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
actions manners senses and desires that all may be measured numbred and weighed in the true ballance of discreet Moderation O that I could still regulate my life by the perfect rule of thy Law and Love the Dictamen of Reason and the Counsel of thy Apostle denying all worldly lusts and doing all things decently orderly and beseeming my calling O that my Employments were ever holy my Senses always wary my Thoughts still reflected upon the end of my Creation and all my Members truly mortified how hopefully confidently and undauntedly might I then expect the glorious appearance of thee my great God and Saviour 4. Temperance in particular is divided into Abstinence and Sobriety Abstinence is a Virtue inclining us to a rational mediocrity in the use of Meat and Sobriety is the same in the use of Drink which may also be applied to our passions AH My immortal Soul thou art too worthy to be enslav'd to thy sensual body The beasts exceed not nature's satisfaction and wilt thou who art indu'd with reason be less temperate O shame O Bruitishness Doth not that first Precept ring still in thy Ears In the day thou eatest thou shalt surely dye And wilt thou yet hearken to thy seducing Eve yeild to thy subtil enemy and obey thy belly sooner than thy blessed Creatour Do not all they who strive for the mastery and aim at the obtaining of a corruptible Crown abstain from all excess and wilt not thou keep under thy Body curb thy Senses and control thy Passions that thou mayst gain an incorruptible and eternal Crown in Heaven Yes my dear Maker I will never more destroy thy holy work nor sell my heavenly inhearitance for a vile Morsel a mess of Pottage a momentany Pleasure Thou O sweet Redeemer who whilst thou wert pleas'd to sojourn amongst us sustainedst thy body with human Meats Thou dear Jesu my Saviour who sufferedst Hunger in the desert and Thirst on the Cross to satisfie for my riot and gluttony extinguish I beseech thee all fleshly desires in my senses Let no worldly sweets so savour to my palat as to make me outpass the limits of perfect Abstinence Sobriety That using thy temporal gifts with due temper moderation I may one day ba fully satiated and inebriated at thy divine table furnish'd with eternal delicacies and delights 5. Modesty which is a Virtue adjoyned to Temperance is a restraint of all unruly motions with a certain comeliness and decency in respect of the persons affairs time place and all other circumstances And it hath six branches Three which concern the repression of inward motions Meekness Humility Studiosity Meekness is a Virtue which moderates our passion of Choller by subjecting it to Reason and keeping us from all such words and actions as are unbeseeming us and contrary to our duty Humility is a Moral Virtue which abates the edge of our over-high hope and audacity keeping us from pretending to more than appertains to our condition and counselling us to be content with such mean things as are suitable to our true unworthiness Studiosity is a Moral Virtue which moderates our Curiosity and Covetousness of Knowledg and inclines us to a desire of knowing what is convenient according to our Condition THou hast commanded me O meek and mild Jesu to learn of thee this divine lesson and thou hast left me thy whol life as a perfect example thereof and a pattern by which I should practise it Thou sweet Saviour wert silent patient content resigned as an innocent Lamb in the shearers hands amidst all the calamities contumelies affronts and insolences which mans malice and madness could inflict upon thee And shall not I who have deserved all shame confusion hatred and Hell it self sustain willingly my smaller afflictions I will henceforth O my Jesu not only freely pardon all outrages which shall be done me but joyfully prepare my heart to embrace alt crosses endure all contradictions and put up all injuries for thy sake with all sweetness of affection and tenderness of companion towards my greatest enemies That I may finally possess a portion in that blessed land which thou O merciful Redeemer hast promised to thy meek and humble servants Ah my Soul Learn also this heavenly lesson of thy most humble Saviour and thou shalt find perfect rest in this world and have an eternal reward in the next Alas Whereof art thou proud What is due to thee but only damnation which thou well knowest thou hast often deserved Why shouldst thou expect to be preferr'd before any other who art more unfaithful and ungrateful to thy loving Lord than all others Ah caitif creature canst thou conceive thy self in a capacity of high honors No dear Jesu I utterly disclaim them all and desire that all men may know my real unworthiness that they may esteem of me treat me and contemn me accordingly What wouldst thou know O my curious Soul What do you gaze upon O my unsatiable Eyes Is not one thing only necessary one Science all-sufficient one object fully satisfactory And is not the Rule which directs you to this one necessary sufficient and satisfying object short sweet and easie This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent O Words full of life and love What can I wish for in heaven O my Lord but eternal life and what need I desire upon earth O my Jesu but thy only love O my Soul Why seekest thou elsewhere that which thou canst no where find but in thy God thy Jesus thy Saviour in whom are all the true treasures of Science and Wisdom who is thy only center rest satiety and security O what is all worldly knowledg but vanity of vanities how mean and foolish is all wisdom which provides not for eternity Ah my good God! how it grieves me that I have given so much of my precious time to the pursuit of such poor studies and getting such empty notions which now I perceive do so little profit me in order to this only solid and Soul-saving science Lord I will henceforth employ all my diligence endeavours time talents wit will intensions and pretensions upon that alone which will most advantage thy honor and best advance my salvation My whol study shall be to know thee O my God and my All to contemplate thee to please praise and love thee in this World that I may live and reign with thee in thy glorious Kingdom of Eternity 6. The other three branches of Modesty are Virtues helping us in the ordering and managing of the outward motions of our Bodies 1. By our beseeming Carriage 2. By our fitting Recreations 3. By our decent Cloathing GIve me also O liberal Bestower of all lovely Qualities these external Graces beseeming my Condition and suitable to my Calling That so my Inward and Outward composure my Soul my Body my Senses and all that which by thy permission I am making up a perfect harmony of all holy Virtues
Wretch Art thou not ashamed to remain still in thy wonted negligences imperfections tepidities to sing still the same sinful song after so many years past over so many iterated Confessions so many received Sacraments and so many good Resolutions made to the contrary Wallowest thou still in the same Mire and lyest thou still snorting in the same Bed of Sensuality O horrid ingratitude If thou wert now summon'd to give up thy just accounts what couldest thou answer for so much time mispent so many inspirations neglected so many graces abused Thou approachest nearer death and Eternity but recoylest backward in religious Piety and Perfection Wilt thou still lie sleeping in this dangerous Lethargy Is this the grateful and dutiful service thou rendrest thy Creator for having afforded thee all convenient means to do Penance and for having so patiently expected thy conversion and amendment Alas my confounded Soul What will become of thee What course wilt thou steer When and how wilt thou begin Ah sinful Wretch Prodigal Child Disloyal friend Sue to thy Physician Return to thy Father Repent thee of thy disloyalty Request pardon grace and love Resolve to do Penance for what is past and to amend for the time to come Yes Lord even this Day this Hour this very Moment will I begin to be a new Creature I renounce all my former follies I renew all my former good Resolutions I consecrate the whole remainder of my life to thy love and service And for this end I will presently leave such Company such Curiosities such Vanities c. and abandon whatsoever holds my heart captive and my Affections enslaved to the prejudice of thy Honour and my Souls perfection I wil willingly undergo such and such difficulties endure such contradictions crosses afflictions and whatsoever thy fatherly hand shall impose upon me O all powerful Creator since thou hast given me the Grace to frame this Resolution give me also the strength and courage to put it in execution Then endeavour to make an act of perfect Contrition which contains 1. A Detestation of your sins past grounded on Gods love and goodness 2. A firm Purpose of Amendment for the future 3. A Confidence in Gods mercy 4. A will to do Satisfaction 5. A total Resignation to the Divine disposition An act of Contrition and Prayer before Confession O My good God! Father of all comfort and compassion Creator of Heaven and Earth and Redeemer of my Soul Behold here a poor Worm prostrate at the feet of thy divine Majestie humbly craving pardon for all his iniquities and impurities I am going O my sweet Lord Jesu to the Tribunal of thy Mercy to present my self before thy Minister and Vice-gerent and there to give thee an exact account of my miserable life by humbly confessing detesting and lamenting all the ingratitudes impieties and spiritual fornications which I have presumed to commit in thy presence with so little respect and for so vile and base ends that the very remembrance thereof breeds an extream Shame Fear and Sorrow in my now sensible and penitent Soul Shame for having left an infinite Good to embrace an empty fading filthy Nothing Fear for having forsaken the light of Heaven and the life of Eternity to temain in eternal death and darkness Sorrow for having offended thee my God who art to me so good so merciful so loving and so liberal Oh! that my heart could rend asunder with true Contrition and Compunction and my Eyes dissolve into a floud of tears for having been disloyal to so faithful a Friend and disobedient to so free-hearted a Father Mercy O dear Father to thy prodigal Child Mercy O good Lord to thy sinful Servant Give to my Understanding Light to see and know my faults to my heart Sorrow to hate and detest them to my eyes Tears to lament and weep bitterly for them and to my mouth so sincere and entire a Confession of them as if it were the first good Confession that I ever made or should be the last Confession that ever I should make which thou only knowest O my all-knowing Lord and Maker I therefore most humbly beseech thee Dear Jesu my Saviour and Redeemer By all thy Pains and Tears by the Prayers of thy most Blessed Mother by the past Sorrows of all Penitents who are now in Heaven secure of their own Salvation and sollicitous of mine encrease my Contrition release my Crimes Pardon O meek Lamb of God who takest away the Sins of the world my past faults pitty my present folly and protect my future frailty that with a clean quiet and contented soul I may strive to please and praise thee all my life-time hereafter and in the end die happily in thy favour and friendship O my crucified Jesu my only hope and refuge bathe me in thy Blood beautifie me with thy Merits bless me with thy Grace By the tears that issued forth of thy Eyes by the Prayers which came forth of thy Mouth by the Blood which gushed forth of thy Wounds and Heart by all the pains of thy Body and pangs of thy Soul by all the mercies of thy Divinity and merits of thy Humanity by all that is dear and near unto thee in Heaven and Earth cleanse quiet cloath comfort and content my sick sinful weak wounded and wretched soul In Confession THen full of confident Humility and humble Confidence cast your self at the feet of your Ghostly Father in whose person you are to consider two Priests the one Visible to whom you speak the other Invisible which is Christ Jesus whose place he represents wherefore honouring them both dreading them both and reverently inclining your head and body to them both begin your Confession in this manner In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Benedicite that is I beg your blessing Which blessing being received you begin your Confiteor either in English or in Latin Though having before recited it in the Examination of your Conscience it is not necessary to repeat it here or you may do well when the want of time and the multitude of other Penitents require hast to abridge your Confiteor thus I confefess unto Almighty God to all the Saints and to you my Ghostly Father that I have exceedingly sinned in Thought Word and Deed through my Fault my Fault my exceeding great Fault Then without impertinent Preambles say I Accuse my self That since my last Confession which was eight days fifteen days or a month ago I have done this omitted this c. Having declared briefly and clearly what you could remember you may thus conclude your Confession For these and all other my Sins and Imperfections I am heartily sorry purpose amendment humbly beg pardon of God and Penance and Absolution of you my Ghostly Father Then bowing down your head and body proceed with Therefore I beseech the blessed Virgin Mary all the Saints and you my Ghostly Father to pray unto our Lord God for me
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
right And I must must now either give my self to thee or thou must take me unto thy self Not that I aspire to those excellent prerogatives of thy dearest servants No my Lord it sufficeth me to be in the out-rank of thy meanest slaves to be stamp'd with thy mark and link'd fast in thy chains that I may never more have the power to fly from thee O grant me this favour most merciful Father Which thy dear Son hath purchased for me by the price of his death and Passion 3. We Sin of our selves but cannot arise from it without the Divin assistance I Am fall'n without thee by my own frailty but can never hope to rise but by thy mercy O my Lord and only support I am sick without thee but cannot be cured without thee O my heavenly Physician I am dead without thee but can never be reviv'd but by thee O Life of my Soul So true it is that to make me come to thee thou O most gracious Lord God! must first come to me O the admirable goodness of my loving Lord Even this little I am doing is rather thine own work than mine 'T is thou O my Lord who puttest Repentance into my soul Desires into my heart Sighs into my breast Confession into my mouth Prayer into my lips Remorse into my memory Resolution of amendment into my will 'T is thou O gracious God! who chiefly actest all this good in me by me and for me O my All do then all in me what thou desirest And particularly overwhelm I beseech thee my whol interiour with perfect Contrition not coming from a slavish and servil fear but from a faithful and filial love Grant me a true and intire grief for having offended thee not because of thy Promises or Threats but because thou art in thy self good amiable adorable and worthy all love and honour 4. How great an Evil it is to destroy Gods Grace in our Souls by Sin OR if mercenary interest do yet more move thee as surely it seems to bear the greatest sway with thee my sensual and sinful Soul For how hainously dost thou take a small injury how deeply dost thou resent a little disgrace the loss of a dear friend of health of honour or the like temporal and perishable commodities O whence is it then that thou so little apprehendest thy loss of Grace and thy eminent imminent danger of eternal Damnation Is it a small matter to be Gods Enemy To lose the good will of Heaven To destroy Gods Image To cut up life root branch To side with the accursed Devils thy Creators sworn Enemies To hatch Treason and enter Conspiracie with the damned Yea and to kill as much as in thee lies him who by his own death gave thee life O brutal and unnatural ingratitude Surely the annihilating of Heaven Earth Angels Men and all Nature cannot be compar'd with this malicious evil and wilfull destruction of thy grace O Lord in my Soul Since the least degree of a higher order surpasses the highest degree of the lower order O eternal God! What a Monster have I been in Grace what a prodigie in Nature who have so little car'd to commit such enormous Crimes But O my Lord I will even now change my life I here detest all Sin I make a firm purpose of amendment I have a full confidence in thee my Creator a good will to do satisfaction and a total resignation to thy Divine pleasure 5. The root and source of all our Sins is our perverted Will. I Am the woful Criminal O just Judg of my Soul and I will be also the accuser and witness the Advocate and Executioner in this Tribunal I summon you therefore O detestable Pride O abominable Envy O execrable Avarice O beastly Lubricity and all you accursed crew of Sins how long will you reign on earth how long will ye dispeople Gods inheritance who brought you in amongst Gods Children 'T is the perverted Will of man O dread Soveraign which hath don all these mischiefs Rectifie O my Lord I beseech thee this my crooked Will and murther these horrible monsters in me and grant that I may henceforth rather expose my body to a thousand Deaths than my Soul to deadly Sin Thy Saints will rejoice O God! at my amendment and thy Angels will make a Feast but thy own resentment of joy will be infinite because thy love is infinite which goes hand in hand with thy Essence and comprehends all Love in supream eminency I will therefore expect from thee O heavenly Father the exact remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect knowledg from thee O holy Spirit a true repentance and from thee O Sacred Trininity an intire Absolution and plenary Indulgence from all my Iniquities 6. Our greatest Sorrow is not equivalent to the greatness of our Sins THe grief I feel for my past Offences the hatred I have against each Sin at this present and the resolution I make to avoid all iniquity for the future are not equivalent in me to their enormity and hainousness I therefore humbly crave O holy Lord God! that thou wilt accept thy own hatred against Sin for that which I should and would have and instead of the Sorrow I want I offer that of thy Son my sweet Redeemer with the Sacrifice of his immaculate Life and innocent death And since I cannot be impeccable by Nature O my Lord nor dare presume to ask to be so by Grace give me leave to prostrate my self before thy infinite bounty and clemency and to beg by the merits of Jesus Christ thy dear Son and by the desires of thy essential love the blessed holy Ghost that though I may not be impeccable yet I may never sin more and if I must somtimes Sin through my frailty yet I may never Sin mortally This I desire O Lord this thou demandest this thou commandest O give me what thou commandest and command me what thou pleasest 7. An Act of perfect Contrition which is elsewhere repeated as being of great efficacy O My good Lord Jesu who art the Lord of my Life and shouldst be the love of my Soul did I not like an ungracious and ungrateful wretch give my heart sell my affection to fond frail filthy and fading Creatures and comforts which are so far from affording me either quiet of Mind peace of Conscience purity of Soul or perfection of Spirit which my obligation and vocation require of me that they leave me nothing but trouble confusion and remorse with a world of dismal and desperate thoughts violent passions and vicious inclinations Amidst all which disorders I find no other refuge nor remedy than to return to thee my true Center to convert my self to thee my Soverain Creator To cast my self at thy sacred feet my sweet Lord Jesu and there with an humble and contrite spirit to sue for Mercy Remission Reconciliation O Heavenly Father I confess and acknowledg my ingratitude treachery rebellion And I am
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
