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 disgest injuries the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence The end thou aymest at is perfection the reward of thy conqucst is eternall love eternal life eternall happiness Behold ô my Lord my strength and my salvation I am fully resolv'd 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 inveagling sensuality cut off my evil inclinations rectifie my disordered 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. 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 succeeding each other that my united affections may intend thee only the only object of all happiness Gather ô 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 sences 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 ô my Lord all the naturall corruptions of my outward man and redress all the spirituall 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 divine will and pleasure 4. 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 sensuall 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 divine fire cooled and quenched not only by sin but also by the distracting images of outward objects I will keep a speciall and strict watch over my tongue on which depends my spirituall life or death and cheerish thee ô beloved silence which art the key of piety the keeper of innocency and the preserver of purity I will trample down my inferior This is the chief exercise of Gods children not to be carried away with affections of flesh and blood but to conduct themselves according to Gods Spirit nature with all it 's 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 ô my Lord and my God Grant me courage I beseech thee to quell and curb this most dangerous and my greatest enemy which is the source of all my miseries the citadell from whence sin assails me and Satan fetcheth his forces to fight against me Grant good Lord that I may Therefore every one must strive to know his own natural inclinations and then imploy all his forces and apply all his prayers and spiritual exercises to quel them never yeild to this wicked Eve persuading Adam my Superior will to eat the forbidden fruit to consent to unlawfull pleasures O that I could tame these cruel beasts my naturall passions how soon should I be master of all morall vertues O that I could so till this vineyard so delve this garden so purge it from all ill weeds of affections and prune all superfluous surgeons and shoots of passions that the seed of thy grace ô heavenly husbandman might only there take root increase and fructifie 5. I will also mortifie my Superiour and rationall part with all the curious and fruitless speculations of my Understanding all conceits of self-wisdom naturall prudence proper judgement and good liking of my own proceedings All vain and foolish reflexions of my Memory And all petty desires and affections of my Will which relate not to thee the only object and Lord of my love I am resolved ô my Lord to nip off each budding passion as soon as it peeps up in my soul to trouble it in its true repose and to hinder its liberty and tendance to thy love I will by thy gracious assistance proceed faithfully and sincerely in the hatred denial and mortification of my self and in the prosecution of thy divine love And in order to this only end and aym I make in thy presence and from the very bottom of my heart and soul these particular acts following I renounce ô my Lord for the pure love of thee all affection to worldly things Give them unto me ô gracious God or take them from me as best liketh thy divine Majesty I resign up all my interest in any thing though never so near and dear unto me Behold ô my Lord and lover I uncloath my soul from all affections whatsoever to creatures and desire nothing but thy self-alone O happy nakedness O rich poverty of Spirit O pure obedience to the divine will in all things Be you my hearts delight my whole pleasure and patrinony 6. I renounce all self-seeking Ah! my corrupt nature I abhor thee Adieu all private-interest profit praise and preferment I will henceforth performe all my actions and exercises O my Lord God for thy only pure perfect love I will seek to please and praise thee with an inward ardent and amorous affection for thy self only and not for thy gifts or graces I renounce all sensuality whether it be in meat drink sleep apparel curiosity of my five senses or any thing else whatsoever O my Lord I will make no other use of any thy creatures than I am absolutly compell'd to by necessity of nature I look for no solace but from thee alone My only comfort and content I renounce all
and the rule of discretion will permit elevated to your Lord and love cry continually for his grace knock And sigh after it perseverantly incessantly at the gate of his mercy sigh after him perseverantly seek to perform his will diligently and follow his pleasure purely and perfectly give that day for lost wherein you have not made some progress in the way of perfection and finally rouse up your selves and prick forward your sluggish dulness in devotion with some brief and burning aspirations which you are to have alwayes ready in your heart and mouth As Excâ—ting our sluggishness by frequent aspirations O my Lord ô my God the life of my soul and the only love of my heart when shall I love thee as I desire and thou demandest O my Jesu when shall I die perfectly to the world my self and all things that I may live purely and intirely in thy only charity O when shall I be nothing to any creature and every creature nothing to me but only in thee and for thee alone O that I could go out of my self and get into thee That I could thrust