nothing els then so manie effects of his free grace without which we are not able of our selues to thinke one good thought nothing lesse then so many new obligations heaped vpon vs obligations I saye to imploy the rest of our tyme here belowe without intermission as the Angells their eternitie aboue in ioyfull Alleluya's that is peales of hartie Prayses and thankes-giuing for so great benefits Affection Say my soule with the great S. Augustine Let our Lord be alwayes magnifyed neuer my selfe in no place my selfe how euer I haue profitted to what degree of vertue soeuer I may haue attayned but our Lord alwayes Am I a sinner let him be magnified that I may be called to pennance Doe I confesse my sinnes let him be magnified that he may pardon me Doe I liue a good life let him be magnified that he may guide me Doe I perseuere to the end Let him be magnified that he may glorifie me Be he therefor alwayes magnified Let this alwayes be the iust mans profession and the profession of all those who seeke our Lord. Fruits of Christs Resurrection II. POINT CONSIDER how necessarie this Resurrection was to confirme our staggering faith to erect our daunted hope and to inflame our drooping charitie Wee did hope said the Disciples as who should saye but now we haue cause to doubt and so should we all haue said had not his resurrection bene rendred vndoubted For what did his poore natiuitie speake but a man borne in miserie And what did his death preach but a man dyeing in torment But his glorious Resurrection by sealing the truth of all the Prophecies wonderfully hightens our hopes and inflames vs with the loue of him who through loue of vs gaue waye to death from which he had strength enough in three dayes to raise himselfe Affection Well might our weake faith my soule haue staggered in seeing our God but a day olde in hearing him weepe like another childe in beholdinge him in pouertie and miserie Well might our faith haue been shaken when we sawe a God most ignominiously dye But now seeing him gloriously rise againe how can we doubt of all the rest Nay what may we not iustly hope for from so much goodnesse as would dye for vs and so much power as could rise againe And how is it possible that our harts should not burne with his loue who dyeing for ours makes good the faith of his Deitie by his so powerfull so manifest and glorious a Resurrection THE VIII MEDITATION Other fruites of our Sauiours Resurrection I. POINT CONSIDER as a second fruite of our Sauiours Resurrection a strong and constant hope of the Resurrection of our mortall bodie being first subdued by death Let the pagan Philosofers doubt and dispute as much as they will the resurrection of the dead is the vndoubted faith of the Christians after the resurrection of Christ and by vertue of the same For saith S. Leo If we beleeue in hart what we professe with our mouth in him we are crucified in him we are dead in him we are buried and in him we rise againe Affection Yes yes my soule the Resurrection of my Sauiour hath put this out of doubt Man is risen in him and therefore we shall also rise and we confidently professe with holy Iob that we know our Redeemer liueth and in the last day we shall rise out of the earth and we shall be compassed againe with our skinnes and in our flesh we shall see God whom we our selues shall see and our eyes shall behold and no other This hope is 〈◊〉 vp in our bosome II. POINT CONSIDER as the third fruite of this ioyfull and glorious day our Blessed Sauiours triumph and raigne ouer all the world happily beginning at Hierusalem and extending it selfe to the vttermost confines of the same thereby making his words I haue ouercome the world appeare in effect For if the world had malice enough to haue razed his name out of the hartes of men by his death vpon an infamous Crosse he contrarily had goodnes and power enough by the same death to imprint his memorie much deeper in their mindes to abolish Idolatrie the worshipp of false Gods and true Diuells and in their places to establish the worshippe of one true God ouer all the face of the earth all which at this day with much ioy to true Christian hartes we see effected Affection Reioyce my soule to see that Gods goodnes hath turned the malice of men to the aduantage of his owne glorie and their Saluation What excesse of ioy ought it not afforde to a true Christian hart to see the faith of a God-man infamously dyeing vpon a Crosse willingly imbraced all the world ouer To see that Crosse erected in triumph in euerie place To see regall and imperiall Crownes fall at the feete of it To see Idolles fall and Diuells flye at the verie signe of it Finally to see Iesus of Nazareth crucified acknowledged imbraced magnified adored in euerie corner of the earth THE IX MEDITATION I. POINT CONSIDER how our blessed Sauiour appeares a true louer of man not only in his life and at his death but euen after his Resurrection also And still becomes all to all that he might gaine all In the garden he appeares a Gardener to S. Marie To the Disciples fishing at sea as a passinger desiring fish To the two Disciples walking to Emmaus as a Pilgrime who accompaigned them to witt whether we seeke him with Magdalen or we follow our ordinarie imployments according to our state and calling with the Apostles or wee walke betwixt feares and hopes with the two Disciples Iesus sorsakes vs not for Iesus also himselfe approching went with them saith S. Luke Affection Ah my deare Lord to what excesse doth not thy loue goe into what posture doth it not put it selfe to gaine mans loue For him he dyes for him he riseth from death he walkes with him he talkes with him he eates with him he suffers his perfidious hand to sound his deare wounds Ah my euer dearest Rabboni how iustly may we saie with one of thy great Saintes Thou bestowest great blessings vpon vs euen caressest vs least we might waxe wearied in the waye Thou correctest whippest and smitest vs least we might wander out of the waye whether therefore thou dost caresse vs least we might faint in the waye or thou dost chastice vs least we might stray from the waye thou deare Lord art alwayes our Refuge II. POINT CONSIDER with whom it is that Iesus doth willingly walke in the waye of this our pilgrimage with whom he doth comfortably discourse and you shall finde by the example of the two Disciples goeing to Emmaus that it is with such as seriously conferre together or meditate vpon those deare passages of the life and death of our sweete Sauiour According to that of the Psalmist in my Meditation the fire begins to burne vp Affection Let vs. then my soule euer hence-forth make it our
flesh be weake let 's haue recourse to the Spirit Let loue leade vs to this God of Loue and expose our coldenes to the fire which he visibly brings downe from heauen this day saying Veni c. What the H. Ghost is II. POINT CONSIDER what the holy Ghost is He is no other thing then the Spirit that is the spiration and breathing of the Father and the Sonne for as mans hart by his mouth breatheth or produceth a breath so God the Father by his sonne produceth the holy Spirit Or els as the soule by the vnderstanding of an amiable thing doth produce or breath out loue Loue which is no other thing then the spirit or breath of the affection so doth the father by the Sonne breath out the holy Ghost who is no other thing then a chast and holy loue produced and breathed out by the father and the Sonne whose mutuall loue it is Affection O diuinely sweete-breath Heauenly deare Gale Coeternall tye of two eternall persons Sacred commerce holy communication of the omnipotent father and his only begotten deare sonne O essentiall ineffable inflamed loue who euer burnest and art neuer extinguished graciously slide into and burne this frosen hart of mine Thou hast freely preuented me and reuiued me while I lay in a dead slumber and neither sought thee nor thought on thee Doe not I beseech thee forsake me whilst I am inuokinge thee I desire with the whole strife of my hart to desire thee The loue of my soule couets to loue thee Nor can I without thee Grant that by thee I may souue-raingly loue the father and the sonne and thee Three diuine persons â—n the veritie of one Deitie whose mutuall loue thou art O god the holy Ghost giue what thou commandest and command what thou wilt THE II. MEDITATION What kind of Spirit the H. Ghost is I. POINT CONSIDER that though the holy Ghost be a Spirit Spiration or breathing yet is it not like that of Man which is a Spirit which passeth and returneth not nor like to the Angells which are Missionarie and seruing Spirits nor like to that which our Sauiour Iesus-Christ deliuered vp when he said into thy hands I commend my Spirit To witt his soule In fine it is no created Spirit but an immense increated diuine Spirit intrinsecall to God yea God himself the third person of the B. Trinitie the same God with the Father and the Sonne proceeding from them by an eternall spiration and therefore coequall consubstantiall coeternall with them and equally to be adored and glorified together with them as Lord and life-giuer Affection Let me loue thee ô thou deare eternall immutable and euer permanent Spirit and loue of the father and the sonne let me loue thee And as thou proceedest from that one only more then most blessed eternall will of the father and the Sonne and becomest naturally and substantially one only God with them before time so grant that my will in tyme by the participation of thy heate and thy grace may so louingly adheare to that diuine will and be lincked together in so perfect a bond of true friendshipp that there be but one will betwixt heauen and earth God and Man That that may be as truly meant and accomplished as frequently pronounced Thy will that is that sourse of life of libertie of eternall loue be donne in earth as it is in heauen that by such conformitie resignation and adheasion we may all become but one Spirit with thee That the H. Ghost is a heauenly gift II. POINT CONSIDER further what the holy Ghost is and you shall finde that he is a gift but a gift sent vs from heauen a gift which containes in it the whole collection of all good things a gift prepared from all eternitie to be bestowed vpon men better then which there neither hath or shall or can be any giuen or imagined euen by the wisedome of heauen it selfe for it is euen that best gift that perfect thing which descended from the father of lightes with whom there is alwaies a permanent plentie Affection 4 O most noble most admirable and more then most excellent gift ô in comparable immense and inestimable liberalitie ô incomparable dignitie of mans soule Man was farre from dreaming of it Angels could neuer haue imagined it God himselfe could giue no more then God in a gift Ah my soule the verie heauens can giue no more then we possesse They are diuine truthes we speake the great S. Paule assures it Know you not that your members are the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you And againe The spirit of God dwelleth in you Well may we glorie in this obsolute assurance of so incomparable a gift and guest But forget not my soule what followes But if anie violate the Temple of God God will distroy him THE III. MEDITATION The Holy Ghost is a permanent gift I. POINT CONSIDER of what a permanent plentie and blisse poore man is possessed by the bountie of this heauenly git which is accomplished with all perfections It is a gift it cannot then be recalled it is our owne nothing being more ours then what is our owne by free gift It s a free gift it was not bought or borrowed but freely bestowed Loue then was the cause of it loue which is an efficacious wishing well or wishing good to the beloued Affection Ah my soule this heauenly gift is no lesse absolutely permanent then superlatiuely excellent and no lesse sure as to externall force then a huge possession The theeuish world cannot robbe it The power of darkenes cannot wrest it out of our hands The God that gaue it takes it not awaye Non deserit nisi deseratur He forsakes not vnlesse he be first forsaken Selfe trecherie at home alone can hazard it selfe disloyaltie can loose it hatred for loue by consent to mortall sinne can driue this Loue this gift this God out of dores II. POINT CONSIDER from whom we had this good gift and we shall find it came from all the three persons of the holy Trinitie I saith the Father will powre out my Spirit vpon all flesh I will aske my Father saith the sonne and he will send you another comforter I will send him to you saith he againe And the holy Ghost saith Sainte Augustine is so giuen as God's gift that he is also his owne gift he is both the gift and the giuer All the three persons in the B. Trinitie were imployed in mans creation and all are imployed too about his sanctification We will come to him to wit the father sonne and holy Ghost and we will take vp our Residence with him Affection Blesse ô my soule that Father of lightes that good giuer of all good gifts who sent his holy breath or spirit downe vpon vs. Blesse that Lambe of God who by his death merited that blessing for vs. Blesse in fine that holy Spirit who was himselfe both the giuer and the gift and graciously came
and fourth-with to laye the doores of our hart wide open and leaue him at the least in the free and absolute possession of that nothing of ours whose custome it is out of nothing to worke great thinges Finally lets for him and in him giue halfe the riches of our harts to wit loue to our poore neighbour and if hitherto we haue defrauded him of that due debt le ts restore by louing him hereafter fouretymes as much THE VI. MEDITATION The III. Motiue Of reuerence c. I. POINT CONSIDER with that veneration and dread we are to approch to the Blessed Sacrament by reason of the great nobilitie and dignitie therof as being superlatiuely most excellent in all respects Since it conteynes whole Chr. in his three substances His sacred flesh his reasonable soule his blessed diuinitie The first as being conceiued of purest Virginall bloud by the worke of the holy Ghost and being hypostatically vnited to the diuinitie doth farre exceede all corporeall substances The second as inioying the plenitude of all vertue and wisdome exceedingly passes all spirituall creatures The third as being God infinitly outstripps all thinges that either are or can euen be imagined Affection O my poore soule stand amay sed at this with reuerence feare and loue Thou art indeede going to receiue into thy narrow and impure hart that pure sweet immaculate innocent Virginall body which none but a pure Virgine was worthy to conceiue That heauenly soule in which dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhoode corporally that is by the vnion of the Deitie to the verie substance of that soule and that body wherby they become not figuratiuely but really and in verie deede God man a humanized God a deifyed man Sed quomodo fiet istud how should this be done By what care by what cost by what abilities of ours Alas my soule by noe other meanes then by the vertue of the highest by the assistance of the holy Ghost who wrought those heauenly wonders in the Virgines wombe THE FOVRTH MOTIVE Of reuerence c. Our owne pouertie and nothing II. POINT CONSIDER that if this blessed Sacrament ought to be receiued with so much reuerence and dread in respect of the greatnesse and Maiestie of the giuer and the excellencie of the gift how much more ought the same to be done if we looke well into the indignitie of the receiuer It is not an Angell a Cherubin or Seraphin who is sorted out for this great worke not now an vnspotted Virgine replenished with grace but euen a poore man borne of a woman replenished with all the infirmities and miseries imaginable Affection Ah how iust occasion haue we vpon this admirable and singular graciousnesse to crye out lost as it were in admiration with humble S. Francis O Lord who art thou and who am I Thou art infinite Maiestie I excesse of miserie Thou puritie and sanctitie it selfe I impuritie corruption and rottennesse Thou my God and all thinges I the clay which thou framedst the slaue which didst redeeme and compared to thee euen a meere nothing THE VII MEDITATION The 5. Motiue Of reuerence c. I. POINT CONSIDER that if my naturall pouertie and miserie which are punishments that the infection of anothers sinne conueyed vpon me administer so iust occasion of humiliation feare and reuerence in the approche to the dreadfull Maiestie which I am to receiue what a huge waight of apprehension and confusion must not my owne voluntarie and ordinarie sinnes needs loade vpon me Here we neede to vse noe amplification nor exaggeration Let euery one looke into the booke of his owne conscience and reade and with the whole humilitie of his hart say Peccauimus iniquè egimus c. Affection O dread Maiestie thou hast the criminall not denying not excusing not extenuating but humbly confessing at thy feete I Lord we haue sinned we haue done vniustly we haue committed iniquitie And we euen dayly sinne if not in deedes in words if not in words at least in thoughtes But what shall we say or doe to thee ô thou keeper of men whither alas can we safely fly from thee but to thee where thy verie selfe art made a propitiatorie Sacryfice for sinne I know and ingenuously confesse quod non sum dignus sed amo I am not worthy but I doe or hartily desire to loue Non sum ignarus sed amo I am not ignorant of thy worth and myne owne indignitie but I loue It is not presumption then deare and dread Lord that leades me but loue Nor can euen that be accomplished in me by myne owne endeuours but by thy grace and where should I seeke or hope to find it but in thy verie selfe the fountaine of all grace Resolution with all the feare reuerence and loue then my hart is capable of I humbly approche vnto thee c. THE VI. MOTIVE Of Reuerence c. II. POINT CONSIDER that if the indignitie of the receiuer compared to the Maiestie of the person receiued ought to strike vs with reuerence and feare c. So ought it noe lesse to adde to our care and diligence in making the preparation Were a King to entertayne a King the equalitie of their persons might iustly abbate part of the care because his ordinarie magnificence leades neere to what is due nay were it some great Lord or Courtier that were to receiue a King he were at least no stranger to regall state but when the King daynes to diuert to the cottage of some poore swayne alas how he is lost hauing neither equalitie nor qualitie nor skill nor riches to beare him out And yet the poorest clowne is equall to the greatest King in qualitie of man a reasonable creature wheras betweene God and man there is no proportion at all Affection What could he then doe and what can we doe my soule but in contemplation of Gods admirable Maiestie and our owne vnspeakle miserie with an humblely confident confusion crye out with the Centurion that we are poore miserable vnworthy creatures farre farre vnfitt to receiue such Maiestie vnder our poore roofe vnlesse by his powerfull word by which he made heauen and Earth and all the prouisions comprised therin he giue himselfe the welcome pronouncing a blissing of peace to the poore ruinous disorderly house of our hart saying pax huic domui that so the people of our familie our passions being quieted and putt in a high silence our poore harts may sing a thousand good wishes to him and call all the creatures knowing their owne pouertie and incapacitie at home to ioyne with them to ringe a full peale of prayses to his glorious name for euer THE VIII MEDITATION What Preparation we are to vse I. POINT CONSIDER that one of the best parts of our preparation is to know and putt downe for certaine that of our selues we are not able worthily to prepare our selues Nothing but fire is able perfectly to dispose woode to receaue the forme of fire Nor is there any
this B. Sacrament was to testifie the greatnes of his loue to his faithfull according to that of S. Iohn Iesus knowing that his houre approched that he was to departe out of this world to his heauenly father wheras he loued his who were in the world he loued them to the end Wherby as in his incarnation he vnited our flesh to his diuinitie by an hypostaticall vnion so doth he in the Euchariste vnite the same to the said diuinitie Sacramentally and doth as it were incorporate it and render it diuine Affection O my euer dearest Rabboni what a huge fire of loue thon laiest to my hart Ah my poore soule must we not needes acknowledge that a deadly colde hath benummed thee if the blood of a God dyeing cannot recouer heate and life into thee He loued thee in the beginning he loued thee before the beginning he loued thee first he loued thee most he loued thee to the end yea after the end sith he applies the blood he powred out for thee daily to thy hart And to what end all this powerfull pressing but to gaine thy hart to loue THE XIII MEDITATION Tbe third Cause That he might remayne with vs. I. POINT CONSIDER that the third cause of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament was that so he might leaue himselfe to vs and be alwayes present with vs that we might familiarly conuerse and coferr with him consult him in all our doubts haue recourse to him in all our difficulties pressures temptations and tribulations making good in effect that of the Prouerbs My delights are to be with the sons of men S. Fran. It is a great miserie and a lamentable infirmitie that hauing him so present we yet should care for any other thing in the world Affection O God thou art truly our gracious Emmanuel our nobiscum Deus our God with vs. No other nations haue their Gods so neere as our God is neere to vs. Thou art alwayes with vs deare Lord and thou hast the words of eternall life to whom then shall we goe for Counsell for comfort for assistance in all our difficulties but to thee alone who hast giuen vs such assurances of thy singular loue and shewen in effect that thou wilt not leaue vs Orphants but wilt gather vs together as the henn gathers her chickens vnder her wings Remayne with vs then deare Lord and we will stay with thee nor will we euer depart or remoue our selues from 〈…〉 at blessed protection of thyne The fourth Cause c. Toleaue vs a representation of his Passion II. POINT CONSIDER that a fourth cause of the inst of the B. Sacram. was that by his last will he might leauevs an Idea formeor representation of his life and Passion which might continually refresh in euery one of vs the memorie of our Redemption purchaced at so deare a price as his owne pretious blood For while we looke vpon the species of the bread alone the dead body of our sweete Sauiour is represented vnto our mynds and by the species of the wine alone we are put in mynd of the effusion of his pretious blood whence S Paule as often as you eate this bread and drinke this cupp you shall announce or declare the death of our Lord till he come Affection O my soule le ts neuer forgett at how deare a price we were bought and thervpon glorifie and beare God about in thy breast This that appeares to thee vnder the species of bread alone is left to represent vnto thee and putt thee in mynd of the deade body of thy deare Master And this which thou seest vnder the species of the wine alone to renew to thee the effusion of his pretious bloud And both togeither crye loude to our hartes as frō his sacred mouth Christians friends at least you my spouses Remember my bloudie sweate Remember the scornes and contumelies I suffered Remember my patience and humilitie in the midst of them Remember my vineger and gale my huge torments my vtter abandonmentes and for loue of you As often as you doe this doe it in memorie of me THE XIV MEDITATION The fift Cause The exercise of all vertues I. POINT CONSIDER that a fift cause of the Inst of the B. Sacrament was to leaue a continuall occasion of the exercise of all vertues Our Faith is exercised while we beleeue that a whole God and man lyes hidd and is contayned really and truly though inuisiby vnder a smale hoste Our Hope while seeing him dayly and hourely bestowe himselfe we cannot despaire of obtayning any thing lesse then himselfe Our Charitie while we looke into his open side which is a fornace of inflamed loue Religion adoreing him with soueraigne worshipe or Latria Our obedience and humilitie while captiuating our vnder standing in obedience to faith we constantly beleeue maugre the suggestion of our senses and our naturall reason that God lyes truly hidd vnder these slender and meane accidens of bread and wine Affection Yes my soule here we may euery day comfortably and meritoriously exercise our faith where sight taste touche fayle Faith with eagles eyes lookes home and assures it is our hiddem Lord that is eleuated before vs. It is my Lord the verie Lord that made me and dyed for me Yes he himselfe tels it me saying This is my body And I imbrace his word adorc him And whom I adore present by a goodnesse which hath nothing like to it how should I not wholy conside How should I but hope in him whome I haue for a pledge in hand that he will himselfe be my reward for euer And how should I not loue him who so graciously stayes with me here below reserues himselfe for me aboue I doe ther-for confesse thee present confide in thee loue worshippe thee ô Lord and stoope downe to this admirable mysterie of Loue with all the humilitie and obedience my hart is able to conceiue The sixt Cause c. A memoriall to preuent obliuion II. POINT CONSIDER that the sixt cause of this Sacred Institution was to leaue a meanes to remoue the greatest mischeife that can befall a poore creature which is the obliuion of his Creatour They forgot God who saued them saith the Psalmist their harts departed from him who made them And what became of it but coruption and abomination corrupti sunt abominabiles facti sunt For by obliuion of God we loose diuine grace waxe vgly and deformed by the infection of sinne and become slaues to the Diuell Affection Ah my soule how should we euer be sovnhappie as to forgett him in whom we liue moue and haue beeing who while we yet were not raysed vs to what we are Who while we abused that beeing and strayed from him had for vs thoughtes of peace and not of affliction thoughtes of reconcilement and saluation Can a Mother saith that Louer of Men forgett the child of her body and though she should yet would I neuer forgett you Ah how should
my deare Iesu and I am still desiring to loue thee more and more For in verie deade thou art sweeter then any honie more nourishing then any milke more delicious then all that is delightfull O inflamed Loue who art euer burning and art neuer quenched doe thou inflame me Let me I say be wholy inflamed by thee that so I may wholy loue thee For alas he loues thee too little who loues any thing with thee which he loues not for thee Come deare Iesu come into my soule which thou thy selfe hast prepared towards the receiuing of thee through the desire wherwith it was inspired by thee Enter into it I beseech thee and make it fit for thy selfe that as thou hast made it and redeemed it thou maist also possesse it and place thy selfe as a seale vpon it Giue me thy selfe ô my God restore thy selfe to me for all thinges which are not my verie God are nothing to me I loue thee ô my god I loue thee and if it be yet too litle ah make me loue thee more and more ardently Who am I and who art thou deare Lord who am I I say that the King of heauen the God that made me should come to visite me Alas my Lord I am not ignorant but I loue I am not presumtuous but I loue I euen quake to approach to thee but alas without thee I quite languish and dye Great indeede is my miserie yet infinitly greater is thy mercy And whither my euer mercifull Lord should my languishing Soule run from thee but to thee O that I were able to receiue thee with that humilitie obedience loue and feruour that thy Sacred Virgine Mother conceiued thee O that I had the burning loue of an Angell to receiue thee the foode of Angells O thou spouse of my soule come quickly unto me Come wound my hart with thy loue Come take vp thy mansion and repose in my poore breast Come sweete Iesu come away delay noe longer the hart which thou louest is infirme and languisheth for thy presence Come health come life come thou onely desire of my soule Immediatly before receiuing say O my soule behold thy spouse is coming Goe out and meete him He is thy Creatour thy Lord thy King thy father thy Pastour thy Phisitian thy Crucified Loue Iesus-Christ who louingly payd downe his owne pretious bloud for thy ransome and leaues himselfe wholy for thy foode Aspirations c. presently after receiuing I Haue found thee I haue found thee whom my hart loues nor shalt thou depart from me but lodge betweene my breastes I hold thee I possesse thee I inioy thee in this narrow cottage of my hart whom the heauens cannot comprehend O kisse me with a kisse of thy heauenly sweete mouth my deare Iesu for thy breastes are better then the most deliciously parfumed wine Thy name is oyle powred out thy voyce sweete thy face comely and thou art wholy faire and desiderable O bread of life bread of Angells sanctuarie of soules O sweet and secreete comforter of holy hartes O heauenly Spouse ô Iesu my dearest loue O riches of the soule solace of the afflicted foode of the famished O my ioy my glorie and all my Beatitude Noe other nation had euer their Gods so neere to them as our God is neere to vs who comes himselfe to feede vs with his glorious body and bloud O vnspeakable grace ô admirable fauour ô infinite Charitie What is this that I feele what fire is this that inflames my hart How sweetly doth it heare How secreetly doth it shine How delightfully doth it burne O Goodnesse Goodnesse Goodnesse so old and so new Too late too late alas haue I loued thee who art indeede my onely deare and saciating delight Resolutions after receiuing 1. Since by a mercy neuer sufficiently admired I haue receiued God himselfe as a pledge of his excessiue loue to me The whole loue of my poore hart shall be continually imployd to render him loue for loue Being daigned with his loue I will noe more stoope downe to the loue of creatures but in him and for him 2. Since I haue receiued thy selfe as a Memoriall of all thy wonders my memorie shall be wholy imployed to represēt vnto my thoughtes the abismall humiliations and sweete Mysteries of thy Natiuitie the diuine lessons and labours and wonders of thy blessed life the ineffable torments contempts abandonements and patience of thy bitter passion the singular dearenesse of thy pretious bloud powred out for me thy Law of loue thy innumerable benefits and graces heaped vpon me c. 3. Since I haue had the happinesse to be fedd with the foode of Angells I will neuer more so vnhappily debase my selfe as prodigally to feede with swine I will not after so noble a banket fall vpon dunge c. But rather Angell-like incessantly with hunger of hart feede of that foode and sing his prayses Pronouncing many tymes especially that day My beloued hath testified to my hart that he is myne and I am his His delightes are to be with me and myne shall euer be to be with him I will peirce the heauens with my hart and in my cogitations I will alwayes be with my God My beloued shall be to me a posie of Myrre and shall dwell betwixt my breastes Stay with vs ô Lord stay with vs because it growes late We perish ó Lord we perish and better it is we should not be then be without thee My God and my all A way how to exercise a louing and filiall sorow continually for the greatest sinnes of our life past O Deare Iesu woe is me that euer I did offend thee Alas my dearest Lord it had bene but iust if I had bene lost for euer But thy myld mercy preuented me Yes my soule it was indeede the meere mercy of our Lord that we were not consumed Nisi quia Dominus adiuuit me paulo minus habitasset in inferno anima mea Had not our Lord assisted me by his speciall grace my soule had bene litle lesse at this houre then inhabitant of Hell Yet in that mercy I am humbly confident thou art now with me because I haue conceiued a firme purpose to amende my life in generall and such and such a fault or imperféction in particular making a reflection of what fault most raignes in your hart remayne therfor with me dearest Father and I le remayne with thee And will not be separated from thee for euer For alas my deare Sauiour without thee I am neither able to aduance one foote nor euen stay where I am since in verie deede without thee I am nothing I haue nothing I can doe nothing There is nothing that is good either from me or in me or by me But all good flowes eternally from that vast Ocean of thy essentiall Goodnesse Grant therfor deare Iesu that I may liue in thee and to thee and that I may dye to the world and to all its pompes and vanities and euen to all
