Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	earth_n	good_a	lord_n	9,702	5	3.6330	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04377	The spiritual guide which disintangles the soul, and brings it by the inward way, to the getting of perfect contemplation, and the rich treasure of internal peace. / Written by Dr. Michael de Molinos, priest : with a short treatise concerning daily communion, by the same author. Translated from the Italian copy, printed at Venice, 1685.	Molinos, Miguel de, 1628-1696.; Molinos, Miguel de, 1628-1696. Brief treatise concerning daily communion.	1685 (1685)	Wing M2387A; ESTC R214007	123,380	287

tedious to it because they speak not of the Internal Sweetness that is in its Heart though it know it not The fourth that though it find it self destitute of ratiocination yet it hath a firm purpose of persevering in Prayer The fifth is that it will experience a sense with great confusion of it self abhorring guilt and entertaining a higher esteem of God. 28. The other Contemplation is perfect and infused Wherein as St. Teresa says God speaks to a man sequestrating his intellect questioning his thought and seizing as they say the word in his mouth so that if he would he cannot speak but with great pain He understands that without the noise of words the Divine Master is instructing him suspending all his powers and facult●e● because if at that time they should operate they would do more hurt than good These rejoyce but know not how they rejoyce the Soul is inflamed 〈◊〉 love and conceives not how it loves it knows that it enjoys what it loves and knows not the manner of that enjoyment well it knows that that is not enjoyment which the intellect longs for The Will embraces it without understanding how but being unable to understand any thing perceives it is not that good which can be merited by all the labours put together which are suffered upon earth for gaining of it It is a gift of the Lord of the Soul and of Heaven who in the end gives as he is and to whom he pleases as he pleases such is his Majesty in this that it does every thing and his operation is above our nature All this we have from the Holy Mother in her Way to Perfection chap. 25. From whence it follows that this Contemplation is infused and freely given by the Lord to whom he pleases Fourth Advertisement The Burden of this Book consisting in rooting out the Rebellion of our own Will that we may attain to Internal Peace 29. THe way of Inward Peace is in all things to be conform to the pleasure and disposition of the Divine Will. Hugo Cardinalis in Psal 13. In omnibus debemus subjicere voluntatem nostram voluntati divinae haec est enim pax voluntatis nostrae ut sit per omnia conformis voluntati divinae Such as would have all things succeed and come to pass according to their own fancy are not come to know this way Psalm 13. Viam pacis non cognoverunt and therefore lead a harsh and bitter life always restless and out of humour without treading in the way of Peace which consists in a total conformity to the will of God. 30. This conformity is the sweet yoak that introduces us into the regions of internal peace and serenity Hence we may know that the rebellion of our Will is the chief occasion of our disquiet and that because we will not submit to the sweet yoak of the Divine Will we suffer so many streights and perturbations O Soul if we submitted our own to the Divine Will and to all his Disposition what tranquillity should we feel what sweet peace what inward serenity what supreme felicity and earnest of bliss This then is to be the burden of this Book May it please God to give me his Divine Light for discovering the Secret Paths of this Inward Way and Chief Felicity of Perfect Peace THE Spiritual Guide Which leads the Soul to the fruition of Inward Peace The First Book Of the Darkness Dryness and Temptations wherewith God purges Souls and of Internal Recollection CHAP. I. To the end God may rest in the Soul the Heart is always to be kept peaceable in whatsoever Disquiet Temptation and Tribulation 1. THou art to know that thy Soul is the Center Habitation and Kingdom of God. That therefore to the end the Sovereign King may rest on that Throne of thy Soul thou oughtest to take pains to keep it clean quiet void and peaceable clean from guilt and defects quiet from fears void of affections desires and thoughts and peaceable in temptations and tribulations 2. Thou oughtest always then to keep thine Heart in peace that thou mayest keep pure that Temple of God and with a right and pure intention thou art to work pray obey and suffer without being in the least moved whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee Because it is certain that for the good of thy Soul and for thy spiritual profit he will suffer the envious enemy to trouble that City of Rest and Throne of Peace with temptations suggestions and tribulations and by the means of creatures with painful troubles and grievous persecutions 3. Be constant and chear up thine heart in whatsoever disquiet these tribulations may cause to thee Enter within it that thou may'st overcome it for therein is the Divine Fortress which defends protects and fights for thee If a man hath a safe Fortress he is not disquieted though his enemies pursue him because by retreating within it these are disappointed and overcome The strong Castle that will make thee triumph over all thine enemies visible and invisible and over all their snares and