necessities I particularly offer it up to obtain this Virtue conquer this Temptation amend this Imperfection surmount this Passion And for all them who have desired my Prayers or to whom I have promis'd them At Lavabo Humbly beg to have your Soul wash'd from all its filth and wickedness reciting the Psalm Miserere or some Verses of it as AMplius lava me c. Dew down O merciful Creator one small drop of thy divin Grace into my sinful Soul or rather showr down an abundance of thy sweet waters upon me to cleanse me from my enormous crimes and impurities Asperges me Hysopo c. Be sprinkle my Soul O Soveraign Lord God! with the Hysop of thy Grace that I may serve thee more purely Wash me with thy sacred waters till I become whiter than the driven Snow c. At the Preface Lift up your heart to contemplate the Beauties Glories and Greatnesses of Heaven whither you tend and which is your only home aim and end HOw desirable are thy Tabernacles O Lord God of Hosts My Soul sighs pants and thirsts after you more than the wearied Stag breaths after the refreshing Fountains Draw me after thee O divin source of all sweetness and I shall run chearfully after the odours of thy perfumes for what do I seek but thee or what can satisfie me but thy self in Heaven or in Earth O that the memory of thy eternal good things remain'd always deeply ingrav'd in my Soul how easily should I then disdain all temporal perishable and worldly trifles O my God and my All when shall I be so happy as to behold thee clearly in thy heavenly Glory At Sanctus Keep your Heart raised up to your Creator praising adoring admiring the infinit Majesty of the Sacred Trinity as if you were amidst the blessed Quires of Angels and Saints in Heaven intoning with them HOly Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbath Heaven and Earth are full of your Glorie Hosanna in the highest O Holy of Holies give me a glimps of thy glorious self that my illuminated Soul may praise thee more purely and love thee more perfectly O celestial Seraphins who incessantly praise my God with the sweet Eccho's of your eternally repeated Holy descend from Heaven to help my desirous heart in singing forth his praises that I may also become holy pure and perfect in the presence of my Lord and Maker At the first Memento INto thy sacred Hands O sweet Saviour I recommend my Soul with all its faculties my Body with all its senses my whole Interiour and Exteriour man with all its affections and actions Preserve me O all-powerful Redeemer from all Sin and Impuritie and give me perseverance in thy love and service Let thy undrainable fountain of mercy O Lord Jesu extend also it self towards my Kindred Friends Enemies particularly towards such and such and all them for whom I ought to offer up my Prayers to thy divin Majestie Whilst the Priest pursues the rest of the Canon in silence do you also recollect your Senses in expectation of your Saviours presence upon the Altar which will be assoon as the words of Consecration are ended Your Heart burning in the mean while with these like desires of S. Augustin O My Comforter appear unto me O only light of my Souls eyes let me see thee O only Joy of my Spirit Come and glad me with thy presence O only Jubily of my Heart Let me contemplate thee O my Lord my Life my Love my All Shew me thy self and I shall be safe c. At the Elevation of the sacred Host and Chalice represent to your self how your Redeemer offers up himself there to the Eternal Father and conforming your Devotion to the Spirit of Christ Jesus you may say with heart or mouth O Adorable Majestie In Union of this affectionate Reverence which my Redeemer now renders thee In memory of his dolorous Passion And in acknowledgment of my own Nothing and thy infinit Greatness I humbly offer unto thee a perpetual submission of all my Being all my Powers all my Faculties Be thou eternally exalted admired and glorified O Holy Holy Holy Trinity My Lord my God my All. Or thus by way of Ejaculations Affections Extasies O Goodness O Mercy O Love O Liberality O immense infinit incomprehensible excessive Charity O Eternal Father behold thy beloved Son and my blessed Saviour whom I humbly offer up to thy divin Majestie in satisfaction for all my offences negligences ingratitudes I offer thee his purity innocency perfection to satisfie for my impuritie malice impietie his Humilitie for my Pride his Zeal for my Tepiditie all the Sanctity of his life for all the imperfections of my life O merciful and compassionate Father Look upon thy own Sons Charitie Behold how he once offer'd himself a Bloody Sacrifice on the Cross for my salvation and how he now offers himself an unbloody Sacrifice on this Altar for the same end O holy Father receive this his holy Sacrifice in lieu of all the honors homages gratitudes which are due to thy sacred and soveraign goodness from me and all thy creatures Keeping your mind still fix'd upon your dear Saviour now present on the Altar speak unto him with the most tender affections which your Heart can possibly produce either by Acts of Praise as O Son of God! what can be compar'd to thy Charitie O my Lord who is like thee in Goodness in Love in Liberality O sweet Jesu thou art my Rest my Refuge my Riches my Center my Hope my Happiness my All. Or by Acts of Complacencie as O King of Heaven and Earth Thou art here the Joy of my Soul as thou art there the Jubily of thy Saints Thou art here on the Altar and thou art there in thy eternal glorie and beatitude O Amiable Sacrifice O Admirable Invention of the divin Power Wisdom and Charitie Or by Acts of Thanksgiving O Dear Saviour How much hast thou done for an unworthy wretch O the excess of thy goodness who can sufficiently acknowledg it O Great Monarch of both worlds That thou shouldst thus humble thy self for a meer worm upon this Altar O ye Angels Saints and all Creatures Come help me to honour praise bless and love my liberal Lord God who hath as it were employ'd his Omnipotencie in order to my benefit and profit Or by Acts of Thanksgiving O Dear Saviour How much hast thou done for an unworthy wretch O the excess of thy goodness who can sufficiently acknowledg it O great Monarch of both Worlds That thou shouldst thus humble thy self for a meer worm upon this Altar O ye Angels Saints and all Creatures Come help me to honour praise bless and love my liberal Lord God who hath as it were employ'd his Omnipotencie in order to my benefit and profit Or by Acts of Resignation O Jesu Since thou art pleas'd to render thy self here present for my sake I here promise a readiness to perform any thing for thy service O my
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
of my Soul I most heartily confess and acknowledg that thou hast provided for me in so convenient a manner both in prosperity and adversity in health and sickness in body and soul as no other wisdom but thou only my sweet Lord and Maker the increated Goodness and wise Disposer of all things could have effected To thee therefore O my God and my All I commit my self and all to be disposed of now and ever as shall be most agreeable to thy own honour and glory and most conformable to thy eternal just and equal will and providence I hope O my Soveraign Lord God! that this moment of pains and sufferings will be soon changed into an Eternity of happiness and comfort I trust that my now languishing and dying body shall be one day raised to glory impassibility immortality I cheerfully expect to have this poor imprisoned soul of mine called up to see enjoy and contemplate thy amiable and beautifying countenance for evermore 4. Acts of Love O Eternal Father thou hast given thy Son to me and behold I give him again to thee together with my whol self and all that I have am and can my Love my Life my Liberty my Heart my Soul to please and honour thee for all future time and Eternity O my Lord I love thee heartily and during the short remainder of my life in this world I will serve thee faithfully not so much of obligation as of Election not so much for my own comfort and profit as for thy will and pleasure not for the delight I take in thy loving service but for the desire I have to please thee not as a servant bondslave or hireling but as a Freeman loves his Friend as a Child his Father as a Spouse her Bridegroom not only out of gratitude for received benefits but also and chiefly because thou art my God of infinit perfection in thy self and of infinit affection towards me O God of Love and Love of my Soul what do I desire in Heaven or expect from Heaven and what do I long for upon Earth but thee the only object of my affections the only aim of my pretensions the only desire of my heart the only delight of my spirit Come O my blessed Lord and Lover and take full possession of my Heart and Soul transform me into thy love and conform me to thy Will Let thy Will be the only desire of my heart and let thy Love be the only life of my Soul and lease of my life that when I leave to love I may cease to live c. 5. Acts of Resignation Take examples from CHRIST in his Agony O My All powerful Father If I must needs drink of this bitter chalice endure this long and tedious Sickness suffer these sharp and severe torments thy holy Will be done From Job on his Dunghil 'T Is thou O Soveraign Lord who art the bountiful bestower of all blessings and thou maist justly withdraw revoke and retake them at thy own will and pleasure be thou blessed and praised for evermore From S. Paul prostrate on the ground LOrd What wilt thou have me to do what is thy holy pleasure behold thy Servant ready to accomplish it Aspire frequently to God and Resign up all willingly to him in this or the like sort WEre I master of all Bodies and Souls I would presently give up to thee Great Lord of Heaven and Earth all my right and title and were it in my power I would make of each body an instrument to please and praise thee and of all souls as many Paradises to lodge and love thee Come what will O my Creator I will place my hopes in thy infinit mercy and in thy Sons abundant Redemption And my perpetual Song shall be O Lord be merciful to me a Sinner Blessed be my God for all and in all Live Jesus by whose death I live and for whose love I am willing to die c. O when shall I take as much pleasure in suffering as I have done in sinning O that I could entirely resign my whol self Body and Soul in Life or Death for time and eternity to be disposed of according to thy divin Will and Pleasure O that I could in every moment of time pronounce with heart and tongue Live Jesus only whose Will be accomplished whose name be sanctified whose praise be published in all by all above all c. 6. An Act of Purity of Intention O Eternal Lord God! Thou hast created me to serve thee only redeemed me to love thee only and now inspir'd me with a will and desire to please thee only during all the remaining days of my life And behold my hearty and humble desire is to serve thee love thee and please thee purely perfectly perseverantly Reform therefore I beseech thee my sinful life conform my stubborn will Deiform my sinister intention change and transform my spirit into thine that all my thoughts words actions pretensions and these my present pains sufferings and sickness may be presented to thy sacred Majesty with such purity perfection and perseverance as thy Love deserves from me and mine desires for thee 7. An Heroick Act of highest efficacy containing a Contract between the Soul and her Creator Which being made devoutly at the beginning of any dangerous Sickness and frequently iterated during the intervals therof must needs afford exceeding great comfort in Deaths last hour and Agony O My God my Lord my Creator from whom by whom and in whom I and all things live move and have a being I rejoice at what thou art as if it were all mine and I offer what I and all creatures have and are as being all thine Behold O Heavenly Father I thy poor Child and unworthy Creature do here with all possible sincerity submission and devotion make this present Contract with thy Sacred Majesty to be thy faithful servant and bondslave for evermore intending hereby that each remaining moment of my life and all that is within me without me about me may henceforth incessantly bless and praise thy holy Name and accomplish thy most just and holy Will in all things whatsoever And for this end I do now enrol this Oblation Donation and Resignation of my whol self to thy divin Majesty in the very Center of my Heart Soul with such Intention Force and Efficacy as thou O my all-knowing Lord God! canst comprehend to be the very best which I thy poor creature am capable to perform without any reservation restriction or contradiction whatsoever I desire also O my Creator to make this Contract with thy sacred Majesty in the best manner with most proper words in the fittest terms and with such significant clauses and conditions as it ought and may be performed In Confirmation whereof I produce as witnesses the sacred Virgin Queen Mary my Angel Guardian my particular Patrons and all the celestial Citizens humbly imploring the assistance of their Prayers for the performance of this my hearty
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
at the Days ending seems he not to have a Swinish Spirit which hath no motion but for the Body no life but for the Belly To pass whol Days without any respect to God or reflection on himself but to cast himself freely upon all occurring objects and occasions of Vanity Curiosity Sensuality if it is not a clear mark of Infidelity 't is certainly a manifest token of Folly Stupidity Bestiality and is surely one of the greatest Negligences which can possibly befal a Soul pretending to any thing beyond this present Life 9. O Men cry's out the Prophet Make not your selves like Horses and Mules which are utterly devoid of all understanding You have not Beast-like Heads bended to the Earthwards but yet if in your Bodies erected towards Heaven you have Souls crouching only downwards Souls which neither look up in the Morning by a Conversion nor in the Day time by a Remembrance nor in the Evening by a Reflexion towards the place of its Origin but whose continual Cogitations Actions Occupations perpetually confine it to its own Prison Wherein do you differ from Brute-Beasts except only in the shape of your erected Bodies the straightness whereof may justly upbraid the crookedness of your Spirits and the wryness of your Reason If you tend to God why think you not of him why send you not your dayly affections to salute the object of your pretensions why flies not your Heart frequently towards the place where your Treasure is O strange disorder God is your End and yet the World is your continual employment 10. The Fruits of these Exercises are so great that I may boldly say It seems in some sort impossible for such a Soul as carefully punctually preseverantly practises them to be in danger of damnation For by these dayly renewed Purposes and Resolutions she gives herself dayly to the Divine Majesty and God hath bound himself by his own blessed promise Not to abandon him who com's unto him but to receive him into his Protection till he shall admit him one day to the enjoyment of his Presence 11. But let 's descend from Generals to Particulars from Speculation to Practise In the Morning season said the Royal Prophet I will present my self before thee my dread Soveraign and I will see and consider what my duty is towards thee and what thou desirest of me God in the ancient Law reserv'd to himself the First fruits of the Earth and the First born of Men and Beasts And with how much more reason should we Christians render him the First fruits of the day the First thoughts and affections which being formed after our morning Sleep may be fitly named the First born of our Hearts And surely the voluntary and wretchless Omission of this Duty draws after it a whol Deluge of defects imperfections failings fallings venial Sins and somtimes mortal Crimes into which they tumble headlong who forgetting God deserve to be by him forgotten and who in the Morning neglecting to demand his Succour deserve in the Day time to be destituted of his Assistance in their several encounters and occasions 12. If therefore O Christian thou hast a desire to preserve thy self from Sin let it be thy first care as soon as thy Eyes are unseel'd from Sleep to cast them up towards Heaven saying with the watchful Prophet To thee O my Lord do I life up my Eyes my Hands my Heart from this Bed where my Body hath taken ' its nightly repose towards thy Heaven where my Soul expects her eternal rest c. And having entertain'd thy Soul with such like Elevations whilst thou cloathest thy Body with its Garments retire into thy Cabinet cast thy self reverently upon thy Knees raise up thy Thoughts towards the glorious Deity acknowledg thy own Nothing and adore his infinit Essence Then second this Act of Adoration with a consideration of the large Benefits receiv'd from his liberal hand The memory whereof which are common to all mankind and which being more remarkable in thy own particular than in divers others must needs add weight to thy Obligation is a most powerful motive to draw from thy affectionat Heart and Mouth Acts of Praise and Gratitude towards thy bountiful Benefactor Accompany this Act of Thanksgiving with a Remembrance of thy former Ingratitude which will lead thee on to Compunction and Contrition Mark how thou hast perverted the Gifts of Nature abused the Gifts of Fortune rejected the proferr'd Gifts of Grace contemn'd the promis'd Gifts of Glory Cast also a particular glance upon the most grievous Crimes of thy past Life and reflect briefly on such as thou hast fallen into since thy last Confession and excite a deep Confusion in thy Soul for her strange Disloyalty Let this Contrition be follow'd with a couragious Resolution of Amending what is amiss and of Corresponding better to Gods Graces for the Future and particularly of Employing the present Day to his honour and service saying with the Prophet My Heart is prepared O my Lord God! my Heart is prepared to perform its duty c. After this General Resolution of well employing the present Day propose to thy self in particular those Principal Actions and Affairs wherein thou probably may'st be that Day engaged and having ranked them in thy Mind according to their several Orders assigning to each of them its proper Place Time and Measure Offer them up to God with a pure Intention to seek his only honour in their Performance and committing all to his Providence which will cause them to succeed to your Good and his Glory Lastly Conclude this Morning Exercise by humbly imploring thy Creators powerful Assistance for the effectual performance of these thy pious Purposes saying with the same devout Prophet Keep my stepps in thy sacred paths O Lord that my weak and staggering Feet may not falter in the way of thy blessed Law c. 13. A happy Beginning is one half of the Work and a Ship unmoor'd from the Harbor with a favourable Gale and ful-swoll'n Sails seems rather to fly than swim towards the intended Port A Soul which hath so well entred upon her Days voyage cannot but make a happy progress following the same conduct of the Holy Ghost whose gracious Inspiration gave her this first good Motion And it ordinarily fall's out with man's Heart as with a Bowl which continues rowling along on the same side on which he grounded it who first deliver'd it If thy Heart O Christian hath begun in the Morning to turn upon Heavens side it will easily follow that Rut all the Day long and though the Objects of Creatures the Variety of worldly Affairs the Necesities of the Body the Occupations of each ones Charge Office and Condition and the several Accidents of the Active Life will ly as Rubs in thy Way to retard thy speedy Course yet they will not have the Power totally to stop thy tendency nor easily remove thee from thy well made Resolution Thou wilt run through by or over
