obedience ought to be in the first place you if peradventure you demande in what prayers and meditations you should in private cheifly exercise your selfe if you will credit me after you have accused your selfe and craved perdon for you sinnes you shall cheifly beseech God to mortifie your evill passions and vitious affections and quite and cleane to strip you of all inordinatenesse and that he will be pleased to grant you grace joyfully and patiently to endure all tribulation and temptation Aske of him profound humility and most fervent charity Beseech him to vouchsafe alwayes to direct teach illuminate and protect you in all things These things in my judgement are most necessary for you And indeed they are great and high neither can they otherwise be obteyned then by prayer persever therefore continually knocking and without doubt our lord will at length open unto you and will give you asmuch bread as your necessity shall require But soe you neglect not willingly to give thankes for what you have receaved For nothing displeasesh God more then forgetfulnesse and ingratitude for received benefitts And that you may the more willingly and sooner incline Gods benignity unto you pray attentively for the state of the whole church commending unto God all the faithfull both alive and dead and every reasonable creature Will you further hearein what with pro fitt you may exercise your selfe I will tell you singing of psalmes is profitable the godly meditating in other parts of scripture is profitable the consideration of creatures compared to their creatour is profitable CHAPTER V. Howe powerfull and efficacious the remembrance of Christs life and passion is ALl prayers singing of hymnes thankesgiving and holy meditations are profitable But by consent of all the remembrance of christs humanity and especially of his most sacred passion is most profitable and only necessary and whorthily For it is the present extermination of passions and inordinate affections a fitt refuge in temptation and surest safegard in dangers a sweete refreshing in distresse a freindly rest from labour a gentle repressing of distractions the true dore of sanctity the only entry to contemplation the sweet consolation of the soule the indeficient flame of devine love the sawce of all adversities the fountaine of all vertues from whence they flowe to us to conclude the absolute example of all perfection the haven hope trust merit and salvation of all christians I knew a monke whose custome was to propose to himselfe every day some parte of our lords passion as for example one day he would sett before his eyes Christs being in the garden And withersoever he went that day whersoever he chanced to be if not troubled with any other serious and necessary cogitation whatsoever he did outwardly he tooke a speciall care to direct his internall eye to our lord suffering diverse distresses in the garden and thus would he talke with his soule and my soule behould thy God Behould daughter attend see and consider most deare behould thy God behould thy Creatour behould thy father behould thy redeemer and saviour behould thy refuge behould thy defender and protectour behould thy hope trust strength and health Behould thy sanctification purity and perfection behould thy helpe merit and reward behould thy tranquillity consolation and sweetnes behould thy joy thy delights and thy life behould thy light and thy crowne and thy glory behould thy love and thy desire behould thy treasure and all thy good behould thy beginning and thy end whether art thou scattered thou wandring daughter Howe long wilt thou leave the light and love darknesse Howe long wilt thou for sake peace and involue thy selfe in troubles Retourne retourne thou Sunamite retourne daugthter retourne and recollect thy selfe most deare leave many things and embrace one for one thing is necessary for thee Abide with thy lorde place thy selfe by thy God goe not from thy master sitt in his shadow whome thou lovest that his fruite may be sweet to thy throate It is good for thee to be here daughter For hither the enemy cannot make his approach heare are noe snares no dangers noe darknesse All things are heare safe all things calme Reside heere willingly most deare For heere thou shalt be safe and free thou shalt be merry and joyfull Heere are roses lillyes and violets heere flowers of all vertues doe smell most pleasantly Heere thou shalt see a brightnesse sweetly inligtning all things with his rayes Heere thou shalt finde true consolation heere thou shalt finde peace and rest to conclude heere thou shalt finde all good With such short sentences he would both sharply and sweetly spur forward his soule and call her home when shee was wandring abroad and force her to apply her selfe to the cheifest good Of these little sentences he would take sometimes more sometimes fewer sometimes only one sometimes two sometimes three according to the fervour of his devotion and the pleasure of the holy Ghost and he would often times iterate and repeat them He would also force his soule to the remembrance of those things which our saviour did and suffered for her in the garden in the meane time one while exciting her to the consideration of our saviours unsearchable humility mildnesse patience most fervent and incomprehensible charity another while to take compassion on our lord of infinite majesty soe humbled and afflicted and then againe to thanke him for soe great benefitts and piety an