his hauing been pleased to performe them first He hath commanded vs as hath beene sayd that we should heare him and behould him and encline our eare vnto him which is all most reasonable and easy For such a maister who will not heare Who will not be delighted in beholding such a delightfull light Who will not encline his eare to that infinite wisdome But (a) The example of the holy life of our Lord Iesus to the end that the thing which is light might be yet more light he was pleased to passe by the same law which he hath imposed vpon vs he performed it with great diligence He heareth vs he seeth vs he enclineth his eare to vs to the end that we may no loÌ„ger say there is none who looketh towards me none who hearkneth to my complaintes A (b) Look attentiuely to this consideraon great comfort it is for one that is in distresse to haue some body who at all tymes of both day and night will be at good leasure and in good humour to heare his difficultyes related and if without the fayling of any moment he stand looking vpon his miseryes and infirmityes and if he doe not so much as say I am weary of seeing those afflictions thy wounds and soares do turne my stomacke And although such a person were hard of heart we would yet be glad that he should euer heare and see vs. For we would hope that the gutter of our sorrowes which would fall vpon his heart by the conduit of his eares and eyes would one day eate into him and breed compassion since how hard soeuer he were he would not be more hard then stone which yet is wrought vpon by the fall of water although sometimes that water cease to fall And although we knew that he were not able to relieue our miseries yet should we comfort our selues much by the only compassion which he might haue of our case Now (c) The case applyed if we should owe much gratitude to such a person how great must that be which we owe to our Lord And how ioyfull ought we to be in that his eyes and eares are bent vpon the sight of our afflictions and that he doth not at any tyme retire them from vs. And this is done by him not with any hardenesse of hart but with internall and profound mercy and not with mercy of the hart alone but with entire power to relieue our necessities Be (d) God doth euer heare our coÌ„plaints he is inclined to pitty our ease he is highly able to help vs. thou O Lord eternally blessed who art neither deafe nor blind to our afflictions since thou doest euer heare and see them Nor art thou cruell since of thee it is said Our Lord is a worker (e) Psal 10â— of mercies and he is of a mercifull hart he expecteth vs and he is very mercifull Nor is he weake withall since all the miseries and sinnes of the world are both weake few if they be compared to his infinite power which hath no end nor measure We read that in tymes past God gaue a meruailous victory to King (f) 4. Reg. 10. Fzechias ouer his enemies who as some relate did not yield those thankes and sing those praises to our Lord which were both due and accustomed to be presented in such cases For which offence God (g) A great example of â—ods mercy and mans misery did cast him into a sicknesse and that so dangerous that humanely speaking it could expect no cure And least through a vayne hope of life he might forget to set his soule in order the Prophet Isay was sent to him and he said by the commaundment of God This saith our Lord Dispose of the affayres of thy house for know that thou shalt dye and not line The King being frighted by these wordes turned his face towards the wall and wept with great lamentation imploring the mercy of our Lord. He considered how iustly he had deserued death since he had not bin gratefull to him who had giuen him his life and he reflected vpon the sentence which had already passed on him which said Thou shalt not line Ho found not that there was any thing superiour to him who had passed that sentence that so he might procure to haue it reuersed And although there had bin any such yet would not his title haue bin good For from the man who is vngratefull that is iustly taken away which was mercifully afforded to him He saw that he was but a man of middle age and that the line of Dauid was to fayle in his person for then he was to haue dyed without children And besides all this he was assalted by all the sinnes of his life past the feare wherof is wont to presse men most in that last houre And by these things his hart was euen broken with griefe and troubled like a tempestuous sea and which way soeuer he looked he found reasons of sorrow and feare But (h) They are sure of remedy who haue recourse to prayer especially if they resort to it immediately after the occasion is ministred yet in the middest of so many miseries the good King met with a remedy and it was to aske physicke at his handes who had made him sicke and security of him by whome he had bin frighted and to conuert himselfe to him by hope and pennance from whome he had fled before through pride Yea and of the iudge himselfe he desires that he will become his aduocate and he falls vpon an inuention how to appeale from God not as to any other more high then he but from himselfe being iust to himselfe being mercifull And the reasons of his defence are no other then the accusations of himselfe and the Rhetorike that he vseth are but sighes and teares And by these meanes he is able to preuaile so farre in that court of Chancery of the diuine mercy that before the prophet Isay who was the proclaymer of the sentence of his death could go but haâ—fe way ouer the Kings chamber our Lord sayd to him Returne and say thus to King Ezechias that Captaine of my people I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares I grant thee health and I giue thee moreouer fifteene yeares of life and I will deliuer this Citty out of the handes of thine enemies What is this O Lord So soone doest thou sheath thy sword agayne so soone doest thou turne thy anger into mercy Can a few teares which are shed not in the Temple but in the corner of a bed whilest the eyes looke not vp to heauen but vpon a wal make thee so soone reuoke that sentence which thy maiesty had giuen and commaunded to be notifyed to that guilty person What (l) The pardon of God to man is instant and amorous without vpbrayding is then becomâ— of coppying out the whole processe what of the costes of the suite what of the
one must practise first the seruice of Christ and must haue recommended it to God and that very cordially both dayes and yeares least that be negligently performed which was not groundeâ—ly intertayned But when it is once vndertaken both in that manner and for the end that is fit the person who imbraceth it is to grow chearefull vpon it because it is a state of incorruption yet a state also it is of fertility For as the Blessed Virgin Mary who through her excellent and incomparable pure Virginity is called the Virgin of Virgins and is the patronesse of Virgins did both giue fruite and yet retained the floure of her purity so other Virgins if indeed they be true Virgins do giue fruit in their soules and yet haue enâ—iernesse in their bodies For this celestiall spouse of Christ Iesus is not like them of this world who despoile their spouses of their true beauty and integrity but he is so truely a conseruer of their beauty and so great a louer of their purity as that they may say to him with (d) The sweet S. Agnes virgin Martyr sayd so when she was but 13 yeares of age S. Agnes To him alone do I keepe my Faith to him alone do I recommend my selfe with entiere deuotion whome when I loue I am chast when I touch him I am pure and when I receiue him I am a Virgin Nor will there be wanting children as the fruit of such marriages as these wherof they are deliuered without torment and their fruitefullnes is euery day increased And this did S. Agnes say as one who had tasted the suauity of this celestiall espousall And (e) It is a shame to Virgins if they aspire not to the imbracemeÌ„t of their heauenly Spouse a confusion and that no small one it ought to be to a Virgin who calleth her selfe the spouse of Christ to haue no more taste of the qualities and sweet condition of her spouse then if she were a meere stranger to him O how many afflictions doth virginity preuent how many cares how much vnquietnes Some which the very state it selfe of Matrimony betweene persons who are made of flesh bloud doth necessarily bringe with it and others which grow from that vntoward disposition which is so often found eyther in the husband or in the wife Others agayne from the ill proofe of the children But (f) The great difference betweene a spiritual corporall marriage in our case all the children are Ioy Charity Peace and such others like to these which are recounted by (g) Gal. 5. S. Paul This spouse is full of goodnes he is peaceable rich wise beautifull and as his fellow Spouse saith in the (h) Cant. â— Canticles He deserueth to be wholy desired Doth it not therefore seeme to thee that this King doth an incomparable fauour to the persoÌ„ whom he taketh I say not for a slaue or seruant but for a spouse Doth it not seeme to thee a good exchange of a birth with torment into a birth with ioy of Children which afflict with care to Children which are full of comfort yea and such as bring their dowry in their handes which is both honour and pleasure Verily sayd S. Hierome when he was speaking to the mother of a certaine virgin I cannot vnderstand the reason why thou shouldst be angry with thy daughter for refusing to be the wife of a particuler Cauallier that so she might be espoused to a (i) Christ our Lord. King by meanes whereof she hath made thee the mother-in law of Christ It doth therefore now but remaine O Virgin that thou take comfort in the state which our Lord of his goodnes hath called thee to And that thou haue care to be that very thinge to him which thou shouldest be And be no more fearefull of thine owne weakenes then thou art confident in our Lord that he will perfect that in thee which he hath begunne That (k) The middle way is the right way betweene feare and hope till we arriue to the iorneyes end which is perfect loue so neither the fauour that he hath done thee do intoxicate thee with any giddy kind of gladnesse nor yet the thought of the much thou owest him draw thee down into any dismay But walke thou on betweene feare and hope till the feare be taken away by that perfect loue which is found in heauen And hope also may be then dismissed when we shall haue (l) The very visioÌ„ of God and that for euer that thing present with vs which heere we hoped for and so as that we haue no more feare to loose it CHAP. CVI. Of foure conditions which are requisite for the making of any thinge beautifull and how all of them are wanting to a soule that is in sinne VVE haue made a long digression from the question that we asked How the soule could come by such beauty as that God should be drawne to a desire of it But the cause of this digression was the doubt of our conceauing that the King perhaps might care for the beauty of the Body Let vs now returne to our purpose Thou art to know that for the making a thing to be of perfect beauty foure conditions are necessary The first That it must haue all the parts that belongeth to it for if any of them be wanting as a hand or foot or the like it cannot be tearmed beautyfull The second is that one part haue proportion with another and if it be the picture of any life it must be made very like the originall The third is that it must haue purity of colour The fourth that it must haue a competency of greatnes For that which is little though it be well proportioned will not arriue to be absolutly accompted beautifull Now if (a) Euery soule that is in state of sinne is out right deformed we consider all these conditions in a soule that is sinfull we shall finde that it hath no one of them Not completenes because if it want either faith or charity and the giftes of the holy Ghost which it was to haue that cannot be called beautifull to which so many thinges are wanting Againe one part thereof carryeth no proportion to another for neither doth sense obey reason nor reason God Especially considering that the soule being created after the image of God it was reason that for the preseruation of her beauty she should haue resembled her Originall in vertue as shee doth in the naturall being which she hath But now God being good and the soule being wicked God being pure and the soule polluted God being milde and the soule impatient and so in the rest how can there be beauty in that image which is so vnlike to the originall As for the third which is a certaine spiritual light of grace the notions which are to refresh as it were reuiue the beauty of the soule as colours do of the body they are also wanting to
thee a true and reall being and consider thy selfe not as a thing of thyne owne making but as a present which (d) Our creation is of God God was pleased to bestow vpon thee and looke vpon thyne owne being as a thinge as farre from thy strengh to compasse as thou lookest vpon another mans belieuing that thou couldst as little create thy selfe as him And as little couldst thou haue come out of that darcknesse of not being as they can who remaine therein And those thinges which are not at all be equall to thee for as much as concerneth thy selfe and it is God to whom thou must attribute the aduaÌ„tages which thou hast aboue them Be (e) Our conseruation is of God sure not to thinke now that thou art created that thou doest conserue thy selfe in thy selfe For thou hast no lesse need of God in euery moment of thy life to the end that therein thou mayst not agayne loose the Being which thou hast then thou hadst before to the end that of nothing thou mightest come to the being which now thou hast Enter into thy selfe and consider that now thou art a certaine thing which hath both being and life Aske thy selfe this question Is this creature depending vpon it selfe or vpon some other Doth it susteine it selfe or hath it need of some other hand And S. Paul will answere thee (f) Act. 17. That God is not farre from vs but that in him we liue and mooue and haue our being And doe thou consider God who is the being of all that which is and without him nothing is And he is the life of all that which liues and without him all is death And he is the strength of all that which hath any power and without him all is weakenesse And he is the entiere good of al that which is good without whom the least of good things can haue no goodnesse in it Therefore doth the Scripture (g) Isa 40. say All nations are before God as if they were not and they are reputed as vanity and as nothing in his presence And in another place it is written He (h) Galat. 6 who thinketh himselfe to be somewhat whereas indeed he is nothing doth but deceaue himselfe And the prophet (i) Psal 3.8 Dauid speaking to God did say In thy sight I am as nothing By which passages thou art not to vnderstand that creatures haue no being or life or operations which are not proper euen to them and distinct from those of the Creatour but because that which they haue they hold not of themselues nor are able to conserue it but only of God and in God they are said not to be because they hold their being strength from the hand of God and not from their owne Learne therefore to sound well into the bottom of the being and power which thou hast and giue not ouer till thou arriue to the (k) which is the power and wisdome goodnes of Almighty God very first foundation thereof which as being most firme and neuer fayling nor being founded vpon any other but being the foundation of all the rest doth mainteyne thee that so thou mayst not fall agayne into that profound pitt of Nothingnesse out of which he drew thee before Know that the protection which he hath of thee and the hand which he carrieth ouer thee keeps thee still on foote and confesse thou with (l) Psalm 138. Dauid Thou O Lord didst make me and thou didst place thy hand aboue me And know that thou doest so hang vnder this power of God that at the same instant wherein that should fayle thee thou wouldest also fayle as the light which was in a chamber would fayle if the torch which gaue it were remoued or as all light is retired from the presence of the earth by the absence of the Sunne Thou (m) Our Lord Iesus make vs able to do it must therefore adore this Lord with profound reuerence as the sole beginning of thy being and thou must loue him as the perpetuall benefactour and preseruer of it and say to him both with thy hart and with thy tongue Glory be to thee for euer O thou Omnipotent power by which thou doest maintaine me There is nothing O Lord for me to seeke out of my selfe since thou art more internally to me then I am to my selfe and by myselfe through my selfe it is that I must first passe that so I may enter into thee Come close with thy hart and vn â—e it to him in an amourous manner say to him (n) Psalm 13â— This is my ioy for all eternities heere will 〈◊〉 dâ—ell because I haue chosen is And (o) Nâ—te this well begge of God that thou may est â—augrace 〈◊〉 practise 〈◊〉 from thence forward know how to carry the presence of God in thy selfe withall reuerence since he is most present to thee And as thou hast vnderstood by that which passeth within thee that it is God who hath giuen thee thy being and thy working so art thou to vnderstand the same in all the creatures And considering God in all things they all will serue thee for a bright glasse which may represent their Creatour to thee and so thy soule may go well vnited to God and deuoutly singing of his prayses if thou seeke nothing but God in the creatures CHAP. LXV How the exeâ—cising of our selues in the knowledg of the supernaturall being which we haue of grace doth serue towards the obteyning of Humility IF thou haue byn carefull to resolue by the knowledge of thy selfe for as much as concerneth thy being to giue the glory thereof to God much more must thou attend to know that thy well being is not of thy selfe but that it is a gracious guift of our Lord. For (a) A necessary coÌ„sequence if whilst thou ascribest the glory of thy being to him by confessing that not thy selfe but his hands did make thee thou shouldst appropriate the honour of thy good works to thy selfe conceauing it to be thy selfe that made thee good thou wouldst take so much more honour to thy self theÌ„ thou didst giue to God as a good or happy being is a more excellent thing then a mere being It is therefore necessary that with extraordinary diligence thou do attend to know God and to acknowledge him for the cause of all thy good Liue thou in such a fashion that there may not be so much as a seame or stitch of foolish (b) There is nothing which more properly doth belong to Pryde theÌ„ that it is a fooliâ—h thing pride in thy soule but as thou knowest that thou canst not haue the least being that can be thought of if God do not giue it so also know that thou canst not possesse in thy selfe the least good thing if God do not open his hand to bestow it on thee Consider also that as that which is nothing hath no naturall being amongst the creatures so
forth no other fruit then confusion sinne and death And if in any sort I haue had any good thing I receaued it of thee And whatsoeuer good I haue now the same I hold of thee If at any tyme I stood fast on foot I stood by thee but when I fell I fell of my selfe and for euer should I haue remained fallen into that durt if thou hadst not raysed me and for euer should I haue beene blind if I had not beene illuminated by thee When I was fallen I should neuer haue risen vnles thou hadst reached forth thy hand and after I was once raysed I should instantly haue returned to fall if thou hadst not held me And so thy grace and thy mercy O Lord did euer march before me deliuering me out of all mischiefe sauing me from sinnâ—s stirring me vp to auoyd such as were present preuenting me in such as were to come and remouing from before my ne eyes those snares of wickednes by diuerting the causes and occasions therof And if thou O Lord hadst not done so there is no sinne in the whole world which I might not haue committed For I know that there is no sinne which hath beene committed by any man in any kind which another man may not commit if that guide retyre himselfe by whome man was made But thou didst procure that I should not do it and thou didst command me that I should abstayne from it and thou didst infuse thy grace that I might belieue thee For thou O Lord didst conduct me towardes thy selfe and didst preserue me for thy selfe and didst giue me grace and light that I might not commit adultery and all other sinne CHAP. LXVII Wherin he prosecuteth the former exercise and of the much light which our Lord is wont to giue by meanes thereof whereby they know the greatnes of God and as it were the Nothing of their littlenes CONSIDER therefore O Virgin these wordes of S. Augustine with attention thou wilt see how farre off thou art to be from ascribing any glory to thy selfe not only of raysing thy selfe from sinne but in determining thy selfe from returning to fall For as I told thee if the hand of God should once retyre it selfe from thee thou wouldest instantly fal backe into that profound pit of being nothing so if God should forbeare to preserue thee thou wouldest returne to those and more grieuous sinnes then those from which he deliuered thee Be therefore humble and gratefull to this Lord of whome thou art at al moments in so great necessity know that thou art depending vpon him and that all thy good is to be deriued from his holy hand as Dauid sayth In thy hand O Lord are my lett es for lettes he calleth the grace of God and the eternall predestination which commeth by the (a) The first grace of God is giuen vpon no other ground then his own meer goodnes goodnes of God and they are graunted to such as to whome he graunteth them And as if he should resume the being which he gaue thee thou wouldst againe be nothing so he retiring his grace from thee thou wouldest returne to be a sinner I speake not this that thou shouldest fall into any deep discouragement or desperation in that thou seest how thou art hanging vpon the handes of God but to the end that with so much the more security thou mayst enioy the good thinges which God hath giuen thee (b) Let this be the hope of any man who by the goodnes of God doth liue lesse sinfully then he was wont mayst haue confidence that through his mercy he will finish that in thee which he hath begunne And that so much the more as thou with greater humility and profound reuerence and holy feare shalt cast thy selfe trembling and prostrate at his feete not relying any way vpon thy selfe but hauing a strong hope in him For this is a great good signe that his infinite goodnesse will not forsake thee according to that which that blessed and (c) The humility of our B. Lady was aboue all the humilities of al pure creatures humble aboue all humble creatures Mary did sing when she said (d) Luc. 1. His mercy is from generation to generation vpon them that feare him And if our Lord be pleased to giue thee this knowledge of thy selfe which thou desirest thou (e) The sweet and sublyme effects of holy humility wilt find coÌ„ming into thy hart a certaine heauenly light and a kind of feeling into thy soule whereby vpon the driuing away of all darckenesse it findeth and knoweth that there is no being nor good nor strength in any thing created but that which the blessed and deare will of God hath bin pleased to giue and conserue And then he knoweth how true that part of the other canticle is The heauens and the earth are full of thy glory For in all that is created he seeth nothing good the glory whereof is not due to God And he vnderstandeth how truly God directed (f) Exod. 3. Moyses that he should say of him to men He that Is hath sent me to you and that also which our Lord said in the (g) Marc. 10. Ghospell There is none good but God alone For as all the being and all the good which thinges haue whether they be of free will or of grace is giuen and preserued by the hand of God such a person will know that God is more to be said to be in them and to worke that which is good in them then they in themselues Not (h) How God worketh in man and how man worketh with vnder God but that they doe also worke but because they worke as second causes being moued by God who is the principall and vniuersall operatour and of whome they hold their power to worke And so looking vpon them he findeth there no hand-fast nor resting place but vpon that infinite Essence which vpholdeth them in comparison wherof they doe all how great soeuer they be appear but as a little needle which is cast into an infinite sea From (i) This is an inestimable iewell but pray hard for it and by the goodnes of God thou maist purchase it this knowledge of God there doth result to the soule which profits by it a profound and loyall reuerence to the superexcellent diuine maiesty which placeth in her such a detestation of atributing any good thing to her selfe or any other creature that she will not so much as once thinke thereof Considering that as the chast Ioseph who though he were sollicited by the wife of his Lord yet would not commit such a treason against him so must not a man rise vp and robbe God of his honour which he resolueth to keep for himselfe as the husband doth his wife according as it is written My glory I will not giue to another And then also growes a man to be so grounded in this truth that although all the world
a Prouerbe which saith Yf thou canst not pray get thee to sea because the many dangers wherein they are that sayle make them cry out to our Lord. But for my part I see no reason why all of vs should not vse this exercise and that with diligence since whether we go by sea or by land I am sure we we are in danger of death eyther of the soule if we fall into mortall synne or of soule and body if we do not rise by pennance from that into which we may fall And (e) The miserable blindnes of man if the care of transitory things and the dust which we beare about in our eyes did giue vs leaue but to consider to reflect vpon the necessityes of our soules without faile we should go crying out to God saying with our whole harts Suffer vs not to fall into tentation O Lord (f) Psalm 34. depart not from me such other wordes we would vse as these agreeable to the present necessity But all our praying dependeth vpon that which passeth in our mindes which vseth to be some temporall good or euill and yet euen vpon those occasions we resort not (g) It draweth a mighty disaduantage vpon vs that although we go to God by Prayer yet for the most part we do it late speedily to prayer but are like people whose last confidence is placed in our Lord and the first and chiefest in themselues or others Whereat our Lord is wont to be much offended and he sayth Where (h) Deut. 3â— are thy Gods in whome thy trust is put let thy friends deliuer thee whome a blast of wind will carry away See therefore O Virgin that these things may not besayd of thee but keep thou quicke that feeling in thy soule whereby thou mayst tast this truth That thy true misery consistes in thy not seruing and thy true felicity in seruing God When (i) How we are to carry our sâ—lues in the desire of any temporall good at the hands of God thou askest any temporall thing let it not be with that kind of anguish and affliction which vseth to proceed from inordinate loue And whether the question be of much or little let thy first confidence be in our Lord the last in those meanes which he shall addresse thee to And be thou greatly thankefull for this benefit that he hath giuen thee leaue to speake and conuerse with him and do thou serue thy selfe of it both in thy prosperityes and afflictions with much frequency and care since by meanes of this speach and conuersation with the most high the seruants of God haue beene enriched and relieued in all their necessityes For they vnderstood that the dangers wherein God left them was to the intent that being straitely assaulted thereby they might haue recourse to him and so the blessinges vvhich he affoarded them did make them go to giue him thankes We (k) Of the great power deuout prayer read of the Gabaonits that they being in great danger vvhen they were besieged by their enemyes sent a messenger to Iosue to whose friendship they had recommended themselues by occasion wherof they were grown into that danger but they found fauour and assistance by demanding it And although those fiue Kinges of whome the Scripture speaketh vvere ouercome in the valley called Siluester and their Cittyes were sackt yet because a young man who had escaped out of the battayle went to carry the news of this defeate to the patriarke Abraham those Kings and their fiue Cittyes obtayned remedy by the hand of Abraham vvho succoured them So that by meanes of one only messenger who goeth to aske fauour of him that hath a power vvill to giue it there is more to be obtayned then by a multitude of fighting men vvhich are either in the Citty or in the Campe. And vvithout doubt so it is that whosoeuer shall send the messenger of an humble and faythfull prayer to God howsoeuer he may be besieged and defeated and thrust euen into the very belly of the Whale shall find our Lord to be (l) Psalm 144. present vvho is neere to all such persons as do vvith sincerity call vpon him And if they know not yet vvhat they are to do by meanes of prayer they find light For with this confidence it was that King Iosaphat sayd When (m) Paral. 20. we know not what to do one remedy we haue which is to lift vp our eyes to thee And S. Iames (n) Iac. 1. sayth That whosoeuer hath need of wisedome is to aske it of God And by this meanes vvere Moyses and Aaron taught by God in those things which they were to negotiate vvith the people For as they vvho gouerne others haue need of double light and to haue it very neere at hand and that at all tymes so haue they also need to make double prayer and to be perfect in it that they may performe it vvithout difficulty and that so they may come to know the vvill of our Lord concerning that which particulerly they are to do that they may obtayne streÌ„gth to perform it And the knowledge which is so obtayned doth as far exceed all that which vve compasse by our owne discourse and coniectures as he goeth more certainly who seeth his vvay then another who goeth groping in the darke And the good purposes also and strength vvhich is gotten in prayer vse to be incomparably more efficacious and to proue more solidly true then they which are obtayned out of prayer S. Augustine as one who was able to speak by experience sayd that doubts were better dissolued by prayer then by any other study And for feare of wearying thee and because it would be impossible to reckon vp all the particuler fruits of prayer I say no more theÌ„ that which the supreme Truth sayd That (o) Luc. 11. the celestiall Father would giue a good spirit to them that aske it And it ought to suffice thee that all the Saints did frequent this exercise of prayer For as S. Chrysostome sayth Which of the Saints did not ouercome by praying And he sayth againe That there is not a more puissant thing then the man that prayes And (p) The excelleÌ„cy necessity of prayer shewed by the examples of Christ our Lord. it should be inough and more then inough for vs to know that Christ Iesus the Lord of vs all did pray in that night of his tribulation so hard as that it cost him a sweat of bloud and he prayed in the (q) Luc. 21. mount Thabor before his body was traÌ„sfignred he prayed before he raysed Lazarus (r) Ioan. 11. from the dead and sometymes he prayed so at large that the whole night did passe away with him in prayer And after such a long prayer as this S. Luke (Å¿) Luc. 10. relates that from out of his Disciples he chose his twelue Apostles Whereby he taught vs as S. Ambrose sayth
