amiable as his was amiably dolorous nor can we neuer loue him as his loue and death requireth There is yet another wound of loue when the soule knowes well she loues God and he treates her in such sort as though he knew not she loued him or were diffident of her loue for then my deare THEO the soule is put into an extreame anguish it being insupportable vnto her to see or perceiue any apparence that God distrusts in her The poore S. PETER found his heart full of loue towards his Maister and his Maister making shew not to know it Peter quoth he dost thou loue me more then these Ah Lord saied the Apostle thou knowest I loue thee But Peter dost thou loue me replied our Sauiour My deare Maister saied the Apostle truely I loue thee thou knowest it But this so cote Maister to proue him and as shewing a diffidence of his loue Peeter saied he dost thou loue me Ah Sauiour thou woundest this poore heart who much afflicted cries out louingly yet dolorously Maister thou knowest all things indeede thou knowest well I loue thee Vpon a certaine day while a possessed person was exorcised the wicked spirit being vrged to tell his name I am quoth he that accursed creature DEPRIVED OF LOVE and S. CATHARIN who was there present sodenly perceiued all her bowells moued and disordered in onely hauing heard these words PRIVATION OF LOVE pronounced for as the Diuels doe so hate the diuine loue that they quake in seeing the signe of it hearing it named that is in seeing the crosse or be a rāg the name of IESVS pronoūced So such as doe entirely loue our Sauiour doe tremble with griefe ād horrour when they see any signes or seen by worde that doth brīg to mīd the priuatiō of this holy loue 2. S. PETER was certaine that God who knew all could not be ignorant how much he was loued by him yet because the repetition of this demaund Peter dost thou loue me hath some apparence of diffidence S. PETER is much afflicted in it Alas the poore soule that is resolued rather to die then offend her God and yet feeles not a sparke of feruour but contrariwise an extreame coldnesse which doth so benume and weaken all her parts that she frequently fals into very sensible imperfections this soule I saie THEO is all wounded for her loue is exceeding dolourous to see that God doth not seeme to see that she loues him leauing her as one that appertaines not to him and she apprehēds that amidst her defaults distractions and coldnesse our Sauiour doth strike her with this reproach how can'st thou saie that thou loue'st me seeing thy minde is not with me which is as a dart of sorrowe through her heart but a dart of sorrowe which proceedes from loue for if she loued not she would not be afflicted with the apprehension she hath that she loues not 3. Sometimes loue doth wound vs in the very memorie we haue that there was a time in which we loued not our God O how late I haue loued the auncient and new beautie saied that Saint who for thirtie yeares was Hereticke Life past is a horrour to his life present who passed his life past without louing the Soueraigne Goodnesse 4. Sometimes loue doth wound vs with the meere cōsideration of the multitude of those that doe contemne the loue of God so that hereby we sownd with griefe as he who saied my Zeale ô Lord hath withered me with griefe for that my enemyes haue not kept thy lawe And the Great S. FRANCIS thinking he had not bene heard wept vpon a day sobed and lamented so pitifully that an honest man ouer hearing him ranne to his succour as thinking some had offered to kill him and finding him all alone asked of him why dost thou crie so heard poore man Alas quoth he I weepe to thinke that our Sauiour endured so much for the loue of vs and none thinkes of it and hauing saied thus he begun againe to weepe and this good mā fell also a sobbing and weeping with him 5. But howsoeuer this is admirable in the woundes receiued from the diuine loue that their paine is delightfull and all that feele it consent to it and would not change this paine for all the pleasures of the world There is no paine in Loue or if any it is a beloued one A Seraphin on a day holding a golden arrowe from the heade whereof issued a little flame he darted it into the heart of the B. Mother Teresa and offering to drawe it out this virgine seemed to haue her bowells drawen from her the paine being so excessiue that she had onely force to cast out weake and smale sighes but yet it was a paine so amiable that she desired neuer to be deliuered of it Such was the arrowe that God sent into the heart of the great S. CATHARIN of Genua in the beginning of her conuersion whence she became another woman dead to the world and things created to liue onely to her Creatour The well-beloued is a posie of bitter Myrrhe and this posie is also the well-beloueds who remaines dearely seated betwixt the breastes of his well-beloued that is the best-beloued of all the well-beloueds Of the amourous languishment of the heart wounded with loue CHAPTER XV. 1. IT is a thing sufficiently knowne that humane loue doth not onely wound the heart but euen weaken the bodie mortally because as passions and the temperature of the bodie hath a great power to encline the soule and draw her after its so the affections of the soule haue great force in stirring the humours and changing the qualities of the bodie but further loue when it is violent doth beare away the soule to the thing beloued with such impetuositie and doth so wholy possesse her that she is deficient in all her other operations be they sensatiue or intellectuall so that to feede and second this loue the soule seemes to abandon all other care all other exercises yea and her selfe too whēce Plato saied that Loue was poore trent naked barefoote miserable without house that it laie without dores vpon the hard ground alwayes in want It is poore because it makes one quit all for the thing beloued It is without a house because it vrgeth the soule to leaue her owne habitation to follow hī cōtinually whō she loues It is miserable pale leane and ruinous for that it makes one loose sleepe meete and drinke It is naked and barefoote sith it makes one forsake all other affections to embrace that of the thing beloued It lies without vpon the hard ground because it laies open the heart that is in loue making it manifest its passions by sighes plaintes praises suspicions iealousies It lies all along at the gate like a begger because it makes the louer perpetually attentiue to the eyes and mouth of the beloued hanging continually at his eares to speake to him and begge of him some fauours wherwith it is neuer saciated
she is forced to vnwearie her selfe she will onely cleeue by the smale twigs of trees vpon which she hangs in the aire out of which or without which she can neither flie nor repose And euen so these great soules doe not in very deede Loue the Creaturs in themselues but in their Creatour and their Creatour in them But if they cleeue to any creature by the law of Charitie it is onely to repose in God the onely and finall aime of their Loue. So that finding God in the Creaturs and the Creaturs in God they Loue God indeede not the Creaturs as they that fishing for Pearles find them in their shelles doe esteeme their fishing made for pearles onely 4. For the rest I doe not thinke that there was euer any mortall Creature that loued the heauenly Spouse with this matchlesse Loue so perfectly pure except the Virgin who was his Spouse ād Mother both together but cōtrariwise as touching the practise of these foure differences of Loue on can hardly be any long time without passing from one of them to another The Soules which as young wenches are as yet intangled in diuers vaine and dangerous affections are not sometimes without hauing the most pure and excellent touches of Loue but being but glimpse and passing lightnings one cannot therevpon rightly saie that such soules are got out of the state of young girles which are Nouices and Printises It happens also sometimes that the soules that are in the degree of onely and perfect Louers doe much relent and waxe cold yea euen to the committing and falling into troublesome veniall sinns as may be gathered by many bitter contentions stirred vp amongst Gods great seruants yea euen amongst some of the Diuine Apostles who as we cannot denie fell into some imperfections by which notwithstanding Charitie was not violated yet the feruour thereof was troubled Howbeit whereas ordinarily those great soules loued God with a Loue perfectly pure we are not to denie that they were in the state of perfect Loue. For how oft doe we see that good trees though they neuer bring forth any venemous fruit yet doe they produce raw and vnripe ones corrupted with misseltoe or mosse So the great Saints neuer fell into mortall sinne yet fell they easily into fruitlesse actions and such as are greene bitter harsh and ill tasted And as euen in these circumstances we must confesse that those trees are fruitfull otherwise they could not be called good so are we in no sort to denie that some of their fruit was fruitlesse For who cā denie that the misseltoe and mosse of trees is an vnprofitable fruit and who can also denie that smale angers and minute excesses of ioye of laughter of vanitie and of other the like passions are vnprofitable and vnlawfull motions and yet the Iust man brings them forth seauen times a day that is very often That the Loue of God aboue all things is common to all Louers CHAPTER VI. 1. Though there be so sundrie degrees of Loue amongst true Louers yet is there but one Commandement of Loue onely which doth generally and equally oblige euery one with a wholy like and entirely equall obligation though it be differētly obserued and with an infinite varietie of perfections there being peraduenture was few soules found in earth as Angels in Heauen perfectly equall in Loue seeing that as one starre differs from another in brightnesse so shall the Blessed in their Resurrection where euery one sings a Canticle of Glorie and receiues a name knowen to none but to him that receiues it But what degree of Loue is it to which the Diuine Commandement doth equally vniuersally and continually oblige all 2. It was a peece of the holy Ghosts prouidence that in our ordinarie version which his Diuine Maiestie hath canonized and sanctified by the Councell of Trent the heauenly Commandement of Loue is expressed in the word DILECTION rather then by the word LOVE for albeit that DILECTION be a kind of Loue yet is it not a simple Loue but a Loue of choice and election which sense the word it selfe carries as the glorious S. THOMAS doth note for this cōmandemēt doth inioyne vs a Loue chosen out of thousands like to him to whom it is due who as the beloued Sunamite markes him out in the Canticles is one elected out of thousands It is Loue that is to haue power ouer all our affections and is to raigne ouer all our passions and that which God exacteth of vs is that of all our Loues his may be the most cordiall bearing rule ouer our heart the most affectionate possessing our whole soule the most generall applying all our powers the highest replenishing our whole heart and the most solide exercising all our strength and prowise And whereas by this we doe choose and elect God for the Soueraigne obiect of our soule it is a Loue of Soueraigne Election or an election of Soueraigne Loue. 3. You are not ignorant THEO that there are diuers species of Loue as for example there is a fatherly Loue a brotherly Loue a filiall Loue and a nuptiall Loue a Loue of societie of obligation of dependance and an hundred more which are all different in excellencie and so proportioned to their obiects that scarcely can they be applied or appropriated to any other He that should affect his Father with the Loue of a brother onely should come short of his dutie He that should Loue his wife in qualitie of a Father onely he should not loue her sufficiently He that should loue his Lackey as his owne child would be esteemed impertinent Loue is as honour for as honour is diuersified according to the diuersitie of excellencies to which it is attributed so Loues are diuers according to the diuersitie of the GOOD which is loued Soueraigne honour is due to Soueraigne Excellencie and Soueraigne loue to the Soueraigne Good The loue of God is a loue without comparison because the goodnesse of God is incomparable Harke Israel Thy God is the sole Lord and therefore thou shalt loue him with thy whole soule thy whole vnderstanding thy whole strength For God is the onely Lord and his goodnesse is infinitly aboue all goodnesse and he is to be loued with a loue which is eminent excellent and puissant beyond all comparison It is this supreame loue that placeth God in such esteeme amidst our soules and makes vs repute it so great a happinesse to be gracious in his sight that we preferre him before and loue him aboue all things Now THEOT doe you not plainly see that he that loues God in this sort hath dedicated his whole soule and strength to God sith for euer and in all occurrences he will preferre Gods honour before all things keeping himselfe in a readinesse to forsake the whole world to preserue the loue which is due to the Diuine Goodnesse And in somme it is the loue of Excellencie or the Excellencie of loue which is cōmanded to all mortalls in generall and
and fantomes of pleasurs for which we cast off the loue of the heauenly Spouse And how can we then truely saie that we loue him since we preferre so friuolous vanities before his grace 5. Is it not a deplorable wonder to see a DAVID so noble in surmounting hatred so generous in pardoning iniuries and yet so impotently iniurious in mater of Loue that not being satiated with the vniust detaining of a number of wiues he must needes yet wrongfully vsurpe and take away by rape the poore Vrias his wife Yea and by an insupportable treacherie put to slaughter her poore husband that he might the better enioye the Loue of his wife Who would not admire the heart of a SAINT PETER which was so brauely bold amidst the armed soldiers that he of all his Maisters troupe was the first and onely man that drew and layed about him and yet a little after so cowardly amongst vnarmed women that at the worde of a wench he denied and detested his Maister And how can it seeme so strange to vs that Rachel could sell the chast embracements of her Iacob for Aples of the Mandragore since that Adame and Eue forsooke euen grace for an Aple and that too presented by a Serpent 6. In fine I will tell you a word worthy of note Heretikes are Heretikes aÌ„d beare the name of such because of the Articles of Faith they choose at their gust and pleasure what likes them best and those they beleeue reiecting and disauowing the others And Catholiks are Catholiks because without choice or election at all they embrace with an equall assurance and without reserue all the faith of the Church Now it happens after the same manner in the Articles of Charitie It is an herasie in sacred loue to make choice of Gods Commandements which to obserue and which to violate He that saied thou shalt not kill saied also thou shalt not commite adulterie It is not then for the loue of God that thou killest not but it is some other motiue that makes thee rather choose this commandement then the other A choice that hatcheth heresie in matter of Charitie If one should tell me that he would not cut my arme out of a loue to me and yet would pull out myne eyes breake my head or ruÌ„ne me quite through ah should I saie with what face can you tell me that it is in respect of my Loue that you wound not myne arme since you make no difficultie to pull out myne eyes which are no lesse deare vnto me yet since you ruÌ„ne me quite through the bodie with your sword which is more perilous for me It is an Axiome that good comes from an entire cause but euill from each defect That the act of Charitie be perfect it must proceede from an entire generall and vniuersall Loue which is extended to all the Diuine Commandements And if we faile in any one CommandemeÌ„t loue ceaseth to be entire and vniuersall and the heart wherein it harbers cannot be truely called a louing heart nor consequently a truly good one That we are to Loue the Diuine Goodnesse soueraignely more then our selues CHAPTER X. 1. Aristotle had reason to saie that GOOD is indeede amiable but principaly euery ones proper good to himselfe so that the Loue which we haue to others proceedes from the loue of our selues for how could a Philosopher saie otherwise who did not onely not Loue God but hardly euen euer spoke of the Loue of God howbeit the Loue of God doth preceede all the Loue of our selues yea euen according to the naturall inclination of the will as I declared in the first booke 2. Certes the will is so dedicated and if we may so saie consecrated to goodnesse that if an infinite goodnesse were clearely proposed vnto it vnlesse by miracle it is impossible that it should not soueraignely loue it yea the Blessed are rauished and necessitated though yet not forced to loue God whose soueraigne beautie they clearely see which the Scripture doth sufficiently shew in coÌ„paring the contentment which doth fill the hearts of the happie inhabitants of the heauenly Hierusalem to a torrent or impetuous floode whose waters cannot be kept from spreeding ouer the neighbour plaines 3. But in this mortall life THEO we are not necessitated to loue soueraignly because we see him not so clearely In Heauen where we shall see him face to face we shall loue him heart to heart that is wheÌ„ we shall all see the infinitie of his beautie euery one in his measure with a soueraignely cleare sight so shall we be rauished with the loue of his infir it goodnesse in a soueraignely strong rauishment to which we neither would if we could nor can if we would make any resistance But here belowe when we behold not this Soueraigne Bountie aÌ„d Beautie but onely enter view it in our obscurities we are indeede inclined and allured yet not necessitated to Loue more then our selues but rather the contrarie and albeit we haue a holy naturall inclination to loue the Diuinitie aboue all things yet haue we not the strength to put it in execution vnlesse the same Diuinitie infuse holy charitie supernaturally into our heart's 4. Yet true it is that as the cleare view of the Diuinitie doth infallibly beget in vs a necessitie of louing it more then our selues so the enterview that is the naturall knowledge of the Diuinitie doth produce infallibly an inclination and pronenesse to loue it more theÌ„ our selues for I praie you THEOT since the will is wholy addicted to the loue of GOOD how can it in any degree know a soueraigne GOOD without being more or lesse inclined to loue it soueraignely Now of all the Good 's which are not infinite our WILL willeth alwayes in her affection that which is nighest to her but aboue all her owne But there is so little proportion betwixt an infinite and finite GOOD that our will hauing knowledge oâ— an infinite GOOD is without doubt put in motion inclined and incited to prefere the friendshipe of the Abisse of this infinite goodnesse before all other loue yea euen the loue of our selues 5. But principally this inclination is strong because we are more in God then in our selues we liue more in him then in our selues and are in such sort from him by him for him and to him that we cannot in very deede hit of what we are to him and he is to vs but we are forced to crie out I am thyne Lord and am to belong to none but to thee my soule is thyne and ought not to liue but by thee my will is thyne and ought not to loue but for thee my Loue is thyne and is onely to tend to thee I am to loue thee as my first PRINCIPLE sith I haue my beeing from thee I am to loue thee as myne end and Center since I am for thee I am to loue thee more then myne owne being seeing eueÌ„ my Bâ—EING doth sublist by thee I am to loue
Mother of faire Dilection and altogether most entirely perfect There were also for certaine others some speciall fauours After this the soueraigne Bountie poured an abundance of graces and benedictions vpon the whole race of mankind and the nature of Angels with which all were watered as with a light which illuminateth euery man comming into this world euery one receiued their portion as of seed which falls not onely vpon the good ground but vpon the high way amōgst thornes and vpō rockes that all might be vnexcusable before the Redeemour if they should not imploy this most aboundant Redemption for their soules health 2. But albeit THEOTIME that this most aboundant sufficiencie of grace be thus poured vpon all humane nature and that in this we are all equall that a rich aboundāce of benedictions is presented to vs all yet the varietie of these fauours is so great that one cannot saie whether the greatnesse of these graces in so great a diuersitie or the diuersitie in such greatnesses be more admirable For who sees not that the meanes of Saluation amongst Christians are greater and more efficacious then amongst Barbarians and againe that amongst Christians there are People and Townes where the Pastors are more profitable and capable Now to denie that these exteriour meanes were benefits of the diuine Prouidence or to doubt whether they did auaile to the saluatiō and perfection of soules were to be vngratfull to the diuine Bountie and belye certaine experience by which we see that ordinarily where these exteriour helpes abound the interiour are more efficacious and succeede better 3. Certes as we see that there are neuer found two men perfectly resembling th' one thother in naturall giftes so are there neuer any found wholy equall in supernaturall ones The Angels as great S. AVGVSTINE and S. THOMAS assure vs receiued grace with proportion to the varietie of their naturall conditions Now they are all either of a different species or at least of a different condition being they are distinguished one from another therfore according to the diuersitie of Angels there are different graces And though grace is not giuen to men according to their naturall conditions yet the diuine sweetenesse ioyeth and as one would saie exulteth in the production of graces infinitly diuersifying them to the end that out of his varietie the faire enamell of his Redemption and mercy might appeare whence the Church vpon the Feasts of euery Confessour and Bishop doth sing There was not found the like to him and as in heauen none knowes the new name saue him that receiues it because ech one of the Blessed hath his owne a part according to the new beeing of glorie which he attained So in earth euery one doth receiue a grace so particular that all are diuerse Our Sauiour doth also compare his grace to Pearles which as Plinnie saith are otherwise called Vnions because euery one of them are so singular in their qualities that neuer two of them are found perfectly like And as one starre is different from another in brightnesse so shall one passe another in glorie a sure signe of their aduantage in Grace Now this varietie in Grace or this grace in varietie composeth a most sacred beautie and most sweete harmonie reioysing all the holy citie of the heauenly Hierusalem 4. But we must be very warie neuer to make enquirie why the supreame wisdome bestowes a GRACE rather vpon one thē another nor why she makes her fauours abound rather in one behalfe thē another No THEOTIME neuer enter into this curiositie For hauing all of vs sufficiently yea abundantly that which is requisite to saluation what reason can any creature liuing haue to complaine if it please God to bestow his graces more amply vpon one then another If one should demand why God made MELONS greater then STRAWBEARIES or LYLIES greater then VIOLETS why ROSMARIE is not a ROSE or why the Clouegillow flour is not a Turnesole why the Peacocke is more beautifull then the Rate or why the Figue is sweete and the Lemmā sourishe one would laugh at such demandes and saie poore man sith the beautie of the world doth require varietie it is necessarie there should be difference and inequalitie in things and that the one should not be thother For which cause the one is little th' other great the one bitter the other sweete the one more the other lesse faire Now it is the same in supernaturall things euery one hath his gifte one thus and another thus saieth the Holy Ghost It is then an impertinencie to search why S. PAVLE had not the grace of S. PETER or S. PETER that of S. PAVLE why S. ANTONIE was not S. ATHANASIVS or he S. HIEROME for one would answere these demands that the Church is a garden diapred with infinite flowers it was necessary then they should be of diuerse quantities diuerse coulours diuerse odours in fine of different perfections euery of them haue their worth grace and beautie and all of them in the collection of their varieties doe make vp a most gratefull perfection of beautie How much God desires we should loue him CHAPTER VIII 1. ALthough our Sauiours Redemption be applyed vnto vs in as many different manners as there be soules yet so notwithstanding that the vniuersall meanes of our Saluation is Loue which goes through all and without which nothing is profitable as elsewhere we shall declare The Cherubin was placed at the gate of the earthlie Paradice with his firie sword to teach vs that none shall enter into the heauenlie Paradice who is not pearced through with the sword of loue For this cause THEOTIME the sweete IESVS who bought vs with his blood desireth infinitly that we should loue him that we might eternally be saued and desires we might be saued that we might loue him eternally his loue tending to our saluation and our saluation to his loue Ah saieth he I came to put fire into the world to what end but that it should burne But to set out more to the life the vehemencie of his desire he commandeth vs this loue in admirable termes Thou shalt loue saieth he the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy force this is the first and greatest Commandement Good God THEOTIME how amourous the diuine heart is of our loue had it not bene sufficient to haue published a permission by which we might haue had leaue to loue him as LABAN permitted Iacob to loue his faire RACHEL and to gaine her by seruices ah no! he made a further declaration of his amourous passion of loue to vs and commandes vs to loue him with all our powre least the consideration of his maiestie and our miserie which puts vs in so great a distance and inequalitie or other pretext whatsoeuer might diuert vs from his loue In which THEOTIME he well shewes that he did not leaue in vs a naturall inclination to loue for nothing For to th' end it might not
men was onely ordained for those whom the Diuine wisdome had foreseene that in tract of time seconding their vocation they should attaine a liuely Faith which work 's by Charitie 6. Finally all these effects haue their absolute dependance of our Sauiours Redemption who did merit them for vs IN RIGOVR OF IVSTICE by the louing obedience which he exercised euē till death and death of the crosse which is the source of all the graces which we receiue we who are the Spirituall graffes ingraffed in his stoke and if being ingraffed we remaine in him we shall beare without doubt by the life of grace which he will impart vnto vs the fruite of Glorie prepared for vs. But if we prooue broken sprigges and graffes vpon this tree that is if by resistance we breake the progresse and successe of the effects of his Clemencie it will not be strang if in the end we be wholy cut of and be throwen into eternall fires as fruitlesse branches 7. God doubtlesse prepared heauen for those onely whō he foresaw would be his Let vs be his then THEO by faith and works and he will be ours by Glorie Now it is in our power to be his for though it be a gift of God to be Gods yet is it a gift which God denies no bodie but offers it to all to giue it to such as freely doe consent to receiue it 8. Nay marke I pray you THEO how ardently God desires we should be his sith to this end he hath made himselfe entirely ours bestowing vpon vs his death and his life his life to exempt vs from eternall death his death to possesse vs of eternall life Let vs remaine therefore in peace and serue God to become his in this mortall life more his in that immortall That we cannot attaine to a perfect vnion with God in this mortall life CHAPTER VI. 1. RIuers doe restlesse rūne and as the wiseman saieth returne to their source The Sea which is the place whence they spring is also the place of their finall repose all their motion tend's no further then to vnite themselues to their fountaine O God saieth S. AVGVSTINE thou hast created my heart for thy selfe and it can neuer repose but in thee But what haue I in heauen saue thee ô my God or what else in earth can I desire yea Lord for thou art the Lord of my heart thou my part and portion for euer Howbeit the vnion which our heart aspires to neuer attaines to it's perfection in this mortall life we may commence our Loues in this but neuer consummat them till the next world 2. The heauenly Spouse makes a delicate expression of it I haue found him at length saieth she him whom my heart loues I hold him nor will I let him goe till I haue led him into my mothers house and into her chamber who brought me fourth The well-beloued hath gotten him then For he makes her feele his presence by a thousand consolations she holdes him these feelings causing in her strong affections by which she doth holde and embrace him protesting neuer to release him O no! for these affections turne into eternall resolutions yet cannot she perswade her selfe that she giues him the mariage kisse till she meete with him in her mothers house THE HEAVENLY HIERVSALEM as S. PAVLE saieth But see THEO how this Spouse thinks euen to keepe her beloued at her mercie as slaue in Loue and so leade him at her pleasure bringing him to her mothers happie abode though indeede she her selfe must be conducted thither by him as was REBECCA into SARA'S chamber by her deare ISAAC The heart pressed with loue doth still gaine ground towards the thing beloued And the Spouse himselfe confesseth that the Beloued hath forced his heart hauing tyed him with one onely heire of her head acknowledging himselfe her prisoner by Loue. 3. This perfect coniunction then of the soule with God shall onely be in heauen where as the Apocalypse saieth the Lambs marriage-banquet shall be made In this mottall life the soule is truely espoused and betrothed to the immaculat Lambe but not as yet married vnto him They haue passed their words and promisses but the execution of the marriage is differred so that we haue alwayes time though neuer reason to disclame from it our faithfull Spouse neuer abandoning vs vnlesse prouoked by our disloyaltie and vnfaithfulnesse But in heauen the marriage of this diuine vnion being celebrated the tye of our hearts to their soueraine PRINCIPLE shall neuer be vndone 4. It is true THEOTIME that while we expect the kisse of this indissoluble vnion which we shall receiue of the Spouse aboue in glorie he begiues vs some few kisses by a thousand touches of his gratfull presence for vnlesse the soule were kissed she should not be drawen nor would she runne in the odour of the Beloued's perfumes whence according to the originall Hebrew Text and the 70. Interpreters she wisheth many kisses Let hī kisse me saith she with kisses of his mouth But whereas these little kisses of this present life haue reference to the ETERNALL KISSE of the life to come the holy vulgar Edition hath piously reduced the kisses of grace to that of Glorie expressing the spouse her desires in this wise Let him kisse me with a kisse of his mouth as though she should saie of all the kisses of all the fauours that the friend of my heart or the heart of my soule hath prouided for me ah I doe not breath after or aspire to any other thing then this great and solemne marriage-kisse which remaines for euer and in comparison whereof the other kisses merit not the name of kisses being rather signes of the future vnion betwixt my beloued and me then vnion it selfe That the Charitie of Saints in this mortall life doth equallise yea sometimes passe that of the Blessed CHAPTER VII 1. VVHen after the trauailes and dangers of this mortall life the happie soules arriue at the Port of the eternall they ascend to the highest and vtmost degree of Loue to which they can attaine and this finall encrease being bestowed vpon them in recompence of their merits it is distributed vnto them not onely in good measure but is euen pressed and thrust downe and yet doth scatter on euery side as our Sauiour saieth So that the Loue which is giuen for reward is greater in euery one then that which was giuen for to merit 2. Nor shall euery one in particular onely haue a greater loue in heauen then euer he had in earth but euen the exercise of the least Charitie in heauen shall be much more happie and excellent generally speaking then that of the greatest which is hath bene or shall be in this fraile life for aboue all the saints doe incessantly without any intermissiō exercise loue while heare belowe God's greatest seruants racked and tyrannized with the necessities of this dying life are forced to suffer a thousand and a thousand distractions which oftentimes
