the Saints and Souls in Purgatory departed At the Offertory REnew your Oblation intention petition for their succour solace deliverance At Sanctus NOt only the Angels and Saints of the Church Triumphant but also the souls of the Church suffering intone this glorious Trisagion With whom I most humbly Adore Praise and Magnifie thy sacred Name Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbaoth O increated ineffable eternal Sanctity Increase this day the number of thy heavenly Quiristers Let Heaven and Earth be full of thy Glory Heaven receiving new inhabitants Earth procuring for them this happiness Osanna O that the same Song might now Eccho forth at their entrance into Paradise as it did at my Saviours entrance into Jerusalem At the Elevation of the Sacred Host O Eternal Father Look upon thy beloved Son Jesus and for his dear sake take compassion upon the poor Souls for whom we petition thee At the Elevation of the Chalice O Merciful Creator Let fall one small drop of this precious Blood upon Purgatory to quench its ardors and comfort those distressed souls for whom it was spilt upon the Cross At the Memento for the Dead O My Lord Look in mercy on the souls 1. Of my Parents Kindred Friends Benefactors 2. Of such a particular person N. 3. Of such as have been most charitable in praying for the departed 4. Of such as are left uncomforted unremembred unpray'd for 5. Of such as suffer most or who should according to thy Justice remain longest in their torments 6. Of such as are in the first and next place to be released 7. Of such as lastly entred 8. Of such as most loved Jesus Mary and Joseph 9. Of such as suffer there upon my occasion 10. Of them to whom thou shalt be pleas'd to apply this my Communion 11. Of my own Soul as if it were already departed out of my Body humbly entreating thee dear Jesu by the Water and Bloud which gush'd forth of thy wounded side and heart in thy Passion to pity me at this present and to permit me to advance here the payment for such punishments as I should hereafter pay in Purgatory At the Pater Noster REpeat it with the Priest as a most efficacious Prayer to obtain succour for the Souls suffering in Purgatory At the Communion MAke such Acts and Affections as are most savoury to your spiritual gust and most beneficial to the Souls for whom you intend the fruit of your Communion As for example An Act of Faith I Firmly believe that I here receive my dear Saviour Chrst Jesus Who both can and will give me the effect of this sacred Communion which is eternal life and not only to my self but also to those poor suffering Souls for whom I intend it An Act of Hope O What good things do I hope to receive by this present Communion I hope for my Self I hope for these Souls and I hope for no less than God himself and his everlasting life love and glory An Act of Love I Love thee O infinitly amiable Goodness And I desire that these Souls may speedily be translated to the fruition of thy beatifying presence that they may love thee more perfectly for all Eternity An Act of good Intention I Approach now to this blessed Banquet O my God! to glorifie thy sacred Name to unite my self to thy divin Goodness to render the merits of thy Passion efficacious both for my own Soul and for theirs to whom I humbly apply the fruit thereof In Communicating SAy for your self and them Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit O how sweet will my Purgatory seem unto me being thus placed in thy sacred hands O Jesu my life and my love Let me live and dy in thee and when thou descendest into my Soul let the effects of thy goodness descend also into the prisons of thy Justice to deliver those faithful Souls who desire nothing more than to see thee love thee and praise thee with thy Saints and Angels in thy eternal Glory After Communion AMongst all the Acts of Devotion you produce and which are elsewhere prescribed be still mindful of the Souls in Purgatory as for example Adoring your Dear Saviour seated now in the midst of your Soul do it as it were in their company saying If thou lovest me sweet Jesu as I cannot doubt but thou dost love also those poor Souls and bestow upon them such good things as thy love designs for me c. Thanking him say O my dear Saviour Let these Souls also praise thee with me in their Prison and be admitted speedily to praise thee more perfectly in thy Paradise Petitioning him say O My Lord I beg for my Self a holy life and a happy death And I beg for those Souls an application of thy Merits and Passion and the effect of this Plenary Indulgence which I hope to have this day gained and which I here most humbly offer up in their behalf to thy Sacred Majesty At the end of Mass REceiving the Priests blessing pray unto the holy Trinity that he will be pleas'd to bless these suffering Souls created to his Image and design'd for his Glory and say Almighty God bless you The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Amen During the remaining time of the Day LEt all the Objects which oocur all the Actions you do and all the Employments you undertake serve you as so many Memorials to minde you of your own Death and of theirs who are gone before you As for example Entring into your Chamber Think of the dismal Dungeon wherein those poor Souls are by their Creators just Judgment detained Seeing the Fire Reflect upon their Flames Eating and Drinking Remember the bread of Tears which is their only food and nourishment Conversing with others Consider they have none but cruel Devils for their ordinary Companions Washing your Hands Think how this flesh of yours must shortly become the food of Worms and the subject of corruption Hearing the Clock strike say for them Requiescant in pace for your self Eternity is at hand Briefly let all the objects of your Senses serve you for as many Images of your Death The Sun you behold the Air you breath the Celestial Orbs you admire may fitly put you in mind of the darkness of Purgatory of the splendor of Paradise of the glory of Heaven whereof your poor suffering Friends are yet deprived Let your Jaculatory Prayers of this day be either concerning theirs or your own Purgatory O Lord give rest to the departed O Jesu the God of my heart the desired of my soul the object of my affections the end of my pretensions Grant I may live in thy Grace and dy in thy Favour If your leisure permits you may imitate this easie and efficacious devotion of some pious persons saying a pair of Bedes for your departed friends in this manner Take your Ordinary Rosary and forming your Intention Begin with a Creed Then say Our Father upon each of the great Grains and
such conveniencies as serve for my lives ordinary entertainment till such time as thou shalt please to free my Soul from this fleshly slavery and accomplish my Redemption by destroying all that is borrowed from the old Adam and consummating my adoption in Glory which I desire for no other end but to be no longer subject to offend thee my Lord and Maker and that I may be happily obliged and necessitated to praise and love thee for all Eternity 5. A Prayer for the Conversion of Hereticks ONe of the secret Judgments of thy divine Providence O Omnipotent Creator which I humbly adore without daring to dive into it is the permission of Heresies to spring up in such multitudes as Weeds amidst the Wheat in the field of Christianity 'T is for the conversion of these misbelievers for the reduction of these straid sheep for the illumination of these blinded Christians that we now present our petition to the Throne of thy divine Clemency Clear them O Lord clear the Understandings of these our brethren for so they are by participating with us of the self-same Baptism and recal them to the safe sheep-fold of thy Universal Church Give them we beseech thee that Columbin simplicity which is necessary to receive and retain the Faith of thy Gospel and that Christian infancy which is not suspicious not litigious not apt to dispute and judge not puff'd up with any self-opinions Let them see and admire the beauty of Catholick verities by an inward light penetrating their Understandings and captivating them to the obedience 〈◊〉 faith and the Church Ingrave in their Wills the love of thy Truths and dissipate all these impostures wherewith their deceived Teachers entertain them in the hatred of our sacred mysteries We have enough disputed written preached be thou now O divine Doctor the concluding Umpire of all our Controversies Speak effectually to their hearts O all penetrating spirit and open them to hear thy Voice and to admit of thy Inspirations and having fill'd them with the seed of thy saving Faith shut them and seal them with thy grace lest the Birds of prey snatch it away O Soveraign Shepheard reunite these wandring sheep to their true Pastor and make us all members of one Body under one Head that we may with one heart and mouth unanimously adore praise and glorifie thy sacred Name during the remaining time of our pilgrimage upon Earth and afterwards in Heaven for all Eternity 6. A Prayer for a Special Friend PReserve O Lord thy Servant N. for whose Health Happiness and Prosperity we humbly offer up these our Petitions to thy Sacred Majesty beseeching thee to grant him a perseverant Constancy in the Catholick Faith a safe passaâ—… through this lives dangerous Pilgrimage and that no Worldly Carnal or Diabolical Temptations may have the power to separate him from thee his prime and only Good Give him Grace to correspond to the Calling and Condition wherein thou hast placed him Direct him in all his Ways Defend him against all his Enemies and grant him finally a happy Death and departure out of this World and a speedy passage after Death to the fruition of thy Eternal Felicity 7. A Prayer for a Friend in Tribulation VOuchsafe O merciful Creator to afford the sweetness of thy Comfort to thy afflicted servant N. and to remove according to thy wonted Mercy the heavy burthen of his Calamities Give him we humbly beseech thee Patience in his sufferings Resignation to thy good pleasure Perseverance in thy service and a happy translation from this afflictive Life to thy Eternal Felicity 8. A Prayer for our Enemies Detractors and Persecutors O Meek and Merciful Lord Jesu the great Master Exemplar and Practiser of Peace Charity and Union amongst men Who hast commanded us to love our Enemies and to do good for them who hate us and who prayedst on the Cross for thy capital Adversaries Increase within us we most humbly beseech thee the Spirit of Christian Charity that we may freely heartily and sincerely forgive them who have any way offended injured or persecuted us Bestow on them also O Blessed Saviour the same Spirit of perfect Peace Love and Charity and powerfully defend us from all their Deceits and Treachery 9. A Prayer for a Woman labouring in Child-Bed O Most dread Soveraign Who for the just punishment of the first Womans prevarication hast pronounced and imposed a severe and unavoydable Sentence of Malediction upon all Woman-kind that they should bring forth their Children in pain and sorrow We most humbly beseech thee O undrainable Fountain of Goodness and Mercy to mitigate the rigour of this general Edict in behalf of this your poor Handmayd N. now labouring in the pangs of Child-Bed and to give her Courage Comfort and Patience in her sufferings Grant her O gracious Lord God! a speedy and happy Deliverance and that the Child she bears in her womb may be brought forth into the World accompanied with all such Perfections of Body Soul and Senses as are befitting our human nature that it may live to be re-born by Baptism and that both the Child and the Mother may become thy faithful Servants 10. A Prayer to withdraw our Minds from the superfluous Cares and Solicitudes of this World O Lord our true Lover our faithful Teacher and our bountiful Nourisher Take from us all vain superfluous and noxious Cares and Solicitudes and since thou hast been graciously pleas'd to promise us that thy Self wilt make a sufficient Provision for us grant that we may confidently rely in all things upon thy sacred Providence Let us therefore fix our Hearts and Affections upon Heavenly Objects Let us seek only thy Kingdom and be only solicitous for the advancement of thy Honour and Glory Let us run on cheerfully couragiously perseverantly in the way of thy Precepts during this our earthly Pilgrimage that so we may be finally translated to thy Heavenly Paradise 11. A Prayer to appease the Divine Indignation in any publick or private Necessity WHen we compare O Lord thy Punishments with our own Prevarications we are forced to confess that our Crimes do far exceed thy Chastisements We are sensible of our Sins Penalty but we leave not our sinful Pertinacy Our sick Minds are troubled but our stiff Necks are not bowed Our Life languishes under the burthen of our Afflictons and yet we amend not our wicked Actions We acknowledg our misdeeds in the day of Correction and we forget what we have bewailed after the Visitation If thou O Lord stretchest forth thy Hand to strike us we make thee large Promises if thou sheathest thy Sword we fail in our Performances If thou scourgest us we petition thee to spare us if thou mercifully sparest us we again maliciously provoke thee to scourge us Behold O dread Soveraign Thou hast us self-accused adjudged condemned and we well know that unless thou wilt pardon us we must needs perish Yet grant unto us O Compassionate Father that which we desire
feel thy sweet effects O heavenly Virtue Fulness of Joy is ever with thee Abundance of Peace is thy inseparable companion and plentitude of Mercy is to thee a perpetual retainer O God! the soveraign Joy of all spirits and Jubilation of all hearts cheer me amid'st this worlds calamities with the solid comfort of thy only satisfying presence grace and love in my Soul O King of Peace give me Peace in my Self by an absolute union of all my inward forces and faculties to thy only glory Give me Peace with the Good by conformity of my conversation with them Give me Peace with the Bad by bearing the injuries they inflict on me Give me Peace with Thee by an intire submission of all my wishes and desires to thy holy will and decree O most liberal Lord Give me also the love of Mercy that I may be ever pitiful and compassionat towards all poor and miserable persons Give me the love of Beneficence that I may be always willing to succour my necessitous Neighbour for thy sake The love of Alms-deeds that I may be ready to relieve all his corporal wants to Feed him in his hunger Refresh him in his thirst Cloath him in his coldness Ransom him in his captivity Harbour him when he hath no home Visit him when he is sick and Bury him when he is dead The love of Fraternal correction that I may charitably Correct sinners Instruct the ignorant Counsel the doubtful Comfort the sorrowfull Bear all wrongs patiently Pardon all injuries cordially and pray for all the living and the dead zealously O my Lord make my Charity efficacious Let not my love rest in lip language but proceed to real performances of all these outward inward corporal spiritual actions of piety that in the dreadful and doubtful hour of my death and thy judgment I may find thee my sweet Saviour full of pitty and compassion towards my poor Soul 7. The Precept of loving God God commands us in the Old Law to love him with all our heart soul and strength Christ repeats it in the New as the first and greatest Precept Acts of pure Charity THy Love O my Lord is in it self so excellent and to my Soul so pleasant that should'st thou perpetuate this divine gift to me upon Earth without ever bestowing on me thy blessed Heaven it must needs make me in some sort happy O my Soul what is more precious than Gods pure love wherein canst thou and all creatures employ your time and talents more profitably than in admiring your Creators greatness and loving his goodness Yet O eternal Charity Thou also commandest me to love thee and threatnest to lay miseries upon me if I love thee not Ah! Is it not alone misery enough not to love thee Is there need of so many ties of Precepts and threats of Punishmens to oblige me to thy love O infinitly amiable bounty Is not one stroke sufficient to mollify my stony heart Thou shalt love me with thy whole heart but thou addest a second and with thy whole Soul