diuine light by which their vnderstandings had bene illustrated that Diuine loue by which their wills affections adhered continually to God they were rendred incapable either of contemplating God except onlie as a seuere Iudge auenger or consequently of affording him any degree of loue On the contrary both their minds and affections were only emploied on themselues or on creatures for their owne naturall carnall interests or pleasure this with such a violent obstinacy firmenes that it was impossible for them by any force left in corrupt nature to raise their loue tovvards God being once so impetuously precipitated from him tovvards themselues 5. All these miserable deprauations hauing bene caused in all the povvers and faculties of their soules by the forbidden fruit the which vtterly irreparably disordered that most healthfull exact temper of their bodily constitutions insomuch as the spirits humours c. which before did nothing at all hinder their exercisings operations tovvards God but did much promote them now did wholly dispose them to loue seeke themselues only with an vtter auersion from God the accomplishing of his diuine will all circumstant creatures instead of being stepps to raise them tovvards God on the contrary more and more seduced their affections from him raised all other inordinate passions displeasing to him Hereby in lieu of that peaceable and happie condition which they before enioyed in this world by a continuall vnion vvith God the vvhich vvas to be perfected eternally in the vvorld to come they became disquieted distracted and euen torne asunder vvith a multitude of passions and designes oft contrarie to one another but all of them much more opposite to God so that by falling from vnity to a miserable multiplicity and from peace to an endles warre they were therein captiued by the deuill readily yeilding to all his suggestions hatefull to hating God so contracted not only an vnauoydable necessity of a corporall death but also the guilt right to an eternall separation from God after death in that lake of fire brimstone burning for euer prepared for the deuill his Angells 6. Now the vvhole stocke of humane nature being thus totally vniuersally depraued in our first Parents it could not by any possible naturall meanes be auoyded but that all their Posterity should be equally infected poysoned with all these disorders all which were increased dayly heightned by ill education actuall Transgressions And consequently the same guilt both of temporall erernall death was with all transfused vpon them 7. But Allmighty God the father of mercies pittying his owne creatures thus ingulfed in vtter misery by the fault of Adam seduced by his our common Enemy did in his most vnspeakeable mercy freely vnasked prouide ordeine his owne coeternall Son to be a Sauiour vnto mankind who by his most bitter suffrings death redeemed vs from the guilt of eternall death by his glorious life resurrection hauing obteined a power of sending the holie ghost communicated to vs in his word sacraments c he hath rectified all these disorders shedding forth a new heauenly light to cure the blindnes of our vnderstandings diuine Charity in our hearts the which abateth that mordinate selfe-loue formerly reigning in vs herby he reinstates vs cooperating with his diuine grace perseuering therein to a new right vnto eternall happines perhaps more sublime then man in innocency was destind to 8. Notwhichstanding it was not the good will pleasure of God by this Reparation to restore vs to the same state of perfect holines wherein Adam liued in Paradice And this we ought to ascribe to his infinite wisedome also to his vnspeakable goodnes towards vs for certainly if we had bene once more left as Adam was in the free power of our owne wills that is in so casuall an estate as Adam was assisted fortified with no stronger an Ayde then the primitiue grace we should againe haue irreparably forfeyted all our happines plunged our selues far more deepely in endles misery 9. Therefore Allmightie God thought fit for our humiliation to keepe vs in continuall vigilance feare as also thereby dayly to refresh the memory of our primitiue guilt our thank fullnes for his inestimable goodnes to leaue vs in a necessitie of incurring temporall death which we are not now to looke on as a punishment of sin so much as a freedome from sin a Gate entrance to Eternall Glory Moreouer though by his grace he hath abolished the guilt of originall sin yet he hath suffred still to remaine in vs many bitter Effects of it the which shall neuer in this life be so wholly extinguished by grace or our holy endeauours but that some degrees of ignorance inclinations to that pernicious loue of our selues will remaine in vs. By which meanes we are preserued from our greatest enemie Pride also forced to a continuall watchfullnes combat against our selues our spirituall enemies allwaies distrusting our selues relying vpon the medicinall omnipotent regenerating grace of Christ far more helpfull to vs then the grace of innocency was in that it not only more powerfully inclines our wills conquers the actuall resistance of them by making them freely cooperate with it whensoever they doe cooperate for it takes not away our liberty to resist but like wise after it hath bene weakened by veniall sins extinguished by mortall it is againe againe renewed by the meanes of the sacraments prayer c 10. Our duty therefore in our present state the employment of our whole liues must be constantly feruently to cooperate with diuine grace thereby indeauouring not only to get victory ouer Selfe-loue Pride sensuality c by humility diuine loue all other vertues but also not to content our selues with any limited degrees of Piety holines but dayly to aspire according to our abilities assisted vvith grace by the same vvaies to the same Perfection for vvhich vve vvere first created vvhich vvas practised by Adam in Innocence to vvit an vtter extinguishing of Selfe-loue all affection to creatures except in order to God as they may be instrumentall to beget increase diuine loue in vs a continuall vninterrupted vnion in spirit vvith God by Faith contemplating him by Loue euer adhering to him 11. This I say is the duty indispensable obligation of all Christians of vvhat condition soeuer not only seriously to aspire to the diuine loue but also to the perfectiō thereof suitably to their seuerall states vocations for it is morally impossible for a soule to loue God as he ought to be loued that is as the only obiect of her loue as the only vniuersal End of her being life for the procuring of an inseparable vnion vvith whom for no other reason the use comfort of creatures was permitted giuen
of Confession although the correcting abating of them ought to be the obiect of our dayly care 3. I vvill endeauour to explaine my meaning more fully in this matter because it is the ground of the vvhole follovving discourse Wee must knovv then that the duty of a Christian much more of a soule that aspires to Perfection is to loue nothing at all but God or in order to him that is as a meane instrument to beget increase his Diuine loue in our soules All adhesion to creatures by affection vvhether such affection be great or small is accordingly sinfull more or lesse so that if being depriued of any thing or persons vvhatsoeuer or being pained by any thing vvee find a trouble sorrovv in our minds for the losse or suffring of the thing it selfe such trouble in vvhat degree soeuer argues that our affection vvas sinfull not only because the affection vvas excessiue but because it vvas an affection the obiect vvherof vvas not God 4. But yet withall this affection vvhich I say is vnlavvfull is not simply such an one as resides is confined to sensitiue nature for that is impossible to be rooted out neither is there any fault at all in it considered as such For to Adam in the state of Innocency yea euen to our Lord himselfe many obiects vvere pleasing delightfull to sense his fight tast tooke contentment in pleasurable obiects there vvas in nature an auersion from paine an earnest desire to prolong naturall life in all this there vvas not the least imperfection The Affectiōs to creatures therfore vvhich wee affirme to be sinfull are such as are seated in the superiour soule or rationall will by vvhich the mind vvill considers adheres vnto creatures knovvingly vvillingly pursues the attaining enioying of them as if they vvere the good not of sense only for so they are but of the person the vvhich indeed they are not for the only good of an Intellectuall nature is God vvho is only exalted aboue it vvhereas all other creatures are but equall or inferiour to it To the superiour vvill therfore all things but God must be indifferent as in for themselues only to be loued as they are seruiceable to the spirit So that if things vvhich are vnpleasant yea destructiue to inferiour nature doe yet aduance the spirit in her tendance to God or if by the vvill prouidence of God they are presented to her to suffer she must vvith all indifference resignation accept of them though sensitiue nature doe neuer so much struggle contradict 5. A most perfect Example herof is giuen by our Sauiour the vvhich vvee are obliged to the vtmost of our capacity enablement to imitate Though sensitiue nature in him tooke contentment in life in the Actions functions therof aboue all things did abhorre a dissolution by death especially such a death accompanied vvith such inexpressible torments shame And though for our instruction he voluntarily gaue way to Inferiour nature to expresse such her innocent inclinanation auersion yet vvhen the vvill of his Father opposed it selfe presēted him a cup in the highest degree mortall to nature all the inclinations therof he most vvillingly quietly chearfully accepted it then subduing all reluctances in nature The vvhich reluctances in him vvere to the thing it selfe considered in it selfe not at all to the dictates of the Superiour soule the vvhich had so absolute a dominion ouer sensitiue nature that it neuer opposed it selfe or expressed the least vnvvillingnes to conforme it selfe to the dictates of reason though vvith its ovvne destruction 6. Wheras therfore there are continually presented to our outvvard invvard senses infinite obiects pleasing displeasing to them And that the functions of of life vvhich vvee are bound to preserue cannot be exercised vvithout admitting the vse of many things delightfull to sensitiue nature meates drinkes Recreatiue conuersatious relaxations of mind c vvee are to consider resolue that none of these things pleasing to the appetite are giuen to be possessed vvith any affection at all or fruition but the mere simple vse of them is allovved vs for the good of the soule the contentment that the appetite naturally takes in them is no further nor vvith other intention to be admitted then in as much as therby the spirit or rationall vvill is or may be enabled more chearfully to pursue its supreme Good And vvith this end intention to admit sometimes vvith caution discretion of moderate cōforts contentments to Inferiour nature is not in it selfe at all vnlavvfull on the contrary it is fitting requisite necessary 7. But vvithall considering the most miserable and inexpressible corruption of our nature the violent adhesion of our Appetites to sensually pleasing obiects the vncertaine weake Dominion that the superiour faculties of the soule haue ouer sensitiue Nature it is our duty obligation not only to be watchfull ouer the sensitiue Appetite that it doe not vvith too much greedines pursue the contentments proper and necessary to it But also as much as may be to abridge the number of them making as fevv necessary as may be not suffring it to accept all the lawfull contentments offred to it yea oft to restraine contradict the inclinations of it In a vvord to vse all the industry vvee can not to suffer it to run on blindly before or vvithout the conduct of reason to things pleasing to it vvhen vvee perceiue it does so to call it back hovveuer not to suffer reason to fauour it and ioyne vvith it in its desires but to reserue all our rationall inclinations and affections to God only 8. For the case vvith vs is far different from that it vvas vvith Adam during his state of Innocency For then it vvas no inconuenience but rather perhaps a helpe to him freely to make vse of the pleasures afforded him in Paradise Because though sensuall pleasures vvere to him considering the exquisitnes of his temper far more pleasurable then they can be to vs yet his appetite did not so much as desire or vvish the least excesse And his spirit vvas so replenished vvith Diuine loue that by admitting of such innocent satisfactions to nature it rather encreased then diminished or interrupted its feruour in tending to God and expressing its gratitude loue obedience to him vvhereas wee find all the contrary effects therfore must take a quite contrary course 9. This is the ground of Mortification so proper necessary in a spirituall life And these are the veniall sins or imperfections that vvee are continually to combat against In this poynt of Distinction betwene the vsing of creatures for the good of the spirit and the enioying of creatures for the pleasure of sense vvithout regard to the soules good aduancement lies the difference betvveene the children of God the children of Belial Yea in
impure Delectations Chastity Against the pleasures of Tast Temperance Against excessiue though not vncleane Loue to persons freinds c. the Loue of God and spirituall things c. But my purpose here is only to treate of that vniuersall Vertue vvhich is the Cure of all inordinate Loues to vvit the Loue of God and in him and for his sake only of our Brethren and of Purity of Intention vvhich in substance are the same And because the Tentations about Tast are such as adhere to the most spirituall Persons dayly and vnauoidably assalting them I vvill adde some Instructions about our behauiour in Refection 2. The next Passion is Anger Some instead herof doe put in Hope But hovvsoeuer for our present purpose the Passion of Anger deserues more to be considered by vs for Hope may be referd to Desire or Loue. Novv the Remedy or Mortification proper against Anger is the vertue of Patience 3. The third Passion in sensitiue Nature is Feare 4. And the fourth is Sorrow And because it is not needfull as to our present purpose to diuide these two since among Internall Liuers it is Feare that is the most tormenting Passion and that vvhich causes Excesse of Sorrow Therfore the same Remedies vvill serue to cure both for vvhich purpose I vvill discourse largely concerning Scrupulosity the Causes Remedies of it c. 3. In the next place as to the Superiour Portion of the Rationall Soule besides the same Affections of Loue Anger Feare and Sorrow vvhich in the Inferiour Soule are called Passions and hauing the same Obiects c. are to be comprised in them there are more particularly two distempers in the Will to vvit Pride or Selfe-esteeme the Remedy wherof is Humility And next Obstinacy and a violent retaining of Liberty to vvhich the proper Remedy opposed is Obedience As for a loue of superfluous Knovvledge or Curiosity enough hath bene said touching the mortifying of it vvhere vvee treated of the regulating of the Studies of Religious Persons 4. In this Order therfore I vvill novv treate of the Passions or Affections to be mortified and the manner hovv to doe it by the Vertues opposed Beginning with the Sensitiue Passions and so proceeding to the speciall inordinate Affections in the Will First therfore of Inordinate Loue either to Persons or things and the Remedy of it vvhich is Diuine Charity CHAP. II. § 1. Loue is the Roote of all other Passions § 2. The wonderfull deprauednes of our Naturall Loue. § 3. The only vniuersall Remedy is Charity or Diuine Loue. § 4. 5. Of the distinction of Loue into 1. A loue of Desire or Concupiscence 2. a loue of Freindship The which are neuer separated 1. THE Principle of all our Actions both Externall and Internall and that vvhich both begets and sets on vvorke all other Passions is only Loue that is an Internall Complacence and Inclination to an obiect from the Goodnes or Beauty that is beleiued to be in it The vvhich Obiect if it be absent the first effect of Loue is Desire or tendance to it But if it be present then the Effect of Loue is Ioy Rest Fruition of it Not only Greife and Anger c. but euen Hatred it selfe is set on vvorke by Loue For therfore a Person is angry discontented or displeased because something comes in the vvay hindring him from vvhat he Loues Therfore he labours and vvorkes all that he does vvorke So that accordingly as Loue is regulated and placed vpon a vvorthy or vnvvorthy Obiect so is the vvhole Person disposed according to that saying of S. Augustin Non faciunt bonos vel malos mores nisi boni vel mali amores that is It is only a good or ill Loue that makes our Actions and Conditions to be good or ill 2. Hence vvill appeare hovv inexpressibly depraued both our Nature and all our Actions outvvard and invvard must be since vvheras wee were created only to loue and enioy God yet vvee loue and seeke nothing but our selues Our sensitiue Affections are caried to nothing but vvhat is pleasing to sensuality And our Spirituall Affections to nothing but Propriety Liberty Independence Selfe-esteeme Selfe-iudgment Selfe-will to those things only that doe nourish such depraued Affections By this meanes vvee are quite diuerted from our last End and Felicity Euery thought that naturally vvee thinke euery vvord vvee speake euery Action vvee doe caries vs further from God our only last End and Perfection And consequently nothing can vvee reape from them but encrease in Misery 3. Novv the only possible Remedy for this horrible and vniuersall deordination in vs proceeding from the only Roote of Selfe loue is to haue a new contrary Diuine Principle imprinted in our Hearts by vvhich vvee should be auerted from the falsely seeming Happines that Selfe loue promises vs in Creatures and conuerted to our first and only End which is God And this can be no other but Diuine Loue or Charity shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost This Charity is an vniuersall Cure of all our disorders producing the like Effects in us vvith respect to our true End that Selfe-loue did to a false End It raises and emploies vvhen need is all other Passions Anger against our ovvne negligence ingratitude c. Hatred against the Deuill and sin that hinder our Conuersion to God c. And it is the roote of all our good Actions for giuing vs an Inclination desire tendance to Vnion vvith God from thence it is that vvee regulate direct all our Actions to him Herupon S. Paul ascribes to Charity the Acts of all other vertues Charity saith he is patient it is kinde long suffering it doeth nothing vnseemely it reioyceth in the Truth c. 4. Novv to the End vvee may haue a distinct and cleare Notion of the Nature of true Charity vvhich is one and the Noblest Species of Loue Wee may take notice that in generall Loue regards 1. Either a thing that wee desire to be possessed of or to procure for our selues or some other that wee loue as Pleasure Proffit Honour Knovvledge c. 2. Or else a Person either our selues or any other to whom vvee beare an Affection and to whom wee vvish any good thing The former of these tvvo Loues is called a Loue of desire The latter a Loue of freindâ—hip The difference betvveene these tvvo is this That vvhen vvee loue any thing distinct from our selues or the Person of our freind our loue does not rest in the thing but in the Person for it is not the thing is loued but only for the Persons sake in vvhom Loue is finally terminated and to vvhom that thing is loued and sought So that vvheÌ„ vvee seeke pleasure and riches c. to our selues the loue that vvee beare vnto them is indeed selfe-loue because it is only for out ovvne sakes that vvee loue them to giue Satisfaction to our Naturall desires Yea vvhen vvee loue a Person only for Sensuall