may be a light not only to the Iewes who belieued vpon his preaching to them in person but to the Gentills also who liued in idolatry far off from God And then was it fulfilled which (f) Luc. 2. Simeon that holy Swanne did singe when he said out of his desire to dye Now Lord thou lettest thy seruant depart in peace according to thy worde for myne eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared in the sight of all Nations A light to the Gentills and a glory to thy people of Israel If we consider that Christ was placed by the hand of Pilate to be seene first by that people in his owne house and afterward from the top of the Crosse in Mount Caluary it wil be euident to vs that although in respect there came to the Paschall men of all conditions and Tribes as well of naturalls as strangers there must needes be great store of people yet was not Christ therefore placed in the view and presence of all people as Simeon in his Canticle had sunge And therefore Christ was placed in the view and presence of them all when he was preached through the world by the Apostles and their successours Of whome Dauid (g) Psalm 18. said That their sound went out through the whole earth and that their wordes did reach to the very endes thereof For (h) Our Lord is the light both of Iewes and Gentills Of the Iewes he is more particulerly the honour because he tooke their flesh in the pure wombe of the perpetuall Virgin Christ being thus preached was light then and is so now to those Gentills who will belieue in him and so he is both light and honour to the Iewes who also will belieue in him as S. Paul expresseth speaking of them of whome Christ came according to the flesh who is God being blessed aboue all thinges for all eternity Let vs now consider how farre otherwise this was ordeined by God from that which Pilate did intend He conceaued that he but placed Christ in the presence of that people no more and he said Behold heere the man and he thought when they would not let him dismisse him but demaunded that he might be crucified that he should neuer more haue byn seene by any But (i) How different the thoughts of God are from the thoughts of men because the eternall Father saw it was not reason that such a spectacle as that was of his only begotten Sonne being the image of his owne beauty should be beheld by so few and those so wicked eyes or should be presented only to so hard hartes as theirs he ordained that another voyce more loud then that should be sounded forth throughout the world by the mouth of many and they most holy publishers thereof who should also say Behold the man The voyce of Pilate could not sound far off for it was but one and a wicked one inspired by feare through which he sentenced Christ to death He deserued not to be the proclaimer of this word Behold the man and therefore did God command it to be proclaimed by others And that so far from any feare of theirs that rather they did desire and rather they do resolue to dye then to faile of one (k) The courage of the Apostles of Apostolicall men tittle in preaching and confessing the truth and glory of Christ Iesus Pilate was a prophane and foule person for he was a sinnefull and an vnbelieuing man But of the other proclaymers of this word Behold he man I say prophetizeth (l) Isa 52. saying How beautifull vpon the mountaynes be their feet who preach the good newes of peace and of benediction and who say In Sion thy God shall raigne The God of Sion is Christ Iesus in whose person Dauid prophetizeth saying Psalm 2. I am made King by the handes of God ouer Sion that holy mountaine of his preaching his commandment And this King who preacheth the Fathers commandment which is the word of the Holy Ghospell began to raigne in Sion and he was receaued vpon Palme-Sunday for the King of Israel in the Temple which was placed vpon Mount Sion And to the end we may vnderstand that this Kingdome was to be ouer spirituall things it is said by Dauid that he was made King ouer Mount Sion which is the mountain where that Temple stood wherein the worship of God was performed And (m) How the spiritual kingdome of Christ our Lord grew to increase afterward when vpon the same Mount Sion our Lord sent the Holy Ghost vpon his disciples and he was preached publikely in the middest of Hierusalem and in the eares of the High Priests and Pharisees and when by the first sermon of S. Peter (n) Act. 2. vpon the point of three thousand men were conuerted then was this Kingdome of his increased And when more people were yet cōuerted the Apostles did preach and say to Sion Thy God shall raigne As if a man had sayd Though yet this Lord of ours be knowne but by a few yet shall his kingdome euer go increasing till such tyme as that at the end of the world he may raigne ouer all men rewarding the good with mercy and punishing the wicked with the iron rodde of his rigorous iustice This is the voyce of the preachers of Christ which saith Thy God shall raigne And (o) If a preacher will profit others he must begin with himselfe because Christ raigneth not in the hart of an vncleane person for as much as sinne raigneth therein it is not fit that he should preach the Kingdom of Christ to others who will not giue him leaue to raigne in his owne soule Therfore is it that Isay (p) Isa 5◠sayth The feet of such as preach peace vnto vs are beautifull By the feete which are to be beautifull are signifyed the desires of the soule And therfore Christ would not haue the feet of those preachers couered with shoes on (q) These are Sandalles which still are vsed by many holy Orders in the Catholique Church the vper part because God doth place the beauty of them in publike for the example of many But yet whosoeuer hath his feet cleane is to be very carefull not to thinke that himselfe made them so but he must giue thankes to him that washt the feet of his disciples with visible water vpon Holy Thursday and who washeth the soules of all them which euer come to be washed with his sacred bloud It was not therfore reason that so cleane a king as Christ was should be proclaimed by such a filthy mouth as that of Pilate or that there should be but such a proclaimer as could speake no louder and who was but one to publish a spectacle wherein so many and so great wonders were to be declared as were in Christ when he was brought forth to be seene by the people And though (r) The difference betweene a Pilate and a pious
any part therof vnto himselfe as if he had not spoken therof at al. Thereby fulfilling that which he had already sayd to the Corinthians (g) â— Cor. 7. That they who had wines were to haue them as if they had them not and they who wept were to be as if they did not weep the like Wherby he had a mind to say That he vseth temporall things as he ought whether they be prosperous or aduerse whether they be of consolation or affliction who suffers not his hart to stick vnto them but it passeth by as by a thing which is transitory and vayne And certaynly S. Paul when he related those things of himselfe did speake of them with a hart which was not only a despiser of honour but a louer of contempt and dishonour for Iesus Christ his sake whose crosse he held for the highest honour Such hartes as these may well be trusted with taking honour and may relate such things as will purchase it for they wil neuer do so but wheÌ„ it shal be necessary for some good end But as it is a point of much vertue for a man to possesse a thing as if he had it not and so as that the honour which is imparted to vs by others should not cleaue vnto our hartes so (h) The more need we haue to vse all diligence is it also a matter of much difficulty and to which very few arriue For as S Chrysostome sayth To be in the middest of honour and that the hart of him that is so honoured should (i) Both these cases are full of daunger not be affected by it is as if a man were to conuerse amongst fayre women without euer behoulding them with vnchast eyes And experience hath taught vs that honourable and high place hath seldome made men better of worse hath very often made men bad of good For to beare the weight of honour to resist the occasions which grow in company thereof a man had need of much strength Because as S Hiâ—rome sayth The highest mouÌ„taynes are assaulted by the greatest winds This is certayne that greater vertue is requisite for commaunding then for obeying And not without cause great cause did our soueraigne Mayster Lord who knoweth al things fly away (k) This point deserueth great ponderation from being made a King Now since it was not possible for him to run hazard in any estate how high so euer it is playne that this doctrine was deliuered for the help of our weaknesse and that we ought to fly from that which is daungerous since he fled who was out of daunger And if it be a very great boldnesse and against the example of Christ to receyue a place of honour when it is offered what then shall it be to desire it and what againe to procure it For as for the mischeife which it bringes to purchase such a thing with money there liues not the man that can declare it We should find it very strange that a man who might walke securely vpon firme land would rather choose the daungers of going by sea (l) We should thinke that he were mad and that not in fayre weather but in a perpertuall tempest For as S. Gregory sayth What other thing is the power of honour but a tempest of the soule And besides these troubles and the daungers which are euer found in eminent place are followed by that terrible menace sounded forth by God though it be hearkned to vnderstood by few A (m) Sap. 6. most seuere iudgment shall passe vpon sâ—ch as command What kind of thing shall this be wheÌ„ (n) Let men of power commaund consider this euen the ordinary iudgment of God is such as that the men who are most refin'd in vertue do tremble thereat and say (o) Psal 141. Enter not O Lord into iudgment with thy seruant And yet there are persons so blindly bold as (p) For want of faith and the consideration of the next life that they choose to enter into his iudgement and that not such a one as may be accounted ordinary but into the most straite and hard that God affoardes And considering that Saul (q) 1. Reg. 10. the King to whom that kingdome was offered by the order of God without his prizing it or making much account thereof yea he declined it by hiding himselfe but was poynted out and shewed by the hand of God yet neuerthelesse that height of dignity with the circumstances therof treated him so ill that although God made choice of him and himselfe desired to be excused he yet passed through so wicked a life and ariued to so wretched a death that it ought to cast apprehension and feare vpon such as enter into place of honour though they be called in by the right doore and far far more vpon such others as go not in by so good a way Verily (r) A strange blindnes or rather madnes it is to be wondered at that there are persons to be found so strait-harted in the seruice of our Lord that if they be aduised to do any thing therein though it be clearely good yet do they go considering reconsidering whether or no the doing of it do oblige vnder the payne of mortal sin that so indeed they may forbeare to do it For they say that they are but weake they will not ingulfe themselues into matters of great perfection but tread in the playne beateÌ„ way And yet these very men who are so voyd of courage in the search of true vertue which by the grace of our Lord it would be no hard matter for them to obtayne are on the other side so audacious as to put themselues into dignity honour and places of Command For the innocent vse whereof without the hurt of him that hath them there is need of perfect and tryed vertue which they make themselues belieue that they haue and that forsooth they will giue a good account of the forward ranke they hold without hazarding any thing of conscience wherein yet others haue runne so much hazard So (s) How mightily doth the loue of honour intoxicate the brayne deeply doth the desire of honour and command and other humane interests blind men as to make them who dare not set vpon an enterprize which is secure and easy attempt other thinges which are accompanied with difficulty and danger Yea they who do not confide in God that he will help them in those good workes which only do concerne themselues do promise themselues with strange boldnesse that God will guide them by the hand towards those things which concerne the gouernement of others Whereas indeed he may answeare them with great reason That since they would needs plung themselues into that danger let them looke to their owne carriage therein For of such as these it is that God did say They raigned but not by my direction They were Princes and I knew
nothing of the matter which signifieth that he did not approue or like it And he that shall consider how God (t) Osâ—ae c. 8. abandoned King Saul the same God hauing placed him in the Kingdom wil find that he (v) A sad example but fit for ambitious men to looke much vpon hath much reason to vndeceiue himselfe since there will be no assurance giuen him by any that he is not to proue as frayle as Saul but only by his owne pride and ambition of command Of (x) Note this I am very sure that he shal neuer more honestly enter into it then Saul did S Augustine had reason when he sayd That authority and dignity is necessary for such as are to rule the people and that when a man is in it he must administer it according to reason but that it is vnlawfull for him that hath it not to desire it And of himselfe he sayd That he desired and procured to saue his soule in a low place that he might not put it to hazard in a higher This is especially to be done when the place whereof we speake doth concerne the charge of soules the well discharging whereof doth carry with it so much difficulty as that it is called the Art of Artes. These (y) Certaine excellent directions for practise dangers ought to be fled by vs as much as with a morall possibility we may in imitation of the example already touched which our Lord did shew in flying from the acceptance of a Kingdome he hath represented to vs many other holy wise persons who haue fled the like with al the harts they had And such as enter into these places had need do it either by reuelatioÌ„ of our Lord or by obedience to such as haue power to command them or by counsell of such others as do well vnderstand the obligation of such an office and the dangers thereof and they must be sure to keep the iudgment of God before their eyes and to cast all temporall respects behind their backes If these conditions may not be found it will at least be needfull that there be ground for good coniecture that God is pleased to lay such a burthen vpon them that such or such a man may giue credit to those coniectures before he imbarke himself into so great a danger And notwithstanding all this there will be matter inough of feare and continuall watch must be kept and our Lord must be prayed that since he kept the entrance free from ill he may also defend them in the issue of it for feare least otherwise it end in euerlasting condemnation For we haue seen many of them who liued with much contentment in such command dye full of wishes that they had neuer beene imployed therein and loaden with great feares of that whereof before they were in their opinion secure And (z) Platerv and false iudgment is then out of date in all likelyhood the truth of a mans iudgment concerning temporall thinges doth shine brighter vpon him when he is departing from them when he is more approaching to the iudgment of God wherein all Truth remaynes CHAP. V. How much we ought to fly from the pleasure of flesh and â—loud and what a most dangerous Enemy this is of what helpes we are to serue our selues for the subduing thereof FLESH and Bloud speakes of Delights and pleasures sometymes expresly sometymes vnder a colour of necessity The warre which is made vpon vs by this enemy besids that it brings vs much affliction is full of danger Because it fightes with pleasure in the hand which is (a) Note and take heed the strongest weapon of all others This doth euideÌ„tly appeare since many haue beene conquered by pleasure who were not so by riches honours or eueÌ„ by cruel torments Nor is it any meruayle For this ware is so secret and so in the way of ambush or treasoÌ„ that a man had need of much coÌ„sideration for his defence Who (b) We may well beleeue it vpon the infinit experieÌ„ce that hath byn takeÌ„ would belieue that death and death eternall should come towards vs vnder a maske of sweet and smooth delight death being the top of bitternesse delight the very thing that we most aspire to tast A cup of gold with a draught of poyson is this false pleasure whereby they are made drunke who haue no eyes but for the exteriour This is the treason of (c) 2. Reg. 20. Ioab who killed Amasus by imbracing him and of (d) Matt. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Iudas who by that treacherous kisse of peace deliuered ouer his blessed mayster into the hands of death So is it when by drinking the pleasure of a mortal sin Christ dyeth in the soule vpon whose death it also dies for company for the life it had came from him So sayth (c) Rom. 8. S. Paul If you liue according to the flesh you shal dy And in another place (f) Tim. 5. The widdow that remaynes in pleasure being yet aliue is dead aliue by the life of her body but dead by that of her soule By how much the more closely we are ioyned to this (g) It is a traytour lodging in our bosome flesh and bloud so much the more we are to feare it for our Lord hath sayd (h) Matt. 10â— That a mans enemies are they of his owne house And this flesh bloud is not only belonging to this house of ours but of the two walls whereof the same house is made this is one For this and other reasons S. Augustin sayd that the combate of our flesh bloud was continuall and the conquest full of difficulty and whosoeuer will proue victorious must go armed with many and strong (i) Of Armes pieces For the pretious iewell of chastity is not imparted to al but to such as by the much sweat of many earnest prayers and of other holy peÌ„nance do obteyne it of our Lord. He was pleased to be wrapt in a fayre sheete of linnen which must passe through many rude handlings before it wil come to be white Wherby we may vnderstaÌ„d that the man who desireth to obteyne to conserue the guift of chastity and so to lodge Christ in himself as if it were in another sepulâ—her must be content with a great deale of cost labour to gayne this purity (k) Chastity is such a iewell as that it can neuer be ouer-bought which is a thing so rich that whatsoeuer be spend vpon it he may account himself to buy it cheap And as many more painfull works of pâ—nnance satisfaction are to be required at his hands who hath much offended our Lord then at his who hath not so much offended so though all of vs who liue in flesh must be afrayd of it and watch ouer it bridle it and rule it with discreet-temperance yet they who particulerly are infested by it wil haue need to vse
it is somewhat els which suggested and represented them to his mind When you haue these or such other signes as these be well assured that it is a persecution of the Diuell and that howsoeuer you may suffer it in your flesh and bloud yet is it not from thence that it proceeds This warre is more dangerous then the other through the much euill which he wisheth vs by whome it is made and for that he is an enemy that is neuer weary of fighting when we are eyther waking or sleeping at all tymes and in all places The remedy of this inconuenience is d To put thy selfe vpon some honest busines is a good diuersion to procure some good imployment which may put vs into thought and care making vs thereby cast off those impure imaginations S. Hierome for this purpose as himselfe relates gaue his mind to the study of the Hebrew tongue with much labour but not without much fruit and he sayth Let the Diuell euer find thee well imployed Speaking also in conformity of this how profitable the manner of life which is lead in Monasteryes was to this purpose he instructeth it saying thus e S. Hierome was no Protestant See that euery day thou performe whatsoeuer thou hast in charge and be subiect to whome thou wouldest not and go well weary to thy bed yea and so that euen as thou art walking thou mayst be ready to fall downe a sleep Be thou also inioyned to rise before thou hast slept thy fill and recite thy Psalme when it commeth to thy turne and serue thy brethren and wash the feet of strangers and when thou art wronged hold thy peace and as for the f So that in S. Hieromes tym there were Abbots and Monasteries Abbot of the Monastery see thou feare him as if he were some great Lord and see thou loue him as if he were thyne owne Father and beleeue that all g Vâ—les euidently it should contayne some sin Such is the religious obedience which is practised in the holy Catholicque Church and such a Papist as you see was S. Hierome that which he commandeth thee is fit for thee to obey him in and take not thou vpon thee to iudge of thy superiours since thy office is but to obey and to comply with that which is commanded according to that which Moyses sayth Hearken O Israel and hold thy peace Being thus imployed vpon diuers thinges there will be no place for euill thoughts and when thou art to passe from the doing of one to another haue that only in thy mind which thou art then about This is sayd by S. Hierome and according to this it was then the vse of Monasteryes to exercise their younger men more in these good imploymeÌ„ts theÌ„ in solitude large Prayer through the dangers which by flesh and bloud and passions as yet vnmortifyed both might and did grow vpon them Though yet this rule is subiect to an exception through the diuersity of dispositions and the particuler gifts of God (h) Men must not be restrained from liberty to make much prayer but vpon very particuler reasons Vpon which motiues there may be reason to allow a large tyme of prayer to a yong man and to abridge another who is more in yeares When I sayd before that yong men did not imploy themselues in large prayer I vnderstand that to haue beene large wherein almost all his tyme was spent and as if in effect he had no other office but that For not to let him haue some good spaces for it should be a very great errour by reason of the benefits which he should loose therby and (i) There is nothing which maks our miseries and burthens so light as the frequentatioÌ„ of Prayer because euen for the well going through any other imployment it is necessary that he gaine strength and spirit in his Prayer For otherwise they who are exteriourly imployed are wont to be still complaining and vntoward like (k) Marke this comparison for it is a good one a cart that is loaden without hauing the wheeles made easy towards turning by the tendernesse of deuotion Let beginners be aduertised that the Diuell doth particulerly procure to trouble them with these impure imaginations in the tyme of their prayer that so they may be induced to leaue it the Diuel himselfe may so take his ease the whyle For although the Diuell doe much weary vs by these tentations much more doe we weary and euen add fyre to him by our deuout (l) Prayer is a scourg to the Diuell prayers therfore he procureth that we eyther make them not at all or not well But we on the otherside ought euen as it were for spight against him to labour with al possibility that so we may not giue ouer that holy exercise since euen by the very persecution it selfe which he bringes vpon vs we may see how profitable it is And if the warre should presse vs so hard whilest we are praying mentally as that we might find much danger by impure imaginations the least that we must doe is to put our selues into vocall prayer and to beate our breastes to punish our bodies to cast our armes into the forme of a Crosse to rayse our hands and eyes towards heauen desiring succour of our Lord in such sort as that howsoeuer the tym which we deputed for prayer may be wel imployed We must else do somewhat that may diuert vs and especially procure to speake with some good man that may giue vs hart Though (m) He meanes that we must not giue ouer our Prayer for the going to aske couÌ„sayle but we must do that afterward this last should not be done at that tyme til we can no more that so we may not discouer our weakenesse in not being able to ouercome otherwise then by flight and least our enemy do so make vs quit the field and distrust our forces For in fine our Lord who is both full of pitty and full of power will impose silence vpon our aduersary when it shal be fit for vs that he may not interrupt the priuate and friendly conuersation which we were wont to hould with him CHAP. VII Of the great peace which our Lord God giueth to them that fight manfully against this Enemy of the much that it importeth vs for the ouercomming of him to fly from familiarity with women ALL these skirmishes are wont to be made in the warre against chastity when our Lord permitteth it for the triall of his Caualliers whether indeed they truly loue him and chastity for which they fight And after that he hath found them faithfull he sendeth downe his omnipotent fauour and commaundeth our aduersary not to giue impediment to our peace and priuate speach with him Then doth a man taste the fruite of his labours and they are full of sauour to him and more full of merit It is also necessary and very necessary for the
Confession yet euen let that be dispatched with as much breuity as thou canst without enterlacing other discourses fearing the account of the speach that thou shalt either vtter or heare which thou art to giue vnto the strict iudge So (d) Note this and for the reuerence of the Sacrament auoid euen the least idle wordes much the more art thou to auoyd this in confession because that is ordeined for the taking away of old sins and not for the committing of any new or to make thy selfe sicke with the very taking of phisicke The spouse of Christ especially if she be young ought not to be easy in the choice of her Confessour but (c) What kind of Confessour a woman of honour especially a Virgin must procure carefull that he be a man of vertuous and tryed life of good reputation ripe yeares and thus thy conscience shall be safe in the sight of God and thy fame shal be faire spotlesse in the eyes of men Thou must vnderstand and know that thou hast need of both these things for complying with the height of the state of Virginity And whē thou shalt haue found such a Confessour giue thankes to our Lord and obey him loue him as a guift that he hath bestowed vpon thee But yet stil be very careful for although this loue be good as being spirituall yet there may be a fault in it if it be too much and it may bring him that hath it into danger and it is an easy matter for spirituall affection to translate and turne it selfe ouer into carnall And if thou vse not restraint in this thou wilt grow to haue thy hart as much taken vp therby as marryed women haue with their husbands their children Now this thou seest would be a great irreuerence in respect of the loyalty which thou owest to our Lord whom thou hast taken for thy Spouse Do not therefore place and keep thy Ghostly Father in the most interiour part of thy hart keep him neare thy hart as a friend of thy Spouse but not in the place of thy Spouse himself And let the memory which thou holdest of him serue for the putting of his directions in practise without reflecting otherwise vpon his person esteeming him as a gift of God bestowed for the helping thee to vnite thy selfe to thy celestiall Spouse but yet without bringing him into that Vnion Thou (f) Note must also be prouided for the loosing him without losse of thy patience if God shall so ordayne in whome alone thou art to lodge thy hopes and he is to be thy only resting place That which we read in S. Hierome of the loue and familiarity between him and S. Paula did keep conformity with these rules Though yet many thinges are lawfull and safe to them who haue sanctity and mature yeares which yet are not so to such others as want one of these qualityes if not both In this sort then art thou to carry thy selfe with the Ghostly Father whome thou choosest he being such as I haue described But if thou canst not haue him such it is much better that thou (g) By this he sheweth the great care which a Virgin ought to haue of her good name though such as liue not in villages but in townes can haue no difficulty to find many most worthy Ghostly Fathers at whose handes they may receaue the Sacraments as often as they will do it with deuotion confesse and communicate but twice or thrice in the yeare and keep good account with God and with thy spirituall bookes in thy Oratory then by confessing often to bring thy fame into hazard For if as S. Augustine sayth Good name amongst our Neighbours be necessary for vs al how much more necessary then shall it be for the Virgin of Christ whose reputatiō is very delicate and tender as S. Ambrose sayth And that so much as that to haue a confessour who wanteth any of the former qualityes doth cast a spot vpon her fame which because it is in so pretious and pure a cloth it seemes to be very deformed and in no case to be endured And to the end that they who content themselues with saying There is no hurt my conscience is cleare and who haue the reputation of their honesty in small account should not be able to help themselues with a conceit that men imposed any of these infamies vpon the most sacred Virgin Mary it (h) Note pleased her most blessed Sonne that she should be espoused choosing rather that they should hold him for the sonne of Ioseph which yet he was not then that men should haue colour to say and thing sinisterly of his most sacred Mother by seeing her haue a sonne and not to thinke that she had a husband Therefore let such as haue no care to preuent scandalls seeke out some other shelter for that which they may learne of the most sacred Virgin Mary and of other holy women is purity within and good example without togeather with all reseruation and caution in conuersation And although none of these inconueniences did follow vpon those superfluous intertaynments yet (i) Note this for the preseruing of thy soule in perfect purity peace should they deserue to be speedily auoyded because they do with the multitude of thoughts which they vse to bring depriue the soule of liberty whereby it might freely fly vp by the cogitations thereof to God and it takes away that purity which the secret corners of our hart where Christ desires to dwell alone were bound to haue And it seemes that it remayneth not so entire nor so shut vp against all creatures as it were fit that the bed of so soueraigne a spouse should be and that it doth not wholy possesse the perfect purity of chastity if therein there may be found but euen the ayre or memory of a man But thou must know that yet what hath byn sayd is meant when there is excesse in familiarity or when there groweth any scandall by it For otherwise thou art not to conuerse with such as reason leades thee to with a scrupulous or perplexed mind For from hence euen the very tentation it selfe doth often rise but thou art to carry thy selfe with a holy and prudent simplicity and neither to be carelesse on the one side nor malicious on the other CHAP. IX That one of the principall remedies for the conquering of this Enemy is the exercise of deuout and feruent Prayer whereby we may find gust in diuine considerations which maketh vs abhorre all worldly pleasures IN one of the former (a) Read this chapter with extraordinary attention be sure to blesse God for the great sweet goodnes of his towardes mankind and let it help thee to hate all bestiall pleasure Chapters it was tould thee what a strong and well tempered weapon Prayer is for the fighting against this vice yea although the prayer be not of so great length Thou