other while to repay love with love and anon to aske perdon for her sinnes and then to beg this or that grace he would often convert his speech to these or the like affectionate and fervent aspirations and my soule when wilt thou be ready to followe the humility of thy lord when wilt thou imitate his mildenesse when shall the example of his patience shyne in thee when wilt thou be better when wilt thou be free from passions and vitious affections when shall evill be quite distroied in thee when shall all inordinatenesse bee blotted out in thee when wilt thou peaceably and gently endure all tribulation and temptation when wilt thou perfectly love thy God when wilt thou intimately embrace him when wilt thou be wholy swalowed up in his love when wilt thou be pure simple and resiened before him howe long will it be ere thou be hindered no more from his most chast embracings and that thou wert immaculate and that thou didst fervently love thy God And that thou didst inseparably cleave unto thy chifest good And then directing the eye of his heart to heaven or to the depth of eternall light he would frame these aspirations and my soule where is thy God where is thy love where is thy treasure where is thy desire where is thy totall good when shalt thou see him when shalt thou most happily enjoy him when shalt thou freely prayse him with all the citticens of heaven these and the like aspirations would he secretly speake either mentally or with his lips taking sometimes
be prepared But you are happy if by grace you have proceeded soe farre that all greife and affliction whatsoever become truly pleasing to you for Gods sake what thinke you brother is my glasse bige nough or is not this yet sufficient for you but you yet desire to heare in more expresse tearmes more abundantly and fully howe to compose your selfe within and without or howe according to reason you ought to order every day before God CHAPTER II Howe wee ought to bestowne our time from our first rising to mattins in the moring AS soon as you are wake and ready to rise to mattens devoutly arme your selfe with the signe of the crosse and breifly pray to God that he will vouchsafe to blot out the staynes of sinne in you and be pleased to helpe you Then casting all vayne imaginations out of your mynde thinke upon some other thing that is spirituall and conceave asmuch puritye of heart as you can rejoysing in your selfe that you are called up to the prayse and worship up of your creatour But if frailty of body if heavinesse of sleepe if conturbation of spirit depresse you be not out of heart but be comforted and force your selfe overcominge all impediments with reason and willingnesse for the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent beare it away certainely according to the labour with you undergoe for the love of God such shal be your recompense and reward being come of from your bed commend and offer your selfe both body and soule to the most high make haste to the quire as to a place of refuge and the garden of spiritual delights untill devine office begin study to keep your mynde in peace and simplicity free from troubles and the multiplicity of uncertaine thoughts collecting a godly and sweete affection towards your God by sincere meditation or prayer In the perfourmance of the devine office have a care to pronounce and heare the holy wordes reverently perfectly thankefully and attentively that you may taste that your lord is sweete and may feele that the word of God hath incomprehēsible sweetnesse and power for whatsoever the holy Ghost hath dictated is indeed the life procureing foode and the delightfull solace of a chast sober and humble soule remember therfore to be there faythfully attentive but avoide too vehement cogitations and motions of mynde especially if your head be weake least being hurt or wearyed confounded and streightened internally you shutt the sanctuary of God against your selfe reject likewise too troublesome care which commonly bringeth with it pusillanimity and restlesnesse and persever with a gentle quiet and watchfull spirit in the praises of God without singularity But if you cannot keepe your heart from evagations be not dejected in mynde but patiently endevour patiently doe what lyeth in your power committing the rest to the divine will Persever in your godly affection towards God and even your very defects which you are noe way able to exclude will in a manner beget you consolation For as the earth which is of a convenient nature doth by the casting of dunge ostentimes more fruitfully send forth her seeds soe a mynde of good will out of the defects which by constraint it susteyneth shall in due time receave the moste sweet fruit of divine visitation if it endure them with patience And what profitt do you reape by being impatient doe you not heape callamity upon calamity doe you not shew your wante of true humility and bewray in your selfe a pernitions propriety As long as you do reverently assist and are ready with a prompt desire of will to attende you have satified God neyther will he impute the inordinatenesse of this instability to you if soe be by your negligence you give not consent unto it and before the time of prayer you sett a garde over your sences if you cannot offer a perfect dutifulnesse offer at least a goodwill offer a right intent in the spirit of humility and soe the devill shall not finde anie occasion to cavill against you Although you have nothing else to offer