wants and thy weaknesse saying in thy mind Thou seest ô my sweet Saviour how I am possessed with this passion and pestred with this perverse affection Thou also well knowest ô my Lord my weaknesse to resist it and that â—â— is not possible for me by my owne diligence to be delivered Therefore this battail is thine I resigne this my quarrell against these enemies into thy powerfull hands and from thee alone I look for the victory 9. After thou hast thus silently And constantly hope for the divine helpe prayed turn thy selfe to the eternall Father and piously present his deare Sonne Jesus unto him for the same effect for which thou now receivedst him into thy soul And expect with constant hope his divine helpe which although thou presently perceivest not yet thou shalt infallibly and plentifully receive when it shall be most expedient for thee CHAP. XXX How to excite in us the affections of love by the sacred Communion IF thou desirest to stirre up in thy soule by meanes of this most holy Sacrament that fervent love of thy Lord God which destroyes and consumes all self-will and selfe love within thee Settle thy selfe in the evening which precedes thy communion to meditate upon thy Lords immense love and liberality towards Consider Gods love and liberality thee unworthy wretch the worke of his owne hands how not content to have formed thee of nothing to his image and likenesse and to have sent his onely Sonne from heaven to inhabit our earth and to serve thee for the space of three and thirty yeares in continuall labours and travails and lastly to undergoe his most bitter passion and ignominious death for thy redemption He would further bequeathe this his Son unto thee in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist for the perpetuall food and refreshing of thy soul 2. And that by the due consideration Especially shewed in the sacred Communion of this speciall benefit of sacred Communion thou maist become all fire and love thou shalt thus order thy devout exercise Consider in the first place Who it Weighing first who it is that comes thus unto thee is that conferres on thee this so large and liberall gift Surely it is thy Lord God himselfe the divine and increated wisedom and goodnesse whose worth and perfection infinitly exceeds the reach of all created capacity 3. Then looke upon the gift it self 2. What he gives thee which is the true and onely Sonne of God of equall height nature and substance with the heavenly Father and holy Ghost Now if a small gift proceeding from a King hath its high value in respect of the giver how highly is this gift to be valued by us which is God and given by God himselfe as a token of his true love and a perpetuall memoriall of his tender affection towards us 4. Again reflect upon the eternity 3. The eternity of his love of this love by which it was decreed by his most divine most hidden and most holy wisdome that he would thus give thee himselfe for thy food and refection and hence begin with joy and jubily of heart to sing and say within thy selfe O infinite goodnesse of my God! and is it even so that thou lovedst me in thy endlesse eternity didst thou ô my Lord and my God so much value me thy poor and unworthy creature that thou remembredst mee in thy blessed eternity and hadst an ardent affection and desire to give me thy self for the food of my soul 5. And finally looke into the purity 4. The purity of his love of this love which so great a Lord shewes unto so mean a worm How different is it from all earthly affection how free from the least mixture of profit and selfe-interest How farre is it above thy merits and how purely is it a worke of his onely mercy and bounty 6. Having thus seriously and sweetly with affection and admiration meditated of the divine goodnesse Thy heart may breake forth Hence break forth into admiration into these raptures Whence is it O my Lord that thou so lovest me an abject creature Why O King of glory wilt thou so nearly joyne me to thy selfe who am but a litle dust and ashes I well conceive thy designe O my deare Lord this thy excessive love towards me It is to win me reciprocally to thy love O the purity of divine love Thou lovest me ô my God and givest thy whole selfe unto me for no other end but that I may in gratitude give thee my love life and all entirely and this for no need thou hast of me but meerly for thy mercies sake and for my advancement and profit that by this sweete tye and happy union of love my earthly heart may be raised up to become one with thy divine heart ô my Lord and my God EXPLICATION HEre all ravisht with joy to see And ravishment to see thy self so highly prized thy selfe so highly prized and beloved of thy Lord God withdraw into the secretest part of thine owne heart and there acknowledging that all this powerfull love is to intice thy poore and inconsiderate selfe unto his divine Majesty make so And make an intire oblation of thy self to him absolute an oblation of thy selfe unto him that thy memory may scarcely thinke of any thing but thy God thy affection may abhor all content which comes any way without him and thy Vnderstanding may admit of no other object for its continuall entertainment than him who is the onely satiety and satisfaction of all thy inward faculties and outward senses And since there is no action amongst And this being the chief act of Religion all them which concern our Religion and loyalty to God which can compare with this of receiving him worthily in the most holy Sacrament either in appeasing Strive to perform it most perfectly his anger or uniting us to his love Force thy selfe to the utmost of thy power to prepare purifie and open thy heart unto him and to shut it against all things created 7. Then offer and dedicate thy self humbly and wholly with heart and Text. affection to the divine pleasure Dedicating thy self wholly â—o him and retaine an ever ready and inflamed desire to please God and follow his blessed will And when this holy desire and affection shall be throughly enkindled in thy soul thou wilt see me to move thy Lord God also to be so much enamoured with thee that he desires thou shouldest freely open thy heart to him that he may the next morning enter And freely open thy heart to him in unto thee feast with thee and take his full delight in thee Then doe thou also declare thy mutuall desire to receive him with these kind of Jaculatory prayers O heavenly and divine manna when will that wished houre come that I shall to thine owne content receive thee into my soul Ah when shall I be surely united unto thee by