and drivest in this sacred wedg with a third and fourth blow and with thy whole Strength and Vertue Should'st thou not O perfect Lover exact this just tribute from me I surely ought most freely to pay it for the good I finde in thy sweet friendship and now that thou claim'st it and call'st for thy due Child give me thy heart shall I deny it thee Alas Lord it is a poor present but such as it is take it totally unto thy self and dispose of it absolutly at thy pleasure Oh! that it were as rich and beautiful as befits thy Majesty to receive and my obligation and affection to give It is thy only right O my God! by all just titles of Creation Redemption Vocation and it shall be thine daily by my own free Donation Imitation Affection Lord I love thee in this very instant with all my heart soul force and vertue O let not my enemy upbraid me at my death to have pass'd my life without one Act of thy pure love Behold I here at this present banish all foul and forreign affections all self and interessed love and whatsoever is contrary to thy divine liking and embrace thy only naked Charity with as much ardour and sincerity as all my united forces and faculties can possibly enable me Rule thou henceforth and reign only in my soul O glorious King of Love Let nothing live but to love thee and praise thy liberality to manifest thy goodness and to magnify thy glory O Love O divine and desirable Treasure O rich and precious Jewell What Soul reflects upon thy real value and suddenly sells not all to buy thee leaves not all to follow thee suffers not all to enjoy thee contemns not all to compass thee How late do I love thee O beauty so ancient so new Ah my heart thou hast hitherto lov'd thy self truly wilt thou remain evermore cold careless tepid and negligent in loving that object for which only thou wert created and which alone can make thee happy Ah perfect Lover my Soul now settles her self to love thee only entirely eternally she will recompence her former failing by her future faithfulness she defies all branches of Self-love she desires nothing in Heaven or Earth but thy self her God her inheritance the only joy of her heart and sweet satisfaction of all her wishes But O sweet Saviour what pawn of this my love shall I leave with thee what pledg of my sincere affection shall I give thee Thou hast asked my heart Take it Lord Jesu 2 Take it alone 3 Take it all unto thee 4 Take it as thine own due and my free donation 5 Take it as the present of a Child to his Father 6 Take it as an holocaust offered up only to please praise and obey thee and not in respect of thy present benefits or expected blessings 7 Take it O loving Lord as thou desirest it deservest it demandest it and commandest it O that I had as many Hearts and Souls in my body as I have Hairs on my head that I might thus dedicate them all to thy divine Love Oh! that I could employ each moment of my remaining time in loving thee as perfectly as thy glorious Citizens do in Heaven Oh! that the very last act of my expiring life which I now consecrate unto thee might be by vertue of this my oblation and resolution an extasie of thy pure and perfect Love Lord I love thee thou knowest that I love thee how much I love thee and how ardent my desires are to love thee more I will not leave to love thee till thy love transforms me all into love which is thy self O Eternal Love Eternal Life Eternal Happiness The fifth Exercise Of the Cardinal Virtues and first of Prudence 1. The Essence of Prudence Prudence is an Intellectual Virtue enabling us to Consult wisely Judg solidly and Resolve effectually upon all occasions of action or omission GReat and Glorious
little and bad use of them as I have done If I deny all this my conscience witnesseth against me If I confess it Oh! why am I not more humble Finally If such great troubles temptations and tribulations had hapned to me as have done to others I should by consenting have ere now burn'd in Hell fire but thou O meek and merciful Creator hast spared me because thou knowest my weakness sent me smal crosses because I can't bear greater c. Wherefore Not unto me O Lord but to thee be all honour for time and eternity O that I could know thee and know my self O that I could truly see my own nothing and total dependency on thee my misery and malice and thy perfection and total goodness Ay me weak and wretched N What are my forces that I should rely on them I have nothing O my Lord but what is thine my merits are thy mercies my goods thy graces yet I never have been thankful for receiving them nor faithful in using them O! when did I trust in my own strength and was not foiled and confounded Grant therefore O my Lord O my only hope and help O my sole safety and security that I may totally trust to thee and distrust my self truly acknowledg thee and deny my self entirely love thee and bate my self 6. A further Confession of our own poorness unprofitableness unworthiness I Confess O my Lord that I am the poorest ungratefullest unprofitablest and unworthiest worm of the earth a thing altogether useless to the world only active to offend thee and to do wickedly in thy sight and is it possible that I can harbour any thought of self-love or self-liking 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 contemn'd thy Counsels resisted thy callings and contradicted thy Will to prefer my own O monstrous impiety and ingratitude And shall not I willingly submit to all pain punishment contradiction contempt which thou O my highly offended Creator 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 wholy love thee and rely upon thy mercy O holy self-knowledg O sacred humility thou art the key of all perfection the door of all solid virtue piety and devotion 7. Resolutions to practise Humility Self-denial and Abnegation I Now clearly see by the light of thy divine goodness O gracious Lord God! what hath hitherto been the cause of my non-proficiency in the way of the Spirit and why the path of virtue seemed so unpleasant thornie tedious and troublesome to my deceived soul It was because I had not learn'd to leave loath deny and distrust my self and rely wholy 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 befal me with as much pleasure as I have formerly any worldly cherishings and kindnesses I will utterly destroy ruine and root out all Self-love self-liking self-seeking self-praise and self-complacency 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 Virtue 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 honoured or hated but imagine my self as a thing dead and 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 mortifie or misuse me though my Heart be never so free from it Finally I will have these and the like thoughts and words always 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. The Fourth Exercise To obtain Remission of our Sins 1. We excite our dull and drowsie Souls to arise speedily and lament seriously our former sinfulness 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 sole 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 uncleanness dost thou wallow Awake arise lament repent how long wilt thou sleep Why wilt thou die when wilt thou shake off thy fetters Ah return filly sheep to thy good Pastor 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 asham'd to lift up his eyes to Heaven and unworthy to take your Sacred Name into his sinful mouth humbly knocking at your gate of mercy clipping your holy feet and craving your accustomed pitty and compassion O merciful Lord Hide not your 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. Our God is all to us and in us and the Authour of all our goodness I Am conscious of my ingratitude against thee O supreme Majesty and my sin is always before me and confounding me But whether 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 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 thine enemies But it is time O Lord that Heaven and Earth take notice of what thou art to me and what I am to thee It is time thou shouldest enter into thy
Supply of all my spiritual and temporal Necessities for my Friends and Enemies Lord Conserve thy Church Convert the Infidels Extirpate all Heresies unite Christian Princes and give solace to the poor Souls suffering in Purgatory At the beginning of Mass The Priest's bowing down before the Altar at his Confiteor represents our Saviour prostrate at his Prayers before his Eternal Father in the Garden for the Remission of your Sins Make you also a general Confession of your Sins with the Priest and humble your self before the divin Majesty saying I Humbly cast my self O my sweet Redeemer at thy sacred Feet desiring to wash them with my tears in acknowledgment of my wickedness O Jesu take compassion upon thy poor creature redeem'd with thy precious Blood who repents him heartily of all his past Sins and purposes seriously by the assistance of thy Grace to serve thee more faithfully seek thee more diligently and love thee more fervently for the future At the Introite Reflect upon Gods immense Greatness Charity and Mercie I Rejoyce O Eternal Lord God! in that thou art what thou art and that there is no Being but by thee only Thou well knowest O infinit Goodness what thy self is and what I am Thou art All and I am Nothing And yet thou seekest after me At Kyrie eleison Demand pardon for the Sins of the whole World HAve mercy O Lord upon all them who are in mortal Sin reclaim their perverse Wills to thy love and give them the grace of true and perfect Repentance that thy Name may be magnified thy goodness extoll'd and thy praises celebrated by them and all thy creatures At Gloria in Excelsis Desire and endeavour the promotion of Gods Honour and Glory to the utmost of your power O My God! how joyfully affectionatly incessantly do the Angels adore thee and sing forth thy divin Praises And how slack are men in serving honouring and loving thee O how highly doth the fervour and diligence of those blessed Spirits delight me and how much doth mens negligence and forgetfulness displease me Lord I humbly adore thee with those holy Quires and heartily desire that the whol World would render thee all due honour homage and adoration Lift up my Heart O my Lord and lodg my affections in the place where my Treasure lies Let all that I think say or do intend thy honour and let my Soul and Tongue resound always Glory be to God on high At Dominus vobiscum BE thou always with me O my God! let thy Grace never depart from me At the Prayers or Collects Humbly joyn your Prayers with them of the Priest saying O Eternal Lord God! look mercifully upon thy well-beloved Spouse the Catholick Church and graciously receive the Petitions which she humbly presents to the Throne of thy Sacred Majestie by this Priests mediation and Ministery Hear us O Lord and help us for thy dear Sons sake our only Saviour and Redeemer Christ Jesus At the Epistle Entertain your self in considering how our Blessed Saviour was hurried from Annas to Caiphas from Pilate to Herod from one place to another in the time of his Passion How he was questioned accused buffeted abused Then pray for patience in your sufferings O Sweet Saviour I most humbly beseech thee by the Merits of al thy unjust Sufferings to give me courage constancie and patience in all such occasions of injuries crosses and contradictions as thy Divin Providence shall permit to befal me during this my lives Pilgrimage Grant that I may equally adore thy Eternal Will in prosperity and adversitie and resignedly submit my self and all that any way concerns me to thy most just and sacred disposition At the Gospel Rise up to shew your readiness to obey the Evangelical Doctrin stand attentively hearkning to your Saviours own sweet words But if you understand not their meaning reflect upon some other point or passage of your Redeemers life instruction or counsel Imploring his Grace for the effectual execution of what he there teaches you advises you inspires you ILluminate my interiour Eyes O God of my heart Unveil my Understanding and Inflame my Affections that I may clearly see and know thy holy Will and chearfully accomplish thy sacred Precepts Counsels and Inspirations At the Creed You may make a profession of your Faith by a mental or vocal recital of your Creed together with the Priest Or say briefly thus O Soveraign Deity I firmly believe thee to be one God in three Persons who madst all things of nothing I believe that the Second Person became Man in blessed Maries womb by the Holy Ghosts operation and that he died for me and all mankind on the Cross I believe that he arose from Death that he ascended into Heaven and that he shall judg the whole World in the last Day I believe the holy Catholick Church and whatsoever she teaches and defines And in this Faith I will live and die Offer up your Prayers also for the Illumination and Conversion of all Vnbelievers TAke pity O Lord upon all Infidels Hereticks and Schismaticks And remember O most compassionate Creator that thy powerful hand did not bring these perfect products out of their eternal Nothing and stamp their Rational Souls with thy own sacred Image in order to destroy and abandon them since thou hast been graciously pleased to send down thy only Son my dear Saviour to Redeem and Ransom them aswel as my unworthy self with the price of his most precious Bloud Dart therefore O Soveraign Lord and sincere Lover of all Souls some efficacious beams of thy heavenly light into their dark and deceived Understandings that they may see the Truths of thy sacred Mysteries and give them Grace to submit their Necks to the sweet and easie yoke of thy Precepts and thy Churches Prescripts Ah! my dear Lord what have I done for thee or what have I deserv'd of thee that I should be called to thy saving Faith and be made a Member of thy sacred Church Impart I beseech thee the like favour to these your missed mistaken and unbelieving Creatures that they may with me faithfully acknowledg adore and love thee their glorious Maker and Redeemer admiringly praise and magnifie thy Goodness and joyfully celebrate thy Mercies with Canticles of eternal gratitude and thanksgiving At the Offertorie or Oblation of the Bread and Wine Make also an humble and hearty Oblation of your Body Soul Goods Friends to the divin Majestie O Eternal Father In union of that ineffable Love wherewith my dear Saviour offered up himself on the Cross to thy divin Majestie I also offer up my self with him humbly beseeching thee to direct all my thoughts words and works to thy Honour to my own good to my neighbours edification I offer up this divin Sacrifice to the glory of thy Name to the honor of thy Angels and Saints to satisfie for my sins to thank thee for thy benefits to obtain a supply of my temporal and spiritual
