and without Arms among so many Enemies who will believe himself secure among so many occasions of Sin or who will be so desperate as to cohabit with so many mortal infirmities without a Doctor or his prescription to preserve him from falling into one or several of those distempers who will not use all his Endeavours to get out of this Egipt out of this land of darkness out of this Babilonish Slavery who will not ardently desire to be set at liberty out of the scorching flames of this World which do as often provoke thee O Lord to resolve upon our utter destruction as the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorha did solicit thee to so dreadful a chastisement as theirs was Since that the World is so replenish'd with dangerous Snares design'd to intangle our poor Souls therein and send them Prisoners to the dark dungeon of Hell and withall We meet every where with a Precipiece the very flames of vice have in a great measure deform'd tho beauty of our Souls already who will then think himself safe to live any longer in a place so throng'd with mortall Enemies The Wise man sets us this Question Prov. 6. can a man take fire in his bosom and his cloths not by burnt or can one go upon hot Coals and his feet not be burnt He that will handle Pitch Eccle. 13. says another can't be free from a spot no more can a Man that is always conversant with the Proud be exempt from Pride and this is the case of all us poor Mortals for We can't expect to live in the World among so many Snares Aliquando incidam vna die in manum Sauli nonne melius est ut sugiam salver 1 Reg. 27.1 and Ambushes without falling into them frequently David was cruelly persecuted by Saul and often in danger of his sweet life which made him take a firm resolution to avoid his company and never to come into his sight for says he if I do not take this course and secure my life by flying from the danger I shall certainly one time or other fall into his hands let us make use of the same means to secure our Souls from the World and from all it 's false allurements let us fly from them or at least if We be so far ingag'd therein that we can't avoid it let us be sure to give it no place in our hearts which ought to be wholly consecrated to thee O Lord who alone deservest it intirely to thy self without any Rival for thou dost love us still tho' We continue to be thy Enemies and desires only a grateful return of love from us that we may be made happy for ever In our Baptism We gave thee admittance into our hearts with a promise to be faithful to thee hereafter thou art ready to take possession thereof and to adorn it with all thy holy Graces and favours certainly we must be hard-hearted indeed if we refuse so favourable a motion from so good and so gracious a Saviour I am consident thy endearing words and most loving expressions will even force our consent to so charming a request and the rather that it is to our great advantage and the eternal Salvation of our Souls Speak then O Lord for We shall all hear thee and will by the assistance of thy Grace perform what ever thou wilt command us to do SAVIOVR O Man the greatness of my Paternal Providence for mankinde in general and the excess of my love for those among them that are my faithful Servants should win the hearts even of the most obstinate and most rebellious that ever were heard of nay it should force them to pay me that small tribute I only require at their hands which is to love me with all their hearts and to fulfill my commands with the most tender affection of a most dutiful and obedient Servant For the love I bear them does far exceed that of all worldly Fathers to their Children and the care I take to provide for them is altogether as great as my love What Father was ever known to shed his blood for his children as I have done for mine or give that attendance to his Children as I give to mine I am both day and night present with them to protect and defend them from all accidents I stand by them in all their tribulations to comfort them and so temper their afflictions that their extremity make them not despair the Prophet Royal was sensible of the great care I take of my Children in their afflictions by this I know Psal 40.11 12. says he that thou favourest me because thou dost not suffer mine Enemy to triumph over me thou upholdest me in my integrity and settest me in thy sight for ever So great is my love for my beloved Children that I never remove my eyes from off them There 's no better testimony then that of a man who knows what is said to be true by his own experience my Prophet can give thee a true account of my ardent love for those that are so happy as to be of the number of my Children and Favourites and therefore I would have thee to hear what he says of me and to fix thy self upon his undeniable deposition behold says he the eyes of the Lord is upon them that fear him and upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their Souls from Death The eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous and his ears are open unto their cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the Earth The Righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saves such as be of a contrite Spirit Many are th' afflictions of the Righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all Psa 30.18 Psa 34.15 But evil shall slay the wicked and they that hate the Righteous shall be desolate Whereas the Lord shall redeem the Souls of his own true Servants and Children and none of all them that place their trust and put their confidence in him shall ever perish The greatest treasure that a Christian Man should wish to enjoy in this World is the love and Providence of God the more he knows them and the surer he is of their enjoyment the greater should be his comfort and confidence in the same God Thou must know O man that the testimonies of Scripture relating to the promises I give unto the Faithfull of my love Eccle. 15 20.34 19. my care and protection of them are so many authentick Evidences and ratifications of the same that they are no more to be question'd then is the last Will and Testament of a dying man which none ought to mistrust of falshood Hear then and take great notice of what the wise say of my great love and care for Men. The eyes of the
as would occasion their death but I am wholly an Alien to their feelings and do choose rather to side with the Prophet Samuel and in all humility do intreat that thou O Lord wilt be graciously pleas'd to speak to me Not Moises no nor any of thy Prophets for the instructions and lights they may give me be but gifts and Rays borrowed of thy incomprehensible Splendor thou alone without their Ministry canst perfectly instruct me alas their endeavours in my regard will signify just nothing without thy gracious concurrence They may indeed utter some words but unless thou dost influence them they 'l never mollify my stony Heart nor lodge thy Spirit within my bowels Their words may be indeed plac'd to admiration their Rhetorick Charming their Eloquence exceeding that of the very best Orators their Periods mannag'd in extraordinary good order but if they relish not of thy divine Spirit my heart alas will remain as cold as the very Ice They may Cite Scripture fluently to confirm their discourse and quote both Councels and Fathers to the astonishment of their Hearers but they cannot work so far on their understanding as to make 'em conceive the thing they aim at nor bring their Will to the practise of it that enterprize is out of their Province 't is a Prerogative pertaining alone to thee O Lord no mortal Man no the very Angels cannot pretend to it unless they have thy Commission to that effect They may entertain us with a learn'd and pleasant discourse of thy great and adorable Mysteries but thou alone can'st render our understanding capable to conceive them they may tell us of thy Precepts and Counsels but thou alone can'st help us to fulfil them They can shew to us the ready road leading to Salvation but thou alone can'st comfort us in our failings and give us then greater courage to walk therein till we arrive at our journeys end The most they can boast of is to be thy Sollicitors and Agents which thou mak'st use of to exhort us to the practise of this or that other Virtue they may describe unto us the many evil consequences of a wicked Licentious life Ego plantavi Apollo rigavit Deus autem incrementum dedit 1 Epist Pauli ad Câ—rintâ—ios c. 3. v. 6. Tanquam a facie Colubri fuge peccatum Eccl. c. 21. v 2. they may thunder from their Pulpits thy dreadful threatnings and the horrid effects of thy divine wrath but 't is thy Sanctifying Grace that alone can soften instruct and illustrate our Hearts They can exteriously water our barren and rebellous Souls but thou alone can'st give the increase cause them happily to comply with the sweet Influences of thy holy Inspirations They may cry out and warn us to fly from sin as from the venom of a Serpent but thou alone mak'st our understanding and will prompt to conceive and practise what they say Let Moises then for bear speaking to me 't is from thee my God I do expect the word which can subdue reform clear my heart from all terrene and sordid affections If I only be outwardly admonish'd and not inwardly inflam'd with the ardent fire of thy divine Love my Souls death may ensue or at best I shall be but a barren and wither'd tree Let me then hear thee speak O Lord and let thy word be no sooner heard but put in execution by me no sooner known but lov'd no sooner pronounc'd but deeply fix'd in the Center of my heart there to produce the worthy fruits of a sincere sorrowful and constant repentance 1 Reg. 3. Verba enim viâ—ae eternae habes Jo. 6. Speak then O Lord for thy Servant hears thee thy words are the happy seed of eternal life let me then hear them to the comfort of my Soul and to the reformation and perfect amendment of my whole life this is a work that will really be for thy greater Glory and my eternal Salvation SAVIOVR HEar my words O Man they are most sweet efficacious and vivifying far exceeding the science of the Philosophers and wise of this World my words are both spirit and life they are beyond the reach of humane understanding they don't affect a vain complacency but delight to be receiv'd rather in silence with all humility and with all the tenderness of love and affection that can be express'd My Servant David was throughly