the errour and idlenesse of them who out of sloathfulnesse think upon nothing but to make a speedy end of what they have enterprised litle caring to doe it well but onely striving to dispatch it quickly that they may the sooner enjoy their over much-desired quiet and repose 2. And because there is no better Text. remedy to recall one fallen into this sluggish vice than thus to settle him to some good work though the sloathfull man loaths all such employments having more thought upon the labour which he must undergoe The fruit of good works must be discovered than the fruit which follows it Therefore this good must be discovered and made apparent unto him and he must be given to understand that one hearty elevation of the mind to God or one onely bending of the knee humbly to the earth for his honour is more worth than all worldly wealth and treasures EXPLICATION ANd that as often as we make a diligent hast to speed a good work by using a certaine force and violence to our selves so often the holy Angels bring crowns of glorious victory from heaven to adorne our soules and that God by litle and litle takes away from the tepid and negligent those graces which he had formerly given them encreasing them to his faithfull friends and followers And as for the paine which is to Text. be taken in the prosecution of vertuous practices it must be so dexterously And the pains disguised hid and disguised from him that it may seeme lesse and lighter than it is As If thou shouldest perchance employ thy selfe in the exercise of pious meditation for the space of one whole houre and that seemes too long to thy lazy disposition use a pious fraude and perswade thy sensuâ—lity that after half a quarters time well spent in prayer thou wilt presently leave of And againe when this short space is past get thy body to have patience a litle longer before thou ceasest thy devotions and thus continuâ—ng from space to space the whole howre will soone be overpassed and thy sloath easily shaken of 4. But if indeed thou findest a reall Unlesse there be a reall disability disability of body to beare such labours thou maist lawfully leave it off for a time till by degrees it becomes accustomed to performe these practices of piety with more fervour and alacrity EXPLICATION THis I tell thee as condescending to thy sloath and weaknesse But if thou wouldest habituate thy selfe to make all labour light and all paines pleasant the best though the But the best way to get a custome of induring is to expect crosses continually most difficult way is to get before it expect it cheerefully embrace it at the first incounter whence thou wilt find that all tediousness in the performance thereof wil be turned into perfect quiet content since what thou dost thou dost voluntarily and willingly whereas if on the contrary thou seekest to shun labour it will And not to seek how to shun them not onely seeme irksome when it comes to be performed but formidable before-hand to thy apprehension so that thy very quiâ—t will be subject to trouble and the feare of this surprisall will continually alarme thy fancy thou wilt abhor all pains-taking as a thing loathsome and still dread the occurrence of such occasions persons or objects as are like to impose it upon thee 6. Marvaile not that I so much presse this point and inveigh against Negligence is highly prejudiciall to perfection this vice of Negligence I doe it for that it is seldome perceived and yet highly prejudiciall because it persecutes and pursues us most secretly and subtilly it falls upon us not by force but flattery it gnaws the very root of all spirituality and insensibly gangrens the marrow of our piety and devotion And our enemy hath no better or more alluring bait to And the most alluring bait of our enemy entice any one into his treacherous ambushes especially them who aime at spirituality Be thou therefore vigilant ô my dearly beloved pray heartily performe good works diligently and delay not the spinning of the wooll for thy nuptiall robe untill the marriage day be come when thou shouldest be ready and arrayed to goe before thy deare Spouse Reflect that thy God who Therefore take timely care to prevent it gave thee the morning doth not promise thee an evening therefore improve each moment to thy profit and remember the strict account which will be exacted thereof I And account that day loâ—â— in which thou hast done no goodaction conclude and counsell thee to give that day for lost though thou hast dispatcht never so many affaires wherein thou hast gotten no victory over thy enemies nor thanked God for his benefits CHAP. XIII How to governe our Sensuality THy Sensuality ô dearly beloved is the ordinary gate whereby the Devill enters into thee Let it be therefore thy chief care so to keep and curb it that it may rather be a doore alwayes open to let in thy Lord God to thy Soule Therefore in all thy commerce with earthly creatures be sure to have thy heart Keep thy heart disingaged from earthly creatures free and disingaged from them and often elevating the eye of thy affection to thy God looke upon him hidden in that creature as in his own work and then reflâ—ct that thy same Lord and love is within thee also and thou maist begin to confer with him in this sort O my mercifull maker and eternall Lord God thou art ever present with mee Thou art more within me than I am in my selfe and I ungratefull and forgetfull wretch remember thee not love thee not honour thee not 2. At other times elevate thy And contemplate thy creatours greatnesse thoughts to the contemplation of Gods incomprehensible perfections and rejoyce in those his goods greatnesses and glories more than if they were all thine owne And be more glad that he is incomprehensible in his Majesty than if he were within the reach of thy understanding and capacity 3. And when thou remarkest any And reduce all â—reated â—erfection to him the fountaine main perfection either of Grace or Nâ—ture in any man or woman as wisdome understanding piety justice and the like lift up thy selfe to him who is the bountifull bestower and consider them not as they are in that creature but reducing them to thy Lord God say Behold these ô my God are rivulets flowing out of thee the true living eternall and increate fountaine these are the rewards of thy servants issuing out of the immense Ocean of thy ineffable bounty 4. But when the beauty of any And all earthly beauty to heavenly glory creature allures thee to any delight and complacency passe presently from earthly beauty to the thought of supernall glory and therein onely taking pleasure say O my God when will the happy day come that I shall take in thee onely
hearts into which we may securely and sweetly retire in the midst of all worldly varieties This is to walk with God as Enoch did and to be in continuall conversation with the Divinity A more sublime way to practise Gods presence is To look alwaies upon him without any discourse by a simple act of lively Faith not to question how or in what manner he is present nor to A hâ—gher way to practâ—se Gods presence fix our eys upon his inaccessible splendours because it is yet nighâ— for us we are but travellers and we must expect untill the bright day of eternity shine upon us and shew him unto us as he is in himself we must not think here to behold him but be content to beleeve him present with us and within us and that we live move and have our being in and by him In this manner of practising God's presence it is not needfull to form any conception or representation of God as that he is here by us or in any designed place or in such a form or figure for wee speak here of the presence of God as he is God which excludes all these imaginations And therefore it sufficeth to behold him only by Faith simply beleeving that he is here and in all places that he fils the whole universe and each corner and creature therein contained S. Augusâ— and that he is more inward to us than we are to our selves The 23. Maxim That Humiliation is a relique of Gods love WHen any occasion is offered us of humiliation abjection or mortification let us not examine how whence or from whom it comes but joyfully accept it embrace it and kiss it as a rich relique and royall token of God's great love and favour towards us Let us force our sensuality to swallow it down and disgest it for though it be bitter it will purge and perfect our spirits The 24. Maxim That Humility is the solid ground-work of all Spirituality WE are to grave this necessary lesson not only upon our Oratory and in all our books but upon the very dores of our hearts and in the depth of our souls Learn of me who am meek and humble-hearted Christ's lesson is humility Mat. 11. 