a soft bed a pleasant chamber and delight of the flesh Bee ashamed therefore O my soule when thou beholdest thy Lord hanging upon the Crosse Where imagine him to bee preaching unto thee and rebuking thee after this manner I tooke for thee O man a Crowne of Thornes Thou in contempt of mee wearest a garland made of Flowers I for thee stretched out my hands upon the Crosse wilt thou reach thine forth to pleasures and dalliance I dying could not quench my thirst so much as with water wilt thou seeke after precious Wines and Viands I both on the Crosse as likewise all my life long was full of reproaches and sorrowes wilt thou bestow thy time upon honours and pleasures I suffered my side to bee opened that I might make thee even partaker of my heart wilt thou have thine exposed and opened to vaine and perillous loves A Short and fruitfull Confession of a Sinner unto God for obtaining Contrition O God of inestimable and eternall mercy God of unmeasurable piety God the Creator and Redeemer of mankind who purifiest the hearts of such as confesse their sinnes unto thee who releasest all such from the bond of iniquity as accuse themselves before the sight of thy divine majesty I beseech the power and depth of thy goodnesse with inward groanes that according to the multitude of thy mercies thou wouldst grant mee to make a pure and sincere confession before thee of all my sinnes whereof my guilty conscience doth accuse mee And that thou wouldst give mee true repentance for all such things as I have committed in naughty thoughts depraved cogitations wicked consent unjust counsell in concupiscence and uncleane delights in evill and hatefull words in malicious works in my seeing hearing tasting smelling and touching I truly even in all my members doe conceive my selfe guilty above measure because as the starres of heaven and sands of the Sea so doe I know my sinnes to bee innumerable But to thee Lord who knowest all secrets and who hast said Thou desirest the repentance of a Sinner doe I reveale all the secrets of my heart accusing my naughtinesse and my many and very great sinnes which I have committed before the eyes of thy fearefull Majesty all my wretched life long especially these here for the better increase of thy devotion and spirituall compunction maist thou particularize some of thy grievouser Sinnes with all those my evils which are open and manifest O God of mercy in thy sight And now O most gracious LORD looke upon mee and have mercy on mee and give unto mee a fountaine of teares and remission of all my sinnes through thy free mercie and that with inward confession of heart and affection of desiring remission seconded with so sincere a Confession Rectifie and reforme in mee O most loving Father whatsoever is depraved in mee either in word deed thought through my owne impietie or the Devils subtiltie and by joyning mee a member to the unity of the Church make mee partaker of thy Redemption and admit mee to the Sacrament of blessed reconciliation as one who hath no confidence but in thy mercy and compassion A Confession of Sinnes by Blessed Augustine O Mercifull pitifull great and terrible God I confesse unto thee my sins to thee to thee doe I discover my wounds for thine ineffable goodnesse bestow a Salve on mee Thou O most mild Lord vouchsafedst to say I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that hee may turne from his wickednesse and live I confesse that my life is in thy sight wicked and crooked that my life is falling into the lake of misery and my Soule perishing in my iniquities Lust sinfull delight naughty works wrath pridâ— impatience malice envy gluttony ebriety theft rapine lying perjury scurrility foolish speaking murmuring detraction ignorance infidelity distruct negligence of Gods Commandements as contagious glagues have slaine my Soule Mine heart and lips are polluted My seeing hearing tasting smelling and touching have enfeebled my Soule with sinnes and I am wholly lost as well in my cogitation as action I beseech thee O my Lord God whose mercy hath no end draw mee unto thee as thou drewest that sinfull woman As thou gavest grace unto her not to cease from kissing thy feet washing them with her teares and wiping them with her haires so graciously vouchsafe to grant unto mee that according to the greatnesse of mine iniquities thy great love may bee in mee that for thine unmeasurable piety thou maist forgive mee all my sinnes Bestow on mee pardon for evils past continence for evils present and cautelous prudence for evils to come Grant mee I beseech thee before I dye most fully to obtaine thy mercy and suffer not my dayes to bee ended till my sinnes bee pardoned but as thou willest and knowest have mercy on mee Amen A PRAIER before the holy Communion HAile O most holy flesh and bloud of Christ wherereof I am made partaker in these visible Elements Haile O thou highest sweetnesse who knowest no losing takest away all loathing destroyest death restorest life Haile thou blessed food which leadest thine Elect from the exile of this World to their Country Haile thou happy Sacrifice which art offered upon the Altar of the Crosse to God â—he Father for the whole burden of our sinnes Haile thou Manna more white than snow more sweet than honey more precious than all gold Take from mee I beseech thee O good Shepheard mine iniquities that with a purified heart and spirit I may deserve to taste these Holy of holiest Let this venerable Sacrament bee an impregnable Safeguard to mee against the deceits of the enemy that fed with this wholesome Viand I may passe the slippery wayes of this life in a blamelesse conversation and come unto thee the Bread of life and the true Lord of Angels without any hinderance of the Devils subtilty or malice O Lord heare mee bee pacified with mee attend mee and tarry not from mee O my God for thy goodnesse sake For none can bee worthy of so great a mystery unlesse thou ô Omnipotent God make him worthy Amen A PRAIER OF Th. Aquinas to be said after celebration of the holy Communion I Give thankes to thee O holy Lord OmnipoteÌ„t Father Eternall God who hast vouchsafed to refresh me thy grievous sinner and unworthy servant for no deserts of mine but for thy sole mercy sake with the precious Body and Bloud of thy Sonne our Lord JESUS CHRIST And I beseech thee that this holy Communion may not bee of guilt to mee unto condemnation but a soule-saving intercession of remission and consolation Let it bee unto mee the armour of faith and the shield of good-will Let it bee unto mee a removing of my vices a rooting out of lust and licentiousnesse an increasing of Charity and Patience Humility and Obedience and of all Vertues Let it bee a strong defence against all mine Enemies as well visible as invisible a perfect quieting and composing of my
