into like misery no such mercy is in our Lorde vpon any of these considerations for he is neither subiect to humane affection nor to feare nor any way in hazarde of changeable infelicity 2. And among men thoughe charity be the greatest of all vertues because it vnites ioynes vs as inferiors to God our beste highest Superior yet in God who is aboue all creatures vpon which he powreth out all the godnes they haue receiues nothing from any other to himselfe in him mercy is the greatest of all vertues to him therfore the Churche saith it is proper more then to any herein his omnipotency most to be manifested For thoughe the vertues attributes of God be in himselfe equall yet in their effectes operations towardes his creatures one may appeare more or lesse then another so here S. Augustin saith that mercy miserations be all one S. Bernarde calls miserations the daughters of mercy which are diuerse in sundry streames yet all one water of the same founteyn as in a garden-water potte the water within is all one in substance with those many spinning streames yssuing out of those seuerall holes 3. Aristotle said that no place of the worlde is alltogether empty eyther of ayre or some what else yet he could not tell wherof it was full so well as Dauid who said All the worlde is full of the mercy of our Lord. Another philosopher being asked what was greatest of all answered Locus place is greatest for place which conteyneth all is greater then those thinges which are conteyned but Dauid would haue said it is our Lordes mercy which is aboue all his workes so all places giues place as inferior to his mercy takes place within it as lesser then his mercy In heauen his mercye shynes in glory on earthe he raynes mercy both on the iuste iniuste his mercy is in purgatory where sowles are purifyed prepared for heauen yea euen in hell there is some parte of his mercy for as he rewardes his Angells Sayntes much aboue their merites so punisheth the diuells the damned both lesse then their demerites and not so much as he is able 4. These are thy mercyes O God which none can deny but we humbly desire releife pardon according to thy great mercy to blotte out our iniquity in the multitude of thy miserations thy justice o lord reacheth vnto the heighte of mounteynes thy truthe vnto the clowdes thy great mercye to the heauens and the multitude of thy miserations is aboue all thy workes O let vs taste of these mercyes sent downe from thee to vs and deriued by vs to others that we may learne to be mercifull as thou arte mercifull And so in thy day of iustice iudgment if we haue bene mercifull we shall obteyne mercy when it shall not be so much recounted that Abel was murdred for his good sacrifice that Noah tooke care to saue the olde world that Abrahā was faithfull that Moses deliuered the lawe that Elias went vp to heauē in a charyot that S. Peter was crucified with his head downeward that S. Paul was beheaded that S. Laurence was broyled or S. Edmonde our English king a martyr shotte full of arrowes as it shall be there demāded what workes of mercy euery one hath performed especially in feeding the hungry clothing the naked or visiting the sicke imprisoned O teach vs to be mercifull in such smal matters that we may find great mercy at thy handes and in euery one of thy fingers multitude of miserations Great mercy o God because thou arte great and it fittes thee not to giue little great mercy because our necessityes haue neede of great supplyes our offences are great our punishments deserue to be great therfore what can we aske lesse then great mercy 5. And according to the multitude of thy miserations blotte out my iniquity O thou who doost forgiue very often euen seauenty times seuen times we are many offenders and are guilty of exceeding many sinnes in many thinges offending all euery day many times a day o shew the multitude of thy miserations vpon such multitudes of offences of times of persons pardoning so many sinners for so many crimes so many times repeated O blotte them out as thou hast said by the Prophet Esay that thou arte he who blotteth out our iniquityes for thine owne sake And Ieremy saith our sinnes are grauen in a harde Adamante stone with an yron pen who can blotte out such a recorde euen thou only o mighty redeemer who by thy handes nayled to the crosse wert blotting out all handewrytinges against vs O raze and blotte out we entreate thee all the sinnes accusations which Satan writes against vs O blotte them out not to be read and scrape them out as blottes not to be seene for otherwise they will blotte our names out of thé booke of the liuing Del◠put out or take away from thy sighte or vewe all spottes from our soule all memory from thy booke all byting wormes from our conscience all sinnefull appetites from our affections all vnlawfull consent from our desires O blotte out all malice or frailty from our will and out of our vnderstanding all error blindnes In the vertue of thy precious bloud and by the sacramēt of extreme Vnctiō we beseech thee blotte out at our death all the sinnefull delightes of our eyes all the follyes of our eares all vanityes of our smelling all the iniquityes of our tōgue all the voluptuousnes of our touche or of our taste all vnserchable or secret sinne of our hartes all the idlenes or wickednes of our handes all the forwardnes of our feete to committe euill all the slackenes or crookednes of our wayes vnto good O Iesu helpe vs by wyping out our blottes now to cleāse our soules euer by great mercy to forgiue our sinnes OF THE GREAT CARE VVE MVST VSE to purge all sinne and that we our selues must doo herin some diligence not standing idle to leaue all vnto Christe Sect. 6. 1. WAsh me yet more from mine iniquity cleanse me from my sinne O lorde I haue so much offended that me thinkes I cannot well enoughe expresse my guiltynes nor enoughe begge remedye nor can I tell when I haue enoughe repented Amplius laua me wash me yet more both from the filthynes and allso the stinkingnes of all wickednes wash me from iniquity which is filthy and cleanse me from sinne which stinketh from sinne against God from iniquity eyther against my neighbor or against my selfe yet more both from the heynousnes of that which is paste that I be perfectly cured and least I should fall agayne from the dangerousnes of that which may come Let not the prophet complayne against me saying O how vile arte thou become iterating thy wayes all sinne in my soule is like lothsome stinking durte on my
then our harte searching our entralls prouing our reynes to thee we refer this iudgment and fearing our selues to bee far the worse we humbly sincerely craue more penitence more pity O IESV giue me strength in satisfaction to beare what thou wilte impose and then impose coorrectioÌ„ what our wilte O sweet Sauiour thou knowest how absolutely herein I doo resigne my will O continue me this grace and teach me more in true penaÌ„ce still to begge for more mercy I haue dishonored thee scandalized men for I was a publique preacher of the protestantes false Doctrine wherin peraduenture by my meanes some haue bene seduced many hardened others offended I haue profaned thy sacred churches somtime dedicated to thy catholique seruice and for mine owne body soule which should haue bene thy spirituall temples o how haue they bene polluted by errors which I supposed to be truthes by presumption of knowledge when I was in ignorance by some vices which I reputed vertues by many faultes which I neglected 4. If to affirme this as I doo penitently be my shame let it be O God as I desire thy glory If the worlde the diuells mine owne conscience doo accuse me O Father of mercy I confesse all wherof any of these can justly impeache me and allso whatsoeuer else thou doost know more in me then I haue coÌ„fessed or can call to minde in transgressions against thy deuine majesty in offences against my neighbors in many sinnes against my selfe O wretched and vile sinner that I am what should such a sinner doo whither shall I go shoulde I despayre No for that one sinne were greater then all these What though my sinnes haue bene many bad according to my religion my profession worse wherby like the prodigall