creatures but in thee and for thee Let my senses dye which begett bastard desires in me And keepe my eyes for euer fixed vpon my crucified Lord and Loue who is my life my health my strength my saluation I was euen wholy plunged in death and thou hast wholy reuiued me And therfor as all my whole life and beeing are thyne so I offer vp my whole selfe to thee Let my whole Spirit my whole hart my whole body and my whole life liue to thee Yes my deare life thou hast deliuered me wholy that thou mightst possesse me wholy Let me loue thee deare Lord let me loue thee as much as I desire and as much as I ought O dearest heauenly Father what my hart most desires or desires to desire is but what thy heauenly hart most earnestly demands and most absolutly commands knocking instantly incessantly at this poore miserable hart of myne to witt that I should loue thee Giue then ah giue then what thou commandest and commande what thou wilt Amen PRAYERS TAKEN OVT OF THOMAS A KEMPIS A Prayer for the Loue of vertue and the hatred of Vice O Lord God of vertues to whom euery best thing belongs ingraue the loue of thy most sweet name vpon my hart Plant the rootes of true vertues in me and make the seedes of holie Mediation with the vardant freshnes of good works increase and sprout vp least I remaine idle in thy howse like an vnfruitfull tree but rather tille me as a fruitfull oliue and absolutelie roote out and reduce to nothing whatsoeuer thou findest vicious in me Grant me grace to hate my vices giue me force victoriously to conquer my passions to mortifie my concupiscences and to suppresse the motions of my pride in me to appease anger to expelle sloath to detest auarice to repulse bad sadnesse to contemne glorie to flie honour and to renounce all earthlie consolations so that nothing that is terreane fraile vaine curious carnall fawning harsh couetous base false or feyned may touche moue intice catch insnare or seduce my hart Grant that I may loath all terreane things earnestly desire eternall things loue what euer is good attaine to all vertue know the prime truth and enioy eternall felicitie Grant that I may meete with a blessed and happie howre of death and in the interim continually walke in thy feare and loue Free my hart from all creatures and from euerie thing which might hinder or obscure the same Grant that I may bee simple pure and all glewed to thee and wholie adheare vnto thee Grant me true internall and diuine peace and that I may possesse a quiete minde deuoide of all perturbation Grant that I may not be viciously affected to anie temporall thing nor desire to be knowne cared for or be foolishlie loued by men because they all seduce and are seduced who inordinatly desire or loue any thing out of thee Permitt me not to drawe anie one to me by flatterie and obsequiousnesse but wisely to remoue all men from my selfe and securely direct them to thee and not to loue or looke vpon anie thing in man or any creature saue what is thine and for what they were made A Prayer for patience in time of tribulation and anguish of hart O My beloued Lord God my holy Father I am not worthie to be comforted and visited by thee but to be chasticed and whipped with sharpe stripes I haue well deserued manie afflictions and tribulations because I haue grecuiously offended and been vngratful for thine innumerable benefits I am not worthy as are the rest of good faithfull Christians and my deuout bretheren to be recreated with diuine consolations and to be numbred among the heauenly banqueters But I humbly beseeche thee ô my holy Father my deare and pious Lord make me one of the least of thy hyreling that I may at least be one of their laste seruants whose footstepps I am not worthie to kisse Let them enioy manie and great consolations whom thou louest and honorest by speciall priuiledge of loue But let it be a great and most acceptable present to me who am the least and most miserable of all that thou sparest me not but dost afflict me with manifold contradictions and sorowes Giue patience ô pious Lord and let all tribulation and anxietie be farre more wishfull and welcome to me then anie consolation And grant that I may accept of and suffer this particularly for thine honour not out of a desire of adding to mine owne aduantage or hope of a greater reward Let no gaine be greater to me then cheerefullly to suffer for thy honour to desire to be vnderualued and annihilated euen to the ground and in verie deede to bee made subiect and humbly to be throwne downe vnder the feete of all men O Soueraigne Truth My God eternall light ingraue this into my hart that I may waxe vile in mine owne eyes and that I may contemne my selfe and esteeme my selfe in this world as a bannished pilgrime a poore vnknowne man a neglected solitary person abandoned by euerie creature and that I may no where seeke for hope and solace saue in thy selfe alone Nay grant that I may repute my selfe as one dead vpon earth and buried to the world whose memorie is alreadie longe a goe past by and hath left no other footestepps or markes of it selfe saue a poore miserable graue which lyes hidd vnder ground Grant ô eternall Wisdome of the Father that I may frequently and seriously run ouer these things in my hart and continually fixe it vpon my laste things by a deepe consideration and so prepare my selfe for future iudgement running out before thy face by prayers and lamentations A Prayer to prayse God feruently MY God my praise and my glorie I earnestly desire to prayse thee with as loude a voice and as deuoute a hart as euer anie creature praysed thee in heauen or earth I ardently desire to honour thee with as great and worthy an honour as euer thou wast honored by anie Sainte in thy Celestiall Kingdome I wish to venerate and loue thee with as ardent affection and as amorous a hart as euer anie deuout and perfect person did or doth loue thee in this world Let the heate of thy sacred and pure loue be alwayes renewed in me and inflame my reynes and hart as a fire descending from aboue Let it purifie and burne all my interiour partes that nothing of vicious may remayne in me which may offend the eyes of thy Maiestie O my God thou true searcher of my hart all my desires are in thy sight and all my grones for my manifold defects to wit my Spirit often failes through the want of inward sweetnesse and charitie I offer vp therefore to thee the desire of my desire to the honour of thy name Receiue my hartes desires as a morning Sacrifice and let my prayers ascend vnto thee as an euening incense and please thee for euer Amen THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE CONCEPTION OF
because therfor it is giuen that the hardnesse of the harte may be taken away THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY And other fell among thornes and the thorues grew and choked them THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER finally that another parte of the feede fell among the thornes which stisles the young and tender grouth therof and that happens not as in that seede which falling vpon the high way was troden vnder foote and could take noe roote nor as that which fell vpon the rocke which for want of earth could take noe deepe roote but hauing earth enough to take a deepe roote and produce fruite it was choked as our Sauiour himselfe interpreetes the parabole in the same Gospell by wordly cares and solicitudes and deceiptfull riches Affection Accursed cares which make vs carelesse of that which most concerns vs and stifles the word and law of God in our harts Accursed riches which render our soules poore and barren The riches which as fooles conceiue doe tickle them with delight Wisdome assures vs to be thornes which pricke wound and kill Who would euer haue beleeued me saith the great S. Gregorie if I should haue interpreted riches to be thornes since these wound those delight And yet thornes they are saith truth it selfe since the thoughtes of thē doe teare our myndes in peeces with their sharpe pointes and when they waigh vs downe to sinne they drawe bloode THE SECONDE POINTE. And other some fell vpon good ground and they yealded fruite CONSIDER that the good ground which fayles not to yeald fruite is the well disposed harte of man which by the preuention of Gods grace hath nothing opposite to that good seede To witt it neither lyes open to the curiosities and thronges of the world but is shutt vp within it selfe Nor is rockie and stuborne but supple mylde and docile Nor lastly is it ouerspred with thornes that is with riches honour and pleasures but contrarily possessed with the contempt of them they being indeede the chokers of all the seed of heauen and the sourses of all mans miserie Affection Giue me then ô Lord in lieu of all riches honours and pleasures a docile hart a good soyle prepared by thyne owne holie hand that thy sacred word and heauenlie inspirations may find noe opposition therin but yeald fruite an hundred fold Let it be hedged in by thy feare that it lye not open to vanities Let these hard flintes of myne be so moystened with thy melliflous word that they may flowe with milke and home Finally let those thornes of riches be rooted out of my harte that it may not stifle but nourishe thy good seede THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR QVINQVAGESIME SVNDAY Iesus said to the twelue Apostles behold we goe vp to Ierusalem and all things shall be consummate which were written by the Prophetes of the son of man Luc 18. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER how fitly the wisdome of the Church applyes this Gospell intimating Christs B. passion to this tyme wherin we are disposing our selves to enter into the rigour of a penitentiall life therby to applie to our soules the merites of the said passion Fitly I say since it seemes to say to all Christian hartes with the great S. Paule thinke diligently vpon him who sustayned of sinners such contradiction against himselfe that you be not wearied fainting in your minds for you haue not yet resisted to blood as he did in fighting against sinne Forgett not then in the tyme of your pennance the consolation which speaketh to you as it were to children my sonne neglect not the discipline of our Lord neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked of him for whom our Lord loueth he chastiseth and he scourgeth euerie child which he receiueth Affection The soldier saith the deuoute S. Bernarde feeles not his owne wounds while he lookes vpon the wounds of his Kinge Noe my soule there is nothing that can so sweeten that sharpest sufferances as fixedly to behold the sufferances of the sonne of the Kinge of glorie and that not for his which were none but for thy crymes for thy loue for thy redemption Looke vpon him then in thy pressures be they of body or of mynde and thou shalt like them thou shalt loue them thou shalt be delighted in them What can be so deare to a loueing harte as to be like its beloued cost that ressemblance what it will it shall fall far short of the delight it bringes with it THE SECONDE POINTE He Christ shall be deliuered to the Gentils and shall be mocked and scourged and spitt vpon c. and then shall be killed and the third day shall ryse againe CONSIDER this description or prediction and blush to be found a fainte and delicate soldier vnder so generous and patiently suffering a Capitaine Ponder it well and be more and more confirmed in the faith of Christ and the truth of Christian Religion against Iewe Turke or Athist for what he here fortells and afterwarde performes was longe before foretold by the Prophetes which could neuer haue bene so punctually performed had not their pens bene guided by the finger of the holy Ghost Sopho He shall be deliuered vp to the Gentils to witt Pilate and his soldiers to be mocked Dauid speaking in the person of the Messias I was whippt all the day longe Isaye I turned not my face from those that spitt vpon me wisdome Let vs condemne him to a most infamous death Sopho. expect me in the day of my resurrection speaking in the person of Christ Affection Consider I say my soule againe and againe what thy Lord and master thy Christ thy God suffers for thee for thee a poore miserable lost seruant and be ashamed to be so backward to suffer any thinge for those many crymes of thyne Let vs looke vpon that Authour of faith and consummatour of all his heauenly fathers commands and of all that was foretold of him by the Prophetes and crye out with Dauid ô Lord thy testimonies are made exceeding credible they are too too cleare for any euer to be able to doubt of them THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE FIRST SVNDAY IN LENT BY WHOM WAS IESVS TEMPTED Iesus is ledd by the spirit that is the holy Ghost that he might be tempted by the Diuell Matth. 4. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that as all Christs actions and passions all his words and workes were for our example instruction and consolation so was this in particular by a speciall graciousnesse for the instruction and comfort of his tempted seruantes He had taught vs by his holy word that the life of man was a perpetuall warrefare or temptation vpon earth and by his singular goodnesse that he pleased to be with vs in temptation for it was euen he the true sonne of God the wisdome of heauen the onely beloued of his heauenly father who was ledd out by the holy Ghost to be tempted to comfort and instruct vs in our temptations in his owne sacred person Affection Let
his hands full and is iustified The Pharisie preaches his owne iustice innocencie and vertues and yet returnes humbled The Publican is so farre from pretending iustice innocencie or vertue that he pleads onely his pouertie and sinfulnesse and relyes wholy on Gods mercy and he returnes home exalted Affection Let vs my soule haue as high conceipts as we will of our owne aduancement in vertue and good actions pride will neuer preuayle with God nay it will insensibly leade vs into confusion God alwayes disperses the proude in the conceipt of his hart and exaltes the humble Those he sends away with emptie handes these he replenishes with good thinges For loe the poore vnderualued despised Publican who found none of his owne iustice but his true pouertie and miserie to pleade his cause returnes iustified while the Pharisie is sent away with confusion THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE XI SVNDAY AFTER WHITSVNDAY And they bringe to him Christ one deaf and dumme Matt. 7. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER in this deafe and dumme man cured by our Sauiour in his passing by sidon c. the miserable condition of a poore soule which happens often to be both deafe and dumme too The greatest commerce that poore man hath with heauen is either by speaking or hearing I will speake to our Lord though I be but dust and ashes Abraham speake ô Lord for thy seruantheares Psal When the soule falls then into such a lythergie that it neither lists to speake to God by prayer nor to heare God speake to it by his preachers alas in what a lamentable state it is Affection Ah my soule if thou be'st so vnhappie to fall into so dangerous a desease that thou hast neither list to pray nor gust in prayer nor yet inclination to heare or reade the word of God wherby the soule should be strengthend and nourished fayle not to testifie to thy brethren by sighes and sobbs and teares that thou lyest sicke of the palsie and art sore tormented Procure at least some good soule to goe thy errand for thee and signifie to our mercyfull Sauiour in what a sadd condition thou art as did the good Centurion for his seruant Thus doe and confidently hope for assistance in Gods good tyme. THE SECONDE POINTE They besought him Christ that he would impose his hand vpon him CONSIDER that we are taught by these good people how we ought to behaue our selues towards our distressed brother They did not onely bringe him to our Sauiours presence but they sue for him and preuayle with that God of pittie to touch him with his holie hand and soone after to cure him Affection O my soule how our deare Lord loues that brotherly loue They noe sooner bring this distressed brother of theirs and interceede for him but that mercifull hart is touched with compassion and blesses them and him with the effects of their labours and prayers for his eares were opened and he spoke right Let vs hence learne neuer to feare to leaue the dearest deuotious we haue to afforde offices of brotherly charitie to our afflicted brother What we doe to them in qualitie of brothers of Christ we doe to Christ THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY And taking him from the multitude apart c. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that Christ tooke the Dumme man apart from the multitude before he perfectly cured him to teach vs that there is noe better way to cure our neighbours or our selues in case of our spirituall deafnesse and dumnesse then to quitt the multitude and to betake vs to some holy retreate There will Christ speake loude enough to be heard by the deafest eares there will he make the tongues of the dumme speake loude enough too to be heard by him there will the cure be absolutly wrought the eares being immediatly opened and the string of the tongue being loosed Affection I will leade her the faithfull soule into the wildernesse and I will speake to her harte The wildernesse my soule where our deafenesse ought to be cured is our chamber or Celle There the world is silent and breakes not our heades with its idle tumults and rumours but leaues God his turne to speake There he breakes through our deafnesse saying not to our eares but to our hartes I not the world am thy saluation and sayes it so that we heare it There it is too that he makes our dumnesse speake vnto him saying O deare Lord thou haste made me to thy selfe and for thy selfe and thence it is that wander where I will I am at vnrest and euen wearied out till I returne to thee Thou hast made my soule capable of thy immensitie and noe lesse thinge then thy selfe can or shall euer saciate that large capacitie Da mihi te redde mihi te For this will I day lie crye Thou art my harts repose Darke night 's my day in thee In solitude my God's A multitude to me THE SECONDE POINTE He doth all thinges well making the deafe to heare and the dumme to speake CONSIDER the exceeding gratitude of those good people for a temporall benefit and that done not to themselues neither but to their neighbour while we hardly take notice of so many spirituall ones done to our selues euery day They though otherwise commanded to tell noe body cannot conteyne themselues but they crye it out to euery body with ioy and wonderment freely publishing that he doth all thinges well making the deafe to heare and the dumme to speake Affection O my Lord my life and my dearest delight what is any man able to say of thee bearing any proportion to the multitude of thy mercys shewed to man shall we therfor be silent ô noe for woe be to them who are silent in thy prayse since euen they who speake most therof may be acounted to be but euen dumbe I am my deare Lord thy redeemed slaue thou haste thundered through my deafenesse and broken my bonds asunder Let my harte and my tongue praise thee and let all my bowells say ô Lord who is like to thee say therfor my soule if I forgett thee let my right hand be forgotten let my tongue cleaue to my iawes if I doe not remember thee and place thee in the begininge of all my ioyes THE FiRST MEDITATION FOR THE XII SVNDAY AFTER WHITSVNDAY Blessed are the eyes which see what you see Luc. 10. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER how great a Blessing it was indeede for a companie of poore fisher men to behold God incarnated fimiliarly to conuerse with him to discourse with him in a friendly manner to sitt at table and eate and drinke with him to be the hearers of the sacred words which streamed from his diuine lipps to be companions of his labours c. To see him in earth a milde Emmanuel whom the Cherubins and Seraphins adore with trembling in heauen Affection Certes my soule this was a great blessing and a thinge ardently breathed after by the Patriarkes and Prophetes who cryed out come
o Lord and delaye not come and pardon the sinnes of thy people come and saue man whom thou didst make of claye I would to God thou wouldst burst the heauens and descende and yet this happinesse was not granted them while we Christians inioy that or a greater For though as S. Chrysostome comfortably saith we haue not the happines to be hold his forme and figure his apparell c. Yet we see him we touche him we eate him O my soule what a singular honour is this to be fedd with him to be vnited to him and to be made one body of Christ and one flesh THE SECONDE POINTE. CONSIDER that tho those good Iewes the Apostles to whom the sonne of God was especially sent had a benediction of preference to haue seene him in person yet was there another noe lesse meritorious left for vs poore gentiles of seeing him by faith attested by the same Truth Blessed are they who haue not seene and haue beleeued for there saith Gregorie faith hath more merite where humane reason produceth noe euidence Affection Howeuer my soule the preference of seeing our Sauiour in body visibly may seeme a greate happinesse yet it is not therin that the happinesse of a Christian doth consiste but in that he beleeues by a firme faith him whom the Apostles saw to be truly the sonne of God and by so beleeuing begins to hope in him and to aspire to his loue since according to S. Augustine it is the dutie of a faithfull man to beleeue what he sees not that by the merite of that faith he may hope both to see and loue THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY What is written in the Lawe CONSIDER that this question of this Doctour in the lawe Master what must I doe to possesse life euerlasting may putt vs in mynd that to appeare wise and carefull of our saluation we often putt questions to God and man saying what are we to doe to aduance in perfection to be truly vertuows to attaine to life euerlasting c. wheras without asking we know it well enough for doe not we read in the lawe are we not all taught in our Catechisme Thou shall loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and thy neighbour as thy selfe Affection Noe my soule let vs not wilfully feyne to be ignorant of what we knowe Nor knowing it seeke for some new perfection The thinge commanded by God by the obseruance of which we are to liue euerlastinglie is neither aboue vs nor farre off from vs. It is not placed aboue the heauens or beyond the sea 's but is verie neere vs in our mouth and in our hart Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and thy neighbour as thy selfe Ah saith louing S. August had it not bene enough to haue permitted me the honour of louing thee but thou must commande it yea and threaten me huge punishments if I doe it not Ah deare Lord were it not the worst of punishments to be prohibited or depriued of that loue THE SECONDE POINTE Who is my neighbour CONSIDER that tho that greate Doctour of the lawe asked a question where he had noe doubt as he was forced to acknowledge for he redd in the lawe and knew well that to liue he was to loue God aboue all thinges and his neighbour as himselfe yet still he has another doubt to putt to witt who is his neighbour To which our Sauiour in effect answers not Iewes to Iewes onely but Iewes to Samaritons too and Samaritons also to Iewes that is according to S. Augustine euery man is neighbour to euery man for we ought to vnderstand him to be our neighbour to whom we owe workes of mercy in his present or future want as he too the like to vs in like necessitie Affection Let then the accompt of our neighbourhoode my soule and our loue to the same extend it selfe to noe lesse a compasse then the boundes of the whole world Let vs loue that is doe well to speake well to wishe well to all men of what condition profession religion and nation soeuer they be Let vs pray for Turke Iewe and Gentile least in thinking to hate an enemye we indeede may hate a friend the Turke happlie in Gods diuine prescience beeing neerer to him then we Let this saith the louing S. Audgustine be thought vpon let this be meditated let this be retayned in memorie let this be done let this be fully accomplished THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE XIII SVNDAY AFTER WHITSVNDAY There mett him ten Lepers who stoode a farre off and cryd with a loude voyce saying Iesu Master haue mercy on vs. Luc. 17. CONSIDER in these corporall Lepers how spirituall Lepers ought to behaue themselues to procure their cure They stay not till they be called the horrour of what they suffer is a sufficient spurre to them They come in troupes and way-lay him from whom they hope for cure They stand a farre off esteeming themselues infectious and vnworthy to approche They crye out with a loude voyce without specifying their desire knowing well that their loathsome out-side speakes that with more force and pittie to their Master Iesus to whose mercy they leaue themselues Affection Ah my soule doe we vse this promptitude in pointe of our leprosies or other spirituall deseases or rather doe we not vse a quite contrarie proceedinge while we daylie heare redoubled in our eares loose the bands of thy necke ô captiue daughter of Sion How longe wilt thou be heauie-harted and loue a lye and yet we sleepe on and yet while we liue in a loathsome languishment we seeke some more tyme to remayne vnhappie Doe we crye out with loude voyces or rather so lowe and faintly as tho we feared that God should heare vs and cure vs too soone a miserable condition wherin the great S. Augustine sometymes found himselfe and pittifully lamented it Ah my soule if we be so miserable as not yet to be in tearmes to begge hartily for our perfect cure let vs not fayle at least to laye open the masse of our vniuersall miserie before the eyes of our most mercyfull Lord to pleade for mery THE SECONDE POINTE. CONSIDER that we all are weake and miserable enough to haue fallen or to be subiect to fall into spirituall leprosies by the infection of sinne which conueys its poyson all ouer the whole body of our actions to witt by pride enuye hatred want of right intentions duplicitie of hart which depraues all our best workes and deriues an vniuersall deformitie or leprosie vpon vs. Affection Alas my poore soule this leprosie is but too ordinarie how litle soeuer vnhappie man seemes sensible of it nor finds it any cure saue from the hand of God alone Let vs euery one lay his hand vpon his owne hart and impartially acknowledge the truth Why are we disquieted and troubled vpon smale reprehensions and vnderualuings marrie because the Idol pride