intention and confirm me in my present purpose which is to observe perfectly thy most just and and holy Ordinances and all theirs whom thou hast placed over my head in that very manner both in substance and circumstance as thou O supream Law-maker demandest and commandest The Seventh Exercise Of Fortitude the third Cardinal Virtue 1. The Essence of Fortitude Fortitude is a Moral Virtue enabling our Wills to do good and avoid evil in great and dreadful difficulties and dangers So that we either expect them or suffer them or shun them or set upon them without excessive Fear or over rash Boldness MY Life O my Lord is a perpetual warfare my Soul is beset during this her pilgrimage with innumerable enormous powerful and implacable enemies so that I am forced either to fight and conquer or to fall and be conquered O how greatly then do I stand in need of this glorious armour of Fortitude to animate my fearfulness to shelter my feebleness temper my rashness and to accompany me in all my dangerous skirmishes Give this vertuous strength to thy weak yet willing servant O my God who art incomparable in power invincible in might the great Lord of Hosts the glorious overcomer in the day of battel the shield and salvation of all them that combat under thy banner and I shall not fear thousands of foes encompassing me for I can do all things in thee my comforter 2. The chief degrees of Fortitude are three 1. Not to be affrighted at the great difficulties wherewith we must necessarily encounter in our spiritual course but to be resolute in suffering them manful in setting on them yea and confident to conquer them through Gods assisting grace 2. To rejoyce cordially in such sufferings for so good a cause 3. To expose our selves couragiously to all calamities for the promotion of Gods glory and our Neighbours spiritual good O Thrice happy those Souls which are thus valiant Ah! shall I for want of a little courage be an eternal slave to Sin Satan Sensuality Arise to my aid O invincible King of Glory under whose feet Death Devils and Hell it self do groan And thou my Soul what dreadest thou advance thy self undauntedly into the field of battel Thou fightest under thy Saviours Ensigns who hath already conquer'd thy foes for thee upon his sacred Cross Reflect upon what thou art his Soldier his Servant his Son Lose not heart nor hope in thy just quarrel since thy Lord looks upon thy just combats invites thee to courage assists thee to conquer and expects to crown thee Eternity is at stake and Heaven thy reward 3. Martyrdom the most heroick act Fortitude is a voluntary acceptation enduring of a violent Death for the testimony and defence of the true Faith or of Virtue ALL hail O ye valiant Champions of my heavenly King how highly doth my heart prize your courage how humbly doth my soul honour and emulate your constancy were not your Bodies passible as mine is and your Material parts molded out of the same mass of Clay by the same merciful and powerful Artificer Whence is it then that you appeared so faithful in your hottest trials I prove so fearful in my least temptations O I am utterly ashamed of my own former baseness and I resolutly and readily offer up my self to die here for thy sake O my sweet Saviour that I may live in thy love eternally 4. Three Virtues allied to Fortitude Magnanimity Patience Perseverance Magnanimity or greatness of courage is a Moral Virtue and inclining our Wills to heroick and honourable actions in the prosecution of Virtue in as much as such actions are hard and worthy of an high Courage THou hast made me O glorious Creator for great matters for thy Heaven for thy self and shall I rest any longer in petty trifles and aim only at inglorious objects No my worthy Soul form'd to thy Lords lovely likeness Child of the most high and Heir apparent to his kingdom It becoms not thee to content thy self with common Perfection We will henceforth have higher thoughts and aspire to more sublime generous and noble enterprizes We will couragiously climb up the several degrees of the most seraphical Virtues and set upon holy and honourable works tending to our own greater good and our Gods eternal glory Yes Lord we desire to be as truly patient as thy servant Job as zealous of thine honour as thy Apostle Paul as penitent for our sins as the pious Magdalen as pure in our life as the holy Angels and as ardent in thy love as the highest Seraphins O my Soul that we could reach these glorious Perfections 5. Patience is a Moral Virtue which moderates our Sadness proceeding from the resentment of some present evil and hinders us from acting thereupon any thing misbecoming our Reason O My Soul what joy what peace what holiness what happiness do still accompany any this divine Virtue when wilt thou truly possess thy self and perfectly please thy Saviour by the exact practise of Patience amidst all thy pressures troubles and tribulations O why shouldst thou only expect to be a delicate member under Christ thy head crowned with cruel thorns Lord Jesu I must suffer as a Christian I deserve to suffer as a Sinner I desire to suffer as thy Servant O let not my suffrances become lost to my soul by my impatience in induring them Let no torment or trouble of my life tire my setled resolution of suffering willingly for thy love O my crucified Saviour and persevering constantly in thy service Let Hell Death and Devil arm their whol fury against me Let all creatures conspire to annoy me Let all sickness seize on my body all sadness on my Soul and all sorts of damages disgraces and dismal chances be pour'd forth upon my only head I will remain quiet in thee O meek and patient Jesu and submissive to thy sweet providence disposition 6. Perseverance is a Moral Virtue whereby we go on in our well begun enterprises till they are fully accomplished THis is the Virtue O my Soul and this only which gives thee true rest from all thy sufferings This rewards all thy laborious endeavours and this puts a happy period to thy painful life Without Perseverance how vain are all thy Virtues and how useless thy past labours and diligence Ah! my Soul be no longer like a Fool changeable with the Moon like a Reed shaken with every Blast like the Sensualists who begin in the spirit but end in the flesh No my dear Lord I will never leave to love thee till I leave to live I will not cease to persecute my passions and pursue the enemies of my perfection till they be all dead and utterly destroyed I will keep the years of Eternity ever fresh in my memory that no temporary sufferings may seem long tedious or troublesome Thou O Jesu my Redeemer O most constant lover of my poor Soul for whose sake thou patiently remainedst on thy cruel Cross
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
of Gods high perfections O King of Glory I acknowledg thy perfections to be above all knowledg but that of thy own divine Understanding I confess that thy height is unreachable thy goodness unchangeable thy greatness incomprehensible thy light inaccessible And all other thy divine attributes and perfections are so mighty and so many so good and so glorious so excellent and so admirable so worthy and so wonderful that were all the Power and Prerogatives all the vertue wisdom and qualities of all creatures united in one individual nature it were not so much in respect of thy glory and greatness as the least drop of water is in comparison of the vast Ocean Wherefore I beg of thee O immense and inaccessible Godhead only so much to know conceive believe and understand of thy hidden Majesty as may efficaciously move my will to thee and I content my self with so much light of thy divinity as may force me to love thee ardently effectually perseverantly O my Lord and my Love Fill my heart with the sweet influence of thy heavenly grace that I may in some measure discover how good and gracious thou art to me and to all thy creatures O let me still remember thy mecry ever dread thy Justice and continually admire and adore thy Power and Providence Ah! my noble Soul stampt with thy Creators lovely image endowed with the excellencies of Understanding to know him of Will to love him of Memory to rest in him why adherest thou not fast to him only in pure and perfect delight forgetting and forgoing all sensible worldly Objects 5. Fervent wishes and desires to love and serve God O That I were so ravished with thy love and liking My only amiable Lord God! that through joy jubily and admiration I might feel no self at all no sense no change no inequality That no prosperitie might puff me up no adversitie deject me no accident separate me from thee O my God of infinite love and liberality O that I could be ever joyful in thee ever grateful to thee and ever mindful of thy inhabiting presence within me Thou art always nearer to my Soul O my good God! than my Soul is to my Body always conserving counselling disposing directing inciting and inspiring it to thy Love and wilt thou not O my senseless and sinful soul be alwaies cautious and circumspect how thou behavest thy self in thy Lords presence who is so tenderly careful of thy safetie O let his love be no longer neglected his sweet invitations no longer slighted O that thou wouldst henceforth walk before him as befits his chast and holy Spouse with all respect and reverence fear fidelity courage and constancy preparing thy self diligently for his divine embraces 6. Admirations of Gods bounty and benefits and Resolutions of corresponding thereto GRant I beseech thee O mighty and merciful Creator that my whole time and thoughts may be totally taken up in the contemplation of thy unmeasurable benefits and bounty towards me For I know Lord that I am truly nothing and yet thou carest for me O my loving Maker as if thou hadst no other creature in heaven or earth thou deliverest me from innumerable dangers thou adornest me with many gifts and graces thou givest me leave at all times to have free access to thy Throne of Mercy so that with one holy thought one humble sigh one devout desire I may draw near to thee and enjoy thee and in thee all comfort content O divine priviledg To discover to thee my Wants lay open my Wounds and boldly declare my Wishes as to my nearest dearest and trustiest friend and familiar and to be sure of supplies salves and succour in all my necessities O what Goodness what Grace what Mercy is this O my Soul How loving and liberal a Lord have we how loving in Mercy how liberal in bounty Ah! our unthankfulness to requite our unworthiness to deserve his favours Up my heart be no longer ungrateful and unfaithful to so great good and gracious a benefactor Yes O blessed and bountiful Giver I now say cordially and will ever stand to it couragiously I will henceforth love thee my Lord my love my life my strength my support my home my harbour and my happiness I will remember thy sweet words to all sinners Why will you perish O children As I live I desire not the death of a sinner but that he would turn to me and live I will behold thy sacred wounds suffered for me able to move a rock to love and compassion And though I am asham'd to think what I have been how little I have done how much thou hast endured for me how long thou hast expected me how lovingly thou hast sought me and how poorly I have corresponded to thee Yet I know O my Lord thou ceasest not to be God and good though I am weak and wicked Therefore I will yet take courage in thy service and confidently hope that thou who hast sought after me a lost sheep wilt mercifully receive me now I seek after thee my loving Shepheard with a right intention real resolution and inflamed affection 7. Acts of Confidence and purposes of Perseverance in the divine love and service YEs O my Lord and my Love heaven and earth shall sooner perish than my Confidence in thy sweet mercies and my Saviours merits If thou repellest me I will run after thee if thou shuttest the door against me I will never leave knocking and if thou killest me yet will I trust in thee I wholly cast my self upon thy holy Will Providence and Protection I protest with heart and mouth that I now am and henceforth will be entirely thine that I have nothing seek nothing fear nothing desire nothing demand nothing want nothing will nothing but thee only My Lord my Love and my All. And I firmly purpose to serve and love thee O sacred and supream Majesty simply sincerely purely and perseverantly not for any fear of pains or punishment not for any self-interest of what this world can offer or the next afford not for the least hope of Heaven or happiness but I will thee seek thee and love thee for thy self only O my All-sufficient Lord God! who art the sole object sweet compleatment and solid contentment of my soul Pardon me protect me and provide for me for thou art my only hope and happiness The Third Exercise Of the knowledg of and diffidence in our selves 1. A total Abnegation of our selves and Relation to the divine Providence WHat is man O omnipotent Creator what is this man that thou shouldst be so mindful of him He is a meer nothing Lord and I am the least and worst of those nothings because I have least corresponded to thy grace and made worst use of thy gifts O give me light reach forth thy hand to this blind creature crying after thee O true light of the world and life of my Soul that now at length I may duly diligently cordially and abyssally
Enter freely possess all fully dispose universally and command absolutly Put me where thou wilt give me what thou wilt treat me as thou wilt thine I am O my Lord my Love and my All for time and Eternity The Sixth Exercise Of Mortification and perfect Abnegation 1. If we will be Christ's true Disciples we must renounce all deny our selves take up our crosses and follow him O Eternal and ever blessed Lord God! thou hast framed me of soul and body and fitted me with faculties proportionable to attain the end of my creation which is to love thee intirely and to live with thee eternally But alas how far am I from observing this thy blessed and beautiful order Thou O Lord gavest me a Soul to bear all the sway in my body Reason to have the chief regency in my Soul thy Law to be the guide of my Reason and thy self to be the sole mover and governour of my whole man But oh how have I wilfully cross'd thy sacred design contradicted thy intention and swarv'd from this perfection My body is all brutish my soul all animal and my reason all sensual I am all blindness self-love and immortification Yet I know well and thou O eternal verity hast expresly told me that unless I renounce all deny my self take up my Cross and follow thee I can never become thy true Disciple Ah harsh words to my carnal ears If thou wilt be my Disciple deny thy self If thou wilt be perfect sell all give away all reform all renounce all relinquish all If thou wilt possess life eternal contemn this life temporal If thou wilt be exalted in Heaven humble thy self in the world If thou wilt wear a Crown with me bear thy Cross with me But O my soul how wilt thou brook that more dismal sentence Depart from me thou accursed into eternal fire Wherefore O my Lord my Love and my All Since thou hast taught me these things by thy Sacred Word and shewed them by thy holy Example and thou art The Way the Truth and the life Grant O infallible Truth that I may couragiously walk in this perfect Way that so I may happily come to thee the only true and eternal life and love of my Soul 2. We must leave all things to finde one thing which is all in all WHat dreadest thou O my fearful and faithless Heart Behold Christ thy King and Captain is marched on before thee take up thy Cross and travel after him he leads thee to a Kingdem Heaven is worth thy pains O take courage to mortifie thy self deny thy self and dy to thy self that thou mayst live to Jesus and with Jesus eternally Learn O my soul this short and securing lesson Leave all things and thou shalt find one thing which is all in all Take courage and fight valiantly against thy own bad nature pray suffer stoop bear repugnances swallow down contradictions digest injuries The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence The end thou aimest at is Perfection the reward of thy Conquest is Eternal Love eternal Life eternal Happiness Behold O my Lord my strength and my Salvation I am fully resolved to lay the ax to the root of this wicked tree Help me I beseech thee with thy Grace from above that I may hew my self out of my self that I may kill crucifie and mortifie my inveigling sensuality cut off my evil inclinations rectifie my disorder'd passions and root out each thought or desire which tends not directly to thy honour will and love O my Lord and my God! 3. We can never love God unless we hate our Selves I Know Lord that it is bootless to study Perfection without the practice of Mortification I confess I can never love thee truly but in as much as I hate my self really such is the Antipathy between self-love and thy holy affection Ah! how can a spirit distracted with contrary inclinations be freely and fully vacant to thy divine contemplation Put therefore I beseech thee a sluce to my unmortified Passions put a bound to my distraught heart and powerfully keep back those innumerous concupiscences and corrupt imaginations violently succeding each other that my united affections may intend thee only the only object of all happiness Gather O my Lord the dispersed forces of my Soul from all multiplicity of worldly affections to the union of thy only love Keep I beseech thee my Understanding Will Memory Imagination and all my inward and outward Senses from roaming abroad that carefully attending and entertaining thy divine presence in my Soul I may attain true introversion simplification and union of my Spirit with thine Reform O my Lord all the natural corruptions of my outward man and redress all the spiritual infirmities of my inward man destroy and disperse all internal and external enemies and opposers of thy holy love possess me perfectly and dispose of me entirely according to thy Divin will and pleasure 4. A firm Resolution of mortifying our exteriour Sensuality TO this end O bless my weak endeavours al mighty and al-merciful Lord God! I will subtract all superfluities from my body and accustom it to all sorts of sufferings that so I may fit it up for thee O holy Spirit who dwellest not with them that are sensual and subject to Sin Alas I have not yet resisted to the effusion of my blood and should I spill each drop of blood in my body in this holy quarrel how little ought I to regard it in respect of the great good I expect I will therefore crucifie thee O my flesh with all thy concupiscences I will mortifie my outward Senses the windows by which death steals into my Soul the hinderers of my hearts tranquillity the destroyers of true devotion the dispersers of inward recollection and the utter ruiners of all the good desires which I conceive and kindle in my prayers Ah how soon is this divin fire cooled and quenched not only by Sin but also by the distracting images of outward Objects I will keep a special and strict watch over my Tongue on which depends my spiritual life or death and cherish thee O beloved Silence which art the key of piety the keeper of innocency and the preserver of purity I will trample down my inferiour Nature with all its evil affections and motions of love hatred joy sadness desire fear hope anger c. I will order dispose and direct it according to the Laws of reason and thy divine inspirations O my Lord and my God! Grant me courage I beseech thee to quell and curb this most dangerous my greatest enemy which is the source of all my miseries the Citadel from whence Sin assails me and Satan fetches his forces to fight against me Grant Good Lord that I may never yield to this wicked Eve perswading Adam my Superior Will to eat the forbidden fruit to consent to unlawful pleasures This is the chief exercise of Gods children not to be carried away with affections of flesh and blood but to conduct