to goe back Let it not then delight thee to stand in the course of piety but endevour alwaies to walke in the way of the Lord. In thy conversation bee cheerefull to all distastefull to none familiar to few Live to Godward devoutly to thy selfe chastly to thy Neighbour justly Use thy friend as a pledge of affection thine enemy for a triall of thy patience all men to a well-disposed benevolence and wherein thou maist more effectually worke to beneficence While thou livest dye dayly to thy selfe and to thy vices So in thy death maist thou live to God Let meekenesse appeare in thy affection mildnesse in thy countenance humility in thy habit modesty in thy habitation patience in tribulation Let facility be in thine accesse decency in thy dresse humility in thy presence affability in thy discourse benignity in thy wayes charity in thy works Let constancy be in thine eie content in thy chest temperance in thy cup. Observe moderation in thy desires discretion in thy delights Think alwaies of those 3. things past Evil committed Good omitted Time mis-speÌ„ded Think alwaies of these 3. things present â—he shortnes of this present life the difficulty of being saved the fewnesse of those that are to be saved Think alwayes of these three things to come Death than which nothing is more horrible Judgement than which nothing is more terrible the paine of Hell than which nothing more intolerable Let thine Evening Prayers redeeme the sinnes of the forepast day let the last day of the weeke reforme the offences of the dayes gone before Thinke in the Evening how many soules are that same day thrown head-long into Hell and give thankes unto God for that hee hath given thee time to repent in There be three things above thee which ought never to depart from thy memory That Eye which seeth all things that Eare which heareth all things and those bookes wherein all things are recorded Wholly hath God communicated himselfe to thee communicate thy selfe likewise wholly to thy neighbour That is the best life which is wholly employed to the behoofe and benefit of others Render to thy superiour obedience and reverence to thy equall counsell and assistance to thy inferiour succour supportance Let thy body be subjected to thy mind and thy mind to God Bewaile thy evils past disesteeme thy goods present covet with all the desire of thine heart those goods to come Remember thy sin that thou maist grieve Remember thy death that thou maist cease from sinne Remember Gods justice that thou maist feare Remember Gods mercy lest thou despaire Withdraw thy selfe as much as thou canst from the World and devote thy selfe wholly to the service of God Thinke alwayes how chastity is endangerd by delicacy humility by prosperity and piety by employments transitory Desire to please none but Christ feare to displease none but Christ. Beseech God alwayes that as he bids what he would so he would doe what hee bids that hee would protect what is done and direct in what is to bee done Endevour thy selfe to bee what thou wouldst have thy self thought to be for God judgeth not according to the outward semblance but according to the inward substance In thy discourse beware of much speech because account shall be required of every vaine word Whatsoever thy works bee they passe not away but as certaine seeds of eternity are they bestowed if thou sow according to the flesh from the flesh shalt thou reape corruption if thou sow after the Spirit from the Spirit shalt thou reap the reward of eternall retribution After death neither shall the honours of this World follow thee nor heaps of riches favour thee nor pleasures enjoy thee nor the vanities of this World possesse thee but after the fatall and full period of this life all thy works shall follow thee As then thou desirest to appeare in the day of judgement appeare such in the sight of God at this present Thinke not with thy selfe what thou hast but rather what thou wantst Pride not thy selfe for that which is given thee but rather become humbled for that which is deni'd thee Learne to live now while thou maist live In this time is eternall life either got or lost After death there remains no time for working for then begins the time of rewarding In the life to come is not expected any worke but payment for the worke Holy Meditation may beget in thee knowledge knowledge compunction compunction devotion devotion may produce prayer Great good for peace of the heart is the silence of the mouth By how much more as thou art divided from the World so much more acceptable art thou unto God Whatsoever thou desirest to have aske it of God whatsoever thou already hast attribute it to God He is not worthy to receive more who is not thankfull for what he hath received Then stops the course or current of Gods grace to man when man makes no recourse by thankfulnesse to God Whatsoever befals thee turne it to good so often as prosperity comes upon thee thinke how occasion of blessing and praising God is ministred unto thee againe so often as adversity aâ—â—ayles thee thinke how these are admonitions for the repentance and conversion of thee Shew the force of thy power in helping the force of thy wisdome in instructing the force of thy wealth in releeving Neither let Adversity bruise thee nor Prosperity raise thee Let Christ be thy scope of thy life whom thou art to follow here in the way that thou maist come to him there in thy countrey Amongst all other things let profound humility ardent Charity be thy greatest care Let charity raise thine heart unto God that thou maist cleave unto him Let humility depresse thine heart lesâ— thou becom proud so leave him Esteem God a Father for his clemency a Lord for his discipline a Father for his sweet power a Lord for his severe power Love him as a Father devoutly feare him as a Lord necessarily Love him because he will have mercy Feare him because he will not suffer sin Feare the Lord and trust in him acknowledge thy misery and declare his mercy O God thou who hast given us to will give us likewise to performe THE SORROWFULL Soules solace Gathered from Saint Augustine in his Tract Upon the 62. Psalme Upon these words My Soule thirsteth for thee my Flesh also longeth after thee BEhold here how the Soule thirsteth and see how good it is for the Soule that thirsteth to wit because shee thirsteth after thee There are who thirst but not after God Every one that would in his owne behalfe have ought performed is in heat of desire till he have it effected and this desire is the thirst of the Soule Now see what various desires are in the hearts of men One desireth gold another silver one desireth possessions another inheritances one store of money another stock of cattle one a faire house another a wife one honours another children You see