God! what wilt thou have me do thy Will is the Desire of my heart the Delight of my soul the Design of my intentions the Drist of my whol life and being O when shall I have no Will but thine no life but for thy Love no being but to be what thou wouldst have me Or by Acts of Self-Oblation O My Lord and my Lover since thou givest thy self wholly to me I give my self entirely to thee O Saviour Receive me take me possess me totally entirely eternally Or by Acts of Desire to please him O What shall I do Dear Lord in order to please thee What do I covet in this world but to give thee content Were there no Heaven no Hell no Reward no Punishment It were yet for me a sufficient honour and happiness to be agreeable to thy Divin Majesty O my God and my All Or by Acts of Grief that He is offended AH my Saviour whence is it then that so many Souls forsake thy love since thou art so lovely and so loving Ah! my Dear Jesu Why did I ever offend thee since thy ineffable Charity deserved my reciprocal affection O wretched wicked miserable all they who love not Jesus Or by Acts of Desire to Love him O Most pure and perfect Lover who lovedst me from all Eternity When shall I begin to pay my love which is so long since due to thy divin Goodness O when shall I truly hate the World Sin and my self for thy love and service Or by Acts of Desire to see him in his Glory O King of Glory When shall I clearly contemplate thy amiable Countenance in thy happy Kingdom O Life of my life and Love of my Soul when shall I leave this loathsom and imprisoning Earth and be admitted into thy lovely Paradise At the second Memento O Compassionate Creator take pity upon the poor Souls in Purgatory particularly such and such And let the same Mercy which hath been graciously pleas'd to pardon their impieties mitigate also their punishments that by the merits of thy dear Sons death and Passion which are here in this holy Sacrifice most humbly presented to thy Sacred Majesty in their behalf they may speedily be translated to that state of glory for which thou eternally designedst them At the Pater Noster Humbly crave such things as are contained in these Seven Petitions 1. O Heavenly Father I most heartily congratulate thy infinite Glory and Greatness Give I beseech thee the light of thy Faith to all Infidels and the grace of thy Love and Charity to all Christians That thy sacred Name may be sanctified by all men upon Earth as it is by all the blessed in Heaven 2. O Holy holy holy Trinity enter remain reign in our hearts souls affections that we may serve thee love thee honour thee upon earth as thy Saints do in Heaven 3. Teach me O Lord to perform thy Will 1. Perfectly 2. Purely 3. Promptly 4. Perseverantly 4. O Bread of Life which descendest from Heaven to give life to the world give thy self to my Soul that I may live by thee in thee for thee by thy grace in thy favour for thy honour 5. O liberal Father For the love of thee I freely forgive all such as have any way offended me and for the love of thy dear Son I beg forgiveness of all my own offences against thy divin Majesty 6. Behold O my blessed Creator how I am on all sides encompassed with cruel enemies Lord I refuse not the combat since 't is thy Will but I beg thy gracious assistance that I may get the victory and that thou mayst have the glory 7. Deliver me O All-powerful Lord God! from all Evil from all corporal spiritual temporal eternal miseries From Sin from my self and from whatsoever displeases thy divin infinite amiable adorable Majesty At the first Agnus Dei. O Sweet Lamb of God pardon all my Sins and particularly such and such an one wherein I have most grievously and frequently offended At the second Agnus Dei. O Innocent Lamb of God! Implant all Virtues in my Soul and especially this and this which I seem most to stand in need of At the third Agnus Dei. O Peaceable pure and perfect Lamb of God Give me peace of Conscience purity of heart perfection of Spirit c. and whatsoever will render me most agreable to thy divin Majesty At Domine non sum dignus HUmbling my self in the presence of thy sacred Majesty O Soveraign Lord Jesu I adore thy Goodness Greatness and Glory and acknowledg my own Unworthiness Baseness and Nothing Whilst the Priest Communicates If you are to communicate Sacramentally these Prayers and Devotions may serve you for a sufficient Preparation Howsoever you may communicate Spiritually to your great profit and merit in all the Masses at which you assist This Spiritual Communion consists in these two Points 1. A Lively Faith of your Saviours Real Presenee in the Sacrament 2. An Ardent Desire to Receive Him into your Soul and to be perfectly united to Him O my sweet Savior the Soveraign Lord of my Heart and the beloved Object of my affections I adore thy sacred Body Blood Soul Divinity cover'd under these Sacramental forms O that I had all the necessary dispositions of a worthy Communicant Do thou only speak the word O all-powerful Lord God! and my Soul shall be saved Enter O my beloved Bridegroom into this poor lodging enrich it with thy infinite perfections fit it up as thy self best knows and pleases for thy own entertainment At the last Prayers Render your hearty Thanks to the divin Majesty for all his Gifts and Benefits O My God! my desire is always to praise thee for thy always continued favours But ah my Frailty Tepiditie and Weakness interrupt my desires wishes and affections Make use therefore of thy own goodness O my gracious Redeemer in supplying my present Defects pardoning my past negligences preserving me from future failings and praising thy self in me and all thy Creatures At the Priests final Benediction O Sweet Jesu bestow on me this day thy Blessing with this of thy Minister preserve me from all sin and give me perseverance in thy service That at the last day of thy dreadful Judgment I may receive that happy Benediction amongst thy Elected and Predestinated Children of Venite Benedicti Come ye Blessed of my Father and take possession of the Kingdom which was prepared for you from all Eternity At the last Gospel of St. John This Gospel is alwayes recited in the end of Mass as containing the sublimest mysteries of our Faith and being an abridgment of the mervails hidden in the holy Trinity And as those words Verbum caro factum est The Word was made flesh Words never enough to be reverenced the Priest and People fall down upon their Knees And at the end thereof The last word is Deo gratias Thanks be to God for the aocomplishment of these holy Mysteries I Render thee all possible praise and
Oblation of my whol self purely and entirely to thy divin Majesty which I beseech thy infinit goodness and mercy to receive from my Hands and Heart and to seal it in Heaven that it may be there warranted and confirmed for evermore And because the necessities frailties and infirmities which accompany this my Pilgrimage and which will probably most of all overwhelm me in deaths Agony permit me not according to my desire to be always employed in thy praises therefore I now prostrating my self before thy Throne of Majesty whom I reverently Adore with the greatest Affection that thou O my Lord God! know'st may be given by any creature and to whom I Offer in supply of my own unworthiness all the ardent affections mental excesses supernatural jubilations and amorous unions of all devout Souls in Heaven and Earth as though I felt them all in my own heart humbly express this my present Covenant Contract and Agreement with thee my Soveraign Creator Father Son and Holy Ghost in this manner That as often as I shall either Interiourly or Exteriourly either in Heart silently or with my Tongue verbally think or say any of these things following I Adore I Thank I Offer I Resolve I am Sorry I Desire I Resign I Believe I Hope I Love O my Lord O my Jesu And so passing no further shall there end My intention is to make as perfect an Act of Adoration Thanksgiving Oblation Resolution Contrition Petition Resignation Faith Hope and Charity as is possible for any creature to make And I do now for then declare denounce and testifie that my will and desire is whensoever I shall think or pronounce any of the words aforesaid to make exercise and perform all the Acts contain'd in this Book in all the devout Books that ever were or shall be written and which the blessed Virgin Angels and Saints do and shall do in Heaven for all eternity Receive and ratifie most gracious Soveraign this my humble Act Contract and Covenant as to all and each one of its branches and members and whatsoever is therein explicitly and implicitly included receive it as a pledg of my hearty desire to serve praise and honour thy divin Majesty purely perfectly eternally Receive it once for all which I wish to present unto thee every moment and minute to produce as often as I breath and to iterate as frequently as any Act can possibly be repeated and multiplied And I invite and conjure all the celestial Spirits and faithful Souls to sacrifice unto thy sacred Majesty more perfect holocausts of praise and benediction for evermore In this manner a pious Soul may incessantly praise and please God and with little labour acquire much merit For having once sincerely made and daily weekly or monthly repeating this Act according as it is here largly described it may hourly be practised with great ease and comfort by the meer direction of the mind and simple reflection of the spirit towards God upon all occasions and in whatsoever company and employment OF all other Devotions the use of a Crucifix is chiefly to be recommended to a Sick Person Kissing it Embracing it speaking somtimes to the Crucifix somtimes to his own Soul Nothing is more easie nothing more pious nothing more profitable For in the contemplation of that Sacred object you may with great facility adore praise bless thank invoke the divin Majesty and admire his infinite mercy love and liberality in this or the like manner as his Holy Spirit shall suggest unto you O holy Cross O deep Wounds O sacred Blood O cruel Sorrow Dear Lord at how dear a rate hast thou bought me O sweet Jesu be unto me a Jesus Let not the Soul perish which cost thee so great a price Destroy not thy own workmanship Lose not thy own labour pains and passion O Jesu Thou art my Friend and my Physician my Lord and my Love my Portion and my Possession my Peace and my Patience my Light in Darkness my Health in Sickness my Comfort in Sadness my Plenty in Want my Life in Death my Heaven in Purgatory my God and my All for Time and Eternity A larger Exercise in Contemplation of the Crucifix Fixing your Eyes upon the Crucifix or taking it reverently into your hands and humbly embracing it with an ardent desire to honour imitate and conform your self as far forth as God shall enable you to the last thoughts words and affections of your dying Saviour Read or cause to be read this following Exercise leisurely distinctly and devoutly ruminating upon each point and relishing every aspiration and affection The first Consideration ALl Christs Actions are our Instructions and as his Life is the prime exemplar of holy living so his Death is the perfect pattern of happy dying which he exhorts all Christians to imitate saying Take up your Cross and follow me O My Soul how ill have we imitated our sweet Saviour in our life manners and conversation Let 's at least strive to imitate him in his death by taking patiently this present Cross which he layes upon our shoulders and following him cheerfully to Mount Calvary O Jesu my Redeemer and the worlds Saviour how happy are they who are enabled by thy Grace to imitate thy Virtues who desire to live only for thee and are ready to die with thee who live in thy friendship and die in thy favour O glorious Son of God! Thou wert Incarnated and Crucifi'd for my ungrateful Soul O that I might be martâ—r'd and crucifi'd for thy sake to the end I might be conform-able to thee in dying though I have been so unlike to thee in living O my dear Saviour though my Soul is not forc'd out of my body by such a violent death as thine yet imprint in it I beseech thee such sweet thoughts and affections as thou felt'st when thou diedst for my sake The Second Consideration JESUS dy'd willingly patiently resignedly O My God! Give me health or sickness give me life or death give me whatsoever thou pleasest not my will but thine be done O Jesu By vertue of thy perfect Resignation to the divin Will strengthen mine in Deaths Agony Behold I bind my self to that blessed conformity of thine to thy heavenly Father and in union thereof I most willingly embrace the design thou hast over me be it for life or for death O my Saviour Thou being Gods innocent Son diedst in the flower of thine age and shall I desire long life who am a sinner a rebel a criminal I yield Lord I yield and submit to Deaths summons Farewel Earth farewel world farewel this Vale of tears and miseries Heaven is my happier home Paradise is much more pleasant and agreeable and Death is my way to it The Third Consideration JESUS pray'd for strength succour and courage in his Deaths Agony O My Eternal Lord and Lover Behold thy poor child encompass'd with miseries and calamities on every side knowing not what to choose or desire but only
humble addresses to thee in behalf of this poor Soul suffering in the flames of Purgatory It burns with an ardent desire to enjoy God and to behold thee in thy heavenly Glory but the Decree of divine Justice detains it from this desired happiness be thou therefore pleased O Just man to interpose thy pious intercession for the cancelling or at least for the moderation of this severe Edict Thou formerly freedst Jesus and Mary from Herods cruelty free now this Child of Jesus and Mary from the pains of Purgatory and obtain for him a speedy deliverance that he may with thee and thy dear Spouse Mary praise honour and enjoy Jesus for all eternity The Sequens of Holy Church usually said in the Masses for the Dead Dies Irae dies illa c. 1. THat Day of Wrath that dreadful Day Shall all the World in Ashes lay As David and Sybilla say 2. How shall poor Mortals quake with fears When their impartial Judg appears Who all their Causes strictly hears 3. His Trumpet sounds a dreadful tone The noise through all the Graves is blown And calls the Dead before his Throne 4. Nature and Death shall stand at gaze When Creatures shall their Bodies raise And answer for their forespent Days 5. The fair-writ Book of Conscience shown Sins black Inditement shall be known And every Soul it's Guilt shall own 6. So when the Judg shall sit on high All hidden Sins shall open ly No Crime shall from due Vengeance fly 7. What Plea shall wretched I pretend What Patron move to stand my Friend When scarce the Just themselves defend 8. O dreadful God and glorious King Who dost the saved freely bring To Bliss save me O Mercies Spring 9. Pious Jesu call to minde Thy Travels for my good design'd Grant I may that day Mercy find 10. Thou sat'st down weary seeking me Thou climbd'st the Cross my Soul to free Let not such Labours fruitless be 11. Dread Judg whose Justice is severe My long black score of Sin make cleer E're the accounting Day appear 12. I as a guilty Person groan My faults are in my Blushes known Pity dear Lord thy Suppliants moan 13. Thy granting Magdalen relief And opening Heaven to the Thief Hath with sweet Hopes allay'd my grief 14. My worthless Pray'rs deserve no hire But thou mild Lord thy Grace inspire And save me from eternal Fire 15. Amongst thy Sheep grant I may stand Far from the Goats accursed band Securely plac'd at thy Right Hand 16. The taitif Troop being put to shame And pent in Hells n'ere dying flame Amongst the Blest enrol my Name 17. With bended Knee I make my Prayer And Heart contrite as Ashes are Of my last End dear Lord take care 18. That Day of Doom that Day of Tears When guilty Man awakes in Fears From Dust and fore his Judg appears 19. Jesu whose Breast our woes condoles Preserve him from Hells burning Coaks Give rest to all departed Souls Amen ¶ XII A most devout Exercise of Confession and Communion applied to the Souls suffering in Purgatory When your Charity towards your departed Brethren and Friends shall invite you O pious Christian to apply the fruit of your Communion in their favour You may do well to entertain your self during that whole day set apart for that holy purpose in such acts exercises and thoughts as are proper for that subject As for example At your awaking in the Morning IMagin you hear those poor restless and afflicted Souls making their moan to you and exciting you with their ordinary complaints Miseremini miseremini saltem vos Amici O Friends take compassion upon us And do you answer them with a Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine lux perpetua luceat eis O my God! who hast mercifully given me rest this night and light this morning give eternal rest and eternal light to these poor souls Being cloathed and placed on your knees to Adore the Divine Majesty you may thus pour forth your heart before him O Sacred Trinity I here most humbly prostrate my self and these poor Souls in thy presence Offering up for them to the Throne of thy mercy all my this days Actions and Devotions and particularly my Confession Communion and the Indulgence which through thy Mercy I hope to obtain uniting them to the merits of my dear Redeemer of his blessed Mother and of all the glorious Saints of Heaven And beseeching thy infinit goodness to accept of these my weak and unworthy endeavours for satisfaction of their punishments for solace of their sufferings and for their speedy admission to thy beatifying presence Going to Confession IMagin 1. That the Sacrament of Penance is the Purgatory of this world where thou art to cleanse thy Soul by the Fire of Contrition and Flames of Charity not only from its Sins but also in some measure from the Punishments which by its Sins it hath deserved that being thus pardoned and purified it may be more capable to assist those Souls which suffer in the Purgatory of the other world 2. That if it so pleased the Divine goodness as to lend one hour of time to the Souls in Purgatory wherein they might merit and do Penance how zealously would they make use of this blessed Remedy how sincerely would they Confess their Sins how faithfully would they perform their Duty 3. That many poor Souls suffer now most severe punishments in Purgatory and even in Hell it self for one only Sin and what doth thy self deserve for so many or what must thou expect unless thou endeavourest to make some timely satisfaction during this life Returning from Confession 1. ADmire the Divine favour mercy and goodness in your behalf which is so great that had he don the like to the damned before their departure out of this world they had been all Saints in Paradise 2. Perform your enjoyned Penance humbly punctually and with an ardent desire to satisfie the divine Justice for your offences Hearing Mass 1. AT the Entrance of the Priest to the Altar Think how all Purgatory begins to rejoyce in expectation of the fruits of this great Sacrifice Joyn your Heart Affection and Intention with his Offering up with him the same Sacrifice in memory of Christs Passion in Thanksgiving for his favour conferr'd upon the Souls of Purgatory in that they departed this life in his Grace and Love and in satisfaction for the punishment due to their sins At the Confiteor FOrm an Act of hearty Contrition and weigh how highly it grieves the faithful Souls departed that they ever offended the divin Goodness At the Kyrie-eleison CRy out for Mercy in their behalf by the same repeated petitions to the sacred Trinity At Gloria in excelsis O My God! That these poor Souls were now also conforted with thy Angelical Quires to chaunt forth with them these happy Canticles of thy eternal Glory At Credo MAke a profession of your Faith protesting you will never swerve one tittle from that belief wherein all