my caitif heart out of this breast to establish thine ô my sweet Saviour in it's place O let thy true love transform me totally into thee Let me not live any longer but in thee Let me not love any creature but by in and for thee my Creatour O incomprehensible bounty Either take my soul out of this world or take the love of this world out of my soul Either bereave me of my life or bestow on me thy love c. In all which raptures and affections the holy Spirit is the best directour whose inward impulse and dictamen you are diligently to follow still according to discretion and obedience with a perpetuall longing and loving sighing and seeking to advance your soul to divine Union 2. Finally I conclude with this hearty and heavenly counsell of S. Anthony to his disciples against this dangerous coldness in devotion An excellenâ— document of S. Anthony My brethren Let this be my generall and particular precept unto you the first and last lesson I teach you Never to lose your first fervour and good purposes nor to grow slack in your observances but to go alwayes forward and renew daily your devout exercises as if you daily were new beginners in the way of perfection This he often repeated and inculcated and being on his death-bed that his last words might remain more lively imprinted in their mindes he bequeathed unto them as his final and never to be forgotten testament this piercing and pithy document able to win wound and melt a flint into fervour and compunction O my loving children I go the way of my forefathers our Lord calls and invites me and my soul thirsts after him and heaven But you ô my bowels what will you do I have often admonish'd you and do at this last gasp leave it you for my will and testament Take heed you grow not tepide and go backward and so on a sodain lose the pains and profit of so many years past Think still you are to begin anew as though what you had already suffer'd for Christ were nothing Let your good will and desires get every day new strength and vigour forget what is past and run to what is before you live and labour with such fervour and purity as if it were your first work that ever pleased God or the last service you should ever render him in this mortal life O devout souls Our dayes pass away swiftly death is alwayes at our heels eternity approches wherein our God whom we have serv'd and lov'd will wipe the tears off our eyes the sweat off our brows the blood off our wounds crown us with glory peace security immortality Let us not lose heart in his service nor hope in his goodness He expects and invites us Angels and Saints offer their helping hands The question is of eternal life eternall light eternal liberty and eternall love THE SECOND TREATISE OF THE SPIRITVALL CONQUEST or The use and Practice of those necessary weapons which are prescribed in the Treatise of the Spiritual Conflict Here Methodically managed and drawn into seven Exercises Affective Acts or Aspirations according to the dayes of the Week Psal 118. v. 34. Give me understanding and I will search thy Law and I will keep it with my whole heart AT PARIS M.DC.LI To the Devout Champions aspiring to Perfection THat you may make the right use O devout souls of these ensuing Exercises you are first to be premonished That Aspirations or jaculatorie prayers are short and fervent acts elevations desires and requests of the Soul to God And they are of divers sorts and may be performed either in the heart only or by the heart and mouth jointly First they may be practised by way of petition begging love vertue perfection devotion c. As O Lord give me light to know thy Will grace to embrace it and force to follow it Help me to overcome my self and my sworn enemies Assist me to disgest difficulties and disgraces for thy love Pitty a poor sinner Pardon a proud beggar Receive a prodigall Child Redeem a perishing soul confirm my frailty confound my Pride comfort my Dull Dark and desolate Spirit And the like short amorous and pithy petitions Secondly they may be expressed by way of wishing and sighing after God goodness piety perfection c. As O Lord vvhen shall I knovv thee and my self When shall I truly love thee and perfectly hate my self When shal I live in thee and be dead to my self Or thus Oh that I vvere truly vertuous truly religious truly mortified Oh that I vvere all thine O my poor soul take courage hovv shall vve abound vvith delights vvhen vve shall see our Master and Maker in his heavenly Kingdom Thirdly they may be performed by way of expostulating and complaining sometimes to God other-times to our own souls and then to all creatures As Hovv long Lord vvilt thou forget me for ever Why hidest thou thy face Why art thou sad my soul O heavens are you shut against me c Fourthly by shorter expressions as by Expressing the whole affection in few words thus Good God! Svveet Jesu Hovv long O fire burn O one O all c. These must differently be made use of according to the various disposition of the souls dryness or devotion In all which you are not to binde your selves to any set form or sorts of words but only use such as holy and fervent love shall suggest unto you And this manner of prayer by fervent Aspirations frequent acts of love and enflamed elevations of the soul is according to the divine doctrine of S. Denys the easiest shortest sweetest and perfectest means of uniting the soul to her last end which is God and consequently of corresponding to our creation and calling This saith he is that admirable holy and hidden Unitive vvisdom which