considered of dangerous poyson doth he drink who committeth sinne A most deformed and terrible face it hath in the eyes of such as truly consider of it and very able to afright any man though he be neuer so stout if he pause and consider with a liuely feeling what that is which he hath done thereby and against whom he hath done it and the promises of happynes which he hath lost and the threates of misery that hang ouer his head Dauid beholding these thinges doth cry out though he were full of courage My hart hath fayled me But this so great misery is noâ— left by God without remedy as hath byn sayd And to the end that he who needeth remedy may haue it I will declare somewhat of the greatnes of the mercy of God which he vseth towardes sinners that aske his pardon The Diuell will not faile to play his parte and will fright thee as hath byn sayd by representing the greatnes of thy sins But make thou no answeare only turne thy selfe to God and say For thy names sake O Lord pardon my sinne (b) A strange reason but so good is God as that it workes vpon him for it is great And if God wil giue thee grace to find out the mystery of these wordes certainly thou wilt be farre from despaire how much soeuer thou haue sinned Didst (c) Be sure to marke this well thou euer see or heare of any Tribunall of a iudge where a man being accused of many and grieuous crimes with intention that he might be condemned punished according to his demerit himselfe should confesse his fault and admit of the accusation and should take for the meanes of his pardon the confession it sâ—lfe of that very thing which the accuser did so much exaggerate and whereby he laboured so to condemne him So as thou art to make account that the guilty person speaketh thus O Lord I graunt all and I confesse that I haue sinned much but thou shalt pardon me for the honour of thy name And this course taketh effect with him both in respect of God and in regard of himselfe Our (d) A consideration of vnspeable comfort for vs. Lord God hath both iustice and mercy and when he beholdeth our faultes with iustice they prouoke him to wrath and the more sinnes we haue committed we vrge him to inflict the greater punishment But agayne when he looketh vpon our sinnes with mercy they mooue him not to anger but to compassion because (c) Noâ—e he doth not consider them as an offence of his but as a misery of ours And as there cannot happen to vs a thing that hurteth vs so much as sinne so also is there not to be found so fit an obiect for his mercy to worke vpon as the same sinne if it be considered as I haue sayd And so much more as we haue sinned so much more hurt haue we done our selues and so much more do we prouoke to mercy the hart which hath it and which is disposed to vse it as is the hart of our mercifull Lord who is the true shewer of mercies Know therefore now that the men who haue sinned much doe carry themselues in one of these two manners Some (f) Obstinate and insolent despayring sinners despayring of remedy like Cain do turne their backs to God and deliuer themselues ouer as S Paul sayth to all filthynesse and sinne and their hartes do harden dayly more and more against all goodnesse So farre at that euen when they are in the deep bottome of iniquity it neuer troubleth them but they take pryde therein and so much more is it fit to haue compassion of them as they haue none of themselues The thing which happeneth to these men is that whereof the scripture speaketh With the hard hart it shall go yll in the latter end And woe be to him who is to feele this yll for it were better for him that he had neuer byn borne There (g) The sinner who is penitent are others who hauing committed many sinnes doe by the help of God returne to themselues and wounding their hart with greife and being full of confusion and shame do humble themselues before the mercy of God and that with so much more humility and cordiall sorrow as their sinnes haue byn greater more And because God doth lodge his eyes vpon an humbled and contrite hart and when men are humbled he giueth them grace more grace he giueth to such as he findeth more humbled and the occasion thereof was the hauing committed so many sinnes which they confesse and bewayle but without despayre And they do thus alleadge and beg before the mercy of God That since their misery and ruine is very great his mercy may be also plentifull and very great Thus sayd Dauid Haue mercy O Lord vpon me according to thy great mercy Now because God as hath byn sayd looketh with eyes of mercy vpon the sinner who is contrite and humbled there doth he giue a greater pardon and a larger grace then where there were not so many sinnes nor so much humiliation Fulsilling that which S. Paul (h) Rom. â—â— hath sayd That where sinne abounded grace did superabound and thus a mans greater fall doth result to the greater prayse of God since he giueth him greater pardon and more grace And (i) A most soueraigne remedy against despayre where now is he who vnderstanding this will despayre for being subiect to many debtes since he seeth that the liberality and bounty of our Lord is more discouered more glorifyed in making such a large and generall release and that God taketh it as a point of honour to his Name to pardon and to pardon much Nay knowing that it is but iustice that our Lord and his Name should be glorifyed we will say without despayre yea and not without great confidence For thy name O Lord thou shalt pardon my sinne euen because it is great But (k) Note Now the glory which God draweth from hence doth no way grow from this sinne of ours for sinne is of it selfe a high contempt and a great irreuerence against God (l) See how artificiall the deer goodnes of God is to wicked mankind but this proceedeth from his omnipotent diuine bounty which draweth good out of euill and procureth that his enemies may serue him by giuing matter for his friends to prayse him Call to mind that when the people of God remayned in Egypt men found themselues in great affliction and they did but expect their death by the hands of their enemies who came close vpon them Yet Moyses sayd to them Feare (m) A place of Holy Scripture diuinely pondered nothing for these Egyptians shall perish and you shall neuer see them more And when the sea had drowned them and cast them vp vpon the shoare the children of Israel made a stand to looke vpon them And although they saw them yet they saw them dead and consequently
enemies and triumphing ouer them we shal say O death where is thy victory O death where is thy sting which sting is sinne in them where death is still in force whereby it doth wound as the Bee is wont to do with her sting for by sinne death entred into the world Both the one and the other enemy which were wont to gouerne and to wound the world remayne drowned in the blessed bloud of Iesus Christ and slayne by his precious death And in (u) See heer how copious the Redemption is which our Lord hath purchased for vs. their place succeedeth that euerlasting iustice whereby heere the soule is iustifyed and afterwards shall succeed the vision of God face to face in heauen and a life which shal be eternally blessed both in body and soule What shall we say to this O Virgin but that which S. Paul hath taught vs Thankes be giuen to God who hath graunted vs victory through Iesus Christ Him thou art to adore and with a gratefull and enamoured harte say to him Let all the earth adore thee and prayse thee and singe a hymne to thy name And see thou say this often euery day and especially when at the Altar his most holy body is eleuated by the hands of the Priest CHAP. XXIII Of the great mischeise which despayre doth worke in the soule and how we must ouercome this ene my with spirituall alacrity and diligence and feruour in the seruice of God THis despayre and loosing of hart is such a dangerous instrument of our enemy that when I remember the great mischeifes which haue growen by it to the consciences of many I desyre to speake a little more concerning the remedy thereof if perhaps any good may come thereby It (a) This is a case too common happeneth so that sometymes there are persons who be loaden with a multitude of great sinnes and neither know what despayre nor so much as a little feare is nor doth it once passe through their thought But they goe on as being assured by a false hope offending God and yet not fearing punishment for the same And (b) We see by lamentable experience that such as are not Catholiks do passe from one extremity of presâ—â—â—tion to the other of de peration without resting in true hope if once the mercy of God shine vpon their soules and they beginne to see the grieuousnes of their sinnes though it be reason that since they aske pardon of God with purpose of amendement and that they receiue the benefit and comforte of the Sacramentes they should be strengthned thereby both against that which is past and that also which in the seruice of God might afterward present it selfe yet fall they vpon the other extreame of feare as before they were subiect to that of false security Not (c) Note considering that they who oftend God and do not repent haue reason indeed to feare tremble though all the world smile vpon them because the wrath of the omnipoteÌ„t is prouoked against them which wrath there is no power that can resist and that they who humble themselues to God and receiue his holy Sacramentes and who will procure to do his will ought to haue the hart of Lions for as much as they are commaunded to confide in God by that token that God is with them Whome as they hold for an enemy to the wicked and for that themselues haue byn such they are in feare so it is all reason that they should hold him for a friend of the good and that in regard of the holy purposes which he hath inspired them with they may confide that he is also their friend and that so he will be giuing increase to the good seed which himselfe did plante and perfecting that which he hath begunne This is certainely true that when once a man coÌ„meth to say in earnest that which Dauid sayd I haue held vp my hands towardes the performance of thy commanamentes which I haue loued God putteth his eyes and hart where that man putteth his hands that so he may help him and as one who is good by an infinite goodnesse he taketh him into protection with care and ranketh that man on his syde who will fight for his honour making warre vpon himselfe to giue contentment to God And (d) The difficulties which vse to occur to such as begin to serue God although it be true that when a man beginneth to serue God through some particuler calling which may incite him with the contempt of all thinges to seeke that pretious pearle of the Ghosâ—ell by the perfection of a spirituall life there may grow against such a man such traines and warres of the Diuells both immediately from themselues and also by the meanes of wicked men and they lock him vp in such straytes that when he rayseth the first foote from ground and placeth it on the lowest of those fifteene steppes whereby men rise to perfection he is forced to say When I was in tribulation I called vpon our Lord and he heard me O Lord deliuer my soule from wicked lipps and from the deceitefull tongue which wicked lippes are they which doe expressely hinder that which is good and a deceitfull tongue is that which procureth in a disguised manner to deceyue and sometymes so great impediments are presented or at least it seemeth so towards the making one depart from his course begunne that they are like those great Giantes wherof the children of Israel sayd Compared with them we are no more then a few little grashoppers and the walles of the Citty which we are to assault seeme to threaten heauen with their height and the earth in that place seemeth to open to swallow vp her inhabitantes notwithstanding I say all this thou art to consider and let vs all consider it with well opened eyes how much that faint-hartednes despaire displeased God which the Sonnes of Israel were subiect to by the meanes aforesayd For as much as the sinns which they committed in the wildernes howsoeuer they were great many and one of them was that they adored a Calfe for God which seemeth to be the very outside of wickednes yet God endured all this at their hands and did them fauour towards the prosecuting of their enterprize begun But (c) Note how predominaÌ„tly despaire is displeasing to Almighty God he would not endure their disconfidence and despaire of his mercy and power and he sware to them in his wrath as Dauid sayth that they should not enter in to his rest and as he sware it so he performed it Doth it not seeme to thee that we haue reason to curse this vice which is opposite to the honour of the diuine goodnes That being so much greater then our wickednes as God is greater then man And be thou assured that as the way of perfect vertue is a kind of stiffe battaile made against our enemies who are full of strength both within vs and without vs yet
he that shal begin such a warre cannot bring in his company a thing of greater preiudice then pusillanimity of hart For he that hath this will be put to flight euen by shaddowes With much reason did God command in tymes past That when his people were in the warres his Priests should encourage them before they began to fight not by humane reasons of the multitude of their men and strength but by thinking vpon the (f) Firrne hope in God is the only souÌ„d receite against hart-breaking protection of the Lord of hoastes who holdeth victory in his hand and who is wont to conquere lofty Giants by little grasse-hoppers for the glory of his holy Name And agreably to this which God commanded the valorous S. Paul sayth to them who were entring into the spirituall warre Comfort (g) Ephes 4. your selues in our Lord and in the power of his strength that so being hartned you may fight the battailes of God with cheerefullnesse and courage So is it read of Iudas Machabaeus who fought with cheerefulnes and so he conquered And S. Anthony a man well experienced in theses piritual combats was wont to say That this spirituall cheerefullnesse was an admirable thing and a powerfull remedy towards the ouercomming of our enemyes For certain it is that the delight which is taken in doing of any worke doth increase a mans forces towards the doing of it Therefore (h) How necessary it is to haue alacrity and courage in the seruice of God doth S. Paul aduise vs thus Reioyce alwayes in our Lord. And we read of S. Francis that he reprehended such of his fryars as he saw to go sadly vp and downe as if they were ill contented and he would say to them He that serneth God should not be after this fashion vnles it were for hauing committed a sinne and if thou haue committed any confesse it and returne to thy former alacrity And of S. Dominicke it is also read That there appeared in his face a kind of cheerefull serenity which gaue testimony of his inward ioy This is wont to grow out of the loue of our Lord and from a liuely hope of his mercy whereby they are able to carry their Crosse vpon their backes not only with patience but euen with pleasure as they did whose goods were stolne yet they remayned content the reason of that was because they had lodged in their harts a better kind of riches in heauen Experimenting that which S. Paul sayd Being ioyfull in hope and patient in tribulation for (i) It is hard to haue patience in a longe-liued Crosse without hauing a great hope in God without the former men can hardly ariue to the later But when this vigour and alacrity fayleth it deserueth great compassion to see how men that walke in the way of God are full of vnprofitable sadnesse their harts being discontented and without gust in things that belong to God and vntoward euen to themselues and to their neighbours and with so little confidence in the mercy of God that there wanteth not much to make it none There are many amongst these persons who commit no mortall sinnes or very rarely But they say that because they serue not God as they ought and as they desire and by reason of the veniall sinnes which they commit they liue in such a fashion as we see But (k) A worse effect of an euil cause if the effects of superfluous sadnes be such as these they do men more harme then the faults themselues which they committed And that which they might preuent and cut off if they had discretion and courage they make to increase and so they fall out of one euill into another Such as they ought to procure and labour to serue God withal diligence if they see they fall let (l) This is indeed good counsaile them weep but not distrust and knowing that they are weaker then they thought let them humble themselues more and demand more grace and liue with greater caution taking help of the tyme past for the tyme to come There (m) Excessiue sloath doth sointymes also cast men afterward vpon despayre are many who on the contrary syde are carelesse and slothfull in seruing God and when they fall into sinne they know not how to help themselues but they go down into the pit of disconfidence and of greater negligence Whereas in very deed for the auoyding of despaire we must auoyd to be lukewarme and negligent in the seruice of God For (n) No man can haue a good hope who endeauours not to lead a good life otherwise as long as a man hath these rootes within him he cannot though he would neuer so faigne haue that vigour and strength of minde which (o) Note this point well groweth from a good and diligent life And if such persons would consider that they endure more (p) The Diuells Martyrs trouble by these sadde and despairing thoughtes which grow from melancholy then they should in cutting vp by the roote those cuill affections and dangerous occasions which hinder them from seruing God with feruour they would especially since they loue to fly from payne make choyce of those troubles which are annexed to the perfection of vertue to fly those others which follow vpon the want thereof S. Paul (q) â— Tâ—â—â— 4. sayth That the end of the law is Charity which proceedeth from a pure hart and vpright conscience and a fayth vnfeigned And he meaneth this vpright conscience to be hope as S. Augustine sayth giuing thereby to vnderstand that vnlesse there be a good conscience hauing fayth and loue and good works which flow from thence there (r) There may be in such men a fond daÌ„gerous kind of presumption such as the Sectaryes are acquainted with but no true Christian hope which is pleasing to God wil be no liuely hope which may giue vs alacrity and if there be any want at all of good conscience there wil be also want of cheerefulnesse and consclation which are caused by a perfect hope For although such a fearefull man be not slayne perhaps by sinne but do liue in state of grace yet he shall worke but weakely So as they who tell thee Belieue that God doth pardon thee and loue thee and then thou shalt be pardoned and loued with such other words as these doe (s) As Luther and Caluin hauedone their followers grieuously deceiue thee and they giue testimony that they speake by imagination not by experience or according to the doctrine of fayth And (t) A most certaine a most soueraign truth the not vnderstanding whereof makes so many cast themselus away by violent death such braueries as those for as much as they are not of God cannot hold a man vpon his feete when tribulation coÌ„meth if it be a sound one Strength of hart and the ioy of a good conscience are the fruites of a good life which they
all thinges of the earth yea and of heauen it selfe are but very poore and vnworthy of being desyred or enioyed if from them we seuer the will of our Lord. And that there is no one thing how little soeuer or how bitter soeuer it be otherwise which if it be ioyned to the will of our Lord is not of extreame valew Better it is without comparison to be in affliction if our Lord require it then abstracting from his will to be in heauen And if once we did banish from our selues this secret couetousnes with resolution there would fall of withall many euill fruites which grow from thence and we should gather others in place thereof of more worth namely ioy and peace which vse to be deriued from the vnion of a soule with the will of God And so firme they would be withall that tribulation it selfe would not be able to take them from vs. For as much as although such persons do find themselues afflicted and forsaken yet are they not in despayre no nor greately troubled as knowing that to be the way of the Crosse to which they haue offered themselues and by which Christ did walke as it appeared when being vpon the Crosse he sayd to his Father O (o) Matt. 17. my God Why hast thou forsaken me But shortly after he sayd Into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit Our Lord had also sayd already Againe (p) Ioan. 10. Will I see you and your hart shall reioyce and no man shall take this ioy from you For if a man enioy this condition there is no tribulation which there in the most inward part of his soule doth much disquiet him because there within he is close vnited to the will of him that sendeth it If thus we would carry our selues we should deceaue the deceauer which is the diuell For as much as by not being dismayed nor retyring from our good course begun notwithstanding the euill language he speaketh but on the other syde taking that which our Lord doth send with obedience and giuing of thankes we depart without any hurt out of this skirmish although it should last as long as we liue Yea we come to greater profit then we had before since it gaue vs occasion to gaine more crownes in heauen in reward of that conformity which we had to the will of our Lord without respecting our owne euen in that which was very painefull to vs. CHAP. XXVII That the conquest of these temptations doth consist more in hauing patience to beare them and in the hope of the fauour of our Lord then inprocuring forcibly that they may not come THE conquest whereof we haue spoken proceedeth more from the stratageme of hauing patience at that which commeth vpon vs then in the force which we can vse in procuring that it may not come And for this did the spouse say in the Canticles Catch me those little foxes which spoyle our vineyards for our vine hath sâ—orished The vineyard of Christ is our soule which was planted by his hand and watered by his bloud It doth flourish when the tyme of sterility being past it beginneth to lead a new life and yealdeth fruite to him that planted it But because in such beginnings both these and other temptations of the crafty Diuell do lye in waite for vs therefore doth the noble spouse admonish vs that since our soule which is his vineyard is in flower we should procure to hunt those foxes out By which word it is giuen vs to vnderstaÌ„d that it must be done in the (a) Because the flowers come before the fruits morning as hath bin sayd By saying that they were foxes we are as good as told that they come disguised to deceaue vs seeming to byte on the onesyde they wound on the other and in saying that they are little he telleth vs that they are not so much to be feared by him that knoweth them for the knowing theÌ„ is to weaken theÌ„ if not to ouercome them out right In saying that they destroy the vines he signifyeth that they doe men much mischiefe who know them not For being frighted and not confiding to goe through with their businesse in the sight of God they leaue their way and following a lamentable perswasion they giue themselues openly to sinne conceauing that they enioy more peace in the broad way of perditioÌ„ then by the strayte one of vertue which leadeth to life The end of such persons if they returne not first to the right way many tymes is such as that it carrieth most certayne tokens of eternall perdition as the Scripture sayth He (b) Eccl. 〈◊〉 that passeth from iustice to sinne God hath prepared him for the instrument of iustice that is for hell They (c) Note should consider that as the Gabaonites were besieged and persecuted by their enemies for hauing made peace with (d) Iosue 10. Iosue and that Iosue being called vpon by them to giue them succour did relieue and free them making their case his owne because they were persecuted by their enemies in regard of the peace they made with him so they who beginning to serue God do enroll themselues in his band grow instantly to be persecuted by the Diuells which they were not before and this doth euidently appeaâ—e to be so because by forsaking the party of Christ the persecution which is made against them would cease and if they continue to suffer they suffer for holding vp the party of Christ Now this is a most particuler fauour which God doth as S. Paul (e) Phil. 1. affirmeth To you it is giuen by Christ not only to belieue in him but also to suffer for him And if the Angels of heauen were capable of enuying earthly creatures (f) The great nobility of suffering for the loue of God and for his will it would be for this that they suffer for God And although by the word of God a Crowne is promised to that man who suffereth (g) lac 1. temptations is prooued by them which reward it shal be fit for vs to consider and desyre thereby to get more spirit that we be neither tepide in working nor weake in suffering as it is sayd both of Moyses and of Dauid also that they had an eye to the reward yet the true and perfect louer of our Crucifyed Lord doth so much esteeme a being in conformity with him that he receiueth euen the very suffering it selfe as a great fauour and reward for as Saint Augustine saith A happy iniury is that wherof God is the cause And since there is not a man who will not succour another that suffereth by comming to his seruice much more may this be expected from that diuine goodnesse And that he will make that mans cause his owne as Dauid thus desyred that he would Rise vp o Lord and iudge thy cause remember the iniurious words with the foole hath vttered against thee all the day longe That businesse
procure to be so not only by belieuing the promises in generall nor yet by belieuing that in particuler they are applied to him but by pennance also other meanes which are taught by the Catholike Church Not but that we do neuerthelesse assuredly belieue that many in the same Church are in the state of grace to whom without all doubt God fulfilleth the promises of being their defendour who hope in him but yet for as much as no man can be infallibly sure without speciall reuelation that himselfe is in that state of grace he is to belieue by the Catholike fayth that the diuine assistance is neuer wanting on the part of God but himselfe may and must feare that it will not perhaps take effect in him through his fault or negligence in doing his duty So that with some feare of himselfe and by confidence in our Lord he must procure to encourage and help himselfe by the word of God who promiseth succour to such as fight for him And (i) Note this feare or vncertainty in which God hath left vs of not knowing assuredly that we are in his fauour though it may seeme painefull is very profitable towardes the conseruing of our humility and the not vndervalewing of our neighbours and to spur vs vp towardes good workes And with so much the more caution and consideration must we do it as we are lesse certaine whether we be pleasing to our Lord or no. But do not for all this conceaue that thy hart must be dismayed with vaine feare for as much as this truth which I haue told thee did not keep Dauid from saying If (k) Psalâ— 15. whole armies shall rise against me yet shall not my hart be afraid if warre shal come vpon me yet wil I hope in God So also doth S. Paul (l) Heb. 13. admonish vs that we should serue our selues of those wordes which God sayd I will not forsake thee I will not abandon thee in such sort as that we may confidently say Our Lord is my helper and I will not feare what man can do These and the like wordes do not wholy take away all the feare which a Christian for his owne part ought to haue but it taketh away all excesse thereof by the confidence which is to be placed in God And thus we are to walke between hope and feare and so much more as the loue increaseth so much doth the hope also increase and so much also is feare diminished And (m) An excellent rule therefore if thou haue a mind to feele in thy selfe that courage of mind and the little feare which perfect men do find cast thou away al tepidity from thy selfe take the businesse of vertue to hart and then in that very hart of thyne thou shalt read that courage which now thou readest but in Bookes Then shalt thou be able to fight boldly against the Diuell although he circle theâ— round about to deuoure thee for thou shalt haue a hope to be defended by Iesus Christ who is the strong Lyon of Iuda He alwayes ouercommeth in vs if we do not loose our confidence and if like cowards we do not deliuer vp our selues with our hands bound behind vs to our enemies without resoluing to fight Our Lord doth not suffer these warrs and temptations to come to his friendes but for their greater good as it is written Blessed (n) laâ— 1. is the man who suffereth temptation for he being so proued shall receaue the crowne of life which God promiseth to such as loue him He was pleased also that patience in troubles and the standing fast on foot for his honour in tentations should be the touchstone whereby his friends were to be tryed For (o) Note it is no signe of a true friend if he only accompany another in occasions of case but to stand fast by him in tyme of tribulation And as all men would be glad to haue approued friends to stand fast by them in the tyme of affliction and triall accounting of it as their owne iust so doth God desire to haue his and like a thankfull person he sayth to them You are the men who haue remayned with me in my temptations And as an aboundant rewarder he sayth further to them I (p) Lue â—â— dispose of my kingdome to you as my Father disposed of it to me that you may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome companions heere in payne and afterwards in the Kingdome of glory Thou must encourage thy selfe to fight manfully in the warrs which are made against thee to deuide thee from God since he is thy helper on earth and thy reward in heauen Remember how S. Anthony being cruelly vvhipped and beaten by the Diuells lifting vp his eyes to heauen saw the roofe of his Cell all open whereby a beame of so admirable light did enter as at the presence thereof all the Diuells fled away and the payne of his wounds forsooke him with profound internall sighes he sayd to our Lord who then appeared to him Where wert thou O my good Iesus where wert thou when I was so ill handled by the enemies why wert thou not heere in the beginning of my combat that so thou mightest haue preuented or cured all my soares Wherunto our Lord answered Heere I was froÌ„ the very beginning but I stood looking on to see how thou diddest carry thy self in thy combate And because thou hast fought manfully I wil euer help thee thou shalt be famous throughout the whole earth By these wordes and by the vertue of our Lord he rose vp so full of courage as to find by experience that he had gotten then more strength then he had lost before In (q) A most comfortable and true doctrine this sort doth our Lord treat his friends and he leaueth them oftentimes in traunces of so great danger as that they scarce know where to set a foot nor do they find one hayre of strength by which they can take hold nor are they able to help themselues by the memory of those fauours which in former tymes they had receaued of God but they remayne as if they were naked and in profound darcknes being giuen ouer to the persecution of their enemyes But suddainly when they least looke for it our Lord doth visite them and deliuer them and leaue them with more strength then they had before thrusteth those enemies vnder their feet And the soule howsoeuer it be more weake in nature then the Diuell doth feele in it selfe such a powerfull strength that it seemeth to teare him euen in pieces as a thing that is but weake and without resistance and not only groweth it not able to fight against one but against many Diuells so great is the courage which it feeleth to haue comfreshly towards it from heauen and wherewith it doth not only defend it selfe but it sayth with Dauid I will persecute my enemies and I will take them I will