but a readinesse in body and spirit to serve our lord in holy feare be sure of it that you shall not loose your reward But woe to your soule if you be negligent and remisse and care not to give attendance for it is writte Cursed is the man that doth the worke of God negligently Be diligent that you may perfourme what you are able if you be not able to perfourme what you desire upon this security be not troubled when impediments happen and you be not able to perfourme asmuch as you would when I say distraction of your sences dejection of mynde drynesse of heart greife of head or any other misery and temptation afflicted you beware you say not I am left our lord hath cast me away my duty pleaseth him not these are words befitting the children of distrust endure therefore with a patient and joyfull mynde all things for his sake that hath called and chosen you firmely beleeving that he is neare to those that are of a contrite heart For if you humbly without murmering carry this burden layde on you not by mortall tongue to be uttered what a deale of glory you heape up for your selfe in the life to come You may truly say unto God As a beast am I become with thee Beleeve me Brother if being repleat with interne all sweetnesse and lifted up abone your selfe you fly up to the third heaven and there converse with angells you shall not doe soe great a deed as if for Gods sake you shall affectually endure greife and banishment of heart and be conformeable to our saviour when in extreame sorrowe auginsh feare and adversity crying unto his father lett thy will be done who also being thrust through his hands and feete hanging on the crosse had not wheron to leane his head who also most lovingly endured for thee all the griefes and disgraces of his most bitter passion Therefore in holy longanimity conteine your selfe and expect in silence untill it shall please the most high to dispose otherwise And certainly in that day it shall not be demanded of you hove much intetnall sweetnesse you have heere felt But howe faith full you have bin in the love and service of God CHAPTER III. God hath too sorts of servants and the description of both AMonge those that are called the servants of God many serve him unfaythfully few faithfully indeed unfaithfull servants as long as they have sensible devotion and present grace of teares doe serve God with alacrity they pray willingly joyfully goe about good workes and seeme to live in deepe peace of heart But assone as God hath thought it good to with drawe that devotion you shall see them troubled chafe become malicious and impatient and at last neyther willing to be att theyr prayers nor amy other divine exercises And because they feele not internall consolations as they desire they perniciously betake themselves to those that
affectionately say lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Or this O God be propitious to me a sinner or that have mercy on me JESUS sonne of David or that other ô lord helpe me Soe likewise lett him powre forth his heart before the Virgin Mary the mother of our lord and all the Saints of God humbly suing for their intercession CHAPTER VI. We must dayly call to munde the manifould sinnes which we have committed ANd very day or certaynly very often when occasion shall serve lett him recollect him selfe and with a profound humility firmely porposing amendment lett him call to mynde and particularly confesse before our lord the sinnes of his fore passed life but especially those by which he hath most greviously offended the divine goodnesse But it will be indiscretion to dwell long upon those that belong to the frailty of the flesh least the remembrance of them and the longer treating of the ould sin breed a newe sin by unlawfull delight In which confession contrition and sensible devotion lett him accustome to lament more that he hath behaved him selfs contumelionsly and ingratfully to words his Creator and father then that he hath brought him selfe in danger of eternall punishment In the formes of lamentation and godly complaints which we have prescribed he need not care for running over many sentences But let him take which he will and as many as he will observing no order if he make choice of only one or two or three which soever thy be he may repeate againe and againe he shall doe well We would that he should doe freely according to his devotion alwayes avoiding confusion and perplexity I knowe one that being externally busied in his conversion to our lords passion among chaste discourses tooke delight to call to mynde these few words or the like O good JESU ô pious Pastour ô sweet Master good JESU have mercy on me pious Pastour direct me sweet Master teach me my lord helpe me Another there was that did take delight torune over sometimes more sometimes fewer of the afor said lamentations and to expresse them in diversity of words recording to his affection Let our yoing beginner as I have said be free in these things and let him stirr himselfe to compunction and diligence in his spirituall purpose by meditating if he please upon death purgatory judgement hell and heaven Nowe after he hath in some measure reformed the image of God with in himselfe by healthfull bitternesse of mourning and contrition he may with greater confidence and profitt imitate the above proposed example of exercise Therefore lett him take courage and fervently prepare himselfe for a more intimate familiarity with the heavenly briedegroome But as