tyrannize over your Nature 3. To what imperfections you have been most subject 4. How you have perform'd your Morning resolutions of doing this avoiding that 5 How you have comply'd with the Obligations which concern your special calling charge and condition 3. Marking particularly upon each one of these heads your most notorious Excesses Omissions Commissions Negligences Then conceiving a general hatred horrour and detestation of all sin say briefly O my Soul How ill have we imployed our Time and Talent lent us to merit Eternity O my Lord and Maker I am most heartily sorry for all these sins defects and imperfections which by thy divine grace and light I have now discover'd and discern'd in my soul and humbly implore thy mercifull pardon both for them and all such others as have escaped my memory But if in the Examination of your conscience you there take notice of any mortal Crime Be sure to confound your self presently in your Creators presence Crying out in the bitterness of your Soul O my strange Frailty Malice Ingratitude Whence is it that thou my justly irritated Creator commandedst not the Earth instantly to swallow me or Fire from Heaven to consume me or thy exterminating Angel to cut me off Whence is it that thou withheldst thy breath from blasting me in the very height of my sinfull action with sudden death or that thou sent'st not some of thy instruments of Justice to revenge this horrid injury by razing me from off the Earth's surface and hurrying me head-long into the dismal inexplicable interminable torments of Hell being the place which is only proper and therefore prepar'd to receive such ungratefull ungracious and perverse wretches And why is this favourable delay of thy divine Justice afforded me O my patient and compassionate Lord God! but only to give me time to recall my self from my wickedness and to call upon thy Mercy and Goodness Behold O my Creator I call I cry I come to thee as a poor wretched miserable Criminal I call to thee for Pity I cry to thee for Mercy I come to thee for Pardon And I resolve purpose and promise by the assistance of thy Grace seriously to correct speedily to confess and willingly to satisfie for what is amiss in me And this not for fear of Hell-fire which I have deserved not for the loss of Heaven which I have forfeited but for the love of thee my Lord God! whom I have offended I acknowledg my self worthy of thy Punishment unworthy of thy Inheritance but that which chiefly grieves me is the having injur'd thy Goodness The consideration of having offended thee my loving Father more lively pierces my soul than the apprehension of my sufferings or the loss of my Childs portion Wherefore even for thy own sake O compassionate Father pity relieve and receive thy poor repenting and returning Prodigal who even for thy own and only sake heartily detests all his sins sincerely promises his amendment and humbly craves thy pardon They who have more time and leisure and who desire to become more truly spiritual may here before they betake themselves to their rest make these five internal and affectionate acts 1. A Spiritual uncloathing of our Souls REturn securely O my Soul into thy place of rest Repose sweetly quietly confidently in the bosom of the divine Bounty Rely entirely upon thy Lords love and mercy And cutting off all cares and curiosities all fears and desires remain here contentedly without diverting thy self with any other Objects Behold O my Lord and Lover I absolutely renounce all but thee humbly casting my self into the arms of thy most holy Disposition Providence and Protection I will henceforth aim at nothing but the advancement of thy Honor the accomplishment of thy Will the encrease of thy Love and an Union with thy self O how truly happy wouldst thou be my yet unmortifi'd Soul were thy Affections once free and not clasp'd to any Creature that thou couldst readily resolutely resignedly throw off all and take the naked Cross for thy total Inheritance Thou O my loving Lord Jesu wert born naked in a Stable diedst naked on a Cross wert put naked into thy dolefull Mothers arms to be first bath'd in her Tears and then buried naked in anothers Sepulchre and shall not my Heart and Soul burn with love of external and internal Nakedness Live my Lord Jesus depriv'd of Father and Mother on the Cross Live Mary depriv'd of thy only Son at the foot of the Cross Live naked Cross and live this holy Nakedness Live my Beloved to me and I to him Uncloath me therefore O Jesu 1. Of all sin 2. Of all affection to sin 3. Of all curiosity and vanity 4 Of all sensuality 5. Of all inordinate passion 6. Of all self-complacency self-judgment self-love self-will 7. Of my whol self and whatsoever is displeasing to the pure eyes of thy divine Majesty 2. A most profound Humiliation of our Souls O My Soveraign Creator I most heartily acknowledg my own baseness misery weakness wickedness nothing I perfectly hate dislike and loath my self and all my own proceedings Behold me O Lord lying here prostrate at thy feet as a poor Publican not worthy to lift my Eyes towards Heaven or to take thy sacred Name into my sinfull mouth But what more can I do O my Maker than offer up to thy Majesty an humble and contrite heart fully prepar'd to suffer what thou shalt please to command it And lo I present my whol self bound hand and foot before the Throne of thy Mercy to be adjudg'd according to thy Will Lord I fly not from thee I appeal not from thy Sentence I pretend no priviledge I plead no excuse Be thou the Knife and I the Flesh Hack and hew me cut me and crucifie me as thou pleasest Only pardon my sins Let me live in thy service Die in thy favour and Enjoy thy Love for all Eternity 3. A recommendation and resignation of all to the divine Majesty INto thy holy hands O heavenly Father I recommend my Spirit my Memory my Will my Understanding my Senses my Actions all that I have and am I cast all at thy sacred feet imploy them all as best liketh thee that by them all thou mayst be praised served and loved purely perfectly perpetually I entirely resign my self and all to thy most sacred Will in life and in death for time and for Eternity And will resolutely chearfully and affectionately say and sing at all times in all places upon all occasions Our Lords Name be ever praised his honour always promoted his Will eternally perform'd by me and by all his Creatures 4. A hope and confidence that God whom we Love and who Loveth us will effect what is best for us BEhold O Heavenly Father I here place my self under the wings of thy paternal protection by an immutable Act of filial Confidence and faithful Affection humbly committing all that any way concerns me to thy most holy Providence In this Center O
When I weigh the wonderfull greatness glory and splendor of thy dear Spouse the Catholick Church her antiquity extent succession her establishment order union her charity constancy sanctity and all other her advantages and prerogatives which would fill whol volumes to explicate am I not sufficiently convinc'd that she is not built up by human policy but is the work of thy heavenly power O City of God! what glorious things are said of thee which hast such excellent succours from above such admirable success against thy enemies such amiable sweetness to confer upon thy faithful children When I ponder the quality of the doctrine so pure so perfect so holy forbidding all Sin even in the least thought or desire teaching all Virtue tending to a supernatural end as self-hatred contempt of all temporalities c. and ayming O Lord at thy holy Love and union How clearly doth it appear to proceed from thy self the pure source of all sanctity and perfection Alas how unproportionable is mans weakness and wickedness to think of a doctrin so conformable to thy divine greatness When I also meditate on the means whereby this Faith was at first planted and soon after propagated to the utmost ends of the world I clearly behold a hand of heaven and an evident draught of thy infinite power and providence Twelve Apostles poor powerless creditless persons proposing things contrary to mens natural appetites and of most hard digestion to flesh and bloud to give Laws to the whol world To conquer and convert the Emperors and Kings of the earth rising in express opposition against them I plainly perceive thy co-operation O Father of Heaven and thy choosing of weaklings to confound the strong 'T is thou alone canst be master of this sacred science and I may with an humble confidence cry out If this be error O Lord 't is thy self hast deceived me since thou hast led me into this belief by persons of such sanctity and confirm'd it by prodigies of such efficacy 6. Resolutions concerning Faith ANd now my dear Lord and Lover I offer thee my poor heart replenished with all these Acts Affections and Resolutions O that I might dye for the defence of these infallible Verities How willingly would I lay down my life and shed every drop of bloud in my body for each part and parcel of this my Faith and profession Thou O Jesu art God-man and Man-God Thou art the Way the Truth and the life O that I might be torn in a thousand morsels for following this way believing this Truth loving this Life Thy Church is infallible and her decisions indubitable O that occasion were offer'd of a thousand deaths swords fires torments to try my fidelity in this assured particular But how resolvest thou my feeble soul upon these high and heroick exploits who art so subject to faint and to turn coward upon far less occasion Alas hast thou not often bely'd thy Faith by thy works without any constraint or contradiction Thou confessest a Saviour needy upon earth and naked on the Cross and yet thy covetousness is insatiable A Saviour humble and contemned and thou breathest nothing but ambition A Saviour meek merciful patient and thy enmities are immortal thy injuries intolerable thy hatred irreconcilable Ah weakling Thou yieldest at a pins-pricking how wilt thou stand at the swords piercing If straws make thee stumble how wilt thou subsist against darts Conquer thy self first in these lesser skirmishes that thou mayst be constant in those greater combats O my Lord I am reduced to nothing I praise the Conquerors but my self perisheth in the smallest conflicts I am too conscious of my own frailty to confide in my own forces Yet I desire to imitate the invincible courage of holy Martyrs and tender Virgins who for this Faith endured such torments Thou Lord art my only strength and confidence O let thy grace which is never wanting to them that trust in thee powerfully support and shield me thy weak yet willing Souldier with faithful courage and perseverant constancy in the day of battail and whensoever time or occasion shall exact a tryal of my true fidelity thou O Saviour Jesu the Author and finisher of my Faith who hast call'd me sought me found me carried me home to thy fold and numbred me amongst thy Sheep Grant I beseech thee that I may lead a life correspondent to my Faith and that my manners may be conformable to thy merciful illuminations That after the imperfect and obscure knowledg of this world I may finally arrive to the pure knowledg of thee in the other where with thy Saints I hope to behold thee face to face by the light of glory in thy blessed Eternity 7. A triple Practise and the Conclusion of these Acts of Faith IN the mean space I will by thy blessed assistance O divine bounty daily and diligently prepare encourage and fortifie my Soul with these three pious practises 1. Since Faith is the fountain of all Grace the life of my soul the soul of my love the ground-work of my salvation the only Eye by which I can view heaven through this veil of mortality the root of all that is truly good desirable amiable and yet this so necessary a good O eternal Goodness is thy free gift I will instantly beg it of thy bounty and never cease crying out in imitation of thy Apostles Lord encrease my Faith 2. Since the want of this lively and active Faith in such things as concern thy divine honour O dread Soveraign and my own happiness is the chief cause that I have passed and lost so many years days and hours of my short life without making any progress in thy love or profit in virtue My soul shall henceforth inhabit Heaven my spirit shall be no longer link'd to these sensible objects but shall look upon things to come as if they were present truths Ah World what art thou to me who am made for an Eternity O Earth how I loath thee when I behold Heaven 3. Since my Faith is thus setled my conscience thus quieted my mind thus resolved upon such evident grounds such infallible Principles Let Hell vomit out all its malice by hereticks mouths against these my Tenents Let all the dead arise from their graves to tell me I am deceived Let the Angels and Saints descend from heaven to Evangelize a new doctrine Let all Christians upon Earth revolt against this and receive a contrary belief I will still remain stedfast in my choice and firm in my station not for the miracles which have confirm'd me and marks of truth which have seal'd my security and thy Churches infallibility but because thou my Lord who hast thus illuminated my soul with the supernatural light of Faith which thy Church teacheth me art the Truth it self and canst not possibly deceive me Lord I believe thy self and thy sacred Church This is the sum of my belief This is my present profession and protestation before heaven and earth