convinc'd of this undeniable assertion when he sent forth these seraphical expressions to my heavenly Throne Beatus quem tu erudieris Domine deâ—ege tua eum docueris ut mitiges ei a die bus malis c. Psal 93. v. 12. Blessed is the man O Lord whom thou shalt instruct in thy Law and teach how he may in the evil days of his mortal life heap up a vast treasure of merits for an Eternity I am the Lord who have taught the Prophets from the beginning and since have never ceas'd to speak unto all Men but alas few answer my expectation Satan has so blinded their understanding so perverted their will so benumb'd their senses that the most part of them make nothing of my words take no notice of my corrections and set no value on my most amorous invitations in order to revive their poor Souls and shelter them under the wings of my paternal and powerful protection from the rage and fury of that infernal and devouring Dragon The most of them are so infatuate as to be more inclin'd to give ear to the deluding Sirens of the world then to the inspirations of their God to the fatal perswasions of the flesh then to the salutary dictates of the Holy Ghost to the ruinous suggestions of the Devil then to the amorous invitations of their Creator and Redeemer What the world does promise 'em is but temporal and of no 〈◊〉 and yet for that small satisfaction they are content to become slaves to it and to lose that glorious title of Children of God and all pretentions to Heaven What I promise 'em is of an unspeakable estimate and of an everlasting continuance yet their hearts are strangely averse to it and seem to conceive as great an abhorrence of it as the people of Israel had against that food which I showr'd down upon them in the Desart Their obedience to the world and their other mortal enemies and their care of pleasing them is more prompt and far greater then what they shew in my service Esay 23. Let Sidon blush and why because that for a small Sallery for a trifle she will run a long way but for the purchase of Heaven for the gain of an everlasting and happy life she will hardly raise up her foot from the ground A man shall labour a whole day to get sixpence at night and perhaps less he will undertake the most vile work that can be nam'd and be at it both night and day and weary himself so extreamly as to be nigh breathing out his life and all
my Spiritual diseases nothing can be hid from thine eyes thou knowest the evil passions that do predominate within my brest deliver me therefore o' Lord from their tyrannical government cleanse my heart from all evil and inordinate affections to the end that being inwardly heal'd and purg'd of all the sinful products of my corrupt nature I may be the more apt to love thee the more ready to suffer for thee and the more stable to persevere in thy service When I read in thy holy Writ and hear what the learned Doctors of thy Church say of the love of God I conceive an ardent desire to partake in some measure thereof for to pretend to the full perfection of it is a thing beyond my reach unless thou givest thy helping hand to my poor endeavours 'T is absolutely the Summum bonum Matt. 11. that only can make the burdensome weighty things light that can bear equally all unequal things that can carry a burden without any toil that can make sweet and pleasant what of its own nature is bitter and uneasy The love of God presseth men on to perform great and heroick actions and does excite them to aime always at what is most perfect and pleasing to his divine Majesty Love is never content to fix its tabernacle on earth nor to be concern'd with any terrene object it must have a more noble Subject to entertain its flames It must be totally free and absolutely a stranger to all worldly affections lest they should diminish its Lustre force it out of its natural Centure to lodge with our blinde and unruly passions There 's nothing more sweet and attractive then the love of God nothing more active and strong nothing more eminent and generous nothing can exceed it in latitude extent and altitude there is nothing more pleasant and affable In fine there is nothing in Heaven or on Earth that can excell it in goodness in beauty or perfection and why because it doth proceed from God that it cann't repose in any created thing but in God alone A divine Lover will fly run rejoyce tho' he were condemn'd to lodge with Daniel among the hungry devouring Lyons He is free and enjoys his liberty tho' he were in chains and loaden with Irons as another Manasses He gives with St. Francis All for All and findes his whole delight and comfort in that very All which he makes choice of And in that one supreme All the fountain-head of all goodness he sweetly reposeth with the Spouse void of disturbance A divine Lover never looks upon the gifts tho' never so excellent but has his eyes always fix'd upon the giver neither is he content with what graces and favours he receives from God but will strive to purchase more tho' it were even with the loss of his sweet life For Love admits of no bounds its flames will rise above all limitation and measure It feels no weight values no labour invents new ways of mortifications and oftentimes affects to suffer for his beloved more then flesh and blood is able to bear The divine Lover will not regard impossibilities for he thinks that all the Austerities and rigours imaginable are both lawful and possible to him he is able therefore in his own ardent and elevated conceit to vanquish all difficultys and does indeed perform more then can be expected from Nature alone In fine his good will never fails him tho' his body should ly half dead upon the ground Love is watchful if Sleeping it 's always awake if harrass'd it 's never weary in dangers it's never fearful when frightned it 's never troubled but even as a fierce blaze and a lively flame it passes by all such events and mounts up towards the very throne of God where it lies safe from all disasters evil accidents This language perhaps is unknown to many but he who really loves God will easily understand it The fervent desire alone of a Seraphick Soul makes a pleasing noise in the hearing of God Deus meus omnia S. Frâ—nâ— Deus meus amormeus Idem In odororem unguenterum tuorum câ—rrimus Cant. 1.4 Hoc est praeceptum meum ut diligatis invicem Jer. 15.12 such was that of St. Francis My God says he and my all my God and my Love thou art all mine and I am all thine dilate my heart in thy love that I may taste inwardly how sweet it is to love thee and how pleasant it is to melt and consume in thy love Let thy love support me when I surpass my ability and when in the depth of my meditations in the excess of my fervour and in the serious consideration of thy great love for man I am beyond my senses Let my Soul praise thee for ever o' Lord and let me run with the Daughters of Sion after the odoriferous savour of thy sweet perfumes Let me never love any creature nay not my self but for thee let me also love in thee all them that love thee sincerely with their whole heart this is a Christian devoir which the law of true love requires and which Jesus the perfect model and first promoter thereof does absolutely require from all mankind and under the penalty of forfieting an eternity of Joy and the Vision of God for ever Love says thy belov'd Apostle is swift Qui non diligit fratrem suum non est ex Deo Jen. 3.10 sincere pious well dispos'd and pleasant It is strong patient faithful prudent lasting manly and never fond of its self nor its proper Interest for when ever a man begins to touch that string he immediately fals from the perfection of true love and is become no better then a Heathen who is totally a Stranger both to the love and laws of God Love is always circumspect humble 1 Cor. 15. and righteous not sluggish nor light nor addicted to foolish and idle things neither does it busie it self about vain and frivolous imploys but is sober chast Stable quiet watchful and extraordinary well guarded in all its senses 1 Cor. 10. Phil. 2. Love is subject and obedient to its Prelates and Elders but has no manner of esteem for it self for it is both vile and despicable in its own eyes Love is devout to God full of trust and hopes in him tho' he afford it not the least consolation he knows full well that love cann't appear in its full splendour but where it meets with a mixture of sorrow for St. Paul says that whoever is not in a readiness to suffer all manner of Crosses that God is pleas'd to afflict him with in this world is not at all worthy of the name of a true lover In fine Rom. 8.8 a true Lover of God must embrace manfully and with a cheerful heart and countenance whatever comes upon him either by the commission or permission of his divine will let it be never so harsh violent or displeasing to nature
to convince them of their extream folly to serve so faithfully such bad Masters as the World and the Devil who for every pleasure they allow them give them a thousand mortal Stings even in this life besides the unspeakable misery which they shall make them suffer in the other on the contrary my pleasures are solid permanent and bring excessive comfort to the consciences of those that receive them so that as the Propher says Psa 84.10 one day spent in my service brings more advantage to their Souls then a thousand years imploy'd in that of the world and it were-better be a door-keeper in my house then to dwell in the Tents of wickedness Let them know likewise the tenderness of my affection for them and how earnestly I court them to serve me and not to take example by the prodigal Child who had spent all his substance idlely was forc'd at last to feed with the swine and was very glad too to be admitted into their company When in reallity he might sit at my Table feed with my Saints and Angels in Heaven if he had serv'd me with as much care and diligence as he did the World MAN NO man can be grateful to thee O Lord without contemning those things that put the common People out of their wits We must go into banishment they cry we must lay down our lives hate the World and all its allurements begger and expose our selves to reproaches nay 't is often seen that gratitude suffers the punishment due to Malefactors and that Ingratitude receives the rewards of fidelity As thy benefits are many and great so are the hazards of gratitude which is the case more or less of all other virtues and it were hard if this above all the