knowledge to tempt and teache him Le ts first beleeue in him that he is the sonne of the liuing God because without faith it is impossible to please him and learne of him to be mylde and humble of harte and so we shall finde rest to our soules which in high and proude questions can neuer be found THE SECONDE POINTE. Thou shalt loue thy Lord thy God from thy whole harte with thy whole soule and with thy whole mynde This is the greatest and first commandement CONSIDER that this commandement of the loue of God aboue all thinges is most iustly called the first and greatest The first because it ought to possesse the first place in our harte The first againe because it ought to be in mans soule what the first … oouer is in the heauens which giues first motion to all the rest And it is the greatest because its whole ayme is summum bonum the souueraigne Good the greatest too because it comprises all Gods Lawe and all the vertues in a most eminent manner Affection O my soule how sweete how heauenly sweete is this lawe of loue which either finds all thinges easie or makes them such How gracious is this diuine Law giuer who deliuers vs so sweete a Lawe What is man ô Lord thou shouldst so magnifie him and place thy heauenly harte vpon him What is man to thee I say that thou shouldst commande him to loue thee yea and to be angrie and threaten to lay huge punishments vpon him if he loue thee not Alas is it not of it selfe punishment great enough if he doe not loue Alas should poore subiects who holde all of the Kinges of the earth neede any such threates to induce them to loue them THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart c. THE FIRST POINT CONSIDER in what manner and with what measure we ought to loue our Lord God And we are told by S. Bernard that the measure of louing God is to loue him without measure from our whole harte saith our blessed Sauiour by placing all our affections vpon him With our whole soule not permitting any of the passions to contest with it With our whole mynd by making choyce of the best meanes imaginable to accomplish his blessed will in the most perfect manner that man is capable off here belowe Affection This is the onely thinge my soule wherin there can be noe excesse He is infinitly more louely then we are able to be louinge O what a happinesse it is to be oppressed with the abundance of goodnesse Le ts dilate our narrow hartes dare as much as we are able breath after him incessantly and yet humbly acknowledge that we fall infinitly shorte of what is due saying with S. Augustine let me loue thee ô Lord as much as I wishe and as much as I ought wherin that I may not fayle proue as the Authour of the precept so the giuer of the grace to performe it giue what thou commandst ô Lord and command what thou wilt THE SECONDE POINTE. And the seeonde commandement is like to this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe CONSIDER that our B. Sauiour had noe sooner established that right of loue which is indispensably due to his heauenly Father but he falls vpon the dutie of his adoptiue brethren to one another which he also places in loue saying thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe With this difference notwithstanding that the measure of the loue of God is to loue him without measure and the measure of the loue of our neighbour is to loue him as our selues that ought to be exhibited to God because he is infinitly Good this to our neighbour be he good or badd because it was commanded vs by an infinite Goodnesse Affection O deare God how good thou art to men of right hartes O diuine wisdome how wisely and sweetly thou disposest of all thinges My soule if man had bene left to wishe what he would what other lawe could he haue wished then what he has a lawe of loue Wherin God and mans interests are so wouen togeither that the one will not be admitted without the other In vaine doe we professe to loue God if we hate our neighbour whom he commands vs to loue Nay saith the louing S. Augustine this must be putt downe for a certaine truth that there is noe surer way to attaine to Gods fauour then the loue of man to man Ama fac quod vis THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE XVIII SVNDAY AFTER WHITSVNDAY Iesus c. said to the sicke of the palsey haue a good harte sonne thy sinns are forgiuen thee Matt. 9. CONSIDER that Gods goodnesse and bountie is so greate that he often giues vs not onely what we aske but euen other thinges which we aske not which are farre greater and better The poore sicke of the palsey aymed onely at a temporall blessing the cure of his infirmitie and behold he meetes with farre more the remission of his sinnes from the mouth of truth saying haue a good harte sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Affection Such is the goodnesse of our good and bountifull God my soule that when we haue an humble recourse to him in simplicitie of harte he grantes vs often not onely what we desire but what he sees we most neede As at other tymes in exercising his mercy he refuses vs what we desire to grante vs thinges more conducing to our eternall good being still equally good as well in what he giues as what he denyes If we pray then day and night and be not heard as it happened to our blessed Sauiour himselfe let vs rest assured that what we asked was not for our aduantage acquiescing therin to Gods wise prouidence and desiring aboue all thinges to heare sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee THE SECONDE POINTE. CONSIDER that this wise Physitian of ours doth not onely shew his goodnesse and liberalitie in the care of the poore mans corporall and spirituall infirmities but manifestes his wisdome also in the manner of the cure to witt he first takes away the cause which is sinne By sinne it was saith the great Apostle that death and consequently all deseases leading to death gott first footing in the world and this woefull cause being once remoued from the soule he proceeds to the cure of the bodie Arise take vpp thy bedd and goe into thy house Affection Let vs learne then my soule of wisdome it selfe to be wise when we endeuour the cure of our deseased soule Le ts obserue the causes and occasions wherin we find our selues It is still in such and such circumstances I finde my fall It is in such companies I continually meete with the desease or death of my soule Let vs in tyme iudge our selues that we may not be more rigourously iudged That eye of scandall must necessarily be plucked out and throwne away without the reach of danger which who loueth shall perish in
's light is seene and 's heate our hearts doth cheere The light is found noe younger then the sun Nor is the heate after the light begun They 're all at once in tyme they 're equall all Nor this the first nor that the last we call Thus we a glimps but noe cleare light can see In th' order of the blessed Trinitie Stoope then my Muse thou takest too high a flight This is not reash't by word by thought by signt Leaue search of Maiestie descend belowe And what doth more concerne thee strine to knowe THE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in the order of nature VVHENCE was this thinge call'd man who is so gract ' That ore the vniuersall world he 's plact ' He was not ere much tyme had passd ' away While th' proudest man aliue in 's nothing lay Whence is the worlds great eye which makes the dayes And glad's the heart of man whilst it displayes Its golden beames depriues the starrs of light And sends the moone to walke her round by night Who hunge this earthly ball amidst the ayre And richly people'd it who vndertooke the care To haue it stock'd with all that might conduce To man's content for pleasure and for vse With beastes with birds with fruites of euery sorte For health for sicknesse nourishment disporte Tell whence the roaring Ocean did spring And whence it had the riches it doth bringe To euery Port whilst it the earth surrounds And where it daignes to touch the land abound's Call these and thousand 's more longe to relate Effects of goodnesse th' heauens communicate To thanklesse carelesse man nor is this all All these are guifts of nature poore and smale Compar'd to guifts of grace O let these be The subiects of our soules actiuitie THE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in the order of grace IT was the grace which sprunge from Bethleem stable Which made man more then man yea made him able To soare vp to the heauens to imitate The Angells gracefull blissefull ioyfull state By nature's guift it was we were made men The lords of all the creatures but when Free grace began to worke we did proceede From men to Angells yea to God's indeede For grace it is which nature doth refine To witt it makes vs share nature diuine We groueling lye in sinne nor can we stirre Till grace come in t' our ayde it is by her We ryse we walke we run we comprehend She calls vs vp conduct's vs to the end It was not natures strength which brought you hither But grace and nature wrought the worke togeither To leaue our parents nature doth not preach To quitt the land we loue she doth not preach All these are fruites of grace which makes vs loue What nature neuer lick'd did nere approue Hence naked men doe fight with bull and beare And Tyrants wroth nor sword nor fire they feare They scorne the Tyrants furie and rejoyce That of their nothinge wisdome had made choyce To magnifie his power and to confound The power of darknesse I their ioyes abound Amidst the worst of torment's which doe proue Noe paines to them but argument's of loue Noe paines to them but argument's of grace Which makes them stand vndaunted in the face Of fiercest foe to preach God's holy name B'ing gract ' withall to suffer for the same Hence tender Mayd's both ease and friend's forsake And to a choysen geole themselues betake Where they foretaste such sweetes of heauenly ioyes That all the world can boast appeares meere toyes HE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in a substantiall vnion by taking vpon him not the nature of an Angell but that of man THESE guifts are great these graces admirable Yet must not man esteeme them comparable To that vnparell'd one which we doe find So graciously imparted to mankind Where man is ioyn'd ô blist communion To 's God by a substantiall vnion Whence strange extreames are ioynd and whence we can Confirme that man is God and God is man And that the fruite which sprung from Iesses rodd Was truly Maries sonne and Maries God Hence man is raysd to all that 's great on high And God depresse to all man's miserie He louingly himselfe exinanites And th' Master to the seruant 's forme vnites He meekly humbles himselfe and is made The sinners price which on the Crosse he pay'd He 's in a manger layd he quakes with cold That old of yeares is now few moment's old He scrikes he sighes and shewres of syluer teares Gush from his eyes to wipe away our feares He hungers thirsts as sonns of mortalls doe And runs to Maries breasts to stench his woe He feares he flyes he wayles and makes great moane For stranger-crymes alas none of his owne O dearest goodnesse deare excesse of loue Which streamest from that drainlesse sourse aboue Oreflowe this barren heart of man and make These charming heauen-growne seeds of grace stil take More life more vigour cheerefulnesse and rooote That man may more heauen-suting fruits bring out All this I doe beleeue yet helpe my want Of faith ô Lord I find it weake and scant Els should I flye aboue with quicke addresse T' imbrace my Lord to loue his graciousnesse What nations euer had their God's so nigh That they this Christian truth could verifie Here lyes my God here lyes my God a man A man a God indeede as Christians can Our blest Emmanuel our God with vs Who fauours loues and Deifies vs thus That man dare humbly say of th' God of blisse Bones of my bones flesh of my flesh he is That man dare say a part of me 's aboue To pleade for more of mercy more of loue Since then a parte of me is truly there I le strongly hope for blisse farewell despaire My Lord my loue my life commande and giue What thou command'st in loue my life shall liue My life in loue shall liue in loue shall dye Thy boundlesse mercies ere to magnifie GOD'S BOVNDLESSE GOODNESSE in communicating himselfe truly and really in the B. Sacrament BVT here 's not all my soule here is not all The guifts we preach are guifts in general But loue bursts out and giues a louder call And strikes the eares of euery one and all Come Marie Martha Thomas Isbell Iohn Come all my dearest come come euery one My flesh I had from you my flesh I giue That I in you and you in me may liue My flesh I giue my bloode my deitie To lincke you all in th' bands of charitie Come dearest friends come dearest children myne Inebriate your selues of this chaste wine Come Angell-like endeuour still to meete Your God in loue liue like the God you eate For thjs I came and liu'd in your poore state That whom you worshippe him you 'd imitate Hearke how he calls If you desire to be My friends take vp your Crasse and follow me Doe you desire to walke I am the WAY I' st truth you ayme at Truth it selfe doth say I'am veritie Or
it and tyde it out 20. Nay my deare crucified Loue thou art indeede smitten by him for the sinnes of his people but thou art not forsaken we haue thyne owne word for it He that sent me is vvith me and hath not forsaken me He will within a short space deliuer thee and glorifie thee Wert thou forsaken by him thou wert forsaken by thy selfe too since thou art one and the same God with him and all your outward actions are common Thou hast povver to lay dovvne thy life and to resume it at thy pleasure Thou art thus treated and sacryficed because thou thy selfe wouldst Ah saith that louing seruant of thyne S. Augustine who is he who so easily sleepes when he would as Iesus dyed when he would who is he that with so much facilitie putts off his garment when he would as thou puttest off thy garment of flesh when thou wouldst 21. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me was noe complainte then but a voyce of the humanitie which yet was neuer separated from the Diuinitie which broke out from the excesse of his anguish Noe repining against his heauenly father but a lesson and reproche to vs my soule who see and heare these abismall excesses with drye eyes as not concerned wheras indeede the whole concernement is ours who had bene abandonned for euer had not our deare Lord for our loue for the loue of lost man dayned to be thus abandonned 22. A strange lesson making an absolute demonstration of the haynousnesse of sinne which can neuer be better knowne then by the inestimable greatnesse of the price and the ineffable strangenes of this abandonnement But a shamefull reproche if after the due consideration of this we liue in league with sinne and therby crucifie againe our crucified Loue. 23. A lesson pronunced with a loude voyce to strike through man's huge deafenesse to rouse vp his ingratitude and insensibilitie But a reproche if he remayne still deafe to so diuine instructions vngratefull for such heauenly benefits senselesse of such prodigious torments of a God 24. A lesson speaking a greater measure of sufferance and consequently a greater excesse of loue then euer the thoughts of men or Angells were able to reach too so that if the rest of his benefits of his Natiuitie c. putt a great waight vpon Christian harts and presse them to loue this seemes not so much a great waight as euen an intolerable and insupportable burden and doth not so much presse vs to loue as euen oppresse and beare vs to it by a dearely sweet force For here indeede God the Father putts the greatest commendation vpon his charitie that euen omnipotencie it selfe was able to putt While that Sainte of Saintes to whom Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus is sung in his Kingdome is abandoned in this direfull soyle to the excesse of torments and left dying for a sinner While he spares not his owne onely sonne but deliuers him vp for an vngratefull vngracious sinfull seruant while finally God is exposed and left to be murdered by and for miserable man But a most confounding reproche if at this moment we make not strong resolutions to deteste and forsake for euer that tyrannicall Monster sinne which putt our Lord and Master our best Benefactour our dearest spouse to such excesse of torments that they forced from him My God my God vvhy hast thou forsaken me 25. In so much that he the fountaine of liueing water is exhaust and waxen drie and he cryes out sitio thinke in this you heare him say t was I that created the sea fountaines all other moistures 't is I that rule the clowdes and powre downe rayne in due seaon T is I that offered the Nectarian cupps of eternall beatitude to Angells and Saintes and yet beholde for your sake haue I not a droppe of colde water to coole my exceeding heate But aske him and peraduenture he 'le tell you that his thirst is after another thing to witt Mans redemption for his meate and drinke was to haue his fathers will performed which was Mans Saluation Or els he thirsts after more sufferāce sitio that is notwithstanding these horrible paines and desolations which you haue seene me endure notwithstanding that the blood of my bodie is quite exhaust yet remaines the desire I haue to suffer for Man insatiate and readie to embrace a thousand deathes 26. O loue which alwaies burnest and art neuer extinguished burne my hart burne it wholie that it may liue only for thee and loue only thee and for thee And we my poore soule haue we nothing to offer to our loue our spouse in this his extreamitie haue wee nothing that may helpe to quench his thirst ô yes his drinke is his heauenly fathers will and his fathers will is whatsoeuer good we doe or suffer whether it be a deuout thought a sigh a teare spent in the consideration of this B. Passion or it is a taunt a scorne an infirmitie a temptation a reprehension an affliction corporall or spirituall tolerated for his loue or it is a fast a prayer a vigill a mortification an act of obedience a worke of Charitie or the like offered vp in his honour all this is an agreeable cuppe vnto him all this doth quench his thirst and can we be so mercilesse and vnkind as to offer none of these or shall we peraduenture be so inhumane and cruell as to present him with the contrarie as the barbarous Iewes doe with vineger and gaule for alas this was all the consolatiō offered him in his exceeding anguish 27. O vos omnes qui transitis viam dicite si est dolor sicut dolor meus ô all you that passe by say whether there be any greife like my greife Dolor from all sortes of men Iewes and Gentiles friends and foes by my Apostles absence and my Mothers presence Dolor in my fame honour and glorie Dolor in Bodie and Soule in euerie part in euerie sense à planta pedis vsque ad verticem capitis non est sanitas in me And yet after all this being thristie gaule and vineger are administred Popule stulte insipiens haeccine reddis Domino Deo tuo ô foolish and brainsicke people is this the returne which thou makest to the Lord thy God What haue I done to thee or what fault haue I committed that thou art so cruell towards me tell me is this a fitt exchange for all the benefitts I haue done thee I deliuered thee safely out of Aegypt I caused the sea make waie to thy drye passage I prostrated thine Enemies I fedd thee in the Desert with that heauenly food Manna I haue taken thy nature vpon me and haue peaceably cōuersed amongst you 33. yeares haueing left as it were for your loue my heauenly Raigne and is a cuppe of vineger and gaule the best present you can find in your harts to bestowe vpon me at my departure Popule stulte insipiens haeccine reddis Domino Deo tuo 28. Ah!
thou dagniest to bestow them I poore contemptible wretch borne the son of earth made the sonne of God the Heyre of God! The brother of IBSVS-CHRIST coheire with Iesus let me deare childe let me neuer more by a degenerous conuersation In such or such thinges making reflection of your greatest imperfections c. stayne the noble familie and the dignitie of the bloud and alliance into which I am addopted by thy graciousnesse May I rather dye then euer proue so base and disloyall Amen The first Med for Sanct Ihons day PONIT 1. Consider But if son hyere heyre of God God if kinge king of heauen king of maiestie king of glorie How becomes he then thus inglorious thus left thus lodgd thus layd Marrie out of meere goodnesse free mercy and vndue loue loue of nations which sought him not thought not of him which cared not for him nay which trangressed his commandements violated his lawes rebelled against his will and pleasure And that without any neede he had of them without any interest he pretended by them out of meere loue and mercy Aff. Good and omnipotent God! mercyfull and holy and deare father much much doe we owe thee for our creatiō for hauing made vs mē mē the master pieces of the workes of thy hand for hauing-bestowed a whole world vpon vs with all the admirable varietie of creatures comprised therin for our vse and seruice but incomparably much more now that thou hast sent thyne owne onely son thy son and heire the kinge of heauē equall to thy selfe Those were great indeed yet earthly ones but this is euen the best that heauen had to giue here thou didst indeede open and bestowe thesaurum tuum optimum thy very best treasure so that the mostvastly greedie hart cā neither desire nor euen imagine any thing greater any thinge equall to it or euen bearinge any proportion with it A son in whom thou wast well pleased for a fugitiue prodigall seruant in whom thou wast highly offended and euen while he was yet actually offending thee then euen then to putt the greatest commendations vpon thy mercy imaginable then Isay thou sentest him cum adhuc inimici essemus into abiection and prouertie into a poore hole of a rocke to be accompaigned with brute beastes for that yet bruter beaste man I can onely stand amaysed at this strange dispensation and dignation of thyne To send a son for a seruant a sainte yea the sanite of saintes for a sinner a God for man what a stronge hope must this needs beget in the hart of a sinner Resolution I confide in thee then ô my dearest Lord I depend wholy on thy mercy c. POINT 2. Consider that man was at an absolute losse hauing strayed from his way forsaken truth and forfeited life and this abridged word humanized or clothed with our nature is in very deede the way truth and life which he comes to teach the world There is no way to Christ but by Christ we liue in darkenesse vnlesse we be enlightened by the light of this truth we liue not indeede but languish and die vnlesse we be quickned and liue by this life This word alone deliuers this truth enlihgtens vs to discouer this way and by this way we walke home to this life which is Christ All these are folded vp in this dumbe word which for our loue is layd in a manger Aff. yes my soule euen so the case stoode with vs Sinne hadd spred it selfe ouer all the sonns of Adam and they were all straying like lost sheepe and had for euer strayed and remayned in their losse had nor this good shephard Christ come downe to seeke out and saue what had perihed And had not this Way mette the wandringe pilgrime this truth illuminated the blind man that satt in darkenesse and this life quickened the dying slaue that lay vnder the shadowe of death he had still erred remayned still blind and bene dead for euer For there is noe other name vnder heauen wherby we ought to be saued What obligations then haue we to Christ our redeemer how ought we to loue this word which teacheth vs or putts out this truth a sea-Beacon to vs poore creatures who are tossed at this huge sea and proues a light to our feete to walke in this safe way Christ which securely leades to the permanencie of an vn changable and euerlastinge life which is his very selfe Reso In this way then will I walke and run for euer if thou deare Lord wilt please to draw This truth will I imbrace for euer if thou daignest to giue perseuerance And this life of thyne will I striue to lead loue and breath after till I be druncke vp in life euerlasting PONIT 1. Consider That a chill Cold in the absence of the sunne of Iustice had eased and benummed the hart of man and rendred him senselesse of all good being cold frozen stupide without all feeling of heauenly thinges and this diuine word which notwithstanding the Cold which he now indures is indeede a consuming fire is come downe into the earth with his heauenly fire and what is his desire but that it should fixe vpon those benummed harts of ours and inflame them with his holy and burning loue For what will euer be able to doe it if this heauenly Prometheus this firebringing Messenger be not able to sett vs on fire What will be euer powrefull enough to speake excesse of loue to mens harts and to oblidge them to loue if the mute eloquence of a God lying dumbe the Word it selfe left speechlesse in a manger for their loue be not able to doe it And this is the extaticall loue-language of the diuine Word which lyes before our eyes this day in the cribbe Aff. Alas I my poore hart we are cold frosen and senselesse indeede in point of spirituall thinges we relish not we perceiue not the thinges which are of God And yet our miserie is so much the greater that perceiuing our selues deadly cold we rather chuse to starue then approch to the fire that actiue sacred heauenly fire which comes not downe but to burne to burne our frozen hartes as some tymes it did those two primitiue Hartes with whom he walked in the way to Emaus who found their hartes burning while he spoke And as it did your holy father then he cryed out as one loue sicke What is this that I feele what kind of fire is this that warmes my hart which so sweetly burnes so secreetly shines so deliciously seases vpon and inflames my soule with a deare delight Ah! this diuine Word is indeed as Dauid qualified it ignitum vehementer but it was in his meditation that it burnt all out in a flame But how should this happen si nemo recogitet corde if none hartily thinke of it how should hartes burne if none applie hartes to the fire Resp If his will be that it should burne then let our hartes in conformitie to that diuine Word
and Will say thy will be done And with your Holy father Inflame and pearce the very marrow of my dull hart with those saueing fires of thyne and let the flame of thy holy feruour drie vp and consume the peccant humours of my body and mynd 2. POINT Consider then that it was loue indeede buring loue and charitie that brought downe this silent word this beautifull saluation-weeping-child this King this metamorphized God of ours It was the immense and eternall loue of the Father and the son the holy Ghost by which he was conceiued in the sacred and pure Wombe of this Virgine Mother T was loue that brought him out Loue that lodged him in this poore cottage Loue that swadled him in poore cloutes Loue that layd him in this manger And loue of vs poore lost miserable sinfull men Propter nos homines for vs men assures faith and for our saluation he descended from heauen For his exceeding great charitie with which he loued the World saith the great Apostle Affec Oh what a hote batterie doth Loue lay to our soule what doth this full inflamed expression of loue say to our hartes but dilectus mens mihi the beloued soule of man is myne And what should or can man reply but ego illi Yes deare Lord thyne I am intirely and thou shalt be myne for euer my part my portion my substance the one thing which I onely desire my deare delight in tyme and eternitie What doth this say but deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum My delightes are to be with the sonnes of men And what shall the lost sonnes of men say but our dearest delightes are and shall euer be to be with the sonne of God His loue to me hath made him being the lord and Master stoope below men and lye amongst brute beastes and shall not my Loue to him being but a poore sinfull seruant make me in true desire lye vnder the feete of all men Thy charitie and example doth vrge me to loue thee and by thy precept I am oblidged to it But yet alas who is able to loue thee but by thyne owne gift Giue then ô Lord what thou cōmandest and command what thou wilt THE FOVRTH MEDITATION Of Humilitie Christs first lesson in the stable I. POINT COnsider that if Charitie brought him downe from heauen it was humilitie which was to entertayne him in earth If charitie made the son of God become the son of man it was humilitie which made the mother of God become the handmayd of God and man If the bowells of Gods mercy Iesus Christ begotten from all Eternitie was sent downe humilitie was to be the ladder by which he was to descēd for he beheld that is approued the humilitie of his hand-mayde And as mans humilitie or abiection was the first thinge which mercy looked vpon from heauen so was it the first lesson which he taught in earth against that great sinne which was the begining of all mischeife both in heauen and in earth To thend that as God looking vpon mans abiection became man so man by looking vpon and imitating the abiection and humiliation of a God might be raysed to the dignitie of an Angell or a God indeede and so be published happie for euer by all Nations Aff. Ah poore miserable man neuer esteeme thou begins to learne any thing aright in this schoole of Christianitie vnlesse thou beginst where Christ began Neuer thinke thou hast learned any thing till thou hast taken out this first lesson for what is said by S. Paule of charitie is also verified saith Sainte Augustine of humilitie If I should transporte mountaines giue all my goodes to the poore and euen my body it selfe to burne and yet want humilitie it profits me nothing O infinite mercy boundlesse charitie abismall humilitie who is he that vpon the disclosing of those bowells of Mercy which brought Maiestie downe into miserie abiection humiliation who is he I say that will not humble himselfe Resolution My eyes shall be alwayes sett vpon this hūble Maiestie and myne owne miserie that in the acknowledgement of that truth I may euer truly humble my selfe for his sake and in imitation of him be below all his creatures c. I. POINT Consider that this vile stable this narrow manger this comon place of shelter for brute beastes this oxe and Asse this eternitie not a day old this disguise or forme of a seruant these infant teares seeme to say to the eye and by the eye to the hart which afterwardes he shall with his owne mouth expresse in words Learne of me because I am myld and humble of hart My Litle children Learne of me your God become a litle child a lesson shutt vp from the wise and prudent of the world and left to me in my litlenesse to reueale it to litle ones because I am myld and humble of hart not in word and exteriour comportement onely but in effect with hart and affection Aff O Angells of heauen is this the Maiestie which you incessantly prayse whom the Dominatiōs adore whom the powers dreade with trembling whom the heauens ând heauenly vertues the Cherubines and Seraphins neuer cease to proclaine Holy Holy Holy O Kinge of Angells is this thyne owne onely sonne equall to thy selfe in Maiestie whom we see in a manger among brute beastes cold weeping abiect iust like one of vs O deare Sauiour or mylde son of the highest how low how lowe doth thy humilitie descend and withall how high doth thy charitie burne vp in this action O vaine mā what will euer be able to worke downe thy proude harte if the humilitie of a God will not doe it if power become impotent if strength growen infirme cannot preuayle Ah what is more strāge more detestable more greeuously punis-hable then that when we behold him that is the highest in the kindome of God made the least and lowest in this kingdome of men for mans example and loue man will yet be puft vp and remayne high in selfe-esteeme THE SECONDE MEDITATION For the same day I. POINT CCNSIDER againe the circumstances of the stable manger c. and you will find that where humilitie is practised her sister Obedience is not farre absent If Christ by all these thinges preache perfecte humilitie it is in order to Obedience He humbled himselfe being made Obediēt saith the great Aplostle If the stable be poore Manger narrow c. he therfore humbly endures them because such is his heauenly fathers will As my father cōmanded me so I doe I came downe from heauē not to doe myne owne will but his who sent me Whence S. Paule pronounceth a strange word Though he was the very son of God yet he was to learne Obedience by what he suffered here below being other wise as God equall to his heauenly father and as such could not obey Aff. Haue we thē a true desire to imitate our Sauiour Iesus Christ Let vs then humbly obey him and by his
