person may easilie and profitablie apply the same to his Estate and Office CHAP. IX Of Vocall Prayer VOcall Prayer is two-fould The on Publique to wit the Canonicall houres and Psalmes The other Priuate as the Office of our Ladie the Bedes and the like The first is of Obligation The second is often made of deuotion and sometimes also of Obligation as wheÌ„ it is enioyned for Penannce by the Confessar or else by Statute or Vowe Both to the one and the other we are to bring due preparation attention obseruing three things 1. At the beginning or before hee beginne Vocall Prayer to retire himselfe a part or to enter into himselfe lifting vp his hart to Almightie God to offer vnto him this worke to his honour and glorie beseeching him to assist vs. c. And to this ende may saye Actiones nostras c. 2. In the progresse of this Prayer hee must doe two thinges The one to promouâ—â—e the wordes distinctly without making ouer-much haste Theother sometimes as at the Gloria Patri of the Psalmes and at the ende of euerie ten of the Beades to renew his attention that is to say to rectifie himselfe if he hath bene distracted and to goe forward with a new deuotion 3. Hauing finished to render thankes craue pardon for the faultes which one hath committed in praying An excellent forme of Vocall Prayer is this To recite our Lordes Prayer and the same is to bee vnderstood of all other prayer faire softly word by word pronouÌ„cing each word to pause or employ so much time as the naturall breath of a man can last in such sort or wise that the wordes do follow or march together with the seuerall breathings prouided that whilest on pronounceth the wordes outwardlie he must inwardlie conceaue the signification of the worde or the excelleÌ„cy of the persoâ—age to whoÌ„ on speaketh or our owne vilitie one may stay himselfe praying after this fashion as long as one wil reciting sundrie other Prayers or repeating the same This sorte of Prayer is verie good easie full of deuotion not subiect to distraction ought euerie day to be put in practise not in saying the Breuiarie or the Beades for it would take vp too much time and saying at the least a Pater and Aue and that especialie at the end of Meditation after wee haue made the Mentall Colloquie When one is in iourney and euerie time that one cannot conueniently Meditate then may one serue himselfe of this sorte of Prayer the which is very easie and may be made euen in going The Supplications of Holie Church which wee call the Litanies is a kinde of vocall Prayer very ancient and verie proper which comprehendeth the suffrages of Saints Obsecrations and all sorts of requests for our selues for our neighbours quick and dead and for all estates and therfore all Christians ought oftentimes recite them The Prayers also which we call Collects are verie good deuout and holie whereof one must serue himselfe especially when one will demande some particular grace or praye for some necessity which presenteth it selfe as for Peace for the Sicke for those that are in voyage and the like and are to be found at the end of the Missal and in the Office of our Ladie Likewise it is good in prayinge vnto some Saint to present vnto Almightie God and to recite the proper Prayer or Collect of the same Saint and if hee haue not a proper Collect to take the Common CHAP. X. Of the Beades AMongst all other Prayers as well Vocall as others the first and principall is the Pater noster and after this the Aue Marie For this cause besides sundrie others the Beades or Crowne of our Ladie is an excelleÌ„t forme of Praier as being composed of these two Prayers Now to recite deuoutlie and fruitfullie the Beades First one must obserue the three precepts before mentioned touching Vocall Prayer Besides this one must whilst one reciteth the Aue Maries haue his thoughts fixed vpon some good and wholsome thinge as vpon Death vpon Hell vpon Heauen his sinnes and principallie vpon the mysteries of our Redemption which are contayned in the life of our B. Lord and of our Ladie For this cause or reason B. Saint Dominike chose fifteene Mysteries of the Rosarie perswading the whole worlde to contemplate and consider them in saying the Beades Wee must theÌ„ haue them know theÌ„ by heart the which is very easie The Mysteries of the Rosarie Fiue are called Ioyfull 1. The AnnuÌ„ciation of the Angell 2. The Visitation of our Ladie 3. The Natiuitie of our Lord. 4. The Presentation in the Temple 5. How he was founde disputinge amongst the Doctors Fiue are called Dolefull 1. The Prayer in the Garden 2. The whippinge at the Pillar 3. The crowninge with Thornes 4. The carying of the Crosse 5. The Crucifying Fiue are called glorious 1. The Resurrection of our Lord. 2. His Ascension 3. The comming of the holy Ghost 4. The Assumpâ—ion