rest should be both painful and fruitless So that tho' we may go currently on with it in smooth way we must yet prepare and resolve if need be to force through all to 't even if the way were cover'd with thorns and Serpents and fall back fall edge we must be gratefull still Grateful for thy sake O Lord and grateful likewise for our own peculiar Interest for it preserves thy favours and gains us a new addition of greater When I speak in the praise of gratitude I pleade the cause both of God and man for without it we can neither be Sociable nor religious There 's a strange delight in the very purpose and contemplation of it as well as in the action when I can say to my self I love my Benefactor what is there in this world that I would not do to oblige serve him Where I have not the means of a requital the very meditation of it is sufficient A man is never the less an Artist for not having his tools about him or a musitian because he wants his Fiddle nor is he the less brave because his hands are bound or the worse Pilot for being upon dry ground If I have only a will to be grateful and the heart to persever I am so and that 's all thou requirest O Lord Let me be upon the wheel or under the hand of the Executioner let me be burnt limb by limb and my whole body dropping in the flames a good Conscience supports me in all extreams nay it is comfortable even in death it self for when we come to approach that point what care do we take to summon and call to minde all our Benefactors and the good offices they have done us that we may leave the world fairly and set our minds in order this is the bare duty of good nature and what common civility requires of us how much greater then must our care be to remember all the graces and favours which We have receiv'd at thy hands O Lord and to be grateful to thee accordingly or if we can't return thee thanks equal to the benefits which thou wert pleas'd to confer upon us let us at least be grateful to thee so far as not to serve another Master for whom thou hast an abhorrence as being quite contrary to thy divine Maxims I have already produc'd sufficient motives and reasons to breed in our hearts a contempt of the World so odious to God and so destructive of our own Salvation I have endeavoured as much as I could to wean our affections from it and from all it's pelf as well for being in themselves vile transitory mutable inconsiderable and dangerous as for the frequent Instructions we have had from thee O Lord to hate despise and consider them as the mortal Enemys of our Salvation I will now add this one reason that tho' the World and all its pleasures and treasures were real indeed and of that great estimate as we make them yet we should not love them because that thy love O God should replenish our hearts to that degree as to leave no place for any terrene or carnal affection It was thy command O Lord to the People of Israel that they should love thee with all their heart with all their Soul and with all their powers tho' they were not so much oblig'd to thee as we are having receiv'd more favours and graces at thy hands then ever they did and having also more knowledge of thy goodness then they could ever attain to how then can we in gratitude admit of any other love How can we cast our eyes or set our hearts upon the creature when had each of us a million of hearts we should in justice consecrate 'em all unto thee There 's not a motive for which thou art amiable but deserves a thousand wills a thousand loves a thousand lives all what we are and all what we have or can prtend to in this World But if we look upon all the titles and motives of love which I have already spoke of and for which we are indespensably oblig'd to love thee how can we in good Conscience love any thing besides thee If we consider seriously the multitude of thy benefits and the products of thy infinite love and goodness to us we shall be oblig'd to confess that had we as many hearts as there are grains of Sand upon the Sea-shore or Atoms in the air all would not be capable to contain that great love which we owe unto thee how then can I divide this one heart which I have from thee amongst so many Creatures and yet this is a plague that follows all mankinde 't is an evil that runs in the blood of all mortals 't is the highest of Ingratitude which is the common distemper of this corrupt Age we live in for some are ungrateful to their Country and their Country no less ungrateful to others so that the complaint of Ingratitude reaches all Men Does not the Son wish for the death of his Father the Husband for that of his Wife c. But who can expect to finde gratitude in an age of so many gaping and craving Appetites where all People take and none give
pedibus ejus over boves universns insuper peccora Campi Volucres Coeli Pisces maris Psa 8.8 and the Stars have their being from thee O Lord upon our account it was meerly for our sake thou hast created them It was for our love thou hast brought out of nothing what wonders of nature we see dayly before our eyes that so great and so beautiful a diversity of odoriferous flowers of sweet herbs of delicate fruit of fine Trees and all other varieties which the Earth produces It was by thy orders and for our entertainment and comfort Do we not see how the Corn grows for to feed us how the wool encreases for our cloathing and all Beasts are left to our disposing thou hast also order'd the very Rocks to open their bosoms and refresh us with their Springs and not only the Earth supplys us with all it's productions but also all other Elements are so many store-houses to supply our wants the Sea the Rivers Brooks have orders from thee to supply us with fish the Air with fowl and the fire with heat Nay the very Angels have their understanding from thee with that obligation to preserve and protect us from all disasters both at home and abroad Angelis suis mandavit de te ut custodiant te in omnibus vijs tuis Psa 90.13 If patience be a trial of love where shall we finde so great an example of that heavenly virtue as thou hast shown to the World in thy most bloody passion and cruel death for us poor miserable and wretched Sinners and also in thy most gracious for bearance with us as often as we transgress thy Laws and rebell against thy self If a King after his Vassals had a thousand times attempted to murther him should not only pardon them but also continue still to heap his favours treasures upon them Rursum crucifigertes Christum in Cordibus vestris Heb. 6 6. certainly We would conclude that his love for them was excessive great what ought We then to say of thy love O Lord who sufferest us incessantly to crucify thee our Creatour our Redeemer and glorious King yet thou art still silent and the excess of thy love sets a stop to the current of thy Justice O Lord says the Prophet royal what is man that thou art mindeful of him but I may add Lord Quid est homo quod memor es ejus Ps 8.5 what is man that the Holy Trinity must have so great a love for him The Eternal Father delivers up into the hands of his mortal enemies his only and dearly beloved Son to suffer the most bitter death of the Cross for our Redemption The Son leaves unto us his Real Body and Blood under the species of Bread and Wine to comfort and strengthen our Souls against all the temptations and snares of the Devil and the Father and the Son together send us the Holy Ghost by whose grace We are made partakers of thy divine nature Divinae narurae consortes efficimur 2 Pet. 1.4 can there be imagin'd a more intense more real or more tender love then this If the right payment of love must be love and that in an equal measure too how shall we be able to requite thy love it 's altogether out of our power unless thou wilt be pleas'd to accept of our offer to have no more love but for thee no will but thine and to requite thy great love with an ardent love hereafter for all good works and a virtuous life for thou art not content we should only love thee with our tongues no thou dost reprehend those who cry unto thee Lord Lord and do not what thou commandest We must therefore love thee in all fincerity we must suffer for thee and make thee partake of all what we have that is good or may be pleasing unto thee We must love thee truly who so much loved us we must resolve to trample the world under our feet and also if occasion be to lose honour wealth and pleasures rather then decline from thy love but that we may the better perform our resolution let us know from thee O Lord what the World is and how dangerous it is to bestow our affections upon it SAVIOVR O Man thou must never repute him happy that depends upon the World for his happiness for nothing can be more preposterous then to place the good of a reasonable Creature in unreasonable things and yet as it is a common mistake to account those necessary that are superfluous so it is altogether as common with men to depend upon the World for the felicity of life which arises only from virtue There is no trusting to its smiles no more then there is to a calme at Sea which will swell and rage in a moment so that the Ships are swallow'd up at night in the very place where they sported themselves in the morning The world has the same power over Princes that it has over Empires over Nations that it has over Cities and the same power over Cities that it has over private men Where 's that Estate that may not be follow'd upon the heel with Famine and Beggery That Dignity which the next moment may not be laid in the dust that Kingdom that is secure from desolation and ruine The burning of Lyons may serve as a President to shew that nothing can be safe or stable in this World it may likewise teach men to stand upon their guard and arm themselves against all surprises The terror of it must needs be great for the calamity is almost without example If it had been fir'd by an Enemy the flame would have left some farther mischief to be done by the Soldiers but to be wholly consum'd was a prodigious accident and perhaps an Earthquake so pernicious as that was never heard of so many rarities to be destroy'd in one night and in a profound peace to suffer an outrage beyond the extremity of war who would believe it but twelve hours betwixt of fair a City and none at all It was laid in ashes in less time then it would require to tell the story That the Inhabitants should stand unshaken in such a calamity is hardly to be expected and their wonder could not but be equal to their grief This dismal accident should teach all men to provide against the possibilities that fall within the Power of so cruel an Enemy as is the World for this Tyrant having all external things under his dominion will sometimes smile at poor Silly Mortals invite them to tast of his pleasures and another while he will turn them off with a frown and destroy them with mischiefs whereof they are to seek for the Author No time place or condition is excepted from his Tyranny he makes their very pleasures painful to them and makes War upon them in the depth of Peace he turns the means of their Security into an occasion of fear he turns
