withdraw my heart from selfe-love and all affection to creatures But how shall I doe it O blessed Virgin if I receive not powerfull assistance for I am able to act nothing if I want efficacious grace which operates in and with me what God desires of me Now from whence may I have it but from and by you O Mother of grace and mercy since God hath put into your hands the price of my Salvation and since you hold in your armes the fountaine of all graces I repaire then to you O benigne Virgin and I give my selfe to you to the end by the power which you have in quality of my Saviours mother you may produce in my soule the effects of life and death my meaning is that you operate in such sort by your favour that I may really die to my vices and sinnes that I may detest and hate them and lead such a life as God expects of me and to which I obliged my selfe when by Baptisme I was incorporated and made a member of Iesus Christ your Sonne Point II. THe Son of God vouchsafed to unite pains sorrows afflictions and crosses to himselfe and his holy Mother with designe to render them from thenceforth pleasing sweet and worthy to be esteemed and desired on earth Begin to esteem them because they are deified in Jesus and honoured in his holy Mother And if you are unable to aske them of God at least resolve to be are them with humility and patience when they shall happen to you PRAYER YOu have ever been O holy Virgin the wel-beloved of the eternall Father You are amongst all the pure creatures the worthiest object of his love You are his spouse and the true Mother of Iesus as he is his Father and he gives you his Son with him hath put into your hands the treasures of Heaven and earth and all the riches of Divinitie For this reason you are the worthiest of all pure creatures and with my Iesus you are the happinesse of the whole world Neverthelesse O Mother of God I see you in the midst of mount Calvary and at the foot of the Crosse holding your Son dead between your armes You take off the Crowne of thornes you wipe his wounds you wash his body with teares and kisse a thousand times the bruises of his flesh You suffer likewise with him the ignominies and dolors of the Crosse so that humiliations crosses afflictions are both in you and in Jesus In him and you they are become divine sanctified and rendred acceptable And for this cause they are worthie of being esteemed and desired by Christians What must I then doe O holy Virgin if I will love you what other thing can I doe but affect Crosses and humiliations with you and humble my selfe like you I desine and purpose it thus in my soule procure me only the grace that in all occasions I may beare every thing with fidelity and patience in such sort as God requires of me and you desire I should Point III. THe holy Virgin holding her Son between her armes offers him to God and the divine Iustice for satisfaction of our offences And as the Father hath given his Son to the world and the Son delivered himselfe up to the Crosse to save us So the holy Virgin both with heart and will sacrificeth her owne Son that she may in this sort minister unto our Salvation Give her thanks for this extraordinary Charity and beseech her to render you faithfull to all the graces which the death of the Son of God hath acquired PRAYER YOu have been chosen ô Mother of grace and mercy to be the repairer of the world and to co-operate in a most peculiar manner to the salvation of all mankind You did when you gave your Sonne Christ Jesus to be delivered up to the death of the Crosse and you do it when holding him dead between your armes you offer him to the divine Justice as a Victime and Sacrifice of propitiation which satisfies God for the sinnes of the world And in this respect you are our Repairer for Jesus who is the Saviour of men is yours he is your Sonne and you are his Mother And in this quality you have right to his life his preservation and all his condition Neverthelesse O Mother of our Soules you consent to his death you incourage him to torments you conduct him to the Crosse and like another Abraham you sacrifice in will and affection your only Sonne and you sacrifice him for my sinnes so great is your charity and love towards me But what can I doe in recognition of so sublime a benefit Wherein am I able to acknowledge O benigne Virgin so ardent a Charity At least since you give your Sonne for me procure that I may be your slave and since you resigne him to efface the sinnes of the world and that hee may merit for us such graces as are necessary for our salvation be pleased to mediate that I may be faithfull to all the graces which he hath purchased for me by his death and that I may live no longer but for his honour and yours as you give him to the Crosse and deliver him up to death for me Our LADIE of Compassion Point I. Since the Eternall Father can have no compatency in the dolours of his Son he substituted the holy Virgin imprinting in her heart and Spirit the vertue of the Crosse and the Spirit of his sufferings and piercing her heart with the sword of sorrow he made her suffer with her Sonne that in some manner she might co-operate to our Salvation Consider what Jesus and the holy Virgin suffer for