of our Ladie 5. Her Coronation The practise fashion to say the Beades vpon these fifteene Misteries is double or two fould The one is vpon one Pater noster ten Aue Maries to consider one mysterie that is to saye whilst one saith one Pater noster and ten Aue Maries alwaies to haue our thought vpon that mysterie As at the Mysterie of the IncarnatioÌ„ to thinke vpon the Angell vpon our Ladie and vpon their discourse c. The other is vpon each mysterie to say onlie one Aue Marie that is to saye recite one Aue Marie considering the Annuntiation another considering the Visitation so consequeÌ„tly and to make the round of these fifteene so manie times as till all the Beades be finished One may also collect fiftie or sixtie mysteries and principall workes of the life of our Lorde from the Annuntiation vnto the Ascention and vpon each one to say an Aue Marie allwaies remembring to say a Pater noster at the beginning of euery ten A forme of Meditating in saying the Beades There are sundrie other manners of saying the Beades wee will content our selues here to set downe one other onely the which consisteth in consideringe our sinnes and the foure last thinges of Man and is this One must imagine that the Beades which one hath in his hande are coloured and that these colours represent vnto vs the matter which we desire to consider in recitinge the Beades To imagine the first teÌ„ graines which are on the Beades as if they were of diuers colours white black red green yellow tawny c. The second of a pale colour The third of a red colour The fourth of a blak colour And the fift of the colour of gould That is to say in saying the first ten which are of diuers coloure to reduce into memorie the multitude diuersitie of thy sinnes which thou hast committed in thy whole life crauinge pardon of Almightie God by the intercession of our
Prayer and Meditation to excite himselfe to deuotion and to finde matter whereon to Meditate CHAP. XIII Such Spirituall Bookes as are most profitable for all persons A Little booke intituled Gerson or Thomas a Kempis of the followinge of Christ The life of Christ by S. Bonauenture The workes of F. Lewes of Granade namely his Spirituall Doctrine or Abridgement His Memoriall of a Christian life His Meditations His Treatise of the loue of God and of his Benefits The contempt of the worlde The Liues of Saints The Meditations of Father Loart vpon the Misteries of the Rosary His Christian Exercise And his Meditations vpon the Passion Comfort in Tâ—ribulation by Sir Thomas Moore The Epistle of Comfort by Father Southwell And his Rules of good life The Paradise of the soule by Albertus Magnus The miracles of our Ladie of Loretto of Sichim of other places Father Fuluius Androtius of the frequenting the B. Sacrament And his Meditations vpon the Passion Father Brunoes MeditatioÌ„s And his Abridgement The Societie of the Rosarie The Introduction to a deuout life by Francis Sales bishop of Geneua Father Points Meditations Father Parsons Christian Directorie A briefe Collection concerning the Loue of God towardes man found amongst his workes who composed the Iesus Psalter Wholsome and Catholique Doctrine concerninge the 7. Sacraments by the Reuerend F. in God Thomas Bishop of Lincolne The booke intituled Six spirituall bookes full of marueilous pietie and deuotion The sacred Mysterie of the Flagellation of our Lord and Sauiour Others particularlie for Religious persons besides the aforesaid The Epistle of Iesus Christ to the faithfull soule A briefe Methode howe to serue God in a perfect maÌ„ner by F. Alphonso The Spiritual CoÌ„flict A Treatise of Mental Prayer by F. Molina Carthusian Monke The Mirror of Perfection by F. Lucas Pinelli And him vpon the life of our B. Ladie A Spiritual Exercise written by F. William Perin Prior and Friar Preacher of great S. Bartholomes in Smithfield With sundrie others all of them to be found in our English tongue which the Ghostlie Father shall iudge to be most conuenient and proper for euery person CHAP. XIV Of Meditation WE haue said at the beginning that two thinges are necessarie to make vs to Meditate to wit the Matter and the Manner whereof we must now treate in particular to the ende to ayde euery one both in the one and the other The matter of Meditation that is to say what things one must Meditate and consider Death Iudgement the paines of Hell and the glorie of Heauen The vanitye of the world and the miseries of this present life The sinnes wee haue committed in our whole life The life death Passion of our Lord and vpoÌ„ the holy Eucharist The Benefites of God The life of our Ladie and of the Saintes The vertues The booke of the Creatures The PerfectioÌ„s of God which we cal Atributes Al the holie Scripture especially the holy Gospel and the Psalmes