Marke and for this reason before I begin any worke I doe seriously offer it to God begging his assistance 22. Actiue liuers had neede in almost all their Actions of moment to frame an Actuall Intention but not so the Contemplatiue vvho are alvvaies habitually vnited to God For such iterations of Actuall intention vvould cause too much distraction to them 23. To Conclude hovv difficult and vneasy soeuer to Nature the attaining to Purity of Intention be because therby the very Soule of Corrupt Nature vvhich is Propriety is rooted out Yet since it is absolutly necessary in an Internall life therfore considering Gods promise that he neuer vvill be vvanting to our Endeauours Soules of good vvills vvill find it neither impossible nor of so great Difficulty as at first it appeared if they vvill attempt it vvith a strong Resolution To quicken fortifie vvhich Resolution I vvill end this Discourse vvith that peircing saying of Harphius O how great and hidden deceits of Corrupt Nature will appeare saith he and be discouered and consequently be seuerely punished after this life for that Soules haue not here bene purified and made Deiforme in their Intentions God Almighty giue vs the grace to discouer novv and reforme this perillous and secret selfe-seeking of Nature to the Glory of his Holy Name AMEN CHAP. V. § 1. 2. Of the Louing of God in our selues other Creatures And how the loue to our selues is to be Ordered § 3. Euen that loue which is Duty in Heaâ—hens c. is defectuous § 4. Wee can not loue others truly meritoriously till wee first loue God § 5. 6. 7. All Affections not proceeding from Charity are to be mortified § 8. All Intellectuall Creatures are the Obiects of our Charity except the damned Soules Deuills § 9. Of the Order of Charity § 10. 11. 12 13. 14. Those are most to be loued euen aboue our selues whom God loues most Yet certaine Duties proceeding from loue as Honour Sustenance Almes c. are first to be extended to Parents Freinds c and specially to our Selues § 15. 16. 17. Further Proofes of this § 18. Whether Beauty c. may be a Motiue of Loue. § 19. 20. 21. 22. Of loue extended to Enemies Who are esteemed Enemies § 23. Great Grace required to practise this Duty aright § 24. 25. Degrees of loue to supposed Enemies And the fruits therof § 26 Of a Speciall kind of loue called Philadelphia or loue of the Fraternity of Beleiuing Holy Christian Catholicks 1. BEFORE Wee end the Subiect of Diuine Loue something is to be said of Loue to our Selues our Neighbours in and for God For as for the loue vvhich out of God vvee beare to our Selues or any others it is not vvorth the treating of as being altogether defectuous and grounded in Nature And the more vehement it is the more defectuous is it 2. The right Ordring therfore of Our loue to our Selues and our Brethren consists in this 1. That the Motiue of our loue must be the Diuine vvill Command 2. The ground therof must be the relation in vvhich vvee stand to God as capable of the Communication of Diuine Graces and Beatitude 3. The End must be to bring our Selues and others either by our Endeauours Exhortaions c. or by our Praiers to God that he may be loued Glorified by vs in the doing of vvhich consists our Perfection Happines 4. Lastly the subiect of this Loue must be the Superiour vvill especially As for tendernesse of nature distracting sollicitudes vnquiet images in the minde touching those vvee loue the best safest course vvould be to mortify diminish them as much as may be as proceeding from a naturall sensuall affection the vvhich as far as it does not flovv from the Superiour soule is not subordinate directed to the loue of God is defectuous 3. Hence appeares First That affections in Persons that are strangers from the true Faith are full of defectuousnesse in all the particular respects before mentioned For though for example the loue vvhich Children ovve to their Parents the affections mutually due betvveene Husbands Wiues c be for the substance according to the Law of Nature right reason consequently so far conformable to the Diuine Will so that the vvant or refusall of such loue the neglect of the Duties Offices required by such relations is a great sin yet there can bâ— no merit either in such loue or the effects of it by reason that it is neither from the Motiue of Diuine Charity nor directed to the Glorifying of God by perfect loue from vvhich all merit proceedeth 4. Secondly it followes from hence that vvee can neither meritoriously loue our selues nor our Brethren till first vvee are firmely rooted in the loue of God because Charity to our selues or others is indeed only loue to God by Reflection or the louing of God in things belonging to him vvhich he either loues or may loue 5. Therfore an Internall liuer ought to mortify all sensuall affection to creatures I meane all particular freindships intimacies vvhich are not grounded vpon the necessary foundation of the Diuine Loue And as for such affections as are necessarily due by vertue of some respects relations that God has put betvveene our selues any others such an one ought as much as may be to roote them out of the sensuall portion of the soule because there they vvill cause great distractions hindrances of our most necessary loue to God 6. A serious care to practise according to this Aduice is very necessary especially in Religious CoÌ„munities both for our ovvne good others For besides that sensuall freindships grounded on externall or sensuall respects are most vnbeseeming Persons that haue consecrated themselues only to God infinitly preiudiciall to abstraction recollectednes of mind much more if they be betweene Persons of different sexes such particular intimatcies cannot chuse but cause particulities factions particular designes c to the great disturbance harme of the Community 7. The least defectuous amongst the grounds of a particular friendship may be the resentment gratitude for benefits especially spirituall ones that haue ben receiued But yet euen in this case also vvee ought to preuent the settling of amity in the sensuall part of the soule content our selues vvith requiting such obligations by our Prayers or by a returne of proportionable benefits 8. Novv Charity is to be extended to all Intellectuall Creatures that is to all Angells all men vvhether aliue or dead except only the reprobate Angells damned soules which are not obiects of our Charity in as much as they are not capable of enioying God vvhich is the ground of Charity And the effects of our Charity to the glorified Saints Angells must be a congratulation vvith them for their happines for the loue vvhich they beare to God vvhich God vvill eternally beare reciprocally to them
the Exercise of Diuine Loue vvhich is most perfectly performed in Internall Prayer in Attention to and Vnion with God in Spirit What an Expert persvvading Subtile Maister Loue is beyond Study or Consideration vvee see euen in Naturall and Secular businesses One that is immersed in Sensuall Loue to any person has no neede of Instructions or Bookes to teach him the Art of Louing wee see hovv skillfull on the sudden such an one becomes in the vvayes hovv to please the person beloued Hee looses not neither out of ignorance nor negligence the least opportunity to ingratiate himselfe He vnderstands the mind and intention of the other by the least signes The Motion of a hand the cast of an eye is sufficient to informe him and set him on vvorke to attempt any thing or procure any thing that may content the party The like subtilty and perspicacy vvee may see in those Earthy soules vvhich cleaue vvith an earnest affection vnto Riches What subtile vvaies doe they find out to encrease their wealth Such trifling inconsiderable things they make vse of for that purpose as another vvould not take notice of or could not see hovv to make proffit by them They haue almost a Propheticall Spirit to foresee dangers vvhere none are and aduantages probable or possible to happen many yeares after 17. Now how comes it to passe that the Eyes of Loue are so quicke-sighted Surely by this That vvhere Loue to any particular Obiect is predominant it subdues all other Affections to all other Obiects vvhich vvould distract the thoughts and seduce the vvill from contemplating and adhering to the thing so beloued 18. Vpon such grounds therefore as these it is that S. Augustin calls Diuine Loue Luminosissimam Charitatem most full of Light and most enlightning For a soule that truly loues God vvith a Loue worthy of him hauing the Mind cleared from all strange Images and the Will purified from all strange Affections is therby enabled purely to Contemplate God vvithout any distraction at all And being desirous in all things to please him knovves hovv to make aduantage of all occurrences Light and Darknes Consolations and Desolations Paines and Pleasures all these contribute to the aduancing of this Loue. Yea there is nothing so indifferent or in its ovvne nature so inconsiderable but that such a soule can perceiue hovv vse may be made of it to please God thereby 19. Novv since Pure Loue is exercised immediatly to God only in Pure Praier by vvhich alone the Spirit is vnited to him Hence it is that Praier is the only efficacious Instrument to obtaine Supernaturall Light according the saying of Dauid Accedite ad Deum illuminamini Approach vnto God by Praier and yee shall be enlightned And hence also it is that the same Holy Prophet so earnestly and frequently aboue tvventy times in one Psalme 118. praies for such light to vnderstand and discouer the vvonderfull things of Gods Law And vvhat vvere those wonderfull things Surely not to be informed that Murder or Adultery vvere Sins or generally that God vvas to be loued vvith the vvhole soule For much more knovvledge he had then this before he praied But being desirous to giue himselfe vvholly to God and to performe his vvill alone in all things he so oft makes vse of Praier for the obtaining an extraordinary Light to be had no other vvaies but by Praier that he might thereby be enabled to discouer and find out the Diuine Will in all manner of cases and doubtfull circumstances 20. Novv only such Inspirations and such Illuminations as these doe Spirituall Persons pretend to by the meane of Praier and attending to God And if they doe exercise Praier vvith a due feruour and constancy these they shall most certainly enioy and that in such a measure that vvheras the greatest part of ordinary good Christians are so dimme-sighted as to see the Diuine Will only in circumstances vvhere there is a necessary obligation so that they spend the far greatest part of their liues in Actions that doe no vvay aduance them in Diuine Loue being vvrought cheifly in Vertue of the Principle of selfe-Loue and interests of nature Those that are perfectly internall liuers being clovvded by no vaine Images and distracted by no inferiour Affections doe see the Diuine Will clearely in the minutest affaires vvhich they accordingly make aduantage by to improue themselues in the Loue of God And according to the degrees of Loue so proportionably are the degrees of Light And thus I suppose the pretended Inconueniences suspected to flovv from the publishing of this doctrine vvill appeare to be only pretended and causelesly feared 21. But the other Obiection at the first sight seemes more considerable as implying a far greater and more certaine Inconuenience and danger that may ensue vpon the publishing of this Doctrine concerning Diuine Inspirations Illuminations and Calls For thus they argue It is to be feared that the fanatick Sectaries which now swarme in England more then euer will be ready to take aduantage from hence to iustify all their frenzies and disorders all which they impute with all confidence to Diuine Inspirations Illuminations and Impulses For can wee forbid them to practise what wee our selues teach to be a Christian Duty And yet it is apparent what fearfull and execrable effects the practise of this pretended Duty doth produce among them It was by Inspiration say they that their Progenitours did breake out of the Church and by Inspiration they doe still introduce endlessely new Fancies and practises It is by Inspiration that they endanger the ruine of Christianity it selfe by infinite Schismes and pestilent Reformations It is by Inspiration that they employ the Gospell to destroy the Gospell from thence preaching Heresies in Churches and Chambers Sedition in States Rebellion against Princes and Prelates So destroying all Order Vnity and Peace euery where These things considered what can be more reasonable then that wee should take heed how wee furnish them thus with armes to maintaine themselues and to fight against God his Church 22. This is the Obiection Which though it haue a fearfull shevv yet being vvell examined it vvill proue no lesse vveakely grounded then the former For the demonstrating therfore of the inconsequence of it I vvill by vvay of Preparation lay dovvne these follovving vndenyable Principles breifly mentioned before viz. 23. First That Diuine Inspirations are so absolutely necessary in Precepts for the auoiding of sin and in Counsells for the gaining of Perfection that vvithout them no Action of ours can be good or meritorious Yea the Dutyes of Obligation vvhich vvee performe or Counsells of Perfection freely obeyed by vs are only so far acceptable to God as they proceede from his Inspirations and motions of his Holy Spirit This is not only an vndoubted verity but one of the most fundamentall Verities of Christian Religion vvhich attributes all good in vs to the Diuine Grace And what is Grace but the Diuine inspiration of
though in themselues veniall yet doe much obscure the Diuine light vveaken its efficacy Yea euen in those things vvherein such imperfect soules doe for the substance of the Action its essentialls follovv the direction of Gods Spirit yet by mixing of sensuall Interests ends suggested by the false teacher they doe diminish its luster beauty valevv And so subtile is the spirit of nature that it oft makes its false suggestions passe for Diuine Inspirations seldome misses the insinuating its poyson in some degree either into the beginning or continuation of our best actions 5. From these vnquestionable grounds thus truly layd it follovves euidently That in all good Actions especially in the Internall wayes of the spirit which conduct to Contemplation Perfection God alone is our only maister directour creatures vven he is pleased to vse them are only his Instruments So that all other teachers vvhatsoeuer vvhether the light of reason or externall Directours or Rules prescribed in bookes c are no further nor othervvise to be follovved or hearkened to then as they are subordinate conformable to the Internall Directions Inspirations of Gods Holy spirit or as God inuites Instructs moues vs to haue recourse vnto them by them to be informed in his vvill by him enabled to performe it And that if they be made vse of any other vvayes they vvill certainly misleade vs. 5. This is by all Mysticall vvriters acknovvledged so fundamentall a truth that vvithout acknovvledging it vvorking according to it it is in vaine to enter into the exercises of an Internall Contemplatiue life So that to say as too commonlie it is said by Authours vvho pretend to be spirituall but haue no tast of these mystike matters Take all your Instructions from vvithout from Externall teachers or bookes is all one as to say haue nothing at all to doe vvith the vvayes of Contemplation vvhich can be taught by no other but God or by those vvhom God specially instructs appoynts determinately for the Disciples present exigence So that it is God only that internally teaches both the Teacher Disciple his inspirations are the only lesson for both All our light therfore is from Diuine Illumination all our strength as to these things is from the Diuine operation of the Holy Ghost on our vvills affections 7. Novv to the end that this so important a verity may more distinctly be declared more firmely imprinted in the minds of all those that desire to be Gods schollers in the internall vvaies of his Diuine loue they are to take notice that the Inspirations vvhich are here acknovvledged to be the only safe rule of all our actions though of the same nature yet doe extend further to more other particular obiects then the Diuine light or Grace by vvhich good Christians liuing common liues in the vvorld are lead extends to yea then it does euen in those that seeke perfectiō by the exercises of an Actiue life 8. The light vertue of Common Grace affords generally to all good Christians that seriously indeauour to saue their soules such Internall Illuminations motions as are sufficient to direct them for the resisting of any sinfull tentation or to performe any necessary act of vertue in circumstances vvherin they are obliged though this Direction be oft obeyd vvith many circumstantiall defects And their Actions are so far no further meritorious pleasing to God then as they proceed from such Internall Grace or inspiration But as for other Actions vvhich in their ovvne nature are not absolutly of necessary obligation the vvhich notvvithstanding might be made Instrumentall to the aduancing perfecting of holines in their soules such as are the ordinary vsually esteemed Indifferent Actions of their liues to a due improouement of such Actions they haue neither the light nor the strength or very seldome by reason that they liue distracted liues not vsing such solitude recollection as are necessary for the disposing of soules to the receiuing such an extraordinary light vertue And as for those that tend to Perfection by Actiue exercises euen the more perfect although they atteine therby a far greater measure of light grace by vvhich they performe their necessary duties of holines more perfectly vvith a more pure Intention likeevvise make far greater benefit for their aduancement by Actions occurrences more indifferent yet they also for vvant of habituall Introuersion recollectednes of mind doe passe ouer vvithout benefit the greatest part of their ordinary actions 9. But as for Contemplatiue liuers those I meane that haue made a sufficient progres tovvards Perfection besides the cōmon grace light or Inspirations necessary for a due performance of essentiall Duties the vvhich they enioy in a far more sublime manner degree so as to purify their actions from a vvorld of secret impurities subtle mixture of the Interests ends of corrupt nature inuisible to all other soules Besides this light I say vvhich is presupposed prerequired they vvalke in a continuall supernaturall light are guided by assiduous Inspirations in regard of their most ordinary in themselues indifferent Actions occurrences in all vvhich they clearly see hovv they are to be haue themselues so as to doe vvill of God by them also to improoue themselues in the Diuine loue the vvhich extraordinary light is communicated vnto them only by vertue of their almost continuall Recollectednes Introuersion attention to God in their spirits 11. More particularly by this Internall diuine light an Internall liuer is or may be directed 1. In the manner circumstances vvhen vvhere hovv any vertue may most proffitably perfectly be exercised For as for the substantiall Act of such a vertue the necessary obliging circumstances in vvhich it cannot vvith out mortall sin be omitted the light of common sanctifying Grace vvill suffise to direct 2. In the manner frequency length change other circumstances of Internall prayer 3. In Actions or omissions vvhich absolutely considered may seeme in themselues Indifferent at the present there may be as to ordinary light an vncertainty vvhether the doing or omission is the more perfect This is discouered to the soule by these Supernaturall Inspirations light such Actions or Omissions are for example Reading study of such or such matters vvalking conuersing staying in or quitting solitude in ones Cell taking a iourney vndertaking or refusing an employment accepting or refusing Inuitations c In all vvhich things well-minded soules by solitude introuersion disposing themselues will not faile to haue a supernaturall light impulse communicated to them which will enable them to make choyce of that side of the doubt vvhich if they correspond therto vvill most aduance them in spirit suite vvith the Diuine vvill Whereas vvithout such light generally soules are directed by an obscure light impulse of nature carnall ends or Interests vvithout