Abraham sent his Servant to finde out a competent Gen. 17. and virtuous Wife for his dearly beloved Son Isaac I had a special care to direct him the safest and best way and also to bring his business to a most prosperous conclusion and all was for the great love kindeness I had for his Master Gen. 39 I would do as much to a bad Master for the sake of a good Servant and have already done it to Potiphar the Egiptian for the sake of my Patriarch Joseph for I have multiply'd all his substance as well in his house as in the Fields not upon his own account being an unbelieving Heathen but meerly for the love I had for his chast and godly Servant What mercy what care what Providence can be greater then this and is he not a mad man indeed that will refuse to serve so good so liberal and so bountiful a Lord as I am to all those that serve me and who am so careful of themselves Capillus de capite vestro non peribit Luc. 21.28 and of all that concerns them that I can't suffer so much as one hair of their head to be lost The effects of my Providence are so many and so wonderful that I am commonly call'd in Scripture the Father of the Righteous Psal 103. and I likewise call them my dearly beloved Children my Providence promoted the Prophet royal and was favourable to him upon all occasions neither was he ungrateful or unmindeful of my benefits for He gives me this Atonement of his gratefull acknowledgement Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me Bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgives all thine iniquities who heals all thy diseases who redeems thy life from destruction who crowns thee with loving kindness and tender mercies who satisfies thy mouth with good things by him thy youth is renew'd like the Eagles The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppress'd He made known his ways to Moises and all his actions unto the Children of Israel The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and prone to mercy He will not always chide us neither will he keep his anger for ever He has not dealt with us as our sins have deserv'd nor has he rewarded us according to our iniquitys For as the Heaven is High above the Earth so great is his mercy towards them that fear him As far as the East is from the West so far has he remov'd our transgressions from us even as a Father doth pitty his Children So the Lord pittys them that fear him for he knows our frame and he remembers that we are nothing but dust Esa 63.16 The Prophet Esaiah thinking the name of Father did not sufficiently express the tenderness of my love because it has been never yet paralel'd by any mortal Parents says Lord thou art our Father indeed Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel does not acknowledge us Thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer and thy name is from everlasting and tho' they be our Father according to the flesh yet they don't deserve the name thereof 't is a qualification due to thee alone for their love for us is no more then a shaddow to that which thou hast express'd to us upon all occasions my love rather resembles that which a good natur'd Mother bears to her child and therefore I compare my self to the most passionate of the Sex Can a Mother forget her sucking Child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me Esa 49.15 Can any Mother speak with a more tender expression of love who will be so blinde so stupid and so far from good nature as not to rejoyce at the very sound of these superamourous words which are able to revive the deadest heart that ever was to all motions of love or devotion what man tho' never so great a drone hearing me give him this extraordinary assurance of my most ardent love and paternal Providence will not run with the spouse in the Canticles after the sweet scent of my perfumes I am a God that speaks to thee and the eternal verity too which was never guilty of the least falshood whose riches have no limits and whose power is of the same nature with the rest of my attributes which are all infinite I am therefore him only thou shouldst fear to offend and in whom thou shouldst place all thy hopes and confidence my words should comfort and rejoyce thy heart the title of honour I confer upon thee should unman thee so far as to take on the heart and spirit of a child of God and the assur'd demonstrations I give thee of my great Love and Providence should breed in thee an everlasting abhorrence of the World and all it's allurements What more shall I say Deut. 32.11 Deut. 1.31 or to what shall I compare the love which I bear unto thee the Eagle of all Mothers is the most tender of her little ones and it 's therefore the Prophet says of me as an Eagle stirs up her nest flutters over her young spreads abroad her wings takes them and bears them on her wings so the Lord has dealt with thee nay thou hast seen how the Lord thy God bears thee as a man does bear his young child in his arms in all the way that ye went until ye came into this place What could I do that I have not done to my People to wean their affections from the World and settle them totally upon so good and so Cordial a Father as I am to them I call them my beloved Children and so they are indeed for thou shalt find as many authentick testimonies as there have been Prophets in the World from the beginning that they are my Children in effect as well by their Creation as by their preservation from all dangers The Prophet Jeremy will tell thee that I have lov'd them with an everlasting love Jerem. 31. and that with loving kindness I have drawn them out of nothing to what they are at present and have preserv'd them as well from their temporal as from their Spiritual Enemies whilst they remain'd submissive to my Laws and gave me the reverence which is expected from dutiful Children to their Parents O ye Nations says the same Prophet hear the word of the Lord declare it in the Isles afar off say the Lord that has Scatter'd the People of Israel for their Sins will gather them again if they will cry to him for mercy and if they continue obedient to his commands he will keep them as a Shepherd does his flock For the Lord has redeem'd Jacob and has ransom'd him from the hand of him that was stronger then He. The same
by so doing thou shalt reign with God in his eternal felicity But if thou dost really aim at so glorious a conquest of thy self thou must make use of the means to attain it which are poverty frugality mortification pennance Fasting and humiliation thou must joyfully suffer derision injurys tribulation persecution Adversity Infirmitys Subjection and all things that are able to debase and depress thy old deprav'd man This is the only way to conform thy self to me who have suffer'd all that 's here rehears'd more too for thy love this is the way also to destroy thy proper love and to become a proficient in all sorts of virtue in humility patience meekness sobriety and Chastity in the love of God and that of thy Neighbour in pennance interiour peace and in all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost In fine there 's nothing contributes more to the utter destruction of that curs'd and proper love then the continual mortification of thy sinful appetite and passions and the powerful hatred of thy self for he that hates his life in this World shall keep it to life Eternal The perfect abnegation of thy self together with the lively and cruciform imitation of me is a most exquisit and powerful means to expel it entirely from thy heart Jo. 12.15 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily Luc. 11.23 and follow me for the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force Mat. 11.12 If thou wilt but learn to love thy self thus in God thou wilt be truly learn'd and wise but Alas the folly and perverseness of men is so great that they will not study this holy science they neglect this heavenly lesson and trifle away their time in riding or discoursing of terrene sordid and impertinent matters contrary to this good advice of the Wife Eccle. 3. think always of those things which God has commanded thee O Religious Man hadst thou imploy'd thy time faithfully in the serious consideration of thy incumbent duty to God and of thy main obligation to quit thy self intirely of that private and proper love which prevents thy increase in virtue and which is also the fatal fource of all disasters and crosses incident to thee in this World thou wouldst certainly enjoy plenty of ease and comfort in thy own mind and thy Soul would swim in the pleasant waters of my Grace thou wouldst also secure thy self from the eternal torments of Hell and purchase a most glorious Crown in Heaven Moreover thou must know that a Religious life is a state of perfection Non progredi regredi est and not to go forward therein is to go backward which is the utter perdition of thy Soul nay the Holy Fathers are of opinion that it is the highway to sempiternal damnation Now lay thy hand to thy breast and examine what progress thou hast made in this School of virtue if after so many years in Religion thou dost find thy self as prone to Pride Psa 26.12 to Vanity to Anger to impatience to foolish and idle words c. as thou wert before thy entring into it where 's thy glory where 's the fruit of all thy labours where 's the faithful performance of thy Vows Does not iniquity bely it self thinking thou art a Religious man when indeed thou art none at all thou only hast the name of one Thou appearest to be living Devisum est cor eorum nunc interibunti Osee 10. but really thou art dead Thy heart is divided and the World has the greater share thereof but what will follow thou shalt undoubtedly perish unless thou dost amend thy life I know thy works that thou art neither cold Apocal. 