cole taken from vpon the Altar seconding in this sort his desire The Myrrhe-tree bringeth fourth her gumme and first liquor by way of sweate and transpiration but that she may be well deliuered of all her iuyce she must be helped by incision So the diuine loue of S. FRANCIS appeared in his whole life in manner of sweate for all his actions sauored nothing else but heauenly loue But to make the incomparable abundance of it plainely appeare the diuine Seraphin came to giue the incision and wounds And to th' end it might be knowen that these wounds were woundes of heauenly loue they were made not with iron but with raies of light ô deare God THEO how louing a paine aÌ„d how painefull a loue was this for not onely at that instant but eueÌ„ his whole life after this poore Saint went pining and languishing as being very sicke of loue 6. B. PHILIPE NERIVS at fourescore yeares of age had such an inflammation of heart through diuine loue that heate making way by the ribbs did greatly dilate them and broke the fourth and fift to receiue aire and be refreshed B. STANISLAVS BOSCA a young youth of fourteene yeares was so assaulted by the loue of his Sauiour that diuers times he fell downe in a sownd and was constrained to applie linnen dept in cold water to his breast to moderate the violencie of the burning which he felt To conclude THEOT how doe you thinke that a soule who hath once a little wishedly tasted diuine consolations can liue in this world so full of miseries without almost a continuall paine and languishing That great man of God S. ZAVERIVS hath often bene heard laÌ„ching out his voice to heaueÌ„ thinking him selfe all alone in these termes Ah my God doe not for pitie doe not beare me downe with so great abundance of consolations or if through thy infinitâ— goodnesse it will please thee to make me so abound in delights take me to Heauen for he that hath once tasted thy sweetenesse must necessarily liue in bitternesse while he doth not enioye thee And therefore when God hath somewhat largely bestowed his heauenly sweetes vpon a soule and after withdrawes them he wounds her by the priuation and she vpon it is left pining and sobbing which Dauid Alas the day when shall I see Thy sweete returne my heart shall free Out of her painefull panges And with the Apostle Vnhappie man that I am who will deliuer me out of the bodie of this mortalitie The end of the sixt Booke THE SEAVENTH BOOKE OF THE VNION OF THE SOVLE WITH HER GOD WHICH IS PERfected in Praier How loue vnits the soule to God in Praier CHAPTER I. I. WE speake not here of the generall vnion betwixt God and the soule but of certaine particular actes and motions which the soule recollected in God makes by way of Praier to be more and more vnited and ioyned to his diuine Goodnesse for in good-south there is difference betwixt ioyning and vniting one thing to another and thrusting or pressing one thing against or vpon another because to ioyne or vnite it is onely required that the one be applied to th' other so that they touch and be together as we ioyne vines to Elmes and Iasmins to the crosse-barrs of Arbors which are made in gardens But to thrust and presse together a strong application must be made which doth encrease and augment the vnion so that to thrust together is to ioyne strongly and closely as we see Iuie ioyned to trees which is not vnited onely but pressed so hard vnto them that it euen penetrats and enters into their barke 2. The comparison of little childrens loue towards their mother must not be left out by reason of its innocencie and puritie Behold then this fine little child to whom the mother being set downe presents her Pape it casts it selfe sodenly into her armes gathering and foulding all its little bodie into her bosome and louely breast and see the mother as mutually receiuing it close and as it were glewe it to her bosome and ioyning her mouth to it 's kisse it But see againe this little babie allured with it's mothers huggings how for it's part it doth concurre to this vnion betwixt his mother and it For it doth also as much as possibly it can shut and presse it selfe to it's mothers breast and cheeke as though it would wholy diue into and hide it selfe in this delightfull wombe whence it was extracted Now THEO in this case the vnion is perfect which being but one proceedes notwithstanding from the mother and the child yet so that it hath it's whole depâ—ndance of the mother for she drewe the child to her she did first locke him in her tresses pressed him to her breast nor had the babe such force as to betake and locke himselfe so hard to his mother yet the poore little on doth for his part what he can and ioynes himselfe with all his force to his mothers bosome not consenting onely to the delightfull vnion which his mother makes but contributing with all his heart his feeble endeauours which are so weake that they seeme rather to be essaies of an vnion then an vnion it selfe 3. Thus theÌ„ THEO our Sauiour shewing the most delightfull bosome of diuine loue to the deuote soule he drawes her wholy to himselfe gathers her vp and doth as it were fould all her powers in the bosome of his more theÌ„ motherly sweetenesse and then burning with loue he thrusteth ioyneth presseth and glueth her to the lips of his delightes and to his delicious breastes kissing her in the holy kisse of his mouth and making her taste his dugges more sweete theÌ„ wine The soule allured with the delightes of these fauours doth not onely consent and prepare her selfe to the vnion which God maketh but in the strife of her heart doth cooperate endeauouring more and more to ioyne and locke her selfe to the Diuine Goodnesse yet in such sort that she doth ingeniously acknowledge that her vnion and tye to this soueraigne sweetenesse is wholy dependant of Gods operation without which she could not so much as make the least essaie imaginable to be vnited vnto him 4. When wee see an exquisite beautie beholden with great ardour or an excellent melodie heard with great attention we are wount to saie such a beautie holds the Spectators eyes glued vnto it such a melodie holds their eares fastened and that such discourse doth rauish the Auditours hearts what is it to hold the eyes glued the eares fastened to rauish the heart but to vnite and closely to ioyne the senses and powers whereof one speakes to their obiectes And the soule is pressed and ioyned to her obiect when she doth intensely affect it that pressing being no other thing then the progresse and aduancement of the vnion and coniunction We make vse of this word in our tongue in morrall matters He presseth me to doe this or he presseth me to staie that is he doth not meerely vse
receiue Counsell for his owne profit but to be conformed to his desire who giues him Counsell and render him homage to his will and therefore he receiues not Counsells but in such sort as God desires nor doth God desire that euery one should obserue all Counsells but such onely as are conuenient according to the diuersitie of persons times occasions strength as charitie requires for she it is that as Queene of all vertues of all the Commandements of all the Counsells and to be short of all lawes and all Christian workes doth giue them all their ranke order time and worth 4. If thy assistance be truely necessarie to thy Father or mother to be able to liue it is no time then to practise the Counsell of betaking thy selfe into a Monasterie for Charitie doth ordaine that thou goe actually to put in execution the Commandement of honoring seruing aiding and succouring thy Father and Mother Thou art a Prince by whose posteritie the Subiects to thy crowne are to be conserued in peace and assured against tyrannie sedition ciuill wars and therefore the occasion of so great a good doth oblige thee to beget lawfull successours in a holy Marriage It is either not to loose Chastitie or at least to loose it chastly while for loue of Charitie it is sacrificed to the publick good Art thou weake and wauering in thy health and doth it exact great maintenance doe not then voluntarily vndertake actuall pouertie for thou art prohibited by Charitie Charitie doth not onely forbid house-holders to sell and giue it to the poore but doth euen command them honestly to gather together that which is requisite for the education and sustentation of their wife children and seruants as also kings and Princes to lay vp treasures which being kept together by a laudable frugalitie not gotten by tyrannicall trikes doe serue for wholsome preseruatiues against the visible enemie Doth not S. Paule Counsell such as are married that the time of Praier being ended they should repaire to the well ordered course of their houshold affaires 5. All the Counsells are giuen to perfect christian people but not to perfect euery christian in particular There are circūstances which makes them so times vnprofitable sometimes perilous impossible sometimes hurtfull to some men which is one of the reasōs why our Sauiour saied of one of the Counsells which he would haue to be vnderstood of them all He that can take let him take as though he had saied according to S. HIEROMS expositions he that can winne and beare away the honour of chastitie as a prize of reputation let him take it for it is exposed to such as shall rūne valliantly Euery one then cannot that is it is not expedient for euery one to obserue all the Counsells which as they are granted in fauour of Charitie so is she the rule and measure by which they are executed 6. Hence it is that vpon Charities order Monkes and Religious are drawen out of their Cloisters to be made Cardinalls Prelats Curats yea sometimes they are euen ioyned in matrimonie for a kingdoms repose as I haue alreadie saied And if Charitie make those leaue their Cloister that had tyed themselues therto by solemne vowe by better reason and vpon lesse occasion one may by the authoritie of the same Charitie counsell many to liue at home to keepe their meanes to marrie yea to turne soldiers and goe to warrs which is so perilous a profession 7. Now when Charitie incites one to pouertie ād recals āother whē she stirrs vp one to marriage and others to continencie when she shuts one vp in a Cloister and makes another quit it she is not liable to giue any man an accompt of her deede for she hath fulnesse of power in Christian lawes as it is written Charitie can doe all things she hath a compleat prudence according to that Charitie doth nothing in vaine Yet if any will contest and demand a reason of her fact she will bouldly make answere That it is needefull for her lord All is made for Charitie ād Charitie for God All must serue her and she none no she serues not her well-beloued whose seruant she is not but his spouse whom she doth not serue but Loue for which cause we are to take her order how to exercise Councells for to some she will appoint Chastitie without pouertie to others obedience and not chastitie to others fasting but not Almes deedes to others Almes deedes and not fasting to others sollitarinesse not the charge of a Pastour to others conuersation and not sollitarinesse In fine she is a sacred water by which the garden of the Church is fertilized and though she haue but one colour without colour yet the flowres which she makes spring haue euery one their different colour She makes the Martyrs redder thē the Rose virgins whiter then the Lillie some she dies with the fine violet of mortification others with the yellow of marriage-care imploying diuersly the Counsells for the perfections of such soules as are so fortunate as to liue vnder her conduct That Gods will signified in the cōmandemēts doth moue vs forwards to the loue of Counsells CHAPTER VII 1. O THEO how amiable is this Diuine will ô how amiable and desirable it is ô Law wholy of Loue and for Loue The Hebrewes by the word peace vnderstand the collection and perfection of all good things that is Felicitie and the Psalmist cries out that a plentifull PEACE doth abound in those that loue the law of God and that they stumble not as though he would saie o Lord what delightes are in the Loue of thy Commandements the heart that is possessed with the Loue of thy law is possessed of all delicious sweetenesse Certes the great king whose heart was made according to the heart of God did so inly tast the perfect excellencie of the Diuine Decrees that he seemes to be a Louer caught with the beautie of this Law as with the chast Spouse and Queene of his heart as appears by his continuall praises thereof 6. When the heauenly Spouse would expresse the infinite sweetenesse of her diuine Spouses perfums thy name saieth she vnto him is an oyntment poured forth as though she saied thou art so excellently well perfumed that thou seemest to be all perfume and that thou art more fitly termed oyle and perfume then anoynted and perfumed So the Soule that loueth God is so transformed into the Diuine will that it merits rather to be called Gods will then obedient and subiect to his will whence God saieth by Isaie that he will call the Christian Church by a new name which the mouth of our Lord will pronounce imprint and engraue in the hearts of his faithfull and then explicating this name he saieth it shall be MY WILL SHALL BE IN IT as though he had saied that such as are not Christians euery one hath his owne will in the midst of his heart but euery one of our Sauiours true children shall forsake
heart for the obstinacie of the Iewes 2. Yet be sinners neuer so obstinate let vs neuer desist to aide and assist them for what doe we know but they may doe pennance and be saued happie is he that can saie to his neighbour as did S. Paule I haue neither ceased night nor day to admonish euery of you with teares and therefore I am cleare of your blood for I haue not bene sparing in denouncing vnto you Gods good pleasure in euery behalfe So lōg as there remaines any hope that the sinner will amend which alwayes remaines as long as life we must neuer reiect him but praie for him and assist him as farre forth as his miserie will permit 3. But lastly after we haue wept ouer the obstinate and performed towards them the good offices of Charitie in essaying to reclame them from perdition we must imitate our Sauiour and the Apostles that is we must remoue our mind from thence and place it vpon other obiects and imployments more to the aduancement of Gods glorie We were first saied the Apostles to the Iewes to announce the word of God vnto you but whereas you reiect it and make your selues vnworthy of the raigne of IESVS-CHRIST we will betake our selues to the Gentils The kingdome of God saieth our Sauiour shall be taken from you and shall be giuen to a nation that will make some profit of it Nor can one indeede spend much time in bewailing some few without loosing time fit and necessarie to procure the saluation of others It is true indeede the Apostle saieth that the losse of the Iewes is a cōtinuall corrasiue vnto him yet he spoke it in no other sense then we saie that we praise God continually for we meane no other thing thereby then that we praise him very frequently and in euery occasion and in the same manner the glorious S. Paule felt a continuall griefe in his heart caused by the Iewes reprobation for that in euery occasion he bemoaned their mishape 4. For the rest we must for euer adore Loue and praise God's reuenging and punishing IVSTICE as we loue his MERCY being both daughters of his goodnesse For as he is good yea soueraignly good he makes vs good by his grace by his IVSTICE he punisheth sinne because he hates it and he hates it for that being soueraignly good he hates the soueraigne euill which is iniquitie And in conclusion note that God doth neuer otherwise withdraw his MERCY from vs then by the iust vengāce of his punishing IVSTICE nor doe we euer escape the rigour of his IVSTICE but by his iustifying MERCY and howsoeuer whether he punish or gratifie vs his good pleasure is worthy of adoration loue and euerlasting praise So the Iust who sing the praises of Gods MERCY for such as haue wrought their owne saluation shall reioyce euen in seeing Gods vengance The Blessed shall with ioye approue the Sentence of the Reprobats damnation as well as that of the Elects saluation And the Angels hauing exercised their Charitie towards those that they had in keeping shall remaine in peace while they see them obstinate yea euen damned We are therefore to submit our selues to the Diuine will and kisse the right hand of his MERCY and the left hand of his IVSTICE with an equall Reuerence How the puritie of Indifferencie is practised in the actions of holy Loue. CHAPTER IX 1. THe most excellent Musician of the Vniuersitie and one that had a skeelfull hād vpō the Lute became in time so deadly deafe that his hearing serued him for nothing yet ceased he not for all that to sing and to handle his Lute marueilous delicatly by reasō of the perfect habite which he had therein whereof his deafenesse did not depriue him But taking no pleasure in his song nor yet in the sound of his Lute as being depriued of his hearing he could not perceiue the sweetenesse and delight of it so that he neither sung nor plaied saue onely to content a Prince whose natiue subiect he was and whom he infinitely desired to please as hauing an infinite obligatiō vnto him for his breeding from his childhood Hence he tooke an incomparable delight to delight him and when his Prince made shew to be delighted in his musike he was rauished with delight But it happened sometimes that the Prince to make triall of this louing Musician's loue gaue him order to sing and presently vpon it leauing him there wēt a hunting yet the desire which this Chaunter had to accomplish his Maisters desires made him continue his musike as attentiuely as though his Prince had bene present though in very deede he had no content in his owne song for he neither had the pleasure of the Melodie whereof his deafenesse depriued him nor the content of pleasing his Prince who being absent could not enioye the sweetenesse and pleasure of the ayre which he sung My heart to sing is readie and dispos'd A hymne in honour of thy name compos'd My soule and spirit ardently essayes To sing thy praise Vp then my glorie vp and quit thy rest In Harpe ād Psaltere let our lord be bles't Mans heart is the true Chaunter of the Canticle of sacred Loue himselfe the HARPE or PSALTER Now ordinarily this Chaunter is his owne auditorie taking a great pleasure in the Melodie of his song I meane our heart louing God doth taste the delights of this Loue and takes an incomparable contentment to loue so louely an obiect Marke I praie you THEO what I would saie The Little young Nightingales doe first essaie a beginning of song by imitating the old one but hauing got skill and passing Maisters they sing for the pleasure which they take in their owne song and doe so passhionatly addict themselues to this delight as I haue saied in an other place that by striuing to send out their voice their weseele bursting they send out their life So our hearts in the beginning of deuotion loue God that they may be vnited and become gratefull vnto him and imitate him in that he hath loued vs for all eternitie but by little and little being formed and exercised in holy Loue they are imperceptibly changed and in lieu of louing God to please God they begin to Loue him for the pleasure they take in the exercises of holy Loue and insteede of falling in Loue with God they fall in Loue with the Loue they beare him and stand affected to their owne affections not taking any more pleasure in God but in the pleasure they take in his Loue contenting themselues with this Loue because it is theirs that it is in their heart whence it proceedes for though this sacred Loue be called the Loue of God because God is loued by it yet it is also ours we being the Louers that Loue by it And herevpon we come to chang for insteede of louing this holy Loue for that it tends to God who is the beloued we Loue it because it proceedes from vs who are
and are so capable of the impressions of heauenly loue that to make them participate in its Sanctitie they neede onely to be by it that is neare a heart which loues God So to make grapes tast like Oliues it is but planting the vine amongst the Oliue-trees for by their onely neighbourhoode without euer touching one another these plantes doe mutually enterchange fauours and properties so great an inclination and so strict a conueniencie is there betwixt them 2. Certes all flowres except those of the tree called the Pensiue Tree and others that are monstres in nature all I saie are gladded displayed and embellished at the Sunnes approch by the vitall heat which they receiue from his rayes But all yellow flowres and especiall that which the Grecians terme HELIOTROPIVM and we TVRNE-SOLE are not onely gladded ād pleased with his presence but euen follow his beames allurement by an amiable winding about to looke and turne themselues towards it euen from the rysing to the setting So all vertues doe receiue a new lustre and an excellent dignitie by the presence of holy Loue but Faith Hope the Feare of God Pietie Penance and all the other vertues which of their owne natures doe particularly tend vnto God and to his honour doe not onely receiue the impression of Diuine loue whereby they are eleuated to a great value but they hang wholy towards him associate themselues with him following and seruing him in all occasions for in fine my deare THEO the holy word doth attribute a certaine sauing sanctifying force and proprietie to Faith Hope Pietie Feare of God to Penance which is an euidence that those vertues are of great price and being practised by a heart in Charitie they become more fruitfull and holy by excellencie then the others which of their owne nature haue not so great an agreement with heauenly Loue. And he that cries if I had all Faith euen in such a measure that I could transport mountaines and should want charitie I am nothing doth sufficiently shew that with Charitie this faith would be very fruitfull Charitie then is a vertue without compare which doth not onely adorne the heart wherin she is but with her meere presēce doth also blesse ād sanctifie all the vertues which she meetes therein embalming and perfuming them with her celestiall odour by meanes whereof they are raysed to a high rate in the sight of God which yet she performes farre more excellently in Faith Hope and other vertues which of them selues doe naturally tend to pietie 3. Wherefore THRO of all vertuous actions we ought most carefully to practise those of Religion and Reuerence towards diuine things those of Faith of Hope and the most holy Feare of God taking occasion often to speake of heauenly things thinking and sighing after eternitie frequenting the Church and Diuine seruice making pious lectures obseruing the ceremonies of christian Religion for sacred Loue is fed according to its hearts desire in these exercises and doth in greater abundance streame out its graces and proprieties vpon them then it doth vpon those vertues which are purely naturall like as the heauenly rainebow makes all the plantes vpon which it lightes odoriferous but the Asphalatus incomparably more then all the rest That Diuine Loue doth yet more excellently sanctifie the vertues which are practised by his ordinance and Commandment CHAPTER IV. 1. THe faire RACHEL after an earnest desire of issue with her deare IACOB was by two meanes made fertill whence also she had children of two sundrie kinds for in the beginning of her marriage seeing she could haue no children of her owne bodie she made vse of her seruant BALA as it were by loue which she drew into her societie by the exercise of the functions of marriage saying vnto her husband I haue here my handmaide BALA take her in wedlocke and companie with her that she may beare vpon my knees and I may haue children of her and it fell out according to her desire For she conceiued and brought forth many children vpon RACHELS knees who receiued them as though they had bene truely her owne since they were begotten by two bodies whereof IACOBS belonged to her by the right of marriage BALA'S by the dutie of seruice and againe because the generation was effected by her order and will But she had afterwards two other children without her command or order which were conceiued begot and sprung from her owne bodie at her owne bent to wit Ioseph and the beloued Beniamin 2. I must tell you now THEOT that Charitie and holy loue a thousand times more faire then Rachel married to mans heart doth incessantly wish to produce holy operations And if in the begining she her selfe cannot bring forth of her owne extraction by the sacred vnion which is singularly proper vnto her she cals the other vertues as her faithfull handmaids makes them cōpanions with her in marriage commanding the heart to make vse of them and beget holy operations of them yet operations which she doth adopt and repute her owne as being produced by her order and commandment and of a heart which belongs vnto her sith as we haue formerly declared Loue is the Maister of the heart and consequently of all the acts of other vertues made by his consent But further heauenly Charitie hath two acts which are her owne issue properly and are of her owne extraction the one is EFFECTIVE LOVE who as another IOSEPH vsing the fulnesse of regall authoritie doth subiect and range the troopes of our faculties powers passions and affections to Gods will that it might be loued obeyed and serued aboue all things by this meanes putting the great celestiall commandment in execution Thou shalt loue thy LORD thy GOD with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy Spirit with all thy strength The other is AFFECTIVE OR AFFECTIONATE LOVE who as a little Beniamin is exceedingly delicate tender pleasing and amiable but in this more happie then Beniamin that Charitie his mother dies not in his birth but as it were gaines a new life by the delight she takes in it 3. Thus then THEOT the vertuous actions of the children of God doe all belong to Charitie some of them because they sprung from her owne wombe others because she sanctifies them by her quickning presence and finally others by the authoritie and commāde which she exerciseth ouer the other vertues whence she made them spring And these as indeede they are not so eminent in dignitie as the actions which doe properly and immediatly issue from Charitie so doe they incomparably passe those which take their whole sanctitie from the presence and Societie of Charitie 4. A great Generall of an Armie hauing gayned some renowned bataile will without doubt haue all the glorie of the victorie and not without reason for he himselfe will haue fought in the forefront of the armie essaying many braue feates of armes he will haue rancked his troopes ordained and commanded all that was
takes vpon him publike seruice and withall pretends honour if his pretention be more to honour himselfe then to serue the common wealth or whether his pretention be equall in them both he doth amisse and is indeede ambitious For he ouerthrowes the order of reasoÌ„ in either preferring or equalizing his owne interest with a publike good But if his principall eÌ„d be the publike good and yet withall he haue a desire thereby to aduance the honour of his familie verily one knowes not how to blame him not onely because both his pretentions are honest but are also well ordered Some will communicate at Easter that they may not be blamed by their neighbours and withall to obeye God who can doubt but they doe well But if they communicate equally or more to auoyd blame then to obeye God who can also doubt but they doe impertinently in equalizing or preferring humane respects before the obedience which they owe to God One may fast in Lent either by Charitie to please God or by obedience because it is a precept of the Church or else for sobrieties sake or out of diligence to studie better or through prudence to spare somewhat for some other necessitie by chastitie to th' end I might tame my bodie or out of religion the better to praie Now if I please I may make a collection of all these intentions and fast for them all together But in this case there must be good gouernment vsed to order these motiues For if I fast rather out of a sparing humour then for obedience to the Church rather that I may studie well then to please God who doth not see that I confound right and order preferring myne owne interest before the obedience due to the Church or Gods pleasure To fast to spare is good To fast to obeye the Church is better to fast to please God is best and though it seeme that of three goods one cannot compose a bad thing yet he that should displace them preferring the worse before the better should without doubt coÌ„mite a blame worthy disorder 4. He that inuites but one of his friends doth in no wise offend the rest but if he inuite them all and yet giue the greatest respect to the least drawing the most honorable to the lowest end doth he not offend both those and these these because he doth depresse them against reason those because he makes fooles of them So to doe an action for one onely reasonable motiue be it neuer so little reason is not offended at it but he that will haue many motiues he is to ranke them according to their qualities otherwise he sinneth for disorder is a sinne as sinne is a disorder He that desires to please both God and our B. Ladie doth excellent well but he that would please our Blessed Ladie as much or more then God â—hould commit an insupportable disorder and one might saie to him as was saied to Cain Though you offered well yet you diuided ill leaue off you haue sinned Euery end must haue its right place And consequently the end of louing God the soueraigne place 5. Now the soueraigne motiue of our actions which is that of heauenly loue hath this soueraigne propertie that being more pure it makes the action which proceedes from it more pure so that the Angels and Saints of Heauen loue nothing for any other pretention then for the loue of the Diuine goodnesse and with intention to please True it is they exercise a most ardent mutuall loue amongst themselues as they also loue vs and the vertues but all this purely to please God They follow and practise vertues not for that they are faire and delightfull but because they are agreeable to God They loue their owne felicitie not because it is in them but for that it pleaseth God Yea verily they loue the Loue with which they loue God not because it is in theÌ„ but for that it tends to God not because it is gustfull to themselues but because it is pleasant to God not because they enioye and possesse it but because God giues it them and delightes himselfe in it The practise of that which hath bene saied in the precedent chapter CHAPTER XIV 1. LEt vs striue therefore THEO to purifie all our intentions and since we may if we list grace all the actions of vertue with the sacred motiues of Diuine Loue why shall we not doe it reiecting as occasion requires all kind of vicious motiues as vaine glorie and proper interest and Let vs consider all the good motiues which we may haue to vndertake the present action that we may choose the motiue of holy Loue which is the most excellent of all to water moisten all the other with it for example if I desire vallourously to expose my selfe to the danger of warre I may put it in execution in consideration of diuers motiues for the naturall motiue of this action is that of strength and vallour which moues vs reasonably to vndertake dangerous exploits yet besides this I may haue diuers other motiues as that of obeying the Prince whom I serue the loue of the common wealth that of magnanimitie which makes me delight my selfe in the greatnesse of this action Now comming to the deede doing I put my selfe vpon the foreseene perill for all these motiues together But to raise them all to the degree of Diuine Loue and perfectly to purifie them I will pronounce in my soule from my very heart ô eternall God who art the most deare Loue of my affections if vallour obedience to my Prince Loue of my CouÌ„trie and magnanimitie were not agreeable vnto thee I would neuer follow their motions which now I feele but whereas these vertues are delightfull vnto thee I embrace this occasion of putting them in practise and will no otherwise second their instinct and inclination then because thou louest and willest them 2. You see plainly THEO how by this reflection of our mind we perfume all those other motiues with the odour and sweetenesse of holy Loue since we doe not meerely follow them as they are vertuous motiues but in qualitie of motiues that are desired embraced beloued and cherished of God He that steaks wherewithall to be drunke is more a drunkard then a thiefe according to Aristotle And he then that doth practise vallour obedience loue towards his couÌ„trie and magnanimitie to please God he is more a Diuine Louer then either valliant obedient good Patriote or magnanimous because his whole will in that exercise doth aime at and fall vpon the Loue of God making onely vse of all these motiues to arriue at this end We are not wont to saie we goe to Lyons but to Paris while we passe onely by Lions to Paris nor doe we saie we goe to singe but to serue God while we goe not to sing but to th' end to serue God 3. And if it chance that at sometimes we are touched with particular motiues as for example if we should
