thy glory And to know thy face is to know the power of the father the wisedome of the sonne the mercifulnes of the holy ghost the one vndeuidable being of the thrée persons in one souereine Godhead For the beholding of the face of the liuing God is the souerein good the ioy of the aūgels of all holy mē the reward of endlesse life the glory of all soules the euerlastyng gladnes the crown of honor the obteinemēt of happines the wealthfull rest the beawtiful peace the inward outward ioyfulnesse the paradise of god Here is the heauēly Ierusalē the happy life the fulnesse of blessednes the ioy of euerlastingnesse the peace of God which passeth all vnderstādyng This is the ful blessednes the whole glorification of mā namely to sée God face to face to sée him that made heauen and earth to sée him that made him that saued him that glorified him He shal sée him by knowing him be in loue with hym by liking him prayse him by possessing hym For he shal be the heritage of his people of his people the Saints of his people whō he hath raunsomed He shal be their possession of happinesse he shal be the reward recompēce of their lōgyng I wil be thine excéedyng great reward sayth he For great thinges beséeme great personages Verely my Lord God thou art excéedyng great aboue all Gods excéedyng great also is thy reward But thou thy self art ouer great thou thy selfe art an ouer great reward thou thy selfe art both he that crowneth also the crowne thou thy selfe art both the promiser and the promise thou art the recompēcer the recompēce thou art the rewarder and the reward of euerlastyng happines Thou thē art both the crowner the crowne O my God the diademe of my hope which is garnished with glorie a gladdyng light a renewyng light a glorious ornamēt my chief hope the desire of the hartes of all saintes their deare beloued The seing of thée thē is the whole hyre the whole reward and the whole ioy that we looke for For it is life euerlastyng yea I say it is thy wisedome Life euerlasting is to know thée the onely true God Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Therfore when we shall sée thée the onely God the true God the liuyng God almightie single inuisible vnboundable vncōprehēsible thine onely begottē sonne God of thine own substaūce euerlastyng as well as thou euē our Lord Iesus Christ whō for our welfare thou hast sent into the world in the power of the holy Ghost thrée in persons one in beyng the onely holy God besides whom there is no God thē shal we hold that which we now séeke namely euerlasting life endlesse glorie which thou hast prepared for them that loue thée whiche thou hast layd vp in store for thē that feare thée and which thou wilt giue to them that séeke thée euen to them that séeke thy face for euer And thou O Lord my God which diddest shape me in my mothers wōbe who hath giuen me vp into thy hād suffer me not any more to be plucked out of one into many but gather me out of these outward thinges into my selfe frō my selfe vnto thée that my hart may alwayes say vnto thée my face hath sought thée out Lord I will séeke after thy face euē after the face of the Lord of all power wherein standeth the whole glorie of the blessed sorte for euer whiche to behold is the endlesse life euerlastyng glorie of the Saintes Let my hart reioyse therfore that it may reuerēce thy name Let the harts of them that séeke God reioyse but much more the hartes of them that finde god For if there be ioy in séekyng what maner of ioy shall there be in findyng Therefore I will alwayes séeke thy face earnestly incessantly if at any tyme the doore and gate of rightuousnesse may be opened vnto me that I may enter into the ioy of my lord This is the Lordes gate the rightuous shall enter in thereat ¶ A prayer to the holie Trinitie THou thrée coequall and coeternal persons one God the very father Sonne holy ghost who dwellest alone in euerlastingnesse and in vnapproachable light which hast foūded the earth by thy mighty power rulest the whole world by thy wisedome Holie holie holie Lord God of hostes dreadfull strong rightuous mercyfull maruelous prayse worthie to be beloued One God thrée persons one being power wisedome goodnes one vnseperable Trinitie I crye vnto thée open me the gates of rightuousnes whē I am come in I will prayse thée O lord Behold I poore begger knocke at thy doore O souerein housholder Commaund the gates to be opened at my knockyng accordyng as thou hast sayd knocke ye it shal be opened For truly O most mercyfull father the desires of my groning hart and the cryes of my wéepyng eyes doe knocke at thy doore All my desire is before thée and my gronyng is not hyd frō thée Lord turne not thy face any more away frō me neither flyng thou away frō thy seruaunt in a sume O father of mercies heare the houling out of thy ward reach hym thy singular good helpyng hād that it may drawe me out of the déepe waters out of the lake of miserie and out of the myre of filthynes that I perishe not thy pitifull eyes seyng it the bowels of thy mercy beholdyng it but that I may wade out vnto thée my Lord God so as I may see the riches of thy kyngdome alwayes behold thy face sing prayse to thy holy name O Lord which workest wonders whiche chearest my hart with remembryng thée which inlightenest my youth despise not myne olde age but make my bones to reioyse my hore heares to waxe fresh againe as the Eagle ¶ FINIS SAINT AVstens Manuell or litle Booke of the Contemplation of Christe or of Gods worde whereby the remembraunce of the heauenly desires which is falne a sleepe may be quickned vp agayne AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwellyng ouer Aldersgate 1574. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis The Preface FOr asmuch as we be set in the middes of snares we easly become cold in desire of heauenly thynges And therfore we haue neede of continuall defence that when we be shronke awaye we may be wakened to runne backe agayne to our true God the souereine goodnesse In consideration wherof not through rash presumption but for the great loue that I beare to my God I haue vndertaken this worke to his glorie to the intent I might alwayes haue with me a short and handsome abridgement of the chosen sayinges of the holie fathers concernyng my God by the fire of the readyng whereof the loue of him might be kindled in me as oft as it is waxed cold in me Assiste me now I beseech thee my Lord God whom I seeke whom I
of Christ so let vs consider the happy royalty of our Citie so farre forth as it is possile for vs to consider it Let vs say with the Prophet O how glorious thinges are spoken of thée thou Citie of God for thou art the dwellyng place of all them that reioyse the ioy of the whole earth is founded vpoÌ„ thée There is not in thée any age nor miserie of age There is not in thée any maymed person any lame man any crooke backe nor any mishapen body For all be groweÌ„ vp to perfect men after the full measure of the age of Christ What blesseder thyng can there be theÌ„ such a life where there is no feare of pouertie nor weakenesse of disease No man is harmed there no man is displeased there no man enuyeth there There is no burnyng of couetousnesse no desire of meate no ambitious sewing for honor and authoritie there is no dread of deuill no snares of féendes no feare of hell fire There is no death neither of body nor of soule but pleasaunt life assured of immortalitie TheÌ„ shall there be no miseries then shall there be no debates but all things shal be at agréement bycause all the Saints shall agrée in one Peace and mirth hold all thinges together all thinges are calme and quiet There is continuall light not such as is now here but so much the brighter as it is much happyer For as we read that Citie shall néede no Sâ—â—ne nor Moone bycause the Lord almightie shal shine in it and the lambe shal be the light of it Where the Saintes shal shine as the starres for euer without end and such as haue taught many in the way of righteousnesse shal be as the brightnesse of the skye Wherfore there shal be no night no darknesse no méeting of cloudes no painefulnesse of heate or cold but there shal be such a temperatnesse as neuer eye hath séene eare heard nor hart of any man conceiued sauing onely of them that are counted worthy to enioy the same whose names are written in the booke of life But yet it is farre aboue all these thinges to be in felowship with the companies of Aungels Archaungels and all the heauenly powers to behold the patriarkes and Prophetes to sée the Apostles and all the Saints yea and also to sée our owne parentes Glorious are these thinges but much more glorious is it to behold the present countenaunce of God to sée his infinite brightnesse A passing excellent glorie shal it be when we shall sée God in him selfe and when we shall both sée and haue him in our selues of whoÌ„ we shall neuer haue seene inough What thing God requireth like vnto him self in vs. GOd the father is Charitie God the sonne is louyngnesse and God the holy ghost is the loue of the father the sonne This loue this charitie and this louingnesse requireth some like thing in vs that is to wit charitie whereby we be associated knitte vnto God as it were by some alyance of kinred Loue passing not for dignity looketh for no reuerence He that loueth coÌ„meth boldly of him selfe vnto God speaketh familiarly vnto him without any feare or without any stickyng His life is but losse which loueth not But he that loueth hath his eyes euermore to Godward whoÌ„ he loueth whoÌ„ he longeth for whoÌ„ he thinketh of in whoÌ„ he delighteth vpon whoÌ„ he féedeth in whom he battleth Such a one as is thus disposed doth so sing so read is so forecasting and circumspect in all his workes as though God were present before his eyes so is he present in déede He prayeth in such wise as if he were taken vp and presented before the face of Gods maiesty in his high throne where thousandes of thousandes do him seruice and ten hundred thousand are staÌ„dyng about him Looke what soule loue visiteth the same doth it awake out of sléepe It monisheth softeneth wouÌ„deth his hart It inlighteneth the darke places vnlocketh the shet places warmeth the cold places méekeneth the sturdie fumish impacient mynde chaceth away vyce bridleth fleshly affections amendeth maners reformeth reneweth the spirite and