3.15 16 17. nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot but because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth And because thou sayst I am rich and increas'd with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable poor and blind and naked Such men do commonly think themselves to be upon very good terms with God and therfore are cock-sure of heaven but alas in the hour of Death they shall find themselves grossly mistaken 'T is a crime of the deepest die in a Christian Pro. 29.20 Ibid. 21.23 but 't is much more abominable in a Religious Person to be incessantly prating and uttering words at random it 's therefore the wise man says seest thou a man that is hasty in his words there 's no more hope of his correction then of a Fool 's he says in another place whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his Soul from troubles But St. Jac. 1.26 James is more plain in the case for he says if any man among you seem to be Religious and bridles not his tongue but deceives his own heart this man's Religion is vain 'T is not the habit that makes the monk neither is it the transporting of thy Body out of the World into a Monastery that makes thee Religious as it is not thy being in the World that makes thee a worldling 'T is the heart that does it if that be fix'd upon God alone thou art a perfect religious man but if thy affections be settled upon terrene and transitory objects thou can'st lay no claim to the title of Religious nor to the least share of God's glory Another touchstone whereby thou mayst easily know whether thou art really a Religious Man Jo. 13.35 or not is if thou beest in Charity with all the World by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another Moreover this is my precept and it alone is enough to work thy Salvation Rom. 13. Pet. 4. If punctually observ'd because that all other Precepts are virtually contain'd therein It 's therefore St. Paul says Eph. 5.1 2. whoever loves his Neighbour fulfils the law and my supreme Vicar on Earth exhorts all mortals to have a mutual love one for th' other because Charity covers a multitude of Sins And the same S. Paul after his return from his sweet and mysterious conference with God in the third Heaven says be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children and walk in love as Christ also lov'd us and has given himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling Savour so ye ought to expose your lifes for your Brethren And St. Jerome in his Monastical Rule says St. Jerome in his Monastical Rule that Charity revives a man in God she alone compleats the Religious man and the Monk too without her Monasterys are Hells upon Earth and th' Inhabitants are Devils but with her they are Paradises and the Dwellers are all Angels By the Premises thou mayst see that Fraternal Charity is the fundamental Virtue of a Religious state ahd of Christianity too but alas if I
proper Prerogative of the Elect which gives them an assured title to life everlasting 'T is so eminent a favour that the gift of Prophecy the operation of Miracles and even the most eminent Speculation is of no worth without it nay Faith Hope and all other Virtues can never be grateful to thee O Lord unless they have Grace and Charity along with them it makes the poor of Spirit rich in virtues and the most opulent in earthly Treasures humble and low in heart She is the Mistress of Truth the Teacher of Discipline the Light of our understanding the Comfort of the afflicted a deliverer from all Sadness a remedy against fear a nurse of Devotion and a most powerful Instrument to draw sorrowful sighs and bitter tears from our hearts and eyes What am I without thy Grace O Lord what but a dry land and a fruitless Tree fit for no other use then to be cast into the fire Wherefore O Lord let thy grace prevent me always and go with me in all my ways that I may be the more able to perform thy commands and comply with thy blessed will SAVIOVR O Man Sancti esto te quoniam ego Sanetus sum Dominus Deus vester Lev. 11.44 wilt thou condemn me that thou mayst be justified wilt thou accuse me of too much rigour and want of discretion that thou mayst be excus'd of thy intollerable negligence sloath and transgressions didst thou not hear me speak by my servant Moises to the People of Israel Perfectus absque macula eris cum Domino Deo tuo Deu. 18.13 Estore perfecti sicut Pater vester coelestis perfectus est Matt. 5.48 Cum metu timore tremore operamini salutem vestram Phil. 2.12 Nostra conversatio in coelis est Phil. 3.20 Ubi amor ibi oculus St. Bern. Ubi Thesaurus tuus est ibi Cor tuum erit Matt. 6.21 Verius est anima ubi amat quam ubi animat Aug. that they should be all Saints because that I the Lord their God am a Saint that they should be all perfect and without the least Spot in my presence The same command was often repeated to thee in the law of Grace there thou shalt finde what a weighty obligation thou liest under to be perfect as thy Father in heaven is 'T is a tribute due to the Divine Justice and as thou hast thy life from him with that obligation to spend it wholly in virtue and in his faithfull Service thou canst not do otherways without incurring his great displeasure my Apostle was order'd by me to warn thee and all mankinde to work your Salvation with fear apprehension and trembling never to cease praying and to be always imploy'd in some good work or other Thou tellest me of being a frail man was not Peter was not Paul and the rest of my Apostles made of the same stuff as thou art yet they tell thee that their dayly and hourly conversation was in Heaven Thou hast been often told that he is accurs'd who will either say or believe that God has commanded impossible things to Man His very first Precept to him is that he must love God with all his heart and wilt thou tell me that this is an impossible thing thou beleivest I suppose this maxim where the love is there the eye is that other where thy creasure there thy heart is I shall add another maxim which is no less credible that the Soul is more assuredly there where she loves then where she animates now lay thy hand on thy conscience and tell me how often has that unruly and predominant love which thou hast for a filly Creature oblig'd thee to pay her a visit with all humility respect patience and with all the expressions imaginable of a most tender affection how often hast thou intreated that object of thy lust to give thee a favourable admittance into her presence didst thou ever think the time long in her company no tho' it were a whole day it seem'd but a moment to thy thoughts would'st thou not undergoe all the fatigues imaginable to be admitted into her favour nay to purchase a smile or an amourous glance of her eye thou wouldst I am sure endanger even thy sweet life And wilt thou be backward to do as much for me who came from my Fathers breast to my Servants womb from my heavenly Palace to a dirty Stable from a seat of Glory to a Land of misery from the company of Angels to that of brute beasts from a peaceable and well-settled government Eâ—â—erat snbditus illis Luke 2.51 to be subject to and under the command of a poor Carpenter and all this was to retrieve thy lost Soul wilt thou not I say do as much for me who have sustain'd labour and toil the full space of thirty three years being all that time needy and poor as the Evangelists testify of me going bear-headed and without Shooes destitute of lodging or Cloaths to defend me against the Weather All this I suffer'd to lodge thy Soul in Heaven for an eternity or for me who have been betray'd by my own Disciple deliver'd over into the hands of my Enemys Scourg'd Crown'd with thorns condemn'd and nail'd to a shameful Cross thereon dy'd to purchase for thee as well as for all mankind an Eternity of Glory And shall I have no other return from thee for all my aforesaid kindnesses then to tell me that thou art a frail man and not an Angel as if the perfection which I require of thee was rather to be expected from those heavenly Spirits then from so weak and frail a creature as thou art O ingratitude beyond all expression but alas it is the common distemper of all mankind for they do generally despise the bounties of their Maker none is content with his State or condition were he as strong as an Elephant as swift as a Buck as light as a Bird he shall complain that he wants the Sagacity of Dogs the sight of Eagles the long life of Ravens nay he will repine that he is not immortal endu'd with the knowledge of things to come his ingratitude will not be content with the enjoyment of that neither no he takes it ill that he is not a God upon Earth He never considers the advantages of his condition much less the goodness and love of God to him in the benefits he enjoys The benignity of Providence was so great in his regard as to give him power to subdue the strongest of Creatures overtake the fleetest reclaim the fiercest and outwit the craftiest He is within one degree of Heaven it self and yet he is not Satisfied he would fain have Heaven for his inheritance and the glory of Saints for his Patrimony without any further trouble O man take notice of thy great folly wilt thou pretend to have Heaven at a cheaper rate then I have had it who am the only the undoubted Heir of that