loue that should spring vp amongst the brambles and repugnances of a harsh and drie nature would be more braue and glorious and withall more delightfull and gracious like to the other 4. It imports not much then whether one haue a naturall inclination to loue when supernaturall loue is handled by which one works onely supernaturally Onely this THEO I would willingly crie out to all men ô mortalls if you haue hearts addicted to loue alas why doe you not pretend celestiall and Diuine Loue But if you be harsh and hard hearted alas poore peopâ—â— sith you are depriued of naturall Loue why doe you not aspire to supernaturall Loue which shall be louingly bestowed on you by him who so holily calls you to loue him That we are to haue a continuall desire to loue CHAPTER II. 1. LAy vp treasures in heauen one treasure is not sufficient to the liking of this Diuine Louer but he desires we should haue it in such aboundance that our treasure should be coÌ„posed of many treasures that is to saie THEO that we are to haue an insatiable desire of Louing God adding continually loue vpon loue What is it that doth so much presse the Bees to encrease their honie but the loue they beare to it ô heart of my soule who art created to loue the infinite good what loue canst thou desire but this loue which is the most to be desired of all loues Alas ô soule of my heart what desire canst thou loue but the most louely of all desires ô Loue of sacred desires ô desires of holy Loue ô how much haue I desisired to desire your perfections 2. The disgusted sickman hath no appetite to eate yet hath he an appetite to haue an appetite he desires no meate yet he desires to haue a desire THEO to know whether we loue God aboue all things is not in our power vnlesse God himselfe reueale it vnto vs yet we may easily know whether we desire to loue him aÌ„d perceiuing the desire of holy loue in vs we know that we begin to loue It is our seÌ„suall aÌ„d animall part which couets to eate but it is our reasonable part that desires this appetite and because the sensuall part doth not alwayes obeye the reasonable part it happens that we desire an appetite and yet haue it not 3. But the desire of louing and loue depend both of the same will Wherefore as soone as we haue framed a desire of louing we begin to haue some Loue and euer as this desire encreaseth loue also encreaseth He that desires Loue ardently shall shortly loue with ardour ô God THEO who will make vs so happie as that we may burne with this desire which is the desire of the poore and the preparation of their heart whom God doth willingly heare He that hath no assurance to loue God is a poore man and if he desire to loue him he is a beggar but a beggar in that bleessed beggarie of which our Sauiour hath saied Blessed are the poore of spirit for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen 4. Such an one was S. AVGVSTINE when he cryed out ô to loue ô to walke ô to die to a mans selfe ô to come to God! Such S. FRANCIS his saying let me die of thy Loue ô thou friend of my heart who hast daigned to die for my Loue Such S. CATHARINE of GENVA and S. TERESA when as spirituall Does panting and dying with the thirst of Diuine Loue they sighed out this voice ah Lord giue me this water 5. Temporall couituousnesse by which we doe greedily desire earthly riches is the roote of all euill but spirituall auarice whereby one doth incessaÌ„tly sigh after the pure gold of Diuine Loue is the roote of all good He that doth desire to Loue well doth search it well and he that doth search it well doth find it well and he that hath found it out he hath found the source of life whence he shall draw the saluation of our Lord. Let vs crie night and day THEO come ô holy Ghost fill the hearts of thy faithfull and kindle in them the fire of thy Loue. ô heauenly Loue when wilt thou fill my soule That to haue the desire of saâ—red Loue we are to cut of all other desires CHAPTER III. 1. VVHy doe hounds thinke you THEO more ordinarily loose the sent or straine of the game they runne in the spring time then in other times it is as the Hunters and Philosophers saie because the grasse and floures are then in their vigour so that the varietie of smells which they send out doth so fill the hounds sense of smelling that they can neither take nor follow the sent of their game amongst so sundrie â—ents which the earth doth euaporate Certes those soules that doe abound still in desires designes and proiects doe neuer desire the holy celestiall loue as they ought nor can perceiue the delightfull straine and sent of the Diuine beloued who is compared to the Roe or to the little Faune of the Do. 2. Lilies haue no season but growe soone or late as they are deeper or lesse deepe set in the ground for if they be thrust three fingers onely into the ground they will presently florish but if they be put 6. or 9. fingers into the earth they come vp later proportionably If the heart that pretends Diuine Loue be deeply engaged in terreane and temporall affaires it will bud late and with difficultie But if it haue onely so much to doe with the world as its condition requires you shall see it blosome timely in Loue and send out a delicious odour 3. For this cause the Saints betooke themselues to deserts that being freede from worldly solicitudes they might more ardently bestowe themselues in the exercise of holy Loue Hence the sacred Spouse shut the one of her eyes to th'ed that she might fixe the sight of the other alone more setledly and withall aime more directly at the very midst of her Beloued's heart which she desires to wound witâ— loue And for this same reason she keepes her haire so plaited and foulded together in tresses that she seemes to haue one onely haire which she makes vse off as of a chaine to bind and beare away her Spouse his heart whom she makes a slaue to her Loue. 5. They that desire for good and all to loue God shut vp their vnderstanding from worldly discoursâ—s to imploye it more feruently in Diuine meditations and doe gather vp all their pretentions into that onely one pretention of onely louing God Whosoeuâ—r he be that desires any thing which he desires not for God doth in that lesse desire God 5. A Religious man dâ—manded of B. Giles what he could doe most gratefull to God and he answâ—red him by singing one to one that is one onely soule to one onely God So many desires and Loues in our heart are as many children vpon one dâ—gge who while they can not all sucke at once they thrust to it now one
its vâ—rtue and beare its influence vpon the actions which we practise afterwards but so farre forth as in the exercise of them we applie the motiue of Loue in particular by dedicating them in a speciall manner to the glorie of God Yet doe all confesse with SAINT BONAVENTVRE who hath the generall approbation of all in this behalfe that if I haue determined in my heart to giue an huÌ„dred crownes for Gods sake though afterwards I make the distribution of this somme at leasure hauing my mind distracted and without attention yet is all the distribution made through Loue because it proceedes from the first proiect which Diuine Loue made me make of giuing the whole 6. But I praie you Tâ—EO what difference is there betwixt him that offers an hundred crowneâ— to God and him thâ—t offers to him all his actions truly there is none at all but that the one offers a somme of money the other a somme of actions And why I praie shall they not then be doth esteemed to make the distribution of the parcells of the somme in vertue of their first purpose and fundamentall resolutions And if one that distributs his crownes without attention be not depriued of the influence of his first purpose why shall not the other in the distribution of his actionâ— enioye the fruit of his first intention He that purposely hath made himselfe a louing seruant of the Diuine goodnesse hath by consequence dedicated all his actions to the same goodnesse 7. Grounding vpon this truth euery one should once in his life make a good recollection thereby to cleane his soule from all sinne and vpoÌ„ it to make an inward and solide resolution to liue wholy to God as we haue giuen instructions in the first part of the Introduction to a deuote life And afterwards at least once euery yeare to make a suruey vpon ones conscience and a renouation of the first resolution which we haue put downe in the fift part of the same booke to which in this behalfe I remit you 8. Certes SAINT BONAVENTVRE doth auoutch that a man that hath gotten so great an inclination and custome of well doing that he doth it frequently without any speciall intention looseth not the merits of such actions which are enriched by Loue from whence they spring as from their roote and originall source of thire blessed habit facilitie and promptitude Of certaine other meanes whereby we may applie our workes more particularly to the Loue of God CHAPTER IX 1. VVHen the Pea-hen hatcheth her egges in a white place her youÌ„g ones are also white And when our intentions are in the loue of God when we proiect some good worke or vndertake some certaine vocation all the actions which doe issue thence take their worth and deriue their nobilitie from the Loue whence they descended for who doth not see that the actioÌ„s which are proper to my vocation and requisite to my designe doe depend of this first election and resolution which I made 2. Yet THEO one must not staie there but to make an excellent progresse in deuotion we must not onely in the begining of our conuersion and afterâ—ards once euery yeare addresse all our life and actions to God but we must euen offer them vnto him euery day following the morning exercise which we haue taught Philothie for in this dayely renewing of our oblation we spread the vertue and vigour of our loue vpon our actions by a new application of our heart to the Diuine glorie by meanes whereof it is still more and more sanctified 3. Besides this let vs an hundred and an hundred times a day applie our life to Diuine Loue by the practise of iaculatorie praiers eleuations of the mind and spirituall retreats for thâ—sâ— holy exercises casting and bearing vp our minds to Gâ—d doe also in the end draw all our actions thither and how should it come to passe I praie you that a soule which doth euery moment dart vp herselfe at the Diuine Goodnesse and which doth incessantly breath words of Loue to th' end she may keepe her heart continually lodged in the bosome of her heauenly Faâ—her should not be thought to doe all her good workes in God and for God 4. She that saieâ—h ah Lord I am thyne my beloued is wholy myne and I am wholy his My God thou art my all O IESVS thou art my life ah who will doe me the fauour that I may die to my selfe to th' end I may liue onely to thee O to loue to goe to die to a mans selfe ô to liue to God! ô to bee in God! ô Lord whatsoeuer is not thy very selfe is nothing to me She I saie doth she not continually dedicate her actions to her heauenly Spouse ô how blessed is the soule who hath once stripped and perfectly resigned herselfe into the hands of God Almightie whereof we spoke before for afterwards she will onely neede one little sight aÌ„d view of God to renew and confirme her stripping resignation and oblation together with her Protestation that she will haue nothing but God and for God and that she neither loues herselfe nor any other thing in the world but in God and for the Loue of God 5 The exercise then of continuall aspirations is very proper for the application of all our works to Loue. But principally it is abundantly sufficient for the small and ordinarie actions of our life for as for heroicall workes and maters of consequeÌ„ce it is expedient if we intend to make any great profit to vse the ensuing methode as I haue alreadie giuen a touch elsewhere 6. Let vs in these occurreÌ„ces eleuate our heart aÌ„d spirit to God let vs burie our consideration and exteÌ„de our thoughts into the most holy and glorious eternitie let vs behold how in it the Diuine goodnesse did tenderly cherish vs preparing all conuenient meanes for our saluation and progresse in his Loue and in particular the commoditie to doe the good which doth at that present presente it selfe vnto vs or to suffer the euill which befalls vs. This done displaying if we may so saie and eleuating the armes of our consent let vs embrace dearely feruently and most louingly as well the good which presents it selfe to be done as the euill which we are to suffer in consideration that God willed it so from all eternitie to please him and to obeye his prouidence 7. Behold the great S. CHARLES when his Diocese was infested with the plague he lifted vp his heart to God and beheld attentiuely that in the eternitie of Gods Prouidence this scourge was determined and prepared for his flocke and that the same Prouidence had ordained that in this their scourge he should take a most tender care to serue solace and cordially to assist the afflicted sith that in this occurrence he chanced to be the Ghostly Father Pastour and Bishope of that Prouince Wherevpon representing vnto himselfe the greatnesse of the paines toyles and hazards which he was necessarily
when it dies to it selfe nor euer so much death as when it liues to it selfe 8. We haue freedome to doe good or euill yet to make choyce of euill is not to vse but to abuse our freedome Let vs renounce the accursed libertie and let vs for euer subiect our free-will to the rule of heauenly Loue let vs become slaues to Loue whose seruants are more happie then kings And if euer our soule should offer to imploye her libertie against our resolutioÌ„s of seruing God for euer and without reserue ô in that case for Gods sake let vs sacrifice our freewill and make it die to it selfe that it may liue to God He that in respect of selfe loue will keepe it in this world shall loose it in respect of eternall Loue in the other world and he that for the loue of God shall loose it in this world shall coÌ„serue it for the same loue in the next He that giues it libertie in this world shall find it a slaue in the other and he that shall make it a seruant to the Crosse in this world shall find it free in the next where being drunk vp in the fruition of the Diuine goodnesse libertie will be conuerted into loue and loue into libertie but libertie of an infinite sweetenesse without violeÌ„ce paine or repugnance at all we shall vnchangeably loue the Creatour and Sauiour of our soules Of the motiues we haue to holy Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. SAINT BONAVENTVRE Father Granado Father Lowis of Poâ—t Stella haue sufficiently discoursed vpon this subiect I will onely somme vp the points which I haue touched in this Treatise 2. The Diuine Goodnesse considered in it selfe is not onely the first motiue of all but withall the greatest the most noble and most puissant For it is that which doth rauish the Blessed and crowne their Felicitie How can one haue a heart and yet not loue so infinite a goodnesse This subiect is in some sort proposed in the 1. and 2. chap. of the 2. booke and from the 8. chap. of the 3. booke to the end and in the 9. chap. of the 10. booke 3. The 2. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence creation and conseruation towards vs according as we haue saied in the 3. cha of the 2. booke 4. The 3. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence ouer vs and of the Redemption which he prepared for vs as it is explicated in the 4. 5. 6. and 7. chap. of the 2. booke 5. The 4. motiue is to consider how God doth practise this Prouidence and Redemption giuing euery one the grace and assistance which is requisite to their Saluation which we handle in the 2. booke from the 8. chap. and in the 3. booke from the beginning till the 6. chap. 6. The 5. motiue is the eternall glorie prouided for vs by the diuine goodnesse which is the accomplishment of Gods benefits towards vs and is in some sort touched from the 9. chap. to the end of the 3. booke A profitable methode whereby we may imploy these methods CHAPTER XII 1. NOw to receiue from these motiues a profound and powerfull heate of loue we are after we haue once considered one of them in coÌ„mon to applie it in particular to our selues For example O how amiable this great God is who out of his infinite goodnesse gaue his sonne for the whole worlds redemption alas I for all in generall but also for me who am the first of offenders Ah he hath loued me yea I saie he hath loued euen me yea euen me my selfe such as I am and deliuered himselfe to death for me 2. Secondly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their first and eternall source O God Tâ—â—O what loue can we haue sufficiently worthy of the infinit goodnesse of our Creatour who froÌ„ all eternitie determined to create conserue gouerne redeeme saue and glorifie all in generall and in particular Ah what was I then when I was not my selfe I saie who now being some thing am yet but a simple and poore worme of the earth while yet God from the Abisse of his eternitie thought thoughts of benediction in my behalfe He considered and designed yea determined the houre of my birth of my baptisme of all the inspirations that he would bestow vpon me in a word for all the benefits which he would doe and offer me alas is there a sweetenesse like to this 3. Thirdly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their second meritorious source for doe you not know THEO that the high Priest of the law wore vpon his backe and bosome the names of the children of Israel that is the precious stones vpon which the chiefe of the Israelites were engraueÌ„ Ah behold IESVS our High Priest and consider him from the very instant of his conception how he bore vs vpon his shoulders vndertaking the charge to redeeme vs by his death and death of the Crosse ô THEO THEO this soule of our Sauiour knew vs all by name and surname but especially vpon the day of his passion when he offered his teares his praiers his blood and life for all he breathed in particular for thee these thoughts of loue Ah my eternall Father I take vpon me and to my charge all poore THEO sinns to vndergoe torments and death that he may be freed from them and that he may not perish but liue Let me die so he may liue let me be crucified so that he may be glorified ô the soueraigne Loue of IESVS his heart what heart can euer blesse thee so deuotely as it ought 4. So within his fatherly breast his Diuine heart foresaw disposed merited and obtained all the benefits which we haue not onely in generall for all but also in particular for euery one and his sweete dugges prouided for vs the milke of his motions draughtes inspiratioÌ„s and sweetenesse by which he doth draw conduct and nurish our hearts to eternall life Benefits doe not in â—â—ame vs vnlesse we behold the eternall will which ordaines them for vs and the heart of our Sauiour that merited them for vs by so many paines especially in his death and passion That the Mount of Caluarie is the true Academie of Loue. CHAPTER XIII 1. NOw in finall conclusion the death and PassioÌ„ of our Sauiour is the sweetest aÌ„d yet most violent motiue that caÌ„ animate our hearts in this mortall life And it is the very truth that mysticall Bees make their most excelleÌ„t honie within this Lyon's wouÌ„d of the Tribe of Iuda but chered rent and torne vpon the Mount of Caluarie and the children of the Crosse glorie in their admirable Probleme which the word vnderstaÌ„ds not Oâ—t of all deuouring death râ—se the life of our consolation and out of death which is the strongest of all things the honie sweetenesse of our loue did issue O IESVS my Sauiour how amiable is thy death since it is the soueraigne effect of thy Loue. 2. And indeede aboue in heauenly glorie next to the motiue of the diuine goodnesse knowne aÌ„d coÌ„siâ—erâ—d in it selfe that of the death of our Sauiour shall be the most powerfull to rauish the hearts of the Blessed with the loue of God in signe whereof MOYSES and HELIE in the Transfiguration which was a scantling of glorie spoke with our Sauiour of the Excesse which he was to accomplish in Hierusalem but of what excesse if not of that excesse of Loue by which life was forced from the Louer to be bestowed vpon the beloued So that in the eternall Canticle I imagine that ioyfull acclamation will be iterated each moment Lâ—ue IESVS liue whose death doth prooue What is the force of heauenly loue 3. THEO the mount Caluarie is the mount of Louers All loue that begi s not from our Sauiours Passion is friuolous and dangerous Accursed is death without the Loue of our Sauiour Accursed is Loue without the death of our Sauiour Loue and death are so mingled in the passion of our Sauiour that one cannot haue the one in his heart without the other Vpon Caluarie one caÌ„not haue life without Loue nor loue without the death of our Redeemour But out of that all is either eternall death or eternall Loue Christian wisdome consisteth in making a good choice and to assist you in that I vndertookâ— this Treatise my THâ—O While this short day doth last Make choice ô man thou mayst To liue eternally Or else for ere to dye It is the Heauens Decree There should no middle be O eternall Loue my soule doth desire and make choice of thee eternally ah come ô holy Ghost and inflame our hearts with thy Loue Either loue or die die or loue To die to all other Loue to liue to that of IESVS that we may not eternally die but that liuing in thy eternall loue ô Sauiour of our soules we may eternally singe VIVE IESVS I loue IESVS liue IESVS whom I loue I loue IESVS who liueth and raigneth for euer and euen Amen 4. These things THEO which by the grace and helpe of Charitie haue bene written to your Charitie I beseech GOD they may take roote in your heart that this Charitie may find in you the fruits of holy workes not the leaues of prayses Amen God be blessed Thus I shut vp this whole Treatise in the words with which S. AVGVSTINE ended his admirable sermon of Charitie made before an illustrious assemblie The end of this present Treatise ERRATA Pag Lin Faults Coâ—rectâ—â— 9 28 it being desired if being desired 28 7 Hâ—rodiadas Herodias 45 16 this in this 51 22 Alliance Couenant 58 23 expired breathed out 63 33 Principale prâ—nciple 64 9 soules soule 88 33 peace peece 128 8 her herselfe 169 14 or where 188 21 begiues giues 109 4 light a True God Light true God 209 18 their his 237 28 Seeing a Seer 266 17 owes ewes 293 11 deseased deceased 332 3 for for we neuer loue that which 334 8 uen heauen 359 14 exteriour interiour 381 27 Pallas Pallace 393 32 And to it this And this is it 430 1 Maisters Maisters Passion 461 12 Epthitheme Eâ—itheme 479 19 Pipins Kernells 546 18 at and 568 30 to Gods submissioÌ„ to God submissioÌ„ 592 24 Sauâ—our out Sauiour brought him out 603 6 God good 660 13 honie oyle 694 7 Charitie Chastitie 788 17 word world
A TREATISE OF THE LOVE OF GOD. Written in french by B. FRANCIS DE SALES Bishope and Prince of Geneua Translated into English by MILES CAR Priest of the English Colledge of Doway THE EIGHTEENTH EDITION Printed at Doway By GERARD PINCHON at the signe of Coleyn 1630. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND VERTVOVS LADIE THE LADIE ELISABETH DORMER MADAME NO sooner had this Diuine Booke of DIVINE LOVE happened into my hands but it seemed as well by the circumstances of the AVTHOVR whether we respect his Extraction as being descended from one of the most Illustrious Houses of Sauoye his Function as being Bishope and Prince of Geneua the TITLE and CONTENTES of his VVorke alreadie honored by the eighteenth Edition or my OBLIGATION as well in my selfe as in those of whom I glorie to haue so happie a dependance to be determined to your HONOR as neerely symbolising and due to your VERTVS and HONOR'S worth and as hauing had the weakâ— colours in which it now appeares from my nâ—â—ilfull Pensill to flie to your HONOR' 's pâ—werfull Protection For wâ—itâ—er indâ—â—de could so Pious Worthy and Noble an AVTHOVR be better addreâ—'t then to Pietie Worth and Nobilitie where Pietie beares so absolute aswaye in a Noble breast that Worth and Nobilitie would be reputed ignoble and worthlesse if they bore not a Testimonie about them that they had passed by VERTVES TEMPLE where either from other is so richly embellished and receiue so mutually each others qualities that Vertue would be taken for Nobilitie and Worth or Nobilitie and Worth for Vertue if both were not seene to conspire to make vp one PEERELESSE PEECE Where could DIVINE LOVE be prouided of a fitter Mansion then a heauenly Heart Where effectes out-speake Fame where Charitie out-strips pouerties expectation Riches are possess'd and despised where a noble saying of Saint Hierom's S. Hier. ad Demetr ep 8. properly sutes It is proper to your Stock at once to haue and contemne riches Witnesse your honorable and pious Father the LORD VICE-COVNT MONTAGVE who made them in all occurrences stoope to vertu's Lore Witnesse your equally honorable and pious mother whose bountifull and frequent workes of Charitie being theÌ„ widowe strooke euen heritikes with astonishment Witnesse a later branch of the same stocke your honorable Nephew the LORD VICE-COVNT MOVNTAGVE of freshe and Blessed memorie whose matchlesse Zeale in God's cause which all the world speakes of with admiration and which as it may seeme by God's speciall Prouidence he came to write in our heart 's some few weekes before he went to receiue the reward of it doth easily draw me to instance in him What did not he bountifully emploie in the assistance of God's seruants what did not he piously spend in the riches and glorie of God's house what did not he Catholikly repute as nothing that he might gaine Christ and to descend yet further is not the same Bountie Pietie and Religion and for them a contempt of all brought downe as it vvere by right line and translated together vvith his Dominions to the Honorable now LORD VICE-COVNT MOVNTAGVE who actually possesseth his Countrie of the happinesse he long promised Finally is not the same plainely seene in your Honor 's owne honoured and happie progenie It vvere to long MADAME to mention all in your line Aug. de diligendo Deo cap. 4. to vvhom Saint Augustines pitthie and heauenly Contemplation might seeme to be addressed Loue Riches but as thy subiect 's but as thy slaues but as pledges from a Spouse as Presents from a friend as benefits froÌ„ a Maister where Loue and eueÌ„ that Loue which casteth-out Feare might seeme to be possessed by Right of blood so doth your HONOR giue to the life your renovvned Fathers vndaunted Zeale together vvith your Noble Mothers incomparable Pietie and yet be found to be held by Right of Conquest so frequent and fortunate are your VERTV'S essayes and performances Performances vvhich send euen avvay strangers hearts taken vvith admiring Loue and teach Forrainers to speake and vse your HONOR'S name in termes of respect and honour For the rest touching our generall OBLIGATION vvherein my Pen vvas prouided most to haue laboured for reasons as I hope neither vnknovven nor vnapproued to your HONOR vnvvillingly vvill I passe ouer in silence Yet vvith this assurance that vvhat in vvords is here omitted our hearts vvherein your HONOR'S CHARITIE hath engrauen her Memore deeper then that the iniquitie of times can raise it out shall speake to the Tribunall vvhere the heart's language is onely agreeable Meane vvhile MADAME licence my pen to put dovvne that vvhich many vvish vvith one consent of hearts and voices That as his pen that did not studie your Honorable Fathers aduantages Camb. in Elis pag. 26. 51. left for after ages to blesse and adore his noble Memorie marked vvith these better markes of Nobilitie KNOVVEN PRVDENCE VNDAVNTED CONSTANCIE CATHOLIKE ZEALE So this my first essâ—y may be the Pyramides wherin in his and your's may ioyntly liue for euer and vvherin eu n little ones may reade that DIVINE LOVE could not on earth find a fitter TABERNACLE nor a more nobly pious PATRONESSE For vvhose prosperitie MADAME YOVR HONOR' 's Humblest seruant will not cease to praie MILES CAR. THE AVTHOVRS DEDICATORIE PRAYER THRICE holy mother of God Vessell of incomparable election Queene of Soueraigne dilection thou art the most louelie the most louing and most beloued of all creatures The loue of the heauenly father pleased himselfe in thee from all eternitie alloting thy chaste heart to the perfection of holy loue to th' end that one day thou mightest loue his onely sonne with an onely Motherly loue as he had done froÌ„ all eternitie with a fatherly loue ô Sauiour IESVS to whom could I better dedicate a speach of thy Loue then to a heart best beloued of the well-beloued of thy heart But ô all triumphant mother who can cast his eyes vpon thy Maiestie without seeing him at thy right hand whom for the loue of thee thy Sonne deigned so often to honour with the title of Father hauing vnited him vnto thee by the celestiall band of a virginall marriage to th' end that he might be thy Coadiutour and Helper in the charge of the direction and education of thy Diuine Infancie ô great S. IOSEPH most beloued Spouse of the well-beloued mother Ah how ofteÌ„ hast thou borne betwixt thy armes the loue of heauen and earth till burnt with the sweete embracements and kisses of this Diuine child thy soule melted away with ioye while he tenderly whispered in thy eares o God what content that thou was his deare friend and deare y beloued â—eare Father It was the custome of old to place the lampes of the auncieÌ„t TeÌ„ple vpon flowres of golden Lylies O MARIE and IOSEPH Paire without compare sacred Lilies of incoÌ„parable beautie amongst which the well-beloued feedes himselfe and his Louers Alas if I might giue my selfe any hope that this Loue-leâ—ter