29. and you shall find rest for your souls O sweet Saviour O meek and mercifull lamb of God! teach me this lesson which I stand in such need of Oh that I could perfectly practise it How purely and peaceably should I both live and dye Meek and humble spirits converse together like mourning turtles like innocent lambs and like corporall Angels turning the blessed family where they live into an earthly Paradise c. In the externall practice of this vertue wee are to observe chiefly these three degrees First to forbear forgoe deny Three points for the externall pactise of humility and submit our own judgements heartily humbly and really not only to our Superiours but also to all others casting our selves at their feet yea and under their feet to be troden on as dust and dirt And this as near as may bee for Gods sake Secondly not to care what others say or think of us which point which that other Of not medling with what concerns â—â— not will soon bring us unspeakablâ— peace and purity thinking alwaies with our selves What is that to thee follow thou thy Saviour Thirdly to get a habit of patience condescendence yielding and being silent in all occurrences and contradictions In the internall practice of humility we are also to observe these three degrees First to confess and acknowledge Three points for the internall practice our selves more wretched and wicked impure and imperfect ungratefull and unworthy of all grace and favour than any soul created Secondly to be glad that others treat us for such as we really take our selves to be and repute us forlorn and forsaken creatures unworthy of all company and comfort Thirdly to dye utterly to our selves and be totally mortified in our appetiteâ— and desires renouncing absolutely all propriety and self-seeking These short words contain infinit perfection And to move us powerfully to the prosecution of this vertue we may thus question our selves 1. Doe not all things humble Motives to humility themselves to serve me both in heaven and earth The Saints to pity me the Angels to protect me the Mother of God to remember me thâ— Son of God to redeem me and God himself to remain with me reign within me comfort me in my prayers feed me in Communion releeve me in tribulation 2. O strange Humility of my Saviour Not only to descend unto but into a wicked worm not only to eat with a sinner but to be eaten by a sinner O strange pride in me to see the Lord of heaven and earth so humbled in his Incarnation Passion Communion and yet to see a begger so proud a sinner so lofty minded and dust and ashes have such difficulty to stoop 3. Upon earth Doe not all things serve me for body or soul some to nourish me some to cloath me others to cure me others to correct me others to comfort and instruct me Even my betters superiors and confessors must humble themselves to me because my pride will not bend to them All creatures must be subject to me and I will not be subject to my Creator Alas what mean I when shall I begin O secure and sweet Humility when shall I practice thee 4. Doth not all the world all that I am and have my body my soul my actions my sufferings my sins furnish me with sufficient arguments of Humility What was I from eternity What am I what shall I be What have I that I have not received what have I received that I have not abused c. 5. Upon whom doth the Holy Esay 66. 2. Ghost promise to rest but on humble and quiet souls Stoop O dust and ashes O amiable Humility how necessary art thou for me how pleasing to God and men With what comfort and quiet dost thou enrich thy possessour O heaven upon earth What doe I not get by Humility what doe I lose by Pride and presumption c. The 25. Maxim That Silence and Solitude are our heaven upon earth THese are the proper instruments S. Tho. 2. 2. q. 188. a. 8. Lam. 3. 28 of Contemplation where our souls sit silently and solitarily lifted up above themselves by transcending all things created and uniting themselves to their Creatour Wee must observe them diligently Read Cisnerius ch 39. discreetly and devoutly not out of a sullen or melancholy humour or in a disdainfull and disgustfull manner or out of pride and singularity or to wave matter of mortification or to avoid the company of such as we brook not and have a version from but with an internall cheerfulness to converse with God in spirituall joy and fervour And the ordinary practice of them may be reduced to these four points First To retire our selves and 4. Points
and conversation enter into his secret cabinet eat at his table repose on his breast be his minion become all one with him O honour most admirable O holyness most amiable O happiness most Angelical O life O love The 27. Maxim That Confidence in Gods goodness is the main support of our Spiritual Edifice WE must be confident that our Loving Lord will First pardon our sins Secondly strengthen us in all necessities Thirdly bring us finally to eternall happiness And to strengthen this Confidence we must deeply ingrave these two Maxims 2. Maxims in our souls and then we shall easily be content to leave our selves in the arms of his paternall providence and lose our selves in the abyss of his piety First That what ever befalls us comes immediately Rusbrochius Read the Conflict c. 10. n. 3. 4 either from his will or his permission Secondly That he will turn all even our frailties and failings to our spirituall good We may further weigh what wonderfull cause Motives to put our Confidence in God First in heaven we have 1. Viscera misericordiae 2. Vulnera misericordiae of confidence and comfort we have First In heaven where we have 1. Bowels of mercy in God the Father we cry dayly to him as his Son taught us Our Father which art in heaven Will not a good father forgive the fault and forget the folly of his returning and â—epenting childe 2. Wounds of mercy in God the Son the least of which was sufficient to redeem a thousand worlds whereby we being reconcil'd and made his friends will he deny us any thing that is necessary Is not each drop of his dear blood a motive of loving confidence and able to melt us into a filiall dependency on him 3. Promises 3. Promissâ— misericordiae of mercy in God the Holy Ghost who hath assured us of his continued comforts till the worlds consummation 4. Words of mercy 4. Verba misericordiae when he said O why will you perish you of the house of Israel As I live I desire not the death of a sinner but that he turn to me and live What hard heart would not be touch'd with tenderness and say reciprocally As I live ô my Lord God I detest all sin and convert my self totally to thee that I may live with thee and love thee eternally O holy Conversion O happy contract 5. Brests of mercy in the 5. Vbera misericordiae Mother of Jesus O Jesu be to us a Jesus O Mother of Jesus be to us a Mother of mercies Let the care of thy honour be ever in our hearts and the care of our welfare always in thine 6. Castles of mercy in the Angels who are before and