that so much talked of spirit of an Order nor hovv seuerall Orders though neuer so much distinguished by habits or certaine externall practises if their profession be to tend to Contemplation can haue any more then one spirit vvhich directs them to make their principall designe to be the seeking of God in his Internall vvayes of Diuine loue for that only end besides conformable Prayer to practise such obseruances mortifications as vvill best promote this designe And surely this good spirit of Religion contemplation a good Directour of vvhat Profession soeuer vvill very studiously endeauour to aduance yea moreouer vvill no doubt oblige his Disciples to be very Regular zealous in the obseruance of all good ordinances of the Community principally of the Rule according to their professioÌ„ made Instructing them vvithall hovv they may vse such things for the aduancing of their spirit the seruice of God although in the meane time perhaps he be not cunning in all the particular Obseruances that belong to them and little or nothing at all to him 17. All soules that liue in Contemplatiue Orders are nor naturally fitted for Contemplatiue vvayes nor the seeking of God in spirit Those therfore that haue not indeed are not capable of much light in their Interiour and so are not so fit to be guided by Diuine Inspirations doe the more need to haue certeine Rules from vvithout at least for the exteriour And for such it is Gods vvill and direction that they should more depend on Externall Guides 18. He that takes vpon him the office of a spirituall Directour saith Thauâ—erus ought for some reasonable space of time to conuerse vvith his Disciples especially at the beginning for a fevv transitory Conferences vvill not suffise to giue him light concerning their propensions dispositions that he may fit them vvith a degree of Prayer proper for them both for the present future And his principall care must be to set them in such a way as that they may not need to haue much recourse vnto him aftervvard the vvhich is done by giuing them generall Directions about their prayer especially how therby to dispose themselues to receiue light from God whose InspiratioÌ„s ought for the future to â—e their principall Rule especially for the Interiour And for the practising in particular according to the generall Directions giuen the Disciples must vse their ovvne iudgment for a helpe they may also make vse of such Instructions as they may find in bookes so far as they shall be proper for their spirit But in cases when neither their owne Iudgment nor bookes will helpe them if the difficulty be of greater moment they may againe haue recourse vnto their Directour 19. And in this sort are writers that speake much of the necessity of an Externall Directour to be vnderstood For if such necessity were to last alwaies good soules should be obliged to spend their whole liues in conferring with Directours from whence vvould follovv continuall sollicitudes scrupulosities dangerous distractions c. most contrary to an Internall spirituall life vvhich ought to be a state of much repose cessation introuersion a continuall attendance vnto vvhat God speakes vvithin vnto a soule who if soules vvill humbly faithfully depend on him vvill cleare resolue difficulties vvhich Externall maisters vvill neuer be able to penetrate into But it is too generall an humour in Directours novv adaies to make themselues seeme necessary vnto their disciples vvhom hey endeauour to keepe in a continuall dependance to the great preiudice of their progres in spirit besides many other inconueniences not needfull to be mentioned particularly 20. A soule thar has recourse to an Instructour prouided by God for her or that vsing her best aduice she hath made choyce of must deale freely plainly candidly vvith him conceiling nothing necessary to be knovvne by him his Directions she must follovv in all things assuring herselfe that if she doe so in the simplicity of her heart as in obedience to God himselfe God vvill enlighten him so that she shall not be mislead 21. The gift of discerning spirits is so necessary to a spirituall Guide that except therby he be able to fit a soule vvith a sort degree of prayer suitable to her naturall disposition not tying all soules to begin according to any generall methods for none such can be perscribed but vvill be preiudiciall to some vnlesse he teach her hovv she may become illuminated vvithout him by God alone by the meanes of Prayer abstraction of life vvhervvith the mists of Images passions being dispelled a light vvill spring forth in the soule far more cleare certeine then any that can come from humane instructions not all the Instructions of men Angells ioyned vvith all mortifications imaginable vvill be able to bring a soule to Contemplation For seldome or neuer doth God vvorke contrary to our naturall complexions And till soules come to exercises in spirit prayer infused by God alone they are far from Contemplation 22. Novv at the first it is very hard for any Directour to knovv exactly the secret Inclinations of imperfect soules vvhich are so infinitly various And therfore for the most part their Instructions about prayer attendaÌ„ce to Diuine Inspirations must be generall the vvhich the disciples themselues must make a particular vse of by obseruing their ovvne abilities inclinations by marking vvhat more particular formes of Prayer c. suite best vvith them doe them most good And this if they be not able in a reasonable manner to doe or if they haue not the courage to abide in a vvay in vvhich they are put it vvill be in vaine for them to proceede in those secret Internall vvayes 23. If the vvay vvherein a soule is put hath made a reasonable progres be indeed proper for her there vvill be little need of frequent recourse vnto her Directour Neither ought he to examine her about her Internall Exercises of vvhich he may iudge vvell enough by her externall comportment for it is impossible for a soule to be in a vvrong vvay interiourly but of it selfe it vvill breake out exteriourly especially to the eyes of those vvho themselues are in a right vvay as the Spirituall Directour is supposed to be And there is scarce any more certeine signe that a soule is not interiourly in a good vvay then is her being forvvard to trouble her Directour vvith multiplicity of Questions doubts her readines to discouer her Interiour to others vvhom she has heard or does beleiue to be skilfull in Spirituality 24. The Images internall Distractions raised by impertinent consultations about the Interiour are of all other most pernicious For distractions from vvithout are but superficiall vvhereas those being hatched bred vvithin the soule from some secret ill qualities as feare scrupulosity curiosity c. they are more profound destructiue to true Recollection
spirituall Authours intending to recommend certeine Duties necessary to be practised for as much as concernes the substance of the Duties as an entire selfe-abnegation Purity of intention c. they doe vrge the said duties in the greatest perfection vniuersally vpoÌ„ all vvith such phrases of absolute necessity as if vpon any defect in practising that vertue so by them extended to the full to the end to preuent all the most secret vvayes shifts in vvhich nature is apt to seeke her ovvne satisfaction all the vvhole designe of an Internall life vvere ruined they doe by this ouermuch exactnes care instead of exciting the courage of their Readers to the serious practise of so necessary a Duty quite dishearten them yea perhaps they make them suspect the state of their soules vvho being conscious of their present infirmity imperfections loose all heart to aduenture vpon an attempt so vnproportionable to their vveake abilities Wheras if Instructions had bene tempered vvith regard to the capacity of each practiser they vvould haue gone on vvith courage good successe 13. Voluntary Reading must giue place to Prayer vvhensoeuer the soule finds herselfe inuited therto 14. The vertue of Mortification may sometimes ought to be practised in Reading in this manner When any booke or subiect is very gustfull to a soule she must be vvatchfull ouer herselfe not to povvre herselfe vvholly vpon it vvith an intemperate greedines nor to let curiosity or delight too much possesse her but let her novv then stop the pursuit of reading lifting vp her mind by interruptions to God afterwards continue at least in a vertuall attention to him so mortifying qualifying the impetuosity of nature And by no meanes let her giue way to an vnwillingnes to quitt Reading for performing her appoynted Recollections or other exercises of obligation 15. To conclude whosoeuer in Reading c. doth not cheifly obserue his owne spirit Diuine Call makes not the bookes sayings examples of others to serue the said spirit Call but on the contrary makes the diuine Inspirations subiect to bookes c it were better for him neuer to read such bookes or receiue humane Instructions but that he should cleaue only to God who in case of necessity vvill most assuredly supply all other wants defects 16. And the same Liberty that I haue recommended to soules in the Reading of other bookes I aduise them to vse in these instructions also that is to apply to their owne practise only such Directions as their spirituall Instructour and their owne experience reason enlightned by Grace shall shevv them to be proper for them Indeed in all this booke I knovv scarse any one Aduice vvhich I can confidently say to be properly belonging to all soules that leade an Internall life generally except this That they who aspire to perfection in Contemplation must not content themselues nor rest finally in any inferiour degree of Prayer but following the Diuine light inuitation without obliging themselues to any formes or methods they must from the lowest degree of Internall Prayer which is ordinarily Meditation proceed to a more sublime Prayer of immediate Affections Acts of the will from thence ascend to the Infused Prayer of Aspirations 17. Yea I dare vvith all confidence pronounce That if all spirituall bookes in the world were lost there were no externall Directours at all yet if a soule sufficiently instructed in the essentiall grounds of Catholick Faith that has a naturall aptnes though otherwise neuer so simple vnlearned being only thus farre well instructed at first will prosecute Prayer Abstraction of life will resignedly vndergoe such necessary Mortifications as God shall prouide for her obseruing God his Call exteriourly interiourly so forsake herselfe propose Almighty God his will Loue honour for her finall Intention the which she wiâ—l certeinly doe if she attend vnto his Inspirations Such a soule would walke clearly in perfect light with all possible security would not faile in due time to arriue at Perfect Contemplation These are the tvvo externall meanes by vvhich God teaches soules discouering to them his vvill to vvit Instructours and Bookes And to these vve might adde another to vvit Lawes precepts of Superiours for God teaches vs also this vvay neuer commands contrarily But of these vve shall speake herafter CAP. IV. § 1. Of the 3. most principall way by which God teaches internall liuers viz. Immediate Diuine Inspirations The Order of particular considerations followingt â—ouching them § 2. First of the necessity of them the ground of such necessity § 3. 4. 5. 6. The said necessity proued by the testimony of S. Benedict in his Rule c. as also by his example § 7. A further demonstration of the said necessity 1. THE third forementioned of all other the most principall Meane by vvhich God instructs directs Internall liuers in the secret Paths of his diuine loue vpon vvhich doe depend the tvvo former are Interiour Illuminations inspirations of Gods holy Spirit vvho is to be acknovvledged the only supreme Maister concerning vvhich Inspirations it hath already bene shevved in generall vvhat they are hovv distinguished from the lights motions of common Grace vvhat are the obiects about vvhich principally they are exercised c. I vvill novv treate more particularly of them in this follovving Order viz. 1. There shall be further shevved the necessiâ—y of them 2. That soules are obliged to dispose themselues for the receiuing of them hovv this is to be done to vvit by remouing the impediments 3. Hovv God communicates to the soule his light grace for her instru ion direction 4. That it is not hard to discerne them very secure to rely vpon them 5. That by the vse of them no preiudice at all comes to Ecclesiasticall or Religious Obedience 2. Touching the first Point to vvit the necessity of them in an Internall Contemplatiue life There is none that vvill deny or doubt but that Diuine Inspirations are necessary for as much as concernes the proper essentiall Actions of Christian vertues the vvhich receiue all their meritoriousnes from the said Inspirations But some there are that vvill not allovv the same necessity of expecting Inspirations Calls for Actions or omissions of themselues indifferent or of lesse moment But surely since it is generally agreed vpon by Diuines following S. Augustin S. Thomas c. that there are no actions done in particular circumstances vvhich are simply to be esteemed indifferent but since they must haue some end if the end be good they are to be esteemd good if euill they are euill hovveuer vniuersally considered they are in their ovvne nature indifferent because according to the intention end vvhervvith they are done they may be good or euill Againe since there are no actions so inconsiderable but may yea ought to be performed
out of the motiue of diuine loue to the end to increase the said loue in our soules especially the ordinary Actions employments of a Religious contemplatiue life And lastly since Perfection in Diuine loue cannot be atteined by the simple exercise of Charity in duties vvhich are absolutly necessary vvithout mortall sin cannot be omitted the vvhich duties doe seldome occurre But it is moreouer requisite for that end to mulâ—iply frequently dayly Exercises of the said Loue in offices lesse necessary yea to purify all our most ordinary Actions from the steines of selfe-loue vvhich adhere vnto them hence I say appeares the necessity of the Influence of the diuine spirit vpon our Actions vvhich are not of such obligation if vve seriously tend to the Perfection of Diuine loue in our soules 3. To this purpose it is vvorth the obseruing hovv seriously our holy Father S. Benedict in forces the necessity of hearkning to obeying the Inspirations of Gods holy spirit our only supreme Maister making this the foundation of all Religious Duties in the Prologue of his Rule vvhere he saith That we must nunquam discedere ab eius magisterio neuer depart from the Institution direction of God That we must haue our eyes open ad Deificum lumen to the Diuine light On which grounds he calls a Monastery scholam Dominici seruitij the schoole wherin Gods seruice is taught and officinam Artis spiritualis the workehouse wherin the art of the diuine spirit is taught practised Namely because all things all obseruances euen those of the least moment in a Religious life doe tend to vvithdravv vs from all other teachers all other skill to bring vs to be Deo docibiles taught by God only And therfore it is that our said holy Patriarch layes this as the foundation of all religious Practises that they be done in vertue of prayer his vvords are Inprimis vt quidquid agendum inchoas bonum à Deo perfici instantissima Oratione deposcas As if he should say In the first principall place thou art to consider this to be the end why I inuite thee to an abstracted Religious life that thou maist therby be brought to this happy secure state as to be enabled to obteine of God by most earnest assiduous prayer to giue a blessing perfection to euery Action that in a religious state thou shalt apply thy selfe to Novv if according to our holy Fathers principall Intention Prayer ought to prepare accompany euery Action vvhich vve performe in Religion then surely it vvill follovv that they ought all of them to be performed vvith relation to God as vpon his bidding for his loue glory 4. Moreouer more particularly concerning Diuine Inspirations our holy Father makes mention of seuerall ones in speciall As in the point of Internall prayer though in common he ordeines that it should be short in the 20. Chap. of his Rule yet so as that he leaues it to the liberty of any one to prolong it ex affectu Inspirationis Diuinae gratiae by an inuitation enablement from a dâ—uine Inspiration Grace And againe concerning Abstinence as also the measure of allovvance for meate drinke he professeth that he had a scruple hovv to proportion it considering the variety of mens tempers necessities But hovveuer though he vvas vvilling to allovv vvhat might be sufficient for the strongest yet he leaues euery one in particular to the direction of Grace saying in the 40. chap. Vnus quisque proprium habet donum ex Deo alius sic alius verò sic that is Euery one hath a peculiar gift of God one hath this another that Quibus autem donat Deus tolerantiam abstinentiae propriam se habituros mercedem sciant That is those vnto whom God hath giuen the strength to endure a sparing abstinence let them be assured that so doing God will giue them a peculiar reward Besides these seuerall other passages might be produced out of our Holy fathers Rule to the same purpose 5. Novv in this last passage there is a Document that vvell deserues to be considered Euery one saith he in S. Paules vvords hath his proper peculiar gift in the matter of Refection All good Christians haue the gift to auoyd therein a mortally sinfull excesse But Religious Internall liuers haue moreouer or may haue a speciall Gift to auoyd euen veniall defects And the Perfect to aduance themselues therby tovvards Perfection Yet from thence vve cannot conclude that God has obliged himselfe to discouer vnto euery one although seeking it by Prayer the exactly true state complexion of his body Whence it follovvs that if he being mistaken in that vvhich he is not bound to knovv should demand more or lesse sustenance then is absolutly necessary it is no sin vpon supposition that such desire did not proceed from a sensuall affection to meate nor a faulty neglect of health but from the best light that reason could afford him to iudge of his ovvne necessity from an Intention to benefit his soule by a moderate refreshing of nature And it is Gods vvill that vve should follovv Reason in all externall things in vvhich God doth not vsually othervvise illuminate his seruants Though naturall Reason therfore may faile be mistaken yet the person does not offend but rather follovves God by follovving the light of his reason this being all the light in such cases afforded him So for example if an Hermite being infirme and hauing none to consult vvith should doubt vvhether it vvere vnlavvfull for him to breake a commanded Fast and hauing by Prayer desired Gods Direction should remaine persvvaded thet it vvas and therby should preiudice his health by fasting This vvould be no sin at all in him yea on the contrary it vvould be meritorious For he vvould faile indeed in that for vvhich he had no light neither vvas light necessary to him to vvit the exact knovvledge of vvhat had bene requisite for corporall health But he vvould merit in that for vvhich he had light to vvit the aduancement of his soule And ordinarily speaking the inspirations that God affords to the more perfect in such cases are rather to absteine euen from the more expedient commodities yea oftimes to some preiudice of health for the greater good of the soule because too anxious a sollicitude for health is vnbecoming an Internall liuer Yea a robustious health vninterrupted is not conuenient for such an one But leauing this digression 6. Our holy Father teaches as himselfe had bene taught For vvhat other Teacher had he from his infancy till the moment of his Expiration but the Diuine spirit by vvhose light impulse alone he vvas directed into in his solitude aftervvard enabled to direct all succeeding ages in a Coenobiticall life to haue recourse to the same Teacher The like may be said of all the Ancient Hermites anachoretes vvho could haue no other Instructour but God