of thee O Son of Justice dissolve with a beam of thy brightness the frost of my heart and resolve it into tears of affection 5. We declare our Weariness of all things and our desire of divin Vnion O Beautiful and best-beloved of my Soul I am weary of this wretched world and I breath thirst and sigh after thee the sweet fountain of life-giving and soul-saving waters O true rest and refresher of my faint and feeble heart out of whom there is neither comfort nor content Let me shroud my self under the shadow of thy wings until iniquity and infirmity have an end Come Lord Jesu Speak thy sweet words of love to my languishing soul for thy servant hears thee Give me courage alacrity fervour and fidelity in thy service during the few remaining moments of my wretched and wearisom pilgrimage O rest long expected and much sighed after where shall I seek thee and when shall I find thee where sleepest thou O dear Spouse at Mid-day in the heat of love Where is thy secret cabinet of Contemplation which thou hidest from the wisdom of Worldlings and revealest to little ones and humble of heart O shew me the bed of divin Union wherein thou reposest with the simple solitary and mortified soul O let my poor heart have the honour and happiness to rest in thee to remain with thee and to be united to thee O God of love wound my soul with thy sweet wounds of love which nothing can cure but death wean it from the worlds vanity and wed it to thy increated verity that treading all creatures under me I may be rapt into thee my Creator above my self and there like the happy dove in the secure Ark repose my weary and faint limbs in thy bosome my Soveraign Lord and lover 6. We humbly beg that One thing which is only necessary O Divin Wisdom Lead me into the solitude speak unto my heart teach me thy holy will in all occurrences My deep sighs secret desires are not hid from thee And thou knowest nothing can fully cure comfort and content me but thy self the one and only necessary thing O then take my self and all and give me that one thing in whom are all things O sweet waters of divin Love which flow from the blessed bosom of the Divinity and from the open side of my Saviors Humanity Run into my bowels and like pure oyl penetrate and possess every parcel of my spirit Irrigate and inebriate it overflow and absorp it that it may be transformed conformed to the divin Spirit so that all my actions cogitations and affections may be spiritual divin Deiform O let my ravish'd Soul full of life and fire break forth into these flames of joy and jubilation I have found him whom my soul loves I have him and I will hold him This is it which by reading I sought by meditation I found by prayer I desired and by contemplation I enjoy O how the earth stinks how loathsom are all creatures to me O tast O sweetness O true and solid pleasure O how great is the difference between this spiritual and all fleshly delights O the multitude of thy sweetnesses which thou hast laid up O Lord for them that fear and love thee O Lights O Delights O Extasies of spirit Wound me O sweet God! burn me consume me crucifie me Let me cry out with that Lover Retain O Lord the floods of thy grace or inlarge my heart for I can old no longer I thirst Lord give me this water O when how long how much 7. Our enamoured Souls rest sweetly in this secure home and harbour O My Soul how good is it for us to be here O sweet and secure home and harbour Let us remain and rejoice here for ever I will keep thee O my dearly beloved and I will kiss thee I will conjure thee to remain with me I will rather lose my self than leave thy presence My beloved is mine his honour is mine his heart is mine his heaven is mine And I am his behold the key the keeper the soul the body the lord the whol O my God! is thine Behold my liberty my life my love all is thine O my Jesu and thine alone Repose therefore as a sweet posie between my breasts sleep like a bridegroom in my heart and reign like a King in the closet of my Soul Come Lord Jesu come quickly take full possession of thy own Come and please thy self love thy self and serve thy self in me as thou desirest and deservest to be pleased loved served Let thy love O King of love be the life of my Soul and the lease of my life that when I cease to love I may cease to live In thy love O Jesu I end this act of love though my desire actually to love thee is endless Oh! let me live and die in thy love and for thy love that by love I may for ever reign and remain with thee in thy Kingdom of love Amen ¶ 8. Devotions Exercises and Elevations for Communion 1 What is to be done before Communion THe due Preparation to this divin Banquet requires Two things 1. Purity from all Mortal sin and from all affection to it This purity is obtained by an humble Confession a hearty Contrition fervent Prayer a careful custody of heart and a right intention in Communicating 2. An actual Recollection and Devotion which is gotten by pious and affective Considerations by Faith and Confidence in Gods Mercy by a thirsty desire to See Enjoy and be united to God who is our sweet and Soveraign Good our Father Friend and Food our Guest our Master and our Meat Several Considerations before Communion To move our Souls to Affections and to excite them to an ardent Thirst and Desire of JESUS 's presence 1. WHat is the blessed Sacrament But a pure Fountain flowing out of Paradise watering the whol Church refreshing all the Pilgrims of this world and quenching all their passions temptations I desire O my Lord to drink of this water Dispose my heart Dear Jesu thou who art Author of the desire Let me not bring a heart of paper to this Fountain which after a little received dew of childish devotion will presently fleet away for want of care and custodie Nor let me bring a heart like a Sieve which will retain no moisture But let my heart be like a Sponge to receive and retain the dews of thy divin Graces and Blessings and to be totally imbru'd inebriated satiated with thy heavenly sweetnesses 2. What is in this Sacrament My God and all that is good My Saviour and with him his Body Blood Soul Humanity Divinity My Jesus and with him all his mercies and merits Who would not desire an Union with so great a God so good a Saviour so gracious a Jesus 3. How did the poor Magdalen lament the loss of her Master at the Monument Ah my sweet Lord where art thou what can I do but sigh and sob
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
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
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
impossible for poor Man who is tossed too and fro like Autumn leaves with the Winds of Inconstancy to persever long in his Virtuous enterprises Pious purposes and holy Resolutions 16. And to descend now to the particulars of this Evening Exercise The First thing you are to do O devout Christian having recollected your self in some place of retirement Is to render humble and hearty Thanks to the Divine Majesty for all Favours Blessings and Benefits bestow'd on you generally in your whol life-time and particularly that present Day Benefits which his boundless Goodness dayly Renews by still continuing them And how particularly his Paternal Affection Compassion and Providence have appeared in your behalf even in the divers Occasions and Dangers of this now past Day your Eyes if they will only open cannot but admiringly behold Now since he looks for no other return for his Bounty than a bare Gratitude which will cost thee Nothing Wilt thou refuse O Creature to thy Creator Wilt thou deny O Christian to thy Redeemer one dayly Act of thy Memory one dayly Resentment of thy Heart one dayly Acknowledgment of thy Tongue for his dayly continued Love and Liberality In the next place you are to begg Light to discern and Ayd to correct such Crimes as you have that day committed For how can you Hope without the help of Heavenly Light to perceive the many faults excesses omissions which your Frailty your Rashness your Indiscretion your Proness to evil your Perverse customs have drawn upon your Thoughts your Desires your Discourses your Actions amongst so many Objects Occasions Assaults either expresly against his Divine Will and Precepts or at least contrary to his Love and Liking Thirdly proceed to the particular Discussion of your Conscience upon those four Points prescribed by St Bernard 1. How much have you advanced forwards or gon backwards in the way of Virtue and Perfection 2. What you are in your Manners what in your Affections 3. How like you are to your Saviour how unlike 4. How nearly you are united to him or how far distant you are from him Then reflect briefly upon the Companies Discourses Objects Affairs of the past Day Considering what Passions what Imperfections what Omissions what Commissions what expence of time c. And here the more Spiritual persons may fitly make use of St. Leo's method Let every Christian says he sift and sound his Conscience in this Manner 1. Whether the Peace profferr'd to all by our Saviour find's a Resting place in his Heart 2. Whether any Carnal Concupisence impugn's the pious purposes of his Soul 3. Whether he hates mean and humble things and fancies sublime and high matters 4. Whether the inordinate desire of Gain or a Greediness of encreasing his temporal means commodities honours worldly glory and esteem transports him 5. Finally whether hiâ— Neighbours Prosperity provokes him to Envy or his Enemies Calamity excites him to Joy and gladness If in your Examination you have taken notice of any Mortal Crime Be sure to confound your self presently in your Creators presence by an humble acknowledgment of your strange Malice Ingratitude Frailty Look upon the dismal inexplicable interminable torments of Hell which you have deserved even now at this very instant Then praise and magnify the Divine Mercy which permitted not the Earth to swallow you as Dathan and Abiron or the Waves to ingulph you as Pharao with his Egyptian Army or Fire to consume you as Sodom and Gomorra or his Sword to cut you off as the rebellious crew in the Wilderness or his Breath to blast you with sodain Death as Ananias and Saphira or some other Instrument of his severe Justice to revenge his Injury raze you from off the earths Surface and cast you headlong into the place which is only proper and therefore prepared to receive such ungrateful and perverse Wretches as divers Others who have been Death-struck in the very height of their sinful fact and hurried away to Hell before they had perfected their begun impiety And why is this favourable delay of the Divine Justice afforded you O undeserving Wretch but to give you time to call upon his Mercy Call therefore Poor and miserable Criminal Call instantly upon the Divine Clemency Petition him presently for a Pardon Purpose seriously to Correct speedily to Confess willingly to Satisfy for your Transgression And suffer not O Christian suffer not any Mortal Sin which is not absolutly Renounc'd Revok'd Abjur'd by a Retractation of your Will to harbour in your Heart to nestle in your Soul and to sleep one whol Night with you in your Bosom For since you dread to admit a Serpent for your Bedfellow how dare you sleep securely having this horrid Serpent not with you but within you not in your Bed but in your Breast to destroy your Soul by an eternal Death and Damnation if your sleeping Body should be surpriz'd by a temporal Death and Dissolution And have not many Sinners been so serv'd Ah! my Friend That which happens to One may happen to any One and may justly be dreaded by every One. In matters of such moment where the loss if it happens is irreparable Precaution is necessary to prevent the Danger But this Act of Contrition must not have the Fear of your own eternal Punishment and the Dread of Hell-fire for its only Object This is too mean a Motive for your Sorrow and unsufficient for your Salvation You are to take the rise of your Grief from a more glorious Origin the Consideration of the heavenly Felicity whereof this Sin of yours hath eternally depriv'd you unless your true and timely Repentance re-instates you The Kingdom of Heaven suffers Violence Your Sorrow O Sinner must force your passage thither and your Sighs and Tears must make a Breach for your entrance Neither must you yet stay here but soare higher than Heaven it self elevating your afflicted Spirit even to the Throne of the Divine Majesty offended Yes O penitent Soul The Divine Goodness offended is the only pure Motive and ought to be the prime Object of your Sorrow and Contrition O my Father said the Repentant Prodigal I have sinned against Heaven and in your presence He says not I am worthy of your Punishment unworthy of your Inheritance but I have offended you and injur'd your Goodness The consideration of having offended his loving Father more lively pierces his Soul than the fear of Punishment or the loss of his Portion To be sorry for our Sins by reason of the incurr'd Punishment is a Slaves property by reason of the lost reward is the part of a Mercenary by reason of Gods Goodness is a loving Child's Duty The Slave shunns Blows the Mercenary seeks for Gain the Child shews his Duty The first is an act of Constraint the next of Covetousness the last of Love The Punishment is indeed to be dreaded and the Reward is to be desired but Gods Love is chiefly to be regarded His Love should be mans only
Motive because Himself is the only Object which deseru's all his Affection the only Good which can replenish his capacious Heart the only worthy to draw us and the only able to satisfy us the only Center whether we are to stear our Course and the only End which can terminate it Finally 't is He only who is our All in All our Perfection or Crown our eternal Felicity Behold Devout Christians the true means whereby you may be evermore ready for the Time which is always ready for you and may steal upon you when you least think of it unless you dayly think of it God give us all his Grace to practise well these pious Instructions and to husband wisely the precious Time he lends us that so the Time wherewith he threatens us may not surprise us Your Time says he to you all his loving beloved Children is always ready Death still attends at your doors but where or when it will enter and seize upon you you know not It is therefore your part to expect it every day and in every place and to make so good use of your Time here as that you may hereafter through my assisting and proferr'd Grace come to the Eternity of my promised and prepared Glory To which lead and conduct us all the eternally Blessed Father Son and Holy Ghost THE CHRISTIANS Daily Exercise aforesaid Reduc'd into Practice With the Intermixture of many Usefull Instructions and Directions ¶ I. 1. The Exercise for the Morning HAving satisfi'd Nature with convenient and competent rest and sleep remember presently upon your first awaking to mark your self with the common and mysterious badge of Christianity saying In the name of the Father c. Then breath forth some brief Aspirations befitting that time as IN the name of my crucifi'd Lord Jesus I will now arise He bless me keep me save me protect me and direct me this day and evermore Illuminate my Eyes O Lord that I may not sleep in death and that my Enemy may never say I have prevailed against him My Soul hath desired thee in the night O my Lord and my Love and in the morning I will watch after thee Arise thou that sleepest arise my dull and drowsie Soul and Christ will enlighten thee To thee O my Lord do I lift up my Eyes my Hands my Heart from this Bed where my Body hath taken its nightly repose towards thy Heaven where my Soul expects her eternal rest Here I am but thither I aspire This is only my Inne that 's my Habitation Unseel my Eyes O my God! which sleep hath thus long closed darkness lately cover'd them let thy divine grace now clear them Excite thy self O my Soul from this drowsiness which depressed thee break these Fetters and fly up freely towards thy Creator Thou hast satisfi'd thy Bodies necessity settle thy self now to thine own Duty which is to contemplate and love thy soveraign good Look up to heaven where thy servitude shall one day cease and where thy action shall still continue without this tiring interruption and troublesome subjection to thy enslaving Body which here ties thee to its corruption and compells thee to comply with that which retards thee withholds thee overcharges thee And thou my Body since thou hast sufficiently reposed rowse up thy self to serve thy Mistress Soul which during this long nights season hath desisted from her own functions to condescend to thy frailty Make her a return of thy civility and imploy all thy powers to obey her precepts as she hath given way by a cessation of all her faculties to the reparation of thy weakness Excite your self to a speedy and early rising and habituate your Body to get the victory over sloath and sluggishness by making use of some instance of affection towards your loving Lord and Saviour as Thou summonst me O my God! by thy Angel my Guardian to appear before thee and to praise thy divine Majesty I seem to hear thee sweetly calling me inviting me expecting me Arise my Love my Dove my Spouse my Fair one and come The night is past the day is present cast off therefore all works of darkness and put on the armour of my light and love And I most joyfully answer thee O my loving Lord behold my heart is ready to love and praise thee this day and evermore Assure thy self that the observation of this small and seemingly unnecessary Rule to wit of rising early and speedily will add great courage and comfort to thy Soul in the progress and practice of thy spiritual Exercises whereas on the contrary you shall prove by experience that a little laziness in the Morning leaves a certain lumpishness and tepedity in your interiour whence it falls out that your works of the whol day following want either fervour of affection or purity of intention Every small temptation or contradiction overcomes you discomposes you and puts all out of order You may here consider 1. That whilst you were sleeping in your Bed the blessed Quires of Angels and Saints were singing Gods praises in heaven 2. That many poor Souls have pass'd the pangs and agonies of death and receiv'd their dreadful doubtful and eternal doom 3. That many others have in this very night fall'n into sundry mischiefs and miseries some pining away with hunger others languishing in their sicknesses others perishing by fire water desolation despair c. From these Considerations will arise several affections of love admiration gratitude c. Having thus entertained your Soul with these or such like pious thoughts and ardent ejaculations from the time of your awaking till you have cloathed your body with its garments as with its sackcloths of Penance you are to cast your self devoutly on your knees before Christ crucifi'd sacrificing to him your first fruits by making briefly and devoutly these acts following of Adoration Thanksgiving Oblation Protestation Petition 1. I adore thee O omnipotent Creator from the very depth of my heart and soul as my soveraign and only Lord and Love from whom I had my first beginning have my present being and hope my future happiness 2. I return all possible thanks to thy infinite goodness for all thy gracious blessings and benefits bestowed on me a most unworthy undeserving sinful wretch 3. I offer to thy divine Majesty to supply my own indignity the most dearly beloved heart of Jesus thy Son and my Saviour with all the merits of his blessed life and bitter passion and whatsoever is gratefull unto thee in heaven and earth 4. I protest and promise for the future amendment of my life reformation of my manners performance of my duty and a more serious tendency to thy love and service 5. Grant unto mee I beseech thee O my gracious Lord God! and to all them for whom I ought to pray wisdom to know thy holy will and courage to execute it give me grace to avoid sin and scandal and to work and walk uprightly in thy presence this day
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
