temptation nor to give our assents to sinfull suggestions 3. Since our life upon Earth is a perpetuall warfare and no one can be Crown'd unless he couragiously resist the World the Flesh and the Devill his swoâ—n Enemies therefore we instantly implore the divin assistance against them that we may be able to resist the Devill chastise our Flesh despise the World and so finally obtain a Crown of Glory after our Victory 4. Finally we here acknowledge our own weakness frailty nothing and that all our sufficiencie is from our Creators grace mercy and bounty which we therefore beg and implore not to abandon us in our necessities afflictions temptation The seventh Petition But deliver us from Evill Whereby as weary of all things which hinder our desired union and conjunction with our beloved Lord and the only Spouse of our Souls and the finall End of our Life and Pilgrimage upon Earth we beg to be delivered First not only from all temporall and corporall Evâ—lls as Famine Pestilence Wars 2. But also from all spirituall Evills as impatience pusâ—illanimity distrust of the divin succour in our tribulations sufferings persecutions 3. From this World which allures us to sin and from these bodyes which imprison our Spirits 4 Finally from all that displeases the divin Majesty under whose sacred wings we desire to shelter our selvs from the violence of all our adversaries that so no Temptation may weaken our Faith discomfort our Hope distroy our Charity daunt our Courage alter our Resolutions hinder our Perseverance or overthrow our Glories An Exercise upon our Lords Prayer Dialated with Acts and Affections 1. Our Father which art in Heaven Adoration and Acknowledgement O Heavenly Father I no sooner had a Being but I see the Effects of your paternall Bountie inflowing upon me all things necessary for my preservation even to this present Instant in which I appear before your dread Majesty to adore you prayse you and to implore your Mercy I humbly acknowledg my own Ingratitude Rebellion Disobedience all which notwithstanding you have still continued the affection of a tender Father towards me in cherishing me comforting me correcting me pardoning me protecting me and treating me not as a Traytor a Prodigall a Slave but as one of your dearly beloved Children Wherefore I adore you as my Soveraign Lord God and I honour you as my heavenly Father and I prayse you as my powerfull Creator and I love you as my mercifull Preserver and I promise for the future to obey you more punctually to serve you more faithfully to prayse you more fervently and to procure the dilatation of your divin honour and glory more zealously upon all occasions with a syncere filiall and cordiall affection Hallowed be thy Name A desire of true Light O what a Father How full of pity patience compassion to have so long endured the undutifullness irreverence insolencie of an â—ll behaved uncivill unnaturall child who instead of procuring the sanctification of your sacred Name in all your creatures and the exaltation of your honour in all his actions hath still continued to dishonour your Majesty to disedify his Neighbour to misuse your gifts graces and mercyes and to defile his heart and soul with all sorts of sins and impieties Grant O Father of Light and Love that I may have a clear sight and lively apprehension of your affection and my obligation that truly considering youâ— mercy and my own misery I may rely confidently upon that and rise speedily out of this so recovering your favour and friendship and eternally sanctifying praysing and magnifying your sacred Name and Majesty 3. Thy Kingdom come Sorrow for our Sins and sighing for Heaven I freely confess O Father of Mercy anâ— King of Majesty that my own willfulâ— blindâ—ess and disobedience hath moâ—… justly deâ—riv'd me of a Childs title anâ— quality Permit me therefore to presenâ— my self before you as a poor Bond-slave or at least as the Prodigall Child with tears in my eyes sighs in my heart and this humble petition in my mouth Father I have offended against Heaven and before you I have dissipated all the graces you so lovingly and liberally gave me and forfeiting my whol freedom am become the absolute slave of sensuality vanity impietie which now over-rule me raign within me and render me a rebell against your divin Majesty Mercy O most compassionate Father Destroy this Kingdom of Sin and Satan and Establish yours in my soul Live Lord Jesu in my heart I will have no other King but him Deprive me not Dear Father of that happy inheritance which your Son my Saviour hath purchased for me with the price of his precious blood But mercifully grant that your glorious Kingdom may come to be my lot and portion at my departure out of this place of banishment that I may there contemplate praise and love you for
disputing amongst the Doctors Luke 2. In Seas of joy the Virgins breast was drownd When Jesus lost she in the Temple found Our Father c. The Blessed Virgin-Mother exceedingly rejoyced 1. At the sight of her new-found Son FOr when the child Jesus was twelve years old his Parents went up with him to perform their Devotions in the Temple of Jerusalem where they lost him for three days space sought him up and down with many tears and at last found him amongst the Doctors O the Joy of their hearts at this happy sight For the sweetest comforts spring from precedent sorrows now their sorrows were proportionable to their loss and consequently their Joy was correspondent to the affection they bore their blessed Son first possessed then lost and now retriv'd again Hail Mary 2. At the Hearing of his Learning and Wisdom For they found him not playing idling sleeping but discoursing of the Law disputing with the Doctors proposing questions to the Priests and resolving their difficulties with such readiness and dexterity that all the Auditors were astonish't at so ripe an understanding in such tender years Hail Mary 3. At the fulfilling of that Propheticall saying I Wisedom dwell with Counsell and am present amongst learned cogitations WHich passage S. Vincent explicates literally of this prefence of our Lord JESUS amongst the Priests and Doctors Hail Mary 4. At her first conference with him after She had found him WHen with heart brim-full of Joy She brake forth into these expressions O my dear Son Why have you dealt thus with us not making me your so tenderly affectionat Mother acquainted with your stay which was no rebuke but a certain loving complaint for his long absence Behold your Putative Father and I have sought you out with sorrow fearing you might fall into the hands of Archelaus the Son of Herod and Heir of his cruelty as well as of his Kingdom Hail Mary 5. At his Mysticall Answer unto her FOr He mildly and modestly teply'd And why O Mother did you so carefully seek after me Know you not that I must be about my heavenly Fathers business whereof one part is to instruct the ignorant and instill into their hearts the hidden Intelligence of his Law Hail Mary 6. At the Instruction couched in his reply FOr though at first She understood him not by reason of the excess of Joy in having found him yet reflecting afterwards upon his words She well perceiv'd he was now even in his tender age setting forward that great work of mans conversion Redemption Salvation which he was in his riper age to compleat and perfect Hail Mary 7. At his return with her to Nazareth FOr he immediatly leaving the Doctors company and yeilding to his Mothers summons went down with his Parents to their dwelling-house in Nazareth Hail Mary 8. At his humble Obedience and Subjection FOr the sacred Gospell tells us He was subject unto them Hail Mary 9. At the consideration of her own happiness dignity and excellency TO wit That He should become thus voluntarily subject to her command to whose beck both her self and all creatures were necessarily subject and obedient Hail Mary 10. At the delicious conservation of all his words and actions in her heart FOr so the sacred Pen-man of the holy Ghost informes us His Mother kept all these sayings conferring them in her heart To the end she might by her daily and diligent study reflection and meditation dive into the meaning of what she yet understood not and take joy and comfort in what she understood Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Blessed JESU who for reasons best known to your own divin Wisdom and all-disposing providence would be thus lost sought and found by your Parents in Jerusalem amongst the Doctors in the Temple Grant that I may never lose your Grace Favour and Friendship by following my own irregular appetites passions and affections by yeilding to wordly vanities allurements enchantments by consenting to Satans suggestions temptations delusions But if through Ignorance negligence carelesness or any other motive whatsoever I shall unhappily chance to be depriv'd of your sweet presence in my interiour Excite me O mercifull Saviour to seek you out diligently speedily mournfully during the three days space of this my lives Pilgrimage by perfect Contrition pure Confession entire Satisfaction that so I may at last joyfully find and see you in your Celestiall Jerusalem sitting on your Fathers right hand amidst your Angels and Saints in the Temple of your Eternall Glory O Jesu The rare Patern of perfect Obedience Humility and all vertues you are the All-powerfull God and you obey poor man you are the Soveraign Creatour and you submit to your own Creature you are the Supreme Monarch of both worlds and you are subject to your Handmaid Mary And shall any Christian remain any longer rebellious refractory disobedient to his Parents to his Superiors or to any other just authority Be asham'd proud dust and ashes God humbles himself and wilt thou exalt thy self He obeys men and dost thou desire to domineer over them Is not this directly to prefer thy self before thy soveraign Lord and Maker But o sacred Virgin Mother How singular is your Priviledge To have him subject to you whom all human and Ang licall nature reverences and adores O my soul Admire both and make choyce of which thou wilt chiefly admire Either the Sons stupendious condescention or the Mothers excellent dignity Both are mervailous both miraculous That God should obey a Woman is a Humility beyond all Example That a woman should command God is a Height beyond all comparison O good Jesu How doth my Soul languish when I have lost you and how reproachfully doth my conscience cry out unto me Where is thy God And yet Alas I seek you not with due sorrow and diligence because I love you not with true fervour and devotion O loving Mother of Jesus Had I the least spark of that sincere affection you bore your blessed Son How sensible should I be of my sad loss How seriously should I seek to retrive it But ah my misery That is lost without much grief which was possess'd without any great joy and therfore I find not my loss because I feel no love and finally I feel no love because I reflect not faithfully upon my Redeemers reall worth and value And yet what is there considerable or desirable in Heauen or Earth in comparison of sweet Jesus O my Lord my love my lot and my portion for time and Eternity Dart one Efficacious beam of your divin light into my dull dark and desolate Soul that I may see your greatness to the end I may love your goodness and that truly loving you I may willingly leave all to look after you contentedly forfeit all to find you and having found you I may be more faithfull