Philothie and both of them much different from that which I vsed in the defence of the Crosse know that in nine-teene yeares one learnes and vnlearnes many things that the language of the warrs differs from that of Peace and that a man vseth one manner of speach to young Prentises an other to old iorneymen My purpose is here to speake to soules that are aduanced in deuotion for you must know that we haue in this towne a congregation of young maides and widowes who being retired from the world doe liue vnanimously in God's seruice vnder the protection of his most holy mother and as their pietie and puritie haue often times giuen me great consolations so haue I striuen to returne them the like by a frequent distribution of the holy word which I haue announced vnto them as well in publike sermons as in spirituall conferences yea and that continually in the presence of diuerse Religious men and people of great pietie whence I was often to treate of the most delicate feelings of pietie passing beyond that which I had saied vnto Philothie And I owe a good part of that which now I communicate vnto thee to this blessed assemblie because she that is the mother of them and doth rule knowing that I was writing vpon this subiect and yet that scarcely was I able to accomplish it without Gods very speciall assistance and their continuall sollicitation she tooke a continuall care to praie and make me be praied for to this end and holily coniured me to gather together all the odde ends of leasure which she iudged might be spared here and there from the presse of my incumbrances and to employe them in this And because I beare a great respect to this good soule she had God knowes no little power to animate myne in this occasion I began indeede long agoe to thinke of writing of holy Loue but that thought came farre short of that which this occasion caused to be produced an occasion which I declare vnto you so nakedly and sincerely to the imitation of the Auncients that you may know that I wite onely vpon occasion and that I may find you more fauorable The Pagans held that Phidras neuer represented any thing so perfectly as the DIVINITIE nor Apelles as Alexander One is not alwayes alike happie If I fall short in this Treatise let thy goodnesse flie home and God blesse thy reading To this end I haue dedicated this worke to the Mother of dilection and to the Father of cordiall Loue as I dedicated the Introduction to the Heauenly Child who is the Sauiour of Louers and the Loue of the saued Certes as women while they are strong and able to bring forth their children with ease choose commonly their worldly friends to be their Godfathers But when their feeblenesse and indisposition makes their deliuerie difficile and dangerous they inuoke the Saints of Heauen and vow to make their children be christned by some poore bodie or by some deuote person in the name of S. IOSEPH S. FRANCIS OF ASSICIA S. FRANCIS OF PAVLA S. NICHOLAS or to some other of the Blessed who may obtaine of God their safe deliuerie and that the child may be borne aliue So I while I was not yet Bishope hauing more leasure and lesse apprehension to write I dedicated my little works to Princes of the earth but now being ouercharged with my charge and hauing a thousand impediments I consecrate all to the Princes of Heauen to th' end they may obtaine for me the ligâ—t which is requisite and that if so it may pleaâ— the Diuine will these my writings may haue a birth profitable and fruitfull Thus my deare Reader I beseech God to blesse thee and to enrich thee with his loue Meane while from my very heart I submit all my writings my words and actions to the correction of the most holy Catholike Apostolike and Romaine Church knowing that she is the Pillar and soliditie of truth wherein she caÌ„ neither be deceiued nor deceiue vs and that none caÌ„ haue God for his Father who will not haue this Church for his Mother ANNESSâ— the day of the most louing Apostles S. PETER and S. PAVLE 1616. Blessed be God THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTAINED IN this Treatise The first number shewes the Chapter The second the Page THE TABLE OF THE FIRâ—T BOOKE CONTAâ—NING A PREparatioâ— to the whole Treatise THat for thâ— beautie of humane nature God gaue the â—â—uernment of all the faculties of the soule 〈◊〉 the will Chap. 1. pag. 1. How the wâ—â— diuersly gouernes the powers of the soule Chap. 2. pag. 4. How the will gouerns the â—suall appetite Cha. 3. pag. 7. That loue rules ouer all iâ— affections and passions yea gouerns the will albeâ—â— the will hath also a dominion ouer it Chap. 4. pag. 12. Of the affections of the will Chap. 5. pag. 15 How the Loue of God doth rule ouer other Loues Chap. 6. pag. 19 A description of Loue in generall chap 7. pag. 22 VVhat that coÌ„ueniencie is which doth excite loue ch 8. 28 That loue tends to vnion chap. 9. pag. 32 That the vnion which loue pretends is spirituall chap. 10. pag. 35. That there are two portions in the soule and how chap. 11. pag. 44. That in these 2 portions of the soule there are found 4. different degrees of reason chap. 12. pag. 49 The difference of loues chap. 13. pag. 53 That charitie ought to be named loue chap. 14. p. 55 Of the conueniencie betwixt God and man ch 15. p. 57 That we haue a naturall inclination to loue God aboue all things chap. 16. 61 That we haue not naturally the power to loue God aboue all things chap. 17. 64 That the naturall inclination which we haue to loue God is not without profit chap. 18. 67 THE TABLE OF THE Second Booke THE HISTORIE OF THE GENEration or heauenly birth of Diuine Loue. THat the diuine perfections are but one onely yet an infinite perfection chap. 1. pag 71 Touching the diuine prouidence in generall chap. 3. p. 79 Of the supernaturall prouidence which God vseth towards reasonable creaturs chap. 4. pag. 85 That the heauenly prouidence hath prouided man of a most abundant Redemption cha 5. 90 Of certaine speciall fauours exercised by the diuine prouidence in the Redemption of man chap. 6. 93 How admirable the diuine prouidence is in the diuersitie of graces giuen to men chap. 7. 97 How much God desires we should loue him chap. 8. 100 How the eternall loue of God doth preuent our hearts with his inspirations to th' end we might loue him chap. 9. pag. 104 How we often times repulse the inspiration and refuse to loue chap. 10. 108 That the diuine bountie's will is that we should haue a most excellent loue chap. 11. 112 That diuine inspirations leaue vs in our libertie to follow or repulse them chap. 12. 116 Of the first feelings of Loue which diuine inspirations cause in the soule before she yet receiue
feeblenesse and tendernesse of the one doth exalt and make more apparant the prudence and assurance of the other and euen this dissimilitude is agreeable on the other side children loue olde men because they see them buisie and carefull about them and that by a secret instinct they perceiue they haue neede of their directions Musicall concord stands in a kind of discord in which vnlike voices doe correspond making vp altogether one sole Close of proportion as the dissimilitude of precious stones and flowres doe make the gratefull compositiō of Imbosture and Diaprie so Loue is not caused alwayes by Resemblance and Sympathie but by Correspondance and Proportion which consisteth in this that by the vnion of one thing to another they may mutually receiue one anothers perfection and so be bettered The head doth not resemble the bodie nor the hand the arme yet they haue such a Correspōdance and are seated so neerely together that by their mutuall neighbourhood they doe meruelously enterchāge perfection so that if these parts had each one a distinct soule they would haue a perfect mutua◠Loue not by Similitude but by Correspondance which they haue in their mutuall perfection For this cause the melancolie and ioyefull soure and sweete haue often a correspondance of mutuall affection by reason of the mutuall impressions which they receiue one of an other by which their humours are reciprocally moderated But when this mutuall Correspondance meetes with similitude Loue without doubt is engendred more efficaciously for Similitude being the true picture of Vnitie when two like things are vnited by a proportion to the same end it seemes rather to be an Vnitie then an Vnion 11. The Sympathie then betwixt the Louer and the Beloued is the first source of Loue and this Sympathie or Conueniencie consisteth in a Correspondance which is no other thing then a mutuall aptitude making things proper to be vnited and mutually to communicate their perfections but this will be cleared in the processe of this booke That loue tends to vnion CHAPTER IX 1. THe great Salamon in a delitiously admirable ayre doth sing our Sauiours loues and those of the deuote soule in that diuin worke which for it's excellent sweetnesse is instyled the Canticle of Canticles And to rayse our selues in a more easie flight to the consideration of this spirituall loue which is exercised betwixt God and vs by the correspondance which the motions of our hearts haue with the inspirations of his diuine Maiestie he makes vse of a perpetuall representation of the loues of a chaste Shepheard and shamefast Shepheardesse Now making the Spouse or Bride first begin the parlie by manner of a certaine surprise of loue he makes her at the first onset lance out her heart in these words let him deigne me a kisse of his mouth Doe you marke THEOTIME how the soule personated by this Shepheardesse doth pretēd no other thing by the first expression of her desire thē a chast vnion with her spouse protesting that it is the highest ayme of her ambition and onely thing she breathes after For I pray you what other thing would this first sigh intimate Let him deigne me with a Kisse of his mouth 2. A Kisse from all ages as by naturall instinct hath bene imployed as a representation of perfect loue that is the vnion of hearts and not without cause we send out and muster the passions and motions which our soule hath common with brute beasts by our eyes eye-browes forehead and countenance in generall by his face a man is knowē saieth the Scripture and Aristotle giuing a reason why ordinarily great mens faces onely are pourtrated t' is saieth he that the countenances teach what they are 3. Yet doe we not vtter our discourse nor the thoughts which proceede from the spirituall portion of our soule called reason by which we are distinguished from Beasts but by words and in consequence by helpe of the mouth in so much that to poure out ones soule and scatter ones heart is nothing else but to speake Poure out your hearts before God saieth the PSALMIST that is expresse and turne the affections of your hearts into words And SAMVEL'S pious Mother pronouncing her praiers allthough so softly that one could hardly discerne the motion of her lips I haue poured out saieth she my heart before God in this wise one mouth is applyed to another in kissing to testifie that they desire to poure our one soule into the other reciprocally to vnite them in a perfect vnion and for this Reason in all times and amongst the most saintly men the world had the kisse hath bene a signe of loue and affection and such vse was vniuersally made of it amongst the auncient Christians as the great S. PAVLE testifieth when writing to the ROMAN'S and CORINTHIANS he saieth Salute mutually one another in a holy kisse And as diuerse doe witnesse IVDAS in betraying our SAVIOVR made vse of a Kisse to discouer him because this diuine SAVIOVR was accustomed to kisse his Disciples when he met them and not onely his Disciples but euen little Children whom he tooke louingly in his armes as he did him by comparison of whom he so solemnely inuited his APOSTLES to the loue of their Neighbours who as IANSENIVS reporteth was thought to haue bene S. MARTIAL 4. Thus then the Kisse being a liuely marke of of the vnion of hearts the Spouse who hath no other pretention in all her endeuours and pursuits then to be vnited to her beloued let him kisse me saieth she with a kisse of his mouth as if she had cryed out so many sighes and inflamed grones as my heart incessantly sobs out will they neuer impetrate that which my heart desires I runne alas shall I neuer gaine the prise for which I lance my selfe out which is to be vnited heart to heart spirit to spirit to my God my Spouse my life when will arriue the happie houre in which I shall poure my soule into his heart and that he will turne his heart into my soule that we may liue inseparable in that happie vnion 5. When the holy Ghost would expresse a perfect loue he alwayes in a manner makes choice of the word Vnion or Coniunction amongst the multitude of the faithfull saieth S. LVCKE there was but one heart and one soule our SAVIOVR praied for all the faithfull that they might be but on same thing SAINT PAVLE doth aduertise vs to conserue vnitie of minde by the vnion of peace These Vnities of heart soule and spirit doe signifie the perfection of Loue which ioynes many soules in one for so it is saied that IONATHAS his soule was glewed to DAVIDS that is to saie as the Scripture addeth He loued DAVID as his owne soule The great APOSTLE of FRANCE as well according to his owne Dictamē as that of HIEROTHEVS who he citeth writeth I thinke a thousand times in one Chapter OF DIVINE NAMES that Loue is of a Nature vnifying vniting referring recollecting
of cōcupiscence Loue of concupiscence is that by which we loue things with pretention of profit Loue of beneuolence that by which we loue a thing for it's owne profit For what other thing is it to loue one with the loue of beneuolence or good will then to will him good 2. If he to whom we will good haue already obtained and possest it then we wish it him by the pleasure and contentment which we haue to see him possessed of it and hence springs Loue of complacence which is onely an act of the will by which it is ioyned and vnited to the pleasure content and good of an other But in case he to whom we wish good haue not yet obtained it we desire it him and thence that loue is termed Loue of desire 3. When Loue of beneuolence is exercised without correspōdance of the beloued it is called Loue of simple beneuolence but when it is practised with mutuall correspondance it is called loue of friendship Now Mutuall correspondence consisteth of three things to wit a mutuall loue a mutuall knowledge of the same conuersation and priuate familiaritie 4. If we loue our friend without preferring him before others t' is Simple familiaritie if with preference then this familiaritie turnes to be Dilection or as one would saie A loue by election as making choice of this from amongst many things we loue and preferring it 5. Againe when by this Dilection we doe not much preferre one friend before others t' is called Simple dilection but if contrariwise we much more esteeme and greatly preferre one before another of the same ranck then this friendship is called Dilection by excellencie 6. But if the esteeme and preference of our friend though great and without equall doe yet enter into comparison and proportion with others the friendship shall be called Eminent dilection but if the eminencie therof doe without proportion incomparably passe all others then it is graced with the Title of Incomparable soueraigne and supereminent dilection and in a word it shall be Charite due to one God onely And indeede in our lāguage the word deare dearely indeared doth testifie a certaine particular esteeme prise or valewe so that as amongst the people the word HOMO is almost appropriated to the male-kind as to the more excellent sexe and the word ADORATION is in a manner due to God onely as it 's prime obiect so the word CHARITIE is appropriated to him as to the supreame and soueraigne dilection That charitie ought to be named loue CHAPTER XIIII 1. ORIGIN saieth that the holy Scripture in his opinion vsed the word Charitie and Dilection as termes more honest least the word Loue might giue occasion of euill thoughts to the weaker sort as being more proper to signifie a carnall passion then a spirituall affection But S. AVGVSTINE hauing deeplier weighed the vse of Gods word clearely shewes that the word Loue is no lesse sacred then the word Dilection and that as well the one as the other doe sometimes signifie an holy affection as sometimes also a depraued passion alleading to this purpose diuerse passages of holy Scripture But the great S. DENIS as chiefe Doctour of the PROPRIETIE OF DIVINE NAMES goes much further in fauour of the word Loue teaching that the Diuins that is the Apostels and their first Disciples for this Saint knew no other Diuins to disabuse the vulgare and tame their Phansie who took the word Loue in a profaine and carnall sense the more willingly imployed it to signifie diuine things then that of Dilection and though they thought that both were indifferently taken for the same thing yet some of them were of opinion that the word Loue was more proper and agreeing to God then the word Dilection Hence the diuine IGNATIVS left these words written MY LOVE IS CRVCIFIED And as these Auncient Diuins made vse of the word Loue in heauenly matters to quit it of the touch of impuritie wherwith in the worlds imagination it was suspected so to expresse humane affections they pleased to vse the word Dilection as exempt from all suspition of dishonestie Whervpon some of them as S. DENIS reporteth saied thy Dilection hath made entrie into my soule as the Dilection of women In fine the word Loue doth signifie more feruour efficacie and actiuitie then that of Dilection so that amongst the Latins Dilection is much lesse significatiue then Loue. CLAVDIVS saieth the great Oratour bears me Dilection and to saie it more excellently He loues me and therefore the word Loue as the more excellent hath iustly bene imposed vpon Charitie as principall and most eminent of all Loues For these reasons and for that I pretended to speake of the Acts of Charitie more then of her habits I haue intitled this small worke A TREATISE OF THE LOVE OF GOD. Of the conueniencie betwixt God and man CHAPTER XV. 1. AS soone as a man takes the Diuinitie into his consideratiō with a little attētion he feeles a certaine delightfull leaping of the heart witnessing that God is God of man's heart and that our vnderstanding is neuer so filled with pleasure as in this consideration the least knowledge wherof as saieth the prince of Philosophers is more worth then the greatest of other things as the least Sunne beame is brighter then the greatest from the Moone or starres yea is more lightsome then the Moone and starres alltogether so that if any dreadfull accident assaie our heart it hath presently recourse to the Diuinitie protesting therin that when all other things faile him that onely stands his friend and when danger threateneth that onely is his soueraigne good and can saue and warrant him 2. This confidence this pleasure which man's heart naturally takes in God can spring from no other roote then from the conueniencie which is betwixt God and man's soule a great but secrete conueniencie a conueniencie which each one knowes but few vnderstands a conueniencie which cannot be denied nor yet be well founded we are created to the similitude and likenesse of God what is this to saie if not that we haue an extreamely great proportion with the diuine Maiestie 3. Our soule is spirituall indiuisible immortall vnderstands willeth and that freely is capable of discourse iudgment knowledge and of vertues in all which it resembles God It is all in all and all in euery part of the bodie as the Diuinitie is all in this our All and all in euery part therof man knowes and loues himselfe by acts produced and expressed by his vnderstanding and will distinguished in them selues remaining notwithstanding inseparably vnited in the soule and in these faculties from whence they proceede So the Sonne proceedes from the Father as his knowledge expressed and the Holy Ghost as loue expired and produced from the Father and the Sonne both the Persons being distinct in them selues and from the Father and yet inseparable and vnited or rather one same sole simple onely indiuisible Diuinitie 4. But besides this conueniencie of
inferiour in nature and grace did brauely and couragiously perseuer How came it to passe that Lucifer excellent by nature and superexcellent by grace fell and so many Angels with lesse aduantages stood to theire fidelitie Truely such as stood ought to render the praise therof to God who of his mercy created and maintained them good But to whom can Lucifer and all his crew ascribe their fall if not as S. PAVLE saieth to their owne will which by her libertie deuorced her selfe from God's grace that had so sweetely preuented her How art thou fallen ô great Lucifer who euen like a faire morning came out into this inuisible world clothed with prime charitie as from the beginning of the brightnesse of a faire day who ought to encrease till the mid-day of eternall glorie Thou didst not want grace which correspondant to thy nature thou hadst most excellent of all but thou wast awanting to grace God did not depriue thee of the operation of his loue but thou depriued his loue of thy cooperation God had neuer reiected thee if thou hadst not reiected his loue O most good God thou dost not forsake vnlesse forsaken thou neuer recalls thy giftes till we recall our hearts 7. We robbe God of his right if we take vnto our selues the glorie of our saluation but we dishonour his Mercy if we saie he failed vs. In concealing his benefits we wronge his Liberalitie but we blaspheme his bountie if we denie his assistance and succour In fine God cries faire and high in our eares thy perdition comes from thy selfe ô Israël I onely am thy succour That the diuine bountie's will is that we should haue a most excellent loue CHAPTER XI 1. O God THEOT if we receiued diuine inspiratiōs in the full extent of their vertue in how short a time should we make a great progresse in sanctitie Be the fountaine neuer so copious her streames enter not into a garden according to their plentie but in a measure according to the littlenesse or amplitude of the chanell by which they are conducted thither And though the holy ghost as a source of liue-water doth driue vpon our hearts euery side to water them with his graces yet so as he will not haue them enter without the free consent of our will He will not pouer them out but according to his good pleasure and our owne disposition and cooperation as the Holy Councell saieth which also as I suppose by reason of the correspondance betwixt our consent and grace calls the receit therof a free receit 2. In this sense S. PAVLE exhorteth vs not to receiue God's grace in vaine For as a sicke man who hauing receiued the potion in his hand and should not take it into his stomacke should truely haue receiued the potiō yet without receiuing it that is he receiued it in an vnprofitable and fruitlesse sort so we receiue the grace of God in vaine when we receiue it at the gate of our heart without permitting it to enter into our hearts consent for so we receiue it without receiuing it to wit we receiue it without fruit sith it auails nothing to feele the inspiration vnlesse we consent vnto it And as the sicke man who had the potion giuen into his hand if he tooke it not wholy but in part onely had also the operation therof in part onely not wholy so when God sends a great and puissant inspiration to imbrace his loue if we consent not according to it 's whole amplitude it will but profit vs in the same measure It happens often that being inspired to doe much we consent not to the whole inspiration but onely to some part therof as did those good people in the Gospell who vpon the inspiration which God gaue them to follow him made reseruations the one to goe first and interre his father the other to take leaue of his friends 3. As long as the poore widow had emtie vessells the oyle whose multiplication HELISEVS did miraculously impetrate neuer left running but when she had no more to receiue it in it seased to flow In the same measure in which our heart dilats it selfe or rather in the measure in which it permits it selfe to be amplified and dilated not denying the freedome of it's cōsent to Gods mercy he streames out continually and without delay poures in his sacred inspirations which still increase and make vs increase more and more in heauenly loue But when there is no more freedome left or that we giue no further consent he staies their course 4. What is the reason then we are not so much aduanced in the loue of God as was S. AVGVSTINE S. FRANCIS S. CATHERINE of GENVA or SAINT FRANCISCA THEOT it is because God gaue vs not the grace and why did not God giue vs the grace for that we did not cōply as we ought with his inspirations And why did we not comply Because hauing libertie we did therin abuse it But why did we abuse our libertie Ah THEO we must stop there For as S. AVGVSTINE saieth the deprauation of our will proceeds from no cause but from the defect of a cause which causeth the sinne 5. The deuote brother RVFIN vpon a certaine vision which he had of the glorie which the great S. FRANCIS should attaine vnto by his humilitie made him this demande my deare father I beseech you tell me in earnest what opinion you haue of your selfe The Sainte answered verily I hould my selfe the greatest sinner in the world and one which serueth God the least But brother RVFIN replied how can you saie that in truth and conscience seeing that many others as we manifestly see commit many great sinnes from which God bethanked you are exempt To which SAINT FRANCIS answered if God saieth he had fauored those others of whom you speake with so great mercy as he hath me certaine I am be they neuer so bad now they had bene farre more acknowliging of God's giftes then I am and would serue him much better then I doe and if my God did abandon me I should commit more wickednes then they 6. You see THEOT the opinion of this man who indeede was rather no man but a Seraphin vpon earth I know it was humilitie that moued him to speake thus of himselfe yet neuerthelesse he beleeued for a certaine trueth that an equall grace granted by a like mercy might be more fruitfully imploied by one sinner then by another Now I hould for an Oracle the feeling of this great doctour in the sciēce of Saints who brought vp in the schoole of the Crosse breathed nothing but diuine inspirations This Apothegme hath also bene praised and repeated by the greatest deuotest that followed him amongst which diuerse are of opinion that the great Apostle S. PAVLE saied in the same sense that he was the greatest of all sinners 7. The blessed mother TERESA of IESVS a virgin indeede altogether angelicall speaking of Praier of repose saieth these words There are
the call and sleepe againe seeing we were called onely to th' end we should rise We cannot hinder that the inspiration thrust vs not on and consequently put vs not into motion but if as it driues vs forwards we repulse it by not yeelding our selues to its motion we then make resistance so the winde hauing seased vpō ād mounted our Apodes will not beare thē vp very farre vnlesse they display their winges and cooperate raising themselues and soaring vp a loft into the aire toward which the winde began their motion but if contrariwise taken as it happens with some pray they espie vpō the ground or befium'd with their delay there in lieu of seconding the winde they keepe their winges foulded and doe cast themselues againe vpon the earth they receiued indeede the motion of the winde but in vaine sith they did not helpe themselues therby THEO inspirations doe preuent vs and euen before they be thought on make themselues be felt but after we haue felt them it is in our hand 's either to consent to them to second and follow their motiō or else to dissent and repell thē They cause themselues to be perceiued by vs without vs but without vs they doe not force consent Of the first feelings of loue which diuine inspirations cause in the soule before she yet receiue faith CHAPTER XIII 1. THe winde that raiseth the Apodes blowes first vpon their fethers as parts most light and capable of agitation by which it giues the beginning of motion to their winges extending and displaying thē making vse therof as of a hold by which it may sease the birds and waft them into the aire And if they thus mounted doe cōtribute the motiō of their winges to that of the winde the same winde that first enter'd their motion will still ayde them more and more to fly with ease Euen so my deare THEO when an inspiration as a sacred gale blowes vs forward in the aire of holy loue it first laies at our will and by the sense of some heauenly delectation moues vnfolds and extends the naturall inclination which she hath to good so that it serues it selfe of this inclination as a hold to fasten vpon the soule and all this as I haue saied is done in vs without vs for it is the diuine fauour that doth preuent vs in this sort But if our will thus holily preuented perceiuing the winges of her inclination moued displaied extended stirred and agitated by this heauenly winde doe in any measure contribute her consent ah how happie she is THEO for the same inspiration and fauour which hath seased vs mixing their action with our consent animating our feeble motions with their vigour and giuing life to our weake cooperation by the puissance of their operation they ayde conduct and accompanie vs from loue to loue euen vnto the act of most holy faith requisite for our conuersion 2. Sweete God THEO what a consolation it is to consider the sacred methode with which the Holy Ghost pouers into our soules the first rayes and feelings of his light and vitall heate O IESVS how delightfull a pleasure it is to marke how the diuine loue goes by little and little by degrees which insensibly become sensible displaying his light vpon a soule neuer disisting till he haue wholy couered it with the splendour of his presence endewing it in the end with the perfect beautie of his day ô how cheerefull faire amiable and agreeable this day-breake is Neuerthelesse true it is that either this breake of day is not day or if it be day it is but a beginning day a rising of the day and rather the infancie of the day then the day it selfe In like manner without doubt these motions of loue which forerunne the act of faith requisite to our iustifition are either not loue properly speaking or but a beginning and imperfect loue They are the first verdant blossomes which the soule warmed with the heauenly Sunne as a mysticall tree begins to put fourth in spring time which are rather presages of fruite then fruite it selfe 3. S. PACOMIVS as then a young souldier and ignorant of God enrolled vnder the colours of the armie which CONSTANCE had leuied against the Tyrant MAXENTIVS came with the Companie with whom he was to lodge nigh a little towne not farre distant frō Thebes where not onely he but all the armie were in extreame want of victualls which the inhabitants of the little towne hauing vnderstoode being by good fortune Christians and consequently friendly and charitable to their neighbours they sodainly succoured the souldiers in their necessitie and that with such care courtifie and affection that PACOMIVS was strucke with admiration therat and demāding what natiō it was that was so bountifull amiable and gracious it was answered him they were Christians and enquiring againe of what law and manner of life they were he learned that they beleeued in IESVS CHRIST the onely sonne of God and did good to all sorts of people with a firme hope to receiue euen of God himselfe an ample recompense therof Alas THEOT the poore PACOMIVS though of a good nature was then laied a sleepe in the beed of his infidelitie and behould how vpon a sodaine God was present at the port of his heart and by the good example of these Christians as by a sweete voice he calls him awakes him and giues him the first Feelings of the little heate of his loue for scarcely had he heard as I haue saied the sweete law of our Sauiour intimated till filled with a new light and interiour consolation retiring himselfe a part and hauing for a space mused he lifted vp his hands towards heauen and with a profound sigh fell into this speach Lord God who made heauen and earth if thou deigne to cast thine eies vpon my basenesse and miserie and giue me the knowledge of thy diuinitie I promisse to serue thee and obey thy commandements all the daies of my life From this praier and promisse the loue of the true good and pietie did so encrease in him that he ceased not to practise a thousand thousād acts of vertue 4. Verily me thinkes I see in this example a Nightingale who waking at the peepe of the day begins to stirre vp and strech her selfe vnfould her plumes skipe from branch to branch amidst the thickets and chirpe out her delicious notes For did you not note how the good example of the charitable Christians did excitate and stirre vp by manner of surprise the blessed PACOMIVS Truly the amaisement of admiration wherwith he was taken was no other thing then his awaking At which God touched him as doth the Sunne the earth with a raie of his heate which filled him with a great feeling of spirituall pleasure For which cause PACOMIVS did a little diuert himselfe To th' end he might with more attention and facilitie recollect and relish the grace he had receiued withdrawing himselfe to thinke thervpon then he extends