sonne I was a Swynehearde a protestante minister feeding my selfe others with the huskes of heresy Et non satiabar in which I coulde neuer taste of true comforte nor obteyne peace vnto my conscience therfore with him I will Arise go to my heauenly Father I am resolued To arise from sinne Sectaryes To go vnto God our Father by meanes of the Catholique churche our mother and with this perpetuall purpose I doo say vnto him Father I haue sinned against heauen before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired seruantes 5. Amongest Protestantes against malice I might wel plead ciuill honesty morall integrity wherin I liued among them without reprehension but in comparison of thy Catholique seruantes Sayntes O God before thy heauenly purest eyes I dare not present my former best innocence here I renounce any plea of passed integrity I disclayme my wonted profession I lament detest my errors my sinnes Thou knowest O lord I haue acknowledged them vnto my Ghostly Father in confession I beseech thee to confirme his absolution and as I doo entreate so I doo truste that thou wilte vnbinde in heauen what he hath vnbound on earthe O forgiue them for Iesus sake and so keepe me euer hereafter in thy loue grace that I may rather chuse miseryes disgraces reproches tormentes ten thousand deathes then at my time to retourne to the like sinnes errors or to my former estate And thou o blessed Virgin the mother of our only Sauiour and all the Angells and Sayntes of heauen O praye for me that during my life I may say this psalme with Dauid in true contrition And so throughe our Lord Iesus obteyning mercy at laste I may with him and all you be admitted into glory MEDIT. II. Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam Amplius laua me ab iniquitate mea à peccato meo munda me Haue mercy on me O God according to thy great mercy and according to the multitude of thy miserations blotte out mine iniquity Washe me yet more from my iniquity cleanse me from my Sinne. A SHORTE DIVISION AND EXPLIcation of all these wordes Sect. 1. S. Ambrose saith Dauid sinned which Kinges are wonte but he performed penance he wepte he mourned which Kinges are not wonte he confessed his faulte he craued pardon prâ—strate on the ground he bewayled his wretchednes he fasted he prayed he hath published for euer a testimony of his confession priuate men are ashamed to doo this a King is not ashamed to confesse c O come my soule let not Dauid thus condemne vs nor S. Ambrose thus accuse vs rather because we haue ouertaken ouergone Dauid in sinning let vs be stayed by S. Ambrose to followe such a king in repenting Let vs consider our owne misery and our Lordes mercy not mercy without misery least we presume nor misery without mercy least we despayre Many thinke not how wretched they are by sinne in their hartes and therfore they sighe not with miserere in their mouthes but we are readyer to talke or thinke of our worthynes theÌ„ of our sinfulnes especially we will sooner compare our selues with other men in wisedome in knowledge in authority riches or such like with the proude pharisy then with the huÌ„ble publican acknowledge our ignoraÌ„ce our faultes and our infirmityes but what auayle such comparisons we shall be judged by that which we are in our selues not by what we seeme to be in respecte of others a dwarfe is not à gyante thoughe he stande on the toppe of a steeple or on a mounteyn a stately towre is not a lowe Cottage thoughe it be placed in the bottome of a valley consider o my soule what thou arte in the vale of misery not what thou maist seeme on a mounte of vanity let one depthe call vpon another out of the depthe of our sinfull misery o God we call vpon the depthe of profounde mercy 2. A deepe wounde must haue a large tente abondance of soares must haue many playsters o graunte vs great mercy for our deepe woundes and multitude of miserations for our innumerable botches let them seeke for smaller mercy whose faultes procede of meaner ignorance but my sinnes o lord haue neede of a strong warriour to redeeme me and of a skilfull phisition to heale me All sinners descend from IerusaleÌ„ to Ierico from the highest vertues to the basest vices they fall among theeues divells tentations delightes I allso among these was dangerously wounded in naturall facultyes spoyled generally of spirituall graces o gracious Samaritan miserere take pity on me passe not by me vnregarded O let the greatnes of thy mercy heale my naturall woundes and by the multitude of thy miserations repayre my spirituall losses come nere me come to me o compassionate Samaritan powre in wyne of compunction to cleanse my filthynes make me feele my misery powre in oyle of absolution to heale my soarenes by thy mercy o great phisitian here shew the
by mans penaltyes and by our Lordes chastisements yea such is the misery of sinne that one sinne is the punishment of another and many times of it selfe though not directly by it selfe yet by accident indirectly first because when by former sinne we caste from vs Gods grace giuen or offred he then leaueth vs to our owne corrupte weakenes to Sathan the worldes forcible tentations whose continual batteryes whiles without grace we cannot resiste we doo afterwardes justly fall captiues vnto many sinnes who by some former faulte did rejecte his grace so vnkindly 2. there are some sinnes which are punishments both offormer faultes of themselues not only in their effectes as prodigality hath for his followers wante and robberye but allso in their very actions some are a payne vnto themselues eyther inwardely as enuy anger doo vexe their owne maysters or outwardly when men doo passe much labor perill or coste to effecte some sinnes As Plutarche saith men adjudged to be crucifyed or to other tormentes were forced first to beare their owne crosses or such other instruments of theyr owne execution so sinners by sinne it selfe doo here begin their owne payne damnation and so they confessed who the wiseman saith were in hell lassati sumus in via iniquitatis we were tyred wearyed in our way of iniquity 5. Wherfore among so many miseryes should we not often crye miserere haue mercy in respecte of sinnes punishing themselues one another by outward toyle danger losse by inward feare remorse vexation by depriuing vs of Gods grace leauing vs to our owne concupiscence miserere for we are guilty out of order against God against men against our owne conscience miserere to bring backe our Will eâ—ring in darkenes to cleare our Vnderstanding shadowed with blemishes to repayre our giftes of grace decayed by frailtyes miserere haue mercy by reuiuing the seedes of vertue remoouing the hindrances customes of Vice miserere restoring vs to justice which we lost forfeyted inclyning encreasing vs in holynes which we forsooke diminished and finally miserere preseruing vs in substance of soule body from sufferance of payne vnto fruition of glory for in all these viz by corruption of nature by deformity of soule by guyltines of punishment we are all miserable therfore in all these o blessed Iesu miserere haue mercy OTHER WRETCHED EFFECTES OF sinne are declared out of the Scriptures Doctors by which we are warned from them Sect. 3. SAlomon saith that sinne maketh people to be miserable and S. Augustin defyneth sinne to be Deedes wordes or desires which be against the eternall lawe of God which are made mortall sinne when we adde vnto any of these a full consent of our will with auersion or forsaking of God Consider then o my soule in what estate thou arte when thou abydest in sinne If in our lorde be all happynes and to be in fauour with him be our felicity o how great wretchednes is it to forâ—ake his loue to fall into his hate But Esay said our sinnes deuide betwene him vs and both Salomon Dauid affirme that he hateth all who worke iniquity wherfore S. Chrysostome said I judge it to be harder more intolerable then a thousand hell fyres to be hated of Christe to heare him say I knowe you not it were better to endure a thousand thumderboltes then to see his face of mildenes to be turned from vs or enraged against vs for the eye which vseth to be fauorable when it becometh fierce is most terrible 2. Alas