how poor are Worldlings pretences how low is their highest ambition how unsavoury are the Earths best sweetnesses 'T is thou O sweet Saviour who art the only soveraign good of my soul and the satisfying Center of all my desires O let me henceforth breath nothing but thee and continually burst forth into acts of these Theological Virtues which immediately unite me unto thee and of the Cardinal Virtues which are the necessary supports of my lives pilgrimage and the powerfull instruments of my souls progress towards thy heavenly Paradise 6. Virtue deserves to be embraced because 't is profitable pleasant honourable But chiefly because it makes us pleasing to God WHat is good O Divine Virtue in comparison of thee or what is not evil without thee Thou art the Milky-way of Heaven by which our Souls climb up to their designed happiness Thou suppliest all our wants during this worlds Pilgrimage cloathing thy happy possessors with Gods grace nourishing them with his heavenly comforts placing them in the secure harbour of his providence and protection disengaging them from their enemies bondage making Death desirable and Hell it self not dreadfull Ah! what profit canst thou my poor Soul extract from all created goods equivalent to these great prerogatives How much more excellent art thou O my immortal Spirit than the caitiff clay which incageth thee So much more worthy are Virtues pleasures than Sensual solaces in Purity in Dignity in Permanency Alas are not all worldly Joys to be gathered amongst Thorns and Thistles and for one poor Pleasure art thou not left pierced with a thousand Pains and Fears Are not fleshly delights suitable to Swine and Serpents Are not ambitious plots the pleasures of Devils and the contentments of the Covetous are they not such as Emmets and Moles delight in Lastly doth not the whol world pass away with all its momentary pass-times and concupiscences and is not Virtues delight durable to the end Yes O sacred Virtue thou art desirable for thine own sake honourable before men irreprehensible before God thou comprehendest all sorts of goods Profitable Delectable Honest thy charms are all divine thy pleasures permanent thy profits unspeakable thy honesty amiable thy joy Angelical And are not these solid perfections O my Soul more beseeming thy purity than the worlds false fading vile and vain fooleries Doth not Prudence teach thee to prefer a greater good before the less and substances before shadows doth not Reason induce thee Justice convince thee and thy own Nature press thee to set a higher price upon truth than falshood O 't is time to undeceive thy self Thou hast been too long and too passionately taken up with toys and trifles been injurious to thy nature and foe to thine own perfection Return return poor Soul to thy pious Lord and Lover whose image thou bearest Let not unworthy objects bastardize thy love any longer Ah! wilt thou be still subject to Vices tyranny ever hanker after thine own ruine lie perpetually plung'd in misery and drown'd in imperfection be always a slave of sin and sensuality and a perpetual prey to the sworn enemies of thy salvation and instead of leading an innocent and Angelical life wilt thou continue in the track of Beasts and Devils Ay me miserable wretched deformed and counterfeit creature who will free me from this body of sin which hath so weakned and wounded my Soul Thy Grace O mercifull Saviour is only and all-sufficient to work this cure upon me thine infirm patient almost destroyed by my disordered concupiscences born and brought up amidst the snares and ambushes of present and powerfull pleasures and habituated to yield to the urging inclinations of my vicious and perverted nature Lord if thou wilt thou canst cure comfort and cleanse my sick sorrowfull and sinfull Soul and having dispossess'd these Legions of Diabolical Vices adorn it with Divine Virtues which are so proper to its noble nature and so pleasing to thy sacred Majesty O Virtue in thy self most amiable but far more excellent in respect of my Lord and Lover to whom thou art so highly agreeable O when shall I possess thee that by thee I may perfectly please him The infinity of thy Being O soveraign Creator and the immensity of thy essential perfections deserve and demand of me thy poor creature a rendition of all glory reverence submission praise and dutifull practises of Religion Piety Virtue Thy supreme power requires all perfect obedience to thy sacred Ordinances Thy faithfull performance of thy sweet promises force me to a confidence in thy goodness Thy profuse liberality enticeth me to thy love Thy incomparable height moves me to profound annihilation self-knowledg humility Thy severe judgments induce me to be ever fearfull of my self and to do penance for my sins Finally all thy greatnesses glories dignities deserve more love land loyalty than my penury can ever hope to pay unto thy sacred Majesty O that I had millions of hearts to adore admire extoll thy Divine bounty thy infinite excellencies thy amiable perfections O that I had a Soul brim-full of all Virtues that thou mightst be truly honoured by me sweetly delighted in me and perfectly served by me who so infinitely and only deservest it In the mean space I am resolv'd to love thee with all the power of this poor soul which thou my bountifull Lord hast bestowed upon me I will practise Virtues that I may better please thee I will refer all my actions to thy only honour not my interest I will reflect on thee and forget my self seek thy glory not my own good I will neither live nor love act nor omit any thing but for thee who art the only end aim and center o fall my doings and desires 7. Virtue is obtained by continual Exercise We must therefore lay hold on all Occasions and make it the End of all our endeavours Three necessary Dispositions O God of all Virtues who hast been pleased to dilate my heart by the infusion of these sacred desires divert my soul I beseech thee henceforth from all superfluous employments make her attentive to prayer addicted to piety enamoured with Virtues beauty faithfull in the practise of such Acts as may finally put me into the full possession of this rich treasure and holy habitude which so highly adorns and perfects me O my Soul shall worldlings be more diligent to better their talents more indefatigable to augment their possessions than thou art to obtain Virtue which can only make thee holy and happy O rowse up thy self lay hold on all occasions lose no longer thy time which thy loving Lord lends thee for this purpose leave off these simple and superfluous cares toys and trifles which are totally useless to thy happiness and fall upon heroick honourable Virtuous employments Thou canst embrace no counsel more prudently nor follow any practise more profitably O sacred science af Virtue be thou henceforth the ordinary entertainment of my thoughts the matter of my meditations the end of my endeavours
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
how ardent are my wishes that all things that have a being would more glorifie thee more highly exalt thy holy Name more zealously seek thy honour and more religiously respect and reverence thy Majesty O that thy glory were infinitly greater in heaven and earth O that all created liberties were more perfectly addicted to thy Love and all Spirits had a clearer knowledg of thy incomparable goodness excellency and amability And yet how highly doth it please me that all that which the best of creatures can endeavour to do for thy Love and Service is so far inferiour to thy essential worth and dignity Live my dread Soveraign Be thou what thou art Infinit Eternal Incomprehensible Remain O powerful Emperour of the whol universe for ever exalted upon the Throne of thine own greatnesses and glories I love thee in them all and each of them in thee as if I were all one with thee they all mine own and I equally concern'd in them all 2. The same Charity wherewith we love God induceth us to love all his Creatures our Neighbours and our Selves I Love all things O my Lord in thee and for thee Thy Creatures are the products of thy power they are so many bright beams issuing from thy bounty they are under thy dominion and jurisdiction thy proper goods and possessions and appurtenances to thy glory Lord I admire adore praise and love thee in all and every of them My Neighbour is yet a neerer shadow of thy goodness O divine Creator a livelier Image of thy greatness thy own adoptive child bought at the dear purchase of thy precious bloud and designed to be partaker of thy heavenly Paradise O shall it ever enter into my heart to hate or offend any one of these thy lovely creatures Is it possible I can truly love thee My Lord and my God! and loath that soul which is stamp'd with thy sacred similitude intended for thy greatest glory and predestinated to chant forth thy eternal praises amongst the blessed quires of Saints Angels Ah! how can that body which shal be one day resuscitated to heavenly bliss imbellisht with glorious dowries of immortallity be now odious unto me aiming at the like happiness No my Lord I love my Neighbours most truly tenderly particularly in thee and for thee I will henceforth cherish them all for thy sake and contract a durable peace with them Be they vicious envious ugly ulcerated they are still my fellow Brethren and thy lovely creatures and therefore fit objects of my affection Confirm me O my God! in this ample and diffuse charity O let all my joy and complacency all my wishes and desires in loving them drive at the only glory of thy infinit goodness And now O my Lord and Lover reflecting my Charity upon my own Soul I most humbly beseech thee that I may henceforth so truly love my own eternal welfare as never more to adventure the loss of thy grace by the admittance of wilful sin Imprint O my God this important resolution with indelible characters in my heart Never to sin wilfully in thy sight were it to save the whol World or to gain Heaven to a million of souls much less to please any earthly friend or purchase any temporal commodity Ah unequal chang Ah poor return of profit to win a world and lose my own soul 3. Three effects of Charity 1. It makes us truly love our Selves 2. It contracts a friendship with God 3. It is the form of all other Virtues THou hast no where expresly enjoyned me to love my Self O great Master of Perfection because to love thee seek thee serve thee perfectly purely punctually is to love my Self solidly truly unfainedly These loves O my Soul cannot be the least separated thou lovest thy Self really when thou lovest thy God intirely thou hatest thy Self absolutly when thy love hath not his goodness for its object Dost thou not then hate thy Self when thou hazardest thine own Salvation Dost thou love thy Self when by voluntary sin thou leav'st thy self in danger of eternal Death and Damnation Dost thou love thy Body when thou pamper'st it and permittest such pleasures as must be paid with perpetual punishments O fals feigned and foolish affection which tends to thy own ruine and destruction No my Lord 't is thy only Love which is the true model of Self-love O let masked and mistaken Charity never more betray me let me love my self in loving thee serving thee obeying thee renouncing all proper contentment and desiring thy only satisfaction If you love me saith the Lord of Love you will keep my Laws and if you fulfil my precepts you are my friends O sublime Dignity to contract friendship and familiarity with the King of Glory O divine Promotion How highly are thy friends honoured O heavenly Monarch How firmly is their Principality established Wilt thou not O my Soul court cherish and covet this sacred Charity which procures thee such inestimable nobility pleasure and profit Ah silly Worldlings what do you what seek you what pretend you After all your pains what is your pay at the best but a little pelf a puff of honour a name at Court a favour from a King a friendship with an Emperour and what is in all these that is not frail and full of danger Ah! how long will you sweat in these unsure and unsatisfying persuits when as to be Gods friend and favorite I am so if I will even at this very instant O the heavenly prerogative of perfect Charity 'T is thou alone O glorious Charity which givest unto Virtues their true form life value worth denomination and perfection since thou guidest them all unto God who is the end whereto they are to be referred and to his glory for which they are to be practised to make them truly Virtues To thee therefore O King of my heart I dedicate my works to thee O my Soveraign good my only end and sweet center I consecrate all my future endeavours I will not now live but to love thee not breath but to bless thee not have any being at all but to be all thine All I shall do think speak during the whol residue of my days is design'd to thy glory I give up tree branches leaves flowers fruit all to this only end by an entire irrevocable and eternal Donation Whatsoever shall hereafter happen contrary to this my resolution I here protest in thy presence O my God! to be a meer surprisal and altogether involuntary And therfore now for then utterly disavow it and chuse thee embrace thee aim at thee O my blessed Creator as the final period of all my Faith Hope Love Actions Intentions and Pretensions whatsoever 4. The habit of Charity may daily encrease during this life O Unlimited Virtue of which a Soul is by so much the more capable and susceptible by how much she hath thee in a higher perfection How passionatly doth my heart desire the increase of thee O my Lord I ask thee
no enlargment of earthly treasure no addition to my worldly goods or glories I only beg the riches of thy pure Love and a prosperous progress in thy perfect Charity that I may seek thee in all affect thee above all and live content with thee who art only to me all and all And since each virtuous action increaseth this divine and desirable habitude of Charity Up my Soul be thou holily covetous to heap up Heavenly Jewels lose no time let slip no opportunity lay hold on all occasions to better thy Talent Give grace to thy servant O sweet Saviour to set vigorously upon all acts of Virtue both great and little that by both he may be a continual gainer of thy gracious favour and friendship and become more and more agreeable to thy good love and liking Encourage me O my God! to climb up the several steps of thy heavenly Charity O let the same merciful goodness which hath given it a beginning in my heart augment it and bring it to its full growth and perfection As I have for thy love rooted out all affection to sin assist me now to implant Virtues in my Souls garden that thou may'st finally repose in it during the mid-day heat of my affection thus fitted up and prepar'd for thy desired Presence Grant O most gracious Lord that I may never more so far forget my self and forgo my present resolution as to fall into mortal Sin which is the present death absolute poyson and utter destruction of thy divine Charity O love of my God! the life of my Soul the crown of my head the chief jewel of my heart shall I lose thee for any worldly profits pleasures preferments No my Soul Let us watch and pray that we enter not into temptation Let our Love be active that sin seize not on us being idle Let us frequently and fervently cordially and continually breath forth Acts of sweet love to our ever loving Lord O that we could still do it all the moments of our life and die in the height of this divine exercise 5. Our Charity is to be duly ordered 1. We are to love our God who is above us 2. Our own Soul which is within us 3. Our Neighbour who is neer to us 4. Our Bodies and all other things which are under us O That happy Spouse in whom thou O Lord wert pleas'd to imprint the perfect order of Charity My Soul is also thy dear Spouse O divine Bridegroom Order there also I beseech thee thy heavenly love season all my affections with wisdom and discretion Suffer me not to commit the least injustice in my charity but to settle my love upon each object according to its true value worth and merit I love thee O my Lord chiefly and soveraignly I love my Self only for thee pursuing nothing so passionatly as my Souls Salvation that so I may more perfectly love thee more purely please thee perpetually praise thee and enjoy thee eternally I love my Neighbour as stamp'd with thy Image design'd for thy glory I love thy dear Servants with complacency I love mine Enemies with desire of their amendment I love all rational Creatures with wishes of their progress and perfection in thy Charity Finally I love all things in their several orders to thee their amiable Creator and as they are more or less worthy before thee who art the only Rule and touchstone of all my affections Lord Regulate thus my love Order thus my Charity Let me henceforth prize all things with an equal and upright tax Let me look on Silver and Gold as white and red clay made precious only by mens erring opinions upon this Life as a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away upon all corporal Beauties as flowers soon fading whose end is deformity and rottenness O let me not absurdly and ignorantly equal the bodies worth with the Souls dignity Heaven with Earth Eternity with Time or thee my Creator with thy Creatures Ah my indiscreet Soul how long hast thou been deceived how grosly hast thou hitherto transgressed and swerv'd from these sacred Rules how confused have been thy affections Alas a poor created object a pretended friend a plastred countenance a parcel of small and perishable commodities have so perverted thy judgment troubled thy senses and taken up thy love that thou hast often preferr'd them before him who produced thee them and all things out of their eternal nothing Is it possible that such disordered appetites should master a rational Soul indued with a being to be wholly bestow'd on divine love O suffer it no longer my loving Lord Take up thy chief place in my heart which only appertains unto thee Let it first cherish thy infinit Charity before all things and lend so much and no more of its affection to all other objects as thy heavenly love will permit and allow of 6. The Retinue and train of Charity 1. Faith and Hope go before it 2. The Interiour and Exteriour Acts march on each side of it 3. The Effects of the Acts follow it WHence is it O my tepid Soul that having so firm a Faith in thy Creators greatness and so full Confidence in his goodness thou yet remainest so cold in his Charity Ah my my Lord this defect may seem supportable in Infidels who believe not thy supream power and in Devils who cannot hope in thy divine mercy but in me who am so well inform'd of both it is totally intolerable O shall the earths frail beauties move the heart of their beholders to admiration and shall not thy heavenly beauties benefits perfections promises inflame my Soul in thy affection Yes O my God! as I most unfainedly believe thee and most undoubtedly hope in thee so I cannot but most cordially love thee And I will endeavour accordingly to practise and produce such acts as are conformable to these my ardent affections O how glad is my heart that thou alone art God! so good so great so eternal in thy self so incomprehensible in thy perfections so amiable in beauty so admirable in glory so infinit in felicity O when shall I perfectly praise thee and powerfully excite all creatures by my example to glorifie love serve and adore thee as thy immense goodness deserves Why then my weak wretched wicked Soul O why hast thou acted so often contrary to thy beloved Soveraigns glory been an open enemy to his greatness and so long injurious to his goodness Pitty and Pardon me O meek and merciful Creator be no longer deprived of the greatest praise a poor soul is capable to render thee Lord for the love of thine own honour change all sinners affections and draw from them those respects duties submissions gratitudes for which thy goodness created them O great Charity how gloriously art thou attended how ample and magnificent is thy train of followers how happy is that Soul which becomes a Paradise of delights by harbouring thee O divine Guest Oh that I were worthy to