behind 6. Castra misericordiae us to watch over and protect us 7. Oracles of mercy the prayers and suffrages of all the Saints pitying 7. Oracula misericordiae our misery and purchasing pardon for us If we put all this together we shall find all heaven for us What matter then if hell be against us O thou of little faith whereof canst thou be doubtfull or fearfull c. Secondly On Earth in the Church Secondly On Earth militant what is not for us Sacraments Scriptures Examples Prayers If we go not to heaven where is the fault What could God do that he hath not done and what could we have more than we have for our consolation and salvation Who can choose but take courage comfort and confidence Thirdly Look upon Christ Jesus Thirdly In Christ 1. Why came he into this world 2. How did he carry himself in it towards sinners both in his life and death 3. Why was he called Jesus and tearmed a friend of Publicans and sinners 4. Why did he â—â—y That he came to call sinners and not the Just and to do mercy and not justice 5. What access and comfort gave he to all sinners 6. What was his last will and testament c 7. What his last words Father forgive c. Fourthly Ponder Gods Perfectious Fourthly Look on Gods perfections 1. He is our maker we the work of his hands Doth not each Artist love his own handy-work Hath not every one a naturall proneness to protect improve profit and perfect his own Even so our loving Lord takes care of us he hides and harbors us as the Hen her Chickens under her wings he defends us as the apple of his eye If a mother can forget the fruit of her womb yet will I never forget you say's our Lord because I have graven you in my hands and heart 2. He is All-mighty All-wisdom All-goodness Put these together I have a Father and Maker that loves me exceedingly he knows my necessities and what is best for me he is rich enough to provide for me Will he let me perish will he reject me Then reason thus further with your-self In whom shall I confide if not in God In my self or others We are all inconstant all ignorant of what is best all impotent and want means to help O how much better is it to trust in God than men Fiftly Reflect upon your own Fiftly our own experience Experience 1. Whom did God ever deceive in his promises 2. Who ever called heartily on him and was refused 3. Hath he not hitherto merveilously protected and preserved you and disposed all for your good Why then should you doubt or distrust his providence for the time to come No Lord Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee Heaven and earth may perish but no tittle of my hope in thee my Dear and only Saviour This shall be my Anchor and stay If he kill me I will trust in him I will rest Secure in his Divine providence and endeavour to get an habituall and stable trust in his paternall protection without any care or fear as doth a child in his fathers bâ—som This is the ready way to become unmoveable and immutable quiet and content Is he God Is he good Is he my God my Father my Jesus Jesus crucified Is his goodness infinit Doth he want power wisdom or Will to pardon protect and perfect me I must surely have little faith less hope and no love If I will not take thy words O Lord thy works thy wounds thy life and thy love for secure pledges of thy care towards me and sufficient motives to place my whole confidence in thee The 28. Maxim That the measure of our progress in Perfectionâ— is the Conformity of our Wiâ—â— with the divine will 1. FOr our perfection consists in love and the greatest signe of love is to have one and the same Will with the beloved So that look how much we have of our own Will so much less have we of Gods will and love and consequently are so much the further from the Union of our spirit with him 1. In this exercise of conformity consists all perfection O what holiness and happiness what privilege and
thou thinkest which God forbid thou shouldest that thou hast done sufficient penance for thy petty-offences then reflâ—ct with thy selfe that none can enter the heavenly Kingdome but they must passe through the narrow gate of selfe-deniall and of patience in tribulation for thus Gods holy Sonne himselfe and all his blessed Saints ascended to their glory 7. Fourthly Nay put case thou And if there were another way yet thy duty to God binds thee to chuse this couldst find out some other way to get to heaven yet thou art obliged by the law of love and duty not to doe nor desire it For the Sonne of God chose the way of thorns and crosses by which he would enter into his glory and this for thy love and that thou shouldst imitate him who left thee this exact pattern of perfect patience 8. Lastly know for certain that As being most gratefull and pleasing to his Majesty amongst all the pious motives and meditations which thou makest use of in these or the like events and necessities for the comfort and confirmation of thy Will this seems to be one of the most efficacious To think what a joy and content it is to thy Lord God how he likes and loves thee when he beholds thee fight so stoutly for his sake For nothing surely can be more gratefull to thy Creatour than that thou kill and cut up by the root all depraved desires and plant true vertues in their places and this meerely for that thou well knowest it to be his holy Will and pleasure CHAP. IX That we must not shun the occasions of these combats ANd now my dearly beloved 1. The way to get true vertue is not to avoid but to seek the occasions of combat I adde to all these meanes hitherto mentioned for the acquisition of vertues this as a short and certain memoriall That thou neither feare nor fly the offered occasions of fighting against thy passions For if thou art desirous to have the habit of any vertue as of Patience for example thy way is not to shut thy selfe up from conversing with men or to shun those things whether words actions or cogitations which move thee to Impatience No thou As for example to get Patience shun not the company must not shun them I say but seeke them out desire them and love their company and conversation who are the causes of this thy disquiet And as often as thou shalt have occasion of intercourse with them prepare thy selfe and make ready thy Will to receive joyfully and endure patiently all tribulations and troubles which they can any way bring upon thee And this is thy onely way to accustome thy selfe to Patience 2. In like manner If thou art Or the imployment which is tedious to thee weary of any work which growes tedious and troublesome unto thee either for that the person who commands it displeaseth thee or because it is of it selfe offensive or that thou art thereby hindred from some other employment which thou wouldst more willingly embrace yet omit it not upon any termes but rather set sooner upon that work than any other be it never so painfull or displeasing And although the leaving it undone seems to settle and quiet thy mind yet still see thou desist not from doing it For thus thou shalt become more and more instructed in the way to get perfect Patience Nor is that supposed quiet at all solid because it springs not from a heart sincerely purified from all disorderly passion 3. And I teach the same lesson And the same rule is to be applied to troublesome thoughts concerning such thoughts as sometimes trouble and contristate thy mind To wit that thy aime be not utterly to expell them but kindly to entertaine