Our Lordes Prayer as also the Creede of the Apostles is verye good and profitable to Meditate Al which is contained in the Christian Doctrine of Catechisme may likewise serue for matter of Meditation One must meditate often vpon the ende for which maÌ„ was created in this worlde for it is the foundation of our saluation perfection It is good to conforme ones selfe to Holy Church and to followe her traces as One solemne daies to consider the Misteries which theÌ„ are proposed vnto vs. One the Feastes of Saints to consider their life death vertues and most remarkable actes and the glorie which they haue acquired In Aduent to Meditate on the mysterie of the Incarnation or on the life of our Lord. In LeÌ„t one may take euery day the Gospel of the day for Meditation The matters most proper to Meditate vpoÌ„ the Sundaies are the resurrection of our Lord. Our Resurrection and beatitude figured by the Sunday The Benefits of God And the Gospel of the day And as there are foure Sundaies in the month one may Meditate euery SuÌ„day one of the four matters aforeâ—aid On the dayes of CoÌ„munion to Meditate vpon the holy Eucharist or vpon the Passion of our Lord. On Fridaie vpon the Passion of our Lord. And on Saterdaye somthing of our Ladie When one hath heard some Sermon or Exhortation the same daye or on the morrow to repeate the same and to make his Meditation thereupon Besides this the Religious person the Priest and euery one ought often to Meditate vpon his vocation vow rules estate and office Euerie one also ought often to Meditate vppon the vertue wherof he hath greatest necessitie and vpon the imperfection whereof he most desireth to amend him selfe And euen as the bodie doth addict it selfe most willinglieâ— and would oftenest eate of those meates which best doe like it so likewise the soule ought oftnest to chew Meditate those matters wherein shee findeth most taste and spirituall profite For it is true in thinges spirituall as incorporall as the Phisitians say Quod sapit nutrit That which relisheth nourisheth Finally as touching the matter of Meditation thou must obserue three other points The first that at the beginning of euerie Moneth and of euery week thou oughtest to be diligent to foresee and prepare the matter that thou entendest on the month or weeke ensuing The second that when one hath begun to Meditate some matter each daie if some iust occasion present it selfe to Meditate some other thinge as a Sermon Solemnitie c. For that day to interrupt it and to leaue the matter one hath in haÌ„d and on the morrowe to returne goe forward as before The third that allthough it be good from month to month and from weeke to weeke to take some matter to meditate one so manie daies as it shall last neuerthelesse one may also euerie daye meditate diuers matters And because that the most necessarie are these foure the last Endings of maÌ„ Death Iudgement Hel and Heauen the Passion of our Lord our sinnes and the Benefites of Almightie God one may oftimes and within one weeke Meditate them all according to the same order and in this sort Monday of Death Tuesday of IudgemeÌ„t Wensday of the paines of Hell Thursday of the glory of Heauen Fridaie of the Passion of our Lord. Saturdaie of our Sinnes Sundaie of the Benefites of Almighty God CHAP. XV. Diuers manners of Mediting diuers things Manners of Meditatinge the foure last ends of a Man ONe may euery day Meditate one of these foure thinges Death Iudgement the paines of Hell and the glorie of Heauen One may also vpoÌ„ each of these foure endes make suÌ„dry MeditatioÌ„s Vpon Death one may consider principally these points 1. That one must needes die 2. When where and how no man knoweth 3. That in Death one leaueth all behinde him Another manner 1. To consider the thinges which goe before Death as sicknes phisicke dolors and Extreame Vnction 2. The thinges that accompanie it as
are the grieuous paines of the bodie the losse of the senses the waxing cold the paines of the soule the temptations the visions c. 3. Those which follow it as Buriall particular Iudgement Another Manner 1. That death is very dreadfull 2. That one must feare it despise and desire it 3. That one must prepare himselfe to dy wel Vpon the latter iudgement these things principally are to be considered 1. The dreadful signes that shall goe before it 2. The Renouation of the world 3. The Resurrection of all the children of Adam at the sound of the Trumpet 4. The maiestie of the Iudge assisted with all his Court. 