you and from henceforth take delight in the thought of their sufferings and in the love of the Crosse PRAYER O Virgin and mother of my Iesus I render you thanks for having contributed to our salvation not only by giving your Sonne but also in taking your share in his Passions for if he indure you suffer with him The scourges the thornes the nailes and the lance have pierced his body but love and sorrow have transpierced your heart and gauled your soule Wherefore holy Virgin the true refuge of sinners I adore Iesus for my Saviour but I reverence you as his Mother and acknowledge you for the Repairer of the Universe since you cooperate doubly in the good of our soules For you give us your Sonne and suffer with him for us Be pleased also to mediate O Virgin spring of life and grace that I may be from henceforward the object of your commiserations And since you have loved me so much as to give me your Sonne and to give him even for the Crosse since your love and charity fastens you to my interests and makes you suffer for mee procure that I may suffer all for you but chiefly engrave in my heart such a hatred of sinne as I may rather indure a thousand deaths then so much as once offend my Jesus your Sonne who died
nothing but you It is high time and I implore it of you Be pleased then not to deny me this grace my good Iesus since you refuse me not your owne life deprive me of all things if you please provided that I love you Point II. IN this mystery Jesus covers his greatnesse and veiles his Majesty in contempts and mockeries and by a miracle of love he renders himselfe capable of suffering the sharpest points of thornes filthy and unclean spittings blowes and buffets which bruise his body and face and by this holy artifice which love hath contrived he triumpheth over the Devill and sin Open your heart unto this Jesus that he may place there the throne of his love and triumph over your malice and all the impure love which may reside in you PRAYER CAn I possibly behold you my Iesus covered with spittings bruised with blowes crowned with thornes and your body pierced with all sorts of dolors and not dissolve into teares but remaine insensible at the sight of so sad a spectacle Permit it not O God of love rather pierce my heart with griefe and give me the grace to have a sense of what you suffer for me Grant me this favour that I may beare the effects thereof for it is not just that your sacred body should be immersed in sorrow and your adorable head crowned with thorns whilest I bathe my selfe in pleasures or crowne my selfe with Roses living alwayes amongst delights I rather wish and would gladly implore if I had love enough that I might no longer affect any creature and that nothing might afford me contentment but that I might finde wormewood every where and every thing prove distastfull to me to the end I may take no delight but in you alone This is what I aspire to but I have not force enough to practice it nor sufficient love to aske it There remaines one onely desire on my part that I may give my selfe entirely to you to suffer whatsoever shall suit with your good pleasure Point III. JESUS in his Passion practiceth all sorts of vertues to merit them for us by the actuall exercise of them to leave them unto us by way of testament and to bring them into esteeme with the world which contemns and rejects humility patience poverty and all sufferances Addresse your selfe unto Jesus Christ to desire of him the love of his vertues and the grace to bee able to practice them in such a degree as hee requires of you PRAYER YOu have promised me O my God by your Prophet to engrave your love in the midst of my heart and to imprint it in the center of my soule I summon you in order to your promise for I offer unto you my heart opened and commit into your hands my soule and spirit to receive of you the motions of grace and the impressions of your law But what is this law which you give me but the imitation of your life and of the vertues which you have been pleased to practise on earth For you had no need my Lord of this great poverty which I discern in your birth of the patience which you shew in your torments of the obedience which sets you on the Crosse of meeknesse in the midst of your enemies nor of the humility and contempt of the world which is manifested in all your life But you have subjected your selfe unto all this not only for my salvation but also to teach me both by words and actions the vertues which you affect the way which I am to follow to obtain salvation and the life which I ought to lead to become the most acceptable to you In this sort your life and vertues O Jesus are the square of my actions and the rules which I am to follow Grant me then the grace that I may know them to esteeme them that I esteem them to love them and that I love them to practise them in such sort as you require of me For I am well assured that I shall have no share in your glory if I doe not imitate your vertues and shall not partake of your triumphs if I beare not a part in your combats Ecce Homo Point I. SEe the extreme confusion and contempt unto which Jesus is exposed since his owne people preferre a notorious Robber before him condemne