had no other employment during their rigorous solitude silence but to attend to their Internall Teacher put in execution his Inspirations in all their actions both internall externall To this purpose saith a holy Hermite in Cassian That as it vvas by Gods inspiration that vve begin vvhen vve enter into Religion so likevvise Magisterio illuminatione Dei ad perfectionem peruenimus by the discipline Instruction Illumination of God vve atteine to perfection Another sayes That a soule can doe no good at all vnles she be quotidianâ Domini illuminatione illustrata inlightned by a daily illumination from God These are Expressions that our holy Father himselfe vses it seemes borrovved them from the same Authours And for this Reason it is that in his Rule he contents himselfe vvith ordeining Prescriptions for the exteriour only because he knevv that the Interiour could only be directed by God But vvithall his ordinations are such as vve may see his Intention and only designe vvas by them to dispose soules to be capable of obseruing follovving the inspirations invvard instructions of Gods holy Spirit vvithout vvhich all exteriour Obseruances vvould neuer bring vs to perfection such vvere very Rigorous solitude abstraction from all entercourse either vvith the busines or nevves of the vvorld almost continuall silence but vvhen vvee speake to God c. And vvithall in seuerall places of his Rule he signifies by the vvay that the Reformation of the Spirit ought to be the principall aime of a Religious Soule So that in the conclusion of the Rule hauing regard to the Externall Obseruances expressely commanded therin as a preparation to the Perfection to be learnt out of the Liues and Conferences of the Fathers he professeth with great humility but vvith great truth also that his intentiō therby vvas that those vvhich obserued it be enabled to declare in some sort honestatem morum aut initium conuersationis eos habere that they had atteined to a laudable exteriour cariage the beginning of a holy Religious conuersation But saith he whosoeuer shall tend to perfection Sunt doctrinae Sanctorum Patrum as if he had sayd He must according to the teachings of the Holy Fathers attend vnto the Diuine Maister by exercising according to his instructions that pure sublime Prayer c. vvhich they practised discouered And suitable herto S. Francis likevvise in his Rule aduises his Disciples thus Attendant fratres quod super omnia desiderare debent habere spiritum Domini sanctam eius operationem that is The Religious brethren must attentiuely marke that aboue all other things they ought to desire to haue the spirit of our lord his holy operation in their soules 7. To conclude either it must be granted that Perfection may be atteined merely by auoyding Mortall sins doing such action of vertue as are absolutly necessary to all Christians vvhich to say vvere manifestly foolish false And likevvise that Actions more indifferent not so vniuersally obliging such as are certeine more proffitable manners of Prayer externall Religious Obseruances Refection conuersation vvith our brethren c. cannot be rendred capable of a holy Intention of aduancing vs in the Diuine loue vvhich is against experience And moreouer that vvithout Internall Grace actually operating vvhich is nothing else but Diuine Illuminations impulses these ordinary Inferiour Actions may be exalted to produce that effect vvhich the greatest necessary vertues could not produce vvhich to say vvere impiety Or it must be granted that the teaching of Gods Holy Spirit is the only principall necessary cause by vvhose vertue vve are informed enabled to improoue make vse of these Actions for the atteining of so sublime an end as Perfection in Contemplation is vvithout which it is impossible to be atteined And indeed so impossible to be brought vnder externall Rules so secret vndiscouerable are the Internall Dispositions of soules their operations that they cannot be clearly perceiued nor consequently ordered but by him to vvhom alone our figmentum our hearts all the secret inclinations motions of them are naked transparent CAP. V. § 1. All Internall liuers obliged to attend to Gods Inspirations § 2. Therfore the Impediments to this duty are to be remoued which are two first distracting Images which are expelled by Abstraction of life § 3. The 2 Impediment is vnruly Passions which are calmed by Mortification Peace of mind § 4. 5. The end why a Religious state especially of S. Benedicts Institution is vndertaken is the remouall of these inpediments § 6. 7. 8. 9. A third more speciall impediment to wit want of due Liberty of spirit to follow Gods Directions caused by voluntary burdens coustumes assumed Seuerall such are exemplified in 1. THE Necessity of a Diuine Internall Teacher being established there follovves from thence an Equall necessity for all those vvhose profession obliges them to vvalke in those vvayes tovvards the sublime end proposed to attend vnto obey this only most necessary Maister And because each one hath in his heart a false teacher that alvvaies vrgeth vs to hearken to his peruerse teachings to neglect the diuine Teacher Therfore the vvay to become a diligent obedient Disciple to Gods holy Spirit vvill be 1. To neglect contradict as much as lies in vs to silence the teachings suggestions of corrupt nature 2. And secondly to be attentiue to the voyce of Gods spirit in our soules 2. For the first there are tvvo generall Impediments that nature layes in our vvay to hinder vs from attending to God The first is distracting Images the Second vnquiet Passions Novv the Remedy against the former is Abstraction of life a not engaging our selues in businesses that belong not vnto vs the mortifying of the curiosity of knovving or hearing strange or nevv things not pertinent to our Profession the tempring of our tongues from vaine vnproffitable conuersations the reducing our thoughts as much as may be from multiplicity to vnity by fixing them continually on the diuine loue vvhich is that vnum necessarium c 3. Againe the only proper Remedies against the other impediment to vvit vnquiet Passions are first Mortification of all inordinate Affection to creatures of all vaine encombring freindships all factious Partialities all thoughtfull prouision for the contenting of our sensuall Desires But especially of that most dangerous because most in time spirituall thirst of knowledge vnnecessary of all ambition to get victory or glory by disputing vvriting c as likevvise of all Anger Impatience melancholy feare scrupulosity c And secondly a studious care to preserue our soules in all the peace tranquillity cheerfullnes possible not suffring any passions to be raised in our minds during our imperfect state no not although they should be directed vpon good holy obiects because they vvill obscure disorder our spirits And therfore vve must auoyd all violence impetuous
sufficient for the Person to propose the matter humbly and modestly to his Superiours yet vvithall vvith an entire Resignation and almost a desire to be refused If it be Gods vvill actually to make vse of such a Religious Person in an Employment of that nature he vvill no doubt facilitate the busines and in his ovvne time incline the vvill of the Superiour vvithout the subiects sollicitation to permit him to goe 11. But vvhat euer pretences are made by others for going into England vvhether it be conuerting of Soules and particularly of some speciall freinds or Kindred or of Recouery of Bodily Health gaining of temporall Commodity to the Cōmunity c The true Motiue◠indeed ordinarily proceed from Tepidity The vvhich Tepidity ought to be corrected by Prayer and Perseuerance in Religious Duties and not further encreased and perhaps changed into open Libertinage and Profanenesse by such an Exemption from all Regularity and Order by vvhich a poore vnprouided sensuall Soule will become deeply engaged in the vvorld exposed to innumerable Tentations without Spirituall Armour and as it vvere cast headlong into a Pitt of Darknes and of a forgetfullnes of all things that concerne a Holy Religious Life 12. As for their obligations in the discharge of that so terrible an Employment vvhen they are once engaged in it it vvill suffise to put them in mind that the sayd Charge doth not dispense vvith the essentiall Obligations that lye vpon them as Religious If in their Conuents they ought to be Humble abstinent deuout c much more ought they being still Religious but now exposed to innumerable Tentations to encrease a vigilance ouer themselues to auoyd all vnnecessary vaine Conuersations all sollicitudes about externall things c and to practise all possible Abstraction of life Solitude both Externall and Internall But especially not to neglect the principall Duty of all vvhich is Pure Spirituall Prayer vvhich alone can procure Security to their ovvne Soules and Blessings vpon others For surely if Prayer be necessary in a Conuent much more is it necessary to such Persons liuing in the vvorld THE END OF THE FIRST TREATISE THE SECOND TREATISE OF MORTIFICATION THE SECOND TREATISE Of the First Instrument of Perfection viz. Mortification THE FIRST SECTION Of Mortification in Generall And of Necessar Voluntary Mortifications CHAP. I. § 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. All the duties of a Contemplatiue life reduced to two heads viz. 1. Mortification 2. Prayer And the grounds of that diuision § 6. The necessity of each of these § 7. How they doe aduance each the other § 8. c. Of the two Prayer is the more noble 1. HAVING so largely treated of the nature end of a Contemplatiue Life in generall as likewise of the only Diuine Master from whom it is to be learned the Schoole of Solitude in vvhich he giues his directions Order requires that vvee novv treate of the speciall Instructions touching the meanes or instruments conducing to the obtaining of the supernaturall end aspired to by vs. Concerning vvhich our discourse vvill not need to be so diffused considering the large scope that vvee haue allovved to ourselues in the first generall Treatise in vvhich mention also vvas made of much of that vvhich is to follovv 2. Seuerall Mysticall Authours each one abounding in his ovvne sence and raising a Frame of Spirituality as suited best to his ovvne Imagination and designe haue made seuerall Partitions of the Duties of a spirituall Life And it is not a matter much considerable vvhich of them should be preferred But to the end the best ease and Helpe may be afforded to the Deuout Readers Memory the Diuision of them shall be the Shortest that may be yet sufficiently and clearly enough comprehending all necessary Duties namely vnder these tvvo Heads of 1. Mortification 2. Prayer 3. Now to the end that the grounds of the fitnes of this Diuision may be better vnderstood vvee are to remember that the glorious End of a Contemplatiue Life to vvit Vnion in Spirit vvith God by Loue is entirely supernaturall and Diuine so that it is impossible for Man by any naturall ability and strength although he vvere free from sins to attaine vnto it And much more is this impossible to him in his present state since he is naturally most auerse from it being vvholly possessed and filled vvith nothing but Selfe-Loue Propriety and Pride absolutly inconsistent vvith such an Vnion Therfore the foundation of all our spirituall Duties must be a true knowledge 1. Of ourselues our ovvne Nothing our vnproffitablenes vilenes and misery vvhich is to be the Obiect of our Auersion and Hatred And 2. Of the allsufficiency vniuersall Being infinite Perfections and incomprehensible Beauty and Goodnes of God vvho is to be the only Obiect of our Contemplation and Loue And consequently vpon this Knovvledge all our endeauours towards this End being directed by a Diuine Light and assisted by Diuine Grace must be employed first in remouing those impediments and next consequently in approching directly to God an immediate vnion with vvhom is aspired to as the only End of our creation perfection of our Intellectiue Nature Wee must renounce fly frō ourselues that vvee may dravv neare vnto God Wee must destroy Selfe-loue in our soules that so the Diuine Loue may be raised increased in them Now it is by Mortification that selfe loue all other our naturall deordinations vvhich hinder a Diuine vnion are remoued And it is by Prayer that vvee directly tend to a Diuine vnion By the former vvee exercise all duties practise all vertues vvhich regard ourselues for vertues are so far only to be esteemed vvorthy of that name in as much as far as they are mortificatory to our inordinate passions and affections as Humility of Pride Patience of Anger Temperance of sensuall desires c. And Prayer in the notion in vvhich it is here vnderstood includes all our duties directly pertaining to God as comprehending all manner of internall Actuations operations of the soule tovvards God by the vnderstanding contemplating admiring him by the vvill Affections adoring obeying louing adhering to him in a vvord the vvhole soule resigning submitting it selfe the body also vvith all things belonging to eath of them to be disposed according to his diuine vvill both for time eternity 4. This Diuision deserues the rather to be approued because Hesychius an Ancient Illuminated Monke in his Treatise de Puritate Cordis hath conformably reduced all spirituall duties to 1. Temperance 2. And Prayer By temperance vnderstanding the very same that is here meant by Mortification for as he expresses his meaning This temperance is a generall abstaining from all things that vvould any vvay disorder the affections or obscure the light of the soule He calls it likevvise Custodiam Cordis A guard or watch set ouer the heart forcing it to repell all vaine vnproffitable thoughts the vvhich if they be too
be made of Prosperity § 8. 9. The great Benefits of Mortification § 10. A great courage is necessary to the due practise of Mortification § 11. 12. 13. 14. The aduice of some writers to raise Passions to the end afterward to represse them is dangerous 1. NATVRALLY wee loue seeke nothing but our selues in all things vvhatsoeuer vvee loue seeke Wee are our owne last end referring all things euen supernaturall yea God himselfe to our ovvne Interest commodity Wee seeke things pleasing only to our senses outvvard or invvard as if the felicity of our soules persons consisted in sensuall pleasures opinion of honour proffit or curiosity of knowledge c Therfore there can be no merit in nature or Actions proceeding from nature 2. Yea they vvho naturally haue much interiour composednes stillnes of passions seeme not much to be troubled vvith rebellion in sensuality that moreouer haue in them a kind of naturall deuotion yet euen these vvhatsoeuer they appeare outvvardly in shevv are full of selfe loue vvhich is the principle of all their Actions If they loue Quietnes it is because nature takes a contentment in it And their selfe-love is more abstruse more deeply seated in the roote of the spirit it selfe And therfore oftimes it is hard to be cured because not so easily discouered Neither indeed is there any hope of remedy till by prayer they get a light to discouer the said secret selfe loue and grace by mortification to subdue it 3. It is true such good Naturall dispositions may be beneficiall to soules in two respects especially First in that by meanes thereof they fall into fevver sins then more passionate Impetuous natures doe consequently doe not put so many impediments to grace But yet it is to be feared vnlesse they practise Prayer mortification they vvill increase in Spirituall pride for certaine it is that nature not restrained vvill one vvay or other grovv more more inordinate 2. A second Benefit is that such dispositions are better fitted for internall Prayer yea to the perfectest kind of it vvhich is Prayer of Aspirations so that they may with lesse labour get out of Nature eleuating thēselues to God 4. An absolute necessity therfore there is for all soules to mortify nature especially to rectify this generall deprauednes of Propriety by vvhich vvee are to our selues our last end The vvhich is done by the Infusion of Diuine Charity by vvhich our selues are directed to God as our last end And a necessary disposition therto is the Mortification of selfe loue And thus far all Christians are obliged to mortify themselues namely to cure the mortally sinfull disorders of their soules A necessity likevvise there is vpon supposition of aspiring to Perfection to mortify all deliberate affections to any the least veniall defects and deordinations of our soules The which Duty of Mortification requires of vs that deliberately and customarily vvee neither admit into our minds internally vaine thoughts nor outwardly speake or exercise Acts of vaine loue vaine hope vaine feare or vaine sorrovv all is vaine that is not referred to God or is not done for him 5. Mortificatiō tends to subiect the body to the spirit and the Spirit to God And this it does by crossing the inclinatiōs of sence which are quite cōtrary to those of the diuine spirit vvhich ought to be our cheife only Principle For by such crossing afflicting of the body Selfe-loue Selfevvill the poyson of our spirits are abated in time in a sort destroyed instead of thē there entreth into the soule the diuine loue diuine will take possession therof And therin consists our Perfection happines 6. For this reason the soule is in a far more secure state vvhen crosses afflictions doe exceed vvordly contentment sensuall ease For wonderfull seldome it happens that a soule makes any progresse in a Spirituall course by meanes of outward prosperity Some Perfect soules may perhaps keepe the station in vvhich they are not vvithstanding an casefull contented abounding condition in the vvorld But it is almost miraculous if they therby aduance themselues in spirit so naturally almost necessarily doth case of nature nourish self-selfe-loue Pride security a spirituall sloth a distast of spirituall things 7. Indeed the only possible vvay for a soule to make Prosperity an occasion of improuement to her is by a voluntary crossing diminishing of it that is by taking aduantage euen from thence to mortify nature As for example in case of Riches honours by carying our selues both exteriourly interiourly to God man vvith more humility modesty as if vvee were not at all in such plenty eminency also by suppressing vaine ioy complacency in such things by acknowledging that vvee are not Lords proprietaires but only stewards dispensers of such things from vvhom a seuere account shall be required for the talents entrusted to vs for others sakes not our ovvne So that it is most true That all the security solidity fullnes of our soules good consists in a right vse of those things vvhich are contrary afflicting to our nature 8. In generall Mortification includes the exercise of all vertues for in euery Act of vertue vvee mortify some inordinate passion inclination of nature or other so that to attaine to perfect Mortification is to be possessed of all vertues 9. The benefits blessings that come to our soules by exercising of Mortification are many most precious As 1. There is therby auoyded that sin vvhich othervvise vvould haue bene committed 2. It causes a degree of purity to the soule 3. It procures greater grace spirituall strength 4. One act of Mortification enableth to another As on the contrary by yeilding any time to our corrupt nature vvee are enfeebled lesse able to resist another time 5. It diminisheth our suffring in Purgatory because so much of suffring is past a little paine for the present vvill counteruaile preuent sharpe long paines for the future 6. It procures internall light by dispelling calming the vnrulines of passions 7. It produces great Peace to the soule the vvhich is disturbed only by vnquiet Passions 8. It helpeth the soule much in her aduancement in spirituall Prayer Contemplation the end of all our Religious spirituall exercises 9. It is of great edification to our Brethren neighbours 10. It increaseth all these vvayes our future happines glory 10. The duty of Mortification being so absolutely necessary so infinitely beneficiall moreouer so largely extended as that it reaches to all manner of naturall Inclinations in so much as nothing does an imperfect soule any good further then it is crosse mortifying to some inordination in her naturall inclinations It followes from hence that a soule that intends to vvalke in these vvayes of Contemplation had need haue a great courage since her designe must be to combat
altogether stillnes serenity and tranquillity And let us not suspect that such a calme performance of our Duty argues a Tepidity and vvant of Feruour On the contrary such Actions so done are of more vertue and efficacious solidity For the Feruour that is indeed to be desired is not a hasty motion and heate in the inferiour Nature but a firme and strong Resolution in the vvill courageously yet vvithout violence that is outvvardly sensible breaking through all difficulties and contradictions 9. All the Duties of Mortification and consequently the exercise of all vertues may be reduced to Custodia cordis Which is a vvary guard of our heart and it consists in not povvring forth our affections inordinatly vpon creatures nor admitting into our soules any inordinate loue it is a Charinesse ouer our interiour to keepe it in as much quietnesse as vvee can In cases of sufferance it is patience in occasions of feare and disquiet it is the practise of Resignation It is in effect Abstraction for it requireth that vvee restraine ourselues from medling vvith vvhat doth not appertaine vnto vs and in vvhat doth belong to vs to doe it requireth a reseruednesse of our loues and affections for God to vvhom they are only due Also that in speaking hearing seeing c. vvee be vvary they cary no inordinate affections into our soule It is in effect Solitude for though vvee be in company yet hauing such a guard and care ouer our Passions and affections vvee are as it vvere alone It is a passing ouer all Creatures vvith a farther tendance to God It is the practice of loue obedience humility and resignation to God for these vertues vvee exercise vertually vvhen vvee reserue our selues and our affections for God It is a principall meane to ouercome all temptations of vvhat kind so euer for it permits not the temptation to make any entry into the soule vvhich is kept as the dvvelling place of God and his loue It requireth that vvee looke not after superfluities of meate drinke cloathing c and that vvee desire not superfluous knovvledges of vvhat belongs not to vs nor is necessary for vs. It forbids all childish immortifyed complaints or expostulations or any thing vvherein vvee merely satisfy the inclinations of our corrupt nature It forbiddeth vs to doe any thing impetuously or vvith invvard anxiety It is termed an interiour silence or an interiour peace or concord and for the better knovvledge and practise of it regard the teaching of the little Treatise of the Quiet of the soule vvritten by Bonilla of the Order of S. Francis 10. True Peace of mind vvhen it is in Perfection is the Supreme state in an Internall Life being a stability in one and the selfe same tenour an immutadbility indifference and insensibility as to our selues and to all Creatures and Euents by vvhich the soule transcends all liuing in God only and not being concerned in any other thing besides And the Roote of it is the Perfection of Diuine Charity and destruction of selfe Loue. For as long as self-selfe-loue is actiue in vs it caries vs to multiplicity urging vs to seeke contentment in any thing pleasing to nature and all her Appetites the vvhich being crossed or not fully satisfyed are restlesse and vnquiet Whereas Diuine Loue alone raigning vnites and concentrates all our thoughts and Affections in one only Obiect vvhich is God Carying all other Affections in that one streame So that there being no diuersity of Designes there must necessarily follovv Perfect vnity and Peace This is a State to vvhich the soule aspires in a Contemplatiue Life The gaining of vvhich vvill deserue and abundantly recompence all the suffrings and tediousnes that nature is likely to find in the vvay 11. Yet euen this state in the most Perfect is not absolutely and entirely exempted from all trouble in inferiour Nature But such trouble is small and scarce considerable for notvvithstanding it the Superiour soule partakes nothing of it but raignes in that vpper Region of Light and Peace and from thence lookes dovvne vpon sensuality either as a thing diuided from it selfe in whose imperfections and disorders she is nothing concerned being as it vvere safe locked vp from them in a strong Tower or else she suppresses all such motions in their first breaking out in vertue of that Dominion vvhich by long practise she hath gained ouer them In such a state of perfect Peace yet vvithout the least contradiction of sensuall Nature Adam liued during his Innocency And hovv far any other mere man hath or may attaine therto in this Life is not for mee to determine THE SECOND SECTION OF THE SECOND TREATISE TOVCHING Certaine speciall Mortifications of the Passions c. CHAP. I. § 1. Mortification properly is not of the senses or cognoscitiue Faculties but of the affections § 2. 