I may become pleasing to thy divine Majesty profitable to my Neighbours and instrumental so my own perfection and Salvation 7. The Conclusion of this Exercise with an humble Petition for perfect and Christian Temperance ANd now O great and glorious Creator who hast made all things for my use and me for thy service Grant I beseech thee that I may never more violate thy sacred order and design O let me not rest in any creature which is so much inferiour to my noble nature but terminate my love in thy blessed self who only art above me Where else Alas can my understanding find a soveraign Object to satiate it or Center to content it but the O supream Verity Where can my will meet with a perfect felicity whereupon to fix its affections but thee alone O essential Goodness Let me not therefore leave thee the solid Substance to love the Figure which so lightly fades away But give me O gracious Lord God! thy efficacious assistance that I may make such temperate use of the world as if I us'd it not that so living out the remaining days of my Pilgrimage Soberly Vigilantly and Faithfully according to my calling I may Joyfully Hopefully Confidently and Preparedly expect thy coming O my merciful Judg having my Reins girt with Continence my Lamp lighted with Charity Staff in hand with prompt Obedience to all thy holy Ordinances and finally enter with thee my Souls dear Bridegroom into thy Marriage-chamber of eternal delights in thy happy Paradise ¶ 4. Of Penance and Confession SInce Penance according to the sacred Councel of Trent is a duty inseparably annexed to the state of Christiany and that every ones life in whatsoever condition should be a continual practise and perseverant performance of Penance during the time of this our earthly pilgrimage We shall endeavour to deliver with all possible brevity distinction and clearness 1. Such Necessary Essential and Fundamental Truths and Tenents concerning Penance as are unquestionable amongst all Orthodox Doctors and proper to be known by every Penitent for the due exercise thereof 2. We shall descend to the practical and most important part of Penance which is Confession setting down such Preparations Examinations of the Conscience and Acts of devotion as are to precede it such as are to accompany it and such as are to follow it 3. We shal add a larger Examination of the Conscience or Catalogue of sins for their help benefit who desire to make a good general Confession General Maxims and Positions concerning Penance and Confession The necessity of Penance WE are by nature the children of wrath and being heirs of our first Parents malediction we are with them banish'd out of Paradise and abandon'd to labor and toyl upon earth where we remain slaves to our irregular passions under the tyrannical yoake of Death and the Devil Now there are but two means to redress these miseries and to recover the divine favour and friendship and consequently to regain Heaven to wit Innocency and Penance Innocency concerns only such spotless Souls as have inviolably conserv'd their Baptismal sanctity even to the last moment of their lives though they also if there be any such Saints besides Children dying in the nonage of reason may be said in some sort to stand in need of Penance for the preservation of their purity and perseverance in their Innocency Penance concerns all Sinners as being the sole means establish'd by God and left by Christ JESVS to his Church whereby to appease our irritated Creator to satisfie the divine Justice and to restore as to our lost heavenly Inheritance Unless you do Penance you shall all Perish Penance is the chief Exercise of a Christian WHence it follows That Penance is the most necessary important and excellent Exercise of all Christians since all must either Perish or do Penance and and it is an Article of our Faith that Penance is so absolutely necessary for all Sinners that without it there is no hope lest of obtaining pardon for their Sins of regaining Gods favour of saving their Souls and of enjoying eternal Happiness Penance comprehends the Virtue of Penance and the Sacrament of Penance WHich is to be understood both of an interiour Penance which is an act of the Virtue of Penance and of an exteriour Sacrament of Penance which is commonly call'd Confession By the Virtue of Penance The Sinner is to detest his impieties with a firm resolution of no more offending the divine Majesty By the Sacrament of Penance he is to accuse himself of them with an earnest desire to repair the wrongs satisfie the injuries done to the divine Justice So that to obtain pardon for his Sins he must of necessity have both an inward sincere Christian sorrow and repentance and also when it may be obtain'd an outward Confession and Accusation of his crimes accompanied with such Conditions as shall be hereafter specified The Sacrament of Penance consists of these four Parts 1 Contrition of heart 2 Confession of mouth 3 Satisfaction of works which are its material Parts 4 An Absolution of the Priest which is its Form Of Contrition the first Part of Penance A Sinner cannot duly perform this important affair of Penance unless he conceiv's as aforesaid a Sorrow for his past offences This Sorrow may be either Perfect or Imperfect It is Perfect 1 When it proceeds from perfect Charity grounded upon the consideration of Gods love and goodness 2 Accompanied with an inward sincere and cordial detestation of the committed Crime And 3 joyned with a firm purpose and resolution of future Amendment It is Imperfect when Charity in us is imperfect and when our sorrow proceeds 1 Rather from the fear of Hell 2 Or from the desire of Heaven 3 Or from the foulness of the Sin it self than from the love of God The first is called Contrition the second Attrition Attrition is of it self insufficient to obtain pardon and therefore it must be accompanied with a Sacramental Confession to render it effectual for the Remission of sins and reconciliation to the divine Grace and Friendship Contrition is so Excellent that S. Cyprian esteems it the very best thing which a mortal creature can offer up to her Creator It is so Powerful that S Ambrose says It opens heaven shuts up hell cures all the Souls diseases repairs all spiritual ruins and serves as a Sponge to deface all iniquities It is so pleasing to God that sings the Royal Prophet he never rejects an humble and contrite Heart but ever receives it as a most perfect Sacrifice It is so easy that a Moment may conceive it an Instant may produce it For neither the shortness of time says S. Cyprian nor the exremity of the last hour hinders the pardon of a Contrite Penitent Finally it is so Profitable that says the same Saint it not only obtains Pardon for past offences but gains also a future Crown of glory But this perfect Contrition must proceed 1. from a
Whilst your Spiritual Father pronounces your Absolution produce either with heart or mouth some of these short Acts following 1. Of Sorrow O God be merciful to me a sinner 2. Of Humility Not unto me Lord but to thy Name be given all praise and glory 3. Of Love and Confidence My God and my All My comfort and my content my secure rest and sole refuge Remain with me sweet Jesus and it is sufficient 4. Of Spiritual joy and alacrity Take courage my poor dejected desolate Soul Jesus is our guide and we are going to Heaven what matters it whether we get or lose in this World have friends or foes sink or swim live or die upon earth If Jesus loves us and we Him it is enough Live the Cross and my crucified Redeemer Adieu world Farewel Self-love Heaven is my Home Jesus is my Hope and Happiness Also At the time of Absolution Imagine you feel Christs sacred Blood distilling into your Soul and that you hear those his sweet words directed unto your ears Go in peace thy Sins are forgiven thee now sin no more lest some worse thing befal thee O words full of sweetness and comfort After Confession REtire your self a while 1. To give God thanks 2. To say your Penance 3. To renew your good purposes and resolutions 4. To offer up your self and all your actions with whatsoever you are and have to be hereafter employed for your sweet Saviours honour love and service 5. To beg of him who died on the Cross with his Eyes full of Tears Body full of Wounds and Heart full of Mercy for the salvation of your Soul to supply all defects which may have occurred in this or any other your Confessions Then ejaculate sweetly some of these Sentences CLeanse me O Lord from my secret sins from my vitious customs inclinations and affections and permit me not to participate with others in their offences nor to be involved in their crimes by my consent and connivency Return my Soul into thy rest for thy Lord hath done well for thee What have I in heaven and what would I have on earth O my God! thou art the God of my heart my part my portion and my inheritance for ever I desire to be dissolved and to be with thee my Lord and Saviour But who will free me from the body of this death I would gladly be separated not only from Sin and the occasions thereof but even from this body of Sin which I can bear about me That so being absolved and dissolved my departing soul might unspottedly ascend to her eternal rest in the very Act of this vehement and amorous Contrition Yes my good and gracious Creator I would willingly be sequestred from my self and all creatures that I might be totally united to thy self my first beginning my final end my hope my happiness my All. It is good for me to stick fast to my Lord to place my confidence in God my Saviour Let others seek other contents I and my house will serve thee our Lord and Maker A Prayer after Confession O Merciful Redeemer of my Soul what praise love and thanks shall I return to thee for having made a Bath of thy Bloud a Garment of thy Grace to cleanse and cloath my defiled and naked Soul in the Sacrament of Penance Let my Body Soul and all that is within me bless thee eternally and let Heaven Earth and all that is within them say Amen Alleluja Receive I beseech thee O my dear Lord Jesu by the bowels of thy Mercy by the breasts of thy Mother and by the merits of all thy blessed Saints this my Confession Let it be pleasing to thy sacred Majesty and profitable to my own Soul Let thy infinite sweetness of love and bitterness of sorrow supply all its defects whether it be want of Contrition or of Integrity or of Humility or of Clarity or of Simplicity or of a true sense and feeling of my Sins heynousness or of a full Resolution of amendment or any other Circumstance Negligence or Error whatsoever Forget and forgive all the crimes ingratitudes impurities of my life past and in particular whatsoever through my own carelesness may have escap'd my memory whatsoever the common Enemy may accuse me of at the hour of my death and whatsoever thou my dread Judg maist in the rigour of thy Justice lay to my charge at the day of thy dreadful Judgement I repenr me heartily for all that I have done amiss I renounce all that is opposite to thy perfect love and liking I resolve to amend all and to avoid all sinful occasions I resign body soul all to do Penance make all possible Satisfaction And lastly for thine own sake sweet Jesu I beseech thee to pardon all relying upon thy goodness confiding in thy mercy rejoicing at what thou art to wit so loving and so worthy of all love so good in thy self so good to all others so good to me the least and worst of all others Let all creatures joyn with my soul to love honour serve and praise thee her glorious Creator her gracious Redeemer her liberal Sanctifier this day and for all eternity And now my Lord Jesu I here again lay down the whole burrhen of my Sins at thy sacred Feet and take up thy Cross in exchange Resolving by thy gracious assistance to pass on my lives pilgrimage in the perpetual practise of Penance Patience and Purity abandoning Body Soul Goods Limbs Life all to thy service Accept my offer O dear Lord Jesu and admit me henceforth for one of thy meanest Bond-slaves Let me live and dy in the performance of this my promised duty obedience and submission to thy holy Will and Precepts Let me never more offend thee but loath and abhor the very name and shadow of Sin more than Death or Hell it self Teach me O Lord how to persevere in thy love and to correspond to my vocation with a zealous fervor joyned with prudence and discretion That serving thee my Soveraign Lord and Master during my abode in this prison of Mortality with fidelity simplicity sincerity I may at the end of my lives course be received into immortality with security and that as I here justly sing forth thy Mercies for having used such sweet and efficacious means to bring my sinking Bark into the safe Haven so I may there joyfully intone eternal Canticles of thy Divine praises in thy Kingdom of glory Amen ¶ 6. An easie and necessary method of Examining the Conscience for the making of a General Confession General Advertisements concerning General Confessions 1. THe motive which obliges all Christians who are desirous to perform their Duty and settle their souls in the state of Grace to make a General Confession is only this When upon just and rational Grounds and not out of an erroneous or scrupulous Understanding they doubt of the Validity of any of their former Confessions by reason-of some essential Defect which accompanied them The
in thy absence Who will pity my Case who will plead my Cause who will pardon my Crimes who will save my Soul Thou only art all my comfort come therefore to me or take me to thee 4. The holy Baptist esteem'd himself unworthy to loose the latchet of thy Sandals St. Peter to be in the same Bark with thee The Centurion to admit thee under his Roof And what art thou my poor Soul compar'd to these great Saints Lord I am not worthy of this honour and happiness which I much desire Depart therefore from me a sinner or rather come to me and cause that I may sin no more 5. Who is the Guest I mean to lodg One who infinitly surpasses all created perfections One whose power fram'd all whose providence governs all whose beck can in a moment bring all back to their Original Nothing And is it possible he will descend to dwell in houses of Earth If the Heavens cannot contain thee Dread Soveraign how shall my soul Whence O Lord is this thy goodness to me Who am I to deserve it No 't is thy Love that brings thee to me and 't is my Confidence that leads me to thee O that I were as clean as thy Empyreal Heaven to entertain thee as Pure as the Virgin MARY to receive thee 6. What need I other Motives of Humility than to see thee O Jesu so humble in this Sacrament Thou annihilatest thy glory to become my food who am the food of worms I am saist thou the bread of life take me eat me digest me nourish thy self with me have as much power over me as much possession of me as of a morsel of bread which thou swallowest Come then O my Lord and Lover take full and free possession of me establish thy government adorn thy lodging command control correct all be thou all in all in my Soul c. 7. With desire sayst thou my sweet Saviour I have desired to eat this Pasche with you before I suffer Why O Lord dost thou so much desire it and I so little What good will come to thee by it and what good will not come to me by it Dost thou so heartily desire my good and shall I not desire my own good and thy glory 8. At what time was this pledg of the divin love and comfort of our life instituted Just in the night of our dear Saviours Passion immediatly before he was hurried away to Death O Love without limits O mercy without measure When men seek out the means to bereave thee of life Thou inventest this Banquet to give them life How well O Loving Jesu dost thou teach me to repay good for evil and to give my life and blood for my Enemies but much more for thee who hast shew'd me such large tokens of thy tender affection 9. In what place In a Chamber on high well swept well prepar'd freely profer'd wherein our Redeemer wrought strange things both before and after his Resurrection What Lodging O Lord shall I offer thy sacred Majesty Child give me thy heart Lord take it behold I neither lend it nor sell it but I freely and fully give it unto thee for Nothing And yet I give thee nothing but thine own O Lord It is not clean purifie it with thy Blood It is not adorned Beautifie it with thy Grace Love and Favour It is not High but base mean terrene Elevate it with thy ennobling Presence touch it draw near it and draw it near thy self And then work in it thy holy will and pleasure 10. Who were the Receivers The twelve Apostles whereof one was a Traitor Is it I Lord Alas If there be any one I am most likely yet my comfort is that I come not with any such treacherous intention but to lodg and love thee to obtain pardon for my Sins and to implore thy Grace that I may sin no more 11. O my Soul how mercifully hath thy Lord and Maker provided for thee nourished thee cherished thee All living creatures stand in need of such sustenance as is conformable to their nature without which they cannot live and subsist Some of them are Corporal Others are Spiritual Man partakes of both as consisting of Body and Soul