Treacle for there is none at all there but it is so called because the plant of the vine hauing bene steeped in Treacle the grapes and vines which sprung from it drew into them selues the vertue and operation of the Treacle against all sorts of poison we must not therefore thinke it strang if penance according to the holy scripture doe blot-out sinne saue the soule make her gratefull to GOD and iustifie her which are effects appertaining to loue and seeme not to be attributed to any saue it for though loue it selfe be not alwaies found in perfect penance yet its vertue and proprieties are alwaies there conueied thither by the motife of loue whence it sprung 9. Nor must we admire that the force of loue should spring out of penance before loue be there formed sith we see that the reflection of the sunne beames beating vpō a looking glasse heate which is the vertue and proper qualitie of fire gaines by little and little so much force that it begins to burne before it haue yet well produced the fire or at least before we perceiued it for so the holy ghost casting into our vnderstanding the consideration of the greatnesse of our sinns for that by them we haue offended so soueraigne a Bountie and our will receiuing the reflection of this knowledge repentance by little and little groweth so strong with a certaine affectiue heate and desire to returne into grace with God that in fine this motion becomes so compleate that it doth burne and vnite euen before the loue be fully formed which notwithstanding as a sacred fire is immediatly in that moment kindled so that repentance neuer comes to the point of burning and reuniting the heart to God which is her vtmost perfection but she find's her selfe wholy conuerted into fire and flames of loue the end of the one giuing the other a beginning yea rather the end of penance is within the beginning of loue as ESAV his foote was within Iacobs hand in such sort that as soone as ESAV ended his birth Iacob begun his the end of the ones birth being ioyned tyed and which is more enuironed with the beginning of the others for so the beginning of perfect loue doth not onely follow the end of pennance but doth euen cleaue and tye it selfe to it and to containe all in one word this beginning of loue doth mixe it selfe with the end of repentance and in this motion of mixture pennance and contrition merits life euerlasting 3. Now because this louing repentance is ordinarily practised by eleuations and raisings vp of the heart to God like to those of the auncient penitents I am thine ô Lord saue me haue mercy vpon me for in thee my soule doth confide saue me o Lord for the waters doe ouerwhelme my soule Vse me like one of thy hirelings Lord be propitious to me a poore sinner It is not without reason that some haue saied that Praier did iustifie for the repentant Praier or the suppliant repentance raising vp the soule to God and reuniting it to his goodnesse without doubt obtaines Pardon in vertue of holy loue which giues the sacred motiō And therefore we ought to be furnished with such iaculatorie praiers made in manner of louing repentance and desire aiming at our recōciliatiō to God to th' end that by the meanes therof laying before our Sauiour our tribulation we may poure out our soules before and with in his pitifull heart who will receiue them to mercy How our Sauiour louing inspirations doe assist and accompanie vs to faith and charitie CHAPTER XXI 1. FRom the first awaking from sinne or infidelitie to the finall resolution of a perfect beleefe there often runneth a great deale of time in which we may praie as we haue seene S. PACOMIVS doe and as the father of the poore Lunatike who by S. MARKES relation giuing assurance he beleeued that is that he began to beleeue knew with all that he beleeued not sufficiently wherevpon he cried out Lord I beleeue yet help my incredulitie as though he should haue saied I am now no more in the obscuritie of the night of infidelitie the raies of your faith doth already touch vpon the Orizon of my soule yet doe I not euen yet beleeue so much as were conuenient it is yet an infant knowledge and mixed with darknesse ah Lord helpe me S. AVGVSTINE also doth solemnly pronoūce this remarkable word But harke ô man and vnderstand art thou not drawene praie that thou may'st be drawen in which his intention is not to speake of the first motiō which GOD work 's in vs without vs when he excites and awakes vs out of the sleepe of sinne For how could we demand to be awaked seeing no man can praie before he be awaked but he speakes of the resolution which a man vndertakes to become faithfull For he esteemes that to beleeue is to be drawen and therefore he admonisheth euen such as were exercised in faith to demand the gift of faith and indeede none could better know the difficulties which ordinarily passe betwixt the first motions that God works in vs and the perfect resolution of perfect beleefe then S. AVGVSTINE who hauing had so great a varietie of touches by the words of the glorious S. AMBROSE by the conferance he had with Potitian and a thousand other meanes vsed notwithstanding so many delayes and had so much paine to resolue so that more truely to him then any other might haue bene applyed that which he afterwards saied to others Alas AVGVSTINE if thou be not drawen if thou beleeue not praie that thou maist be drawen that thou maist beleeue 2. Our Sauiour drawes hearts by the delight that he giues them which makes them find the heauēly learning sweete and agreeable but till this sweetenesse haue engaged and assured our will by his amiable bonds to draw it to the perfect agreement and consent of faith as GOD is not deficient in exercising his goodnesse vpon vs by his holy inspirations so doth not our enemie cease to practise his malice by temptations In the interim we remaine in full libertie to consent to the diuine drawghtes or to reiect them for as the Sacred CONC of TRENT hath clearely resolued If any one should saie that mans freewill being moued and incited by GOD doth cooperate in nothing by consenting to GOD who did moue and call him to the end he might dispose and prepare himselfe to obtaine the grace of Iustification and that he could not consent though he would verily he should be excommunicated and reproued by the Church But if we doe not repulse the grace of holy loue it doth dilate it selfe by continuall encrease in our soules till they be entierily conuerted like to great riuers which finding opē plaines spreed themselues still gaining ground 3. And if the inspiration hauing drawen vs to faith find no resistance in vs it drawes vs euen to penance and charitie S. PETER as an Apode helpt vp by an inspiration
puts them by the practise of holy loue 3. In heauen THEO the louing attention of the blessed is firme constant inuiolable and cannot perish or decrease their intention is pure and freed from all mixture of any inferiour intention In some this felicitie to see God clearely and loue him vnchangably is incomparable And who would euer compare the pleasure one might take by sea if any can be had to liue amidst the dangers continuall torments agitations and mutatiōs which there are to be endured with the content of a royall Pallace where all things are at a wish yea where delights doe incomparably passe our wishes 4. There is then more content pleasure and perfection in the exercise of sacred loue amongst the heauenly inhabitants then in that of the pilgrims of this poore land some notwithstanding haue bene so happie in their pilgrimage that they passed in Charitie diuers of those Saints who were already possessed of the eternall Countrie for certainly it were strang that the Charitie of a great S. IOHN of the Apostles and Apostolicall men were not greater yea euen while they were detained heare belowe then that of little children who dying in the onely grace of Baptisme enioyed immortall glorie 5. It is not ordinarie that shepheards are more valiant then soldiers and yet the little shepheard DAVID cōming into the Armie of ISRAEL foūd that euery one was more expert in the vse of armes then he neuerthelesse he was more valiant then all they Nor is it ordinarie that mortalls haue more charitie then the immortall and yet there haue bene some mortalls inferiour in the exercise of loue to the immortall who notwithstanding haue gone before them in charitie and habits of loue And as making comparison betwixt hote iron and a burning lampe we saie the iron is hotter yet the lampe is clearer and lighter So if we parallel a glorious child with S. IOHN as yet prisoner or S. PAVLE a captiue we shall saie that the child in heauen hath more brightnesse and lightnesse in his vnderstanding more heate and exercise of loue in the will yet S. IOHN or S. PAVLE had euen in earth more fire of Charitie and heate of loue Of the incomparable loue of the mother of God our B. Lady CHAPTER VIII 1. BVt what or whersoeuer I speake my meaning is not to make comparison with the most Sacred virgin Mother our B. Lady ô God no FOR SHE IS THE DAVGHTER OF INCOMPARABLE DILECTION the onely doue the most perfect spouse Of this heauenly Queene from my heart I pronounce this louing and true thought that at least towards the end of her mortall daies her charitie passed that of the Seraphins for though many Daughters heaped together riches she surpassed the all The Saints and Angels are but cōpared to starrs and the prime of those to the fairest of these but she is faire as the moone as easie to be singled and discerned from all the Saints as the Sunne from the starrs And yet I thinke further that as the Charitie of this MOTHER OF LOVE excells that of all the Saints of heauen in perfection so did she exercise it more perfectly yea euen in this mortall life neuer offending venially as the Church esteemes she had then nor change nor stop in the way of Loue but by a perpetuall aduancement ascended from Loue to Loue. She neuer felt any contradiction of the sensuall appetite whence her Loue as a true SALOMON reigned peacebly in her soule and was exercised at her pleasure the virginitie of her heart and bodie was more worthy and honorable then that of Angels So that her spirit not diuided or separated as S. PAVLE saieth was occupied in diuine thoughts to please her God And in fine a mothers loue most pressing actiue and ardent an vnwearied and insatiable loue what could it not work in the heart of such a mother and for the heart of such a sonne 2. Ah! doe not saie I pray you that this virgin was subiect to sleepe no saie not so THEO for doe you not see that her sleepe is a sleepe of Loue so that it is euen her Spouse his will that she should sleepe so long as she list ah take heede I coniure you saith he that you awake not my well-beloued till she please No THEO this heauenly Queene neuer slept but of loue sith she neuer gaue repose to her precious bodie but to reenforce it the better thence to serue God which is a most excellent act of Charitie for as the great S. Augustine saieth Charitie doth oblige vs to loue our bodies conueniently in so much as they are necessarie to good works as they make a part of our person and as they shall be participant of eternall felicitie Certes a Christian is to loue his bodie as a liuing Image of our Sauiour incarnate as issue of the same stocke and consequently of his kindred and consanguinitie especially after we haue renewed the alliance by receiuing really the diuine bodie of our Redeemour in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar and when by Baptisme Confirmation and other Sacraments we haue dedicated and consecrated our selues to the Soueraigne Goodnesse 3. But for the B. Virgine ô God with what deuotion was she to loue her virginall bodie not onely because it was a sweete humble pure bodie obeissant to diuine Loue and wholy embaumed with a thousand sacred sweetes but also for that it was the liuely source of our Sauiour's and did so strictly belong vnto him by an incomparable dependance For which cause when she gaue her angelicall bodie to the repose of sleepe goe to aied she repose ô TABERNACLE OF ALLIANCE ARKE OF SANCTITIE THRONE OF THE DIVINITIE ease thy selfe a little of thy wearinesse and repaire thy forces by this sweete repose 4. Besides deare THEO doe you not know that bad dreames voluntarily procured by the dayes depraued thoughtes are in some sort sinnes in so much as they are dependances and executiōs of the precedent malice euē so the dreames which proceede from the holy affections of such as are a wake be reputed vertuous and holy O God THEO what a consolation it is to heare S. CHRYSOSTOME recounting on a certaine day to his people the vehemencie of his loue towards them the necessitie of sleepe quoth he pressing my eye-lids the tyrannie of my loue towards you doth excite the eyes of my mind and euen while I sleepe me thinks I speake vnto you for the soule is wonte in sleepe to see by imagination what she thought in the day time so while we see not one an other with the eyes of flesh we supplie it with the eyes of Charitie O sweete IESVS what dreames was thy sacred Mother to haue when she sleept her heart watching Did she not dreame that she had thee yet folded in her wombe as thou wa'st for nine monthes space or else hanging at her breasts and pretily pressing the sacred nible of her virginall dugge Ah what sweetenesse was in this soule
production CHAPTER XIII 1. THe eternall Father seeing she infinite Bountie ād Beautie of his essence so liuelily essentially and substantially expressed in his Sonne and the Sonne seeing reciprocally that his owne essence Bountie and Beautie was originally in his Father as in their source and fountaine ah can it possibly be that this Diuine Father and his Sonne should not mutually loue one another with an infinite loue sith their will by which they loue is infinite in each of them 2. Loue not finding vs equall doth equalize vs not finding vs vnited doth vnite vs. Now the Father and the Sonne finding themselues not onely equall and vnited but euen one same God one same Goodnesse one same essence and one same vnitie how much must they needes loue one another not with a loue which passeth as that of intellectuall creaturs amongst themselues or towards their Creator for created loue is exercised in many and diuers motions breathings vnions and tyes which doe immediatly succeede one another and continue loue with a gratfull vicissitude of spirituall motions But the diuine loue of the eternall Father towards his Sonne is practised in one onely breathing mutually from them both who in this sort remaine vnited and tied together I THEO for the Bountie of the Father and Sonne being but one sole singularly one bountie cōmon to them both the loue of this Bountie can be but one onely loue for though there be two Louers to wit the Father and the Sonne yet seeing there is onely their most singular Bountie common to them both which is loued and their most one will which doth loue there is thereof but one loue exercised by one SPIRATION of loue The Father breaths this loue and so doth the Sonne but because the Father doth not breath this loue but by meanes of the same will and for the same Bountie which is equally and singularly in him and his Sonne nor the Sonne againe doth not breath this SPIRATION of loue but for this same Bountie and by this same will therefore this SPIRATION of loue is but one SPIRATION or one onely SPIRIT breathed out by two which Breath 3. And because the Father and Sonne who breath haue an infinite essence and will by which they breath and that the Bountie for which they breath is infinite it is impossible the SPIRATION should not be infinite and for as much as it cannot be infinite without being God therfore this spirit breathed from the Father and the Sonne is true God and sith there neither is nor can be more then one onely God it is one onely true God with the Father and the Sonne But moreouer whereas this loue is an act which doth proceede mutually from the Father and the Sonne it can neither be the Father nor the Sonne from whom it proceeded though it haue the same Bountie and Substance of the Father ād the Sōne but must necessarily be a third diuine person who with the Father and the Sonne is onely God And for that this loue is produced by manner of SPIRATION or inspiration it is called the holy SPIRIT 4. Now THEO the king Dauid describing the sweetenesse of the frendshipe of Gods seruants cries out O God how good a thing it is And with a thousand sweetes of Blisse Doth yeeld a sacred hearts content To see in Brothers hearts consent Such sweetes are like the oiles was spred Vpon the consecrated head Of Aaron Preist which flowing downe Vpon his beard his necke and gowne Did sweetely all bedewe and which With daintie sentes did all enriche But ô God if humane friendshipe be so agreeable louelie and doe spreede so delicious an odour on them that doth contemplate it what shall it be my well-beloued THEOTIME to behold sacred loue mutually exercised betwixt the eternall Father and the Sonne SAINT GREGORIE NAZIANZENE recounts that the incomparable loue which was betwixt him and SAINT BASILE the Great was famous all through Greece And Tertullian doth testifie that the Pagans did admire the more then brotherly loue which raigned amongst the primitiue Christians O what Feast what solemnitie with what praises and Benedictions is the eternall and Soueraigne Friendshipe of the Father and the Sonne to be celebrated with what admirations to be honored and loued What is there amiable and worthy to be loued if not Friendshipe and if Friendshipe be amiable and worthy to be loued what Friendshipe is like to that infinite Friendshipe which is betwixt the Father and the Sonne who is the same God in a singular manner with them Our heart THEOTIME will fall into an Abisse of loue through admiration of the beautie and sweetenesse of the loue that this eternall Father and this incomprehensible Sonne doe practise diuinely and eternally That the Light of Glorie shall concurre to the vnion of the Blessed with God CHAPTER XIV 1. THus shall the created vnderstanding see the Diuine essence without the meanes of any species or representation yet not without a certaine excellent light which doth dispose eleuate and strengthen it to raise it's view so high and to an obiect so sublime and resplendāt For as the Owlets sight is strong enough to behold the gloomie light of a cleare night yet not to see the light at noonetide which is too glittering to be seene by so troubled and weake eyes so our vnderstanding which is strong enough to consider naturall truthes by discourse yea euen the supernaturall things of grace by the light of faith is not yet able neither by the light of nature nor faith to attaine vnto the view of the diuine substance in it selfe Wherefore the goodnesse of the eternall wisdome determined not to applie his essence to our vnderstanding till he had prepared reuigorated and enabled it to receiue a sight so eminent and disproportionable to the naturall condition thereof as is the view of the Diuinitie for so the Sunne the soueraigne obiect of our corporall eyes amongst naturall things doth not present himselfe vnto our view without sending first his raies by meanes whereof we may be able to see him so that we see him not but by his light Yet there is a difference betwixt the raies which the Sunne doth cast vpō our corporall eyes and the light which God will create in our vnderstanding in Heauen for the Sunn's raies doe not fortifie our corporall eyes when they are weake and vnable to see but doth rather dazle waste and blinde their infirme sight whereas contrariwise this sacred LIGHT OF GLORIE finding our vnderstandings weake and incapable to behould the Diuinitie it doth raise strengthen and perfect them so excellently that by an incomprehensible wonder they doe behould and contemplate the Abisse of the Diuine brightnesse in it selfe with a firme and straight view not being dazled or repulsed by the infinit greatnesse of it's splendour 2. In like manner therefore as God hath endewed vs with the light of reason by which we may know him as Authour of nature and the light of faith
loyall feeling we are to thanke God for it For this feeling is alwayes good howbeit we are to keepe our selues betwixt a confidence and diffidence hoping that by Gods grace we should doe in the occasion that which we imagined and yet still fearing that following our ordinarie miserie peraduenture we should performe nothing but loose courage but if the diffidence should waxe so excessiue that it seemed to vs that we should neither haue force nor heart and thereby we should fale into dispaire vpon the subiect of imaginarie temptations as though we were not in Charitie and in Gods grace then in despight of our feeling and discouragement we were to make resolution of a great fidelitie in all occurrences euen to the temptation which troubles vs hoping that when it shall happen God will multiplie his grace redouble his succours and afforde vs all necessarie assistāce and while he giues vs not the force for an imaginarie and vnnecessarie warre he will giue it vs when it comes to the deede For as many haue lost courage in the assault so many haue also lost feare and haue taken heart and resolution in the presence of danger and difficultie which in their absence they had neuer done And so many of Gods seruants representing vnto themselues absent temptations haue bene affrighted at them euen almost to the loosing of courage which when they saw present they behaued themselues couragiously Finally in the amazements which rise from the representation of future assaults when we apprehend that our heart failes vs it is sufficiēt that we haue a desire of courage and confidence that God will bestowe it vpon vs when time shall exact Nor had SAMSON alwayes his strength but it is noted in the Scripture that the Lion of Tamathas vines comming towards him furiously and roring the Spirit of God seased him that is God gaue him the motion of a new force and a new courage and he tore the Lion in pieces as a Gote and in like manner when he defeated the thousand Philistians which thought to haue defeated him in the field of Lechi So my deare THEO it is not necessarie that we haue alwayes the sense and motion of courage requisite to surmoūt the roring Lion which goeth roring hither and thither to deuoure vs this might administer vs occasion of vanitie and pre umption It is sufficiant that we haue a good desire to fight valliently a perfect confidence that the holy Ghost will assist vs with his helping hand when occasion shall present it selfe The end of the fourth Booke THE FIFT BOOKE OF THE TVVO PRINCIPALE EXERCISES OF HOLY LOVE performed by complacence and beneuolence Of the sacred Complacence of Loue and first in what it consisteth CHAPTER I. I. LOVE as we haue saied is no other thing then the motion and gliding of the heart towards good by meanes of the complacēce which one takes in it so that complacence is the great motiue of loue as loue is the great motion of complacence 2. Now this motion is practised towards God in this manner We know by faith that the Diuinitie is an incomprehensible Abisse of all perfection soueraignely infinite in excellencie and infinitly soueraigne in boūtie And this truth which faith teacheth vs is attentiuely considered by meditation beholding the immensitie of goods which are in God either in grosse by assembling all the perfections or in particular by considering his excellences one after another for exāple his All-power his All-wisdome his All-goodnesse his Eternitie his Infinitie Now when we haue brought our vnderstanding to be very attentiue to the greatnesse of the Goods that are in this diuine obiect it is impossible but our will should be touched with complacence in this good and then we vse the libartie and power which we haue ouer our selues prouoking our owne heart to answere and strengthen this first complacence by acts of approbation and reioycing O saieth the deuote soule in this case how faire thou art my well-beloued how faire thou art thou art wholy desireable yea thou art desire it selfe Such is my well-beloued ād he is the friend of my heart ô daughters of Hierusalem ô blessed be my God for euer who is so good ah whether I liue or die too happie I am in knowing that my God is so rich in all Goodnesse that his Goodnesse is so infinite his infinitie so good 3. Thus approuing the good which we see in God and ioying in it we make an act of loue which is called complacence for we please our selues in the diuine pleasure infinitly more then in our owne and it is this loue which rendred so much content to the Saints when they could meete with the perfections of their well-beloued and which caused thē to pronoūce with so much delight that God was God Goe to knowe saied they that our Lord is God ô God my God my God thou art my God the God of my heart and my God is the part of myne inheritance for euer He is the God of our heart by this cōplacence sith by it our heart doth embrace him and makes him it 's owne he is our inheritāce because by this act we enioye the goods which are in God ād as from an inheritance we haue from it all pleasure and content by meanes of this complacence we drinke and eate spiritually the perfections of the Diuinitie for we make them our owne and draw them into our hearts 4. IACOBS owes drew into their entrals the varietie of colours which they saw in the fountaine wherein they were watered when they were a rāming for in effect their young lambes were therevpon spotted so a soule taken with the pleasing complacence which she takes in considering the Diuinitie and in it an infinitie of excellences she drawes the colours thereof into her heart that is to saie the multitude of wonders and perfections which she doth contemplate and makes them her owne by the contentment which she takes therein 5. O God what ioye shall we haue in heauen THEO when we shall see the well-beloued of our hearts as an infinite sea whose waters are perfection and goodnesse Then as Harts much pursued and spent putting their mouthes to a cleare and coole fountaine doe draw into thē the coolenesse of these faire waters so our hearts after so many languishments and desires meeting with the strong and liuing source of the diuinitie shall draw by their complacence all the perfections of the well-beloued and shall haue the perfect fruition of them by the ioye which they shall take in them replenishing themselues with those immortall delightes and in this wise the deare Spouse will enter into vs as into his mariage bed to communicate his eternall ioye vnto our soules according as he himselfe saieth that if we keepe the holy law of his loue he will come and seiourne with vs. Such is the sweete and noble robberie of Loue who without vncolouring the well-beloued doth colour it selfe with his colours without disrobing him inueste
ABRAHAMS bosome after this child 3. Commiseration is also great according to the greatnesse of their sufferances whom we loue for how little soeuer the frieÌ„dshipe be if the euells which we see endured be extreame they cause in vs great pitie This made Cesar weepe ouer Pompey and the daughters of Hierusalem could not stay themselues from weeping ouer our Sauiour though the greater part of them did not much affect him as also the friends of IACOB though wicked friends made great lamentation in beholding the dreadfull spectacle of his incomparable miserie and what a stroke of griefe was it in the heart of IACOB to thinke that his deare child was dead of a death so cruell as to be deuoured by a sauage beaste But besids all this commiseration is much strengthened by the presence of the obiect in miserie this caused the poore Agar absent her selfe from her languishing sonne to disburden her selfe in some sort of the compassionate griefe which she felt saying I will not see the child die as contrariwise our Sauiour weepes seeing the sepulchre of his well-beloued Lazarus and beholding his deare Hierusalem And the good IACOB was struck with griefe when he saw the bloodie Robe of his poore little IOSEPH 4. Now as many causes also doe augment complacence As a friend is more deare vnto vs we take more pleasure in his contentment and his good doth enter more deeply into our heart which if it be excellent our ioye is also greater but if we see our friend while he enioyes it our reioycing becomes extreame When the good IACOB knew that his sonne liued ô God what ioye his heart returned home he reuiued yea as one would saie returned to life But what is this he reuiued returned to life THEO SPIRITS die not their proper death but by sinne which seperateth them from God who is their true supernaturall life yet die they sometimes by anothers death and this happened to IAGOB of whom we speake for loue which drawes into the heart of the louer the good and euill of the thing beloued the one by complacence the other by commiseration drew the death of the louely IOSEPH into the louing IACOBS heart and by a miracle impossible to any other power but loue the minde of the good Father was full of the death of him that liued and raigned deceiued affection forerunning the effect 5. But as soone as he had knowen that his sonne was a liue Loue who had so long detained the presupposed death of the sonne in the good Fathers heart seeing that he was deceiued speedely reiected this imaginarie death and made enter in its place the true life of the saied sonne Thus then he returned to a new life because the life of his sonne entred into his heart by complacence and animated him with an incomparable contentment with which finding himselfe satisfied and not esteeming any other pleasure in comparison of this it fufficeth me saieth he if my child IOSEPH liue But when with his proper eyes he experienced his deare childs greatenesse in Gessan hanging vpon him and for a good space weeping about his necke ah now saieth he I will die ioyfull my deare SoÌ„ne sith I haue seene thy face and thou dost yet liue ô God what a ioye THEO and how excellently expressed by this old man For what would he saie by these words now I will die contented sith I haue seene thy face but that his content was so great that it was able to render death it selfe ioyfull and agreeable being the most discomfortable and horrible thing in the world Tell me I pray you THEO who hath more sense of IOSEPHES good he that enioyes it or IACOB who reenioyes it Certainly if good be not good but in respect of the content which it affordeth vs the father hath as much yea more then the Sonne for the sonne together with the dignitie of VICE-ROY whereof he is possessed hath coÌ„sequently many cares aÌ„d affaires but the Father doth enioye by Complacence and purely possesse all that good is in this his sonnes greatenesse and dignitie without charge care or trouble I will dye Ioyfull saieth he Alas who doth not see his contentment if euen death cannot trouble his ioye who can euer chang it if his content can liue amidst the distresses of death who can euer bereeue him of it Loue is strong as death and the ioyes of loue doe surmount the anoyes of death for death caÌ„not kill but doth reuiue them so that as there is a fire which miraculously is feed in a fountaine nere Greenoble as I surely know and S. AVGVSTINE doth attest so holy Charitie is so strong that she doth nourish her flames and consolations in the saddest anguishes of death and the waters of tribulations cannot extinguish her fires Of the commiseration and Complacence of loue in our Sauiours Passion CHAPTER V. 1. VVHen I see my Sauiour vpon the mouÌ„t Oliuet with his soule sad euen to death O Lord Iâ—SVS saie I who could haue borne these sorrowes of death in the soule of life if not loue who mouing commiseration drew thereby our miseries into thy soueraigne heart Now a deuote soule seeing this abisse of sorrow and distresse in this Diuine louer how can she be without a holily louing griefe But considering on the other side that none of these her well-beloued's afflictions proceede from any imperfectioÌ„ or want of force but from the greatnesse of his most deare loue she cannot but melt with a holily dolorous loue so that she cries out I am blacke with griefe by compassion but I am faire with loue by Complacence the anguishes of my well-beloued haue changed my hew for how can a faithfull louer see him so tormented whom she loues more then her life without becomming appalled withered and dried vp with griefe Nomades tents perpetually exposed to the outrage of weather and warrs are almost still beaten and couered with dust and I open to sorrows which by commiseration I receiue from the excessiue suffrances of my diuine Sauiour I am quite couered with anguishe and split with griefe but because his griefes whom I loue proceede from his loue as much as they afflict me by compassion they delight me by Complacence For how must not a faithfull louer needes haue an extreme coÌ„teÌ„t to see her selfe so much beloued of her heauenly Spouse And hence the beautie of loue appears in the foulenesse of griefe And though I weare mourning weedes for the Passion and death of my King deformed and blacked with griefe yet am I not without an incomparable delight to behold the excesse of his loue amidst the panges of his sorrowes And the tents of SALOMON brodered and wrought with an incomparable diuersitie of worke was neuer so goodlie as I am content and consequently sweete amiable and agreeable in the varietie of the essaies of loue which I feele amongst these griefes Loue doth equalize the louers ah I see this deare louer who is a burning fire in a thornie