pusillanimity to be dejected to contemplate the examples of me and my Saints to commend thy selfe to the prayers and exhortations of good men to give way to my inward and divine inspirations to exercise prayer and holy reading never to admit of idlenesse to love silence and retirednesse These and such like doe change the naughtinesse of the mind and chase away the feare of death When thou shalt come in the end of every day say thus to thy selfe Now is my life become shorter by one day Earely when thou risest say thus to thy selfe O Gracious God now am I nearer to death by one Night An Exercise whereby earely or whensoever thou willest thou maist poure out thy heart unto God for a good death O Omnipotent eternall God my Creator and Lover I praise laud adore and blesse thee for that thou so mercifully and patiently hast suffered mee groveling in my sins and my unthankfulnes even unto this houre to which thou of thy goodnesse hast brought mee enriching me with thy benefits conferring this life with things necessary for this life upon me with an angelicall guardian protecting me and inlarging towards mee thy mercy who am injuriously â—nworthy and a spectacle of misery Ah gracious God who knoweth whether the terme of my life shall be proâ—ogued to the evening O what death shall I desire O â—ost mercifull Lord God and Father give unto mee contrition whereby with all mine heart I may bewaile my sins and my offending thee And doe not suffer my soule to goe forth from her bodie till she be reconciled to thee in mercy adopted to thee by grace adorned with thy merits and vertues inflamed with most perfect charitie and accepted according to thy all-good-will and pleasure O most gracious Lord Jesu Christ if this I desire of thee do please thee grant it unto me although I bee most unworthy to bee heard of thee grant unto me I beseech thee for thine infinite mercies and the merits of thy passion that I may bee purged in this life from all my sins that dying and through vehement and true contrition pricked and in most ardent charitie to thee united I may goe out unto thee my most sweet Redeemer being forthwith freed and secured from all damnation and future affliction Notwithstanding O most loving Jesu I doe offer and resigne my selfe unto thee whether it be to poverty penury or any other extremitie for thy glories sake according to thy good-will and pleasure beseeching thee only this that thou wouldst bee mindfull of my frailty vilenesse weaknesse and misery as also of thy goodnesse and charity that thou wouldest never forsake mee nor depart from mee but that thou wouldst alwayes wholly governe and possesse mee according to thy good pleasure Amen An oblation of Christ and his merits to his Father O Omnipotent most gracious Father I doe offer unto thee all those pains dolours reproches stripes and rebukes all adversities extremities and labours of thine onely begotten Jesu Christ the Lambe immaculate which hee suffered in his body for me likewise all his actions and every of his members afflicted for me his bloud shed for me and with prophane feet trampled also his most noble and devout Soule separated from his lovely Body for me his merits likewise and infinite vertues Likewise the powers or faculties of his Soule and body and all those vitall parts in him given up unto death for mee albeit inseparably united to his Divinity yea the whole Christ thy blessed Sonne God and man omnipotent and infirme despicable and glorious doing wonders and hanging upon the Crosse these I say doe I offer unto thy sacred Majesty to the expiation and satisfaction of all my sins and of all the world and to the mortification and extinction of all mine evill passions affections and vices to the supply of all my negligences and to thy praise and thanksgiving for all thy benefits O God be mercifull unto me a miserable sinner for his sake Have mercy on mee for the love of Jesu Christ thy beloved Son THE DYING mans Diary Or A Christians Memento mori Divided into a five dayes Exercise THere are who all the yeare long present the figure and feature of Death before them by some certaine Exercise and prepare themselves no otherwise for death than if they were even then to dye and that for the space of five dayes continually The first day they meditated of the griefes infirmities which goe before death and horrour of death unto all which they resigne themselves The next day they thinke of their â—ins confessing them with so great diligence and intention as if they were to dye presently after their confession Therefore they spend this day in sighs and teares The third day they come unto the blessed Eucharist with all the fervour they may receiving it as their Viaticum in their passage from this their exile The fourth day they make continuall supplications unto God for the unction of the Holy Spirit whereby they might be illuminated and the hardnesse of their hearts mollified And this they do as it were for extreme unction The fifth day they become most fervent Supplicants unto God for a spirituall death wherby they may perfectly dye to the world to themselves and live with God And to everie of these dayes may be applyed proper Psalmes and Prayers as also divine invocations giving of thanks for all benefits conferred by God upon them all their life long Profitable Counsell for one approaching neare the point of death O Daughter seeing thy selfe in this extremitie prepare thy soule for God so order and dispose here in thy life time of thy goods temporall that after thy death no difference nor debate may arise It is most profitable for thee to dispose of thy goods in thy life time and to redeeme thy sins whilest thou livest with works of mercie Whatsoever thou wouldest recommend to others to doe for thee labour to doe it of thy selfe For if after death thou go to eternall torment the Provision of a Will a pompous Funerall Almes and Doales after death what will these availe thee when thou art damned Offer these Oblations to me now whilest thou art living that thou mayest not onely be delivered from thy sins but by increasing in my grace never fall into damnation but by my preventing grace preserving thee from sin persevere in good works even to the end When death draweth neare see that thou wholly free thy selfe then from all unnecessarie cares and imployments strive to meet me immaculately affectionately faithfully promising nor presuming nothing of thy works but through my assured mercie to obtaine Salvation And in this faith committing and commending thy selfe and all thou hast in this world to my providence and good pleasure receive the Sacraments humbly and devoutly Those peculiar priviledges and graces also which have power in them through my merits and are given by mee as a treasure unto the Church albeit many oft-times abuse them