which are two different things wedded together by the divin Wisdom and in a most wondrous manner not to be understood by our weak capacity Mark now O man admire and weep in the extasie of thy joy and love how God provides meat for thy twofold Nature For thy bodies food physick and support He provides preserves and sustains all sublunary Creatures and for thy Souls food physick and support He provides the bread of Angels and himself in person the Baker being the Holy Ghost the Oven the Virgin Mary the Fire Charity the Matter Human Nature united to the Divinity O prodigies of Affection 12. Thy other Sacraments O my Lord and my God! contain and give Grace but this contains and gives the Author of Grace the Fire of Love the Sun of Justice the Fountain of Mercy This therefore surpasses them as far as the Sun doth its Beam the Fire its Flame and the Fountain its Rivulet O how excessive is thy Love Dear Lord to my poor Soul in that thou art pleas'd to visit it in thy proper person to cure cleanse comfort it with thy own divin hand and heart to nourish it with thy own blessed Body and Blood O what thanks honour love and gratitude are due to thy infinite bounty and liberality O my Soul where are thy exclamations admirations extasies of affection Remainest thou alone insensible dry and undevout amongst these miracles of Gods goodness towards thee Hast thou no heart no feeling no fervour amidst these flames of his Charity Enkindle new fires O Lord in my heart burn it consume it annihilate it in the furnace of thy Love 13. O the admirable power of my God which works so many Miracles at one Word of his servants mouth Bread becomes Flesh Wine Blood the Creature our Creator Speak also a Word sweet Jesu to my Soul say This Soul is mine Take it Lord transform it change it into thy self Let it be no longer mine but thine for all future time and eternity 14 Why was this divin Sacrament instituted under the forms of Bread and Wine 1. To shew the necessity of it Can our bodies live without bread and drink And can our Souls live without thee O loving Jesu 2. To teach us what Union our Lord desires to make with our Souls Is not meat and drink incorporated into our substance And is not this the effect of thy Sacramental presence O Saviour in humble and holy Souls O what alterations what alienations what extasies do they feel in and after Communion They do not breath but burn not live but languish their life is all Love their Spirit all Fire O Lord let fall one drop of this dew upon my dry Soul Give it good Jesu one Spark of this Fire one Beam
have more Time Zeal and Devotion Four Petitions after Communion which may be made also at any other time with very much profit 1. HAving lodg'd your Lord and Master Cleanly 2. Thanked him heartily 3. Offered him all freely 4. Resolved to leave all for him Sincerely 5. Promised to serve him faithfully Ask what you stand in need of Go to him boldly and beg of him confidently for he will deny you nothing that shall be for your Good and his Glory since as sure as God is God so sure it is that he is Good and that he desires your good And now is the time to treat with him about the affairs of your Soul and your Salvation For he is seated in the midst of your Heart as a King upon the Throne of his Mercy To give Audience To receive Complaints To redress Aggrievances and to give favourable Sentences Speak therefore to him Lord Jesu I here shew you my Wounds as to my Physician My Wants as to my Father My Wishes as to my Friend I am Wounded all over in my Soul Understanding Will Affections Passions I Want all that is good Humility Charity Patience c. What I wish thou well knowest who art privy to my secret sighs O Father O Physician O Friend Cure me Comfort me Content me 1. My first Petition is That thy sacred Name may be Sanctified Honour'd and Prais'd by all in all above all That thy Kingdom may come thy Kingdom of Grace in this world and of Glory in the next That thy Will may be done in Earth as it is in Heaven in me and in all things purely perfectly eternally 2. My second Petition is True Light true Love true Liberty true Life O my Soul Mark well how much thou wantest these Four things and thou wilt heartily demand them 3. My third Petition is A generous Disgust and Contempt of all terrene and sensual Comforts Companies Commodities A cleer sight and a couragious Resolution to know and to enterprize whatsoever shall be to thy Will and Honour An invincible Patience and Perseverance in enduring all this lives Crosses Contradictons Inconveniences A simple naked and indifferent Charity loving God in all and above all and all others in or for Him without interest or partiality or hypocrisie 4. My fourth Petition is Increase of Grace Extirpation of Vice Implantation of Vertue Mortification of Passions Victory over ill Customs Progress in divin Love Purity of Intention Perseverance in the way of Perfection All which I most humbly beg for my self for my Friends for my Enemies for them who have done me any good for the whole Church for all the World Two Questions which Jesus proposes to the Soul being in the midst thereof After Communion 1. O Blind Creature What wilt thou that I should do unto thee What dost thou want desire expect Fear not to speak I am thy Father and thy Physician Lord That I may See Thou maist easily perceive sweet Saviour what I Want and for what I Wish What doth a Blind wretch desire but Eyes and Light to See and Know both thee and Himself thy Mercy and his own misery thy Will and his own Obligations Lord Let me See thee here by Faith and hereafter by eternal Vision Fruition Possession 2. Peter Lovest thou me more than these N. tell me truly feel the pulse of thy Heart weigh thy Affection in the just Ballance of the Sanctuary speak unfainedly without self-flattery Dost thou Love me at least wilt thou Love me how much dost thou love me more than all these Creatures Answer if thou darest Lord thou knowest that I love thee a little and I will love thee more and will never cease to love thee till I come to love thee only It is easie for the Sea to swallow up a small Drop for the fire to consume a little Straw and for the Sun to revive a little Worm And is it not easier for thee O Sea of Sweetness O Fire of Love O Sun of Justice to absorp transform annihilate my poor Spirit into your Self and to make me a pure and perfect love changing my Sadness into Joy Darkness into Light Coldness into Fervor and putting new Vigor new Heat new life into my Heart N. Dost thou love me If so let me see the Tree by its Fruits Do this for my love Cut off such a superfluity abandon such company avoid such curiosity c. Love such an one for my sake Forgive all upon my command Suffer this Mortification Contradiction Cross Infirmity for my love leave all for me and leave thy self to me ¶ 9. Directions Entertainments and Affections during the time of Mass Every devout Christian should carefully observe these three Rules 1. TO hear Mass daily if he hath health leisure and opportunity 2. Not to go to Mass for fashions sake or out of custom but out of a deep sense of the incomprehensible greatness of this divin Sacrifice and out of a fervent desire to contemplate his God cloath'd with our humanity under the shapes of Bread and Wine in the Priests hands 3. Not to enter into the place design'd for this holy purpose as he would into a Play-house but with a Reverent Religious Recollected composition of all his exteriour and interiour Senses and briefly with such a behaviour as may beseem one who is to be honoured with the presence and speech of a God Preparatory Prayers before Mass Whilst the Priest is vesting himself you may entertain your self with some of these following Prayers and Elevations PRostrate before the Throne of thy divin Majesty O dread Soveraign I humbly implore thy Pardon for my Offences thy Grace for a supply of my indignity and thy Love to ravish my soul and senses in the contemplation of this Sacred Mystery that my whol interiour and exteriour man may be intirely employ'd in praising and admiring thy infinit Goodness and Mercy O sweet Jesu I will accompany thee to Mount Calvary Make me partaker I beseech thee of that Charity which conducted thee thither Give me such a feeling of thy sufferings as had the daughters of Sion meeting thee with the Cross on thy Shoulders a Cord about thy Neck and a Thorny Crown on thy Head Grant me a Resignation of my Will to thine like that of thy Virgin-Mother at the foot of thy Cross And by the Merits of thy Sufferings and Constancy bestow on me the gift of Perseverance in thy love and service O divin Spirit the faithful Bridegroom of my Soul Descend now graciously into it purifie it from the dross of its imperfections and replenish it with the flames of thy sacred affections that it may breath nothing but thy Love and desire nothing but the accomplishment of thy Will Then direct your intention and apply the Mass in this manner I offer unto thee O my God of infinit Majesty this divin Sacrifice by the hands of thy Priest For the Remission of all my Sins for a Thanksgiving for all thy Benefits for a
In hope of which happiness all Sufferings shall seem sweet to me as proceeding from your paternal hands and I here disavow all expressions of complaint which the violence of my Disease may hereafter draw from my Tongue but not from my Heart which is wholly resign'd to my dear Lord's will and pleasure Nor will I care to be informed how long I must lie languishing in this my Infirmity or whether Death shall in this battle be defeated or become victorious over my life No my Lord I absolutely leave the disposal of my Body Soul and all that concerns me to thy divin Will and Pleasure and desire nothing as to my life and death but that the short remainder of my life may be spent in loving thee serving thee and suffering for thee and that whensoever thou shalt send death to cut its thread my Soul may be found ready prepared for her happy eternitie In the mean space it matters not whether I am cherished or contristated I will endeavour to be indifferent to either since I deserve not the one and my Sins render me worthy of the other Thy innocent Son O Eternal Father who suffered not as I do for his own Sins was deserted by his Disciples and even by thy self also and shall I after this example expect from men any assistance tenderness and compassion I only beg of thee my bountiful and compassionate Creator some small communication of that Spirit wherewith thy patient Son my sweet Saviour suffered that so uniting all my pains to his Passion they may acquire the dignity which their own nature denies them to be acceptable to thy divin Majesty Whose sacred Name be praised by me and all creatures for evermore Demands to a Sick Person at the receiving of the Viaticum or Extream Vnction or at other fit times 1. DO you firmly heartily and humbly believe all the Articles of Faith and all the Holy Scripture according to the sense of Catholick Doctors and Definitions of the Church 2. Do you detest all Superstitions Schisms and Heresies condemn'd by the Church 3. Are you glad and desirous to die a Member of this true Catholick Apostolick Roman Church in the Faith taught by our Lord Jesus and participation of the holy Sacraments 4. Do you acknowledg that you have grievously offended God your Creator who hath been so bountiful unto you and are you sorry for all your sins ingratitudes negligences omissions commissions lost time and opportunities rejected Inspirations 5. Do you ask pardon of the divin Majesty and all your Neighbours whom you have any way offended disedified contristated wronged or scandalized 6. Doth your Sorrow for all these things proceed not so much for fear of death hell and punishment as for the offence displeasure and dishonour of God whom you should have loved above all things 7. Are you fully resolved by Gods grace and assistance if you out live this sickness to amend your Life and rather to leave lose and suffer any thing than to offend God And do you desire life only to this effect that you may better serve him 8. Do you wish you could love God with as great sincerity as the blessed Saints do in Heaven and as the most perfect Souls do upon Earth 9. Have you perform'd such Penance made such Restitution done such Satisfaction to God and Man as your Confessor hath enjoyned you or are you content and ready to do it 10. Do you recommend your self to the Prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary of your special Patrons and in particular of your good Angel Guardian 11. Do you distrust disavow and renounce all your own merits vertues and perfections and trust to be saved by the Mercies of God and Merits of your dear Redeemer 12. Do you render hearty thanks to the divin Majesty for all his favours blessings and especially for that of your Conversion and Vocation to his true Church and Faith And also for all the Crosses he hath permitted to befal you and even for this your present Sickness in which you now languish 13. Do you absolutely and entirely resign your self to his sacred Will and Disposition for all time and eternity and are you indifferent to Sickness or Health to Life or Death to Comforts or Crosses and to whatsoever shall be conformable to the Divin liking and pleasure 14. If the Devil tempts you in matter of Faith What will you answer him I believe in God and his Church Or In matter of Despair 'T is true I am a great Sinner and deserve Hell yet my Saviour is my hope my pledge and my surety and when God ceases to be good and Jesus to be my Saviour then will I cease to hope for Mercy and not before 15. But if your Ghostly enemy continues to afflict affright and terrifie you with the memory of your Sins Gods Judgments and Hells torments what will you do I will say Live Jesus my Lord and my Love and I will put his Death and Passion betwixt me and them all 16. If through the suggestion of Satan or any self-frailty or surprisal you should chance to fall and swerve from any of these good purposes and resolutions I now declare it to be of no force for evermore and I will by Gods grace return speedily to him again Other Questions proposed to a Penitent languishing and loving Soul by her Confessor to dispose her to a happy Death with her Answers unto the same by way of a Dialogue between God and her This is proper for more Spiritual Persons GOD. My Child the last hour of thy mortal life runs now in the Watch of my divin Providence This is the moment on which depends thy Eternity Answer me therefore heartily conscionably and confidently to these points which I shall here propose unto thee Soul O my God! be thou blessed for evermore and thy sacred Will be done in me and in all thy Creatures Speak Lord for thy servant hears attentively and will answer sincerely as in thy presence who penetratest into the secrets of my heart And I most humbly beseech thy Divin Majesty that I may supply by my inward Will and Desires what I am unable to express by my outward Words and Gestures I confess and acknowledg my imperfection ignorance and unworthiness to speak to thee My Lord and my Maker or to be by thee remembred or regarded but hoping in thy gracious assistance I will humby obey thy commands 1. Art thou willing to dy a Member of my Church at this Time in this Place and Company O my God! I desire even from my very heart to die a true Child of thy holy Church believing all that the said Church teaches and am ready rather to lose my life than leave my Faith As for all other circumstances of my death I am altogether indifferent how when and where I shall live or die so it be in thy sweet favour and friendship and according to thy sacred Will and Pleasure 2. Doth not thy Soul