them and treat them as gratefull guests because the trouble of their company inures thee to the patient suffering of all contrarieties And whosoever shall otherwise instruct thee ô my bâ—loved commands thee to fly that very thing in affliction which thou seekest to obtaine by fighting that is the vertue which thou desirest to gaine by conquering thine enemies 4. But yet a young and unexperienced Yet a young Scholar must be wary in waging this war Soldier in this spirituall conflict must warily enter the list to wage this warre with wicked thoughts and therefore I counsell him sometimes to oppose them othertimes to exchange them for others according as he perceives this or that way best profits him in the acquisition of vertues but never so But never desert the field to fly from them and totally leave them as to seeke to be quit of all trouble and irksomenesse which thence ariseth For though by this flight he cuts off the occasion of impatience yet he gets no strength or constancy of heart against the next rising motions thereof 5. Whence it followes that if the same Sergeants of Impatience doe at â—or then he will stil be unprovided another time seize on him he is soone terrified and quickly conquered because he was unprovided of armes convenient for the combate that is he had not fortified his mind with customes counsells thoughts and resolutions to keepe perfect patience in all events of Adversity This way is usefull against all imperfections carnality onely excepted And this way of warring is very profitable not onely against Impatience but all other Imperfections the carnall still excepted whereof shall be hereafter treated CHAP. X. Of the Fight against suddaine temptations and passions HE that is not yet accustomed to receive suddaine adversities and troubles with a calme countenance and quiet mind may thus enure himselfe thereto Let him first diligently consider them with his Vnderstanding then earnestly desire them with his Will and finally always expect them with a ready resolute and prepared Minde 2. The manner to ponder such First thou art to ponder them in thy understanding And foresee what is like to befall thee adversities by the Understanding is this Mark thine owne state calling and condition as also the place and persons where and with whom thou art like daily to converse thus thou maist easily foresee what may probably befall thee and how thou must carry thy selfe and fortifie thy mind against any suddain surprisall of thy passions And if some accident not foreseen chance to happen then besides this former strength already gained by that first resolution to bear all crosse events with an evennesse of mind thou maist thus farther help thy selfe 3. When thou perceivest that thou But if some other crosse happens not foreseene fly to the thoughts of Gods love and providence art sleighted scorned or any way injured presently enforce thy mind towards thy Lord and maker and weigh his immense bounty and infinite love to thee from which thought it will forthwith occurre to thy understanding that he is the chief cause of this thy trouble and tribulation and that he expresly permits it to befall thee that thou maist
is the foundation of all vertues the deeper thou layest this ground-work the higher will be thy spirituall building yet never thinke thou canst digge it deepe enough but rather imagine that if an infinity could befall a creature thy unworthinesse would be infinite This point to wit selfe-acknowledgement being well practised gives thee the possession And without which thou art lesse than nothing of all that is good and without it thou art lesse than nothing though thy actions are more perfect than those of the greatest Saints and thy heart be in continuall recollection with thy Creatour O blessed knowledge which makes us happy on Earth and glorious in Heaven O true light shining out of our darknesse O great nothing which rendrest us masters and monarchs of all things No my dearly beloved I will never give over the pressing of this Point which thou art ever to practise 13. If therefore thou desirest to praise God accuse thy selfe if thou wilt exalt his Divine Majesty dive into thine own misery If thou wilt find him climb not up to Heaven for hee will fly from thee but rather descend into the abysse of thine own nothing and hee will thither come to And it is the onely way to praise find and please God thee and there embrace thee Yes hee will court and cherish thee by so much the more dearly deliciously and tenderly by how much thou seemest abject and vild in thine own eyes and art well pleased to have all others slight and scorn thy company as a meere out cast an object of derision and a thing abominable 14. Know furthermore and consider Therefore thou art bound to him for permitting thee to be scorned thy selfe most unworthy of so high a favour from thy Lord God as to bee neglected and scorned by all and faile not to render him most hearty and humble thanks Finally thou art to be gratefull and sensible of thy great obligation to them who have administred the occasion of this thy spirituall improvement and to acknowledge And to them who do it thy selfe most bound to them who have most master'd and mortified thee 15. But if notwithstanding all these true and weighty considerations the subtilty of the Devil thy own ignorance or an evill inclination should have yet the power over thee so as to disquiet and And be ever wary of the devil and thine own inclination trouble thy minde with fancies of selfe-praise and make some impressions in thy heart of thine owne merits and deserts 'T is then thou art chiefly and couragiously to beat downe and humble thy selfe since thou findest by experience how poorly thou hast profited in the way of the Spirit and knowledge of thy selfe and what deepe roots thy pride and vanity have taken in thy entralls And this is the way to suck hony out of poyson and to draw health from wounds Of Rash Judgement 1. From this vice of selfe-esteem springeth up another no lesse dangerous which is Rash-Judgement Rash-judgemen springs from Self esteeme concerning our neighbouts and this is commonly followed with contempt of their persons and detraction from their good name This vice as it hath its beginning from a pâ—evish and proud inclination so likewise And from Pride it is nourished and fomented by no other food for Pride and Rash Judgement increase together comply with each other and doe both joyntly covertly and insensibly concurre to deceive us For wee presume to exalt our selves by iudging meanly of others and we thinke our selves free from those imperfections which we are fully perswaded are in our Brothers 2. Now our wylie enemy the Devill no sooner discovers this perverse disposition in us but hee is busy in keeping our senses open to â—he Devil â—trives to â—eepe open our senses upon our Neighbours actions see heare examine controll and heighten the faults of our Neighbours hee is diligent to imprint this imperfection or that indiscretion of such or such a person in our spirits If therefore my dearly beloved thy foe is so forward and watchfull to intrap thee be thou equally carefull and vigilant to avoid his plots But wee must be as vigilant to shun as he is to lay his plotts and rescue thy soule out of his dangerous snares and in the first place when anothers defects are presented before thee presently withdraw thy thoughts but if thou art