Iesus Lord but by fayth inspired as S. Paul sayth yet not doing that which our Lord commaunded they were not in state of grace it followeth cleerely that a man may haue Fayth without grace which S. Paul affirmeth also in another place where he fayth That if a man should haue the gifte of speaking tongues and should comprehend and possesse all knowledge and prophesie and haue all fayth so farre as that he could remooue mountaynes from one place to another and yet should be without charity all this were nothing And since it is certayne that the gifte of tongues with the rest which is there recounted is compatible vvith mortall sinne it stands not vvith reason that men should make it impossible for fayth to be without charity though it be true that charity cannot be without fayth They are the words of the diuine scripture That iustice is giuen by fayth but that it should be giuen by fayth alone is an inuention of men a very ignorant and peruerse errour Whereof our Lord did warne vs when he sayd to S. Mary Magdalen That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much Which words are as cleare to shew that loue is requisite as there are any in the whol scripture to shew the necessity of fayth And that not only there must be loue in the iustification of a sinner but because loue is a disposition towards the obteining of pardon as fayth is they both must go hand in hand and of both did our Lord make mention in the conuersion of S. Mary Magdalen For at the end of the discourse he sayd Thy fayth hath saued thee go in peace Nor in that which our Lord sayd before That many sinnes were forgiuen her because she loued much would he say that it was because she belieued much giuing the effect the name of the cause since it is euident that our Lord hauing asked which of these two debters did loue him most who released the debt it was answered He to whom the more was released and not he to whome the lesse he was to haue concluded his discourse with speaking of loue and not of Fayth And if liberty may be taken for a man to say that he called Fayth Loue tearming the effect by the name of his cause let vs also take liberty to say that in those places of the Scripture where it is affirmed That man is iustifyed by Fayth Loue is to be vnderstood by the name of Fayth by considering in the cause the effect In plaine manner did our Lord speake heer vnles a man be disposed to hood wincke himself in so faire a light and he called fayth and loue by their owne names and both of them are requisite to iustification as we haue sayd already And our Lord did settle the same coniunction when he sayd afterward to his disciples The (c) Ioan. 16. Father himselfe loueth you because you haue loued me and haue belieued that I issued froÌ„ him And fince Fayth loue are both requisite to a man without doubt he will haue griefe for his sinnes as hauing grieuously offended God whome he loueth aboue all things as it is plaine by the example of S. Mary Magdalen and of other sinners who were comuerted to God Now (d) If this be well considered it wil ouerthrow the fancyes which the Caluinish haue concerning Fayth because both these thinges are requisite and others also which flow from them towardes the obtaining of Iustice therefore doth the holy Scripture sometymes name Fayth and sometymes Loue sometymes sorrow griefe of Repentance and sometymes The humble prayer of the penitent who sayth Lord haue mercy vpon me a sinner and sometymes the knowledge of the sinne it selfe I haue sinned O Lord sayd Dauid instantly he heard the word of pardon in the name of God But yet he who should be induced by this to say that sinne is pardoned by a mans only knowledge of the sinne should fall into no small errour since Cain and Iudas and Saul and many others did know their sinne and yet came not to obtayne pardon of it And so farre without all ground is it for them to say That by only Fayth it is obtayned in respect that the Scripture doth in some places make mentioÌ„ of Fayth alone as it is that for the same reason we might also exclude fayth out of this businesse as being vnnecessary because in other places the Scripture sayth That sinnes are forgiuen by pennance other meanes without making any mention at all of Fayth But (e) The doctrine of the Catholike Church concerning this point the truth of Catholike doctrine is this That both the one and the others are requisite as dispositions towards the obtayning of pardon and grace And if any man shall reflect vpon this That Fayth is named many tymes by way of attributing iustice to it and that by fayth we are made the sonnes of God and partakers of the merits of Iesus Christ and such like effects as do accompany grace and charity it is not because fayth alone is sufficient for it but because when the Scripture attributeth these effects to Fayth it is to be vnderstood of that Faith which is formed by charity and which is the life thereof Neither yet must these effects be attributed to Fayth as if necessarily vpon our hauing fayth we must haue loue because true fayth may remayne as hath beene sayd euen when grace and loue are lost which loue as S. Paul sayth is greater then either fayth or hope And when our Lord spake of fayth and loue as well in that passage of S. Mary Magdalen as in that other which we mentioned with his disciples he named loue before fayth giuing the precedent place of perfection to that which was the act of the will which yet after a sort is subsequent if it be compared with an act of the vnderstanding to which fayth belongeth It is also to be vnderstood that although the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are necessarily to be receaued or at least a purpose of receauing them must be intertayned for the obtayning of that Grace which is lost the former by Infidells and the latter by belieuers who after Baptisme haue committed mortall sinne yet is there not in holy Scripture so frequent speach of them as of fayth for the reason which shortly I shall relate But yet neither is the mention of them forborne least any one should thinke that they were not necessary towardes the obtayning of Iustice S. Paul (f) Tim. 3. fayth That God saued vs by the Baptisme of regeneration and renouation of the holy Ghost and that Christ did cleanse his Church by the Baptisme of water in the word of life And it because the Scripture sayth That we are iustifyed by fayth we were to cast away the Sacraments as iustly were we to cast away saâ—th since it sayth That saluation and cleanesse is giuen by holy Baptisme But our Lord doth couple these
not performe that which it aduised but that which their owne peruerse will suggested And because the Truth of God is a most excellent thing he bestoweth it as a great fauour to the end that a man practising it with affection may honour it and obtaine vertue by it and so be saued and if he consider not â—eerof and do entertaine it in such a fashion as that he neither practiseth those things which it teacheth nor doth lodge it in so faire a place as it deserueth he doth thereby great dishonour to God that gaue it and to the Truth it selfe which was giuen by him And if it had a tongue wherewith to speake it would with a loud voyee demaund iustice against such a man For as much as it being so precious a Iewell and which is able so much to enrich men it is detayned without hearing what it sayth and without doing what it requireth and it is quartered out in the stincking company of sinne wher with the will of such a man aboundes And so in such sort as it is able it doth like the bloud of Abell cry out demanding vengeance Because although such an one depriueth not Truth of life because true fayth is compatible with a life that is wicked yet doth he depriue it of that efficacy which it would haue in working if insteed of hindring he did assist it towardes the performance of those thinges which it teacheth These cryes are heard by God for it is he that sayth The seruant who knoweth the will of his maister and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Amongst which the very greatest which he giueth in this world is to permit as we haue â—ayd before that in punishment of his sinnés he fall into errour of beliefe And so were those others punished by being suffered to fall into such blind Idolatry as that they came to worship for God euen birdes and serpents and other beasts And because they robbed God of that honour which was due to him as God and gaue it to such as it belonged not to God redoubled vpon them the punishment of this sinne of Idolatry by suffering them to fall into such other filthy sinnes as breed horrour to thinke of them and shame to name them And although such as are afflicted with this punishment of infidelity without doubt wil fall into other sinnes yet is that fall of theirs into those later sinnes as free as that whereby they fel into the former through their owne will Which yet how many soeuer they be either of one kind or of the other the mercy of God is not shut vp against them if they dispose themselues to retyre into the bowells of his pitty The power of God is manifested in the first of these his wisedome in the second and his goodnes and mercy in the third Now by the (g) The iust iudgments of God both against Iewes Gentilles same reason whereby the soueraigne Iudge did punish the proud Gentills he did also punish the vngratefull Iewes that vpon great cause Because he gaue more knowlege to them then to the Gentills wherof they serued themselues so il as that with infidelity they denyed the very true life it sâ—lfe which is Christ Iesus and they crucified him by the hands of the Gentills And because they had a mind to extinguish that soueraigne light without which there is no light nor Truth they remayned in obscure darknes and they will remayne in eternall perdition vnles they be conuerted to the seruice of our Lord whome they denyed But now let vs see what the motiue was which drew them on to so great a misery as to vnbelieue that light which stood there before their eyes S. Iohn (h) Ioan. 3. makes the answere thus Men loued darknesse more then light because their works were euill euery one that worketh euill abhorreth the light So that because our Lord his doctrine did addresse them to all vertue truth they loued falsehood and lyes they could not endure to heare or see him nor did they wish that there had by many light of doctrine in the world which might be able to discouer that counterfait sanctity which they professed Or that there should be any example of perfect life in comparison whereof their owne might be condemned for wicked And from this root of a will which was so depraued did grow that bitter fruit of denying and murthering that heauenly Phisitian who came to cure them And they found themselues to be such as the Prophet (i) Psal â—8 vers 24. Dauid had painted out long before when he sayd thus of them Let their eyes be obscured that they may not see and let their back go euer bending downeward for their eyes haue remayned without the light of fayth and their will hath been all imployed vpon thinges of the earth CHAP. XLVIII Wherein the former discourse is more particulerly prosecuted and it is declared what dispositions are requisite for the beginning to read and vnderstand the diuine Scriptures the holy Doctours BVT now if God did take into so zealous care the honour of that knowledge which he gaue the Gentills that which he also gaue the Iewes how much will he haue zeale of that which he giueth Christians since incomparably this is more then that which eyther of the other did enioy And (a) God inflicteth grieuous punishments vpon such as liue not according to the true fayth which they haue receaued since men do serue themselues very ill of the knowledge of this so excellent Fayth it is not to be meruayled at if sometymes God strike such persons by suffering them with a great chastisement to fall vpon heresies as he suffered those of former tymes Can it be sayd perhaps that we see not that accomplished with our owne eyes which S. Paul did prophesy of the latter tymes saying That God would send the operation of errour to certayne men that they might belieue a lye and this lye is against Fayth For no man can be ignorant of the miserable and great efficacy wherewith so much people hath cordially imbraced the Lutheran heresy so that we see plainely how God (b) Do not willfully mistake the Scripture or this authour but marke well that which instantly followeth hath sent this efficacy of errour for the belieuing of a lye as S. Paul sayth Not that God doth send these things by inciting men to belieue a lye or to worke any wickednesse For he is not the tempter of the wicked as S. Iames the Apostle (c) Iac. 1. sayth But he is sayd to send the operation of errour wheÌ„ by his iust iudgment he (d) Note suffereth the vnderstanding of men to be deceaued by false discourses or by false miracles which either some man or the peruerse Diuell may worke and withall they find in themselues such force towards the belieuing of that lye as to thinke themselues mooued to the beliefe of it
conscience by litle and little draweth their vnderstanding vnto blindnesse to the end that it may seeke some doctrine which doth not contradict their wickednes or else because the supreame iudge in punishment of other sinnes permitteth them to fall vpon heresy or whether it be both for the one and the other reason it is a thing to make one feare and to be full of care to auoyd it And howsoeuer this happen not to all wicked Christians since although they be in mortall sinne they do not for that loose their Fayth as I haue sayd before yet in a matter that is of so high importance the very hauing hapned to one alone giueth vs all reason to feare and care that we may auoyd the like occasion Without doubt the hartes of all those eleuen Apostles were farre from any disposition of deliuering Christ Iesus our Lord to death yet because he sayd that one of the twelue would do it they were all afrayd and they sayd Is it I O Lord through a feare least by their frailty they might fal into actions from which they were free at that tyme. Against all such inconueniences the word which we haue here in hand is full of vse Incline thyne eare obeying God and his Church by Fayth And haue not thou a busy and sifting vnderstanding least it be oppressed by Maiesty as such are threatned in holy Scripture that they shal be And (e) Marke well this comparison for it reacheth home they who wil be descanting vpon the ineffable mysteries of God by the poorenesse of their owne vnderstanding and reason shall find it happen to them as it doth to such as fasten the point of their sight vpon the sunne which so they do not only not come to see but rather they loose their very sight it selfe and it is beaten back agayne through the great excesse of the light which they see to the eyes themselues with which they would see it So those men seeking satisfaction by the way of curious vnderstanding and sifting do find themselues full of vnquietnesse doubt For the wisedome of God is not communicated but to such as are little and humble do approach to him with simplicity inclining their eare to him and to his Church and such as these receaue extraordinary fauours by his goodnesse wherewith the soule resteth satisfied and beautifyed by Fayth and good workes like the fayre Rebecca to whom were giuen in the name of Isaac certayne pendents for her eares and bracelets for her hands And to the end that this humble subiection might be so much the more recommended to our vnderstanding the holy ghost was not content with exhorting vs to it in the first word only by saying Hearken O Daughter but be aduiseth to it yet with another by saying Incline thyme eare To the end that men may know that since God doth speake no idle words and that yet he deliuered this doctrine to vs in seuerall words his pleasure was to recommend in particuler manner this simple humble manner of belieuing as the beginning of our saluation and if to this we will add loue it will then be entire and perfect CHAP. L. How some vse to be much deceaued by giuing credit to false Reuelations and it is particulerly declared wherein true liberty of Spirit doth consist IT is not reason that I passe from hence with out acquainting thee with a great daÌ„ger which happeneth to them that trauayle in the way of God and wherby many haue been ouerthrown The chiefe remedy wherof consisteth in that aduise which the holy Ghost giueth vs by meanes of this word Inclyne thyne eare This danger groweth when reuelations or visions or other spirituall gustes do offer themselues to some deuout persons which by the permission of God do ariue many tymes through the worke of the Diuell that for the obtayning of two effects One is that by the meanes of these deceites he may take credit from the true reuelations of God as he hath also procured to shew false miracles thereby to discredit such as are true Another is to deceaue that person vnder the shew of Good now that by other meanes he cannot do it Many of whome we haue read of in former tymes and many we haue seene in these dayes of ours who may serue for a warning to any such person as is desirous of his saluation to put him in feare of being easy in giuing credit to such things as these since some of those very persons who gaue them such credit at the first did afterward when they were free from being so deceaued aduise others to take heed how they fell into those inconueniences Gerson recounteth that in his tyme many of these abuses did happen and he sayd that be knew of many and that some did hold for certayne that it was reuealed to them that they should be Popes And some one of them did leaue the same in writing and by coniectures and other such kindes of proofe he affirmed it to be true And another belieuing vpon the same motiue that he was to be Pope this thought did after settle it selfe in his hart That he (a) Let not a Caluinist mak himselfe mery at this but let him tremble to find how like he is to the Diuel in saying that the Pope is Antichrist should be Antichrist or at least the forerunner of him And vpon this he was grieuously tempted to kill himselfe that so he might not bring such a deale of misery vpon Christian people till at last by the mercy of God he was drawne out of these deceitfull errours and left them in writing behind him for the caution instruction of others There haue not been wanting some in these dayes of ours who held for certayne that they were to reforme the Church of Christ and to bring it to the first perfection or euen greater then it had at first But their being dead without doing it is a sufficient proofe that they were deceaued and that it would haue beene better for them to haue attended to the reformation of themselues which by the grace of God would not haue beene hard then so forgetting their owne consciences to cast their vaine eyes vpon that (b) The Authour meaneth only ReformatioÌ„ of manners for he sheweth in a hundred places that the Fayth of the Church both is for euer must be true thing which God had no mind to do by their meanes Others haue resolued vpon seeking new wayes which seemed to them very compendious for their owne ariuing quickly to God And it seemed to them that giuing themselues to him in a perfect kind of a manner and abandoning themselues into his handes they were so taken and possest by God and so wholy gouerned by the holy Ghost that whatsoeuer came to their hart must forsooth be no other thing but the instinct and light of God himselfe And (c) Much of this discourse is meant by a cerâ—ayne fantasticall hereticall people
consider of many others as absurd and foolish as this is into which both in other tymes and these also such persons haue fallen as grew lightly to beliâ—ue that the notions or instinctes of their owne harts did come from God CHAP. LI. Of the way wherein we are to carry our selues that we may not erre by such illusions and how dangerous the desire is of Reuelations and such things as those THROVGH the desire I haue that thy soule may not be one of these I recommend to thee much that thou profit as the prouer be sayth by anothers harme and that thou be very carefull that in thy selfe there be no consent either great or small to any desire of these singular or supernaturall things for it is a signe either of pride or at least of curiosity which is full of danger There was a tyme when (a) Marke this Exemple S. Augustine was assaulted by this temptation his wordes are these By how many subtilties of temptation hath the enemy procured with me O Lord that I should beg some miracle at thy hands but I beseech thee for the loue of our Lord Iesus Christ and of our Citty the heauenly Hierusalem which is pure and chaste that as now all consent to this temptation is farre from me so it may euer be farre and further off S. Bonauenture sayth that many had fallen into great follies and errours in punishment of their hauing desired such things as these and he sayth further that they are not so much to be desired as feared If any such extraordinary things happen to thee without any desire of thyne be thou afraid and do not giue them credit but instantly haue recourse to our Lord beseeching (b) A holy wise and safe aduice him that he will be pleased not to carry thee by this way but that he will suffer thee to worke thy saluation in his holy feare and in the vsuall and plaine way of such as serue him Thou art especially to do this when any such Reuelation or instinct shall inuite thee to admonish or reprehend a third person of any thing that is secret much more if he be a Priest or Prelate or the like to whome particular reuerence is due In such case as this thou art to cast away these things withall the hart thou hast and to depart from them with saying that which Moyses sayd Send him O Lord I beseech thee whome thou art to send And Ieremy sayd I am but a child O Lord I cannot speake and both these did hold themselues for insufficient and fled from being sent to reproue others Do not feare least by this humble resistance God should be made angry or to absent himself if the businesse be his but (c) There is no danger of loosing any thing with God by doing acts of humility rather he will draw nearer to thee and he will assure and settle the thing in question For he that giueth grace to the humble will not take it away for an act of humility and if it be not of God the Diuell will fly away as being strooke with the stone of humility which giueth a blow that breaketh his head like that of Golias And so it happened to a Father that remayned in the Desert who vpon the appearing of the figure of a Crucifixe he would neither adore it nor belieue it But (d) See the sweet safe simplicity humility of thâ—se holy Ermites shutting his eyes sayd I will not see Iesus Christ in this world it shall serue my turne to see him in heaueÌ„ Vpon which answere the Diuell fled away who was desirous to deceaue him vnder that forme Another Father answered to one that told him that he was an Angell sent to him on the behalfe of God I haue no need nor am I worthy to receaue messages by the mouth of Angels and therefore consider well to whome it is that thou wert sent for it is not possible they should send thee to me Nor will I so much as heare thee And so with this humble answere the proud Diuell fled away By this way of humility and by a most cordiall driuing away such things as these many persons haue beene free through the mercy of God from great snares which by this meanes the Diuell had prepared for them Experimenting so in themselues that which Dauid (e) Psal 12. sayth Our Lord keepeth the little ones I humbled my selfe and be deliuered me And on the other side a false instinct or Reuelation of the Diuell finding any vaine contentment in the hart of him that doth receaue it taketh roote and force from thence to deceaue men out right God permitting it with iust iudgment For as S. Augustine sayth Pryde deserueth to be deceaued Thou must therfore be free from this vaine inclination and from thinking that thou art capable of these Reuelations that so thy hart may not vary the compasse in the least point from that humility wherein thou wert before vnder the holy feare of God And so carry thy selfe in them as if they had not come to thee And if notwithstanding this answere of thyne the matter do still go on giue thou instantly account to them that may tell thee what is fit although it will be better done to giue notice of it instantly after first it happened and to help him by meanes of prayer fastes other good works who is to giue thee counsaile that God may declare the truth to him in a matter that is of so much difficulty For (f) A great strayte if we hold the good spirit of God for the wicked spirit of the Diuell it is a great blasphemy and we shall so be like to those miserable Pharisees the contradictours of the truth of God who attributed to an euill spirit the workes which Christ Iesus our Lord did by the Holy Ghost And on the other side if with facility of beliefe we accept of the instinct of an euil spirit as if it were of the Holy Ghost what greater misery can there be then to seeke darkenesse and errour insteed of truth and which is worse the Diuell for God On both sides there is great danger eyther in holding God for the Diuell or the Diuel for God And how great necessity there is to be able to distinguish and to iudge of these thinges as indeed they are I thinke there is none who doth not see But as euident as this necessity is so difficult and hidden a thing it is to get assurance and light wherewith to cleare this doubt And therfore as it belongeth not to all men to prophesy or to worke miracles or to impart such other graces but to them to whome the Holy Ghost is pleased to impart them so also is it not giuen to the spirit of man how wise soeuer it be to iudge with certainty and truth of the difference of spirits vnles it were in a matter which were euidently (g) For in that ease
it is cleerlynaught against the Scripture and the Church of God That light therefore of the Holy Ghost which is called Discretion of spirits is wholy necessary in this case by the inward and sweet light wherof the man who hath this gift doth rightly iudge which is the spirit of Truth and which of Errour And if the matter be of importance it must be related to the Prelate and his resolution is to be followed CHAP. LII Wherein some signes are giuen of good and bad or false Reuelations or Illusions BESIDES that which I haue sayd thou art to consider what fruit or edification these thinges do leaue in thy soule And (a) This ballance is to be held by a steedy hand yet I say not this as if by these or other signes thou art to become the iudge of that which passeth in thy selfe but to the end that when thou giuest him account of whome thou art to take counsell he may so much the more certainly know teach thee truth as thou shalt giue him more particuler information Consider therefore if these things help thee towardes the reliefe of any spirituall necessity which thou hast or for any thing concerning thy soule of notable edification For if a good man will not speake idle wordes much lesse will God do it who sayth I am the Lord who teach thee things which are profitable to be known and who gouerne thee in the way where thou art to goe But when thou seest that there is nothing of moment but intricate and vnnecessary thinges esteeme it as a fruit which the Diuel setteth before such a one as he seeketh to deceaue and to make him loose his tyme and the tyme of others to whome he relateth it and when the Diuell can get no more he contenteth himselfe with this gaine Amongst those thinges which thou art to consider whether they worke them in thy soule or no let the chiefe be this Whether it leaue thee more humble then thou wert before For humility as a Doctour sayth giueth such weight to the coyne of spirit as that it doth sufficiently distinguish the mettall which is massy from that which is light And S. Gregory sayth The (b) In what case then be all Heretikâ— most euident distinctiue signe of a man elect is his humility and of the reprobate his pride Consider then I say what trace is left in thy soule by this vision or consolation or spiritual gust and if thou perceaue thy selfe to remaine more humble and in more confusion through thyne owne faults and with greater reuerence and trembling vnder the infinite greatnesse of God and hast no light inclination to communicate that to other persons which hath happened to thee nor doest busy thy selfe much in considering or making account thereof but doest procure to forget it as a thing which may make thee esteeme thy selfe and if at any tyme when it commeth to thy memory thou humble thy selfe and dostâ—wonder at the great mercy of God in shewing so great fauour to so base creatures if thou findest thy hart as quiet and more settled then it was before in the knowledge of it selfe it hath some shew to be of God because (c) Note this reasoÌ„ it is agreable to the instruction and doctrine of Christ which is That a man should abase himselfe and become despicable in his owne eyes and that for the blessings which he receaueth from God he must know himselfe to be more obliged and confounded giuing the whole glory of it to God from whose hand all good thinges proceed And with this S. Gregory agreeth saying The soule which is full of diuine vnderstanding hath these for most euident fignes namely Humility and Truth both which if they perfectly ioyne in any soule it is a thing notorious that they giue testimony of the presence of the Holy Ghost But when it is an abuse of the Diuel it falleth out very contrary to this For (d) Humility or Pride are the distinctiue signes wherby to know the truth or falsh god of spirituall gustes c. either in the beginning or at the end of the reuelation of consolation the soule doth find it selfe vayne and desirous to speake of what it feeleth with some estimation of it selfe conceauing that God is to do great matters in it or by it and it hath no desire to thinke vpon the defects of it selfe or to be reproued by others but all that persons busines is to be talking and rowling vp and downe in his mind that which he hath felt and he would be gladd that others also should be talking of it When thou shalt see these signes or the like which shew a kind of leuity of hart it may be affirmed without any doubt that the euill spirit walketh that way And how good soeuer the thing appeare though it bring teares or comfort or knowledge of matters belonging to God yea although thou be hoysed vp to the third heauen yet if thy soule withall do not remaine with profound humility put thou no confidence in any such thing which may happen to thee nor do thou accept thereof For how much the more high it is so much is it the more dangerous and so much the greater fall will it giue thee Aske grace of God that thou mayst know humble thy selfe and that being the ground let him giue thee what is most pleasing to him but if that be wanting all the rest how precious soeuer it appeare is not gold but copper nor is it the meale or floure of nourishment but the ashes of pryde Pride hath this mischeife belonging to it that it despoyleth the soule of the true grace of God and if it leaue any thing that may seeme good it is but counterfaite so it is not acceptable to God but the occasion of greater ruine to him that hath it We read of our Redeemer that when he appeared to his disciples vpon the day of the Ascension he first reprehended their incredulity hardnesse of hart after that he commaunded them to go preach giuing theÌ„ power to worke many and great miracles Making vs vnderst and thereby that (e) God doth first abase such as afterward he meanes to rayse whom he rayseth to great matters he first abaseth in themselues giuing them knowledge of their own weakenesse to the end that although afterward they grow to fly aboue the heauens they may still be fastned to their owne basenes without attributing any other thing to themselues but their own vnworthinesse Let therefore the summe of all be this that thou do well obserue the effects which are caused in thee by such things as these not thereby to make thy selfe the iudge thereof but for his information whose counsell thou art to aske and follow CHAP. LIII Of the secret pride whereby many vse to be much deceiued in the way of Vertue and of the danger that such are in to be snared by the illusions of the Diuell