great a goodness incense so immense a clemency and inflict fresh wounds upon Gods Son by my continued wickedness Tell me O my soul dost thou truly believe that thy sweet Saviour suffer'd all this for thy sake That he was stripp'd naked to cover thy crimes fastned to a pillar to loose the fetters of thy bondage Whipp'd with cruell rodds to secure thee from the scourges of his Fathers severe Justice all over beaten bruis'd and worried to cure the wounds of thy soul Believest thou all this and hast thou no sense of compassion no feeling of compunction no resolution of correcting thy life cancelling thy sin converting thy self to his love and service who for these very ends and intentions underwent all these wofull torments O meek Jesu seeing you thus patiently bearing all sorts of abuses shall I storm at the least offer'd injury O Son of God! seeing you stripp'd naked in the sight of your Enemies shall I be asham'd to discover my faults before a Priest O sweet Saviour seeing your whol Body torn with whips and your flesh turn'd into as many open mouths as it had wounds to proclaim the love you bear me shall not I open my mouth to manifest your Mercy to admire your goodness to adore your bounty to acknowledg my obligation to testify my compassion to renounce my impiety And since you O my dear Redeemer Spilt all your blood for me shall not I shed one tear for my self and you You O charitable Samaritan permitted your tender skin to be torn from off your back and shoulders with cruell scourges to serve as swathes wherewith to bind up my ulcers You were content O pious Pelican to have the blood drain'd out of your veines to make therewith a precious balsum of oyl and wine for the efficacious cure of my wounds and shall I yet ly dead and buried in the sepulcher of sin and Impenitencie You weep tears of blood over my dead corps and cry out aloud unto my soul with as many Tongues as you endured Torments N. Come forth of thy grave And I cry out to you Dear Jesu the Abysmus of misery calls upon the Abysmus of mercy O when shall I be led out of this loathsom sepulcher when shall this head-kercher of evill customs sinfull habitudes vicious inclinations be unty'd and taken off from my eyes and face which hinder my desired sight and enjoyment of you my dear Saviour Behold I appear upon your summons but yet bound hand and foot and in quality of a guilty Criminall before you my God and my Judg I come creeping as a poor prodigall child and ready to perish to you my pious Father I cast my self at your sacred feet with tears in my eyes contrition in my heart and Confession in my mouth as a Penitent Magdalen O compassionate Saviour unbind and absolve your guilty Criminall Receive and embrace your fearfull Prodigall Comfort and pardon your Penitent Magdalen Apply to me one small drop of your sacred blood and I shall be cured Speak only the word sweet Jesu and my soul shall be saved The third Dolorous Mystery Is Crown'd THe Crowning of Christ our Saviour with Thorns Matth. 27. His sacred Head is pierc'd with pungent thorns And made the subject of ten thousand scorns Our Father c. Our blessed Saviour was evceedingly tormented 1. At the pressing of the sharp-pointed thorns into his sacred Head FOr Pilat having call'd him in derision The King of the Jews the Soldiers at their instigation twisted thorny brakes into the shape of a Crown boysterously placing it upon his bare head and violently pressing it into his skull to encrease his misery and make him a more ridiculous object of all mens mockery Hail Mary 2. At the pulling it off and on WHich was done both upon a pretence of fitting it to his head and also to augment his torments Hail Mary 3. At his cloathing with Purple FOr they sportingly invented all manner of tricks to please their fancies glut their malice and aggravate his miseries Not content therefore to have Crown'd him they would also cloath him as a counterfeit King and so rashing off his garments which were now glu'd to his body with the former goares of blood they scornfully cast a despicable Purple-cloak over his naked shoulders which was a colour us'd by the ancient Kings Hail Mary 4. At the holding a Reed in his right hand THis was intended as a mock Scepter being after the Crown and purple the third Royall Ensign Hail Mary 5. At the scoffing Salutations Genuflexions Adorations ANd the like feigned Actions of Religion and worship whereby the Soldiers and Jews maliciously derided him as blasphemously usurping the title of the divinity Hail Mary 6. At the spitting in his face WHich amongst the Jews was held the greatest contempt injury and disgrace could be put upon any person For as spittle is a superfluous matter whereof the Mouth endeavors to be discharg'd so they reputed our Blessed Redeemer no better than a base despicable wretch and a thing worthy to be cast out from amongst the people Hail Mary 7. At the smiting His head with the Reed WHereby the prickles of the thorny Crown were driven deeper and deeper into his wounded skull and the Blood forc'd out of the new open'd surrows trickled down a fresh upon his neck and forehead which embodying with the beastly spittle wherewith they were before besmeared chang'd our Redeemers sweet countenance which the Angells admiringly contemplate into an object of horror and into the likeness of a Leper most loathsom to be look'd upon Hail Mary 8. At the iterated and multipli'd blow's boxes and buffetings O Barbarous cruelty Was 't not enough to cane his head but you must cuff his cheeks His face and flesh is already one continued tumour by your former stripes the colour of his skin is already metamorphoz'd into blackness and blueness by your former beatings And have you the hearts hard-hearted wretches to add yet more blows to blows more torments to torments O meek Lamb of God! How great is my malice which is the cause of all these your miseries Hail Mary 9. At his being shew'd to the people in such a posture IEsus came forth says the Gospell carrying a Crown of Thorns and a purple garment and Pilate spake to them Behold the Man O prodigious spectacle O Jesu King of Glory what a Crown what a Garment what a Scepter do you here shew for your royall Ensignes Hail Mary 10. At the Iew 's horrid clamors and repeated vociferations OF away with him away with him crucify him crucify him nothing but his death can satisfie their implacable malice O harsh words yet you sustain'd them sweet Saviour to free me from the harsh sentence of eternall death and damnation Hail Mary Glory be to the Father c. These prayers Angelical c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Jesu the beauty of Men and Angels the glory of Heaven and Earth when I behold your venerable head
Petitions O My Soul would'st thou know where thou mayst assuredly find thy sweet Saviour Jesus the desired object of thy dearest affections It is upon Mount Calvary There he feeds upon Gall and Vineger There is his habitation upon the hard Cross There he reposes with extended leggs and stretched forth Arms to have his feet and hands pierced with horrid nayls There and thus he expects thy return from far O prodigall child ready to embrace thee with a Fatherly affection And dost thou see thy sweet Saviour hanging thus on the Cross for thy sake and yet solacest thy self in sinfull delights remainest still wallowing in the mudd and myre of thy wicked customs and not content thy self to commit sin and give scandall to others by thy bad example teachest them lessons of malice to draw them to thy unjust desires and their own utter damnation O sinful wretch Return now at least into thy self turn to thy sweet Saviour and run into the open'd arms and bosom of thy beloved Jesus calling thee alluring thee ready to receive thee He cry's out to thee from his Cross I thirst after thy conversion correction salvation He cry's aloud to awake thee excite thee hasten thee to accept of his proffer'd love before he renders up his life O when will the time come in which they who are buried in the Sepulchers of deadly sin and ly rotting in the graves of their inveterate crimes will hear the voyce of God's Son and hearing it will return to the life of grace if not at this present when he himself dyes to resuscitate them When will earthly souls full of terrestriall affection fear and tremble if they now remain unmoveable when will the Rocks of stony hearts be rent asunder with sorrow if they are now insensible When O my soul will the veil of thy vicious conscience be corn from the top to the bottom by a true confession of thy secret sins if shame and cowardise keeps it now cover'd when Jesus hangs naked on his Cross When will the Sun of thy Pride and vanity be obscured if it now shines when the glorious Sun of Justice shuts his eyes and becomes totally eclypsed O Jesu you call me And it is high time for me to answer to your summons you incline your sacred head towards me to give me a kiss of Peace and to whisper in the ears of my heart and Soul Behold I dy for thee I dy willingly for thee I dy purely for the love of thee And O my heart and Soul What answer do you make O my Jesu my sweet Saviour my dear Redeemer my soverarign Lord and Lover you dy and do I yet live O that I who have hitherto liv'd so little for you and so long for the world That I who have liv'd so long without you in negligence forgetfulness ingratitude That I who have liv'd so long against you in sin Impiety rebellion That I who have employ'd so small a portion of the time and talents you lent me faithfully and sincerely in your love and service O that I might now at least dy for