Lord God! who ever accompaniest thy Judgments with Equity and accomplishest all thy works with prudence and perfection grant unto me thy poor servant here prostrate before thy tribunal of infinit Majesty a competent portion of this most exquisit and necessary Virtue O let it be still present at all my proceedings assistant to all my resolutions and chief president over all my counsel that being by it powerfully sway'd instructed and directed I may know how when where to act omit consult judg order and execute wisely uprightly discreetly undauntedly all that which is conformable to thy divine will and liking O thrice happy they who have attain'd the perfection of this amiable Virtue My Soul submits to thee O sacred Prudence as to her directing Mistress and commanding Queen that by thy safe conduct she may pass onward in the holy track of true piety advance daily in the practise of all solid virtues and arrive finally at thee O my God! my eternal bliss and beatitude the only end and aim of all her hopes and endeavours 2. The Parts of Prudence Prudence must have eight parts to make it perfect Memory Vnderstanding Docility Subtility Reason Providence Circumspectioo Precaution AH my poor Soul how far art thou from solid Wisdom since thou art destitute of all the requisit qualities and conditions Thou O Divine and undrainable fountain of all knowledg who frely openest the veins of Wisdom to them who humbly confess their own indigence and heartily implore thy heavenly assistance Distill I beseech thee these several rivulets into my imprudent indiscreet and ignorant spirit that I may be more capable upon all occasions to discern between verity and vanity and distinguish good from evil that so making Virtue the sole measure of all my desires and doings my life may be here pleasing to thy Majesty and my Soul after death may enjoy thee in thy blessed Eternity 3. The chief effects of Prudence are these 1. It helps us to discover and avoid our enemies ambushes 2. It is the sustainer director moderator and conserver of all virtues 3. It is the light by which we see how to guide our steps towards our heavenly home O That my Soul could always feel the admirable fruits and effects of this amiable Virtue O that I could dispose all my thoughts desires affections words and actions according to the dictamen of Discretion O that I could still consult maturely judg discreetly and execute virtuously upon all important occasions Give me O Eternal Wisdom Circumspection to discern my enemies deceits that I may shun them Give me Prudence of Heart to remember things past dispose of things present and provide for things to come Give me Prudence of Mouth to moderate all my Speeches Give me Prudence of Action to cancel all evil choose what is laudable And since O my Lord there can be no Virtue without Prudence which gives them order form beauty and all that denominates them rather Virtues than Vices Since this is the Salt which thou commandest to be offered in all Sacrifices wherby they become favoury to thy sacred Majesty O grant that I may be henceforth truly prudent discreet and well advised in all my enterprises that so I may in all things more perfectly please thee 4. The Vices directly opposit to Prudence Though all Vices Sins are opposite to Prudence yet Temerity or Precipitation Inconsideration Inconstancy and Negligence are its greatest enemies and more directly destroy it WAtch and Pray O my weak Soul that thou fall not into these precipices Ah how often hast thou been hitherto dash'd against these dangerous Rocks and what mervail if thou still remain'st so weak wounded wicked that thou liest yet wallowing in the mire of sin and art almost drown'd in the deluge of thy sensuality without making any progress in the way of the spirit since thou runnest on hood-winck'd headlong blindly rashly without consulting or considering the end and order of thy actions How long wilt thou defer through Negligence or desist through Inconstancy to effect what Prudence perswades thee as most convenient commendable and conducing to thy desired happiness Direct me henceforth O divine and essential Wisdom and preserve me from relapses into these dismal gulfs of rashness inconsideration inconstancy and negligence Let the whol design of my pious practise by thy only honour the perfection of thy holy Love in my Soul that being here united to thee it may hereafter enjoy thee in thy Eternal Glory 5. Other Vices opposit though not so directly to Prudence are those which are contrary to its several parts Forgetfulness Ignorance Indocibility Stupidity Want of Reason Improvidence Incircumspection and Vnwariness HElp me O my Lord my only refuge and buckler of defence to conquer all these enormous monsters Draw me powerfully out of these deluges of imperfections wherein either my natural weakness or my malicious wickedness have so frequently implung'd me and do yet daily and dangerously ingage me Dissipate I beseech thee these dark clouds with the infused light of thy divine Grace Indue my forgetful ignorant stupid spirit with Docility to receive my Superiours Counsels and Commands with Solicitude for my Souls eternal safety with Providence Precaution and all other necessary Weapons against the wiles of my adversaries that leading a life free from Vice I may expect Deaths call without terrour 6. Other Vices opposit to prudence by excess as the former were by defect are The Wisdom of the flesh Craft Deceit Fraud an over-eager carefulness for temporal conveniencies and too much solicitude for the future AH sick World how sad and deplorable is thy condition All is full of fleshly Prudence Persidiousness and perpetual Perplexity Each one seeks for poor and soon passing commodities of nature but the eternal treasures laid up in Heaven for our immortal Souls are little look'd after Ay me shall the children of darkness be more Prudent in their Generation than thou my Soul who pretendest to be an infant of Light Wilt thou be less covetous of Spiritual grace than worldlings are of Temporal goods O what a shame what a confusion is it that they should more fervently affect things pernicious than thou the profitable that they should run more nimbly to their death and ruine than thou to life and beatitude Away then with these false feigned pretended and worldly Wisdoms I will henceforth follow thy sweet invitation O Saviviour of my Soul and be no more solicitous what I shall eat and drink or wherewith I shall be cloathed I will only seek thy Kingdom and for the rest rely upon thy care and remain quiet content and comforted with thy paternal Providence 7. The Conclusion of this Exercise containing an humble Petition for perfect and Evangelicall Prudence O Saviour the great Exemplar and pure Idea of all Wisdom who hast taught me by thine own sacred mouth what Prudence is most pleasing to thy Divine Majesty saying Be ye wise as Serpents and simple as Doves Enlarg I beseech thee
my heart soul and affections to receive retain and practice this heavenly Lesson Give me O my gracious Lord God! the Serpent's prudence precaution sagacity subtilty He hath a piercing and ever open Eye to prevent and avoid danger He exposes his Body to secure his Head He shuts his Ears to delude the Charmers cunning He casts his Skin to renew his decaying Age Grant me O Lord by this example a quick-sightedness to discover my enemies deceits Teach me to preserve my Head which is my Faith in thee my Creatour and undauntedly to expose my Body Goods All for the just defence thereof Let me wisely and warily stop up the windows of my Heart and Senses from admitting the slie suggestions of my enchanting Concupiscence And let me finally despoil my self of the old man and re-vest my Soul with the new garment of thy Grace Love Justice and Verity And lest Wisdom alone should degenerate into Malice give me also O meek and debonnair Jesu the Doves simplicity sweetness innocency purity she neither wrongs other Birds nor revenges her own injuries she is without Gall envy and bitterness she loves to bath and glass her self in the clearest Waters she testifies her ardent affection by her perpetual sighs and having lost her Mate she remains free from all future embraces O that I could perfectly imitate this Mildness towards all men Let me never more O my sweet Saviour strive to vindicate defend or excuse my self never more render evil for evil never more retain the least grudg against my enemies never more covet any pleasures but such as are permitted O let me still sigh after thee the only Spouse of my Soul testifying thereby how little I prize this place of banishment how much I long and languish after thy lovely presence how deeply I am disgusted with all degenerate Affections and how highly I disdain all things which aim not directly at thy Divine Love and Glory O simple Subtilty and subtle Simplicity that I could joyntly compass you how purely should I live to my God how peaceably in my Self how pleasingly to my Neighbour Lord let the happy Nuptials between the Serpent and the Dove be celebrated in my Soul never more to be divorced either by carnal cunning or brutish stupidity O let my Conversation be henceforth holy and harmless my Actions devoid of folly and vanity and my whol Life led on through the intricate mazes and by ways of this wicked world by the conducting Clew of Evangelical Prudence and Discretion to a blessed death Thus living thus dying I shall finally and infallibly be joyned to my JESU the only end of all endeavours to whom I desire to live and in whom I hope to die in thy glorious Eternity The sixth Exercise Of Justice the second Cardinal Virtue 1. The Essence of Justice Justice is a Moral Virtue inclining our Wills to give every one his due by lawful means Several sorts of Justice O Most excellent and universal Virtue Wert thou exactly observed how soon would all complaints controversies and contentions cease amongst the children of men How happy and holy an Order would be establish'd and follow'd in the world Our dread Soveraign enjoying his due Honours and his creatures the respective Rights which appertain to them Whence is it O rare Virtue which art the very tye and cement of the whol Universe that thou art not more strong and powerful in the hearts or all rational Beings Thou O prime and essential Equity who hast placed Justice amongst the first of thy Precepts saying Thou shalt justly do that which is just Grant thou commandest and let it flourish gloriously in my soul that I may exactly return thy own gifts to thy eternal glory O my Soul with how many obligations art thou charged Give me O great and glorious King of Justice a discerning Spirit to comply with them all and permit me not to invade any creatures just prerogatives Let me no longer covet to possess what appertains not to me Ah! how contemptible are all earthly Commodities farther than they either profit me in order to my Souls perfection or relate O my God! to thy eternal glory Alas they will neither accompany me in Death nor comfort me in Judgment nor assist me in Hell Ah wordlings how ill advised Bankers are you who endeavouring to gain Earthly treasures endanger the eternal loss of your own Souls 2. Of Religion the Sister of Justice Religion is a Moral Virtue inclining us to render unto God that Soveraign worship which is due to him by reason of his Excellency and Dominion over all things This Worship consists in divers Acts wherby we declare Gods supream excellency and our humble subjection and servitude The Acts are either Interiour as Devotion Prayer Vows or Exteriour as Sacrifice Adorations Genu flections Praises Protestations Oblations Tithes the use of the Sacraments and briefly the practice of all Virtues All which actions are due to Gods infinit and adorable Dignity HOw necessary is this Virtue for the advancement of thy honour O mighty Monarch of Heaven and Earth O that thou wouldst be pleas'd to implant it deeply in my Soul that I might perpetually praise thee alwaies adore thee and continually content thee with all thy just dues if nor as devoutly as thy divine Excellencies deserve yet as much as thy Precept obligeth me and my weakness and poverty permit me Confirm great God! thine own glorious Kingdom re-take thy true Dominion in my heart make use of thine own just rights and prerogatives and powerfully draw from me and all thy creatures as much Religious duty service homage and honour as our Natures assisted and elevated by thy Grace are capable to render thee Which way O my weak Soul wilt thou satisfie all these duties O that my Religion were thus active and my Will thus operative O Jesu my Saviour who gavest to God thy Father all his dues in a most divine manner and satisfiedst in rigour of Justice for all my irreligiousness look compassionatly upon thy needy and naked creature and lift up my nothing to a capacity of rendring in some measure the worship and honour appertaining to thy immense and infinit Majestie Make me O my merciful Redeemer truly Religious dispose me with courage to serve thee with constancy to confess thy greatness with humility to acknowledg my own indigency with fervour to practise all Acts of Virtue and with perseverance to perform all thy Precepts that Thou O my God my Lord my All may'st be always honored by me ever praised in me and perpetually pleased with me O let me never imagin to have satisfied the smallest parcel of that debt which is by so many titles due to thy divine excellency and dignity For what alas is the best of my service homage and gratitude in respect of thy goodness towards me and thy greatness in thy self O dread Soveraign for whose only glory I and all creatures were placed in this world when shall we unanimously conspire and
that he will heal our Wounds supply our Wants satisfie our Wishes and turn all to our good I Am glad O my gracious Lord God! that thou art so worthy of all love though I of all others am not worthy to love thee I am as joyful for what thou art O great God! as if all thou hast were all mine and I will love thee in all I am and have as being all thine Thy Cross is my comfort thy Will my wel-fare and thy Love my life so that if I can but suffer for thee do thy will follow thy love I shall do all that is necessary I am indeed dry dark and desolate but since it is thy will I am sure it is my good therefore sufficient for me satisfactory to thee I hope thou wilt one day compleat thy own heavenly design in my soul healing my Wounds supplying my Wants fulfilling my desires and filling my yet empty heart with thy sweet presence and perfect love In the mean space I will say and sing Live Jesus Live my Lord my love my life my all whose name be blessed by all whose will be accomplished in all whose honour be advanced above all An Advertisement touching the precedent exercise 1. WE must perform it daily diligently discreetly and with great confidence and courage 2. Yet without propriety that it may neither hinder the operation of the Holy Ghost within nor Works of due obligation and obedience without 3. If in the practise of this Introversion we find dryness and feel little devotion we may sometimes fitly resume in lieu of the second part or consideration our wonted exercises whereto our minds are more addicted ending the same with the Conclusion here prescribed being ever duly disposed to follow the holy Spirits invitation to higher matters The Second Exercise Of the knowledg of God and Confidence in Him 1. Our Chief Happiness consists in knowing God TO know thee O divine Fountain of goodness is to be truly happy and yet none can know thee O boundless and bottomless Sea of all perfection but through thy own manifestation and mercy Vouchsafe therefore I beseech thee O most loving and liberal Lord to enter into this poor and empty heart of thy meanest servant to inform my ignorant soul with a glimps of this necessary Science and to enflame my cold affection with a small spark of thy holy love O Omnipotent Creator of Heaven and Earth both which thou fillest with thy greatness glory O God of infinite power excellent wisdom unmeasurable goodness and incomprehensible Love my soul thirsts after thee the essential source of all felicity my heart seeks thee the proper place of its repose it sighs to thee the natural center of all its hope and happiness In thy blessed mind O my God! it first rested in its eternal possibility and similitude thither it must again return and there it must either rest eternally or perish for evermore O let it now find thee that it may ever love thee 2. Extasies Admirations and Adorations of the Divinity O Lord most good glorious and gracious most blessed and bountiful most high and holy most excellent and ineffable What words or thoughts can express thy purity and perfection Let me know thee O amiable life of my soul Let me see thee O true light of my eyes Let me seek thee O only solace of my spirit Let me find thee O desired of my heart Let me embrace thee O my heavenly Spouse Let me possess thee O Soveraign sweetness and full satiety of all my inward and outward senses O that my heart could alwaies think on thee my Will ever love thee my mind still remember thee my understanding continually conceive thee my reason perpetually adhere to thee and my whole man incessantly praise thee O hide not thy face from me my joy my light and my life If I may not see thee and live O let me die that I may see thee I desire to die here and be dissolved that I may see thee know thee come to thee live with thee and love thee eternally O ever blessed and glorious Divinity O Father who of thine own substance bringest forth an ineffable goodness coequal consubstantial and coeternal with thy self which is thy Son O Father and Son who loving each other with infinite charity and content are united together in one Holy Ghost equally and unspeakably proceeding from you both I admire you adore you and worship yon with all the powers of my body and soul 3. An absolute Oblation of all to the divine Majesty O Sacred Deity O Tri-unity and Vni-trinity O Father Son and Holy Ghost Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts who wert art and shalt be for ever Almighty I thy poor creature prostrate before the Throne of thy divine Majesty from the abyss of my own nothing invoke adore and acknowledg thee the abyss of all perfections I present thee with all thy own gifts goods and excellencies which thou hast plentifully poured out upon all thy creatures I offer up to thy praise the affections of Angels and Men the properties of the Elements the beauty and motion of the whole Universe and the essence of all being O that my soul were capable to comprise unitedly all their several affections and perfections how joyfully would it employ them in thy praise how sweetly would it melt away in thy presence Behold O my God I make an entire Oblation of them all I acknowledg and adore thee with them all and desire to do it as frequently as I take breath as often as there are minutes in time stars in the firmameat stands in the Ocean numbers in all nature O my Lord whose love is the life of my Soul increase my knowledg of thee that I may enlarge my love to thee Alas I love thee not O amiable Lord God! because I know thee not I know thee not because darkness and sin hath covered and incompassed my understanding Wherefore O bright light who illuminatest all things expel this darkness from my Soul drive off those clouds from my Understanding and draw the curtain from off the face of the abyss of my Mind that I may see and know thee and then I shall not choose but love thee O my dear Jesu shew me thy divin Father dart a beam of thy heavenly splendor into my dull heart that I may have some degree of that holy science which may help me in thy love make me obedient to thy will and resolute in thy service To know all things of this world O Jesu and not to know thee is but ignorance and folly let me therefore know thy eternal Father and thy Self whom he hath sent for my Salvation and it sufficeth me O give me this knowledg that I may give thee my love and I ask no more Let me be unknowing ignorant and a fool in all other things so I may wisely know thee only O my God and my All. 4. An humble acknowledgment
sorry from the bottom of my heart and Soul that ever I offended thee who deservest from me all possible love honour and obedience beseeching thee as a guilty Criminal to take compassion upon thy poor and penitent Creature and to forgive me the great and grievous transgressions and offences which I have committed against thy divin bounty as I do for the love of thee my Lord and Maker most freely forgive all those that have any way offended distasted contristated or scandalized me sincerely knowing that I deserve no comfort from any creature but all contempt and confusion and not only to be troubled and trampled on by all on earth temporally but even to be tormented by the Devils in Hell eternally Ah Crucified Jesu take pity on my Soul for which thou pouredst forth thy Sacred Blood and gavest up thy dearest life on the Cross Alas How ungrateful a Child have I been to offend so frequently so hainously so disloyally so loving and liberal a Father so meek and merciful a Redeemer and so sweet and soveraign a Majesty who hath always shew'd himself to me so benign and bountiful sparing me in my Sins and expecting me to Repentance wooing me to his love and calling me to his service by a thousand means all which I have either rejected or neglected and still nevertheless continuing unto me my life time and means to do Penance Oh my poor Soul How hast thou been blinded and bewitched to leave the bread of Angels and to feed on the husks of Swine to abandon God and all solid goodness upon whom depends all thy hope and happiness all thy quiet content and comfort in time and eternity for trifling vanities empty shadows meer nothings O strange folly and phrensy would I had never Sinned and Oh that I might never Sin more O my God! What have I done and not done would I had suffered on the Cross with thee my sweet Saviour and for thy love pains of body pangs of soul and even death it self when I thus grievously Sinned And what can I say or do more I abhor and detest whatsoever I have done said thought or desired contrary to thy divine will and liking I renounce all company and occasions which may induce me to offend thee I cast my self at thy sacred feet to be thy faithful Bond-slave for ever I firmly resolve to take up my Cross and carry it after thee Dear Jesu till death and to do penance and satisfaction for my past pride pleasure and impiety desiring no more in this world but to linger out my pilgrimage at the foot of the Cross like the Penitent Magdalen in perpetual solitude silence and submission Good Jesu for thy infinite mercies sake suffer not thy poor creature to be separated from thee eternally O amiable Eternity O Eternal amity of God! Shall I leave and lose thee for filthy pleasures frail creatures fond friendships fading honours No my dear Lord Be pleased rather to take my soul out of my body than thy love out of my soul Let me rather Die miserably than Sin mortally Let me pass on the rest of my pilgrimage in thy grace and fear that I may finish it in thy friendship and favour Grant me this I beseech thee O meek and merciful Saviour by the merits of thy bitter death and passion by the intercession of thy most blessed Mother by the suffrages of all thy holy Saints in heaven and happy Souls upon earth Upon all which relying as upon the Anchors of my hope I absolutely commit and resign my self to thy sacred disposition and providence for time and Eternitie fully trusting that thou wilt mercifully pardon all my Sins carefully assist me in all my Wants and Weaknesses and in the end happily bring me to thy Eternal Bliss and Beatitude by such means as thy divin Wisdom knows most expedient for me The Fifth Exercise Of subduing Sensuality to Reason 1. We deplore our proneness to Evil. MY Spirit is willing O most glorious and gracious Lord God! to serve thee love thee honour thee and follow thee but my flesh is weak frail and refractory I do not what I desire O my God! nor what thou demandest But I act that which I hate and what thou forbiddest I feel O my Lord a law of sensuality contradicting the law of my mind captivating my reason clouding my judgment and continually striving to cast me down headlong into sin and perdition Vnhappy man that I am Who will free me from this body of death Ah! my brutish body ah my burdensome flesh Thou art my dangerous and deadly enemy 'T is thy weight that depresseth my Soul thy earth that clogs and corrupts my air thy contagion and perversity which infects and debaseth my better part and heavenly portion thy sensuality which draws on endangers and almost destroys my reason 2. A detestation of our Sensuality AH Sensuality the source of all my misery how justly do I now hate thee and how willingly would I leave thee At my first acquaintance with thee thou defiledst me with Original Sin In my Infancy thou mad'st a beast of me And now in my riper years thou still pursuest me proclaimest open war with me blindest my Understanding with darkness ignorance and errours make my Will refractory to good and ready to all evil distractest my Memory with vain and vile fancies and perpetually tossest me to and fro between love and hatred joy and grief hope and fear and the rest of thy numerous and enormous irascible and concupiscible powers and passions Ay me how sad is my state how deplorable my condition Oh! how long Lord must I dwell with these devils how long must I endure the violence of these Passions O my Lord my strength and my salvation break these fetters for me Command a calm O thou powerful Ruler of Sea and Winds and appease the surges of these my unmortified appetites Oh! restore me to my self again reduce Reason to her lost dominion in my Soul and bring back me thy poor Creature to thee her powerful Creator O let not this passenger perish amidst those boysterous billows nor suffer utter shipwrack in these fearful tempests I suffer violence O my Lord answer for me the companion which thou hast given me hath deceived me Sence hath corrupted and conquer'd my Judgment Oh! how am I dragg'd up and down by my all-mastering appetites commanded by my servants and fetter'd by my slaves O Tyranny O indignity Ah my soul O noble spirit fair as the Angels formed to thy Creators lovely resemblance stampt with his divine Character and Heir apparent to his glorious Kingdom To be thus subject to the base and brutal desires of flesh and blood O intolerable bondage O unworthy servitude 3. An humble acknowledgment and confession of our frailty and misery O Father of Mercies and only Physitian of my soul Thou art Almighty and All mercy and I am all weakness and all misery There is no part left in my whole body and soul