as they do other most holy things if thou canst have them cause them to be applyed unto thee For even this verie holy persons of both sexes and famous for their miracles have formerly done An Exercise wherein the sick person with sighs and groanes because otherwise it can scarcely be done may resigne himselfe unto God and fervently desire that he may deserve to be joyned unto him O Most faithfull Lover most mercifull Lord Jesu Christ grant unto mee that with heart and mind I may feele what I say As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of water so panteth my Soule after thee ô my God I have chosen to be an Abject in the house of the Lord rather than to dwell in the Tabernacle of sinners Blessed are they that dwell in thy house ô Lord for ever and ever shall they praise thee My Soule hath thirsted after thee ô God when shall I come and appeare before thy face Why art thou sorrowfull ô my Soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee Trust in the Lord therefore will I now confesse my selfe unto him the Salvation of my countenance and my God Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant ô Lord save me for thy mercies sake Let me not be confounded for ever for I have called upon thee Be not far from mee ô my God Looke downe upon mee and help mee ô my God The poore is left unto thee Thou wilt be the Orphans helper Thou art my refuge in my tribulation which hath compassed mee O my joy deliver me from these that encompasse mee Make hast to helpe mee ô Lord God of my Salvation For thou art my strength and my refuge my helper and my protector Doe not then leave me nor despise me ô God of my salvation Behold I come unto thee ô my God whom I have despised and offended for the whole earth is full of thy mercie Therefore doe I flie unto thee my most mercifull Father Receive mee according to thy word when thou sayest I WILL NOT THE DEATH OF A SINNER and let mee live and confound mee not in my hope O my God I doe not pray unto thee for a life temporall but I call upon thee for the Salvation of my Soule who art life eternall O my sweet Lover O my Lord God for as much as I have offended thee for that I have neglected thine inspirations and admonitions for that I have at any time loved ought beâ—ide thee or without thee for this O my Lord God for this doe I grieve And I beseech thee that thou wouldest give unto mee so much grace as I may with all mine heart grieve aâ—d lament during everie moment of my life Would to God that I might poure out and offer unto thee everie drop of my bloud with teares for griefe and love into thy most sweet heart O sweet Jesu I neither desire nor expect of thee life nor death but thy good will and pleasure may it be done unto mee according to thy will If it be thy will O my sweet Jesu that I shall dye receive my spirit And although I come in the Evening as the verie last of all grant unto mee that I may receive eternall rest with thee and in thee But if it be thy will that I shall live longer O sweet Jesu I purpose this and I crave the assistance of thy grace for this to amend the rest of my life and to offer my selfe wholly as a burnt Sacrifice unto thee to thy glorie and according to thy good will and pleasure O most desired Jesu for as much as I have consumed my life in sin to the reproch of thy glorious name nor to this day have begun to serve thee grant unto mee that I may now at last perfectly begin and employ all the powers of my Soule anâ— Body and all the remainder of my time given mee by thee to thy glorie and according to thy best and most perfect will O most mercifull Jesu be thou neare mee in these my paines and miseries with which I am straitened and iâ— any more grievous than these shall come upon mee for that I have deserved not onely more grievous but most grievous by reason of my sins grant that I may patiently beare them O sweet Jesu if I had never at any time sinned nor at thine hand evilly deserved notwithstanding to thy glorie and for thy love good will and pleasure I offer and resigne my selfe unto thee either in these or any other punishments to deale with mee according to thy will not my worth but in the multitude of thy mercies on which I relye and on which I call that by thy power thou wouldest raise and rouze up the frailtie of my flesh and strengthen with longanimitie and confirme with patience the pusillanimitie and instabilitie of my Spirit that I may not â—all downe as one either vanquished with tentation or faint through pusillanimitie but swallowed up with the most burning heat of thy love I may onely sigh after thee onely desire thee and leave loath and contemne the world with all that is in it giving thee thanks with all mine heart for all things whether ministring unto me occasion of joy or sorrow O most loving Jesu I chuse thee I wish thee I desire thee I meet thee and I renounce whatsoever thou art not in mee what thou willest I will what thou nillest I nill whatsoever thou abhorrest I abjure And though sometimes that 〈◊〉 is contrarie to this will in mee may be incident unto mee I beseech thee O my God that thou wouldst not impute it unto mee nor judge mee according to that depravednesse of Will in mee but according to this Election of my mind by thy grace wrought in mee Because I contradict all those things which I ought not to will yea though which for thy mercie sake avert I hereafter vanquished should consent unto yet now doe I accurse and abjure them O most loving Jesu if it please thee and redound to thy glorie grant unto mee that I may be preâ—erved in this life from all sins and punishments into which after death I ought otherwiâ—â— to come to which I am subject or may possibly come and that thou wouldst receive my Soule by the hand of thy mercie immediately from this life to eternall joyes O Lord Iesu Christ receive my Spirit c. A CHRISTIANS LAST-WILL OR TESTAMENT Containing A PROTESTATION or Testament not unprofitable to be repeated or meditated of everie Christian at the point of death Composed as may be probably gathered by JOANNES LANSPER GENSIS and faithfully rendred according to the Originall A CHRISTIANS LAST-WILL OR TESTAMENT Containing A Protestation or Testament not unprofitable to be repeated or meditated of everie Christian at the point of death Composed as may be probably gathered by JOANNES LANSPER GENSIS and faithfully rendred according to the Originall IN the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Ghost I. M. an unhappie Sinner redeemed with
very Wind h 'as as great a share in them as shee h'as Nor did they deserve so much loving when they were in their very height of enjoying Being such as were got with Care kept with Feare and lost with Griefe proper things to dote on The fulnesse of them could not stay one poore Fit of an Ague nor get a reprive at Deaths hand for a minute Besides that long unwilling Adieu of the unhappie possessour at his heavie departure O Death how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions Seeing then no outward thing should so much delight man as to withdraw his thoughts from the Maker of man Or so trouble him in his passage or translation from Earth as to divert his affections from heaven in his remove from Earth Seeing all things are not onely vanity but affliction where such as are highliest possest of them are most ensnared and deluded by them Seeing the beauty riches pleasures and contentments of earth are no sooner appearing than vanishing no sooner found than lost Why doest thou tremble O my flesh why are thou so troubled O my Soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee put thy trust in the Lord and hee will deliver thee Yea but I heare thee in a silent secrecy framing this reply These worldly respects are not the things that make Death appeare so terrible unto mee Noe I can freely bid farewell to the world there is nothing in it that makes mee enamour'd of it I see nought at all in it but sinne or occasions of sinne Neither did I ever possesse ought which did not afflict mee more