5. The rendring of account and the opening of the bookes of al mens consciences 6. The double sentence each one ought to know the wordes to consider them 7. The executions of them Diuers manners of Meditating vpon the Glorie of the blessed 1. One is to coÌ„sider 1. the place 2. the persons 3. the actions of the Blessed 2. Another to coÌ„sider 1. The goods of the soule 2. The goods of the bodie 3. The Exteriour 2. Another to consider three douaries and Perfections of the soule which are vision possession and euerlastinge Enioying 4. Another to consider the foure douaries and perfections of the Body Impassibilitie Claritie Agilitie Subtilitie 5. Another to consider the Ioy which euerie one of the fiue SeÌ„ses shall haue Another fashion is to consider the seauen points following in one or more Meditations 1. Point to consider the excellency of the Place to wit the Greatnesse the Beautie and the Riches of heauen 2. The Beatitude of the Bodie how it shall be endued with foure excellent qualities to wit that it shal be altogether Impassible most bright-shininge most Agile or nimble and as the Apostle speaketh spirituall that is to say which can passe quite through other bodies as through a stone walle without let or impediment 3. The Beatitude of the Soule as the great wisedome seeing Almightie God face to face and all thinges in him The most ardent loue of God and his neighbour The Ioye and Contentment almost infinite 4. The Companie of the Blessed to wit of all the Angels of all the Saints and of the glorious Mother of Almightie God 5. To confider the Actions and Exercises of the Blessed which are perpetuall Contemplation Ioye Loue Feasting Passetime Lauding of Almighty God Magdalene alone and no Martha no externall businesse or office of the world 6. No euill and all that is good considering the good things and the euills of this world to ascend to the consideration of those aboue 7. How long all the same shall endure for all eternitie without ende 8. Another fashion is to consider that on euery side they shall enioy most vnspeakable contentment 1. The Ioye that the Blessed shall haue in behoulding on high the most sacred mother of Almightie God our Lord and Redeemer and all the holie Trinitie 2. Rounde about him the aforesaid companie and the excellence of the place 3. In him selfe the beatitude both of soule and body 4. Beneath him the world Limbo Hell Another to consider that in that place there is no manner of euill and is all manner of good makinge two discourses one vpon the euills another vpon the good things Touching the paines of the damned there are as manye manners to Meditate them as the glorye of the Blessed there needs no more but to change the good things into euill CHAP. XVI Manners of Meditating whereby to attaine the knowledge of ones selfe 1. THe first is to coÌ„sider the time past present and to come as S. Bernard teacheth in sundrie places saying O man thincke first what thou hast bene second what thou art third what thou shalt be Or thus First from whence come I SecoÌ„d Where am I Third whether goe I Or thus what is the entrie of man into the world Second what his abode Third what his departure 2. To consider as the same Doctor saieth lib. 2. De consid 1. Thy selfe who and what thou art 2. The things that are vnderneath thee Limbo Purgatorie and Hel. 3. The thinges that are rounde about thee the world the Creatures the diuels 4. The things that are aboue thee the glory of Paradise 3. To consider foure other thinges according to the counsaile of the same Saint Bernard De inferiore capite 65. 1. What thou art by nature What thou hast bin by sinne 3. what thou maiest be by the grace of Almightie God 4. To consider the words of Moyses Deut. 32. O that men would consider the things that are Past the euill committed the time lost and Iesus Christ cruciâ—ied The Present the benefits of God the vanitie of the worlde the breuitie of this life and the difficultie to be saued And fore-see things to come Death particular generall Iudgement Hell and the glorie of heauen 5. To consider the four causes of man 1. The cause EfficieÌ„t who made him to wit God 2. The materiall cause the body made of earth 3. The formal cause the soule the image of God 4. The finall cause wherefore man was made to witt for eternall beatitude 6. To consider himselfe according to sundrie estates 1. In as much as man 2. In as much as a Christian 3. In as much as Religious a Priest or of any other estate or condition CHAP. XVII The manner how to Meditate sinnes THe first is to Meditate his proper sinnes to know them and to haue true sorrow and contrition for them deuiding them into certaine points and considerations as to Meditate 1. Their multitude 2. Their grieuousnesse 3. The damages they bringe with them For the multitude one may obserue some order as to consider the yeares of our life in such or such a place and in such companie c. Item the sinnes committed by thoughts by wordes by workes and by omission Item the sinnes I haue committed against God against my neighbour and