him to the Crosse and demand his death to give life to a Malefactor O blindnesse of humane Spirit which makes more account of Terrene then Heavenly things which honours Barabas to reject Jesus Deplore this unhappinesse and beseech the same Jesus never to permit that humane respects or complacency may ever cause you to prefer men before God or the Creature before the Creator PRAYER LOrd I blush for shame and confusion seeing the little account is made of you that they condemne you unto the Crosse to give life to a Thiefe and reject you to receive Barabbas Neverthelesse this is done in your Passion and at present O unhappy soule I find even that in my selfe which I condemne in the Jewes for alas God of goodnesse how often in my life have I rejected your grace to obey the cupidities of my heart How often through a damnable blindnesse have I endeavoured to satisfie my selfe and please the Creature against your intentions Finally how often have I preferred the Earth before Heaven men before God and my owne private contentment before your holy will It is high time O Saviour of my soule that I acknowledge my fault that I change my life and open my eyes to discerne how the world is nothing to me and that you are my All. I confesse my crime I accuse my infidelity and condemn both my life and all my actions past Be pleased O good Jesus to give me a true repentance of them and grant that my heart may breake with sorrow and my eyes distill fountaines of teares to expiate all my offences for I desire my Iesus to satisfie your love and to live under your Lawes Point II. THe Sonne of God abaseth his holy and adorable humanity to become the reproach of men the refuse of his people and the object of their scorne and derision And he truly saith I am a worme of the earth At the sight of your Jesus dissolve into humility and affect rather to be low and humble with the humble Jesus then great and honour'd with Pilate PRAYER IF you say that you are but a worme of the earth the reproach of men and the refuse of the people what must I be my Iesus For it is just that I should be much lesse then your selfe If you hold so low a rank amongst men who are the Sonne of God what place shall I find who am but a sinner a child of Adam and unworthy of your grace O how much constrained do I now find my selfe to confesse that I am nothing and worthy of contempt and confusion I confesse that I am too blame and elevate my selfe above reason when I desire to
DEVOUT ENTERTAINMENTS OF A Christian Soule Composed in French by the R.F. I.H. Quarre P. of the Oratory of JESUS and D. D. Translated into English by J. M. of W. Prisoner in the Tower of London Printed at Paris Anno Domini MDCXLVIII The Translators Addresse to the pious and Christian Reader THe most charitable and excellent title of this worke is properly me thinks addressed unto you good Reader since you are the likeliest to relish and make true use of the admirable conceptions which are offered you in this little golden Treatise It came to my hands as a Missive of Charity sent to entertaine me in my sad imprisonment and upon a serious perusall the finding it of so divine a spirit and of so universall a concernment was invitement enough to me to propose the naturallizing these Meditations in our Countrey by contributing so much as I am able to them namely an English Tongue in which though they lose something of their native grace yet I have reason to believe that the charity of the Authour will be content to be somewhat diminish'd himselfe to become more beneficiall to his neighbours nor need I doubt but that the force of his heavenly spirit will break through even my grosse language and be not onely heard but reverenced amidst the noise of Drums and Trumpets so frequent in these unhappy times wherein we have more cause then ever to remember the great Trumpet of the Angell wherefore the voice of this Author which seemes Angelicall will come very seasonable both to awake drowsie and to advance pious soules in the ardors of their love towards God for here is a loud Alarum for all sleepy and slothfull Souldiers calling unto them to take up the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit to defend themselves by the supply of so powerfull succours as these holy Meditations against the furious assaults of our common enemy whose principall attempt is against what these Entertainments seeke the most to fortifie namely the love of God The Authour shewes you that this love of God is the most Essentiall point of Christianity Be watchfull therefore I beseech you and keep this fortresse safe from the surprize of our professed enemy and then nothing can be feared for God expects more at your hands and in loving him you fulfill his whole Law and sweeten to your selves the rigour of all humane Lawes After he hath set you in the way of applying continually those duties which appertaine to the preservation of you in this happy state he presents you with some Considerations upon the whole Passion of our blessed Saviour as a powerfull motive to invite you to this pure love which he demands of you and to render homage to this excessive goodnesse for so great and inestimable a benefit which it hath purchased