wōders of their differrent proprieties which manifest their makers power so that this diuine royall Psalmist hauing composed a great number of Psalmes with this inscription Praise God after he had rūne through all the creaturs holily inuiting them to blesse the diuine Maiestie and passed ouer a great varietie of meanes and instruments fit to celebrate the praises of this eternall Bountie in the end as falling downe through shortenesse of breath he closeth his sacred song with this Eiaculation Let euery spirit praise our Lord that is let all that hath life nor liue nor breath but to blesse their Creatour following the encouragement he had elsewhere giuen VVith high and animated straine Let 's striue to celebrate amaine Euen who can best th Eternall's fame Let shirlest voice awakt by Loue Beare vp the starrie vaults aboue The Peeleresse glorie of his name So the great S. FRANCIS soung the Canticle of the Sunne and a thousand other excellent benedictions to inuoke the creaturs to aide his languishing heart in that he could not according to his desire praise the deare Sauiour of his heart So the heauenly Spouse perceiuing her selfe almost to sound amidst the violent essaies she vsed in blessing and magnifying the well-beloued king of her heart ah cried she out to her companions the diuine Spouse hath led me by contemplation into his wine-celler making me taste the incomparable delightes of the perfections of his excellencie and I haue so moistened and holily inebriated my selfe by the holy complacence which I tooke in this abisse of beautie that my soule languisheth wounded with a louingly mortall desire which vrgeth me euerlastīgly to praise a goodnesse eminent Come alas I beseech you to the succour of my poore heart which is vpon the point of falling downe dead For pitie susteine it and vnderprope it with flowres solace it and enuirone it with aples or else it will fall in a trance Complacence drawes the diuine sweetes into her heart which doth so ardently fill it selfe thereof that it is ouer charged But the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE makes our heart sallie out of it selfe and spend it selfe in vapours of delicious perfumes that is in all kinds of holy praises And yet not being able to doe it with the aduantage which it desires ô saieth it let all creaturs come and contribute the flowres of their benedictions their aples of thankesgiuings honours and adorations so that on euery side we may smell odours poured out to his glorie whose infinite sweetenesse doth passe all honour and whom we can neuer worthily enough magnifie 2. It is this diuine passion that brings out so many sermons makes the Zaueriuses the Berzeses the Antonies with a number of Iesuites Capucins and Religious and other Churchmen of all sorts passe the pikes in India Iaponia Maraig to th' end the holy name of IESVS may be knowen acknowledged and adored through out that vaste nation It is this holy passion which penns so many spirituall bookes build's so many churches altars and pious houses and to conclud which makes so many of God's seruants watch labour and die in the flames of Zeale which doe consume and spend them How the desire we haue to praise God makes vs aspire to heauen CHAPTER X. 1. THe soule in Loue perceiuing that she cānot saciate the desire she hath to praise her well-beloued while she liues in the miseries of this world and knowing that the praises which are giuen in heauen to the diuine goodnesse are sunge in an aire incomparably more delightfull ô God saieth she how praiseworthie the praises are which are poured fourth by those blessed spirits before the throne of my heauenly king how blessed are their blessings ô what a happinesse is it to heare this melodie of the most holy eternitie where the delicious concurrence of vnlike and wholy different voices doth make these admirable accords wherein all the parts redoubling one vpon another by a continued succession and an incomprehensible combination and pursute perpetuall Allelui'as doe resound from euery side 2. Voices which for their sound are compared to thunder trumpets or to the noyse of a troubled seas waues yet voices which for their incomparable delight and sweetenesse are compared to the melodie of harpes delicatly and deliciously touched by a most skillfull hand And voices which doe all accord in one to sing the ioyfull Pascall Cāticle ALLELVIA praise God Amē praise God for know THEO that there is a voice heard from the diuine Throne which ceaseth not to crie to the happie inhabitants of the glorious heauenly Hierusalem Praise God ô you that are his seruants and you that feare him great and little at which all the innumerable multitude of Saints the quires of Angels and men with one consent doe answere in singing with all their force ALLELVIA praise God But what is this admirable voice which issuing out from the diuine Throne doth announce the ALLELVIAS to the Elect if not the most holy complacence which being receiued into the heart makes them feele the sweetenesse of the Diuine perfections wherevpon a louing beneuolence the source of heauenly praises is bred in thē so that complacence cōming from the Throne intimateth Gods greatnesse to the Blessed and beneuolence excites them mutually to pouer out the odours of praise before the Throne And so by way of answere they eternally sing ALLELVIA that is praise God The complacence come frō the Throne into the heart and Beneuolence goes from the Throne 3. O how amiable is this TEMPLE wholy resounding with praise ô what content haue such as liue in this sacred Residence where so many heauenly Philomels and Nightingails doe sing with strife of loue the Canticles of eternall delight 4. The heart then that in this world can neither sing nor heare the diuine praises to it's liking falls into incredible desires of being deliuered from the bands of this life to passe to the other where the heauenly well-beloued is so perfectly praised and these desires hauing taken possession of the heart doe often times become so strōg and powrefull in the heauenly Louers heart that banishīg all other desires they make all terreane thīgs disgustfull and render the soule languishing and loue-sicke yea sometimes the holy passion goes so farre as if God permitted one would die of it 5. So the glorious and Seraphicall Louer S. FRANCIS hauing bene long wrought with this strong affection of praising God in the end towards his death after he had had assurance by a speciall Reuelation of his eternall saluation he could not conteine his ioye but waisted dayly as if his life and soule had fumed out like incense vpon the flamme of ardent desires which he had to see his Maister incessantly to praise him So that these flames dayly encreasing his soule left his bodie by a force which he made towards heauen for it was thought good to the Diuine prouidence that he should die pronoūcing these sacred words O Lord drawe my soule out of this prison
but one yet containes it the vertue and propertie of all the others and is called a contemplatiue affection 6. So it is an opinion amongst Diuines that Angels higher in glorie haue a knowledge of God and the creaturs much more simple then such as are inferiour and that the SPECIES or IDâ—AS by which they see are more vniuersall so that what the lesse perfect Angels see by diuers SPECIES and lookes the more perfect see by fewer SPECIES and castes of the eye And the Great S. AVGVSTINE followed by S. THOMAS saieth that in heauen we shall not haue these great vicissitudes varieties changes and rechanges of thougtes and cogitatioÌ„s which passe and repasse froÌ„ obiect to obiect and from one thing to another but with one sole thought we may be attentiue to the diuersitie of many things and get the knowledge of them By how much further water runs from its source by so much the more it doth deuide it selfe and weare out its banks if it be not kept in by a continuall care and perfections doe seperate and deuid themselues according as they are more remote from God their source but approaching nigh him they are vnited till such time as we shall be swallowed vp in this soueraignely singular perfection which is the necessarie vnitie and THE BETTER PART that which MAGDALEN made choice of and which shall not be taken away from her That we doe contemplate without paine which is a third difference betwixt it and meditation CHAPTER VI. 1. NOw the simple view of contemplation is performed in one of these three fashioÌ„s we doe sometimes onely eye some one of Gods perfections as for example his infinite Bountie not thinking of the other ATTRIBVTS or vertues thereof As a Bridegroome simply staying his eye vpon the faire complection of his Bride yet by this meanes should truely see all her countenance for as much as the complection is spred in a sort through all the partes thereof aÌ„d should not be attentiue to the feature grace or other respectes of beautie for in like manner the mind often times considering the soueraigne goodnesse of the DIVINITIE although withall it sees the IVSTICE WISDOME and POWER yet is it onely attentiue to the GOODNESSE to which the simple view of it's contemplation is addressed Sometimes also we doe attentiuely behold in God diuers of his infinite perfections yet with a simple view and without distinction as he who with one glance of his eye passing his view from the top to the toe of his spouse richly deckt should attentiuely in generall haue seene all and nothing in particular not well discerning what carkanet or gowne she wore nor what countenance she had or how she lookt but onely that all was faire and comely For so in contemplation we often passe ouer sundrie Diuine Greatnesses and perfections in generall with one onely touch of consideration with out being able to render a reason of any thing in particular saue onely that all is perfectly good and faire and finally we doe at other times consider neither many nor onely one of the diuine perfections but onely some Diuine action or worke to which we are attentiue as for example to the act of MERCY by which God pardons sinnes or the act of Creation or the Resurrection of Lazarus or Conuersion of S. PAVLE as a Bridegroome who should not eye his Spouses eyes but onely the sweetenesse of the lookes she castes vpon him nor take notice of her mouth but onely of the delight of the words vttered by it And in this point THEO the soule makes a certaine sallie of loue not onely vpon the actions she considereth but vpon him whence they proceede Thou art Good ô Lord and in thy goodnesse teach me thy iustifications Thy throte that is the word which cometh from it is most delicious and thou art wholy desirable Ah! how sweete are thy words to my bowells sweeter then honie to my mouth or else with S. THOMAS My Lord my God and with S. MAGDELEN RABBONI ah Maister 2. But take which of these three wayes you will Contemplation hath still this excellencie that it is done with delight for that it supposeth that God and his holy loue is found that he is enioyed delighted in saying I haue found him whom my heart loueth I haue found him nor will I let him goe In which it differs from Meditation which almost alwayes is performed in paine labour and discourse our mind passing in it from consideration to consideration searching in many places either the well-beloued of her Loue or the loue of her well-beloued IACOB labours in meditation to obtaine Rachel but in contemplation he reioyceth with her forgetting his labours The diuine Spouse as a shephearde which he also is prepared a sumptious banquet according to the countrie fashion for his sacred Spouse which he so described that mystically it represented all the mysteries of mans RedeÌ„ption I came into my gardeÌ„ quoth he I haue gathered my myrrhe with all my perfumes I haue eaten my honie-coÌ„be with my honie I haue mingled my wine with my milke eate my frieÌ„ds aÌ„d drinke and inebriate your selues my dearest THE ha when was it I pray you that our Sauiour came into his garden if not when he came into his mothers purest huÌ„blest and sweetest wombe replenished with all the flourishing plaÌ„tes of holy vertues And what is ment by our Sauiours gathering of his myrrhe with his perfumes but to ioyne sufferaÌ„ce to suffereÌ„ce vntill death aÌ„d death of the crosse heaping by that meanes merit vpon merit and treasurs vpoÌ„ treasurs to enrich his spirituall children And how did he eate his honie-combe with his honie but when he liued a new life reuniting his soule more sweete then honie to his pearced and wounded bodie with more holes then a honie-combe And when ascending into heauen he tooke possessioÌ„ of all the circumstances and dependance of his diuine glorie what other thing did he if not mixe the reioycing wine of the essentiall glorie of his soule with the delightfull milke of the perfect felicitie of his bodie in a more excellent manner then hitherto he had done 3. Now in all these diuine mysteries which containe all the others there is sufficient to eate and drinke for all the deare friends and to inebriate the dearest some of them doe eate and drinke but they eate more then they drinke and so are not drunke others eate and drinke but drinke more theÌ„ they eate and those are they that are inebriated Now to eate is to meditate for in meditating a maÌ„ doth chewe turning his spirituall meate hither and thither betwixt the teeth of consideration to bruise breake and digest it which is not done without some trouble To drinke is to contemplate which we doe without paine or difficultie yea with pleasure and facilitie but to be inebriated is to contemplate so frequeÌ„tly and ardently that one is quite out of himselfe to be wholy in God O holy and sacred drunkennesse which
contrarie to corporall drunkennesse doth not alienate vs from spirituall but from corporall sense not dulling or besotting vs but Angelizing and in a sort Deifying vs putting vs out of our selues not to abase vs and ranke vs with beastes as doth terreane drūkennesse but to raise vs aboue our selues and range vs with Angels so that we might liue more in God then in our selues being attentiue and busied by loue to see his beautie and be vnited to his Bountie 4. Now whereas to attaine vnto contemplation we stand ordinarily in neede to heare the word of God to haue spirituall discourse and conference with others as had the auncient Ancorets to reade deuote bookes to praie meditate sing canticles conceiue good thoughtes for this reason holy contemplation being the end and aime of all these exercises they are all reduced vnto it and such as practise them are called CONTEMPLATIVES as allso the practise it selfe a CONTEMPLATIVE life by reason of the action of our vnderstanding by which we behold the veritie of the diuine Beautie and Bountie with an attention of loue that is with a loue that makes vs attentiue or with an attention which proceedes from loue and augments the loue which we haue to loue infinite sweetenesse Of the louing recollection of the SOVLE IN CONTEMPLATION CHAPTER VII 1. I Speake not here THEO of the recollection by which such as are about to praie vse to place themselues in God's presence entring into themselues and as one would saie retiring their soule with in their heart there to speake with God For this recollection is made by Lous commaund which prouoking vs to praie moues vs to serue our selues of this meanes to praie well so that we our selues are cause of this retiring of our soule But the recollection of which I meane to speake is not made by lous commaund but by loue it selfe that is we doe not make it by free choise it nor being in our power to haue it when we please not depending of our care but God at his pleasure works it in vs by his holy grace He saied the B. Mother Saint Teresa of IESVS who wrote that the Praier of Recollection is made as when an VRCHIN or TORTIS doe drawe themselues together saied well sauing that these beastes drawe themselues vp when they please whereas recollection is not in our will but onely when it pleaseth God of his grace to bestowe it vpon vs. 2. Now thus it is done Nothing is so naturall to good as to draw and vnite vnto it selfe such things as are sensible of it as doe our soules which draw continually and tend towards their treasure that is towards that which they loue Herevpon it fals out sometimes that our Sauiour doth imperceptibly poure into the bottome of our hearts a certaine agreeable sweetenesse in argumēt of his presence and then the powers yea the very exteriour senses of the soule by a certaine secrete contentment doe turne it vpon that inward part where the most amiable and dearest spouse is lodged For as a young swarme of Bees while they are ready to take flight and chang their countrie is recalled by the softe sound of a bason the smell of Metheglin or else by the sent of some odoriferous hearbs so that they staie by the inticements of these sweetes and enter into the hyue prepared for them So our Sauiour pronouncing some secret word of his loue or pouring out the odour of the wine of his dilection more delicious then honie or else streaming the perfumes of his garments that is some sense of diuine consolations in our heartes and therby making them perceiue his most gratefull presence he drawes vnto him all the faculties of our soule which gather about him and staie in him as in their most desired obiect And as he that should cast a peece of an Adamant amōgst many needles should instantly see them turne all their pointes towards their well-beloued Adamant and hang vpon it so when our Sauiour makes his delightfull presence to be felt in the midst of our heartes all our faculties turne their points that way to be vnited to that incomparable sweetenesse 3. O God saieth then the soule imitating S. AVGVSTINE whither doe I wander searching thee ô infinite Beautie I sought thee with out and thou wast in the midst of my heart All Magdalens affections and all her thoughtes were scattered about the Sepulcher of her Sauiour whom she went questing here and there and though indeede she had found him and he spoke to her yet leaues she them disperced because she doth not perceiue his presence but as soone as he had called her by name behold her gathered together and laied fast at his feete one onely word puts her into Recollection 4. Propose to your selfe THEOT the most holy Virgin our Lady when she had conceiued the Sonne of God her onely Loue the soule of this well-beloued mother doth wholy recollect it selfe about this well-beloued child and because this heauenly friend was harboured in her sacred entrals all the faculties of the soule doe gather thēselues within thēselues as holy bees into their hyue wherein their honie was And by how much the diuine greatnesse was by māner of speach more restrained ād lessened in the virginall wombe by so much her soule did more dilate it selfe ād magnifie the praises of that infinite clemencie and her Spirit within her bodie lept with ioye as S. IOHN in his mothers wombe in presence of his God which she felt She lanched not her affections out of her selfe sith that her loues her delightes were in the midest of her sacred wōbe Now this same contentmēt may be practised by imitatiō amōgst such as hauing communicated doe perceiue by the certaintie of faith that which neither flesh nor blood but the heauenly Father hath reuealed vnto them that their Sauiour is in bodie and soule present by a most reall presence to their bodie and soule in the most adorable Sacrament for as the Mother-pearle hauing receiued the fresh morning drops of dewe doth shut her selfe not onely to conserue them pure from all mixture of sea-water but also for the delight she taks to feele the gracious freshnesse of this gift from heauen so it fals out with diuers holy and deuote soules that hauing receiued the Blessed Sacrament which containes all the dewe of heauēly benedictions their soule shutteth it selfe and all her faculties are retired not onely to adore this soueraigne king newly present by an admirable presence in their breastes but also for the incredible consolation and spirituall refreshing which they receiue to perceiue by faith the diuine shute of immortalitie within them where you are diligently to note THEO that indeede all this recollection is made by loue which perceiuing the presence of the well-beloued by the baits it castes in the midest of the heart doth gather and drawe all the soule towards it by a most amiable inclination most sweete turning and most delicious winding of all
persuation and intreatie but doth it euen with earnestnesse and strife as did the Pilgrimes 1. Emaus who did not onely petition to our Sauiour but euen pressed and vrged him by force and compelled him by a gentle violence to remaine in their lodging with them 5. Now in Praier this vnion is often made by manner of little yet frequēt ierts and aduancings of the soule towards God and if you take notice of little children vnited and ioyned to their mothers breastes you shall see them euer and anone pressing and ioyning themselues by little iertes which the pleasurs they take in sucking makes them giue so the heart vnited to God in Praier makes often times certaine surcharges of vnion by motions which doe more closely presse and ioyne it to the diuine sweetenesse As for example The soule hauing made a long demoure in the feeling of the vnion wherby she sweetely tastes how happie she is to be Gods in fine augmenting this vnion by a cordiall pressing and ierting forwards I Lord will she saie I am thine all all all without reserue or else ah Lord I am so verily and will be daily more and more or else by way of Praier O sweete IESVS ah drawe me still more deeply into thy heart to the end thy loue may deuoure me and that I may be swallowed vp in thy sweetenesse 6. But at other times the vnion is made not by iterated ierts but by way of a continued insensible pressing and aduauncing of the heart towards the diuine Bountie for as we see a great and heauie masse of leade brasse or stone though not thrust doth so presse cleeue to and sinke into the earth where it lies that at length it is found buried by reason of the inclination of its waightie poise which makes it incessantly tend to the center so our heart being once ioyned to God if without being distracted it remaine in this vnion it sinkes still deeper by an insensible progresse of vnion till it be wholy in God by reason of the holy inclination giuen it by loue to be continually more and more vnited to the soueraigne Goodnesse For as the great Apostle of France saieth Loue is a vnitiue vertue that is it bringes vs to a perfect vnion with the soueraigne Good And sith it is a doubtlesse truth that Diuine loue while we are in this life is a motion or at least an actiue habit tending to motiō euen after it hath attained simple vniō it ceaseth not to act though imperceptibly still more and more to encrease ad perfect it 7. So trees that require to be transplanted as soone as that is done they sprede their roots and lodge them deeper in the bosome of the earth which is their element and nourishment nor doth any perceiue this while it is a doing but onely after it is done And mans heart transplanted out of the world into God by celestiall loue if it doe earnestly practise Praier certes it will continually extend and ioyne it selfe to the Diuinitie vniting it selfe more and more to Gods Goodnesse but by imperceptible grouths whose progresse one can hardly discouer while it is doing but onely when it is done If you drinke any exquisite water to wit imperiall water the simple vnion thereof with you is instantly made vpon your receiuing of it for the receiuing and vnion is all one in this behalfe but afterwards by little and little this vniō is encreased by an insēsibly sensible progresse for the vertue of this water penetrating the parts will comfort the braine sttengthen the heart and will disperse its force through the spirits 8. In like manner a taste of loue for example that God is good hauing got entrie into the heart it doth presently make an vnion with this Goodnesse but being held a while as a precious perfume it penetrats euery parte of the soule poures out and dilats it selfe in our will and doth as it were incorporate it selfe with our spirit ioyning and locking it selfe more nerely to ech part of vs and vniting vs to it And to it this which the great Dauid doth teach vs when he compares his sacred words to honie for who knowes not that the sweetenesse of honie is vnited more and more to our senses by a continuall encrease of sauorinesse while holding it a pritie space in our mouth or softly swallowing it the relish thereof doth more deeply penetrate our Taste And in this wise the taste of the diuine Goodnesse expressed in this word of S. BRVNOS O BOVNTIE or by these of S. THOMAS MY LORD MY GOD or these of MAGDALEN AH MAISTER or these of S. FRANCIS MY GOD AND MY ALL this taste I saie hauing bene kept a while in a louing heart it is dilated dispersed and sinkes into the Spirit by an inward penetration and doth more and more perfume it with it 's sent which is no other thing then to encrease the vnion in the nature of a precious oyntment or Baulme which falling vpon cotten doth so sinke into and vnite it selfe to it by little and little that in the end one will not easily saie whether the cotten is perfumed or it is perfume or else whether the perfume is cotton or the cotten perfume O how happie is the soule who in the peace of her heart doth louingly conserue the sacred feeling of Gods presence for her vnion with the diuine Goodnesse shall haue continuall though insensible encrease and shall throughly water the spirit with infinite sweetenesse Now when I speake of the sacred taste of Gods presēce I doe not meane it of a sensible taste but of that which doth inhabit the top and Supreame point of the Spirit where heauenly Loue doth raigne and keepe his principall exercises Of the diuers degrees of the holy vnion which is made in Praier CHAPTER II. 1. SOmetimes the vnion is made without our cooperation saue onely by a simple consent permitting our selues to be vnited to the Diuine Goodnesse without resistance as a little child in loue with his mothers breastes ād yet is so weake that he cannot moue himselfe towards them nor to cleeue to her being there onely he is glad to be drawen into his mothers armes and to be pressed by her to her breasts 2. Sometimes we cooperate when being drawen we willingly runne to second the force of Gods Goodnesse which drawes vs and lockes vs to him by loue 3. Sometimes we apprehend that we begin to vnite and ioyne our selues to God before he ioyne himselfe to vs for that we feele the action of the vnion of our part without perceiuing that which God doth on his side which yet doubtlesse doth alwaies preuent vs though we doe not alwaies perceiue his preuention for vnlesse he vnited himselfe to vs we should neuer vnite our selues to him he alwaies choseth and laieth hold on vs before we chose or laie hold one him But when following his imperceptible touches we begin to vnite our selues vnto him he doth often make the progresse
S. BERNARD S. FRANCIS S. CATHERIN of Genua or of Sienna were yet in this world and were fallen a sleepe being wearied with their many labours taken for the loue of God Propose to your selfe on the other side some good soule yet not so holy as they that were in the Praier of Vnion at the same time I would aske you THEO who is more vnited ioyned and fastened to God whether these great Saints that sleepe or that soule that praies Certes those are the admirable louers for they haue more Charitie and their affections though in some sort a sleepe are so engaged and tyed to their Maister that they cannot be separated from him But you will saie vnto me how can it be that a soule in Praier of Vnion euen vnto Extasie should be lesse vnited vnto God then such as sleepe be they neuer so Saintly Why marke what I tell you THEO that soule is more aduanced in the Exercise of vniō those in the vnion it selfe these are vnited not vniting thēselues being a sleepe but she is vnited ād is in the actuall practise ād exercise of vniō 8. Moreouer this exercise of vnion with God may euen be practised by short and passing yet frequent eiaculations of our heart to God by way of Iaculatorie Praier made to this purpose Ah IESVS who will giue me the grace to be one soule with thee In fine Lord reiecting the multiplicitie of creaturs I desire thyne onely vnitie O God thou art the onely vnitie and onely one necessarie for my soule Alas deare friend of my heart vnite my poore lone soule to thy most singular Bountie Ah thou art wholy myne when shall I be wholy thyne The Adamant drawes and vnites iron vnto it ô Lord my Adamant be my draw-heart locke presse and vnite my heart for euer vnto thy Fatherly breast Ah sith I am made for thee why am I not in thee Dip this drope of Spirit which thou hast bestowed vpon me into the Sea of thy Goodnesse from whence it flowed Ah Sauiour I seeing that thy heart loues me why doth it not force me to it I desiring it should be so Drawe me and I will runne seconding thy draughtes to cast my selfe into thy Fatherly bosome from whence euerlastingly I will not departe Of Rapture and of the first species of the same CHAPTER IV. 1. AN Extasie is called a Rapture for as much as God doth therby draw and reare vs vp to himselfe and a Rapture is termed an extasie in that we doe by it goe and remaine out of and aboue our selues to be vnited to God And although the touches by which God drawes vs be admirably sweete gustfull and delicious yet by reason of the force which the diuine Beautie and Bountie haue to drawe vnto them the attention and application of the mind it seemes that it doth not onely raise vs but that it doth rauish and beare vs a way As contrariwise by reason of the most free consent and ardent motion by which the soule rauished rūnes after the diuine touches she seemes not onely to mount and eleuate her selfe but that she doth breake out of her selfe and cast her selfe into the very Diuinitie It fals out after the same manner in the most infamous extasie or abominable Rapture of the soule who by the baites of brutall pleasures is degraded of her spirituall dignitie and placed below her naturall condition for in so much as she doth willingly follow this accursed pleasure and doth precipitate herselfe out of herselfe that is out of her spirituall estate she is saied to be in a sensuall Extasie but for as much as the sensuall baites and inticements doe forceably drawe her and as it were traile her into this vile and base condition she is saied to be rauished and transported because these beastly delightes doe depose her from the vse of reason and vnderstanding with so furious a violence that as one of the greatest Philosophers saieth a man in this case seemes to be fallen into the falling sicknesse so is the mind swallowed vp and as it were lost O men how long will you be so made as to debase your naturall dignitie voluntarily precipitating your selues and discending to the condition of brute beastes 2. But my Deare THEO as touching sacred Extasies they are of three kindes the one belongs to the Vnderstanding th' other to the Affection and the third to the Action The one is in Splendour th' other in feruour the third in the worke the one is made by admiration th' other by deuotion and the third by operation Admiration is caused in vs by the approch of an vncoth Truth which we neither know nor yet hope to know and if the vncoth Truth we meete with be accompaned with Beautie and Goodnesse the admiratition which proceedeth from it is vety delicious So the Queene of Saba finding more true wisdome in Salomon then she had imagined was filled with admiration And the Iewes experiencing in our Sauiour more knowledge then euer they had beleeued they were taken with a great admiratiō When therefore it pleaseth the Diuine Goodnesse to illuminate our heart with some speciall light wherby it is raised to an extraordinarie and sublime contemplation of heauenly Mysteries then discouering more beautie in them then it could haue imagined it fals into Admiration 3. Now admiration of pleasant things doth closely fixe and glew the mind to the thing admired as well by reason of the excellent beautie which admiration discouers vnto it as also by the noueltie of this excellencie the vnderstanding neuer thinking to haue gazed enough vpon that which it neuer sawe before and yet is so agreeable to the viewe Sometimes also besides this God doth impart to the soule a light not onely cleare but euen encreasing in clearenesse as the breake of the day and thē as such as haue found a goldē Myne doe still breake more earth still to finde more of that wished mettle so the vnderstanding doth still diue deeper and deeper into the consideration and admiration of his diuine obiect for euen as admiration was the cause of Philosophie and the attentiue studie of naturall things so it was the cause of Contēplation and mysticall Diuinitie ād whereas this admiratiō being strōg keepes vs without our selues ād aboue our selues by a liuely attētion and applicatiō of our vnderstāding to heauēly things it carries vs cōsequētly into Extasie Of the second Species of Rapture CHAPTER V. 1. GOd drawes mens minds vnto him by his soueraigne Beautie and incomprehensible GOODNESSE which two excellences are but one Supreame Diuinitie most singularly faire and good together Euery thing aimes at GOOD and FAIRE euery thing lookes that way and are stirred and staied by it GOOD and FAIRE is desirable amiable and deare vnto all for it all things doe and will whatsoeuer they will or doe And FAIRE because it doth attract and recall all things to it selfe the Grecians giues it a name which signifies to recall In like manner