solicited to give sentence let it bee a flat First by denying to give any sentence deniall and short answer that thou hast no such power given thee and if thou hadst any such privilege thou couldst hardly forme a right and sound judgement being invironed and prevented with such a number of passions inclining to thinke more amisse than there is just cause 3. Then make use of this second and singular remedy Let the consideration Secondly by looking homewards upon our own selves of thine owne wants and interiour necessities so take up thy whole time and thoughts that seeing how convenient it is to looke homeward and how much thou art concerned to take order in thy owne bleeding affaires thou mayst recall thy mind from roming abroad and have no leasure left to lend away to others superfluously who hast scarcely time enough to looke after thy selfe in things of absolute necessity And this serious search into thine owne wants will cleare the inward eye of thy soule from those ill humours which ingender this pestiferous imperfection of Rash judgement For know that when thou conceivest amisse of thy Neighbour Where we shall finde some root of the same fault wee blame in them there is some root of the same evill in thine own heart which is apt to take the impression of that object which is like it selfe When therefore thou feelest this itching desire to censure anothers fault fall into passion at thy selfe as if thou wert equally culpable and enter into these terms with thine owne Soule Is it possible that I who am so miserable not onely because I wallow in the same mire but am also full of greater faults and inperfections shall notwithstanding be so proud and presumptuous as to take upon me to judge another Thus the weapons which first pointed at thy neighbour but have thus pricked thine owne heart will prove a perfect cure of thy wounds and a true comfort to thy soule 4. But when the fault which is If the fauâ—t be manifest put a charitable construction upon it committed is become manifest then excuse it with a charitable construction and piously conclude that thy brother hath many hidden vertues and perfections for the custody whereof he is thus permitted to fall or that it is to humble him for a time to make him see his owne nothing and so from this contempt of others raise him afterwards to higher perfection in the sight of the divine Majesty whereby his gaine may prove greater than his losse But if the sinne be not onely manifest but even monstrous and proceeds
of for your own satisfaction And look down with your other eye upon your bottomless nothing see there your own base indignity and brutish ingratitude your great impurity and gross impiety and be ashamed to desire any temporal esteem who so truly deserve eternal damnation 6. Other knots of the same To self-love appertain also all the passions of our inferiour nature love hatred c. snare are all those passions which have their residence in our inferiour nature love hatred joy grief hope and fear with their severall attendants these raise up broiles to disturb our inward tranquillity to discompose our Reason and interpose their earthy exhalations between our superiour will and the grace of God Peace of heart is the secure refuge To which we must oppose Peace of heart against all these peevish Passions do but cast your whole care upon your Creator and call away your inordinate affection from creatures and what then can punish or perplex you Remit and refer all accidents whether adverse or prosperous sweet or sowre good or bad to Gods high power and holy providence comfort your selves in his mercy content your selves in his all-sufficiency and quiet your selves in his love Ah! how poor how vain how vile how unregardable Read the 4. ch num 3. of the conflict are the best of worldly blessings how is it possible that things in themselves so contemptible can have the least entrance or admittance into a soul setled in Gods pure love and presence O let the children of this world who place their final felicity in such fading fooleries who have their souls buried in this earth and swallowed up in sensuality be solicitous to seek them glut and burst themselves in the enjoying of them and be dejected to be deprived of them but we O souls aspiring to perfection whose master is God whose aym is vertue whose reward is heaven what have we to do with these inferiour passions Away with these Mammons My heart is signed with the signet of Gods love my hatred is only bent against sin and my self my joy is in God my Saviour my grief is that I am not all his my fear is to offend him and my hope is to enjoy him 7. Lastly all adhering to our proper will and judgment appertains to this ambush of our enemy The adhering to our own wills and preferring of our own judgments are also points of self-love Read the 5. ch of the Conflict This draws us off by degrees from doing our duty diverts us from following divine motions and superiours commands daunts us from relying entirely on Gods providence and fulfilling perfectly his holy pleasure we dare not disobey this master nor will we venture to destroy this Idol of our hearts 't is death to be cross'd in our conceits or contradicted in our exercises which we have chosen according to our private fancy accustomed with self-complacency and keep with unpardonable propriety Perfect obedience breaks through Which must be cured by obedience submission and resignation this snare and a totall resignation to Gods good will pleasure is the secure refuge against this deceit How can a soul be disquieted to receive or refuse act or omit that which she truly conceives to proceed both in substance and circumstance from the divine providence and permission How can that person go astray who is perfectly obedient to God and his superiour gives up himself wholly to the guidance of Gods holy Spirit and the government of a discreet directour observes each beck of the divine call first examined and approved by them who are incharged with their souls and waits upon the divine will as the shadow on the body 8. Where you are to take notice Note a triple obediencâ— 1. Of vow of a triple obedience One is of vow another of conformity and a third of union The first concerns all religious people and imports an external exact and necessary performance of that which is commanded The Second concerns all spiritual 2. of Conformity souls and consists in their inward promptitude and readiness to execute Gods will manifested by faith and their ghostly guide purely for himself and precisely for his own sake without the least touch of proper interest or self-seeking The Third concerns all perfect 3. Of Vnion persons and consists in so entire a connexion of their wills to the will of their Lord God that they seem both one hence it is that they embrace all that happens to themselves or others good or bad life or death for time or eternity as immediatly proceeding from his divine goodness and as the very best that could happen Here the soul elevated above it self and all things into God and stedfastly fixed in divine contemplation patiently expects and obediently attends to what he speaks wills and acts within her remaining ever ready and really resigned to suffer outward pains or inward pressures to receive comforts or endure crosses as the supream providence best knows permits and pleases being fully content with all and faithfully constant in all The