Powerful Mother and Patroness and all the celestial Citizens to supply this my defect with their more perfect acts of perpetual praises and thanksgivings O that I had now as many tongues hearts as there are creatures in the Universe stars in Heaven sands in the Sea atomes in the Air how willingly would I employ them all in my Creators and Redeemers praises for evermore I likewise render most hearty thanks to all such as have confer'd any corporal or spiritual benefit upon me and to such as have instructed admonish'd corrected me to all such as have and shall help assist and comfort me in this my Sickness beseeching the divin Goodness to give them eternal rewards for their Christian and Charitable endeavours 5. Also I protest that by Gods grace I will die free from all Despair and doubt of the divin Mercy For though my sins are many and enormous yet I know my Creator is more ready to shew mercy than I am to demand it and that one drop of his dear Sons precious Blood shed upon the Cross is abundantly sufficient to redeem me and all mankind since therefore all that is required on my part consists in bringing a fit disposition to receive his Grace and Mercy and that I have at this present a firm desire to dispose my self accordingly and to serve him love him honour him for the time to come with all possible fervour sincerity and fidelity I will cheerfully confidently resignedly remit all to his sacred Will and Providence 6. Also I protest that if through fear faint-heartedness want of judgment extremity of pain or any other accident or occasion whatsoever I should fall which God of his infinit mercy forbid into any such doubt or despair or into any thought word or action displeasing to my dearly beloved and ever honoured Lord and Maker I do now at this present being in full and perfect sense utterly renounce it recal it reject it 7. Also I protest that if the divin Providence so permitting I should have any wicked temptation of whatsoever kind and nature suggested unto me by my sworn enemy during the whol time of this my Infirmity or in my last Agony I will not yield the least assent thereunto either tacitly or expresly either by signs or by gestures and I do now for then revoke annul and abhor any such thoughts temptations and suggestions being desirous and resolved to adhere only to God my Creator so long as any breath shall remain in my body and to be faithful to Him even till my last Gasp 8. Also I protest that since my good God hath promised to give his grace to all such as do what lies in them to get it and that his gate of mercy is never shut against an humble and contrite Soul I do confidently hope and hopefully desire and desirously expect to have both Grace in this world and Glory in the next by the merits of my blessed Saviours bitter Passion and by his holy Mothers and Saints powerful Intercession whose Prayers I beg whose happiness I congratulate whose perfections I emulate and to whom I do now for the hour of my death most humbly supplicate that they will then obtain for me a lively Faith a constant Hope an ardent Charity a couragious Fortitude a profound Humility an invincible Patience and all such other Virtues as will then be most necessary for me saying to them now for then with heart and mouth O all you glorious Angels and Saints of Heaven especially you O sacred Virgin Mother of Jesus and you my particular Patrons N. and N. and you my good Angel intercede for me in that dreadful hour that I may depart this World in my Creators grace and favour 9. Also I protest that though the weakness of my nature be so great that I even abhor suffering yet in Spirit I embrace this Cross this Sickness these Pains as tokens and pledges of the divin favour and affection and do submit my self to live and dy and suffer in what measure and manner shall be most conformable to his holy pleasure and honour 10. Lastly I commend my Soul to God my Creator who made it of nothing to Christ my Saviour who redeemed it with his Blood to the Holy Ghost who espoused it to himself and sanctified it in Baptism protesting that when in my last Agonie I shal be unable to employ my tongue any longer in praying and praising the divin Majesty I desire still in mind to be firmly united unto him offering now for then my Agony my Sweats my Sufferings to be joyned and united to the bitter Agony bloody Sweatings and dolorous Sufferings of my dying Saviour Christ Jesus for the remission of my Sins and for his eternal glory whose holy Name be sanctified whose praises be celebrated whose Will be performed in Earth as it is in Heaven by me and all creatures for evermore Exercises for the time of Sickness THE best and easiest Exercise for a Sick Person is a frequent repetition of pious and fervent Ejaculations Acts Aspirations and Elevations of his Soul to God be they never so short plain and simple let him therefore make use of some of these Acts following relishing them silently in his Heart or sweetly breathing them forth of his Mouth without any violence or over binding himself to long attention Acts of Contrition O Soveraign Goodness how it grieves me to have offended thee were I again to act over my life upon the Earths Theater how warily would I walk in your presence O my Lord I utterly detest all my past Sins and humbly acknowledg that I justly deserve these present pains and punishments but O spare me for Eternity Let him frequently during the time of his Sickness make this short Act following of true Contrition O my God! For thine own sake whom I love above all things and because Sin is most displeasing to thy divin Majesty I heartily detest all my impieties humbly demand thy Pardon and promise to amend all that is amiss 2. Acts of Faith I Believe Lord and neither doubt nor dispute of any thing that thou hast revealed and thy Church defined If I err in my Belief O Blessed Father Son and Holy Ghost thy self hast deceived me who hast confirmed my Faith by so many wonders and miracles which could be wrought by none but thy self and since all deceit is far from thee surely all errour is far from me I believe Lord help my unbelief I believe that thou art most just and that thou hast all right to chastise me with this present sickness I believe that thou art infinitly powerful and canst cure or kill at thy pleasure I believe that thou art soveraignly Merciful and that thou wilt pardon my Sins protect me from my Ghostly enemies and bring me to thy self by such means in such manner and at such time as is most pleasing to thy own divin will and liking 3. Acts of Hope and Confidence O My God! the only desired
Distinctly not in an over high tone loud voyce or eager precipitation 3 Devoutly to move his affection 4. Deliberately and with certain pauses and interruptions staying upon such points and passages as may touch pierce and comfort him As for example ARe you desirous my dear Brother to entertain your departing Soul with the memory of your dying Redeemer Lift up then your Heart sweetly and quietly to your Saviour whilst I shall recite what he did said and suffered for your sake The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to S. Luke With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you before I suffer Mark these ardent and affectionate expressions of your dear Redeemer He hath still for you the same love and desire and his Will is that you shall celebrate this Pasch with him eternally in his happy Paradise This is my body which I give for you If your blessed Saviour hath given you his Body give yours to him and be content in your sufferings I prepare for you a Kingdom that you may eat at my Table O comfortable sentence 'T is for you that this Kingdom is prepared Pass to it cheerfully couragiously confidently O my Lord I am ready to accompany you into Prison and unto Death O the admirable courage of St. Peter say you the same and you will dy resignedly Pray that you may not enter into temptation Reflect upon these words and since this is a time of temptation elevate to God your Heart that you may be delivered He prayed on bended Knees Behold a rare example Do you imitate it in desire and affection and permit not your spirit to be born down with the sufferings of your body O Father If you please let this Chalice pass away from me yet not my Will but yours be done O how comfortably should you repeat this prayer of your agonizing Saviour Speak it in your Heart and unite your thoughts to those of your sweet Jesus Being in his Agony he prayed more ardently Behold Jesus in the same condition with your self Pray then pray heartily ardently perseverantly And his Sweat became like drops of blood trickling down upon the earth This bloody Sweat will wash away your Sins sweeten your Pains and smooth your passage to Eternity Judas came up to Jesus and Jesus kissed him Comfort your self in Christs kissing Judas Ah! shall not you hope to obtain his kiss of peace in Heaven since you dy in quality of his faithful friend and favourite Jesus looked back upon Peter after he had denied him O sweet words and can you doubt but that Jesus beholds you lying now upon your Death-bed humbly adoring him heartily confessing him and ardently loving him These and the like devout and pithy Reflection and Applications may be made upon the reading of the Passion which surely cannot but afford much comfort to the agonizing person and edification to the assistants Holding the Crucifix before him ADore your dear Saviour dying on the Cross for you and trust in his infinit merits and mercies Kiss these sacred Wounds hide your self in these holes of the Rock and rest here secure against all your enemies deceits and stratagems Offer up the death of JESVS to his eternal Father and desire that yours being thereto united may become pleasing to his divin Majestie Say with the Publican O my God! be merciful to me a Sinner Cry out with the Blind man O Jesu thou Son of David take pity upon me Profess your Faith with S. Thomas O my Lord and my God Animate your Hope to say with me I hope I shall soon see Him in Heaven whom I now contemplate fastned to the Cross Excite your Charity with S. Paul I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Address your self to the Eternal Father with the words of dying Jesus O my Father into your hands I commend my Spirit When the sick Person draws so near towards his Death that no further Applications can be made to him let the devout Assistants charitably pray for him in this or the like manner O Most compassionat Jesu Take pity upon him O Jesu the Redeemer Lover and Life of Christian Souls Have mercy upon him O Jesu the sweet Comforter of all desolate and distressed Sinners Comfort encourage and strengthen him O holy Mary the Refuge of Sinners Pray for him O Mother of Mercy Mother of Grace Mother of Jesus Mother of Power Pity him protect him defend him assist him in this his greatest extremity O glorious Saint Joseph the nursing Father of Jesus and Virginal Spouse of the Virgin Mary Pray for him O Angelical Spirit who have been hitherto his faithful Guardian Do not now abandon him but conduct his soul to its prepared place of eternal rest and happiness O all ye holy Saints and Angels and you St N. his special Patron receive him into your happy company O Jesu be you unto him a Jesus and save him A Prayer to God the Father O Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort we most humbly address our petitions to the Throne of thy divine Clemency in the behalf of this our languishing Brother beseeching thee by the immensity of thy Mercy and by the infinity of thy Sons merits to pardon his sins to mitigate his pains to arm him with patience to furnish him with perseverance in thy Grace and Love till his last Gasp and then to receive his departing Soul into thy paternal care and protection A Prayer to Christ Jesus O Lord Jesu Christ who wert mercifully pleas'd to suffer an ignominious death upon the Cross for the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind we most humbly beseech thee to interpose the Sweat of thy Agony and the Blood of thy Passion between the severe Justice of thy Eternal Father and the grievous Sins and offences of this thy poor servant And deliver him in this hour of his Death from all such pains and punishments as he may fear to have justly deserved A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin O Sacred Mother of Jesus By that sword of sorrow which pierced thy tender Heart when thou stoodest by thy dear Son hanging on the Cross heardst him uttering his last Words and beheldst him giving up his Ghost We beseech thee to assist also this thy dying Child with thy Prayers whom his Brother Jesus recommended then and there to thy peculiar care and custodie saying O Woman behold thy Son Turn thy Eyes of pitie and compassion towards him O Blessed Mother in this his extream misery and affliction and leave him not in this his last and greatest necessity O clement O pious O sweet Virgin Mary When the Agonizing person is ready to expire DEpart O Christian Soul Depart in peace out of this world In the name of God the Father who Created thee In the name of God the Son who Redeemed thee In the name of God the Holy Ghost who espoused thee In the name of the Angels Archangels Thrones Dominations Principalities Powers Cherubins and Seraphins In the
name of the Patriarks Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors Monks Heremites Virgins Widows and all the Saints of Paradise Let thy place be this day in peace and thy habitation in the holy Sion O God of infinit Goodness Clemency and Sweetness who art graciously pleased out of the greatness of thy Mercy to pardon repentant Sinners Behold this thy poor creature with the Eyes of thy wonted pity and compassion and grant him the general pardon which he most heartily desires and we most humbly beg for him O Lord redress the losses repair the breaches remit the offences which he hath contracted through human frailty or diabolical temptation and let this Member for whom thou hast mercifully spilt thy sacred Blood be happily united to the body of thy holy Church We recommend you our dear Brother or Sister to Almighty God and remit you to his care and custody whose creature you are hoping that when you shall have paid to nature the Tribute of Death you shall return to him who is the Authour of your Life And we most humbly and heartily beseech his Divin Majesty that at the instant of your Souls departure out of its imprisoning body the heavenly Quires of Angels may receive it the holy Colledg of Apostles may meet it the triumphant Martyrs may accompany it the glorious Confessors Virgins Widows and all the celestial Citizens may joyfully conduct it to the happy vision and fruition of sweet Jesus in his eternal Kingdom O Divine Jesu The Lord of our lives and the love of our Souls We beseech thee by that ardent Charity which mov'd thee to become man for us By the price of thy Blood which thou pouredst forth for us and by the merits of thy Death and Passion which thou enduredst for us that thou wil◠be graciously pleased to let thy goodness mercy and pity appear in the person of this thy poor servant who is now summoned to leave this world and to come before thee his dread Judg and Soveraign Dispose his Soul Dear Jesu and prepare it for this great trial Suffer it not to quit its Body without a true and hearty contrition for its Sins and a faithful and filial conversion to thee its Saviour Visit him clear him and comfort him with that efficacious grace wherewith thou art wont to purifie justifie and sanctifie repentant Sinners Deal with him in mercy O sweet Redeemer as thou didst with the good Thief and encourage his languishing heart with the like cheering words This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise At the very time as near as may be guessed of the souls departure out of the body say Subvenite Sancti Dei c. As in the Roman Ritual ¶ XI Some devout Prayers for the Souls departed A Prayer to God the Father for the Soul newly departed O Eternal Father whose nature is goodness and whose work is mercy cast thy compassionate Eyes upon the poor Soul of this our departed Brother or Sister N. or upon the poor Souls suffering in Purgatory and remembring it to be thy own creature redress its miseries remit its punishments release it from its imprisonment Receive O gracious Soveraign the superabundant sufferings of thy Son Jesus for a full satisfaction of thy divine Justice and for his dear sake pardon this thy poor servants past impieties forget his frailties and cancel all his omissions commissions and ingratitudes I humbly acknowledg Great Lord of Heaven and Earth that if thou lookest only upon his deserts he must needs be a long time the object of thy severe Anger and Rigour but if in Mercy thou wilt be pleas'd to look upon Jesus his Redeemer and to apply to him the merits of his bitter Death and Passion thou wilt soon free him from all his miseries and bring him to the enjoyment of thy eternal Felicity O