o lorde we haue forsaken thy infinite goodnes we haue loste thy inestimable fauour wherfore to free vs from thy hate restore vs to thy happynes miserere haue mercy Haue mercy not only for the good which by sinne we doo loose but allso in respecte of the euill which for it we doo suffer because many are the whippes of a sinner for sinne the earthe was cursed to bring forthe thornes the woman cursed to beare children in payne and man was cursed to eate his bread with labour Vpon sinners our lorde rayneth snares fire brimstone and the spirites of tempestet are in the portion of his cuppe his very prayers are turned into sinne and his table is a snare vnto him all wickednes is as a sharpe two edged sworde 3. But if we be neither mooued with loue of goodnes nor with feare of wrathe I knowe not whither we be more miserable who must suffer the punishment or blockish who will not see to auoyde the faulte yet let vs consider the nature of sinne which is contrary to our nature we were created doo desire to enioy liberty but sinne maketh vs slaues and the wiseman saith Euery sinner is bounde in the fetters of his owne sinnes We naturally abhorre hell the diuell deathe but sinne caused the very angells offending to be throwne downe from heauen to be reserued in the chaynes of hell S. Augustin saith that euery sinner selles his â—oule to the diuel taking for his price the sweetnes of some temporall delighte nay S. Chrysostome calleth euery sinner a certeyn willing diuell a self-willed madnes And as for death which we so much feare the scripture saith that they which committe sinne doo kill theyr owne soules we knowe it were horrible to murder our Father but to murder thy selfe it is more damnable wherfore as the wiseman sayd take mercy on thine owne soule pleasing God which then we doo when penitently we say vnto him miserere haue mercy 4. What shoulde I say of sinne tormenting the conscience offending the communion of Sayntes among men it is a discredite among Christians it causeth excoÌ„munication and S. Basil doth write that as smoke driueth bees from their hiues and loth some smells driue pigeons from their houses so from the custody of our persons â—l sauoring sinnes driue away our holy Angells And is not euery inordinate minde a penalty to it selfe as S. Augustin auoucheth for couetousnes gripes pride swells enuy consumes concupiscence inflames luxury stingeth gluttony stinketh dronkennes besotteth sclander scratcheth ambition vndermyneth it selfe iniuryes gette hatred discorde teareth anger burneth lighte heades are neuer quiet idlenes is wearisome lazynes combreth hipocrysie deceiueth his owne harte flatterye giues himselfe the lye in his owne throate O miserable sinnes which make men so wretched which seldome come alone without seauen worse diuells folowing them which make our present prayers not purposing amendment to be rejected which cause all our good deedes paste not to be regarded which are so hardly cured because they are not so easily as we thinke repented In time therfore o lord with the first worde of this psalme against all these for-meÌ„tioned miseryes we humbly hartily crye miserere haue mercy OF THE NAME AND NATVRE OF GOD who he his vvhat we are and how vnspeakably we are beholding vnto his great goodnes Sect. 4. 1.
or nature which she inherited from Adam then any way belonging to any sinne in herselfe Or else thoughe grace had preuented destroyed all sinne in her soule yet it had not extinguished nor was conuenient to destroye the ordinary naturall qualityes of her body firste because enduring those she merited so much more in heauen secondly that it mightâ— appeare to the worlde she was a true humane creature of whose pure flesh our Sauiour tooke our true humane nature 5. If Originall sinne had polluted and possessed her she had bene during that time abhominable vnto God for such sinne and in bondage thervnto and so by it vnto Satan But was it meete that at any time she should be said to be odious to our lorde or that the diuell or sinne shoulde haue her subiect in their captiuity or defiled in pollution who was to be the mother of God himselfe Secondly if it were in our pouer would we not choose to be borne of the most vertuous vnspotted parents that we coulde And was it not in the power of God thus to prepare preserue his mother froÌ„ originall sinne if it were in his power doubteles he had will to doo it because out of question he caried extraordinary loue vnto her for thoughe primarily she merited not to be his mother but of his sole mercy he did chuse her not another yet hauing made this election he may be said afterward by his owne law of honoring parentes bound in dutifull loue to giue her all the honor merite possible wherof a pure creature mighte he capable Wherfore S. Bonauenture concludeth that in deede our lord could haue made for vs amore comely beautifull worlde but it is probable he could not make for himself a more excellent mother Thirdly it was inconuenient in regarde of himselfe that any blemish of originall sinne should defile her soule for the honor or dishonor of the parent redoundeth to the childe and so it had bene a diminution of his owne honor to haue bene the sonne of an impure mother 6. Fourthly S. Ihon Baptist was sanctified in his mothers wombe at the very voyce of her who had our Sauiour in her wombe is not she herselfe more worthy of a greater priuiledge in the same kind vidz the mother of God sooner then the messenger Fifthly S. Andrew the Apostle auowched and after him Theodoret that she excelled the cherubim and Seraphim in purity But how was this if she had originall sinne or how is she aboue the Angells in dignity and glory if she were inferior in purity and grace or is it meete that any meere creature should be more excellent or aboue the mother of God 7. Sixtly S. Augustin saith he would euer haue her excepted when he treated of sinne And as he judged it absurde to suppose that her flesh was eaten of wormes or corrupted in rottennes which had norished and giuen substance to the manhood of Christe and therfore he auowed and beleued her boody to be assumpted into heauen immediatly after her death according to her story and the tradition of the churche So me thinkes it is more inconuenient we should yeild him to be borne of flesh which at my time had bene subject to sinne for sinne is much more base then the wormes and pollution of soule is farre worse then any corruption of body Seauenthly I am sure if it were in the handes of any good ChristiaÌ„ to grante her this preheminence he woulde not deteyne it why then should he deny to beleeue it in his harte when it is permitted and commended as a probable and most pious opinion and when he woulde giue it her if he were able Eightly this pure conception of our blessed Lady hath bene manifested by diuerse reuelations to S. Brigitte which are amongest those that be approued And to Elpinus a Reuerend English Abbot the verity therof confirmed by S. Anselmus Archbish. of Canterbury and after his soleÌ„nization in England of the Feast of her pure conception it was firste permitted and since receiued in all Catholique cuntryes Thus doth the Catholique churche honor her And this hath bene permitted by seuerall Counâ—ells And resteth commended by sundry Popes Wherfore let vs confesse that as the first Adam was made of earthe before it was cursed with thornes or weedes so our Lord Iesus the second Adam tooke flesh of her flesh which was blessed and neuer cursed with any nettles of concupiscence or thornes of originall sinne 8. O holy Virgin more pure then the heauens They are moste cleare and yet but a generall habitation for Sayntes there to see God Thou werte a speciall tabernacle both to enterteyne God himselfe and to affoarde him parte of thy substance O how coulde that be at any time vncleane where he dwelled how could that be euer touched with sinne which he assumed The diligent Bees wil not harbour in an vncleane hiue but doth annoynte them with sweete moystures before they make their hony The cleanly Ermyne will rather be killed by the Huntesmen then to saue his life enter into any place which is filthy Much lesse will the pure wisdome of God dwell in a body