and lay hold on some occasion of serving him whom you take for your opposite and enemy 8. And although these practises are full of pain and seeme to be so coldly performed by thee that thou perceivest them to goe against the haire yet omit them not in any case For if they are painfull they are also profitable making thee valiant and bold to fight these holy battails preparing thy way to the victory 9. Thou art moreover to be advertized And this diligence must be used al so against the least evill motions that not only these great and grievous temptations and manifest wickednesses are to be stoutly resisted but even the least and lightest passions and disordered motions For these are but forerunners of the greater opening the doore for them to steale in upon us and oppresse us at unawares and so to precipitate us into all vices And it oftentimes falls out with them who sleight these petty temptations and care not to use diligence in resisting them that when they afterwards least suspect it much more grievous suggestions do suddainly violently and dangerously invade them Yea and against lawfull affections when they are not absolutely necessary 10. Lastly thou must also resolve to skirmish with thy lawful affections and deny thy selfe even in thy honest desires when they appear not to be necessary For this will render thee an experienced soldier in this spirituall warfare and a most gratefull servant to thy Lord and Saviour 11. And now I tell thee plainly For this is the way to become truly spirituall my dearly beloved If thou wilt try and train up thy self in thy ghostly quarrell according to this prescribed method thou shalt soone feel Gods grace assisting thee a happy and totall change into spirituality But if thou wilt needs follow other exercises though seeming most excellent and performed with such present gust and sweetnesse as if thou hadst the full and familiar conference and company of thy Crucified Jesus never perswade thy selfe that such delicious wayes are the direct path to perfection 12. For as our vices spring foâ—m Because all vice springs from the yielding to sense this fountain that our superiour Will or Reason submits her selfe to the inferiour feelings of Sensuality So on the contrary Vertues are ingenerated in our souls by due submission of this Will to the divine Will and And all vertue by subduing and submitting our Will to Gods as our will can never be truly good and gratefull to God though it receive from him never so holy and heavenly inspirations and be driven by the impulse of his Will to all its works and omissions unlesse it consent to the divine operations within it self so it cannot be tearmed bad and separated from God though never so much tempted and troubled by the Sensuality but only by consenting unto it CHAP. VIII What he must do who feels his Superiour Will or Reason overcome by his inferiour Will or Sensuality IF thou sometimes findest ô dearly beloved that thou prevailest nothing at all in the fight of thy Reason against sense because thou feelest not an efficacious ardour to root out ill affections Be not troubled but stand As long as thy Reason consents not to Sensuality fear not fast and still pursue thy fight with courage and constancy For as long as thy Reason keeps her selfe from consenting to these motions of Sensuality so long thou hast the better in this battaile and art master of the field 2. Nor is it necessary that all thy affections and motions of Sensuality do entirely submit to thy Reasons For victory consists not in feeling no motions but in not yielding empire neither doth our victory consist in feeling no perverse passions in our Sensuality But it sufficeth that our Will and Reason though Sensuality storm never so much can alwaies act or omit doe or not doe will or desire when how where and as shee pleaseth In so much as the Devill himselfe and the whole world together can never alter this our resolution 3. And if it sometimes happen But if thy enemies surprise thy reason that thy enemies suddainly and violently rush in upon thee and so surprize thy Reason as to give it no respite to have recourse to such wonted wayes of devotion whereby it might suppresse these motions Then briefly make use of thy tongue and say No no I beleeve thee not I will none of thee I will never consent unto thee And so behave thy selfe in this exigent against thy inward foes as one would do being oppressed unawares with outward enemies For his sword prooving uselesse in his defence he strives to step backwards that so he may get ground and time both to draw his sword and also to drive his enemy away therewith And do thou in like sort O spirituall champion first give back thereby Then give back to gaine time and strength to gain time to think upon thy nothing and that of thy self thou canst never conquer thy cruell enemies And then buckling up thy self with hope and confidence in thy God who can do all things make a gallant assault upon thine enemy saying Lord help me O my God give succour to thy servant O Jesu O Mary the most worthy Mother of my Redeemer deliver me from this danger 4. But if thou hast time to breath And if thou hast time help thy selfe with consideration upon it then thou mayst support thy Will from consenting and yeilding by the succour of thy Understanding fetching strength from the Consideration of those means which may help her against her enemies As for example If a great and grievous Impatience hath laid hold on thee by reason of some accident or affliction in so much that it seems more than thou wilt or canst doe to beare or dissemble it any longer help thy selfe presently with these following thoughts 5. First whether or no thou hast First whether thou hast deserved this affliction any way deserved or given just occasion