you and with you Or if your providence will have my Pilgrimage yet prolong'd O Let me not live hereafter one moment but only for you and let me rather lose my life than your Love that living and dying I may be entirely yours for all succeeding time and Eternity Amen Then end this second part of the Rosary with the Creed sign of the Cross and Prayer To the sacred and undivided Trinity c. as before in the first part The third Part of the Rosary containing The five Glorious Mysteries Begin with the sign of the Cross Prayer and Creed as formerly The first Glorious Mystery Rises THE Resurrection of our Lord JESUS Mark 16. Our Saviour Rises reindu'd with breath Victorious over Hell and horrid Death These five Principall and common heads of the Glorious Mysteries may be also subdivided into many particular points of contemplation which according to our precedent method in the Joyfull and Dolorous we shall reduce to the number of Ten answerable to the Decades of this third part of the Rosary Our Father c. Our Blessed Redeemer and his sacred Mother exceedingly rejoyced 1. At his Bodyes cloathing with Immortalitie FOr by conquering death it was triumphantly rais'd up to a glorious immortall incorruptible life Hail Mary 2. At the joynt Glorification both of Body and Soul NOt that the Soul of our Blessed Saviour which was absolutly glorious from the first instant of his Conception receiv'd now any new encrease of glory but that the Miracle which retain'd his souls Glory from redounding into his Body did now cease upon this day of his Resurrection So that his Body receiv'd now its hitherto hindred Dowries of Claritie Agility Subtility Impassibility Hail Mary 3. At his exaltation above all creatures 1. THat in the Name of Jesus every knee should bow 2. That by no other means than his merits any one should be saved 3. That he should have all power in Heaven and Earth 4. That he was constituted the Judg of the living and dead All which he deserv'd by his exact obedience to his Eternall Father Hail Mary 4. At his entire victory over all his enemyes FIrst The Jews who having upbrayded him of Impotencie in not descending from the Cross were now utterly confounded at this far greater miracle of his Resurrection from Death 2. The Devill and all the Infernall Powers whose Pride he abated whose Kingdom he invaded whose spoyl's he divided c. Hail Mary 5. At his delivering the Holy Fathers out of Limbus TO wit Abraham Isaac Jacob Moyses David and the rest of the Patriarks Prophets and holy Persons whom he triumphantly led out of their long sustain'd captivity Hail Mary 6. At the now perfected Redemption of mankind FOr his and his mothers present joy and glory were commensurate to their former grief and sorrow undergon in his late cruell death and passion Hail Mary 7. At his being the true cause and perfect exemplar of the future Resurrection of all Mankind FOr as Christ is risen we also shall arise to wit to immortality c. Hail Mary 8. At the filling up the places of fall'n Angells THe Resurrection of our Saviour says S. Gregory was the festivity of the Angells for their number was to be compleated by his calling us to his heavenly Kingdom Hail Mary 9. At the corroboration consolation and confirmation of the Apostles ANd at the Reparation of their Faith Hope and Charity which were not only shaken but even lost and they exceedingly contristated and scandaliz'd at his death Hail Mary 10. At his frequent Apparitions for forty days space TO his dearely beloved Mther To the pious Magdalen and the rest of the devout Women To all his Disciples in generall To S. Thomas in particular wherby he manifested to them the reality of his glorious Resurrection and by them to the whol world Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to
the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions WHy weep you O sacred Virgin Why do you grieve and mourn O glorious Mother of Jesus your Son lives triumphs reigns He that was lately accounted the out-cast of the people is now the most happy of all mankind He that was crucifi'd dead and buried appears now cloathed with Clarity Agilitie Subtility Impassibilitie Behold the Man look up O Blessed Mary upon your beloved Jesus the lively Image of the Eternall Father the beauty and brightness of Heaven and Earth the Crown and ornament of Men and Angells Lo He here presents himself unto you to wipe all tears from your eyes and disperse all sorrows from your heart Hear him speaking unto you in his wonted tone and tearms of respect All Hail my most honoured Mother Peace and joy be with you 'T is I my self who am the comfortable Messenger of this happy exchange of yours and my sorrows into gladness and Jubilation both that you may with me incessantly prayse and bless my Eternall Father and also that you may take the first and best share of joy who have the greatest interest in me and had the greatest part with me in my passion of any mortall creature See and admire the power of the Almightyes right hand in the person of your Son The disgrac'd is glorifi'd the defam'd is justifi'd the condemn'd is absolv'd the crucifi'd is resuscitated Rejoyce then dear Mother together with you joyfull Son for whom you need not now fear any further miseries persecutions Crosses since he is above the reach of mans malice and the Devils power having put on the robes of glory impassibility immortality The short Winter of suffering is turn'd into a perpetuall Summer of consolation The stormy showers of blood into a sweet dew of blessings All my wounds are perfectly cur'd and the scarrs only remain as Rubies of my honour and badges of my victory O the excesses of Joy which transported your extasi'd heart and soul O sacred Virgin-Mother at the sight of your now again living and gloriously triumphing Son Jesus And O my soul If thou desirest a share in these Joys and gloryes of Jesus and Mary thou must also resolve to bear a part in their sorrows and sufferings Thou art much mistaken in thinking to triumph without trying for the Victory or to be crown'd without conquering No my delicate Soldier Christ thy King and Captain suffer'd before he entred into his glory Queen Maries heart was pierced with sorrow before it was replenish'd with comforts All the Saints combated before they were crown'd And refusest thou all sufferings all sorrows all combates all that thy flesh and blood cannot relish O dear Jesu What will you do with me who dare not encounter with the least difficulties How will you deal with me who bear the name of a Christian soldier and am indeed no better than a base and cowardly sensualist If I love the glory of your Crown why dislike I the ignominie of your Cross If I desire the reward of a Conqueror why do I not adventure into the field of the combat O why should your painfull death and passion so much affright me since your glorious Resurrection confirms me in the Hope and Faith of a future felicity why should I more dread in reflecting upon the difficulties occurring in my Pilgrimage than rejoyce in fixing my thoughts upon the pleasures of Paradise which is the end of my Pilgrimage O why am I not content to suffer with Jesus and for Jesus were there no reward to be expected for all my sufferings It being a sufficient glory to a faithfull Christian to be conformable to Christ his Captain Behold therefore I humbly prostrate my self here at your sacred feet O my victorious Redeemer imploring your pardon for my past pusillanimity and purposing to behave my self hereafter more manfully Come all sorts of crosses and losses all sorrows and sicknesses all punishments and persecutions all derelictions and desclations I will no more be daunted or dismay'd but animated by your example and assisted by your grace O Christ my King my Captain my glorious Conqueror I will either pass through them couragiously or pass by them patiently or pass over them victoriously Yes my Lord Jesu I will receive henceforth all afflictions from the hands of your divin providence as pledges of your paternall affection and most willingly joyfully resignedly embrace them as the happily offered occasions for the encrease of my merit the exercise of my vertu the perfection of my soul the expiation of my sins the crowning me with glory The second Glorious Mystery Ascends THE Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven Mark 16. His great work don and his Commisons given In Glorious triumph he ascends to Heaven Our Father c. THE Glorious Virgin-Mother exceedingly rejoyced 1. At the Ascension of her Son Iesus in hers and his Disciples presence FOr upon the fortieth day after our Redeemers Resurrection his sacred Mother with the Apostles the seventy two Disciples and many more of his faithfull friends and followers met together by the divin instinct upon Mount Sion and march'd from thence proâ—essionally to the Mount Olivet distant a mile from Jerusalem to be spectators of this admirable catastrophe of their dear Saviour Christs humanity and to receive his last blessing before he left the Earth to ascend into Heaven Hail Mary 2. At his great Power shew'd in his Ascension FOr he elevated himself by his own strength and vertu nor could he need any forreign help or assistance whose inhabiting Divinity and glorifi'd soul could move his impassible and agile body as himself pleased Hail Mary 3. At the joyfull meeting and acclamation of the Angelicall spirits WHich undoubtedly descended all to accompany his humanity to congratulate his victory to echo forth the triumphs of his prayses Hail Mary 4. At his soaring above all the Heavens TO wit above the spheres of the seven Planets above the Christallin orbe above the starrie Firmament even to the Empyreall seat of the Divinity according to that sentence of the Apostle He ascended up far above all the Heavens that he might fulfill all things Hail Mary 5. At his ascending above the Angelicall quires and all creatures whatsoever ACcording to that expression of the same Apostle God the Father placed him his son Jesus far above all principalities and Powers and Dominations and every thing that is nam'd not only in this world but in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet Hail Mary 6. At his being seated on the right hand of his Eternall Father ACcording to that of S. Mark He was assumpted into Heaven and sits on his Fathers right hand And of S. Paul His Father set him on his own right hand in the heavenly places Which is a Metaphoricall expression signifying equality and society of Majesty honour power felicity c. Hail Mary 7.