against my selfe And note that in considering his sinnes he must not staye himselfe vpon the sinne of the flesh and of choler but verie little Note also that it is verie fit and profitable for a spirituall man to refresh in him selfe the memorie of his life past and sometimes to make one whole Meditation vpon the same and oftentimes to passe it ouer in praying and Meditating in a quarter or half an houre diuidinge it into as many partes as the places are wherein he hath dwelt in the same fashion that we shall by and by speak of the life of our Lord. The other fashion is to consider the Sinne in it selfe to conceaue a hatred and horror of the same meditatinge 1. How much sinne is displeasinge to God and wholie contrary vnto him 2. How much hurt it bringeth to the man who committeth it and sometimes to his neighbour also to soule to bodie to honour and to his goods or substance 3. How manie domages it bringeth to the whole world and how exceedinge
B. Ladie In saying the second ten which are of Pale colour to represēt vnto thy selfe the memory of Death In sayinge the third ten to thincke of the terrible day of Iudgement In saying the fourth tē of the paines of Hell And in the fifth of the glorie of Heauen And who so would saie in this sort the Beades of sixtie three Aue Maries let him adde to the sixt ten of the colour of Siluer representing to his thought the puritie of our B. Ladie Thus to say the Beades is Vocall Prayer to the which one may profirablie adioyne Mental Prayer and Meditation at the beginning ending of euery tē resting himselfe sometime to meditate some mistery and to pray Mentally CHAP. XI Of Iaculatorie Prayers SAint Augustine in his Epist. 121. ad Probum calleth Iauclatorie Prayers certaine briefe Prayers and Eleuations or dartinges of the spirit into Almightie God as for example in saying Deus in adiutorium meum intende All such Prayers may bee both Mentall and Vocal Mētall inuoking inwardly Almighty God vnto our succour and pondering in spirit the meaning and contents of the same sentence Incline to myne aide o God Vocall pronouncinge with the mouth the same wordes either in Latin or in the vulgar tongue These Iaculatorie Prayers are very profitable as well to entertainevs in continual deuotion and in the presence of Almighty God as to accomplish that which our Lord hath said Pray alwaies Wherfore we must not maruell when we heare say that S. Bartholomew praied a hundred times a day and a hundred times in the night Also S. Martha and S. Apollinus Abbot and sundrie other Saints who wholly gaue themselues to Prayer for this is most easie so farre off is it from being impossible by the meanes of these Iaculatory Mentall or Vocall prayers especially sith Prayer is nothing else then an eleuation of the minde vnto Almightie God which may be done an hūdred times an houre and our Lordes Prayer was expresly giuē vnto vs so briefe to the ende that euery Christian might present it to God a hundred times a day if so he will Euerie spirituall man then ought to take the paines to accustome him selfe to these Iaculatorie Prayers And to remember him selfe a good meanes it is euerie time that one heareth the clocke from the Morning vntill the Euening to make a Iaculatory Prayer both by heart and mouth being all alone Whereunto also would greatly serue that euerie one doe select some sentences most pleasinge vnto them taking them principallie out of the sacred Psalmes and to take each day one for practise And for as much as the Pater noster is truely our dailie bread it shall be very good to take for Iaculatorie Prayers the seuen Petitions contayned in the same euerie day one As one Sundaye to repeate manie times both by heart and mouth Santificetur nomen tuum One Munday Adueniat regnum tuum and so of others The Excellencie of our Lords Prayer And note I beseeche you the perfection and excellēcy of this diuine Prayer how the same fitteth all sorts of Prayers to wit Mentall Vocall Mixt Iaculatorie and Meditation 1. The Parer noster may serue for Mentall Prayer saying it in spirit and presenting to God all that which is contained in the same frō one ēd to the other 2. For Vocal Prayer recitinge the same with the mouth For mixt Prayer sayinge it first with the heart and after with the mouth 4. For Iaculatorie prayers as we haue lately said 5. Fiftlie for Meditation for one may meditate the same yea it is a most excellent matter of meditation as shal be feene hereafter Of all these manner of Prayers the one are more proper for some persons the other more proper for others yea one and the same person at one time shall be more apt to vse one manner of Prayer and at another time another accordinge to the disposition of the soule or the bodie As when any one is wearie or else is not well at ease