Second Ambush Immoderate affection to creatures 1. THis infects distracts disquiets and diverts our minds from their pure and perfect tendance to our Creator Ah! what have we whose inheritance is heaven to do This affection to creatures distracts us from our Creator with the poor and perishable commodities of this world yet our subtil enemy strives to make us serious in searching after them solicitous to keep them and impatient to part with them Against this we must provide true poverty of spirit which consists Again which must prâ—vide Poverty or spirit in a perfect denudation of our souls from all propriety of love to any corruptible creature whatsoever we must use them only and not rest in them we may enjoy them but take no joy in them if Superiours command them from us we must cheerfully part with them if any accident bereave us of them we must willingly let go our hold saying Our Lord gave them our Lord Read the 13. ch of the Conflict hath retaken them his name be ever praised his will always performed Farewel uncertain and unsatisfying profits wellcome sweet and secure poverty We must throw away couragiously all such cloggs as retard our soul's flight to perfection Away with superfluities Oh! that we could live with the only love of our naked and crucified Jesus That we could support our feeble Nature without the supplies of any creatures that so our souls disingaged from the depressing necessities of flesh and blood might soar aloft and sweetly repose in the bosom of divine love 2. Nor is the overmuch tenderness of affection to any person Affection to persons corrupts our judgements whomsoever under what pertext soever any other thing than a meer ambush of our enemy for it corrupts our purest actions and vitiates our most pious intentions it is the bane of Gods love the poyson of our hearts and the venome of
thine my merits are thy mercies my goods thy graces yet I neither have been thankfull for receiving them nor faithfull in using them O! when did I trust in my own strength and was not foiled and confounded Grant therefore O my Lord ô my only hope and help O my sole safety and security that I may totally trust to thee and distrust my self truly acknowledge thee and deny my self entirely love thee and hate my self 6. I confess ô my Lord that I am the poorest ungratefullest unprofitablest and unworthyest worm of the earth a thing altogether useless to the world and only active to offend thee and to do wickedly in thy sight and is it possible that I can harbor any thought of self-love or self-I king O God of infinite glory greatness and majesty before whom the powers of heaven do tremble what are all creatures in thy sight and what am I the meanest of them all O what proportion is there great God between me and thee between thy All and my Nothing And yet have I infring'd thy laws disobey'd thy commands contemned thy Counsels resisted thy callings and contradicted thy will to prefer my own O monstrous impiety and ingratitude And shall I not willingly submit to all pain punishment contradiction and contempt which thou ô my highly offended creatour shalt suffer thy creatures to inflict upon me Behold O my Lord I debase humble and annihilate my self under all things that have a being I will henceforth utterly hate distrust and detest my self and wholly love thee and relie upon thy mercy O holy self-knowledge O sacred humility thou art the key of all perfection the door of all solid vertue piety and devotion 7. I now cleerly see by the light of thy divine goodness O gracious Lord God what hath hitherto been the cause of my â—on-proficiency in the way of the Spirit and why the path of vertue seemed and so unpleasant thornie tedious and troublesome to my deceived soul It was because I had not learned to leave loath deny and distrust myself and to rely wholly on thee O my only comfort and support I will therefore henceforth faithfully practise what I perceive so necessary I will profoundly humble my soul both inwardly in thy presence O my Lord and outwardly to the whole world I will joyfully and voluntarily embrace all injury indignity contempt correction and confusion which can befall me with as much pleasure as I have formerly any cherishings and kindness I will utterly destroy ruine and root out all self-love self-liking self-seeking self-praise and self-complacencie I will cast my self under the feet of the vilest creatures take pleasure in the meanest employments and obey them most willingly whom my nature most distasts and dislikes I will walk before thee O my Creator as thy needy naked desolate and destitute vassal acknowledging my self void of all vertue and attributing to my self nothing but sin ingratitude defects failings imperfections I will fully perswade my self that no one can contemn confound persecute and punish me as I deserve I will not regard whether I am honored or hated but imagine my self as a thing dead forgotten or as that which never had a being and is now truly nothing I will be contented to be accounted an hypocrite in my sincerest actions and to be thought full of inward impatience secret grudgings and desires of revenge against them who shall any way mortify or misuse me though my heart be never so free from it Finally I will have these and the like thoughts and words alwayes in my heart and mouth I am nothing I have nothing I do no good I am an unprofitable servant I utterly hate and distrust my self and totally rely upon thee O my Lord my love and my All. FOR WEDNESDAY To obtain Remission of our Sins The Third Exercise 1. WHo will give water to my head and fountains of tears to my eyes And I will weep day and night for my sins which cover me all over like an incurable ulcer from the soal of the foot to the crown of the head Where art thou O my wretched and wicked soul In what labyrinths dost thou walk In what sinks of sin and puddles of uncleaness dost thou wallow Awake arise lament repent how long wilt thou sleep why wilt thou dy when wilt thou shake off thy fetters Ah return silly sheep to thy good Pastour return poor prodigal to thy pious Father whose goodness so lovingly invites thee whose mercy hath so long expected thee O great and glorious God the mighty Monarch of heaven and earth King of Kings and Lord of Lords behold a poor and penitent Publican who is ashamed to lift up his eyes to heaven and unworthy to take thy sacred name into his sinfull mouth humbly knocking at thy gate of mercy clipping thy holy feet and craving thy accustomed pity and compassion O merciful Lord hide not thy self from me shut not the door against me Oh! one crum of comfort one dram of devotion to my sad and sick soul to my dry and desolate spirit 2. I am conscious of my ingratitude against thee O supream majesty and my sin is always before me and confounding me But whither should I retire my self from thee To whom should I have recourse but unto thee Art not thou my Father my Father of mercies which have neither limits nor measure Art not thou my Maker my preserver my governor my deliverer my King my Pastor my Physician my Priest and my Sacrifice If thou art not all this and more to me and if I am nothing to thee refuse me reject me and relinquish me a prey to be swallowed up by thy enemies But it is time O my Lord that heaven and earth take notice of what thou art to me and what I am to thee It is time thou enter into thy right And I must now either give my self to thee or thou must take me unto thee Not that I aspire to those excellent prerogatives of thy dearest servants No my Lord it sufficeth me to be in the out-rank of thy meanest slaves to be only stamp'd with thy mark and link'd fast in thy chains that I may never more have the power to fly from thee O grant me this favour most merciful Father which thy dear Son hath purchased for me by the price of his death and passion I am fall'n without thee by my own frailty but can never hope to rise but by thy mercy O my Lord and only support I am sick without thee but cannot be cured without thee my heavenly Physician I am dead without thee but can never be revived but by thee ô life of my soul So true it is that to make me come to thee thou ô most gracious Lord God must first come to me O the admirable goodness of my loving Lord Even this little I am doing is rather thine own work than mine Thou O my Lord puttest repentance into my soul desires into my heart sighs into my brest