LOVE O MERCY O MERVAIL You will unite your Greatness to our Baseness your Eternity to our Mortality your Divinity to our humanity becoming Son of Man Son of Mary for an Eternity as from all Eternity you are the Son of GOD the only Son of the Eternall Father 4. Gods Son gives his Eternall Essence and Subsistence to our nature I Adore you in this highest Councill and divin Will I Adore you in this new estate and deep Mystery I Adore you in the unity of your divin Person and in the diversity of your natures the one Divin and Eternall the other human and temporall I Adore you as receiving your Eternall Essence from the Eternall Father and as giving your Essence you subsistency to human nature united to your self for an Evermore Vnited I say to your self so intimatly and so powerfully so gloriously and so divinely O Adorable Estate O Unspeakable Mystery O happy Moment of the Incarnation which makes man God and God man Which gives to Heaven a King of Glory and to the Earth a Soveraign To Angells a Repayrer and to Men a Saviour 5. Jesus is born lives suffers dyes for us O JESU my Lord and my Saviour I Adore you as Gods Son I Adore you as Mans Son and Man God I Adore you in these two different Estates The one Eternall the other Temporall the one uncreated the other created the one divin the other human joyned together and joyned inseparably But I must yet Adore you as Man-God for man For 't is for us that you would be made Man 't is for us that you live and dy 't is for us that you do suffer 't is for us that you are born in a Stable and bedded on straw 't is for us that you lead an abject laborious suffering life 't is for us that you dy upon Mount Calvary and hang on the Cross 't is for us that you arise and ascend into Glory O Birth O Life O Death O Divin glorious heavenly Life O blessed hour of the Incarnation of the Expiration of the glorification of Gods Son O Estates of Jesus in his Fathers bosom and at his Mothers breasts hanging on the Cross and sitting on the right hand of God! O Abodes O Estates O Mysteries of Jesus in Judea in Egypt in Galilee in Bethleem in Nazareth in Jerusalem in the Crib on the Cross in the Grave on Earth in Hell in Heaven Who can recount your thoughts your griefs your delights in these places But Heaven will one day reveal them unto us and the Contemplation hereof shall be one of the employments of our Eternity till when the Earth must remain ignorant hereof must Reverence them and must be content with the Crums falling from your Saints Tables whom you plentifully nourish with this living and life-giving bread on Earth and in Heaven 6. Jesus Adores his Heights by his Lownesses and rayseth up his Lownesses by his Greatnesses 1. BY their Example and Imitation I Contemplate and Adore you O Jesu my Lord I Adore you in your Greatness and in your Abjectness in your Cross and in your Glory in your life and in your death 2. I Adore you as raysing up your Lowness by your Greatness your human life by your divin Life your disgraces by your glory and your suffring estate by your impassible immutable and eternall condition 3. I Adore you as Adoring your self your Greatness by your Littleness your Divinity by your Humanity your Birth in your Fathers bosom by your Birth of your Mother-Virgin in the Ox-stall your supreme Authority by your humility and your uncreated Essence by your Created Being 4. And after this Contemplation of you in your self I contemplate and Adore you as going forth of your self as extending and spreading your self and as filling Heaven and Earth with your Grace and your Glory with your gifts and your Mysteries and finally with your self O God! O Man O Man-God O Infinitly prodigall of your self 7. Jesus's excessive love in the effusion of his last drop of Blood for us thereby testifying the effusion of his Greatness and Goodness also upon us I Inlarge my self in the variety of these thoughts I am ravisht in these different Exercises which my Soul makes of your self and I lose my self in the Contemplation of these so high and great verities For in honour of that supream Communication which you receive from your Father in the Eternall generation and in honour of that Ineffable Communication of your Divinity with our Humanity in the Incarnation I look upon you I admire you I Adore you O my Lord as annihilating your self and as exhausting your self that you may bestow your self on men You as it were drayn your Divinity powring it out upon your humanity consuming it incessantly in the furnace of your love and at last sacrificing it in the Holocaust of your Cross you shed your Blood in suffering and you dy by the effusion thereof chosing that kind of death to demonstrate the effusion of your self And the Nayls and Executioners being unable to empty it all the ardour of your love which cannot be extinguish'd in death it self preserv's liquid in death's coldness that residue left in your heart and body to be drain'd out even to the last drop Such was your good pleasure to make an aboundant and super-aboundant Effusion both of your blood and also of your self together 8. Jesus is all ours and we are all his yea we are in him we live in him we are parts of him WHat shall I say what shall I do in the Contemplation of these things Let me forget my self for you forget Your self for me Let me leave and loose my self for you annihilate Your self for me Let me be yours for You are mine let me be all yours for you are all mine Let me be all yours for ever for you are all mine for ever Your Divinity as it were Incarnated is my substance and my subsistence your humanity as it were divinized is my health my life your Body is my diet and your Blood is my Bath your Death is my life your weakness is my strength your Cross is my quiet your suffering is my rejoycing Thus I am yours and you are mine And I am yours O my loving Saviour by your self and by a means so noble and so divin so dear and near unto you and by so many sorts of ways which give you unto me which consecrate me to you and which even draw and drain you all out for me But I discover yet a greater secret in your love and in your Mysteries and a greater favour in your way of dealing with me For you are not only mine and I yours but I am in you I perceive that whilst I Contemplate your self and your Father and see that you are in him that you live in him you frame within me a lively Image of your self and of your divin Emanation and by your Incarnation you establish a new manner of gracious
apply my self to you I will transfrom my self into you I lose my self and Abysm my self in you for you are my God and I am your Creature you are my Soveraign and I your vassall you are my Redeemer and I your Bondslave 14. A totall Reference and Oblation of our selv's to Jesus THese are your qualities and these my endeavours and duties I accept of them and entirely yeild up my self And I make an Oblation to you of my Obedience of my servitude and of my Absolute dependency upon you and this I offer up to you for evermore I render up and totally submit my self to the motion of your Spirit and to the efficacious conduct of your Grace establish'd on Earth in Heaven by the new Mysterie of your Incarnation And I will have no other repose upon earth than in your labours no other delight than in your Cross no other life than in your death no other solace than in your sufferings as it is your Will that I should in Heaven and in Eternity have life in your life felicity in your felicity Paradise in your Paradise fruition in your fruition and subsistency in your Divinity ELEVATIONS TO THE SACRED TRINITY UPON The Mysterie of the Incarnation TO ADORE the Supream Greatnesses of JESUS and to offer up our selv's unto him in the estate of humble servitude and absolute dependency which is due to him by reason of the ineffable union of the Divinity with the Humanity HOLY Divin and Adorable Trinity in the Unity of your Essence in the Society of your Persons in the fecundity of your Emanations I prayse and adore you in the sublimity of your Greatnesses and I Abysm my self in the profundity of your Councills and in the extent of your Mercies 1. God Created two Natures capable of himself upon one he exercises his Justice upon the other his Mercy YOU have created two Natures capable of your self That of the Angell and that of Man You will exercise upon one of them your Justice and upon the other your mercy I Adore you in this your will and I give you thanks for this your Councill which you held from all Eternity in the excess of your miserations Councill most sublime and most profound Councill most holy and most sacred to unite one day and for evermore human nature to your Divin Essence 2. The Mystery of the Incarnation is the head-work of Gods Love and Power And what is proper to the Person of thâ— Father in the Mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation O Eternall Father who do produce in your self an only Son equall to your self and do produce him out of your self by a second and new Nativity choosing him to unite in his person your nature and ours I prayse and bless you as God and as Father an ds God and Father of this only Son Jesus Christ our Lord. You beget him eternally and you bestow him as another your self in this unspeakable generation and since the Moment chosen by your wisdom you give him incessantly to this humanity derived from the Virgin Happy Moment which serv'd for the Beginning of this great work the head-work of your love and power O God and all-powerfull Father be you Eternally blessed in this moment in this work in this love Love by which you powre out of your self this Celestiaâ—l dew this divin substance this pretious gift which the World and the blessed Virgin receiv's and in her our nature Work wherein is accomplish'd the work of your works the mysterie of your mysteries the mysterie of the Incarnation Moment in which our nature receiv'd and that for an evermore the Person of your only Son for her peculiar Person and this by a tie so sacred so divin so inward and conjoyn'd to your Divinity 3. What is proper to the Person of the Son in these Mysteries O Only Son of God! who do give your Essence to the Holy Ghost and your Person to our Humanity by an ineffable and secret Power of your Love I prayse you contemplate you and adore you in your self and in these two different donations you eternally produce the Holy Ghost and give him the same essence which you have receiv'd of the Father you create and form a new man by a new effort of your grace and power and you give your