subject to sinne as said wise Solomon wherfore he allso saith in the Canticles many Doctors applye it to our blessed Ladie Thou arte all fayre O my loe and in thee there is no spotte And therfore with the Catholique Churche let vs say in her seruice O holy and immaculate virginity I know not with what prayses to extolle thee because whom the heauens coulde not conteyne thou diddest maynteyne in thy bosome Blessed arte thou among women and blessed be the fruite of thy wombe Because whom the heauens coulde not conteyne thou diddest maynteyne in thy bosome O happy and sacred Virgin Mary O most worthy of all honor pray for the laity entreate for the clergy make request for all deuoute womankinde O let all sortes finde thy certeyn succor whosoeuer doo celebrat thy sacred Conception 8. O founteyn sealed vp for the water oflife let thy intercession helpe to quench in vs all coales of concupiscence O Garden of paradise well guarded to keepe the tree of life let thy prayers preserue vs from too much liberty of our senses and all loosenes of life O brightest glasse of Chrystall without any spotte obteyne for vs all clearenes of harte and body freed from all foule thoughtes or other fleshly pollution 9. O swetest rose of the valley fayrest Lily of the mounteyn o precious balme of Gilead and comely Cypres of Sion thy wonderfull beauty of face and rare comelynes of person were euer accompanyed with such modesty of countenance and sobriety of behauior and besides so blessed with an extraordinary grace that thy beauty neuer allured but abashed thy comelynes did not entise but amaze nor could any harbour an vnchaste thoughte whiles he behelde thy Virgins eye O let thy gracious eyes of chastity so looke downe vpon vs in
fall they may be raysed and they who are admitted into secret grace ought allso to praye that from so dangerous a fall they may be preserued And in particuler thou o my soule must acknowledge thy selfe vnworthy of those graces which thou haste receiued which if they be small in comparison of those which our lord can giue or others doo receiue yet are they many and great and more then any way thou diddest deserue Or how can the sunne send much lighte or plenty of beames into a howse which hath but small windowes O my soule if thou desire more lighte set open all thy windowes O holy spirite of truthâ— and secret wisdome shyne yet more into my harte to shew me all necessary truthe which thou doost loue and still to manifest vnto me the secret doubtfull thinges of thy wisdome 8. O let me see and consider how great mercyes I haue receiued that I may be thaÌ„kfull how I did merite nothing or rather how much I did demerite that I may be humble and how vnprofitably I doo vse them that I may be ashamed I fled from catholique truthe which thou louest and yet thou diddest so loue me that thou diddest make me loue thy catholique truth which I declined now I loue this truthe which hath giuen me knowledge of thee and how am I bound to loue thee who diddest bring me to this knowledge of truthe O what sweete secrets be in this loue they are doubtfull to such as neuer tasted them because secret and to such they are secret because they loue not thee who doost manifest the secrets of they wisdome to none but such as doo embrace the truthe which thou doost loue This is thy wisdome not to caste spirituall pearles before eaâ—thly swyne nor to hide thy heauenty treasures from weake sucklinges or simple harted soules 9. But how shall I prayse thy goodnes o lord and in particuler to my selfe In the gospell it is said thou wouldest not suffer diuells to enter into swyne but with me thou haste cast diuells out of a swyne Doo I debase my selfe to say so Beholde o lorde thou louest truthe I knowe no swyne so filthy and so degenerate from his kinde as I was being a Protestante from they truthe If S. Mary Magdalene had seauen diuells of vices how many had I of heresyes Vnto her many sinnes were forgiuen because she loued much O lord I haue loued but a little how many sinnes hast thou forgiuen me thy wisdome hath reuealed my doubtes and manifested vnto me thy secrets I fondly doubted where was no cause of doubte but I am resolued by thy wisdome I was compassed with lighte and yet I did not discerne lighte because I wanted harty loue vnto thy catholique truthe For I firste loued not thee but thou diddest preuent me with thy loue prosecute me with thy grace and so finally diddest imparte vnto me the secrets of thy wisdome which are the mysteryes of thy catholique faith which now I doo beleeue thou haste not dealte thus with euery sinner nor vnto thousandes better then my selfe hast thou manifested as vnto me the secret and doubtfull thinges of thy wisdome 10. O infinite incomprehensible bounty what did thy majesty beholde in my basenes nothing verely but thine owne loue wherwith thou haddest disposed prepared my harte to be vnpartiallie desirous of truthe this desire and this loue thou diddest first giue me afterwarde by these thou diddest draw me nearer vnto thee O swete Iesu who doost neither accepte nor rewarde any thing which thy selfe haste not first giuen thou haste giuen me loue of truthe and manifested vnto me the doubtfull secret thinges of thy wisdome I doe enterteyne them as pledges earnest pence of mâ— hope election o let me so keepe and euer reteyne them that I may neuer be ashamed nor confounded in them Let them be meanes of thy better seruice and no way occasions of my greater condemnacion I haue tasted of thy loue I am acquaynted with thy secrets I am partaker of thy mysteryes let me rather dye then fayle or be faynte-harted and sooner torne in peices then become ingratefull I was most vnworthy to receiue them and seing of meere mercy thou hast bestowed these talentes vpon me I desire to retaine them with much thankefullnes and throughe thy grace with some gaynes of merite O blessed Sauiour accepte what thou haste giuen O holy virgin and all the Angells and Sayntes of heauen giue continuall thankes prayse vnto our lord God for me who am not able to thinke much lesse to declare how I owe my selfe MEDITATâ—ON VI. Asperges me Domine hysopo mundabor lauabis me super niuem dealbabor Auditui meo dabis gaudium laetitiam exultabunt ossa humiliata Thou shalte sprinkle me with hysope o lord and I shal be cleansed thou shalte washe me I shal be made white aboue snowe Vnto my hearing thou wilte giue ioye gladnes and my humbled bones shall reioyce THE VSE OF CEREMONYES DECLARED by a picture and the propertyes of hysope whervnto they maybe alluded Sect. 1. 1. THe priestes of Moyses lawe doo purifye by sprinkling of bloud with hysope and so they cleansed in a type or figure 1. such as must eat the paschall lambe 2. such as were defiled by touching the dead 3 such as were infected with leprosy 4. or those who being penitent did offer sacrifice for their sinnes O Lorde as one who haue neede of all these I looke not so much to the outwarde Ceremonyes as I hope to be partaker of thy inwarde grace by the bloud of that paschal lambe who is allso a sacrifice for the pollution sinne of all the worlde 2. In this actuall sprinkling of hysope and clensing application of our Sauiours merites and of his death and passion we doo liue we doo bleeue we doo hope we doo merite we doo labor worke our saluation with feare trembling and not as Protestantes teâ—ch by only faith and so with presumptuous beleeuing 3. Let others therfore be content alone with colors of imputation our soules desire to be allso innocent in substance We respecte not so much the outward figure of hysope as the inward vertue of our deare Sauiours deare bloud Types and ceremonyes are excellent ordinances yet we doo lifte vp our mindes higheâ— and by occasion of these we doo more often remember more deuoutly apprehend the truthes which they doo signifye Some paynted Tables are so cutte paynted that one way they resemble a beautifull face another way a deathes head and a certeyn artificiall workeman made such a like picture of Moyses brasen serpent hauing vndeâ— it a multitude of Israelites looking vpwarde to be cured of the stinging of fiery serpentes and aboue it he placed a looking glasse in such a situation that when he opened or drew a curtayne hanging before the said picture which thoughe whiles it was couered you saw nothing in the glasse and thoughe