tribulations is within thine own Soul because in it resides the Divine Aid and Sovereign Succour Retreat within it and all will be quiet secure peaceable and calm 4. It ought to be thy chief and continual exercise to pacifie that Throne of thy Heart that the Supreme King may rest therein The way to pacifie it will be to enter into thy self by means of internal recollection all thy protection is to be Prayer and a loving recollection in the Divine Presence When thou seest thy self more sharply assaulted retreat into that region of Peace where thou 'lt find the Fortress When thou art more faint-hearted betake thy self to this refuge of Prayer the only Armour for overcoming the enemy and mitigating tribulation thou oughtest not to be at a distance from it in a storm to the end thou mayest as another Noah experience tranquillity security and serenity and to the end thy will may be resigned devote peaceful and courageous 5. Finally be not afflicted nor discouraged to see thy self faint-hearted he returns to quiet thee that still he may stir thee because this Divine Lord will be alone with thee to rest in thy Soul and form therein a rich Throne of Peace that within thine own heart by means of internal recollection and with his heavenly grace thou may'st look for silence in tumult solitude in company light in darkness forgetfulness in pressures vigour in despondency courage in fear resistance in temptation peace in war and quiet in tribulation CHAP. II. Though the Soul perceive it self deprived of Discourse or Ratiocination yet it ought to persevere in Prayer and not be afflicted because that is its greater Felicity 6. THoul't find thy self as all other Souls that are called by the Lord to the inward way full of Confusion and Doubts because in Prayer thou hast failed in Discourse It will seem to thee that God does no more assist thee

nakedness finds in its superiour part a profound peace and a sweet rest which brings it to such a perfect union of love that 't is joyful all over And such a Soul as this is already arrived to such a happiness that it neither wills nor desires any thing but what its Beloved wills it conforms it self to this Will in all emergencies as well of comfort as anguish and rejoyces also in every thing to do the Divine Good pleasure 207. There is nothing but what comforts it nor doth it want any thing but what it can well want To dye is enjoyment to it and to live is its joy It is as contented here upon Earth as it can be in Paradise it is as glad under privation as it can be in possession in sickness as it can be in health because it knows that this is the will of its Lord. This is its life this its glory its paradise its peace its repose its rest its consolation and highest happiness 208. If it were necessary to such a Soul as this which is gotten up by the steps of annihilation to the region of peace to make its choice it would chuse desolation before comfort contempt before honour because the loving Jesus made great esteem of reproach and pain if it first endured the hunger of the blessings of Heaven if it thirsted for God if it had the fear of losing him the lamentation of heart and the fighting of the devil now things are altered and hunger is turned into satisfying the thirst into satiety the fear into assurance the sadness into joy the weeping into merriment and the fierce fighting into the greatest peace O happy Soul that enjoys here on earth so great a felicity Thou must know that these kind of Souls though few they are be the strong Pillars which support the Church and such as abate the divine indignation 209. And now this Soul that is entered into the heaven of peace acknowledges it self full of God and his supernatural gifts because it lives grounded in a pure love receiving equal pleasure in light and darkness in night and day in affliction and consolation Through this holy and heavenly indifference it never loses its peace in adversity nor its tranquility in tribulations but sees it self full of unspeakable enjoyments 210. And although the Prince of Darkness makes all the assaults of Hell against it with horrible temptations yet it makes head against 'em and stands like a strong Pillar no more happening to it by 'em than happens to a high mountain and a deep valley in the time of storm and tempest 211. The valley is darkned with thick clouds fierce tempests of hail thunder lightning and hail-stones which looks like the picture of Hell at the same time the lofty mountain glitters by the bright beams of the sun in quietness and serenity continuing clear like heaven immovable and full of light 212. The same happens to this blessed soul the valley of the part below is suffering tribulations combats darkness desolations torments martyrdoms and suggestions and at the same time on the lofty mountain of the higher part of the soul the true sun casts its beams it enflames and enlightens it and so it becomes clear peaceable resplendent quiet serene being a meer ocean of joy 213. So great therefore is the quiet of this pure foul which is gotten up the mountain of tranquility so great is the peace of its spirit so great the serenity and chearfulness that is within that a remnant and glimmering of God do redound even to the outside of it 214. Because in the throne of quiet are manifest the perfections of spiritual beauty here the true light of the secret and divine mysteries of our holy faith here perfect humility even to the annihilation of it self the amplest