holy places good works for so it is fittest for young folks Do not plunge thy selfe into transitory cares when thou hast done working som what with thy hands which being moderately vsed will do thee good both in soule and body hauing complyed with thy obligations either of necessity or Charity according to that rule of life which hath been prescribed to thee take as much tyme as thou canst to be shut vp in thyne Oratory And although at the first it may chance to go against thy stomake thou wilt come to find that they are the affaires of heauen which are treated there and that thou takest not so much gust in the expence of any tyme as that which thou spendest there in peace CHAP. LIX Wherein he prosecuteth the exercise which conduceth to the knowledge of ones selfe and how we are to profit in the vse of reading and of Prayer HAVING then found out this priuate place retire thy selfe into it twice euery day at the least Once in the morning to thinke vpon the sacred passion of Iesus Christ our Lord as I will shew thee afterward and once againe in the euening at the shutting vp of the day to attend to the exercise of knowing thy selfe and let thy way to that be this Take first some booke of good instruction wherein as in a glasse thou mayest see thy faultes and that thy soule may therewithall receiue such food (a) A most excellent aduise how spirituall books are to be read with great profit of the soule as to be encouraged in the way of God This reading must not be vsed with any trouble nor by turning ouer many leaues but with raising vp the hart to our Lord to beseech him that he will speake to it with his liuing and powerfull voyce by meanes of those words which there thou readest And that he wil giue thee the true vnderstanding thereof and with this attention and reuerence obserue and hearken to God by those wordes which thou readest as if thou heardest himselfe preach when he spake heere in the world In such sort that although thyne eyes be cast vpon the booke do not thou fasten thy selfe to it with so great an anxiety of mind as to make thee not so well to thinke of God but conserue a moderate and peacefull attention which may not enthrall thee nor hinder the free and superiour kind of attention which thou art to yeald vnto our Lord and reading thus thou wilt not grow weary By this meanes our Lord will giue thee the liuing sense of the wordes which in thy soule may worke sometimes repentance of thy sinns at other times a confidence in him and his pardon of them and he will open thy vnderstanding towards the knowledge of many other thinges although thou read not many lines Sometymes it wil be fit to interrupt thy reading to thinke of somewhat which resulteth from thence and then to returne againe to read and so at once thou shalt profit both in reading and prayer And with a hart thus deuout and recollected thou mayest beginne to enter vpon the exercise Of the knowing of thy selfe then vpon thy knees thou shalt thinke to what an excellent and soueraigne maiesty thou art going to speak Which yet (b) How we are to thinke vpon God when we go to pray thou must not conceaue to be farre from thee but that he filleth heauen and earth that there is nothing wherein he is not and that he is more within thee then thou thy selfe And considering thyne owne poorenes make thou a profound internall reuerence humbling thy hart as if it were a kind of Ant in the presence of an infinite Essence and desire that thou mayst haue leaue to speake Begin first to speake ill of thy selfe and make thy confession in generall and particulerly also if it occure to thee demand pardon of that wherein thou mayst haue offended him that day Resort then to some of those (c) Some few vocal prayers wherein moderation is to be vsed deuotions to which thou art accustomed but let thē not be so many as that they may breake thy braynes dry vp thy deuotion nor yet do thou leaue them altogeather because they serue to stir vp the soule to piety and for the offering also of that seruice of our tongue to God in token that he gaue it to vs. For this reason S. Paul teacheth vs That we must pray and sing with the spirit both of the voyce and of the soule And these prayers must serue to obtaine fauours of our Lord not only for thy self but for them to whom thou hast particuler obligation and for the whole Church of Christ the care whereof thou art to haue deeply fixed in thy hart For if thou loue Christ it is reason that thou be neerely touched by that for which he shed his bloud Pray as well for them that liue as for the soules that are in Purgatory and for all that infidelity which is depriued of the knowledge of God beseeching him to bring al vnbeleeuers to his holy Fayth since he desireth that they should all be saued And these prayers or the most of them are to be addressed two wayes By the one to our (d) Our B. Lady must be deuoutly prayed to by vs as a great intercessour with her Sonne our Lord for the pardon of our sins but especially Christ Iesus our Lord who is the only hope of our saluation Blessed Lady towardes whome thou must be sure to carry a very cordiall loue and to haue entiere confidence that she will be a true mother to thee in all thy necessityes and the other to Christ Iesus our Lord which also must be a most familiar refuge in thy troubles and the only hope of thy saluation CHAP. LX. How much the Meditation of death doth profit towardes the knowledge of a mans selfe and of the manner how it is to be meditated for as much as concerneth the death of the body AFTER (a) If this Chapter and the two next do not mooue thee I know not what will this giue ouer to pray vocally and conuaye thy selfe into the most inward part of thy hart and make account that thou art appearing in the presence of Christ Iesus and that there are no more in the world but thou he Consider that before thou camest into the world thou wert nothing and how that Omnipotent goodnes of our Lord God drew thee out of that profound bottome of not being and made thee his creature and that not after an ordinary manner but he made thee a reasonable creature Consider how he gaue thee a body and a soule to the end that with them both thou mightest labour in doing seruice to him Make account that thou art then in the very passage out of life into death and hauing the most true feeling of it that may be say to thy selfe This houre of my end is once to arriue and I know not whether
discourse both ouer thy body and thy soule and thinke how thou wert obliged to reuere him and to be gratefull to him and to loue him with thy whole hart seruing him with entiere obedience and obseruing the commaundements both of him and of his Church with all the power thou hast Consider how he hath conserued thee by a thousand other benefits that he hath bestowed vpon thee as many miseries from which he hath deliuered thee and aboue all things remember how to inuite thee to be good by his example and loue the same Lord of the world came into it by making himselfe a man and for the reliefe of thy miseryes and the remouing of the blindnes wherein thou wert would needs endure many afflictions and first did shee l many teares and afterwards his very bloud and he did cast away his precious life for thee All (e) Our Lord giue vs all grace to make great vse of this certaine truth which ponderation in the day of thy death and of the iudgement which must passe vpon thee shal be placed in one ballance laying it to thy charge as that which thou hast receaued and an account shal be demanded at thy handâ— how thou hast serued thy selfe of so great fauours and how thou hast carryed thy selfe in the seruice of God and with what care thou hast kept correspondence with that so great goodnes wherewith God hath desired and procured to saue thee Consider well and thou shalt see how much reason thou hast to feare since not only thou hast not answered by doing seruices according to thy debtes and obligations but thou hast payed him with euill for good and hast despised him who hath valewed thee at so high a rate turning thy backe and flying from him who did so fast follow thee for thy good What thanks doth it seeme to thee that thou art to giue him who by his infinite mercy hath deliuered vs from hell we hauing so iustly deserued it What shal we offer him for a present who hath so often stretched forth his hand towardes vs that the Diuells might not strangle and carry vs instaÌ„tly away to hel And to vs who haue been cruell offendours of his Maiesty he hath been a piteous Father and deare defendour Consider that (f) Yea without Perhaps perhaps there are soules in hell who haue committed fewer sinnes then thou And in such sort weigh thy selfe and serue God as if for thy sinnes thou hadst already entred into hell and that he hath fetched thee out from thence For it comes to the same account for him to haue hindred thee from going thither as thou didst deserue or to draw thee out from thence through his great (g) Nay the former is the greater mercy mercy after thou shouldst haue beene entred in And if by comparing the blessings which God hath affoarded thee and the sinnes which thou hast committed against him thou do not yet find in thy selfe that shame or sorrow which thou desirest be not yet afflicted therewith but continue in this discourse and lay before the eyes of God thy hart which is so wounded and so indebted to him and beseech him that he will tell thee who thou art and what account thou art to make of thy self For the effect of this exercise is not only to vnderstand that thou art wicked but to feele it and to tast it with thy will and to take fast hold of thy sinnefulnes and vnworthynes as a man would clap the stincking carren of a dead dogg to his nose Therefore are not these considerations to be certaine fleeting thinges not the work of one day alone but they are to be of good length and to be vsed with much quietnes that by little and little the will may go drinking vp that contempt and vnworthynes which by thy vnderstanding thou dost iudge due vnto thy self this thought of thyne thou art to present before God beseeching him that he will lodge it in the most internall part of thy hart And from thenceforth esteeme thy selfe with great simplicity and verity for a most wicked creature deseruing all contempt and torment though it were euen that of hell And (h) The true vse which is to be made of these considerations be thou ready for the patient suffering of any labour or neglect which shall occur considering that since thou hast offended God it is but reason that all the creatures should rise against thee to reuenge the iniuryes that are done to their Creatour By (i) Note this this patience of thyne thou shalt vnderstand if in very deed thou thinke thy selfe a sinner and worthy of hell saying within thy selfe All the mischiefe that they can do me is very little since I haue deserued hell Who is he that will complaine of the byting of flyes when he hath merited eternall torments And thus go thou wondering at the infinite goodnes of God how he can perswade himselfe not to cast off such a stincking worme but to maintaine it and to regale it and to powre blessings downe vpon it both in body and soule but al this must be for his glory and not that we haue any thing to glory in CHAP. LXII That the dayly examination of our faults helpeth much towardes the knowledge of our selues and of other great benefits which this practise of Examen doth bring and of the profit which commeth to vs both by the reprehension of others and those also which our Lord doth interiourly send vs. TO end the Exercise of thy knowing thy selfe two things there remaine for thee to heare The first that a Christian ought not to content himselfe with entring into Iudgment before God for the accusing himselfe of those sinnes which in former tymes he had committed but of them also which he committeth dayly because thou wilt hardly find a thing so profitable for the reformation of thy life as to take account how thou spendest it and of the defects which thou dost fall into For that soule which is not carefull to examine her thoughtes and wordes and deeds is like to some lazy husbandman who hath a vineyard and who as Salomon sayth passed by it and saw the hedge fallen downe the vineyard it self full of thornes Make account that they haue recommended the daughter of some King to thee of whome thou art to haue continuall care that she be well taught and that at night thou take account of her reprouing her for her faults and exhorting her to practise vertue Consider thy self (a) The great obligation which we haue to looke to our souls as a thing recoÌ„mended to thy self by God and teach thy selfe to know that thou art not to liue without a law or rule but in a holy kind of subiection and vnder the discipline of vertue that thou shalt (b) Marke this well neuer do any one thing that is iâ—â— but thou shalt be sure to pay for it Enter (c) An earnest an
himselfe for iust as if a man who were all full of leprosy should account himselfe to be in health We (a) Of the humility which is to be exercised in the consideration of a mans good workes must not therfore be contented to esteem only little of our selues in respect of our sinnes but much more are we to do so in our good workes Profoundly knowing that neither the fault of sinne is of God nor the glory of our good deedes of our selues But that of all the good that may be in vs we are perfectly to giue the glory to the Father of lights from whome all good and perfect gifts descend So that although we may haue a thing that is good we must looke vpon it as none of ours and we must vse it with so great fidelity as not to pretend for the glory which is due to God nor that the hony as the Prouerbe sayth may be found sticking to our fingers ends This humility is not of sinners as the first was but of iust persons Not only is this kind of humility in this world but in heauen also For by occasion therof it is written Who is like our Lord God who dwelleth in the Altitudes and lookes vpon humble things both in heauen and in earth This kept the good Angells fast on foot and disposed them fitly for the enioying of God since they would be subiect to him And the want thereof did thrust downe those wicked Angells because they had a mind to robbe God of his honour This was possessed by the sacred Virgin Mary our B. Lady who being preached for happy and blessed by the mouth of S. Elizabeth she puffed not vp nor did she attribute to her selfe any glory for the graces which were in her but with (b) More humble and more faythfull then all men and Angells put togeather an humble and most faithfull hart she teacheth S. Elizabeth and the whole world that the glory of the greatnes to which she was raysed was not due to her but to God and with profound reuerence she beginneth to sing My soule doth magnify our Lord. This very humility and that which was yet more perfect did inhabite the most blessed soule of Iesus Christ our Lord which for as much as concerned the personall being that he had did not rest vpon it selfe but vpon the person of the Word as it exceeded all the soules and celestiall spirits in other graces so did it exceed them in holy humility being further off from giuing glory to it selfe and from relying vpon it selfe then all those others put togeather And from this hart did that proceed which so often he most faythfully preached to the world That he had receaued his workes and wordes from his Father and that to him he gaue the glory And he sayd My doctrine is not myne but of him that sent me and againe The (c) Ioan. 7.14 wordes that I speake I speak not of my selfe but the Father who is in me is he that doth the workes And so it was fit that the redresser of mankind should be very humble since pride was the rooâ—e of all misery and mischiefe And our Lord resoluing to make vs know how necessary it is for vs to haue this holy and true humility he maketh himselfe a maister of it in particuler manner and he puttes his owne example before our eyes saying thus Learne (d) Matt. 1â— of me for I am humble and meeke To the end that men seeing their so wise Maister recommend this vertue so particulerly they might labour much in the purchase thereof And seing that our Lord being so soueraign doth not attribute the good to himselfe there may be no man so franticke as to presume vpon the committing of so great a wickednesse Learne therefore O thou seruant of Christ of this thy Maister and Lord this holy humility to the end that according to his word thou mayst be exalted For he (e) Luc. 14. that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted And keep in thy soule this holy Pouerty for of this it is vnderstood Blessed (f) Wats 5. are the poore in spirit for of them is the kingdome of heauen And of this be sure that since Iesus Christ our Lord was exalted by the way of humility he that hath not this doth loose his way And he must vnbeguile himselfe and belieue that which S. Augustine sayth If thou aske me which is the way to heauen I shall answere thee Humility and if thou aske me till the third tyme I shall answere thee the same and if thou aske me a thousand tymes a thousand tymes shall I answere that there is no other way (g) I doubt much that ProtestaÌ„ts are then out of the way if it be but euen for this but of Humility CHAP. LXIIII. Of a profitable exercise of knowing the being which we haue in Nature that by it we may obtayne Humility BECAVSE (a) I beseech you ponder well the foure next chapters for they will teâ—l you â—ewes I thinke thou desirest to obtayne this holy humiliation of thy self wherby thou mayst become pleasing to our Lord I will say somwhat of the meanes how thou mayst procure it And (b) The meanes which are to be vsed for the procuring of the holy vertue of humility let the first of them be to begge it with perseuerance of him who is the giuer of all good thinges for it is a particuler guift of his which he bestoweth vpon his elect Yea and the very knowing that it is a guift of God is no small fauour They who are tempted with pride do wel perceaue that there is nothing further off from their owne power then this true and profound humility and that it hapneth many tymes that by the same meanes whereby they hope to obteine it they fly furthest from it and that by the very acts of humiliating a mans selfe the very contrary which is pride sometymes doth grow Thou (c) Note must therefore as I sayd in that discourse which I made before of Chastity take in hand the obteyning of this Iewell in such sorte as that neither thou giue ouer thy endeauour by saying What shall I get by striuing for it since it is the guift of God nor yet must thou put thy confidence in thy arme of flesh and bloud but in him who is wont to graunt his guiftes to whome he giueth the grace to aske them by meanes of prayer and other deuout exercises The course then which thou art to hold shal be this Consider these two thinges in order The one a being the other a good and happy being As for the first thou art to thinke who thou wert before God made thee and thou wilt find that thou wert a profound pit of being nothing a priuation of all thinges that are good Consider then how that mighty and sweete hand of God drew thee out of that profound Abysse placed thee in the number of his creatures giuing
what we are to do when we beginne to treat any businesse since he in that first businesse of his did pray and that in so great length From hence it is that S. Denis saith that at the entrance into any workâ— we must begin by prayer S. Paul exhorteth vs to be instant and earnest in prayer and our Lord saith (t) Luc. 1â— That we must euer pray and not giue ouer which signifieth that this worke must be performed with frequent diligence and care For they who thinke it will serue their turns to take heed to themselues in doing workes pleasing vnto God yet make no accompt of vsing prayer do swimme and fight with one only hand and do walke with one only foot For our Lord did teach vs that two thinges are necessary when he sayd (u) Matt. 26. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation And the same did he aduise when he said (x) Luc. 21. Watch in prayer at all tymes that you may escape from these thinges which are to come and that you may be able to appeare before the sonne of the Virgin And S. Paul (y) Ephes â— doth couple these two thinges when hearmeth the Cauallier of Christ towards the spirituall warre which he is to make against the Diuell For as a man how well soeuer he fare yet vnles he rest and sleepe he wil be weake run hazard of going out of his wits so wil it happen to one that worketh prayeth not for (z) Prayer is that to the soule which rest is to the â—ody prayer is that to the soule which repose is to the body There is not any estate so great which will not be brought to an end if there be euer spending and no getting nor are there any good workes which will last without praying For thereby that light and spirit is gotten for the recouery of that feruour of charity interiour deuotion which is diminished by businesse though it be good How necessary it is to pray seemeth plaine by the instance and fastes wherewith the prophet (a) 1. Reg. 2. Samuel prayed our Lord That (b) Marke this well he would deliuer the people out of the captiuity of Babylon although the seauenty yeares which our Lord had appointed for the terme vpon which he would deliuer them were accomplished And if in that which God hath promised that he will do or giue there be yet neede to begge it by earnest prayer how much more will it be needfull to do it in such case as wherein we haue no particuler promise from him S. Paul desyreth the Romanes to pray for him that all impediments being remooued he might be able to visit them wherevpon Origen saith that although the Apostle had said a little afore I know that when 〈◊〉 shall go to you my going wil be in the aboundance of the benediction of Christ yet notwithstanding all this he knew that prayer was necessary euen for the thinges which we expressely know shall happenâ— and (c) Because our Lord ordayneth the giuing of his graces by meanes of Prayer if there were no prayer without doubt there would be no accomplishment of that which is foretold Doth it not seeme to thee that he had reason who (d) S. Gregory said that prayer was the meanes to obteyne what the omnipotent God had ordained in eternity to bestow afterward in tyme And againe That as plowing and sowing is the meanes for the getting of corne so is prayer for the obteyning of the fruits of spirit and therefore we are not to meruayle yf we gather so few since we pray so little A (c) Note this souÌ„d certayn reason most certaine thing it is that by conuersation with a good man it doth follow that one will loue him and he will conceaue desires of being vertuous And so if we did conuerse with God with more reason we might hope for these and other aduantages by his conuersation As Moyses did who after he had treated in the Mount with God he came downe from thence full of splendour And from no other roote it growes that we are so wanting to shew pitty to our neighbours but because we frequent not this conuersation with our Lord. For the man who by night lay prostrate in the sight of God demaunding pardon for his sinnes and mercy for his miseries if vpon the day following himselfe sind another who asketh that of him which he begged of God he will not be able to choose but know those very wordes which himselfe vsed and he will remember the great affliction wherewith he spake them to our Lord and with how great desire to be heard and he will do by his neighbour as he desired that God should doe with him And to deliuer to thee what I conceaue of this in a word I represent to thy memory that which Dauid (f) Psal 65. said Blessed be our Lord who to the not my prayer nor his mercy from me Whereupon S. Augustine (g) Note saith Thou maiest well be secure that if God do not take thy prayer from thee neither will he take his mercy And remember yet againe what our Lord said (h) Luc. 11. That the heauenly Father will giue a good spirit to them that aske it And with this spirit we fulfill the law of God as S. Paul saith So that the mercy of God is neere vs and we fulfill his law by meanes of prayer Thinke (i) Note then what kind of Creature that will be to whom by the want of prayer these two thinges shal be wanting And I will aduertise thee of an errour of some men who thinke that because (k) Rom. â— S. Paul said I would haue meÌ„ pray in al places it should therfore not be necessary to pray long at once not in any particuler place but that it would suffice to enterlace our prayers with the rest of our workes A (l) The answere to an obiection good thing it is to pray in all places but that will not serue our turne if we meane to imitate Iesus Christ our Lord and to practise that which his Saintes haue said and done in matter of prayer And be thou well assured that no man wil be able to pray with profit in euery place vnles first he haue learned to do this duty in a particuler place and to imploy some space of time vpon it CHAP. LXXI That the pennance due to our sinnes must be the first pace whereby we come to God conceauing true griefe for them and making true Confession thereof and satisfaction THE first pace which the soule is to make in approaching towardes God is to be the pennance of her sins And to the end that this may be well performed it will profit much that a man disimploy himselfe from all businesse and from all conuersations and do attend with care to draw to his memory all the sinnes of his life helping himselfe for this
of the other Yet be not thou dismaid but present thy selfe with them all before ou◠Lord though not without groaning sighes (i) A sweet and significāt comparison as the Child would do who letteth the mother see where the thorne hath haspt it self into his hand and he beggeth of her with teares that she will pull it out and so will our Lord do with thee For as he is a glasse to declare thy faults so by his example and helping hand he is the true remedy thereof And now considering through how great shame he was content to passe for the loue of thee thy hart wil be kindled towards the casting away off all affection to honour and his patience will kill thy anger his gall vinegar will cure thy glottony and thy seeing him obedient to his Father euen to the death of the Crosse will tame thy necke towards the obedience of his holy will euen in those thinges wherin thou mayst find the greatest difficulty And when thou shalt behold how that most high God humaned the Lord of the heauens and of the earth all that which they conteine did (k) See heer whether or no thou haue any reasō to be impatient or proud obey those wretches when they were pleased to strip him starcke naked and then to apparaile him againe and when they bound him and when they vnbound him and when they commaunded him to spread himselfe vpon the Crosse and to stretch out his armes that they might be nailed thereunto I am deceaued if it will not giue thee a desyre and that with the deepest sighes of thy hart if it be capable of any feeling to be obedient not only to thy betters and equalls but to thy inferiours also and to submit thy selfe for the loue of God as S. Peter (l) 1. Pet. 2. sayth to all the reasonable creatures in the world and that so farre as euen to be ill vsed by them By this meanes also will couetousnesse come to dye in thee if thou behold those handes boared through for the good of men that they may accomplish that which formerly he commaunded when he said (m) Ioan. 13. Loue you one another as I haue loued you And in a word thou wilt find by experience that S. Paul (n) Rom. 6. said true when he told vs that our old man was crucified with Christ. Yf thou do not fynd this cure and conquest ouer thy selfe to grow instantly as thou wouldest desyre be (o) We are so wicked that we had need to haue much patience with our selues not yet dismaid and giue not ouer thy good beginnings But (p) If we haue little feeling of those thinges at the first we must not yet despaire but be humble diligent in prayer as now thou art come to know that the hardnesse of thy hart and thy wickednesse is greater then thou couldst haue thought so do thou sigh out so many more groanes and with so much the more humility begge thou of our Lord that his mercy may not permit thee to remaine sicke since he being God did suffer and dye to make thee whole And haue thou hope that he will not make himselfe deafe who hath commaunded thee to cry out vpon him and that he will not carry such bowells of cruelty about him as to see thee sicke to hear thee cry out at that gate of the hospitall of his mercy which are his wounds but that some one day or other he will take thee in to cure thee But (q) The perfect cure of thy soule wil not be wrought vpon a suddaine I aduertise thee of this that it is not a businesse to be dispatched in so short a tyme. And although S. Paul (r) Gal 18.9 said in few wordes That they who were of Christ had crucified their flesh with the vices and desires thereof yet such as are not content with departing only from mortall sinne but haue a desire to obtayne a perfect victory ouer themselues by ouercomming those seauen generations of enemyes which haue taken possession of the land of promise do find by experience that the thing which is sayd in one word is not completely performed in many yeares But our soueraigne Lord is wont to giue such persons hope of perfect health vouchsafing them now and then the cure of some particuler infirmity We (ſ) A place of Holy Scripture excellently applyed read of the Captaine Iosue that hauing ouercome fiue Kinges he sayd thus to his souldiars Set (t) Iosue 10. your feet vpon the neckes of these Kinges and do not feare but take hart and comfort for as our Lord hath ouercome these so will he also all those others whome you fight against Do (u) If thou consider the reward euen in this life which is heer mentioned thou wilt not think thy labour ill imploied and therefore resolue vpon the word of this holy Authour which is Either to conquer of dye thou in this manner and resolue either to conquer or to dye for if thou obtayne not the victory ouer thy passions thou wilt not be able to proceed in the exercise of this familiar conuersation with our Lord. For it is not reason that the most sweet repose which is taken with ioyfull peace in the armes of our Lord be affoarded but to them who first haue fought and with difficulty haue ouercome themselues Nor can they obtaine to be the quiet Temples of that peaceable Salomon if first they be not hammered by the blowes of the mortification of their passions and by the breaking off their wills For (x) The smoake of the passions depriue the soule of being able to see that sweetnes and sublimenes Gods beauty the smoake which vnmortified passions raise vp in the soule do not suffer the sight to be so cleare as it fit for the beholding of the King in his beauty Nor doe they permit the soule to haue that purity which is requisite for the vniting of it with God like a chast Spouse and in a manner which is particuler and secret kept safe for them to whom our Lord vouchsafes to giue it after they haue laboured many yeares as Iacob did for Rachel CHAP. LXXVIII That the most excellent thing which we are to meditate and imitate in the passion of our Lord is the loue where with he offered himself to the Eternall Father AFTER hauing entred into the first exteriour part of the Temple of this true Salomon which is to consider Christ in the exteriour man and after hauing sacrificed thy disordinate passions by the knife of the word of God which office was executed in that part of the Temple which was called Holy it remaines if we meane to proceed in our way that we procure to enter into the Sancta Sanctorum the Holy of Holyes which is a more pretious place and the period of all the rest If now thou aske me which is this place (a) The pretious hart of
they grow indeed to hate themselues through the loue they haue of being wicked this enamoured Lord doth so highly prize them so much loue them that to redeeme them out of such a miserable captiuity he gaue himselfe as a price for them In testimony that he loueth them more then they are beloued by any other or then they know how to loue themselues CHAP. LXXIX Of the burning Loue wherewith Christ Iesus loued God and men for God from which loue as from a fountatine that did spring which he suffered in the exteriour and that also which he suffered in the interiour which was much more then the other IF the hart of man be so wicked as Ieremy (a) Ierem. 17. sayd as that God only can tell how to sift it that the more deep a man diggs in that rotten wall the more abhominable filthines is discouered as was shewed in figure to (b) Ezech. 8. Ezechiel with how much more reason may we say that since the hart of Iesus Christ our Lord is more good then any other can be wicked there is none who can wholy diue into it but only the same Lord whose it is It is worthy of admiratiō and which in reason ought to robbe vs euen of our very soules and to bind vs as slaues to God to consider the excessiue loue of his hart which did expresse it selfe in suffering the whole course of that Passion and death for vs as we haue shewed But if thou digge yet deeper with the light of heauen in thy hand and do looke neere into this (c) The hart of our Lord Iesus is the Reliquary the loue is the Relique Reliquary of God which is so full of vnspeakable secrets thou wilt discerne such effects of loue as will cast thee into more wonder then any outward thing belonging to the passion For this purpose thou art to remember how in the towne of Bethsaida our Lord being in the cure of a deafe man the Ghospell sayth That he cast vp his sacred eyes to heauen and he sighed deeply and that then he cured the patient That groaning sigh which carryed an exteriour sound was but one and it might passe in a short tyme but it was a witnes of another sigh yea and of many profound internall sighes and which lasted not only for a short tyme but for months yeares For thou art to vnderstand how that most holy soule in being created and infused into the body in that virgineall wombe of our Blessed Lady did then behold the diuine essence which for the height therof is called heauen with great reason as clearly as now it doth And in seeing it it did iudge that it was worthy of all honour and seruice and so it desired all honour to it with that vnspeakeable force of loue wherwith it was endued And although the ordinary law for such as see God clearly be this that they must be blessed both in body and soule and be subiect to no kind of payne yet to the end that we might be redeemed by the pretious afflictions of our Lord it (d) See the inuentiōs of the loue the God was ordeined that felicity and ioy should remaine in the superiour part of his soule should not redound into the inferiour part or into his body renouncing all that sense of happines which so iustly was due vnto it for the accepting and suffering of that paine to which we were liable Now if that most holy soule who cast the eyes of the vnderstanding vp to the heauen of the diuinity had not had any other thing but that to looke vpon it could not haue been capable of payne since God is such a Good that nothing can grow from the sight of him but loue and ioy But for as much as he saw all the sinnes which then had bin committed by men from the beginning of the world and (e) So that then he saw all and euery of my sins and al thy sinnes those also which would be committed euen to the end of it his griefe was fully as internall and as profound to see that heauen of the Diuine Maiesty offended as his desyre was that it should be serued And (f) The infinite desire which our Lord Iesus had that God should be serued as infinite griefe that he is offēded as no man is able to reach to the greatnesse of that defire so neither can any man arriue to the greatnes of that griefe For the holy Ghost which is figured in (g) Note this griefe loue fyre which was giuen him beyond all measure did inflame him to loue God with an incomprehensible (h) Ioan. 11. loue and the same Holy Ghost which is also figured in a (l) Luc. 19. Doue did make him bitterly lament to see him offended whome he loued after such an ineffable manner But to the end that thou maist see how this knife of griefe which passed through the hart of our Lord did not only wound him on the one syde but that it was doubly and most sharply edged remember that the same Lord who looking vp to heauen did deeply sigh did also weepe both ouer Lazarus and ouer Hierusalem And then as S. Ambrose saith it is not to be wondred at that he greiued for all since he wept for one So that to see God offended and to see men destroyed by sinne was a (k) Our Lord graunt vs one touch of this knife vpō our harts by the merits of his knife with a double edge which did most lamentably pierce his hart through the inestimable loue which he bare to God as God and to men for his sake desiring to make satisfaction to the honour of God and to obtaine a remedy for men how deerly soeuer it should cost him O (l) The vnspeakable affliction of our Lord Iesus in his sacred Passion most blessed Iesus to see thee tormented exteriourly in thy body doth euen breake the hart of a Christian but to see thee so tormented and defeated inwardly with such deadly griefe there is no eye there is no force that can endure it Three nayles O Lord did breake through thy handes and feet with excessiue paine and more then seauenty thornes they say did pierce thy diuine head thy buffetts and thy affrontes were very many and the cruell scourget which that most delicate body of thyne receiued they say did passe the number of fiue thousand By occasion of these and many other grieuous torments which concurred in thy passion which no man arriueth to vnderstand but thou that feltest them it was said in thy person long before O all you that passe by the way obserue and see if there be any griefe like myne And yet nowithstanding all this thou whose loue hath no limit didst both seeke and sind new inuentions for the drawing and feeling within thy seife certaine paynes which exceeded those nailes and scourges and tormentes which exteriourly thou didst endure and which continued