hath it had and hath stil euery day wonderfull effectes froÌ„ the vertue of our Lordes death and the effusion of his bloud shed thervpon Euen the wood of the yong mans Coffen said S. Ambrose after Iesus had touched it began to avayle vnto raysing him to life much more the wood of his crosse it selfe which when it was found by S. Helena both reuiued the sicke raysed the dead And only the signe of the crosse somtime without faith and deuotion yet hath wroughte maruelous effectes which doth shew the dignity that our lorde giueth vnto the signe for the excellency of the thing it selfe which he sanctifyed by his death As that christian who wickedly purposing to poyson himselfe came to Iew a Doctor of physicke for some strong poyson the Iew glad to kill a Christian gaue him a violent poysonous potion Before he dronke it he made the signe of the crosse ouer it as he vsed to doo commonly before he did eat or drinke It did him no harme he complaynes to the Iew that his poyson was not strong enoughe The Iew coulde giue him none stronger but the encreaseth the quantity of the same As before he takes it making the signe of the crosse The poyson preuayles not He is angry at the Iew and the Iew is madde to see him still aliue he doubtes the Christian had not taken it or had mixte or done somewhat else to it The Christian sweares he had done nothing to it only he remembers he had made the signe of the crosse as alwayes he vsed The Iew giues a little to a dogge which presently burste The Christian signing it with the crosse agayne takes a great deale more of the same poyson in the sighte of the Iew and yet feeles no harme whervpon he repentes the Iew is conuerted both of them aske God mercy and become honest deuout men 5. A blessed signe made holy and most glorious by touching the body and being sprinkled with the bloud of our Sauiour who was God and man he hallowed it with his death sanctifyed it by his merites honored it with his person and as it representeth his passion so it deriueth vertue from his merites The â—resâ—e before times was a detestable torment for malefectors now it is a royall ornament in the crownes of Kinges and Emperors honored of all Catholique Christians scorned or abhorred of none but Pagans Iewes Heretiques and Diuells And as the wonted shame therof is turned into honor so the former curse therof is changed into blessing O sacred signe which as the Royall standarde of the lambe shall come before him to iudgment A terror to the diuels and such as shalle damned a conforte to all Angells Sayntes and such as are to be saued thou arte the key of Dauid vnlocking Limbo and Purgatory to let out soules vnto liberty and opening heauen and Paradise to giue them entrance into rest and glory Thou arte the hysope of Dauid which helpeth to sprinkle sinners with the bloud of our Sauiour to be cleansed washed made white aboue snow Or as Origen said thou arte Tendiculum magni Fullonis the Tenter of our great Fuller who clenseth vs with his owne bloud instead of soape and in place of our weake rotten clothe suffered his diuine body to be stretched for vs vpon this Tenter of the crosse THERE ARE SVNDRY DEGREES OF WAShing cleansing and whyting of sinne Sect. 4. 1. O Blessed Sauiour washe me from the filthynes of vice and in the beauty of vertue make me white aboue snowe By thy mercie cleanse me and make me white by thy grace If I be white as snowe in inwarde deuotion for my selfe make me more white aboue snowe in externall exercise of good workes towardes others 2. Or thou o my soule take comforte from hence that not only an innocent but euen a penitent may attayne to estate of most perfect purity As S. Peter S. Paul S. Mary Magdalene and holy Dauid in this place by vertue of Christes merites hoped after repentance to be restored to perfection and purity aboue snowe Wherfore if we haue bene great sinners let vs labour so much more to become great Sayntes that as the prophet saith In the caues where dwelte dragoÌ„s there may spring vp greene rushes which as Eusebius expoundes it is instead of venimous filthy sinne to haue pleasant florishing vertue Neither let it seeme strange that as a notable saynte may become a notorious sinner so a lothsome sinner may become a glorious saynte for a garment which hath bene torne did you neuer see it drawne vp with such skill that no rent could be discerned and if vpon this occasion the same garment were all embrodered and the rent place couered with golde lace or set with pearle would it not be both a necessary mending of the rent and a better decking of the garment much better can our Lord Iesus repayre adorne the deformed beauty of a polluted soule he can sprinkle it cleanse it wash it and white it aboue snowe 3. O sprinkle me with hysope as a Begimner in goodnes to haue at firste some dewe droppes of grace O washe me next with some more plenty of this water that I may proceede from grace to grace And to the end I may be perfecte make me white aboue snowe Among earthly creatures there is nothing whyter then snowe but aboue this doo the Sayntes in heauen shyne as the â—unne I beseech thee O Sauiour sprinkle me with thy hysope and wash me with thy bloud that when this corruption shall put on incorruption and when this mortall shal be cloathed with immortality then I may be made white aboue snowe and shyne as the Sunne in eternall glory IT IS BETTER TO CONFESSE THEN to excuse to heare then to speake and of sundry kindes of ioye and gladnes Sect. 5. AFter my pardon I will rejoyce But a soule that is in sinne how should it haue mirth I will reioyce o lorde by hearing thy comfortes not in pleading for my selfe excuses Rather let me heare thy ioye speaking absolution to mine eares then any way delighte in my tongue pleasantly extenuating or wittily auoyding my faultes Wouldest thou after sinne fayne plead for thy reputation rather heare thy conscience and listen to repentance Be sorye for it confesse it then shalte thou heare ioye in thy harte and no terror at thyne eare 2. In generall we knowe it is better to heare then to speake And in spirituall contemplation excepte we first heare what God saith to our harte how can we hartily speake to him with our mouthe according as in nature wee see him that is borne deafe to be euer dumbe Allso among men he that heares as a good scholler practiseth Silence Beleefe Humilitie and obedience but he that is speaking as a paynful Teacher must labor with his voyce he must be carefull that he speake to good purpose for others without falsehood or flattery and he must be heedfull to himselfe
loue 5. O how doth my soule thirste as a chased Harte to the water founteyn to be ioyned vnto thee more more in this loue I haue obligation to loue thee because of thâ—e benefites but it thirsteth more in deuotion to loue thee for thie selfe and because of thine owne worthienes Because thou arte God therfore I will loue thee and because thou arte our God therfore I will prayse thee O thou who arte loue it selfe and Author of loue O warme my soule nay heate it nay make it burne and flame in thy loue In this loue is inseparable vnity in this vnity is vnspeakable peace in this peace which passeth all vnderstanding is that ioye gladnes which thou giuest to our inward hearing O let me daily heare thee enter into my harte and say peace be vnto this house o sweet Iesu make thy prayer effectuall vnto me and accomplish thy promise of seÌ„ding vs allso some portion of thy holy spirite o come with thy Father and take vp your dwelling make your mansion in me O come in vnitie of obedient will and in vnitie of feruent contemplation come thus and dwell with me Let me thus reioyce in the speake alowde and say vnto my soule I am thy saluation So vnto my hearing thou shalte giue ioye gladnes and my humbled bones shall reioyce MEDITATION VII Auerte faciem tuam à peccatis meis omnes iniquitates meas dele Cor mundum crea in me Deus spiritum rectum innoua in visceribus meis Ne proijcias me à facie tua spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas à me Turne away thy face from my sinnes and blotte out all myne iniquityes Create a cleane harte in me O God and renue a righte spirite in my bowells Doo not caste me out from thy face and thy holy spirite doo not take from me A GENERALL INTERPRETATION OF all these wordes And then what is meant by our Lordes facâ— and how our soules are deformed scribled full of sinnes to be blotted out Sect. 1. 