bedd of our harte is too straite it is not capable of both God and the world If we be friēdes with it we must be Gods enemyes And stil as we begin to loue it it begins to leaue vs for it quickly passes by with all its concupiscences Resolution Liue Iesus then in my hart and possesse it wholy to himselfe And may the loue of that bewitching lyer be for euer banished from thence as the very obiect of my hatred since it hated my Lord and Master and he it c. THE SECONDE MEDITATION For the same Day I. POINT CONSIDER that blessed schoole of the stable is still open and another most important Christian lesson is to be learnt which is vnlesse one renounce all that he doth possesse he cannot be Christs Disciple The prudence of the flesh is death and if we liue according to it dye we must eternally If we desire to liue to Christ and with Christ and follow Christ we must first deney our selues dye to our selues or our owne inclinations take vp our crosse and follow him this is the condition of our Christian obligation there is no meane Christians must dye to liue This doth Christ crye out to our hartes by the rigour of the cold which he endures by his hard entertaynement by his scrikes by his teares c. by his humilitie obedience pouertie c. Aff. Will we then or will we not be Christs disciples Le ts examine our immost thoughtes and discouer our resolutions and know indeede in this holy tyme what they are Will we not In vaine then doe we beare the name of a Christian in vaine were we baptised in vaine doe we vsurpe the qualitie of spouses if we will not euen be seruantes Or will we Reade then and marke the condition of our obligation We cannot be his Disciples vnlesse we renounce all that we possesse The Goods of body of mynd of fortune Let none deceiue himselfe this must be done or nothing is done as to our eternall possession Die we must to all these dye we must to selfe loue selfe cōceipt to our commoditie our humour c. and take vp our Crosse to follow Christ according to the blessed example which he giues vs in this infancie of his in his verie first entrie into this world Nor is it good wishes will doe it but effectes Nor can we pay this dutie in part but it must be wholy done Vnlesse yee renounce all that you possesse all you cannot be my Disciples 2. POINT Consider yet in the stable that the verie beholding of Christ a child preaches forceably to our hartes that vnlesse we be conuerted and become litle children we cannot enter into the kingdome of heauē Pride cannot ascend with hūble Christ a bigge swollen hart cannot passe through Christs narrow way which leades to life euerlasting We must then of necessitie turne newborne childrē together with our newborne Christ Children I say which willingly and louingly runne after their father Loue their mother Haue noe animositie against their neighbour putt the same rate vpon a peece of gold and a peece of leade whose tender hartes are not puffed vp with pride nor griped with hatred nor disguised with fictions but are myld and simple sweete and maniable permitting them selues to be caried whither soener the mother pleaseth This is the lesson we are to learne of Christ a child Aff. If heauen be our ayme then If Christ be our example if we intend to liue Christianly indeede we must putt off the old man with the inclinations and impressions which he hath contracted and putt on the new with Christ who is according to Gods owne hart The sonne of God our Christ is become a child and we too be we as old as we will as learned as we will be we as wise as Salomons be we as strong as Samsons will we nill we our great hart must stoope and we must become litle children againe if we will be Christs Heauen and earth may passe but this word of God can neuer passe vnlesse you become litle children againe you cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Yeald yeald then my stubborne hart yeald thy selfe to this blessed example of thy Christ which by conquering thee will make thee à Conquerour for euer Runne after thy deare father Christ as still fearing to fall tenderly loue thy Catholike mother and sticke close to the chaste breasts of her counsels striue to be humble meeke docile litle sollicitous how thou are dealt with be in fine as a peece of clay in the porters hands onely beseeth him to make thee a vessell of honour not of cōtumelie THE SIXTH MEDITATION The comfortes of the stable I. POINT CONSIDER that vnder the humble weake and young members of this tender babe the power of a Diuine Majestie is shrewded It is God that lyes sucking at this Virgine mothers breastes He is vayled indeede with the pouertie of vile clothes and endures the hard and narrow manger but it is mercy which moued him humbly to it to thend the lost world might be redeemed He vseth the strikes of a child but it is to th end that by them we might auoyde eternall lamentations and gnashing of teeth He is wrapped in poore clothes but they serue to wipe away the filth of our sinnes Hes layd in a manger as the meate of brute-beastes but he is indeede the fatninge foode of men and Angells Aff. Yes my soule the place wherin thou stands is holy It is the very Maiestie of heauen which is here It is the verie God which made thee who lyes before thee This stable is his holy temple These poore apparances which may seeme to hide him from thyne eyes deliuer him more tenderly to thy hart for whose loue he lyes thus vayled So that by how much he descendes lower by so much doe thy hopes ascend higher For what mayst thou not confidently expect from an alpowerfull Lord so humbléd for thy sake Flye to him with an humble loue and a perseuerant confidence and thy redemption is euen at hand O what mercy doe not these abiect postures speake what consolation doe not these teares giue What man can despaire for whom a God weepes 2. POINT Consider that this litle child is constituted Iudge of Heauen and earth by his heauenly father who takes and teares in peeces the hand writinges of our ancient debtes and mercifully pardonns all our offences so that we are freed from our feares of our first Fathers preuarication wherin all mortalls were inuolued Behold that Champion present with vs who frees vs from the yoake of our old Captiuitie bringing ioy and gladnesse to the mournefull Cast off thy yoake thou captiue daughter of sion Thy mylde king is come to abate the prid and subdue the tyrannie of his and our most furious foe Aff. What hopes of safetie may not the poore criminall iustly haue when he vnderstands that the Iudge preuents the iudgement day out of a desire to find an
the Gentils was to be a leading lesson to all their posteritie They had their starrs and so haue we They obeyed their starre and so must we if we intend happily to find out Iesus Our starrs are the light of reason hightened by the light of grace and holy inspirations vnder our Superiours directions These we are to follow nor doe we euer fayle in it but we swarue from the way or loyter in the way Had the shephards bene ledd out of their owne countrie they had bene misledd lost much labour mist of Christ As the kinges if they had stayd in their owne countries while their starre led them out of it to Bethleem had not found him There are many mansions in Gods Kingdome and he will haue vs ledd to them by the wayes he pleases to marke vs out This is his blissed pleasure which he pleases to make knowen to our hartes by frequent inspirations Affection We must not my soule expect the priuiledge of being called by name as was S. Paule whether it be to relinquish our old badd wayes and inclinations to find out Christ or to follow him being already found It is sufficient for vs to follow our owne starrs to obserue whē the spouse knockes at the doore of our hartes and to be readie to open by the assistance of his grace who stands knocking there My soule my soule is it not by his mercy who made vs that we hope to be saued Were it nor reason then we should follow his counsells which he manifests to vs by his inspirations And if it be reason to follow them by what reason doe we or can we neglect them THE IV. MEDITATION That we must cooperate with Gods grace I. POINT CONSIDER yet further that it is not enough to obserue the starre with the Kinges and to heare the knocke of the spouse but we must also with them aske seeke knocke at the gate We must not onely I say heare the knocke or touche of his holy inspirations at our hartes but we must mutually knocke at that diuine harte of his by frequent and feruent prayers crying out with the Kinge and Prophete conuert me ô Lord and I will be conuerted draw me after thee and we will run and with our Kinges all through the streetes of Hierusalem where is he who is borne the Kinge of the Iewes for we haue seene his starre we haue heard the voyce of our beloued by frequent inspirations and to what end but to leade vs to his loue Affection Yes my soule we may dissemble it but we cannot deney it euen we too haue seene his starre we haue heard his voyce and he hath said vnto our hartes I am thy saluation and he hath said it so that we haue heard it and haue taken iorney vpon it countrie parentes friendes with all the fawning allurements of the world are forsaken And what is now our expectation Is it not our Lord my soule Is not he the whole part and portion of our inheritance Is not he the whole substance we haue left vs Ah! hauinge left all by the assistance of his grace to finde him le ts make that our busines If we suffer our selues for lacke of cooperation to be frustrated of that expectation in vaine behold we the starre in vaine began we to run in vaine doe we lead a life which leades not indeede to Iesus but to death How we ought to cooperate with grace in seeking Iesus by the example of the Kinges THE II. POINT CONSIDER that the Kinges are not onely diligent and punctuall in setting vpon the search of Iesus vpon the first light of faith that appeares to them expressed by those words of the Euangelist we saw his starre in the east and we came we saw and we came noe curious disputes noe sluggish delayes noe vaine respects or interrestes retarding them but they seeke him with great patience suffering the labour and incommodities of the longe iorney of 800. myles as also with great resolution and courage not fearing to inquire for him in the midest of Hierusalem saying where is he who is borne the Kinge of the Iewes Affection Ah my soule is it not our vndertaking too and intention as well as the dutie of our whole life to seeke for Christ with them Yea and as longe as we can sitt quietly at home without trouble doe we not desire to find him and to reioyce in him But alas as soone as the labours of a longe iorney our life in our apprehension represente themselues vnto vs when once temptations and dangers and humane respects begin to stand in our way our patience fayles our courage forsakes vs we fall to sleepe or murmure our life is irk some to vs and we are almost readie to giue ouer our iorney in the mide-way Alas my soule thus it sometymes fares with vs. And why because we seeke not our new-borne Kinge with an entire but a diuided harte allowing a part of it for him and a part for the world and thence cupiditie taking off from charitie weake charitie finds not his yoake sweete and his burden light as it is indeede to true louers We will therfor continually pray that he who gaue the will to seeke him would so increase charitie that we may haue patience and courage to find him THE V. MEDITATION How longe we ought to seeke him THE I. POINT CONSIDER yet further that our kingly Guides seeke him with perseuerance to the end putting noe other limite to their inquirie but the finding him out whom they seeke for Seeke our Lord saith the royall Psalmist while he may be found seeke his face al wayes not onely in the sunshine of prosperitie and spirituall comfort but also and then especially in the darknesse of aduersitie and drinesse of spirit As well while the starre shines as disappeares While it shines and vshers their stepps they springe on with speede while it disappeares they loose not courage nor leaue off their happie enterprise but in the absence of their heauenly Guide they haue recourse to earthly ones demanding of the scribes where is he who is borne the kinge of the Iewes Affection Deare Lord if thou daignest to leade vs on in the way of thy search and thy loue by the powerfull light and heate of thy grace be thou euer blessed And if it be thy pleasure to withdrawe for a tyme the comfort of thy presence and leaue vs to tryall be thou also blessed If thou dost voutchsafe to draw vs we will run in the odour of thy parfumes and if it please thee to leaue vs in drinesse and desolation by thyne absence we will neuer cease for all that to cry out continually where is he where is he who is borne the kinge of the Iewes Hauing still recourse to Heauen and earth To earth by taking counsell of our Superiours Directours and Pastours to Heauen with an intire submission dependāce and absolute confidence that our Redeemour liues and will in due tyme deliuer
vs that the starre will appeare againe and conduct vs to the place where the child is and multiplie our ioyes as well as theirs with a huge increase of ioye gaudio magno valde Where we are to seeke Iesus II. POINT CONSIDER that the kinges find not him who is borne the king of the Iewes in Hierusalem where they sought him and where humanely speaking he was most likely to be found in Hierusalem I say that cherished citie which was preferred beforre all the Tabernacles of Iacob nor in the stately Pallaces of Kinges how euer he was the kinge of kinges and sought by kinges too but in an obscure village but in a poore groate or caue a resort for brute beastes but in a manger vpon a locke of hay betwixt an oxe and an Asse So found they the young kinge of the Iewes lodged Affection My soule is it not true that we often seeke Iesus in magnis mirabilibus supra se in great and wonderfull things which are placed aboue our reach In high contemplations and visions which we are not capable of In thinges most specious and glorious and best suteing with our owne inclinations and fancies Wheras our humble kinge Iesus is both more surely and safely found in pouertie subiection solitude and disiunction from the world in humble lodginges meane clothes poore compaignie and in the totall abandonnement of our selues and iudgementes into the hands and directions of Superiours Thus he exposed himselfe to be found by a graciousnesse which passes the comprehension of man and Angell Thus the good Kinges find him Thus seeke him my soule and we shall not fayle to find him a God to adore a kinge to protect a man to imitate imbrace and loue THE VI. MEDITATION Where or in what compagny Iesus is to be sought I. POINT CONSIDER that they found the child Iesus with Marie his mother saith the Euangelist Had they sought Marie alone without Iesus or not for Iesus they had mistaken their way indeede since that she though his mother is but otherwise his creature while they seeke the Creatour And had they sought him who was borne the king of the iewes without or otherwise then in her companie who was the Queene mother that bore him they would not so happily haue found him But in seeking the one they found both To witt they had alwayes a neere relation Noe sooner was the sonne of God determined to be the redeemour of the world but Marie is looked vpon to be the mother of that sonne and sauiour noe sooner was he conceiued of the Holy Ghost but he was conceiued and found in Maries sacred wombe noe sooner borne but found at her breastes all his life tyme he was found with her and at his death she was not separated from him Affection Let IESVS then my soule be our cheife and last ayme and end since all our actions which haue not him for their end are aymed by the marke he being that souueraigne good which our hartes incessantly seeke after Yet lets not feare withall to make Marie the meanes to haue accesse to him How euer the Kinges misse not of him it is in her armes they find him How euer the Scriptures and Prophetes and Preistes of the Law point them out the way it is by her ministerie and fauour they come to the blessed sight of him It s her priuiledge in shewing him to shew what 's her owne Shew thy selfe then to be a mother Blessed Lady let our prayer by thy meanes be admitted by him who being borne for vs voutchsafed to be thyne Shew vs shew vs thy IESVS that blessed fruite of thy womhe not after his exile onely but euen nowe especially while we liue in this heauie banishment That Iesus ought to be sought with pietie II. POINT CONSIDER that as the Kinges vndertooke their iorney with much diligence and punctualitie and pursued it with great patience and resolution so they conclude it with noe lesse pietie and religiousnesse They haue left their Kingdomes wiues and children with hopes to find a Kinge a Sauiour a God and in the end of their iorney they onely meete with to the eyes of flesh a poore stable a poore manger and a poore mayde with a poore sucking child at her breastes But to the eyes of their pietie with which they looked vppon him they discouer a Kinge a God vnder the forme of a seruant a man and falling downe they adore him Affection O happie Kinges great is your faith which leaues all the world euer after to admire it as we worthily doe this day But ô the goodnesse and mercie and power of God whose free grace it was which wrought in their hartes both the will and performance of this great acte of faith They were not the keepers of the law Prophetes as were the iewes They had not seene and heard the admirable workes and wonders of his life and passion wherby he proued himselfe both God and man as we haue and yet falling downe they adore him O my soule let neuer the excessiue and almost incredible greatnesse of the benefit discredite as it were the bountifull benefactour but by how much more his loue doth exinanite him and make him appeare lesse then himselfe in his life and passion let vs by so much more beleeue blesse loue and adore him for euer because for vs it was that he was so lowe layd for vs the cribbe the manger the hay c. THE VII MEDITATION With what puritie of intention Iesus ought to be sought THE I POINT CONSIDER that the Kinges come not onely out of their countrie accompagned with patience courage and perseuerance to find him and religiousnesse and pietie to beleeue in him but also with puritie of intention that one necessarie thinge without which the best of our actions are spoyled for his owne sake to pay him a debt of souueraigne worshippe due to himselfe alone We came say they not to find ease safetie orriches which we inioyed at home nor to seeke new kingdomes while we left our owne but onely to find the new borne kinge of the iewes to acknowledge him to be the kinge of kinges and our selues and all the kinges of the earth to be his vassals in a word we came to adore him Affection Learne my soule learne neuer to seeke God for any other motiue then himselfe Let vs alwayes seeke him to the end we may adore him that is to cast our selues at his feete acknowedging him to be all and our selues nothing at all Ah while we may doe all our workes for a kinge why will we loose them vpō any lesse worthy obiect While all our loue is but too little for him alone why wil we disperse it vpon creatures Heauen and earth can afford nothing cōtentfull to the good Prophete but God himselfe Such let our resolutions be my soule in all our patience perseuerance and actes of pietie saying with sainte Augustin Thee I will thee I seeke thee I hope for my
better life the life of grace the life of glorie Alleluia Alleluya Alleluia II. POINT CONSIDERATION He is rysen he is not here Noe for Magdalene and the rest of the good women who had carefully obserued where he was layd and who as earely as carefully sought to find him where they had seene him layd find indeede the monument open but misse of their Masters body nor know they where they are to find it Marie spies two Angells but misses of the Lord of Angells till she heares Marie pronounced and so see 's and knowes her deare Rabboni who sent her backe while she sought his dead body among the deade to be the first preacher to his brethren of the glorie of his liuing body among the liuing Affect See my soule what ioyes sorowes bring forth see how the returne of our deare Lord wipes away the teares from our eyes See how true it is that he foretold vs. I goe from you but to returne to you I will not leaue you orphants See the fruites of a carefull attendance and due perseuerance which meetes with more then it lookes for and finds all euen amidst doubts distrusts and seeming despaire where it feared to haue lost all It finds not Angels onely but the verie God of Angells truly pious truly good the God of all consolation who makes the weake ones of the world to confound the strong a poore desolate Marie to be first Apostle of the most important point of the faith of Christ Alleluya Alleluya Alleluya THE SECOND MEDITATION The 3. Christian ioy THE I. POINT CONSIDER that our best friend our pious Lord the dearest husband of ourhartes who out of a goodnes beyond all comparison died ignominiously these dayes past for our loue is this daye gloriously risen The newes is certaine The best beloued mother the mournefull maides the fearefull Apostles haue all seene him â—e is risen he is truly risen Alleluya O what ioy what ioy the poore innocent lambe that we saw barbarously treated and butchered and slaine to take awaye the sinnes of the world with laying downe his life is risen with peace and reconcilement to the world Alleluya Alleluya Alleluya Affection Ah my soule the spouse of thy hart who spent his harts blood for thy saluation is risen againe and appeares to manie for thy consolation which though thou seest not as they the Apostles c. did with thy bodily eyes yet faith makes thee as sure of it as they were that thy best friend thy most pious Master thy dearest spouse is risen liues and raignes If then thou hast indeed the hart of a friend the dutie and tendernesse of a child the ardent loue of a spouse reioyce my soule reioyce and with exultation pay benediction and honour and glorie and power to the tender lambe who was slaine for thy loue for euer and euer Amen The 4. Ioy. II. POINT CONSIDERATION Yes my soule the newes is most certaine He 's returned back with the woundes he receiued he carries the markes about with him certaine witnesses as well of his painefull death as his excessiue loue his glorious resurrection The incredulous Thomas hath seene him had his fingers in holes of his hands his in the hole of his side through his wounds he hath felt his bowells Affection O singularly good newes my soule ô admirable graciousnesse ô what ioy what ioy It was not iudged enough to that maker and louer and Sauiour of mankind to haue spent 33. yeares in a familiar and common manner amongst men nay to haue spent the laste droppe of his most pretious blood in the view of all the world vnlesse he returned to them againe in his glorified bodie to make good in effect that he left them not orphants but made the wounds which he had suffered for them the louing and palpable arguments of his Resurrection and presence THE THIRD MEDITATION The 5. Ioy. I. POINT CONSIDERATION Yes my soule Our harmelesse brother Ioseph liues and raignes not ouer Egipt only but euen ouer all the world Gods sweete prouidence and milde mercie hath made vse of his bretherens malice to magnifie his owne power and singular goodnes and euen to relieue their and all our miseries and wants Our innocent Isaac liues Our Ionas is come safe to the shore Our sauing Noe hath passed the floud and is secure vpon the toppe of the Mountaine Affection See my soule how graciously he hath consummated all that was foretold of him Obserue how all the tipes of the olde lawe are accomplished in him Our deare Ioseph liues and raignes and hath turned the worst of mans malice to mans aduantage Our Isaac dies not but is reserued to afford the world a frutefull progenie of the faithfull Our Ionas seemed only to be deuowred but is indeed kept safe from shipwrack to preach gods power where mans wisdome gaue all for lost Our Noe is secured from the Deluge not so much to people the world with sinners as Heauen with Saintes Liue then and raigne for euer my sweete Sauiour ouer my soule and turne all seeming disasters to the aduantage of thy glorie The 6. Ioy. II. POINT CONSIDERATION Yes my soule the tender child which was borne in Bethlehem that true Nazarite that innocent milde young-man of Galilee is become now a Lion of the Tribe of Iuda hath made a swift course and returned with victorie Vicit Leo de Tribu Iudae Yes he hath wrought wonders he hath killed death ransaked Hell subdued the world and sayes to our hartes Be confident children by sufferance I haue ouercome the world and so too you may and ought to ouercome it Affection Ah my soule if that tender heauenly babe who was no lesse then the wisedome of heauen marked thee out the waye to it by Crosses contumelies and contempts let not the wisedome of the world which is true follie point thee out an other and deceiue thee If that lambe of God by suffering death it selfe be returned a victorious Lion neuer hope for victorie ouer the world the flesh and sinne but by patient sufferance of whateuer Gods prouidence shall permitt to fall vpon thee and by dyeing to the world and all its vanities Suffer then or dye my soule that with Iesus thou maist victoriously rise to a glorious life THE FOVRTH MEDITATION That Christ being risen is to be sought I. POINT CONSIDER that our lately dead Lord is risen indeede an Angell assures vs so Surrexit he is risen nor is there anie more doubt to be made of it yet haue we assurance too by the same mouth that he his not here nor indeed can Magdalens care learne where they haue put him If we loue him then we must looke him and looke him faithfully not with despayring feare but with confidence to find him in his good tyme for we are willed not to feare nolite timere Not among the dead for we are told be is risen and dyes no more Not finally in wordly delights ease and securitie but in the
loue and is not the soule wonte to be more where it loues then where it liues Affection Ah my soule how longe shall we be heauie harted loue vanitie and seeke a lye Shall we continue still in a languishing to death rather then breath after life and for life Shall we lodge our hartes in earth while our treasure is in heauen Shall flesh and bloud force the soule from its owne nature and bent and make it liue more where it liues then where it loues O Iesu my Treasure my Loue my Life let it not be so but draw our drowsinesse after thee and we will run in the odour of thy sweete oyntements Giue vs winges deare Lord and we will flye a pace vp after thee and wholie rest and repose in thee How our Sauiour went from the Apostles II. POINT CONSIDER that as our B. Sauiours life in earth was wholy spent in testifying his loue to mankind and in heaping his fauours vpon the same so doth his last moment vpon earth leaue markes of the same goodnesse For the Euangelist represents this good father of ours with his hands lifted vp to heauen for vs and imparting a blessing to vs. To witt the Preist for euer according to the Order of Melchisedech hauing ended all the bloudie Sacryfices in one would not departe from his people till he left a blessing vpon them Affection Depart not my soule from this heauenly contemplation till thou receiuest a blessing from thy good Fathers hand Stay with the Apostles at his sacred feete till he blesse thee with them Vse a holy and humbly confident importunitie when thou apprehendest that Christ is about to withdraw himselfe and leaue thee saying with the good Patriarke Iacob I will not I will not deare Lord let thee goe till thou dost blesse me with a blessing of pardon for my sinns of peace of loue of vnion c. THE VII MEDITATION How the Apostles behaued themselues after their Masters departure I. POINT CONSIDER that when the Apostles had beheld their Master mount vp in the greatnesse of his owne power into the heauens they stoode as thinges quite deade to this world without action or motion saue onely that admiration ioy hope loue which boyled vp in their mournefull-ioyfull hartes fixed their eyes immoueably vpon the cloudes where their deare Master made his passage till two Angells were sent to call them away from that contemplation to act in Hierusalem according to their diuine Masters order and example Affection Learne hence my soule to follow thy Iesus where soeuer he goes be it to his death his Resurrection or his Ascension and where as in body we cannot le ts with the Apostles fasten our eyes and hartes vpon heauen and neuer forsake him saying euer and a none with that feruent Sainte Augustine caelum penetrabo mente my harte shall peirce the heauens and in thought I will be alwayes with thee deare Iesus For ah how sweete it is to be continually sucking delightes from those sacred and sugered breasts of thy consolation II. POINT CONSIDER that there the Apostles stayed Prisoners as it were to loue and delight till two Angells were sent to call them away from that sweete contemplation to act in Hierusalem according to their diuine Masters order and example But noe sooner were they called by those heauenly Messengers but they obeyed came downe from the mountaine turned their contemplations and admirations into adorations and actions returning into Hierusalem with great ioy to prayse blesse preache and magnifie his name in the Temple and euery where and to expect the coming of the holy Ghost according to his gracious promesse Affection It is doubtlesse a deare and laudable delight my soule to flye vp by the winges of holy contemplation to peirce the cloudes with him to strike into that Land of plentie and peace whither he is gone and to repose in him for euer Haue you found the honie of heauenly contemplation feare not to taste and take it downe yet so much onely as sufficeth least perhapps being filled you vomit it vp But doth a voyce from heauen a Superiours commande charitie to a neighbour Gods worke call you from it ah fayle not delay not to follow neuer forgetting that the God of consolation ought to be preferred before Gods consolations his good pleasure and his worke before the delightes and pleasvres he bestowes vpon vs. PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST THE FIRST MEDITATION The first disposition The consideration of our owne miserie I. POINT CONSIDER as the first disposition to the receiuing of the holy Ghost our owne nakednesse miserie and nothing for if we conceiue indeede as indeede it is most true that we are nothing we haue nothing we can doe nothing but onely by the assistance and grace of God which is powred forth in our hartes by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs how is it possible that we should not make an earnest application to that good giuer of all best gifts that now that the comfort of Christs visible presence is taken from vs he would bestow vpon vs that other comforting Spirit Affection Looke downe ô thou Almightie giuer of all good giftes and behold the slaue that was redeemed by the wounds which thy Christ my Aduocate layes open before thee to plead for my pouertie Looke vpon thy Christ and take pittie on this languishing christian of thyne for whom he dyed O almighty father looke vpon this poore child of thine who lyes sicke of a palsie and is cruelly tortured send downe speedily that comforting Spirit which thou art about to send least he otherwise perish for whose safetie thy deare sonne spared not his pretious bloud The 2. disposition Humilitie II. POINT CONSIDER and le ts vse as a seconde disposition rysing out of the truth of the former as absolute a desire as we can possibly conceiue not to be knowen nor esteemed by any or at least lets desire to be knowne as we knowe our selues and as God knowes vs that is to be poore miserable sinners not as we deludingly appeare This as being a reall effect of true humilitie is the best harbinger to prepare a place for this heauenly Guest for in whom saith the holy Scripture will the Spirit of God rest but in a hart that is mylde and humble c. Affection Studie to be a louer of truth my soule not of vanitie and lyes which haue alwayes proued emptie shadowes and haue left nothing in our hands Be sincere and iust and striue to keepe iustice betwixt thy selfe and thyne owne harte betwixt what thou appearest to be and what indeede thou art and desire not that esteeme and honour by others ignorance be payd to thy corruption and sinfulnesse Haue frequently in hart and mouth to thee alone ô Lord be honour and glorie to me nothing but shame and confusion Because in thy sight I am a miserable sinner and vnworthy of all respect But thou ô Lord haue mercy THE II. MEDITATION The 3.