long as he is weake or colde he shall kindle in himselfe the fire of divine love by serious meditating on the incarnation or passion of the only begotten sonne of God sweetly conferring with his soule concerning these things By which meditation being once inflamed let him compose himselfe by prayer and aspirations desiring by them to unite his spirit to the cheifest good If he often persist by this meanes to drawe his heart to the love of God he shall soone bring himselfe to that passe that presently at the first convention of his mynde or aspiration without any premeditation he may be able to separate himselfe from creatures and their imagination and plunge himselfe in the sweetnesse of divine love Then he shall not so much need to remember each particular sinne of his life past in his penance before God and with sorrowe to direct the insight of his heart unto him for soe might his freedome and affection towards good be hindred but rather let him amorously direct his heart to God himselfe detesting whatsoever may seperate or with drawe him from him neyther do we meane that he should negligently forget his sinnes but so to remember them that the remembrance hinder not a greater profitt therefore lett him confesse them dayly to God rather summarily then particulerle Truly we have a more present remedy against lesser sinnes when we turne to God by a sweete and effectuall affection of love then when we tediously bisi our selves in the consideration of them and severe punishment of them Let him therefore cast them away into the bottomlesse depth of Gods divine mercy and goodnesse that like a sparkle of fire in the midest of the sea they may there perish Let him endeavour to reject quite and cleane all inordinate pusillanimity and superfluons scruples of conscience and perplexed diffidence whensoever they arise For vnlesse they be presently lopped of they doe diverse wayes chooke up the alacrity of the mynde and very much hinder our internall going forward CHAPTER VII Every one ought to consider his owne ability and to proceede accordingly MOreover let him attempt nothing beyond his strength but be content with his lott If he cannot reach as farre as he desireth lett him reach as farre as he can And unlesse he flatter himselfe he may easily knowe what proceedings he is able to make Neverthelesse the devine bounty is liberall infusing it selfe wheresoever it findeth a mynde worthyly prepared Wherefore if our spirituall practitioner be not yet admitted to the sublimity of contemplation and perfect charity lett him thinke himselfe as yet not prepared for the receipt of soe great a good And what good would it doe him to receave that grace which he knew not howe to make good use of Lett him make haste to pull up all vice by the roote that he may be the fitter But still with this proviso that he strive not beyond his strength Lett him not impatiently try to forerun Gods grace but humbly to followe it Lett him not I say violently force his spirit thither whither he cannot reach least presuming which he ought not he tumble himselfe downe headlong by his owne violence and being crushed be punished for his rashnesse Lett him soe tend to perfection that unbrideled violence and turbulent solicitude beare no part in his indeavours Lett him attend the measure of grace given him and with all remember that he shall farre more easily safely quickly and happily attayne to the highest degree of contemplation it is to the comprehending of misticall divinity if he be touched and rapt by the meere grace of God then if he endeavour to attayne unto it by his owne labours Lett him alwayes therefore observe a meane with discretion least by excesse he rum into defects The bread of teares is good and many when they should refresh themselves surfet by it For they insist so long in teares and with so great cōfusion and agitation that both spirit and body are fayne to lye downe under the too much intent or extended exercise We confesse that many by discretion and the help of the holy Ghost can long and profitably mourne And there are many agayne that being internally inebriated with the torrent of pleasure which they take in God Do unseasonably urge and spur
of God performe your worke prudently devoutly and with alacrity but that also in those workes which you faithfully doe to the honour of God with Mary you direct your mynde being freed from the tumult of cogitations and the confused imagination of sensible things to God or those things that are divine especially if reasonable discourse or any other necessity hinder not CHAPTER X. Martha may serve as a mirour for imperfect Religious men Mary Magdalen for such as are growne to perfection MArtha because she is distracted in her externall actions and in her right intentions by the multiplicity of vaine cogitations and is troubled about many things although peradventure she bee not deformed yet is she not comely enough But Mary because she knoweth howe to forsake the troups of unstable cogitations and persisting in unity and tranquillity of mynde doth strive to cleave to goodnesse it selfe is of more perfect beauty Wherefore howsoever you are externally occupyed love not only to be right and innocent with Martha but also to be cleare and simple with Mary Mary hath chosen the better parte which shall not be taken away from her And you have chosen the same which unlesse you keepe according to your power you produce not fruit worthy your profession Have therefore