self to him uniting his nature to your own Person nor do you ever cease in this union and divin donation you thus worthily and divinly exercise your love you conspire in unitie with the Father in these two great donations the one Eternall the other Temporall and you fill up with the one times fullness and with the other the fullness of Eternitie blessed be you in time and in Eternitie When you discoursed of your self to your most inward and familiar friends that is to your Apostles in the last hour of your life you then nam'd your self Life and so you are the Life and Originall of Life and of Love in the thrice sacred Trinity which Death cannot bereave you of but in the the excess of your love you would yet become a new Life and a new beginning of Life and Love in your humanity Blessed be you in this will and in this love Love depressing and exalting Love annihilating and deifying Love crucifying and glorifying for this Love elevates the humanity and depresseth the divinity this Love annihilates in a manner your nature and deifies ours this Love puts you on the Cross and placeth us â—n Glory and finally this Love transforms us into you not only by communication of qualities but even by communication of substance O Son of God! I love you and I adore you in this love in this annihilation in this powerfull transformation 4. What is proper to the Person of the Holy Ghost in these Mysteries FRom you I come to the Holy Ghost who proceeds from you as you proceed from the Father for in this way of Life and Love I trace the order of the divin Processions and sources of Life and after the Son I address my self to you O Fountain of Life O holy Spirit Spirit of Truth of Life and of Love and I adore you in your self for you are God in the unity which you have with the Father and the Son I adore you in your Emanation for you proceed from them and you are their Spirit their Tye their Love and I again adore you in the admirable operation which you exercise in the time ordain'd by the eternall wisdom for it is the highest and holyest Operation which can be terminated out of your self Operation which environs the worthiest person that ever shall be next to the divin Persons that is the Person of the Virgin Operation which depresses and exalts her depresses her even into the center of her nothing drawing from her these sacred words Behold our Lords hand-mayd and exalts her to the greatest dignity which shall ever be communicated either to her or to any other making her Mother of God
the end Amen Ave Maria c. 4. The fourth Exercise may be to practice some particular devotion upon such day's as are dedicated to the blessed Virgins memory and honour which are all the Saturday's besides the rest of her annuall Festivities These devotions may be to visit her Altar to recite her Litanies to make use of some of these or the like prescribed forms c. 5. The fifth Exercise may be the paying of some Annuall Tribute as St. Peter Damian tearms it to the blessed Virgin how little soever it be in token of the homage and servitude due to her Soveraign Empire This Tribute may be tendred at some Altar dedicated to her honour together with the recitall of this Prayer Receive O Soveraign Empress this small Tribute which I here most humbly present to your sacred Majesty in acknowledgment of that supream Dominion you have next after God over my heart and to testifie the desire I have to live and dye your Bond-slave Permit not O sacred Virgin that I ever pay unto Sathan the World or my sensuality any Tribute of Sin and procure for me a happy passage from this my earthly Pilgrimage to the Heavenly Paradise there to offer up to your Son and You an Eternall Tribute of prayse and benediction Amen 6. The sixth Exercise may be that of Penance and Mortification by discreetly taking a Disciplin or wearing some harsh thing upon the bare skin c at certain times of the year according to each ones strength of body and the counsell of his Ghostly Father reciting upon such day 's seaven times the Salve Regina in memory of the blessed Virgins seven sorrows and adding this Prayer taken out of St. Peter Damian O my most glorious Lady the Mirror of purity and pattern of all vertu I wretched Sinner do most humbly acknowledg that I have higly offended your Son and You by the foolish and besotted liberty of my body and soul and therefore having now no other Refuge left me I here prostrate my heart before you O my compassionate Mother bequeathing my self unto you in quality of a Bond-slave and submitting my whol self to your holy Empire and command Curb I beseech you this rebellious body of mine receive this contumacious and stubborn heart and let not your Mercy reject me a sinner since your Immaculate Virginity brought forth the Author of all Piety 7. The seaventh Exercise may be these sublim Elevations following which may be divided into severall parts and recited according to each ones opportunity and devotion ELEVATIONS TO GOD AND ADORATIONS To the thrice holy Trinity In honour of the share he was pleas'd to give unto the Virgin Mary in the Mystery of the Incarnation effecting it in her and by her and to honour the most holy Virgin in that Dignity of being Gods Mother And to offer our selves to her in the state of Dependencie and servitude which is due unto her upon this title and to correspond by our inward devotion to the speciall Power which she hath over us by consequence of this her divin and admirable Maternitie 1. Adoration of the Sacred Trinity SAcred Trinity Adorable in your self and in your works I praise Admire and Adore you in the Unity of your Essence in the Equality of your Persons in the Profundity of your wisdom in the Extent of your Providence and in that your Work of Works which makes God Man and a Virgin Gods Mother 2. The Greatness of the Mystery of the Incarnation WORK Ineffable Admirable Incomprehensible Work only worthy the power and greatness of the Worker Work The chief of your works the Originall of your Mysteries the Sampler of your Greatnesses and the Sun of your Mervails Work which incloseth your Essence is terminated by one of your Persons and produces the most Eminent dignity which was ever brought forth into a Being out of the Divinity 3. Which is so Eminent a Work AND this Work so great so rare so Eminent was don in a Moment yet not for a Moment but for an Eternity This Work is done in time yet not for a time but for an ever and ever This Work is don in Nazareth yet not for Nazareth but for the whol universe This Work is don on Earth not in Heaven but 't is done both for Earth and for Heaven This Work is don amongst men but 't is done for Angells for Men and for the God of Gods For it gives a Mother to God a King to Angels and to Men a Saviour 4. And the chief work ad extra of the Divinity 'T IS the Head-work of your hands O Divin Admirable and Adorable Trinity which imitates and expresses the Life the Communication the Society which we Adore in the divin Persons For you who Work all things for your self and in contemplating your self would in this Work imprint an Idea of your self would in the honour of your own life and communication which is divin and eternall make a life and communication divin and temporall would enter into society and communication with your creatures to Imitate and honour the communication and Society which is in your persons would in a fair Resemblance seem to match the force of your inward love and internall communication in this outward effusion of love and externall communication out of your own Essence And making choice of your lowest creature would enter into league into communication into unity with men by singularly imparting your self and peculiarly associating your self to one human nature and to one human Person To one human nature by the Incarnation of one of your Persons To one human Person by the Operation of your three Persons who in the greatest of their Works would in a manner enter Society with the Virgin 5. The mystery of the Incarnation is divided between the sacred Trinity and the Virgin O Infinit condescendency The Three divin Persons living and acting in perfect unity eternally happy and compleatly content in their own mutuall Society will extend this Society to a new person and being to operate jointly the Head-work of their Power and Bounty will associate the Virgin to themselv's in this their greatest operation in that for the full accomplishment of their own glory love and greatness being to conjoyn the Created Being with the Being Increated in one of their Persons and to give it a new nature they would share the Glory of this great work between the Virgin and themselves and making choyce of her amongst all Creatures they made her worthy and capable to give together with themselv's this new Nature and to be Mother of the word Incarnate thus elevating a human Person to such a pitch of Power and to so high a Prerogative and conferring on it so great a part in so great a Mystery Blessed be you O sacred Trinity in this your divin will and holy Councill which makes the Son of God Mans Son and which makes a Virgin Gods Mother Highest Councill therfore worthy the