3. 4. The speciall Mortifications treated of are 1. Of the Principall Cardinall Passions 2. Of the Affections of the Superiour will § 5. The first Passion is Loue. 1. INTENDING novv consequently to treate of the Speciall kinds of Mortification those especially vvhich are most proper for a Religious Contemplatiue Life I take this as a Ground that though Mortification doe regard the whole soule vvith all the faculties of it and consequently the vvhole person vniuersally depraued Yet precisely and exactly speaking it is only the Affectiue Part of the Soule that is immediatly Mortified and only in consequence therto the knowing faculties or Organs For though Ignorance be a defect in the Soule yet vvee doe not say that Knowledge or Faith is properly a Mortification though it be a cure of that defect But an inordinate loue to knowledge vnnecessary vvhich is Curiosity deserues and is a Deordination proper and fit to be mortified The like vvee may say of the outvvard Senses for it is not Seeing or Tasting c. that are to be mortified but the inordinate Affection to those Obiects vvhich delight the Eyes or Tast c. Therfore my Intention is to distinguish the seuerall sorts of Mortification according to the seuerall Passions or Affections of the Soule both as to the Sensitiue and Rationall Portion of it and to referre therto the respectiue Mortifications of the seuerall Senses vvithout speaking distinctly and separatly of them vvhich vvould force me to repeate ouer againe the same Aduices vvhen I came to treate of the Mortification of Affections 2. This therfore shall be the Order according to vvhich I vvill treate of the Mortification of Affections viz. In the First place I vvill begin vvith the Sensitiue Portion of the soule In vvhich there are fower Principall Passions comprehending all the rest vvhich are to be mortified viz. 1. Loue to vvhich Desire and Ioy haue relation being only a progresse of Loue Novv the Obiect of Loue being either Persons or things and those either materiall or spirituall there are many vertues required to the mortifying that is the rectifying of it as against the loue of Riches Pouerty Against
good Resolution let her accordingly vvith courage put in execution daily Often renevving it vvhen she finds herselfe to become slack or negligent 9. Lastly in the Execution of these Duties and of all other her Employments she must alvvaies haue at least a vertuall Intention of directing them all to God making him the finall End of all and often times likevvise she must frame an Actuall Intention of the same Novv vvhen God is indeede and in the true disposition of the soule the End of her Actions he communicates a Supernaturality a kind of Diuinity vnto them And vnlesse he be truly the End they haue no merit at all 10. Novv it being certaine that only by the practise of Internall Prayer this Purity of Intention can be obtained In vvhat danger are those Soules that doe vvholly neglect it Neither vvill a fevv interrupted occasionall Offrings of our Actions to God be sufficient to procure a Stable habit of such Purity vvithout constant sett Exercises of Praier Mortification All the vertue that such Oblations haue is a litle to diminish the Impurity of those particular Actions but they doe not at all or very inconsiderably increase or strengthen the Habit of Diuine Loue in the Soule The vertue therfore of such Acts is to be measured according to the state that the soule is in 11. If an Internall liuer doe practise such occasionall Offrings of daily Actions I should aduise him 1. Not to multiply such Acts too thicke one vpon the other so as to endanger to hurt the Head or distract the Imagination or hinder the necessary liberty of Spirit 2. Let not them be a hindrance to other more perfect proffitable Eleuations of the Spirit to God or Aspirations if the soule find herselfe inuited therto or if they be rellishing to her 12. It is vnquestionable that the offring of our suffrings to God vvill be far more proffitable to the soule then the Offring of mere Workes that haue in them litle or nothing contrary to our Naturall Inclinations Yet euen that also vvithout constant Praier vvill be of litle force 13. I dare vvith confidence professe that the obseruing of the foresaied Simple Directions vvill be far more auaileable to the procuring Purity of intention in most soules then such a curious Examination of our daily vvorks as is prescribed by a late vvorthy Contemplatiue of our Nation vvho requires in euery vvorke Sixe Qualities punctually to be obserued viz. That it be done 1. Actually 2. Oneâ—y 3. Willingly 4. Assuredly 5. Clearly 6. Speedily for the Loue Glory of God And he exacts of a soule carefully to search vvhether any of these Conditions haue bene vvanting and consequently to be more circumspect in the future Which surely vvould be an Employment extreamly distractiue and full of Sollicitude Though it may be he himselfe found much good by such a practise and vvas able to doe it vvith Simplicity 4. It is far more easy for an Imperfect soule to exercise Purity of Intention in Actions that are of obligation done either in Order to any Law or any command of Superiours then in those that are left to her ovvne Choice And therfore it vvould be good for such an one either to haue her daily ordinary Employments prescribed to her by her Spirituall Directour or to ordaine them to her selfe vpon good consideration before hand yet so as not to preiudice due Liberty of Spirit 15. In euery Recollection the soule doth either directly expressly or at least vertually renew her first Fundamentall Purpose of tending in all her Actions Externall and Internall to the perfect Loue of God and then also she discouereth correcteth such defects and transgressions of this Purpose as haue passed out of the times of Praier Our Recollections therfore are the Fountaine Roote vvhence all our future vvorks haue their vertue merit in them Purity of Intention is most perfectly Exercised 16. The doings or suffrings of a Contemplatiue liuer though oft times vvith much repugnancy in inferiour Nature yet doe partake more of Purity of Intention Merit then the voluntary Actions of Actiue liuers or of one that does not constantly pursue Internall Prayer albeit the actions of these doe seeme to be done vvith greater alacrity facility to the doer seeme to proceede purely out of Charity and vvithall cause great admiration in the eyes of the Beholders The reason is because the Actions of the former are done purely out of a Diuine Inspiration and also in great Simplicity vnity their regard to God being not hindred by the Images accompanying such Actions Wheras Actiue liuers immediatly contemplate Multiplicity Yea in Praier it selfe they are not vvithout Multiplicity though they doe direct that Multiplicity more directly to one then in Actions out of Prayer 17. Now since Purity of Intention consists in regarding God vvith Simplicity that is vvithout mixture of Images or affections to Creatures it concerns Internall liuers to vse as great care Discretion as may be not to intrude themselues vnnecessarily into Distractiue Employments 18. Euen the most Perfect Soules are apt to haue lesse Purity of Intention in things gratefull to Nature then in such as are Mortifying Therfore in the former they may doe vvell to frame an Actuall vpright Intention 19. The repugnancy that Contemplatiue liuers doe find oftimes in the discharge of Externall Employments proceeds not so much out of any unvvillingnes to obey as out of an auersnes from leauing their Internall Solitude and Abstraction Yet such repugnancy in inferiour Nature is easily subdued at least so far that it shall not be a hindrance to Obedience and Duty 20. True Purity of Intention is best discerned in the beginning of an Action For ordinarily vvee sett vpon Externall vvorkes out of a sudden impulse and liking of Nature And afterwards vvee cousen our selues vvith a forced good intention fastned vpon them so thinking that in them vvee doe purely seeke the glory of God and faintly renouncing our interests of Nature It is indeede better to doe thus then to continue such Actions vpon the same Motiues vpon vvhich they vvere begun But no Actions are perfectly Meritorious and pure but such as haue for their first Principle a Diuine Light impulse and are continued in vertue of the same 21. Therfore a certaine Antient holy Hermite vvas accustomed before he set vpon any vvorke to make a pause for some time like one vvhose thoughts vvere busied about some other matter And being asked vvhy he did so He ansvvered All our Actions are in themselues nothing worth But like a rough vnshapen peice of Timber they haue no Gracefullnes in them vnlesse wee adorne guild them ouer with a Pure Intention directing them to the Loue Glory of God Or as one that is to shoote at a Marke doth first carefully fixe his eye vpon it otherwise he will shoote at randome So do I fixe my Eye vpon God who is to be our only
almost in all Languages he that is in any great impatience is sayd to be out of himselfe 2. Novv the Aduices vvhich I shall giue for the repressing of Impatience doe not regard those great excesses of Fury too common in the vvorld though it is to be hoped vnknovven in an Internall State But only those lesser inordinate Passions of Impatience and irresignation or those smaller Impetuosities of nature which may sometimes befall deuout Soules by vvhich the necessary Peace of mind is disturbed the habit of Propriety encreased and the merit euen of our best vvorkes of Obligation diminished 3. As vvee sayd that Loue vvhich is the Roote of all other Passions Affections is due only to and for God so consequently all Passions contrary to Loue all Auersions impatiences c. are to be directed only against that vvhich is directly contrary to God the vvhich no Persons are nor no Actions or suffrings vvhich are not sinfull Therfore all such Passions against any Persons vvhatsoeuer or any accidents be falling vs from any are inordinate sinfull to the proportion and measure of the sayd Passions 4. Euen the most Solitary liuer vvill not haue reason to complaine of vvant of occasions to exercise Patience For besides the Crosses hapning by Gods Prouidence from vvithout against vvhich all impatience is interpretatiuely impatience against God himselfe A soule aspiring to Perfection must obserue euen the smallest Motions passing in the heart the vvhich vvill be apt to rise euen against the vilest Creatures as vermine flyes c. yea inanimate things as Penns Inke c. There are also certaine Propensions in the will vvithout any perceptible Motion about the heart so secret subtile that they can hardly be expressed the vvhich perfect Soules by the Light proceeding from Prayer doe discerne and contradict None are vvholly free from these inordinations euen the most quiet natures vvill find vnequall inclinations vvhich they ought to mortify 5. Such is the difference saith Cassian betweene a Perfect Internall liuer and one that is imperfect as there is betwene a Cleare-sighted man and one that is purblind A purblind man in a roome sees only the grosser things as Chaires Tables c. but takes no notice of an infinite number of smaller matters vvith their Colours distances Order c. all vvhich are plainly distinguished by a Cleare-sighted Man vvho vvill obserue many defects and inequalities inuisible to others So it is in regard of our invvard defects An imperfect soule only takes Notice of grosser imperfections and striues to amend them only And that being done conceiues her selfe arriued to great Perfection vvhen alas there yet remaines a vvorld of Imperfections only visible to Eyes enlightned vvith Supernaturall Grace to be obtained only by Pure Internall Prayer the vvhich vvill discouer hovv strangely rooted deeply fixed all Passions are in the Soule And hovv soules deceiue themselues vvho in prosperity doe so vvholly abandon themselues to Ioy as if nothing could happen that could diminish it and contrarily in sorrow As vvee find Examples in Suso and the Monke cured from a great invvard Affliction by S. Bernard as likevvise in Dauid vvho sayth of himselfe Ego dixi in excessu meo c. that is Being in an Excesse of mind through Diuine consolation I sayd I shall neuer be moued But he found presently hovv he vvas mistaken for it follovves Auertisti faciem tuam c. Thou only didst turne thy face from mee and presently I became troubled 6. Therfore Spirituall Persons at all times must exercise Patience euen in times of Ioy by expecting a Change therof vvhich perhaps is to be desired because the vvay to Perfection is by a continuall succession of Mountings and descendings to all vvhich they must be indifferent or rather they must thinke their more secure aboade to be in Valleyes then on Mountaines 7. All Commotion of Anger or Auersion is according to the degree of Selfe loue remaining The vvhich is neuer to be accounted subdued till vvee be in a perfect Indifference to all Creatures Actions or Suffrings as considered in themselues I say as considered in themselues For if such Actions Suffrings c be of Obligation vvee are not to be in such Indifference but are to be more affected to the Obligation for that is but to affect God from vvhom all out Obligations doe proceede Yet if a vvorke of Obligation be agreable to our Nature vvee must take heede of tying our Affections to it vnder that Notion the vvhich vvee expresse by doing such vvorkes vvith more then vsuall diligence hast impetuosity In such case therfore Imperfect Soules ought to performe such a vvorke as pausingly mortifiedly as the vvorke vvill vvell permit And if it require hast let them endeauour to doe it vvith Internall Resignation indifference at least in the Superior vvill On the contrary if it be a vvorke from vvhich their Nature is auerted then the more chearfully speedily they performe it the more perfectly doe they behaue themselues So that such Speede doe not proceede from a desire of gaining fauour or to haue it dispatched quickly out of the vvay 8. The Profession of aspiring to Perfection in a Contemplatiue Life requires not only Patience Indifference in such Crosses as vvee cannot auoide But also that vvee be not Sollicitous in seeking to auoid them although lavvfull meanes vvere offred On the contrary to entertaine and make much of them in case the Soule finds inward strength sufficient to entertaine them 9. A Spirituall Person liuing in Perfect Abstraction may rather haue neede and hath more leisure to exercise himselfe sometimes in supposed imagined difficulties deuised by himselfe then one that liues a distracted life Such an one therfore may iudge of his impatience either by remembring some iniury passed or feigning one present and therupon obseruing vvhether or hovv far Anger is stirred in him 10. Matters about vvhich Patience is exercised if they come from men as hurts iniuries Persecutions c. are generally more bitter then those that come from God though in themselues greater as Sicknes Losses c. Because other men are but equall to vs vvee knovv not their secret Intentions but are apt to suspect the vvorst therfore vvee take such things vvorse at their hands then vvee vvould at Gods vvho besids that he is Omnipotent and has the Supreme Dominion ouer vs vvee knovv that his Goodnes is infinite So that vvee can assure our selues that all his dealings tovvards vs are meant for our Good though sometimes vvee doe not see hovv they can contribute to it And as for matters of Affliction that through imprudence or any other defect wee bring vpon our selues vvee are lesse moued to impatience by them though often to a secret shame Because that besides that vvee are too apt to excuse and fauour our selues vvee are secure that vvee meane vvell to our selues 11. Wee may conceiue these follovving Degrees to be in Patience all vvhich must be
hovveuer for the perill of Pride vvhich vvill insinuate mingle it selfe euen in humility also vvee should not be too forvvard to exercise voluntary outvvard actions of humility out of a pretence of giuing edification to others And vvhen vvee doe such as are commanded in the Rule conformable to our state vvee ought in them as vvell as vvee can to purify our intention CHAP. XIV § 1. 2. Of the mortification of our naturall Inclination to liberty or Independency by the vertue of Obedience § 3. 4. Obedience likewise regards God either mediately or immediately And that it is easier to obey God then man § 5. 6. 7. 8. The obligation laid by our holy Rule on Subiects to discouer their internall Defects to Superiours is now much out of vse And how this is come to passe § 9. Obedience earnestly pressed by S. Benedict § 10. It ought to proceede from the soule § 11. 12. Of the doctrine of Casuists limiting or dispensing with Regular Obedience And what vse is to be made of it § 13. 14. Speciall aduices thereabouts to scrupulous soules § 15. Truly perfect Obedience has no limits § 16. 17. 18. Seuerall defects in Obedience § 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. How a soule is to behaue herselfe in obediences in things preiudiciall And in such as are pleasing to nature § 24. An example of perfect simplicity in Obedience § 25. Of obedience to Brethren required in our Rule § 26. Prayer a necessary meane to beget Obedience 1. THE second deprauation of the will vvhich is to be mortified is a naturall loue of Liberty Independence as also an Ambition to dispose Rule others And the proper vertue vvherby this is mortified is Religious Obedience The vvhich is a branch of Humility as the foresaid deprauation is of Pride 2. Obedience therfore as vvell as Humility doth principally regard God euen vvhen it is performed to man And indeed vnlesse our Obedience to creatures doe flow from our Obedience due to God it vvill neuer aduance or perfectionate the soule but rather nourish all depraued affections in it as hauing its roote in selfe-loue seruile feare yea oft in Pride it selfe Wheras if it be grounded on our duty to God the soule therby vvill become so humble supple and pliable that it vvill not refuse to subiect it selfe to the meanest creatures it will chearfully suffer all crosses contradictions pressures both externall and internall 3. Obedience is performed either 1. Immediatly to God alone 2. Or immediatly to man but for Gods sake Wee will in this place only treate of this latter for as for the other it comprehends all the duties of Piety Deuotion whether externall or internall and therfore needs not be spoken of particularly 4. To submit ones selfe to man for Gods sake or out of loue to God is much harder then to doe it immediately to God consequently it is in that regard more meritorious vvill most efficaciously and speedily bring a soule to perfection The reasons of the greater diâ—ficulty in our obedience to man are 1. Because though vvee acknovvledge our Superiour to be Gods substitute yet vvee are not alvvaies conuinced that his particular Commands proceede from him as such but rather from passion naturall interests auersion c so that vvee cannot see his commands to be so reasonable as Gods are acknovvledged to be not that Obedience to them vvill produce so much good to the soule 2. Because wee knovv our Superiour cannot see nor iudge the heart but may erre be mistaken so that it is not easy to submit the mind to one that has no right ouer it nor povver to see his commands perfectly executed 5. For this reason it is that our Holy Father knovving the vvonderfull vertue efficacy of Obedience proceeding from the heart requires in his holy Rule that Subiects should in a sort communicate to their superiours that proper Attribute of God vvho calls himselfe a seer searcher of the heart vvith humility simplicity discouering vnto them all their considerable imperfections in thoughts And this he does not only out of an eye to the benefit that may come by the Sacrament of Pennance for this vvas to be done though the Superiour were no Preist as anciently oft they vvere not But the ends of this obligation vvas 1. for the more perfect humiliation of the subiect a mortification of that naturall auersion that vvee haue from the discouering submitting to the censures of others our secret defects 2. To the end that the Superiour might be enabled to gouerne his subiects for their spirituall aduancement 6. Wee may reasonably impute to the disuse of this obligation the great decay of Religious discipline perfection in the vvorld Because novv generally speaking Superiours knovv no more of their subiects but vvhat they chance to obserue in their outvvard behauiour For as for Internall matters vvhich are the principall they all passe betvveene each Religious person a priuate chosen Confessarius 7. But vvithall the disuse of the said obligation vvee are to impute 1. Partly to the tepidity of subiects their vvant of care to be gouerned by a vvay absolutely the best for themselues hovveuer very heauy to corrupt nature 2. but principally to the Incapacity Insufficiency of Superiours in regard of vvhich such a change of the said custome vvas esteemed euen necessary 8. Surely this most excellent practise had neuer bene brought into disuse or vvould againe be restored if Superiours according as our holy Rule requires as in the Primitiue times they vvere had continued or generally novv vvere 1. Themselues practised in a spirituall course of Prayer contemplation vvould consider that their Duty is to direct their subiects soules in the same vvay 2. If they had the spirit of Discretion light to discerne the seuerall dispositions capacities of their subiects soules in order to their principall end 3. If in whatsoeuer impositions they lay on them beyond the obseruances of the Rule they vvould regard vvhether therby their subiects considering their seuerall tempers are likely to be aduanced or hindred in their spirituall course not esteeme that it is a sufficient Iustification for them that the things in themselues are not ill their end therin is to mortify their subiects vvills Passions For such mortifications there may be as vvill endanger to extinguish the light that is in their subiects soules by dravving them to multiplicity c so that no other Impositions or mortifications are excusable but such as right reason enlightned by Grace vvould iudge nocessary such as God himselfe vvould ordaine for them 4. Especialâ—y if they vvould abstaine from laying such encombrances on their subiects as are lasting regard not only the exteriour but Interiour also distracting the memory confounding the vnderstanding breeding perplexity in their minds or in a vvord that are preiudiciall to Internall Prayer For indeed Impositions are to be accounted only so