worldly imaginations and to apply her self to God by recollection let her content her-self in breathing forth heartily these or the like short words O my Lord when shall I love you When shall I embrace you Let her repeat them affectionatly and perseverantly and she shall sooner be inflamed with divine love than by the subtle consideration of the greatest secrets of heaven for 't is the Will which unites us to God not the Vnderstanding These acts of the Will are the spiritual wings of the soul to lift her up unite her to her beloved obiect they are short sharp and swift darts and desires shot by our burning hearts and reaching heaven in an instant Our forefathers the Saints frequently Read the 10. collation of John Cassian c 10. used them and most highly prised them for being short they trouble not the memory being fervent they rowse our dulness and dryness to affection and devotion being frequent they still renew our attendance to Gods presence and put us perpetually in mind of our duties The practice of this exercise is Read the Spiritual Confl ch 13. n. 12. to take occasion from all objects actions and accidents to pray and praise God Do we eat let us give God thanks Do we walk abroad Let us praise him who produced all things which we behold from the abyss of nothing Do we look up to heavens beauty Let us admire the Creator in his creatures c. Have we sinned or are we tempted Let us lift up our hearts to God and say O Lord permit me not to fall and offend thee To dy alas I am content when thou disposest but to sin O prâ—serve me from this disaster Other times let us burst forth into aspirations of love as My beloved for me and I for him Of Resignation as Not my will ô Lord but thine be done What do I desire in heaven or earth but thee ô my God Of pure intention as 'T is for you ô my God that I fast 't is for your sake that I obey my Superiour 't is to please you that I study work pray c. Your will ô Lord is mine your content is mine I have no other I or No but as you will or will not all my pleasure is only to please you c. This rule is to be observed that An observation though all jaculatory prayers are good yet those are best most profitable and powerfull which our hearts moved by God conceive of themselves though they be expressed in words never so plain and simple Nor is there any need of much variety of aspirations for one onlâ— word being often and amorouslâ— repeated may serve for many days when our souls find therein guâ— and profit and speak unto him whom they look upon as presenâ— with their eys of Faith This exercise is most easy and most efficacious and they who shall piously persever in it shaâ—l soon find their hearts inflamed with God's love and changed from all worldly affections The 22. Maxim That the Presence of God is the great exercise of Contemplatives and the shortest way to divine Vnion THis exercise is called great because Why call'd the great exeâ—câ—se God himself taught it in the worlds infancy to his faithfull servant Abraham I am thy God saith hee and thy protectour walk in my presence and thou shalt be perfect It is called the shortest way to And shortest way to union divine Union because it is a summary of all the exercises of prayer and which alone will conduct our souls to the hidden treasure of perction and replenish them with those celestiall riches which our loving Lord is wont to communicate to his dearest friends in this life God is present in severall manners How God is present in divers manners according to our understanding 1. He is every where present by his essence which being infinit cannot bee contained within the limits of any place 2. He is every where present by his power He moves the heavenly orbs fixes the earth governs all his creatures c. 3. He is particularly present in heaven by the demonstrations of his glory 4. He is specially present in holy places by grace benediction and readiness to hear their Petitions bless their persons and accept their sacrifices of praise who shall there unanimously meet to present them 5. He is especially present in the hearts of his holy people by the inhabitation of his holy Spirit 6. He is especially present in the consciences of all men where he sits as witnesse and judge of all their actions good and bad For the practice of this exercise Seven similitudes for the practice of Gods presence of Gods presence we may help our thoughts with these seven similitudes stirring up in our souls an ardent desire to feel the like effects of his Al-present Majesty 1. How the soul is in the body all in the whole and all in every part of it moving animating informing all giving it life beauty c. 2. How the meat we eat is disgested and changed into our substance c. 3. How a little worm lying in the warm Sun-shine is environed about with the beams made bright hot and as it were burned and inflamed c. 4. How a black coale amidst a great fire is ignified all on fire and well nigh all fire 5. How a little piece of paper is pearced through with oyl falling on it which by degrees dilates it self all over that the whole seems rather oyl than paper 6. How a small quantity of water in a vessell of wine is swallowed up lost changed annihilated and turned into wine 7. How a sponge in the midst of the Ocean is all compassed within and without absorpt imbued possessed and as it were inebriated with water c. O that we could alwaies have S. Augustin de verbis Domini c. 3. this actuall faith and thought that God stands a present witnesse and judge of all our doings that if we goe forth he spies us if we goe in he sees us if we light the candle he observes us when wee put it out he also marks us should wee not behave our selves as becoms so holy a presence should we not be very impious and impudent to give up the reigns to sin and sensuality O that wee would alwaits ruminate and remember this reall verity That God is the great eye of the world watching over our actions an ever-open ear to hear all our words and an unwearied arm to crush sinneâ—s into ruin how speedily would sin cease amongst us how soon should we obtain an habituall fear and reverence of God What greater ingagement can wee have to walk unblameably than to consider wee act before that judge who is infallible in his sentence Boetius l. 5. de consola all-knowing in his information severe in his wrath and powerfull to inflict punishment This perpetuall eying of God is properly a building to him a Chapell in our