a longer tyme and which had sharper pointes wherewith to hurt thee Isay (m) Psal 53. saith Euery one of vs did loose himselfe in his owne way and God did lay the sinnes of vs all vpon the Messias And this sentence of the diuine iustice being so rigorous thy loue O Lord did find to be both iust and good and thou didst take vpon thyne owne shoulders and didst make a burthen for thy selfe of all the sinnes without the want of so much as one which all the men in the whole world eyther had committed or then did commit or would commit from the beginning thereof vntill the end That thou O Lord and our true loner mightst pay for them all with the sorrowes of thy hart Who then shal be able to count the number of thy soares since (n) Consider and know by this what our Lord suffered for thee or rather know that thou canst neuer know so much of it as is to be knowne there is no meanes to count the number of all our sinnes which caused them but only thou O Lord who didst endure them Thou being made for vs the man of sorrow and who knowest indeed what affliction is by sad experience One man alone doth say of himselfe (o) Psalm 3◠That he had more sinnes then bayres vpon his head and besides that he desyreth God to forgiue him those other sinnes which he had committed though be knew them not Yf then one man which was Dauid had so many sinnes who shal be able to reckon vp all the sinnes of all men amongst whome there were many who committed both more more grieuous sinnes then Dauid did Into what affliction didst thou cast thy selfe O thou lambe of God to take away the sinnes of the world in whose person it was said (p) Psal 3◠Many calues haue come round about me and the great bulls haue circled me about they haue opened their mouth agaynst me as a roaring lion who is feasting vpon his prey But although into that garden of Gethsemani there went a ful company of souldiers of the secular power besids them who were sent by the high Priests Pharisees who with much cruelty came about to take thee and did take thee yet he that should haue beheld the multitude and grieuousnes of all the sinnes of the world which did hedge in that hart of thyne will thinke that the people who went that night to take thy person were very few in comparison of these others who came to seize vpon thy hart What (q) This is that which gaue our Lord more torments a million of tymes then the paynes which exteriourly he suffered horrible spectacle O Lord What vgly representation how painefull would it be for thee to be compassed in by our great sinnes which are signified by those Calues and those others which are you more grieuous and which are signifyed by those Bulls Who O Lord shall be able to recount what vgly sinnes haue beene committed in the world Which being set before thy vnspeakable purity and sanctity would put thee vpon astonishment and like Bulls with open mouths set vpon thee demanding at thy handes O Lord the payment of that torment which so great impiety had deserued With how much reason is it sayd afterward That thou wert spilt like water by those exteriour torments and That thy hart was melted a way like waxe by that fire of inward anguish Who O Lord will say that the number of thy sorrowes may be told since the number of our sinnes is past-telling CHAP. LXXX Wherein is prosecuted the tendernes of the loue of Christ towards men and of that which caused his interiour griefe and gaue him a Crosse to carry in his hart all the dayes of his life BY that which is sayd thou wilt haue seene how many and how grienous the sorrowes of our Lord were since our sinnes by which they were caused were so many so grieuous But if we will dig into the most deep part of that hart of our Lord we shall find sorrow therein not only for the sinnes that men committed but sorrow also for the sinnes which they committed not For as the pardon of the former fell (a) We owe all to the passiō of our Lord both the pardon of all those sinnes which we haue cōmitted the preuentiō of all them which we haue not committed and al the graces which we haue receaued all the good deeds that we haue done vpon thee O Lord so the preseruation of men from the later did cost thee dolours and death Since thy grace and those diuine fauours which preserue men from sinne are not giuen to any soule for any reason but only vpon the price of thy pretious payne So that all men lay heauy load on thee O Lord both great and small and past and present and they that are to come They who haue sinned and they also who haue not sinned They who haue sinned much they who haue sinned little For they all being considered in themselues were the children of wrath without the grace of God enclined to all manner of sinne and exiled from heauen And if they be to receaue pardon if they be to receaue grace if to auoyd sin if to be the Sonnes of God if to enioy him in heauen for al eternity al this O Lord is to be done at thy cost by thy enduring bv thy paying for our misery and by thy purchasing of our felicity Yea and all this is to be at that cost of thyne so far as that thy sorrowes are to be proportionable in number and greatnesse to that which these other thinges are worth And yet further is thy price to exceed the thing which thou doest buy that so thou mayst shew vs thy loue and that our redemption and consolation may be more firme How (b) Infinit is the glory of our Lord but it cost him deere extremely deare O Lord doth that name cost thee which Isay (c) Isa 9. put vpon thee of being The Father of that age which was then to come since as there is no man according to the generation of flesh which is called the first age who commeth not from Adam so neither is there any of the second generation which is of grace who commeth not from thee But Adam was an ill Father who by wicked pleasure did murther both himselfe and his sonnes whereas thou O Lord didst purchase the name of Father at the price of those dolorous lamentations wherby as a Lyonesse that were roaring whilest she bringeth forth her yong ones thou giuest life to them whome the first Father killed He drunke that poyson which the serpent gaue so was made a Father of serpents for by his engendring them they became sinners But yet all his sonnes which being cōsidered in themselues are venemous serpents did lay hold O Lord vpon thy hart gaue thee such pinches of paine as were neuer felt before nor since and
that not only during the space of eightteen houres which passed in the tyme of thy sacred Passion but for the whole course of three and thirty yeares from one fiue and twentith of March when thou didst become incarnate till another fiue and twentith of March and eight dayes after when thy life did leaue thee vpon the Crosse Thy (d) The great loue of God to vs is exempliâ—ied by diuers comparisons and proofs of holy Scripture selfe did call thy selfe a Mother when speaking to Hierusalem thou didst say How often (e) Watt 23. would I haue gathered thy children vnder my winges as the Hen doth her chickens but thon wouldest not And to giue vs to vnderstand that thy hart doth carry a particuler loue and tendernes towards vs thou didst compare thy selfe to a Hen which is the creature that is content in extraordinary manner to cast away her comfort and to afflict her selfe for that which concerneth her little ones Nor only art thou like the Hen in this but thou exceedest both that all other mothers in the world as by (f) Isa 49. Isay thy selfe didst say A mother perhaps may forget the sonne of her wombe well yet though she forget him I will not forget thee for I haue written thee in my handes and thy walles do euer stand before me Who O Lord shall be able though he dig neuer so deep to discouer those vnspeakable secrets of loue and sorrow which are in thy hart Thou doest not content thy selfe O Lord with carrying the lone of a Father towardes vs which might only be strong and patient in suffering the afflictions and troubles of a Father but to the end that no delightfull comfort might be wanting to vs not no vexation to thy selfe thou wouldst needs be also a Mother to vs in the tendernes of thy affection which causeth an vnspeakable kind of loue towards her children Yea and more art thou to vs then a Mother for of no Mother haue we read that to the end she might stil remember her sonne she hath written a booke whereof hard nayles of iron were the pen and her owne handes the paper and that by pressing those handes and passing them through with the nayles bloud may issue out insteed of inke which with grieuous payne may giue testimony of the great internall loue not suffering that to be forgotten which still she carryeth in her hands And if this which thou didst endure vpon the Crosse by hauing handes and feet so nayled to it be a thing which exceedeth all loue of Mothers who (g) Christ lesus our Lord became vpon the Crosse as it were a woman in trauaile shall recount that great loue and great griefe wherewith thou drewest all men into the wombe of thy hart groaning deeply for their sins with the groanes of labour like them of child-birth And that not for an houre nor for a day alone but for the whole tyme of thy life which lasted three and thirty yeares till at length like another Rachel thou diedst of trauell vpon the Crosse to the end that (h) Genes 35. Beniamin might be borne aliue The serpents which thou carriedst within thy selfe did giue thee O Lord such gripes that they made thee burst vpon the Crosse to the end that at the price of thy paines those serpents might be conuerted into the simplicity mildnesse of lambes and that in exchange of thy death they might obtaine a life of grace How iustly O Lord mayst thou cal men if thou considerest what thou hast suffered for them the Sonns of thy griefe as Rachel called her sonne since the griefe which their sinnes gaue thee was greater then the pleasure which they tooke by committing them And greater was thy humility and that breach of thy hart then the irreuerence and pride was which they expressed against the most high God when they offended him by breaking his law that so thy paines might ouercome our sinnes as the greater do the lesse More (i) The incomparable griefe of Christ our Lord for sinne is excellently desaâ—ibed O Lord did the sinnes of others grieue thee then any man hath bin euer grieued for his owne And if we read of some who had so great repentance for their sinnes as that their hart not being able to conteyne such griefe it did cost them their liues what sorrow was prouoked in thee by that vnmeasurable loue which thou didst carry both to God and man since one sparke of the same lone being cast into the harts of those others did oppresse them in such sort that it made them breake as if they had bin blowen vp with powder Of many we reade and we know that by hauing heard a newes which was very painefull to them did loose their liues And tell vs now O Lord for thy mercy how thou hadst force to out-liue such a bitter newes when all the sinnes of all mankind were first presented to thee thou louing men much more then any man euer loued another yea or euen himself Especially when thou didest coÌ„sider know that the misery which was hanging ouer theÌ„ for the same was greater then any other that could happen And where O Lord didst thou get strength to endure to see thy diuinity oftended and yet to liue since the loue which thou bearest both to it and men did exceed all measure Yet didst thou liue O Lord when thou heardst this newes yea and thou didst liue with the griefe thereof all the dayes of the life But vnles particuler force had bin giuen thee for the enduring of such sorrow it would not haue fayled to haue brought death vpon thee as lesse sorrow hath brought it vpon others So that O Lord they are many and not one only debt which I owe thee And although in regard of these sorrowes which as a mother thou didst endure for men with much reason thou mayst tearme them the sonnes of thy griefe as hath bin said yet as thou also art their Father thou mayst call them also the sonnes of thy right hand as (k) Gen. 35. Iacob did Because (l) The reformation of men doth manifest the power of the Crosse of Christ our Lord. in them is expressed and declared the greatnesse of thy hand which is thy power since thou drawest them out of sinne and dost place them in the state of grace euen in this life and at the later day shalt ranke them vpon thy right hand that so they may accompany thee in glory Being seated there in great security of repose as thou art O Lord at the right hand of thy Father where thou wilt esteeme all that which thou hast laboured and suffered for them to be well imployed CHAP. LXXXI Of other profitable Considerations which may be drawn out of the Passion of our Lord and of other meditations which may be made vpon other pointes and of some directions for such as cannot easily put that which hath bin said in practise YF thou
tearmes that haue bin giuen what of the producing of the testimonies both of the plaintiffe and defendant and what can be said to this That the iudge ought to esteeme himselfe to haue receiued an affront if his sentence be reuoked Thou doest passe ouer it all by the loue which thou bearest and by the desire which thou hast to powre blessings downe vpon vs. And thou saidst I haue heard thy prayer and I haue seene thy teares All tearms seeme long till thou mayst free him that is faulty for neuer did any man so desire to receaue pardoÌ„ as thou dost to giue it and more doest thou ioy to pardon them to whome thou desirest to giue life then the sinner doth himselfe for hauing escaped from death Thou obseruedst no ordinary delayes or lawes but the law shall be That he who hath broken thy lawes shall afflict his hart with griefe for what is past and shall purpose an amendment of life for that which is to come and shall apply the wholesome receites of thy Sacraments which thou didst leaue in thy Church or at least shal haue intention to take them And the delayes shall be these That (k) Ezech. 33. whensoeuer a sinner shall be deeply sorry for his sinnes thou wilt remember them no longer And to the end that sinners may take hart in crauing thy pardon for their offences thou wert pleased to graunt this man more fauour then he asked of thee by fifteene yeares of life and the deliuery of his Citty and the retraite of the Sunne as far as it is wont to walke in ten houres in token that vpon the third day after that the King should go vp into the Temple safe and sound And thou wert mercifull by vouchsafing him other secret fauours who neither yet wouldst suffer sinne to approach to vs but only for the bringing of greater good from thence letting vs see thy mercy by our misery and thy pardon and goodnes by our wickednes and thy power by our weakenesse Therefore (l) A conclusionful ful of comfort thou O sinner whosoeuer thou be who art threatned by that sentence of God which (m) Ezech. 18. sayth The soule that sinneth the same shall dye be not yet all dismayed vnder the burthen of thy great sinnes and that insuportable waight of the wrath of God But taking courage in the consideration of the mercyes of him who (n) Ezech. 33. desireth not the death of a sinner but that he may be conuerted and liue do thou humble thy selfe by weeping in his sight whome thou hast despised by committing sinne And then receaue thy pardon from the hand of that piteous Father who (o) Infinit goodnes of God hath so very great desire to giue it yea and to impart greater blessings to thee then thou hadst before As he did to this King who rose vp sound in body sound â—n soule as appeared by the thankes he gaue in these wordes Thou (p) Isa 38. O Lord hast deliuered my soule that it might not perish and thou hast cast away my sinnes behind thy backe CHAP. LXXXIII Of two threats which God vseth to expresse One absolute and the other conditionall and of two kinds of promises like those threats and how we are to carry our selues when they arriue THov art not to be scandalized in that the word vvhich was spoken to this King Thou shalt dye and thou shalt not liue was not accomplished But thou art to know That sometymes our Lord commandeth that to be declared which he hath determined to be effected in his high counsell and eternall will and that vvillbe sure without all fayle to arriue In this sort he commanded that it should be told King Saul That he would cast him off and choose a better in his place And so also did he threaten Hely the Priest and accordingly it was fullfilled And in the same manner he also menaced King Dauid That he would kill that sonne of his whome in adultery he had begotten of Bersabee And notwithstanding the earnest suit which the King made for the life of the child by prayers by hairecloth and by fastes it was not graunted for God had resolued that the child should dye But (a) That which sometime may seem to be denounced by God as absolute is but meant to be conditionall at other tymes he commandeth that to be published vpon which he hath not absolutly resolued but only vpon condition of the mending or not mending such a fault And in this sort he sent word to the Citty of Niniue That within fourty dayes it should be destroyed But afterward by their pennance he did reuoke that sentence for he had not determined to destroy them because he did it not But he declared what their sinnes deserued and what also would haue happened if their liues had not beene reformed And although considering thinges after an exteriour manner it seemed to fauour of inconstancy to say that it shal be destroyed and not to destroy it yet is it not so in that high will of God because he did not absolutely meane to do it For as S. Augustine sayth God varieth his sentence but he changeth not his counsell Which in this case was not to destroy it but not to destroy it by means of their pennance which he resolued to incite them to by that menace And this is that which our Lord sayth by (b) Hier. 18. Heremy Suddainly will I say to Nations and Kingdoms That I will destroy them and roote them out but if that people do pennance for their sinnes I will also repent my selfe of the euill which I meant to bring vpon them and I will instantly say of Nations and Kingdomes That I will plant them and build them vp But if they worke wickednes in my sight and do not hearken to my voice I also will repent my selfe of the good which I sayd that I meant to do them The (c) What vse we are to make of not knowing whether any thing which God denounceth be an absolute sentence or a coÌ„ditionall threat vse which we are to make heerof is this That because we know not when that vvherewith God doth threaten vs is but only a threat or whether it be a finall determinatioÌ„ we must not cast our selues vpon despaire nor forbeare to implore his mercy that so he may be pleased to reuoke the sentence which he gaue against vs as he did to this King and to the citty of Niniue who did both of them get their suits And though Dauid did not obtaine his yet did he not sinne in beseeching our Lord to reuoke the sentence coÌ„cerning him because it appeared not to him whether it were a decree or a threat And in the same manner if God make a promise to affoard vs any blessing we must not vse neglect in seruing him by saying I haue a byll that is written by the hand of God which can deceaue no body For the same Lord (d)
thy prayses with great ioy and to serue thee with most ardent loue Nor doest thou content thy selfe O Lord to open thyne eares towards our prayers so to heare them with attentiue speed but as one that loues another in all truth of affection and doth take pleasure to heare him speake or sing so thou O Lord doest say to the soule which is redeemed by thy bloud Shew (y) Canâ— â— 2. me thy face let thy voice sound in myne cares for thy voyce is sweet thy face is very faire What is this O Lord which thou sayest That thou desirest to heare vs and that our voyce is sweet How doth our face seeme fayre in thyne eyes which we hauing defiled with many sinnes committed by vs euen whylest thou wert looking on are a shamed to let thee see Infallibly it is true that eyther we merit much in thy sight or else thou doest loue vs much But (z) The true humility which is taught by the doctrine of the holy Catholike Church far be it from vs O Lord far be it froÌ„ vs that out of thy mercifull proceeding we should draw a reason of being proud Since that whereby we please thee and are acceptable to thee is thyne owne grace which thou didst giue vs. And besides that thou doest regale and thou doest reward thy seruants more aboundantly then becomes any merit of theirs Let glory therfore begâ—uen to thee O Lord from whom all our good proceedeth and in whome all our good consisteth to vs in vs let confusion be for our vnworthynesse and wickednes Thou art our ioy and thou art that glory wherein we glory and this we do not vniustly but vpon great reason For a high honour it is to be beloued by thee and so beloued as that thou wouldst deliuer thy selfe ouer for our sakes to the tormentes of the Crosse from whence all blessings are deriued downe vpon vs. CHAP. LXXXVI Of the great loue wherewith our Lord doth behold such as are iust and of the much that be desyreth to communicate himselfe to creatures and to destroy our sinnes which we must behold with detestation that God may looke vpon them with compassion NOvv that thou hast vnderstood the speed wherwith God heareth the prayers of such as are iust it remaineth for thee to know the great loue wherwith he behouldeth them that (a) God heareth seeth our prayers as he requireth vs to looke vp to him to giue eare to his holy inspiratioÌ„s so he may entirely performe in himselfe that of hearing and seeing which he commaundeth of vs. The eyes of our Lord saith Dauid are vpon the iust to deliuer them from death but the face of our Lord is vpon the wicked that he may cast out the memory of them from the earth Heereby it appeares that our Lord placeth his eyes vpon the iust as the pastour doth vpon his sheep that they may not perish And so also doth he place them vpon the wicked to the end that they may not passe without the punishment which their sinnes deserue Two (b) What God made and what we make thinges there are in vs one which God made and that is the creature consisting of a Body and Soule with all the good that we haue the other which our selues did make and that is sinne Now if we did not accompany that good which we haue of God by somewhat else which is an euill of our owne there could be nothing in vs which our Lord would behold with the eyes of Anger but only of Loue since it is a naturall thinge for any cause to loue the effect of it selfe But now though we haue defiled and destroyed that which the beautifull God had made fayre in vs yet will he not totally cast vs off Nor can our wickednesse hinder his supereminent goodnes which for the recouering of that which he made good resolueth to destroy that euill which our selues did make For (c) An excellent comparison set forth with great life of circumstance if we see that this corporall sunne do with so liberall a hand impart it selfe and goeth as it were inuiting men to receiue it bestoweth light and heat vpon all them who giue no impediment thereunto yea when they do yet doth it as it were euen become obstinate in making them remooue the same and if it meete with any chinke or crany how little so euer it doth by that conuey it selfe and fill the whole house full of light what shall we say of that supreame diuine goodnesse which with so great anxiety as it were and force of loue doth go circling round about the creatures that he may bestow himselfe vpon them and fill them with liuely and diuine splendours What occasions doth he seeke of doing good to meÌ„ And to many for some smal seruices he hath vouchsafed to do no small fauours What entreaties doth he vse to them who depart that they will returne againe What imbracementes doth he giue them when they come backe What seeking of such as are lost What addressing such as are gone astray What pardoning of sinnes without reproach What ioy in restoring men to saluation Letting them know that he more desireth to graunt a pardon then they care to sue it out And therefore it is that he sayth to sinners Why (d) Ezech. 33. will you needs dye Know that I desire not the death of a sinner but that he may returne and liue Returne to me and you shall liue Our (e) Note this excellent consideration death consisteth in our departure from God and therefore to returne to him is to liue Whereunto we are inuited by Almighty God whose principall intention is not to lodge the eyes of his wrath vpoÌ„ the worke of his hands which is our selues but vpon the worke of ours which are our sinnes These would God faine destroy if we did not hinder him but this we do when we loue our sinnes giuing them life by our loue which by being loued do murther vs. And so great is the hungar which that soueraigne bounty hath towards the destruction of our wickednesse to the end that so his creature may not be destroyed that (f) Let all the Angels prayse our Lord for so infinite goodnes when soeuer a man will and how oft soeuer he will and how great soeuer the sinnes be which he hath committed if he will dispose himselfe to do pennance and to begge pardon of our Lord for his part he is ready to receaue vs. Forgiuing that which we haue deserued curing that which we made sicke straightning that which we made crooked and giuing vs grace to abhorre those thinges which formerly were by vs beloued Yea in such sort doth he destroy our wickednes and deuide it from vs that Dauid (g) Psalâ— 102. sayth Looke what distance there is betweene the rising and setting of the Sunne so far hath he separated our sinnes from vs. So that the beginning and first
(c) An incomparable fauour of God an incomparable fauour that he hath so close at hand so fit a means to shew and exercise the loue which he beareth to Christ Iesus the (f) He alludeth to Iacob seruing for Rachel labour seeming small which he endureth for his Neighbour and the yeares seeming short through the strength of that loue which he carryeth to Christ for himselfe and to others for the loue of him and in him And euer doth he carry at his hart that to which our enamoured Lord did so straitly enioyne vs when he sayd My (g) Ioan. 13. commandement is this that you loue one another as I haue loued you CHAP. XCVI Of another consideration which teacheth vs in excellent manner how we are to carry our selues with our Neighbours ADD thou to this another consideration of how thou art to behold thy Neighbours and it is That although on the one side it be a most certaine truth that our Lord doth not seek or expect any returne of retribution for the benefites that he bestowes yet in other respectes we find it true that he giueth nothing at all for which he expecteth it not Yet this is not in regard of himselfe who is so rich and who cannot increase in being so and what he giueth he giueth men for pure loue but the returne that he desires is in respect of our Neighbours who haue necessity to be esteemed beloued and succoured Iust as if a man had lent much money to another and done great matters for him and then should say For all that which I haue done for thee I haue no need that thou shouldest make me any payment but all the title that I make against thee I transferre and passe ouer to the person of such an one who is in necessity or who is my kinsman or my seruant Pay that to him which thou owest to me I shall hold my selfe for well satisfyed In this (a) A consideration of great force towardes charitable conuersation with our neighbours manner let a Christian enter into accoumpt with God and let him consider what he hath receaued of him as wel by the afflictions and death which the sonne of God endured for him as by the other particuler mercyes which since his creatiō were powred vpon him Not punishing him for his sinnes nor driuing him a way for his infirmityes but expecting him to come to pennance pardoning him as oft as he desired it giuing him benefits in requitall of the sinnes that he cōmitted with other innumerable blessings which exceed all possibility of being reckoned And let him thinke that this way of amorous trafficke of God towards him is to be a kind of (b) A good rule whereby we may grow to esteem loue our Neighbours patterne rule for the conuersation which a man ought to hold with his neighbour And that the intentiō wher with God imparted to him so many fauours was to giue him to vnderstand that howsoeuer his neighbour might not perhaps deserue to be tolerated or beloued or relieued for his owne respect yet God is pleased that the benefit which the other deserueth not for himselfe should be imparted to that other for the obligation whereby he is bound to God and that he should esteeme himselfe to be indebted and euen a very slaue to others whilest he looketh vpon God For God looking vpon men did not fynd that he ought any thing to any body and he will haue that person who is in necessity to demaund succour vnder this title Do thou this for me since God hath done the same for thee And (c) Apoint which it much cōcerneth men to consider let such a person be sure to take heed how he be vnkind or cruell towardes one that hath need of help least God be so towardes him depriuing him of the benefits which already he had imparted and punishing him as vngratefull for the pardon of his former sinnes as he proceeded with that wicked seruant who hauing receiued at the handes of his Lord a release for the debt of ten thousand talentes was of a cruell hart towards his neighbour casting him into prison because he ought him a trifle being neyther content to let him keep his liberty or yet to giue him day And that Lord of whome it is not read that he was so much as angry with his seruant for imbezeling so great a summe as that of ten thousand talents is but did shew such mercy towards him as that desiring time he gaue him time and liberty yea and he pardoned him his debt is now in so great indignation at the cruelty which he vsed towards his neighbour that seuerely he rebuked him saying thus Thou wicked seruant I pardoned thee all that which thou owedst me because thou didst desyre it at my handes (d) How displeasing it is to God that we be hard-harted one to another had it not therefore bin reason that thou shouldst haue shewed mercy to thy neighbour as I shewed it to thee And in this wrath of his he deliuered him ouer to the tormentours till he should pay euen that whole debt which already he had released to him Not that God doth punish the sinnes which he hath once forgiuen but he punisheth the ingratitud of the man who is forgiuen which ingratitude is so much the greater as his sinnes forgiuen were greater and more enormous And although it may well be thought that the seruant of whome I haue spoken did cry out for pardon vnto his Lord yet is it likely that he would answeare as it is written The man who shutteth his cares against the cry of the poore shall cry out himselfe and not be heard Resolue therefore thou O Virgin that beholding thy selfe and beholding in Christ both what he is and the benefittes which thou hast receiued at his handes it is reason that in thy hart there be engendred an estimation of loue towardes thy neighbour so very great as that nothing may be able to remooue it And when the inclination of flesh bloud shall say to thee What (e) The practise of this doctrine is of great force towards the indaming vs to the loue of our neighbours do I owe that person that I should affoard him this benefit or how can I loue him who hath done me such a mischiefe Make thou this answeare That perhaps thou wouldest giue eare to the motion if the cause of thy loue were no other then thy neighbour as he is considered in himselfe but since it is Christ who receiueth any benefit or pardon which is giuen vnto a mans neighbour as if it were giuen to himselfe what reason I pray you is there why my neighbours being this or doing that should haue power to hinder my affection the fruites thereo◠which are good workes since therein I pretend not to haue any thing to do with him but with Christ. And by this meanes will thy hart burne in charity in such