and shall be indisposed to make long Meditations then may hee most helpe him selfe by Vocall or by Mixt Prayer In voyage a foote or a horse-backe vocall or Mixt prayers are most proper and most easie CHAP. XII Of Spirituall Reading LEt vs presuppose that which is true the readinge of holie bookes to be a thinge exceedinge profitable and a cōpanion of Prayer whence we see that all those who haue loued and doe loue Prayer haue embraced with like affection spirituall reading we will here therefore onelie shewe that which is to be obserued to reade with profite The first aduertisement is what bookes we ought to reade First of all the Holie Scripture for such as shall by their Spirituall Father be iudged fit to read it especially the holy Gospell the Epistles of S. Paule the Epistles of S. Iames and the first Epistle of S. Iohn Of the Ould Testamēt the bookes of Iob the three bookes of Salomon the Prouerbes Ecclesiasticus Ecclesiastes After the holy Scripture to reade other spirituall bookes but the best and most profitablest whereof we will make a roule or Catalogue 2. Each one ought to reade those bookes which are most to his gust and which he hath experimented to haue brought him most profite And therefore he ought to proue diuers and then to houlde him selfe to that which hee findeth fittest for him 3. Not to deceaue him selfe in the election of such bookes let him aske aduise of his ghostly Father 4. He must not be inconstant and nowe read one booke and nowe another but continue foorth one booke from one ende to the other True it is that sometimes one may change to take away distaste or that a man doth sometime finde himselfe more disposed to reade one booke then another and then to continue to reade the other which he had begunne 5. It is verye meete to cōforme his reading vnto his Meditation that is to say to reade the same matter that one doth Meditate as much as is possible The second how one must reade 1. He must haue a right intention and not to reade vpon curiositie or for desire of knowledge or for the elegancy of the stile but to stirre vp him selfe to deuotion and to profite in spirite 2. He must not read in poste-haste but softly and deuoutly chewing the wordes which one readeth 3. Meeting with any notable and profitable thinge not to passe farther but to stay himself and to ponder it adding moreouer some little prayer 4. The most worthy sentences and thinges most profitable to learne them by heart to be able to recount them and to serue him selfe of them The third touchinge the time whē one must reade 1. First when the soule hath appetite to reade and enclineth thereto 2. When a man findeth himselfe arride drie in deuotion 3. On holy daies more then on other dayes 4. Before or after Communion or celebration of the sacred Masse 5. Sometimes it is good to reade before
much preparation one findeth him selfe prepared and one presenâ—ly enâ—ereth into the wine celler of our B. Lord it sufficeth that we allwaies doe on our behalfe our endeuour diligence CHAP. XXX That which is to be done during Prayer DVring the houre or time of Prayer there are foure things to be performed to wit The Preparatorie Prayer the PreIudiums the Points and the Colloquies Order is good in euery thing the holye Scripture Deuteronomie 31. that the thinges of God are wel disposed Now to vnderstand those wordes and maner of speaking Preparatorie prayer is called a briefe praier which is made in the minde at the beginning of prayer and meditation offering vpp to God all our faculties and operations to his honour and glorie demanding his assistance to make our prayer of whom all our sufficiencie is 1. Cor. 3. And one may adde thereto the vocall Prayer Actiones nostras c. or some other Preludium is as a Preamble which aideth the soule vnderstanding to enter the more easily into Meditation And ordinarily one maketh two Preludiums after the Preparatorie Prayer Now to vnderstaÌ„d how one must make these PreaÌ„bles note that the matter of MeditatioÌ„ may be of two sortes Corporal as the Natiuitie of our Lorde or Spirituall as Sinne. The first Preludium wheÌ„ the matter is Corporall and visible is to imagine the persons euen as if we sawe them before our eyes As for example if we will meditate the Natiuitie of our Lord the first Preludium shal be to represent before our eyes the Stable the Manger the little Infant our Ladie and S. Ioseph And euen as the Painters represent them to vs in their Pictures the same are we to doe in our imagination prouided without too excessiue inforcement for they which haue not a good imagination should breake their heades in vaine and others make great proâ—ite thereof When the matter is Spirituall one must vse some other like represeÌ„tation as for example to imagine to see our soule