that this adversity should befall thee If so rest contented be no longer troubled for it is most just and equitable that thou patiently beare the blow given to thy selfe by If so rest contented thine owne hands But if not Then turne thine eyes to thy other sins If not think on thy former sinnes not yet fully punished for which neither thy loving Lord hath yet chastised thee as thou deservest nor thou afflicted thy selfe as thou oughtest And thence conclude Secondly That thy mâ—eke and mercifull mâ—ker hath exchanged either the eternall paine which thou shouâ—dst have endured in Hell-fire or else the temporall punishment due to thee in Purgatory into this easie and fatherly correction And what then is more reasonable than that thou embrace it not only with a willing mind but also with a gratefull acknowledgment for so bountifull a benefit Yea though they were yet selfe-denial and sufferance is the way to heaven 6. Thirdly But if
thou thinkest which God forbid thou shouldest that thou hast done sufficient penance for thy petty-offences then reflâ—ct with thy selfe that none can enter the heavenly Kingdome but they must passe through the narrow gate of selfe-deniall and of patience in tribulation for thus Gods holy Sonne himselfe and all his blessed Saints ascended to their glory 7. Fourthly Nay put case thou And if there were another way yet thy duty to God binds thee to chuse this couldst find out some other way to get to heaven yet thou art obliged by the law of love and duty not to doe nor desire it For the Sonne of God chose the way of thorns and crosses by which he would enter into his glory and this for thy love and that thou shouldst imitate him who left thee this exact pattern of perfect patience 8. Lastly know for certain that As being most gratefull and pleasing to his Majesty amongst all the pious motives and meditations which thou makest use of in these or the like events and necessities for the comfort and confirmation of thy Will this seems to be one of the most efficacious To think what a joy and content it is to thy Lord God how he likes and loves thee when he beholds thee fight so stoutly for his sake For nothing surely can be more gratefull to thy Creatour than that thou kill and cut up by the root all depraved desires and plant true vertues in their places and this meerely for that thou well knowest it to be his holy Will and pleasure CHAP. IX That we must not shun the occasions of these combats ANd now my dearly beloved 1. The way to get true vertue is not to avoid but to seek the occasions of combat I adde to all these meanes hitherto mentioned for the acquisition of vertues this as a short and certain memoriall That thou neither feare nor fly the offered occasions of fighting against thy passions For if thou art desirous to have the habit of any vertue as of Patience for example thy way is not to shut thy selfe up from conversing with men or to shun those things whether words actions or cogitations which move thee to Impatience No thou As for example to get Patience shun not the company must not shun them I say but seeke them out desire them and love their company and conversation who are the causes of this thy disquiet And as often as thou shalt have occasion of intercourse with them prepare thy selfe and make ready thy Will to receive joyfully and endure patiently all tribulations and troubles which they can any way bring upon thee And this is thy onely way to accustome thy selfe to Patience 2. In like manner If thou art Or the imployment which is tedious to thee weary of any work which growes tedious and troublesome unto thee either for that the person who commands it displeaseth thee or because it is of it selfe offensive or that thou art thereby hindred from some other employment which thou wouldst more willingly embrace yet omit it not upon any termes but rather set sooner upon that work than any other be it never so painfull or displeasing And although the leaving it undone seems to settle and quiet thy mind yet still see thou desist not from doing it For thus thou shalt become more and more instructed in the way to get perfect Patience Nor is that supposed quiet at all solid because it springs not from a heart sincerely purified from all disorderly passion 3. And I teach the same lesson And the same rule is to be applied to troublesome thoughts concerning such thoughts as sometimes trouble and contristate thy mind To wit that thy aime be not utterly to expell them but kindly to entertaine them and treat them as gratefull guests because the trouble of their company inures thee to the patient suffering of all contrarieties And whosoever shall otherwise instruct thee ô my bâ—loved commands thee to fly that very thing in affliction which thou seekest to obtaine by fighting that is the vertue which thou desirest to gaine by conquering thine enemies 4. But yet a young and unexperienced Yet a young Scholar must be wary in waging this war Soldier in this spirituall conflict must warily enter the list to wage this warre with wicked thoughts and therefore I counsell him sometimes to oppose them othertimes to exchange them for others according as he perceives this or that way best profits him in the acquisition of vertues but never so But never desert the field to fly from them and totally leave them as to seeke to be quit of all trouble and irksomenesse which thence ariseth For though by this flight he cuts off the occasion of impatience yet he gets no strength or constancy of heart against the next rising motions thereof 5. Whence it followes that if the same Sergeants of Impatience doe at â—or then he will stil be unprovided another