euen as the flame began to sease hpon her the Eagle came in with a quicke flight and beholding this vnlooked for and sad spectackle strooke through with griefe she loosed her talons let fall her prey and spred herselfe vpon her poore beloued Mistresse and couering her with her wings as it were to defend her from the fire or for pities sake to embrace her she remained there constant and immoueable couragiously dying and burning with her the ardour of her affection not giuing place to the ardour of flames and fire that by that meanes she might become the VICTIME ād HOLOCAVSTE of her braue and prodigious loue as her Mistresse was already of death and fire 3. O THEO to what a high flight this Eagle moues vs our Sauiour hath bred vs vp from our tender youth yea he formed vs and receiued vs as a louing Nource into the armes of his Diuine Prouidence euen from the time of our Conception Not beeing yet thy holy hand did make me Scarce borne into thy armes thy loue did take me He made vs his owne by Baptisme and by an incomprehensible loue doth tenderly nourish both our bodie and soule to purchace vs life he suffered death and with his owne flesh and blood hath fed vs Ah what rests then my deare THEO what Conclusion are we to draw from hence but onely that such as liue should liue no more to them selues but to him that died for them that is to saie that we should consecrate all the moments of our life to the Diuine Loue of our Sauiours death bringing home to his glorie all our preys all our conquests all our actions all our thoughts and affections Let vs behold THEO this heauenly Redeemour extended vpon the Crosse as vpon a funerall Pile of honour where he died of Loue for vs yea of loue more painefull then death it selfe or a death more pleasant then loue it selfe Ah doe we not spiritually cast our selues vpon him to die vpon the Crosse with him who for the loue of vs freely died I will hold him should we saie if we had the Eagles generositie and will neuer depart from him I will die with him and burne in the flames of his loue one and the same fire shall consume the Diuine Creatour and the miserable creature My IESVS is wholy myne and I am wholy his I will liue and die vpon his breast nor life nor death shall euer separate me from him Thus is the holy Extasie of true loue practised while we liue not according to humane reason and bent but aboue them following the inspiration and instinct of the heauenly Sauiour of our soules Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue CHAPTER IX 1. LOue is strong as death death doth seperate the soule of him that dies from the bodie and from all earthly things Sacred loue doth seperate the Louers soule from the bodie and all earthly things nor is there any other difference sauing that death doth that in effect which loue ordinarily doe onely in affection I saie ordinarily THEO because holy loue is sometimes so violent that euen in effect it causeth a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule making the Louers die a most happie death much better then a thousand liues 2. As it is proper to the Reprobate to die in sinne so is it proper to the Elect to die in the Loue and Grace of God yet in a different manner The iust man neuer dies vnprouided for to haue perseuered in Christian Iustice euen to the end was a good prouision for death He dies indeede sometimes sodainely or a sodaine death For this cause the most wise Church in her Litanies doth teach vs not onely to demand to be deliuered frō sodaine death but sodaine ād vnprouided death It is no worse for being sodaine if it be not withall vnprouided If some weake and common soules had seene fire frō Heauen fall vpon the great S. SIMEON Stilits head and kill him what would they haue thought but thoughts of scandall yet are we to make no other conceit of the matter then that this great Saint hauing perfectly sacrificed himselfe to God in his heart already wholy consumed with loue the fire came from Heauen to perfect the Holocauste and entirely burne it for the Abbot Iulian being a dayes iorney off saw his soule ascend to Heauen and thervpon caused incense to be offered in thankesgiuing to God The Blessed man Good Cremonius on a certaine day set vpon his knees most deuotly to heare Masse rose not at the Ghospell according to custome whēce those that were about him looked vpon him and perceiued he was dead There haue bene in our time most famous men for vertue and learning found dead some in the confession seat others while they heard the Sermon yea some haue bene seene falling downe dead at their going out of the Pulpet where they had preached with great feruour and all these deaths were sodaine yet not vnprouided And how many Good people doe we see die of Apoplexies Lethargies and a thousand other wayes very sodainely others of madnesse and frensie without the vse of reason and all these together with children who are baptised died in Grace and consequently in the Loue of God But how could they die in the Loue of God since they thought not of God at the time of their departure 3. Learned men THEO loose not their knowledge while they are a sleepe for so they would be vnlearned at their awaking and be forced to returne to schoole The like it is of all the habits of Prudence Temperance Faith Hope and Charitie They are continually in the iust mans heart though they be not alwayes in action While a man sleeps it seemes that all his habits sleepe with him and when he awakes awake with him So a iust man dying sodainely or oppressed by a house falling vpon him kill'd by Thunder or stifled with a catarre or else dying out of his senses by the violence of a hote Ague dies not indeede in the exercise of holy Loue yet dies he in the habit thereof wher-vpon the wise-man saieth if the iust-man be preuented by death he shall be in a place of refreshing for it sufficeth to obtaine eternall life to die in the state and habit of loue and Charitie 4. Yet many Saints haue departed this life not onely in Charitie and with the habite of heauenly loue but euen in the act and practise thereof S. AVGVSTINE deceased in the exercise of holy contrition which cannot be without Loue. S. HIEROM in exhorting his deare children to the loue of God their neighbours and vertue S. AMBROSE in a Rapture sweetely discoursing with his Sauiour immediatly after he had receiued the holy Sacrament of the Altar S. ANTONIE of Padua after he had recited a hymne of the glorious virgin-mother and while he spoke with great ioye to our Sauiour S. THOMAS of Aquine ioyning his
hands eleuating his eyes towards Heauen raising his voice very high and pronouncing by way of iaculation with great deuotion these words of the CaÌ„ticles the last which he had expounded Come vnto me my dearly beloued and let vs goe toge-into the fields All the Apostles and in a manner all the Martyrs died in Praier The Blessed and Venerable Bede hauing foreknowne by reuelation the time of his departure went to Euensong and it was vpoÌ„ the Ascension day and standing vpoÌ„ his feete leaning onely vpon the rests of his seate without any disease at all ended his life with the end of the Euensong as it were directly to follow his Maister ascending vnto Heauen there to enioye the bright morning of eternitie which knowes no euening Iohn Gerson Chancellour of the vniuersitie of Paris a man so learned and pious that as Sixtus Senâ—nsis saieth one can hardly discerne whether his learning outstripped his pietiâ— or his pietie his learning hauing explicated the fift proprietie of diuine loue recorded in the Canticle of Canticles three dayes after making shew of a very liuely countenance and courage expired pronouncing and iterating by way of iaculatorie Praier these holy words drawen out of the same Canticles ô God thy loue is strong as death S. MARTINâ— as is knowen died so attentiue to the exercise of his deuotions that he could not speake another word S. Lewis that great king amongst Saints and great Saint amongst kings being infected with the plague praied still and then hauing receiued his heauenly VIATICVM casting abrode his armes in maÌ„ner of a Crosse his eyes fixed vpon Heauen yeelded vp the ghost ardently sighing out these words with a perfect confidence of loue ah Lord I will enter into thy house I will adore thee in thy holy Temple and blesse thy â—ame S. PETER Celestine wholy possessed with afflictions which one can scarcely speake off being come to the periode of his daies began to sing as a sacred Nitingale the last Psalme making these louing words the close of his life and song LET â—VERY SPIRIT PRAISE OVR LORD The Admirable S. EVSEBIVS surnamed the stranger deceased vpon his knees in feruent Praier S. PETER Martyr writing with his owne finger and blood the Confession of Faith for which he died and vttering these words Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit And the great Iaponian Apostle S. FRANCIS Zauerius holding and kissing the image of the Crucifix and repeating at euery turne of a hand this Eiaculation of heart O IESVS the God of my heart Of some that died by and for diuine Loue. CHAPTER X. 1. All the Martyrs THEO died for the Loue of God for when we saie many died for the faith we meane not that they died for a dead faith but for a liuely faith that is quickned by Charitie And the confession of Faith is not so much an act of the vnderstanding and of Faith as of the will and of the Loue of God And thus the great S. PET R conseruing Faith in his heart the day of his Maisters did yet quit Charitie refusing in words to professe him to be his Maister whom in heart he acknowledged to be such But there were yet other Martyrs who died expressely for Charitie alone as our Sauiours great Forerunner who was martyred for brotherly correction and the glorious Princes of the Apostles S. PETER and S. PAVLE but especially S. PAVLE was put to death for hauing reclamed those women to a pious and pure life whom that infamous Nero had wrought to lewdnesse The holy Bishops Stanislaus and S. THOMAS of Canterburie were slaine for a matter that touched not Faith but Charitie In fine a great part of sacred Virgin-Martyrs were put to slaughter for the Zeale they had to conserue their Chastitie which Charitie had caused them to dedicate to their heauenly Spouse 2. But there are some of the Sacred Louers that doe so absolutly giue themselues ouer to the exercises of Diuine Loue that holy fire doth wast and consume their life Griefe doth sometimes so long hinder such as are afflicted froÌ„ eating drinking or sleeping that in the eÌ„d weakened and wasted they dye whervpon it is a common saying that such died of Griefe but it is not so indeede for they died through euacuation and defect of strength True it is sith this faintnesse tooke them by reason of griefe we must auerre that though they died not of griefe yet they died by reason of griefe and by griefe so my deare THEO when the feruour of holy loue is great it giues so many assaults to the heart so often wouÌ„ds it causeth in it so many langours so ordinarily melts it and puts it so frequently into Extasies ad Raptures that by this meanes the soule being almost entitely occupied in God not being able to affoâ—d sufficient assistance to nature coÌ„ueniently to disgâ—st and nourish the sensible and vitall spirits begâ—n by little aÌ„d little to faile liâ—e is shortned and death approcheth 3. O God THEO how happie this death is How delightfull is this loue-dart which wounding vs with the incurable wound of heauenly loue makes vs for euer pining and sicke with so strong a beating of the heart that at length we must yeeld to death How much doe you thinke did these sacred langours and labours vndergone for Charitie shorten the dayes of the Diuine Louers S. Catherin of Sienna S. Francis Little Stanislaus Bosca S. Charles and many hundreds more who died in their youth Verily as for S. FRANCIS from the time he receiued his Maisters holy Stigmats he had so violent and stinging paines gripes conuulsions and deseases that he had nothing left on him but skinne and bones and he seemed rather to be an Anatomie or a picture of death then one liuing and breathing How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. All the Elect then THEO deceased in the habit of holy loue but further some died euen in the exercise of it some againe for it others by it But that which belongs to the soueraigne degree of loue is that some die of loue aÌ„d theÌ„ it is that loue doth not onely wouÌ„d the soule aÌ„d thereby make her languish but doth euen pearce her through hitting directly on the midst of the heart and so deeply that it forceth the soules depaâ—ture out of the bodie which fals out in this manner The soule powerfully drawen by the diuine sweetenesse of her Beloued to complie of her part with his deare allurements forcibly springs out and to her power tends towards her desired attracting friend and not being able to draw her bodie after her rather then to staie with it in this miserable life she quits it and gets cleare lonely flying as a faire doue into the delicious bosome of her heaueÌ„ly Spouse She throwes her selfe vpon her Beloued and her Beloued doth draw and force her to himselfe And as the Bridgroome leaues Father and mother to adheare to his deare Bride So this chaste Bride
vnuested himselfe and going into Iordaine washing himselfe and drinking the waters thereof he thought he saw his Sauiour receiuing Baptisme at his Precursors hand and the holy Ghost descending visibly vpon him in the forme of a doue the Heauens remaining open from whence as it appeared to him the voice of the Eternall Father issued saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am pleased From Bethania he takes his way towards the Desert where he beheld with the eyes of his mind the Sauiour of the world-fasting fighting and vanquishing the Enemie together with the Angels who serued him with admirable foode From thence he makes towards the Mount THABOR where he saw our Sauiour transfigured thence to the mountaine of SION where he saw our Sauiour againe as he apprehended vpon his knees in the last supper washing the Disciples feâ—â— aÌ„d then distributing vnto them his sacred bodie in the holy EVCHARISTE he passeth the Torrent of CEDRON and betakes himselfe to the Garden of GETHSEMINâ— where with a most amiable dolour his heart dissolued into teares while he proposed vnto himselfe his deare Sauiour sweating blood in the extreame Agonie which he there endured and soone after takeÌ„ corded aÌ„d led to Hierusalâ— whither also he goes throughly to follow the footesteps of his Beloued and saw him in Imagination haled hither and thither to ANNAS to CAIPHAS to PILATE to HERODE whipped buffetted spit vpon crowned with thornes presented to the people sentenced to death loden with his Crosse which he carries and in carrying it met his dolorous mother and the daughters of Hierusalem bewailing him Finally this deuote Pilgrime mounts vnto the MouÌ„t Caluarie where he sees in Spirit the Crosse laied vpon the ground and our Sauiour quite naked whom they throw downe and most cruelly naile him to it hand and foote He goes on contemplating how they reare vp the Crosse and crucifie him in the aire blood flowing out from euery part of his diuine bodie He lookes vpon the poore sacred virgin traÌ„spearced with the sword of sorrow and then againe he eyeth his crucified Sauiour whose 7. last words he marks with an incomparable loue and at the length he saw him dying soone after dead Then receiuing the wound of thâ— Lance and by that holes passage shewing his Diuine heart then taken downe from the Crosse and carried to his Sepulcher whither still he followes him sending out a Sea of teaâ—es vpon the ground which was watered with his Redeemours blood he enters into the sepulcher and buries his heart with his Maisters bodie afterwards rising with him he goes to Emaus and sees what passed betweene the Maister aÌ„d his two Disciples In fine returning by the Mount Oliuet where thâ— Mysterie of the Ascension was accomplished and there seeing the last prints and footesteps of his heauenly Sauiours feete falling groueling vpon them and kissing theÌ„ a thousand thousand times with the sighes of an infinite loue he begunne to draw towards him the force of all his affections as an Archer the string of his Bowe when he is about to shoote then raising himselfe and stretching his eyes and hands to heauenward O IESVS saied he my sweete IESVS I haue now no further to search and follow thee in Earth Ah then IESVS IESVS my LOVE grant vnto my poore heart that it may follow thee and flie after thee to Heauen and in these feruent words he presently breathed out his sole to Heauen as a blessed arrow which he as a diuine Archer shot at the white of his most happie Obiect But his fellow 's and seruants who saw this Louer so sodainly fall downe as dead amaised at the accideÌ„t raÌ„ne with speede for the Doctor who when he came he found him quite dead and to giue a certaine Iudgment of so sodaine a death he made enquirie of what complection nature and dispositâ—on the deceased partie was and he found that he was of a most sweete aÌ„d amiable nature maruellous deuote and feruent in the loue of God Wherevpon quoth the Doctor doubtlesse his heart split with excesse and feruour of loue And to confirme his iudgment the more he opened him and found this generous heart open with this sacred Motto engrauen in it IESVS MY LOVE Loue then plaied Deaths parte in this heart seperating the soule from the bodie without the concourse of any other cause S. Bernardin of Sienna a learned and pious Authour relates this Historie in the first of his Sermons of the Ascension 3. An other Authour also well neare of the same Age who out of humilitie concealed his name worthy to be named in a booke intitled A MYRROR OF THE SPIRITVALL makes mention of an historie yet more admirable for he saieth that in PROVINCE there liued a Lord much addicted to the Loue of God and exceeding deuote to the Blessed Sacrament Now vpon a time being extreamly afflicted with a disease which caused him coÌ„tinually to reÌ„der the Holy CoÌ„munioÌ„ which was brought vnto him who not daring to receiue it least he might be forced to cast it vp againe he besought the Pastour to applie it at least to his breast and with it to make the signe of the Crosse ouer him This was done and in a moment his breast inflamed with Diuine Loue opened and drew into it selfe the heauenly foode wherin his beloued was contained and at the same instant departed life I must in very deede confesse that this historie is extraordinarie and such as would require a more waightie testimonie yet after the true historie of S. CLARE DE MONTE PALCO which all the world may euen to this day see and that of S. Francis his STIGMATS which is most certaine my soule meets with nothing which is hard to be beleeued amongst she effects of Diuine Loue. That the Sacred Virgin mother of God died of the loue of her Sâ—nne CHAPTER XIII 1. ONe can hardly well doubt but that the great S. Ioseph died before the Passion and death of our Sauiour who otherwise had not commended his mother to S. Iohn And how can one imagine that the deare child of his heart his beloued Nurse-child did not assist him at the houre of his departure Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Alas how much sweetenesse Charitie and Mercy did this good Foster-father vse towards our little Sauiour at his â—ntrie into this world and who can then beleeue but at his departure out of it that diuine child rendred him the like with an hundredfold filling him with heauenly delights Storks are the true representations of the mutuall pietie of children towards their parents and of parents towards their children for being flitting birds they beare their decrepit parents with them in their iorney as their parents had borne them while they were yet young in the like occasion While our Sauiour was yet a little babe the great S. Ioheph his Foster-Father and his most glorious Virgin-mother had many a time borne him but especially in their iorney from Iudea
were held worthy to endure ignominie for their Sauiours name Of the conformitie of our will to Gods will signified in his Commandements CHAPTER V. 1. THe desire which God hath to make vs obserue his Commandements is extreame as the whole Scripture doth witnesse and how could he better expresse it then by the great reward which he proposeth to the obseruers of his law together with the wonderfull punishments which he doth minace to such as shall violate the same This made Dauid crye out ô Lord thou hast very much commanded thy Commandements to be kept 2. Now LOVE OF COMPLACENCE beholding this Diuine desire desires to please God in obseruing it The LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE which submits all to God doth also submit our desires and wills to this which God hath signified vnto vs whence doth spring not onely the obseruance but euen the Loue of the Commandements which Dauid doth extoll in the 118. Psalm in an extraordinarie straine which he seemes onely to haue done vpon this occasion O how thy holy law to me is deare It dayly theames my pen and thoughts doth hold And how ô Lord thy Testimonies beare Away my heart as Topase set in gold If honie be compared to thy sweete WORD Honie turn's gale and doth no sweetes afford But to stirre vp in vs the Loue of the Commandements we must coÌ„template their admirable beautie For as there are workes which are bad because they are prohibited and others prohibited because they are bad so there are some that are good because they are commanded and orthers are commanded because they are Good and most profitable so that all of them are exceeding good and amiable the commandement enriching with goodnesse such as were not otherwise good and giuing an excesse of goodnesse to such as in themselues were good without being commanded We doe not receiue euen that which is good in good part being presented by an enemies hand The Lacedemonians would not follow a solide and wholsome aduise comming from a wicked person till it were aduised them againe by a good man Contrariwise a friends present is alwayes gratefull The sweetest Commandements become bitter when they are imposed by a tyrannicall and cruell heart which turnes againe to be most amiable being ordained by Loue. Iacobs seruice seemed a Royaltie vnto him because it proceeded from Loue. O how sweete and how much to be desired is the yoake of the heauenly Law established by so amiable a king 3. Diuers keepe the commandements as sicke men take downe potions more through feare to die damned then pleasure to liue according to our Sauiours liking But as some persons haue an aduersion from phisike be it neuer so agreeable onely because it beares the name of phisike so there are some soules that abhorre things commanded onely because they are commanded And there was a certaine man found who hauing liued in the great towne of Paris for the space of fourescore yeares without euer going out of it as soone as it was enioyned him by the king that he should remaine there the rest of his dayes he went abrode to see the feilds which in his whole life time before he neuer desired 4. On the other side the louing heart Loues the commandements and by how much more hard they are by so much they are more agreeable because they doe more perfectly please the Beloued and are more honorable vnto him It sends out and sings hymnes of ioye when God doth teach it his Commandements and iustifications And as the Pilgrime who merrily sings on his way add's the paine of singing to that of going aÌ„d yet doth indeede by this surplus of paine vnwearie himselfe and lighten the difficultie of the way Euen so the sacred Louer finds such content in the Commandements that nothing doth so much ease and refresh him as the gracious loade of Gods Commandements wherevpon the holy Psalmist cryes out O Lord thy iustifications or Commandements are delicious songs to me in this place of my pilgrimage They saie that Mules and horses being loaden with figges doe presently fall vnder their burthen and loose their strength More sweete theÌ„ the figge is the law of our Lord but brutall maÌ„ who is become as a horse or Mule without vnderstanding looseth courage and finds not strength to beare this amiable burthen But as a branch of AGNVS CASâ—VS doth keepe the Traueller that beares it about him from being wearie so the Crosse Mortification the yoake the Law of our Sauiour who is the true CHAST LAMBE is a burthen which doth vnwearie refresh and recreate the hearts that Loue his diuine Maiestie There is no paine in the thing beloued or if there be any it is a beloued paine Paine mixed with loue hath a certaine tart-sweetenesse more pleasant to the pallate then a thing purely sweete 5. Thus then doth heaueÌ„ly Loue conforme vs to the will of God and makes vs carefully obserue his commandements as being the absolute desire of his diuine Maiestie whom we desire to please So that this complacence with its sweete and amiable violence doth forerunne the necessitie of obaying that which the law doth impose vpon vs conuerting the necessitie into dilection and the whole difficultie into delight Of the conformitie of our will to Gods signified vnto vs by his Counsells CHAPTER VI. 1. A Commandement doth argue a most entire and absolute will in him that giues it But Counsell doth onely signifie a WILL OF DESIRE A Commandement doth oblige vs Counsell onely incits vs A Commandement makes the Transgressours thereof culpable Counsell makes onely such as follow it not lesse laudable Those that violate Commandements deserue Damnation those that neglect Counsells deserue onely to be-lesse glorified There is a difference betwixt commanding and commending vnto ones care in coÌ„manding we vse authoritie to oblige but in commending vnto ones care we vse curtisie to egge and incite A Commandement doth impose necessitie Counsell and recommendation incits vs to that which is more profitable Obedience corresponds to Commandements beliefe to Counsells We follow Counsell with intention to please and Commandements least we might displease And thence it is that the LOVE OF COMPLACâ—NCE which doth oblige vs to please the beloued doth by consequence vrge vs to follow his Counsells and the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE which desires that all wills and affections should be subiected vnto him procurs that we doe not onely will that which he ordaines but also that which he counsells and to which he doth exhort like as the Loue and respect which a good child beares vnto his Father makes him resolue to liue not onely according to the Commandements which he doth impose but euen according to the desires and inclinations which he doth manifest 2. Counsell is giuen in fauour of him to whom it is giuen to th' end he might become perfect If thou wilt be perfect saied our Sauiour goe sell all that thou hast giue it to the poore and follow me 3. But a louing heart doth not
had bene the onely motiue of his actions he would haue bene as well content to haue seene it accomplished in remission of the paine which the Niniuits had merited as in punishments of the fault which the Niniuits had comitted Our desire is that the things which we vndertake or haue a finger in should succeede well but there is no reason that God should doe all that we desire If Gods will be that Niniuie should be threatned ād not throwen downe since the threat is sufficient to correct why should Ionas find himselfe ageeeued in it 6. But if this be so we are then to affect nothing at all but abandone our businesse to the mercy of the euents Pardon me THEO we are to omit nothing which is requisite to bring the worke which God hath put into our hands to a happie issue yet vpon condition that if the euent be contrarie we should louingly and peaceably embrace it for we are commanded to be iealous in that which appertaines to God's glorie and to our office but we are neither obliged nor charged with the euent which is not placed within our reach Take care of him was it saied to the Groome of the stable in the Parable of the poore mā who lay halfe dead betwixt Hierusalē ād Hierico It is not saied as S. Bernard remarkes cure him but take care of him So the Apostles with an vnspeakable affection preached first to the Iewes though they foresaw that in the end they they should be forced to leaue them and betake themselues to the Gentils It is our part to plant and water carefully but it belongs to God onely to giue encrease 7. The great Psalmist makes this praier to our Sauiour as in an exclamation of ioye and with presage of victorie O Lord for thy beautie and comlinesse sake bend thy bow march prosperously and get on horse back as though he too would saie that by the arrowes of his heauenly Loue shot into humane hearts he made himselfe Maister of man to handle him at his pleasure not vnlike to a horse well trained vp O Lord thou art the Royall MAISTER OF THE HORSE who can turne the heart of thy faithfull Louers into all postures sometimes giuing them full bridle they runne at full speede in the enterprises to which they were inspired ād againe at thy pleasure thou stopest them in the midst of their careere and at the hight of their speede 8. But further if the enterprise begun by inspiration doe perish by his fault into whose hāds it was put in trust how can one saie then that a man is to submit himselfe to Gods will for some will saie vnto me it is not Gods will that hinders the euent but my fault which is not caused by Gods will It is true my child thy fault was not caused by Gods will for God is not Authour of sinne yet it is also true that it is Gods will that thy fault is followed with the defect and ouerthow of thy designe in punishment of thy fault for though his goodnesse cannot permit him to will thy fault yet can his Iustice permit the paine due to it So God was not the cause that Dauid offended yet he inflicted vpon him the paine due to his sinne Nor was he the cause of Sauls sinne Marrie he was cause that in punishment of it the victorie perished in his hands 9. When therefore it happens that in punishment of our fault our holy designes haue not good euents we must equally by a solide repentance detest the fault and accept the punishments thereof Of the indifferencie which we are to haue in our Spirituall aduancement CHAPTER VII 1. GOd hath ordained that we should imploy our whole endeauours to obtaine the holy vertues Let vs thē forget nothīg which might helpe our good successe in this pious entreprise but after we haue once planted and watered let 's then know for certaine that it is God which must giue groth to the trees of our good inclinations and habits And therefore from his Diuine Prouidence we are to expect the fruits of our desires ād labours And if we perceiue not the progresse and aduancement of our hearts in deuotiō such as we would desire it let 's not be troubled at it let 's liue in peace let a smooth calme alwayes raigne in our hearts It belongs to vs diligently to labour our heart and therefore we must faithfully attend to it But touching the plentie of the croppe or haruist let 's leaue the care thereof to our Lord and Maister The Husbandman is neuer reprehended that the haruest is not plentifull but onely that he did not carefully till and sowe his ground Let 's not be troubled to perceiue our selues continually NOVICES in the exercise of vertue for in the MONASTERIE OF A DEVOTE LIFE euery one holds himselfe a continuall NOVICE and there the whole life is the yeare of PROBATION there being no more euident argument not onely that we are NOVICES but that we are euen worthy of expulsion and reprobation then to esteeme and hold our selues PROFESSED For according to the Rule of this Order not the solemnitie but the performance of the vowes makes the Nouices Professed nor are the vowes euer performed while there remaines yet something to be done for their performance nor is the obligation of seruing God and going on in his loue ended but with the end of life I but will some say vnto me if I know that it is by my owne fault that I profited not in vertue how could I but be greeued and disquieted I haue saied the same in the Introduction to a deuote life but I doe willingly iterate it because it can neuer be saied sufficiently one must be sorrie for faultes committed with a setled constant and calme repentance but not with such an one as is distempered turbulent or disencouraging Are you sure that your backwardnesse in vertue was caused by your fault goe to then humble your selfe before God implore his Mercy fall prostrate before the face of his goodnesse and demand pardon confesse your fault crie him mercy euen in your Ghostly Fathers eare to obtaine absolation But this being done remaine in peace and hauing detested the offence embrace louingly the abiection which you feele in your selfe by reason of delaying your aduancement in vertue 2. Alas THEO the soules in Purgatorie are there doubtlesse for their sinnes and for sinnes which they haue detested and doe highly detest but as for the abiection and paine which remaines to be tyed to that place and to be depriued for a space of the beloued Loue of heauen they endure it with Loue and deuotely pronoūce the Canticle of the Diuine Iustice Thou art iust ô Lord and thy iudgments are rightuous Let 's therefore expect our aduancement with patience and in steede of disquieting our selues that we haue so little profited in the time past let vs diligently endeuour to doe better in the time to come 3. Behold I beseech you