and I will be their God and they shal be my people and therefore I haue come out of the middest of them And Depart sayth our Lord and touch not any thing that is vncleane and I will receiue you and I will be your Father and you shal be my Children saith our Lord omnipotent Hauing heard these promises thou art to procure with courage to make thy selfe a meerâ— stranger to this people both for the good which is promised and for the euill which thereby thou shalt auoyd It (e) The extreame danger of ill coÌ„pany is no safe thing for thee to remayne vnder a house which infallibly will fall and ouerwhelme as many as are in it And we would not giue him meane thankes who should aduertise vs of such a danger which we might decline Well (f) Hearken well for heere it is the Angell of God that speakes then know thou for certayne and I aduertise thee of it on the part of God that the day will come wherein that vision shal be spiritually accomplished which S. Iohn (g) Apoc. â—8 saw concerning this wicked people when he said I saw another Angell that descended from heauen who had great power and he made the whole earth become all light by his bright splendour and he vttered a voyce with great strength and sayd Babylon the great is fallen it is fallen and it is made the habitation of Diuells and of euery impure spirit and of euery horrible and vncleane bird And afterward he sayd That an Angell tooke vp a huge stone like such an one as they vse in milles and threw it into the sea and sayd with this force shall the great Citty of Babylon be plunged into the sea and it shal be heard of no more And to the end that such as haue a desyre to saue themselues may not grow carelesse by conceauing perhaps that the scourge of God will not lay hold vpon them whilest they are in company with the wicked the same S. Iohn affirmeth that he heard another voyce which sayd thus from heauen Get thee out from Babylon O my people and be not partaker of her sinnes and do not receaue of her markes for her sinnes haue reached vp to heauen and our Lord hath remembred her impietyes And (h) In what maÌ„ner the society of the wicked is to be fled although it be a thing very profitable to a good man euen corporally to fly the company of the wicked and for such an one as is but a beginner in goodnesse it is euen necessary vnlesse he meane to vndoe himselfe yet that going out of the middest of Babylon which heere is commanded by God is to be vnderstood as S. Augustine saith for a going out with the hart from amongst the wicked louing that which they abhorre and abhorring that which they loue For if wee looke but vpon that which is externall Hierusalem and Babylon may be not only in the same Citty for as much as concerneth corporall presence but euen in the same house But if we respect their harts they wil be found to be far a sunder and Hierusalem which is the Citty of God wil be found to be in the one Babylon the Citty of the wicked in the other Forget therefore thy people and get thee vp to the people of Christ being well assured that thou shalt neuer be able to begin the leading of a new life vnlesse with griefe thou first forsake thy old Remember how S. Paul (i) Heb. â—3 saith That our Lord Iesus for the sanctification of his people by his bloud suffered death without the gates of Hierusalem And since that is so let vs goe towardes him out of our tentes and let vs imitate his dishonour This saith S. Paul giuing vs this lesson thereby That Christ did therefore suffer without the Citty to giue vs to vnderstand that if we meane to follow him we must also go our of the Citty whereof we haue spoken which is the congregation of such persons as (k) The very root of all sin loue themselues after an inordinate manner Christ our Sauiour could easily haue cured the blind man in (l) Marc. â— Bethsaida but he chose to draw him out and so to giue him his eyesight and thereby to make vs also know that when we shal be retyred from that common life which is lead by the multitude we are to be cured by Christ in following that (m) Matt. 7. straite way wherein truth it selfe hath told vs that few do walke Let (n) If we pretend to serue christ our Lord we must forsake and forsweare the seruice of the wicked world no man deceiue thee Christ will none of them who will both performe his will and the will of the world And by his owne blessed mouth he hath assured vs That (o) Matt. 6. no man can serue two maisters And since he sayd That he was not of the world that his disciples were not of the world and that his kingdome was not of the world it is not reason that thou be of it if it were but for feare of not comming to such an end as ouertooke the disobedient (p) 2. Reg. 1â— Absolom Who being hanged by his hayre vpon an oak was transpierced with three lances by the hand of Ioab and so as he was hanging he dyed For thus shall it happen to the man who is disobedient to our Lord of heauen Which Lord he doth euen persecute by his wicked life and whose affections thoghts like so many haires of the head do hold him hanging vpon this world For all his ambition is how he may be made great vpon earth and that he may haue faire dayes in this transitory life of his But what can he get by this since the tree whereon he hanges is an (q) Remember the story of the prodigal son Oake which yealdes no fruit but for swine And so this world giues no contentment or fruit at all but to bestiall men whome the Diuell doth passe through with three lances pride of life the desires of the flesh and concupiscence of the eyes the (r) How miserably sinners at treated by the diuell not only in the next life but euen in this Diuell I say who is called the prince of this world because he ruleth and commandeth wicked men whilest yet he treateth his followers in such a fashion as that he fills them not with so much as the food of swine but like as to another (Å¿) Iud. 1â— Adonibesech he cutteth off the endes of their feet and of their hands to disable them from doing any thing that is good and then he casteth them vnder the table that they may feed yet still not vpon full dishes but vpon the crumms that he knoweth not how to bestow elsewhere He keepeth them hungry for the present and he will carry them afterward with himselfe to a place where there will be eternall hunger in company of other torments
for that is all that he can giue Such is the entertainment that he makes which were sufficient if men would but looke vpon it to make them fly from the Diuell and the World and to draw neere to God as the prodigall sonne did who finding himselfe put to so base an imployment as to keep swine and that he could not haue inough euen of the very food which they fed vpon he grew at last to get his wits againe and to obserue the difference which there was between being in the house of his Father and in that other house of the World and he left the ill condition wherein he was turning home and demāding mercy of his Father which he quickly found Do (t) How we must carry our selues towardes God if we desire to take comfort in his seruice thou also in like manner and if thou haue a mind that our Lord should receaue thee Forsake thy people And if thou wilt haue him remember thee forget thou it if thou wilt haue him loue thee do not inordinatly loue thy selfe and if thou wilt haue him take care of thee do not thou confide in the care of thy selfe and if thou wilt be acceptable to his eyes take no pleasure in thine owne and if thou resolue to please him do not feare to displease the whole world for him and if thou desire to find him make no difficulty to giue away thy Father thy Mother thy Brothers thy house and thy very life for him Not for that thou art to abhorre these thinges but because it is fit for thee to looke with truth and with entire loue vpon Christ and (u) The iust obligation of a Christiā not to faile of one haires breadth in pleasing of him though it be with the displeasing of that creature of the whole world which is most beloued by thee yea and of thy very selfe S. Paul (x) 1. Cor. 3. requireth That (y) We must do nothing nor haue any thing so much at the hart as to estrange vs from conuersing with almighty God they who haue wiues should haue them as if they had them not That they who purchase should be as if they possessed not That they who sell should be as if they had not sold They that weepe as if they wept not and They that reioyce as if they reioyced not And the cause that he addeth is this Because the figure of the world passeth quickly So then do I say to thee O Virgin that thou art to put the world and thy selfe away The (z) Note first because it passeth quickly and the second because it is none of thyne And so haue thou thy parents thy brothers thy kinred thy house and thy people as if thou haddst them not Not but that thou art to reuerence obey and loue them since grace doth not destroy the order of nature yoa and euen in heauen it selfe the child shall carry reuerence to his Father but (a) How this discourse is to be vnderstood to the end that it may not take vp and employe thy hart and diuert it from the loue of God Loue them in Christ and not in themselues For Christ did not giue them as meaning that they should be impediments to keep thee from that which thou shouldest euer be doing which is to serue him S. Hierome relateth of a certayne Virgin who was so mortified in the point of affection towardes her kinred that she cared not much to see a sister which she had though she also were a Virgin but contented her selfe to loue her in God Belieue me (b) A soueraigne truth and most fit to be so that as thou canst not write in parchment if it be not well and cleane taken off from the body of the beast that wore it so is not that soule prepared for our Lord to write particuler fauours in it till such time as the affections which rise from flesh and bloud be very well mortifyed We read how that in times past They placed the Arke vpon a carre to the end that two kine being yoaked in front might lead it on and the calues were shut vp in a certayne place And although the kine did low in the way of sighing for their calues yet did they neuer leaue the high way nor turne back nor degresse as the Scripture saith eyther to the right hand or to the left but by the will of God who so disposed therof They carryed the Arke to the land of Israel which was the place where God dwelt They (c) A figur of the old testament excellently applyed who haue placed the Crosse of Iesus Christ our Lord vpon their shoulders which is the Arke where he remaineth and wherein he is truly to be found must not giue ouer nor so much as slacke their pace for these naturall affections of the loue of parentes or children or houses or such other thinges as these Nor are they to be giddy-headed vpon the enioying of prosperity nor to be afflicted for aduersity For the former of these two is to turne out of the way on the right hand and the other on the left But thou art to follow on in the straight way with feruour beseeching our Lord to guide both the one and the other to his glory and to be as dead to such thinges as these as if they did nothing concerne thee or at least not to suffer thy selfe to be ouercome eyther with ioy or griefe howsoeuer they may be felt a little This was figured by those (d) 1. Reg. 6. kine which though they vttered certaine shewes of tendernes towards their calues yet did they not for all that giue ouer to conduct the Arke of God And if Fathers do see their Sonns serue God in some good (e) As when they make thēselues Religious men or women fashion which yet is not pleasing vnto them they must consider what is pleasing to God And although they may sigh deeply for the loue of their childrē yet let the loue of God ouercom that loue And let them offer them vp to God wherin they shal be like to (f) Gen. 22. Abraham who in obedience to God was resolued to kill his only Sonne not caring what his sensuality could say to the contrary And (g) How good is God only he wil be serued as God the naturall griefe which is felt in such traunces as these is to be endured with patience which yet shall not be without reward For as much as our Lord hath ordeined vs to carry those affections and for the loue of him it is that we ouercome them it is like the case of him that suffereth Martyrdome Forget therefore thy people O thou Virgin and be thou like to another Melchisedech of whome we reade not that (h) Heb. 7. he had any Father or Mother or any kinred whereby as S. Bernard saith an example is giuen to the seruants of God that they must so truly forget their
the will of man cease to do ill and there wil be no more vse of hell But as it is the most profitable of all thinges to deny a mans owne will so (o) There is no taming of the will but by the hand of God is it also the hardest of the whole world Yea and how much soeuer we may labour we shall neuer arriue to the obtaining of it if that Lord who commaunded the grauestone of the dead and buryed Lazarus to be remooued do not also remooue this hardnes which oppresseth such as it lieth vpon and vnlesse he kill this strong Golias whome none can conquere but only he who is inuincible But though we are not able of our selues to retyre our neckes from vnder these massy chaines yet (p) Our owne endeauour must not be wanting must we not fayle to vse our best endeauour according vnto that proportion of strength which our Lord shall giue vs. Whome also with our hartes we must inuoke for his assistance and withall consider the mischief that we fall into by following it and the blessinges that we obtaine by flying it Consider also the sublime example of Christ our Lord who sayth thus of himselfe I (q) Ioan. 6. came downe from heauen not to do myne owne will but his that sent me And this he did not in matters only of smal importance as some do but in cases of great affront which might euen arriue to the very soule Such was Christs enduring of the Passion for vs but therein he conformed himselfe to the will of his Father casting away the inclination of flesh and bloud which might haue beene not to suffer To giue vs an example heereby that nothing ought to be so beloued by vs which if God do so command we will not be ready to cast away and that nothing also may be so painefull which we may not for loue of him imbrace CHAP. CI. Of a kind of practise in the denying of our owne will and of the obedience that we owe to our Superiours which is a way how to obtayne the abnegation of our will and how a superiour is to carry himselfe with his subiects Now because we cannot get vp to the top if we begin not below I do aduertise thee that to the end thou mayst arriue to the height of denying thy will in greater matters thou must accustome thy selfe to do it in thinges that are small Not to rest therein but to passe on by them to such others as are of more importance Doe not performe or say yea (a) There is great difference betweene a bare thinking a thinking with consent or thinke any thing with consent which may be directed to the end of performing thyne own will pleasure But as soone as thou findest thy selfe carryed with much mind to any thing let that serue thee for a rule that thou art not to do it For (b) An excellent truth which enricheth that soule by which it is faithfully put in practise exteriour thinges ought not to take and carry thee prisoner to them but thou with (c) This is another manner of Christian liberty then that of Protestants ChristiaÌ„ liberty art to bring them home to thy selfe Before thou eatest thou art to (d) A directioÌ„ full of profit and fit for practise mortify any appetite which thou mayst haue to gluttony and ordaine thy meale as an act of obedience to God who commandeth thee to eate for the maintenance of thy life So before thou go about any businesse of gaine thou art first to mortify thy couetousnes and then to goe about thy businesse because God commaundeth it towardes the reliefe eyther of thine owne necessityes or of thy neighbours And by these examples thou mayst learne how to put away the propriety of thy will in all thinges and to do them because God or thy Superiours command them Remember that this is the manner wherin those old Fathers of the wildernes did breed vp their disciples depriuing them of that which they desired and making them do that which they misliked to the end that they might wholy grow to an abnegation of their will And such persons as they had satisfaction of in this particuler they hoped would arriue to perfection and of others they had an ill opinion as thinking that they who would faile in tâ—â—fles would doe it more in greater matters For a will which is accustomed to doe what it hath a mind vnto in thinges of little moment will find it to be very rebellious when in greater matters it should contradict it selfe I would therefore haue thee abase thy selfe and become subiect to (e) This doctrine is very high and hard but it is most true all creaturs as S. Peter sayth and be content that any one might passe ouer and tread vpon thee and contradict thy will and vse thee like a handfull of durte And whosoeuer shall assist thee most in this him loue and be gratefull to him because he helpeth thee to ouercome thyne enemyes which are thine owne opinion and thy will Make therefore account that (f) He speaketh heere to such as are religious professed by vow thy Abbesse is thy mother whome thou art to obey with profound humility and without being weary And be not as some are who in taking a kind of grauity vpon them grow vnruly and cast off all that obedience which they owe to their parents and Superiours not submitting themselues to them euen whylest they are in house togeather Yea some do part house without leaue and all vnder pretense of seruing God whereas indeed there is nothing more contrary to that then the thing which these persons doe Christ (g) The admirable obedience of Christ our Lord. our Lord was obedient to his Father both in life and death and so also did he obey his most holy Mother yea and S. Ioseph also as is related by (h) Luc. 2. S. Luke And let no man think that without obedience he shal be able to please him who was so great a friend to this vertue as that rather then loose it he would lay downe his life vpon a Crosse And do not wonder that I so earnestly recommend obedience to thee For as the greatest danger that thy state is subiect to is that thou art not in religious clausure so vnlesse thou prouide well for thy selfe by denying thyne own will to be subiect to anothers thou wilt haue added one danger to another and it will go ill with thee in the end for (i) Neither wil al this serue vnles extraordinary recollection be vsed withal according to the iudgement of this Authour in diuers places of this booke of S. Ambrose S. Hierome and all the Fathers thy security must consist in the renunciation of liberty Do not therefore content thy selfe with obeying thy parents only but do it also to the rest of the house who are thy elders And if perfectly thou wilt be obedient obey
also thy inferiours so that yet the gouernement and order of the house be not disturbed thereby But yet if there be a necessity that thou shouldst command exteriourly at least hold thy selfe for inferiour in thy hart And for the doing of this with the more courage remember how our soueraigne Lord Maister did (k) Ioan. 13. kneele downe to the ground as if he had been an inferiour and subiect to wash the feet not only of them that loued him but of him who imployed those very feet being washed to giue vp into the hands of death that very man who had washed them with (l) The ineffable humility and chaof our Lord Iesus so great humility and loue Call this passage many tymes to mind and let the word which then he sayd be rooted in thy soule If I being your Lord and Maister haue washt your feet how much more ought you to wash the feet of one another And so loue thy inferiours which are in thy house as if thou wert their Father or Mother and labour for them as if thou wert their slaue taking the impertinency of their conuersation the superfluity of their speach yea and the iniurious works of their hands with patience Be not humble towards them who liue abroad and proud amongst them whome thou hast at home Practise vertue with them whome thou hast vnder thyne eye and neare at hand and make triall of thy selfe at home that thou mayst know how to conuerse abroad And remember that holy woman S. Catherine of Siena who was instructed by God and whose life I desire that thou shouldst read not to make thee couet her reuelations but to breed in thee an imitation of her vertues For although her parenas did hinder her in the way which she had taken towards the seruice of God she did neither trouble her selfe nor abandon them They cast her out of her little Oratory where she vsed to performe her deuotions and they appointed her to serue in the Kitchin But because she humbled her selfe and obeyed them she found God in the (m) God is euery where the rewarder of humility Kitchin as well or better then in her Oratory Do not torment thy selfe if at the time when thou hast a mind to pray thy parents or (n) He seemeth heere to meane the Ghostly Father Prelates would haue thee do somewhat else But offering that desire of thine to our Lord do that which is enioyned by thy Superiours with much humility and peace of mind being confident that in obeying thy superiours thou obeyest God it being so appoynted by him in his fourth commaundement Neyther yet is it forbidden hereby but that with humility thou mayst beseech thy parentes to allow thee some retired place some vacant time for thy spirituall exercises And first hauing begged it of our Lord haue thou so firme a trust in his goodnesse that whether it be graunted thee or no it shal be all for thy profit if thou take at from the hand of God with (o) Two partes worth the labouring for obedience and peace of mind And as for thy parentes they shall giue account to our Lord of that which they commaund thee and it shall be no superficiall account But thou art not to consider that let them looke to it for as S. Ambrose sayth It is a fauour of God and full of profit for a man to haue a sonne or daughter who will serue his diuine Maiesty in state of Virginity with contempt of the world by a particuler vocation to a spirituall life CHAP. CII That not all those thinges which we desire to do or demaund to haue are to be called a mans proper will how we may know what our Lord demaundeth at our handes IF thou haue well considered that which hath bin said to thee in those former wordes thou wilt easily haue perceiued that two thinges were recommended to thee The one The flying of thine owne will The other the following of the will of God Now for the declaration of these two thinges I must let thee know that for thee to desire or begge in particuler manner of Almighty God that he will deliuer thee out of any spirituall inconuenience whereof thou art most in danger or that he will impart some vertue to thee wherof thou art in particuler need is not any vicious act of thine owne will but it is a meanes that a good one to enable thee to fulfill the will of God who commaundeth vs to depart from euill and to do good For if thou obserue it well thy begging of a thing in particuler through (a) It is good to beg any particuler grace of our Lord in a particuler manner for so it will be done with more zeale the particuler necessity thereof wherein thou art doth help thee to aske it with greater efficacy and with a more profound sigh of thy hart which are meanes whereby God is induced the more easily to grant that which is desired Which very thing would not perhaps be graunted if it were asked with that tepidity which vseth to accompany requestes which are made in generall tearmes And this doctrine is agreable to the holy Scripture since our Lord himself doth teach vs in that prayer of the Pater Noster to aske things in particuler manner And so also did the Prophet Dauid as his particuler necessities did present themselues and so haue other Saints vsed to do when they asked any thing eyther for themselues or others And although the same may also be done whylest we are desiring temporall thinges of God as we reade of the (b) Marc. 10. blind man who begged his sight and of many others yet because nothing that is temporall deserueth to be much esteemed and the loue whereof doth vse to carry danger with it and the contempt whereof deserueth praise so great liberty is not giuen vs to discharge our hartes wholy in the desire and suite for such thinges as for spirituall although it be not ill done of vs to demaund temporall thinges so that it be without excesse of earnestnes and vnder this condition if it so be pleasing vnto our Lord. Concerning the accomplishment of the will of our Lord wherein consisteth all our good thou wilt aske perhaps How may I know what that is To which I answeare That (c) A certayne rule how to know what is the will of God whensoeuer the word or commaundement of God or of his Church doth ordaine any thinge thou art to make no further inquiry but to rest assured that it is the will of our Lord. And when there is no such expresse commaundment esteeme that to be of the same ranke which is imposed on thee by thy superiour if it do not euidently appeare to be against the law of God or of his Church or the light of Nature For since S. Paul (d) Rom. 1â— saith That although the superiour be an infidell yet the Christian man must obey him and
the bloud of Christ our Lord. CONSIDER then how deformed the spot is which sinne doth cause and how farre we are to fly from it since being once receiued into the soule it could neither be washed away by the shedding of so much bloud as was offered in the Temple by the commaundment of God himselfe nor could all the force of man arriue vnto it And if that beautifull and deare (a) Christ our Lord. Word of God had not come downe to beautify vs the deformity of sinne would for euer haue remained in vs. But that lambe without spot comming downe he had the power and he had the way and he had the will to put away these spotts he destroyed our deformity and he endewed vs with beauty And to the end that thou mayest see with how much conueniency the Sonne of God rather then God the Father or the holy Ghost was to be he that should beautify our deformed soules with his bloud Consider that as Eternity is attributed to the Father and Loue to the holy Ghost so to the Sonne of God as God is attributed Beauty because he is most (b) The first quality of Beauty prefect and without the least defect and he is the (c) The second quality of Beauty image of the Father as S. Paul (d) Heb. 1. saith and so liuely an one that in regard he is engendred by way of the vnderstanding he is to all purposes as his Father who gaue him the same essence that himselfe hath in such sort as that he (e) Ioan. 14. who seeth him seeth the Father as the holy ghospell saith Now by reason of this proportion betweene the Sonne and the Father which is so absolute most iustly is beauty ascribed to him since the image is taken in so liuely a maner out of the originall Light (f) The third quality of Beauty is not wanting to him for he is called the Worde which is a thing engendred by the vnderstanding and in that vnderstanding as S. Iohn (g) Ioan. 1. saith which was true light Greatnes is not (h) The fourth quality of beauty wanting to him since he is infinitly immense and therefore was it conuenient that this beautifull God by whom we were made wheÌ„ we were not should come to restore vs when we were lost and who apparaylling himselfe with our flesh should take vpon him the resemblance of our deformity and so imparte to vs the excellency of his owne beautie And although neither our being punished or spoken faire was able to free vs from our spots yet was the valew so great of the punishing of that beautiful person that the sharp salpetre of his passion falling vpoÌ„ his shoulders there distilled downe vpon vs the sweet dew of his whitnesse And howsoeuer God doth say to the sinner Although (i) Hier. 12. thou wash thy selfe with salpetre with the Fullers hearbe thou shalt not be cleane yet telling vs that he would send a remedy against this spot he sayth in another place If thy sinnes be as red as scarlet they shal be made white like snow and if they shal be as red as bloud they shall become whyte like woll Very truly well did Dauid belieue this when he (k) Ps 50. sayd Thou shalt sprinkle me O Lord with (l) The inward meaning of this place deliuered â—yssope and I shal be cleane thou shalt wash me and I shall become more white then snow Hyssope is a litle hearbe and somewhat hot and hath the property to purge the lunges wherby we breath This hearbe they brought to a wand of Cedar they tyed it thereunto with a string of crimson double died And so being bound togeather they called it that Hyssope wherewith when first it had beene steeped in bloud and water and then with water and ashes they sprinkled both leaprous persons and such as had touched any dead body and thereupon they were held for cleane Full well knew Dauid that neither the herbe nor the Cedar nor the bloud of birdes or beastes nor yet water or ashes could giue any cleannesse to the soule although it were figured by them And therfore he desired not God that he would take into his hand a branch of Hyssope sprinkle him with it but (m) That hysop was a figure of the humility and Passion of Christ our Lord. he sayth so in respect of the humanity and humility of Iesus Christ our Lord which is called an herbe because it grew from the earth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and because he was begotten without the help of man as the flower springeth in the field which is neither plowed nor sowed For this it is that he sayth I am (n) Can. 2. the flower of the field And this her be is called little for the meanenesse which he tooke vpon himselfe in the world so far forth as to say A (o) Psal 21. worme I am and no man the dishonour of men and the very out-cast of the people This (p) The passion of our Lord is the only soueraign cure of pride humbled flesh of our Lord is such a remedy against the puffe of our foolish pride as that it may be cured by this so great humility since there is no colour for a worme to exalt it self when the King of Maiesty is so abased And forget not that Hyssope is hot For Christ by the fire of that loue which was burning in the roots of his hart was pleased to abase himself to purge vs thereby to make vs know that if he who was so high did abase himselfe how much reason there is why we who haue so true cause to abase our selues should not by our selues be exalted And if God be humble how much more should a man be so This (q) Of our Lord Iesus flesh so full of true phisicke was then put to the sticke of a Cedar when it was placed vpoÌ„ the crosse tyed by that delicate thrid of wooll twice died For although the nayles which fastned thereunto his handes and feete were hard and great and long inough yet if the thrid of his ardent loue had not fastned him to that crosse and vnles he had been willing to deliuer vp his life for the killing of our death those nayles would not haue beene strong inough for such a businsse So that it was not they but the loue he bare vs that held him there And (r) The double aspect which was carryed by the loue of our Lord the reparation of Gods honour and the remission of mans sin this loue carryed a double aspect as crimson which is double died for he suffered that which he suffered to satisfy for the honour of his father who was offended by our sinnes and for the loue of sinners who were lost thereby CHAP. CIX That the sacred humanity of Christ our Lord was figured in the gaâ—â—ent of the high Priest and in the veyle which God commaunded Moyses to make