alwayes a charitable simplicity of mynde if you be yet a little one in Christ and are not able to followe Mary soaring soe high in mynde imitate her humility imitate her affectionate watring our lords feete with teares imitate her sweetly feeding on our lords words imitate her most amorously seeking our lord in the sepulcher For even in these she had simplicity of mynde she loved one thing She thought on one thing she sought one thing But imitate her not for your owne delight but to please our lord For if by spirituall delectation you doe principally seeke your selfe in these your soule is not the chast spowse of Christ but the most baise servant of sinne I might say the divells impure hackney you shall at length merit to be admitted to the apprehension of higher misteries by these that are more lowe if I may soe call them which indeed are not lowe but of a wondrous hight In all things that differ not from the sincerity of a monasticall life conforme your selfe to the community still avoiding vitious singularity And because you live amonge Monkes that live laudably according to the sweete austerity of a holy rule be not singular in abstinence and watching neyther exceede the rest of the Monkes therein unlesse by the revelation of the holy Ghost you knowe it to be the will and pleasure of God Neither attempt any thing without the counsell and consent of your superior least while you presume of your owne head to afflict your body beyoud measure you make your selfe unable for good workes and wholy deprive your selfe of the fruite of your labour God requireth of you purity of mynde not the overthrowe of your body He would that you should subject it to the spirit not that you should oppresse it Therefore as well in externall exercises as internall temper the fervour of your mynde with a holy discretion If your will being more slowe to vertue and remisse doe as it were sleepe rowse it up spur it forward But if having to much bridle it runne too fast represse and cheeke it Alwayes asist it with holy feare in the presence of God And let these words alwayes resounde in the eares of your heart looke to thy selfe Consider not over curiously the deeds of others what are their manners and behaviour unlesse it belong unto you as an officer Let your curiosity and businesse be about your selfe Howebeyt thinke not in this that I would have you make noe accompt of the excesses or finnes of others or neglect to amende them asmuch as in you lyeth or procure them to bee amended For we condemne curiosity not holy zeale of justice We discommend not what in this case is not against mature stability or contrary to the sincere love of your neighbour These vices that you see in others or heare of them either thinke them not to be simply true or interpret them in the better parte but if they be soe manifest that no interpretation can qualifie them endeavour to seperate your sight both of body and mynde from them and reflecting on your owne sinnes if you have leasure humbly pray to God both for your selfe and for them For soe shall you more easily avoide unquiet suspicions and rashe judgements But beware that with consent of reason you rejoyce not at anothers sinne though of smale moment or of any adversity but mourne for your brother before our lord calling to mynde that we are mēbers one of another all one body and redeemed all with the same blood Learne not to be angry but to pitty the defects of others and patiently to beare with them whether they be defects of body or mynde For it is written beare one anothers burdens and soe you shall fullfill the lawe of Christ Let not the heavenly grace with you observe in others excite you to satanicall envy but to a faithfull imitation and godly congratulation And although you have not the spirituall good that you knowe another to be blessed with yet rejoyce in heart that God is honoured by it as readily thanke our lord for it as if it were your owne And indeed it will be to your owne good and you shall be crowned for anothers as for your owne Nay more it shall become your owne soe order your mynde that you desire not to please the world nor feare to displease it In man although very neerly allyed love nothing but good or the grace and workmanship of good And agayne hate nothing but vice Le trompe tout le monde Ainsi 〈◊〉 la gloire du 〈◊〉 Nay esteeme noe man your enemie but love even your persecutors as the moste deare furtherers of your salvation What soever you see heare or perceave in creatures to be delightfull and worthy of singuler admiration either by their naturall disposition or the art and industery of man referre it to the praise of the great Creator or the use of eternall beatitude that you may be delighted in our lord Alwayes be afraide of sensuall delectation whencesoever it have its beginning For if you seeke your selfe by that and cleave to it you will be entangled and defiled utterly detest the love of all sinnes yea even of the very least By which not withstanding if peradventure being over reached you fall out of frailty afflict not your selfe unreasonable with inordinate pusillanity but humbly confesse your fault before our lord and renewing your good purpose and piously taking heart caste all your defects into the unsearchable profundity of his mercies or his moste holy wouds As long as you live in this clay building of your body you may mortifie in your selfe the affections of lesser sinnes but wholy avoide to slip into them you cannot godly