enclosed within this bodie as within a prison or man banished into this vale of teares amongst the brute and sauage beastes or to see him self enuironed with diuels or to be amidst the Angels or to imagine to heare a voice from heauen or from the mouth of our Lord or other Prophet or Apostle speaking or pronouncinge the wordes which one will Meditate The second Preludium is to craue of Almightie God the grace which one desireth to drawe from such Meditation as sorrow for sinnes loue of God knowledge of him selfe c. conforme to the subiect of the Meditation Colloquie and Prayer taking the word praier properlie is al one that is to say to speake with God as hath before bene explicated considered After then that one hath contemplated considered one must next pray that is to say speake with almightie God thanking him crauing pardon of him or the like Briefly doing that which hath bene said in its place Now we will adioyne three things to wit how one must make these Colloquies how many and when 1. As touching the first besides that which hath bene said in his place touching the maner howe to Thanke Aske Offer in which three doe ordinarilie consist the Colloquie Note first that all this ought to be done mentallie and in spirit albeit after the same one may adioyne some Vocall prayer such as one will and according to the subiect of the Meditation and ordinarilie at the ende of the prayer one oâ—ght to recite that diuine prayer by the which one craueth of almightie God all that which may be demaÌ„ded and desired to wit our Lordes Prayer But it must be said softlie or leasurelie worde by worde 2. To make this Colloquie well one thinge there is which doeth greatly ayde which is to speake vnto Almightie God one while as a little infant speaketh to his father another while as the seruant speaketh to his maister the vassall to his king Now as the spouse speaketh to hir betrothed and sometimes as a poore begger to the rich as a guiltie person to his Iudge as one sicke to his Phisitian and imagining him self like to the Prodigall childe lame leprous a traitour rebell c. 3. It is also good to make some mentall dialogue which is to introduce our Lord or God the Father so speaking to the soule and saying vnto him such or such like thinges and the soule answering him Or contrariwise the soule speakinge and God answering her As touchinge the secoÌ„d one may make one Colloquie onely as to God the Father or to our Lord Iesus and one may likewise make sundrie if one will Take an example of three Colloquies First to addresse vs to the blessed Virgin beseeching her to obtaine for vs the thing which we desire or which is necessarie for vs and hauing prayed Mentally to make another Colloquie with our Lord as he is man and our Mediatour beseeching him mentally to obtaine for vs the same grace and immediatly to recite some praier which is directed to him as Anima Christi or some other The third Colloquie with God the Father that it would please his Maiestie by the Merits and intercession of the Mother and the Sonne to graunt vs that which we demaund and at the ende to recite the Pater noster As touching the third albeit the proper place and time of the Colloquies be at the ende of an howre and neuer to omit to departe from Prayer without making some kind of Colloquy neuertheles one may also make them in the middest and at euerie point and consideration when the soule doeth finde her selfe mooued and stirred vp to say or speake somethinge Or the better to continue attention and countergard himselfe from distractions by the meanes of these little Colloquies I say little because if the Colloquie at the beginninge or midst of the meditation should be long it would hinder the Meditation notwithstaÌ„ding that which comes from the Holie Ghost cannot be but good whence we see that there are certaine persons who spend the time of Prayer and meditation by manner of Colloquie CHAP. XXXI That which is to be considered vpon the points of Meditation HAuinge shewed howe manie thinges there are to be done in the time and houre of prayer or meditation next we will note that which is to be considered vpon each point wherin many doe finde them selues troubled not knowinge what to thinke or meditate To helpe therefore all the world and to giue vnto all sufficient matter and meanes to entertaine them selues in meditation and to profite therin we will set before them sundry Meditations which one may make vpon all thinges whatsoeuer they be Note then that the matter which one meditateth is either Corporall or Spirituall If the subiect be Corporall as are all the misteries of our Lord one must vpon each point consider these circumstances to wit 1. The persons who are found in this misterie as our Lord our Ladie the Angell Gabriell the Apostles