Earth certainly thou wouldst be totally inflam'd with love for so admirable a Creature thou wouldst never be weary of his company much less of his discourse why then dost thou not love me with all thy heart as thou art commanded Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo Matth. 22.37 Cupio dissolvi esse cum Christo Phil. 1.23 why dost thou not often and ardently desire with St. Paul to be deliver'd from that loathsome prison of thy body to enjoy my sight and company who am really adorn'd with all those perfections and graces in an infinite degree above all earthly Creatures and do confer the same upon all and every one of my Saints in Heaven why dost thou not despise the transitory and sordid pleasures of the world to seek after those of my heavenly Court which can beautify and embellish both thy body and Soul and the rather because I am so free to impart them not only to thee but also to all those that shall be faithfull to observe my commands For if I be so magnificent a Lord and so free to confer my favours in this world upon all men without any distinction so that the wicked may pertake of them as well as the Godly is there any ground then to believe that I have not far greater blessings in store for those alone that are my favourits and dearest beloved If I was so liberal as to bestow gratis such vast treasures as are the manifold benefits of nature upon a People that I was not in the least oblig'd to but on the contrary have suffer'd much at their hands Nec oculus vidit reâ— auris audivit nec in cor hominis ascendit quae praeparavit Deus diligentibus se 1 Cor. 2.9 how much more am I indebted to those that have serv'd me faithfully and with the loss of both their lives fortunes It 's impossible for thee O man to express the immensity of the glory which I shall confer upon my Elect in Heaven since that even the benefits which I have imparted to my very Enemies here on Earth are far beyond the reach of thy understanding for my Apostle says that the eye has not seen nor the ear heard neither have enter'd into the heart of man the things which God has prepar'd for them that love him If that be so as really it is why dost thou loyter then in thy banishment and dote so much upon the vaniteis of the world and earthly affairs why art thou so desirous to live any longer in the land of Egypt to gather straw and drink muddy water out of it's stinking Pits despising the headspring of all felicitys and the fountain of living waters why art thou content to beg and gather Alms at every door rather then live in thy heavenly Fathers house where all manner of solid content and pleasure is to be found why dost thou starve with the prodigal Son and feed with the Swine upon Acorns whilst thou mayst fit at his table and eat of the banquet which he has prepar'd for all his belov'd in glory If thou be'st inclin'd to pleasure raise up thy heart towards my heavenly Residence and there thou shalt behold that Supream Good which contains within its self eminently all the pleasures and allurements of all things that can be called good or delectable If this created life be pleasing to thee how much more pleasing must that increated life be which gave it a beginning and without which it cann't subsist one moment If health be a comfort to thee how much more comfort can I afford thee who am alone the giver the promoter and powerful preserver thereof If the knowledge of the creatures be sweet and acceptable to thee how much more sweet and acceptable ought the knowledge of thy Creator be unto thee Cujus pulchritudinem sol luna mirantur Job 38.7 Generationem ejus quis ennarrabit Isa 53.8 If all thy delight be plac'd in beauty I am he whose beauty the Sun and Moon does admire If thou beest taken with Nobility I am the source and offspring of all that can be call'd noble for my extraction goes far beyond the Creation of the world and limits of time If thou delightest in learning here in my heavenly School thou shalt know all my mysteries the profound sense of holy Scriptures thou shalt know the exact number of all my Saints and Angels thou shalt know the Secrets of my Divine providence how many are damn'd and for what thou shalt understand the frame and making of the world the whole artifice of nature the motions of the Stars and Planets the proprieties of Plants Stones Birds Beasts thou shalt not only know all things created but also many more things which I might have created thou shalt not only know them altogether and in the total but clearly and distinctly without any confusion The knowledge of the greatest wisemen and Philosophers of the world even in things natural is full of ignorance deceit and incertainty because they know not the substance of things but through the shell and bark of accidents whereas a poor and silly Servant kept all his life in Slavery nay were he a natural in the world yet in heaven he shall be replenish'd with more learning and knowledge as well of natural as of divine things then Solomon then Aristotle then all the Mathematicians Astrologers Astronomers Philosophers Divines and Doctors that ever were or will be to the worlds end for as St. Gregory says it is not to be believed that the Saints who behold within themselves the light of God are ignorant of any thing without them If thou beest desirous of long life health here thou wilt enjoy life everlasting without any distemper or malady without any danger of death or of any other evil in the quiet and peaceable possession of all manner of pleasure and comfort for there thou shalt rejoyce in what is above thee which is my beatifical vision in what is below thee which is the beauty of Heaven and other corporal Creatures in what is within thee which is the glorification of thy body in what is without thee which is the company of so many blessed Angels so many glorious Apostles so many renowned Patriarks so many famous Prophets such an invincible army of Martyrs a most renown'd assembly of Confessors a vast number of true and perfect religious so many holy Virgins which have overcome both the pleasures of the world and the frailty of their own nature Here I shall recreate and feast all thy spiritual Senses with an unspeakable delight for I shall be both thy gracious and grateful object I shall be a mirrour to the sight musick to the ear sweetness to the tast balsom to the smell flowers to the touch Here In fine there shall be the clear sight of Summer the pleasantness of the Spring the abundance of Autumn and the repose of winter But O man Quem dicunthomines
a horse we take off his cloths and his trappings and examin his shape and body for fear of being cozen'd And shall we put an estimate upon a man for being set off by his fortune and quality nay if we see any thing of ornament about him we are to suspect him the more for some infirmity under it He that is content in Poverty would not be so neither in Plenty for the fault is not in the thing but in the minde It 's therefore thy Apostle writing to Timothy says command the Rich of this World not to be high-minded nor place their considence in the uncertainty of their Riches Divitibus hujus mundi praecipe non sublime sapere neque sperare in incerto divitiarum 1 Tim. 17. Non proderunt divitiae indie ultionis Pro. 11.4 Divitiarumjactantia quid nobis contulit Sap. 5. Dormierunt somnum suum nihil in venerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis Psa 75.6 and the ground of his Precept is that Riches shall not profit a man in the day of revenge nor rescue him from the rigour of thy Justice in the day of his death if his sins have put him out of thy favour this the wicked Rich themselves confess tho' too late being already condemn'd to live in torments for an Eternity what has the bravery of our Riches avail'd us nothing at all but have rather increas'd our misery because we made thereof our Gods upon Earth tho' we were often told of their vanity and how they could never afford their Masters any comfort or ease when they were in most need of their help The Royal Prophet seems to commiserate their deplorable condition where he says Alas the Rich men have slept out their sleep and have found nothing in their hands People in their sleep will dream of Mountains of Gold and Silver and think themselves rich for ever but when they awake they finde they are altogether in as bare a condition as before this is the case with the rich whilst they are in this life they do imagine themselves Rich for ever and that their vast treasures will bear them up in all necessitys that shall occur but when they open their eyes in the hour of death they see then that they must depart for another World with as little provision as the poorest beggar in nature I can't but smile to hear the Prophet Baruch laugh at such People where are they now says he those great Estated men those mercenary Judges those deluding Lawyers those flie Attornys those greedy and covetous Merchants those insatiable Usurers that heap'd up such a vast deal of gold silver and that never desisted gathering together Alas they are rooted out of the World cast down into Hell-sire And therefore says St James now ye rich men weep and wail Jacob. 5.1 2 3. c. and howl for your miseries that come upon you now your riches are rotten and your gold and silver is rusty and the rust thereof shall be in testimony against you It shall feed upon your flesh as if it were fire you have hoorded up wrath to your own selves in the last day Tho' he is an Apostle that speaks yet his words are the very dictates of the holy Ghost whereby we may easily conceive the dangerous consequence of worldly wealth and the main folly of them that labour so much to procure the same by injustice and other indirect means and when they are masters of them do not imploy them to the advantage of their Souls but lay out all to support their grandeur and satisfy their Lust I am certain that if an Assembly of the most able physitians of the World had met to determine whether such or such meats were dangerous to feed upon and that they should all conclude they were absolute poyson to the body few or none at all would hazard his health to eat thereof tho' otherwise in sight smell and tast they appear'd sweet and most pleasant And shall not the unanimous votes of all the Saints in Heaven and of all the Catholike Doctors on Earth together with thy most holy and urgent admonitions O Lord be able to remove the disordinate love which mortals bear to this most dangerous Soul-killing vanity Thou sayst by thy Prophet to all mankind Divitiae si affluant nolite cor apponere Psa 61. Qui diligit aurum non justificabitur Eccl. 31. Zacha. 1. set not your hearts upon the love of Riches and why the wise make them this answer because whoever loves Gold that is beyond the precept shall never be justifi'd and thou sayst thy self that thy indignation and wrath shall fall very heavy upon rich nations There 's nothing so often repeated in Scripture as a Woe to the Rich and thou dost confirm it thy self with that usual affirmation Amen Amen I say unto you that a Rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19. What an extream folly it is then to seek so much after so poisonous a bait as are Earthly Riches which may perhaps afford some little comfort to their owners in this World but with an absolute exclusion from the everlasting pleasures of thy kingdom Woe be to you Rich men for that you have receiv'd your consolation in this life so that in the other you are not to expect any Sad news indeed for the Rich and able to settle in their hearts a perpetual abhorrence against so fatal an enemy to the Salvation of their Souls This expression I fear will not at all rellish with many of our Worldlings who account Riches to be their dearest and only Friend nay had I said their God it would not be contrary to truth for their hearts are more enamour'd with them then they are with thee O Lord tho' thou hast deposited thy sweet life to ransom their Souls from the power of Hell Qui volunt divites fieri incident in tettuionem in laqueum Diaboli defideria malta inutilia nociva quae mergunt homines in interitum perdidonem 1 Tim. 6.9 and Death everlasting And yet if St. Paul may be credited they are grosly mistaken and wide from the mark they aim at for where they expect their consolation and pleasure they meet with their eternal destruction and sorrow for He says that they which will be rich do fall into temptations and into the Snares of Satan as also into many unprofitable hurtful desires which do drown them in the Abiss of destruction and Woe Their main objection to this doctrine is what shall become of our Wives and Children if we be not careful to provide a maintenance for them that they may live in the World with as much splendour as the dignity of their condition requires But the Wife man gives them a satisfactory answer in my minde and a notable check to boot for he calls them fools and besides he tells them in plain terms that their great care