disposition A holy retreate I. POINT CONSIDER by the B. Apostles example that the third disposition to receiue the holy Ghost ought to be a sacred solitude or retreate from wordly affaires vaine feares fruitlesse sollicitudes which disorder and take vp the house of our hart which should be wholy kept for the intertaynement of so great a guest The world was alwayes his and our worst enemye and hates him It were not to receiue him worthily to suffer his enemye to prepossesse the place The designe of his heauenly hart is to speake to ours alone and to make vs tast how sweete our God is And farre vnfitt it were to mixe those pure delightes with the bitter-sweetes the world affords Affection Le ts then my soule striue to silence those as importune as vnprofitable noyses and rumours of the world which hinder vs to heare what Heauen speakes to our hartes The world indeede is still whispering in the cares of our hart and tells vs of I know not what delightes but ah they are not like to the Law of our Lord that deare Law of loue which the holy Ghost sweetly breathes into our soules They are not they are not like it They doe but promise feyned pleasure peace and pay certaine paines and affliction Auant therfore deluding world disband fond feares and sollicitudes and leaue the whole hart for the God of loue The 4. disposition Our owne earnest endeuour II. POINT CONSIDER for the 4. disposition that this solitude is not to be spent in an idle and sleepie expectation without any concurrence of ours but contrarily by how much the more we are remoued from the world in our thoughtes by so much more are they to be conuersant in heauen for though the holy Ghost be a free gift and could not be merited by all the endeuours of men but proceedes from the vncompelled and free goodnesse of the father and the Sonne who the Sonne by his sacred word promised by his painefull Passion merited and by his holy prayers preuayled for his coming yet we see by the example of the Apostles and Primitiue Christians that we are to make vse of our owne endeuours before we haue the happinesse to receiue him indeede as dispositions to prepare our hartes against the receipt of so great a Gueste Affection Noe my soule the God who made vs without our helpe will not saue vs without our owne concourse or cooperation He will saue vs in qualitie of such as he made vs by his gift and grace to witt reasonable and free Creatures He hath taught vs to aske to seeke to knocke nor shall we otherwise receiue or find the gate open Nay he euen reproches vs that being so longe so continually with vs our coldnesse yet asketh nothing Nor would he euer saith sweete S. Augustine so earnestly exorte vs to aske if he would not giue Let slouthfull man blush then since God is more readie to giue then we to receiue He 's more readie to grant mercye then we to be deliuered from miserie THE III. MEDITATION The 5. disposition Prayer I. POINT CONSIDER for the 5. disposition the primitiue and Apostolicall way to receiue the holy Ghost as it is deliuered in the first of the Actes All of them saith S. Luke were perseuering in prayer We find the Apostles to whom the promesse was newly made praying for the performance of it We find the Primitiue Christians and our Blessed Lady her selfe at prayer Nay euen our Aduocate while he was yet with vs told vs that he would pray to his heauenly father for vs in this behalfe good reason then that we his poore clyents should ioyne in petition with him and earnestly pray that that holy Spirit may be sent to vs. Affection Let vs then my soule incessantly both day and night aspire and breath after this holy Spirit saying with blessed S. Aug. Come ô thou holy communication of the Father and the Sonne and prepare thyne owne habitation Come and visite the darke retreaites of our distracted hartes Come ô thou clenser of sinnes and curer of wounds Come ô thou strength of the weake and support of such as are readie to fall Come ô thou teacher of the humble and destroyer of the proude Come purifie this self-loue by thy sacred fire enlighten this self-iudgement by thy cleare light and breake downe this selfe will of myne by thyne vnresistable power The 6. disposition Vnanimous perseuerance in prayer II. POINT CONSIDER that the Apostles and Primitiue Christians Prayer was accompayned with vnanimitie and perseueuerance It was not slightly and distractedly run ouer in a short tyme but they absolutly made it their busines being shutt vp togeither euen from the Ascension till Pentecoste or the coming of the holy Ghost vnanimously and instantly begging and expecting that Best gift Affection Thus my soule let vs and all that loue the eternall loue of the Father and the Sonne pray vnanimously not with diuided hartes and perseuerantly all togeither not as though we were litle concerned or that we had not all one designe since we ought all to haue but one hart And ioyne in prayer with that deare Mediatour and Aduocate of ours to his father and our father at whose right hand he is still pleading for vs his poore brethren according to flesh that he would dispatch downe that holy Spirit of theirs into our hartes to th end we may all be but one by loue and vnion with the father and Sonne and the same Spirit as they are but all one in essence and substance and that our hartes may continue the pure and chaste Temples of the holy Trinitie for euer Christian hartes thus vnited are able to make a holy force against Heauen and draw from thence the Spirit of vnion AN ENTERTAYNEMENT FOR WHITSONTIDE OR MEDITATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST THE I. MEDITATION That of our selues without the ayde of the holy Ghost we can doe nothing I. POINT CONSIDER that Man of himselfe as of himselfe is not able to think one good thought but all our sufficiencie is from God and what God the Father by his power is able to performe what the sonne by his wisdome to inuent is not executed and applied vnto vs but by the goodnes and loue of God the holY Ghost whence s. Paule None can say Lord Iesus that is as he ought profitablY to saluation but in the holy Ghost Affection See mY soule in these diuine truths thine owne sufficiencie that is thy pouertie and meere nothing We are not able to worke one good worke nor saie one good word nor euen conceaue one good thought but all euen all our sufficiencie is from that great Giuer of all good giftes So that we may well pronounce with the holy Church without thy power ô diuine Spirit there is nothing at all sound in Man If then all our strength be from him let all our addresses be to him If we indeede acknowledge our owne impotencie let vs betake our selues to his omnipotencie If
vnto vs. Be they Blessed and praysed magnified and glorified in the vnitie of one Deitie for euer And let our earthly Trinitie neuer forgett this mercy Let our memorie faithfully represent it to ourvnderstanding Let our vnderstanding continually ponder ruminate and deliuer it to the will And let the will imbrace in ioy and carefully locke vp this present of infinite loue with all the loue ioy and Iubilie of hart imaginable THE IV. MEDITATION What we receiue indeede when we are said to receiue the Holy Ghost I. POINT CONSIDER that by receiuing of the holy Ghost we receiue the substantiall or consubstantiall vnitie charitie and sanctitie of the father and the Sonne according to S. Augustine The most firme and indissoluble bond or tye of the holy Trinitie The sacred kisse of the father and the Sonne by their mutuall loue from all Eternitie whereby they loued the iust euen with the loue of their owne hart saith S. Richard de S. Victore which is the holy Ghost Affection Ah my soule how ineffably greate blessings are these which faith layes before vs and we consider it not or rarely and coldly reflect vpon them O did we frequently looke vpon it with a liuely faith how would our thoughtes be wayned from this base world How euer we are in it we are not made for it the heauens haue other thoughtes for vs. The true cause of our being here indeede is to adheare to God by loue and to become holy as our heauenly father is holy and to that purpose the holy Ghost the verie vnitie loue and sanctitie of the Father and the sonne comes downe to dwell in vs. Ah my soule Let vs neuer forgett this astonishing and oppressing graciousnesse II. POINT CONSIDER yet further that it is not the vnitie charitie and pietie of the father and the sonne which we receiue onely but truly and indeede we receiue the person of the holy Ghost wâ—â—h grace and charitie nor is he in vs by Essence Presence and power only as he is euerie where but in a more deare neere and intimate manner as in his Thâ—one oâ— Temple For doe you not know saith s. Paule that you are the Temple of God and the Holy Ghost doth dwell in you And againe Charitie is diffused into our hartes by the holy Ghost who is giuen vnto vs. Affection Yes saith s. Augustine that good God is present to his faithfull â—ot meerly by the grace of visitation but by the presence of his Maiestie It is not now the odour of the balsome that is spredd abroad but the verie substance of the sacred oyntment it selfe By which according to s. Iohn we shall be taught all thinges O great great and most admirable mysterie which is yet so familiar to vs Christians O most excellent and incomparable visite and gift of the proper person of the holy Ghost O God what a singular fauour is it to haue God the true God really and personally dwelling in our hartes O what hartes ought they to be which haue the happinesse to be the Mansion of such an inhabitant THE V. MEDITATION The excessiue loue of God shewen to man in sending the holy Ghost I. POINT CONSIDER with S. Augustine that God the father moued by meere mercie sent his sonne to redeeme his seruants he sent also the holy Ghost to adopt the same seruants into children He gaue his sonne for the price of their Ransome the holy Ghost for a pledge and assurance of his loue and reserues himselfe all whole for the inheritance of the adopted So much did he desire mans saluation that he imployed not only what was his but euen himself also to that effect Affection Doe we beleeue this ô my soule but doe we beleeue it indeede That such a sonne was sent for such seruants That seruants and such seruants were adopted into sonns into coheires into the participation of the diuine nature By the meere mercy of the Father by the bloud of the sonne by the loue of the holy Ghost Doe we beleeue it I say yes yes we beleeue it my soule We dare not we cannot deney it Credo Domine we beleeue it ô Lord yet helpe our incredulitie in this behalfe We beleeue it in words and in hart too but our actions our gratitude our loue speake it not confirme it not to the world For to whom should all the redeemed slaues actions belong but to his deare Redeemour Vpon whom should all his loue be sett but vpon one that so loues him And to whom should he reserue himselfe wholy but to the God of heauen who reserues himselfe wholy for him II. POINT CONSIDER what an excessiue goodnes and charitie it is that this immense and infinite Maiestie who walkes vpon the winges of the windes and sittes vpon the Cherubins who fills heauen and earth being assisted with millions of millions of Angells would yet daigne to take vp his seate in a poore corner of mans hart to grace that miserable worme of the earth with his presence diuinitie and sanctitie and therby with the participation of his diuine nature Ah! could we iustly weigh mans nothing and Gods Maiestie we should neuer be wearie with admiring and tasting the dignitie of this great worke Affection Ah Domine cognoscam te cognoscam me O Lord grant me light to know thee and to know my selfe that by such knowledge I may happily and gainefully loose my selfe in the admiration of thy excessiue graciousnesse For what am I indeede compared to thee but extremitie of miserie compared to infinite Maiestie but nothing nothing compared to him who is all in all But not so much as one little droppe to a boundlesse Ocean And yet this Maiestie is graciously pleased to take vp his Residence in this miserie This All will lodge in this nothing This Ocean will ouer-flowingly possesse and please himselfe in this droppe How happens this to me that not the Mother of my Lord but euen my Lord himselfe comes vnto me resides in me takes vp his deare delights in my poore harte Ah my soule let our dearest delightes be to possesse him to please him to magnifie him to glorifie him for euer THE VI. MEDITATION Gods excessiue loue to man I. POINT CONSIDER how great and ineffable the pietie of our Redeemer was towards vs as S. Augustine obserues who carried man vp to heauen and sent God into earth what a care hath our Maker to repaire his workmanshipp Behold a new medicine is againe sent downe from heauen Behold Maiestie daignes againe by his owne presence to visit the sicke Behold diuine things are againe mixed with humane the holy Ghost is become a succeeding Vicar to our Redeemer that what the one had begun the other by a peculiar vertue might consummate that what the sonne had redeemed the holy Ghost might sanctifie what he had purchaced he might conserue Affection Too too much are thy friends honored my dearest Lord. Their principalitie is exceedingly beyond all measure confirmed by the presence
of thy holy Spirit Ah my soule what doe the heauens seeme to make of vs what rate putt they vpon vs while we vnderualue our selues The holy Trinitie may seeme to be whâ—llâ— imployed to saue vs while we are b … 〈…〉 … ll our selues away for moments of â—â—â—nsitorie pleasures for vanities for lyes Our thoughtes are languishing after the hope of I know not what delightes which the world promiseth while our dearest delight ought to be to receiue in hand more then we are able to conceiue Ah my soule what dearer delight could euer mans hart wish for then to be deliciously oppressed with heauenly plentie II. POINT CONSIDER the vnspeakable honour conferred vpon man by the presence of the holy Ghost He receiues saith S. Basil a Propheticall Apostolicall and Angelicall dignitie being before but earth and ashes abiection and rottennes Yea saith he by vertue of this presence euerie holy soule becomes a God Ego dixi Dij estis I haue said you are Gods and all sonns of the highest For who adheares to God which is is done by loue in the Holy Ghost is one Spirit with him Affection Good Iesu what is man that thou dost so magnifie him or what is the sonne of man that thou dost so place thy hart vpon him What did Gods mercy discouer in our miserie my poore soule that he should honour it with a dignitie due the Prophetes Apostles Angells yea euen rayse it to a certaine vnion with himselfe For this it was that Iesus-Christ while he was yet in this world prayd so ardently to his heauenly Father I pray saith he that they his Apostles c. all may be one as thou ô heauenly Father in me and I in thee that they also in vs may be one by participation by charitie by grace by glorie O vnspeakablely deare vnion ô more then most Blessed Communion betwixt God and man THE VII MEDITATION To what end the holy Ghost comes I. POINT CONSIDER that the holy Ghost comes vnto vs to purge illuminate and perfect our soules and to reforme them to the image and likenes of God to which they were made thereby to make them partakers of himselfe He being the diuine sanctitie in this life and disposing them to a more neere and noble likenes thereof in the life to come to which euery cause striues to produce effects like to it selfe it followes then that the holy Ghost endeauours to make the soule which it doth inhabit which is the soueraigne perfection and dignity of a reasonable creature feruent spirituall holy and diuine Affection Why doe we then my soule remayne in our wonted languishments why doe we still liue in league with our accustumed imperfections making reflection what they are and how often we haue had the light to know them and resolution to amend them our luke-warmenesse in Gods seruice our impuritie of harte our ingratitude to God for his innumerable giftes and graces c. Why doe we why doe we alas resiste the designes of the holy Ghost His aymes are to purge our hartes and we remayne in our impurities To illuminate vs and we affect darknesse more then light we feare to know his will least we might be oblidged to doe it To burne our hartes and we persiste in our coldnesse To render vs spirituall holy diuine and we continue indeuoute carnall and earthly Alas my soule is not all this too too true II. POINT CONSIDER that the holy Ghost comes to be the Soule of our Soule and to furnish vs with all things necessarie to the perfection of our spirituall life euen as the soule of our bodie giues force to the great diuersitie of the functions and actions of the senses and faculties of the said soule as farre as is necessarie to our naturall life for what want wee which this Spirit brings not If light and knowledge of truth He is truth it-selfe If strength He is power itselfe If heate He is a consuming fire Are we sicke he is the Phisitian and the Phisicke Is the cause of our eternall reconcilement to be pleaded before the dreadfull Tribunall of Gods Maiestie He is our Aduocate Are we oppressed with temptations and tribulations he is our comforter our Deus omnia our God who is to vs all things Affection It is not it is not from this body of ours that the same body hath life motion action and vigour but from the soule without which it remaynes an vnprofitable bulke of corruption Nor is it from the soule that the soule liues remembers vnderstands wills but from God who is the life of the soule Nor doth it euer liue vnderstand or will any thing profitably but by his grace diffused into our hartes by the holy Ghost Come then oh come then thou holy Spirit and be our light our truth our fortitude our fire our salue our Phisitian and cure Proue our second Aduocate to the heauenly Father togeither with that deare Lord of ours who both merited thy sending and graciously sent thee Proue our comforter in our tribulations temptations c. Proue finally our God and our all THE VIII MEDITATION Of the aduantages or fruites of the Holy Ghosts Coming I. POINT CONSIDER what huge aduantages we receiue by the coming of the holy Ghost adn we shall finde that thereby we are taken into the participation of all the blessings and riches in some measure which our Blessed Sauiour possessed in plentitude and fulnesse The Spirit of wisdome and vnderstanding the Spirit of Counsell and fortitude the Spirit of science and pietie and the Spirit of the feare of our Lord. These are the seauen lightes or seauen Lampes by which the faithfull are enlightned wisedome is a light by which we know Superiour things Vnderstanding a light by which we discerne interior things Science a light wherby we know inferiour things Counsell a light by which dangers are discouered Fortitude is giuen to repulse and master them as Pietie to mollifie the hardnesse and Feare to subdue the pride of our hartes Affection Blessed be the Father of our Lord Iesus-Christ who mercifully sent his Sonne to saue vs sinners Blessed be his only begotten Sonne who spent his most pretious blood and life vpon the worke of Mans Redemption And blessed be the holy Ghost whose infinite loue plentifully bestowed those good giftes vpon vs which were purchased for vs by Christs merits whereby we haue light and strength to walke and without which like sensuall men not knowing what belongeth to Spirit we had wandred in darknesse without either the true knowledge of God or ourselues had quaked with feare through want of Fortitude where there was nothing indeede to be feared and for want of Councell had not feared him whom we ought to feare who can throw the bodie and soule into Hell fire II. POINT CONSIDER the excessiue loue of God to Man in the distribution of these gifts The verie same which were giuen in their full extent to that flower of the field which
enterchange sacred kisses with hym Nothing but sweet words as my beloued is myne and I am his is heard Le ts thus my soule find out receiue and entertayne our deare spouse 2. Point Consider that faith hope and charitie can neuer be more profitably and agreeably imployed to the making vp of a perfectly good preparation then vpoÌ„ the death and passion of our deare Sauiour who left vs himselfe in this Blessed Sacrament for a speciall memorie therof saint Bernard giues vs this assurance With such ornaments as these is our heauenly Spouse delighted gladly enters he into the Bride chamber of the harte where he finds the ensignes of his Passion his Crosse crowne and lance diligently reflected vpon and made familiar Affection Yes my soule for what can be more desire in vs then that for which he so louingly left himselfe with vs to the end of the world where could euer faith be more meritoriously exercised then vpon a God dying for his sinfull people where humane reason found nothing but a man ignominiously dying Where could hope more firmely ancor then where it mett with such excesse of mercy Where could charitie so delightfully solace it selfe as in the continuall memorie of a God dying for loue Let our thoughtes then ô my soule be wholy taken vp in the memorie of Iesus-Christ and him crucified THE INSTITVTION OF the B. Sacrament THE XI MEDITATION Of the truth of the reall presence And while they supped Iesus tooke bread and Blessed and broke and gaue to his Disciples and said take and eate this is my body c. Matt. 26. Mar. 14. Luc. 22. And. S. Paule 1. Cor. 11. saith I receaued from our Lord what I deliuerd vnto you because our Lord Iesus the night in which he was deliuered toke bread and giuing thankes broke and said take and eate this is my body which shall be deliuered for you doe this in remembrance of me I. POINT CONSIDER that ether these testimonies doe manifestly and infallibly conclude the truth of the realitie of our Sauiours presence in the consecrated hoste or els we can neuer expect any certaine truth out of holy Scripture Nothing is more vnanimously deliuered in all Scripture This is my body saith S. Mathew This is my body saith S. Marke This is my body saith Saint Luke This is my body concluds saint Paule Noe words can be deuised either shorter or clearer to expresse the same truth The nature of the busines exacted clearenes for he gaue vs an example of what we were to doe in imitation and memorie of him and againe it was a last will and that some few houres onely before he knew he was to dye for vs wherin all men striue to expresse themselues clearely and sincerely without all varnish trope figure equiuocation or mentall reseruation as far as may be Affection O God how thou hast closely besieged as it were and left no passage to euasion forcing in a manner this Confession from us that vpon this truth thy testimonies are too too credible for is it credible that 3. Euangelists and the great Apostle of the Gentiles would vnanimously conspire to misleade all their posteritie Or can it be imagined that Truth would striue to deceaue vs by leauing vs affirmatiues to be vnderstood for negatiues in a matter of practise would a tender Father teach his rude and ignorant children by hisbodie to vnderstand not his bodie to witt bread Would the goodnesse and wisedome of heauen in his verie laste words haue left to his deare Spouse the Church an ineuitable occasion of error and perpetuall Idolatrie euer since Farre is it from a Christian vnderstanding and farr be it euer from the hartes of thy seruants whom thou feedest with thy flesh which is truly meate and with thy blood which is truly drinke We deuoutly adore thee ô hidden Deitie who art truly and really vnder the formes of bread and wine Let 's rather dye then denye depart from or entertaine the least doubt of this certaine Truth Of the tyme of the institution 2. Point Consider that our Sauiour instituted this Sacrament of loue in a tyme where most loue and tendernes vseth to be expressed to witt at his last supper with his Apostles as the last memorie of a dying man as a pledge of his loue which he desired to imprint deepely in their harts And this too expressed in words full of loue Desiderio desideraui I haue earnestly desired to eate this Pascall or passe-ouer with you before I suffer To witt the present apprehension of his paynefull death is not able to allay the pressings of his tender loue of which he will euen leaue himselfe a pledge Affection Sweete Sauiour Iesu to what higth doth thy Charitie burne Was it not enough for that deare Lord of ours to haue instituted this Sacrament of loue wherein loue left God to man for his food vnlesse still more and more to commend the same loue vnto vs he had performed it in a circustmance of most loue and tendernesse euen iust when he was readie to goe out to signe with his pretious blood spilt for our loue the deed of gift of his bodie blood left for our food And that too acompaigned with dearest expressions loue could inuent 〈◊〉 haue exceeding earnestly desired to eate this Passcâ—all with you before my departure And wilt not thou then ô my soul feruently approch to this Sacrament desiring it with all the desires of thy hart not receiuing it with coldenesse and out of custome c. OF THE CAVSES OF THE Institution of the B Sacrament THE XII MEDITATION The 1. Cause to leaue a Sacryfice Gods worshippe CONSIDER that Christ did institue this Blessed Sacrament and Sacryfice that the holy Church his spouse might be alwayes prouided of a meanes to offer to God the highest worshipe imaginable yea euen condigne and proportionable to his owne infinite dignitie while a victime of an infinite value is offered to him to witt Christ God and man and there-for equall to himselfe as worthy as good as great as himselfe so that nothing ether greater or better can ether be payd owen or exacted nay euen be wished for or imagined by the wisdome of heauen it selfe Affection O great dignation ô infinite loue and bountie of God to man Man was not furnished with any thing worthy of God all the worshipe he could exhibite as proceeding from a pure and poore creature was base and vile and bore noe proportion to the great Creatour What doth he then doe but bestowe a sone and that sone himselfe vpon vs in this Sacred Mysterie himselfe not whit inferiour to his heauenly father and by that meanes inables vs to make an offering of equall worshipe and to pay more then we could euen contract O too too rich and happie Christians if we would know and consider our owne worth and happines The second Cause To leane vs a Legacie of Loue. II. POINT CONSIDER that the second cause of the Institution of
we forgett him Isay who least he might haue bene forgotten by vs continues still with vs leauing vs noe lesse memoriall of himselfe then himselfe O be thou euer blessed and magnified my dearest Lord And be they euer accursed who forgett thee who art the fountaine of liuing waters flowing into life euerlasting THE XV. MEDITATION The seauenth Cause That being fedd with diuine foode we might become diuine I. POINT CONSIDER that a seauenth cause of the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament was to th end that being continually fedd and delighted with his heauenly body we might be wayned from and contemne the gliding delights of earthly ones with all their paynefull delights and concupiscences and therby leading a spirituall and heauenly not a terreane life that that of Saint Paule may indeede as it ought be verifyed of vs. I liue now not I but Christ liues in me Affection Such my soule should we be indeede persons quite wayned from the fleshpotts and vnions of Egipt since we are continually fedd with heauenly Manna With the true foode of the children of God with the foode which is truly God Our aymes are God our foster-father God our food is God And what should our thouhtes words and workes be but of God and for God Let vs then neuer proue so vnhappie as loathing this heauenly delicious and fattening foode to fall vpon windie and emptie huskes which indeede feede not fatten not saciate not The eight Cause The continuall presence of the Angells II. POINT CONSIDER as an eight cause of the Institution of the B. Sacrament the continuall presence of the B. Angells of heauen for as S Chrisostome saith Where Christe is in the Euchariste there are not wanting the frequent troopes of Angells Ambrose where this body is there the Eagles are gathered togeither fluttering about with their spirituall wings I saith he in another place the Eagles are about the Altar where the body is Affection Yes my soule we haue power by a vertuous life framed according to the life of Christ to take soretastes of heauen and to turne this base land we liue in into a heauenly Paradice The God of Angells is with vs and in vs when we please They come downe to vs and we mutually soare vp to them by our heauenly thoughtes and conuersation when we will They and we feede of one and the same foode though in a differēt manner loue and adore the same God singe the same Gloria's Alleluia's and Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus THE XVI MEDITATION Of the excellencie of the Blessed Sacrament I. POINT CONSIDER that our Sauiour Iesus Christ as a most tender gratious bountifull father made a most excellent and admirable will and testament and left vs thereby a legacie more pretious and better then heauen and earth to witt his most sacred bodie for our daylie food and his Blessed blood for our drinke Affection O sacred and soueraigne food ô most admirable mysterie ô diuine and deare inuention ô all you that loue God come come make haste and see with admiration and astonishment praise proclaime and magnifie for euer the name of our gracious God who hath daigned to worke such thinges in our days and in vs in vs poore miserable wormes of the earth II. POINT CONSIDER that though it were an ineffable dignation farr passing the inuention of men and Angells that he who was in the beginning with God and was euen God himselfe should build himselfe a cottage of our clay and become man like one of vs indeede yet doth it farre surpasse that againe to see the same not only take our humanitie but bestowe vpon vs also his diuinitie conioyned and vnited with the same humanitie to dwell in vs to take vp his delights and suppe with vs and euen to become our repast and nourishment Affection O what thought of man of Angells is in any measure able to diue into the infinite Abysse of the burning charitie which our Sauiour Iesus Christ meant to expresse in this most venerable Sacrament his pious fatherly hart could deuise nothing so sublimely and soueraignely good as himselfe and therefore himselfe hee bequeathes to leaue our harts charged with the demonstration of the greatest excesse of loue imaginable THE XVII MEDITATION I. POINT CONSIDER that though to giue all one hath be an argument of great loue yet to giue ones selfe is farr greater but incomparably the greatest of all to giue what we haue and what we are in such a manner and for such an end for we receiue him not now as a father and companion a brother a price but as our foode by which being worthily receiued we are made one with him not that wee chāge this diuine foode into our nature but we are rather changed and transformed into it euen as fire changes the nature of wood into it selfe Affection Ah whose hart is not stirred to deuotion and euen burnt vp with loue when he seriously considers with what excesse of loue and charitie with what solicitude as it were that Lord of Maiestie that powerfull King of glorie striues to gaine our hartes to his loue hartes which are but earth and ashes full of frailtie viciousnesse and indignitie and farr vnworthie to be chosen to be the habitacles and temples of the adorable Trinitié II. POINT CONSIDER how God could neither haue depressed himselfe lower or raised vs higher then that the bread of Angells should become the poore pilgrimes food then that the Creatour should be the creatures meate then that he who fills heauen and earth with the glorie of his diuine Maiestie should be receiued and handled and eaten by our miserie the highest heauens are not able to comprize his Magnitude and yet he will please to inhabite the narrow spaces of our howses of clay Affection Is it possible then may we not only saie with Salomon that God doth dwell with or amongst men but more is it possible that God hauing taken a humane nature vpon him and become man should also become mans food and dwell not only with man but euen in him there to cure our diseases languors and infirmities not with an infinitie of other meanes which his wisedome could inuēt but euen by the presence ' and application of his owne pretious body and blood III. POINT CONSIDER that Christ comes vnto vs accompayned with a thousand blessings for he brings into the soule that worthily receaues him what euer vertue he practised in his life all the fruite of his Passion Resurrection and Ascension the beatitude of his most Blessed bodie the efficacie of his most pretious blood and the merits of his most excellent soule and in a word all that euer can be desired or imagined Affection What is there then ô man which thou standest not possessed of what is it thou wantest if thou be not wanting to thy selfe in either not worthily preparing thy selfe to receiue so great a guest or hauing receiued him in not worthily entertaining him That man is euidently conuinced to be