resignation chastity poverty of spirit the sincerity and innocence of the Dove external modesty silence and internal solitude liberty and purity of heart here the forgetfulness of every created thing even of it self joyful simplicity heavenly indifference continual Prayer a total nakedness perfect disinterestedness a most wise contemplation a conversation of heaven and lastly the most perfect and serene peace within of which this happy soul may say what the wise man said of wisdom that all other graces came along in company with her Venerunt mihi omnia bona paritur cum illa Wisd 7.11 215. This is the rich and hidden treasure this the lost groat of the Gospel this is the blessed life the happy life the true life and the blessedness here below O thou lovely greatness that passest the knowledge of the sons of men O excellent supernatural life how admirable and unspeakable art thou for thou art the very draught of blessedness O how much dost thou raise a soul from earth which loses in its view all things of the vileness of earth thou art poor to look upon but inwardly thou art full of wealth thou seemest low but art exceeding high in a word thou art that which makest men live a life divine here below Give me O Lord thou greatest goodness give me a good portion of this heavenly happiness and true peace that the World sensual as it is is neither capable of understanding nor receiving Quem mundus non potest accipere CHAP. XXII A mournful Exclamation and lamentable Moan to God for the small Company of Souls that arrive at Perfection the Loving Union and the Divine Transformation 216. O Divine Majesty in whose presence the Pillars of Heaven do quake and tremble O thou Goodness more than infinite in whose love the Seraphins burn give me leave O Lord to lament our blindness and ingratitude We all live in mistakes seeking the foolish world and forsaking thee who art our God. We all forsake thee the Fountain of Living Waters for the stinking dirt of the world 217. O we children of men how long shall we follow after lying and vanity Who is it that hath thus deceived us that we should forsake God our greatest good Who is it that speaks the most truth to us Who is it that loves us most Who defends us most Who is it that doth more to shew himself a Friend who more tender to shew himself a Spouse and more good to be a Father that our blindness should be so great that we should all forsake this greatest and infinite goodness 218. O Divine Lord what a few Souls are there in the world which do serve thee with perfection how small is the number of those who are willing to suffer that they may follow Christ crucified that they may embrace the Cross that they may deny and contemn themselves O what a scarcity of Souls is there which are disinterested and totally naked how few are those Souls which are dead to themselves and alive to God which are totally resigned to his divine good pleasure how few those who are adorn'd with simple obedience profound knowledge of themselves and true humility How few those

him at least in a found intention Who therefore would be angry with a man of good intention 116. So much nay more doth false humility displease God as true pride does because that is hypocrisy besides 117. The truely humble man though every thing falls out contrary to him is neither disquieted nor afflicted at it because he is prepared and thinks he deserves no less he is not disquieted under troublesome thoughts wherewith the Devil seeks to torment him nor under temptations tribulations and desertions but rather acknowledges his unworthiness and is affected that the Lord chastises him by the Devil's means though he be a vile instrument all he suffers seems nothing to him and he never doth a thing that he thinks worth any great matter 118. He that is arrived at perfect and inward Humility although he be disturbed at nothing as one that abhors himself because he knows his imperfection in every thing his ingratitude and his misery yet he suffers a great cross in induring himself This is the sign to know true Humility of heart by But the happy Soul which is gotten to this holy hatred of it self lives overwhelmed drowned and swallowed up in the depth of its own Nothing out of which the Lord raises him by communicating Divine Wisdom to him and filling him with Light Peace Tranquility and Love. CHAP. XII Inward Solitude is that which chiefly brings a Man to the purchase of Internal Peace 119. KNow that although exteriour Solitude doth much assist for the obtaining internal Peace yet the Lord did not mean this when he spake by his Prophet Hos 2.14 I will bring her into solitude and speak privately to her But he meant the interiour Solitude which joyntly conduces to the obtaining the precious jewel of Peace Internal Internal Solitude consists in the forgeting all the Creatures in disengaging ones self from 'em in a perfect nakedness of all the affections desires thoughts and ones own will. This is the true Solitude where the Soul reposes with a sweet and inward serenity in the arms of its chiefest good 120. O what infinite room is there in a Soul that is arrived at this Divine Solitude O what inward what retired what secret what spacious what vast distances are there within a happy Soul that is once come to be truly solitary There the Lord converses and communicates himself inwardly with the Soul there he fills it with himself because it is empty cloaths it with light and with his love because it is naked lifts it