ariue to repose in thee Now the reason why he passeth through such want and pouerty is declared by S. Paul who saith You know well O brethren the grace which our Lord Iesus Christ imparted to vs who being rich did make himselfe poore for vs that so we might grow rich by his pouerty And the while thou seest that the first condition of beauty which was to be complete is altogeather hidden and as it were dissembled by him since to him there was so much wanting vpon earth who in heauen was abundance it selfe If now thou wilt consider the second condition of the Beautifull word of God which is to be (d) The second condition of the beauty of our Lord was hidden by him in the passiō the most perfect image of his Father and proportionable to him and equall to him thou wilt find that on earth he dissembled this condition no lesse then the former For tell me what is the Father but Strength Wisdome Honour Beauty Bounty Ioy and such other excellencies which all togeather do make vp an infinite Good Well then do thou place on the one side this admirable Originall which is all glorious in it selfe adored by the Angells and (c) If euer thou wilt lend me thy attention and thy compassion I beg it now then call to mind that passage which in reason ought to passe yea and passe through the most internall partes of our very soules when this beautiful image of the Father Iesus Christ our Lord was brought out from the Tribunall of Pilate most cruelly scourged and vested with a purple robe and tormented with that crowne which was of scorne in their eyes that saw it and of insufferable payne in him that felt it His hands in the meane tyme were bound and a Cane or Reed was put into them His eyes full of teares and of bloud with all which ran downe from his head His cheeks pale and wanne and full also of bloud and defiled vvith filthy spittle vvhich they had darted out vpon his face And vnder this paine and shame vvas he brought out to be seeme by all the people and thus it vvas said Behold the man And this vvas done to the end that his shame might increase in being seene by them and that compassion might once grovv in their hartes vvhen they perceaued in vvhat case he vvas and so they might giue ouer the persecution of a man vvhō they saw in such a passion But (f) Infinit patience and loue of our Lord and inscrutable malice of the wicked Iewes O vvith hovv wicked eyes did they behold the paines of him vvho yet did feele more paine for their perdition then for those very paines of his owne since insteed of quenching that fire of their frantike malice with the water of the dishonour which they saw him in it burned but more and more like wild-fyre which burnes in water They would not hearken to that worde which was said to them by Pilate Behold the man for they cared not for seeing him there but sayd that they would see him vpon a Crosse But thou at least O soule which art redeemed by the torments of Christ do thou hearken and let all of vs hearken to this word Behold the man least otherwise we grow aliens from the redemption of Iesus Christ if we cannot find in our harts to be mindfull and gratefull to him in respect of them When we (g) A consideration which wil pierce the harts of al such as hauethen◠not of flint bring forth any thing to the end that it may be seene we are wont to dresse it the best we can that so it may enamoure the lookers on And when we bring forth any thing that we would haue to be feared we set it out with a shew of Armes Trophees and we accompany it with such other thinges as may make them tremble that behold it And when we make any representation that should moue a man to tears we apparail it in mourning and we giue it all those additions that may induce men to sorrow Then tell me what was the intention of Pilate in drawing Christ our Lord into the view of the people It was certainely not to make them loue him nor to make them feare him and therefore they did neither beautify him nor set him out with Guardes Caualliers but he brought him forth to appease the cruell harts of the Iewes by that spectacle of our Redeemer And this was not to be done by the way of loue For well did Pilate know hovv cordially and profoundly they abhorred him but he had a desire to pacify them euen by the pure force of those excessiue torments which were indured by that delicate body of his so much to his cost For this it was that Pilate did dresse Christ our Lord with such a dressing of torments which were both so many and so great as might haue serued to moue compassion in al such as saw him how much soeuer they did detest him It (h) No Christian soule can doubt of this is therefore to be belieued that he brought him forth the most afflicted the most abased and the most dishonoured that he could deuise Making it his study how to deforme him as one would study to beautify and adorne some gallant birde that so he might appease the wrath of such as hated him since he found by experience that he could not do it by other meanes And now tell me if Christ was brought forth in such a fashion as might haue serued to quench the fire of hate in their harts that abhorred him how (i) It is more thē reason mightily is it reason that the sight and shew of him should kindle the fire of loue in their harts who know him to be God and who confesse him to be their Redeemer Isay the (k) Isa 5◠Prophet saw this passage long before it was brought to effect And being in contemplation of our Lord he sayd He (l) Heere giue thyn eares and thy hart to God hath no beauty nor delicacy we haue seene him and there was nothing to be seene in him and we desired to haue him despised and the most abased thing amongst men a man of griefe and who did euen possesse the knowledg of torments His face was as if it were hidden and despised and therefore we had him in no estimation It was truely he that bare our infirmityes and himselfe did suffer our paynes and we esteemed of him as some leaprous person and as stroken by the hand of God and so deiected If thou wilt weigh these wordes of Isay one by one thou wilt easily see how the beauty of Christ was all concealed in that day of his affliction for the beautifying of vs. The (m) Heere see the different christ our Lord grew to be from himselfe and it was all for our sakes Spouse speaking to Christ doth say in the (n) Cant. 5. Canticles Thou art faire thou
rest be So great are the mischiefes which grow from pride that it troubleth al them with whom it hath to do for if men will defend their owne opinion in obstinate manner and be inseparable from it who shall be able to liue in peace And to the end that thou mayst fly cutse this vice know that it arriueth so farce as to make of them that were good Christians peruerse Heretikes Nor haue they beene nor are they such for any other reason now but because by giuing more beliefe to their owne iudgment then to that of the Church and of their Prelates they conceaue themselues to hit the birde in the eye and that whatsoeuer passeth in their hart is the worke of God that to belieue the opinion of others rather thē that which they find in their own hart were to forsake God for man But experience truth demonstrates to vs that the thing which they thought to be the spirit of Truth was the spirit of Errour which not being able to ouercome them otherwise did assault them after hauing transformed it selfe into an Angell of light vnder the appearance of Good so depriued them of the life of their soules for not being content to submit themselues to the aduice of others CHAP. LV. That we must fly fast from our owne opinion chuse some person to whome for the loue of God we must be subiect and be ruled by him and what kind of man he must be and how we must carry our selues with him BEING therefore afrayd and taking a warning by occasion of these fellowes I admonish thee that as thou art to be an enemy to thyn owne will so thou art much more to be so of thyne owne opinion and of resoluing to carry thinges by thyne owne iudgment since thou seest the euill conclusion which is made by selfe conceite Be an enemy thereof both within doores and without and follow it not euen in trifles For (a) Note this well thou shalt hardly find a thing which so much will disquiet the peacefull rest that Christ desireth to find in thy soule that so he may cōmunicate himselfe thereunto as to be obstinate resolute to carry the matter after thyne owne mind And better for thee it were not to haue that which thou desirest then to loose that wherof thou hast so much need for the enioying of God with intiere peace This I say is to be practised by thee if the ordering of the house do not belōg to thy care for in case it do thou must not forbeare to do that which seemeth best to thee though yet withall thou art to informe thy selfe well both by making prayer and taking counsaile according to the quality of the thing in question Thou (b) Whosoeuer will maister his will in great matters must be contēt to begin in small ones knowest well inough that they who are in dāger of receauing some great affront do beginne to make trial vpon enduring certaine toyes that so they may be exercised towardes the bearing of such as indeed are great ones And know thou assuredly that whosoeuer is accustomed to belieue himselfe and doth esteeme himselfe to haue a wise vnderstanding resoluing to beare himselfe out in small matters will find it very strang and hard to depart in greater from his owne opinion And on the contrary side a man who hath vsed to call his vnderstanding foole and to giue it little credit in trifles will find himselfe facilitated towards a subiection of himselfe to the pleasure of God and of his Superiours and not easily to iudge ill of his Neighbours And as I haue sayd that in thinges of smal importance thou shalt do well to forsake thyne owne and to follow another mans opinion without much examination of who it is that sayth or sayth it not so I tell thee that in the things which concerne thy conscience thou art much more to follow aduice neither trusting thy selfe therewith nor yet some such other man as thou mayst find at randome It will therefore be fit for thee to take for thy guide and Ghostly Father some person who is both (c) Both learning experience are wholy necessary to such as are to be the Ghostly Fathers of spirituall persons learned and of experience in thinges that belong to God For without both these qualityes speaking ordinarily he will not be for the purpose For learning alone is not sufficient to prouide for the particuler necessityes and prosperityes and temptations which happen to the soules of such as walke in a spirituall life and in these cases as Gerson sayth recourse must be had to men of experience And it will fal out many tymes to them who haue no more thē learning as it fell out to the Apostles who being one night in a tempest at sea thought that Christ comming towardes them was but some other idle apparition holding that for a deceit which yet indeed was a reall fauour the truth of our Lord. Some man will strike thee into excessiue feares condemning euery thing for euill And as their owne harts are very farre from the experience of any spirituall gustes and illuminations of God so do they speake therof as of a thing neuer heard of and can with difficulty be induced to belieue that nobler and higher thinges do passe in the harts of others then they find in their owne With others also thou shalt meet who are practised in matters of deuotion and who are easily carryed towardes any gust of spirit who make much account thereof And if any such thing be told them they hearken to it with great admiration esteeming him for more holy who hath more of them and he is light in giuing credit to them as if in them all were safe But because indeed it is not so many of these persons fall into errour and they suffer also them to fall whom they haue in charge for want of giuing them sufficient aduice against the craft of the Diuell and in this respect they are as vnfit to gouerne soules as the former But (d) Note this and learne thereby wherein true sanctity doth consist know thou that there are some of so good iudgement as to vnderstand that true sanctity consisteth not in such things as these but in the accomplishing of the will of our Lord and they haue experience in spirituall things and they also can tell how to doubt and to aske of others who may informe them Thou (e) Great experiēce with great humility goeth far in making a manable to guyde another in matters of spirit though there be not so great learning maiest trust these last although they haue no eminency in learning because that which they haue is inough since they haue no other employment but to looke to themselues And since it doth so much import thee to light vpon a good guide thou must with great instance beseech our Lord that he will direct thee by his prouidence to
such a one and thou being once addressed put thy hart into his hand with great security hide nothing from him whether it be good or bad Not the good to the end that he may addresse it and aduise thee and not the euill to the end that he may reforme it And do not any thing of importance without his opinion placing coÌ„fidence in God who is a friend to obedience that he will put into the hart and tongue of that guide of thyne the thing which shal be fit for thy saluation By this meanes thou shalt fly from those two euills and extreames The one Of them that say I haue no need of mans counsayle God teacheth me and satisfieth me The other Of them who are so subiect to some man without considering any other thing but that he is a man as that the malediction layeth hold on him which sayth (f) Ierem. 17. Cursed be the man that confides in man But (g) The true middle way that is to be walked in do thou submit thy selfe to a man thou shalt haue escaped the former and do not confide in the knowledge or force of that man but in God who will speake to thee and strengthen thee by meanes of a man and so thou shalt haue declined the later danger And be thou well assured that how much soeuer thou seeke thou shalt neuer find any other way so straight or so secure for the knowing the will of our Lord as this of humble obedience which is so much adâ—â—â—ed to by all his Saints and so much practised by many of them as we find by the testimony of the liues of the holy (h) He meaneth chiefesly such as liued in that desert Fathers Amongst whom it was held for a great signe of a mans approaching towards perfection if he subiected himselfe much to the old man that was to gouerne him And amongst the many good things wherwith Religious Orders do abound thou wilt hardly find any other so good as that all of them liue vnder a Superiour whom they are to obey not only in exteriour actions but interiourly also in the opinion and iudgement Who if they haue confidence and do carry deuotion to the vertue of Obedience they shall lead a life both very safe and very sweet CHAP. LVI Wherein he beginneth to declare the second word of the verse and how we are to consider of the Scriptures and how we must restrayne the sight of our eyes that we may the better see with those of our soule which the freer they are from the sight of creatures the better shall they see God IF thou haue wel considered the words which already I haue spoken thou wilt haue seene how necessary it is to Heare that so thou maist please our Lord God Now hearken to the second word which is See It is not inough to be attentiue to the externall word of God or yet to the internall inspirations which are signified by hearing but it is also necessary to keep the eye cleare that it may see For the blind who do not see the light are no lesse reprehended by Christ then the deafe who do not heare the Truth But do not thinke when he aduiseth thee to see that he inuiteth thee to see sportes or entertainments of the world for that (a) A most necessary thing it is to haue the eyes well mortified kind of seing what is it else but a kind of blinding since it blocketh vp the sight of the soule It is inough for the eyes of the body if they behold the earth into which they must returne and if they cast themselues vp to heauen where the desire of their hart is lodged according to that of (b) Psal 8. Dauid I will behold the heauen that worke of thy hands the moone and the starres which thou hast framed And yet if thou haue a mind to looke vpon other creatures I haue nothing to say against it vpon this condition that such a sight may passe from them to God and that it be not to forget and loose God therby For of such sightes as that Dauid (c) Psal 118. sayd to our Lord O Lord â—uert myne eyes that they may not looke vpon vanity and quicken me in thy way This wise King knew well that inordinate looking is an impediment to speedy running the Carriere of God and vseth to make the burning hart of man grow coole and therfore it is that he sayth Quicken me in thy way For it is plaine to men of experience that how much more retired these exteriour eyes vse to be so much more clearely do men see with their interiour eyes And this sight is both more cheerfull and more profitable And it is but reason that a Christian man should easily belieue thing since we read of some Philosophers who did put out the eyes of their body that they might haue the eyes of their vnderstanding more recollected to contemplatioÌ„ Wherin we are to discard their errour in thrusting out their eyes yet we may serue our selues of their good intention by recollecting them and we are withall care to keep a guard vpon theÌ„ least such miseryes happen to vs as by dissolutenes of this kind are wont to rise From (d) Note how the immortification of the eyes was the occasion of the first great sin of Adam and Eue. whence doest thou thinke that the beginning of the perdition of the world proceeded I assure thee it came from one disordered sight Eue beheld the forbidden tree grew into an appetite of eating the fruit as seeming to her full of beauty and gust She did eate and she made her husband eate thereof and that bitt was death both for them and all their posterity There is no discretion to behould that which it is not lawfull to desire as is plaine by Dauid the holy King whose eyes tooke pleasure in looking vpon a woman as she was bathing in her garden and he grew to haue reason thereby to weep dayes and nights and to bathe his owne bed Royall couch with tears in so great aboundance that his eyes were as if they had been moath-eaten with much weeping And he that sayth Myne eyes haue powred out euen floudes of tears because the wicked haue not kept thy law had done better to haue shed them because himselfe did not keep it Good counsaile had it beene for his eyes not to haue taken gust in that which cost him afterwards so deare And so it will also be good for vs sinners since we are so loose of the feare as that where the eyes go before the hart with speed goeth after Let (e) Note well this whole discourse vs therefore put a vayle betweene vs and euery creature not fastning our sight wholy vpon any of them least being there taken vp we loose the sight of our Creatour That is those deuout considerations which we had of him And do thou belieue for certaine that one of the
knowledge of ones selfe Then read that mystery of the Passion which thou art about to meditate in some booke that treates thereof This (b) The manner of reading spirituall bookes will serue thee for two purposes The one to teach thee what did happen in that mystery that so thou mayst be able to thinke vpon it for as for the life death of our Lord thou art to know them and that soundly knowne The other for the recollecting of thy hart to the end that when thou meanest to thinke vpon the Passion thou mayst not haue wandring or tepide thoughtes And although thou do not read at one tyme all that which the booke deliuereth of that part of the Passion thou wilt be at no losse thereby because vpon the same dayes of the weekes following thou wilt come to an end thereof And as I told thee before thy reading must not be such as to make thee weary but to stirre vp the appetite of thy soule and to prepare matter for thee to thinke and pray vpon The bookes which may profit thee in the thought of the Passion are amongst others the Meditations of S. Augustine in Latin and those of the Father Lewys de Granada in Spanish and the (c) Diâ—â—ysius Carthusianus Carthusian who writeth vpon al the Ghospells When thou hast ended thy reading cast thy selfe vpon thy knees and hauing first recollected thyne eyes doe thou beseech our Lord that he will send thee light of the Holy Ghost which may impart to thee an amorous and compassiue feeling of that which Christ with such dearenesse of loue did suffer for thee Be very (d) Obserue this excellent discourse with great attention importunate with him not to permit in thee so great ingratitude as that thou being bound to imitate his passion shouldest hardly find in thy hart to thinke vpon it Then place the image of that Mystery which thou wouldst meditate within thy hart and if this succeed not with thee yet esteeme at least that thou hast it neere thee And (e) A necessary aduice this I say to let thee know that thou art not to carry thy thoughts to contemplate our Lord at Hierusalem where the Passion was accomplished for this would do thy head great hurt and dry vp thy deuotion But make account that he is present to thee and place thou the eyes of thy soule vpon his feet or on the ground neere to him and behold with all reuerence that which passeth as if thou wert present at it and hearken to that which our Lord did say with all attention Aboue all (f) Our Lord make vâ— fit to do so thinges behould with a pure and quiet sight his most sacred hart which so aboundeth with loue towards vs and which did so much excell in comparison of that which he suffered exteriourly thogh euen that were also vnspeakable as the Heauen doth exceed the Earth But take heed that thou doe not afflict thy hart with any forced griefe which vseth to fetch out some (g) Take heed of forcing thy selfe to teares few teares with violence for this doth hinder that quiet repose which is wholy needfull in the exercise of prayer as the Abbot Isaac was wont to say they dry vp the hart make it vnfit for the receauing of the visitation of Gods spirit which requireth peace and rest Yea and they vse to preiudice euen our bodily health and to leaue the soule so frighted with the disgust which therein it found that it feareth to returne againe to praier as to some painefull thing But if with a quiet thinking of these things our Lord do giue thee teares and compassion other deuout affections of mind thou art to take them vnder this condition That the excesse thereof be not such as to ouerworke thee to wardes the notorious preiudice of thy health or that thou becommest vnable therby to resist them and to hinder crying out or by other such exteriour signes to make shew of what thou findest within For yf thou doest vse thy selfe to this thou wilt grow to make those expressions amongst others and with greate note to which thou art accustomed in thy Oratory without being able to resist them but from this it is reason that thou fly So (h) How we are to carry our selues when we haue tears tender motions of the mind as thou art to receaue these spiritual gustes and teares in such sort as that thou do not greatly go after them least (i) That pious thought which was the cause of teares is to be cherished and the teares tâ—es lues neglected in the pursuit thereof thou loose that pious thought or spirituall affection by which they were caused But vse thou great diligence that the thought continue and as for the other exteriour and sensible feeling let it take the chance and by this meanes thou mayest continue a long tyme togeather in a spirituall and deuout gust of mind Whereas that other which may be accompted but as corporall to touch vpon the sensible part of the soule cannot last Nor yet will it suffer the spiritual affection to continue vnles it be withheld from following the other which is more corporall Only (k) IndulgeÌ„ce may be vsed towards beginners to such as are new beginners a little leaue may be allowed that so they may taste of this sweet kind of milke a little more then such as are proficient For (l) In this true deuotion doth consist these later haue an ayme to feele in their soule the high dignity of him that suffers and the deepe indignity of him for whom he suffers and the mightily much that he suffers and yet that the loue wherewith he doth it is still greater and (m) Do this and liue they desire to imitate this loue and this passion with all the strength that our Lord shall giue And if herewith he giue them the aforesaid gustes they driue them not away nay rather they are thankfull for them but not as for the more principall And (n) Both these loues of God are excellent but generally speaking men excell in the former and women in the later although I make no doubt but that there is a certaine kind of loue of God so inflamed and so fyery as that it doth not only not prouoke teares but it hindreth them and dries them vp so do I also aduertise thee that there is another tender kind of loue which procureth those aforesaid gustes in the sensitiue part of the soule and in the eyes of the body which yet is not blame-worthy since the doctrine of Christ is not a doctrine of Stoickes who condemne euen the passions which are good And because Christ our Lord did weepe and was sad that sufficeth to make vs belieue that these thinges are good yea euen in the most perfect men O how much hurt hath bin done by certaine vnlearned men both to themselues and to others by their taking the businesse of
directing soules in the way of spirit into their handes and by making themselues the Iudges thereof whilst yet they do but follow their owne ignorant opinion And this I say by occasion of men who haue bin deceaued therby and to whome those other thinges haue bin displeasing CHAP. LXXV Wherein some directions are giuen for our greater profit in the aforesaid exercise of Prayer and for the auoyding of some inconueniences which to ignorant persons are wont to arriue THOv art also to be aduâ—sed that (a) It importeth much that great care be had of this And â—ead this Chapter with great attention for there is not any one in the whole booke more excellent practicall then this thou must not labour much to fixe the image of our Lord too profoundly in thy imagination for danger is wont to arise therby vnto the soule To which it seemeth sometymes that it doth really and exteriourly see the images which it hath only within And some fall into madnesse and others into pride though neither of these two happen yet doth it preiudice the health of the body and that euen almost without remedy It is therefore fit that thou performe this exercise in such sort that neither thou do wholy forbeare to represent the image nor yet that thou procure to haue it continually or to be fixed in thy selfe with paine but by little and little and so as that it cost thee not too much trouble Thou maiest also haue neere thee some (b) Deuout pictures do both addresse ease the imaginatiue part of man deuout pictures well proportioned to the seuerall partes of the passion by looking vpon which sometymes thou mayest be eased and so enabled without much difficulty to imagine it without them Be also very carefull that not only thou fly from the danger which I haue told thee of in imagining with too much trouble but (c) We must neither be too extremely solicitous on the one side nor sloathful or negligent on the other also from thinking with too much earnestnesse of attentioÌ„ and with too much employment of the head For besides the hurt which such a head will receaue thereby it causeth a drienesse in the soule which maketh it abhor prayer Do not meditate in such sort nor with so much force that it may seeme as if thou wouldst do it by thy selfe alone or by the strength of thyne own armes For this would carry more resemblance to the nature of study then of prayer But vndertake this exercise in such sort as that thou rely and rest vpon the strength of our Lord who helpeth men how to thinke And if thou yet know not how to do it but that thou perceaue thy head or thy temples find notorious trouble do (d) If thou wilt be sure not to erre take couÌ„sayle froÌ„ tyme to tyme of thy ghostly Father according to the circâ—â—stances wherein thou shalt find thy selfe not proceed forward but quiet thy selfe and cast away that affliction of mind and humble thy selfe in the sight of God with simplicity and peace desyring grace of him that thou mayst so thinke as he will haue thee and do not in any case presume in that high presence of God to rely and rest wholly vpon thyne owne reasons or stiffe attention But humble thy selfe before him with a simple kind of affection as a poore little Child or an humble disciple would do who carryeth a quiet kind of attention to learne of his maister though yet withall he resolueth to help himselfe And know that this is a businesse which dependeth more (e) How highly true this is vpon the hart then vpon the head For to loue is the end why we are to thinke And for want of vnderstanding this and that kinde of peaceful mind wherof I haue spoken many haue much wearied both their owne and the heads of others with preiudice of their health with impediment to much good which they might haue done And (f) They who vnderstand what he sayth do vnderstaÌ„d the truth of what he sayth if God do vouchsafe the fauour to make thee able to meditate in this quiet manner that which thou feelest will both continue longer and thou wilt be able to spend more time in prayer and without trouble All which thou wilt find to be very contrary if thou proceed otherwise I haue already said how thy dwelling is to be in thy hart where as a carefull Beâ— who makes her hony within her hiue thou art to shut thy selfe vp presenting to our Lord that which shall be brought to thee from abroad beseeching him to giue thee fauour and light as Moyses did in the case of that materiall Tabernacle And if the gall of any temptation shall offer at thee fly thou into thy hart and then pull the doore vpon thee and so ioyning thy selfe to our Lord thy enemyes will remaine out of doores with scorne inough For as the hurt which they might do thee must be by meanes of thy thought when once that is well shut vp from them there is no meanes for them to enter And (g) Note because that thou mayst continue and profit in this exercise it is fit in any case that thou do it with a quiet kind of rest peace I aduertise thee that if thou haue strength to remaine vpon thy knees during this conference with God it will be fit to do so because all reuerence is due to that diuine Maiesty And to this purpose we haue the example of our soueraigne Lord and Maister of whome the Euangelist recordes that in the Garden of Gethsemani he prayed to his Father vpon his knees But yet if the weaknes of thy body be such as that in prayer which is long thou canst not remaine kneeling without preiudice to the peace of thy mind and that it make thee vnfit to attend to our Lord thou art to put thy selfe in some such posture as may not hinder this quietnes For though prayer carry the fruit of satisfaction with it for the paine which we endure therby yet because that fruit is greater which we gather by getting light and spiritual gust other benefits which God giueth in prayer it must be imbraced at the fittest meanes for the obtayning only of that which is best if we be not able to comply withall It is also to be considered that when in thy prayer thou art thinking of some one thing if thou find thy soule inuited to passe on towards somewhat (h) It is impossible thus by way of a generall rule to say that which shal fit in the particuler case of all men the present matter being so full of variety and difficulty if therfore this be thy case and that thou wilt not erre aske couÌ„saile of thy Ghostly Father els then opening the gate to another good thought thou art to dismisse the former and to take the latter supposing yet that both be good Though notwithstanding thou art to be well