far to be encombrances 5. Lastly if they did require obedience from their subiects not to shevv their ovvne Authority but only to benefit their subiects soules therby vvithout vvhich intentioÌ„ their office becomes merely secular c If I say Superiours had remained thus qualified there vvould neuer haue bene any sufficient occasion to dispense vvith such an order prescribed by our holy Father touching the subiects reueyling to the Superiour their most secret Imperfections euen in thoughts 9. But hovveuer matters standing as they novv doe obedience being diuided as it vvere betvveene a Regular a spirituall Directour the Subiect is to performe to each the obedience vvhich is due yet vvith this difference that he is to consider that the obligation of Obedience to a spirituall directour voluntarily chosen by the subiect changeable at pleasure is far lesse strict then to a Superiour who has Gods Authority communicated to him confirmed by the Church ratified by a solemne Vow by vertue of which vvee haue giuen vp our vvills vvholly to the vvills of our Superiours In so much as that our holy Father in the 5. Chap. of the Rule requires a performance of this duty on no meaner motiues then the hope of heauen the feare of hell vvhich is the most perfect of all other the loue of God for saith he Obedience with out delay is proper to them who esteeme nothing dearer to themselues then Christ 10. Now since the only principall end vvhy a Religious Person has engaged himselfe in a life of Obedience is the good aduancement of his soule not any temporall conuenience as in secular gouernments Therfore notvvithstanding the common Saying That our soules are exempted from humane Iurisdiction And notwithstanding that in these dayes as hath beene said Superiours are not alvvaies the directours of their subiects consciences Yet vnlesse their commands be obeyed in Purity of heart as for Gods sake vvith submission not only of the outvvard but invvard man also that is both the vvill iudgment such Obedience is not at all meritorious nor conformable to the generall designe of a Religious life to their Vow of Profession For if all Christians as S. Paul teacheth be obliged to obey secular Superiours seruants their masters Not for feare of wrath or puniâ—hment but for conscience sake in order to God vvho hath inuested them vvith Authority intending principally the good of their soules in all manner of exteriour obligations Surely this doth much more strictly hold in Religious Obedience vvhich vvas ordained hath bene vndertaken only for the benefit of the soule 11. Therfore vvhereas later Doctours Casuists haue found out Exemptions in many cases abridging the Authority of Superiours disobliging Subiects from Obedience A religious subiect that seriously aspires to Perfection according to his Profession vvill be very vvary hovv he makes vse of the aduantages dispensations afforded him considering that although by such disobedience he may perhaps escape the punishment of externall lavves yet he vvill not esteeme himselfe quit from his obligation to obey vnlesse the things vnduly coÌ„manded be such as are incoÌ„sistent with his duty to God manifestly preiudiciall to his soule 12. Moreouer a truly humble Internall liuer vvill very rarely not vvithout extreme necessity make vse of that iust liberty of appealing from an immediate Superiour allovved by the lawes of the Church And this he vvill neuer doe for the case of nature or the satisfying of any Passion but purely for the good of the soule Indeed I doe scarce know any case in which an Appeale may be fit to be vsed by such soules except perhaps vvhen they find that their immediate Superiour either out of ignorance or a disaffection to spirituall Prayer shall abridge their subiects of time meanes necessary for the exercise of it either by ouer burdning them vvith distractiue sollicitous Employments or as it vvere purposely this frequently customarily imposing on them obediences at the times appoynted proper for Prayer Yet surely the case must needs be extraordinary if a soule cannot by vsing her dexterity prudence recouer each day tvvo halfe-hovvers for Recollection 13. Notvvithstanding some good vse may be made of the opinion of Doctours touching the limits bounds prescribed to the Authority of Superiours the degrees of obligation to such Authority for the necessary ease of deuout tender scrupulous soules Not that such are to be encouraged to dispense vvith themselues in the duties required therby but least they out of tendernes in suspecting oft a Mortall sin to haue bene committed by disobedience vvhere perhaps there vvas scarce any fault at all should be disquieted perplexed hindred from reaping any benefit by Prayer or any other duties And indeed little danger is there that soules so disposed should from any larger interpretations make aduantage to the ease of nature or the satisfaction of an inordinate Passion 14. Such soules therefore may knovv 1. That the Authority of Superiours is not illimited but confined to certaine conditions as that it must be iuxta Regulam neither besides nor aboue the Rule and that their commands must be ad aedificationem and not ad destructionem c. 2. That Disobedience to their commands vvhich are according to the Rule is not a mortall offence vnlesse the matters commanded be in themselues of more then ordinary importance that a command be expressely giuen vvith signification that their intention is that it should so oblige that the subiect has not ground to iudge that if the Superiour vvere present he vvould not haue vrged such an obedience so strictly 3. That in matters of lesser moment a Disobedience mortally sinfull is not committed vnlesse it be done with manifest Contempt That is as S. Bernard lib. de Praecept Dispens interprets it When the subiect will neither obey nor submit to correction for disobedience So that all faults that are committed by one that really has a meane or a contemptuous opinion of his Superiour vvhich vvithout such a precedent vnfit opinion vvould not haue bene committed are not to be called in this sence sins out of Contempt vnlesse the Subiect renounce correction A fault that such tender soules are incapable of committing c. 15. Perfect Obedience saith the same S. Bernard knowes no ends or limits it extends it selfe to all lavvfull things pertaining either to body or soule to all actions both externall Internall as far as these last are voluntarily submitted to him Insomuch as that our holy father to cut of all pretences of disobedience does not except euen things impossible so that if such things as not only in the faint-hearted opinion of the Subiect are esteemed such but really are impossible should be seriously considerately imposed by a discreete Superiour for triall the Subiect is obliged to doe his endeauour tovvard the effecting of them so they be lavvfull not destructiue to the subiects
that vvhich is Affectiue For as for Discoursiue Prayer or Meditation the vvorld is but euen burdned vvith bookes vvhich vvith more then sufficient nicenes prescribe Rules methods for the Practise of it and vvith too partiall an affection magnify it The Authours of such bookes neglecting in the meane time or perhaps scarse knovving vvhat true Internall affectiue Prayer is the vvhich notvvithstanding is the only efficacious Instrument that immediatly brings soules to Contemplation perfect Vnion in spirit vvith God 3. Some there are that because they doe not find in the vvritings of the Ancient Fathers Mysticall Doctours such exact Instructions touching the practise of Internall Prayer as are novv common abounding in the Church doe therfore vndervalue despise it as a mere humane inuention not at all necessary but rather on the contrary subiect to great inconueniences exposing soules to Illusions Errours c And therefore they in opposition to it doe only recommend exact Vocall Prayer a solemne protracted performance of it 4. Notvvithstanding to any one that shall heedfully read the writings not only of the Ancient Solitaries but likevvise of S. Augustin S. Basile S. Gregory Nazianzene others it vvill euidently appeare that they both knevv and practised most profound Recollected deuotions internally yea exhorted soules to a continuall attendance to God his Diuine presence in the Spirit Sufficient Proofes vvhereof shall occasionally hereafter be inserted 5. True indeed it is that they haue not deliured any exact methods for the practise of such Prayer the vvhich in those times vvere not at all necessary or at least not at all needfull to be communicated to the vvorld For to soules that liued as anciently they did entirely sequestred from all vvordly busines or conuersation in Continuall laborious penitentiall Exercises hauing no Images of creatures to distract their minds and much lesse any inordinate Affections to creatures to depresse them from mounting to spirituall vnion vvith God it vvas more then sufficient for such to knovv that their duty the end of their solitude vvas to liue in a continuall conuersation vvith God suffring themselues to be conducted and managed by his holy Spirit To such all other more nice or particular Instructions vvould haue proued but distractiue intangling And therfore vvee see that our holy Father though he ordained dayly Conuentuall short recollections for the exercise of that vvhich he calls Pure Prayer yet he neither interprets vvhat he meanes by such Prayer for all his Disciples vnderstood that sufficiently much lesse does he deliuer any instructions hovv to exercise it 6. But in these dayes in which Religious Persons and others that aspire to spirituall Contemplation doe either vvant the meanes to enioy or haue not the courage and strength to support such solitude and Austerities least the spirit of Contemplation should faile in the vvorld God raised vp first in Germany Maisters of Contemplatiue Prayer as Suso Harphius Eschius Thaulerus c. in former times and more lately in Spaine S. Teresa B. Iohn de Cruce c. vvho no question by the direction of Gods Spirit as the grace of miracles conferred on them may vvitnes haue iudged it necessary to supply the vvant of the foresaid aduantages by adding a certaine obligation to the daily practise of Internall Recollected Prayer prescribing orders times for the performance of it They haue likevvise more exactly discouered the degrees and progresse of Prayer And in a vvord most earnestly doe they exhort soules to a diligent pursuance of it professing that vvithout it it is impossible to comply vvith the essentiall Designe of a spirituall or Religious life 7. I vvill content my selfe in this place to expresse the grounds summe of the Exhortations of those other Illuminated Persons the glorious Instruments of God for the reuiuing of decayed Spirituality in the vvorld by producing a passage of Cardinall Bellarmines vvhich may be applied to this purpose taken out of one of his Sermons in fer 2. Rogat vvhich is this Ego illud mihi videor verissime posse affirmare c That is This I beleiue I may most truly confidently affirme saith he that without a diligent pursuit of Internall prayer none will euer become truly spirituall nor attaine to any degree of Perfection Wee see many which often times in the yeare doe aproach to the Sacrament of pennance as far as humane fraylty infirmity will permit doe with sufficient diligence endeauour to purge away all the staines vncleanenes of sin And yet they make no progresse but are still the very same that they were And hauing bene at Confession if a weeke after they come to the same tribunall againe they bring neither fewer nor lesser faults then such as were formerly confessed Yea without offending against truth I may adde some what more strange then all this to wit That wee see sometimes Religious Persons not a few Preists which by their vocation habits professe sanctity moreouer doe assiduously reade Diuine Scriptures bookes of Piety they doe often if not dayly celebrate the most holy Sacrifice they haue neither wiues nor children but are free from all cares sollicitudes which may distract them from a continuall attendance to Diuine things And yet after all this they are so veyd of all Deuotion the spirit of God so cold in diuine loue so earnest in the loue of secular vanities so replenished with impatience enuy all inordinate desires that they seeme not one iott to differ from secular persons wholly engaged in the world Now the only cause of all these disorders is that they doe not seriously enter into their owne hearts by Exercises of Introuersion but only esteeme regard the exteriour c Thus far are the vvords too iust complaint of the learned pious Cardinall 8. The vvhich vvith very great reason may be further extended euen to those Religious vvho by their profession ought to Aspire to Contemplation being mistaken in the true vvay thereto erroneously beleiuing that by an exact performance of outward Obseruances the solemne saying of the Office adioyning the Exercises of such internall discoursiue Prayer doe yet find but little fruit as to any interiour reformation or simplification of their soules by reason that they rest in such Actiue Exercises vvhich in a short time to Solitary liuers loose all their vertue doe not from them proceed to the truly enlightning Exercises of Internall affectiue prayer vvhich is a prayer of the heart or vvill by good Affections quietly calmely produced not vvith the vnderstanding a Prayer made vvithout those distracting methods or that busying of the Imagination vvearying of the soule by laborious discourses vvhich are only inferiour Imperfect preparations to true Prayer 9. Novv to a consideration of the necessity of Internall affectiue Prayer vvee vvill adde certaine Vertues Benefits Preeminences therof compared vvith all other sorts of
prophane vnlesse they be vsed vvith Prayer 2. That wee are obliged not only in the vse of Creatures by eating drinking c but also in all our other actions vvhatsoeuer to ioyne Prayer a consecrating of them to Gods glory so that if vvee comply vvith these our obligations duties vvee must continually either be in actuall Prayer or busyed in somthing done in vertue of Prayer 6. Novv as vvee said in the first Treatise that although all are not obliged necessarily to attaine vnto the perfection proportionable to each ones state yet all are necessarily bound to aspire thereunto Because no man can loue God vvith a sincere loue such an one as may be accounted vvorthy of Him vvho is our only Good beatitude that shall fixe any limits to his loue or that shall not aspire continually to a further higher degree of his loue So here likevvise vvee are to conceiue that this Precept of praying continually so indefinitely expressed so earnestly pressed so vniuersally applied both by our Lord his Apostle to all Christians doth inferre an indefinite vniuersall obligation so as that although none but the Perfect doe really fullfill it yet all euen the most imperfect cannot vvithout danger dispence vvith or neglect the endeauouring aspiring to the fullfilling of it Euery one must exercise as much Prayer as shall be necessary to sanctify his vocation make the vvorkes Duties of his life acceptable to God helpfull to the procuring of his eternall felicity 7. And the ground of this obligation is both very firme manifest vvhich is this That euen reason dictates that all the things vvee doe vvee ought to doe them in order to our last end vvhich is God that is vvith a sanctified Intention for vvhatsoeuer is not done vvith a right Intention in order to God is of no vvorth at all being only a vvorke of corrupt nature Novv since there are only tvvo things vvhich doe sanctify all things actions to vvit the word of God Prayer the word of God generally that is the certaine reueiled vvill of God that the thing is in it selfe lavvfull to be vsed or done Prayer in particular proceeding from faith or assurance that the thing is lavvfull therupon acknovvleging it to be Gods gift desiring his blessing on it referring it to his glory Hence it euidently follovves that since vvithout Prayer all things are vnsanctified or prophane not at all conducing to our last end but rather preiudiciall to it therfore all are bound to endeauour to sanctify all their actions vvorkes by Prayer 8. Hence vvee may inferre that the Degrees of Grace sanctity in any man are to be measured according to the vertue that prayer has vpon his Actions for the more more frequently that his ordinary Actions are performed in vertue of prayer the more perfect holy such an one is the more approaching to his cheife end And he vvhose Actions doe not for the most part flovv from the vertue of Prayer is not yet right disposed tovvards his last end 9. Novv though perhaps scarce any man can say That hic Nūc actuall Prayer is necessarily obliging vnder mortall sin yet vvithall most certaine it is that that man has reason to doubt that he is in a mortally sinfull estate that does not vse so much prayer as thereby to sanctify render meritorious the generality of his more serious Actions Or which is all one he is in a state mortally sinfull that for the most part liues vvillfully habitually in a neglect of Grace vvhich can no vvay be obtained vvithout prayer Therfore it is obseruable that the Disciples of our Lord neuer asked any instructions but how to Pray for that skill being once had all other good things are consequently had And vvhen all other Actions are performed by Grace obteined by prayer for the end proposed in prayer then a person may be said to be in continuall Prayer And much more if they be accompanied vvith an Actuall eleuation of the spirit to God 10. This is the Perfection of Prayer to vvhich our holy Rule obliges vs to aspire namely Besides the sett Exercises either of vocall or Internall Prayer to preserue our soules in an vninterrupted Attention to God tendance in spirit to him so as that vvhatsoeuer Actions wee doe they should he accompanied instantissima oratione with a most feruent perseuerant Prayer And that this perfection of continuall Prayer in a supreme degree has bene really attained to by the Ancient Contemplatiues accounted by them an essentiall Duty of their vocation is euident out of vvhat vvee reade in seuerall places in Cassian Hic finis totius perfectionis est c. saith a holy Hermite there This is the end of all perfection to haue the soule become so extenuated purified from all carnall desires as that it may continually be in an Actuall ascent to spirituall things vntill all its conuersation employment euery motion of the heart become one continuall Prayer Wee mentioned likewise before a Hermite vvhose spirit vvas so continually fixed on God that he could not though he endeauoured depresse it for so small a time as till he might fetch from the other end of his Cell some small thing that his neighbour desired of him The like continuall attention to God Gregory Lopez acknovvledgeth to haue bene in himselfe by long practise of Recollection so that though he vvould he could not but thinke on him The vvhich attention vnion no vvorke conuersation or study could interrupt Another Hermite likevvise in Cassian in 19. Conf. called Iohn saith of himselfe hovv he forgot vvhether he had taken his dayly sustenance so continuall vvas his Prayer By vvhich their senses became so stupified that they savv not vvhat vvas before their eyes To this purpose it is reported in the Liues of the Fathers that vvhen a certaine Religious man in a Iourney met vvith a little troope of Religious vvomen seeing them purposely turned out of the vvay to auoyd them the Abbesse said to him If thou hadst bene a Perfect Monke indeed though thou hadst seene vs thou wouldest not haue knowne that wee were women 11. Now it is impossible for a soule to continue vvithout interruption in Vocall Prayer there being so many necessary occasions hourely occurring to employ the tongue other vvayes besides that it vvould vtterly exhaust the spirits And as for Meditation the exercise thereof is so painfull that it vvould destroy the head to force the Imagination continually to inuent discourse internally on Diuine or spirituall obiects 12. Therfore by no other manner of Prayer but the internall Exercise of the Will in holy desires c can this Precept of our Lord be perfectly accomplished For the soule is naturally in a continuall exercise of some one desire or other the vvhich are not all at painfull to her being her naturall employment so that if by