most high Profoundest Councill therfore worthy the Fathers Majesty the Sons Wisdom and the Holy Ghosts love and affection 6. The Person of the Virgin next the divin Persons is the most worthy and greater than all human and Angelicall Persons together IN contemplation of this Councill and this work Permit me Lord to address unto you my devout Vows and Elevations concerning this quality which you establish in Heaven and on Earth by the sacred Mystery of your Incarnation Quality of Mother to the most high And give me leave to trace your divin and admirable ways in the managing of this work with my humble thoughts and devotions You herein O Great Creatour do associate the sacred Virgin unto your own self you Elevate her up to work with your self and even to work the work of your works And as you associate a Human nature to one of your Divin Persons you will also associate a Human Person to one of your Divin works Contemplating therfore this work O sacred Trinity and there finding this Virgin in Society with your self I look on her love her and reverence her as a Person the most high the most holy and the most worthy of your love and greatness that ever shall have a Being yea I contemplate and respect her as the only She who surpasses in Height in Holiness in Dignity even all Human and Angelicall Spirits together and unitedly considered 7. The Virgin constitutes an Order Empire and Vniverse apart MOreover you O sacred Trinity made her singly for your self you have made her as a World and a Paradise apart World of Greatnesses and Paradise of delights for the New-Man who was to come into the world you have made her as a new Heaven and a new Earth Earth which only bears the Man-God And Heaven which contains none but himself alone which turnes not but about him alone which moves not but for him alone You have made her in the Universe as another Universe And in your Empire as another Empire For the sacred Virgin is her self a Universe which hath its different center and motions The sacred Virgin is her self an Empire which hath its distinct Laws and Estate The sacred Virgin amongst all the subjects of Gods Divin Majesty is so great so particular so eminent a subject that it alone maks a new Order amongst the orders of his power and wisdom Order surpassang all the Orders of Grace and of Glory Order altogether singular making and carrying a new Empire over Gods works Order which is conjoyn'd to the order and state of Hypostaticall union Order which hath a direct Reference to the divin Persons For as the Angells are dispos'd into Hierarchies properly relating to the Divin Essence according to its distinct perfections and attributes of love of Power of light c. So also the sacred Virgin in her Order and in her Hierarchie which she solely fills with her Greatness beholds and honours the state and the proprieties of the Divin Persons Thus the God of Heaven who hath unity of Essence and plurality of Persons hath divided the Celestiall Court into two different Quires In one of which all the Angells which in number are almost Infinit and which are ranged in their severall Orders and Hierarchies behold according to their Estate the distinct Perfections of the Divin Essence In the other the Virgin alone in her Order by an Excellency peculiar to her self alone beholds according to her new Estate the divin Persons as depending on their Personall Proprieties And this sole Quire of the sacred Virgin renders more homage both to the divin Essence and to the divin Persons than the Nine Quires of all the Angells together 8. The Virgin is a singular work of Gods Power the holiest that ever shall be created The divin Paternity is the Samplar of this divin Maternity The Eternal Father and the Son are tyed by the Person of the Holy Ghost and the Eternall Father and the Virgin are tyed by the Person of the Son O God O All-powerfull Father who can express how this Virgin is to you pretious and acceptable You frame her and sanctify her to be the Mother of your only Son whom you will Incarnate in the world and you form her in the orders of Nature of Grace and of Glory as a singular work of your Power and Bountie and the head-work of your hands You fashion her as the greatest the worthiest the eminentest subject of your Domination and soveraignty in the whol round and Circumference of all your Creatures For in the Order and Existency of all created Entities God commands not nor ever will command any thing greater than this greatest Virgin God hath not yet made nor will hereafter make any thing more Holy than this Holyest Virgin O how highly is she then to be Reverenc'd in this Eminency and singularity of Grace of Sanctity of Power Yet O Eternall Father I again Reverence her in the Origin of this Grace which is the design you have to make her a Mother to him to whom your self is a Father For after you had conducted her to the accomplish'd point of a singular Grace you being at your chosen time to enter a neer Alliance with her separate her from all things created you seat her close to your Divinity and you unite your self to her as to a Person whom you will have the most intimately and neerly conjoyn'd to your own peculiar Person of all that ever shall have a Being And she is thus joyn'd to you to co-operate with you in this Great work to render you the fruit of so close an alliance to give you a son born of her substance and having your Essence and to produce by you and with you Him who being your only Son is also her Son by a new Nativity O Ineffable Greatness O Admirable sublimity The Eternall Father who contemplating his own Essence produceth his Son contemplating his own Paternity Source of all Paternity yea source even of the Divinity honours it Imitates it and expresseth it in the holy Virgin and forms and produces in her this admirable Estate of Divin Maternity which Adores the Father in his Personall Propriety and which gives him to the Father and to the world who is the life of the Father and the health of the world 'T is in this happy great and gloria our Estate O sacred Virgin that the Eternall Father appropriates you to himself and himself to you Renders himself all yours and renders you all his own unites himself to you and you to himself And communicating to you his Spirit and his love makes you fruitfull with a divin fertility and being resolv'd to have of you One self-same Son with you makes you by this his Alliance to be Productrice to the world and to himself of Him who by this Birth according to the Angells saying is his Son and your Son together Your Son as issued from your own proper substance His Son as emanated from his own
proper vertu and Power O Father O Son O Mother How great and glorious things ought to be spoken and thought of you The two Divin and Eternall Persons the Father and Son are divinly link'd together and for their link in their Eternity they have a divin Person to wit the Holy Ghost equally proceeding from them both in whose unity they are both Eternally joyn'd together And these two sacred Persons the Father who is in Heaven and the Mother who is upon Earth are also holily link'd together and have in like sort for the Tye of their sacred union a divin Person to wit One self-same only Son who proceeds from them both and who between them both is this indissoluble band whereby they are for an Eternity conjoyn'd together O union which hath Jesus for its Tye Jesus I say who is the Center if the Created and Increated Being Jesus in whom is holily and happily terminated the union of two natures the one human the other divin which establisheth the mystery of the Incarnation and the uniting of two Persons the one likewise divin the other human which also establisheth the Divin Maternity wherein the sacred Virgin is united to the Father by the production of Jesus wherein she is link'd to him with so neer a union so powerfull a union and so fertill a union that it hath not its like in the large extent of all created things O let 's be the Fathers let 's be the Sons let 's be the Mothers And let 's honour the Father and the Son in this Mother who is so nearly joyn'd unto them both and who in her Estate hath so close an alliance with the Father that she conceives his Son and brings forth so worthy a fruit so powerfull an effect so lively an Image of the Divine Paternity 9. The Eternall Word who is in Society with the Father and Holy Ghost before all time doth in time enter League and Society with the Virgin AND you O Eternall Word who being her God will also become her Son What shall I say what shall I do in honour of the Son and of the Mother You are in unity and in Society with the Father who produceth you and with the Holy Ghost whom you produce and yet you will besides these two divin and co-eternall Persons enter into so inward and honorable a band union and Society with a third Person with a human Person with a temporall Person you will be the Virgins Son as you are the Son of God and you will have her for Mother as you have God for Father And by your Power and Goodness you make her the worthy Mother of God by your humility you render Obedience to her and become subject to her during your life upon Earth and trowning your own handy-works by your love and wisdom you in Heaven confer upon her such glory as corresponds to this her sacred dignity and authority Be you eternally bless'd and prays'd O great God I will for ever Reverence both the Son and the Mother I will Reverence the Mother by reason of the Son and the Son in the Mother I will Reverence all that which the Virgin is to her Son and to her God and all that which her Son God is to her And I will honour all the mutual connexions which are unknown and ineffable between the Son of God and the sacred Virgin as secrets of which the Earth must remain ignorant and which are reserv'd to the glory to the love and to the light of Heaven 10. Oblation and Donation to the Son and to the Mother in quality of Bond-slave IN the sight and at the thought of these so great so high so holy things I offer up and submit my self I vow and dedicate my self to Christ Jesus my Lord and my Saviour in the state of perpetuall Servitude and also to his holy Mother the sacred Virgin Mary To the Eternall honour both of Mother and of Son I will be henceforth in the quality and condition of slavery in regard of her who is in the state and quality of the Mother of my God therby to honour more humbly and more holily this her so high and so divin qualâ—ty and condition And I bequeath my self to her as a perpetuall Bond-slave in the honour of that Donation which the â—…ernall word made to her of himself in quality of a Son by the mysterie of the Incarnation which he accomplish'd in her and by her 11. Enlargment and Explication of this Donation with the particulars thereof Renounce all my own power and liberty of disposing of my self and my actions yeilding up this power to the sacred Virgin and dismissing my self entirely into her hands in homage to her greatness in honour of that perfect demission which she made of her self to her Son Jesus I give to her that power which God gives me over my self to be hers and no longer my own to be in her power and tuition and no more in my own In honour of the power which Gods Son gave her over himself and of the humble dependency and subjection he was pleas'd to yeild unto her delivering up himself to her custody direction and tutelage during the whol time of this Infancy and child-hood I bequeath to her my Being and my Living during the whol remainder of my Pilgrimage upon Earth with all the conditions circumstances and appurtenances which accompany the same I yeild up all to her greatness as much as I can and dedicate all to her honour and glory for the fulfilling of all her wills and powers over me In this ardour of spirit and to this intention I humbly address my self to you O sacred Virgin and I make here unto you an entire absolute and irrevocable Oblation of all that I am by Gods mercy in the Being and in the order of Nature and Grace of all that thereon depends and of all the actions I shall ever perform For my will is that whatsoever is mine be absolutely yours and that the power and the grace which is bestow'd on me be employ'd in referring my self wholy with all that is in me to your honour And I here make choyce of you O holy Virgin and I will henceforth look upon you as the only object whereunto next after your Son and under your Son I shall make the reference of my soul and of my life both interiour and exteriour and generally of all that any way belongs unto me 12. This Oblation tends to the honour of the Virgins Elevation and Depression in the Mysterie of the Incarnation WHilst I am in these contemplations of you O holy Virgin I find that even in the day of your Greatness you humble your self even to the very center of nothing rendring your self then our lords servant when you are declared his Mother Wherfore I honour in you these two motions and these two different qualities I honour this Humiliation and this Exaltation both together I honour both your Servitude and also