free from the infectious leprosie of Sin and Sensuality All is out of order O my Lord I acknowledg it to my own shame and confusion each sense is gone astray each member of my body is corrupted and each power of my Soul is perverted My Understanding is obscured with self-love my Memory distracted with sensual objects my Will possess'd with peevish inclinations My affections are vain my passions violent my dispositions vitious My body is burdensom my imagination troublesom my life irksom These are my Wounds O my heavenly Surgeon O put to thy helping hand I beseech thee see sear and search them before the Gangrene enters and the Grief grows incurable My soul is sick even to death if thou wilt O my Lord thou canst both cleanse and cure me To this end thou descendest from Jerusalem to Jerico O pious Samaritan from heaven to earth O compassionate Saviour where thou findest me in this pitiful plight sore beaten wounded half dead and utterly despoil'd of all natural and spiritual riches by Thieves and Robbers which are the Senses of my Body and the Faculties of my Soul O pass not by me sweet Jesu but mercifully bind up my bleeding Wounds with the swathing bands of thy Death and Passion pour upon them the wine of thy precious Blood and supple them with the oyl of thy heavenly Grace 4. A firm Resolution of a total Reformation of our lives and manners I Intend O my Lord strengthen me in this hour I intend O sweet Saviour a total reformation of my life and manners an entire mortification of my corporal senses and spiritual faculties an absolute change in my whole man O grant me I beseech thee my loving Lord the powerful assistance of thy special Grace for the performance of this great and good purpose Teach me now O blessed Master to live inwardly piously spiritually as I lov'd formerly to live outwardly vainly sensually O let me henceforth yield to thy divine motion obey thy call imitate thy example and follow thy will O let me never more act or omit any thing be it never so little for my own liking but purely and perfectly for thy love 5. A desire of perfect Conformity both in all our Actions and in all our Senses to our dear Saviour GRant O Good Jesu that at each word of my mouth at each glance of my eye at each morsel I eat at each member I move at each inward and outward action I undertake I may first ask thy leave and permission so do it or leave accordingly as thy holy inspiration allows me O that I could perform each natural and necessary work with an actual reflection upon thy praise and pleasure and with a pure intention to be united to thee My Lord and my Love Thy outward Senses O my sweet Saviour were exactly subject to thy Reason and perfectly obedient to thy sacred Soul O let mine be swallowed up I beseech thee gracious Jesu and sanctifi'd by the merits of thine Let me live love move and make use of my senses purely and only in thee for thee and by thee Thy sacred Hands O holy Jesu were harshly nail'd to the tree of the Cross preserve mine I beseech thee from all sinful touch ng Thy blessed Feet were likewise pierced and fastned to the same rood O fix my steps that I run not to evil actions direct them in thy paths and make me speedy in all works concerning thy honour and the assistance of my neighbour Thy holy Mouth was free from guile full of Wisdom put thy Words sweet Jesu into mine let it always speak of thy love und only sing thy praises Thy divin Ears were fill'd with blasphemies and derisions Let not mine be open to hear vanities and detractions Thy sweet Eyes poured out floods of tears for me O give unto mine tears of compassion for thy Sufferings and of compunction for my own Sins Thy Taste was tormented with the noysome potion of Gall and Vinegar O take from me I beseech thee all desire of delicacies let me not eat or drink but for meer sustenance and necessity Thy whole Humanity O gracious Jesu was martyr'd and murther'd O grant that I may be truly and totally mortifi'd Let me not see feel hear taste smell eat drink do any thing or make use of any thing as following my own gust sensuality and self-seeking but in pure conformity to thy divin Will and Pleasure 6. Petitions for the Conformity of our whole inward man to our Lord and Saviour O Merciful Redeemer how great and grievous were the inward sufferings of thy holy Soul O for those thy sorrows and thy tender mercies sake cleanse cure inlighten inform reform and transform all my inward man O permit not my Vnderstanding where the knowledg of your greatness and goodness should be only seated to be overspread with ignorance and errour Let not my Memory which should be totally taken up with thee be stuffed with vain fancies or impertinent curiosities Let not my Will which thou gavest me to desire and love thee O my only Lord and Love above all thy creatures be inslav'd to any inferiour affection Repair O gracious Redeemer this lively image of the lovely Trinity which is almost defac'd by my brutish Sensuality Grant O dear Saviour that my Vnderstanding Will and Memory may be incessantly busied in knowing loving and remembring thee that they may forget and forgo all other Objects but only in thee and for thee 7. An absolute Disengagement of our selves from created objects and Adhesion to the Divinity O That my heart were perfectly dis-ingaged from the love of all Creatures Drain it sweet Jesu and deliver it from all forreign and domestick Affection and fill it up again with thine only that it may never love desire nor will any thing but thee alone O my Lord my Love and my All O that my Will were conformable to thine without any reservation or retraction Take it unto thee Dear Lord freely and fully for time and eternity I will have no will but thine dispose of me as thou pleasest both here and hereafter O that my Memory were disincombred from all imaginations and purg'd from all impressions but of thee only Empty it O thou only amiable object of my soul and then replenish it with such holy and heavenly notions as may best please thy divin Majesty O that my Vnderstanding were imbued with some measure of the knowledg of thy Divinity O my Lord infinit in goodness dreadful in Majesty and unspeakable in all perfection O my great gracious and glorious God quicken it sharpen it elevate it and illuminate it that knowing thee I may not choose but love thee and that knowing and loving thee I may be eternally happy Behold Lord I make an absolute divorce with all self-love sensuality and affection to creatures and give thee my self by an irrevocable donation Behold Lord the keys the lodging the treasure and the Master prostrate at thy sacred feet
and creatures Oh! let it be so totally attentive to thy presence so intirely taken up in thy contemplation and so wholy absorpt in thy love that no outward objects may touch or trouble it no inferiour cares or cogitations may intangle it nothing may impede the free intercourse of thy heavenly friendship nothing may stop the sweet influence of thy divin graces or any way interrupt its happy quiet and holy tranquillity O dear and open'd Heart of my dying Lord Jesus be thou my sweet comfort during this lives Pilgrimage and my sure Sanctuary in its last period Tâ—…â—…ghth Exercise Of 〈…〉 with GOD. 1. Our Soul seeks nothing but Gods lovely presence and desires nothing but the presence of his Love O Infinit immense and unmeasurable abyss of all bounty O ever-flowing Fountain of mercy O undrainable Sea of love O my Lord my Soveraign my Saviour and my Sanctifier Behold I return into thee the sweet source of my beginning I run into thee the gracious Preserver of my being and I desire to rest in thee the only hope of my Souls happiness Be thou henceforth O my Creator the sole subject of my thoughts and the only object of my love Be thou O God of my heart Heart of my life Life of my soul and Soul of my Love my part and my inheritance for ever I choose thee only I offer up my self wholly I consecrate my self heartily and dedicate my self eternally to thy love honour and service Ah good God! where dwellest thou which is the pleasant place of thy abode O King of glory and Comforter of my Soul I seek nothing but thy lovely presence I desire nothing but the presence of thy love My soul sighs to see thee my heart covets to have thee my love longs to enjoy thee and I can expect no perfect content until I am totally united unto thee If I now beg a glimps of thy divin face O my glorious Lord then a drop of thy heavenly grace and afterwards a dram of thy dear affection Yet in all this it is thy self O sweet God! which I demand thy whole self is the only satiating object of my boundless desires and unlimited affections 2. Fervent Acts of Love and Affection I Desire to love thee O only amiable Lord God! by all means and beyond all measure until I am totally transform'd into thee by love O do thou freely and fully possess my spirit guide it govern it enlighten it inflame it elevate it inform it and transport it how and when thou pleasest Oh! Let all adulterate love be quite banished all multiplicity vanish away and all impurity and self-seeking swallowed up Let thy love be my light my liberty my life Lord I desire but two things in this world To love see taste and enjoy thee My best beloved and to be humbled despised rejected and esteemed a reprobate for thy love O sweet life O loving Jesu what a heaven what a happiness is it to love thee O how lovely how loving and yet how little loved is my God O source of all goodness and center of all good souls What is the greatest love of mother friend life or any thing els Art not thou my God! all this to me and all in all Ah my Soul what didst thou ever best love And didst thou love thy Lord God as much I blush O my dear Lord I sigh and am ashamed to answer I will henceforth do any thing suffer any thing and leave all things for thy love I will not live but languish not breath but burn by an extasie and excess of love 3. Further Acts and Extasies of divin Love and Affection O Fire O flames Burn Consume Annihilate Alas Beauty of Angels how late and how little do I love thee O come into my Soul behold a poor lodging yet such as it is it is all thine I conceal nothing I reserve nothing heart soul spirit all is thine own compose all dispose all depose all unruly passions impose what Penance thou pleasest I accept it O my Lord only repose peaceably in my soul and let no foul or false affection interpose it self to disturb this blessed union O that I could please and praise thee purely perfectly perpetually Oh that I could love thee faithfully freely and fully in all above all things O my all and only love I acknowledg my self bound O Lord in thy chains of Charity I am burn'd in thy fire I am wounded and won to thy love But what shall I say What can I give All I have is not worthy of thee and yet is thine already Ask my sweet Lord and have choose and take make me such as thou desirest and then take me to thy desire Give thy self O great God! to my soul and then take my soul with thy self in it My life liberty love all is thy own My last Will is already made in which I bequeath all to thee thy own Death and Passion all thy Mercies and Merits all the praises and perfections of thy dear Mother and the blessed Saints and Angels and all the goods glories and splendors of all thy creatures All that I am have and can both spirituals and temporals kindred friends riches health honors estates offices devotion all is at thy disposal I am resolute O my Lord I am resign'd and indifferent to have them increased or diminished to use them to thy glory or to lose them altogether 4. We return back to our Creator all that we have are and can I Give thee back O merciful Maker my whole being either to be what thou wilt or to be nothing at all to love thee or not to live at all I offer to thee O pious Redeemer my sins to pardon my works to perfect my will to purifie I offer thee my wounds to cure my soul to cleanse and my spirit to comfort I offer to thee O holy Spirit my intentions to rectifie my inclinations to sanctifie my affections to deifie Finally I offer all for one I give all to one and all I desire is to be all one with thee my all and only Lord and love Thou hast given me O my bountiful Creator the whole world in freehold for one penny of Rent saying Child give me thy heart O Lord Let this penny never want the superscription of thy grace and let me never want thy grace to pay this rent O my Lord all that I have is but two small mites I cast them into thy hands and had I more I would give more Dispose of them both dear Lord of my Body and Soul as best pleaseth thee that thy will may be perfectly performed and thy name purely sanctified in both O sweet God of my heart Let me embrace thee in the two arms of profound Humility and perfect Charity O let my Heart faint and melt away in the fire of thy Divin love let me lose my self to find thee be out of my self to live in thee and be empty of my self to be full
consider you are now present at the same Supper have the same Meat and Drink set before you the same Sacrifice the same Priest the same Love bestowing it Let your Heart be the Altar your Soul the Pix and your Will another Sacrifice The first of the precedent Considerations dilated with Affections which may serve as a pattern by which the others may likewise be enlarged according to each ones capacity and devotion As a Patient to his Physician TAke pity on me Lord for I am weak and infirm The healthy have no need of a Physician but they who are ill at ease nor did you come Dear Saviour to call the Just but Sinners And alas I am one of them My Soul is sick and sinful My heart is sore afflicted and ill affected I am all full of disordinate affections unruly passions violent temptations and vain distractions I am nothing but impatience impurity impertinency immortification inconstancy I am made up of pride presumption propriety partiality Oh! my Soul is sick all over All is self-love self-will and self-seeking Thou O sweet Jesu art my Physician and if thou art so pleased thou canst soon purifie me Take therefore O compassionate Saviour the care and cure of my sick Soul into thy sacred and powerful hands for all my hope of help and health is from thee only O what subject of Comfort Courage and Confidence hast thou my weak Soul since thy Physitian is Almighty having all creatures at his command All-mercy his Love making him do what is best All-wisdom knowing all Consciences all Wounds and all the ways to Cure them Wherefore O Soul-saving Physitian if thou art always ready and always willing to heal thy poor Patients what need I fear but only to displease thee or care but only to content thee If any earthly Physician had all these joint qualities Would he permit any Patient to perish See then my soul where the defect is In the Patient or in the Physician And finding it assuredly in thy self Remove it speedily and then approach it confidently Alas my Body is an Hospital my Soul is the Patient my Diseases are A burning Feaver of Choller a cold fit of Tepidity a Tympany of Pride a Dropsie of Avarice a Fistula of Self-love c. very dangerous and deep Diseases But behold my Physician is coming in person into my poor House and Hospital to lodg and live with me O Love O Lord O Father O Physician Behold my Wounds and my Wants But What is the Physick he prescribes What the Plaisters he applyes Admire with Joy O my sickly Soul accept with Gratitude drink and digest with Delight and Comfort Here are no bitter Pills no unsavory Potions no corroding Drugs to be swallowed down but the most sweet solid and wholsom food of Angels even his own most precious Body and Blood O Love unheard of O Physick beyond imagination The Lord the King the Father the Physician hath made a Bath of his own Blood a Medicin of his own Flesh a Banquet of his own Person to Bathe to Cure to Nourish his Son his Subject his Slave his Patient his Enemy a Worm a Nothing O my Soul How shall we reward so charitable a Physisician O my Lord First Cure me and then take me for thy Fee And how was this Physick obtained At what Rate was it purchased and by whose Love and Expences Surely all Heaven and Earth could not pay it but God gave his only Son for the price of it O excess of Goodness and Mercy The Physician himself is also the Physick the Potion and the Price O Mystery O Miracle The Physician is let blood in the Hands and Feet with Nails in the Head with Thorns in the Heart with a Lance He is Drencht with a bitter Potion of Vinegar and Gall and in the end He Dies a most painful death on the Cross Why all this To give Health Strength Liberty and Life to my sick and sinful Soul O dear Jesu how much am I thy Debtor O Angels and Saints concur with me to give him Thanks O Heaven and Earth help me to praise him O my Body and Soul consume as Wax and Oyl upon the Altar of his Love O all my faculties melt away in the Fire of his Charity Lastly O my Soul This Physician is no stranger no forreigner but thy God and thy Father And how happy am I O my good Father to be under thy skilful tender and loving Hand Lance cut kill thy Child if thou spare him for Eternity Other Acts Affections and Preparations for Communion Christ's Invitation COme unto me all you that labour in temptation and trouble all you that are overladen with your burthensome body and bad nature All you that are assaulted with vicious inclinations and violent Passions All you that are dismaid at the Memory of your past offences and at the feeling of your present frailty Come to me your Father your Physician your Food Have you sinned I will forgive you Are you Sick and Wounded I will comfort and cure you Are you Troubled and Tempted I will ease and deliver you Are you Weak and ready to faint under your Burthen I will nourish and strengthen you Are you Cold Dull Dark Desolate and even dead I will inflame you enlighten you revive you melt you into Devotion and transform you into my self by a perfect Union Why come you not to me Behold I come to you begging to be your Guest and desiring to be lodg'd in your Breast I come not only into your House but into your Heart Not only to eat with you but to be eaten by you Turn away then from all Creatures Return to me your Creator turn unto me your Center and Satiety The Soul's Admiration WHo art thou my Lord God! To whom wilt thou come Where meanest thou to lodg What moves thee to so great Charity What wilt thou do in my poor Cottage Humility O Lord I profess my self unworthy to take thy holy Name into my sinful mouth and shall I presume to take thy sacred Body and Blood into my impure Soul Wil thou give the Bread of Children to a beastly Dog Yes my Soul such is thy Lord and Masters admirable Love and Mercy that he gives himself to be eaten by thee his poor base and abject slave O excess of goodness Wishes O That of every Creature I could make a rational Soul Of every Soul a burning Seraphin of every Seraphin a heavenly Kingdom to the end that thou my loving Lord mightest be lodged purely be serv'd perfectly be pleased totally and be praised eternally Prayses LEt Heaven and Earth bless thy Name magnifie thy mercy exalt thy bounty Let thy own infinite Love and Goodness sanctifie thee And let my poor Soul and all that is within me say Amen Allelujah Thou art worthy O Lamb of God! who wert slaughter'd and sacrificed for the sins of the world to receive all honour glory and benediction from all Creatures Supplication O Amiable and innocent