Lord are constantly fix'd upon those that fear him there 's not a step they go nor an action they do nor a word they speak but he takes an account of He is the powerful Protector of the godly the upholder of the virtuous the Defender of the zealous a comfort to the afflicted a refuge to the Just from the Scorching heat of Lust and all other vices a Preserver from all mortal offences their main help in all their adversitys exalting their Souls illuminating their eyes giving them life health and his everlasting blessings O how many kinds of employments do I take upon me for the welfare and preservation of man Apud Dominum gressus hominis dirigentur viam ejus volet cum ceciderit non collidetur quia Dominus supponit manum suam Psal 36.23 24. The Prophet Royal gives me another office which ought mightily to encourage all Christians to put themselves intirely under my protection which likewise adds very much lustre to my divine love for my faithful and loving Servants The steps of a good man says he are order'd by the Lord and he delights in his way Tho' he should fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him with his hand Consider seriously this amourous expression see what hurt can come to a man that falls upon so sweet and easy and so gracious a cushion as are my sacred hands none at all for I will preserve them so carefully that not even the least harm shall come upon 'em and if any should be so peremptory as to afflict or wrong any that is under my protection I shall take it for an injury done to my self Qui vos tangit tangit pupillam oculi mei Zacha. 2. for He that touches them touches the apple of mine eye Certainly this special care I take to protect the Righteous is a most convincing argument of my great love for them and the command I lay upon my Angels to keep and preserve them in all their ways is altogether as great a proof of my tender kindeness and especially Psal 90. the strict charge I give them to bear men up in their hands lest they should dash their feet against the Stones O Man consider how highly the Righteous are honour'd by me in that I have appointed my Angelical Spirits to bear them up in their Arms What Pope what Emperour what Monarch in the World was ever so well supported Beasts or Mens shoulders at most are enough to carry them but my Angels from Heaven are order'd to bear my Children even in their hands wherever they goe It 's usual with Elder-Brothers if they be not of a moross nature indeed to carry their younger-Brothers in their arms when they are not able to go themselves and this kindness my Angels do faithfully perform to the just as being their Elder Brothers not only in their life time but also in their death as thou mayst read in Scripture Luc. 16. Psal 33. where Lazarus after he died was carri'd by the hands of Angels into Abraham's bosom And my Prophet avers that they surround the Righteous in this life lest any hurt should befal them from any side and I keep a vigilant eye over them my self that no evil may annoy them In fine they shall tread upon the Lion Psa 91.13 14 15 16. and Adder The young Lion and the Dragon shall they trample under their feet because they have fixed their love upon me therefore will I deliver them I will set them on high because they have known my name They shall call upon me and I will answer them I will be with them in all their troubles I will also deliver them and honour them too I will bless them with a long life and shew them my Salvation at the hour of their death When the King of Syria came with a numerous Army to take my Prophet Eliseus Prisoner his Servant felt so great an Agony of trembling and was so terrify'd at the sight of so dreadful a power 4 Reg. 6.17 that my Prophet pray'd heartily I should open his eyes to let him see the far greater number of Angels which were on his side to beat down that vast multitude which came to annoy him whereupon the Servant was animated and seem'd to dare his Adversaries or at least to make slight of them had I open'd thine eyes likewise and set thee the question what dost thou see in Sunamite that is my Church or every Soul that lives in the state of Grace thou wouldst answer I see great Armies of Angels on every side of her O what a puissant Guard is this sure there 's no danger of any disaster falling upon my faithful Servants whilst they are so extraordinary well protected Quid videbis in sunamite nisi choros castrorum Cant. 7. Solomon's Couch was environed with sixty Men of the Strongest and stoutest of all Israel with their drawn Swords in their hands and were all expert in Martial discipline each one well Arm'd at all points for fear of any nocturnal incursions Cant. 3. or insurrections This is only a figure but a perfect representative of the great care which I take to preserve protect the Righteous otherwise how could they being conceiv'd in sin living in a frail corrupt flesh prone to all evil among so many snares and powerfull allurements to evil pass over as many years without the least mortal Sin this is the wonderful effect and chief benefit of my Divine Providence and Protection which is so extraordinary great that it does not only preserve them from evil but changes the very evil which they had carelesly committed into a subject of greater good Diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28 because that by this little stumble they got they become more wary more humble and more thankful to me who have withdrawn them from so great a danger and forgiven them an offence against my infinite Majesty This was an occasion of St. Pauls saying Diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28 We know all things work together for good to them that love God If this great favour be worthy of all Mens admiration how much more astonishing will it be that I shew this great Mercy not only to my beloved Servants but also to their Children and to their Children's Children after them as I do solemnly declare in these words I the Lord thy God am a jealous God Exod. 20.5 visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments David is a sufficient President hereof for I did not reject his Children for many Ages and tho' their sins have often deserv'd my abandoning them yet I had patience with them for the love and esteem I bare to David their worthy Father and my faithful Servant When
amara est memoria tua homini habenti pacem indivitijs suis Eccl. 41. that had conquer'd most part of the World in less then twelve years to see himself seiz'd on by Death and Summon'd to appear before thy most dreadful Tribunal when he desir'd most to live and tast of the joy and delight of all his victories What a heart-breaking will it be to those that employ all their time in building of houses purchasing estates increasing riches procuring dignities making up matches laying out vast sums to use when they shall see themselves even as so many Princes Mules discharg'd of their treasure and turn'd off with backs gaul'd into some nasty stable nay it will be far worse with them for after their long travelling in this World loaden with gold and Silver which had extreamly gall'd their wretched Souls they shall be disburthened at the day of death and sent away with their wounded consciences to the dark and loathsome Stable of Hell there to continue for an Eternity O my Saviour these considerations well meditated are able to mollify a heart of Steel to move any man to a true repentance of his past follys to breed in him an abhorrence of the world and of all its vanitys and make him resolve to employ the remainder of his days in thy Service that art absolutely the best of Masters and whose rewards to thy faithful Servants are far surpassing the pleasures treasures of this deluding world as thou dost exceed the creatures Eternity the Time the eternal joys of thy heavenly Court the short and transitory joys and delights of this Land SAVIOVR HE must be a most perverse and hard hearted man indeed that will not love me after all the several benefits and manifold favours which I have confer'd even in this life upon the generality of mankinde which are in a manner nothing to what I have prepar'd for my Elect in the other for these are so incomprehensibly glorious that eye has never seen nor ear has ever heard neither is man's understanding capable of conceiving their excessive greatness for I am by nature infinitely good amiable and liberal consequently what I have promis'd prepar'd and decreed from all Eternity to bestow upon my Elect must be no less then my self objective as your Divines call it and formaliter the most clear the most delicious the most pleasant the most blessed union and fruition of my divine Essence for all Eternity O the Immense the inestimable the glorious the Interminable felicity of a blessed Soul that shall live and reign with God who is infinite in beauty in glory in power in wisdom and in finite in all his Attributes that shall enjoy clearly and without any interruption his blessed Vision so unspeakably comfortable satisfactory to all her senses and this too for an Eternity A God