vvhich most probably is from the Spirit of God Hereto therefore may be applyed that saying of S. Bernard Modus diligendi Deum est diligere sine modo that is The measure and manner of louing of God is to loue him vnmeasurably and freely vvithout a prescribed manner 9. In the next place hauing shevved what encombrances a Soule is to auoide in her exercise of Meditation I vvill proceede to declare positiuely and directly hovv I vvould aduise her to behaue herselfe therein 10. Let a soule that begins Mentall Praier vvith the Exercise of Meditation make choice of some good Bookes of that subiect as Fuluius Androtius Granatensis or the Abridgment of Puentes Meditations vvhich I vvould especially recommend 11. Let her begin vvith the matter of the Purgatiue way as concerning Sin Death the Finall Iudgment Hell or the like And let her abide in the Exercises of that vvay till she finds in her selfe an auersion from Sin that much of the Feare and remorse that vvere formerly in her are deposed so that she is come to haue some good measure of Confidence in God When she finds these Effects in her let her vvithout regarding vvhether she hath run ouer all the Exercises and matters in her Booke belonging to the Purgatiue vvay passe to the Exercises of Meditation which respects the Illuminatiue way as they call it that is to such vvhose matter or argument is some Mystery of Faith touching our Lords Life Passion c. and vvhich are apt to beget and encrease Humility Patience and other Vertues in her 12. Being entred into the Illuminatiue way let her in like manner abide in the Exercises therof till she find her selfe apt for Resignation Loue and other Affections of the Vnitiue way to the Exercise of vvhich let her thervpon apply herselfe 13. It may happen that a Soule that is duly in right order come into the Illuminatiue Vnitiue way as those vvaies are distinguished by the Maisters of Meditation after some time spent in the Exercises proper to those vvaies may aftervvard find herselfe called backe to the Purgatiue As after the committing of some fault extraordinary or during some vnusuall tentation c. In vvhich cases she is to yeild therto abide in those inferiour Exercises as long as she finds them proper proffitable for her vvhich is not like to be very long 14. In like manner vvhilst she is in the Purgatiue vvay if Acts of Resignation Loue c. and much more if Aspirations shall offer themselues to her as some times they may let her by all meanes correspond vnto them as long as they are relishing to her neglecting forbearing in the meane time to consider Motiues or to produce inferiour Acts of Contrition Feare c. belonging to the Purgatiue vvay 15. The grounds of the reasonablenes necessity of these Aduices is this Because the Matter manner of Praier are to be prescribed ordered according to the temper disposition of Soules not the Methods of Bookes And therfore soules are to be applyed to such a manner of Praier as God calls them to is likely to subdue inordinate Affections in them Therfore scrupulous fearefull soules euen in the beginning ate to be forbidden the Exercises of Terrour c. vvhich belong to the Purgatiue vvay and they are to be applyed to such exercises as are apt to produce Loue Confidence in God c. 16. For some short space before a Soule begins her Exercise of Meditation let her looke vpon the Booke and therin peruse the Points that she intends to meditate on Or rather indeede those Points are to be thought vpon and prouided before hand that is Ouer-night for the Morning-Meditation and after dinner for the Euening So doing she will be lesse to seeke about thē better employ the time appointed for her exercise 17. Let her not trust her Memory for the Points that she is to meditate on but haue the Booke ready that she may looke on it as she shall haue need And let her take one point after another as they lye in the Booke or as she shall haue determined before vvhen she prepared for the succeeding Recollection 18. In her meditating on each Point let her behaue herselfe after this manner 1. With her Memory and vnderstanding let her thinke on the matter of that point 2. Out of which let her dravv a Reason or motiue by vvhich the vvill may be inclined some vvay or other tovvards God 3. And thervpon let her produce an Act of the Will as of humiliation Adoration Resignation Contrition c. abiding in such application of the soule to God as long as the Will hath life and actiuity for it or as long as she shall be able to doe it 4. The which fayling and grovving to be disgustfull let her proceede to the next Point therin behauing herselfe likevvise after the same manner so proceeding in order to the others follovving till she haue spent a competent time in her Recollection 19. Novv I conceiue a competent time for one Recollection spent in Meditation to be an Houre or very little lesse Wheras for the Exercise of immediate Acts of the will a lesser space will suffise And the Reason of the difference is 1. Because in this latter Exercise more Acts of the Will vvherin all good doth consist are produced then in Meditation 2. And besides the exercise of Acts is more drie and vvearisome except in some fevv that abound in sensible Affections then is Meditation to soules fit for it 20. During Meditation let the soule neglecting the too common Practise in vvhich Meditation is made rather a study and speculation then an exercise of the spirit spend no more time in inuenting Motiues and in internall discoursings then shall be necessary to moue the vvill to good Affections But as for such Affections let her abide in them as long as she can for therin consists all the proffit And if vpon one consideration or Motiue she can produce many Acts of the vvill let her not faile to doe so and to continue in each Act as long as she finds that she is enabled It is no matter though in the meane time the Vnderstanding should lye quiet as it vvere a sleepe and vvithout Exercise 21. Indeede in Soules which haue an effectuall Call to an Internall Life their Meditations vvill haue little study or speculation in them For after a short and quick reflection on the matter Mystery or Motiue they vvill forthvvith produce Acts of the vvill And their consideration of the matter is not so much by vvay of reasoning or inferring as a simple calling to mind or thinking on a subiect out of vvhich the Will may produce some act or other ansvverable to the Point reflected on by the vnderstanding And this sort of Meditating is proper for many ignorant Persons especially vvomen vvhich haue not the Gift of Internall Discoursing 22. A soule that practises Meditation vvill find
frō your labour succeede what may succeede though it cost neuer so great a price neuer so much trauell let who will murmure at it whether wee attaine to it or die in the way although the heart faint and breake asunder with the excessiue paines vndergone for it yea though all the world be in an vprore against it and would fright vs with telling of the dangers that are in the way THE FOVRTH SECTION OF THE THIRD TREATISE OF CONTEMPLATION CHAP. I. § 1. 2. Of Contemplation in generall what it is § 3. 4. Contemplation is twofold viz First Philosophicall Of which there are seuerall sorts § 5. 6. c Secondly Mysticall what it is § 9. Mystick Contemplation or Vnion is 1. Actiue 2. Passiue § 10. 11. c. Of Actiue Mystick Vnion the nature and manner of it whether the Internall senses be vsed in it c. § 16. A Mistake of some concerning this Contemplation § 17. 18. The Diuine Excellency of it § 19. 20. Whether there be seuerall states of it HITHERTO the Exercises of a deuout soule haue bene exceedingly laborious in which she hath bene obliged to vse force and constraint more or lesse vpon herselfe to eleuate the vvill aboue all created things and to apply it vnto God She hath struggled through terrible oppositions of the deuill and corrupt nature the instability of the Imagination tumultuosnes of Passions c. all vvhich vvould hinder her perseuerance in her Recollections But notvvithstanding all this pursuing them still sometimes in light and sometimes in darknesse sometimes allured by svveetnes and againe sometimes afflicted but not discouraged vvith Desolations in the end God crovvnes her courage and Patience by exalting her to a nevv more perfect and Diuine Exercise of the Prayer of Vnion or Contemplation 2. Contemplation in the accepted generall notion of the Word signifies a cleare ready mentall seeing quiet regarding of an obiect being the Result and effect of a precedent diligent and laborious enquiry search after the nature qualities dependances and other circumstanciall conditions of it 3. Novv according to the nature of the obiect contemplated and the disposition or end of the person contemplating there are seuerall sorts of Contemplations at least so called For in the first place Anciently there vvas a certaine kinde of false Contemplation vvhich vvee may call Philosophicall practised by some learned Heathens of old and imitated by some in these dayes vvhich hath for its last and best end only the Perfection of knovvledge a delightfull complacency in it Others there vvere it is to be feared are still that contented themselues vvith an airy vayne renowne vvhich they hoped to gaine by their knovvledge So that vvhatsoeuer vvas the obiect of their Contemplation vvhether things naturall Morall yea or euen Diuine as far as by vvit and subtilty or tradition they could be knovvn selfe-loue Pride vvas the vtmost end of all these Contemplatours Yea to this Ranke of Philosophicall Contemplatours may be referred those Scholastick vvits vvhich spend much time in the study and subtile examination of the Mysteries of Faith and haue not for their end the encreasing of Diuine Loue in their Hearts Nay these are indeed more imperfect and culpable saith Albertus magnus lib. de Adhaer Deo in as much as they offend against a greater and supernaturall light 4. Yea those among them that do truly intend as their last and principall end the glory of God and seeking his Diuine Loue vvhich is the best sort of scholastick Contemplatiues yet since their cheife employment consists in much internall Discourse and Reasoning vvhich cannot be practised vvithout various distinct sensible Images by vvhich to represent God c. the knovvledge vvith they attaine to is not properly Contemplatiue the highest Degree of Prayer that they arriue vnto is only a Perfect kind of Meditation 5. In the second place there is a Mysticke Contemplation vvhich is indeed truly and properly such by vvhich a soule vvithout discoursings curious speculations vvithout any perceptible vse of the Internall sences or sensible Images by a pure simple reposefull operation of the mind in the obscurity of Faith simply regards God as Infinite Incomprehensible Verity vvith the vvhole bent of the vvill rests in him as her Infinite Vniuersall Incomprehensible good This is true Contemplation indeed And as Rest is the end of motion so is this the end of all other both Internall Externall Exercises For therfore by long discourse much practise of affection the soule enquires tends to a vvorthy Obiect that she may quietly Contemplate it if it deserue affection repose vvhich contentment in it 6. So it is in Prayer The soule aspiring to a perfect Vnion with God as yet absent begins vvith Enquiry by Meditation For as S. Augustin saith Intellectus cogitabundus principium omnis boni That is All Good proceeds from the vnderstanding as its first principle By Meditation the soule labours to represent this Diuine Obiect vvith all the sensible aduantages motiues of admiration and of loue that it can inuent to the end the Will by pure loue may rest in him But this being done the Will being not yet at free liberty to dispose of it selfe is forced vvith some violence to vntwine vvithdravv its adhesion frō creatures that it may eleuate it selfe be firmely fixed to this her only Good And at last by long custome the force by little little diminishing the Obiect begins to appeare in its ovvne perfect light and the affections flovv freely but yet vvith a vvonderfull stillnes to it And then such soules are sayd to be arriued to Perfect Mysticall Vnion or Contemplation 7. This is properly the Exercise of Angells for their knovvledge is not by discourse but by one simple intuition all Obiects are represented to their vievv at once vvith all their natures qualities relations dependences effects But Man that receiues all his knovvledge first from his senses can only by effects outvvard appearances vvith the labour of Reasoning collect the nature of Obiects this but imperfectly But his reasoning being ended then he can at once Contemplate all that is knovvn vnto him in the Obiect 8. Novv in Holy scripture our cheifest Happines Perfection is sayd to consist in this that wee shall be like vnto Angells both in our knovvledge loue for vvee shall as they haue a perfect vievv Contemplatton of God as he is not by any created formes representations And so beatificall shall that Contemplation be that it vvill for euer ingulfe all our affections But in this life our Perfection vvill consist in approching as neere as may be to such an Angelicall Contemplation of God vvithout sensible formes as he is indeed proposed by Faith that is not properly represented but obscure notions imprinted in our minds concerning him by vvhich vvee doe perceiue that he is not any thing that vvee can perceiue or
Molestation and Affliction Yea in that case it may reasonably be iudged that they are strongly assisted vvith Gods Holq Spirit since they ouercome so great tentations of the Euill Spirit 21. The twelfth and last Rule It cannot proceede from a Good Spirit vvhen Soules visited vvith Reuelations c shall obstinatly beleiue them to be of God after they haue bene condemned by experienced Superiours and Directours Vnlesse the persons be able to yeild most conuincing Proofes therof and moreouer shall seriously professe that God together vvith the secrets reueyled hath imprinted in their Soules this assurance and beleife also Certaine it is that Obedience is a most secure Remedy against all possible inconueniences and can doe no harme in no cases This is that that S. Teresa seriously enioynes and most constantly practised herselfe and this in very strange circumstances vvhen the Confessarius condemning her vvas both vnlearned impertinent c. But vvithall Spirituall Directours ought not to be rash in their proceedings nor to iudge till after a long experience and knovvledge of the invvard dispositions of the Persons and a due vveighing of the nature of the Reuelations discouered to them It is likevvise requisite that those that take vpon them to iudge of these things be themselues deuout exercised in Prayer and in good state towards God to the end they may from him receiue Light to direct others 22. In the next place as touching the manner hovv a Soule after the receiuing of such Supernaturall fauours is to behaue herselfe The principall care that she ought to haue is that she doe not beare a deliberate and fixed loue to such things vvhich is due to God only And consequently that she doe not either expressly or implicitely pray to God to haue such Visions Reuelations c. Or in case that God vvithout her Prayers hath sent them that she doe not vsually vvithout necessity talke of such matters or loue to heare others talke of them for these are signes of an vndue affection to them 23. B. Iohn de Cruce saith that vvhen God doth after an extraordinary manner make known vnto humble soules his vvill that they should take in hand some great Employment by meanes vvhereof they may likely gaine a great Esteeme of Excellency and probably vvill be in danger to conceiue some extraordinary vvorth to be in themselues for vvhich they are so highly fauoured by God vvhich conceit the Deuill vvill not fayle to cherish and encrease He doth ofentimes rather encrease then diminish the feare and repugnance that they had formerly to such things causing in them a desire and readines much rather to the vndergoing of some vile or base Offices Thus he dealt vvith Moyses vvhen he sent him to Pharao and thus vvith Ieremy c. But it happens quite contrary vvhen the bidding is from the Deuill counterfeyting priuily a Diuine Mission for he vvith his Commissions causeth a forvvardnes in soules to take vpon them Employments of Excellency or othervvise gratefull to Nature as also a great auersion from those that either suspect or vvould dissvvade them from such vndertakings 24. A Soule therfore is by serious consideration to raise and encrease in herselfe an apprehension and auersion from such matters saying vvith S. Peter Exi a me c. Goe from mee O Lord for I am a sinfull man And by exercising so proffitable a mortification she vvill secure herselfe from all perills and render herselfe very acceptable to God Serious Instructions to a disappropriation and mortifying our loue to such things are to be found in Scala Perfectionis Angela de Fulginio and particularly in the Booke called Interiour Abnegaâ—ion there is this passage To God it belongeth to giue rare and Excellent Gifts and to the Soule it belongeth to refuse them It is suitable to the Diuine Goodnes to approach vnto a Soule and the Soules duty is in humility to draw back as S. Peter did It belongs to God to eleuate the Soule and her duty is to humble and abase herselfe For as our Nature in euery thing and vpon euery occasion desireth a proper Excellency and Sublimity yea euen in things holy and appertaining to God so our Spirit illuminated by Grace which is Superiour to our Nature ought incessantly in all things and occasions to seeke to be depriued of all Excellency except in Essentiall vertues and to embrace all pouerty and lownes euen in Sacred things that so she be not lesse carefull and resolute to ouercome herselfe then Nature is to seeke herselfe Thus there must be a continuall contestation betwene God and the humble Soule c. And especially those Soules that are most inclind forward to embrace these high and gratefull things must necessarily make such resistance not yeilding till pure necessity forces them and till God take from them all power to withdraw themselues and to refuse the Excellences of that Grace whereunto he at the same time so continually and powerfully vrgeth and draweth them Instructions to the same purpose vvee find in Auilas Epistles 25. This vvas the practise of the holy Virgin Coleta vvho vvhen God offred to reueyle vnto her diuers Secrets ansvvered Lord God it suffiseth mee only to know thee and the sins in which I haue offended thee and to obtaine thy pardon for them But most notable in this regard is the Example of Suso vvhen God commanded him to publish to all Estates in the vvorld the Pope Bishops Abbots c. their vices and Enormities represented to him in the Vision of the Nine Rocks He out of that habituall feare and humility that vvas in him did so resist the executing such a Charge that till he vvas adiured and commanded in the Name of the Holy Trinity and and so forced to it euen against his vvill he had neuer yeilded And then also he submitted himselfe vvith much bevvayling his misery expressing his feare of the danger of Pride and therefore humbly begging that his Name might be conceiled from the vvorld and lastly protesting his Desire and loue to be directed to nothing but only to God himselfe His resistance indeed vvas so obstinate that God told him that if he had not knovvn that it proceeded from true but indiscreet Humility he vvould presently haue cast him into Hell for it 26. Those therfore that are fauoured vvith extraordinary Graces if they did duly consider their state and danger vvould find little ground to exalt themselues or to despise others that are in a more lovv but vvithall far more secure vvay 27. Novv for the preuenting and auoyding the great danger of ill vsing such Fauours and Diuine Graces to the feeding of selfe loue and Pride Spirituall Authours doe seriously enioyne such Persons so visited by God not to trust their ovvne Iudgments or to determine vvhether they come from God or not and much lesse to put in practise any thing of consequence vpon such Reuelations but to refer themselues to the Iudgment and Aduice of others 28. And herein great