1. LEt vs consider o my soule how prudent modest and diligent Dauid is in prosecuting his petitions and let vs with him haue care to aske those thinges which are lawfull which are decent and which are expedient To be prudent in asking thinges just modest in desiring thinges honest and diligent in requiring thinges necessary least if we pray for thinges vnlawfull our prayer be turned into sinne if we entreate for thinges vndecent we shall not receiue them because we aske amisse if we demand thinges vnexpedient it may be said vnto vs you know not what you aske Wherfore let vs be diligent continually to eâ—treat pardon of our sinnes as Dauid still insisteth vpon this same poynt For this is most expedient necessary Turne away thy face o lord from my sinnes and blotte out myne iniquityes Let vs be modest against all vncleannes and euen in our good deedes to desire humility of harte and sincerity of intention for this is most decâ—nt and honest Create a cleane harte in me o God and renue a righte spirite in my bowells Let vs be prudent in praying for perseuerance in good and in perpetuall election of the Best because these thinges are most juste and lawfull Doo not caste me out from thy face and thy holy spirite doo not take from me 2. Turne away thy face from my sinnes in regarde of my time paste Create a cleane harte in mee now in this time present And for the time to come doo not cast me out from thy face Saynt Augustin thus expoundeth the firste wordes Turne away thy face not from mee but from my sinnes for where he fastens his eye he fastens his hande if vpon good to rewarde it if vpon bad to punish it And to turne aside his angry face thou must â—et a sorowfull face vpon thine owne sinnes so neither shall thy person be caste out from his face nor his face set against thy sinnes O let thy face of mercy be shewed vpon vs and we shall be safe but turne away thy face of iustice or we shal be confounded Thy Cherub had two faces which Ezechiel saw a face of a man and a face of a lyon O blessed Sauiour cast me not out from thy face of pity with which thou diddest first appeare when thou becamest man but turne away from my sinnes the face of a lyon in seuerity with which thou wilte come agayne to iudge the worlde Then wilte thou appeare against sinne according to that reuelation hauing eyes as a flame of fyre thy face more glistring then the sunne and a sharpe twoo edged sworde proceding out of thy mouthe But now for fauour we entreat with thy spouse shew vs thy face and let thy voyce be in our eares for thy voyce is sweet and thy face is exceding beautifull And so in the former verse we desired to heare joye gladnes and in this to beholde fauour kindnes 3. The Romanes sent to the Carthaginians a Mace and a Speare to make election of peace or of warre we haue now our choyce of a milde countenance or of a seuere browe now o lord thy face is mercifull o caste me not from it There will come a time when it shall be seuere o turne it away from my sinnes And blotte out all my iniquityes Let none of them remayne written vpon my soule to giue me shame or helpe the diuels clayme as slaues and cattell are marked to be chalenged Plato said that the soule of an infaÌ„te is tabula abrasa like white paper or a cleane leafe of a table booke wheron nothing is paynted or written But in processe of time as we giue our selues to vice or vertue so we suffer our soules to be written full of faultes or of merites And eyther we suffer the Diuell theron to paynte hell with his fowle feendes and tormentes or our good Angell to decipher heauen with the glory of the sunne the moone and beautifull starres 4. O my soule how long haue we bene vnder the Diuells blacke pensell who as with a fowle coale hath for euery sinne drawne some ill fauored marke or picture vpon thee he hath written all full of faultes o how he hath interlyned all and euen the margentes are filled full I confesse it was much easyer at the firste to haue admitted my good Angells fayre writing and heauenly pictures as children and yong people are most capable of religion and vertue But yet better late then neuer thy mercy is omnipotent o let it blotte out all myne iniquityes all the Diuells blurres all his hellish pictures and vgly handwâ—itinges I desire to beginne a fayre copy o gracious Lord turne away thy face from my olde faultes and I will turne ouer a new leafe to begin a new lesson 5. Thus shall the Diuells paynting all be blotted out for as S. Ihon saith To this end appeared the sonne of God to dissolue the workes
begin to consider thy creatures and so from them I will rayse vp my thoughtes vnto their Creator For haec spectari voluit non tantùm aspici he woulde that these creatures should be veiwed seriouslie not alone slightlie gazed on by the interior consideration euer to learne some what of God at least for his prayse otherwise he that studyes vpon the nature of the heauens starres ayre water sea earthe flowers herbes fishes beastes other creatures pondering no more but their nature and alltogether omitting to collecte somewhat touching their Author he is like a man who hath skill meanes matter wherwith to builde a pallace and yet spendes all his time among children boyes only to make little houses of claye durte or cockle shells 3. Adam is said to haue bene placed in Paradise to kepe to cultiuate that garden but we knowe that before his fall the earthe had no neede much lesse Paradise to be tilled by labour of the body wherfore his cheife dressing keeping of Paradise was by labour of the minde in contemplation loue prayse of God Beholde O my soule where thou maist haue both an office a place in paradise wouldest thou liue in paradise wouldest thou here beginne to be happy If heauen be on earthe it is in a deuout religions mans cell If the life of Angells be among men it is in the quyre or among them who prayse God like Angells To burne to boyle in the loue of God is a most pleasant refreshing to a thirsty soule O my soule be thou thus thirsty this heate will coole thee this thirste will refresh thee this ferueÌ„t loue will make thy prayses fruitfull these prayses as they delighte drawe vnto vs the Angells Sayntes so they vexe and driue away the diuells all bad spirites for this is the musique of Dauids harpe which droue away the euill spirite from Saul and these are like the desires meditations of our blessed lady when the Angell came to salute her 4. Thus Plato called the body a musicall instrument and the soule a musician who according as he handleth vseth his body so it affoardes him bad or good melody learne theÌ„ o my soule to keepe thy body in tune release stretche touch his stringes with order for harmony that is with charitable discretioÌ„ towardes our selues other men for heauenly respecte to the greater glory of God so let vs labour or rest feede or faste talke or praye doo euery thinge else in domino as in the sighte for the seruice to the prayse of allmighty God Thus the ancyent Christians as Pliny wrote to Trajan were a people which liued innocently and exercised themselues in the sileÌ„ce of nighte to sing hymnes vnto Christ before the dawning of the daye Thus S. Paul and Silas being in prison they worshipped praysed God thus o my soule let vs often accorde with the holy Angells in a deuout Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus holy holy holy father sonne holy ghoste or with our Sauiour himselfe who in his humanity as he is man singeth Sanctus and the Blessed Virgin his mother with all the triumphante quyre of heauen singeth Sanctus Sanctus must be our songe with the preist at the Altar and with all the Churche militant here on earthe Thus allso let vs often ioyne with the whole courte of heauen in Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia with harte and voyce Alleluia with instrument and lippes Alleluia with mouthe tongue Alleluia reioycing Alleliua singing Alleliua or meditating Alleluia Thus all honor glory prayse power to God to the Lambe Alleluia Thus I beseech the o lorde that thou wilte opeÌ„ my lippes theÌ„ my mouthe shall thus declare thy prayse MEDITATION X. Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium dedissem vtique holocaustis non delectaberis Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus cor contritum humiliatum Deus non despicies Because if thou wouldest haue had sacrifice I woulde haue giuen it accordingly with whole burnte offeringes thou wilte not be delighted An afflicted spirite is a sacrifice to God a contrite and humbled harte O God thou wilte not despise THE DIVERSITY OF SACRIFICES and some differences betwene the lawe and the Gospell Sect. 1. 1. OF sacrifices we read of three kindes 1. victimae animalium the bodyes of liuing creatures 2. oblationes aridorum the substances of fruites 3. Libamina humidorum the moysture of liquors The first were called victimes eyther because they were for victoryes or because they were tyed or bound to the Altar as vincta the second were oblations giuen to be offred The thirde were Libamina liquors to be powred out or to drinkâ— of The firste were killed the second were pownded or bruysed the third were powred out and all of them must be one way or other somewhat altered from their former existence Wherfore if we will beginne a sacrifice of our selues we must purpose a change of our qualityes our waterish pleasing thouhtes must be powred out in teares of repentance our drye vnprofitable speeches bruysed into well relished wordes and we must kill the concupiscence of all our bodily workes Or it will be good to mortifye the desires of our will as a victime tyed or bound to the Altar To pownde or bruyse the drye meditations of our memory for an oblation to be consecrated vnto God To powre out the flowing vnsethed cogitations of our vnderstaÌ„ding referring all to the wisdome and prouidence of our heauenly Father So shall he haue humbled thoughtes a memorie contrite an afflicted spirite which kinde of sacrifices O God thou wilte neuer despise especiallie when like the olde sacrifices they haue fyre salte that is some heate of feruent deuotion and well seasoned and â—alted with some discretion 2. These sacrifices shall euer be accepted But it may be our Dauid prophecyed thâ—t there woulde come a time of grace when thou wouldest not be delighted with any sacrifice of the lawe The legall sacrifices were but as the scaffoldes of the building when the building is finished the scaffoldes must be remooued and yet our Sauior came not to dissolue but to fullfill the lawe To fullfill the inwarde substance and truthe of the lawe which is eternall and to dissolue the outwarde figure shadowes which were temporall And so another psalme saith in the person of our Sauiour Sacrifice and oblations thou wilte none but thou hast perfected a body for me c. then I sayd beholde I come But when the kinge himselfe comes his Viceroy must giue place 3. Allso the sacrifices of the lawe did rather signifye then iustifye but ours doo as well iustifye as signifye The lawe of Moyses receiued obedience more for feare then for loue the lawe of Christe more for loue then for feare And so that lawe did rather restreyne the hande then the minde rather the outwarde deede then the inwarde intente But our lawe
a person whose life doth much importe the publique good of the common wealthe or of diuerse others beside himselfe But in no case may we aduenture the death of our soule rather saith our Sauiour if it coste vs our hande or our foote or the very eyes of our head we must sooner pull them out or cutte them of then loose our soule to saue them all or to gayne all the worlde So let vs say and performe it with Dauid If a million of sacrifices or millions of millions were requisite O God if they were in our power we would yeild them all most willingly not alone for some recompence of our sinnes but allso to testifye our willing loue and our bounden obedience vnto so gracious a lorde vnto whom we doo owe our selues our soules our bodyes and that we haue or can haue so that if occasion be we may say with S. Peter and the Apostles Ecce nos reliquimus omnia Beholde we haue forsaken all to yeild our selues vnto thy good pleasure for allbeit we haue no kingdomes no lordships no landes nor other great riches or dignityes to forsake no more then had those poore Fishermen yet as they did if we willingly parte from all we haue in present possession or in future possibility and no lesse from the loue affection desire of this worlde then from the honors wealthe and pleasures themselues in this case we may wel say reliquimus omnia we haue lefte all thoughe we enjoyed neuer so little for herein to subdue our will and to yeild our Desire is as much as to giue him all the worlde if it were ours to giue and he that so resignes his Desire and his will vnto all doubtles he resignes All and so much more then All. 5. Thus therfore let vs offer him All with Dauid that whensoeuer it shall please him to take all we haue or any parte we doo gladly giue him All euery parte and in this kinde althoughe we doo not in facte render vnto God a thousand sacrifices not whole barnte offeringes because we vnderstand that he doth not absolutely exacte them yet should we alwayes be such poore men in spirite that in our hartes we be prepared to yeild him all we haue whensoeuer we perceiue that he doth necessarily require them And so let vs say Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium dedissem vtique Holocaustis non delectaberis O lorde I giue thee no whole burnt offeringes because I doo suppose thou doost not require them But if it were thy will to exacte a million of sacrifices Dedissem vtique verily I am ready to obey thy will and if it were in my power I woulde willingly giue thee all the worlde WE HAVE NEEDE TO BE PENITENT and how acceptable vnto our Sauiour is any soule contrite for sinne Sect. 4. 1. ALL this is moste due vnto our lord who neuertheles is so gracious that An afflicted spirite is a sacrifice vnto God A contrite harâ—e humbled O God thou wilte not despise For my sinnes I will afflicte my minde my spirite with dolor and sorowe and I will humble my harte my senses my body with mortifications labor These sacrifices O God I knowe thou wilte neuer refuse For thou hast said that it is alwayes an heathfull sacrifice To attend vnto thy commandements and to departe from iniquity And that thou wilte soonest regarde the poore contrite in spirite such as feare thy wordes 2. And these sacrifices are most acceptable because in euery outward sacrifice there being 3. things 1. deuotion 2. oblation 3. signification somtime the last is impertinent or expired the second somtime is not necessary nor required but the firste is euer requisite gratefull profitable of which kinde are an afflicted spirite a contrite harte The spirite vnderstanding is afflicted by knowledge consideration of our sinnes of their enormityes our will our harte is humbled greiued by acknowledgement of our base guiltynes and with a detestation of our lothsome faultes 3. O my soule if we consider the seuere iustice of allmighty God who for sinne threwe downe Lucifer and those arrogant Angells out of heauen expelled disobedieÌ„t Adam his posterity out of Paradise drowned all the worlde except eight persons and except his seruante Lot some with him burned all the fiue cityes of Sodome so often punished Pharaoh all the Egiptians with such strange terrible plagues caused the earthe to open to swallowe Corah Dathan Abiram quicke into hell euer since in all ages places hath sundry times manifested his dreadfull iudgements against careles sinners O how oughte we to feare to afflicte our spirite that we afflicting our selues he may spare vs that beginning by peircing feare as by a sharpe needle to drawe into vs the thred of loue we may come to be sowed vnited vnto him in attonement reconciliation Thus O lorde we praye with Dauid in another psalme Confige timore tuo carnes meas O wound peirce my flesh with thy feare it will be like the â—urgeons wounde which letteth out corrupted bloud