not to affect them nor reinuest our heart therewith saue onely so farre forth as we discerne it to agree with God's good pleasure And as Iudith wore still moorning weedes except onely in this occasion wherein Gods will was that she should be in pompe so are we peaceably to remaine vested in our miserie and abiection amidst our imperfections and infirmities till God shall exalt vs to the practise of excellent actions 3. One cannot long remaine in this nakednesse voide of all affection Wherefore following the aduise of the holy Apostle as soone as we haue turn'd off the garments of the old Adam we are to put on the habits of the new man that is to saie of IESVS CHRIST for hauing renounced all yea euen the affection to vertues neither desiring of these nor of other things a larger portion then may beare proportion with God's will we must put on againe diuers affections and peraduenture the very same which we haue renounced and resigned vp yet are we not therefore to resume theÌ„ for that they are agreeable profitable honorable and proper to content our selfe-love but because they are agreeable to God profitable to his honour and ordained to his glorie 4. Eliezer carried eare-jewels bracelets and new attire for the mayde whom God had prouided for his Maisters sonne and in effect he presented them to the virgine Rebecca as soone as he knew it was she New garmeÌ„ts are required to our Sauiour's Spouse If for the Loue of God she hath bereft her selfe of the auncient affections which she had to Parents Countrie Father's house and allie she must take a span new affection louing euery of these in their ranke not now accorcording to humane considerations but because the heauenly Spouse doth will command and intend it so and hath established such an order in Charitie If one haue once put off his old affectioÌ„ to spirituall consolations to exercises of deuotion to the practise of vertues yea to his owne aduancement in perfection he must put on another new affection by louing all these graces and heaueÌ„ly fauours not because they perfect and adorne our minde but for that our Sauiours name is sanctified in them his kingdome enriched his good pleasure glorified 5. So did S. PETER vest himselfe in the Prison not at his owne election but at the Angels command He puts on his girdle then his Sandales and afterwards the rest of his garments And the glorious S. PAVLâ— bereft in a moment of all affections Lord quoth he what wilt thou haue me doe that is what is thy pleasure I should affect since throwing me to the ground thou hast deaded me to myne owne will Ah Lord plant thy good pleasure in the place of it and teach me to performe thy will for thou art my God THEO he that hath forsaken all for God ought to resume nothing but according to Gods pleasure he feeds not his bodie but according to Gods ordinance that it may be seruiceable to the Spirit all his studie is to assist his neighbour and his owne soule according to the Diuine intention he practiseth not vertues as being according to his owne heart but according to God's 5. God commanded the Prophet Isaie to stripe himselfe naked which he did going and preaching in this sort for three dayes together as some hold or for three yeares together as others think and then the time prefixed him by God being expired he resumed his clothes Euen so are we to turne our selues out of affections little and great as also to make a frequent examine of our hearts to discouer whether it be willing to vnuest it selfe as Isaie did his garments as also to resume in their time the affections necessarie to the seruice of charitie to the end we might die with our Sauiour naked vpon the crosse and rise againe with him in newnesse of life Loue is as strong as death to make vs quit all it is magnificent as the Resurrection to adorne vs with honour and glorie The end of the ninth booke THE TENTH BOOKE OF THE COMMANDEMENT OF LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL things Of the sweetenesse of the Commandement which God gaue vs to loue him aboue all things CHAPTER I. 1. MAN is the perfection of the Vniuerse the Spirit the perfection of man Loue the Spirits and Charitie the perfection of Loue. WheÌ„ce the Loue of God is the end of perfection and the Excellencie of the vniuerse In this THEO doth consist the hight and primacie of the Commandement of Diuine Loue called by our Sauiour the first and greatest Commandemet This Commandement is as a Sunne giuing luster and dignitie to all the holy lawes to all the Diuine â—ordonances and to all the holy Scripturs All is made for this heauenly Loue and all tends to it Of the sacred Tree of this Commandement all consolations exhortations inspirations and euen all the other Commandements haue dependance as it's flowres and eternall life as it 's fruit and all that tends not to eternall Loue tends to eternall death O great Commandement whose perfect practise remaines euen in the euerlasting life yea it is no other thing then life euerlasting 2. But marke THEO how amiable this law of Loue is ah Lord God was it not sufficient that thou shouldst permit vs this heauenly Loue as KABAN permitted IACOB to Loue RACHEL without daigning farther to inuite vs to it by exhortations and vrge vs to it by thy Commandements Nay more ô Diuine Goodnesse to the end that neither thy Maiestie nor our miserie nor any other pretext at all might delay our loue to thee thou dost command it vs. The poore APELLES could neither abstaine from louing nor yet aduenture to loue the faire COMPASPE because she appertained to ALEXANDER the Great but wheÌ„ he had once leaue to loue her how much did he hold himselfe obliged to him that did him the grace He knew not whether he should more loue the faire COMPASPE granted him by so great an Emperour or so great an Emperour who had granted him the faire COMPASPE O sweete God THEO If we could vnderstand it what an obligation should we haue to this Soueraigne good who doth not onely permit but doth euen command vs to loue him Alas my God I know not whether I ought more to loue thyne infinite Beautie which so great a Bountie hath ordained that I should loue or thy Diuine Bountie which ordaines that I should loue so infinite a Beautie O Beautie how amiable thou art being granted vnto me by a Bountie so immense O Bountie how amiable thou art in communicating vnto me so eminent a Beautie 3. God at the day of Iudgment will imprint after an admirable maÌ„ner in the hearts of the damned the apprehension of their losse for the Diuine Maiestie will make them clearely see the Soueraigne Beautie of his face and the Treasures of his Bountie and vpon the sight of this Abisse of infinite delights the will desires with an extreame violence to cast her selfe vpon
he loues the Diuine Bountie Soueraignely And hauing once made this kind of donation of himselfe he is to loue nothing that can remoue his heart from God Now neuer doth any loue take our hearts from God saue that which is contrarie vnto him 3. SARA is not offended to spie ISMAEL about her deare ISAAC while his dalliance with ISMAEL is not to slight or disparage her nor is God offended to see other loues liue in vs besids his while we doe conserue for him the reuerence and respect due vnto him 4. Verily THEOT in heauen God will giue himselfe wholy to all and not by halfs since he is a WHOLE that hath no parts yet will he giue himselfe diuersly and with varieties equall to the varietie of the Blessed for though he giue himselfe wholy to all and wholy to each one yet will he neuer giue himselfe totally neither to any one in particular nor to all in generall And we shall giue our selues to him according to the measure in which he giues himselfe to vs For we shall see him indeede face to face as he is in his Beautie and shall loue him heart to heart as he is in his Bountie yet all shall not see him with an equall brightnesse nor loue him with an equall sweetenesse but euery one shall see and loue him according to their particular portion of glorie which the Diuine Prouidence hath prepared for them We shall equally all haue the fulnesse of Diuine Loue marry that fullnesse shall be vnequall in perfection The honie of Narbone is sweete and so is also that of Paris both of them are full of sweetenesse but the one of a sweetenesse better finer aÌ„d more vigorous and though both of them be entirely sweete yet is neither of them totally sweete I doe homage to my Soueraigne Prince as also to him that is next vnto him I present therefor my loyaltie as well to the one as to the other of them yet doe I present it to neither of them totally For in that which I exhibit to my Soueraigne I doe not exclud that which is due to his vaâ—sall next to him nor doe I in this includ that Wherefore it is no wonder if in Heauen where these words THOV SHALT LOVE THE LORD Tâ—Y GOD WITH ALL THY Hâ—ART shall be so excellently practised there be great differences in loue sith we see such diuersitie euen in this mortall life 5. THEO not onely of such as loue God with all their heart some loue him more and some lesse but euen one and the same doth oft passe himselfe in this soueraigne exercise of louing God aboue all things Appelles did at sometimes haÌ„dle his Pencell better then at others sometimes euen out striping himselfe For though commonly he put all his art and all his attention to draw out ALEXANDER THE GREAT yet did he neuer employe it so totally and entirely that he had not yet other tricks of art by which though he neither put to 't more skill nor more affection yet he did it more liuely and perfectly He alwayes imployed all his wit to the good performance of this Table of ALEXANDER because he vsed it without reserue yet sometimes he did it with more grace and felicitie Who knowes not that we make progresse in this holy Loue aÌ„d that the end of Saints is crowned with a more perfect loue theÌ„ their beginning 6. Now according to the phrase of holy Scripture to doe a thing with all ones heart imports onely to doe it willingly and without reserue O Lord saieth Dauid I haue sought thee with all my heart Lord heare me and the holy WORD testifieth that he had truely followed God with his whole heart and yet not withstanding all that it affirmes also that Ezechias had not his equall amoÌ„gst all the kings of Iuda neither before nor after him that he was vnited to God and straied not from him Afterwards treating of IOSIAS it saieth that he had not his fellow amongst all the kings either before or after hiÌ„ that he returned to God with all his heart with all his soule with all his force according to the whole law of MOYSES nor did there any that followed him rise like vnto him Marke then I praie you THEO marke how DAVID EZECHIAS and IOSIAS loued GOD with all their hearts and yet not all three with an equall dilection because some of them had not their like in this Loue as the Sacred Text witnessed All the three loued him each of them with all their heart yet did nere a one of them seperatly nor all three ioyntly Loue him totally but euery one in his particular way so that as all the three were a like in this that they gaue their whole heart so were they vnlike in their manner of deliuering it yea there is no doubt at all but that DAVID taken a part was farre different from himselfe in this Loue and that with his second heart which God created pure and cleane in him and his right Spirit which he renewed in his bowels by holy Penance he sung the Canticle of Loue farre more melodiously then euer he had done with his first heart and Spirit 7. All true Louers are equall in this that all giue all their heart to God and with all their force but vnequall in the diuersitie of giuing it whence one giues all his heart with all his force yet lesse perfectly then the others Some giues it it all by Martyrdome all by virginitie all by puritie all by action all by contemplation all by a pastorall function and though all giue it all by the obseruance of the Commandements yet doth some one giue it with lesse perfection then the others 8. EueÌ„ so IACOB hiÌ„selfe who was called the HOLY-of-GOD in DANIEL and whoÌ„ God protesteth that he loued confesseth ingeniously that he had serue LABAN with all his strength and why did he serue LABAN but to obtaine RACHEL whom he loued with all his forces He serues LABAN with all his forces he serues GOD with all his forces he Loues RACHEL with all his forces he Loues GOD with all his forces yet Loues he not RACHEL as GOD nor GOD as RACHEL He Loues GOD as his God aboue all things and more then himselfe he Loues RACHEL in qualitie of a wife and as himselfe he Loues God with an absolute and soueraignely supreame Loue and RACHEL with the cheefest nuptiall Loue. Nor is the one of the Loues contrarie to the other since that of RACHEL doth not violate the priuiledges and soueraigne aduantages of the Loue of GOD. 9. So that our Loue to God THEO takes its worth from the eminencie and excellencie of the motiue for which and according to which we Loue him in that we Loue him for his soueraigne infinite goodnesse as God and according as he is God Now one drope of this Loue is better of more force and value then all the other Loues that can euer enter into the hearts or amongst the Quires
vndertake too sharpe and violent courses and withall that anger or boldnesse being once set on foote and not being able to containe themselues within the bounds of reason beare a way the heart to disorder so that Zeale by this meanes being exercised indiscretly and inordinatly becomes hurtfull and blame worthy DAVID sent IACOB to leade his armie against his disloyall and rebellious SoÌ„ne ABSALOÌ„ with speciall charge that they should not touch him but in all occurrences they should haue a speciall care to saue his life But IACOB being set to 't and being hot in the pursuite of the victorie with his owne hand slewe the poore Absolon neuer thinking of the charge which the king gaue him euen so Zeale doth imploye choler against the euill yet with expresse order that in distroying wickednesse and sinne if it be possible it saue the sinner and the wicked but being once in hot blood as a strong headed and stirring horse runnes away with his rider out of the Listes without stop or staie while breath lasteth 2. The good man of the house which our Sauiour describs in the Ghospell knew well that hot and violent seruants are wont to out runne their Maisters intention For his seruants presenting themselues vnto him to weede vp darnell no quoth he I will not least together with weedes you pull vp corne Verily THEO Anger is a seruant who being strong couragious and a great vndertaker doth indeede at the first on-set performe a great deale of worke but with all is so hot headdie inconsiderate and impetuous that it doth neuer any good at all but ordinarily it drawes with it many discomodities Now it is not good husbandrie saie our husbandmen to keepe Peacokes about the house for though they free it of spiders yet doe they so spoile their couers and tiles that their profit is not comparable to the great waste they make Anger was giuen as a helpe to reason by Nature and is employed by Grace in the seruice of Zeale to put in execution it's designes yet is it a dangerous helpe and not greately to be desired for if it get strength it becoms Mistresse defeating Reason's authoritie and the louing lawes of Zeale and if it turne weake it doth no more then Zeale would performe all alone how soeuer it giues still a iust occasion of feare that waxing strong it might impare the heart and Zeale making them slaues to its tyrannie euen as an artificiall fire which in an instant is kindled in a building and â—hich one knowes not how to extinguish It were an act of dispare to put a stranger compaine into a Fort in garison who by that meanes might become stronger 3. Selfe Loue doth oft deceiue vs and makes vs runne-counter practising our proper passions vnder the name of Zeale Zeale hath sometimes of old made vse of Anger and Anger often times makes vse of the name of Zeale in counterchange to keepe its shamefull disorder couered vnder it And marke that I saie it makes vse of the name of Zeale for it can make no vse of Zeale it selfe since it is the propertie of all vertues but especially of Charitie whereof Zeale is a depeÌ„dance to be so good that none can abuse it 4. Vpon a day there came a notorious sinner and threw himselfe at the feete of a good and worthy priest protesting with a great deale of humiliatioÌ„ that he came to find a cure for his desease that is to receiue the holy absolution of his faults a certaine MONKE called DEMOPHILVS apprehending in his conceite that this poore penitent came too nigh the high Altar fell into so violent a fit of choler that falling vpon him he kicked and pushed him thence with his feete wronging the good priest in an outragious sort who according to his dutie had mildly admitted the poore penitent And then running vnto the Altar he tooke away the most holy things there and carried them thence least as he would make men thinke the place should haue bene profaned by the sinners approch Now hauing finished this specious maister-peece of Zeale he staied not yet there but made a great matter of it to the great S. DENIS AREOPAGITE in a letter which he wrote touching it whereof he receiued an excellent answere worthy of the Apostolicall spirit wherwith this great Disciple of S. PAVLE was animated for he made him clearely see that his Zeale had bene indiscreete imprudeÌ„t and impudent withall because though the Zeale of the honour due vnto holy things be good and laudable yet was it practised against reason without consideration or iudgement at all since he had vsed pushing with his feete outrage iniurie and reproch in a place in a circumstance and against a person that he was to honour loue and respect so that the Zeale could not be good being so disorderly practised But in this very answere the same Saint recounts another admirable example of a great Zeale proceeding froÌ„ a very good soule whom yet the excesse of Anger which Zeale did excite in her had blemished and spoyled 5. A Pagan had seduced and made a Christian of CANDIE newly conuerred to the Faith returne to Idolatrie CARPVS an eminent man for puritie and sanctitie of life and who as it is very probable was the Bishope of Candie conceiued so deepe a wroth against it that he had neuer in his time endured the like and let himselfe be so farre carried away with this passion that being risen at midnight to praie according to his custome he concluded in him selfe that it was not reasonable that wicked men should any longer liue with great indignation beseeching the Diuine Iustice to strike downe at once these two sinners the Pagan seductour and Christian seduced But note THEO how God corrected the bitternesse of the passion which carried the poore CARPVS beyond himselfe First he made him as another S. STEPHEN behold the heauens open and our Sauiour IESVS CHRIST seated vpon a great throne enuironed with a multitude of Angels who assisted him in humane shape then he saw below the earth gaping open as a horrid and vast gulfe and the two sinners to whom he had wished so much euill vpon the very edge of this Precipice quaking and well nere falling downe in a traunce for dread being vpon the point of tumbling in drawen on the one side by a multitude of Serpents which rising out of the gulfe wrapped theÌ„selues about their ledges tickling them with their tayles and prouoking their fall and the other side a coÌ„panie of men did push and iogge to rush them in so that they seemed to be eueÌ„ alreadie swallowed vp by this precipice Now consider my THEO I praie you the violencie of CARPVS his passion for as he himselfe afterwards recounted to S. Dâ—NIS he made nothing of beholding our Sauiour and the Angels ascending to Heauen so was he taken with gazing vpon the daunting destresse of those two miserable wretches being onely troubled that they were so long a perishing and therevpon
the perfections which she meetes withall as it finds greater perfections it doth great lier perfect them like as suggar doth so season conserued fruits with its sweetnesse that sweetening them all it leaues euery of them different in relish and sweetenesse as they haue a diuers taste in their owne nature Nor doth it euer render the Peech and the Nut so sweete and pleasing as the Appricot and the Myrabolan plumme 5. True it is notwithstanding that if the Loue be ardent powerfull and excellent in a heart it will also more enrich and perfect all the vertuous workes which shall proceede from it One may suffer death and fire for God without Charitie as S. PAVLE presupposeth and I declare elswhere by better reason may one suffer them hauing a little charitie Now I saie THEO that it may come to passe â—hat a very little vertue may be of greater value in a soule where sacred Loue doth feruently raigne then Martyrdome it selfe in a soule where Loue is languishing feeble and slow As the least vertues in our B. Lady in S. IOHN in other great Saints were of greater price before God then the greatest of diuers inferiour Saints as many little eiaculations of Loue in Seraphins are more inflamed then the greatest in the Angels of the last orders as the singing of a young Nightingale is incomparably more harmonious then that of the finest Goldfinch 6. PIRCIVS towards the end of his dayes painted onely in little formes and trifeling things as Barbar's and Cobler's shops little Asses loaden with grasse and the like triuiall toyes which he did as PLINIE coniectures to lay his great renowne whence in the end he was called the Painter of small wares and yet the greatnesse of his art did so appeare in his small workes that they were sould at a higher rate then others greatest peaces Euen so THEO the little simplicities abiections and humiliations in which the great Saints tooke so great content to hide themselues and put their hearts into Harbour against vaine glorie hauing bene practised with a great excellencie of the Art and ardour of heauenly Loue were found more gratefull in the sight of God then the great and illustrious workes of diuers others which were performed with little Charitie and deuotion 7. The sacred Spouse doth wound her Spouse with one of her head haires of which he makes so great accompt that he compares them to the flockes of the Goates of GALAAD and hath no sooner commended the eyes of his deuote Louer which are the most noble parts of the face but presently he fals a praising her head haire which is the most fraile vile an abiect That we might learne thereby that in a soule taken with holy Loue actions that seeme very poore are highly agreeable to the Diuine Maiestie Of the excellent worth which holy Loue bestowes vpon the actions which issue from it selfe and to those which proceede from other vertues CHAPTER VI. 1. BVt you will aske me what this worth is which holy Loue bestowes vpon our actions ô God THEO I Verily I should not dare to speake it if the Holy Gost himselfe had not declared it in expresse termes by his Apostle S. Paule who saieth thus That our tribulation which is presently momentarie and light worketh aboue measure exceedingly an eternall weight of glorie in vs. For the loue of IESVS let vs ponder these words Our tribulations which are so light that they passe in a moment worke in vs the solide and stable weight of glorie I beseech you behold these wonders Tribulation produceth glorie lightnesse giues weight moments worke eternitie But what is it that can enrich these fleeting moments and light tribulations with so great worth Scarlet and purple or fine crimson violet is a precious and royall cloth yet not by reason of the woole but the die Christian workes are of that worth that Heauen is giuen vs for them but THEO it is not in that they proceede froÌ„ vs and are the woole of our hearts but because they are died in the blood of the sonne of God I meane for so much as our Sauiour doth sanctifie our workes by the merits of his blood The twigge of a vine vnited and ioyned to the stocke being not forth â—ruit in it's owne vertue but in vertue of the stocke Now we are vnited by Charitie vnto our Redeemour as members to their head and thence it is that our fruit and good workes drawing their worth from him doe merit life euerlasting AARONS rod was withered and incapable of it selfe to bring forth fruit but as soone as the name of the high priest was written vpon it in one night it brought out leaues flowres and fruit We in our selues are withered bowes vnprofitable fruitlesse not being sufficient to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God who hath made vs meet and fit ministers of his will and therefore as soone as by holy Loue the name of our Sauiour the high Bishop of our soules is engrauen liâ—â— our soules we begin to beare delicious fruits for life euerlasting And as seedes which of them selues doe onely bring forth vnsauorie Melons would bring forth sugared and musked ones if they were steeped in sugared or musk't water so our soules which of themselues are not able to proiect one onely good thought towards God's seruice being watered with holy loue by the holy Ghost which doth inhabite vs they produce sacred actions which doe tend and doe carrie vs to immortall glorie Our works as proceeding from our selues are but miserable reeds yet these reeds become gold by Charitie and with the same we suruey the Heauenly Hierusalem which is giuen vs by that measure for as well to man as Angels glorie is distributed according to Charitie and her actions So that men and Angels measure is one and the same and God both hath and will reward euery one according to his works as all the holy Scripture doth teach vs which assignes vs the felicitie and eternall ioyes of Heauen in reward of the labours and good works which we haue practised in earth 2. A magnificent reward and such an one as doth sauour of the Maisters greatnesse whom we serue who in truth THEO if so he had pleased might most iustly exact our obedience and seruice without proposing vnto vs any prize or reward at all since we are his by a thousand most legitimate titles and that we can doe nothing that is worth any thing but in him by him for him and dependently of him Yet did not his Goodnesse so dispose but in consideration of his sonne our Sauiour he would deale with vs at a set price receiuing vs at wages and engaging himselfe by his promise vnto vs that our hire yea an eternall one shall answere to our workes Nor is it that our seruice can either be necessarie or profitable vnto him for when we shall haue accomplished all his commands we are yet to professe in a most humble
conserue life after Charities death who gaue them life The Lake which profane authours doe commonly call Asphalitus and sacred authours MARE-MORTVVM hath so heauie a curse put vpon it that nothing that is put into it can liue when the fish of Iordaine doe come neere it they die vnlesse they speedily returne backe against the streame The trees vpon the brims of it produce nothing aliue and though their fruit be in apparance and autward shew like to the fruits of other countries howbeit when on puls them they are found to be skinne and core being full of asshes which flie away in the wind These be the markes of infamous sinns for the punishment whereof this Coūtrie which was peopled with three populous Cities was of old conuerted into a pit of filth and corruption and nothing was deamed better to represent the mischeife of sinne then this abominable Lacke which had its origine from the most execrable disorder that could be cōmitted by mans bodie Sinne therefore as a dead and mortall sea kills all that comes neere it nothing is found liuing in the soule which it possesseth nor all about it O God THEO nothing for sinne is not onely a dead worke but is withall so infections and venimous that the most excellent vertues of the sinfull soule doe produce no liuing action And though the actions of sinners haue oftentimes a great resemblance with those of the iust man yet are they indeede barkes onely stuffed with wind and dust whē they are truely looked into and are rewarded of God onely by some present benefits which are bestowed vpō thē as vpon the chambermaids children yet are they such barkes as neither are nor can be so tasted and relished by the Diuine Iustice as to be rewarded with an eternall crowne they die vpon the trees and cannot be conserued in the hand of God being voyd of true worth as it is saied in the Apocalypse to the Bishop of Sardis who was reputed a liuing tree by reason of diuers vertues which he practised and yet dead he was for that being in sinne his vertues were not true liuing fruits but dead barkes glorious to the eyes but no wayes sauorie to the palate so that we may all cast out this true voice following the holy Apostle without Charitie I am nothing nothing doth profit me and with S. AVGVSTINE saie Giue Charitie to a heart and all doth profit depriue it of Charitie and nothing doth profit it I meane towards life euerlasting for as we haue saied the vertuous works of sinners are profitable to our temporall life But my deare THEO what doth it profit a man to gaine all the world temporally if he loose his soule eternally How holy Loue returning into the soule doth reuiue all the works which sinne had slayne CHAPTER XII 1. THe works then of a sinner while he is depriued of Charitie are not profitable to eternall life and therevpon they are called dead works whereas contrariwise the good works of the iust man are saied to be liuing for that the Diuine Loue doth animate and quicken them with its dignitie And if afterwards they loose their life and worth by sinne they are held to be workes that are deaded extinguished or mortified onely but not quite deade especially in the Elect for as our Sauiour speaking of the little Tabitha Iarus his daughter said she was not dead but slept onely because she continued dead so small a time till she was resuscitated that it seemed rather to be a sleepe then a true death So the works of the iust man but especially of the elect who by the commission of sinne dyeth are not called dead works but onely deaded mortified stounded or put into a trance because vpon the next returne of holy Loue they either ought or at least may reuiue and returne to life againe Sinn 's returne depriues the soule and all her workes of life the returne of Grace doth restore life to the soule and all her actions A sharpe winter doth dead all the plants of the fields so that if it continued still they would still continew in the state of death Sinne the sad and daunting winter of the soule doth quayle all the holy workes that it finds there in and if it did alwayes continew neuer would any thing recouer either life or vigour But as in the returne of the pleasant spring not onely the seedes which are sowē by the helpe of this delightfull and fruitfull season doe gratefully bud and blossome euery one in his kind but euen the old plants which the rigour of the winter past had bitten withered and deaded waxe greene and doe resume new force vertue and life So sinne being blotted out and the grace of Diuine Loue returning into the soule the new affections which this spring of grace doth bring doe blossome and bring forth ample merites and blessings but the works that are dried vp and withered by the rigour of the winter of sinns ouer passed as being deliuered from their mortall enemye resume their force waxe strong and as risen from the dead they florish a new and store vp merits for the eternall life Such is the omnipotencie of Diuine Loue or the Loue of the Diuine omnipotencie If the impious turne away himselfe from his impietie and shall doe iudgement and iustice he shall viuificate his soule conuert and doe penance for all your iniquities and iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you saieth our Lord. And what is that iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you but that the ruine which it made shall be repaired So besides a thousand courtisies that the prodigall sonne receiued at his Fathers hands he was reestablished euen with aduantage in all his ornaments graces fauours and dignities which he had lost And IOB that innocent picture of a penitent sinner did in the end receiue the double of that which he had Verily it is the Councell of Trēts desire that we should encourage the penitents that are returned into fauour with God allmightie in these words of the Apostle Abound in euery good worke knowing that your labour is not vnprofitable in our Lord for God is not vniust to forget your worke and the Loue which you haue showen in his name God then doth not forget the works of those who by sinne hauing lost loue recouers it againe by penance Now God is saied to forget our workes whē they loose their merite and sanctitie by sinne committed and he remembers them when they returne to life and vigour by the presence of holy Loue. So that amongst the faithfull it is not necessarie to the reward of their good works as well by the encrease of grace and future glorie as by the enioying of life euerlasting in effect that one fall not into sinne but it is sufficient according to the Councell of Trent that one depart this life in God's grace and charitie 2. God hath promised an eternall reward to the works of a iust man but if the