up because 't is low and unites it with himself and transforms it because it is alone 121. O delightful Solitude and Cifer of eternal Blessings O Mirrour in which the eternal Father is always beheld There is great reason to call thee Solitude for thou art so much alone that there is scarce a Soul that looks after thee that loves and knows thee O Divine Lord how is it that Souls do not go from Earth to this Glory How come they to lose so great a good through the onely love and desire of created things Blessed Soul how happy wilt thou be if thou do'st but leave all for God! seek him onely breathe after none but him let him onely have thy sighs Desire nothing and then nothing can trouble thee and if thou do'st desire any good how spiritual soever it be let it be in such a manner that thou mayest not be disquieted if thou missest it 122. If with this liberty thou wilt give thy Soul to God taken off from the World free and alone thou wilt be the happiest creature upon Earth because the most High has his secret habitation in this holy Solitude in this Desart and Paradise is injoyed the conversation of God and it is onely in this internal Retirement that that marvellous powerful and divine Voice is heard 123. If thou would'st enter into this Heaven of Earth forget every care and every thought get out of thy self that the love of God may live in thy Soul. 124. Live as much as ever thou canst abstracted from the Creatures dedicate thy self wholly to thy Creatour and offer thy self in Sacrifice with peace and quietness of Spirit Know that the more the Soul disrobes it self the more way it makes into this interiour Solitude and becomes cloathed with God and the more lonesome and empty of it self the Soul gets to be the more the Divine Spirit fills it 125. There is not a more bessed life than a solitary one because in this happy life God gives himself all to the creature and the creature all to God by an intimate and sweet union of love O how few are there that come to relish this true Solitude 126. To make the Soul truely solitary it ought to forget all the creatures and even it self otherwise it will never be able to make any near approach to God. Many men leave and forsake all things but they do not leave their own liking their own will and themselves and therefore these truly solitary ones are so few wherefore if the Soul does not get off from its own appetite and desire from its own will from spiritual gifts and from repose even in the Spirit it self it never can arrive at this high felicity of internal Solitude 127. Go on blessed Soul go on without stop towards this blessedness of internal Solitude See how God calls thee to enter into thy inward center where he will renew thee change thee fill thee cloath thee and shew thee a new and heavenly Kingdom full of joy peace content and serenity CHAP. XIII In which is shewed what infused and passive Contemplation is and its wonderful Effects 128. YOu must know that when once the Soul is habituated to internal Recollection and acquired Contemplation that we have spoken of when once 't is mortified and desires wholly to be denied its appetites when once it efficaciously embraces internal and external Mortification and is willing to dye heartily to its passions and its own ways then God uses to take it alone by it self and raise it more than it knows to a compleate repose where he sweetly and inwardly infuses in it his light his love and his strength inkindling and inflaming it with a true disposition to all manner of Vertue 129. There the Divine Spouse suspending its powers puts it to sleep in a most sweet and pleasant rest There it sleeps and quietly receives and enjoys without knowing it what it injoys with a most lovely and charming calm There the Soul raised and lifted up to this passive State becomes united to its greatest Good without costing it any trouble or pains for this union There in that supream Region and sacred Temple of the Soul that greatest Good takes its complacency manifests it self and creates a relish from the creature in a way above sense and all humane understanding There also onely the pure Spirit who is God the purity of the Soul being uncapable of sensible things rules it and gets the mastership

of it communicating to it its illustrations and those sentiments which are necessary for the most pure and perfect Union 130. The Soul coming to it self again from these sweet and divine Embracings becomes rich in light and love and a mighty esteem of the divine Greatness and the knowledge of its own misery finding it self all changed divinely and disposed to embrace to suffer and to practice perfect Vertue 131. A simple pure infused and perfect Contemplation therefore is a known and inward manifestation which God gives of himself of his goodness of his peace of his sweetness whose object is God pure unspeakable abstracted from all particular thoughts within an inward silence but it is God delightful God that draws us God that sweetly raises us in a spiritual and most pure manner an admirable gift which the Divine Majesty bestows to whom he will as he will and when he will and for what time he will though the state of this life be rather a state of the cross of patience of humility and of suffering than of enjoying 132. Never wilt thou enjoy this Divine Nectar till thou art advanced in Vertue and inward Mortification till thou do'st heartily endeavour to fix in thy Soul a great peace silence forgetfulness and internal solitude