restreineth the light motions and actions of slipperie youth All these thinges doth loue when it is present And assoone as loue is gone away by and by the soule beginneth to droope like as a boylyng cawldron cooleth if a man drawe away the fire from vnder it ¶ Of the boldnesse of the soule that loueth God. LOue is a great thing where through the Soule preaceth boldly of it selfe vnto God and sticketh stedfastly vnto god The Soule that loueth God asketh questions of him familiarly and taketh couÌ„sell of him in all cases It can thinke vpon nothing els it can speake of nothing els it despiseth all other thinges and it lotheth all other thinges sauyng god What soeuer it myndeth what soeuer it speaketh it sauoureth of loue and it smelleth of loue so wholly hath the loue of God wonne it vnto him He that will haue knowledge of God let him loue him In vayne commeth he to reading studying preaching or praying which loueth not The loue of God bréedeth the loue of the soule maketh it intentife thereunto God loueth to the intent to be loued againe When he loueth he meaneth nothing els but to be loued for he knoweth that they whiche loue hym are blessed by theyr loue The soule that loueth God renounceth all her owne affections and giueth her selfe wholly to nothyng els but loue to the ende she may aunswere loue for loue And when she hath vtterly spent her selfe in loue how small a thyng is it in respect of that euerlastyng streame of the heauenly loue There is great oddes in the matche betwéene the loue and the louer betwéene the soule and God betwéene the maker and the creature And yet if the soule loue thée whole where the whole is there is no want Let not the soule be afrayde whiche loueth but let the soule be afrayde whiche loueth not The soule that loueth is caried with desirousnesse drawen with longing disclaymeth desertes shetteth the eyes of maiestie openeth the eyes of pleasure setteth her selfe in safetie and dealeth boldly with god Through loue the soule withdraweth and departeth aside from the bodily senses so as it féeleth not it selfe to the ende it may féele god And this is done at such tyme as the mynde beyng allured with the vnspeakable swéetenesse of God doth after a sorte steale awaye from it selfe or rather is rauished and slippeth away from it selfe to the intent to enioy God to her delight Nothing could be so pleasaunt if it were not so gezon Loue procureth familiaritie with God familiaritie procureth boldnesse boldnesse tast and tast continuall hungering The soule that is surprised with the loue of God can thinke of nothing els nor wish nothing els but with often sighes sayth Like as the Hert thirsteth after the water springes so thirsteth my soule after thée my God. ¶ What God hath
solace whiche giuest thy selfe to them onely that despise the solace of this world for thy eternall solace sake For they that haue their comfort here are vnworthy of thy comfort But such as are turmoyled here are cōforted at thy hand and such as be partakers of thy sufferaunces shall also be partakers of thy comfortes For no man can haue solace in both the worldes neither can a man ioy both here and in the world to come but he must be fayne to for go the one who soeuer will be owner of the other When I consider these thynges O Lorde my comforter my hart refuseth to haue solace in this world to the intēt it may be thought worthy of thy euerlasting solace For of good right ought he to forgo thée who soeuer hath chosen to solace hym selfe in any other thyng more then in thée And I beséech thée O souerein truth by thy selfe I beséech thée suffer me not to solace my selfe in any vayne solace But I aske of thée that all things may be bitter to me and that thou alone mayst séeme sweete to my soule for thou art the inestimable swéetnes wherby all bitter thynges are made sweete For thy swéetnesse made euen the stones of the brooke swéete vnto Stephē Thy swéetnesse made the gréedyron sweete to saint Laurence By reason of thy swéetnes the Apostles went away reioysing from the counsell of the Iewes for that they had bene counted worthy to suffer reproche for thy names sake Saint Andrew went quietly and ioyfully to the crosse bycause he hasted to thy swéetnes This thy swéetnes did so replenish the very chief of thyne Apostles that to come vnto it the one chose the galowes of the crosse and the other was not afrayd to lay down his head to haue it striken of To buy this withall Bartlemewe gaue his owne skinne Also that he might tast this Iohn drunke vp a cup of poyson vnfearefully Assoone as Peter had tasted hereof by and by forgettyng all inferiour thinges he cryed out like a drunkenman saying Lord it is good beyng here let vs make vs thrée tentes here and let vs dwel here and behold thée still for we want nothing els It suffiseth vs to looke vpon thée Lord I say it suffiseth vs if we may haue our fill of so great swéetnes For Peter had tasted but one drop of that swéetnes yet he lothed all other swéetnesse What thinkest thou he would haue sayd if he had tasted the great aboundance of that swéetnesse of thy Godhead which thou hast layd vp for them that feare thée This vnspeakeable swéetnesse was