your Mother-hood and I reverence you as pronouncing these sacred words Behold the handmaâ—d of our lord and as receiving the effect of his divin will by yielding your self his Mother at the same instant in which you render and profess your self to be his Servant and in honour of these two different estates and of this admirable disposition which thus depresseth and exalteth you I give up my self to be for ever your Bond-slave I put my life and my soul in an estate of Relation of Dependancy and of Servitude in respect of you My will is that my life of Nature and of Grace and all my actions be yours in this quality as things totally appertaining to you by reason of this my state and condition of Servitude towards you I offer unto you my whol life and all my actions in the honour of your life and of your actions towards your only Son and in honour of your Sons actions towards you And could I come to the knowledg of an Estate more humbling more subjecting and more corresponding to the excesses of your Greatness I would most willingly embrace it thereby to render you more homage and honour and my will is that in vertu of this my present Intention each moment of my life and each one of my actions belongs as much to you as if I made to you a particular tender thereof 13. In the Virgin all is Great and particularly her Maternity her Soveraignity her Sanctity I Offer up also unto you O Virgin and Mother of God! all that I am all that I have all that I can to render homage to all that you are For in you all is great all is holy all is worthy of singular Veneration and you are an abysmus of greatnesses and a world of wonders excellencies and rarities which ravish Heaven with their beauty and which the Earth neither knows nor can conceive In expectation of having these things manifested hereafter unto me I will stedfastly behold and singularly reverence your sacred Maternity your glorious Soveraignty your great Sanctity Your Maternity for it unites you to God by a conjunction appertaining to your self alone and gives you so eminent a degree of affinitie with him as no one durst have imagined Your Soveraignty for this admirable quality of being Gods Mother gives you not only an Eminency above all Creatures but also a Power and Dominion over them all as Mother of their Creator And are there any Spirits so little vers'd in the light of our christian mysteries and so insensible of your greatness O sacred Virg n as to find fault with this your Domination and contradict this sort of servitude which beholds and honours it in you let them get forth of their darkness and rayse up themselv's above the shallow reach of their sense let them contemplate God and his Creatures and by the light of the Creator they shall quickly discern that all Sanctity hath a certain degree of Greatness of Dignity and of Domination annexed unto it They shall perceive that the Creatures as Creatures are all born in servitude the slavery is as it were their naturall estate and condition and that they are at least far nearer unto bondage in their lowness than God in the Eminency of his Being was to the Maternity which he gave unto you and whereby he was pleas'd as it were to inclose and bound himself and yet he passes over this Infinit yea Infinit times Infinit distance which is between the Created Being and the Being Increated making himself a Son to one of his own Creatures acknowledging and respecting you as his Mother and giving you a sweet honourable and Motherly power over himself And can it then be conceiv'd unjust or unbeseeming that to honour this low-stooping of God unto his Creature and this high-raysing of the Creature unto God every Creature should bear impressed on it self the mark and badg of its servitude towards this supream Dignity Dignity which God in his wisdom equally adornes and accompanies with Power and with Sanctity with Power towards the Creatures with Sanctity towards God for if it be good that God in respect of us hath a Mother It is surely just that in respect of himself he should establish her in an estate of high Power and admirable Sanctity and that he should render due honour to himself in this dignity which so divinly incloses him and so highly concerns him Your sanctity also O Virgin-Mother is incomparable for the Holy of Holies who vouchsafes to make you his Mother forms also for you a New Holyness far surpassing all other degrees and orders of Holyness which he hath already or ever will produce to make you therby worthy of so high a preferment and of so holy an office and employment and to settle you in a glorious state answearable to so great a quality In the honour therfore of your Sanctity of your Maternity of your Soveraignty I dedicate and consecrate my self totally to you O Virgin of Virgins Saint of Saints Daughter and Spouse of God the Father Mother and Servant of God the Son Temple and Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost My will and desire is that you have a speciall power over my soul over my estate over my life and over my actions as over things belonging unto your self both by the title of your own Greatness and also by this new and particular right to wit in vertu of this choyce which I now make to depend hereafter entirely upon your Sanctity upon your Maternity upon your Soveraignty by reason of this my servitude which I now and for ever present unto you 14. It is a small matter that we make our selv's the Virgins Bond-staves and therefore we wish her to employ her power over us and that she would vouchsafe to make us truly so BUt yet all this neither sufficeth your Greatness and Dignity nor satisfies my affections and desires and therefore I make it my humble Petition to you O sacred Virgin and Soveraign Lady of all hearts and souls which are consecrated to Jesus that you will of your self vouchsafe to take upon you that power over me which I cannot give you and that you will render me your own Bond-slave in the way your self best knows and approv's and which I know not Inclose me I beseech you within your power and your priviledges and make me your own in a particular manner and grant that I may serve you not only by my actions but even by the state and condition of my very Being and of my whol Life both interiour and exteriour And generally I beseech you to take me and treat me in this World as your slave who abandons himself to all your wills and delivers up himself to all your powers and to all the effects of your Greatness and Soveraigntie And I beseech you also O Jesuâ— my Lord and my God! to consider me from henceforth as the Bond-slave of your blessed Mother in the honour of her being your Mother
dignity Hail Mary 8. He was an Instrumentall Cooperator with God in his great design of mans Redemption Hail Mary 9. He was in some sort the Saver of his Saviour by sheltring him from his enemy's Tyranny Hail Mary 10. His life was a continued Contemplation Recollection and Extasy in the perpetuall presence of Gods Son and Gods Mother Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. The fourth Decade Of his return from Egypt and of his Death SAint JOSEPH inform'd by Angelicall Revelation of Herods death returns home with Jesus and Mary Our Father c. 1. He Jesus and Mary after their banishment dwell together in Nazareth Hail Mary 2. He conducted Jesus when he was twelve years old to the Temple in Jerusalem Hail Mary 3. He there lost Jesus to his unspeakable grief and sorrow Hail Mary 4. He retriv'd him after three days enquiry sitting amongst the Doctors Hail Mary 5. He reconducts him home to Nazareth where Jesus the great Monarch of both worlds was subject and obedient to Joseph's command Hail Mary 6. And as he had the Priviledg to enjoy the Innocent embraces of Jesus in his childhood so he had the honour to enjoy his holy entertainments in his riper years and his divin actions examples and instructions in his perfect age Hail Mary 7. He also had the honour to govern the sacred family of Jesus and Mary for thirty years space Hail Mary 8. He had the happiness to be assisted by Jesus and Mary in his last Agony Hail Mary 9. Having compleated the course of his Earthly Pilgrimage he chang'd this life for Eternity Hail Mary 10. He sweetly breath'd forth his soul in a high act of sigh and love in the sacred embraces of Jesus and Mary Hail Mary Glory be to the Father c. These Prayers Angelicall c. The fifth Decade Of his Glory SAint JOSEPH was elevated to Heaven upon the day of his Son 's triumphant Resurrection Our Father c. 1. He is inthron'd there above next to Jesus and Mary as he was here below neerest and dearest unto them Hail Mary 2. He is adorn'd with a Garland of virginity for having preserv'd it unblemisht to his last breath Hail Mary 3. He is enobled with the Aureola of Doctorship for having instructed the ignorant and particularly the Egyptians in the time of his so journing amongst them Hail Mary 4. He is rewarded with a Crown of Martyrdom for having hazarded his life for his Sons preservation Hail Mary 5. He is a Powerfull Protector of all them who are particularly devoted unto him as having great credit with the All powerfull Jesus Hail Mary 6. He is the generall Patron of the Church Militant as being the speciall Favourite of its head Christ Jesus Hail Mary 7. He bears a singular affection to all that sincerely love Jesus and Mary as being so neerly allyed unto