care is to be had to chuse pious and discreet Directours because too many there are that vvill too readily and suddenly resolue such matters to come from none but God and vvill thereupon desire such persons to intercede for them and to begge some particular Fauours of the like nature c. Novv vpon such indiscreet behauiour in those that should be Directours such Persons vvill begin to thinke that God loues to treate vvith them and vvill interpret the things declared vnto them according to their ovvne Gust and Humours And if things shall fall out othervvise then they imagined they will fall into Melancholick suspicions and great danger of the Deuills snares 29. The best Course that a Confessarius in this case can take is if there be any rationall Grounds of probability that such Visions c. doe not come from God to exhort and enioyne the Persons to auoyd and despise them Yea and if after long and serious examination it should seeme almost euident to him that God is the Authour of them yet ought he so to behaue himselfe both in vvords and Actions as to deterre the soule from adhering to them vvith Affection rather inclining her to a suspicion and feare or hovveuer to an indifferency about them vvith an aspect of loue to God himselfe only vvho is aboue all his Gifts and ought to be the only Obiect of our loue And thus if the Confessarius behaue himselfe he may be sure that he vvill preuent all harme to ensue and he shall performe a Seruice very acceptable to God 30. Certainly the danger is far lesse to be too difficult in beleiuing and esteeming such things then to be neuer so little too credulous and inclind to admire them For it were better that good ones should be oftē suspected thē that an ill one should be once beleiued And therfore wee doe find that our Blessed Lord appearing to S. Teresa did neither take it ill from her nor from her Directour vvhen by his order she did spitt at him and defye him so appearing to her but he only informed her hovv she should giue conuincing proofes that it vvas no Illusion 31. B. Iohn de Cruce giues very good Aduices touching this point Exhorting soules as the surest vvay that in case they cannot meete vvith a prudent and experienced Confessarius they should not speake one vvord concerning such Graces but to passe them ouer and to make no account of them And hovveuer by no meanes of their ovvne heads to proceede to the executing of any thing signifyed after such an vnusuall manner 32. And though it should happen that the Soule being so disposed as to make no great estimation of such things vvhich vvill be a great security from danger by them shall therfore thinke it to no purpose to consult vvith a prudent Directour about such trifles Or if on the other side such Reuelations seeme vnto her so absolutely cleare and vnquestionable that there is no need at all to aske any ones iudgment about them Yet saith the same Authour it vvill be necessary that she discouer them to her Spirituall Maister 33. And the reasons are 1. Because ordinarily such is Gods order and disposition to the end that by such an humble submission of herselfe a nevv light and Grace may be communicated to her 2. To the end that vpon such an occasion she may be put in mind to restraine her Affections from such things and be established in true Nakednes and Pouerty of Spirit For vvhich End the Confessarius ought not to insist vpon the Excellency of such Fauours but passing ouer them sleightly to encourage the Soule rather to value and tend to a perfect Actiue Vnion by Charity and pure Prayer 3. That by such an occasion offred the soule may conquer that naturall vnwillingnes vvhich is in some to discouer vvhat things passe vvithin them And vvith such soules the Confessarius is to deale mildly not affrighting or scandalizing them nor disheartning them from dealing freely That by this meanes such Visions Extasies c. may produce in them that effect vvhich probably God intended namely by them to call Soules to a nearer and more perfect Actiue Vnion by Loue Wherof one perfect act framed by the Will is of more vvorth and more gratefull to God then all the Visions and Reuelations of all things that passe in Heauen and Earth can be And certaine it is that many soules vvhich are neuer visited vvith any such Fauours are yet far more aduanced in Spirit and more neare to God then are some others vvho frequently enioy such extraordinary Fauours 34. Whatsoeuer it be that is suggested in such a Reuelation vvhether it concerne Knovvledge or Practise though in it selfe it be of neuer so small moment yet vvithout Aduice a soule ought neither to assent to it nor execute it For vvhatsoeuer the thing it selfe be yet considering the cause meanes by vvhich it comes vvhich is supposed to be supernaturall it becomes of great importance Yea the meere conuersation familiarity vvith an intellectuall Spirit is a matter of great consequence And as being vvith a good Spirit it is likely to be occasion of much Good So being vvith a bad Spirit as it may vvell be supposed to be till the contrary be euident it vvill probably cause very much harme 35. A soule being to consult vvith others about such matters ought to take heed that she fall not into impertinences but as Aluarez de Paz aduiseth let her humbly breifly clearly manifest so much of these extraordinary matters to her Directour as may be sufficient to enable him to iudge And if he doe not much value them let her simply hold on her course and securely proceede in her ordinary exercises of Deuotion 36. If some eminently Perfect Soules haue followed their ovvne light in iudging of these things and practising accordingly vvithout consulting others This ought not to preiudice the foregoing Aduices vvhich are indeed for Soules lesse experienced and Perfect and such as in S. Pauls Phrase haue not their senses exercised in the discerning of Good and Euill in matters of this nature 37. In such cases likevvise all soules are not so absolutly obliged to resigne their iudgements and wills to others as utterly to neglect their ovvne proper Call receiued from God For to a vvell-minded soule that vvalkes and deales simply and plainly vvith God and labours diligently to keepe her Affections free from all created things aspiring to an indifference vvhether she haue or vvants them yea out of humility and a pious feare rather desires to vvant such extraordinary visitations Such a Soule doubtlesse vvill be so guided and illuminated by Gods holy Spirit as she vvill perfectly knovv vvhat to doe forbeare and vvhether vvhen and of vvhom to aske Counsell Let therfore such a soule carefully obserue her Internall Direction And this is the Aduice of B. Iohn de Cruce 38. From these precedent Aduices it may appeare hovv differently a soule ought
Of the Vnderstanding 2. Of the Will and 3. The sensitiue Faculties likevvise 10. First in regard of the Vnderstanding there is therby a Diuine Light communicated not reuealing or discouering any new Verities but affording a most firme cleare assurance and experimentall perception of those Verities of Catholick Religion vvhich are the Obiects of our Faith the vvhich assurance the soule perceiues to be Diuinely Communicated to her 11. O happy Euidence of our Catholick Beleife No thankes to them that beleiue after such sight vvhich is more euident then any thing vvee see vvith our corporall Eyes Surely the first knovvledge and assurance that the Primitiue Christians had of the Mysteries of our Religion came by such Contemplations communicated to the Apostles c. as S. Paul vvitnesses of himselfe for one Who savv and euen felt the truth of vvhat they preached and deliuered by Tradition to others 12. Such Contemplations as this made S. Teresa so confident in the Points of her Beleife that it seemed to her that she vvas able to dispute vvith and confound all the Hereticks in the vvorld But yet therin she might perhaps be deceiued if that God did not further enable her then by such Contemplations only For though they serued to establish most firmely her ovvne Beleife yet vvould they not suffise to enable her to dispute vvith and conuince others Because neither could she intelligibly enough expresse vvhat she had seene And if she could yet vvould not all beleiue her nor were they rationally obliged to doe so And therfore doubtles she vvould neuer haue vndertaken of her ovvne accord vvithout a speciall Motion and inuitation from God to haue entred into any such Disputes Indeed if God had vrged her therto then doubtles he vvould haue giuen her an especiall assistance and force 13. A soule that is nevvly avvakened as it vvere from such a Contemplation or Vnion coming to reade the holy Scriptures or any Spirituall Booke vvill peirce far more deeply into the Verities contained in them vvill see clearer Lights and feele far more perfect Tasts of the Diuine Truthes therin then euer before So that all the knowledge that she formerly had vvill seeme vnto her meere darknes and a knovvledge of the outward letter only vvheras novv she penetrates into the internall Spirit of the vvritings 14. In the next place the change that is made by this Supernaturall Vnion vvith regard to the Will Affections is equally admirable In so much as many yeares spent in mortification other Internall Exercises will not so purify the soule as a fevv minutes passed in such a Diuine Inaction Here it is indeed that a soule perfectly feeles her owne nothing and Gods totality thereby is strangely aduanced in Humility the Diuine Loue. For being so immediatly vnited to God so illustrated vvith his heauenly light inflamed vvith his loue all Creatures herselfe aboue all are become as nothing yea perfectly odious to her Besides there are many secret defects in a soule so subtile Intime that they can neither he cured nor so much as discouered but by a Passiue Vnion In so much as hereby the soule is aduanced to Perfection in a manner Degree not to be imagined far more efficaciously then by all the former actions of her life putt together so that the follovving Aspirations Eleuations of the spirit become far more pure efficacious then before And indeed vvere it not for such good Fruits effects vpon the Will such Passiue Vnions vvould be little proffitable vnto the soule For our merit consists in our owne free Acts produced in vertue of Diuine Grace assisting vs not in the operations simply vvherin God is only Agent vvee Patients 15. In the third place these supernaturall Vnions are of that vertue that they doe vvholly subdue the Imagination other Internall senses to the Superiour Soule so that they cannot as they list vvander to fro but are reduced to such a happy seruitude to the spirit that vvithout any stresse or violence they are brought to attend it in all its employments occasions Or if the Imagination doe sometimes vvander yet it neuer fastens it selfe vvith delight on any externall perishing obiects by reason that selfe-loue is in a sort extinguished in the soule so that it may easily be reduced or hovvsoeuer by its vvandrings it doth not hinder or interrupt the operations of the Spirit 16. Moreouer it is obserued by Mysticks that soules vvhich formerly during the precedent lesse perfect Exercises vvere of quite different euen contrary dispositions naturall complexions after such supernaturall Vnions do come to a very neare resemblance to one an other As wee see that seuerall vvaies or pathes vvhich from far distant places leade to a Citty the nearer they approach to the Citty the nearer also doe they come to one an other at last fall into make one common high vvay And the reason hereof is because nature its particular affections inclinations are novv so vvorne euen burnt out by the fire of Diuine Loue Grace that it is the Spirit of God that is the only principle of all their Actions the vvhich therefore must needs be vniforme like to one another 17. It vvill be no vvonder if these things here spoken of a supernaturall Passiue Vnion shall seeme incredible or perhaps to be but dreames of Extrauagant or Melancholicke Spirits not only to those that are strangers from the Catholicke Faith but those Catholicks also that are vnexperiēced in Internall vvayes Yet if they vvould consider that all this hath bene deliuered by the testimony of most deuout humble spiritually prudent Persons some of them very learned also vvho professe to vvrite nothing but vvhat themselues haue had experience of and this by an Internall command of Gods Spirit for the edification of others they vvill perhaps iudge more vvarily of these things And vvithall considering that out of the Catholick Church no such Diuine Graces and Communications were euer heard of they vvill howeuer reape this benefit by them if not to dispose themselues the best they can for the enioying them at least they vvill abhorre all nouelties in doctrines continue vnshaken and Obedient Children to the Church CHAP. V. § 1. 2. 3. Of the great Desolation vsually following an Intellectuall Passiue Vnion § 4. 5. c. A description of the Nature woefull bitternes of this Desolation § 8. How a Deuout soule does or ought to behaue herselfe therin § 9. The great Benefits and fruits proceeding from this Desertion well vndergone 1. A Soule hauing once experienced such extraordinary Diuine Fauours will be apt to say vvith the Psalmist Non mouebor in aeternum I shall neuer be moued thou Lord of thy Goodnesse hast made my Hill so strong But if she thinke so she vvill find herselfe strangely deceiued For as the vvhole course of a spirituall life consists of perpetuall changes of Eleuations and
to her I say it is morally impossible for such a soule so louing God deliberately habitually to yeild to the loue of any thinge but God only in order to him or to stop in any inferiour degree of loue to him The frailtie of nature many vnauoydable distractions tentations may generally doe hinder most soules from atteining or euen approaching to such perfection to such vninterrupted attention vnion vvith God as vvas practised by Adam in Innocency by a fevv Perfect soules in all ages But nothing but the vvant of true sincere loue vvil hinder the aspiring therto according to the measure strength of grace that each soule in her order enioyes And both reason experieÌ„ce vvitnesse this truth in all manner of loues lavvfull or vnlawfull For vve see that vvhersoeuer the loue to riches honour Empire or pleasure is the tyrannising Affection so as to cause the person to place his supposed happines in any of these such persons neither vvill nor can being so disposed vvillfully surcease a continuall progresse in pursuinge their designes endlesly neither can they admit an habituall deliberate adherence vvith affection to any other obiect though not ruinous but in an inferiour degree preiudiciall to vvhat they principally affect CAP. II. § 1. Commonly those only are said to aspire to perfection that consecrate themselues to God § 2. A naturall deuotion propension to seeke God of wich the degrees are infinitly various § 3. 4. 5. Yet all ranged vnder two states Actiue Contemplatiue § 6. 7. Generally most soules are of a mix'd temper betweene both hence comes the difficulty of the guiding of soules § 8. At the first Entrance into Internall waies all soules seeme to be of an Actiue temper 1. NOtvvithstanding although all Christians are obliged to aspire to perfection to leade spirituall liues sanctifying all their actions employments by prayer yet the effectuall practise of this obligation is so very rare that in ordinary speech those only are said to Aspire vnto perfection vvho haue bene so highly fauoured by God as to haue bene called by him froÌ„ all sollicitous engagement in vvorldhy affaires so as to make the only buisines employment of their liues to be the seruing adoring louing meditating praying vnto God the attending to follovving his diuine inspirations c. in a state of competent abstraction solitude this most ordinarily perfectly in a religious profession or if in the world yet in a course of life diuided separated from the vvorld 2. There seemes indeed to remaine euen naturally in all soules a certaine propension to seeke God though not at all for himselfe but meerelie for the satisfaction of nature selfe-ends vvhich is a kind of Naturall Deuotion is to be found euen in hereticks yea Iewes heathens this more or lesse according to their seuerall dispositions corporall complexions the varietie of vvhich is vvonderfull almost incredible Novv vvhen diuine grace adioyns it selfe to such good propensions it promotes increases them rectifying vvhat is amisse in them especially by purifying the intention making them to seeke God only for God himselfe no vnvvorthy in feriour Ends of nature but it doth not at all alter the complexion it selfe but conducts soules in spirituall vvaies suitably to their seuerall dispositions by an almost infinite varietie of paths fashions yet all tending to the same generall end vvith is the vnion of our spirits vvith God by perfect loue 3. Notwithstanding all these varieties of dispositions waies of which vve shall treate more fully vvhen vve come to speake of Internall prayer may commodiously enough be reduced in grosse to tvvo rankes to vvit Actiue Contemplatiue spirits Both vvhich aspire to a perfection of vnion in spirit vvith God by perfect loue for that purpose in grosse practise make vse of the same meanes necessary to that end to vvit Mortification Prayer But yet the manner both of their vnion prayer consequently of their mortification also is very different And the roote of such difference is the forementioned variety of propensions naturall dispositions to internall vvayes 4. For first the Propension vvhich is in some soules to Deuotion is of such a nature that it inclines them much to buisy their imagination to frame in their minds motiues to the diuine loue by Internall Discourse so as that vvith out such reasoning vse of images they can seldome vvith any efficacy raise or fixe their affections on God Such dispositions are not patient of much solitude or recollection more then shall be necessary to enable them to produce maintaine a right Intention in outvvard doings vvorkes of charitie to the vvhich they are povverfully inclined And the Mortifications most vvillingly practised by them are vsually eâ—ternall oftentimes voluntarily assumed the vvhich make a great shevv procure very great esteeme from others And proportionably hereto the diuine loue vnion produced by such meanes is verie vigorous but lesse Pure spirituall apt to expresse it selfe by much sensible deuotion tendernes The state therefore perfectioÌ„ of these soules is called the state PerfectioÌ„ of an Active life 3. Againe others are naturally of a propension to seeke God in the obscurity of faith vvith a more profound Introuersion of spirit vvith lesse Actiuity motion in sensitiue nature vvith out the vse of grosser Images yet vvith far greater simplicity Purity efficacy And consequently such soules are not of themselues much inclined to externall vvorkes except vvhen God calls them thereto by secret Inspirations or ingages them therin by command of Superiours but they seeke rather to purifie themselues inflame their hearts in the loue of God by Internall quiet pure Actuations in Spirit by a totall Abstraction from Creatures by Solitude both Externall and especially Internall so disposing them selues to receiue the Influxes Inspirations of God vvhose guidance cheifly they endeauour to follovv in all things And the Mortifications practised by them though lesse remarkable yet are faire more Efficacious being profound and penetrating euen to the most secret deordinations of the Spirit By a Constant pursuance of such Exercises their Spirits becoming naked empty of all strange Affections Images Distractions the Diuine spirit only liues operates in them affording them Light to perceiue strength to subdue selfe-loue in its most secret and to all others imperceptible insinuations And by Consequence they attaine vnto an Vnion vvith God farre more strickt immediate then the former by a loue much more Masculine pure Diuine And the state and Perfection of these happy soules is called the state and Perfection of à Coâ—templatiue Life 6. Now though all Internall Dispositions of soules by wich Mankind is more diuersified then by outward features may conueniently enough be ranged vnder these two states yet wee are not to conceiue that each