time seize on him he is soone terrified and quickly conquered because he was unprovided of armes convenient for the combate that is he had not fortified his mind with customes counsells thoughts and resolutions to keepe perfect patience in all events of Adversity This way is usefull against all imperfections carnality onely excepted And this way of warring is very profitable not onely against Impatience but all other Imperfections the carnall still excepted whereof shall be hereafter treated CHAP. X. Of the Fight against suddaine temptations and passions HE that is not yet accustomed to receive suddaine adversities and troubles with a calme countenance and quiet mind may thus enure himselfe thereto Let him first diligently consider them with his Vnderstanding then earnestly desire them with his Will and finally always expect them with a ready resolute and prepared Minde 2. The manner to ponder such First thou art to ponder them in thy understanding And foresee what is like to befall thee adversities by the Understanding is this Mark thine owne state calling and condition as also the place and persons where and with whom thou art like daily to converse thus thou maist easily foresee what may probably befall thee and how thou must carry thy selfe and fortifie thy mind against any suddain surprisall of thy passions And if some accident not foreseen chance to happen then besides this former strength already gained by that first resolution to bear all crosse events with an evennesse of mind thou maist thus farther help thy selfe 3. When thou perceivest that thou But if some other crosse happens not foreseene fly to the thoughts of Gods love and providence art sleighted scorned or any way injured presently enforce thy mind towards thy Lord and maker and weigh his immense bounty and infinite love to thee from which thought it will forthwith occurre to thy understanding that he is the chief cause of this thy trouble and tribulation and that he expresly permits it to befall thee that thou maist
of my eye at each morsell I eat at each member I move and at each inward and outward action I undertake I may first ask thy leave and permission and so do it or leave it accordingly as thy holy inspiration answers and allows me O that I could perform each naturall and necessary work with an actual reflexion upon thy praise and pleasure and with a pure intention to be united to thee my Lord and my love Thy outward senses ô 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 sanctified 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 ô holy Jesu were harshly nailed to the tree of the Cross preserve mine I beseech thee from all sinfull touching 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 alwayes speak of thy love and only sing thy prayses Thy divine ears were filled 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 novsome potion of gall and vineger 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 ô gracious Jesu was martyred and murthered O grant that I may be truly and totally mortified Let me not see feel hear tast 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 divine will and pleasure 6. O mercifull 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 knowledge of thy 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 gav'st me to desire and love thee O my only Lord and love above all thy creatures be inslav'd to any inferiour affection Repair ô gracious Redeemer this lively image of the lovely Trinity which is almost defac'd by my brutish sensuality Grant O dear Saviour that my Understanding Will and Memory may be incessantly busied in knowing loving and remembring thee and that they may forget and forgo all other objects but only in thee and for thee 7. O that my heart were perfectly disingaged 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 here and hereafter O that my Memory were disincombred from all imaginations and purged from all impressions but of thee only Empty it ô thou only amiable object of my soul and then replenish it with such holy and heavenly notions as may best please thy divine Majesty O that my Vnderstanding were imbued with some measure of the knowledge of thy divinity O my Lord infinite in goodness dreadfull 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 Enter freely possesse all fully dispose universally and command absolutely Put me where thou wilt give me what thou wilt treat me as thou wilt Thine I am ô my Lord my love and my All for time and FOR FRIDAY Of Mortification and perfect Abnegation The Fifth Exercise 1. 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 thy blessed and beautifull order Thou ô Lord gav'st 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 willfully cross'd thy sacred design contradicted thy intention and swerv'd from this perfection My body is all brutish my soul all animall and my reason all sensuall I am all blindness self-love and immortification Yet I know well and thou O eternall 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 carnall 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 dismall sentence Depart from me thou accursed into eternall 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 thy perfect way that so I may happily come to thee the only true and eternall life and love of my soul 2. What dreadest thou O my fearful and faithless heart Behold Christ thy King and captain is march'd on before thee Take up thy Cross and travell after him he leads thee to a Kingdom heaven is worth thy pains O take courage to mortifie thy self deny thy self and die to thy self that thou mai'st live to Jesus and with Jesus eternally Learn O my soul this short