or putrefyed matter There shalle dolores parturientis the sorowes of a woman in child-birthe that as our sinnes were conceiued in voluptuous pleasure so we cannot be deliuered of them without afflicting payne 4. Nay we are happy that sinne by nature bringing vs sorowe we may if we will so vse this sorowe that it shall extinguish sinne as the wood breedes a worme the yron a rust the garment a mothe which consume the substances wherof they were engendred Nay much more happy that so easy so small a meanes as an humbled a contrite harte may change the iustice of God into mercy According to that vision shewed to a holy woman wherin she sawe our Sauiour as it were sitting on a throne with great maiesty attended on by all the Angells Sayntes holy hoste of heauen yet very often to ryse of from his seate to go to euery pitifull voyce which called vpon him she asked what voyces those were and why he himselfe so often mooued from his throne did not rather send vnto them some one or more of his heauenly attendantes which mighte well seeme more then sufficient He answered that those voyces were the sorowfull sighes of any sinners contrite harte who if they could not so much as name Iesus yet if they did in true humility sighe and with an afflicted spirite syncerily greiue for their sinnes he did so much loue rather to shew mercy then to obserue maiesty and did so much delighte in the contrite conuersion of any sinner that he did most willingly rise vp himselfe and withall in ioye to mooue the whole courte of heauen to giue comforte wellcome to euery such soule 5. Wherfore let vs be of good comforte o penitent soules for thoughe we be destitute of all worldly wealthe hauing nothing to giue
perseuerance and glorification what can we render for so great goodnes Let vs agayne agayne euery day receiue this cuppe of saluation call vpon the name of our Lorde First after some conuenient preparation for so great a sacrifice let vs beginne with Confiteor and kyrie eleyson c. to acknowledge our fall in Adam and to accuse our owne sinnes 2. to laude prayse our Sauiors Goodnes redemption with Gloria in excelsis or Sanctus Sanctus c. 3. To professe our constant Catholique faith by the Gospell Creede 4. At the Consecration eleuation by adoring remembring our Sauior his passion to offer sacrifice homage 5. in the Collectes mementos to make our petitions prayers for our selues others according to our necessityes deuoute desires 6. with the Pâ—ter noster to beginne with the Pax Agnus Dei to prodeed and with Domine non sum dignus to accomplish the communion 7. lastly with the laste Collectes and Ite Missa est to giue all thankes in gratitude and to receiue the preistes Blessing with hope that what we haue offred prayed at the Altar shal be admitted granted in heauen throughe the mercy merites mediation passion of our swete Sauior Iesus who is our cheife preist our best Aduocate and our dearest sacrifice abundantly to procure vnto vs by his goodnes whatsoeuer he shall see to be necessary for vs in his wisedome 4. Thus O my soule let vs euery day consider reioyce beleeue obey worship wonder praye or giue thankes during all the time of the Masse Let vs consider the holy action we are about and our owne wretched vnworthy estate Let vs reioyes with the Angells all the hoste of heauen for our gracious deliuerance Let vs Beleeue what our lorde teacheth by his Churche and euer obey whatsoeuer he coÌ„mandeth Let vs worship him as Really Royally preseÌ„t and wonder at his infinite wisedome power goodnes who hath vouchsafed to leaue vs such a sacrament Let vs praye for his mercyes and supplyes to all our wantes and giue him most harty thankes for his admirable loue all his benefites O my harte canst thou holde in my body wheÌ„ thy Sauiour comes downe froÌ„ heauen vnto the Altar shouldest thou be wandring or dull whiles such a sacrifice is in the preistes handes or before thine eyes O sacrifice of iustice which as S. Augustin said significando causat gratiam O gracious Sauiour let it signifye and imprinte in our hartes the memory fruite of thy death passion therby in patience to order our life to prepare vs for death with ioyfullnes 5. Then wilte thou accepte oblations of secular people according to their deuotion and the whole burnte offringes of religious persons who renounce themselues and all they haue into thy peculiar obedience Then shall both these sortes be willing ready to lay calues vpon thine Altar that is saith Innocentius to suffer martyrdome for the Catholique faithe for which in this worlde we may be tormented sacrificed as vpon thy crosse or vpon thine Altar of payne or disgrace but Then in the next worlde we shall assuredly remayne with those martyred soules which S. Ihon saw in his reuelation to rest vnder thine Altar of quiet glory O gracious Sauiour I am of my selfe most vnworthy in any of these sortes to serue at thine Altar O sweete Iesu thou haste begonne among lay people to make me a little worthy If it be thy blessed will I humbly doo beseeche thee among religious persons or martyrs to make me more blessed O giue me this strenghte confirme me in this will Then if I willingly forsake the earthe for thee I shall in heauen â—â—ore speedily more certeinly for euer raigne with thee where with all Angells â—yntes o Lord let vs all offer the sacrifice of iust prayse yeilding the celestiall oblations of our bodyes incorruptible and the glorious immortality of our soules transported into an holocauste of heauenly zeale louing praysing and reioycing with all our harte with all our minde with all our soule that is in all our vnderstanding without any error in all our memory without any forgetfullnes and in all our will without any contrariety Thus euer let vs offer eternall sacrifice and alwayes enioye thy happy presence O blessed Sauiour this we beseech thee for thine owne precious merites and by the prayers of thy most deare Mother and all Saynts Amen Omnia Sanctae Romanae Catholicae Apostolicae Ecclesiae submissa sunto FINIS A TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS AND SECTIONS CONTEYNED IN THIS BOOKE MEDITATION I. Psalmus Dauid cùm venit ad eum Nathan Propheta quando intrauit ad Bersabee OF the occasion and number of this Psalme by Dauids example to beware of Lust. Sect. 1. OF witty plaine reprehensions and of the Authors lamentation of his former life Sect. 2. MEDITATION II. Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam Ampliùs laua me ab iniquitate mea à peccato meo munda me A Short Diuision explication of all these words Sect. 1. The miserable effects of sinne are declared according to the Schoolmen And some short petitions for mercy are made against their misery Sect. 2. Other wretched effects of sinne are declared out of the Scriptures Doctors by which we are warned from them Sect. 3. Of the Name Nature of God Who he is what we are and how vnspeakably we are beholding vnto his great goodnes Sect. 4. Sundry excellent obseruations of S. Bernard applyed to this Meditation of our Lords great Mercies multitude of Miserations Sect. 5. What mercy is of the effects Also how synnes are blotted out by multitudes Sect. 6. Of the great care we must vse to purge all sinne that we our selues must do heerin some diligence not standing idle to leaue all vnto Christ. Sect. 7. We must dayly proceede in zeale against all sinne in particuler against the sensualities of the flesh Sect. 8. MEDITATION III. Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco peccatum meum contra me est semper Tibi soli peccaui malum coram to feci vt iustificeris in fermonibus tuis vincas cum iudicaris HOw we must marke abhorre beware sinne as a trecherous and dangerous enemy Sect. 1. That euery one must acknowledge his owne faultes laying his hand on his own harte rather accuse himself then censure any other Sect. 2. It is necessary to remember harmes of sinne therby learning to amend take-heede of sinne Sect. 3. Diuers interpretations of these wordes Tibi soli Vnto thee alone c. Sect. 4. When we comitte sinne before our Lord And that he seeth not as man seeth Sect. 5. Of Diuers wayes by which our Lord is iustifyed and may be said to ouercome when he is iudged Sect. 6. MEDITATION