in the forgoing than it delighted mee in the enjoying Tell me then poore fearfull soule what is it that so much troubles thee in this thy passage What is it that makes thee so shake and shudder in this thy dissolution O my sinnes my sinnes it is the remembrance of my sinnes which makes mee unwilling to depart from this place where I committed them or to fix mine eyes on that place which is so pure as it cannot abide them I cannot thinke of that place wherein I have not sinned nor of that houre wherein I have not highly transgressed And can one minutes repentance discharge such long arrerages O my perplexed soule remember to thy comfort that divine Cordiall At what time soever a Sinner repenteth c. As I live I would not the death of a sinner c. My mercie I will not take from him There is mercie with the Lord and therefore is hee feared Hee shall call upon mee and I will dedeliver him in the time of his necessitie Draw yet nearer and thinke of the saying of that sweet Father O humble teare thine is the Kingdome thine is the Power thou art not affraid to enter in and appeare before the presence of the Judge thou though thou enter alone shalt never returne alone whatsoever thou askest thou shalt have thou overcommest the invincible and bindest the Omnipotent This Angelicall Wine will bring thee to the societie of the Angels Doubt not stagger not Raise and rouse up thy selfe with the wings of faith Whence comes it that the Soule dyeth because Faith is not in it Whence that the bodie dyeth Because a Soule is not in it Therefore the Soule of thy Soule is Faith No evill then can befall thee so thy faith doe not faile thee Where watry eyes make faith their Anchor they promise a calme Sea and a safe arrivall to the Christian passenger And though late repentance be seldome true yet true repentance never comes too late That devout and well-prepared Father when hee was readie to die with much sweet assurance and Christian confidence spake thus to Stillico and others about his bed I have not lived so among you that I am ashamed to live longer to please God and yet againe I am not affraid to dye because wee have a good LORD Though thou canst not in thine owne approvement so truly say this crowne thy passage with a devout wish Desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ Present him with a pious devotion to thy inward'st thoughts Imagining him even now bowing his precious head to kisse thee spreading his gracious armes to imbrace thee his Angels comming forth to meet thee the whole Hoast of Heaven to conduct thee to the Palace of Eternitie after this thy approaching dissolution from this vale of misery Let nothing divide thee from that love which is in thee to Christ Iesus One Houre in his Courts is better than a thousand in the Courts of Princes Humbly commend thy selfe to his protection who made thee to his affection who redeemed thee to his direction who sanctifi'd thee Feare it not timorous soule but thy Fathers power will defend thee his Sonnes Wisedome will enrich thee the Holy Spirits goodnesse will comfort thee even in these pangs of death which assaile thee Oh how sweet is the remembrance of these things to mee There is nothing now that may divide mee from Him to whom I am spiritually espoused There is no Friend so deare to mee as Hee who gave his life for mee No Honour so highly valued of mee as his who became a reproach for mee that by his owne dishonour hee might honour mee No pleasure so delightfull as his presence whose sight shall ever cheere mee No possession like his fruition who is my portion in the Land of the Living to whom to bee joyned shall ever joy mee Every minute then seemes grievous every moment tedious till I bee dissolved that I may see him after whom I have so longed to whom to bee united I have so thirsted in whose sweet presence to remaine in whose Courts to abide I have so desired These pangs I feele are to mee cheerefull these Messengers of my approaching dissolution to mee gratefull these humane wrastlings which I now endure to mee delightfull I know well I am such metall as I must bee tried before I bee fined O! as I draw by little and little nearer my end so may I in true love draw nearer to thee To thee my Redeemer in whom my trust is placed my confidence planted my hopes crowned my Pilgrim-dayes happily closed my heritage after these dayes of my Pilgrimage possessed I feele now my longing Soule fleeting from this darke Cell this noysome shell of corruption every gaspe now promiseth a dissolution My breath is corrupt my dayes are cut off and the Grave is readie for mee I enter'd this world with a Shrique and I leave it with a Sigh Nor doe I sigh for that I love it or am unwilling to leave it but for that I have beene too long divided by living in it from Him in whom my desires are here fixed there filled The houre is come and it is welcome the houre of my translation to glory Come LORD JESUS come quickely Amen FINIS Errata's PAge 102. line 7. for He reade They. p. 116. l. 8. for
neither remembers hee those prayers of ours which we so unseasonably presented but receiveth this one which we scarcely found yet found wee humbly offered For tell me Brethren what man is he with whom if his friend shall begin to talke and he will not answer him but observes him to decline from him and to direct his discourse unto another as if he were wholly aliened from him who I say could endure this Or suppose thou should'st intercede a Judge and addresse thy selfe to him in such a place as hee may heare thee and suddenly when thou should'st speake unto him thou leavest him or entertainest some trifling discourse with thy friend how could hee endure this Yet doth God suffer so many hearts of such as pray and thinke of many wandring thoughts while they pray I forbeare to speake of thoughts hurtfull I forbeare to speake of things depraved and offensive unto God for to thinke even of superfluous thoughts is an injury unto him with whom thou speakest Thy Prayer is a speech unto God When thou readest GOD speakes unto thee When thou praiest thou speakest with God But what Are wee to despaire of man-kind and now conclude that every man is damned when any wandring thought shall creepe in upon him and interrupt his prayer If wee should conclude thus Brethren I doe not see what hope might remaine in us But forasmuch as wee have hope in God for great is his mercy let us say unto him Rejoyce the soule of thy servant For unto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule And how have I lifted it up As much as I could as much as thou gavest me strength as soone as I was able to lay hold on my fugitive soule So long as thou stoodst before me suppose him to speake in the person of God thou entertainedst such vaine superfluous thoughts as thou scarcely pouredst forth one fixt or stable prayer unto me What more canst thou answer unto this but that thou Lord art good and mercifull mercifull thou art in suffering me I fall away through sicknesse heale me and I shall stand strengthen me and I shall bee strong Meane time till thou doest this thou sufferest mee for