my God! That I were capable to satisfie thy Divine Justice in the behalf of this poor Soul for whom I now petition thy Mercy how willingly would I exact in my own person that which detains him in Purgatory And though my unworthiness may hinder this desired effect yet such is thy Goodness O my gracious Soveraign as that I may hope to have my will accepted my petition granted and this poor Soul pardoned succoured delivered and speedily admitted to praise love and honour thy sacred Majesty with the rest of thy celestial Citizens for evermore To Christ Jesus O Jesu the Saviour of our Souls whose inclination to do good to poor Mankind is so great that thou often pressest him to ask and promisest to grant his petitions Receive I beseech thee this Prayer which I most humbly present to thy Throne of Mercy in behalf of this my departed Brother or Sister the Souls suffering in Purgatory Remember O most compassionate Redeemer that it is a Thing bought with thy Blood design'd to thy Glory intended to be a Co heir with thee in thy heavenly Kingdom Look upon it sweet Jesu as the noble conquest of thy Cross and the sacred Trophee by thy powertorn out of the Devils clutches and as such a thing afford it some solace in its sufferings and free it from those flames fetters and prisons which hinder it from enjoying that Glory whereunto thy Mercy hath predestinated it which thy Passion hath purchased and which thy Goodness hath prepared for it If the tears of Mary and Martha did so pierce thy tender Heart that they obtained the raising of their dead Brother Lazarus out of his Sepulchre Be not less favourable and flexible O dear Saviour to these my sighs tears and prayers which I now pour forth before thee for the Soul of my departed Brother or Sister Speak only the word O all powerful Redeemer N. come forth of those Flames and Purgatory will render thee a most prompt Obedience and the delivered Soul will eternally magnifie thy Mercies To the glorious Virgin Mother I Most humbly salute thee Great Queen of Heaven and Earth Glorious Mother of JESVS Powerful Advocatrix of Mankind and compassionate Comfort of the afflicted These blessed Titles embolden me thy unworthy servant to beg thy prayers for the poor Soul of my departed Brother now suffering as I probably both fear and hope in the place of Purgatory and to petition thee that thou wilt be pleased to employ the Power the Priviledg and the Friendship thou hast with thy dear Son my Saviour in his behalf and for his release comfort and pardon O Great and Glorious Virgin Mother Consider this suffering Soul as by thy Son redeemed and by thy self beloved and since thou hast interest in the salvation and joy of the Souls purchased with the price of thy Sons precious Blood take pity upon this Soul longing to behold thy Son and thy self in Glory and to sing forth Divine praises with the blessed Saints for all eternity To S. Joseph O Faithful Steward of Gods sacred Family Worthy Guardian of Jesus and Mary Great and Glorious S. Joseph Permit me to make my most
excessive Folly and wilt thou not yet perceive how thy own errour brings with it a self-punishment Alas what is it that thou lovest what is that which seems to content and comfort thee What is it that pretends to secure thy Soul in this shameful servitude On the contrary what troubles what torments what solicitudes what horrours doth not each moment of time suggest to thy trembling spirit Shake off then with a manly courage this sad and heavy yoak of Sin and Satan and submit cheerfully to that which thy Lord Jesus this day presents unto thee A yoak which is sweet and easie and which he himself will carry together with thee Yes O immortal invisible omnipotent King Jesu I change Master even at this instant and I make choice of thee to be henceforth my sole Lord and Soveraign Behold not I beseech thee how long I have staid in rebellion but look upon the Wounds thy self endured to win me to thy Obedience Reign in Heaven and earth O Adorable Monarch and rule particularly in my heart and Soul and let all rational creatures unanimously confess and acknowledg it their highest honour and happiness to be Servants to the crucified King Jesus 2. A Prayer to be said by one who is upon making choice of a condition of life begging light from above to discern Gods Will and his own Good T Is the order of thy divine Providence O dread Soveraign of Heaven and Earth that there should be in this great world several sorts of states and conditions to which thou designest men by a choice known only to thy all-knowing Wisdom Thou also assurest us by thy sacred Word that each one ought to remain in the condition to which he is called And there is no lawful calling which exclude's from thy Kingdom This moves me to prostrate my self at thy feet and pour forth my heart here in thy presence hoping to receive some glimpse of light from thee O true light which illuminatest every one coming into this World To direct me in this matter which is to me of highest importance not only as to my temporal but my eternal happiness O my Lord I humbly acknowledg my own ignorance and simplicity for alas I neither can foresee the future nor dive so far into my own dark interiour as to distinguish whether the motions I there feel are Rational or Sensual and whether my perverse Nature opposing thy Grace incline's me not to an Election which may endanger my Salvation The World and the Flesh furnish me with plenty of fair and specious Reasons but I well consider they are dangerous Counsellors and damnable are their Maxims Lord lead me out of this labyrinth of irresolutions since I resolve to leave my self absolutly to the conduct of thy holy Spirit renouncing all my own ratiocinations affections inclinations and interests and willing nothing at all but only what thou wilt for me Behold I am thy Servant and the childe of thy handmaid say only the word O my loving Master and thy holy will shall be obey'd lift me up or cast me down it shall equally please me so I may perceive 't is thy divine Conduct which disposeth thus of me thy poor Creature I beg of thou this only blessing O my compassionate Father that thou wilt please to prosper and sanctifie me in that particular State I shall settle in giving me strength and courage to wade through all the difficulties I shall there meet with and rewarding my Perseverance in thy love and service in this world with a crown of glory and with immortality in the next 3. A Prayer to be said by one who is fall'n into some great Necessity Calamity or Misery THy infallible truth assures me O Soveraign Lord God! there 's not a Hair of my Head fal's off without thy order How then can I doubt but this sad Accident befal's me by the particular permission of thy all-penetrating Providence I will not know the reason of this thy proceeding since I acknowledg thee O my Omnipotent Creator to possess an absolute Empire not only over my goods but over my life and that my person is in thy power as Clay is in the hands of the Potter to imprint upon me what form and put me to what use thy self best pleaseth Thou O my Lord gavest me health wealth peace fame friends children prosperity c. Which was a favour I humbly confess I did not deserve thou hast now depriv'd me of them which I humbly acknowledg to be an effect of thy Justice since I made not use of them as I ought to thy only glory and my own eternal good Thy blessed will be done in me and all creatures is all the Complaint I will make begging thy Grace to imprint as well in my Hear the meaning of these sacred words as I have the sound of them in my Mouth that I may joyfully resignedly and without reserve submit to thy sacred disposal all that concern's me and make use of thy Fatherly Visitations to the increase of my Filial obedience and affection Let me forget what I have been in my former Prosperity and not fear what I may be in any future Adversity cheerfully embracing my present Condition incessantly praising thy sweet Providence and peaceably expecting the eternal Recompence thou hast promised to such as suffer for thy sake 4. A Prayer humbly imploring the continuance of Health and that we may make good use of it in order to our eternal Happiness MAn born of a Woman as your sacred Word O eternal Truth teaches us live's but a short time And during this his short stay upon earth is subject unto many Miseries His life is a Flower which drie's up and dwindles away upon the same day it is displayed 't is a Blast soon past and dissipated 't is a stream of Water which nimbly slides by disappears and never more returns 't is a Shadow flying away assoon as formed 't is Smoak which as it riseth vanisheth in summe 't is a meer Vapour having no solid consistence and permanency This is the short fickle uncertain nature of man's life and I ask thee not O great Lord of life and death to change it for me I only begg that thou wilt be pleas'd in giving me Health to grant me also Grace to make the right use of it to thy glory and my own salvation for alas I shall be little able to act for the one or the other when the rigour of a sharp Disease seizes on the functions of my inward and outward faculties Grant O my God! that the curb of thy holy fear may keep my body always in good order least it being high in flesh should shake off it's subordination to the spirit that so I may employ it's strength to acquit my self of my Christian obligations and perform the several duties of my place and condition Take from me O Lord all desire of superfluities which serve only to satisfie the senses and let me rest fully contented with
most hearty thanks for vouchsafing by Death to deliver my spirit from the Law of these corporal Members which kept it so long enslaved under the Law of Sin Let me freely offer up to thee my life in Sacrifice and let thy love be the Fire not only to purifie but also to ennoble this my oblation which of it self is so mean and contemptible Finally O Soveraign Lord of life and death I resignedly leave to the conduct of thy sacred Providence all that concerns my poor Soul's departure out of this her pilgrimage as to the Time the Place the Assistants the Consolations the Derelictions and whatsoever other Circumstance I only beg that thy holy Grace may not then abandon me when all human helps must of necessity become useless unto me In the mean space let Death O my God! be my continual Looking-glass to keep me from wilfully offending thy Divine Majesty to check my immoderate Affection to this life which is so uncertain in its permanency and so certain in its misery and to mind me that each Moment of time I live may be the last wherein I must appear before thy dread tribunal to render an account of my actions and to receive accordingly a definitive sentence which must remain irrevocable for all Eternity 3. The Prayer of S. Vincent to our Lord Jesus for the same end that is to obtain the grace of Dying well O My Soveraign Lord Jesu who dyedst for the salvation of the whole World and desirest not that any one should perish to whom I never present my Prayers with out hopes of Mercy relying upon thy own gracious Promise That whatsoever shall be ask'd in thy Name shall be granted I beseech thee by that sweet and sacred Name that in the Article of my Death thou wilt be pleased to give me perfect integrity of my Senses true Contrition for my Sins a lively Faith a firm Hope and a perfect Charity that I may then say unto thee with a pure and clean Heart into thy Hands O my Saviour Jesu I commend my Spirit 16. A most Devout and Efficacious Prayer to our Blessed Redeemer in the honour of his bitter Passion Which whosoever shall humbly Recite before the Image of a Crucifix with a pure Intention and perfect Resignation several Days together may confidently Hope to obtain of the Divine Mercy a full Grant of their lawful Demands O Dear Jesu My blessed Saviour and Redeemer The sweet Comforter of all sad desolate and distressed Souls Behold thy poor Servant humbly prostrate at the foot of thy holy Cross deploring his Misery imploring thy Mercy and beseeching thee to take pity and compassion upon him in this his present and pressing Affliction Infirmity Poverty Temptation Trouble or whatsoever other Spiritual or Corporal Necessity Hear my Prayers O assured Refuge of all afflicted wretches behold my Tears consider my Sorrows and remedy my Distresses for finding my self encompassed with grievous Calamities by reason of my great Crimes I know not whether to fly for Succour or to whom I may make my Moan but to thee my meek and merciful Saviour with a full hope and confidence that thou O my loving Reedemer wilt vouchsafe to lend the Ears of thy ordinary piety and accustomed clemency to the humble Petition of thy poor Child And By that sweetness which thy blessed Soul resented at the time of thy Alliance with our Human nature when resolving with the Father and the Holy Ghost to Unite thy Divine Person to Mortal Flesh for Mans salvation thou sent'st thy Angel to the holy Virgin Mary with those happy tidings and cloathing thy self with our Humanity in her chast Entralls remainedst true God and true Man for the space of nine Months in her sacred Womb By the Anguish thou enduredst when the time of thy designed Passion drawing nigh thou prayedst to thy Eternal Father That if it might stand with his Divine Providence thou desiredst that bitter Chalice might pass away from thee yet concluding with a most perfect act of Resignation Not my Will O Heavenly Father but thine be fulfilled By the outragious Injuries scornful Disgraces cruel Blows contumelious Blasphemies forg'd Witnesses false Accusations and unjust Judgments which thou Innocent Lamb patiently enduredst By the Shackles which fettered thy Limbs the Tears which flow'd from thy Eyes the Blood which trickled from thy whole Body By the Fears Sorrows and Sadnesses of thy Heart and by the Shame thou receivedst in being stripp'd of thy Garments to hang naked on the Cross in the sight of thy sorrowful Mother and in the presence of all the People By thy Royal Head crowned with Thorns and smitten with a Reed By thy Thirst quench'd with Vineger and Gall By thy Side open'd with a Spear and issuing forth Blood and Water to refresh our Souls with that living Fountain of thy Love and Mercy By the sharp Nails wherewith thy tender Hands and Feet were cruelly pierced and fastned to the Cross By the Recommendation of thy departing Soul to thy Heavenly Father saying Into thy Hands I commend my Spirit By thy praying for thy Enemies saying O Father forgive them for they grow not what they do By thy giving up the Ghost when thou cryedst out with a lowd Voyce My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and then bowing down thy blessed Head to reach us the Kiss of Peace sayd'st All is finished By the great Mercy thou shewd'st towards the good Theif saying This day thou shalt be with me in Paridise By thy Descent into Limbus and the Joy thou communicated'st to the just Souls there detained By the Glory of thy triumphant Resurrection and the comfortable Apparitions thou frequently madst for forty days space to thy sacred Virgin Mother to thy Apostles and to thy other chosen Friends and Servants By thy admirable Ascension when in the sight of thy Mother and thy Apostles thou wert elevated into Heaven By the Myraculous comming down of the Holy Ghost in form of Fiery Tongues whereby thou replenishedst the hearts of thy Disciples with thy Love and gav'st them Strength and Courage to plant thy Faith in the whole World By the dreadful day of General Judgment in which thou art to give Sentence upon all-Mankind By all these Sorrows Joys Passions Compassions and whatsoever else is near and dear to thee in Heaven and upon Earth take pity on me O compassionat Redeemer hear my Prayer and grant me that for which I now most humbly and heartily Petition thee Mention here the thing you desire or reflect mentally upon it Give me O gracious Saviour a speedy and efficacious feeling of thy Divine Succour and Comfort who according to the accustomed Sweetness of thy tender Heart art wont to grant the Requests of them who fear and love thee even to their own Souls desire and satisfaction Bestow on me also O my Blessed Lord Jesu a constant Faith a confident Hope a perfect Charity a cordial Contrition a sincere Confession a competent Satisfaction a diligent