also tasted by that virgine of whom we read that she went to prison as ioyfull and triumphyng as if she had bene bidden to a feast Hereof also as I trow had he tasted whiche sayd Lord how great is the aboundance of thy swéetnesse whiche thou hast horded vp for them that feare thée And so had he which incouraged men saying Tast ye and sée ye how that the Lord is swéete For this is that blessednesse O Lord our God whiche we looke to receiue of thy gift for whiche we serue thée in continuall warfare and for which we be killed vnto thée all the day lōg that we may liue vnto thée in thy life That all our trust and all the longing of our hart ought to be to Godward LOrd which art the wayting of Israell the desire where after our hart doth dayly long make hast and forflow thou not Vp hye thée apace come that thou mayst lead vs out of this prison to giue prayse vnto thy name and to glory in thy light Open thine eares to the shréekes and teares of thy fatherlesse children which cry vnto thée saying Our father giue vs this day our dayly bread that we may walke in the strength thereof day and night vntill we come to thy holy hill of Oreb And I silie soule among the litle ones of thy household O God my father and my strength when shall I come and stand in thy presence that as I now do prayse thée for a tyme so I may from thence forth prayse thée for euer Happy shall I be if I be once admitted to the beholdyng of thy brightnesse Who will do so much for me as to get me leaue at thy hand to come to this point I knowe Lorde I know and cōfesse that I am vnworthy to enter vnder thy roofe but yet giue me leaue for thyne owne honours sake and confoūd not thy seruaunt which trusteth in thée For who shall enter into thy Sanctuarie to consider thy mightie power except thou open it vnto him And who shall open it if thou shet it For if thou pull downe there is none that can build vp and if thou shet vp a man there is none that can let him out If thou hold the waters at a stay all shal be dryed vp if thou let them go they shall ouerturne the earth If thou bring all thinges which thou hast made vnto nothyng who shall gaynesaye thée But euerlastyng is the goodnes of thy mercy wherby thou hast made all thyngs that thou liftest Thou O maker of the world hast created vs therfore rule vs thou hast created vs therfore despise vs not for we be thy worke And truly O Lord our God we silie wormes and clay are not able to enter into thine euerlastyngnes vnlesse thou which hast made all of nothyng do lead vs in That our welfare commeth of God. ANd I the worke of thy handes protest vnto thée in thy feare that my trust is not in myne owne bow nor that myne owne sword shall saue me but thy right hand and thyne arme and the light of thy countenance Otherwise I should despayre but that thou which hast created me art my hope bicause thou forsakest not thē that trust in thée For thou our Lord God art swéete and long sufferyng and orderest all things in mercy If we sinne we be none of thyne bycause we be out of thy bookes But we be all of vs as a leafe and all men liuyng are but vanitie and our life vpon earth is but a blast Be not angrie with vs if we thy fōdlynges fall for thou O Lord our God doost know what metall we be made of O God which art of inestimable power wilt thou shewe thy force agaynst a leafe that is tossed with the wynde or wilt thou folow vpō dry stubble Wilt thou O euerlastyng kyng of Israell wilt thou condemne a dogge wilt thou cōdemne a flea Lord we haue heard of thy mercyfulnesse how that thou makest not death nor delightest in the losse of them that dye For this cause Lord we pray thée suffer not the thing which thou madest not to haue dominion ouer the creature that thou madest For if thou be sorie for our damnation what letteth thée O Lord which art almighty that thou shouldest not alwayes reioyce in our saluation Thou canst saue me if thou list but I cannot saue
sonne but the father neither knoweth any mā the father but the sonne Thyne onely Trinitie whiche surmounteth all knowledge is knowen fully to none but to thy selfe alone What is it then that I vayne man haue sayd that I know thée for who knowes thée els sauyng thy selfe For thou onely O God in thy most holy and heauenly worde art termed almightie passing prayse worthy passing glorious passing exalted passing high and passing substantiall bycause thou art discerned to be aboue all thynges that can be imagined to be whether they be to be conceiued in vnderstandyng or to be perceiued by the senses aboue all names that are named not onely in this world but also in the world to come beyond all that is or can be deuised to be For truly aboue the reach of all reason vnderstādyng and being doost thou by thy substantiall and secret Godhead dwel vnapprochably and vnsearchably in thy selfe whereas is light vnapprochable brightnes vnsearchable incomprehēsible vnspeakable wherūto no brightnesse may come neare bycause it is certeinly vnable to be beheld vnable to be seene aboue reason aboue vnderstandyng aboue acces aboue all chaūge aboue all partnershyp whiche neuer any wight neither man nor aungell hath throughly sene nor can sée This is thy