thou Lord art gracious and very mercifull Not onely mercifull but very mercifull For our iniquity aboundeth and thy mercy aboundeth Yea full of mercy art thou to all such as call upon thee What is it then that the Scripture saith in so many places They shall call upon me but I will not answer Certainly he is mercifull to all such as call upon him unlesse it be for that some calling upon him doe not call upon him of whom it is said They have not called upon God They call but not upon God Thou callest for what thou lovest Thou callest for what thou wishest in thee thou callest for what thou would'st have come to thee Wherefore if for this end thou call upon God that money may come to thee that an inheritance may descend to thee that temporall dignity may befall thee thou callest upon him for those things which thou desirest that they may come unto thee But thou makest God here a furtherer of thy lusts not a favourer of thy desires Is God good if he give thee what thou would'st have What if thou would'st have what is ill were hee not more mercifull unto thee in not giving thee what thou would'st have Yet for all this if hee doe not give it thee God is as nothing unto thee For thou sayest How long have I sought how oft have I sought and yet am not heard But what hast thou sought Perchance the death of thy Enemy what if he also besought thine He who created thee he likewise created him Thou art a man hee likewise is a man But God is the Judge hee hearkneth both but hee heareth not both Thou art sad for that thou art not heard in thy prayer against him be glad that hee is not heard in his prayer against thee But thou wilt say I did not seeke this I sought not the death of mine enemy but I besought the life of my child What evill sought I in this Thou soughtst no evill as thou thinkest but tell mee what if hee were taken from thee lest Sin should change his understanding But thou wilt say hee was sinfull and therefore I desir'd that hee might live that hee might reforme his life Thou desiredst that he might live better but what if God saw that he by living longer would become worse How knowest thou then whether might more redound to his profit to dye or live Seeing then thou knowest not returne into thy heart leave this to the secret counsell of God But what shall I then doe wilt thou say How may I pray How maist thou pray As thy Lord hath taught thee as thine Heavenly Master hath taught thee Call upon God as God Love God as God Nothing is better than hee desire him covet him See how this princely Prophet calleth upon the Lord in another other Psalme One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will require And what is this hee desires Even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life And to what end To behold the beauty of the Lord. If then thou desirest to be the Lover of God with thy sincâ—rest affections and chastest sighes love him like him long for him languish for him than whom thou canst find nothing more joyfull nothing more gracefull nothing more cheerefull nothing more diuturnall For what more diuturnall than what is sempiternall Doe not feare that hee at any time will fall from thee who hath made thee that thou shouldst not fall from him If then thou callest upon God as God be secure thou art heard thy portion hath relation to that verse He is very mercifull to all such as call upon him Doe not then say He hath not given me this Returne unto thy heart and discharge thy conscience examine it doe not spare it If thou hast at any time called upon God for temporall benefits assure thy selfe that therefore hee did not give them thee because they would not profit thee In this Brethren let your hearts be edified your Christian hearts your faithfull hearts lest yee fall into murmuring against God by being discontented when frustrated of your desires and in vaine it is to kick against the prick Make recourse to the Scriptures The Devill is heard and the Apostle is not heard How seemes this unto you How are the Devils heard They besought him that they might goe into the heard of Swine and it was granted them How is the Devill heard He besought him that he might tempt Iob and it was suffered him How is the Apostle not heard Lest I should be exalted out of measure through the abundance of revelations there was given unto me a pricke in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet me For this thing I besought the Lord thrice
the most precious bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ and that for his great love towards mee no merit of mine doe confesse and acknowledge publikely or by this hand-writing or in these words before the Omnipotent God and before the whole hoast of Heaven and before you so many as stand here as witnesses about me if necessitie shall so require that I am and desire so to dye a son truly obedient to the holy Catholique Church with that â—inceritie as becommeth a Christian. And I beleeve and confesse generally all and everie part particle portion or article of the Christian faith to the beleefe whereof everie Christian stands bound especially all those particular points whether plainly expressed or necessarily implyed in the twelve articles of Christian faith for as much as they were delivered unto us from the holy Spirit by the twelve Apostles and recommended to us for Evangelicall truth And I farther beleeve and adhere to their inter pretations or expositions yet not to all or everie one but to those onely which were published by the holy Fathers received admitted â—pproved and confirmed by the most sacred Councells and tried by the truest touch-stone of infallible Scripture And to be briefe I beleeve whatsoever a Christian ought truly to beleeve In which faith so immoveable and firme I rejoyce with all mine heart to dye holding and offering this writing in mine hand as a most impregnable and invincible shield against all the insults assaults deceits and subtilties of the Devill And if it so come to passe which God forbid that by instigation of the Devill or violence of sicknesse I should thinke speake or doe any thing contrarie to mine Attestation aforesaid or should fall into any apostacie diffidence or desperation I wholly revoke and reverse that whatsoever or howsoever it shall be here in the presence of you all and make it as voyd and of no effect as if I were distraught of my wits when I did it Wherefore I appeale unto you all that are here present and to thee O holy Angell to whose guard I am committed that yee beare witnesse of this my Protestation before the Omnipotent Judge Now for as much as concerneth my selfe I doe pardon and forgive all injuries of what nature qualitie or condition soever as have beene done mee desiring heartily that the like may bee done to mee by those whom I have at any time offended either in word or deed I doe likewise crave and desire with all mine heart that I may bee made partaker of all good works which either are already done or shall be hereafter done by holy men through the whole Church whensoever or whereinsoever their office or ministerie may be usefull to mee