How is it possible to hear the sweet inward and powerful Voice of God in the midst of the noise and tumults of the Creatures And how can the pure Spirit be heard in the midst of considerations and discourses of Artifice If the Soul will not continually dye in it self denying it self to all these materiallites and satisfactions the contemplation can be no more but a meer vanity a vain complacency and presumption CHAP. XIV Pursues the same Matter 133. GOD doth not always communicate himself with equal abundance in this sweetest and infused contemplation Sometimes he grants this Grace more than he doth at other times and sometimes he expects not that the Soul should be so dead and denied because this gift being his meer Grace he gives it when he pleases and as he pleases so that no general rule can be made of it nor any rate set to his Divine Greatness nay by means of this very contemplation he comes to deny it to annihilate and dye 134. Sometimes the Lord gives greater light to the understanding sometimes greater love to the will. There is no need here for the Soul to take any pains or trouble it must receive what God gives it and rest united as he will have it because His Majesty is Lord and in the very time that he lays it asleep he possesses and fills it and works in it powerfully and sweetly without any industry or knowledge of its own insomuch that before ever it is aware of this so great mercy it is gained convinced and changed already 135. The Soul which is in this happy state hath two things to avoid the activity of human spirit and interestedness Our humane spirit is unwilling to dye in it self but loveth to be doing and discoursing after its way being in love with its own actions A man had need to have a great fidelity and devesting himself of selfishness to get a perfect and passive capacity of the Divine Influences the continual habits of operating freely which it has are a hindrance to its annihilation 136. The second is interestedness in contemplation it self Thou must therefore procure in thy Soul a perfect devesting of all which is not God without seeking any other end or interest within or without but the Divine Will. 137. In a word the manner that thou must use on thy part to fit thy self for this pure passive and perfect Prayer is a total and absolute consignment of thy self into the hands of God with a perfect submission to his most holy will to be busied according to his pleasure and disposition receiving what he ordains thee with an even and perfect resignation 138. Thou must know that few be the Souls which arrive at this infused and passive Prayer because few of 'em are capable of these divine influences with a total nakedness and death of their own activity and powers those onely which feel it know it so that this perfect nakedness is acquired by the help of God's grace by a continual and inward mortification dying to it all its own inclinations and desires 139. At no time must thou look at the effects which are wrought in thy Soul but especially herein because it would be a hindrance to the divine operations which inrich it so to do all that thou hast to do is to pant after indifference resignation forgetfulness and without thy being sensible of it the greatest good will leave in thy Soul a fit disposition for the practice of vertue a true love of the cross of thy own contempt of thy annihilation and greater and stronger desires still of thy greater perfection and the most pure and affective union CHAP. XV. Of the two Means whereby the Soul ascends up to Infused Contemplation with the Explication of what and how many the steps of it are 140. THE means whereby the Soul ascends to the felicity of Contemplation and Affective Love are two the Pleasure and the Desires of it God uses at first to fill the Soul with sensible pleasures because 't is so frail and miserable that without this preventive Consolation it cannot take wing towards the fruition of heavenly things In this first step it is disposed by Contrition and is exercised in Repentance meditating upon the Redeemer's Passion rooting out diligently all worldly desires and vicious courses of life because the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the faint-heard the delicate never conquer it but those that use violence and force with themselves 141. The second is the Desires The more the things of Heaven are delighted in the more they are desired and from thence there do ensue upon spiritual pleasures desires of enjoying heavenly and divine blessings and contempt of worldly ones From these desires arises the inclination of following Christ our Lord who said I am the way St. John 14.6 the steps of his imitation by which a man must go up are Charity Humility Meekness Patience Poverty Self-Contempt the Cross Prayer and Mortification 142. The steps of Infused Contemplation are three The first is Satiety When the Soul is fill'd with God it conceives a hatred to all worldly things then 't is quiet and satisfied only with Divine Love. 143. The second is Intoxication And this step is an excess of Mind and an elevation of Soul arising from Divine Love and satiety of it 144. The third is Security This step turns out all fear the Soul is so drencht with love divine and resigned up in such a manner to the divine good pleasure that it would go willingly to Hell if it did but know it so to be the will of the Most High. In this step it feels such a certain Bond of the Divine Union that it seems to it an