so shall he be called and acknowledged to be the Sonne of the highest Iesus a Sauiour and shall raigne in the house of Iacob for euer And that therfor she is blessed amongst and aboue all women Affection O greatest astonishment to the Angells that euer they yet mett with since the Heauens Creation O greatest blisse to man that euer yet befell him since his first fathers fall O blessed effects of the flight of the world of silence of solitude of frequent prayer O Marie God Angell and man expecte thy consent O pious Virgine mournefull Adam with his whole miserable posteritie banished out of Paradice suppliantly crye to thee for it Abraham Dauid and all the ancient Fathers instantly begge it In a word all the world cast at thy feete humbly sues for it If that consent be giuen a passage to heauen is layd open to vs all THE II. MEDITATION I. POINT CONSIDER yet further and diligently ponder these pretious words which flow as heauenly pearles from the mouth of an Angell which man ought humbly to imbrace relish and locke vp not proudly and profanely to controle Blessed Marie is declared full of grace nor that in an ordinarie manner as diuers other Saintes were but according to the measure which Christ sorted out for his best beloued Mother who wisely sutes his giftes and graces according to the function place and dignitie to which he pleases to call euery one The fountaine the riuer the brooke are each one full so is the Sonne the Mother and the seruant But the Sonne as the sourse and sea whence all graces flow the Mother as neerliest ioyned to and most abundantly participating of the said sea the seruant as placed at a greater distance in a measure aggreable to a seruant in fine the seruant possesses it but by partes the Mother in the whole plenitude as saith S. Hierome Affection All hayle all hayle spotlesse Virgine mother of grace and mercy sith thou art the mother of my Lord and master I feare not to salute thee with an Angell full of grace since to speake wirh S. Athanasius the holy Ghost descended into thee with all his essentiall vertues which he stands possessed of by title of his diuine principalitie and therfor thou art most iustly stiled gratia plena as being replenished with the abundance of all the graces of the holy Ghost Many many daughters haue gathered riches togeither t is true but thou hast outstripped them all and art inriched with that peculiar grace which gaue glorie to the heauens a God to the earth faith to the gentils c. Dearest Lady mother daigne to Conueye some dropes of that ouer-flowing grace of thyne vpon my weake and languishing soule II. POINT CONSIDER that if Marie be full of grace it is noe wonder sith the same Angell assures her and vs that our Lord is with her Dominus tecum Noe saith S. Bernard it is noe wonder that she is full of grace with whom our Lord is not our Lord the Sonne onely whom she clothes with humanitie but our Lord the holy Ghost of whom she conceiues and our Lord the Father who begott him whom she conceiues Nay rather should we wonder that he that dispatched the Angell to her should be arriued to her before the Angell and be found with her by the Angell Affect Our Lord is with thee dearest Lady that eternall and draynelesse sourse of all graces and so the fulnesse of grace cannot be wanting to thee Our Lord is with thee the Angell is onely the Messēger of that good newes but the God of Angells who sent him preuents him and is alreadie thy guest Our Lord is with thee I say nay with vs too by thee ô thou Mother of mercy who broughtest forth our mylde Emmanuel that is our God with vs our Iesus thy Sonne whom who-euer loues he is loued by his heauenly father who with the Sonne and the holy Ghost will come vnto him and take vp their mansion with him O excessiue happines which accreues to vs by the meanes of Blessed Marie THE III MEDITATION For the Announciation I. POINT CONSIDER further that it is noe wonder that she that is replenished with all grace and hath our Lord with her and in her should be tearmed blessed amongst and aboue all women Since others haue but that by partes which she possesses in plenitude and since he that is with others onely in a generall manner by Presence power and essence is with her in all the fulnesse of the Diuinitie corporally Whence it is that she inioyes the aduantages and is freed from the incommodities of all the states of women to witt of Virgines wiues and widdowes She hath the ioys of a mother without corruption the honour of a Virgine without sterilitie the libertie of a widdowe without solitude She is therfor deseruedly blessed among and aboue all women Affectio Le ts vs then my soule say and neuer be wearie in saying with the Angell Hayle Marie full of grace our Lord is wit thee blessed art thou amongst all women and incomparably aboue and before all women for thou art indeede the Glorie of Hierusalem the ioy of Israël the honour of thy nation race and sexe for he that is powerfull workes wonders in thee and for vs poore lost sinners by thee Ah vse thy powerfull prayers to him for vs now and in the houre of our death Amen II. POINT CONSIDER the Blessed Virgines bashfulnesse prudence and retaynednesse in speech She is saluted by an Angell hayle full of grace accompaigned with her Lord and Master blessed among all women and yet she feares euen an Angell in the shape of a man she resalutes him not and in lieu of complacence finds trouble in hearing so great commendations of her selfe and falls a considering what kind of salutation that might be She eyes her selfe as one who was dayly begging for grace and she wonders to heare herselfe declared full of grace Her companions vse to be the poorer sort of Virgines and she admires to vnderstande she is accompaigned with her Lord and Master She lookes vpon her selfe as the least of women and cannot therfor conceiue how she should be blessed amongst all women Affection Ah my soule doe we obserue this Virgine full of grace blessed amongst all women startled at the presence of an Angell while yet we poore frayle Creatures miserable sinners feare not the presence of men where we may haue experienced much danger And when she returnes noe answer but is troubled at her owne prayses euen from an Angell prudently considering what they might import shall we vainely fall in loue with the prayses which men fawningly bestow vpon vs and therby vnconsideratly fall into questions and answers and ingagements which leade we know not whither Ah saith S. Ambrose it is the part of a Vingine to quake and tremble at euery approche of a man and to feare euery word he speakes THE IV. MEDITATION For the Announciation I. POINT CONSIDER that while the
magnifie our Lord and to reioyce in God our Sauiour for that he dayned graciously to looke vpon our vilenesse abiection and miserie by which looke or loue of his all our happinesse was begun THE III. MEDITATION For the Visitation I. POINT CONSIDER what was the seconde cause for which our Blessed Lady did so magnifie our Lord and you will heare her selfe againe shew it Still remouing all prayse from her selfe to ascribe it to the sourse of all Good because saith she he that is mightie hath done greate thinges to me as though she should say let none be slow in giuing credit to this ineffable mysterie let none admire that I. a Virgine haue conceiued for how euer it is in me that this astonishing wonder is wrought yet it was not I but the Almightie God that wrought it in the power of the most high who ouershaded me And the whole reason of the worke is the omnipotent power of the workman who alone workes great inscrutable and wonderfull thinges Affection Feare not my soule to acknowledg with our Blessed Lady that he who is mightie hath wrought great thinges in thee so thou humbly with her too confesse vpon whom they were wrought and by whom for so thou shalt stille haue thyne owne misery and Gods power mercy and bountie before thyne eyes so shalt thou neuer forgett that he is all and thou thy selfe nothinge at all and yet finding so many benefits whether of body or soule or fortune freely bestowed vpon thy pouertie and nothinge thou wilt euen melt away with admireing loue and willingly and ioyfully spend what soeuer thou hast of life or abilitie in continuall Magnifying of so good a Lord and in Spirituall exultations in so Deare a Sauiour II. POINT CONSIDER how hugely great that grace of Gods looking vpon B. Maries abiection must needs haue bene sith from thenceforth all generations shall call her blessed as she her selfe feares not to foretell hauing first giuen the honour of it to him that was truly the Authour therof Certainly that aspect or looking vpon was the effect of eternall direction according to that vbi amor ibi oculus and singular election his looke or aspect onely following his loue since as S. Augustin saith Gods looking vpon one by grace is the deliuering of him from abiection and abandonnement Affection O my soule what an excessiue ioy is it to a truly Christian hart to see this prediction so fully verified Blessed art thou began the Angell blessed art thou went on S Elizabeth and from them 16. ages and vpwards tooke and euer since continued the same songe all the Ancient Fathers being as it were at a holy strife which might take it the highest and all the Christian world from the rysing of the sunne till the setting of the same hauing nothing after Iesus so frequently in its mouth as our Blessed Lady that being as it were among them all her proper name whervpon millions of millions of all sexes and ages and conditions all the world ouer euery day fayle not to sing her Canticle and publish and confirme her blessed by all generations THE I. MEDITATION For the Natiuitie of our Blessed Sauiour I. POINT CONSIDER yet how many iust reasons concurre to oblidge all mankind to proclaime her blessed for euer First because she beleeued 2. Because she was full of grace 3. Because she brought out a most blessed fruite 4. Because the All-powerfull or Almightie wrought wonderful thinges in her 5. Because she was the Mother of our Lord the King of Glorie 6. Because she reserued the puritie of a Virgine togeither with the fecunditie of a Mother 7. Because neither was their before her or euer shall there be after her any like or comparable to her Affection Blesse her then my soule blesse her togeither with heauen and earth with Angells and Saintes and withall learne of her to blesse to prayse to magnifie that powerfull hand which wrought wonders in her and by her that fruite of her wombe that God her Sauiour whom she brought out blesse her firme faith her fulnesse of grace her pure maternitie her fruite full Virginitie Say say my soule with the deuoute Saint Bernard while the riuers run into the Sea while the woodes ouershade the mountaines while the starres possesse the heauens thyne honour thy name thy prayses shall alwayes remayne II. POINT CONSIDER that though Blessed Marie were a iustest subiect of admiratioÌ„ to men and Angells in all the states of her life as being designed for a worke which passed all their capacities euen to conceiue it yet was she then most blessefull and blessed when she did not onely promise but present her blessed fruite when our God was not onely our Lord with her and in her but our Emmanuel or our God with vs by her when that flower of the field began to appeare in our Land and her Virgine earth brought out a Sauiour when finally her dayes were fully come that she should be deliuered she brought-forth her first begotten Sonne and swadled him in clootes and layd him downe in a manger Affection Then then my soule it was indeede that all men of good will began to blesse her ioyninge with the multitudes of Angels who compasse about our more then Salomons litle bedd to sing a Gloria to the child of her wombe and peace to the world Then did she place her young Sonne our God visibly amongst vs and therby freed vs from that ancient reproche vbi est Deus tuus where is thy God Now thou mayst tell the Diuell my soule that here he is to subdue his pride Thou mayst tell the incredulous Iewes that here he is to confound their malice Thou maist tel all men of good will that here he is to breake our chaynes to cure our wounds to direct to protect to comfort to saue the poore banished Sonns of Eue. THE II. MEDITATION In the Natiuitie of our Sauiour I. POINT CONSIDER that then it was indeede that she shewed her selfe to be a Mother when she brought forth to the world her first begotten Sonne and layd him in a manger Then she was indeede Mother in effect and Mother of God and in that name and qualitie according to S. Thomas of Aquine the greatest creature that euer was or euer shall or can be made euen by the Almighties power since to be the Mother of God as being ioyned to a thing of an infinite perfection includes in it selfe a certaine infinite dignitie Affection Stand amaysed my soule at this heauenly prodigie as hauing neither words nor thoughtes sutable to this ineffable dignitie or at least say with that great S. Andrew of Hierusalem O holy Lady Thou art the incomprehensible secreete of the diuine economie whom the Angells desire incessantly to behold Thou art the admirable lodging of an humbled God Thou art that agreeable earth which made him descend from heauen and gave him entrie among vs. Thou art the treasure of â—he mysteries shut vp before all ages
troupes and aduance euen to the Throne of the souueraigne Kinge Affection Yes ô thou Souueraigne Queene saith S. Augustine seconded by S. Anselme the King thy Sonne raysed thee to the the same seate where he had placed what he tooke of thee it being but sutable to reason that thou shouldst be there where that is which was borne of thee How honored II. POINT CONSIDER what honour accrues to her in that Throne of Glorie and we shall find that she is honored by God the Father in qualitie of his dearest daughter Of God the Sonne as his dearest mother and of God the holy Ghost as his dearest Spouse Of all the Angells and Saintes of heauen as the best beloued Mother of their Master and the most glorious Queene of their heauenly Court Affection All hayle thou glorious Queene of Heauen it is not now all the generations of mē or one Angell that salutes thee full of grace but all the Quires of Angells which pronounce thee blessed and full of glorie Yea the whole Trinitie doth in rich thee with incomparable prerogatiues of honour and glorie farre aboue all the rest FINIS MEDITATIONS FOR ALL THE SVNDAYES IN THE YEARE DRAWNE OVT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE GOSPELLS Composed by the same Authour THE SECONDE PARTE Lex tua meditatio mea est PARIS Printed by VINCENT DV MOVTIER M. DC LXV THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE FIRST SVNDAY IN ADVENT There shall be signes in the sunne and the moone and the starrs and in the earth distresse of nations for the confusion of the sound of the sea and waues c. Luc. 21. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that there are two Aduents or comings of Christ intimated in this Gospell and celebrated in the holy Catholike Church The one of feare when he shall come in dread full maiestie to iudge the vniuersall world to th end that by whosome feare the forerunner of wisdome the heartes of her children may the better be prepared to receiue hym by loue in his first coming by his gracious Incarnation when he comes in humilitie and infirmitie Nor is there a better way to secure our selues against his dreadfull maiestie in that then by imitating his abismall humilitie in this Affection Let vs then my soule vpon the first sommons of that dreadfull day rowse vp our selues from the sleepe of negligence and sinne and without further dallying and delay fall seriously vpon the studie of our Master Christ his first lesson humilitie knowing with S. Paule that now it is the houre that we ought to ryse being called vpon by our holy mothers care Now I say euen now at this verie houre because the youngest the strongest the wisest of vs all knowes not whether the next houre will be allowed him yea or noe THE SECONDE POINTE CONSIDER the dreadfullnesse of that second coming by the astonishing forerunners of it as they are put downe by the pen of the holy Ghost Ther shall b◠signes in the sunne and in the moone and the starrs and vpon the earth distresse of nations through the confusion of the sound of the sea and waues Behold the wrothfull iudge doth not yet appeare and yet the sunne is obscured the moone refuseth to afford its light the starrs fall from the heauens the earth quakes the sea rores all is in confusion on all sides to witt what was fore told by wisdosme begins to be fulfilled The round world shall fight with him against the senselesse and he will arme his creatures to the reuenge of his enemyes Affection I haue sinned against thee ô my dread lord I haue donne impiously in the sight of thee my deare father I haue committ iniquitie before the face of all thy creatures Noe wonder then they all ryse vp against me disloyall wretch that I am Alas there is nothing in me but confusion and rottennesse nothing that is able to abide the strickt tryall of thy sterne iustice vnlesse thy mylde mercy come out before to preuent it Mercy deare lord mercy Permitt not the poore soule which thou hast daigned to loue and which has noe other hope but in thee perishe in thy anger mercy mercy mercy THE THIRD POINTE. CONSIDER further the dreadfulnesse of the same coming by the wonderous effects it seemes to worke in men and Angells In the Angells for the heauenly powers goes on our text that is the Angells themselues though otherwise secure in themselues and absolutly possessed of beatitude are moued with a certaine admiration and reuerentiall feare by the apprehension of the approch of the wrothfull iudge the exactnesse of his iustice ād the multitudes of those that are to be iudged And in men since they shall euen wither away with a dreadfull expectation of what will become of them and the whole world Affection O poore sinfull man o thou who finds thy conscience ouer burdened with so many disloyalties against thy deare lord tortured with such multitudes of crymes against thy dreadfull all-sceing euer-liuing iudge Alas What will then become of thee when the verie Angells shall quake with feare the Angells who are neither guiltie of sinne or euen can sinne the Angells who alwayes performed the will of their lord the Angells who are in the sure possession of his glorie What will become of vs my soule who are guiltie of so many imperfections palpable negligences and heynous crymes makaing a short reflection vpon the course of our whole lise Resolution I will therfor iudge my selfe while there is yet tyme c. THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY And then shall the sonne of man appeare in the clouds of heauen in much power and Maiestie THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that if the signes and prodigies which fore run the coming of the all-powrefull all-sceing and most iust and wroth full iudge be so dread full with what astonishment horrour and vtter confusion must his presence needs strike sinfull man his mortall enemye who crucified him againe and againe with his vices and concupiscences and trode the sonne of God vnder foote His presence I say accōpaigned with such daunting circumstances Clouds and fogges shall inuiron him saith the Royalle Prophete and fire shall streame out before him and fire his enemyes round about while the mountaines melt like waxe before his angrie face Affection Alas who will haue assurance enough to be able to stand to see this dreadfull coming who would not sue to the mountaines to fall vpon them and hide them from so daunting an aspect Or euen pray with Iob to find protection in hell till his furie be past because the furie and anger of that man shall spare none in that day Ah my soule He sees all that hath past from the begining of the world He is most iust and will spare none he is all powerfull and none can resist his decrees It is horride to fall into the handes of a luing God Yet all this we must all stand to see How necessarie is it then to prouide in tyme Let my resolution
Augustine though such as vowe Virginitie to God hold a more ample degree of honour and dignitie in the Church of God yet are not they without mariage for they belonge to the mariage with the whole Church wherin Christ is the spouse Affection O admirable dignitie of the Virgine where the humble handmayd is raysed to the honour of a Bride to Christ himselfe the Bridegroome whom whē she loues she is chaste whom when she touches she is pure whom when she takes in mariage she is a Virgine O supercelestial mariage from whence fidelitie and fertilitie is expected as well as in other mariages for such as breake this first faith haue damnation saith the Apostle and the happie state of Virgines assures S. Augustine is more fruitfull and fertile not to haue bigge bellies but great mynds not to haue breasts full of mylke but harts full of candour and in lieu of bringing forth earth out of their bowells they bring forth heauen by their prayers Hence issues a noble progenie puritie iustice patience mildnesse charitie followed by all her venerable traine of vertues This is the Virginns worke to be sollicitous of what belongs to God and to haue her whole conuersation in Heauen THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY CONSIDER yet a third sort of mariage wherin the whole Catholike Church that is all faithfull soules are espoused to Christe in faith hope and charitie but especially by charitie which as Queene drawes a longe with her all the powers and affections of the soule to conforme and subiect them to the pleasure of her diuine spouse making but one will and nill of two wills to witt that of God and man And this conformitie saith the deuoute S. Bernard maries the soule to God Whence results an ineffable content and pleasure and such a heate of diuine loue that the soule and all her affections are absorpt therin Affection Let the world then my soule boast as much as it will of the pleasures and contentements which it inioyes they are not like to the lawe of the Lord thy God that sweete law of loue in comparisō of which the most prosperous earthly pleasure is but vile and base The cheife Good is our Good of which Tertulian saith excellently soome goods as well as some euills bring an intolerable waight with them and most dearely and deliciously oppresse the soule Hence it was that that holie Apostle of the Indies cryed out Satis est Domine satis est It is enough ô Lord it is enough THE SECONDE POINTE CONSIDER yet a fourth sorte of Mariage which is made euery day to all kinds of faithfull soules which approche to the B. Sacrament Wherin we are made one with that diuinely deare spouse of ours not onely by charitie but euen in realitie and in verie deede we are mingled with that sacred flesh of his in that celestiall banket which he bestowes vpon vs to shew vs the excesse of his loue Whence S. Christome saith therfor it was that he ioynd himselfe with vs and mixed his body into vs to the'nd we might be come one with him as the body is ioyned to the heade for euen as one who powres melted waxe saith Cyrill into other waxe must necessarily wholy mixe the one with the other so he that receiues the body and bloud of our Lord is so ioyned with him that Christ is found in him and he in Christ Affection O excesse of goodnesse ô ineffable delightes of that most chaste and sacred mariage betwixt the kinge of heauen and poore man Here in this mariage banket is serued in the foode of Angells nay the kinge of the Angells himselfe becomes the whole feaste Nor is there neede there of any other wine then the precious bloude of the Lambe who dyed for our loue say then my soule and let all that loue and feare our Lord Iesus say with vs quoniam bonus quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius that he is infinitly good and his mercys are without end THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE THIRD SVNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANIE If thou wilt said the Leper to our sauiour thou canst make me cleane Matt. 8. THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that the poore Leper had found by a longe and painfull experience that there was noe hope of cure by the power of man all his owne and others endeuours prouing vneffectuall and therfor he wisely resolued in an humble confidence to haue recourse to him whom he knew by faith to be able to doe all that he would in heauē and in earth By adoration he acknowledges him to be God and by his words he publishes him to be all powerfull He came and adored him sayinge Lord If thou wilt thou canst and the present effects proue that his faith is powerfull and gratefull to Christ who graciously replyes I will Be thou made cleane and forth with his leprosie was made cleane Affection Our great and good Lord my soule neither wants power nor good will to cure all our infirmites if we aske as we ought If he some tyme delaye vs it is but the better to trye vs and more euidently to acquainte vs with our owne want of abilitie till he putt his powerfull hand to the worke for then our leprosie is forth with cured If he delaye vs and sometyme permitt vs for a longe space to languish and euen to be ouerspredd with our leprosie it is but the more perfectly to humble vs and throughly to cure the more dangerous desease of pride Finally if he delay the cure till we waxe more desparatly sicke it oblidges vs being at length cured the more highly to magnifie his mercy and publish his power to all men THE SECONDE POINTE. CONSIDER that there is noe stayne so deeply setled which Gods power is not able to fetch out noe leprosie of body or soule so inueterate and incurable which God with a word doth not cure Our application or addresse is onely to be looked to We must approche to the Lord of life and death as to one such with a liuely faith with an absolute confidence that with a word he can worke what he will his power being onely limited by his will as the faithfull leper plainly expresses Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Affection Be then my soule thy leprosie and other spirituall deseases neuer so peremptorie Be it that they haue growne on with thee since thy youth Seeme they rather to be another nature then natures defects yet haue but a frequent confident humble recourse to this souueraigne Physitian with a true acknowledgement of thyne owne miserable and otherwise desparate estate crying out with afirme faith O Lord if thou wilt thou canst cure all myne infirmities and infallibly in his good tyme we shall heare I will be thou made cleane THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY Of the Centurion or Capitaine of an hundred Soldiers who sued to our Sauiour for the cure of his seruante THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that we may