heauen O Lord this is thy heauen so faire ingrauen the light so passing priuie so passing vnderstāding so passing reason so passing all that is wherof it is sayd the heauen of heauens is the Lordes The heauen of heauens in comparison wherof all other heauēs are but earth bycause it is passing wonderfully heaued vp aboue all heauens In comparison wherof euen the very firie heauen it selfe is but earth for this is the heauen of heauens that is reserued to the Lorde bycause it is knowen to none but to the lord Vnto this heauen came neuer none but he that came downe from heauen for no mā knowes the father sauing the sonne and the spirite of them both Neither doth any mā know the sonne sauyng the father the spirite that procéedeth from them both The Trinitie is fully knowē to none but onely to thy selfe O holy Trinitie O passyng wonderfull Trinitie surmountyng all vtterance beyond all searchyng aboue all approchyng ouer incōprehensible ouer vnconceiuable farre aboue all thinges that be far passing all vnderstāding all reasō all reach and all beyng of the mindes that are aboue heauen which it is not possible either to vtter or to conceiue or to vnderstand or to discerne no not euen to the aungels that behold it How then come I by the knowledge of thee which art highest aboue all the earth aboue all heauens whō neither the Cherubins nor the Seraphins do know perfectly but are fayne to shadow their faces with their wynges when they looke vppon him that sittes vpon the high and stately throne crying saying Holy holy holy Lord God of hostes the whole earth is full of thy glorie The prophet was abashed sayd Alas I am toungtyde for I am a man of vncleane lippes My hart was afrayd and sayd wo is me that I held not my toung bycause I am a man of vncleane lippes But I sayd I knew thée Neuerthelesse Lord wo be to them that are toūgtyde when they should speake of thée for there be many that be to full of toung without thée And therfore O Lord my God I will not hold my peace for thou hast made me and inlightened me wherby I haue found my selfe knowen thée bycause thou shynest vppon me But in what wise haue I knowen thée I knew thée in thy selfe I haue knowen thée not as thou art to thy selfe ward but as thou art to me ward and yet not without thy selfe but in thy self for thou art the light that hath inlightened me For no man knowes thee as thou art in thy selfe but as thou art to me ward by thy grace thou art knowen euē vnto me But what art thou to me ward mercyfull Lord tell me thy silie seruaunt for thy mercyes sake tell me what thou art to me warde Say vnto my soule I am thy welfare hyde not thy face from me least I dye Giue me leaue to speake before thy mercy suffer me that am but earth and dust to speake before thy mercy for great is thy mercy towardes me For I that am but dust and ashes will speake to my god Tell me thy sillie seruaūt tell me thy rufull creature tell me for thy mercyes sake what thou art to me ward Thou hast thundered from aboue with a great noyse into the inward eare of my hart and hast broken my deafnes and I haue heard thy voyce and thou hast inlightened my blindnesse and I haue sene thy light and haue knowē that thou art my god And therfore haue I sayd I knew thée bycause I knew that thou art my god Yea I know thée to be the onely true God and thy sonne Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent The tyme hath bene that I haue not knowē thée Wo worth that tyme that I knew thée not wo worth that blindnesse when I saw thée not wo worth that deafnesse when I heard thée not Blind deafe as I was I rā ilfauoredly through the goodly thinges that thou madest And thou wart with me and yet was not I with thée For the thinges held me farre from thée whiche should not haue bene at all if they were not in thée Thou hast inlightened me O light of the world and I haue sene thée and loued thée For no man knoweth thée but he that sées thée and no man sées thée but he that loues thée It was late ere I loued thée thou beawtie so old so fresh it was late ere I loued thée wo worth the tyme that I loued thée not Of the acknowledging of a mās owne vylenes LOrd who is like vnto thée yea euen among the Gods who is like vnto thée which art of excéeding great holines dreadfull prayse worthy and a worker of wonders Long it was ere I knew thée the true light long it was ere I knew thée There was a great darke cloud before my fond eyes so as I could not sée the sonne of righteousnesse the light of truth I like a child of darknesse was wrapped in darknesse and bycause I knew not the light I was in loue with myne owne darknesse For asmuch as I was blind I was in loue with my blindnesse and by darknesse walked into further darknesse still But who brought me out of it when I like a blind wretch sate in darknesse and the shadow of death who tooke me by the hand to leade me out of it Who is he that inlightened me For I sought not him but he sought me I called not him but he called me And who is he It is euen thou my Lord God mercyfull and pitifull the father of compassion and God of all cōfort It is euen thou my holy Lord God whom I acknowledge with my whole hart yeldyng thankes vnto thy