but principally of the most bitter Passion and most innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And may this my naturall voluntarie and desired approch of death stand through his merits and mercies for all my sinnes And I wish to God that I had never at any time sinned either against God or his Lawes or my Superiours or my Neighbours or my selfe Lastly I give thanks to mine Omnipotent God for all his benefits bestowed upon me and I commend my body and soule into his hands and to the bitternesse of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be praise and honour and dignitie for evermore Amen AN ELEGIE OF St. Dionysius a Carthusian of the judgement of death and the sundrie casualties thereof TO Earth returnes whats'ere from Earth had birth Flower fades shade vades what 's bred is brought to Earth Nought judge I long that doubtfull bound can stay To morrow day may be my onely day Short is that day to day which well may be My day my doome a fearefull day to me A fearefull horrid day when all my store Is clos'd in clay and I can earne no more Who thinks his dayes long 'las he thinks amisse Nor long nor safe is one whole day of his In vaine speake I of dayes dayes not exprest When not one day nor houre can promise rest Thy long liv ' d hopes if so thou like extend Yet nought of nought shall come to nought i'th'end Thouâ—ands ten thousands thousand thousands were On Earth now Earth whose names lye buried here This onely rests that each receive his hire Good works deserve good gifts ungodly fire Behold the fearefull judge thy finall doome Prepare thy selfe this dreadfull day will come Feare then and quake compose direct thy mind Live to dye now and suffer what 's assign'd An Epistle of Ludovicus Blosius written to an especiall friend upon the perfecting and publishing of his worke entituled The Parlour of the Soule BEhold thou hast my dearely beloved in Christ The Parlour of the Soule which thou hast so long time desired Having now lately written The spirituall Glasse both for thy selfe and mee I had purposed to have added nothing thereto howbeit afterwards I could by no meanes satisfie thy desire unlesse I annexed unto it The spirituall Iewell Crowne and Casket all which this our Parlour containeth Which truly came later to the Presse than thou wished but take it in good part being done by the pâ—rpose and ordinance of God Now if thou setting aside sometimes thy more weightie cares and employments become delighted with the reading of such simple bookes as are published by mee as thou seemest to be delighted I doe advise thee that first thou enter into this Parlour and diligently consider and discusse those things which are therein And afterwards that thou take into thy hand that Psychagogia which I have collected some yeares agoe out of Augustine and Gregorie For the doctrine of the Fathers set downe in these two Books shall mightily comfort and confirme thee being of so good disposition and inflame thee to the love of God thy heavenly Countrey Let it not be tedious to thee ofttimes to read over these and such like devout works yea though thy reading afford small or no sweet relish to the palate of thine heart For too delicate is he who casteth aside all such holy and wholesome directions as he had once read or heard and will not read nor heare them any more I give thanks unto my Lord Jesus for that thy Brother after such time as he had read over that Tract of mine entitled Comfort for the weak hearted and now by mee published hee becomes now lesse afflicted with inordinate feare than before Let him ascribe that reliefe as received solely from God and his holy Doctors who speake unto him in that Tract of comfort He does well surely to grieve and sorrow for that hee hath offended God without measure or number all the by-past time of his life neverthelesse hee is to have his affiance and confidence in the boundlesse sweetnesse of Gods mercie Let him thinke how most of those who had slaine Christ afterwards received pardon by beleeving in Christ to the end truly that all men should learne that no crimes or offences are so
to surprize us As a Plate or Lamell of gold set unto our eyes doth no lesse hinder our sight than a plate of iron so it behoveth us to renounce and remove from our minds all instable mortall creatures be they never so noble if wee will enjoy that most excellent Good which is God In true deniall the whole Summe of Perfection consisteth without which none shall profit what way soever hee turne him Almightie God grant us grace that with incessant endevour wee may perpetually strive to deny mortifie relinquish resigne goe forth of our selves and dis-esteeme our selves Amen TO HIS MOST Deare and affectionate Sisters their faithfull Brother dedicates THIS Passionate Pilgrim AS A living Memoriall of his unfained love never dying MY teares my joyes my widdow-weed my Bride My prize heav'ns praise my love Christ crucifide THE PASSIONATE PILGRIM Breathing A Contemplative Mans Exercise Offering A Penitent Soules Sacrifice THE Contemplative Mans Exercise Or Penitent Soules Sacrifice The wise mans heart is ever fixt on God And with a filiall kisse receives his rod. GOe to now miserable man flye a little thine occupations retire thy selfe for a space from thy tumultuous cogitations Lay aside now thine onerous cares and set apart thy laborious distentions Reserve thy selfe a while for God and rest thy selfe a little in him Enter into the chamber of thy mind shut out all things besides God and those things which helpe thee to seeke him and having shut thy gate seeke him Say now O my heart say now O my Lord I seeke thy countenance thy countenance O Lord doe I seeke Goe to therefore now my Lord God teach mine heart where and how it may seeke thee where and how it may find thee O Lord if thou beest not here where may I seeke thee being absent But being everie where why doe I not see thee present But surely thou inhabitest a light inaccessible But where is that light inaccessible Or how shall I come to that light inaccessible Or who will guide mee and bring mee to it that I may see thee in it Then with what signes with what face shall I seeke thee I have not seene thee O Lord my God I have not knowne thy face What shall hee doe O most high Lord what shall this thy forraine banisht one doe What shall thy servant doe doubtfull of thy love and far casten off from thy face Hee longeth to see thee and thy face is far from him Hee desireth to come unto thee and thine habitation is inaccessible Hee desireth to find thee and knoweth not thy place Hee affecteth to seeke thee and knoweth not thy countenance O Lord thou art my God and thou art my Lord and I never saw thee Thou hast made mee and re-made mee and all those good things which I have hast thou bestowed on mee and I have not yet knowne thee Finally to see thee was I made yet have not I done that for which I was made O miserable condition of man to lose that for which hee was made O hard and harsh chance is this Out alas what ha's hee lost and what ha's hee found What is gone and what abideth Hee hath lost