them Hail Mary 8. His Petitions are presented to the Throne of Mercy with a Fathers confidence and his Requests will not easily be rejected by Jesus in heaven who was so obedient to Joseph upon earth Hail Mary 9. He is the chief Patron of all Contemplatives Hail Mary 10. He is the great Master Guide and Directors of the Interiour hidden and spirituall life Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Credo c. as in the great Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conclude this Rosary with these ensuing Elevations ELEVATIONS TO S. JOSEPH TO Honour God in him and him in God in his Dignity of being the reputed FATHER of the Word Incarnate and the BRIDEGROOM of the Blessed Virgin MARIE And to offer up our selv's to him in the state of dependencie which is due to him upon these titles and to correspond by our inward devotion to that power which he hath over us by consequence of the power he had over the Son and Mother of GOD. GReat and glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph The worthy Bridegroom of Mary and esteemed Father of Jesus In the honour of Gods beholding and electing you in the Councill of his Eternall Wisdom and of his placing you at the time appointed by his divin Providence in these two high and sublime estates In honour and union of all the singular graces prerogatives priviledges and perfections which he plentifully heap'd upon you in order to render you capable of these eminent offices and undertakings In honour and union of your souls extraordinary sanctity of your Bodies virginall Purity of your profound humilitie of your perfect Obedience of your voluntary Povertie and of all the rest of your consummated vertues In honour and union of your dear affection to Jesus and Mary of the continuall application of your spirit towards these two divin objects of the tenderness of your devotion unto them and of your silent solitarie retired recollected and contemplative life with them In honour and union of all the services you rendred to the Word Incarnate in the state and order of his hypostaticall postaticall union with our nature In honour and union of that last Act and sigh of love wherein you sweetly breath'd forth your faithfull soul in the embraces of Jesus and Mary your divin Son and dear Spouse In honour homage and union of all your other Greatnesses and especially of the right power and jurisdiction you had over Jesus and Mary in quality of Father and husband and of the subjection obedience and duty they rendred you Finally in acknowledgment of your having been establish'd the Head the Steward and the Director of Gods Family upon Earth The Father the Tutor and the Trainer up of Jesus the Bridegroom the Guardian and the Helper of the holy Virgin Mary I do now choose you O great and glorious Patriarch for my particular Patron for my powerfull Protector for my pious Father and for my chief Soveraign next after Jesus and Mary And upon this score I do here yeild and resign unto you all the power I have over my self desiring to become your servant and Bondslave willing to submit my self to you as my Saviour Jesus was subject unto you and begging your leave to place all the future transactions motions and passages of my life during this my earthly Pilgrimage under your sacred conduct government and protection Make me worthy O glorious Father by your merits to become with you a faithfull Member of Jesus and Maries Family and to be thereunto firmely and intimately united associated and incorporated by Grace and Sanctity And obtain for me by your powerfull intercession that I may never be separated from sweet Jesus and Mary in my life in my death in my Eternity Take also O powerfull Protector the last moment of my life that Moment which must decide my Eternity into your pious care and Custody Assist me then I beseech you in that harsh Passage
I leave and loose thee for filthy pleasures frail creatures fond friendships fading honors No my dear Lord Be pleased rather to take my Soul out of my body than your love out of my Soul Let me rather dy miserably than sin mortally Let me pass on the rest of my pilgrimage in your grace and fear that I may fiâ—ish it in your friendship and favour Grant me this I beseech you O meek and mercifull Saviour by the merits of your bitter Death and Passion by the intercession of your most blessed Mother by the suffrages of all your holy Saints in Heaven and happy Souls upon Earth Upon all which relying as upon the Anchors of my Hope I absolutely commit and resign my self to your sacred disposition and providence for time and eternity fully trusting that you will marcifully pardon all my sins carefully assist me in all my wants and weaknesses and in the end happily bring me to your Eternall bliss and beatitude by such means as your divin Wisdom knows most expedient for me 3. Then offer up your devotions for the generally recommended ends and intentions in all the Concessions of Indulgences which are specified page 94. of the first Book 4. And whilst you Vocally recite the twenty five Paters and Aves you may mentally reflect upon some one of the Fifteen Mysteries as they are set down in the Rosary of the sacred Name of Jesus dividing the same into three days Stations after this manner Upon the First day meditate upon the Five Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemers Life and Incarnation which are briefly and pithily comprehended in these verses 1. Christ's Incarnation THe Throne and Foot-stool meet Heav'n Cling's to Earth The All conspires to this All-saving Birth Dear Partner of our weakness since we see Thy self made us Oh! change us into thee Five Paters and five Aves 2. His Nativity SEE the fair Sun of Glory doth arise In the dark Midnight of our miseries Sad Clouds of Tears Woes â—'advance our Good Dim his bright Birth but ah hee 'll set in Blood Five Paters and five Aves 3. His Circumcision HEre Innocence whose unstain'd Purity White Robes best sute wears Crimson's guilty Dy. Enough dear Lord Mankind is richly won Oh no these drops a deluge but fore-run Five Paters and five Aves 4. His Finding in the Temple RVn joyfull Mother to embraces run Doctors have found their Master Thou thy Son Lord Consecrate my Heart thy House Of Prayer And I shall find thee wisely teaching there Five Paters and five Aves 5. His Baptism DO Baptist with thy puddled Jordan try To Wash this Spring of spotles Purity Command doth with Presumption dispence Pride is not Pride vouch't by Obedience Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto c. O Jesu Christ the Son of David have mercy upon us Upon the second day take for your Meditation the five Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemers Death and Passion 1. The washing of his Disciples feet THeir God on knee such sordid work in 's hand Heav'n and th'Apostles both amazed stand Ah! my Affections Feet unto my Soul Thus wash't thus wip't how can you still be soul Five Paters and five Aves 2. The Prayer in the Garden HEav'ns Floud-gates are all ope each widen'd pore Is made a purple sluce Griefs painfull dore Sin drown'd the Earth once in a watry Flood And now drowns Heav'n but ah in Gods own Blood Five Paters and five Aves 3. Christs Apprehension in the Garden SMall cords rude hands on all sides bind th'Immense Twin'd flax doth pinion weak Omnipotence Philistins now seccure Samson invade His greatest strength by 's greater love 's betrayd Five Paters and five Aves 4. His carrying of the Cross THus burthen'd and thus faint See how he droops Under our load of sin Heav'ns Bearer stoops Riddle of Grief which pain afflicted more When th'Cross bore thee or thou bor'st it before Five Pater and five Aves 5. His Descent into Hell REstore thy Prey proud Hell Thy Conquerors sight Breaks sins stiff chains puts thy dark shades to flight Gives the joy-ravisht soul new wings of Love With their triumphant Lord to mount above Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto c. O JESU of Nazareth King of the Jews have mercy upon us Upon the third day take for your Meditation the five Glorious Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemer 1. His Resurrection FAir earnest of our second life this day Glory reviv'd with a new-burnisht ray Cheer up my drooping Soul thou shalt not dy Thy Lord hath earn'd thee Immortality Five Pater and five Aves 2. His Ascension TAke wing my earth-clogg'd-mind and fly along With thy great king ' mongst this heaven'n-soaring-throng And ere thy self return'st to sojourn here Leave with thy Lord thy best affections there Five Paters and five Aves 3. His sending of the Holy Ghost BLest Fire Fount Breath enkindle wash inspire Our Wills Hearts Thoughts with Love Grace pure desire Souls Life Gods Finger Gift revive work win Our flesh sense love to Spirit to Grace from sin Five Paters and five Aves 4. The Crowning of the Virgin Mary and the Saints WInter's ore-blown calm Blisse's endless Spring Charms the glad Birds of Paradise to sing Your Eyes shall know no tears your Face no frown Partakers of my Cross partake my Crown Five Paters and five Aves 5. The Coming to the last Iudgment GReat Day th' Accomplisher of Bliss of Woe Exprest by a joyfull COME and dreadfull GOE Rise guilty Dust and hear though thou bee'st loath At once thy Summons and thy Sentence both Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto Sicut erat in principio c. O Jesu Christ the Son of the liuing God Have mercy upon us FINIS The generall Table briefly containing the substance of the whol work THE Epistle Dedicatory to the sacred Virgin Mary A Marian Kalender or Catalogue of Saints of the holy Order of S. Bennet devoted to the Blessed Virgin together with her severall Festivities usually celebrated by her faithfull Rosarists The Prefects Oration which shews 1o. Mans naturall inclination to Society Page 3 Christ our Saviour establish'd and commanded it 4 The Primitive Church practised it 5 All succeeding Ages imitated it 6 The Prayses of pious Societies and Confraternities 7 And particularly of this of the sacred Rosary 10 A Digression of our B. Lady's Title of Power 17 S Dominick the beginner of the Rosary 21 Blessed Alanus the Restorer of its decayd use The Greatness of our glorious Mother Mary 22 The dignity to be of her family 24 The profits thereof express'd in five Particulars 26 The duty of the Rosarists in six particulars 35 The first Book of the Rosary which is the Doctrinall part thereof page 44 § 1. That every faithfull Christian ought to have a particular devotion towards Gods holy Mother 47 1. Because she