which rayseth a litle with Gods blessing vpon it to great matters at least to sufficiencie and content This was the Legacie B. S. Augustine left his children vnitie of hartes and communitie of the same purse Noe myne and thyne the true cause of deuision This was the Apostles inheritance giuen them by the holy Ghost one hart and one soule This was the songe which the Royall Psalmist sung with such ioy and found so good and delicious the vnanimous cohabitation of brethren which like a precious oyntement conueyes it selfe through all the parts of the body Powre then ô Lord the loue of brotherlinesse and peace into our harts that being annointed with the dewe of thy spirituall vnction we may be ouerioyed with the grace of thy benediction THE SECONDE POINTE. Who is not with me is against me and who gathers not with me doth disperse Luke 11. CONSIDER that the sonne of God hath said it whose words can neuer passe Who is not with me is against me there is noe meane noe third way Noe man can serue two Masters God and Mammon There is nothing that raignes in mans hart but either cupiditie or charitie What is giuen to cupiditie is giuen to that badd master the Diuell But what is done for charitie is done for the best of Masters our good God and so we goâ— happilie with him and gather with him If our harts say liue Iesus and our actions be done actually or vertually for his sake we aduance in vertue and treasure vp for heauen If we fayle of this we walke not with God we disperse the Deuill getts a share more or lesse according to the greatnesse or litlenesse of our actions Affection Let vs not goe on biasing my soule and halting on both sides If one onely God be our all let all our thoughtes words and workes be directed to his honour If it were he not Baal or any strange Gods which created conserued and redeemed vs with his owne pretious bloode let him not them souueraignely raigne ouer vs. The bedd of our hart is to narrow for two let our lawfull spouse the Master of it wholie possesse it What euer we doe and not for that for which diuine wisdome ordered it to be done that is Gods honour though in its owne nature it be good yet for want of its right end it falls short Concludes S. Augustine THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE THIRD SVNDAY IN LENT Iesus went beyond the sea of Galilee and a great Multitude followed him THE FIRST POINTE. CONSIDER that we neuer walke more safely then when we follow Iesus Neuer are we more sure then in his blessed hands Neuer better prouided for then when distrusting in our owne prouidence â—e let pure loue to him which is alwayes accompaigned with Prudence leade vs after him to conuerse with him to receiue the heauenly dewe of his diuine word and to admire the wonders of his admirable workes euen with the neglect of the whole world beside as did this pious multitude Affection Let then my soule our first and principall care be imployed to followe Christ to seeke his Kindome or raigne ouer our owne harts and the harts of all men and his iustice by giuing beleefe to his words and reposing confidence in his gracious prouidence without permitting our thoughts to be afflicted with an anxious sollicitude for temporall thinges which infallibly shall be giuen vs or as it were shall be cast in to the bargaine Our heauenly father better knowes then we our selues what is necessarie for vs as well for our bodys as our soules He may leaue vs till we begin to be hungrie of both foodes but expect him and absolutly depend vpon him and that pious father of ours will not see vs fayle in the way THE SECONDE POINTE I haue compassion of the multitude CONSIDER that when the pious multitude had once giuen this ample testimonie by following him three dayes in the wildernesse of their loue and perseuerance heauenly wisdome found it seasonable to giue them also a testimonie of his power and goodnesse in one and the same miracle of his power in making fiue loafes and two fishes extende to the feeding and saciating of fiue thousand persons and of his goodnesse by applying the effects of that power to solace and nourish that hungrie multitude saying with compassion misereor super turbam that is my verie bowells are moued with pittie in pointe of the multitude of those that follow me Affection O my most gracious Lord how easily is thy paternall harte inclyned to pittie The pen of the holy Ghost may seeme to haue laboured to make it euident to our hartes I will not leaue you orphants If I come not presently expect me for coming I will come Can a mother forgett the child of her owne body And tho she could yet I am your foster-father and cannot forgett you Ah my soule what expressions can be deuised more tender Our Lord is indeede pittifull and mercifull patient and exceeding mercifull We haue reason to admire his power to dreade his iustice to venerate his sanctitie to magnifie all his Attributes yet nothing nothing comes so home to our vses as his goodnesse nothing sutes so well with our miserie as his boundlesse mercy THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY Euery one tooke as much as they would and they were filled Iohn 6. CONSIDER rhat our almightie Master is equally powerfull to worke his owne designe and our full satisfaction as well in litle as in great matters If a world be to be made he rayseth it out of nothinge If thousands be to be fedd in the wildernesse fiue loaues and a few smale fishes is Matter enough for him to worke vpon and to increase that smale prouision into such a plentifull store that he affords euery one of them as much as they will and they are all filled and saciated Affection Yes my soule our great Gods will and power are wholy equall all that he will he can it is he who wrought all that he would in heauen and earth nor can any resist his diuine will He needes noe matter to worke vpon he requires noe length of tyme to wotke in he has done in a moment he feeds whom he will with what he will and whom he feeds he fills he saciates Alas the world my soule with its fattest feasts doth not saciate vs. Vnlesse what we eate issue from thy holy hand and come with thy benediction vpon it great God we doe but languish and fayle in the way But if the litle we haue be accompayned with thy blessing it feeds it fattens it delights it saciates THE SECONDE POINTE. CONSIDER that though this multitude had iuste reason as well to magnifie his wonderfull power as to loue and imbrace his bountifull goodnesse in the stupendious multiplication of a few loaues c. Yet was but that a poore shadowe of Gods fauours to vs Christians as their obligations also were incomparably lesse hen ours There fiue loaues
persecute Christ in the persons of his faithfull as the Pharisies and Herodians did by their wicked counsells in his owne person striuing to surprise him in his words Affection Happie are those peaceable and prudent soules who affect not runing to their owne ends by their owne counsells alone but humbly beleeue that many eyes see more then one and thence vnanimously conspire togeither to consulte and execute by common consent what is behoofull for the common good according to euery ones state and calling In the middst of such a companie God will surely be found to streame his blissings vpon them But contrarily accursed be that Pharisaicall way of conspiring togeither against our Lord and his Christ or Christian children with designe to surprise them in their words innocently vttered to represent their well meant actions in an odious way to sowe misintelligence amonge friends and putt them at a distance God certainely will vtterly destroye such impious counsells and consulâ—ours THE SECONDE POINTE Master we knowe thou art a true speaker and teachest the way of God in truth c. for thou dost not respect the person of men CONSIDER that the result of their fraudulent counsells was meerly by falsehoode and flatterie to come to their wicked designes They call him master whom they seeke to destroye They flatter him with the opinion they haue of his veracitie or speaking the truth while their true ayme is to catch him speaking false in saying that Tribute ought not to be payd to Cesar And so make him guiltie of treason They tell him he is noe excepter of persons to induce him to speake more freely against Cesar as being a person who would be partiall to none not euen to the highest power in earth Affection O impious pietie ô accursed flatterie O damnable vse of truth He is indeede your Master and Sauiour whose death you conspire He is not onely a true speaker but euen Truth it selfe whom you seeke to calumniate He is in verie deede noe excepter of persons and and therfor he would haue iustice done to all men To whom Tribute Tribute to whom custome custome to whom feare feare to whom honour honour He is Truth it selfe and therfor doth deteste a fawning double tongued mouth Thus doe the wicked misimploy sacred truth to worke their malice But let vs my soule striue to make a better vse of it Let vs looke vpon our Christ as Truth it selfe with adoring loue Let vs reuerently heare him as teaching the way of God in truth and incessantly followe him in the odour of his sweetnesse THE SECONDE MEDITATION FOR THE SAME SVNDAY Render what is Cesar's to Cesar CONSIDER that our Sauiour by this short lesson teaches all that belongs to iustice betwixt man and man since iustice indeede is noe other thinge then willingly to giue euery one his owne To Cesars Kings and Potentates tributes and other duties according to lawe and custome To Prelates obedience according to Canons Rules and Constitutions To Parents honour and obedience according to Gods Lawe To our elders deference and respect To the poore and distressed compassion and assistance and loue to all men in generall Affection Who fayles my soule in any of these particulars fayles in pointe of Christian Iustice and vainely flatters himselfe with the opinion of being perfectly iust No Pay we otherwise what we will euen to God himselfe vnlesse Caesar also receiue his right God is not appayed because his decree is not obserued giue to Caesar what is Caesars Doe we then defraude the Prince of his iust tributes and impositions or transgresse his penall lawes made for the weale of the Land We are vniust Doe we fayle in obedience to Prelates and Parents commandes while they trench not vpon Gods parte We are vniuste Doe we refuse respect and preference to our ancients finde the poore noe place in our hard hartes haue we noe loue for our Christian brother We fayle in one halfe of the law Caesar is not payd his parte in a word we are vniust THE SECONDE POINTE. And to God the thinges which are God's CONSIDER that if the tribute coine was iudged by our Sauiour Iesus to belonge to Cesar and therfor ought to be rendred to him because it was marked with his picture and inscription much more doth man belonge to God and ought in all iustice to be rendred to him since he was made by him to his owne likenesse and similitude conserued by him redeemed by him If we liue and moue it is in him If we conceiue a good thought haue a good will or doe a good worke they are but all effects of his grace and bountie All that we haue or are are truly his most iustly therfor are we bound to render all to him Affection God alone is the souueraigne Authour and conseruer of our Beeing he alone the absolute Superiour of the whole man to him alone are our whole selues and obediente submissions due in all thinges at all tymes and in all circumstances without limite without reserue And therfor we cannot without iniustice depriue him of any parte of our selues be it our thoughtes words or workes because the Arrest is giuen To God the thinges which are Gods And what haue we my soule or what hath the greatest of men which he hath not receiued We cannot then depriue him of them without robberie nor glorie in them as our owne without vanitie THE FIRST MEDITATION FOR THE XXIII SVNDAY AFTER WHITSVNDAY There came a Prince and adored saying Lord my daughter is newly deade but come and putt thy hand vpon her and she shall liue Matt. 9. CONSIDER the great peruersitie of mans harte who still putts false rates vpon thinges and most loues and labours for that which deserues the lesse loue and esteeme We may obserue in this Gospell as well as in all the rest prince and people poore and rich Iewe and gentile running to our Sauiour for bodily cures While yet we scarce find any haue recourse to him in behoofe of their soules vnlesse it be a weeping Magdalene or a poore humble Publicane with propitius esto mihi peccatori in his mouth Affection How longe my soule shall we be willing to vse false waightes euen in waighing to our selues How longe shall we be in loue with lyes What proportion doth our corruptible body dust and ashes beare to our immortall soule What profit will bodily health togeither with the honours pleasures and riches which we so earnestly breath after bring vs if we suffer the losse of our soule which Christ knowes best to value who putt downe the price of his pretious bloud for it Alas my soule if we haue but a tooth that akes we presently suffer the paine to haue it plucked out and yet to cure our dying or deade soule how litle are we sensible how smale paines are we willing to suffer THE SECONDE POINTE. The girle is not deade but sleepeth CONSIDER that we may often seeme to the censorious world and euen
burnt that thundred that sent out beames of glorie there here is nailed to a Crosse and ignominiously dying betwixt two theeues vpon the toppe of Mount Caluarie Affect Ibo videbo visionem hanc grandem I will vp to Caluarie and see this great sight for it is not as some conceiued the frame of the Vniuerse that is about to be dissolued but the very God of nature which suffers and is readie to dye Dye then my soule dye to this world and to all its concupiscences and dye with this deare Lord and Master of thine Ah my dying Lord ô my crucified Loue Let my eyes and thoughts loath their wonted vanities and fill them selues full of this daunting obiect of a dying God O my crucified Loue let me be nayled to the Crosse with thee neuer seeking to be freed from that tye But grant that all the rest of my life in flesh I may liue in the faith of the sonne of God true God who loued me and deliuered vp himselfe for me Resolution Neuer regard among vvhom thou art numbered so thy actions be Christian Loue to be reputed for nothing c. THE XIX MEDITATION Of our Christian bloody sacrifice vpon Mount Caluarie 1. Point COnsider how at length we haue mett with such a Bishop as we had absolute neede of as S. Paule saith à Bishop who is holy innocent vnspotted separated from sinners who hauing no neede to sacrifice for his owne sinnes wholy imployes it for the redemption of ours Behold him ready to performe this great sacrifice to his heauenly father in his owne blood Caluarie is the vast Temple lying open to the whole world the Crosse the Altar him selfe the Preist and Hoste and that infinite charitie of his heauenly hart to man the fire which burnes all into an Holocaust Affect O dolefull ioyfull Mysterie thy Christ ô Christian is readie to sacrifice himselfe What fountaines of teares are not due to such an ignominious death But it is for thy sake for thy redemption what consolation what ioy Weepe then weepe vpon thy dying spouse yes for his dolours deserue seas of teares yet weepe not so as those others who haue no hope for thou hast mett with a gracious Redeemer a plentifull redemption which is euen at hand to witt our high Priest is gone vp to the high Altar and is readie to put downe his blood more then the price of a thousand worlds While this Abels blood out-speakes his brothers crime Mans malice was not able to committ what Gods mercie was able to expiate Our sinns are great ô Lord huge great we confesse it we pleade guiltie But our Priest is holy vnspotted innocent innocencie it selfe And he is readie for vs poore sinners to paie-backe what he tooke not awaie to appease thy wrath which he neuer prouoked Looke vpon this innocent obedient sonne of thine and pardon the crimes and disobediences of thy poore seruant who of himselfe is altogether insoluable 2. Point Consider that whereas other Bishops goe richly adorned to the Altar poore Christ is turned quite naked to the worke making his publike confusion the ornament which ought to rauish the harts of men and Angells to see their God and ours who couers beautifies and adornes all thinges exposed naked to the eyes and scorne of all the world to couer our confusion to hide our shame and to recouer vs againe the white garment of originall iustice which we lost in our first father Affect Neuer is a Christian man so gloriously adorned in the eyes of God Angells and Men as when he neglects or depriues him selfe of all ornaments by Christs example and for his loue Neuer doe we so neerly resemble Christ nor so securely approch to his holy sacrifices as when we find our selues turned naked not only from all interest humane respects selfe-esteeme and selfe loue but from our dearest desires and best beloued affections to certaine practises of pietie aduancement in verue by meanes of our owne choice whereas our more purified and Christian-like desires indeed ought to be an absolute indifferencie and intire dependence of Gods good pleasure affecting that in all things his holy name be sanctified his raigne be magnified his blessed will be accomplished and glorified for euer whether by our nakednesse confusion ignominie or good fame Resolution We vvill disingage our selues of all other interests but Gods blessed vvill alone THE XX. MEDITATION Our Sauiour stripped naked and putt vpon the Crosse 1. Point COnsider how this publik confusion was accompaigned with excessiue paines for the barbarous rudenesse inhumanitie and crueltie of the soldiers doe not so much teare off the fleece as the very skinne and flesh of the delicate and tender lambe which muttered not against those that shore him and ledd him to slaughter If at the piller their inhumanitie inflicted wounds without number at the Crosse their inraged violence teares them all into one while they snatche off the garment which stickes to the goarie blood of them all Affect Ah my soule let vs here behold the man againe who is placed naked before our eyes He is thy dearest spouse but thy spouse of blood whose sufferances find no end He is thy hartes only delight who is now made an obiect of horrour to thine eyes It is he who was beautifull farre before all the sonns of men and behold he is wholy deformed all couered ouer with wounds and fresh springs of blood shewre downe from euery part and now there is noe beautie in him nor comlinesse Nay he is as it vvere a Leper strucken by God and humbled Towitt we all straied like lost sheepe and this lambe takes all our iniquities vpon him Let vs not then at least spare dropps of guiltie teares where he spends fountaines of innocent blood 2. Point Consider how these vile slaues extend the King of Glorie thus naked thus deformed thus fleaed and torne thus cruelly crowned vpon the ignominious wood with as much barbarousnesse and brutalitie as their diuellish malice could inuent and then with great and rude nailes digge through his hands and feete Foderunt manus meas pedes meos as the prophet longe before had expressed it racking out his armes with huge violence to force them to their designed places vpon the Crosse so that one might count all his bones dinumerauerunt omnia ossa mea Affect O my deare Iesus what excessiue shame confusion and torments must I needs conceiue thou here indurest for the sinfull soule of me thy poore vnworthy lost seruant while I see the waight of thy whole bodie riue the wounds of thy sacred hands and feete still wider and wider Thy bones vnioynted thy veines and sinewes forced to an vniust length My hart my hart where art thou on what thinkest thou while thy innocent Master thus suffers for thy sake without complaint without murmuring one word Is it thus that we suffer infinitly lesse things for his sake and in contemplation hereof Resolution I vvill neuer forgett these huge
then he cries out that intrauerunt aquae vsque ad animam meam the waters of bitternesse haue entred into my very soule Affect O my soule how happie were we if we could once haue the true sense and zeale of Gods honour and haue lesse sense and feeling of our owne short and light sufferances though for our owne defaults We see what a lesson our Sauiour giues vs who is able to looke ouer all that reflects vpon himselfe and only eyes his heauenly fathers honour to witt all the waters of tribulation are not able to extinguish the liuely flame of his charitie But we my soule are selfe louers and selfe flatterers and farre too delicate and tender soldiers to liue vnder a Captaine who with a thornie helmet on his head exposeth his naked body to deadly blowes for his fathers honour Whereas wee if we can sleepe at ease in a whole skinne seeme little concerned when we heare and see our Masters name and fame vilified blasphcamed and euen torne in peeces Is this to be followers of Christ He commends his mother to S. Iohn and S. Iohn to his mother 2. Point Consider that though the waters of bitternesse and a sense of inward sorrow had possessed his hart yet did mildnesse filiall care dutie and dearenesse still raigne therein for with blubbered bloodie and dyeing eyes espying his mother and the Disciple whom he loued he said to his mother pointing at S. Iohn behold thy sonne and then to his Disciple behold thy Mother O how heauenly loue is able to liue and raigne amidst our greatest anguishes And where loue liues and raignes what anguish is able to make vs faile of our dutie Affect Obserue my soule the order and dutie of charitie Christs greatest care is his heauenly Fathers honour and consequently he feeles the greatest torment where he findes it violated and thence his first praiers are imployed for pardon for those that violate it and his first pardon is granted to the good theife that acknowledged him with a repentant hart In the next place he paies the honour which hee owes to his parents and the loue which he owes to his friends Mother behold thy sonne Disciple behold thy Mother Thus are vve taught my soule to loue God incomparably aboue all things and to seeke his glorie euen before and aboue the loue of our parents Next vve are to loue and honour those authors of our beeing and lastly to loue our friends and our neighbours as our selues c. Resolution Zeale of Gods glorie c. and loue of our parents THE XXIV MEDITATION Of the sorrovves of Iesus and Marie 1. Point COnsider and ponder well the circumstances of this sonne and this Mother and this standing and if there be anie sense of Christianitie or euen humanitie left our harts cannot misse to melt with pittie The sonne the most louely the most louing the most beautifull child that euer heauen knew the Mother the most gracefull most gratefull most louing and most beloued virgine that euer the earth produced or can produce The sonne innocencie it selfe and the Mother the most innocent Lady that euer the world beheld And that virgine Mother stands neere the Crosse to behold that sonne that man that God dying vpon that most accursed and ignominious wood in all the circumstances of greatest torment and contempt of body and soule imaginable dying I say for her for vs for those that put him to death for all mankind Affect O my soule stand astonished at this saddest spectacle that euer the amayzed heauens beheld and let the same nayles which through the innocent sonns hands peirced the dolorous mothers hart wound thine also The sonne is plentifully powring out for sinners that pure and harmelesse blood which he receiued in that mothers chast wombe without all spott of sinne and she the most innocent and louing and most beloued of all mothers stands to behold it Ah what swords of sorrow doe not pearce her tender hart Well may we conceiue she paies the panges of childbirth with huge vsurie which she felt not in his immaculate natiuitie She now indeede brings forth Iesus the most painefull waie that euer woeman experienced since the child must absolutly dye and the mother hardly escape The sunne is eclipsed the earth quakes the rockes burst in sunder 2. Point COnsideration But while hard and vngratefull and vnnaturall man wil bestow no compassion neither vpon the dying sonns blood nor vpon the dolorous mothers teares the senselesse elements may seeme to turne sensible to mans confusion and acknowledge the master who made them while he litle considers the God that redeemed him euen in the painfull and ignominious act of his redemption The sunne withdrawing its light for three howres space couers his shame the veyle of the temple burstes in peeces the very rockes rend and all the earth is in a commotion to wit saith S. Iohn Chrysostome the creatures could not indure the wrong done to their Creator Affect Ah sonns of men and may I not adde sonns of God too Christians brothers of Christ Spouses of Christ vsque quo graui corde how longe how longe will you remaine heauie harted and appeare lesse sensible then the verie rockes themselues O God vouchsafe I beseech thee in vertue of the pretious blood of thy deare sonne which so plentifully streames downe either to smite this fleshly hart of mine with thy feare and with thy loue or turne this senselesse fleshly hart of mine into a very rocke that that rodd of Moyses may draw waters out of it that these hammers may bruse and burst it a sunder Smite ô Lord smite I beseech thee this hard hart of mine with the pious and powerfull dart of thy loue that I may be sensible at least among the senselesse creatures and testifie that it is my God that 's dying Resolution I vvill continually lament the hardnes and vnsensiblenesse of myne ovvne hart as to any respects of God c. THE XXV MEDITATION My God my God vvhy hast thou forsaken me 1. Point COnsidera And well might all nature stand astonished well might the dumme elements crye out by earthquakes and prodigious signes to stupid man whose crimes had brought the God of nature the true sonne of God to such extreamitie of all kind of torments that the most lamentable and daunting voice that euer was heard vnder the sunne broke out from his mouth My God my God vvhy hast thou forsaken me To witt our eyes were witnesses of greatest exorbitancie and vniuersalitie of torments inflicted vpon him that euer creature suffered but his owne tongue alone was able to expresse his inward sense and sorrow of his soule Affection O eternall God the father of my Lord Iesus Christ dispose graciously and looke downe towards vs not vpon me but vpon the glorious face of thy Christ that coeternall sonne of thine in whom thou hast testified thou wert alwaies well pleased who cryes out to the worlds astonishment that thou hast