for you at so dear a rate as even the death of the onely Son of God And truly when we looke upon the sufferings which Jesus Christ hath indured for us ought we not to reproach our selves for bearing impatiently a few crosses and contradictions in this short pilgrimage for if so sacred a person sustained such violent pains for us can we conceive our selves exempt from them No no let us rather be ashamed at our cowardice and effeminate affections in desiring to find no opposition in our way but to tread still upon roses thornes seeming too harsh for our dainty feet which if they be so tender cannot looke like feet appertaining to a head stuck full of thornes and alas we cannot expect a share in the glory of our head Christ Jesus if we as his members beare not willingly a part in his combats When we are called into the Field of the Crosse let us then consider how happie we are that may make to our selves a Crowne of these thornes whereof there are store at hand in these hard times let us march joyfully that we may triumphantly passe through Mount Calvary fastned as S. Paul saith to the Crosse with Christ and this is the nearest way to the heavenly Jerusalem where we shall be refreshed after all our labours with the sight of that soveraigne object of our love the increated Beauty and Verity whose first sight is no lesse then eternall beatitude Desiring to pay some respect to the Authour I shall rather doe him injury if I keep you too long by any discourse of mine from entering into his devout Entertainments whose prayers you have and mine shall presume to attend on his to implore an efficacious operation of his holy labours and my charitable designe J. W. The Introduction Concerning the necessity of the Love of God ALL the favours which Heaven showres downe upon us are only to withdraw us out of the captivity of sin and the world and to place us in the liberty of the grace of Christianity to the end God may reigne in our hearts It is for this reason wee are made Christians and receive the faith of Baptisme Jesus Christ died on the Crosse for this end and when he descended from the bosome of his Father to be made Man his designe was only to establish the Kingdome of God amongst the children of men And if we may be allowed to enter into consideration of the eternal thoughts of the eternall Father we may easily discern that in the whole Incarnation and Passion of his Son and in the whole disposition of our salvation he hath no other aime then to seat the Kingdome of God in our soules and to procure that our heart which is created only for God may be really the Throne and residence of the Divinity In effect all the Sacraments which Jesus Christ himselfe hath instituted and left unto his Church as so many springs and fountains of graces and benedictions are onely to dispose and place in us the Kingdome of Jesus Christ to produce the reigning of God in us and to abolish the dominion of the world the Divell and Sin When Jesus Christ taught his Apostles how they were to pray he gave them the Pater Noster and wills us to desire above all things that his Kingdome come that is according to S. Gregory to ask of God that God may reigne in us And Iesus Christ himselfe said to his Apostles that the chiefest desire of a Christian ought to be that God may reigne in his heart Seeke first of all saith he the Kingdome of God It is certain then that God ought to reigne in us not sin nor the world And evident it is that the grace of Christianity causeth the Kingdome of God to preside in our hearts Now God cannot reigne in us but by love and charity for S. Iohn saith God is charity and he that abides in charity abides in God and God in him His meaning is that by love God makes his residence in the soule he placeth there his Throne he reignes and commands there and quickeneth the whole soule He is there as the Sun to the Heavens which illuminates
for you and I dare say in a manner necessary 7. The subject which you are to take for your entertainment shall be the Passion of the Son of God or the foure finall ends of man sometimes Gods love towards you sometimes the vanity of all things finally take some point of Faith or of the Creed for your application 8. The manner and method which you are to observe herein must be very naturall I doe not require to make use of reason or discourse but of your affection and will Apply your whole heart unto it and that sufficeth procure also that your attention therein bee entire 9. The first thing you must doe is to place your selfe in the presence of God because in all your prayers you speak with God and treat of things of great consequence for you speak to him of the honour and love you owe him you treat concerning your owne salvation and the benefits of your soule 10 This exercise or practice of the presence of God is absolutely necessary for you for if you have a care of your salvation and desire to live in the feare of God surely you ought to know how to keepe your selfe continually in the presence of God remembring still that in what place sâ—eveâ— you are God sees and considers you not exterâ—â—lly onely but even into the center of your heart The presence of God is an exercise which detaines the