happinesse for which hee was made and hee hath found unhappinesse for which hee was not made That is gone without which nothing is happie and that abideth which of it selfe is nothing but unhappie Man did eat the bread of Angels which now hee tastes not now hee eats the bread of sorrowes which then hee knew not O the publique lamentation of men the universall mourning of the children of Adam Hee flowed in all plenteous manner wee sigh for hunger Hee abounded wee fast Hee happily possest and miserably lost wee unhappily need and miserably beg and alas wee remaine emptie Why did hee not keepe for us when he easily might what we so grievously want Why h'as hee thuâ— shut the light from us and brought darknesse upon us Wretched men whence are wee expulsed and whereto are we forced Yea whither are wee headlong throwne where overwhelmed From our Countrey to exile from the sight of God to our blindnesse From the joy of immortalitie into the bitternesse and horrour of death Miserable exchange from how great good to how great evill Great losse great griefe nothing but griefes But out alas for me unhappy wretch one amongst the rest of the miserable children of Eve divided from God what have I done what have I begun Whither did I goe whereto am I come to what did I aspire in what doe I now sigh I sought for good and behold trouble I went towards God and behold I became an offender against my selfe I sought for rest in my secret paths and I found tribulation and sorrow in my inward parts I would have laughed through the joy of my minde and I was enforced to rore through the griefe of mine heart Joy was expected and behold how sighes were increased How long Lord wilt thou forget us How long wilt thou turn thy face from us When wilt thou look upon us and heare us When wilt thou enlighten our eyes and shew thy face to us When wilt â—hou restore thy selfe to us O Lord look upon us heare us enlighten us Shew thy selfe to us that it may be wel with us without whom it is so ill with us Have mercie on our labours and endevors directed to thee who are able to doe nothing without thee Enlighten us helpe us I beseech thee O Lord let mee not despaire through fainting but respire by hoping I beseech thee O Lord mine heart is made bitter with her desolation Sweeten it with thy consolation I beseech thee O Lord I hungry have begun to seeke thee let me not depart fasting from thee I hunger-starv'd have come unto thee let me not depart unfed from thee I poore come to thee rich I miserable to thee mercifull let me not depart empty and contemned and if before I eat I sigh grant that after my sighs I may eat O Lord I am become crooked and cannot but looke downward raise mee that I may looke upward mine iniquities are gone over mine head they overwhelme me and as an heavie burden presse me Free and disburden mee lest the ditch stop her mouth upon me Let me look upon thy light though a farre off though from the deepe Teach mee to seeke thee and shew thee to mee seeking thee because neither can I seeke thee unlesse thou teach mee nor finde thee unlesse thou show thee Let mee seeke thee by desiring desire thee by seeking finde thee by loving love thee by finding I confesse O Lord and I give thankes because thou hast created in mee this thine Image that being mindfull of thee I might think of thee and love thee But so abolished is this image with the blemishes of vice and so darkned with the smoake of sinne as it cannot doe that for which it was made unlesse thou renue and reforme it I presume not O Lord to pierce thine height for
this r. these p. 151. l. 16. for huger r. hunger p. 184. l vlt. for glagues r. plagues p. 336. in Tit. for DEAHTS r. DEATHS p. 339. l. 21. for divine r. dimme p. 395. l. 13. fore fore r. for REquiâ—e the Authors paines with thy pen in correcting these literall errors and remember him in thy private prayers who will render the like to thee in his Christian vowes and teares Both Hand and Heart are joyntly given My Hand subscribes My Heart 's for Heaven A SPIRITUALL SPICERIE Containing Sundrie Sweete Tractats of Devotion Piety â—â—ndon Printed by I. H. for Gooâ— Huton at 〈◊〉 in Holâ—â— Gruytrodius Bonaventura Author Ibid. Augustinus Author Granado Augustine Aquinas Bonavent Author Bernard Author Ibid. Ibid. Lanspergius Ibid. Lanspergius Lanspergius Dionysius Blosius Suso Augustine Damian Bernard Author * In that he was innoâ—ent he became more sensible of torment * O Sacred-Secret mystery requiring of us no curious discussion but serious devotion * He is dead in trespasses who liveth not in the remembrance of Christs Passion by washing his precious wounds with pious teares of holy compassion * Three â—â—ngular precepts of Christian imitation Christs counsell * The way by the Crosse is the way to the Crownâ—â— * The Christians Ladder conducting him to Christ his Saviour * The Christians Signet with his Posie * Medâ—tation of Christs Sacred Passion a soveraigne receit against Satans temptation * A Christians Philosophie The terror of the last judgement A most comfortable Conclusion Mat. 26. Luke 12. * Imperator noster Christus eum hostem vicit qui adhuc omnes Imperatores stravit Miscell Theor. Itin. Psal. 36. Exod. 3. Psal. 101. Psal. 102. Psal. 33. Galat. 5. I Cor. 15. Psal. 36. Mat. 5. Malac. 4. Wisd. 5. I Cor. 4. Colos. 3. 2 Reg. 7. Psal. 39. Prov. 1 Psal. 13. Psal. 26. Matth. 8. Job 1. 2 Cor. 12. Psal. 34. Mat. â— No fire gives quicker heat to heath than Christs Crosse to mans heart No fire works more upon combustible matter than the wood of the Crosse on a pliable nature Meaning by this Materiall wood of the Crosse of Christ thaâ— Spiâ—ituall Woâ—d of Life Chrâ—st Jesus â—hanging on the wood of the Crosse. * Delicacy the Devils darling * Christs confection * Christs refection * Christs Musique * Christs Perambulation * Christs habit * Christs house * Christs repose * Christs conversation our imitation * Christs bed * Christs câ—adle a Crâ—bbe his couch a Crosse. * Christs Sermon upon the Crosse. In ore gratiam in more â—agaâ—iamâ— in 〈◊〉 solatiuâ—â— Amos 4. 7. Ibid. 8. 6. Ibid. 6. 3. 11. August in Enar. sâ—p 45. Psalm Prov. 28. 1. * Electrum lâ—chryâ—arum Electuarium animarum * Lachrymae peccatorum sunâ— vinum Angeloâ—um Bern sup Cant. Myâ— rham oculoruâ— diciâ—â—us me ruâ— Angelorum Anselm Damas. in Hiâ—t Barlaam Luke 10. 37. Licot sparso â—â—ine sâ—isâ— is vestibus uberâ— quibus â—e nutrierat mâ—ter osteÌ„daâ— liâ—â—t in limine paâ—er jaceat per contemptam matrem per calcatum patrem perge siccis â—culis ad vexillum Crucis evâ—la Hieroh Rev. 22. 20. The love of God is the faithfull soulesguide * Nec locus sufficeret crucâ—â—us â—ec cruees corporibus Joseph lib. 5. de Bellâ— Iud. cap. 28. Exceâ—lent Motives for the weake iâ— Spirit preparing them how to die A divine Memoriall No true Repentance without Charitie Meditation of death the wisâ— mans life Motives of fearing Death Spirituall Physick against this feâ—rfull distemper Christian Memorials Jam. v. 14. Mar. 6. 13. Christs mercies my merits a Conclave animae Pet. Damian de Horâ—â—ortâ—â— Bern. Aug. Med. 4. S. Bern. S. Ambrose