inferiour motiues We offer gale to Christ when we complie with the world more then with his loue We offer a mixed cuppe of vineger and gale when we thinke to serue God and Mammon to liue piously and yet follow our owne inclinations passions and pleasures In fine we offer vineger and gale to Christ when knowing much we performe but litle knowing his blessed will we endeuour not to accomplish the same 2. Point Considera Noe sooner was this inhumane and barbarous present made but my sweete Sauiour pronounced againe Consummatum est all is consummated or ended All the ancient sacrifices types and figures For here the true Abel is slaine by his owne brother The harmelesse Ioseph is sold to the Ismaelites The saueing Noe is turned naked and mocked by his owne children The innocent Isaac is sacrificed by his owne father being otherwise the same Fathers onely hope and ioy So that vpon the Crosse we find the accomplishment of them all Affect To witt my soule our deare all-sauing Noe may seeme to conceiue the Deluge ouer because he drawes neere to the periode of his life sending out this voyce as a gentle doue to bring the good tydings of the same All is accomplished Our peace my soule is neere vpon the point of being concluded with his heauenlie father Our saluation is neere at hand O how many haue desired to see what we now see and to heare the Consummatum est which we haue the happinesse now to heare and yet saw and heard it not Resolution We wil be for euer thankfull for this so singular a grace which God out of his free mercy pleased to bestow vpon vs. THE XXVIII MEDITATION Of the same subiect 1. Point COnsideration All is accomplished or fulfilled All the Prophecies He hath giuen his body to the strikers and his cheekes to those that boxed them He hath not turned his face away from rebukers and spitters He hath bene despised and made the most abiect of men He hath borne our infirmities we haue seene him as à leper and strucken of God He hath putt vpon him the iniquities of vs all He hath bene offered because he himselfe would and opened not his mouth He hath bene ledd as a sheepe to slaughter and as a lambe before his shearer His soule hath laboured he hath bene reputed with the wicked and deliuered his soule vp vnto death As the Prophete longe agoe foretold We haue seene him in his thirste presented with vineger and gale We haue seene lotts cast vpon his garments We haue seene him à worme and not a man a reproche of men and out-caste of the people We haue seene him compassed with calues and dogges and beseiged by fatt bulls We haue heard him crye out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Euen as it was foretold by Dauid Affect Is it not true then my soule that all is consummated all the Prophecies fulfilled Is it not true that sicut audiuimus sic vidimus that what was foretold we haue seene accomplished Is it not true that all these testimonies are made but too too credible exceeding apparant to all the world But ah my Iesu thou dearest Authour and Consummatour of our faith Is it not true too that thou didst strugle through strange cōtradictions the while for my sinnes for my saluation for the loue of me Ah this consummation was purchaced at too too deare a rate If euer I forgett these abismall labours let my right hand be forgotten and let my tongue sticke to my iawes if I euer cease to magnifie these ineffable mercyes of thyne 2. Point Consideration All is accomplished in fine to witt the whole law for our good law giuer came not to breake the lawe but to accomplishe it nor is the accomplishment of the Law any other thinge but the loue of God and our neighbour nor can any expresse a greater loue then to lay downe his life and such a life the life of a God not for friends neither but for enemyes for vnworthy seruants for loste slaues and that too in circumstances of greatest tormentes abismall abandonnements infamie and scorne Affect Yes the Law is indeed accomplished my soule since loue is the fulnesse accomplishment and perfection therof as to dye for the beloued is the fulnesse and perfection of loue Our louing Lawgiuer then hath performed his owne law in perfection since he dyes for loue and that not for his friendes onely but euen for his enemyes euen while they persecuted him to death Ah how pure how generous how disinteressed is this loue of his He finds himselfe forsakem by his Father and yet he is noe lesse readie to dye for his loue and honour He finds vngratefull man paying his loue and labours with iniuries and yet for his loue he will lay downe his life This ought to be the rule of our proceeding We must not lesse loue and serue God because he seemes some tymes to leaue vs in afflictions in temptations c. nor leaue off to loue our neighbour because he renders euil for good Noc for our ayme and obligation is to accomplishe the lawe with Christ and the accomplishment of the law is loue THE XXIX MEDITATION 1. Point COnsideration Finally all is consummated his obedience to his heauenly father euen vnto death and the death of the crosse All the great worke of mans redemption imposed vpon him and imbraced by him with such an infinite measure of charitie that he was pressed and oppressed by the same till he accomplished it All his labours and paynes and dolours All the mysteries of infirmitie and documents of vertue Affect It s true my deare Sauiour the lesson of obedience is cōsummated Thou hast left vs so perfect à paterne of it that contempt scorne ignominie tormentes death it selfe could not shake it Thou hast bene in labours from thy youth and thy paynes and dolours haue increased with thy yeares Thou hast past through all the Mysterie and as I may say all the miseries of infirmitie a cold stable a hard manger a locke of hay poore cloutes heate cold hunger thirst and much bodily wearinesse And thou hast left vs all the documents of vertue of humilitie myldnesse pouertie patience c. so that thou mightest wel say to mans hart what could I haue done to my vinyarde which I haue not done And we should as we might most iustlie answer nothing deare Lord for thou hast absolutly performed all that might be glorious to thy heauenly father all that might conduce to our plentifull redemption and spirituall instruction and putt the highest commendations vpon thy loue to poore man that could be putt by cruel torments streames of bloud and the most infamous death of a God 2. Point Consideration Hitherto hath my sweete Sauiour looked vpon his heauenly father as a sterne Iudge by whom he is smitten as he himselfe professes saying propter scelera populi mei percussi eum for the sinnes of my people I strucke him By whom
his humanitie is lefte to struggle with his cruell tormentes and to satisfie for those sinnes of ours in the verie rigour of iustice But now hauing consummated and fulfilled all the figures types sacryfices prophecies and euen the whole Law and hauing punctually obserued all his fathers orders with filiall obedience and admirable humilitie euen to the last gaspe he beings to behold him as a tender and louing father and so testifies with a lowde voyce that it is into the hands of such a father that he deliuers vp his spiritt Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum Affect May thy wearied soule ô my kind Pelican happily returne into its rest May thou our too too kind Prodigall ioyfully returne into thy fathers house out of this forraigne land of ours where thou hast spent all thy substance euen to the last droppe of thy pretious bloud vpon vngratfull man from whom thou meetest with noe better returnes then euill for good hatred for loue vineger and gale to drinke where thou art readie to perish with thirst Ah my soule my soule Haeccine reddis Domino Deo tuo are these the kindnesses which thou rendrest to thy Lord thy God for his loue for his labours for his bloud for his life which here he is laying downe for thee Resolution Be my afflictions neuer so many be my temptations neuer so great and importune I will appeale from a rigourous Lord to a louing father and cast my selfe into his bosome THE XXX MEDITATION 1. Point COnsider in this action of Christ where he commends his spirit or soule into the hands of his heauenly father where the true hopes of a Christian ought to be placed to witt in the hands that is in the will and disposition of our heauenly father to be dealt withall according to his good pleasure Accursed is that man who places his hopes in man or in the heapes of his riches which he must leaue behind him or in the multitudes of his merites which are none without mercy but in Gods mercy alone which is indeede our merite nor shall we euer want merit so long as we cleaue to that mercy Affect Returne into thy rest my wandering soule which is alone in the bosome of thy heauenly father and fixe thy confidence there Trust not in the sonnes of men in whom there is noe saluation noe truth mendaces filij hominum Leaue not the care of thy selfe to such as haue noe care of themselues much lesse of thee Such as thou hast found thy selfe to others such at the best will others proue to thee Our dearest friends doe easily forgett vs they will not they cannot goe along with vs. O how good it is then while we haue yet tyme to make him our friend aboue all our friends who when they all fayle hath as much power as goodnesse to make good our trust Into thy handes then ô dearest father doe I commend my soule In those mercifull hands of thyne not in my miserable ones doe I repose the whole confidence of my saluation 2. Point Consideration Well may Gods prouidence my soule which we are not able to found permitt vs to be tempted with Christ to be in agonie in our deuoutest prayers with Christ and giue vs ouer as it were into the power of darknesse with Christ Well may we suffer wronges crosses calumnies tauntes and scornes with Christ Well may our bodyes be left in tormentes vpon the Crosse with Christ yea our poore soules suffer a strange anguish with Christ when we seeme to be forsaken by our God Yet still by adhearing to Christ and by following his foot-stepps we shall infallibly wade out of all and come to a happie consummation with him and find a louing fathers bosome layd open to receiue our soules Affect Doe not then ô my soule so much regarde what thou sufferest or by whom or how as for what for whom and with whom It is not for a smale prize thou fightest but for an eternall waight of glorie It is not for some ordinarie person but for the loue of thy Lord and Master to become in some sorte like to him Nor art thou left alone but in his companie and vnder the guidance of his grace I am with him saith he in tribulation I will deliuer him and I will glorifie him Looke ouer thy afflictions then ô my soule be they of what nature they will and with a liuely faith looke vpon Christ Iesus the Authour and Consummatour of faith who ioy being proposed to him sustained the Crosse contemning confusion It is not too much that the coheire should be treated like the true heire the adoptiue like the natural sonne Resolution Come then what will and from what hand it will I am resolued to looke vpon it as coming indeede from the hand of a tenderly louing father for my eternall good THE XXXI MEDITATION Christ giues vp his Ghost 1. Point COnsidera Christianes draw neere and see death shutt vp thy sweete Sauiours eyes See life dye see thy God dye Not that death man or diuell had right to exercise any such power ouer the Author of life who saith nemo tollit animam meam none takes away my soule or life but because he himselfe would when he pleased and as he pleased And to what end but to be the death of death it selfe ero mors tua ô mors I will be thy death ô death To ransacke Hell it selfe ero stimulus tuus ô inferne To be Iesus that is a Sauiour to man and to leaue him the greatest testimonies of loue imaginable by man or Angell And therfor bowing downe his head he of his owne accorde deliuered vp his spirit or soule Affection Ah my soule what 's this we heare The soule of thy Sauiour is deliuered vp to death In death then must we find true life with Christ Nolo viuere volo mori cupio dissolui esse cum Christo Dye dye then my soule to all thinges which are not his verie selfe Ther 's noe liuing without life Christ is my life mihi viuere Christus and my Christ being deade my life is deade and dye I must mihi mori lucrum I desire to dye that I may see my Christ I refuse to liue that I may liue with my Christ Ah my deare deade Master fcra pessima deuorauit te the worst of wild beastes hath deuoured thee Ah my soule thy sinnes haue slaine thy Master Thy enuie sought him thy auarice sold him thy Hypocrisie betrayed him thy rashnesse deliuered him vp thy licenciousnesse bound him thy crueltie whipped him thyne ambition crowned him thy sluggishnesse loaded him thy pride putt him vpon the Crosse thy irreligiousnesse taunted scorned and blaspheamed him thy vnmercifulnesse caused his thirst thy forsaking of God made him be forsaken by God thy disloyaltie disobedience hard hartednesse ingratitude for all his benefits putt him to death And thence my Sauiour dyed Nay it was God the fathers mercy which sacrificed him His
Iustice exacted satisfaction and his mercie found the meanes which to effect he spared not his owne onely sonne but deliuered him vp to death for vs all Nay but euen Christ himselfe too both accepted the hard commission and complyed with the painfull dutie and willingly offered himselfe vp If then sinne gaue the cause if mercy found out the meanes if transcendant chartiie executed the office by the death of a God deteste sinne my soule extolle that so admirable mercy and magnifie that boundlesse charitie for euer And least we who are most concerned may seeme least sensible let vs take a deepe share with all the creatures in this dolefull mourning If there be any sense of mans miserie left in vs if any gratitude for greatest mercy if any loue for most admirable charitie weepe my soule weepe If thou art a sunne for light brighnesse and beautie farre beyond all the other creatures eclipse thy glorie for a while in lamentations If a Temple of God burst in peeces If earth and ashes putt thy mouth into thy dust weepe in thy ashes and let thy earth quake to see thy God dye If thy hart be euen a rocke let it rend in peeces at least with the rockes laying a close seige to it make the Crosse the hammer and the nayles the wedges to riue it à sunder If it be yet harder then the rockes and be growen to the hardnesse of a diamāt which nothing but bloud can mollifie oh take the streames of the innocent bloud of the Lambe and applie it continually till it relent and bring out a shewre of teares at the king of heauens funeralls who dyed for our loue 2. Point Consideration O all yee that passe by the way attend and see whether there be any sorow like my sorowe cryes out our Sauiour by the mouth of mournefull Ieremie O all you spouses of Christ then ô all you Christian hartes doe not slightly passe by or passe ouer this saddest sight but make a stoppe ponder deeply feelingly obserue whether there was euer sorrowe comparable to the sorrow of your deare Lord and spouse who lyes deade for your loue deuoyde of all beautie and comelinesse For we haue seene him all disuigoured and deformed contemptible miserable and the last of men a worme and not a man a man of dolours and ouerloaden with all the extremitie of miseries We haue seene him like a leprous person to the eyes of all men strucken by God and made abiect Affect And yet my soule this last and most dolourous of men was in the Begining without Begining before the Angells yet were his owne souueraigne ioy and Beatitude O what a huge distance there is betwixt that Begining and this ignominious dolourous and dismale end He was there selfe-happie or happinesse is selfe here miserable and ablect There framinge all thinges all the vaste varietie of creatures of nothing here forsaken by all his creatures and reduced to nothing there before the day starre inhabiting an inaccessible light here dyinge and deade in darknesse O prodigious change of the Highest by the hand of the Highest O daunting disproportion betweene such a Begining and such an End O then at least le ts attend and see vvhether there be any sorovve like his sorrovve Resolution My beloued spouse shall be to me a posie of mirre and shall for euer dwell betwixt my breastes THE XXXII MEDITATION Our Sauiours side is opened by the Lance. 1. Point COnsider that as Christs loue and the iewes malice goe on and increase euen till death so rest they not there but euen out-liue death it selfe He is now subiect to noe more paines his soule being departed yet he is subiect to more iniuries his dead body is capable of more wounds markes of more malice in them and more dearenesse in him to whom nothing happened by accident Yet thy malice profits thee not ô cruell Iewe. since thou hurtest not him and thou profitest me All thinges concurre to the aduantage of those that loue him whom you hate Affect Ah deare Lord thy charitie is boundlesse It leades thee with ioy to death for ioy being proposed vnto him he sustayned the Crosse saith S. Paule It victoriously raignes in death and ouer death It out-liues death Ah was it not enough to haue payd the first droppe of thy pretious bloud which was more then sufficient to haue redeemed a thousand worlds vnlesse thou payedst the laste droppe too O too too plentifull a price O too too diuinely deare and prodigall a loue which payes an infinitie of millions more then is due prouing Christs loue to be incomparably greater then the Iewes malice and his mercy infinitly out-speaking mans miserie 2. Point Consideration We wanted not indeede streames of innocent bloud wherin to washe our leprosie and to cure the deepest wounds of our soule We wanted not deare argumentes and euen open conuictions of infinite loue since we saw our selues written as it were in his bored hands But we wanted as yet the best treasure which was left for Longinus his launce to open We wanted an open side for our languishing faith to enter into with incredulous Thomas his hand and grope out a God We wanted yet a passage to his hart wheras nothing can euer speake so much dearenesse or so absolutly subdue a hart as a kind hart lying open to it Affect Let vs then my soule yeald our selues vp to this last batterie which comes indeede the conquering way Let vs not fayle by this blessed breatch to find out our God and to adore him Dominum nostrum Deum nostrum our Lord and our God For by this blessed wound we gett free accesse to his fatherly tender bowells and learne the secreetes of his diuine hart Dominus meus Deus meus Here is my Lord here is my God indeede Here will I enter here will I adore him here will I loue him here will I rest here will I taste how sweete my God is Here finally will I safely singe his mercyes for euer Resolution As this open hart speakes powerfully to me my beloued is myne so shall my hart replye to him And I am intirely thyne for euer THE XXXIII MEDITATION 1. Point COnsider Iosephe of Arimathias great religion and courrage who went boldly to Pilate and demanded the body of Iesus He might iustly haue feared to haue mett with resistance from the Synagogue wroth and reuenge from the high Preists and a shamefull repulse at Pilates handes The cold prudence of the world would easily haue suggested that the best way was to lett their furie passe ouer least losse or ruine might haue followed Yet Gods prouidence for whose loue he vndertooke the worke so prouided that neither Synagogue preist nor Pilate either opposed refused or did any thing els to Iosephes preiudice Affect Learne my soule by Iosephs pious courage seconded with wished successe not to let thyne be shaken by imaginarie feares so thou be truly called vpon by the interests of Christs necessarie
seruice whether it be in point of receiuing his owne true body or in charitably assisting his owne poore afflicted members For how often haue we obserued our selues to haue quaked with feare wher we mett with noe danger indeede and permitted such fond feares to frustrate our pious designes and resolutions and stifle the seede which was sowen in our hartes from heauen Feare not as longe as thou art imployed about Iesus and him crucified Either will noe danger at all be mett with or none at least be preualent to make vs misse of Iesus And if it be about Iesus that we are imployed if in that name we suffer we ought not so much to apprehend it the sufferance of a Crosse as the assurance of a crowne 2. Point Consider with astonishment the great power which the diuine prouidence giues to Pilate who had indeede noe power ouer Christ but what was giuen from aboue in whose handes the disposall of the body of a God was left Yes of that body which the holy Ghost framed the Virgine mother brought-forth the diuinitie still inseparably inhabited Of that body I say Pilate à sinner an vniust Iudge an infidell hath power to dispose and he giues it to Iosephe Affect O my soule how this Christ this God-man is wholy imployed in the behalfe of man In his life at his death after his death In his life for our instruction at his death for our redemption after his death for our consolation Be we left vnder what power soeuer iust or vniust peaceable or tyrannicall according to our desires or contrarie to our inclinations by our Lord and Masters sweete disposition he that so left vs if we faithfully follow his foot stepps will certainly deliuer vs glorifie vs. Noe vniust Pilates sencence will be able to hinder vs from deliuering vp our soules into the hands of a louing father nor depriue our body of the happie expectation of à glorious resurrection Resolution I will euer admire to see the disposition of the deade body of Christ left in an infidells hands but much more to see his liuing and glorious body and soule left at the dispose of disloyall Christians who beleeue in him and yet crucifie him againe by their dailie crymes THE XXXIV MEDITATION 1. Point COnsider that God being Omniponcie it selfe wanted not power to haue deliuered the body of this deare sonne of his out of the hands of Pilate without his leaue He that was onely free among the deade could easily haue freed himselfe from the deade and haue rysen as gloriously the first day from the Crosse as the third from the graue But the Scriptures were to be fulfilled his sepulcher vvas to be glorious Our Ionas was to remaine three dayes and three nightes in the bowells of the earth And his last lesson after his death as well as his first before he could yet speake was to teach vs by his blessed example an admirable submission obedience abandonnement of himselfe into what hands soeuer Affect O wisdome of heauen how secreete and incomprehensible are thy wayes We are not able my soule to looke into them In thy infancie thou wholy abandonnedst thy selfe vnto thy B. mothers care and custodie In thy youth thou wast subiect to her and Iosephe In thy passion thou wast giuen ouer to the wills of the Iewes remayning obedient till death and the death of the Crosse and now too after thy death thou continuest still at Pilates dispose Let me learne deare Lord by this singular submission of thyne in imitation therof and for thy loue to be willingly subiect to euerie creature neuer desiring to take my selfe out of that order and subiection wherin thy prouidence may haue placed me Ita Domine quoniam sic placitum est coram te Yes sweete Sauiour purely becaus so it is aggreable in thy diuine sight 2. Point Consider that Pilate hauing bene petitioned giues vp the body to Iosephe Iosephs care takes it downe from the Crosse and bestowes à sydon or fine white linen sheete Nicodemus contributes many pounds of oyntments to witt mixed mirre and aloes the body is imbalmed therwith and wound vp in Iosephs syndon according to the iewes rites His mournefull mother Marie bestowes more hartie sorowe and compassion then any tongue can speake or any hart but her owne that is the hart of a mother and such a mother the mother of a God can conceiue who as in that name she farre surpasses all other creatures in dignitie consanguinitie and neerenesse to her sonne so also in loue and consequently in compassion and sorrowe The desolate louing Magdalene and her companions their familiar teares and Ioseph putts the adorable body in his owne new Monument cutt in the side of a rocke and shutts it vp with a great stone Affect Thus my soule haue we at length gott to an end of a wearisome procession Thus haue our sinnes layd the God of heauen and earth in the bosome of the earth Thus haue our hard hartes lodged him in a rocke at whose voyce the very rockes burst in sunder Ah my soule this hard world at his first entrie lodged him in a rocke and a rocke too must receiue him at his going out O deare Master Let it be this rockie hart of myne that may haue the happines to afford thee this last lodging or at least may I be lodged with thee be the rocke neuer so hard that I may truly be according to the Apostles expression consepultus cum Christo buried togeither with Christ neuer to ryse againe but with him in newnesse of life O that my hart as it sympathises too neerely with this Monument in hardnesse had also the rest of its qualities O that it were yet in its primitiue newnesse and puritie O that it had neuer bene prepossessed by any creature But alas alas it fares not so It hath bene too longe and too easely prostituted to the worlds allurements to the Diuells suggestions It hath bene but too too peruious to all approches and remayned onely a rocke to thy holy inspirations to thy heauenly instructions to any true sense of thy excessiue torments and sorrowes A PRAYER BVt ô my deare Lord thou vvho art a hammer brusing rockes bruse this hard hart of myne into true contrition and smite it vvith the rodd of thy Crosse that novv at least though too late alas it may pay dovvne deepest compassion and sorrovve vvith the most desolate Virgine mother flouds of repentant teares vvith those mournefull Maries and finally a most manly courage and resolution plentifull vvorkes of mercy and the pretious oyntements of frequent and feruent prayers vvith the good Ioseph and Nicodemus But ah my dearest Sauiour Christ my true rocke and strength these are indeede the resolutions of my hart but of a vveake and vvauering hart vvhich vvill effect nothing vvithout thy povverfull assistance grant it o Lord for thy pretious blouds sake and let the holes of thy sacred side c. lye alvvaies open to my ayde and
doe not so my soule doe not so but rather wholy offer thy selfe such as thou art to him for verily he hath offered himselfe wholy for thee and inuite earnestly all creatures to praise him Laudate Dominum omnes gentes laudate cum omnes populi quoniam in this act of vnparralled loue and mercie confirmata est super nos misericordia eius at least run to him and craue pardon his fatherly bowels are easily wonne to compassion his louing and royall hart cannot denie a bowne we haue a good proofe of it for euen the theefe his doubtfull demand is accorded and he hath alreadie heard mecum eris in Paradiso A great grace and consolation for poore sinners Demand his benediction before he goe least we may be after forced to complaine with that faithfull Soule heu mihi Domine heu animae mea recessisti consolator animae meae nec valedixisti ingrediens vias tuas benedixâ—sti tuis nec affui Woe is me woe is my soule thou didst depart ô thou comfortour of my soule without bidding me farewell and taking thy iorney thou gauest thy blessing to thy friends and I alas was not present 29 And alas he cannot long now indure for infinite torment possesseth at once euery sense and member see how the weight of his torne and wearie bodie vnioynts his armes and shoulders riueing the holes of his haÌ„ds and feete and harke he cries out Consummatum est Heauenly Father the worke is done for which I was sent my commission is accomplished my Mission is ended The predictions of the Prophetes are verified the types and figures and Sacryfices of the old law are abolished the miracles and wonders wrought the cures finished the debt of all mankind well nigh discharged and an eternall league made betwxit Heauen and earth in myne owne bloud Consummatum est 30. Yes eternall Father for what could I haue done for my vineyeard which I haue not done I haue manifested thy name and truth vnto it I haue taught thy people by word and example seconded and confirmed by wonders and prodigies I haue waded through whole seas of indignities contumelies and contempts and a storme of tormentes haue almost wracked me There is not one member of my body left intire the whole stocke of my bloud is spent the conduites wherin it ran my vaynes are dryed vp and my hart the source is quite drayned my iawes are horce with crying and scarce now is there so much breath left in my body as to giue thee this short accompt of my selfe and my Embasie in saying Consummatum est and so deliuer vp my soule or life into thy holy hands 31. Ah my soule my soule what haue we seene and heard and what doe we now heare The soule of thy Sauiour is readie to be giuen vp for thy sinnes Whither whither hath thy miserie and malice togeither with his mercie and charitie lead thy Lord and thee Thy malice hath run with a stiffe necke into a lande of huge disproportion and his mercy hangs vpon the Crosse with a humbled head bowed downe to receiue thee home with a kisse of peace Thy malice hath run thee out of breath in sinning and his mercy in suffering Thy malice wholy spends its thoughtes vpon rebellion against God and selfe-affliction and his mercy vpon thoughtes of peace and reconcilement Thy malice imployes its words in prouoking Gods wroth and his mercy is exercised in petitioning thy Pardon Thy malice prodigally powres out the last farding of thy substance to loose thy selfe and his Mercy more prodigally the last droppe of the bloud of a God to saue thee 32. Yes yes my soule it was not thought enough to thy Christ for thy loue to haue taken thy nature vpon him to haue bene borne in a stable layd in a manger in humilitie abiection and pouertie to haue conuersed 33. yeares among men as one of them in labours from his youth to haue preached and practised all sorts of vertues to haue sweate bloud to haue bene betrayed taken bound scourged crowned calumniated condemned to a most shamefull death nayled to a most infamous Crosse But he would also stay there till the consummation of all to the last droppe of his pretious bloud to the last breath of his body till he had yeilded vp his Ghost into his heauenly fathers hands 33. Nor is it enough for vs Christians to begin well to run prosperously for a tyme to liue in humilitie pouertie and abiection to watch to fast to pray to practise religious discipline It is to finall perseuerance saluation is promised It is to the coÌ„summation or end of the worke the crowne is giuen Looking then vpon the Authour of our faith and consummatour Iesus be as prompt to suffer with him as to adore him and pray to him Be still as readie for the ignominie of Caluarie as the glorie of Thabot Prefixe noe end to our labours caluminies contradictions temptations c. but that of our life Prescribe noe limit to what euer abiection torment abandonement c. Gods wise prouidence and good pleasure may permitt to fall vpon vs but constantly remayne in the midst of them nayled to our Crosse with Christ dying with him to the world to worldly respects to selfe interests to our selues with him I say who is euen a dying for we haue heard Consummatum est 34. And harke now we heare In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum into thy hands ô Lord I commend my spirit Ay me Ay me my dearest spouse my Loue my life my God is deade Yes my soule he 's deade noe longer can his weake necke susteyne his sacred heade As we haue followed him liuing and looked vpon him dying so let vs now for a sad farewell take our last view of our dead Lord who was slaughtered for our loue Alas he is wholy deformed there is neither beautie nor comlinesse left in that Fairest farre beyond the sonnes of men A gastly palenesse hath seased vpon his glorious face whilome the Angells ioy Wounds gaules goarie bloud wholy couer his Virginall body All whitenesse is fledd from that white Lilie of the vnderualleys totus rubicundus est dilectus meus my Beloued is all redd Be all honour and glorie and benediction and thankes-giuing to that tender Lambe who was slayne for loue Amen AN OBLATION OF the life and Passion of our Sauiour for the remission of sinne O Sweete Iesu I haue alas all the dayes of my life offended thee and haue bene incessantly vngratfull vnto thee my dearest Creatour and Redeemour I haue mangled thy gifts not preseruing them intire nor making a right vse of them but haue hindered thy grace and still added new faults to the old Verilie my offences are exceeding great and many but yet thy mercy is infinitlie greater and without all limite I confesse I am vtterly vnworthy to be called thy sonne I cannot howeuer but acknowledge thee to be my Father as thou truly art and in