soule and obligeth her to act nothing which may bee unworthy of God 11. Moreover when you will pray and what Prayer soever you make were it but saying the Pater noster or your Beads you still ought to doe it with respect and attention for sure you cannot performe these Devotions as you ought if your spirit be not recollected Now the means of recollecting your minde is to place your selfe in the presence of God Wherefore I advise you to habituate your selfe in this exercise I meane to place and keepe your selfe often in the presence of Almighty God 12. You will say peradventure that you are not able to fix your spirit to which I answer that it is no good signe and for this reason you ought to pity your self For how can you hear well the holy Masse say well your ordinary prayers use the Sacrament of Penance or communicate as you ought if you know not how to setle your cogitation see you not that this is to be sick indeed without discerning it Now the practice of the presence of God as I will explicate it to you is the true only remedy for your disease 13. It is a practice which is common necessary for all good Christians who are willing to avoid sin preserve themselves in grace or desire to treat with God with that respect as becoms them this is what I desire that in the beginning of your prayer you place your self attentively in the presence of God 14. You may do it in two manners The first by imagination when you recall your mind and all the powers of your soul and when you represent God unto your self with a Majesty worthy God and figuring to your selfe that you are prostrated before the Throne of his infinite greatnesse and that you remain there to treat with him about the affaires of your soule and what concerneth the service and worship which you owe him 15. The other manner is by faith then you make no use of your imagination but having sweetly called back your soule into it selfe you conceive your selfe to be before God whose greatnesse and Majestie is infinite and incomprehensible that this is the same God whom the Angells and Saints do serve and adore You consider how faith teacheth you that this self same God is every where and he presides in the bottome and center of your soule with the same Majesty Power and Love as he doth in Heaven Rest somtime upon this thought and if you can procure to enter into your owne heart to adore God as you conceive him to be there 16. This last manner of considering the Presence of God seems to me more beneficiall then any other and hath more force to recall our spirit and to bring back our soule into her selfe it teacheth us to seeke God not as farre distant from us or in Heaven but in our selves and in the center of our heart And for this reason I advise you to make often use of this exercise for I promise that you shall derive from it great advantages And if you shall persevere you will make a little Paradise of your heart and your soule will performe on earth what the Angells doe in Heaven §. III. A manner how to recollect ones selfe for mentall Prayer 1. AT the first entrance then into Prayer place your self in the presence of God conformably to the manner I have newly exhibited to you And if this thought of Gods presence possesseth your soule and retaines you in great attention keep your selfe therein as long as you can were it during the whole Masse and omit without scruple the rest of your devotions for you enter not into the Church and apply not your selfe unto Prayer but to remaine before God to adore him with respect and humility and to keepe your selfe in his presence as his devout servant When you have attained unto this rest content since God seems to be so with you And in this case you are to desire nothing more because you have all when God is satisfied 2. And if this thought of Gods presence will not serve to entertaine you any long time in that case take presently some verity or mystery for your meditation For example consider how Iesu Christ hath loved you so much as to suffer death for you Then pawse a while how little soever you please to consider this benefit strive onely to ponder it with attention And out of this consideration endeavour to extract some little affection or frame some conference with God upon that which you considered Now to the end it may prove more facile to you I prescribe at the end of this Booke some Meditations upon the principall points of the Passion of our Lord Iesus Christ which will serve you for a Modell 3. During the little time you shall employ in this manner of Prayer if God gives you some good inspiration or pious desire do not neglect it but hearken unto God and receive his grace and inspiration with respect and love Resolve to put in practice what God proposeth to you and give your selfe unto Christ Iesus and his holy Mother the Virgin Mary to the end they may be pleased to preserve in your soule the good desires which you feele and supplicate them to give you the grace to put them in practice conformable to that manner which God requires of you 4. The profit which I would have you to make of this exercise which I call recollection of spirit is to establish and preserve your selfe in the feare of God to excite and advance