thanks O Soveraign Creator for the favour I have this day recived of thy bounty and of which many better deserving Christians are deprived Receive O Lord my unworthy prayers supply all my defects pardon all my indevotions distractions and irreverences and grant that by the strength and virtue of these divin Mysteries I may march on cheerfully couragiously perseverantly in the path of your Precepts Love and Service a midst all the temptatations troubles and dangers of my lives Pilgrimage till I shall one day happily arrive at thy holy Mountain which is thy heavenly Paradise where with thy blessed Angels and Saints I shall more cleerly contemplate thee more perfectly enjoy thee and more understandingly celebrate thy infinite Goodness and Mercy with uninterrupted Canticles of eternal Praise Admiration and Gratitude ¶ 10. Directions Devotions and Entertainments for Sick Persons 1. What the Sick Party is to do at the beginning of his Infirmity 1. WHen any Sickness shall sieze upon you receive it no otherwise than as the summons of Death and render most humble and hearty thanks to your heavenly Father for giving you this paternal Visitation and timely warning 2. Though the best disposition to a happy Death is to have led a holy Life yet what soeever your Life yet what soever your Life hath been formerly you are now to resolve seriously to spend the short remainder of your time in your Creators love and service and in order hereunto 3. Endeavour to have discreet and devout persons about you for if ever poor man hath need of faithful friends it is surely in the time of sickness and in the Hour and Agony of his death when his own Forces fail him when his grievous pains oppress him when his Ghostly Enemies are most busie about him 4. Above all strive to have the company of your Confessor at fit seasons entreating him to take your soul into his charitable care and consideration to entertain you with the continual inculcation of your duty of your Creators mercy of your sins heinousness and of whatsoever he shall think proper to dispose you for eternity 5. Confess and Communicate with all possible fervour zeal and devotion and then rest in peace hope and confidence casting all your Sins Cares and Fears together with yur whol self into Christs open Wounds 6. Trouble not your mind with an over-scrupulous Examination of your Conscience or desire so make a general Confession especially if you have of late had a convenient and ordinary care of your duty for this shews want of Confidence in your Creators mercy and your Redeemers merits Yet if any thing of moment troubles your mind and hinder your interior tranquillity discover it briefly in Confession and then remain fully satisfied for the future conforming your self quietly patiently and obediently to the Dictamen and Judgment of your Ghostly Father 7. Desire your Physician Friends and Ghostly Father not to flatter you but freely to deliver their sense and opinion concerning the danger of your presons sickness that so you may have time to settle your Spiritual and Temporal affairs 8. When it shall be told you as it was to Ezechias Dispose of thy house and set all things in order for thou shalt die and not live Then at least without delay fall seriously to the making of a settlement of your four sorts of Houses 1. Your Interiour House which is your Conscience 2. Your Exteriour House which is the house of your birth family parents kindred domesticks and whatsoever concerns your temporal means 3. Your Inferiour House which is your Body wherein your Soul dwells during this mortal life 4. Your Superiour House which is Heaven whither your Soul aspires after this her Pilgrimage 1. The Interiour House of your Conscience must be carefully cleansed from all crimes adorned with all Vertues and prepared with the Sacraments of Confession Communion Extream Vnction 2. The Exteriour House of your Family must be cared for by making a clear pious and equitable Testament of such Goods as you possess 3. The Inferiour House of your body must be provided for as to its Burial after your Souls departure 4. The Superiour House of Paradise for which you were created must finally be cared for not only by continual praying for final perseverance that so you may not lose your hopes and title to it but also by perpetually practising such Acts of Sanctity as may encrease your merit and raise you higher and higher in the divin favour till the hour of your death 9. If there be any Restitution commanded any Alms to be distributed any Acts of Justice or Piety to be performed delay it not for fear of Deaths surprisal O how many Souls burn in Hell fire for having driven off from time to time their doing of Penance their Conversion to God their Restitution of ill gotten Goods their doing of Just Actions 10. The like is to be said of your being reconciled to your Enemies if there be any such occasion for without perfect Charity all is lost and he that hates his neighbour is a murderer 11. If your Sickness encreases you must timely ask the Sacrament of Extream Unction which being received with due Devotion and Contrition is of great vertue and efficacy remitting all Venial offences and cancelling all such Mortal Crimes as escaped your memory in Confession yea and somtimes curing you of your Corporal Infirmity according to that of Saint James Is any one sick Let him call for the Priests of the Church to pray over him and anoint him with Oyl in the name of the Lord and the Prayer of Faith shall save the Sick and our Lord shall raise him up if he be in sins they shall be forgiven him 12. Drive out of your fancy that fond and foolish Opinion of some ill-grounded Christians who conceive these holy Ceremonies to wit the receiving of their Viaticum and extream Unction to be a hastning of their death no they prolong your life if it be for Gods honour and glory or prepare you for a better life which shall last for all Eternity 13. If there be any person about you which may probably endanger your Quiet or trouble your Conscience or give occasion of new Temptations by reason of any past sinful familiarity or disaffection endeavour to have him or her removed for such Objects may cause you to lose more merit in a moment than all the Priests of the world can cause you to gain in your whole life time 14. If notwithstanding all the moral diligence you have us'd in making your Confession the Devil should suggest any enormous Crime to your memory as forgotten or not sufficiently specifi'd with all its due circumstances intending thereby to disquiet your mind or to drive you into despair confess it speedily humbly sincerely which will shame him and secure your Soul But if your weakness or want of speech permit you not to declare it excite your self to an inward act of Contrition saying in your
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
who art Goodness it self Have mercy on me a miserable sinner O most loving father take pitie on thy poor Child and forsake me not in this my last and greatest need O sweet Saviour Jesu Son of the living God! I beseech thee by the vertue of thy most blessed and bitter Passion grant me thy Grace give me a pardon of my sins and vouchsafe me a portion of thy Glory I challenge not dear Lord a place in thy Heaven for any worthiness of my own merits for alas I am but dust and ashes but for thy Passion 's sake whereby thou wert pleased to redeem me miserable man and to purchase Heaven for me at the price of thy precious Blood I beseech thee therefore O Jesu my Saviour by thy sufferings on the Cross for me especially at that hour when thy blessed Soul left thy Bodie have mercy on my poor Soul at the time of her departure When he draws nearer his end he is chiefly to make use of short and pithy Aspirations of Love Desire c. As for Example O My Lord I love thee I love thee and I wish I could love thee more As the fainting Hart desires the refreshing Fountains so doth my Soul thirst after thee my Saviour I thirst Lord and thou only canst quench my thirst Lead my poor Soul O my all powerfull Creator out of this loathsom prison that it may love and praise thee for evermore O beautiful Jerusalem my happy home when shall I come to live and lodg in thee O ye blessed Quires of Saints and Angels who perfectly injoy God and unweariedly intone his Eternal praises when shall I come to love and land my dear Lord with you O Sacred Virgin Mary Mother of power pitie and compassion Be thou now to me a Mother and take care of thy weak child O my glorious Patrons be pleased now to remember me to assist me to pray for me O my good Angel pitie me protect me comfort me strengthen me in this hour of my Agonie Take courage my poor Soul take courage Eternity comes on our miserie and sorrow will soon have an end and our peace and plenty is beginning without end Frequent these in the time of your Health that they may occur easily to your memory in the time of your Sickness And then ruminate them sweetly quietly and discreetly according as your Soul shall relish them without violence eagerness or anxiety An Exercise of holy Dying consisting of four Acts. FOur things are requisite to dy well 1. A Spiritual Death to all creatures Strive then O my Soul to deny thy self in all things and to dy to thy self to the whole world in love affection that thou may'st live to God only who alone can comfort thee in Dying content thee after Death Thou wilt find it no trouble to leave what thou dost not inordinatly love And what is it thou so lovest find it out and forsake it leaving that and all to find one and all and aspiring often What do I hope for in Heaven and what do I look for upon Earth O my God my All be thou all mine and let me be all thine and let all other things go which way they will 2. A cordial and profound humility This gives the greatest Grace to the living and Comfort to the dying Proud spirits are always in extreams either they dy blindly presumptuous or Death opening their eyes they fall into despair at the sight of their miserable estate O my Soul humble thy self since thou hast nothing to be proud of for alas what wert thou before thy late receiving of a being What hast thou which proceeds not from thy Creators bounty Why then art thou proud of it as if it were thine own What hast thou receiv'd which thou hast not abused What sinful Soul would not have been a Saint had it receiv'd such favours as thou hast misimployed and buried How long ere this might'st thou have most justly been hurried head-long into Hell-fire for thy pride and impiety since the damned spirits who there are and shall be eternally tormented sinned once only in Pride and thou so often since they had somthing to be proud of and thou nothing since their sin was only in thought and thine also in word and work O my God! I acknowledg Hell to be my Center and the place which is proper for the entertainment of so perverse a wretch and shouldst thou send me thither thou art Just and righteous are thy Judgments 3. A firm Confidence in God Let not Humility hinder your Confidence in the divine mercy and goodness for by this token it will be easily known to be false and ill grounded Yet trust not in your own merits good works good life good will but 1. in the infinit goodness and mercy of God 2. in the abundant Merits and Redemption of Jesus 3. in his sweet promises of pardon and protection 4. in the prayers and patronage of your Mother of Power and particular Patrons 5. in the custody of your good Angel 6. in the participation and union you have with the Church Militant and Triumphant And O my soul is not this enough Lord I am thine I trust in thy mercy and if thou killest me yet I will still hope in thee 4. An entire Resignation to the divine will and disposition in all things for time and Eternity O my Soul this is the Act of acts at the dreadful hour of Death and O my Lord I offer up my self to endure all pains disgraces and desolations in this life and to suffer all punishments in Purgatory and in Hell it self if thy Justice will have it so in the next life not reflecting what shall become of me either in this my Sickness or in my Life or after my Death but leaving all to thy sacred Will and sweet Disposal When the sick person is in his last Agony The Priest or Charitable assistants should suggest unto him some of these devout words thoughts and considerations 1. TAke Courage Dear Christian Brotheo or Sister suffer patiently for a little while that you may be happy for all Eternity 2. Christ Jesus dyed for you and be you content to dye for him 3. Though your Sins are great yet greater is Gods mercy 4. Though your Tongue is put to silence yet let your Heart speak affectionatly to your sweet Saviour O Jesu thy will be done O my Lord I love thee I adore thee I thank thee c. And I beseech thee O my merciful Creator that every sigh every thought every eye cast up to heaven may be acceptable to thy sacred Majesty according to that irrevocable covenant contract and intention which I formerly made and here humbly renew in thy divine presence When the Agony is of long continuance it may be very profitable comfortable and convenient to read over the Passion of our Saviour or some passages thereof so it be done 1. Discreetly without troubling or disturbing the sick person 2.
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
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
me unto thy self by these strong bonds of thy infinite Charity 7. Ah! my dull Soul this disaster comes undoubtedly from thy self who remainest so cold amidst these ardent flames so hard amongst these iterated strokes so impenetrable against these sharp-Pointed darts and arrows of the divine love and affection Yes My Lord and Lover the desect of my love proceeds from my own default For thou My dearest Lord desirest nothing more than to see thy Grace have its full and entire effect in my heart which I hinder by my unnatural harshness tepidity and ingratitude 8. Alas my misery shall I still live and not sincerely Love thee the only worthy to be beloved object No my amiable Lord God! to live and to love thee shall be henceforth in me one and the same continued univocal convertible action Let others lead their lives according to their own election and liking for my part I here make choice of this life of love for my only Haven and Heaven upon earth and my amorous Motto shall be for evermore My beloved to me and I to him 9. Yes O sweet Bridegroom of my Soul thy sacred love shall be the lease of my life that I may cease to live when I leave off loving thee O the sweet secure life of Love I have chosen thee and I will contentedly repose in thee I have found thee and I will faithfully follow thee My Beloved shall be mine and I will be his for all future time and Eternity 10. Ah! Soveraign King of Love how miserable is that Soul that lives devoid of thy dear Love and how much more miserable is that Soul which having felt the sweetness of thy affection falls back to her former tepidity negligence and ingratitude O my Lord Let not this misery fall to my lot but let me love thee solidly sincerely preseverantly O Let my amorous spirit become fully and finally absorpt into thy felf Let me admire thee in thy blessed gifts and graces but permit me to adore thee in thy own abyssal essential amiable essence which infinitely exceeds them Let thy Love run sweetly into my heart and permit my heart to return sweetly back by the same channel of Love into thy bosom as a Brook slides silently and sweetly but yet swiftly into its original Ocean to be there unrecoverably lost in the bottomless depths of thy divine Affections 11. O my God my Lord my Love my Life my All I am no longer able to endure the consideration of thy ardent Love without corresponding thereunto with all my heart soul and strength by the most zealous perfect and cotinued affection that can possibly be produc'd by any poor creature O how it grieves me to have so long neglected this necessary duty O dear Love I most humbly crave thy pardon and conjure thee by thy own sweet self to forget all my past tepidities and accept of this present ardour whereby I promise to be henceforth so faithful fervent and constant unto thee that no time no temptation nor death it self shall ever hinder or interrupt the payment of this my sincere homage of love upon thy sacred Altar 12. Behold O the only Beloved of my Heart what a bold protestation of future fidelity in thy presence I have now made hoping for thy blessing upon it as an effect of thy love but putting no value upon it as proceeding from my self whose power and being are one and the same thing to wit a meer Nothing before thy supream Majesty Since therefore I have as much confidence in thy infinite Goodness as I have distrust in my own Nothing I will patiently hopefully resignedly expect thy divine will and pleasure in this and all things whatsoever O thrice welcome Will of my God! be thou fully accomplished in me and in all creatures for all time and Eternity 13. O dearly beloved Bridegroom of my Soul thou art pleas'd to be all mine and I am resolv'd to be all thine My life my liberty my love all is thine Dear Jesu all shall be thine and thine alone Thou shalt be the sole subject of all my thoughts and the sweet object of all my affections Thou shalt be the God of my heart the heart of my life the life of my soul and the soul of my love for evermore Thou shalt rest as a fragrant Posie between my breasts repose like a loving Bridegroom in my heart and reign like a Soveraign King in the most intime closet of my interiour I will keep thee kiss thee conjure thee to continue with me and I will choose rather to leave my life than lose thy love 14. O my God! thou art my all and only good thou art the only desire of my heart delight of my soul Thou art the only refuge repose and retreat of my spirit Thou art the only light of my eyes musick of my Ears hony of my Tongue joy of my Heart Thou art the only sufficient and ever-indeficient Fountain of peace plenty purity and perfection Out of thee is neither pleasure nor profit neither praise nor preferment neither liberty nor liberality neither peace nor purity neither life nor love neither honour nor happiness I will therefore remain in thee only love thee only O only amiable object for evermore Dilectus meus mihi ego illi My Beloved is mine and I am his Errata PAge 40. line 11. add and. p. 82. l. 26. farther r. further p. 88. l. 26. week r. weak p. 134. l. 15. dele of p. 138. l. 4. dele and. p. 155. l. 15. dele and. p. 158. l. 19. his r. this p. 161. l. last the with r. with the. p. 170. l. 27. committed r. omitted p. 225. l. 24. anther r. another p. 250. l. 15. meery r. mercy p. 278. l. 4. maks r. makâ—st p. 291. l. 10. dele out p. 313. l. 10. Motner r Mother p. 319. l. 7. old r. hold p. 345. l. 7. 336. r. 311. p. 365. these are 12 lines repeated p. 371. line penult Greator r. Creator p. 408. l. 2. beautifying r. beatifying FINIS