likewise that is the abundant headspring of all delights the inexhaustible fountain of all goodness the most opulent treasury of all riches pleasures Joy Perfection and of all things desirable or necessary to compleat her everlasting happiness This is the essential and principal reward of the Blessed But besides these there are other innumerable joys which I call Secundary rewards and these are also so great and so many that they do absolutely transcend all measure and number and wilt thou not O man love a God who has lov'd thee gratis and to that excess as to give thee himself all that 's in his power A God that most mercifully lov'd thee when thou wert in actual rebellion against him wilt thou not love the Eternal Father who in the excess of his love for thee did not spare his only and dearly beloved Son but deliver'd him into the power of most cruel Enemies that crucify'd him this was for thy sins alone as well as for those of all mankinde wilt thou not love him that has by the effusion of his most precious bloud free'd thee from the power and unspeakable anguishes of Hell and it 's eternal torments to place thee in the most happy company of his beloved in glory wilt thou not love him who has chosen thee even before the worlds Creation who has call'd thee by his Grace and has predestinated thee in Christ from all Eternity wilt thou not love me who am the only Son of God in whose Faith and Grace thou liv'st who has lov'd thee who has suffer'd for thee who has call'd thee to his Service who has redeem'd thee from the intollerable burthen of the Old Law from the damnable yoke of Sin and from the everlasting thraldom of Hell O man Wilt thou not love me who am so fervent a lover as to purchase thy lost Soul not with the Worlds contemptible Coin Gold or Silver but with the most precious and Sacred bloud of my whole body Wilt thou not love me who am thy Creator thy Saviour and Judge and who was in mercy pleas'd to become thy Brother and Advocate too nay I am so much in love with thee that the day before I departed the world I bequeath'd unto thee my most precious body and bloud to seed thy Soul as a perpetual monument of my tender affection to all mankind In fine wilt thou not love me who besides the aforesaid Mercys Benefits and Blessings have given thee so compassionate and so potent a Mediatrix in Heaven as is my most dear and Superexcellent Mother Saluted before my conception in these very words by my Angel Ave gratia plena Luc. 1.28 Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among Women Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb. Since I the Essential truth do affirm this they must be impertinent and reprobately Wicked who deny her that Special Prerogative Thou shouldst love as much the Holy Ghost for by his Wisdom thou wert Created and by his Providence thou wert govern'd in so much that thou can'st not produce one meritorious act without his divine Inspiration or actual motion Therefore 't is his gracious goodness which gives thee the Will and the Power to perform any good thing 't is He that is pleas'd to inhabit illnstrate and inflame thy heart with an ardent desire of thy eternal Salvation In a word thy Obligation to love and honour the most glorious Trinity is the very same as thou hast to each Sacred Person therein contain'd It being the sole Source and cause of thy eternal Happiness For what the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost have done the very same thing has the Blessed Trinity done being but one the same God in those three distinct persons O Man shall not all these powerful motives replenish thy Soul with divine love even as the Dew of Heaven doth fill the Vegetives with vivifying juice or shall not this make my grace shine in thy Soul as Davids burning Lamps of affection Psa 63.5 which no terene waters could ever extinguish I say in thy Soul that it may disperse those filthy
for they live as if they were under no Law and do Sin even against the Law of Nature whereas the Heathens have a veneration for modesty and honesty and for all other moral virtues which are now adays totally neglected by Christians nay they are so much avers'd from them that the description which my Prophet Ezechiel gives of the Sinagogues abominations and villanys may be very well appli'd to their enormous crimes offences This general dissolution and sinful liberty of Christians gave occasion to several virtuous and zealous men to shed many bitter tears and induc'd them to believe that the generality of Christians had conspir'd even with all the Devils of Hell to dishonour and despise me and that so publickly and with so much impudence that even the very Heathens abhor their impietys and are opinionated that God has forsaken and deliver'd them up into their power to chastise them for their abominations and wickedness even as the People of Israel were expos'd to the rage and fury of Nebuzardan cheif Commander of the King of Babylon's Army He himself tells Jeremy Jerem. 41.2 that he had his commission from me to destroy them The Lord thy God says he has pronounc'd this evil upon this place and all it's Inhabitants and now the Lord has brought it upon them and has done according as he has said Psal 21â—8 because they have sinn'd against the Lord and have not obey'd his voice The Prophet Royal is no less dreadfull in his description of my Anger against the Wicked thy hands says he shall finde out thy enemies thy right hand shall finde out those that hate thee Thou shalt make them as a fiery open in the time of thine Anger The Lord shall swallow them up in his Wrath and the fire shall devour them Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the Earth and their Seed from among the Children of men for they intended evil against thee they imagin'd a mischievous device which they are not able to perform Job 20 22. Nay holy Job says that the wicked in the fulness of their sufficiency shall be in straits that every hand of the wicked shall come upon them that when the wicked is about to fill his belly God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and it shall come upon him while he is eating The Heaven shall reveal his iniquity and the Earth shall rise up against him the increase of his house shall depart and his goods shall flow away in the day of his Wrath this is says he the portion of a wicked man from God and the Inheritance appointed unto him by God Thou wilt tell me perhaps that Christians would not be so very prone to vice and wickedness but that their Rulers and Superiours do spur them on by their ill examples and that I am rather to be blam'd because I had committed my Flock to such mercenaries ravenous Wolves who could not be ignorant of what might follow in so scandalous a government and chiefly for that I have said according as the Judge is so the people will be and that such will be the Inhabitants of the City as are the Magistrates That the Pastors and Rulers which I have set over my Flock have acted rather like Tygers then Pastours to them for the whole generality of Christians are so missed by them that they fix their affections only upon such terene objects as are most pleasing to their criminal inclinations But what is thy intention by making this objection Wouldst thou indeed make me the Authour of thy Wickedness That is not possible for thou know'st that I am just in all my ways holy in all my Works Thou canst not be ignorant but that my choosing such scandalous Pastors is an evident sign of my anger against the People nay Dabo Regem in furore meo Principes in indignatione mea Ose 13.11 Esa 3.4 thou hast heard me say by one of my Prophets I will give thee a King in my anger and Rulers in my indignation and by another I will give Children to be their Princes and Babes shall rule over them And the People shall be oppress'd one by another and every one by his Neighbour The Child shall behave himself proudly against the Ancient and the base against the honourable Nay Job 34.30 I will make the Hypocrite to reign for the sins of the People By this thou maist infer that if I withdraw the assistance of my grace from the wicked the fault is their own and not mine for I am always ready to comply with Sinners Prov. 1.26 when they answer my expectation and call otherwise I will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear shall come As for those Superiors and Rulers that do by their ill examples bring their Inferiours and Subjects to utter destruction and loss of their Souls I will certainly require them at their hands and they shall answer to me Soul for Soul Ezec. 3.17 for tho' I make use of them in this life to chastise my Flock yet after all I shall condemn them to Hell even as a compassionate Father does cast the rod into the fire after he has whip'd his dearly belov'd Childe therewith A Check to the Religious Man ANd thou O religious Man in naming thee I mean all those of thy profession whom I have chosen amongst all nations to be a peculiar People to my self to adhere unto me alone in all sincerity to love me with all thy heart and to serve me with all the purity perfection and fervour imaginable Wilt thou also be of the number of those ungrateful Christians that combine with the World to persecute me hast thou not declar'd thy self a mortal Enemy to it as well by thy Solemn vows as by thy Baptismal protestation The three fatal Armies the World brings into the field to fight poor Souls and worst them too if they can are the concupiscence of the Flesh concupiscence of the Eyes and Pride of Life to these three thou hast declar'd thy self an implacable Enemy by thy vow of Chastity thou hast depress'd or at least hast sworn to destroy the concupiscence of the flesh by thy vow of Poverty thou hast utterly renounc'd the concupiscence of the Eyes and by thy vow of Obedience thou hast made thy self an absolute stranger and a profess'd Enemy to the Pride of Life And besides thou hast solemnly in the presence of God and his Angels protested to renounce all proper love as the only ofspring and fatal source of all manner of vice I call proper love that whereby a rational creature loves himself in himself and another for his own advantage honour and pleasure without any reference to God or his last end This is a monstrous crime and a Soul-killing sin but the only way to destroy it is to love thy self and all things whatsoever purely in God and for God alone and to love God sincerely for himself more then all